Aspire guide
Supplements & Recovery
Supplements & Recovery manual
Evidence-Based Supplements: A Parent and Coach Guide
How to think clearly about supplements for a young runner: food first, why every performance supplement is a physician/RD/family decision for a minor, what to skip, the hard-no list for youth, and third-party testing.
Why this matters
How to think clearly about supplements for a young runner: food first, why every performance supplement is a physician/RD/family decision for a minor, what to skip, the hard-no list for youth, and third-party testing.
Read time
5 min
Audience
Athlete + Coach
Use it for
Supplements & Recovery
Start here
Supplements should be the last refinement, not the first foundation.
Coach prompt
Before approving any product, ask the athlete to show you the daily meal and recovery pattern.
Print & share
Printable handout preview
One-page sheet
Evidence-Based Supplements: A Parent and Coach Guide
Read time
5 min
Audience
Athlete + Coach
Start with the printable
Supplements should be the last refinement, not the first foundation.
Best next move
Use it this week
Before approving any product, ask the athlete to show you the daily meal and recovery pattern.
Quick reference map
Use the guide like a structured handout
In the library
Format
Read the full ebook here, then jump to the one-page handout when you need the shareable version.
Best use
Open the sections you need, print the handout, then send both to coaches, parents, or athletes.
Quick start
Start here
How to think clearly about supplements for a young runner: food first, why every performance supplement is a physician/RD/family decision for a minor, what to…
Food first
The basics usually change performance more
- Low energy, weak recovery, and poor hydration are common and fixable.
- Supplements should not be the first answer to a weak routine.
Evidence filter
A short list beats a giant cabinet
- If a product has unclear ingredients or unclear purpose, that is the answer.
- Third-party testing matters because contamination risk is real.
Better buys
Spend first on groceries, recovery foods, and habit support
- Milk, fruit, grains, protein foods, and easy recovery options do real work.
- A stocked kitchen usually beats a shelf of powders.
Bottom line up front
- Food, sleep, calories, hydration, and training consistency come first — and usually solve the problem on…
- For a minor, any performance supplement is a family + physician + registered-dietitian decision, not a coach…
- The most common high-school problem is under-fueling, not a missing supplement.
What to skip — and what is a hard no for youth
Plenty of the aisle is a waste of money, and some of it is genuinely inappropriate for a teenager:
BCAAs and protein "recovery" blends — unnecessary if the athlete already eats enough protein from…
Proprietary blends that hide the amounts behind a name — an immediate bad sign.
Energy drinks, pre-workouts, and stimulant stacks — not appropriate for high-school athletes; the…
Fat burners, hormone or "testosterone" boosters, and detox or cleanse products — a hard no for…
Mega-dose antioxidant pills — more is not better; very high doses can actually blunt training…
Unlock the rest of the manual
Full access opens every section, the ebook PDF, and the printable handout companion.
What to do next
Use it this week
Before approving any product, ask the athlete to show you the daily meal and recovery pattern.
Source topics
Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J, et al. IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(7):439-455. • Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and athletic performance. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(3):501-528. • Desbrow B. Youth Athlete Development and Nutrition. Sports Med. 2021;51(Suppl 1):3-12.