Cortisol Supplements May Not Improve Workout Recovery

Cortisol-focused supplements are being marketed to athletes as a way to sleep better, recover faster and perform more consistently. But the exercise-related rise in this hormone is generally a normal response, not evidence that a routine workout is harming recovery.

A hard session can prompt the body to release cortisol to help make energy available and coordinate repair. Exercise below roughly 60 percent of VO2 max may lower cortisol instead. Research on athletes who are truly overtrained has also found a weaker-than-usual cortisol response, while healthy athletes showed stronger responses. Resting cortisol, by itself, is not considered a useful way to identify overtraining.

The more practical recovery concerns are sleep, adequate food and the amount of training stress. Products often feature ingredients such as L-glutamine, L-tyrosine and phosphatidylserine, nutrients that can also come from a balanced diet. For rebuilding after demanding workouts, protein and carbohydrates remain the central nutrition pieces discussed in the article. The takeaway for recreational athletes is that a normal leg day does not create the cortisol problem these products claim to fix.