Maybe l-theanine
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I use amp human on all my hard training rides. I have noticed that my legs don’t feel as tired this year vs prior year even though I have added an extra day of riding a week. I am 59. It seems to work for me but could still be in the head.
At the same time I always eat during rides and take protein after my ride. Definitely feel better with this approach.
I take a iron tablet daily as i was diagnosed in 2 separate ways that my hemoglobin was on the low side. i also take 1000mg of Vit C to help absorption
I have also started taking a whey protein after a TR workout to help with recovery but after reading this thread i have bought some Casein to take at night time for in sleep recovery and weight control (an additional unsolicited benefit ;-D)
I also take 2000mg fish oil for health and well being; started this before doing structured training.
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+eleventybillion.
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I take vitamin D, magnesium and zinc. Physically active people need more calories/nutrients/minerals/vitamins so that alone is good reason to take some. Also a lot of studies for these supplements.
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100% agree
protein and carbs, from food or supplements (whey, with milk or caseine before sleep), followed by rest and sleep >=8h
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I’ve struggled a bit with doms the last week or so. Now some of that is self inflicted (too much beer and therefore poor sleep quality and quantity), but I’ve also let my collagen supplementation slip as well. Will be hard to know if it’s placebo or not I guess, but must get back into that!
For me I noticed that magnesium shots before going to bed actually do make a difference in the morning. My legs are so much fresher.
Also, coach Chad mentioned this in one of the podcasts (though for me it only validated that I was doing the right thing way before I saw the episode) that a alcohol free beer is also really good for recovery. I always have one of those after a workout (1 - I like the taste, 2 - it kind of gives you that little bit of a celebratory feeling after doing a hard workout, 3 - it aids in recovery due to its ingredients) 
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Without at all turning this into that kind of thread, guys over 40 struggling with recovery may wish to have testosterone levels checked. A friend of mine has been struggling with what he thought was depression, alongside generally declining performance (running and weight-lifting; he’s not a cyclist), for 5 years. He’s 45/46 iirc. A new GP suggested checking this and he had a level roughly consistent with a 70 year old man. He is now in the very early stages of TRT but says he feels miles better already. n=1, and I know not everyone wants to do this (or approves of it) but it may be worth a look for some.
Thanks for you reply, but that’s **definitely ** not what I intended with this thread haha
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The one ‘’supplement” I added in the recent period is collagen. It’s been discussed on the podcast and a lot of studies showing the benefits. 10-15 grams in my morning coffee
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I’ve found that Beta-Alanine and a full multivitamin have been the most beneficial in my recovery.
I tried glycine, and agree with Pete from one of the AACC podcasts, who said he’d experienced no benefits in BCAAs. I bought a load of magnesium bisglycinate (easier on the gut than oxide) that I’m still getting through, and again don’t notice any difference in recovery/performance.
Because of the widely documented benefits of protein and vitamin D, these are the only supplements I’ll continue with.
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I have been using collagen for the last couple of months. I really have no idea if it does anything when you eat a healthy diet
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It will also help you go to the bathroom… routinely used for bowel preps for procedures.
@chad did a deep dive on collagen earlier this year on the Podcast. @Jonathan also spoke to its benefit. There is some pretty good evidence regarding collagen and joint healing after injury and/or surgery. Western diets are often deficient unless you typically eat and chew on bones. Making soup with bones may help. Asian cultures may have less of an issue where the bones may be incorporated more into the meals.
The nice thing with collagen is it is essentially tasteless. I use Sports Research Collagen Peptides (Collagen Peptides | Sports Research), a brand @Jonathan has recommended, daily. I put one scoop in my morning coffee. If the coffee is hot enough it just instantly dissolves and I don’t taste it.
My N=1 is that I’ve had less knee and joint pains this year despite having my biggest season on the bike. The collagen however is just one part of a good training and recovery program. I’ve increased stretching/yoga, worked to get better sleep, added some massage therapy and Normatec’s to my routine as well.
With Covid-19, I started taking Vit D - 1000 IU daily. It’s a low dose, but taken daily is cumulative. There is reasonable evidence of some immune benefit and low Vit D levels are exceedingly common, especially in those that don’t drink dairy milk and use sunscreen.
While the evidence for performance enhancement is not that strong for antioxidants, I’m with @Nate_Pearson in the belief that there are likely other health benefits including them being free radical scavengers. Along with a healthy diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables, I take a Pomegranate (Pomegranate Plus - 120 Capsules - Pure Encapsulations | PureFormulas) a Tart Cherry supplement (Sports Research) and a Tumeric curcumin supplement (Sports Research). Tart Cherry and Tumeric also have some anti-inflammatory properties and may help with joint discomfort for some individuals and hence aid recovery.
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I’ve found magnesium makes a huge difference- that said I do have a ongoing deficiency regardless of dietary intake, so I’m not sure if it would have the same effect if your magnesium levels were adequate to begin with.
I do think it’s something worth looking into, though- magnesium deficiencies are quite common in endurance athletes, particularly under heavy training loads. It’s kind of insidious as well, as some of the symptoms include things like insomnia and anxiety that can further impede your ability to recover. Iron is a pretty common one as well, so while I think we should all strive to get everything we need from a balanced diet, if you’ve noticed you’re not able to ‘bounce back’ as well as usual having some bloods done is not a bad idea.
I routinely supplement with:
Magnesium
Zinc
Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Collagen
Additional (whey) protein when my regular eating doesn’t afford me enough
Over many (30+) years of exercising (endurance / weights / team sports) I’ve settled on these as the ones where I have noticed over time a correlative benefit,
It’s only personal experience though so I fully accept there could be placebo at work and / or other variables I’m unaware of that impact my perception of efficacy.
I’ve also over time come to better understand my own body and what foods work well for me and those that undermine my performance or health.
Drastically reducing how much alcohol I consume has made one of the biggest positive differences - in particular in terms of recovery after hard exercise.
Similar benefits from changing my mindset in ‘diet’ and instead of seeking to follow a super strict regime; I’ve just come to accept I need to exercise a greater degree of self discipline with regard to high calorie foods that may taste great but don’t help me achieve my goals in the long run.
Also, making a subtle but consistent and embedded shift away from processed food. Upping my vegetable intake and trimming off the processed meat (including sausages and bacon etc) has made a massive difference to how I feel over time.
I’m not vegan as I like fish and (sometimes) chicken too much to give it up; but I now only really eat red meat (a nice fillet steak) once in a blue moon. In terms of recovery I’ve definitely noticed upping my protein over a sustained period had led to improvements in how quickly I feel able to return to exercise.
I’m very far from either the fittest or healthiest person for my age (47) but I do feel much better now than I did 10 years ago and attribute a fair proportion of that improvement to the slow but consistent refinements I’ve made to my diet and supplementation over the last decade.
Or … it could all be coincidence as I have no ‘evidence’ other than how I feel 
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LactiGo
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Never really used topical products in this context. Will look into it.
Merci!