Every entry whose writeup carries a note for training seriously. The note is the entry’s own — follow it for the full context. See this in the planner →
Supplements
- AgmatineMarketed as a pre-workout nitric-oxide agent, but that use is essentially unsupported by human trials.
- Alpha-GPCThe main marketed use is as a pre-workout, but the acute performance effects are modest.
- AshwagandhaWidely marketed for strength and testosterone. The stress and sleep evidence is better than the performance evidence.
- AstragalusThis is where the least-weak evidence sits, but even here it is preliminary rather than established.
- BCAAsWidely used, poorly supported. Total daily protein is the variable that matters; this is a way of spending money to avoid confronting that.
- Beta-AlanineThe tingling is harmless and not a sign it is working. Dose daily regardless of training, since the point is saturating muscle stores over weeks.
- Betaine Anhydrous (TMG)The main evidence-based use is strength and power, at 2.5 g/day.
- CaffeineGenuinely effective, and no longer banned. Note that habitual heavy users still get a performance benefit, so a full "washout" is not required — but late-day doses will cost you sleep and therefore recovery.
- CalciumLow energy availability plus amenorrhoea in female athletes is a serious bone-health risk. That situation needs proper clinical attention, not a calcium tablet.
- Collagen PeptidesThe joint-pain evidence is strongest in athletic populations, typically taken with vitamin C around an hour before loading the joint.
- CordycepsThis is where the best (still limited) evidence sits — aerobic capacity in training studies.
- Creatine MonohydrateTake it daily rather than only on training days — the point is keeping muscle stores saturated, not timing a dose around a session.
- DHEABanned by WADA and most sporting bodies. It will produce a positive test.
- ElectrolytesThe clearest use case: prolonged endurance and hot-weather sessions where sweat sodium losses are large.
- HMBPopular in supplement stacks, weakly supported in trained populations. Spend the money on creatine and protein.
- IronEndurance athletes, especially female distance runners, are a genuine high-risk group. Test rather than assume.
- L-ArginineFor pump and performance, L-citrulline is the better-absorbed choice.
- L-CarnitineHeavily marketed for fat loss and performance, but the ergogenic evidence in trained people is weak.
- L-GlutamineThe most heavily marketed use — recovery and immunity — is also the least supported.
- L-TyrosineHeavily marketed for performance and focus, but the evidence is strongest for protecting cognition under acute stress and fatigue rather than for physical output at baseline.
- Maca RootMarketed for energy and stamina, which is the weakest part of its evidence.
- MagnesiumLosses in sweat are real but small. Worth covering through food rather than assuming heavy training creates a deficit.
- MelatoninGenuinely useful for managing travel across time zones around competition — one of its best-supported uses.
- Multi-Strain ProbioticSome evidence for reducing gut upset in endurance athletes and respiratory infections in heavy training blocks, though strain-specific as ever.
- Omega-3 (Fish Oil)Popular for recovery and soreness, where the evidence is limited. The cardiovascular and triglyceride effects are the well-supported ones.
- PotassiumSweat losses occur, but a normal diet usually replaces potassium adequately.
- Sodium BicarbonateThe primary audience — high-intensity, acid-limited efforts.
- TaurineThe setting with the most (still limited) supportive evidence, for endurance performance.
- TheacrineMarketed as a pre-workout stimulant; the energy and focus data are early.
- Turmeric / CurcuminUsed for soreness and recovery, where evidence is limited. As with other antioxidants, routinely blunting inflammation may interfere with adaptation.
- Vitamin B6Present in most pre-workouts and ZMA products. Worth totalling across everything you take.
- Vitamin COne of the exceptions where it helps — but routinely blunting exercise-induced oxidative stress with high doses may dampen some training adaptations. Keep megadoses away from key sessions.
- Vitamin D3Deficiency is common in indoor-sport athletes and has been linked to stress fractures. Sun exposure through training season is not a reliable substitute at higher latitudes.
- Vitamin ERoutinely blunting exercise-induced oxidative stress with high-dose antioxidants may interfere with the adaptations you trained for.
- Whey ProteinConvenience rather than magic. Get total daily protein right first; the powder just makes that easier.
- YohimbeFrequently found in pre-workouts and fat burners, and a recurring cause of adverse-event reports. Also a contamination risk in tested sport.
- ZincLosses in sweat are modest. The testosterone claim is the main reason athletes take it, and it does not hold up unless you were deficient.
Other situations