Muscle & Strength

Muscle Recovery

Supplements and protocols ranked by XP

Cold Exposure

30XP

Leads to less muscle soreness in the days after hard exercise, though the studies are small.

Studies1 2 3 4

Curcumin

17XP

May reduce muscle soreness after hard training, from small trials.

Studies1

Citrulline

15XP

May reduce next-day soreness slightly; performance gains in reviews are small and uncertain.

Studies1 2

Collagen Peptides

13XP

Little reliable effect on soreness or recovery after hard sessions.

Studies1

Magnesium

9XP

Little reliable effect on soreness or recovery.

Studies1 2 3

About this goal

Muscle recovery is the process by which the body repairs and adapts following exercise. Effective recovery can help reduce soreness, restore performance, and support long-term training progress. Factors such as training intensity, nutrition, sleep, and overall health all influence recovery outcomes. Researchers have studied numerous supplements for their effects on muscle soreness, recovery speed, inflammation, and post-exercise adaptation. The supplements below are ranked according to the strength of the evidence and their expected impact on muscle recovery.

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What is XP?

XP combines how reliable the research is with how much difference it usually makes. Higher means stronger evidence for that supplement and that goal.

Limited<15 XPModest15–27 XPModerate28–44 XPReliable45–69 XPHigh70+ XP