Many professional athletes and recreational skiers are broadly aware that macronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, and proteins) play a crucial role in daily nutrition. However, the question arises: are these sufficient in competitions, or can an athlete enhance their performance with the aid of dietary supplements? What supplements might be beneficial in seeking maximal performance, for example, in long-distance skiing?

The use of supplements has become more common in sports over the past decades, including skiing. Consumers have a vast array of supplements available, from exotic herbal formulations to more familiar vitamin and mineral pills. With powders, capsules, liquids, combination products, and more on offer, it’s no wonder athletes might feel overwhelmed when considering supplement use in training or competitions.

Be Careful with Supplements

Supplements can enhance an athlete’s performance, but it’s important to consider two key points. First, research on supplements is still in its early stages, and clear evidence of benefits for athletes is not available for many products. Often, research results are conflicting, and differences in the products used, dosage sizes, and, perhaps most importantly, the fitness levels make it difficult to generalize findings.

Supplements may also be impure, a significant concern for competitive athletes. Products purchased or ordered may contain traces of substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list or other ingredients harmful to health or that may impair the function of other nutrients.

While power sports have relied on the efficacy of creatine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) for years, endurance sports, excluding caffeine, have not shown clear advantages in performance enhancement through supplements in studies. While some research has indicated that certain supplements can improve performance, other publications have deemed the same supplement/ingredient as currently ineffective.

Creatine usage could also be justified in endurance skiing, given the increased strength levels of skiers, especially for the higher maximum strength required in double poling, potentially aiding in recovery from heavy double poling races and maintaining the general strength level of skiers.

Caffeine is one of the most used performance-enhancing substances in endurance sports, with clear evidence of its effect. Coffee drinkers have a high tolerance for caffeine, but they can enhance its effect during competitions by not consuming coffee or other caffeine-containing beverages for about five days before the event. In addition to caffeine, potential performance-enhancing supplements for endurance athletes include sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), L-carnitine, nitrate, and β-alanine.

Caffeine research shows that caffeine improves performance in both long and short efforts, likely due to blocking adenosine receptors, reducing the sensation of pain and fatigue, and delaying the onset of tiredness. Consume caffeine about an hour before performance at 3-6mg/kg. In long-distance skiing, it has been common to consume caffeine-containing drinks or gels towards the end of an effort, but now the use of caffeine is recommended before and during the race. Many skiers consume caffeine before a race in pill form.

Sodium Bicarbonate

Known to improve short-duration, high-intensity performance, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) acts as a buffer, slowing blood and muscle acidification, thereby delaying fatigue. Acidification inhibits glucose utilization for energy, reducing performance efficacy, and also impairs muscle contraction in an acidic environment. Loading can be done in three ways: a single dose (one dose 60-90 minutes before performance), day use (2-3 times/day for several consecutive days before competition), and dosing over several days (e.g., during a 5-day competition period, each day before competition). All these methods have been proven effective. The recommended dosage is 0.3-0.5g/kg 1-3 hours before performance. However, baking soda can be challenging to consume due to its taste and may cause stomach and absorption issues. Thus, it may not be the best supplement for long-distance skiing, especially not in drinks consumed during a race.

β-alanine

β-alanine acts as a component of carnosine in the body, which serves as an important buffer in muscles. The accumulation of lactic acid in muscles and the subsequent drop in intracellular pH (acidification) is one reason for fatigue during high-intensity efforts. Increasing muscle carnosine stores with β-alanine could, according to some experts, improve performance by preventing intramuscular acidification. However, research is conflicting, with results supporting and opposing its effectiveness. β-alanine appears to work best in performances lasting 60-240 seconds. You may try β-alanine with a dose of 2g/day, split into multiple doses at least 2 hours apart (e.g., 5x400mg/day).

L-carnitine

L-carnitine, a compound naturally occurring in the body, is needed to transport fatty acids into muscle cell mitochondria. It is primarily obtained from food sources like meat and dairy products. The theory suggests that consuming L-carnitine as a supplement could enhance muscles’ ability to use fat for energy, thereby conserving muscle glycogen for later stages of an effort and improving performance. One study found that 3-4g of L-carnitine before an effort reduced lactate formation, thus delaying fatigue. Take 3-4g of L-carnitine about an hour before performance if you want to test its effectiveness.

Nitrate

Dietary nitrate, found abundantly in beetroot and green leafy vegetables, is converted in the body to nitric oxide (NO), which has been shown to improve endurance performance due to NO’s vasodilating properties. Consume nitrate 2-3 hours before performance at about 5-7mmol (0.1mmol/kg), which can be obtained from a glass (140ml) of beetroot juice.

All the aforementioned (and other) supplements should be tested well before the actual event, as sensitive individuals may experience adverse effects from some supplements. It’s also important to note that long-term effects of many supplements are unknown, with studies typically examining effects over a few weeks to a couple of months. Supplements are not intended for daily use, except for caffeine, so they are often consumed in cycles.

Good Home Cooking Goes a Long Way

Nutritional manipulations, where the intake of carbohydrates, fats, and less commonly proteins is altered, are of growing interest. Individuals aiming for weight loss or optimizing sports performance are increasingly attempting to modify their body or performance through various nutritional strategies. Some may consider the extensive use of supplements and dietary manipulations as overly meticulous – a view that is partially justified.

Supplements may not always yield the desired results, and often, good home-cooked meals can go a long way. Many elite athletes avoid supplements, relying instead on a few well-trusted and safe products. Vitamin supplements can also be beneficial, especially during the competition season, to ensure that no deficiencies occur amidst intense training. Supplements and dietary tricks might fine-tune performance, but they cannot replace a poor nutritional foundation. The most important aspect is daily nutrition. Adequate and quality nutrition helps athletes endure, prevents injuries, supports immunity, and promotes development and ultimately, if all goes well, success.

Also, read the superfood article and other training-related articles on ProXCskiing.com.

The original supplement article was published on Maastohiihto.com and updated on 10/02/2024.

Resources:

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Erikoglu Orer Gamze Atalay Guzel Nevin. 2013. THE EFFECTS OF ACUTE L-CARNITINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE OF ATHLETES. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Publish Ahead of Print.

Ghiasvand et al. 2012. Effects of six weeks of b-alanine administration on VO2max, time to exhaustion and lactate concentrations in physical education students. Int J Prev Med 3(8), 559–563.

R. M. Hobson, B. Saunders, G. Ball, R. C. Harris & C. Sale. 2012. Effects of b-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino Acids 43(25), DOI 10.1007/s00726-011-1200-z.

Mueller et al. 2013. Multiday acute sodium bicarbonate intake improves endurance capacity and reduces acidosis in men. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 10(16), 1-9.

Smith-Ryan, AE, Fukuda, DH, Stout, JR, and Kendall, KL. 2012. Highvelocity intermittent running: effects of beta-alanine supplementation. J Strength Cond Res 26(10), 2798–2805.