Supplements for exercise recovery

9 compounds relevant to exercise recovery, ranked by overall evidence grade.

Overall grade: Grade A
Last revised: Jul 10, 2026; 9
graded outcomes: 0
references listed

Assembled by the app from other entries in this library. It adds no evidence of its own — follow the links to the entries it draws on.

1 at grade A · 7 at grade C · 1 at grade D — 9 graded rows

What is known

Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.

Outcome	Grade	Effect size	Agreement
Whey ProteinThe reference protein powder — fast, leucine-rich, and the easiest way to hit a daily target.	Evidence grade A	Unclear	mixed
L-CarnitineA fat-transport shuttle that rarely aids fat loss in the well-fed — better evidence for recovery and specific clinical states.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
L-GlutamineThe gut's favorite fuel — genuinely useful in clinical catabolic states, largely wasted money for healthy lifters.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
HMBA leucine metabolite that mainly helps the untrained and the catabolic — largely redundant for seasoned lifters eating enough protein.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
Tart CherryA natural melatonin-and-anthocyanin source with small sleep and exercise-recovery signals.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
MSMA sulfur donor with small joint-pain and exercise-recovery signals, often bundled into joint formulas.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
L-OrnithineA urea-cycle amino acid with small data for exercise fatigue and stress-related sleep.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
AstaxanthinA potent carotenoid antioxidant with modest skin-photoprotection and exercise-recovery signals.	Evidence grade C	Unclear	mixed
BPC-157A viral 'healing peptide' with striking animal data and essentially zero human trials — popular, unproven, and unapproved.	Evidence grade D	Unclear	mixed

Whey ProteinEvidence grade A
The reference protein powder — fast, leucine-rich, and the easiest way to hit a daily target.
Unclearmixed
L-CarnitineEvidence grade C
A fat-transport shuttle that rarely aids fat loss in the well-fed — better evidence for recovery and specific clinical states.
Unclearmixed
L-GlutamineEvidence grade C
The gut's favorite fuel — genuinely useful in clinical catabolic states, largely wasted money for healthy lifters.
Unclearmixed
HMBEvidence grade C
A leucine metabolite that mainly helps the untrained and the catabolic — largely redundant for seasoned lifters eating enough protein.
Unclearmixed
Tart CherryEvidence grade C
A natural melatonin-and-anthocyanin source with small sleep and exercise-recovery signals.
Unclearmixed
MSMEvidence grade C
A sulfur donor with small joint-pain and exercise-recovery signals, often bundled into joint formulas.
Unclearmixed
L-OrnithineEvidence grade C
A urea-cycle amino acid with small data for exercise fatigue and stress-related sleep.
Unclearmixed
AstaxanthinEvidence grade C
A potent carotenoid antioxidant with modest skin-photoprotection and exercise-recovery signals.
Unclearmixed
BPC-157Evidence grade D
A viral 'healing peptide' with striking animal data and essentially zero human trials — popular, unproven, and unapproved.
Unclearmixed

What is uncertain

Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.

Thin evidence: L-Carnitine (grade C); L-Glutamine (grade C); HMB (grade C); Tart Cherry (grade C); MSM (grade C); L-Ornithine (grade C); Astaxanthin (grade C); BPC-157 (grade D).
Studies disagree: Whey Protein (mixed agreement).

The evidence in words

The shortlist

Every compound in the knowledge base tagged to exercise recovery, ordered by how strong its overall evidence is. Start at the top; the grade is the honest filter.

Worth considering first

Whey Protein (A) — The reference protein powder — fast, leucine-rich, and the easiest way to hit a daily target.

Lower-evidence options

L-Carnitine (C) — A fat-transport shuttle that rarely aids fat loss in the well-fed — better evidence for recovery and specific clinical states. · L-Glutamine (C) — The gut's favorite fuel — genuinely useful in clinical catabolic states, largely wasted money for healthy lifters. · HMB (C) — A leucine metabolite that mainly helps the untrained and the catabolic — largely redundant for seasoned lifters eating enough protein. · Tart Cherry (C) — A natural melatonin-and-anthocyanin source with small sleep and exercise-recovery signals. · MSM (C) — A sulfur donor with small joint-pain and exercise-recovery signals, often bundled into joint formulas. · L-Ornithine (C) — A urea-cycle amino acid with small data for exercise fatigue and stress-related sleep. · Astaxanthin (C) — A potent carotenoid antioxidant with modest skin-photoprotection and exercise-recovery signals. · BPC-157 (D) — A viral 'healing peptide' with striking animal data and essentially zero human trials — popular, unproven, and unapproved.

Goes with

Whey ProteinGrade AEvidence grade A
L-CarnitineGrade CEvidence grade C
L-GlutamineGrade CEvidence grade C
HMBGrade CEvidence grade C
Tart CherryGrade CEvidence grade C
MSMGrade CEvidence grade C
L-OrnithineGrade CEvidence grade C
AstaxanthinGrade CEvidence grade C

Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.

Astaxanthin for Exercise recoveryEvidence grade C — PreliminaryEvidence grade C
Astaxanthin for Skin elasticity / UV protectionEvidence grade C — Small trialsEvidence grade C
Astaxanthin: dosage and how to take it4–12 mg/day with fat.Evidence grade C
Astaxanthin: side effects, safety & interactionsSafe; harmless slight skin-tone change at high doses.Evidence grade C

Sources

This entry lists no references of its own — it is assembled from the entries it links to, whose sources are on their pages.

Last revised Jul 10, 2026. A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.