Essential Supplements for Endurance Athletes: What to Consider?

In the competitive world of sports, athletes are always looking for ways to enhance their performance, speed up recovery, and push their limits. From ancient herbal remedies to modern nutritional science, supplements have played a crucial role in this quest. This blog delves into the world of sports supplements, examining popular products, the science behind them, and the ethical considerations involved. Whether you're a professional athlete or a fitness enthusiast, understanding the impact of supplements can help you achieve your goals safely and effectively. Join us as we explore this dynamic and often debated topic.

What you will learn in this blog:

1. What supplements should you consider to enhance your performance?

2. What dosage of each supplement should you take?

3. Important tips for supplement use as athletes.

4. Are there any cautions for recommended supplements?

Creatine

What is it?

Creatine is one of the most popular supplements used in sports today. It is stored in the muscles. It helps athletes improve their strength, power, and muscle mass by increasing the availability of ATP, the main energy source for cells. This boost is especially beneficial for activities that require short, intense bursts of energy, like weightlifting and sprinting.

What are the benefits?

Many studies show that creatine can enhance performance and aid in muscle recovery, making it a go-to choice for athletes who want to reduce fatigue and gain a competitive edge.

Its proven benefits and safety make creatine a trusted supplement in the sports world.

What is the recommended dosage?

There are two dosage protocols for creatine: maintenance and loading. Your body can make up to 2g of creatine per day. We can also get a certain amount from certain foods such as meat. The body can also store up to 150g, therefore by using the loading protocol we can saturate the muscles with creatine.

You can also get creatine in powder or tablet form. The powder form is typically more cost-effective, and it also enters your system more quickly than the tablet form.

Loading Dosage

To saturate the muscle stores, the loading dosage requires the consumption of 20g of creatine daily for 5-7 days. This should be broken up into four doses of 5g each day.

Maintenance Dosage

Once creatine stores are saturated, they just have to be maintained. The maintenance dose for creatine is 3 - 5g per day.

Tips for Supplementation?

1. Ensure the product you choose is creatine MONOHYDRATE
2. Ensure your product is batch tested, you can check this using InformedSport.com
3. Meet your hydration needs. 35ml x body weight in KG = your baseline fluid intake. By not reaching your hydration needs, you could be at risk of water retention in the body.
4. Taking creatine within an hour of coffee consumption can negatively affect the absorption rate of creatine.

Cautions

If you are an athlete participating in a weight-category sport, it is important to be cautious of creatine. Creatine allows muscles to retain water, and although this is not a bad thing for the body, it can cause an upward shift on the weighing scales.

Caffeine

What is it?

Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors, which normally cause fatigue. By blocking these receptors, caffeine helps prevent tiredness. Caffeine is a widely used supplement in sports for its powerful stimulant effects.

What are the benefits?

It enhances alertness, reduces the perception of effort, and can improve endurance and performance in both aerobic and anaerobic activities. Athletes often use caffeine to boost their energy levels, increase concentration, and delay fatigue during training and competition.

Research shows that moderate doses of caffeine can enhance physical performance by mobilizing fatty acids from fat tissues and increasing adrenaline levels. These effects can lead to improved speed, strength, and endurance. As a legal and easily accessible supplement, caffeine is a popular choice for athletes looking to maximize their performance.

What is the recommended dosage?

The recommended dose of caffeine is 3-6 mg/kg of body weight, taken one hour before exercise to reach peak plasma levels if consumed in capsule or tablet form.

If taken in the form of chewing gum, it can be taken 30 minutes before exercise as it is absorbed faster through the oral cavity. For those sensitive to caffeine, a dose of 2 mg/kg of body weight will suffice.

Tips for Supplementation

Some blends of coffee have higher doses of caffeine than others. Please refer to the below graphic for help.

Cautions

1. Caffeine contains food components called tannins which can block the absorption of certain vitamins/minerals. It might be a good idea to space out your cup of coffee from your multivitamin.
2. Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not directly dehydrate you. It is however a diuretic that increases the number of times you urinate. This can be easily combatted with drinking enough water.

Beetroot Juice

What is it?

Beetroot juice is a beverage made from the root vegetable beetroot. Known for its deep red colour and earthy flavour, beetroot juice is rich in essential nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and B6, iron, magnesium, potassium, and dietary nitrates. These nitrates convert into nitric oxide in the body, which helps to improve blood flow and reduce blood pressure. Beetroot juice is also high in antioxidants, which can protect cells from damage and support overall health.

What are the benefits?

Beetroot juice has gained popularity in sports for its potential to enhance performance. Rich in nitrates, beetroot juice helps improve blood flow and oxygen delivery to muscles. This can lead to better endurance and reduced fatigue during high-intensity exercise. Many athletes drink beetroot juice before competitions to boost their stamina and performance.

Studies have shown that it can help increase time to exhaustion and improve overall exercise efficiency. With its natural benefits and growing body of supporting research, beetroot juice is becoming a favoured supplement among athletes looking to gain a competitive edge.

What is the recommended dosage?

The recommended dose of beetroot juice is 5mmol / 310mg of nitrates taken 2-3 hours before performance. You can get beetroot juice in individual shot bottles or a large bottle where you can measure out your serving. We recommend the brand Beetit! Amazon.co.uk: BEET IT

Tips for Supplementation?

Like any other supplement, beetroot juice should be trained in the gut weeks in advance of a race. Nothing new should be trialed on race day!!!!!

Cautions

Beetroot juice may turn the colour of your urine to red.

Sodium Bicarbonate

What is it?

Sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, is a common kitchen ingredient. It is a white powder used in baking to make dough rise. In sports, athletes use sodium bicarbonate to help reduce muscle fatigue during intense exercise.

What are the benefits?

It helps neutralize acid in muscles, reducing fatigue and allowing for better performance during high-intensity exercise. This can lead to improved endurance and the ability to sustain peak effort for longer periods. Additionally, sodium bicarbonate can enhance recovery by minimizing muscle soreness after intense workouts.

What is the recommended dosage?

The recommended dosage of sodium bicarbonate is 0.3g/kg body weight with 400ml of fluid 60-180 minutes before exercise or competition. If you suffer from adverse effects, you can take 0.1g/kg body weight three times per day.

Tips for Supplementation?

1. Begin with a lower dose, such as 0.1 grams per kilogram of body weight, to see how your body reacts. Gradually increase to the optimal dose, typically around 0.3-0.4 grams per kilogram.
2. Drink plenty of water when taking sodium bicarbonate to help minimize the risk of gastrointestinal discomfort.
3. Mixing sodium bicarbonate with a carbohydrate-rich drink can improve its absorption and effectiveness.

Cautions

Using sodium bicarbonate as a supplement in sport can have side effects, including gastrointestinal discomfort such as bloating, gas, and stomach cramps. Higher doses may lead to nausea or vomiting, while excessive consumption can cause electrolyte imbalances and metabolic alkalosis, with symptoms like muscle twitching and confusion.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the world of supplements in sports is both vast and dynamic, offering athletes a plethora of options to optimize their performance and support their overall health. From well-established supplements like creatine and caffeine to emerging contenders like beetroot juice and sodium bicarbonate, each product carries its own benefits and considerations. However, athletes must approach supplementation cautiously, understanding both the potential advantages and risks involved.

Ultimately, while supplements can be valuable tools in enhancing athletic performance, they should complement a well-rounded training regimen, balanced diet, and holistic approach to health and wellness. To ensure supplements are batch-tested (i.e. do not contain any contaminants) you can visit InformedSport.com. Lastly, please do not try anything new on race day! Training the gut to any new supplement well in advance is imperative.

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Key Takeaway Points

1. Creatine can enhance performance and aid in muscle recovery, making it a go-to choice for athletes who want to reduce fatigue and gain a competitive edge.
2. Caffeine enhances alertness, reduces the perception of effort, and can improve endurance and performance in both aerobic and anaerobic activities. Athletes often use caffeine to boost their energy levels, increase concentration, and delay fatigue during training and competition.
3. Beetroot juice is rich in nitrates, beetroot juice helps improve blood flow and oxygen delivery to muscles. This can lead to better endurance and reduced fatigue during high-intensity exercise.
4. Sodium Bicarbonate helps neutralize acid in muscles, reducing fatigue and allowing for better performance during high-intensity exercise. This can lead to improved endurance and the ability to sustain peak effort for longer periods. Additionally, sodium bicarbonate can enhance recovery by minimizing muscle soreness after intense workouts.

References

1. Domínguez, R., Cuenca, E., Maté-Muñoz, J. L., García-Fernández, P., Serra-Paya, N., Estevan, M. C., Herreros, P. V., & Garnacho-Castaño, M. V. (2017). Effects of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Cardiorespiratory Endurance in Athletes. A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 9(1), 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9010043
2. Grgic, J., Pedisic, Z., Saunders, B., Artioli, G. G., Schoenfeld, B. J., McKenna, M. J., Bishop, D. J., Kreider, R. B., Stout, J. R., Kalman, D. S., Arent, S. M., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Lopez, H. L., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Burke, L. M., Antonio, J., & Campbell, B. I. (2021). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: sodium bicarbonate and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00458-w
3. Guest, N. S., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Nelson, M. T., Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Jenkins, N. D. M., Arent, S. M., Antonio, J., Stout, J. R., Trexler, E. T., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Goldstein, E. R., Kalman, D. S., & Campbell, B. I. (2021). International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
4. Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., Candow, D. G., Kleiner, S. M., Almada, A. L., & Lopez, H. L. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z