Beetroot Juice With Caffeine Didn't Improve This Cycling Test

This study tested whether beetroot juice, caffeine, or the two combined could improve performance in a short, maximal cycling effort. Fifteen trained male cyclists completed four trials in a randomized, double-blind, crossover design: placebo, beetroot juice alone, caffeine alone, and beetroot juice with caffeine. Each trial involved a 3-minute all-out cycling test measuring end power, work performed above that end power, and other output metrics. None of the four conditions produced a statistically significant difference in end power, work above end power, peak power, mean power, or total work.

My thoughts: I like including null results, they're as useful as positive ones and shared far less. This does not mean that dietary nitrates from beetroot juice or caffeine don't work to improve performance, and a 3-minute test on 15 people is a narrow window to detect an effect.

CrossFit Athletes Are Under-Fueling on Carbs and Key Micronutrients

This review pulled together existing research on the nutritional status of the CrossFit community, looking at body composition, energy intake, and micronutrient status. More than half of CrossFit athletes fall into the "overweight" category by BMI, but that's largely down to muscle mass rather than excess fat. A meaningful share of athletes, especially women, aren't eating enough to match their training demands, raising the risk of relative energy deficiency in the sport. Protein intake often exceeds the recommended 1.4–2.0g per kg of bodyweight daily, sometimes crowding out carbohydrates, even though 5–8g per kg daily is recommended to fuel high-intensity training. Vitamin D and zinc intake also frequently fall short. Supplement use is widespread, with 33–82% of athletes using at least one supplement, most commonly whey protein and creatine, often chosen based on advice from friends or coaches rather than a professional.

My thoughts: Nothing shocking if you've worked with this population, but a useful reminder that high-protein, high-intensity training culture can quietly starve carb intake and micronutrient status. If you're leaning hard on protein and skipping carbs to stay lean, this is worth a second look, and a solid multivitamin can help close the vitamin D and zinc gaps if your diet doesn't.

What 19 Studies Say About Tart Cherry and Recovery

This review pooled 19 trials to see whether tart cherry juice actually speeds up recovery from muscle-damaging exercise in athletes. Tart cherry significantly improved recovery of maximal strength at every time point measured from right after exercise through 96 hours later, and reduced CRP, a marker of inflammation, for the first two days post-exercise. Jump height only improved at the 48-hour mark. There was no significant pooled effect on perceived muscle soreness, the muscle damage marker creatine kinase, or inflammatory markers IL-6 and TNF-alpha. The protocols that worked best generally delivered tart cherry juice twice daily for several days before and after the exercise, totaling around 1200mg of polyphenols per day. Certainty of evidence ranged from low to moderate, and a few results were sensitive to removing just one study from the analysis.

My thoughts: This lines up with what I've seen for years. Tart cherry juice like that found in Regen Cherry+ helps you get your strength back faster, but don't expect it to make soreness disappear. If your goal is to feel no soreness, you'll be disappointed. If your goal is to get back to full output sooner, this is decent evidence for it. Worth noting some of these effects were sensitive to a single study, so I wouldn't treat this as fully settled science just yet.

— That's all for now, train hard!