Rhodiola rosea for resistance-training and cognitive performance 💪🧠

Muscular performance and nootropic effects.

Dose-Response Effects of Short-Term Rhodiola rosea (Golden Root Extract) Supplementation on Anaerobic Exercise Performance and Cognitive Function in Resistance-Trained Athletes: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study

Study Details

This new study recruited 27 resistance-trained adults to complete four conditions…

1️⃣ No capsule (control)

2️⃣ Placebo

3️⃣ Low dose Rhodiola Rosea (LDRR: 200 mg/day)

4️⃣ High dose Rhodiola Rosea (HDRR: 1500 mg/day)

Supplements were provided for 7-days with the final dose provided 60-mins prior to physical and cognitive testing 💊

Key Findings

Compared to control, LDRR significantly enhanced bench press…

👉 1 rep max (+5.6 kg)

👉 Last set reps (+4.3 reps)

👉 Last set volume (+169 kg)

👉 Mean power (+29.7 W)

👉 Plus, leg press 1RM (+35.7 kg)

With HDRR showing significantly greater improvements in both peak power and last set volume 📈

All the above findings were also significantly greater than placebo 💪

Both rhodiola conditions also signifcently enhanced cognitive performance (assessed via Stroop test) across all domains 🧠

There were no significant effects on wingate performance, RPE or haemodynamics ❌

Conclusion

Short-term rhodiola rosea supplementation significantly enhances resistance exercise performance and offers nootropic effects ✅

This makes it a worthwhile consideration for pre-workout supplementation 🧐

Reference

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41374026/

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