Supplements for Endurance athletes?

[ilost]

Hey guys what are considered some useful supplements if you want to increase your performance/recovery/power/etc? I've looked at things like "whey protein" in combination with some other supplements which are said to increase "strength and power", but they're advertised mainly for bodybuilders. So do they really increase your performance, or just your size? Also being into aerobics, im interested in 5k runs or 2-6k rowing. not interested in any marathons or triathlons... and i would like to improve my maximum # of pullups.
Also i must say that i feel i get enough protein in my natural diet(i eat well).

So i looked at
promax extreme and gh hick

but as u see they're advertised for bodybuilders or at best for weightlifters or sprinters. so would they be of any use for someone who likes to do 10sets of pullups and pushups and dips and then a 10k run or erg as his regular workout?

[RowtheRockies]

ilost,

I have never taken any supplements nor plan to except for Beer for recovery. A friend of mine at work however mountain bike races regularly and is pretty competitive. He started taking a product called Athlete Octane and a product called Optygen recently and swears by them. Kind of pricey it looks like. Supposed to help with endurance as well as recovery. The websites are:

http://www.athleteoctane.com/
http://www.firstendurance.com/qa.html

I have toyed with the idea of trying it for a month as a trial but I am leary about supplements. If you give it a try let us know how it worked.

Rich

[igoeja]

This has been hashed out before, so you might want to do a quick search.

Some takeaways:

- Creatine helps rowers, even if it's billed for bodybuilders...

- Caffeine can enhance performance, but at some point it is banned...

- Extra protein is likely nothing more than expensive piss...

Other than that, eat well, consume enough calories, get enough rest, train smart...

[ilost]

thanks but i havent tried any of them myself becaue im too lazy to go to a store and buy them(would need to go to the other side of town). i'm a firm believer that unless you're an elite athlete, supplements are much less important than exercise routine... but it would still be interesting to see if anybody else has tried these for endurance sports.

[fabianL]

Endurox R4. (www.accelsport.com) Many collegiate cross country and track athletes use it to improve recovery time after hard workouts. If used immediately after a hard workout, you will feel like you've had a day off by the next morning. It may be just a placebo, but I seem to really feel those days when I don't use it after a workout. I find it especially to aid recovery between the AM and PM workouts on the same day. If you look at the ingredients, it is basically sugar, protein and vitamin E.

[Grimsquid]

Endurox R4. (www.accelsport.com) Many collegiate cross country and track athletes use it to improve recovery time after hard workouts. If used immediately after a hard workout, you will feel like you've had a day off by the next morning. It may be just a placebo, but I seem to really feel those days when I don't use it after a workout. I find it especially to aid recovery between the AM and PM workouts on the same day. If you look at the ingredients, it is basically sugar, protein and vitamin E.

I agree. I use endurox in my training and I feel like it has a massive effect. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who feels they may not recover fully from session to session.

[raymond.botha]

before workout :
2 x level teaspoons ribose
2 x 1000mg vit c
6 x 1000mg msm

post workout
2 x level teaspoons ribose
3 x heaped teaspoons glutamine

before bed :
2 x 100mg 5-htp
the best ZMA only product you can find.

if you want to discuss PM me. i also run , erg , do chins, dips and pushups.

iwon !

[TomR]

chocolate milk, kids.

Chocolate milk has thus far had an impressive run in the research examining its applications to various sporting goals [2,3]. It has performed equally well for rehydration and glycogen resynthesis compared to carb-based sports drinks, and it has outperformed them (and soy-based drinks) for protecting and synthesizing muscle protein. A standout study in this area was a comparison of chocolate milk, Gatorade, and Endurox R4 (a sports drink with a 4:1 carb to protein ratio) [4]. Chocolate milk was equally effective as Gatorade for total work output and prolonging time to exhaustion. Interestingly, both of the latter products outperformed Endurox R4 in both tests. The researchers speculated that the use of maltodextrin rather than sucrose (yes, you read that correctly) as the dominant carbohydrate source was the Achilles heel of Endurox R4. More on the virtues of sucrose instead of straight glucose for exercise applications will be covered.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle ... overy.html

[Hal Morgan]

I think I have found the total sum for my search for the uber food. Cold fresh chocalate milk for that I give you my utmost respect and admiration. I'll see you at Dairy Mart right before we get to pratice!