Adrenaline Performance
Health info & sources
The health, nutrition and training information in the app and from the AI coach is based on the published research below. When the coach relies on one of these, it shows it under its reply.
The coach is not a doctor. Check with a medical professional before acting on health information.
Nutrition
Energy needs
The equation AP uses to estimate the calories your body burns at rest, before activity is added on top.
A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990.
Protein
Training athletes do well on more protein than the general guideline, spread across the day. AP's 1.8 g per kg default sits inside the range it recommends.
International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017.
Nutrient timing
Eating enough carbohydrate and protein around hard training helps you recover for the next session.
International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017.
Sports nutrition
Fuel to match the training you do: enough total energy first, then carbohydrate and protein suited to the session.
Nutrition and Athletic Performance (joint position statement). Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (ACSM, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada), 2016.
Hydration
Drink to avoid large losses of body water during training, without drinking far more than you sweat.
American College of Sports Medicine position stand: exercise and fluid replacement. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007.
Low energy availability (REDs)
Eating too little for the training you do harms health and performance, so AP never pushes hard calorie cuts on athletes.
2023 International Olympic Committee consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023.
Supplements
Supplements
Only a few supplements have good evidence behind them, and food comes first. Check any product for quality and banned substances.
IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018.
Creatine
Creatine is one of the best studied supplements for strength and power training and is considered safe for healthy adults.
International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017.
Caffeine
Caffeine can improve endurance and power, and how well it works differs from person to person. It can disturb sleep.
International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2021.
Magnesium
What magnesium does in the body, where it comes from in food, and the safe upper limits.
Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2022.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D supports bone and muscle, and many people get too little in winter with less sun.
Vitamin D: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2024.
Omega-3
What omega-3 fatty acids are, where they come from in food, and what the evidence does and does not show.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2024.
Training
Strength training progression
Get stronger by adding load, sets or difficulty a step at a time, and change the plan as you improve.
American College of Sports Medicine position stand: progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2009.
Youth strength training
Supervised strength training with good technique is safe and useful for young athletes. Skill comes before load.
Position statement on youth resistance training: the 2014 International Consensus. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014.
Strength and cardio together
Cardio and strength work can be trained in the same week. Keeping cardio sessions moderate limits how much they blunt strength gains.
Concurrent training: a meta-analysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2012.
Easy cardio (zone 2)
Most endurance work is best done at an easy, conversational pace, with a smaller share of hard sessions.
What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes?. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2010.
Sleep and recovery
Sleep for adults
Adults should regularly get seven or more hours of sleep a night for health.
Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the AASM and SRS. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2015.
Sleep for athletes
Sleep is central to an athlete's recovery and performance, and poor sleep is worth raising with a professional.
Sleep and the athlete: narrative review and 2021 expert consensus recommendations. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2021.
Recovery methods and soreness
Of the common recovery methods, massage and compression have the best support for easing soreness. Stretching does little for it.
An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation. Frontiers in Physiology, 2018.
Overtraining
Falling performance with lasting fatigue, poor sleep or low mood can mean too much training and too little recovery.
Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the overtraining syndrome: joint consensus statement of the ECSS and ACSM. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2013.
Pain and injury
Pain versus soreness, Achilles
Training on with mild pain that settles by the next morning can be fine for a sore Achilles. Pain that builds is a reason to back off and see a professional.
Continued sports activity, using a pain-monitoring model, during rehabilitation in patients with Achilles tendinopathy. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2007.
Tendon loading, knee
A sore patellar tendon usually responds to load that is managed and built up gradually, not to complete rest.
Patellar tendinopathy: clinical diagnosis, load management, and advice for challenging case presentations. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2015.
Concussion
Any suspected concussion means stopping for the day and being checked by a medical professional before returning.
Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Amsterdam 2022. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023.
Return to sport
Return to sport
Coming back from injury is a gradual process, decided together with your medical team, not a single test or date.
2016 Consensus statement on return to sport from the First World Congress in Sports Physical Therapy, Bern. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016.
Training after illness
Ease back in after being ill, and do not train hard with a fever or symptoms below the neck.
How much is too much? (Part 2) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of illness. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016.