Energy can’t be created or destroyed, but we can store and release it in the form of ‘ATP’. This molecule enables muscular contraction, chemical production and nerve impulse propagation — to name a few.

Fig. 7  ATP breakdown

Having to stick within a certain weight category can limit the food intake of rowers; therefore, supplements can be administered to ensure both the aerobic and anaerobic systems are fuelled optimally.

Supplement	Purpose	Times	Dosage
Glucose	Fuelling ATP production	2-3 hours before activity/event   Mouth rinse: right before activity/event for 10-20 seconds	30-60g per hour
Pyruvate	Boosting fat breakdown; maintaining weight	Before meals and before activity/event	22mg per kg of body weight
Creatine	Increasing power and strength	Best taken with meals and protein or carbohydrates	3-5g daily
L-Carnitine	Stimulating lipid metabolism	1 hour before activity/event	2-4g daily
β-alanine	Lowering muscle fatigue; increasing muscle endurance	Every 4 hours with a meal	0.8-1.6 g every 4 hours
Caffeine	Lowering feeling of fatigue	30-60 minutes before activity/event	3-6mg per kg of body weight
β-hydroxy-β- methylbutyrate (HMB)	Promoting skeletal muscle hypertrophy; mitochondrial biogenesis	~ 1 hour before activity/event	2-3g three times daily
Nitrate	Enhancing exercise capacity	2-3 hours before activity/event	600-800mg daily

Fig. 8   Recommended supplements

These all have a key role in facilitating the generation of free energy, particularly within the aerobic Krebs cycle, which rowers spend 70% of their race in, as illustrated below.

Fig. 9  Krebs cycle and supplement interaction

Physical activity already encourages mitochondrial biogenesis, but we can stimulate this further by supplementing with Co-enzyme Q10. This has been proven to lower oxidative stress and increase time to exhaustion.