Best Supplements for Cyclists and Triathletes

Vitamins & Minerals: What to Watch

Another big factor when it comes to nutrition is vitamins and minerals. We often lack these in day-to-day life, and it can often become more apparent when training or racing what you might be missing. The most common being Iron, Vitamin D, and Magnesium. Vitamins triathlon and cycling can really help but only if you are short in them.

If you are concerned about your levels of vitamins and minerals, then you can contact your GP or order a private home test. Athletes will typically have these a couple of times a year throughout training to check their levels.

What to Skip: Overhyped or Risky Supplements

There’s also a different side to supplements, which often cyclists and triathletes choose to avoid and are not recommended by health professionals.

Fat burners, testosterone boosters, and unregulated formulas

Fat burners and testosterone boosters come with a lot of risks. They are quite aggressive on the body and often contain a high amount of supplements, such as caffeine. They are often not very effective and come with risks associated.

The risk of contamination or anti-doping violations

At a professional level, these are often banned and often fall under anti-doping violations. There’s also a risk of contamination if the supplements are from a less credible source. We recommend avoiding these and always questioning where you get your supplements.

Supplement Timing: How to Match to Your Training Zones

As mentioned before, using your supplements correctly can hugely help your performance when it comes to race day or even your training. Here are some ways you can use supplements effectively.

Pre-ride prep for intense workouts

Before an intense workout, you can supplement with quick-release carbohydrates for extra performance or even have caffeine to raise your energy levels. It’s good to ensure you don’t raise them too high in case you flag a little too early, but good to test what works.

Intra-ride fueling for endurance

If you are doing a long ride and need to keep on top of the fueling, then carbohydrate powder could be a great solution. It’s not always something you want to rely on, but great because it’s drinkable over having to eat.

Post-ride recovery stacks for structured ROUVY plans

Protein bars or shakes are an excellent way to finish a workout. They help the muscles recover more efficiently, they get you recovered a lot quicker, and fill the stomach to avoid snacking on poor choice foods.

Indoor Training Specifics: How Supplements Help on ROUVY

ROUVY is a fantastic tool for training and combining great workouts with a good supplement strategy, then nothing can stop you. Here are some ways you can supplement to help you while you take your training indoors.

Avoiding dehydration in ERG mode

ERG mode is a wonderful way to ensure the proper effort level is outputted in a workout. It’s easy to get lost in the work and focus just on the trainer instead of having enough water. We highly recommend water and electrolytes to help you through.

Caffeine timing before virtual races

Do you want to pack a punch in that race? Well, you might consider adding some caffeine prior to the race to ensure the legs are at full gas and ready to go. Not only that the motivation will be at an all-time high. Pre workout for cyclists could be an option but it can be around 150g or more of caffeine which is basically two Red Bulls in some cases.

Electrolytes for sweat-heavy turbo sessions

If you have a big session planned on the turbo trainer, then electrolytes are key here. They are going to be amazing at ensuring you don’t lose too much salt and also lose performance. Remember, indoors, you often sweat much more than you might think.

Smart Supplement Shopping: What to Look For

Where should you get your supplements from? Well, depending on where you live, you will have many options. It’s important to go somewhere that will give you not just a good product but a safe product.

Third-party testing and certification

It’s important to get your supplements from somewhere where they have third-party testing and only sell certified products. You know you’re getting supplements which is regulated and much safer.

Clean Sport, Informed-Choice, NSF

You also have Clean Sport, Informed-Choice, and NSF for help with your supplements. Knowing what you can and should take is good for not just professional athletes but also day-to-day cyclists.

Final Takeaways: Build Your Own Smart Stack

Are you ready to build your smart stack of supplements? Here’s how to get your best supplements for endurance athletes!

Start with the basics

Start simple and work up. Try supplementing things one by one and slowly build up your stack. I would recommend electrolytes first, then protein, carbohydrate powder, and anything else on top.

Track effects and adjust

As you build up your supplement use, it’s good to track what's happening. Keep an eye on your weight, energy levels, and how you're feeling. Anything that has changed and isn’t what you want, consider removing.

Stay consistent and informed

Finally, it’s important to stay consistent with a lot of supplements. It’s not an overnight success. It's slow progress, and even the body needs time to adapt to the different nutrition it gets while training and while not training.