Comment · Wed, August 25, 2021 · ND Owner
Supplements for Mountain Biking
Original post in this thread
TheGermanGuy21 · 3 points
I started mountain biking a while ago (downhill, trails and normal tours) and I was wondering, if there are any supplements that could help with performance and recovery. I mainly want to bike faster and especially more often. Duration is around 1-3 hours per ride. So far I've looked at:
Creatine: No performance enhancement for endurance sports.
Beta Alanine: Supposedly performance enhancement for endurance sports, but gives you a tingling sensation on your skin. I don't mind this sensation during sports, but you have to take Beta Alanine multiple times every day to be most effective, not just before the training session and I can't stand the tingling when not doing sports.
Tongkat Ali: Gives me side effects (tiredness, loss of motivation, loss of libido, hot flashes, skin rashes).
Epicatechin: Supposedly helps with muscle gains, but I'm not sure if that applys to slow-twitch muscle fibers.
I have vitamins and minerals completely covered already.
I should also add that most energy providing or stimulating supplements give me insomnia, even if I take them first thing in the morning. So I can't use caffeine, cordyceps, ginseng, rhodiola, ALCAR, Sabroxy, EGCG, Alpha-GPC, berber…
What they were answering
TheGermanGuy21 · 2 points
Thanks for chiming in! Most of these I actually respond well to, just minus the sleep issues. I tolerate some as long as I take them sparingly, I just like things I can take consistently. I've got a few questions regarding your suggestions:
1. Which of these would you say are most helpful for faster recovery?
2. Most reviews I've seen about epicatechin are focused on weight lifting. Did it improve your endurance?
3. I'm confused about creatine and taurine, I thought these don't help with aerobic exercise?
4. I didn't have ginkgo on my radar really, does it help indirectly via blood flow?
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
1) Citrulline malate would be the best for muscle recovery, specifically.
2) I do. I also see better muscle tone after using it regularly.
3) Creatine increases ATP, which absolutely should help with aerobic exercise. How much it helps will depend on your diet. If you have a diet high in creatine already, you might not notice it as much. If you eat mostly plant-based, you will notice the creatine more. Taurine does reduce fatigue and muscle damage during workout, but I was more suggesting it for its cardioprotective and stimulant-balancing effect.
4) Yeah, by increasing blood blow. Its antioxidant activity helps, too.