Tired? Fatigued? Need a jolt of energy? These 12 nutrients will keep your mind and body in high gear, and help jack up your training intensity. It’s go time!

As the recent surge and decline in gas prices have demonstrated, energy management can be incredibly difficult to understand no matter your level of expertise. When you boil it down to the individual, then, it shouldn’t come as a shock that energy management is still a complicated subject.

For starters, too many people over-rely on their morning coffee or other pick-me-up to jumpstart their day without understanding the broader implications of how they could better manage their own energy — and its production — throughout the day. For instance, you may have experienced the crash that follows overstimulation of excess caffeine. Proper use of a spectrum of energy-producing supplements will provide you with more.

Don’t get us wrong — there’s certainly a place for your morning java and even subsequent doses of caffeine throughout the day. What’s important to understand is that there are many different mechanisms through which energy is provided to the human body. M&B is here to let you know how to maximize your own energy production through the judicious use of several different supplements, and how these supplements act through different physical and mental mechanisms to better stimulate productivity throughout the day.

Consider the following 12 supplements (listed alphabetically) to boost your energy levels from dawn to dusk, then check out our detailed daily schedule on page 38. You’ll never suffer another energy crisis again.

The Dynamic Dozen

1) BCAAs
The Buzz: Boosts workout energy for longer by reducing tryptophan, leading to additional muscle gain.

Dynamic Data: If you’re familiar with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), then you likely think of them for their benefits in stimulating more muscle growth. But this group of three aminos — leucine, isoleucine and valine — is unique, providing multiple benefits. After ingestion, most amino acids first travel to your liver, where the liver has the ability to immediately break down most of them. BCAAs, on the other hand, tend to get spared by the liver and travel directly to the muscles, where they can be used as fuel. Therefore, taking a BCAA supplement right before your workout provides your body with greater energy for that workout.

BCAAs also enhance energy by limiting fatigue via the brain. During exercise, a metabolite of tryptophan, known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), signals the brain that the body is fatigued, causing it to reduce muscle strength and endurance. The BCAAs, particularly valine, compete with tryptophan for entry into the brain. Several research studies have confirmed that taking BCAAs before workouts lowers the amount of the amino acid tryptophan that gets into the brain, and therefore the amount of 5-HT levels that are produced, thereby reducing fatigue.

Energize me: Take 5–10 g of BCAAs within 30 minutes before and after workouts.

2) Caffeine
The Buzz: Increases muscular strength and endurance while reducing fatigue and pain during workouts.

Dynamic Data: When it comes to energy production, caffeine probably seems like a no-brainer to most people. But to make the most of your caffeine consumption, research demonstrates that you’re better off taking it in the form of precisely dosed supplements. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, and that means that it gives a jolt to your nervous system, which results in the “buzz” that you get from it.

But M&B doesn’t recommend caffeine for the buzz, per se; we recommend it for the enhanced strength and reduced muscle fatigue that it supplies. Research shows that subjects taking caffeine about an hour before workouts have significantly more muscle strength. Other studies show that caffeine blunts muscle fatigue, so you can work out stronger for longer.

This is due to a couple of factors: For one, caffeine enhances the amount of body fat that gets burned during exercise, which spares muscle glycogen; and two, caffeine blunts muscle pain during workouts, which is what often causes you to end your sets early. The problem with caffeine is that your body desensitizes to it with overuse. So if you drink coffee all day long every day, it won’t be as effective when you need it to boost your workouts.

Energize me: For best results, rely on caffeine only on workout days (yes, that means skipping your morning coffee on nonworkout days). Take 200–400 mg of pill-form caffeine about one hour before workouts. You can drink coffee for your caffeine dosage on gym days, but research demonstrates that supplemental caffeine is more effective.

3) Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
The Buzz: Helps burn body fat, providing more energy in the form of ATP.

Dynamic Data: Also known as ubiquinone because it is ubiquitous within the body, CoQ10 is especially concentrated in the mitochondria of cells. Mitochondria are microscopic power factories within cells, such as those within your muscles, that produce the majority of the energy your body uses by burning carbs and fat. CoQ10 works in the body as a coenzyme. Coenzymes assist in helping reactions take place, such as the reactions that produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the main form of energy our body uses.

Research supports the notion that supplementing with CoQ10 boosts energy levels. A recent study from Japan reported that subjects who supplemented with 300 mg of CoQ10 per day for eight days had significantly less fatigue during exercise and recovered faster between exercise bouts.

Energize me: Take 100–200 mg of CoQ10 with breakfast and another equal dose at lunch or dinner.

4) Citrulline Malate
The Buzz: Increases energy by reducing fatigue-inducing ammonia levels within the body.

Dynamic Data: This energy supplement is composed of the amino acid citrulline bound to malic acid (malate). Citrulline decreases fatigue in the body by helping to remove ammonia from the body. Ammonia is produced when amino acids are metabolized (such as during exercise) and it increases fatigue. Because citrulline helps with the removal of ammonia, it delays fatigue, especially during exercise.

Citrulline also enhances nitric oxide (NO) production in the body. NO increases blood flow to exercising muscles, which helps to deliver more oxygen, carbohydrates, fatty acids and amino acids to the muscles where they help to generate more energy. Malic acid helps the body convert the lactic acid that gets produced during exercise to energy, thus further helping to delay muscle fatigue. Studies confirm that when citrulline malate is given to subjects there is a significant reduction in fatigue and an increase in ATP production during exercise by about 35%.

Energize me: Take 1–3 g of citrulline malate with breakfast and either lunch or dinner. On workout days, also take 1–3 g 30–60 minutes before workouts.

5) Cordyceps
The Buzz: Boosts energy by increasing ATP and oxygen utilization.

Dynamic Data: Cordyceps sinensis is a Tibetan fungus that grows on and derives its nutrients from the moth caterpillar. It’s a superstar in traditional Chinese medicine because of its benefits for health and energy production. Studies show that cordyceps usage increases both cellular ATP levels and oxygen utilization. This means you not only have more fuel, but you have more oxygen to burn it with. Studies also show that cordyceps provides numerous health benefits that can translate to better performance in the gym. These benefits include better respiratory function; lower serum triglycerides; enhanced blood flow to organs, tissues and extremities; and improved brain function.

Energize me: Take a 900–1,200-mg dosage in the morning and again in the evening, or apply a 600-mg dosage of a topical form of cordyceps.

6) Creatine
The Buzz: Raises energy production via ATP where it’s needed most for good workouts: at your muscles.

Dynamic Data: When you think of creatine, you likely think of strength and muscle growth more than you do about energy production. But one of the main ways that creatine works is through boosting energy production to increase muscle strength and growth. Unlike CoQ10, which produces ATP in the mitochondria of cells, where the ATP then has to be transported out to get to the muscle contraction units that cause the muscle to contract, creatine helps to produce more ATP in muscles right next to the contractile units. This makes the ATP that creatine helps to produce a more rapid form of energy that allows muscles to generate the quick energy they need too produce forceful contractions, such as when lifting a heavy weight. Creatine does this by gaining a high-energy phosphate molecule when it enters the muscle cell. This phosphate molecule is then donated to create the energy molecule ATP.

Energize me: Take 2–5 g of creatine within 30 minutes before and after every workout (for a total of up to 10 g per day). Take creatine in the form of creatine monohydrate, creatine citrate, creatine pyruvate, creatine ethyl ester or creatine alpha ketoglutarate.

7) Green Tea Extract
The Buzz: Boosts norepinephrine levels, helping to rev up your body without a jittery feeling.

Dynamic Data: Green tea contains active ingredients known as catechins. These antioxidants help to keep norepinephrine levels up. Norepinephrine is a neurohormone that keeps your body revved up (somewhat similar to the way that ephedra products worked). Green tea also supplies caffeine for an added energy boost, but without the jitters.

The reason that green tea does not give you the same jittery feel as coffee is due to an amino acid that green tea contains called theanine. Theanine promotes relaxation by increasing the levels of GABA (gamma-amino-butyric acid), an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. This makes green tea a good option for when you need a pick-me-up later in the day, but don’t want to risk not being able to sleep at night.

Energize me: Take 500 mg of green tea extract or a couple cups of unsweetened green tea later in the afternoon to keep your energy levels up.

8) NADH
The Buzz: Increases production of ATP.

Dynamic Data: NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme molecule formed from vitamin B3 (niacin). Somewhat like CoQ10, it is found in all living cells and is essential for energy production. NADH is directly involved in several chemical reactions that produce ATP. Therefore, if you have more NADH available in your cells, you can make more ATP, and hence, more energy. Research shows that supplementing with NADH helps to significantly reduce fatigue in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Energize me: Take 5–20 mg of NADH without food when your energy levels are dragging later in the day.

9) Resveratrol
The Buzz: Improves muscle endurance and life expectancy.

Dynamic Data: This compound found naturally in grape skins, blueberries, cranberries and even peanuts helps boost muscle endurance as well as the ultimate endurance: your life span. A French study found that mice given resveratrol run twice as far before reaching exhaustion as those given a placebo. One way that resveratrol works to increase energy is by increasing the number of mitochondria in muscle cells. Since the mitochondria are the power plants of all cells in the body, having more of them means you can produce more energy, both in the short term and over a lifetime.

Energize me: Take 50–500 mg on an empty stomach in the morning and about 30–60 minutes before workouts.

10) Rhodiola Rosea
The Buzz: Boosts ATP and the amount of oxygen in your blood.

Dynamic Data: This plant has a history of medicinal use dating back to the ancient Greeks. Also known as arctic rose, it’s considered a stimulatory adaptogen because it increases the body’s resistance to a variety of stress, such as chemical, biological and physical stressors. Rhodiola can increase ATP levels in muscle and has been shown to increase the level of oxygen in blood, which helps to boost muscle endurance.

Energize me: Take 300–500 mg of Rhodiola rosea in the morning and about 30–60 minutes before exercise on an empty stomach.

11) Taurine
The Buzz: Increases muscle endurance and strength.

Dynamic Data: This amino acid is important in muscle for endurance and strength. Research shows that when taurine levels in muscle fibers drop (which happens during exercise), muscle endurance and strength also decline. Research also confirms that when subjects supplement with taurine they experience an increase in muscle endurance and strength. A recent study even found that when subjects supplemented with taurine, caffeine and creatine, they were able to increase the number of reps they could complete during a weight workout.

Energize me: Take 1–3 g of taurine 30–60 minutes before workouts.

12) Tyrosine
The Buzz: Boosts epinephrine levels to enhance mood and increase energy.

Dynamic Data: Tyrosine has a stellar reputation as an energy enhancer. Not only is tyrosine known to increase energy, but it can also help elevate your mood, improve your mental focus and even increase fat loss. In the body, tyrosine is used to produce several crucial hormones and neurotransmitters, including dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine as well as thyroid hormones. Research has shown that higher epinephrine levels can help to reduce fatigue. A study performed on soldiers demonstrated that tyrosine supplementation improved performance and stamina during strenuous military activity. Based on this research, it’s easy to conclude that tyrosine will be beneficial in terms of energy enhancement for athletes and others, as well.

Energize me: Take 1–3 g of tyrosine each morning before breakfast.

Morning Rush Hour
This stack will last for hours without the crash that often comes with the overindulgence of caffeinated beverages.

Who doesn’t need a pick-me-up first thing in the morning? But the key is using ingredients that won’t peter out before your lunch break. Combine these six supplements for an energy boost that will take you past the postlunch slump without the downside of multiple cups of coffee.

Late-Day Energy Drive
Out of energy but worried about how supplementing may affect your sleep? This stack will keep you going to the end of the day and allow for a good night’s sleep.

When the normal workday ends, most people still have up to eight hours of activities planned before they sleep. Combine these four supplements that will keep your energy high when the sun gets low, but will still allow you to hit the hay without insomnia when it’s finally bedtime.

Workout Energy Boost
If your energy crisis hits you midway through your workouts or you can’t even seem to find the energy to get your glutes to the gym, these supplements are just what you need. Try them one at a time or, for a better energy burst, stack all seven to take your workout energy through the gym roof.