If you’re actively involved in endurance sports or activities, you won’t need us to tell you just how physically and mentally draining they can be. When working out, once you initially get started and have been exercising for a while, there will come a time in your workout where you hit ‘the wall’ as it is known. This metaphorical wall will basically cause you to slow down hugely, to feel weaker and a great deal more fatigued, and it will make your workout incredibly difficult. This generally happens to us all, but the good news is the fact that there are things that can be done to improve endurance and stamina. Supplements for example, can be very beneficial if chosen and used correctly. Here are 4 of the top supplements to boost endurance performance.
Beetroot powder
Beetroot is not only a delicious culinary ingredient renowned for its brilliant and vibrant red/purple colour, it’s also a very effective ingredient for endurance athletes. Why? because beetroot has been found to increase stamina and endurance. Beetroot is packed full of nitrates, which increase Nitric Oxide production in the body. NO is a potent vasodilator, which means that it dilates the blood vessels and boosts blood flow. The more blood that can be pumped around the body, the more oxygen and nutrients can be delivered to your cells and used for energy. Compared with a placebo, beetroot powder supplements helped athletes to exercise for 14% longer.
Caffeine
Caffeine, as you probably know, is a very powerful stimulant. When it comes to endurance and stamina, caffeine is a very useful ingredient. Consuming caffeine enables the body to exercise harder than before, as it has a stimulatory effect on the body and mind. Once consumed, caffeine provides a temporary increase in physical and mental energy. Caffeine helps to improve athletic performance, it increases your energy levels, it helps you to get ‘into the zone’ mentally, and it helps to keep fatigue at bay.
Creatine monohydrate
When it comes to endurance, creatine monohydrate is arguably the most effective supplement there is. Creatine basically works by enhancing the production of Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP), in the body. ATP is utilized by cells in the muscles as a primary energy source. The more ATP we produce, the more energy the cells in the muscles have, which means that harder the muscles can work. Creatine is a supplement that helps to boost stamina and endurance, it promotes muscle growth and repair, and it helps to prevent fatigue and slow the production of lactic acid.
Beta-alanine
When exercising for prolonged periods of time, you’ll begin to feel tired, your muscles will fatigue and weaken, cramping may set in, and you’ll struggle to keep going. This is where beta-alanine proves useful. Beta-alanine is an amino acid which helps to suppress fatigue by helping the body to manage hydrogen ions produced as a by-product of physical exertion. When these ions build up, this results in a reduction in muscle PH levels, which can cause fatigue. Beta-alanine increased carnosine production within the muscles. Carnosine acts as a buffer for these ions and helps to neutralize them, which means that you can exercise for longer before your muscles begin to fatigue.
