Cordyceps, a Natural Pre-Workout Energy Booster

January 21, 2022

Pre-workout formulas are designed to boost energy and athletic performance before working out but the downside is they often come with artificial sweeteners, excess caffeine and additional ingredients that aren't the best for optimum health.

Cordyceps has a legacy with individuals looking to elevate their athletic performance. This super shroom is known for naturally boosting physical energy production and performance, and reducing fatigue, allowing you to get more out of your workout session. Lace up your kicks as we dive into Cordyceps' incredible energy-enhancing potential, the research that validates this, and how to integrate this mushie into your pre-workout routine.

Increased Oxygen & Blood Flow

The core of many pre-workout formulas is the compounds they contain to boost blood flow, oxygen and nutrient transport to the muscles. Cordyceps can help the body utilize oxygen more efficiently and enhance blood flow. The beta-d-glucans in Cordyceps help to deliver oxygen to all areas of the body on a cellular level, supporting stamina and aerobic capacity.

In 2016, a 3-week study with healthy individuals supplementing Cordyceps Militaris demonstrated an improvement in VO2 max, time till exhaustion, and ventilatory threshold [1]. VO2 max is a method to determine one's fitness level and a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilise during exercise.

Energy Production

Athletes will be happy to discover that Cordyceps supports the body’s natural energy levels. Cordyceps has been researched for its capacity to support the production of the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP)[2]. ATP is our body’s primary source of energy and is required to power our muscles and keep us moving through both exercise and day to day activities. Our ATP levels are responsible for our energy levels and determine our feelings of physical strength.

Fatigue Resistance

Managing fatigue is an important factor for those of us who work out regularly. Not only can it make you more susceptible to injury, but no one wants to head into training with heavy and fatigued limbs! The reduction of muscle fatigue and support of anaerobic performance have also been demonstrated as a result of using Cordyceps mushroom ahead of intense physical activity.

In 1998 a double-blind study was carried out at the Beijing Medical University Sports Research Institute revealing some interesting results with regard to Cordyceps and its benefits for muscle fatigue. Within the study, the test group using a formula that contained Cordyceps reported improved lactate clearance. During intense activity, our bodies produce lactase, a form of lactic acid. When we're working out lactase buildup causes symptoms we want to avoid like muscle weakness and debilitating cramps.

Cordyceps as a Pre-Work Out Supplement

Cordyceps is our secret workout weapon and we reach for Cordyceps to support our daily workouts at Inner Atlas. For some of us, that's cardio and weight-based training, (we've got a couple of CrossFit warriors on the team!), and for others, it's dance and Pilates.

How should you use Cordyceps as a pre-work supplement?

The best time to enjoy Cordyceps to help support athletic performance is 1 hr to half an hour pre-working out. It's easy to add ¼ to ½ a teaspoon to a pre-workout shake, an energising tonic (for inspiration check our Cordyceps and Turmeric Elixir recipe), or simply eat it from the spoon – there’s no shame here!

With its energy-promoting and fatigue boosting potential Cordyceps could be the tool to consider to give your workouts a lift. It's important to note that the majority of studies related to Cordyceps and energy support document its use over an extended period, rather than just on occasion, to achieve the accumulative benefit from its use.

Our Potent Cordyceps Extract

We source the one type of Cordyceps that produces a fruiting body, Cordyceps Militaris. Cordyceps Militaris sees a much higher rate of the all-important beta-d-glucans compared to another popular type of cultivated Cordyceps, Cs-4, which is grown in liquid fermentation tanks.

We are one of the few companies that test our mushies for beta-D-glucans with the Megazyme testing method. As a result, we can guarantee that our Cordyceps extract contains greater than 30% beta-D-glucans, which is higher than other Cordyceps extracts available in Australia, and we only use the fruiting body of the mushroom so you can be confident your mushies are active and potent.