production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) is associated with some of the beneficial adaptations to regular physical exercise, it is not established whether RONS play a role in the improved insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle obtained by endurance training. To assess the effect of antioxidant supplementation during endurance training on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, 21 young healthy (age 29 Ϯ 1 y, BMI 25 Ϯ 3 kg/m 2 ) men were randomly assigned to either an antioxidant [AO; 500 mg vitamin C and 400 IU vitamin E (␣-tocopherol) daily] or a placebo (PL) group that both underwent a supervised intense endurance-training program 5 times/wk for 12 wk. A 3-h euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp, a maximal oxygen consumption (V O2max) and maximal power output (Pmax) test, and body composition measurements (fat mass, fat-free mass) were performed before and after the training. Muscle biopsies were obtained for determination of the concentration and activity of proteins regulating glucose metabolism. Although plasma levels of vitamin C (P Ͻ 0.05) and ␣-tocopherol (P Ͻ 0.05) increased markedly in the AO group, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake increased similarly in both the AO (17.2%, P Ͻ 0.05) and the PL (18.9%, P Ͻ 0.05) group in response to training. V O2max and Pmax also increased similarly in both groups (time effect, P Ͻ 0.0001 for both) as well as protein content of GLUT4, hexokinase II, and total Akt (time effect, P Յ 0.05 for all). Our results indicate that administration of antioxidants during strenuous endurance training has no effect on the training-induced increase in insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals.