Top 6 Supplements to Improve Your Running Performance
Updated: Oct 30
Running is a sport that puts your body through a lot more strain than you may realise. I personally spent years running without supplements; these years were spent sore, tired, and making slow progress, which I had believed was normal; I mean, I’m a runner, I’m supposed to be knackered. Which is right—you shouldn’t feel great all the time at all!
However, when I started taking supplements for my running I noticed a huge difference in my recovery, I was sleeping better, aching less, and running MUCH faster.
When I started researching supplements I admit I went a bit overboard and bought a lot of different products. I think I had 13 different repeat subscriptions to 13 different products. Most of them were great, but some of them were a waste of money. These are the top 6 supplements I recommend for all runners.
Top 6 supplements for running
These are the supplements I recommend to the athletes that I coach and I would recommend to all runners.
If you are a smart runner and you do gym workouts to help your running, then I would also advise you to drink protein shakes as well.
Read: Best Protein Powders For Runners.
Disclaimer: Be sure to check with your doctor before taking any new supplements.
1) Beta-alanine
Beta-alanine is the top performance-enhancing competition-legal supplement on the market for running and it is gaining popularity in the running community. Beta-alanine can come in pill or powder form and has many benefits for runners. This supplement goes top of our list for you runners.
When we run anaerobically our muscles start to ache and get tired, this is because lactic acid builds up in our muscles. What beta-alanine does is act as a buffer for lactic acid, allowing you to run faster for longer.
Beta-alanine has the most benefits for shorter distances such as 400m-3000m races. However, if you run interval sessions regularly then you will be able to run much faster in these sessions and consequently improve your performance for race day even if your race distance is longer.
Research has also shown that if you supplement your running with beta-alanine, it will drastically improve your sprint finish. No wonder it is used by all the world's best.
Improve high-intensity exercise
Increased time to exhaustion
Increased strength
Reduced build-up of lactate acid
Off-set fatigue
What I noticed when I started supplementing with Beta-alanine...
I noticed that my reps were a lot faster in my interval sessions when I started supplementing with beta-alanine. I also noticed my recovery between reps felt a lot better.
The Beta-Alanine supplement I recommend for runners:
Peak Supps Beta-Alanine
2) L-carnitine
It was a close toss-up for first place of the best supplement for running performance between L-carnitine and beta-alanine, as L-carnitine has some great benefits for your running performance.
L-carnitine is made naturally in the body; however, runners are far more likely to have lower levels of L-carnitine, which makes it vital as a running supplement for your training.
L-carnitine helps with energy production, it does this by helping the body to use fat as a fuel. When the body learns to use fat as a fuel efficiently your endurance will improve, this is because when you run for longer and you become glycogen depleted you start using fat as a fuel. However, because we do not get to that point often, our bodies aren’t very good at utilising fat as fuel, and we ‘hit the wall’.
L-carnitine also helps with the transportation of waste products. The main way this can benefit you is by increasing your body's efficiency in getting rid of lactic acid. This will help increase how fast you can run at a given effort.
Increases recovery rate
Increases lactate threshold
increases endurance
Promotes weight loss
Increased running speed
What I noticed when I started supplementing with L-carnitine...
When I started supplementing my running with L-carnitine my running felt a lot stronger at the end of my long runs and how I could run much further at the same pace for my tempos.
The L-carnitine supplement I recommend for runners:
Best Naturals L-carnitine
3) Iron
If you ever feel overly worn down for long periods then it very well could be iron deficiency. One study showed that 56% of runners are deficient in Iron.
People who are most susceptible to iron deficiency:
Athletes
Females (especially those who menstruate)
People who follow plant-based diets
Adolescents
Increased red blood cell count
Increased oxygen to working muscles
Longer time to fatigue
Increased energy levels
Reduced levels of fatigue
Iron produces hemoglobin; this is how red blood cells carry oxygen to your working muscles. If you are getting less oxygen to your working muscles, then you will become fatigued a lot faster.
What I noticed when I started supplementing with Iron...
I felt I was recovering better after running and supplementing with iron made me feel like I had more energy throughout the day. I was also more motivated for my runs because my energy levels were higher.
The Iron supplement I recommend for runners:
WeightWorld Iron supplement
4) ZMAs
ZMAs are made up of Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B-6. These supplements help with muscle recovery, sleep, and energy levels. By improving your recovery you are going to be getting better adaptations from the hard training you are putting in and your body is going to be better prepared for your next session.
Improving your sleep quality will also help you to perform as a runner. There is a saying that goes "If sleep was a supplement it would be banned".
There is no training method, nutritional supplement, or EPO that can make your performance improve like sleep can!
Testosterone production
Increase immune function
ZMAs benefit sleep quality
Better mood
Control blood sugar levels
Aid in weight loss
What I noticed when I started supplementing with ZMAs...
The main difference I noticed when I started supplementing with ZMAs for my running was that my sleep quality improved loads. This helped me to feel better throughout the day and also helped me to perform better during my workouts. I also noticed I was recovering better after my workouts.
The ZMA supplement I recommend for runners:
Nutravita ZMAs
5) Calcium
What I learned from many stress fractures is how calcium deficiency slowly leads to stress fractures. When your muscles get tired your muscles start to steal calcium from your bones in order to contract, this leaves your bones with less calcium and you become susceptible to stress fractures.
Improved bone health
Balances electrolyte
Improved muscle strength
Aids in muscle contractions
What I noticed when I started supplementing with calcium...
Fewer stress fractures :)
The Calcium supplement I recommend for runners:
TDN Calcium comples plus
6) Vitamin-D
We absorb Vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D helps with the uptake of calcium, so having a Vitamin D supplement is vital for your running, especially in the winter months when the sun is hiding.
Additionally, vitamin D has been proven to play an important role in muscular recovery.
Increased lean muscle mass
Aid in muscle contractions
Boost immune system
Improved aerobic fitness
Increased strength and power
The increased amount of type 1 fast twitch muscle fibres
Increased muscular strength
Improved recovery
The main thing I noticed when I started taking Vitamin-D
Better recovery + fewer stress fractures!
The Vitamin D supplement I recommend for runners:
WeightWorld Vitamin D
You may also like: 6 Gym Ball Exercises To Get A Strong Core.
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