Ergogenic Supplements: Vitamins, Minerals, Aminos, ETC.

Ergogenic is the fancy word given to any external aid that can help our performance.  The word comes from the Greek word for work, “ergon” and it means increasing work or the ability to do work.

By far the most popular ergogenic aids, besides “pharmacological” aids, are nutritional aids in the form of dietary supplements. A billion dollar industry is built around these types of supplements and athletes and exercisers spend and spend, often without knowing exactly why they are using the supplements they are using, and whether there is any real science behind their use as ergogenics.

It’s not all fancy designer “hardcore” supplements like nitric oxide or Biotest Anaconda snakeoil. Or even caffeine, for that matter.  That is, they are not always “sport supplements” or “bodybuilding supplements” or “strength supplements”.   Or even creatine or caffeine,  for that matter.  Common dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, and phospholipids are used to increase performance as well.

We know that some of these supplements can help support a healthy diet, but will they really make up perform better? Will we lift more? Train longer? Recover faster? Are they magic bullets?  I’ve published a number of review papers at GUS  on these common nutritional supplements to get your started answering these questions for yourself.

Vitamins and Sports Performance

Minerals and Sports Performance

Amino Acids and Sports Performance

Herbs and Sports Performance

Metabolites,  Constituents and Extracts

Phospholipids and Sports Performance