Which supplement has the best performance evidence?

Creatine monohydrate — the most studied performance supplement of all time. Over 500 human trials reproducibly show 5–15 % improvement in explosive power, high-intensity reps and muscle growth. Dose: 3–5 g/day, any timing, no loading phase needed. Excellent safety profile over decades and thousands of subjects. Bonus: cognitive effects under sleep deprivation and in old age documented. If only one supplement, this is it.

When do I take whey protein?

More important than timing is daily total: 1.6–2.2 g protein per kg body weight for hypertrophy. The anabolic window is significantly larger than the old '30-minute rule' suggests — within ±3 h of training is sufficient. Whey is fast-digesting (peak after 60–90 min), casein slow (4–6 h). Blends or whey in the morning + casein in the evening cover both profiles. Anyone getting enough protein from food doesn't need whey — protein quality is good, but whole food is not inherently inferior.

Beta-alanine — how and when?

Beta-alanine raises muscle carnosine and buffers hydrogen ions during high-intensity exertion (60–240 seconds). Effects strongest at 1–4 min duration (swimming, rowing, high-intensity intervals, high-rep strength sets). Dose: 3.2–6.4 g/day, split into 4–6 portions of 0.8–1.6 g (otherwise paresthesia). Effect builds over 4–12 weeks, then maintenance. Effect size: 2–5 % performance improvement — small but consistent in meta-analyses.

Beetroot juice — hype or real effect?

Real effect with good study data. 6–8 mmol nitrate (≈ 500 ml concentrated beetroot juice or shots) 90–180 min before exertion lowers oxygen consumption at submaximal load by 3–5 % and improves time-to-exhaustion by 5–15 %. Strongest effect on endurance bouts 5–30 min in duration. In highly trained athletes effects are smaller than in recreational athletes. Trade-off: none relevant, except red urine. Anyone using mouthwash blocks oral nitrate reduction and thereby the effect.

Are BCAAs and EAAs sensible?

EAAs (essential amino acids, all 9) yes — when food protein is insufficient or training fasted. BCAAs (only 3 of 9 essential amino acids) are the most overrated sports supplement of the past 20 years. Hypertrophy effects without other amino acids: minimal to none. Anyone with normal protein intake (1.6 g/kg) gains nothing from BCAAs. Sensible niche: fasting training, where BCAAs/EAAs blunt muscle protein breakdown without breaking the fast (technically).

Pre-workout stacks — what must really be in them?

Four ingredients with real evidence: caffeine (3–6 mg/kg, 30–45 min before training), beta-alanine (chronically loaded, not acutely), citrulline (6–8 g for pump and possibly volume performance), creatine (chronically, no acute effect). What's usually also in them and adds little: taurine (mega-marketing, thin evidence), DMAA (dangerous, banned in EU), plant extracts for 'focus' (effects rarely reproducible). Rule of thumb: if the ingredient list has > 10 substances, 80 % is filler.

ZMA for testosterone and sleep — does it work?

ZMA is zinc + magnesium + B6. Initial studies (Brilla) suggested testosterone elevation — later independent replications couldn't confirm this. Currently: testosterone effects in men with adequate zinc and magnesium status minimal to none. Sleep quality effects moderate, primarily via magnesium. Sensible only in documented deficiency — otherwise single-ingredient magnesium and zinc are cheaper and equally effective.

HMB — miracle or marketing?

HMB (β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate) is a leucine metabolite that blunts muscle protein breakdown. Early studies in untrained subjects showed impressive effects (5–10 % hypertrophy boost). Replications in trained subjects produced much weaker or null effects. Sensible niche: people over 60 with sarcopenia risk, severe caloric restriction phases, injury comeback. For young healthy trained subjects with adequate protein intake: no relevant effects. Dose: 3 g/day, split.

All worlds

TEN WORLDS · 07 · PERFORMANCE

Performance

Performance is the world with the densest sports science literature — and at the same time the one with the most overpriced mainstream products. This world shows the few supplements with reproducible performance effects and prioritizes by discipline.

Reviewed May 14, 2026

What this world covers

Performance is sports and training science. This world covers substrates and ergogenics that show outcome improvements in specific load ranges: creatine monohydrate (explosive strength, hypertrophy, sprint performance), beta-alanine (60–240 s exertion), beetroot nitrate (aerobic endurance), caffeine (acute attention and performance), citrulline malate (pump, volume performance), whey/casein protein (hypertrophy base), EAAs (in special situations), HMB (sarcopenia risk groups).

Important: performance is discipline-specific. What optimizes power lifting is not the same as what 10-km runners need. A 90-second swimmer benefits enormously from beta-alanine, a 100 m sprinter not at all. This world structures by exertion duration and goal, not by marketing claims.

Why the order matters

Anyone in performance who believes the big plus comes from supplements misunderstands effect sizes. Even the best performance supplements deliver 2–15 % additional performance — provided training, nutrition and sleep are right.

The order is:

Training programming — periodization, volume, intensity, frequency
Nutrition — caloric balance and macro distribution fit for the goal
Recovery — sleep 7–9 h, targeted breaks, stress management
Basics — micronutrient status (especially vitamin D, iron, omega-3, magnesium)
Performance supplements — creatine, then discipline-specific

Anyone optimizing in the wrong order pays 100 €/month for supplements to gain 1 % that an extra hour of sleep would give for free.

The most important levers

Creatine monohydrate

The best-studied performance supplement by far — over 500 human studies, excellent safety profile, unambiguous efficacy.

Dosing:

3–5 g/day, any time, with or without carbs
No loading phase needed (full saturation after 3–4 weeks)
Safe lifelong, can be taken indefinitely
Form: monohydrate — all "better" forms (HCl, ethyl ester, etc.) bring no measurable advantage at higher cost

Effects:

Hypertrophy: +5–10 % over 8–12 weeks
Sprint power, 1RM strength: +5–15 %
Sets-to-failure: +10–20 %
Bonus: cognitive benefits under sleep deprivation, neuroprotective signals in older age

Beta-alanine

Raises muscle carnosine, buffers H⁺ during high-intensity exertion — works in the 60–240 s exertion range.

Protocol:

3.2–6.4 g/day, split into 4–6 portions (0.8–1.6 g each)
Split doses avoid paresthesia (tingling)
Effect builds 4–12 weeks
Maintenance dose 1.5 g/day possible

Effect size: 2–5 % performance improvement — small but consistent in meta-analyses (Hobson 2012). Especially relevant for swimming, rowing, high-intensity intervals, high-rep strength sets (12+ reps).

Beetroot nitrate

Works via NO pathway: improves mitochondrial efficiency, lowers O₂ cost at submaximal load.

Dosing:

6–8 mmol nitrate acutely, 90–180 min before exertion
Equivalent to ~500 ml concentrated beetroot juice or 1–2 shots
Chronic intake (5–6 days in a row) can enlarge the effect

Effects:

Time-to-exhaustion: +5–15 %
O₂ cost at submaximal load: −3–5 %
Strongest benefit in moderate athletes and 5–30 min duration

Important: mouthwash inhibits oral nitrate reduction and thus the effect — avoid on training/competition days.

Whey / casein

Not performance boosters in the narrow sense — nutritional base for sufficient protein intake.

Target: 1.6–2.2 g protein/kg body weight/day for hypertrophy. Anyone achieving that via whole foods gains nothing from whey. Those who don't, whey is the cheapest solution per gram of high-quality protein.

Timing: ±3 h around training is enough. The old "30-minute rule" is outdated.

How we rate evidence

Performance supplements have one of the best study bases of any world — methodical studies are standard in sports science. We weight:

Meta-analyses with performance outcomes (effect size, confidence intervals)
RCTs with ≥ 4 weeks duration and sport-specific tests
Acute studies for substances with short-term action (caffeine, beetroot)
Subgroup analyses by sport, training status and gender

Very important: effect-size realism. A substance with a "significant effect" can mean +1.5 % — relevant for Olympic athletes, irrelevant for recreational athletes. We make that transparent.

Most common effects and interactions

Performance substances interact with training adaptation and with each other:

Caffeine + beta-alanine + creatine: classical and well-documented acute combo for high-intensity efforts.
Antioxidants (high doses of vitamin C/E) + training: blunt the reactive oxygen species needed for adaptation — counterproductive for hypertrophy and mitochondrial adaptation.
Creatine + caffeine: in some studies mutually dampening at acute administration — with chronic creatine saturation and acute caffeine, no problem.
Nitrate + mouthwash: blocks oral reduction → no performance effect.
Whey + slow carbs post-workout: faster glycogen resynthesis — relevant only with multiple training sessions per day.

What does NOT belong in this world

Creatine in the basics stack (for non-athletes, cognitively oriented) → World 01
Cordyceps, ginseng with performance claims → weak sports evidence, more World 05 (Cognition) or World 03 (Hormones)
Recovery methods like compression, massage → World 10 (Recovery)
Sleep supplements → World 08 (Sleep), but sleep is the biggest performance variable here

Vitamin D is performance-relevant (muscle strength, injury rate) but belongs primarily in World 01.

How Biohacking AI operationalizes this

This world requires discipline-specific selection instead of a generalist stack:

The Performance Stack-Builder asks: sport, training days, exertion duration, competition phase — and builds a stack matching these factors. Sprinters need different substances than marathon runners.
The Studies database filters per substance by exertion duration and discipline — you see what works for your specific training demand.
The Forum collects training logs with substance use — mandatory sport tag, moderated, no affiliate push.
The Coach synchronizes substances with periodization: loading and maintenance phases, competition timing, targeted breaks for caffeine tolerance reset.

The goal is not "the biggest stack." The goal is: the four or five substances that really score points in your discipline — cleanly dosed, cleanly timed, without the rest of the marketing.

How we operationalize it

The platform for this world

Performance stack-builder

Log your sport, your training frequency and your goal — the AI builds a stack by evidence, not by advertising. Less is usually more.

Studies database per substance

For every performance supplement you see the meta-analyses first — with effect sizes per discipline. Creatine works on sprint performance differently than on endurance.

Forum with real training logs

In the performance forum you exchange notes with others tracking substances and programs — moderated, without affiliate spam, with mandatory sport tag.

Coach for periodization

The coach builds your supplementation into your periodization scheme: loading and maintenance phases, competition timing, break recommendations for substances with tolerance.

Substances & topics

What is curated in Performance

10 topics under continuous study monitoring. Each links to its full evidence overview.

Whey / Casein Protein

Aminosäuren-Profil, Timing und Kuhmilch-Verträglichkeit.

Carbohydrate Periodization

Train-Low, Glykogen-Adaption und Performance-Outcomes.

Pre-Workout Stacks

Koffein + Beta-Alanin + Citrullin, Sicherheit und Synergien.

HMB

Sarkopenie, Anti-Catabolisch und Sport-Anwendungen.

Beta-Alanine

Carnosin, Hochintensität, Tingling und Dosierungs-Schemata.

EAAs / BCAAs

Muskelproteinsynthese, Anti-Catabolisch und Leucin-Schwellenwert.

Citrulline Malate

NO-Vorläufer, Pump und Ausdauer-Studien.

Recovery Nutrition

Protein-Timing, Glykogen-Resynthese und Anti-Inflammatorisch.

ZMA

Zink + Magnesium + B6, Schlaf und Testosteron-Ansprüche.

Beetroot / Nitrate

NO-Synthase-Bypass, Ausdauer und Höhenanpassung.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which supplement has the best performance evidence?: Creatine monohydrate — the most studied performance supplement of all time. Over 500 human trials reproducibly show 5–15 % improvement in explosive power, high-intensity reps and muscle growth. Dose: 3–5 g/day, any timing, no loading phase needed. Excellent safety profile over decades and thousands of subjects. Bonus: cognitive effects under sleep deprivation and in old age documented. If only one supplement, this is it.
When do I take whey protein?: More important than timing is daily total: 1.6–2.2 g protein per kg body weight for hypertrophy. The anabolic window is significantly larger than the old '30-minute rule' suggests — within ±3 h of training is sufficient. Whey is fast-digesting (peak after 60–90 min), casein slow (4–6 h). Blends or whey in the morning + casein in the evening cover both profiles. Anyone getting enough protein from food doesn't need whey — protein quality is good, but whole food is not inherently inferior.
Beta-alanine — how and when?: Beta-alanine raises muscle carnosine and buffers hydrogen ions during high-intensity exertion (60–240 seconds). Effects strongest at 1–4 min duration (swimming, rowing, high-intensity intervals, high-rep strength sets). Dose: 3.2–6.4 g/day, split into 4–6 portions of 0.8–1.6 g (otherwise paresthesia). Effect builds over 4–12 weeks, then maintenance. Effect size: 2–5 % performance improvement — small but consistent in meta-analyses.
Beetroot juice — hype or real effect?: Real effect with good study data. 6–8 mmol nitrate (≈ 500 ml concentrated beetroot juice or shots) 90–180 min before exertion lowers oxygen consumption at submaximal load by 3–5 % and improves time-to-exhaustion by 5–15 %. Strongest effect on endurance bouts 5–30 min in duration. In highly trained athletes effects are smaller than in recreational athletes. Trade-off: none relevant, except red urine. Anyone using mouthwash blocks oral nitrate reduction and thereby the effect.
Are BCAAs and EAAs sensible?: EAAs (essential amino acids, all 9) yes — when food protein is insufficient or training fasted. BCAAs (only 3 of 9 essential amino acids) are the most overrated sports supplement of the past 20 years. Hypertrophy effects without other amino acids: minimal to none. Anyone with normal protein intake (1.6 g/kg) gains nothing from BCAAs. Sensible niche: fasting training, where BCAAs/EAAs blunt muscle protein breakdown without breaking the fast (technically).
Pre-workout stacks — what must really be in them?: Four ingredients with real evidence: caffeine (3–6 mg/kg, 30–45 min before training), beta-alanine (chronically loaded, not acutely), citrulline (6–8 g for pump and possibly volume performance), creatine (chronically, no acute effect). What's usually also in them and adds little: taurine (mega-marketing, thin evidence), DMAA (dangerous, banned in EU), plant extracts for 'focus' (effects rarely reproducible). Rule of thumb: if the ingredient list has > 10 substances, 80 % is filler.
ZMA for testosterone and sleep — does it work?: ZMA is zinc + magnesium + B6. Initial studies (Brilla) suggested testosterone elevation — later independent replications couldn't confirm this. Currently: testosterone effects in men with adequate zinc and magnesium status minimal to none. Sleep quality effects moderate, primarily via magnesium. Sensible only in documented deficiency — otherwise single-ingredient magnesium and zinc are cheaper and equally effective.
HMB — miracle or marketing?: HMB (β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate) is a leucine metabolite that blunts muscle protein breakdown. Early studies in untrained subjects showed impressive effects (5–10 % hypertrophy boost). Replications in trained subjects produced much weaker or null effects. Sensible niche: people over 60 with sarcopenia risk, severe caloric restriction phases, injury comeback. For young healthy trained subjects with adequate protein intake: no relevant effects. Dose: 3 g/day, split.

More worlds