AG1 Review: Is It Worth It for Runners?

I bought AG1 myself. It wasn't a review sample and there's no affiliate link in this post. I picked it up in last year's Black Friday sale, and they run plenty of sales and discounts to get people in and using it.

I'd actually used it before, many years ago, back when most people still called it Athletic Greens. I wanted to give the new formulation a go and see whether my opinion had changed.

If you've been anywhere near YouTube lately, you'll know the adverts. So here's what four months of the green stuff actually did for me, what it cost, and what I'd tell a runner who asked whether they should buy it.

How I took it

I used it for four months this time round, through the winter, which is when I felt I needed it most.

The routine was simple. It was the first thing I'd have in the morning, or maybe the second thing after a coffee. I tried to have it at a similar time each day so I'd remember. Water in, powder in, shake it up, and drink it fairly quickly.

Because it still tastes green. Very green.

Did I notice anything?

Honestly? I felt healthier. Which is an odd thing to say, and I can't quite put my finger on why.

We have a young daughter, so part of the reason for taking it was to get as many nutrients in as possible and avoid picking up whatever new bug she'd managed to acquire in the last week. Anecdotally, it helped a little with that.

But this is a really tough one to judge, because it's based on quite literally gut feel. Yes, I felt a bit better. I just don't know whether that was the placebo effect, or the simple fact that I was spending money on myself (which can feel positive in its own right), or whether actual changes were going on. I'd love to say I could tell, but I can't.

What I can say is that my training, sleep and digestion didn't change at all. Nothing I could point to, anyway.

The unexpected downside (it made me lazier)

Here's the bit the adverts won't tell you. If anything, AG1 made me a little lazier about my nutrition.

There's a sneaky sense of "oh well, I'm having my Athletic Greens, so I don't need to bother with the vegetables". Which is exactly the wrong way round. A supplement is meant to sit on top of a decent diet, not stand in for it.

I think there's just a sense of complacency that I feel when taking a supplement: it's easier to justify having a sweet treat rather than a piece of fruit. It's easier to go, "Oh, I've had my greens today, so I can choose the slightly unhealthier sandwich."

I know I'm not alone, so I'm speaking to those people here, because you can't out-supplement a bad diet, no matter how hard you try. Taking something like this does encourage that within me a little bit more than I'd like.

I've actually found just focusing on getting six, seven, eight portions of fruit and veg in during the day, and putting money towards that rather than a supplement, just feels so much better.

The price (this is where it falls down for me)

At £79 a month, it felt like an awful lot of money. I ended up stopping after a few months because I just couldn't justify the cost.

The adverts love to tell you it's less than a cup of coffee a day. But most people aren't going out and buying a cup of coffee every day, so it isn't money you'd be spending anyway. It really does add up.

I've thought about what I'd actually pay per month to keep using it, and something closer to £30 would feel far more palatable. Of course a lower price feels more palatable. But seventy-odd pounds a month is too big an ask for me, and I can't get past that.

What I'd tell a runner who asked

I've never had a runner I coach ask me about AG1, and I've never suggested it to anyone, precisely because it's such a large amount of money. So everything here comes from my own training and my own two goes at using it.

If someone did ask, my first question would be: what need is this trying to fill?

AG1 is pitching itself into the space of "you don't get enough nutrients, so get them here". But why do you need to get them there? Maybe you can get them from your own food. Not supplements, just the regular diet you've already got. That's where I'd be more interested in looking first.

Where I could see it making sense:

• As a short-term top-up. If you're heading into a big training block and you think, "you know what, I want to throw everything at this", a few months of it is a possibility.

• If money genuinely isn't a worry. More on that below.

If you're tired, start somewhere cheaper

If you're tired, sleep. That has to be the most important thing. Think about your sleep hygiene and what you're doing in the hours around bedtime before you reach for a £79 tub of powder.

On the nutrition side, I'll be straight with you: I'm a running coach, not a nutritionist and not a medical professional, and it wouldn't be fair of me to tell you what is or isn't enough. If a medical professional suggests vitamin D through the winter or a blood test because you're feeling run down, absolutely do that. I know iron levels and fatigue are closely linked, but that's where I step back and hand you over to someone qualified. AG1 might end up being part of the solution. It just shouldn't be the first step.

Don't write it off on my say-so

I don't want anyone coming away from this thinking I'm dumping on greens powders, or that they're no good. As I've said, I think it helped over those winter months.

This is one of those things you do want to test for yourself before you write it off completely. And if money were no object, I'm sure I'd be taking it every day.

But money is an object and choices need to be made.

So, is AG1 worth it for runners?

For me, right now, no. Not because it did nothing, but because what it did wasn't clear enough to justify the price. It's not magic, it's not a replacement for eating your vegetables, and it won't make up for poor sleep.

If you've got the money and a specific gap you're trying to fill, try it for a few months and be honest with yourself about whether you'd notice it gone. If you haven't, sort your sleep and your plate first.

Want help building training that actually leaves you feeling good, without a £79 tub of powder? Drop us a line and we'll put together a plan that fits your life and gets you to the start line fit, fresh and ready!