Prioritize sleep above all other interventions, including supplements, as it is the single most impactful factor for enhancing performance and recovery.
The most important metric for assessing recovery is your subjective feeling and progress; if you feel good, are making progress, and aren’t in pain, don’t over-rely on objective metrics which can sometimes cause unnecessary concern.
Define high-quality sleep by your next-day cognitive and physical function, and subjective feeling (e.g., not overly fatigued or sleepy, performing well), rather than solely relying on arbitrary sleep tracker numbers or sleep stages.
Establish and consistently follow a pre-sleep routine (e.g., 60-90 minutes) to signal your body to down-regulate, which is critical for falling asleep and staying asleep, especially if you frequently wake up in the early morning.
Monitor bedroom CO2 levels and aim to keep them below 900 parts per million, as elevated CO2 can significantly impair sleep quality, onset, and next-day cognitive function and fatigue.
To lower bedroom CO2 levels, open windows and doors for high ventilation before bed, or use a physical fan, especially if multiple people or pets are in the room.
To prevent nighttime nasal congestion, improve bedroom air quality with filters, use nasal dilators (strips or sprays like Flonase) before bed, or consider allergen-proof bedding if issues persist.
Aim to wake up at most once per night to urinate (ideally zero); if waking more often, reduce fluid intake (e.g., water, tea) 3 hours before bed.
Center your diet around high and high-quality protein, include a lot of food variety and colors for micronutrients, pay attention to fiber, and manage caloric intake. These principles apply broadly for both performance and longevity goals.
Before using direct performance enhancers, prioritize identifying and addressing any physiological insufficiencies (e.g., vitamin, mineral, nutrient deficiencies, or caloric restriction) to achieve the greatest improvements in performance, recovery, sleep, and cognitive function.
Consider supplementing magnesium, as food sources often fall short, and athletes have higher needs due to caloric expenditure, sweat, and tissue breakdown, making insufficiency common.
Unless contraindicated, regularly supplement with Omega-3s, as it’s a common staple due to widespread low levels and numerous health benefits.
Supplementing with Vitamin D without a prior test is generally safe due to limited downside, high likelihood of insufficiency, and minimal harm even if levels are not low.
Always prioritize whole, real foods for nutrition; supplements like protein powders are a secondary choice, used only when whole food intake is insufficient or impractical.
Strive to eat unprocessed, whole food versions of all macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats), regardless of their animal or plant origin.
Avoid chronically consuming less than 10% of calories from fat, especially when combined with a hypocaloric state, as this can lead to severe issues including endocrine, sleep, and long-term health disruptions.
Cultivate the ability to maintain cognitive function and physical performance for 6-24 hours without food, as consistent ‘hanger’ or inability to function indicates a lack of metabolic resilience that can be improved.
Aim for functional overreaching (pushing limits for eventual supercompensation and adaptation) but avoid non-functional overreaching (excessive stress leading to performance decline without benefit) and true overtraining (rare, requiring months of recovery).
Monitor your overnight respiratory rate, as a consistent increase of even one breath per minute (e.g., from 12 to 14 bpm) can be a very early and sensitive indicator of acute stress, impending illness, or other physiological changes, often flagging problems before HRV or resting heart rate.
Monitor Heart Rate Variability (HRV) for early detection of physiological changes, as it’s more sensitive than resting heart rate; establish your normal standard deviation over 30 days and note when daily readings consistently exceed one or two standard deviations for multiple days.
To assess if you’re overreached, take a day off; if you feel significantly better, it’s likely functional or non-functional overreaching. If you still feel terrible after a week, more aggressive recovery solutions may be needed.
During the initial weeks of a new training phase, expect temporary reductions in basal testosterone, decreased performance, increased fatigue, elevated resting heart rate, or decreased HRV, as these are normal physiological responses to overload and adaptation.
If training fasted for endurance events (under 60 minutes) makes you feel better, continue it, as personal preference can outweigh the subtle physiological benefits. If you dislike it or it impairs performance, avoid it.
For fat loss or muscle gain in non-elite exercisers, total daily caloric intake over days and weeks is more critical than acute pre/post-exercise nutrient timing, especially if training once a day.
As a general rule, consume more calories (pre, mid, or post-workout) around training sessions to support better performance and subsequent adaptations.
For maximizing endurance performance, consume 50-100g of slower-digesting starches 3-4 hours pre-exercise. Be cautious with fast-digesting carbs (e.g., banana and honey) 30 minutes before, as they can cause a blood glucose dip.
For long-duration endurance events (over 60 minutes), aim for 60-100g of fast-digesting carbohydrates per hour during exercise to maximize performance. For events lasting more than a couple of hours, consider variety in texture and flavor to maintain intake.
For rapid glycogen replenishment, especially if training multiple times a day or needing to repeat performance soon, consume around 100g of carbohydrates soon after a hard training session. Carbohydrate timing matters more than protein timing for this goal.
To avoid GI distress and optimize performance on race day, strongly encourage mimicking all pre, mid, and post-fueling strategies during practice races, making the event feel like a normal, ingrained process.
Caffeine provides an ergogenic benefit, often leading to improved exercise performance.
For performance enhancement, a typical caffeine dose ranges from 150-400mg; avoid exceeding 500mg to prevent extreme discomfort and potential performance decrements.
Dose creatine at approximately 0.1g per kilogram body weight, starting around 3-5g and titrating up to 7.5-12.5g (or even higher) based on body size and tolerance, as long as it doesn’t cause nausea.
Take beta-alanine chronically for 3-5 weeks to build up intracellular carnosine, which buffers acidity and improves performance in high-intensity, muscular endurance activities like CrossFit, without acting as a stimulant.
Utilize blood flow enhancers like beetroot juice or citrulline for endurance activities, steady-state exercise (cycling, swimming, running), or evening training sessions, as they are non-stimulant and open up blood flow.
For acute high-intensity performance, use sodium bicarbonate (baking soda in water or topical cream) 30-60 minutes before training to buffer acidity, noting that oral intake can cause significant GI distress.
Incorporate music during workouts for a small but consistent benefit in performance and muscle growth, with higher tempo music generally being more effective, regardless of genre.
Consider Rhodiola Rosea from quality, certified providers to potentially improve muscle endurance (e.g., increasing repetitions).
Rhodiola Rosea acts as an adaptogen, mitigating the stress response (e.g., less impact on HRV) during high-intensity exercise without compromising performance or long-term adaptations.
For muscle soreness, prioritize active recovery through low-level physical activity, warm water immersion (jacuzzi/bath), compression boots (Normatec), or muscle stimulation units, as these methods promote blood flow and waste removal.
Engage in water immersion (e.g., bath, jacuzzi) for recovery, as the orthostatic pressure of the fluid itself provides benefits by promoting blood flow and tissue movement, independent of temperature.
Use hot jacuzzi or sauna post-exercise for recovery, as it’s often beneficial, but avoid it after extremely exhaustive training sessions where fatigue and dehydration are already high.
Incorporate sauna sessions to maintain cardiovascular adaptations and perceived effort when training volume or intensity is reduced (e.g., due to injury, deloading, or overtraining risk), but it’s not a substitute for exercise.
Apply local heat (e.g., hot pads, Hyperice devices) to limbs for comfort and plausible recovery benefits, as it’s easy to use and generally well-received.
For persistent soreness or stiffness, address fascial issues by pulling skin away from tissue and moving it horizontally (like cupping or voodoo floss), rather than just vertical compression, to improve connective tissue glide and slide.
Utilize devices like Firefly (a small strip on the leg) to induce continuous low-level foot flexion and blood flow for hours, which is highly effective for recovery, especially during sedentary periods like travel.
Utilize cold water immersion primarily for non-performance benefits such as stress inoculation, nervous system resilience, and improving breathing mechanics, or for extreme muscle soreness.
Time cold water immersion (30-50 degrees F for 1-5 minutes) strategically: expect sympathetic activation for 15-30 minutes post-exposure, followed by a sustained increase in parasympathetic drive for several hours, making it potentially beneficial for evening use to aid sleep.
Tart cherry juice can help reduce muscle soreness and damage, likely due to its high polyphenol content, similar to other dark, rich-colored fruits.
Tart cherry juice can be used for a ‘double win’ to aid sleep (possibly due to melatonin) and reduce muscle soreness, making it popular in communities like bodybuilding.
Consider glutamine supplementation when amino acid needs are high (e.g., caloric restriction), or for supporting gut health, brain health (e.g., post-concussion), and immune function due to its role as an energy source for cells.
For gut health issues, a common glutamine protocol is 10 grams twice a day (morning and night), or at least 10 grams total daily.
Consider supplementing with hydrolyzed collagen powder for potential benefits to connective tissue and ligaments, even if the exact mechanism of organ-specific conversion is still being researched.
Take hydrolyzed collagen (prophylactically or for injury history) 30-60 minutes pre-exercise, co-ingested with about 50mg of Vitamin C, as timing and co-factors seem to matter for connective tissue benefits.
Supplementing with collagen has minimal physiological downsides and offers potential benefits for hair, skin, and connective tissue, making it a reasonable option despite the cost.
Avoid pre-made pre-workout cocktails due to lack of control over individual ingredient dosages and unknown quality; instead, opt for single-ingredient stimulants like coffee or tea if desired.
Avoid copious and excessive amounts of supplemental antioxidants (especially combined Vitamin C and E) as they can blunt exercise adaptations; however, food-derived antioxidants have no detrimental effect.
Vitamin E supplementation is rarely recommended due to concerns about blunting adaptations and other reasons.
Avoid supplementing with Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) above the RDA, as high doses are generally unnecessary and can be problematic.
Use NSAIDs judiciously for extraordinary pain from overshooting training, but avoid daily use as it can blunt adaptations and indicates underlying issues with training programming or recovery.
Exercise caution with glutamine supplementation if you have cancer (e.g., colon or liver cancer), as cancer cells can use glutamine as an energy source and thrive on it.
Avoid excessively high caffeine doses (e.g., 8-10g per kilogram body weight) as they can impair performance, particularly endurance.
Avoid immediate cold water immersion after strength training if your goal is muscle growth, as it can blunt adaptations. Cold water immersion is more effective for muscle soreness than cryotherapy or cold showers.
Exercise caution with cold water immersion if your allostatic load (total stress) is already high, as it is a significant stressor and can exacerbate nervous system problems or sleep issues for some individuals.
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Adopt a high-performance athlete’s diet for longevity, as the core principles are largely similar, with caloric balance being the main differentiating factor.
If you are highly motivated to try fasted cardio for mitochondrial health, it’s generally safe to ‘give it a go,’ though it’s not strictly necessary for healthy mitochondria.
For morning strength training with limited time, opt for small, easy-to-digest foods like a banana and protein shake, yogurt with granola, honey, or berries (around 300 calories, 50g carbs, 10-30g protein), based on personal preference.
For non-elite exercisers, choose pre-workout nutrition (fats, protein, or carbs) based on what feels best, as it won’t significantly compromise results or progress.
A 16:8 time-restricted eating schedule, even with fasted morning strength training, did not significantly compromise muscle growth or performance in a hypercaloric state, as long as daily protein and calorie targets were met. However, it may lead to increased fatigue and slightly less leg performance over time.
If maximizing leg strength and growth is the primary goal, a 16:8 time-restricted eating schedule might not be the optimal approach, though gains are still possible.
For well-trained individuals aiming for muscle gain, if using 16:8 TRE, consider shifting the eating window to earlier in the day to avoid prolonged carbohydrate deprivation and potential fatigue during morning fasted training.
For typical strength training (non-consecutive days for the same body part), pre-exercise carbohydrates are optional and a matter of personal preference, unless training multiple times a day or multiple muscle groups.
Before implementing interventions to enhance fat burning or oxidative capacity, objectively test your current metabolic flexibility to determine if there’s actual room for improvement.
If objective metabolic flexibility testing is not feasible, it’s generally safe to experiment with interventions (e.g., fasted training) in the short term, as it’s unlikely to cause harm.
For general exercisers, let personal preference guide your carbohydrate and fat ratios, as long as total calories are managed, as performance consequences are minimal for normal exercise amounts.
If struggling to meet total daily protein requirements, consuming 40g of protein 30 minutes before bed can help, but there’s no added benefit if your overall protein intake is already sufficient.
Protein powder is not essential and can be avoided if personal preference or GI issues arise; it’s primarily a practical convenience rather than a physiological necessity.
Ensure adequate intake of micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals by consistently eating a wide variety of whole foods.
Do not solely rely on standard blood draw magnesium levels to assess overall magnesium status, as it’s not a comprehensive indicator of body stores.
Modern forms of magnesium like bisglycinate, citrate, or threonate are generally effective and less likely to cause GI distress than older forms, as long as the dosage is reasonable.
Start with 150-200mg of magnesium from high-quality brands; higher doses can be used, especially for larger individuals or those with high physical demands, as magnesium is relatively safe with GI distress being the main concern.
Magnesium supplementation can lead to pronounced and objective improvements in various sleep metrics, regardless of the specific form used.
Maintain high levels of Omega-3s in cell membranes to potentially enhance resilience against injury and reduce muscle loss during disuse events.
Consider comprehensive biomarker testing (blood, urine, stool, saliva) to gain precise, individualized vitamin, mineral, and nutrient recommendations for optimal physiological function.
Be cautious when supplementing with minerals like iron, as they can have significant downsides if not managed carefully, unlike magnesium which is relatively inert.
To truly understand iron status, assess multiple markers beyond just ferritin, including hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cell magnesium concentrations, and mean corpuscular volume.
Caffeine’s performance benefits can occur even if you don’t feel highly stimulated, as perceived stimulation and actual performance enhancement are not always directly correlated.
To determine if caffeine is improving performance, use objective markers like time trials (e.g., more work in 30 minutes) or measuring speed (e.g., faster 5k time).
Use stimulants like caffeine to train better, more frequently, and with greater motivation, which can indirectly aid fat loss, rather than relying on their direct lipolytic effect.
Incorporate music during workouts for a small but consistent benefit in performance and muscle growth, with higher tempo music generally being more effective, regardless of genre.
Start with a reasonable dose of around 150mg of Rhodiola Rosea, taken in the morning. It is not a stimulant and typically doesn’t produce an immediate, noticeable sensation.
Consume beetroot juice or extract right before an event or training session, as its effects are acute (within 5 minutes) and last for approximately three hours.
Use beetroot juice or extract as a non-stimulant afternoon pick-me-up, even on non-training days, to combat fatigue and boost motivation without relying on caffeine.
While beetroot juice may offer more antioxidant properties, beetroot extract (powdered form) is a practical, shelf-stable alternative for travel and convenience, with any lost polyphenols backfilled by whole foods.
If using citrulline, titrate the dosage down if it feels too powerful or causes discomfort, as individual tolerance varies.
When seeking nitric oxide boosting effects, prefer citrulline over arginine due to better bioavailability and fewer concerns like cold sore flare-ups.
If experiencing the tingling sensation from beta-alanine, split the daily dose throughout the day or lower the dosage, as the sensation often subsides during training and tolerance develops over time.
Use Vitamin C judiciously, especially for immune support during high-stress periods like travel or intense training, with doses up to 1 gram for short durations, or 500mg as a reasonable daily dose.
Implement distinct training phases throughout the year: ‘adaptation’ phases allow stress for long-term gains, while ‘peaking’ phases prioritize short-term performance and may involve higher antioxidant intake, even if it slightly compromises adaptation.
Generally, recovery supplements are not highly favored as they are often less effective than other recovery strategies.
Vitamin E supplementation is rarely recommended due to concerns about blunting adaptations and other reasons.
Avoid supplementing with Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) above the RDA, as high doses are generally unnecessary and can be problematic.
Establish your normal HRV standard deviation by measuring for 30 stable days; look for consistent patterns of 3-5+ days exceeding your normal range before interpreting it as a significant physiological change.
While an elevated resting heart rate (3-5 bpm for multiple days) can signal overreaching or high stress, it’s an insensitive marker that often appears weeks into a problem, meaning other indicators should be monitored earlier.
Wearable devices (like watches) are generally accurate enough for tracking respiratory rate, but for more precise HRV measurements, a chest strap or specialized sleep testing equipment is preferred.
Ensure proper ventilation in your bedroom to prevent nose blockage from allergens and reduce mouth breathing, which can cause dry mouth and awakenings.
Females aged 18-35 can participate in a remote study on sleep across the menstrual cycle, involving clinical-grade sleep analysis, cycle mapping, blood, urine, and cognitive assessments.
Consider pursuing a fully virtual Master’s in Strength and Performance or an in-person program to work in a lab with ongoing research projects.