The bodybuilding aesthetician

Combat sports place unique physiological demands on athletes, requiring a combination of power, endurance, repeated high-intensity efforts, and technical precision. Across the literature, a small group of supplements consistently demonstrates performance benefits. The most well-supported include caffeine, creatine, sodium bicarbonate, and β-alanine, with emerging evidence for beetroot juice. A well-structured, high-quality diet should always form the foundation of performance, with supplements used as a secondary strategy to provide a potential edge.

Core Performance Supplements

Caffeine -The Strongest Evidence Base

Caffeine is the most consistently supported ergogenic aid in combat sports. Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses show that doses of approximately 3–5 mg/kg taken 30–60 minutes before competition improve combat-specific performance.

These improvements include increased number of attacks and throws, enhanced handgrip strength, faster reaction time, greater power output, and improved time to exhaustion. Caffeine enhances glycolytic energy contribution and increases lactate tolerance.

Research also shows small but clear improvements in handgrip strength and total judo throws, alongside increases in blood lactate and heart rate without a corresponding rise in perceived exertion. A network meta-analysis ranks caffeine, as well as caffeine combined with sodium bicarbonate, among the most effective supplements for improving power and technical actions such as kicks and throws in elite athletes.

In taekwondo-specific research, doses of 3–5 mg/kg have been shown to acutely improve both physical performance and psychological state. Very high doses of caffeine (e.g. 9 mg/kg) are associated with a high incidence of side-effects and do not seem to be required to elicit an ergogenic effect.

Creatine

Creatine is well established for improving mean and peak power in combat-specific tests. Evidence from network meta-analyses shows that creatine, particularly when combined with sodium bicarbonate, produces large improvements in power output compared to placebo.

Combat-sport-specific reviews demonstrate that creatine supplementation increases body mass, fat-free mass, maximal strength, and power. However, it has little effect on sport-specific endurance or fatigue. Importantly, creatine has a strong safety profile.

Sodium Bicarbonate and Buffering Agents

Sodium bicarbonate is a key buffering agent shown to improve repeated high-intensity efforts and glycolytic capacity across combat sports including judo, taekwondo, karate, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and boxing.

Both acute and chronic supplementation strategies have demonstrated benefits, particularly during later stages of competition when acidosis and fatigue accumulate. Sodium bicarbonate is often most effective in improving performance late in matches.

β-alanine, another buffering-related supplement, increases intramuscular carnosine levels. This contributes to improvements in strength, power, and total work during high-intensity efforts in combat sports.

Beetroot (Dietary Nitrate)

Beetroot supplementation, a source of dietary nitrate, may enhance oxidative metabolism and improve isometric and isokinetic force, as well as balance. These adaptations are particularly relevant for grappling-based sports.

However, results are variable and appear to depend on dosage, muscle group involved, and specific supplementation protocols. While promising, the current evidence base remains limited compared to core supplements.

Micronutrient Support

Position stands recommend the use of a daily multivitamin, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals such as iron and zinc when required. These support overall health, recovery, and brain function alongside performance-focused supplementation.

Practical Considerations

You do not need to spend a fortune on supplements or buy into expensive, heavily marketed brands. Cheaper brands can be just as effective, as higher costs often reflect marketing rather than product quality.

Where possible, choose supplements that are third-party tested. This is particularly important for athletes competing in tested federations, as contamination with banned substances can occur and may lead to a failed drug test.

Summary of Supplement Use by Performance Goal

Acute competition performance:
Caffeine, sodium bicarbonate, β-alanine

Power, strength, and fat-free mass during training camp:
Creatine, β-alanine

Repeated high-intensity efforts:
Sodium bicarbonate, β-alanine, caffeine

Aerobic capacity and balance:
Beetroot

Take home message

Across combat sports, the most robust evidence supports the use of caffeine, creatine, sodium bicarbonate, and β-alanine for enhancing performance. Beetroot juice shows emerging potential as an additional strategy. A strong nutritional foundation should always come first, with supplements used strategically to provide a potential performance advantage.

Supplement choice and dosing should be individualised, tested during training, and implemented alongside a well-structured nutrition and weight management plan.

Follow @sarahcurranfitpro on Instagram for more evidence-based content on performance, nutrition, and health.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Supplements may not be suitable for all individuals and can interact with medications or underlying health conditions. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any supplementation protocol.