Focus on the basics of sleep, nutrition, and hydration as these are the most fundamental elements for overall health and performance, before worrying about advanced supplements.
Drink approximately half an ounce of water per pound of body weight daily as a basal need. This amount does not include fluids lost during exercise or other activities.
After physical activity, replace 125% of the fluid lost during the session. Weigh yourself naked before and after your workout to accurately determine fluid loss.
During workouts, consume fluid slowly and steadily at a rate of your body weight (in pounds) divided by 30, in ounces, every 15 to 20 minutes (e.g., 200 lbs = ~7 oz every 15-20 min). This is the ‘Galpin Equation’.
When exercising, consume an isoosmotic fluid (like ‘sweat’) containing 200-400 mg of sodium (typically 2:1 or 3:1 sodium to potassium ratio) to match what is lost in sweat, rather than just plain water.
Limit fluid intake to sipping as needed in the three hours preceding sleep to avoid waking up to urinate, which can disrupt sleep quality.
Take 3-5 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for muscle performance, strength, bone mineral density, cognitive function, and recovery. It is not an acute supplement and requires consistent intake over several weeks to build up.
Prioritize real, whole foods as a significant portion of your daily fluid intake, as many fruits, vegetables, and even meats contain high percentages of water, unlike processed foods.
If you follow a low-carbohydrate or ‘clean’ diet, drink caffeine, and exercise, you may need to increase sodium intake (e.g., by salting food or using electrolyte supplements) to prevent under-salting and maintain performance.
Improve your body’s ability to sweat and dump heat by practicing in hot environments like a sauna or jacuzzi, which is crucial for performance during exertion.
Opt for single ingredient formulations for most supplements to accurately assess their effects, determine optimal dosages, and make precise adjustments to your protocol.
Choose supplements that are third-party certified, especially if you are an athlete subject to drug testing, to ensure label accuracy and reduce the risk of incorrect active ingredient concentrations.
Ingest 1-3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight approximately 30 minutes before exercise to enhance endurance, reaction time, and power output, but avoid excessive doses (>5 mg/kg) which can degrade performance.
If training at night and avoiding caffeine, consider supplements like beetroot juice or extract (for nitric oxide pathway activation) to enhance endurance performance without disrupting sleep.
For challenging training bouts or mental work, consider non-stimulant nootropics like Alpha-GPC (300-600 mg) to enhance focus and alertness, but do not use them every day.
If you’re training hard but not seeing results, reduce training volume by about 50% for one week for every eight weeks of hard training, while maintaining intensity and frequency, to reduce fatigue and actualize performance gains.
Do not take anti-inflammatory supplements or drugs (e.g., NSAIDs, ice baths) in the immediate post-training window (seconds to hours), as short-term inflammation is a necessary part of the adaptation and repair process.
Take 2-5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (with a 1:1 EPA:DHA ratio) to aid in inflammation management during recovery, but avoid doses above 15 grams as they can harm the immune response.
Take 20 grams of glutamine daily, split into two 10-gram doses (morning and night), to support the ‘cleanup crew’ phase of recovery, which involves clearing dead cells and debris.
If recovering from an injury or experiencing significant soreness, increase your total caloric intake by about 10% to support the increased basal metabolic rate and provide necessary energy for tissue remodeling.
During the remodeling phase of recovery, ensure a protein intake of at least 1 gram per pound of body weight to provide the essential amino acids needed for tissue repair and growth.
During remodeling, ensure adequate micronutrient intake with a basic multivitamin, paying particular attention to Vitamin A, Zinc, and Magnesium (~6 mg per kg body weight).
Tart cherry juice can be effective for reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and muscle injury, and may also aid in sleep.
If training daily or multiple times a day, carbohydrate timing around workouts becomes crucial for maximizing muscle glycogen resynthesis and overall recovery.
For long-duration endurance performance, optimize carbohydrate loading over three to four days by gradually increasing intake, rather than just consuming a large meal the night before.
If using beta-alanine as a fatigue blocker, take it consistently to build up in muscle tissue. Start with a lower dose (e.g., 2 grams) and gradually increase (e.g., 1 gram per week) to build tolerance and mitigate paresthesia.
Wash your bed sheets at least once a week to reduce the accumulation of allergens and dander, which can disrupt sleep quality.
If you snore, start by trying mouth tape. If persistent, consider myofunctional therapy (tongue exercises) for at least six weeks to strengthen the tongue and improve sleep.
Limit activities in your bed to only sex and sleep to create a strong environmental cue that promotes falling asleep and staying asleep.
If you use a sleep tracker, avoid checking your sleep score for at least the first 60 minutes after waking to prevent an anticipatory dopamine response that can disrupt your natural wake-up time and sleep patterns.
Place your phone on night mode, do not disturb, or airplane mode overnight, or keep it out of the bedroom. If you must have it nearby, use black and white mode and disable non-emergency notifications.
If you wake up in the middle of the night and struggle to fall back asleep, or are consuming fewer carbohydrates, consider taking 900 milligrams of myo-inositol before initially falling asleep.
Utilize sleep hypnosis apps, such as Reverie by Dr. David Spiegel, for 8-11 minutes once a week to improve your ability to fall asleep quickly, stay asleep, and fall back asleep if you wake up.
While possible to train fasted, especially if well-fueled the day before, it is generally not optimal for enhancing high-level performance, particularly for high-intensity or long-duration efforts.
If your total daily protein intake is insufficient, opt for essential amino acid (EAA) supplementation over branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to support muscle growth and recovery.
While curcumin can be a potent anti-inflammatory (e.g., 500 mg three times a day), be aware that in some sensitive individuals, it can potently reduce DHT, potentially impacting libido, drive, and mood; effects reverse quickly upon cessation.