I was wondering what supplements elite endurance athletes take because I’m pretty sure they have nailed their nutrition and know what works for them. I know lots of people say “just eat a balanced diet and you’ll get all of the BCAA, protein, fats and CHO you need”.
I like to think I eat a well balanced diet but it seems like as I get older I don’t respond to training like the days of old and recovery takes much much longer.
Any supplements you swear by?
I like to think I eat a well balanced diet but it seems like as I get older I don’t respond to training like the days of old and recovery takes much much longer.
Why, yes. That’s called aging and is, for lack of a better word, natural.
We all burn enough calories that it’s not that tough to get what you need from your daily intake. I will note that since greatly reducing animal products in my diet I occasionally take a women’s daily vitamin for the B and iron.
As far as the pros, many are sponsored by supplement companies so they will all say they use their sponsor’s products.
I was wondering what supplements elite endurance athletes take because I’m pretty sure they have nailed their nutrition and know what works for them. I know lots of people say “just eat a balanced diet and you’ll get all of the BCAA, protein, fats and CHO you need”.
I like to think I eat a well balanced diet but it seems like as I get older I don’t respond to training like the days of old and recovery takes much much longer.
Any supplements you swear by?
I take various things, and I keep meaning to put together a complete list of what I am using. I put together this piece for one of my sponsors last year. For me, especially living in Florida in April and May where I lose a ton of Mag it is critical. It is one of those things that doesn’t refill fast and the winter is the best time to get your stores back up.
http://www.thomasgerlach.com/…-supplement-for.html
I have been supplementing my Mag for many years and will continue to do so in the future.
Magnesium deficiency is not uncommon in those taking PPI’s daily (Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid). I know most of us take no medication, but these are now OTC and a lot of folks don’t think they can live without them.
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Just drink plenty Chocolate Milk, it gives you all the nutrients and minerals you need as well as electrolytes and protein for recovery.
Oops, I think I`ve been watching too many Mirinda Carfrae videos 
Seriously though, I am also very interested in this topic - as an older athlete (43) and still putting in the miles. I did do a carnitine loading protocol last season in an effort to improve fat metabolism - this is a controvertial subject for many reasons but recent work had demonstrated some value if done to a specific protocol https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3060373/ - did I notice any difference? well, my personal n=1 experience was good, I felt that towards the end of my longer bike and runs I could maintain my pace. I also felt it easier to keep my weight down. The obvious caveat though is that the above is subjective and could also be due to other effects. I will be doing this again for my A races in the coming season.
Also, anyone asthmatic could get those injections.
Multi-vitamin, fish oil, vitamin D-zero calorie nutrition.
My choice has more to do with my being a nearly 60 year-old athlete than that I don’t eat well (which I do).
I notice that as I’ve aged, eating does not equal absorbing nutrition as well as 10-20-30 years ago.
60 yrs old…
Multi Vitamin
2000 IU Vitamin D
65 mg Iron
Baby Aspirin
Hi Jorgan!
I just mixed the L-Carnitine in with some Vitargo and drank it - I think the novelty in the protocol is using the insulin spike from the carbs to help store the L-Carnitine. Otherwise it doesn`t matter how you take it, it will just be flushed out pretty quickly.
I read somewhere that if you take a small amount of vitamin C it really helps the absorbtion of Iron. That allows you to use a lower Iron dose, which might be valuable (It always aggrivated my stomach at the doses in the capsules).
Here’s what I’ve been taking for the past couple years:
Iron (ferrous sulfate, 65 mg Fe daily) - Required for me to maintain good serum ferritin levelsVitamin D (~5000 IU every other day during winter months) - Generally recommendedCaffeine (daily tea + higher doses for races and some key workouts)Melatonin (0.5-1 mg as needed a couple times per week to help fall asleep)Beetroot extract (only before races) - I may stop this since there seems to be limited evidence of benefits for well trained to elite endurance athletes. Maybe a placebo effect, if nothing else.
I try to keep things as simple and minimal as possible with supplements. Pretty much every supplement that is a probable and significant performance enhancer for endurance sports is:
a WADA prohibited substance,likely to be banned eventually,ethically questionable (i.e., even if it’s not explicitly banned by WADA, it may arguably fall within a nebulous grey area of things against “the spirit of sport”)poorly studied or understood (i.e. lacking peer reviewed research supporting benefits, individual responses, dose/protocol, side effects, risks, etc.)unsafe or has undesirable side effectsexpensive, and/orof unknown purity/composition (e.g., legitimate supplements potentially tainted with other substances leading to adverse analytical findings)
There are some obvious exceptions for athletes with nutritional deficiencies or medical conditions.
I’m always chasing marginal gains and I’ve consulted coaches, sports docs, dietitians and other athletes on the subject of supplements. I’ve seen ads and heard whispers about such-and-such new supplement that supposedly helps with something. I’ve even found myself researching obscure supplements with unpronounceable names in strange corners of the internet. But everything I’ve come across so far has at least one and usually more of those issues I listed. I’ve concluded that messing around with all but the most basic supplements is just not the worth the time, headache, expense, risks, etc. for me.
I’ve also turned down some sponsorship opportunities with supplement and sports nutrition companies. I would have a really hard time hawking products that either likely don’t work or have some of the above issues.
Magnesium deficiency is not uncommon in those taking PPI’s daily (Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid). I know most of us take no medication, but these are now OTC and a lot of folks don’t think they can live without them.
Magnesium deficiency is not uncommon in a lot of triathletes - especially those training in hotter & humid climates. Frankly, I could do a better job of getting more frequent blood tests instead of just popping pills and is one area I hope to do a better job of this year. I also supplement with Iron just in case and Vitamin D as well.
I was coerced into taking MAP—Master Amino Acid Pattern. I haven’t taken any yet, but I’ll be starting tomorrow. It’s supposed to improve recovery, but I am skeptical. The supplement market seems like a big market full of snake oil; however, what works for one person may not work for another.
I was coerced into taking MAP—Master Amino Acid Pattern. I haven’t taken any yet, but I’ll be starting tomorrow. It’s supposed to improve recovery, but I am skeptical. The supplement market seems like a big market full of snake oil; however, what works for one person may not work for another.
I was coerced into taking MAP—Master Amino Acid Pattern. I haven’t taken any yet, but I’ll be starting tomorrow. It’s supposed to improve recovery, but I am skeptical. The supplement market seems like a big market full of snake oil; however, what works for one person may not work for another.
The only thing I need for true race performance are “Little Chocolate Donuts”.
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/little-chocolate-donuts/n8655?snl=1
The 2017 WADA Prohibited List went into effect on January 1, 2017
http://www.usada.org/athlete-reminder-prohibited-list-in-effect/
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I was coerced into taking MAP—Master Amino Acid Pattern. I haven’t taken any yet, but I’ll be starting tomorrow. It’s supposed to improve recovery, but I am skeptical. The supplement market seems like a big market full of snake oil; however, what works for one person may not work for another.
Hey, it worked for Kevin Moats! Or was it the helmet mirror and illegal testosterone supplements?
I did a bit of research on Mg. I went ahead and ordered some Mg Sport from Amazon. Thanks for the discount code.