10 Best Supplements for Endurance Athletes (and How They Help)
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Endurance athletes are always looking for ways to improve their training, recovery, and performance.
While we always recommend taking a “food first” approach to fueling for endurance sports, it can sometimes be hard to fuel sufficiently with food alone due to the rigorous training involved. That’s where supplements can prove helpful to avoid deficiencies and achieve optimal training and recovery.
Just take creatine as an example: we’d need to eat 40 ounces of steak every day in order to consume the recommended daily amount of 5 grams of creatine. Not realistic for most of us.
In this guide, we’ll explore the most effective supplements for endurance athletes. We’ll be covering supplements such as:
Protein powder with carbohydrates
Omega-3
Creatine
Collagen
BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids)
Electrolytes
Sodium bicarbonate lotion
Vitamin D
Iron
Rhodiola Rosea
Note that we’re not suggesting you take all of these supplements concurrently, but rather use this guide as a reference for the benefits these supplements can provide and cross-reference with areas in which you might have deficiencies.
Below we’ll cover each of these supplements in detail, including what they are and how they help endurance athletes.
1. Protein Powder with Carbohydrates
Protein powders combined with carbohydrates are designed to aid rapid recovery after training. In the 30 to 60 minutes post-exercise, it is important to refuel the body with adequate protein and carbohydrates.
This helps kickstart the post-workout muscle recovery and muscle repair process by delivering protein and carbohydrates in a palatable, easy-to-drink formula. Having carbs post workout in particular helps replenish glycogen stores that are needed for optimal muscle recovery after training.
The optimal formula will have a 2:1 protein to carb ratio that helps to raise blood sugar, decrease cortisol, and increase amino acid absorption. They’re formulated to provide the necessary nutrients to support muscle repair, replenishment of energy stores, and efficient absorption of amino acids after a workout.
How protein powder + carbs helps endurance athletes:
Helps kickstart recovery and muscle repair
Supports replenishment of energy stores
Can have positive effects on body composition and training prior to/following resistance exercise
Try this:
Momentous Recovery is a balanced formula of proteins and carbohydrates designed to aid rapid recovery after training. With NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport certifications it is an excellent choice for endurance athletes. It also contains ingredients like L-glutamine, L-carnitine, D-ribose, and magnesium to further facilitate the recovery process after strenuous workouts.
2. Omega-3
Omega-3 can help support cardiovascular health, cognitive function, and aid in brain development and function, as well as boost gray matter production in the brain. Of particular importance to endurance athletes, omega-3 can also help with muscle and joint recovery and help reduce exercise-induced inflammation as well as long-term inflammation.
Omega-3 fatty acids are the building blocks of a healthy body and mind. They’re composed of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which are essential in the absorption of key nutrients and joint flexibility.
How omega-3 helps endurance athletes:
Supports cardiovascular health
Helps fight long-term and exercise-induced inflammation
Aids in muscle and joint recovery
Try this:
Momentous Omega-3 is sourced from anchovies, sardines, and mackerel that contain lower levels of heavy metals, delivering a potent 1600mg combined EPA and DHA in a 1:1 ratio without the fishy aftertaste. It is NSF Certified for Sport, meaning it has been third-party tested and certified.
Try this:
Momentous Omega-3 is sourced from anchovies, sardines, and mackerel that contain lower levels of heavy metals, delivering a potent 1600mg combined EPA and DHA in a 1:1 ratio without the fishy aftertaste. It is NSF Certified for Sport, meaning it has been third-party tested and certified.
3. Creatine
Creatine is a compound made from three amino acids and stored in the body's muscles and brain. It is a natural source of energy that helps your muscles contract, especially while you’re exercising.
Although it is commonly viewed as a supplement to increase muscle mass and strength, this study published in the Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition concluded that creatine can improve muscular endurance. Sports medicine experts found it can increase time to exhaustion during high-intensity endurance activities, likely due to increased anaerobic work capacity, making it a worthy supplement for runners and endurance athletes.
Creatine’s benefits don’t stop there—an increasing amount of research shows it may also help support cognitive function.
How creatine helps endurance athletes:
Helps improve muscular endurance and recovery
Provides nutrients your body needs to support optimal muscle function
Designed to help increase strength and power
Boosts energy levels and helps decrease recovery time
Helps support cognitive function
Try this:
Momentous Creatine is sourced from Creapure®, the purest form of creatine monohydrate available and widely considered to be the gold standard of creatine. While the majority of creatine on the market is sourced from China, ours is a single-sourced ingredient from Germany with no additives, sweeteners, or other ingredients. It is NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport-certified, meaning what’s on the label is what’s in the product—and nothing else.
4. Collagen
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body and plays a vital role in maintaining the structural integrity of our skin, bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Collagen supplementation can help promote natural collagen synthesis, aid in muscle recovery, and support soft tissue for long-term joint health, mobility, and resilience against injury.
How collagen helps endurance athletes:
Helps maintain bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments
Supports soft tissue development
Aids in muscle recovery
Helps improve joint health and mobility
Can help recovery from injury
Try this:
Momentous Collagen delivers 10 grams of grass-fed bovine collagen peptides plus 5g of FORTIGEL®, a patented, clinically researched collagen peptide source designed to promote collagen synthesis in tendons and ligaments. Vitamin C is included to help increase collagen formation and aid in the development of stronger collagen. Our formula is free from fat, sugar, cholesterol, purines, and additives for a clean nutritional profile.
5. BCAAs
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a subset of essential amino acids (EAAs). BCAAs contain three amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine, while EAAs contain all nine essential amino acids, including BCAAs. They are found in food and are used by the body to build muscle tissue protein and provide energy for muscles. BCAAs are essential because the body can't produce them naturally and they must be obtained from food.
Amino acids are a critical building block of protein. They contribute to multiple physiological functions through the construction of proteins that form muscle tissue, enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters. They also manage metabolic processes and uphold the body's pH balance, contributing to your body's optimal performance.
How BCAAs help endurance athletes:
Helps support muscle growth and repair
Boosts exercise and athletic performance
May reduce muscle soreness
Helps increase energy production, including greater fasting and insulin secretion
Supports connective tissue health
Try this:
Momentous Vital Aminos contains 13 amino acids, including all nine essential amino acids. With NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport certifications, this is a popular choice for endurance athletes looking to achieve optimal daily protein intake.
6. Electrolytes
Electrolytes are essential minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium, that play a crucial role in various bodily functions, especially for endurance athletes. Maintaining proper fluid balance and replenishing lost electrolytes can help prevent dehydration, reduce muscle cramping, and improve endurance performance.
How electrolytes help endurance athletes:
Ensure optimal muscle function, helping muscles contract and perform properly
Maintain fluid balance in the body, which is important in preventing dehydration
Maintain optimal nerve function, which allows the brain to send nerve impulses to the muscles
Try this:
Momentous Fuel is a formula featuring a perfect glucose-to-fructose ratio for optimal carbohydrate absorption and electrolytes to help your muscles give you all they have. Fuel is formulated to provide sustained energy without spiking blood sugar levels. Fuel was developed in partnership with registered dietitians and human performance specialists from professional sports teams to support athletes through intense training.
7. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble vitamin found in certain foods and produced by the body when exposed to sunlight. It is a critical nutrient required to keep your body functioning properly.
Taking a Vitamin D supplement can promote calcium absorption, facilitating the development and maintenance of strong bones and teeth. It also supports muscle function, immune system modulation, hormone regulation, gene expression, and overall cellular health. Vitamin D3 has been shown to be the most potent and easily absorbed form of Vitamin D.
How Vitamin D helps endurance athletes:
Supports muscle strength and power
Helps reduce inflammation for muscle recovery
Improves cardiovascular health and immune function
Can help prevent stress fractures in high-risk athletes
Optimizes performance and well-being by providing adequate Vitamin D levels
Try this:
Momentous Vitamin D3 is both Informed Sport and NSF Certified for Sport to ensure purity, potency, and adherence to industry standards. We prioritize sourcing high-quality ingredients to deliver effective and reliable products.
8. Sodium Bicarbonate Lotion
Sodium bicarbonate is a simple, naturally occurring electrolyte that your body uses to regulate pH. While most people know it as baking soda, sodium bicarbonate has been widely used and researched as a performance aid since the 1930s.
However, when consumed orally, sodium bicarbonate can cause major GI distress, offsetting any performance benefits. Using lotion delivers sodium bicarbonate directly to your working muscles through your skin, bypassing the gut and eliminating GI distress. IIt's designed to help with muscle soreness, heart rate, and recovery.
How sodium bicarbonate lotion helps endurance athletes:
Go faster for longer
Increase power output
Recover faster
Stack great training days together and progress faster
Try this:
Momentous PR Lotion is the world's first and only lotion that delivers the natural electrolyte sodium bicarbonate to your working muscles directly via your skin using patented technology developed by Amp Human. By buffering rising acidity levels in your working muscles, PR Lotion helps to maintain power output, combat fatigue, and decrease post-workout muscle soreness.
9. Iron
Iron is a mineral that helps produce red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. It is a key component of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the muscles.
Iron supplementation can help treat or prevent low iron levels in the body. Iron deficiency is common in endurance athletes, with studies reporting rates as high as 47% in females and 15% in males. Symptoms of iron deficiency can include fatigue, lack of energy, nausea, and shortness of breath during exercise.
How iron helps endurance athletes:
Transports oxygen to working muscles
Helps maintain exercise capacity and prevents increased heart rate, shortness of breath, and exhaustion during exercise
Helps with energy production
10. Rhodiola Rosea
Rhodiola Rosea, commonly called golden root, is a plant which contains compounds that may help support stress relief, cognitive function, and aerobic performance. Rhodiola Rosea acts as an adaptogen that can help provide relief from stress and fatigue. The main bioactive compounds, rosavin and salidroside, work to regulate cortisol which has a cascading effect at the systemic and cellular level.
How Rhodiola Rosea helps endurance athletes:
Aids in aerobic performance
Helps reduce levels of stress and fatigue
Enhances cognition and mental resilience
Try this:
Momentous Rhodiola Rosea contains 100 mg of Rhodiola Rosea root extract, an adaptogen that can help alleviate stress and fatigue. It works to regulate cortisol through its bioactive compounds, rosavin and salidroside. With its NSF Certified for Sport certification, it’s a popular choice for endurance athletes.
Emma-Kate Lidbury
Emma-Kate Lidbury is a freelance writer and editor with 20 years of experience working in the health and fitness world.
