Dr. Jose Antonio, co-founder and CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, joins Paul Warloski and Paul Laursen to separate effective sports supplements from overhyped products. He explains why protein, creatine, beta-alanine, nitrates, and caffeine form his evidence-backed top five, while also making the case for sodium bicarbonate. The conversation covers practical dosing, protein requirements, creatine for endurance athletes and cognitive health, ineffective testosterone boosters, the placebo effect, probiotics, personalized supplementation, and race-day carbohydrate strategies. Throughout the episode, Antonio advocates a pragmatic approach: identify the athlete’s goal, assess the potential benefit and harm, use the available science, and pay attention to what works in the real world.

Key Takeaways

Start with the athlete’s goal. A supplement recommendation is only meaningful when tied to a specific performance, recovery, health, or body-composition objective.
Antonio’s top five are protein, creatine, beta-alanine, nitrates, and caffeine. Sodium bicarbonate earns an additional place because of its buffering and performance benefits.
Caffeine works, but dosage matters. Antonio discusses an effective range of roughly 1–6 mg per kilogram, with approximately 3 mg/kg as a common starting point.
Creatine is not just for bodybuilders. It may support recovery and performance in cycling, swimming, paddling, and other sports where body weight is supported.
Five grams of creatine per day is generally sufficient for skeletal muscle. Higher doses may be needed to influence cognition, although the evidence is still developing.
Distance runners may prefer a lower creatine dose. Antonio suggests that around 2 g per day could provide recovery benefits while limiting unwanted weight gain.
Protein should remain high even on rest days. Recovery continues when athletes are not training, so protein intake should not drop dramatically.
One gram of protein per pound of body weight is presented as a practical athletic baseline. Higher intake may provide benefits, but affordability and adherence are real constraints.
Beetroot-derived nitrates are preferred over arginine. Citrulline may help, but its effective dosing can be inconvenient.
Testosterone boosters are among the most overhyped supplements. Tongkat ali and turkesterone have not demonstrated meaningful improvements in lean mass or sustained testosterone elevation in healthy athletes.
Belief can affect performance. Antonio describes a caffeine experiment in which participants performed according to the dose they thought they received—even though every dose was a placebo.
Practice fueling strategies in training. Whether an athlete uses 30, 60, or 120 grams of carbohydrate per hour, race day should never be the first experiment.