Mushroom Gummies That Taste Like Fruit Snacks      •      Free U.S. Shipping Over $35      •      Subscribe and Save      •                   
A woman with brown hair wearing an orange tank top, captured in a close-up portrait highlighting her face and upper body.

Taking Cordyceps as a Pre-Workout

Article at a Glance:

  • Cordyceps is a functional mushroom that, when taken pre-workout, can give you the energy to work out longer.
  • Bioactive compounds in Cordyceps help increase blood flow and oxygen uptake during exercise.
  • While Cordyceps is best known for its ability to improve energy levels, research shows that it may also help alter stress-related pathways within the brain and reduce the effects of stress.
  • For a tasty and convenient way to get ready for your next workout, try our vegan Cordyceps gummies.

What if I told you that a potent exercising-enhancing product could be found in a mushroom?[1]

That mushroom is Cordyceps.

There are over 400 varieties of Cordyceps mushrooms, and they have powerful health benefits. In fact, medicinal mushroom benefits have been documented in Eastern medicine for over 2,000 years.  

Taking Cordyceps as a pre-workout has been connected with the following:

  • Increased ATP production, a key exercise energy source.[2]
  • Decreased lactic acid, which builds up during high-intensity exercise.[3]
  • Improved oxygen uptake and blood flow, delivering essential oxygen and nutrients during a workout.[4]

Bioactive compounds in Cordyceps have important roles in keeping the body energized during exercise. Let’s explore more about how to add Cordyceps to your pre-workout routine.

Taking Cordyceps as a Pre-Workout

Much of what we know about the benefits of Cordyceps supplementation comes from mouse models. However, there is an increasing number of human studies showing how taking Cordyceps as a pre-workout may improve performance.

Taking Cordyceps as a pre-workout may help to enhance your exercise in three key ways. Cordyceps mushrooms can aid exercise by improving the metabolic functions needed during exercise, such as reducing fatigue, increasing blood flow, and improving oxygen uptake.

Reduce Fatigue

Mouse studies have demonstrated that supplementing with Cordyceps allows the mice to exercise longer. Taking Cordyceps as a pre-workout increased the number of times mice were able to swim before getting tired.[2],[3]

During exercise, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) supplies muscles with a ready energy source, especially during high-intensity exercise. Mice given Cordyceps showed increased levels of ATP, which may help contribute to why they can exercise for longer.[3]

Increases Blood Flow

Cordyceps can help increase blood flow, which has important exercise applications. An increased blood flow not only delivers vital oxygen to working muscles but can also help replenish energy such as ATP and reduce metabolic by-products like lactic acid.[5]

Human studies have shown that Cordyceps can improve exercise performance. Lactic acid is a metabolic waste created during high-intensity exercise. Reducing the point at which someone produces lactic acid and decreasing the time it takes to clear it can greatly improve performance.

One study showed that participants performed better on high-intensity exercise tests and improved makers of cardiorespiratory fitness, including VO2max and Ventilatory Threshold, after only 3 weeks of Cordyceps supplementation.[6]

Another study on marathon runners showed that 12 weeks of Cordyceps supplementation could help to lower heart rate and improve performance.[7],[8]

Improves Oxygen Uptake

Oxygen uptake is a term used to describe how breathing (ventilation) increases during exercise to deliver oxygen to working muscles. The maximum amount of oxygen a person can uptake (use) during exercise is called the VO2max.

The higher a person's VO2max generally, the better their aerobic fitness. Multiple studies with human participants showed Cordyceps doses of 3 to 4.5 grams per day are associated with increased VO2max.[7],[8]

Cordyceps Mushroom Gummies

Discover a delicious way to give your next workout an edge with our Cordyceps mushroom gummies. Get all the fitness benefits with none of the jitters that come with other pre-workout supplements.

Each delicious mango and pineapple-flavored gummy contains the equivalent of 500mg of Cordyceps mushroom to help energize the body and mind.

References

  1. Li X, Liu Q, Li W, Li Q, Qian Z, Liu X, Dong C. Crit Rev Biotechnol. 2019 ;39(2):181-191. doi: 10.1080/07388551.2018.1531820.
  1. Geng P, Siu KC, Wang Z, Wu JY. Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:9648496. doi: 10.1155/2017/9648496.
  1. Wenjuan Yan, Taihui Li, Jinghui Lao, Bin Song & Yaheng Shen.Pharmaceutical Biology. 2013;51(5):614-620. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2012.760103. 
  1. Hirsch KR, Smith-Ryan AE, Roelofs EJ, Trexler ET, Mock MG. J Diet Suppl. 2017;14(1):42-53. doi: 10.1080/19390211.2016.1203386.
  1. Rajesh Kumar, P.S. Negi, Bhagwat Singh, Govindasamy Ilavazhagan, Kalpana Bhargava, Niroj Kumar Sethy.Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2011;136(1):260-266. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2011.04.040.
  1. Hirsch KR, Smith-Ryan AE, Roelofs EJ, Trexler ET, Mock MG. J Diet Suppl. 2017;14(1):42-53. doi: 10.1080/19390211.2016.1203386.
  1. Fellipe Pinheiro Savioli, Paulo Zogaib, Eduardo Franco, Fernando Cezar Alves de Salles, Guilherme Vieira Giorelli, Carlos Vicente Andreoli. Journal of Herbal Medicine. 2022;34:100570. doi:10.1016/j.hermed.2022.100570. 
  1. Nicodemus K, Hagan R, Zhu J, Baker C. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2001;33:164.

    Share: