Best ingredients for muscle recovery

The most researched sports supplement in existence.

Typical: 3–5 g

A chelated form of magnesium bound to the amino acid glycine.

Typical: 200–350 mg

Whey filtered to 90% or more protein by weight, with most lactose and fat removed.

Typical: 20–30 g

Magnesium bound to citric acid, one of the best-selling magnesium forms because it is inexpensive, dissolves readily, and has shown good bioavailability in comparison studies.

Typical: 150–350 mg

Whey concentrated by ultrafiltration to 70–80% protein, retaining more lactose, fat, and native bioactive fractions than isolate.

Typical: 25–35 g

A non-essential amino acid that combines with histidine to form carnosine, the main intramuscular buffer of hydrogen ions during intense exercise.

Typical: 3.2–6.4 g

A generic electrolyte blend is a placeholder for an unspecified mixture of sodium, potassium, and magnesium salts (sometimes with calcium and chloride) used in hydration and endurance powders.

Typical: 500–1,500 mg

A non-protein amino acid that the kidneys convert to arginine, raising plasma arginine more efficiently than oral arginine itself.

Typical: 6–8 g

A blend of the three branched-chain amino acids, most often at a 2:1:1 ratio of leucine to isoleucine to valine, that has been a staple of intra-workout drinks for decades.

Typical: 5–10 g

A salt of citrulline and malic acid, most often in a 2:1 ratio, that has been the traditional form in pre-workouts.

Typical: 6–8 g

A sulfur-containing amino acid abundant in muscle, heart, and brain, and a familiar ingredient in energy drinks and pre-workouts.

Typical: 1–3 g

The most abundant free amino acid in blood and muscle and a primary fuel for intestinal and immune cells.

Typical: 5–10 g

A free-form blend of all nine essential amino acids, typically leucine-weighted, that provides the complete substrate for muscle protein synthesis without the bulk of a full protein serving.

Typical: 6–15 g

Ordinary salt, about 39% sodium and 61% chloride by weight, and the primary electrolyte lost in sweat.

Typical: 200–1,000 mg

Bacillus coagulans is a spore-forming, lactic-acid-producing bacterium whose spores survive stomach acid, heat, and dry storage far better than vegetative Lactobacillus cells.

Typical: 1–2 B CFU

MSM is an organic sulfur compound found in small amounts in plants, milk, and the body.

Typical: 1,500–3,000 mg

A plant protein isolated from yellow split peas, containing about 80–85% protein with a favorable essential-amino-acid profile for a legume.

Typical: 20–30 g

The predominant protein in milk, which forms a gel in the stomach and releases amino acids slowly over several hours.

Typical: 20–40 g

Maltodextrin is a partially hydrolyzed starch consisting of short glucose chains, characterized by a dextrose-equivalent (DE) value that indicates how far the starch has been broken down.

Typical: 15–30 g

The most concentrated common potassium source at about 52% elemental potassium, and the salt used in most blood-pressure trials of potassium supplementation.

Typical: 99–500 mg

A stable, highly soluble salt of L-carnitine with tartaric acid, the form most used in exercise-recovery research.

Typical: 1,000–2,000 mg

Astaxanthin is a red keto-carotenoid produced by the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis and responsible for the pink color of salmon and krill.

Typical: 4–12 mg

Baking soda, used in sports nutrition as an extracellular buffer that raises blood bicarbonate before high-intensity efforts lasting roughly one to ten minutes.

Typical: 14–21 g

A methyl donor derived from sugar beets that lowers homocysteine and acts as an osmolyte in muscle cells.

Typical: 1.25–2.5 g

A branded curcumin delivery form in which curcuminoids are complexed with sunflower lecithin (a phytosome) to improve uptake.

Typical: 500–1,000 mg

A metabolite of leucine studied for reducing exercise-induced muscle protein breakdown and supporting strength and lean mass, particularly in untrained people, older adults, and during intense training blocks.

Typical: 3 g

Bromelain is a mixture of protein-digesting enzymes extracted from pineapple stem.

Typical: 200–500 mg

Dextrose is crystalline D-glucose, usually produced by hydrolyzing corn starch.

Typical: 10–30 g

Magnesium paired with malic acid, an intermediate of the Krebs cycle.

Typical: 100–350 mg

Protease is a family of enzymes that cleave peptide bonds, breaking dietary proteins into peptides and amino acids.

Typical: 50–150 mg

Highly branched cyclic dextrin (HBCD) is a glucose polymer made by acting on amylopectin with a branching enzyme, producing large cyclic molecules with a narrow molecular-weight distribution.

Typical: 15–30 g

Dehydrated coconut water, made by spray- or freeze-drying the liquid of young green coconuts, sometimes with a maltodextrin carrier.

Typical: 2–10 g

The branched-chain amino acid that most directly triggers muscle protein synthesis through mTOR signaling.

Typical: 2.5–5 g

A hydrochloride salt of creatine with much higher water solubility than the monohydrate, marketed on the premise that smaller doses can be used with less bloating.

Typical: 1.5–3 g

Dried, pasteurized egg white delivering a complete, high-quality protein with a digestibility score comparable to whey, and naturally free of lactose, fat, and carbohydrate.

Typical: 20–30 g

A non-protein amino acid central to the urea cycle, where it helps clear ammonia produced during exercise and protein metabolism.

Typical: 400–2,000 mg

A highly soluble magnesium salt sold as the hexahydrate, which is about 12% elemental magnesium.

Typical: 100–300 mg

An extract of pomegranate fruit or peel standardized to punicalagins or ellagic acid, the polyphenols responsible for its antioxidant reputation, used in heart, antioxidant, and exercise-recovery formulas.

Typical: 500–1,000 mg

A branded curcumin form that uses a hydrophilic carrier to make curcuminoids water-dispersible.

Typical: 250–500 mg

A complex of magnesium with the amino acid taurine, chosen for cardiovascular and calming formulas because both components are studied in relation to blood pressure and nervous-system excitability.

Typical: 100–300 mg

Ecdysterone is a phytoecdysteroid, an insect-molting hormone analog found in spinach, quinoa, and the roots of Cyanotis and Rhaponticum plants.

Typical: 200–500 mg

Peak ATP is a patented, orally stable form of adenosine 5'-triphosphate disodium from TSI Group.

Typical: 400 mg

Cissus quadrangularis is a succulent vine used in Ayurveda for bone and joint recovery, where it is known as hadjod, the bone setter.

Typical: 500–1,500 mg