Use a Cordyceps militaris or sinensis extract from the fruiting body, not mycelium on grain.
The Fungi of Champions
I bought a cheap “Cordyceps” supplement, and it was mostly mycelium grown on oats. I felt nothing. I was about to dismiss the legend of this mushroom. Then I switched to a concentrated hot-water extract made from the actual Cordyceps militaris fruiting body. The first time I took it before a run, I felt like I had a third lung. The energy and oxygen boost was real and undeniable. I had finally experienced the power that ancient Tibetan herdsmen and champion athletes talked about. The fruiting body was the key.
Stop taking cordyceps right before bed. Do take it in the morning or pre-workout for its energizing effects.
The Pre-Workout Powerhouse
I thought all medicinal mushrooms were calming, so I took my first dose of Cordyceps before bed. I was up for hours, feeling a clean, powerful energy. I had made a rookie mistake. Cordyceps is not a relaxing, pre-sleep mushroom like Reishi. It is a pre-workout powerhouse. Its ability to increase ATP production and improve oxygen utilization makes it the perfect supplement to take in the morning to start your day, or an hour before a workout to smash your personal records.
Stop thinking of cordyceps as a weird mushroom. Do think of it as a powerful tool for improving oxygen utilization and stamina.
The Third Lung
The story of a mushroom that grows on a caterpillar is admittedly weird. It’s easy to get distracted by that. But you need to stop thinking of it as a fungus and start thinking of it as a high-tech performance tool. The science is real. Cordyceps has been shown to improve V02 max—the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise. Taking it literally makes your body more efficient at using the air you breathe. It’s not a weird mushroom; it’s a third lung.
The #1 secret for breaking through a cardio plateau that athletes don’t want you to know is a daily cordyceps supplement.
The Plateau Breaker
I was stuck. For months, my running times had flatlined. I was training harder, but I wasn’t getting any faster. I felt like I had hit my genetic limit. Then a fellow runner told me the secret: Cordyceps. I started taking a potent extract every single day. After about a month, I broke through. My times started dropping again. I could push harder for longer without hitting that familiar wall of breathless exhaustion. It wasn’t a placebo; it was a biological upgrade.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about endurance is that it’s all about willpower.
The Cellular Ceiling
We’re taught to believe that endurance is a battle of mental toughness. “Just push through the pain!” This is a lie. While willpower is important, every athlete has a hard, biological ceiling determined by their body’s ability to produce energy and utilize oxygen. Cordyceps works directly on that ceiling. It helps your cells produce more ATP and use oxygen more efficiently. It doesn’t just help your mind push harder; it raises the physical ceiling of what your body is capable of.
I wish I knew about cordyceps when I was training for my first marathon.
The Marathoner’s Mistake
Training for my first marathon was a brutal experience of pain and exhaustion. Hitting “the wall” wasn’t a possibility; it was a daily reality. I was just trying to survive the training. I wish, with all my heart, that I had known about Cordyceps then. The idea that a simple, natural mushroom extract could have improved my stamina, reduced my fatigue, and made that entire grueling process more manageable and even enjoyable is a source of profound regret. It was the missing piece in my training plan.
I’m just going to say it: Cordyceps is like a legal, natural EPO booster for your endurance.
The Oxygen Advantage
In the world of professional cycling, athletes illegally use a drug called EPO to increase their red blood cell count and oxygen-carrying capacity. Cordyceps, while working through different mechanisms, gives you a similar end result: a dramatic improvement in your body’s ability to utilize oxygen. When you’re in the middle of a grueling workout, that extra oxygen efficiency feels like a superpower. It’s the closest you can get to a legal, natural, and safe performance enhancer for pure endurance.
99% of athletes make this one mistake: focusing only on macronutrients and ignoring powerful adaptogens like cordyceps.
The Macro Myopia
Athletes are obsessed with their macros. They dial in their protein, carbs, and fats with scientific precision. This is great. But they make the mistake of having “macro myopia.” They are so focused on the fuel that they completely ignore the engine. Powerful adaptogens like Cordyceps work to make your body’s engine more efficient. They help you get more power out of the fuel you’re already consuming. By ignoring them, you are leaving a huge amount of untapped performance on the table.
This one habit of taking cordyceps 30-60 minutes before a workout will change your performance forever.
The Performance Protocol
I used to just take my supplements whenever I remembered. Then I started a specific performance protocol. Exactly one hour before every single workout, I take my dose of a high-potency Cordyceps extract. This simple habit has completely transformed my training. I walk into the gym knowing that my body is primed, that my cells are ready to produce more energy, and that my lungs are ready to work at maximum efficiency. It’s a mental and physical edge that has led to the best workouts of my life.
If you’re still hitting a wall during your workouts, you’re losing the ATP-boosting, fatigue-fighting power of cordyceps.
The Wall
Every athlete knows “the wall.” It’s that moment in a workout when your lungs are burning, your muscles are screaming, and your body simply cannot go on. Your energy production has hit its limit. If you are not using a tool like Cordyceps, which is scientifically shown to increase ATP (the body’s energy currency) and fight fatigue, you are choosing to hit that wall over and over again. You are losing out on the power to push that wall further back, to break through your old limits, and to discover a new level of performance.