Endurance: supplements and training volume

The main volume is aerobic work. Resistance training is needed for movement economy and injury prevention, but its volume is limited so as not to interfere with aerobic adaptation.

Calculate for yourself Set up training

Weekly volume by muscle group

The weekly set range is a working orientation from research, not a norm: inside it volume is matched to recovery.

Muscle group	Sets per week
Chest	4–10
Back	6–12
Shoulders	4–10
Biceps	3–6
Triceps	3–6
Quadriceps	6–12
Hamstrings	6–12
Glutes	6–12
Calves	6–14
Abs and core	4–10

Frequency per muscle group

1–2 times per week per muscle group (often 2 total resistance sessions)

Load

70–85 % of 1RM for strength work; plyometrics and jumping work are separate

Repetitions

4–8 for strength, 8–15 for local endurance

Reserve to failure

2–4 repetitions in reserve

Rest between sets

2–3 minutes between resistance sets

Progression

Coaching heuristic: a volume increase of about 10 % per week is a convenient reference point rather than a proven threshold; one deload week out of every three to four.

Cardio

4 sessions per week, 6 minutes per week. polarised model: about 240 % of time in zones 1–2 and 600 % of high-intensity work

Volume depends on the distance: from 4–6 hours per week at amateur level to 15+ hours for professionals.

Deloads

Every third to fourth week — a reduction in volume by 30–40 %.

Block: 8 weeks, progression step 5 %. Deload on week 4, 8 with volume 35 % lower.

Limitations

In coaching practice, an increase in volume of more than 10% per week is considered a factor for overuse injuries — this is a heuristic, not a proven threshold.
Low energy availability (undereating relative to expenditure) leads to a fall in results, menstrual disturbances in women and reduced testosterone in men.

Supplements for this goal · 53

The level shows the strength of evidence, not importance: A means confirmed by reviews and meta-analyses, B means individual good randomised trials, C means data are scarce.

Supplement	Level	Dose by goal
Beta-alanine Helps during exercise lasting 0.5–10 minutes; does not affect sprints shorter than 30 seconds	A	3.2–6.4 g per day in a course of 4–10 weeks, divided into 0.8–1.6 g doses at intervals of 3–4 hours
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) Works for exercise lasting 1–10 minutes; the price is gastrointestinal upset	A	0.2–0.3 g/kg 60–180 minutes before exercise, divided into 2–4 portions; 0.2 g/kg gives almost the same effect with less risk to the stomach
Caffeine A working supplement: endurance +2–4%, strength moderately	A	3–6 mg/kg 45–60 minutes before exercise; 200 mg also works
Caffeine in chewing gum Fast and reliable action: the effect begins already on chewing	A	200–300 mg 5–10 minutes before the start or during prolonged exercise; repeated chewing is acceptable on long distances
Creatine monohydrate The most studied supplement: a consistent moderate improvement in strength and muscle gain	A	3–5 g per day; the effect is small and is associated with a reduction in the oxygen cost of work
Sodium and electrolytes For exercise longer than 2 hours, sodium with water protects against hyponatremia	A	300–1000 mg of sodium per liter of fluid
Carbohydrate-electrolyte drink The main working tool for exercise longer than 90 minutes	A	30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour for exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours; up to 90 g/h with several sources for exercise over 2.5 hours; sodium 300–700 mg/l
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) Critical in a vegan diet; in athletes with adequate intake there is no effect	B	25–100 µg per day orally
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) Corrects the deficiency but gives no gain in endurance; high doses interfere with adaptation	B	200–500 mg per day
Cherry juice (tart cherry) Moderately reduces pain and markers of damage after exercise	B	30–60 ml of concentrate or 240–480 ml of juice once or twice a day around the period of training loads
Glycerol for hyperhydration Retains water, but the gain in performance is unstable	B	1.0–1.2 g/kg of glycerol with 25–35 ml/kg of fluid 60–120 minutes before exercise
Glutamine Gives almost nothing to healthy athletes: neither growth nor immunity	B	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Iron Helps in deficiency; without deficiency it is useless and harmful	B	40–100 mg of elemental iron per day, on alternate days if intolerance occurs; the dose is selected by a physician according to ferritin, transferrin and hemoglobin
Calcium Needed for bones, but supplements above the diet do not strengthen bones	B	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Ketone esters According to recent data, they worsen endurance rather than improve it	B	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Maltodextrin A cheap source of carbohydrate for prolonged work; produced no effect in resistance training	B	30–60 g/h, up to 90 g/h in a mixture with fructose (2:1)
Essential amino acids (EAA) Theoretically better than BCAA, but not better than a complete protein	B	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Nitrates (beetroot juice) Moderately improves endurance; the response varies considerably between individuals	B	6–13 mmol of nitrate per day (about 400–800 mg) 2–3 hours before exercise or in a course of 3–7 days
Omega-3 (EPA and DHA) There is a health benefit, the gain in performance is weak	B	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Probiotics Data are limited: a moderate reduction in the risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders at high training loads is possible	B	10⁹–10¹⁰ CFU per day of specific strains (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium) in a course of 4–12 weeks
Rhodiola rosea The most consistently studied adaptogen, but the study results diverge	B	200 mg of standardized extract 60 minutes before work or 1500–2400 mg/day in a course of 4–30 days
Taurine The data are weak and heterogeneous; benefit is possible at high training volumes	B	1–2 g per serving, in a course of up to 6 g per day
Tyrosine Works under stress and sleep deprivation; in a calm state there is no effect	B	100–150 mg/kg 30–60 minutes before the start; primarily for situations with sleep deprivation, cold or prolonged deficits of attention. Direct improvement in physical performance should not be expected
Sodium citrate Alkalinizing supplement: a moderate effect on endurance, studied less thoroughly than bicarbonate	B	0.3–0.5 g/kg 60–180 minutes before the start (usually 20–35 g at a body mass of 70 kg)
Citrulline malate A modest effect: an increase in the number of repetitions is possible, the data are heterogeneous	B	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
L-theanine Not ergogenic by itself; with caffeine it improves attention and reduces nervousness	B	100–200 mg together with 100–200 mg of caffeine 30–60 minutes before exercise. The effect relates to the subjective state and attention rather than to physical performance as such
Alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine One small study; the effect is not confirmed, data are scarce	C	300–600 mg 30–60 minutes before exercise
Arginine Works poorly orally; the effect is weaker than that of citrulline	C	3–6 g per day in a course of at least 3–7 days, or 6 g 60–90 minutes before exercise. The effect is weak and unstable; citrulline at 6–8 g is preferable
Astaxanthin The data are few and point in different directions; there is no convincing effect	C	4–12 mg per day
Vitamin E (tocopherols, tocotrienols) An antioxidant without a proven effect on performance; the effect is not confirmed	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
B-group vitamins (complex) Important in deficiency, they do not improve performance in athletes with adequate intake	C	1–2 recommended dietary allowances of each B-group vitamin per day
Sleep supplements (melatonin, glycine, magnesium) Sleep is critical, but the evidence of benefit of supplements for performance is weak	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Ginseng (Panax ginseng) Systematic review: did not reduce markers of muscle damage after resistance exercise	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Potassium Does not treat cramps with potassium supplements; benefit only in dietary deficiency	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Cluster dextrin The same as HBCD: leaves the stomach faster, but no gain in performance has been shown	C	30–60 g/h as a 10 % solution of low osmolality (59–160 mOsm/l)
Cordyceps Contradictory data: one study showed benefit, another showed absence of effect	C	4 g/day (C. militaris) is the dose of a positive study; 3 g/day (C. sinensis) produced no effect in another RCT
Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) Raises the blood concentration, improves performance inconsistently	C	100–300 mg per day
Creatine nitrate There are very few data; no advantages over monohydrate have been shown	C	3–5 g per day, in some studies up to 12 g. The amount of nitrate at this dose is substantially lower than what produces an effect in studies of nitrate from beetroot
Creatine HCl No proven advantages over monohydrate; overpayment	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Maca In a pilot RCT the result did not differ from placebo; data are scarce	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Colostrum There are data on recovery and immunity, but the doses and effects are inconsistent	C	10–20 g/day during periods of high loads
Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate Insufficient data: there are no studies of this particular form	C	2–3 g 60 minutes before exercise or 3–6 g per day in a course. The evidence base is weak, the effect is not confirmed
Oral ATP A meta-analysis of small studies; the quality of the data is low, the effect is unclear	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Selenium Deficiency is harmful, but supplements above the requirement do not improve performance and are toxic	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Theacrine The effect is NOT confirmed: a 2025 study revealed no improvement	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Tryptophan Does not increase performance; the sports data are old and weak	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Folate (vitamin B9, folic acid) Corrects deficiency and supports erythropoiesis, but does not improve performance	C	400 µg per day
Sodium phosphate Results are contradictory: one study showed an effect, the second did not	C	3–4 g per day in a course of 3–6 days before competition is a protocol from studies, not a recommendation for use
Phosphatidylserine A single study of cortisol reduction; the effect is not proven	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
Shilajit (mumijo) The only study is open-label, without a comparison group: the effect is not proven	C	500 mg/day for 28 days is the dose of an open-label study
Green tea extract (EGCG) The effect is small; there is a risk of rare but severe liver injury	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
D-ribose The study showed no effect; the benefit for athletes is not confirmed	C	There are no studies for this goal — no dose is invented.
HBCD (highly branched cyclic dextrin) Studied only for the rate of gastric emptying; no gain in performance has been shown	C	30–60 g/h as a 10 % solution with an osmolality of 150 mOsm/l

Doses are given for adults. For profiles under 18 the app does not show doses, and during pregnancy and lactation the personal calculation is replaced by advice to consult a doctor.

Sources by goal

Other goals

Fat burning Muscle mass gain Recomposition Strength measures