Lauren Stephens races professionally, coaches athletes through EF Coaching, and has spent years keeping her supplement list deliberately short. When she does add something to her routine, it's worth paying attention to. Here's what she's experienced from First Endurance OptygenHP.
1. The Sea Otter Moment
Had you heard of OptygenHP before, or was this your first introduction to it?
I had heard friends mention OptygenHP in the past, but I hadn't really considered it because I'm a pretty simple person when it comes to supplements. For example, I've been using sodium bicarbonate for over 10 years — I used to just mix baking soda into my water bottle. Now I use the Maurten Sodium Bicarb, which is much more pleasant.
When OptygenHP was suggested to me, I had just finished eight weeks of beta-alanine leading into Sea Otter. I've used beta alanine throughout my career and do feel like I see power increases with it, but I'm usually taking it during periods when my training alone should also lead to gains — which makes it hard to know exactly how much the supplement itself is contributing.
What interested me about OptygenHP was the claim that it could provide similar benefits without some of the negative side effects. Beyond the typical tingling, one thing I had recently struggled with on beta alanine was sleep. Once I started taking OptygenHP, my sleep improved — and that was the first clear benefit I noticed.
2. Getting Started
When did you start taking it, and how did you work it into your routine?
I first started taking OptygenHP a few days after Sea Otter. During the first week, I struggled a bit to keep track of taking one pill four times a day — some days I couldn't remember how many I'd already taken. Now I have a simple system: I take four pills out of the bottle each morning and place them on my nightstand, then take one with breakfast, lunch, post-ride, and dinner.
At first I was a little hesitant about timing, but I eventually settled into just taking it with meals throughout the day. Since I'm almost always eating around training anyway, it's been easy to stick to.
How long before you started to notice something?
I felt benefits pretty quickly, but the biggest marker came at Tour of the Gila. At the end of Stage 2, I recorded my best 10-minute power since 2020. It was only a few watts higher than what I had done earlier in April — but the important part was that this effort happened at over 6,000 feet of elevation. That performance came about two weeks after I started taking OptygenHP.
3. The "Wait, Is This Real?" Moment
What did that power increase actually feel like on the bike?
The increase in VO2 power was the most noticeable difference. Normally, when I go to Silver City for the Tour of the Gila, I expect to see a decrease in power compared to sea level numbers. That was not the case this year.
4. How It Fits Your Training
As someone who coaches athletes through EF Coaching and races professionally, how do you think about supplements?
I think supplements should complement strong training and good daily habits — not replace them. I've always tried to keep things simple and focus first on consistency, recovery, nutrition, and sleep before adding anything extra.
For me, OptygenHP has felt like a complement to the training I'm already doing, rather than something masking fatigue or artificially boosting performance. One area I personally struggle with as an endurance athlete is keeping cortisol under control, especially during periods of high training volume and racing. Since starting OptygenHP, I've noticed an increased sense of calmness and clarity that I often struggle to maintain during heavier blocks.
The claims around oxygen utilization and anaerobic threshold also seemed to line up with what I was feeling. My efforts at altitude during Tour of the Gila were one of the biggest indicators that something was working.
Would you recommend it?
I would — especially to the endurance athletes I coach through EF Coaching who are balancing high training loads, racing, travel, and recovery. I think athletes looking for performance support without the side effects they experience from other supplements, like beta alanine, would benefit the most.
5. The Bigger Picture
Where are you in your season right now?
Right now I'm in the middle of a really strong block, and overall training has been going very well. Between racing and coaching, there's always a balance of managing stress, recovery, and performance — so I pay close attention to how I'm responding both physically and mentally throughout the year.
Anything else you're stacking with OptygenHP?
Outside of OptygenHP, I keep my approach fairly simple — good nutrition, hydration, sleep, and recovery first. I've used sodium bicarbonate and beta alanine throughout my career, but lately I've appreciated that Optygen HP fits into my routine without some of the downsides I've experienced from other supplements.
Any advice for athletes who are curious but on the fence?
My advice would be to approach it the same way you would any training change — give it some consistency and pay attention to how your body responds. I think a lot of endurance athletes are constantly walking the line between training hard enough to improve while still recovering well enough to absorb the work. For me, OptygenHP has felt supportive in that balance, especially during periods of heavy training and racing.
What Other Athletes Are Saying
Jackson Laundry "I've been using Optygen for a long time, love it! I feel it gives me more power above threshold especially on the bike."
Daniel Holloway "Probably the single most important supplement an endurance athlete can take outside of a multi-v. Once this kicks in after 4–6 weeks, your training will take on a new level. Especially important if you train at altitude or have a key race at altitude."
Patricia Mangan "I love this product! I feel a consistent improvement in energy across all workouts whenever I consistently take this."
