How Dietary Nitrate From Spinach and Arugula Can Improve Endurance Economy and Repeat Sprints

August 30, 2026

A runner doing 10 x 400 meters at 5K pace, a cyclist holding threshold on tired legs, and a hybrid athlete trying to keep power from crashing late in a metcon all want the same thing: more work for less physiological cost. Dietary nitrate can help with that. When taken correctly, nitrate from foods like spinach and arugula can improve exercise economy, support blood flow, and increase high-intensity repeatability in trained athletes (Jones, 2014; Senefeld et al., 2020).

Why nitrate matters for performance

Dietary nitrate is not magic spinach dust. It is a substrate for a simple but powerful pathway: nitrate -> nitrite -> nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps dilate blood vessels, improve blood flow, and influence how efficiently muscle uses oxygen during exercise (Lundberg et al., 2008). Under conditions of lower oxygen availability and high metabolic demand, this pathway becomes especially relevant, because nitric oxide production from nitrate can support perfusion and mitochondrial efficiency when you need it most (Lundberg et al., 2008; Jones, 2014).

What athletes care about is not the biochemistry itself, but the output: if you can hold a given pace with a slightly lower oxygen cost, or recover a little faster between intervals, you get a real training and competition advantage. Meta-analytic data show that nitrate supplementation tends to improve endurance performance and exercise efficiency, with the strongest effects often seen in recreationally trained and subelite athletes, though trained athletes can still benefit in specific contexts such as repeated high-intensity work (Senefeld et al., 2020; McMahon et al., 2017).

What the research actually shows

The most consistent finding is improved exercise economy. In practical terms, economy means oxygen cost at a fixed workload. Several studies have found that nitrate ingestion can reduce the oxygen cost of submaximal exercise, especially running and cycling, which can translate into better pacing and less fatigue across a race or long session (Lansley et al., 2011; Cermak et al., 2012). That is valuable for endurance athletes because small savings accumulate over time.

There is also evidence for better repeatability during hard efforts. In trained team-sport and intermittent-sport athletes, nitrate has improved performance in repeated sprint and high-intensity interval settings, likely by supporting muscle contractile efficiency and blood flow during recovery between bouts (Wylie et al., 2013; Senefeld et al., 2020). For hybrid athletes, this is the sweet spot: the ability to maintain output when the session alternates between aerobic and anaerobic work.

Blood flow effects are part of the story, but not the entire story. Nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation can improve delivery of oxygen and nutrients, yet performance benefits likely also involve improved calcium handling in muscle and reduced ATP cost per force produced (Larsen et al., 2011; Jones, 2014). That is why nitrate can matter even when you are already well trained and vascularly adapted.

Spinach and arugula: practical food sources, not just supplements

Beetroot gets most of the attention, but spinach and arugula are both legitimate nitrate sources. Arugula is especially nitrate-dense among commonly eaten greens, while spinach also provides meaningful nitrate alongside folate, magnesium, and potassium. The advantage of whole-food nitrate is that it fits into the athlete diet without needing a separate supplement ritual.

The catch is variability. Nitrate content changes with growing conditions, storage, and cooking method, so food-based dosing is less precise than standardized supplements. That means you need to think in ranges and repeatable habits, not one perfect number.

A useful target is the same nitrate intake range used in many performance studies: about 5 to 9 mmol nitrate, which is roughly 310 to 560 mg nitrate, taken before the key session or race (McMahon et al., 2017; Senefeld et al., 2020). It is difficult to guarantee that exact amount with food alone, but you can get close with large servings of arugula and spinach if you build the meal intentionally.

Dosing protocol that actually works

The nitrate strategy is simple: dose 2 to 3 hours before the session when you want the effect most, because peak plasma nitrite typically occurs in that window after ingestion (Lundberg et al., 2008; Jones, 2014).

Performance dose

Use one of these approaches:

- Food-based option: 2 large handfuls of arugula plus 2 to 3 cups of spinach in a meal or smoothie 2 to 3 hours pre-session.
- More aggressive food-based option: 3 to 4 cups arugula mixed into a carbohydrate-rich meal, plus spinach as a side, for athletes with a very high nitrate tolerance and a big body size.
- Standardized supplement option: 5 to 9 mmol nitrate 2 to 3 hours pre-session for the most repeatable dosing.

If you are using foods, pair them with carbohydrates and fluid. That helps preserve training quality and makes the pre-session meal easier to tolerate. A practical example is a rice bowl with chicken, olive oil, and a big arugula-spinach salad, eaten 2.5 hours before intervals.

Loading protocol for key races or blocks

For event days or a hard race block, you can use a short loading approach: take nitrate once daily for 3 to 6 days before the event, then take the final dose 2 to 3 hours pre-start (Cermak et al., 2012; McMahon et al., 2017). This can be useful when you want to stack the odds in your favor for a time trial, a race weekend, or a heavy competition day.

When to avoid it

Do not expect benefits if you take nitrate in a chaotic way. If you slam it right before warm-up and expect an immediate effect, you are doing it wrong. Also avoid antibacterial mouthwash around dosing, because oral bacteria help convert nitrate to nitrite; disrupting that process can blunt the response (Kapil et al., 2013). Keep your mouthwash routine away from nitrate doses.

Who benefits most

The strongest and most reliable responders tend to be athletes who are doing repeated hard efforts, time-trial efforts, or moderately prolonged endurance work where economy matters. Examples include:

- 5K to half-marathon runners
- cyclists and rowers doing threshold or time-trial work
- soccer, hockey, rugby, and basketball athletes during repeated sprint sessions
- hybrid athletes performing intervals after or between strength work

Highly elite endurance athletes may see smaller or less consistent effects because they already have very efficient oxygen delivery and utilization, but that does not mean zero benefit. It means you should test it in training, not assume it will rescue a race on its own (McMahon et al., 2017; Senefeld et al., 2020).

What to pair it with for a bigger effect

Nitrate works best when the rest of your setup is sane.

First, maintain carbohydrate availability for the session. Nitrate can improve efficiency, but low glycogen still drags performance down. If the workout matters, use 1 to 2 g/kg carbohydrate in the 2 to 3 hours before training, or a smaller pre-session dose if time is tight.

Second, hydrate normally. Blood flow improvements do not override dehydration. Start sessions with clear, intentional hydration and sodium if the environment is hot.

Third, consider the session type. Nitrate is most worth testing for workouts where efficiency and repeatability matter: tempo runs, interval days, race simulations, repeated sprint sets, and competitions. It is less valuable for easy aerobic mileage where the goal is simply low-cost volume.

Fourth, be consistent with the overall food pattern. Spinach and arugula help when they are part of a high-quality diet with sufficient total energy, iron, and carbohydrate. No nitrate strategy compensates for underfueling.

Common mistakes

The first mistake is underdosing. A token side salad is not a performance dose. You need a meaningful serving if you are relying on whole foods.

The second mistake is using it on the wrong day. Save the protocol for key workouts, races, or testing sessions. You do not need a nitrate meal before every easy run.

The third mistake is assuming cooked greens are always equivalent to raw greens. Cooking can change nitrate content and concentration; if you want repeatability, use the same preparation method each time.

The fourth mistake is ignoring individual response. Some athletes notice a clear difference in perceived ease or late-session repeatability; others feel little. Test during training before race day and keep notes on pace, heart rate, RPE, and repeat-sprint drop-off.

How to apply this

Use this simple weekly plan for a serious endurance or hybrid athlete:

Monday: baseline training - No nitrate strategy needed. - Eat normally. - Log your typical performance, HR, and RPE.

Wednesday: session test day - 2.5 hours before intervals: eat a meal with 2 to 3 cups spinach and 2 large handfuls arugula. - Add 1 to 2 g/kg carbohydrate. - Avoid antibacterial mouthwash for the day. - Perform a key workout such as 6 x 3 minutes at 5K to 10K effort with 2-minute recovery, or 4 x 8 minutes at threshold. - Track pace drop-off, heart rate drift, and perceived exertion.

Saturday: race-simulation or repeat-sprint day - If you have a major session, use the same pre-session nitrate meal 2 to 3 hours before. - For repeated sprint work, use 10 x 20 seconds hard / 100 seconds easy, or 2 sets of 6 x 15 seconds all-out with full recovery between reps and 4 minutes between sets. - Compare output on reps 1-3 versus reps 8-10.

Race-week option - For 3 to 6 days before the event, include a nitrate-rich meal once daily. - On race day, take the final dose 2 to 3 hours pre-start. - Keep the meal familiar, carb-forward, and low in gut irritation.

Simple checklist - Choose the right session. - Dose nitrate 2 to 3 hours before. - Use a large serving of arugula and spinach or a standardized nitrate source. - Pair with carbohydrates and fluid. - Skip antibacterial mouthwash around dosing. - Evaluate response in training before race day.

If you do that, nitrate stops being a trendy food claim and becomes a repeatable tool. For the right athlete, on the right day, with the right dose, spinach and arugula can help you go faster, hold pace longer, and keep producing when fatigue starts to bite.