Introduction

There is no magic pill to improve cardiovascular endurance, you need to improve the performance of your brain, muscles, heart, and joints to see the overall improvement in endurance. 

Endurance athletes use multiple Stamina Booster food and supplements to enhance their overall performance. 

Categorization Of Endurance Supplements: 

Building better endurance is not a single front war, to have a better performance you are required to improve the capabilities of your brain, muscle endurance, energy, and recovery. There are 4 broad categories of endurance supplements: 

• Nootropics: Endurance athletes are trained to achieve mental toughness. These supplements stimulate the brain to perform better and prevent fatigue. Nootropics help in attaining better cognitive function, focus, and motivation. 
• Muscle endurance: The best way to increase cardio endurance is to get more muscular support. Muscles are the powerhouse of the human body and you can’t neglect the importance of muscle endurance. 
• Energy supplements: Improved endurance is not only about better mental and muscular strength, but its also about continued energy generation. 
• Muscle recovery: you won’t be able to deliver your best performance if your muscles are still sore. Muscle recovery food and supplements play an important role in better performance.

Let’s have a look at best endurance supplements you should stack in your inventory for improved performance. 

Nootropic For Brain Endurance

Nootropics are also known as smart drugs which help in stimulating the brain for optimum performance. These supplements gained popularity to boost memory, focus, creativity, intelligence, and motivation. Here are some of the best natural nootropic available in the market: 

Caffeine: 

It’s one of the cheapest and most common brain stimulants you can grab your hands on. It’s naturally found in leaves, seeds or fruits of more than 60 plants (ex: coffee, cocoa, etc).

Caffeine can help you feel less tired while intense workout by blocking adenosine receptors in your brain.

Studies(1, 2) have proven the improvement in cognitive and physical performance of the body. 

Ginkgo Biloba: 

it’s a common ingredient found in many natural pre-workouts because of its brain stimulating effects. Its extracted from the leaves of Ginko Biloba tree. 

Studies (3) has proven its positive effects on the memory and decision-making capabilities by promoting the supply of more oxygenated blood towards the brain.

Korean Ginseng: 

There are many species of ginseng plants (Korean ginseng, American ginseng, South China ginseng, Indian ginseng). 

Consuming the recommended dosage of Korean ginseng has shown (4, 5) positive improvement in cognitive function by reducing brain fatigue. 

Muscle endurance supplements 

To improve the overall endurance of body you need to mix up with the high-intensity workout rounds for better conditioning and performance. 

Muscle endurance supplements will assist in fast recovery after High-intensity sessions for better muscle development and improvement in overall aerobic endurance. 

Creatine: 

Although creating has always been linked to high-intensity workout because of its assistance in the rapid increase in ATP production. 

But, there are many indirect effects of Creatine that can help you with improvement in HIIT training which is indirectly helpful in improving the overall aerobic endurance.

How does creatine work? Creating is a natural substance found in muscle cells, it assists your muscle to produce more energy during heavy workouts and HIIT training. Better high-intensity workouts lead to better body conditioning and muscle endurance. 

Beta-Alanine: 

This is a must-have supplement for the serious fitness enthusiast, Beta-Alanine has been time tested for improving the performance and delayed fatigue. 

How does beta-alanine work? Continuous aerobic and anaerobic activities lead to the formation of lactic acid in muscle tissues which makes it impossible for the athlete to push their limits, Beta-alanine reduces the formation of lactic acid in muscles which directly impacts the athletic performance and muscle endurance. 

Energy Supplements

You cant improve your endurance if your body is not supplied with the right amount of carbohydrates, protein, and vitamins. 

Energy bars are specifically created to cater to the needs of endurance athletes. 

If you don’t have access to a good nutritionist then energy bars should be your best choice for continuous energy, these energy bars contain the right amount of vitamins, carbohydrates, and protein for improved performance.  

KIND Bars and CLIF Bar are my personal favorite. 

Recovery supplements

No matter whether you do a high-intensity workout or low intensity, Muscle recovery is one of the most important factors for better performance. 

Here are some of the top supplements to achieve fast muscle recovery and better endurance. 

Whey protein 

Protein is a building block of muscles, and whey is the best source of it. 

Whey protein is not just for the gym guys, its for everyone who is into any kind of fitness. 

Whether you are looking to improve your endurance or love doing your yoga, your muscle needs protein support to grow and recover.

Vegans can consider taking plant based protein supplements.

BCAA

BCAA’s are essential amino acids that play a very important role in the development of muscle. They help in reducing muscle soreness and faster recovery.

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a group of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

A study conducted at the University of Sao Paulo concluded the enhanced endurance of athletes who were supplemented with BCAA.  

BCAA works best when taken as intra-workout or post-workout. 

Read more: COLLAGEN PROTEIN VS WHEY PROTEIN, WHAT’S BETTER?

Glutamine

Just like BCAA, glutamine is an important amino acid that helps in preserving muscles while workout. 

Glutamine is generally taken as a pre-workout to prevent muscle loss. Most of the endurance sports lead to muscle mass which makes it totally necessary for the person to add Glutamine in inventory. 

ZMA

It is one of the most underrated supplement but it has tons of benefits. 

ZMA is a natural mineral supplement made up of zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6. 

ZMA assists your body in multiple ways, Zinc helps in improving the immune system and testosterone production, Magnesium assists in improving the metabolism and muscle health, Vitamin B6 helps in boosting energy levels. 

Not just that, ZMA also helps in achieving restful sleep which leads to faster recovery after a workout.

Ending note:

Every supplement we listed here has the ability to improve your aerobic and anaerobic endurance but it’s not compulsory to buy the whole list of endurance supplements. You can shortlist the supplements suitable for your needs and see the difference in performance.