Supplements

The answer

30 g/day for 5 years (safe)

Performance dose: 3–5 g/day · Loading option: 20 g/day × 5–7 days

The position stand reviewed creatine intake up to 30 g/day for 5 years and found no major safety issues across populations spanning infants to seniors. Practical dosing is much lower: 3-5 g of creatine monohydrate daily, with an optional 5-7 day loading phase at 20 g/day to saturate muscle stores faster. No need for cycling or off-periods.

The answer

3× bigger gains (untrained)

Untrained SMD 1.06 · Trained SMD 0.32 · Low dose (3-5g) beats high dose (20g)

An untrained adult adding creatine sees roughly 3× the strength bump a trained lifter does (SMD 1.06 vs 0.32). Counterintuitively, low-dose protocols (3-5 g/day) produced larger pooled effects than high-dose loading (SMD 0.88 vs 0.24). Pairs best with moderate-to-high intensity training (>75% 1RM). If you're already a trained lifter, expect a modest single-digit-percent strength gain over a typical training cycle.

The answer

+4 / +11 kg upper / lower (men)

Upper WMD 4.43 kg · Lower WMD 11.35 kg · Female upper-body: no significant gain

Over 4-12 weeks of resistance training, men adding creatine gained an extra 4.43 kg on upper-body lifts and 11.35 kg on lower-body lifts versus placebo. The female sample was small (40 women across 2 studies) and showed no significant upper-body benefit — could be a real sex difference or a power-limited finding. Most men can expect this to translate to faster strength progression on compound lifts.

The answer

~1 mm extra CSA (very small)

Pooled ES = 0.11 · Individual regions: 0.10–0.16 cm with credible intervals crossing zero

Across 10 imaging-based trials, adding creatine produced muscle-size gains around 0.10-0.16 cm in elbow and knee muscles — a very small effect that's directionally positive but isn't statistically clean for any single region. Translation: creatine is a strength supplement first and a hypertrophy supplement only barely. If you're chasing visible muscle gain, expect strength-mediated progress, not direct mass.

The answer

+5.6 / +1.5 kg squat / cm jump

Bench +1.43 kg · Squat +5.64 kg · Vertical jump +1.48 cm · Wingate peak +48 W

In the largest creatine analysis to date, squat strength rose ~5.64 kg, vertical jump ~1.48 cm, and Wingate peak power ~48 watts versus placebo. Bench press gains were smaller (~1.43 kg). The effects were noticeably bigger in younger males running ≥8-week protocols; older adults and women saw minimal improvements on most measures. For under-30 men chasing power output, this is the most reliable supplement in the kitchen.

The answer

3–6 mg/kg pre-exercise

Endurance: 2–4% gain · Strength: SMD 0.16–0.20 · Endurance: SMD 0.28–0.38

For a 70 kg adult, that's roughly 210-420 mg of caffeine — about 2-4 cups of coffee — taken 45-60 minutes before training. Doses below 2 mg/kg may not help; doses above 9 mg/kg add side effects (sleep disruption, anxiety) without further performance benefit. Individual response varies with genetics; some people see clean gains, others see jitters. Cycling off periodically helps maintain sensitivity.

The answer

0.18 / 0.30 SMD strength / endurance

8 of 9 reviews showed positive effects · Female-specific evidence: limited

Across thousands of participants, caffeine improved strength by SMD 0.18 (small) and endurance by SMD 0.30 (small-to-moderate). Endurance benefits are roughly twice as large as strength benefits. Important caveat: the underlying data is almost all male, so the female response — especially with menstrual-cycle considerations — is still under-studied. For trained women, expect similar but not identical results.

The answer

≥6 mg/kg for strength (men)

Below 6 mg/kg: no significant strength effect · 45 min beats 60 min pre-exercise

For a 70 kg man, the threshold dose for strength benefit is about 420 mg of caffeine taken 45 minutes pre-exercise. Lower doses (e.g., a single cup of coffee, ~80 mg) won't move the strength needle. Endurance is more responsive to lower doses. The 14 RCTs included only 3 with female participants — women showed smaller effects, but the female data is too sparse for a confident female-specific dose.

The answer

Small boost (0.5–10 min efforts)

Overall effect 0.18 (small); in the 0.5–10 min window, exercise capacity climbs to 0.50. Stacking with sodium bicarbonate: 0.43.

Beta-alanine helps most for repeated high-intensity efforts in the half-minute to ten-minute range — rowing intervals, 400–1500 m runs, or high-rep sets pushed near failure. For a single all-out sprint or a long steady endurance session, do not expect much. The commonly studied protocol is about 3.2–6.4 g/day for at least 4 weeks to load muscle carnosine; since total dose did not change the effect, consistency matters more than megadosing.

The answer

Modest edge (best 4–10 min)

Overall effect 0.39; largest for 4–10 min efforts (0.55) and at 5.6–6.4 g/day (0.35).

If you are an experienced male lifter or athlete, beta-alanine can still add a small-to-moderate boost — mostly to hard efforts in the 4–10 minute range, like high-rep sets, HIIT, or middle-distance work. Aim for the higher end of standard dosing, around 5.6–6.4 g/day, taken consistently for several weeks. This analysis was male-only, so the size of the effect in women is still unclear.

The answer

No clear endurance benefit

No significant effect on time-to-exhaustion or time-to-completion; the evidence base is still small.

If you take a citrulline pre-workout hoping to run or ride longer, the pooled evidence does not back that up — endurance was no better than placebo. Citrulline may still help with perceived effort and soreness (see the recovery finding), but do not count on it to extend your endurance. The evidence base is small, especially in women.

The answer

8 g pre-workout (less soreness)

Lower perceived effort (0.81) and less soreness at 24 h (0.99). No effect on 48 h soreness or blood lactate.

Taking about 8 g of citrulline malate roughly an hour before training can make the session feel a little easier and leave you less sore the next day. Do not expect it to change your lactate or your actual output — this is a comfort-and-recovery aid, not a performance drug. If less soreness helps you train more consistently, it may be worth a try.

The answer

Yes modest gains vs placebo

Benefits across strength/power, cardiorespiratory fitness, and fatigue/recovery. Doses studied: 120–1250 mg/day.

Ashwagandha modestly outperformed placebo for strength, endurance, and recovery in healthy adults. Studied doses ran from about 120 to 1250 mg/day of a standardized root extract, with 300–600 mg/day of KSM-66 among the most common protocols. The effects are real but modest and the trials are small — treat it as a mild edge and a possible stress/recovery aid, not a game-changer.

The answer

20–40 g casein before sleep

Overnight protein synthesis rises in young and older men; added muscle size and strength shown over 10–12 weeks in young men.

Eating 20–40 g of a slow-digesting protein — casein, cottage cheese, or Greek yogurt — about 30 minutes before bed feeds overnight muscle repair. In young lifters, doing this alongside training added measurable muscle and strength over a few months. It works best as extra protein on top of your daily target, not as a replacement for it. Older adults still get the overnight boost but should not expect the same long-term payoff yet.

The answer

Yes protein balance turns positive

Whole-body protein synthesis about a quarter higher overnight; muscle protein synthesis ~22% higher (borderline).

A 40 g dose of casein before sleep was digested and absorbed overnight, flipping the body's net protein balance from negative to positive while you sleep — the window when muscle would normally just break down. Whole-body synthesis rose about a quarter, and muscle-specific synthesis trended up too. Practically: a slow-protein snack before bed after training gives your muscles material to rebuild through the night.