Pre-Performance

The Science

Betaine anydrous
Betaine anhydrous, an amino acid derived from beetroot is believed to enhance exercise performance by supporting energy production and recovery. It helps the body produce creatine, which boosts energy stores in muscles, reducing fatigue during high-intensity activity. Betaine also enhances cellular hydration and supports mitochondrial function, which may help clear lactate more efficiently, reducing muscle soreness and improving endurance.¹ Within clinical trials, the supplement, betaine anhydrous has shown a host of benefits including an increase in strength, power, lean muscle mass and a decrease in body fat. Regular use of betaine was also found to prevent the reduction in testosterone associated with over training amongst professional soccer payers as well as increase the testosterone cortisol ratio.²

Beta Alanine
Beta-alanine is an amino acid produced endogenously by the liver and the consumption of meat and poultry. Beta-alanine is a proven performance-enhancing supplement that increases muscle carnosine levels when taken daily for 2–4 weeks. By acting as a natural pH buffer, it helps delay fatigue and improve exercise performance, particularly in high-intensity efforts lasting 1 to 4 minutes. Current evidence supports its role in improving endurance, strength, and tactical performance.³

Citrulline Malate
Citrulline Malate is comprised of L-citrulline and malate. L-citrulline is a non-essential amino acid that is found in watermelons. Due to its ability to be converted to L-arginine via the urea cycle, L-citrulline serves as a nitric oxide (NO) precursor with the potential to increase blood flow and enhance resistance exercise performance.⁴ Supplementation of malate, an intermediary of the tricaboxylic acid cycle is believed to augment energy production. Clinical trials have investigated the use of citrulline malate prior to weight training workouts and have found the supplement to result in lower rates of fatigue and consequently higher repetitions until reaching failure.⁵

Cordyceps Sinesis
Cordyceps sinesis has been popular in Chinese herbal medicine for centuries for purported benefits for health preservation, reduction in fatigue and rejuvenation. The exact mechanism through which cordyceps exerts athletic benefits is yet to be fully articulated but believed to be accrued through its antioxidant effects.⁶ Within the clinical trial setting, Cordyceps Sinesis has been shown to improve aerobic performance, decrease heart rate and improve endurance capacity amongst athletes.⁷ In addition to the proposed cardiovascular benefits, a recent study has found the pro-inflammatory components of cordyceps to enhance the immune response, helping to protect muscles from exercise induced damage.

Alpha GPC
Alpha GPC serves as a precursor to choline which is believed to result in enhanced acetylcholine synthesis. Data has demonstrated the ability of Alpha GPC supplementation to improve cognitive function. In addition to enhancing focus, Alpha GPC has also demonstrated an ability to increase power and strength, likely resulting from enhanced muscle contractile abilities.⁹

L-Theanine
Within the human body, L-Theanine modulates alpha activity, playing a role in attentional tasks. In addition to the attention enhancing benefits, L-Theanine has been shown to have anti-anxiety and cognitive enhancing benefits.¹⁰

References:
1. Arazi H, Aboutalebi S, Taati B, Cholewa JM, Candow DG. Effects of short-term betaine supplementation on muscle endurance and indices of endocrine function following acute high-intensity resistance exercise in young athletes. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2022 Mar 22;19(1):1-16. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2022.2041988. PMID: 35599921; PMCID: PMC9116406.
2 Hadi Nobari, Mehdi Kargarfard, Vazgen Minasian, Jason M. Cholewa & Jorge Pérez-Gómez (2021) The effects of 14-week betaine supplementation on endocrine markers, body composition and anthropometrics in professional youth soccer players: a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18:1, 20, DOI: 10.1186/s12970-021-00417-5
3. Trexler, E.T., Smith-Ryan, A.E., Stout, J.R. et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 12, 30 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y
4. Gonzalez AM, Yang Y, Mangine GT, Pinzone AG, Ghigiarelli JJ, Sell KM. Acute Effect of L-Citrulline Supplementation on Resistance Exercise Performance and Muscle Oxygenation in Recreationally Resistance Trained Men and Women. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2023 Jun 22;8(3):88. doi: 10.3390/jfmk8030088. PMID: 37489301; PMCID: PMC10366749.
5. Wax B, Kavazis AN, Weldon K, Sperlak J. Effects of supplemental citrulline malate ingestion during repeated bouts of lower-body exercise in advanced weightlifters. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Mar;29(3):786-92. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000670. PMID: 25226311.
6. Chen S, Li Z, Krochmal R, Abrazado M, Kim W, Cooper CB. Effect of Cs-4 (Cordyceps sinensis) on exercise performance in healthy older subjects: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2010 May;16(5):585-90. doi: 10.1089/acm.2009.0226. PMID: 20804368; PMCID: PMC3110835.
7 Al Shamli A, Mourgan F, Al-Yaaribi A, Ahmed Hefny N. Adaptogenic Herbs as Natural Sources of Sports Performance Enhancers. Open Med Chem J, 2024; 18: e18741045309981. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0118741045309981240611110433
8 Dewi L, Liao YC, Jean WH, Huang KC, Huang CY, Chen LK, Nicholls A, Lai LF, Kuo CH. Cordyceps sinensis accelerates stem cell recruitment to human skeletal muscle after exercise. Food Funct. 2024 Apr 22;15(8):4010-4020. doi: 10.1039/d3fo03770c. PMID: 38501161.
9. Marcus L, Soileau J, Judge LW, Bellar D. Evaluation of the effects of two doses of alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine on physical and psychomotor performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017 Oct 5;14:39. doi: 10.1186/s12970-017-0196-5. PMID: 29042830; PMCID: PMC5629791.
10. Hidese S, Ogawa S, Ota M, Ishida I, Yasukawa Z, Ozeki M, Kunugi H. Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2019 Oct 3;11(10):2362. doi: 10.3390/nu11102362. PMID:
31623400; PMCID: PMC6836118.