Strong Greens

Iron is essential for carrying oxygen; deficiency is common in endurance athletes (especially women) and impairs performance. Supplement only if a blood test shows you need it.

A blend whose individual ingredient amounts aren't disclosed on the label, so the dose of each can't be checked against the research.

A vegetable or grass powder; a serving adds some micronutrients, but greens powders don't replace eating vegetables and evidence for performance benefits is limited.

A source of potassium and a little sodium; the amounts in supplements are small.

An adaptogenic herb with good evidence for reducing stress and improving sleep at 300–600mg of standardized extract; lower doses are less studied.

Dietary nitrate (from beetroot or similar) can improve exercise efficiency and endurance, especially in recreational athletes; the evidence is weaker in highly trained athletes. Studies use roughly 400–800mg of nitrate.

Curcumin, turmeric's active compound, may reduce muscle soreness, but it's poorly absorbed unless specially formulated.

Algae rich in protein and micronutrients; evidence for performance, recovery or detox claims is limited.

An electrolyte and bone mineral; sweat losses are small compared with sodium.

Medicinal mushroom blends are marketed for energy, focus or immunity; human evidence is limited, and blend amounts make doses hard to judge.

A vegetable or grass powder; a serving adds some micronutrients, but greens powders don't replace eating vegetables and evidence for performance benefits is limited.

Dietary nitrate (from beetroot or similar) can improve exercise efficiency and endurance, especially in recreational athletes; the evidence is weaker in highly trained athletes. Studies use roughly 400–800mg of nitrate.

A source of potassium and a little sodium; the amounts in supplements are small.

Algae rich in protein and micronutrients; evidence for performance, recovery or detox claims is limited.

Algae rich in protein and micronutrients; evidence for performance, recovery or detox claims is limited.

A vegetable or grass powder; a serving adds some micronutrients, but greens powders don't replace eating vegetables and evidence for performance benefits is limited.

A mineral-rich resin marketed for energy and hormones; human evidence is limited.

A natural source of caffeine; count it towards your total caffeine intake. Caffeine at around 3mg per kg of body weight improves endurance.