Inspired by an similar post about creatine, I just want to see what supplements people are taking and why?
Potential can of worms here, but I look forward to some answers!
1 Like
For me like Pav will find this interesting.
- Get the basics sorted first and assess your nutrition and get that balanced and refined. As the name says these are supplement’s to fill in the gaps.
- For example Vit D I see as been important which its has been said to be got from exposure to the sun and how in winter especially in the UK we could be lacking. However it can also be got from eggs, cod liver oil, sardines, tuna and salmon for example. For a number of reasons I like to aim to get these into my weekly diet. Like 2 hardboiled eggs as a snack in the day for example Perhaps sardines with my salad or steamed veg. Tuna steaks or salmon fillet for another meal option.
- Iron is often found to be lacking and is important part of our blood and required to transport oxygen through the body. Vegan and vegetarian diets along with woman can be found to be more a risk of lower iron levels from what I have read. However it is also important not to overdose. Here red meat is the main source of iron and hence why vegan and vegetarian diets can be reduced. However Spinach is a great source and why it is my main choice in a salad and not lettuce and it is also a source of Vit C which is needed to help with iron absorption. Other good sources are beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas.
- Magnesium is another one which is high on my list been that it linked to blood sugar regulation, good sleep and protein synthesis. As it is also been lost through sweating it is important to be replenishing this. Also magnesium can aid performance and recovery as it helps transport glucose into you muscles and lactate out of them so benefits muscle fatigue.
- Omega-3 we all know about these but worth noting while a lot is said that we need to eat fatty fish (as mentioned in point 2 for sources of Vitamin D salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines) you can also get these from nuts and seeds. So I will eat almonds, Brazil and Walnuts along with putting ground flax seed on dishes. Also help with sleep, inflammation and immune system.
- B12 is only found in animal products and this is why we see cereals for example fortified with B12 so a key one for vegan diets. A lack of B12 can be the reason for increased fatigue however it is important to remember that overtraining, low iron and poor sleep/recovery are also key here.
- Zinc which is key for a healthy immune system, recovery and energy metabolism. Again it is also something which we sweat out. Given its links to immunity if you’re the one who always seems to get a cold this could be due to low zinc. Again Fish, meat, legumes, nuts and seeds are all good sources of zinc.
- I’ll round off with Protein as lets face it this is perhaps the most talked about but not thought of as a supplement. I’d say the majority of people I talk to about food don’t eat enough protein. You need protein to help your body recover and repair your muscles. So here foods like meat, nuts, eggs and cheese. This is one where I do supplement if you like as I do enjoy mile shakes so choose to go with using protein powder both whey, collagen and casein powders to make my shakes. This is on top of eating greek yogurt, nuts, meat and cheese as part of my usual foods. I’ll add protein powder to my greek yogurt as a flavouring and the plus of increasing the protein I am having.
One thing I will also add is looking at the RDA values and what tables show for foods might not be correct these days. Due to current farming practices the values recorded more recently are lower than when the various governments put together the recommended daily amounts. So for example your 5 a day might no longer actually give you the amounts you need and might really need to be more like 6 or 8 a day. Organic or better still home grown might be the better choices if you can.
If you hadn’t guessed nutrition is a key element for me since I rebooted my lifestyle back in 2018. I don’t see diets rather think about changing lifestyles to be more rounded and healthy.
I hope this wasn’t too much but as I said it is something I am keen on and am constantly reading about as I think it is the foundation blocks to which we can then build on.
1 Like
Excellent info here - thank you!
I don’t really take anything regularly. Have done some bits in the past though.
1 Like
Ok, here we go opening up pandora’s box. First of all, I am vegetarian, so the supplements are biased. No big eloquent explanations. Arrived at this set after a lot of trial and error.
- Calcium/Magnesium/Potassium (Secret recovery weapon, no-camps-ever-tool)
- Coenzyme B-Complex (B6/B12 mainly)
- Ultra Omegas DHA/EPA (Omega-3)
- Iron
- Zinc (Wife says it avoids colds and stuff)
- D3 (in the dark times of the year)
As vegetarian, I need to add B6/B12/Omega-3/Iron to my diet as supplements, or I’d be lacking. The lacking is really also my food choices, which are inefficient, but well coordinated with the rest of the family.
Vitamin C is of course coming in the form of Orange /Grapefruit /Lime juice, or Ananas. Really love fruit. But that’s something to think about as well.
This is interesting. Just iron for me!
Beth do you get tested for your iron levels? I know iron is often low and is important for women but also it can be toxic to the liver if you take too much.
I will also add that taking too high loads of Vitamin C does have side effects which impact us as athletes.
It can reduce exercise-induced adaptation, increase post exercise recovery time. In short high doses of vitamin C inhibits skeletal muscle adaptation to endurance training and reduces the improvements of endurance performance.
It is important to remember more is not better. Just like intensity in training needs to be balanced with easier sessions.
1 Like
None for me. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, and am tested for deficiencies through my medical. No doubt that might change with age.
1 Like
Great discussion everyone!!
1 Like
TRIPLE MAGNESIUM for recovery
L-theanine
soon ill use BETA ALANINE (for first time)
whey protein + Vitagro pure to mix with shake after workout
Omega 3 from my doctor due high cholesterol
2 Likes
Mind me asking why you take all those? Just curious!
Magnesium is good for recovery and can also help sleep when taken before bed
L-theanine also good for sleep as it is said to help you relax. It is found in green tea and why I drink green tea as that is said to help clearing the sinuses (I suffer here) also as with green tea can help with focus and weight maintenance.
BETA ALANINE can help with muscle endurance and delay muscle fatigue it is an amino acid but not classified as one of the essential ones. It is often swapped out with creatine which is said to be more benefits if your focus is on explosive power and hence more common in weight training and say sprinting.
Omega 3 good for overall good health as they are unsaturated fat source and unlike saturated fat is good for your cholesterol as it doesn’t cause it to rise. It’s a good fatty acid and one reason to supplement is if you don’t eat fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines at least once per week. It is needed for cell health and keeping your heart and immune system working well.
Whey Protein is an easy way to get more protein into your diet as protein is often not eat in enough volume. Especially required for muscle health and rebuilding, so in exercise we stress and break down the muscle so we need to protein to repair and rebuild following training. I tend to opt for collagen protein powder as I like a milkshake but it help bone and tendon health. Also worth noting as we again we should be eating more protein to help maintain the muscle we have as it naturally declines the older we get.
This is great info. Thank you.
1 Like
I came across this thread so thought that I’d share…
Restarted supplements last week before the track racing season begins.
I’m doing protein, creatine, and beta-alinine daily. Also, l-citruline for intense workouts and races.
If there is anything else others would recommend (in addiition to those items listed above), I’d be interested to learn.
1 Like
I’ve never really gotten into sups. I’m curious what benefits those give you?
I picked up a special offer for AG1 so I am trying that at the moment.
L-citruline isn’t one I’ve read into recently didn’t seem to be too much info on it or at least not for me to choose. Also from memory it appeared to have little or no benefits on helping with age related muscle loss or on increasing strength with older athletes who regularly excursive. So for me in my fifties I didn’t see it as a worthy supplement.
It also lowers the blood pressure so not one to use if your on blood pressure meds, blood thinners etc etc. AKA speak to your Dr first.
Overhyped and very expensive is my take on AG1 unfortunately.
A good balanced diet would give you all you need and also from what I have heard they pay their influencers a lot to promote it hence a lot of very well known people taking and promoting it.
If you really look into the claims and the number of things it includes and the daily dose even without knowing the exact break down of each item you couldn’t be getting anywhere near the recommend daily dose for each element.
Another hip and happening one that I’m sure you’ve now heard G promoting on his podcast is Ketone ester supplements like deltaG and HVMN KetoneIQ.
Again my take on this is perhaps for a marginal gain to POST race/workout recovery but again expensive. The main takeaway I’ve read about with these is the improvement to focus and concentration so to be take before an exam, meeting or while working on an important project.
For me if you have the money you are far better spending it on buying organic produce or growing your own than spending it on supplements.
As Pav’s latest article on gardening as strength & mobility. Get outdoors and spend 20-30 mins looking after your own veg plot and you’ll not only get better more nutrient rick food but also gain the mental boost from been outdoors along with the physical benefits from the bending and squatting.