Most important LEGAL vitamins & supplements to enhance training

I've met plenty of sub-2:15 marathoners who've lived for months on milk and cereal. So, training in my opinion, is more important than nutrition.

Let's Contemplate wrote:

No you are mostly incorrect. Let's look at your list again:

1. Fish Oils - only helpful if your Omega-3/Omega-6 ratio is off

3. Vitamin D - Mostly useless for runners who run outdoors

Caveman diet 3/6 ratio was 1:2, standard American diet (SAD) ratio is typically 1:20, so yes: it probably is off.....WAY OFF

you can run outside all you want from October to March anywhere on the East Coast and not get enough Vitamin D. Unless you live in Florida or California, you're probably vit d deficient during the winter.

jono wrote:

So, xenonscreams I must be anemic?

I'm not and never have been and I don't supplement iron.

You might have a magnesium deficiency.

The idea that food is a complete source of minerals is a myth. Most "good sources" inhibit absorption of the minerals they contain. In the case of magnesium, they are almost all high-fiber or unusual foods that it is impossible to eat very much of.

Your real staple source of magnesium should be water. But if your tap water is soft, or you'd rather drink "pure" water from a bottle, you're not likely getting enough magnesium.

jono, give it a rest bud

turkey leg wrote:

Every single one of these posts are what is wrong with America. Something sucks, what's the easiest way to cover it up?

The OP's question is how to improve nutrition and no one is talking about real food?!

Meat, potatos, pastas, whole grains, rice, fruit, vegetables, eggs, nuts, oils. I hear you can find them at places called "grocery stores".

No, the OP's questions was not how to improve nutrition, it was specifically aobut vitamins and supplements to enhance training.

Caffiene

Vitamin b12

the end

To vary OP's question what are the most important legal vitamins and supplements to enhance training where someone can actually cite scientific proof that they are beneficial?

Lots of anonymous opinions saying "is so-is not" makes it hard to judge.

Zinc

It helps with testosterone, growth hormone, anabolic hormones, and insulin. There are lots of references on the bottom of this article if you want to read into it more.

http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/812/Top_Ten_Benefits_of_Zinc.aspx

I'm with jono on this one:

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/three-reasons-stop-taking-vitamin-pills

Taking pills is a shortcut that subconsciously "licenses" you to be less healthy in other aspects of your life. You may think "Oh, it's hard to get enough fresh fruit and vegetables because of my busy schedule, so I'll take this multivitamin as insurance." The problem is that, now that you're taking the multivitamin, you'll feel less pressure to make the extra effort to get enough fresh fruit and vegetables. This is the "licensing effect" described in the article above. And those multivitamins definitely can't compensate for the failure to eat a healthy, balanced diet. So you're better off taking away the safety net of pills, and just focusing your energy on eating right.

As far as strictly ergogenic supplements, the only ones with really solid evidence are caffeine, creatine (not for distance runners), and maybe beta-alanine.

You can't get enough magnesium from either multivitamins or fresh fruits and vegetables, unless you eat insane amounts of them.

jono wrote:

So, xenonscreams I must be anemic?

I'm not and never have been and I don't supplement iron.

No. I said some people have to supplement, not all. There are a large number of people for whom diet is not enough to prevent iron deficiency. This is not a difficult concept.

Beta alanine

rhodiola rosea

maca

branched chain amino acids

xendurance

Optygen HP

fish oil from zone diet

Alive multivitamin

wheatgrass shots

spirulina

chlorophyll

BAM- thats what I take and feel great every day awesome energy and amazing recovery times. I do all this on top of a healthy diet

3. Vitamin D - Mostly useless for runners who run outdoors

Not necessarily. If you are smart and wear sunscreen then it negates the absorption of the sun to stimulate Vitamin D production, no?

For example, I live in a state that has about 300 days of sun and I do a good bit of my running outdoors and have worn sunscreen. Yet, recently I had my blood drawn and it showed I was "borderline" low in Vitamin D.

For me:

Beta-Alanine

L-Glutamine

L-Arganine

Caffeine

Accelerade

Whey Protein

CoQ10

CLA

Multi Vitamin

Bad Wigins wrote:

You can't get enough magnesium from either multivitamins or fresh fruits and vegetables, unless you eat insane amounts of them.

More garbage nutrition advice from the garbage man.

Please provide studies demonstrating that people eating high amounts of high magnesium foods (and there are LOTS of them) and/or high mineral supplements did not absorb most of the magnesium and therefore were deficient in magnesium. This should be entertaining (or not, as you will probably just reply: it's true, trust me.)

1 Fish is always good for you for reduction in inflammation, cardiovascular system, and overall it's very healthy for you.

2. Look up Calm with Magnesium. Very effective form of magnesium that is easy to digest and the amount taken will vary greatly person to person. I take a third of the recommended amount daily.

3. Vitamin D is extremely important. Winter time you will find a majority of runners with a deficiency (every athlete at university of Oregon is recommended to take it)

4. Adrenal support is a touchy subject and results vary from person to person. Most high mileage runners will experience it but the causes vary greatly. Determining what your body requires to properly support it is essential.

5. Zinc is extremely vital in your bodies production of testosterone. Do some research bud. Dosage will vary greatly but I take a 25 mg pill a day daily from a plant source pill so it is easy to digest and absorbed.

6. Many runners including males need iron. You will need to track your ferritin levels but it does happen mostly with women. I have seen several men take a small dose of iron during periods of high volume.

7. You can buy organic fruits and vegetables that use natural pesticides. There are more kinds of pesticides then the toxic kind. This is also a great opportunity to grow your own food and provide for yourself.

8. Yes grass fed!

9. Again buy organic grass fed beef livers and there is research out there that proves the increase in red blood cell count. 8oz of liver 1-2 a week will help your body carry more oxygen.

10. Most people have minor reactions to gluten and dairy though mild. As a runner it is wise to stay away from inflammation and a heavy diet of gluten and dairy is counterproductive for everybody.

11. Organic is not useless, today's society of fake everything is ruining our body as a whole. Apples for example are about the worst fruit you can eat if its not organic. The skin of the apple carries extremely high levels of carcinogens due to the growing with pesticides and fertilizers.

12. Cane sugar and HFC is treated very differently by the body. Your body can recognize the cane sugar and process it compared to the HFC that disrupts the bodies correct usage of insulin.

Tyrannosaurus Rexing wrote:

Please provide studies

Nobody likes you, including me. Request denied.

couple wrote:

Omega Fish oil.

Deer Antler Velvet (no joke).

What brands would you recommend?

"Nobody likes you, including me. Request denied."

POD, LOL