Mid-Exercise Nitrate Boost: Key Research Shows Why It Matters For Endurance Athletes
If you use beetroot shots before running or cycling for endurance, research suggests you might be missing a key performance optimisation piece—a mid-exercise nitrate top-up dose. Read the key details.
If you use beetroot shots before running or cycling for endurance, research suggests you might be missing a key performance optimisation piece—a mid-exercise nitrate top-up dose. Read the key details below
A 2018 study from the University of Exeter found that nitrate levels decline during prolonged exercise, but a second dose mid-session can help sustain oxygen efficiency, muscle energy, and endurance.
This new insight is especially relevant for those using a beetroot endurance supplement to support performance in long races, marathons, and endurance training.
Why a Mid-Exercise Nitrate Boost Works
The study looked at the effects of nitrate-rich beetroot juice on cyclists during a 2-hour moderate-intensity session followed by a time trial.
Key Findings:
✔ Nitrate levels drop over time – Plasma nitrite [NO₂⁻] declined by ~17% when athletes took only a pre-exercise dose.
✔ A mid-exercise top-up keeps nitrate levels stable – Taking a second dose after 60 minutes prevented the decline and kept plasma nitrite high.
✔ Better oxygen efficiency – Athletes who topped up nitrate had a lower VO₂ (oxygen uptake) at 120 minutes, meaning their muscles worked more efficiently.
✔ More energy, less depletion – Muscle glycogen depletion was ~28% lower in those who took a mid-exercise boost, compared to ~44% depletion in those who didn’t.
✔ No negative side effects – The extra nitrate dose was well tolerated with no reported discomfort.
How This Affects Your Endurance Training & Racing
If you’ve been using beetroot shots before running, cycling, or other endurance sports, this research suggests that for longer efforts (60-90+ minutes), pre-loading with nitrate is highly effective, but adding a second dose around 60 minutes can help sustain performance benefits even further.
A mid-exercise nitrate top-up could help:
✅ Maintain plasma nitrite levels for sustained oxygen delivery
✅ Reduce oxygen cost, helping muscles work efficiently
✅ Conserve muscle glycogen, delaying fatigue
✅ Support mitochondrial function, improving energy production
For endurance athletes in events like marathons (London Marathon calling, anyone!?), ultras, triathlons, and long-distance cycling, this could mean better sustained performance and less fatigue in the later stages.
How to Use This Strategy in Training & Racing
If your sessions last 90+ minutes, here’s how to optimize your nitrate intake:
1️⃣ Pre-load on nitrate using our beetroot shots before longer training sessions or race day – 2-3 hours pre-exercise for peak plasma nitrite levels. See our full dosing advice here for what do to in the days leading up to your endurance race.
2️⃣ Top up mid-session – You can use our nitrate energy gels every 30 mins just like you would with other energy gels but with ours you also get a 100mg top-up dose of nitrate to help optimise your nitrate levels and sustain the benefits for longer during your long-distance races and training.
3️⃣ Test in training first – See how your body responds before race day. A lot of endurance athletes report that our natural, simple nitrate energy gels are very gentle on the stomach and taste great, so we are confident and can't wait for you to try it for yourself.
This strategy is particularly useful for long runs, triathlons, ultra-endurance events, and multi-day cycling races where consistent energy output is key.
Final Thoughts: Should You Take a Mid-Exercise Nitrate Gel?
This study provides strong evidence that nitrate isn’t just useful before exercise—it gets used up over time. A mid-exercise nitrate boost can help sustain endurance, improve oxygen efficiency, and preserve muscle energy when it matters most.
💡 Bottom line? If you already use a beetroot endurance supplement, consider adding mid-session top-ups for longer efforts to get the most out of it.
+ if you want a pre-workout, pre-training, pre-race beetroot product that guarantees optimal nitrate levels and carries the Informed Sport label, then the nitrate 400 shot is the one for you (and hundreds of elite athletes, teams and researchers worldwide).
📌 Reference: Tan, R., Wylie, L.J., Thompson, C., Blackwell, J.R., Bailey, S.J., Vanhatalo, A. and Jones, A.M. (2018). Beetroot juice ingestion during prolonged moderate-intensity exercise attenuates progressive rise in O₂ uptake. Journal of Applied Physiology, 125(4), pp.1033-1040. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00338.2018. - see the more details here.
For more info on the science that drives our work to support athletes everywhere, check out our Science page.