We’ve partnered up with the TriDoc, Jeff Sankoff, physician and host of The Tri Doc Podcast to get the skinny on the many endurance products and fads on the market.

Since December 2018, The TriDoc podcast has been a resource for triathletes in need of evidence to help them sort out reality from the hype that manufacturers and advertisers will use to market their wares to unsuspecting consumers.

The TriDoc is quite simply a physician on a mission, to help triathletes understand what it means when a product claims to be ‘scientifically proven’ to improve their ability to swim, bike, run or even recover better than their competitors.

While IronmanHacks is all about finding the quickest and best tips to a faster race, none of them includes miracle products that promise unreal gains overnight. You still have to put in the hard training over weeks, months, and years.

A note from Dr. Sankoff to the casual user: All of the reviews listed here are based on the best available evidence in the scientific literature. In some cases that evidence is robust and in some it is not.

The summary below is intended only as a start point. If you want to learn more about the product and especially about the science that was used to come up with the determination of benefit, please listen to the associated podcast episode.

One last thing; if a product that you use and have found to be beneficial is listed as not having benefit this does not mean that you should stop using it.

My conclusions are made based on population evidence but the experiences of any one individual can be different than for the population as a whole.

So just because my conclusion differs from yours does not mean that you should stop using something that you like.

I would just remind you that one person’s experience (anecdote) is not evidence of effects for a population (evidence).

Subject	Verdict	Notes	TriDoc Episode
Acetaminophen / NSAIDS (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)	Mixed	Acetaminophen does not confer any benefits but is not harmful. NSAIDS need to be used with caution as they can impair benefits of training. NSAIDS are useful for acute injury.	Episode 1
CBD	No benefit	Very little evidence. Theoretical benefits but nothing yet proven.	Episode 2
Pneumatic compression garments	No benefit	Psychological benefits but no physiological benefits.	Episode 3
Inside Tracker	No benefit	Potentially detrimental.	Episode 4
Intermittent fasting	Some benefit	VERY difficult to do well and requires significant modification to lifestyle and training but may result in some benefits including weight loss.	Episode 5
Creatine supplementation	No benefit	Lots of hype but really very little evidence unless you want to build mass as a weight lifter.	Episode 11
Beta-alanine supplementation	No benefit	Theoretical benefits don’t translate in to real world effects.	Episode 12
IV hydration	No benefit	Only benefit is when hydration cannot be accomplished by oral means.	Episode 13
Training with HRV	Unclear	This is evolving. Not the revolution that it is claimed to be by many but likely does have some utility just not clear how much and how best to use it.	Episode 19
Dry needling	No benefit	Lots of pain without the gain. PT’s continue to love this but no proof it does anything.	Episode 21
Cold water therapy	Likely detrimental	Psychological benefits sometimes. Some evidence it harms performance.	Episode 22
Airofit	No benefit	Save your money.	Episode 24
GO2	No benefit	Complete rubbish.	Episode 25
Branched chain amino acid supplementation	No benefit	Doesn’t do much.	Episode 26
Alcohol	No benefit	Likely harmful.	Episode 27
Compression clothing	No benefit	Psychological benefits but zero performance gains.	Episode 28
Stamina Pro	No benefit	COMPLETE rubbish.	Episode 29
Halo Sport	Unclear	If any true benefit likely not worth the cost of the device.	Episode 30
TENS (transdermal electrical neurostimulation devices)	No benefit	So much hype, so little evidence.	Episode 31
Red light therapy	No benefit	The latest high tech pseudoscience.	Episode 32
Beetroot juice	Small benefits	Benefits are small but real but do require following a protocol.	Episode 33
Liquid I.V. Hydration brand products	No benefit	COMPLETE rubbish. VERY expensive for no benefit.	Episode 34
Hot Shots for cramps	It’s complicated	Works for some.	Episode 39
AMP Human	No benefit	Great advertising. That’s what you are paying for.	Episode 42
Epsom salts	No benefit	Psychological benefits. No harm.	Episode 46
Kinesiotape	No benefit	Just don’t do it.	Episode 47
Vitamin D	No benefit unless you have deficiency	Can be toxic if you take too much.	Episode 52
Lumen	Questionable	Difficult to validate.	Episode 53
Bicarbonate supplementation	No benefit	Theoretical benefit but does not get reflected in any real world benefit.	Episode 58
Continuous glucose monitoring	No benefit	DEFINITE benefit to diabetics. No proof of benefit to anyone else.	Episode 59
Caffeine	Benefit	Around 2% performance benefit. No evidence of tolerance nor addiction.	Episode 60
Keto diet	No benefit	Harmful to performance for high performing endurance athletes. No health benefits.	Episode 61
Gluten free diet	No benefit	Gluten ‘intolerance’ has no basis in science or medicine. Potentially harmful for women.	Episode 65
Massage therapy	Mixed	No physical benefit but definite psychological benefits. Potentially detrimental if done close to events.	Episode 66
Massage guns	Mixed	No physical benefit but definite psychological benefits.	Episode 70
Steroid injections for injury	Harmful	For the most part should be avoided because of the potential for long term harm. Some exceptions.	Episode 71
Platelet Rich Plasma	No benefit	May be useful for tennis elbow. Possible value for plantar fasciitis but unclear. No benefit for anything else.	Episode 72
Low level laser therapy	No benefit	Possibly useful for chronic Achilles injury but not useful for anything else.	Episode 74
Blood flow restriction	No benefit	May be a role in injury rehabilitation.	Episode 77
Anti-gravity running	Mixed	Expense of Lever/AlterG far above what can be expected in return. Water running just as good and free.	Episode 78
Genetic testing	No benefit	A complete waste of money.	Episode 82