Top 6 Supplements For Running

Updated: Jul 19

Running is a sport which 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.

Top 6 supplements for running

The following 6 supplements I found benefited my running the most from all the ones I tried:.

1. Beta-alanine

500g for £9.99 From Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aIi6xI

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 the 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.

What I noticed when I started taking it

I personally noticed that my reps were a lot faster in my interval sessions with beta-alanine, it was crazy how much better they felt.

2. L-carnitine

From Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zQIWHu

It was a close toss up for first place of the best supplement for running performance, as L-carnitine has some great benefits. 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 utilizing fat as a 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.

The overall benefits of using L-Carnitine as a supplement for running include:

Increases recovery rate
Increases lactate threshold
increases endurance
Promotes weight loss
Run faster

What I noticed when I started taking it

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.

3. Iron

From Amazon: https://amzn.to/3VvbFJ2

If you ever feel overly worn down for long periods of time then it very well could be Iron deficiency which one study showed that 56% of runners have (mainly women). 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. Iron deficiency has also been linked to lower levels of strength and power (1).

What I noticed when I started taking it

I felt I was recovery better after running and supplementing with iron made me feel like I had more energy throughout the day.

4. ZMAs

From Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wLTHJX

ZMAs are a useful running supplement made up of Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B-6.

Benefits of ZMA supplements for running:

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 taking it

The main difference I noticed when I started supplementing with ZMAs for my running was that my sleep quality improved loads. Trust me when I say this- 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!

5. Calcium

60 tablets for £6.64 From Amazon: https://amzn.to/4d5BOWW

What I learnt from a 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.

What I noticed when I started taking it

Less stress fractures :)

6. Vitamin-D

96 tablets for £4.75 From Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bDdHgM

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.