I’m currently taking whey protein after my workouts. Do you guys use anything to help with muscle/endurance or is it all eat right, sleep well, and train smart?
I sometimes eat whey protein, but it isn’t a supplement. it is just food. I eat it because I don’t cook. Sometimes I eat cottage cheese instead (basically the same thing!)
I add a small scoop of branch chain amino acids to my drink bottles on longer days (over 2 hours).
1 of each 3 times a day
.
As with most things, it’s often a matter of convenience. Having a “recovery shake” is often easier than bringing a full three-course meal to the track. You get the nutrition you need in a compact form. Beyond that, it’s probably cost on the margin. A really good athlete-oriented vitamin can be double or triple the price of something like Centrum, but probably isn’t two or three times as effective. That being said, nutrition is probably the first thing I’d put money into, since you almost always get more out of supporting your body than you will out of race wheels, aerobars, etc. Of course, nutrition is much more individual and much less “sexy,” which means it takes more personal investment as well. Personally, I think Glutamine & BCAAs are probably better than whey for recovery, and if someone wanted my top two picks for supplementation, it would be Glutamine #1, and BCAAs #2. Of course, I reserve the absolute top spot - #0 as it were - for bacon. 
rappstar, since you seem fairly analytical, and fast, I’m curious how you come to those conclusions on glutamine and aminos.
Personal experimentation? Research?
As with most things, it’s often a matter of convenience. Having a “recovery shake” is often easier than bringing a full three-course meal to the track. You get the nutrition you need in a compact form. Beyond that, it’s probably cost on the margin. A really good athlete-oriented vitamin can be double or triple the price of something like Centrum, but probably isn’t two or three times as effective. That being said, nutrition is probably the first thing I’d put money into, since you almost always get more out of supporting your body than you will out of race wheels, aerobars, etc. Of course, nutrition is much more individual and much less “sexy,” which means it takes more personal investment as well. Personally, I think Glutamine & BCAAs are probably better than whey for recovery, and if someone wanted my top two picks for supplementation, it would be Glutamine #1, and BCAAs #2. Of course, I reserve the absolute top spot - #0 as it were - for bacon.
I am a very active supplement user, but take a slightly different approach. Using the guidance of a sports physician (MD) we regularly and extensively test my blood. Based on the results and my training regimen he recommends my supplement strategy. We retest to see if the plan is having the desired effects.
It has made a big difference.
What blood test parameters have you specifically tried to address via supplementation? do you have some examples?
I am a very active supplement user, but take a slightly different approach. Using the guidance of a sports physician (MD) we regularly and extensively test my blood. Based on the results and my training regimen he recommends my supplement strategy. We retest to see if the plan is having the desired effects.
It has made a big difference.
Sure. Examples include DHEA (raised), testosterone (doubled), estrogen (lowered) vitamin D (deficient, improved), Hg (found and removed). All with legal, natural supplements. No pharmas.
Other adjustments were post exercise supplements and anti-oxidents to protect the body, etc.
There are something like 9,000 known blood tests. Most Drs. use the same basic 15 or so. So when he tested my cholesteral he wanted to know how much calcium was in it which is apparently the main issue.
My Dr said he could return my blood chemistry to what it was when I was 18. The only problem is we don’t know what it was then; I am 50 now.