Most of the supplement aisle is noise dressed up in a shiny label. The shortlist that survives contact with replicated human trials is small: creatine, caffeine, beta-alanine, protein, vitamin D, omega-3 — plus targeted add-ons per sport. Everything here is graded against human trials, not marketing.
Correct a deficit, don't chase a feeling
The rule that separates smart supplementation from fad: a supplement is justified when you have evidence your body is short of something and diet alone isn't fixing it. That evidence is a blood panel looking for low vitamin D, low ferritin, low B12, or a diet history showing a consistent gap (a vegan runner's B12, a heavy sweater's sodium and magnesium).
The 2025 state of the science strengthens this: the ISSN umbrella review of 61 creatine meta-analyses (Ashtary-Larky 2025) and the Kreider 2025 safety review confirm that monohydrate — the cheapest form — is also the only form with replicated evidence, and it's safe in healthy people from adolescents to the elderly. Skip 'buffered' and 'advanced' creatines; pay for training, not labels.
- Test first: ferritin, vitamin D, B12, hemoglobin. Treat what's low.
- One correction at a time — you can't attribute a benefit if you change three variables.
- Choose third-party-tested brands (NSF / Informed Sport) for anything you take daily.
- Monohydrate only for creatine; anything else is marketing.
Sport-specific stacks (what actually differs)
Sprint/400m: creatine (ATP regeneration), caffeine (RFD + reaction), beta-alanine (the 400m is a 40–75s acidosis battle — carnosine buffering helps), and sodium bicarbonate on race day only if trialed in training.
Boxing/combat: the brain-protection stack is the differentiator — creatine (brain ATP after sub-concussive impacts), DHA-dominant omega-3 (higher omega-3 index = lower neuroaxonal injury markers; note EPA-only may interfere with repair — take DHA+EPA, not EPA solo), and alpha-GPC for reaction time. Add beta-alanine for 1–4 min round buffering.
Endurance/tri: caffeine has the strongest evidence of any supplement; nitrate (beetroot) improves economy; carb mixtures (glucose+fructose) raise absorption above 60 g/h; tart cherry for multi-day competition recovery.
Strength: creatine + 1.6–2.2 g/kg protein daily is the core; citrulline malate adds reps per set; vitamin D if blood level is low.
The recovery stack — use around competition, not daily
Tart cherry (Montmorency): 2026 meta-analyses of RCTs confirm faster strength recovery and less soreness when taken 4–5 days before and 2–3 days after hard competition (Hagele 2026). Daily use may blunt training adaptation — it's an anti-inflammatory, and inflammation is the signal that drives adaptation. Competition windows only.
Collagen peptides + vitamin C: 15 g taken 30–60 min BEFORE mechanical loading increases tendon collagen synthesis (Baar 2017; Bischof 2024). Timing before loading is the whole trick — taking it after does little. Useful for tendon-heavy sports and masters athletes.
Ashwagandha (KSM-66 300–600 mg/day) reduces cortisol and may improve sleep quality — useful in high-stress blocks, not a performance enhancer per se.
What the app does with this
JasMiamiMethod stores your blood panels, flags out-of-range markers against athlete-adjusted reference ranges, and surfaces the specific deficit — 'Ferritin 28 ng/mL, aim 50+ for endurance' — instead of a generic multivitamin suggestion. Daily ergogenic recommendations match your session type, and your likes/dislikes are learned. Supplements you opt out of are never recommended again.
How the app applies this
Blood panel markers are checked against athlete-specific ranges, ergogenic picks match your session type and sport, and your feedback is learned — opt-outs are permanent.
Evidence
- › Ashtary-Larky et al. 2025 — Creatine umbrella review, 61 meta-analyses (J ISSN)
- › Kreider et al. 2025 — Creatine safety across the lifespan (Front Nutr)
- › Guest et al. 2021 — Caffeine position stand (J ISSN 18:1)
- › Trexler et al. 2015 — Beta-alanine position stand (J ISSN 12:30)
- › Beauregard et al. 2025 — Omega-3 & TBI repair, DHA vs EPA (PLOS ONE)
- › Hagele et al. 2026 — Tart cherry RCT meta-analysis (MDPI)
- › Baar 2017 — Collagen + loading mechanism (J Appl Physiol)
- › Holick 2007 — Vitamin D deficiency (N Engl J Med 357:266-281)
- › Peeling et al. 2008 — Iron status in female athletes