Best supplements for judo

Judo is an Olympic sport under the WADA Code, with a weigh-in the day before and a random check on the morning of competition. Those two facts decide what belongs in a judoka's bag more than any label does.

The rulebook is WADA's

The IJF's anti-doping rules are adopted under the World Anti-Doping Code. That means the WADA Prohibited List, testing out of competition as well as at events, and whereabouts obligations for athletes at the top of the rankings.

There is no list of approved supplements anywhere in that system. Under the Code the athlete is responsible for whatever is in the sample, whatever the label said, and no product is WADA approved.

What the morning check changes

The official weigh-in is the day before. On the morning of competition a random selection of athletes is weighed again, and at that check nobody may be more than 5 percent above the upper limit of the category.

Creatine's water sits in both numbers. It is on the scale the evening before, and it is on the scale again in the morning, where it takes a share of the allowance the athlete was counting on for food and fluid overnight. For a judoka in the under 73 kg category, the morning ceiling is 76.65 kg, an allowance of 3.65 kg. The 0.89 kg that creatine adds on average is about a quarter of it. The judo format, in full.

The 5 with evidence, for a judoka

What my shop sold

From 2010 to 2017 the pattern did not change. L-carnitine and fat burners were bought once. Protein, amino acids and joint supplements were bought again and again. The full breakdown, with what the research says about each, is in the boxing version of this page.

The categories that end careers

Across 18 years of anti-doping cases in one analysis, a supplement was proven to be the source 27 times. Pre-workouts accounted for 20 of those cases and fat burners for 4. Caffeine itself is not on the Prohibited List; the stimulants that turn up in pre-workouts are, in competition.

What goes in a judoka's bag

For most judokas, the list is short:

• Creatine monohydrate between competitions, stopped 4 to 6 weeks before the weigh-in, because its water counts at both scales.
• Caffeine tried in training at the time the contests will start.
• Protein powder from a batch-tested product, for the days when food cannot be arranged.
• Sodium bicarbonate or beta-alanine only after a trial in training.
• Vitamin D in an indoor or winter camp on restricted eating rather than by default, and iron only if a test shows a deficiency.

Check what you already own

The free Doping Risk Check on the tools page asks about a product and gives a straight answer on how much contamination risk it carries.

Common questions

What supplements are allowed in judo?

Judo follows the WADA Prohibited List through the IJF's anti-doping rules, and there is no approved supplement list. The athlete is responsible for anything in the sample, so batch-tested products, such as those certified by Informed Sport, NSF Certified for Sport or the Cologne List, are the only sensible choice.

Is creatine good for judo?

Yes, for strength and repeated efforts. It also adds about 0.89 kg on average, and in judo that weight counts at the official weigh-in and again at the random morning check, where the ceiling is 5 percent above the category limit. That is why it is usually stopped 4 to 6 weeks before competition.

Is caffeine banned in judo?

No. Caffeine is not on the WADA Prohibited List; it is in WADA's monitoring program. The risk is the stimulants in pre-workout products, which are prohibited in competition.

Can a supplement make a judoka fail a drug test?

Yes. Supplements can be contaminated with substances that are not on the label, and under strict liability the athlete is responsible for what is in the sample. Pre-workouts and fat burners are the highest-risk categories.