Research Watch: What Recent Studies Say About Adaptogens and Exercise Performance (Mid July 2026)

Every week I scan the new sports-nutrition literature for anything that should change how I think about what goes into a Live 5AM capsule. This week the same two ingredients kept showing up: ashwagandha and rhodiola rosea. Both are already in our lineup, so I wanted the actual data, not the marketing summaries. Here is what crossed my desk, and where the evidence still falls short.

A handful of 2025 studies suggest ashwagandha and rhodiola rosea may offer modest support for endurance markers like VO2max, perceived recovery, and time to exhaustion in some trained groups. Effect sizes are small to moderate, study quality is mixed, and most trials are short and drawn from narrow athlete populations. These look like reasonable training aids, not a replacement for sleep, programming, or basic nutrition.

Ashwagandha and VO2max: what a 2025 sports-performance meta-analysis found

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Turkish Journal of Sports Medicine in 2025 pooled eight randomized controlled trials on ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in athletes across athletics, hockey, cycling, boxing, and sprinting. Dosing ranged from 300 to 500 mg of aqueous root extract, twice daily, over 8 to 12 weeks.

Compared with placebo, ashwagandha was associated with a 4.09 ml/min/kg increase in VO2max (95% CI, 2.55 to 5.63, p<0.001). Several pooled trials also reported gains in core muscle strength, stability, and self-reported recovery.

The caveats matter. All eight trials originated in India, which limits how confidently the results generalize elsewhere, and only two of the eight met the researchers' own "high quality" bar. Sample sizes per trial ranged from just 15 to 50 people, no elite athletes were included, and heterogeneity across trials was high (I² = 92%). A real signal, not a settled conclusion.

Rhodiola rosea and endurance biomarkers: a larger 2025 meta-analysis

A separate meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Nutrition in September 2025 pooled 26 randomized controlled trials and 668 participants (mean age about 22) across five major databases. Average intervention length was roughly 33 days.

Rhodiola was associated with improvements in VO2max, time to exhaustion, and time-trial performance, along with higher antioxidant capacity and lower post-exercise creatine kinase and lactate, both markers linked to muscle damage and fatigue.

This was mostly young, healthy participants rather than a cross-section of the general population, dosing and extract standardization varied considerably between pooled trials, and windows were short. Whether effects persist, or grow, over months of consistent use is not something this analysis can answer.

Dose and timing: a 2025 crossover trial on rhodiola in resistance-trained athletes

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial published in Nutrients in late 2025 tested short-term rhodiola rosea (golden root extract) in resistance-trained athletes, comparing a low dose against a high dose on strength and cognitive outcomes.

Both doses were associated with meaningful one-rep-max gains, the low dose linked to roughly a 35.7 kg combined increase across bench press and leg press, the high dose linked to a 47.7 kg increase on leg press specifically. Stroop test scores, a measure of cognitive processing under load, improved across the board. Anaerobic cycling output and perceived exertion barely moved, with no consistent effect on heart rate or blood pressure.

This was a short-term, acute-dosing design in a small group of already resistance-trained athletes, using a crossover structure rather than daily long-term use. It speaks to a single supplementation window before training, not months of regular use, and cognitive performance was measured with one test type only.

Ashwagandha for recovery in female athletes: a small but notable 2025 trial

Most ashwagandha exercise research has focused on men, so a 2025 randomized trial in the European Journal of Sport Science stands out for testing 600 mg per day of ashwagandha root extract in female footballers over 28 days (15 in the supplement group, 15 on placebo).

The researchers found a significant group-by-time interaction for Total Quality Recovery scores (p=0.026), with a meaningful difference between groups by day 28, and a significant improvement in perceived sleep quality on the Hooper Index starting at 14 days (p=0.038). When they controlled for diet, differences in hand grip strength and medicine ball throw were more strongly explained by carbohydrate intake than by the ashwagandha itself.

This is a small trial (n=30), in a single sport, relying partly on self-reported recovery and sleep measures, and the strength findings suggest diet may be doing more work than the supplement. A useful, honest data point on an understudied population, not proof of a strength effect in women athletes.

What this means for your routine

These four 2025 papers point in a consistent, modest direction: ashwagandha and rhodiola may help support how the body handles endurance training and how quickly it feels recovered, in some trained groups, over 8 to 12 weeks. Neither ingredient builds fitness on its own. If you already use an ashwagandha product as part of training, this is a reasonable case for a consistent 8 to 12 week window rather than expecting a quick effect. Sleep, programming, and protein intake remain the bigger levers by far.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can adaptogens like ashwagandha or rhodiola replace proper training recovery?

No. The research here treated these ingredients as an addition to structured training, not a substitute for sleep, hydration, or planned rest days. Recovery basics still do the heavy lifting.

How long before ashwagandha or rhodiola might show an effect on exercise performance?

Most positive findings in the meta-analyses came from 8 to 12 week supplementation windows, not single doses. The rhodiola crossover trial found some acute effects from short-term dosing, but the larger performance changes came with sustained use.

Are ashwagandha and rhodiola safe to take together?

These studies tested each ingredient separately, so there is no direct trial data on combining them. Reported side effects were generally mild, but anyone on medication or managing a health condition should check with a healthcare provider first.

Do these findings apply to recreational exercisers, or only elite athletes?

Mixed. Some trials used competitive athletes, others used resistance-trained or healthy young adults, and none included elite-level competitors. The direction is fairly consistent, but the size of the effect for a casual gym-goer versus a competitive cyclist is not well established.

What doses were used in these studies?

The ashwagandha trials generally used 300 to 600 mg of root extract daily, split into two doses. The rhodiola trials compared lower and higher gram-range doses of standardized extract. Doses varied by study, so there is no single confirmed "optimal" amount yet.

The Bottom Line

The 2025 literature on ashwagandha and rhodiola for exercise performance is more consistent than I expected: several independent research groups landed on similar, modest, positive signals for VO2max, recovery perception, and select strength markers. But a consistent direction is not the same as settled science. Sample sizes are small, most trials cluster around 8 to 12 weeks, and the participant pools lack geographic and demographic diversity.

My take: these are reasonable additions for people who already have sleep, protein, and programming dialed in and want to explore a small edge. Nobody should expect dramatic results from trials with 15 to 50 people each. I will keep tracking this thread, and if a larger, better-controlled trial meaningfully changes the picture, you will read about it here first.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, managing a health condition, or taking medication.

Sources

1. Jayawardena R, Weerasinghe K, Sooriyaarachchi P. "The effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) on sports performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Turkish Journal of Sports Medicine. 2025;60(2):64-73. DOI: 10.47447/tjsm.0862.
2. Wang X, Yang X, Gao Z, Zeng J, Liu Y. "The effect of Rhodiola rosea supplementation on endurance performance and related biomarkers: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Frontiers in Nutrition. Published September 25, 2025. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1645346.
3. Koozehchian MS, Newton AT, Mabrey G, Bonness FM, Rafajlovska R, Naderi A. "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." Nutrients. 2025;17(23):3736. DOI: 10.3390/nu17233736.
4. Coope OC, Reales Salguero A, Spurr T, Páez Calvente A, Domenech Farre A, Jordán Fisas E, Lloyd B, Gooderick J, Abad Sangrà M, Roman-Viñas B. "Effects of Root Extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) on Perception of Recovery and Muscle Strength in Female Athletes." European Journal of Sport Science. 2025;25(3):e12265. DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.12265.