For Inside Triathlon

September, 1999

 Beyond Training—Ergogenic Aids

©1999 Joe Friel

            Athletes I train frequently ask me if they should take a potion or pill they’ve seen advertised or that someone they know is using. They’re looking for that difficult last one or two percent of improvement that can often mean the difference in an important race.

            Before answering I suggest there are five issues we need to consider:

1.   Is it legal? Products are often promoted to athletes despite the fact that they contain a banned substance. There have been many instances of blind trust resulting in a disqualification or worse for an elite athlete. To check on a specific product call the USOC Drug Hotline at 1-800-233-0393 or visit their web site at http://www.olympic-usa.org/inside/in_1_3_7_4.html.

2.   Is it ethical? Only the individual can answer this question. Some believe that sport must be conducted in its purest form with absolutely no artificial aids. But once we begin to ponder such ergogenic aids as carbohydrate loading and vitamin and mineral supplements it becomes clear that drawing a line in the sand is difficult.

3.   Is it safe? Studies on the effects of various sports aids are often limited to a few weeks as most subjects don’t want to donate their entire lives to science. Such short periods of observation may not produce observable effects that could otherwise occur with long-term use. There is also the outside possibility that using multiple substances simultaneously or in combination with common medications may produce undesirable side effects. Another complication is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety regulations for supplements are more lenient than for food products. It’s always a good idea to check with your family physician before supplementing.

4.   Is its use supported by the research? There may be an isolated study on any product that demonstrates a benefit, but does the bulk of the literature agree? To search the scientific journals for studies, point your browser at the government’s PubMed web site (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/), enter the substance of interest, and hit “search.” You’ll be presented with a list of the archived studies and their abstracts. Have fun reading the list that could be a thousand or more long. Better yet, ask a knowledgeable and trusted coach, trainer, registered dietician, or medical professional.

5.   Will it help me in my event? Even if generally supported by the research, not all ergogenic aids benefit all people in all events. There are many individual differences that may effect the use of a given product. It just may not work well for you because of some combination of your age, sex, health status, medications used, and years of experience in the sport. Some aids have been shown to provide a benefit for short events, such as a 100-meter dash, but not for events lasting several hours.

After asking all of these questions, I finally get down to suggesting aids an athlete might consider. The following is a list of legal ergogenic aids I sometimes recommend categorized by their benefits as supported by research. Those under “Beneficial” will definitely help. “Probably Beneficial” means that there are many individuals who won’t realize a gain from using the product. “May Be Beneficial” indicates that research is on going although much of it is positive.

Beneficial

            · Carbohydrate. Eating carbohydrate-rich foods and supplements before and during high-intensity races and workouts lasting about an hour to 90 minutes or longer has been shown to improve, or at least maintain, performance. This is why there are so many sports drinks, bars, and gels available. In spite of all the evidence to support carbohydrate, I’m amazed to find there are still athletes who use only water in long events.

            There is also a well-established role for carbohydrate to resynthesize glycogen. So eating high glycemic carbohydrates (those that get into the bloodstream quickly) immediately after a long or strenuous training session will speed muscle recovery.

            · Sodium. One of the greatest causes of the dreaded “DNF” (did not finish) in events lasting longer than about four hours is a low sodium level—called “hyponatremia.” There have even been deaths attributed to this condition. In very long endurance races and training sessions, ingesting sodium at the rate of about one gram per hour will help to maintain performance. Drinking two large bottles of sports drink per hour will provide about a half-gram of sodium. Supplementation with salt tablets or salty foods is necessary. Salt-rich carbohydrate foods, such as pretzels, are a good solution as they provide two important nutrients.

Probably Beneficial

            · Caffeine. This is one of the oldest and most popular ergogenic aids. Caffeine has been shown to increase fatty acids in the blood thus reducing the reliance on limited glycogen stores in the muscles. It also stimulates the central nervous system decreasing the perception of fatigue, and may enhance muscle contractions. Most studies show benefits for intense events lasting an hour or longer when 300 to 600 mg of caffeine (2-4 cups of coffee) are consumed 45 minutes to an hour prior. The benefits last three to five hours. The banned limit requires about 30 to 40 ounces of caffeine an hour depending on the athlete’s size.

I sometimes suggest that an athlete try drinking two cups of coffee before interval sessions to increase their power output. This increases muscle stress and, given enough time to recover, produces a greater level of fitness.

Side effects may include insomnia, dehydration, heart arrhythmia, anxiety, and upset stomach for some individuals. These are not good things to have happen in a race, so definitely try caffeine before a workout first.

· Sodium Phosphate. Several studies in the last 20 years have shown that sodium phosphate increases VO2max, improves lactate threshold, lowers perceived effort, and benefits performance. The typical “loading” procedure calls for taking four grams a day for three days prior to an important race. It’s best not to use sodium phosphate more than three or four times in a season as continued supplementation reduces the benefits.

A common side effect is an upset stomach, so be sure to try this one before a low-priority race or workout several weeks before an A-priority event.

Twin Labs makes a product called “Phos Fuel” that is available in some health food and specialty stores.

May Be Beneficial

· Glycerol. Several studies, but not all, have shown that ingesting glycerol before a hot-weather race or workout causes the body to retain water thus reducing the possibility of dehydration. It has also been shown to restrict body temperature increases, reduce heart rates during exercise, and improve endurance. Common side effects in some individuals are headache and nausea.

Glycerol is a sweet-tasting syrup that is typically mixed with water and ingested at a rate based on body size as suggested on the label. Many glycerol products are now available in running stores, bike shops, health-food stores, and catalogs.

There are many other possibilities for legal ergogenic aids that fall into the “may be beneficial” category such as choline, creatine monohydrate, branched chain amino acids, medium chain triglycerides, ginseng, and ciwujia. I generally try to hold down any excitement the athlete may have about such products, suggest they experiment, but generally keep the focus on sound training rather than pills and potions.

Joe Friel is the author of The Triathlete’s Training Bible. Answers to frequently asked questions on the topic of this article and others are available on his web site at http://www.ultrafit.com.