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Supplements can be a helpful addition to support performance and recovery, but they work best alongside a solid nutrition foundation.
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A variety of supplements exist that can complement a food first approach and be thoughtfully implemented into your training schedule to optimise your performance and recovery. Below are some of the most common supplements runners may consider, and how they can fit into your training plan.
Sports foods
Carbohydrates
We know that as runners you need easy to digest carbohydrates to maintain energy in training, racing and/or to maintain high volumes or intensity, which also contributes to how your body recovers after exercise. These include:
- Sports drink
- Sports gels/chews/bars
- Confectionary
- Dried fruit
- Home-made carbohydrate drink mixes with maltodextrin powder, or brewing sugar, plus salt
Restoring and optimising muscle glycogen stores through the strategic use of carbohydrate-rich foods or sports foods will likely be driven by the urgency and need to optimise muscle glycogen between training or competition.
A recommended intake is 1.2 g/kg carbohydrate, or 0.8 g/kg carbohydrate plus 0.4 g/kg protein (Burke et al., 2019; Slater et al., 2019). In the case of needing to replenish stores quickly (i.e. within <8 hours between events that exhaust muscle fuel stores), 1.0–1.2 g/kg carbohydrate is recommended every hour for four hours between events (Burke et al., 2011).
Carbohydrates not only drive muscle glycogen resynthesis, but they also ensure bones remain robust, mood and wellbeing are supported, and the body has sufficient energy to reduce the risk of problematic low energy availability/REDs (Mountjoy et al., 2023).
Protein
This trendy macronutrient is certainly in the limelight, with 'high protein' products on your supermarket shelves increasingly available. While we know protein is crucial for your repair and recovery, it's important to consider the quality and type of protein added to fortified products, and how much daily protein is typically recommended to support your recovery.
Many protein-fortified foods are soy-based, which doesn't necessarily offer much additional protein, and may be only an extra ~4 g more than its regular version, which is negligible when considering total daily protein intake. However, people following vegetarian or vegan diets may find these products useful to achieve their needs.
The amount of protein you need will depend on your total energy intake, and typically 15–20% of dietary energy or 1.5–2.0 g/kg body mass should be made available from protein-rich foods found in regular meals and/or recovery snacks over the training day. If net daily protein intake is sufficient (including adequate branched chain amino acids) alongside adequate energy availability, recovery should continue to be optimised and may be less influenced by protein distribution (Trommelen et al., 2024).
Protein powders and bars
Protein powders are plant or dairy based, with whey protein isolate being most rapidly absorbed by the muscle cell (Hoffman & Falvo, 2004). Depending on individual dietary choice and time, protein can be achieved through whole foods.
However, if you are a runner who is time poor, or may have a meal with lower protein quantity or quality after training, you will likely benefit from supplementary protein powder or bars if it's difficult to achieve through planned or accessible food items.
The benefits of food are the additional micronutrients with less processing and additives. However, some powders are fortified with micronutrients, have fewer ingredients and are convenient and timely. Some supplement companies also offer carbohydrate and protein blends, which can be convenient for travel, recovery in busy life weeks, and/or to ensure recovery is prioritised rather than missed.
Performance supplements
Creatine
This naturally occurring compound is found in red meat and seafood, with small amounts stored within ~95% of our muscle cells. Creatine supplementation can support the development of lean muscle mass, strength and power by increasing cellular energy in power-based resistance or sprint-based activities up to 10 seconds (Kreider et al., 2017).
If you are a sprint-based runner looking to optimise these adaptations, creatine can be used in conjunction with a well-planned resistance program with adequate energy and protein availability. Outside of this type of training (or periodisation of creatine at certain times of the year), further research is required to explore any potential additional benefits specifically for endurance athletic performance (Forbes et al., 2023).
Sprint-based athletes may cycle their creatine due to potential fluctuations in fluid retention. However, some athletes also feel their performance is optimised and may use it consistently as a training/performance ergogenic aid.
Caffeine
Well known for its benefits as a central nervous system stimulant supporting concentration, mood and alertness, caffeine is a much-loved ergogenic aid for many runners. Despite the significant amount of research highlighting additional benefits such as reducing perception of effort and fatigue, some people don't respond positively (or at all), which can be related to your genes (Pickering & Grgic, 2019).
Research indicates that most running performance will benefit from a range of 1–3 mg/kg body weight, and between 3–6 mg/kg body weight in running events such as a marathon (Burke et al., 2019).There are many brands of gels and sports drinks, tablets, gums or strips available with safe and appropriate dosages of caffeine, which can be used strategically before or during training or events to support performance – not to mention caffeine found in your regular latte or espresso (although caffeine quantity will vary).
Sodium bicarbonate
If you are a runner in events such as 400m and middle distance, as well as potential benefit when racing up to 5000m (1–7 min event length), sodium bicarbonate can be ingested to enhance buffering capacity, with a ~2% performance improvement noted in the research (Maughan et al., 2018).
Currently, there is an increasing number of products hitting the sports nutrition supplement market with slightly different processes around ingestion protocols. If you wish to use sodium bicarbonate, speak with an Accredited Sports Dietitian to support developing your personalised strategies and trials, and to ensure any risk of gastrointestinal complaints are minimised.
Medical supplements
Iron
Possibly one of the most monitored areas of pathology for runners, iron plays a crucial role in energy production, as well as many other functions to ensure you can maintain high intensity and prolonged performance.
Female adults require 18 mg/day of iron, and men require 8 mg/day, with differences related to monthly menstrual cycle blood loss (National Health and Medical Research Council, n.d.).
Currently, no guidelines exist specific to an athletic population for iron, which may be higher than population norms due to the challenges associated with absorption, energy intake and overall dietary iron availability.
If you experience symptoms of lethargy, fatigue, shortness of breath or dizziness, it's best to see your GP for assessment. They may recommend a blood test to exclude iron deficiency or iron deficiency anaemia.
For all athletes, the AIS Iron Guidelines recommend ferritin levels sit above 35 ug/L to support training adaptations and performance. If oral iron supplementation is clinically indicated, the GP, Sports Doctor or Dietitian are likely to prescribe taking 100 mg elemental iron daily.
Supplements can be a helpful addition to support performance and recovery, but they work best alongside a solid nutrition foundation. Focus first on consistent daily fuel, carbohydrates to support training demands, and enough protein for repair and recovery. If you choose to use supplements, trial them in training and seek professional support if you're unsure what's safe or suitable for your goals.
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Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is of a general nature only and is not intended to replace professional medical, health, or fitness advice. It does not take into account your individual objectives, physical condition, medical history, or needs. Before acting on any of the guidance or recommendations provided, you should consider whether it is appropriate for you in light of your personal circumstances. You should always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional (such as a sports dietitian or medical doctor) before starting, changing, or relying on any exercise, training, or nutrition program. Rebel Sport accepts no liability for any loss, injury, or damage suffered by any person relying on the information provided.
References
- Australian Sports Commission. (2025, December 5). AIS supplement framework.https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/supplements
- Burke, L. M., Jeukendrup, A. E., Jones, A. M., & Mooses, M. (2019). Contemporary nutrition strategies to optimize performance in distance runners and race walkers. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 29(2), 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2019-0004
- Forbes, S. C., Candow, D. G., Falk Neto, J. H., Kennedy, M. D., Forbes, J. L., Machado, M., Bustillo, E., Gómez-López, J., Zapata, A., & Antonio, J. (2023). Creatine supplementation and endurance performance: Surges and sprints to win the race. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 20(1), 2204071. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2023.2204071
- Hoffman, J. R., & Falvo, M. J. (2004). Protein—Which is best? Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 3(3), 118–130.
- Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., Candow, D. G., Kleiner, S. M., Almada, A. L., & Lopez, H. L. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, Article 18.
- Maughan, R. J., Burke, L. M., Dvorak, J., Larson-Meyer, D. E., Peeling, P., Phillips, S. M., Rawson, E. S., Walsh, N. P., Garthe, I., Geyer, H., Meeusen, R., van Loon, L. J. C., Shirreffs, S. M., Spriet, L. L., Stuart, M., Vernec, A., Currell, K., Ali, V. M., Budgett, R. G., Ljungqvist, A., Mountjoy, M., Pitsiladis, Y. P., Soligard, T., Erdener, U., & Engebretsen, L. (2018). IOC consensus statement: Dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(7), 439–455.
- Mountjoy, M., Ackerman, K. E., Bailey, D. M., et al. (2023). International Olympic Committee (IOC) consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(17), 1073–1098. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-106994
- National Health and Medical Research Council. (n.d.). Iron. https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients/iron
- Pickering, C., & Grgic, J. (2019). Caffeine and exercise: What next? Sports Medicine, 49(7), 1007–1030.
- Trommelen, J., Holwerda, A. M., & van Loon, L. J. C. (2024). Protein intake distribution: Beneficial, detrimental, or inconsequential for muscle anabolism? Response to Witard and Mettler. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 34(5), 325–328.
