Beetroot and Workout Performance: What the Research Says

Oct 29, 2026 | posted by Fitness Now

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Short answer

Beetroot is rich in dietary nitrate, which the body converts — with help from bacteria in the mouth — into nitrite and then nitric oxide, a molecule involved in blood flow and muscle function. Research suggests beetroot juice may modestly improve endurance-type exercise in some people, but results are mixed, especially for short, explosive, or high-intensity interval work. It is not a shortcut: training, sleep, food, and hydration still do most of the work. If you try beetroot, food sources and a simple powder are the most straightforward options, and anyone taking medication or managing a health condition should talk to a doctor or pharmacist first.

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\nRead this first — this guide is not medical advice. This post is general information only. It does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition, and it is not a substitute for advice from your doctor, pharmacist, or another qualified health professional. Research amounts mentioned below describe what studies used — they are not a personal dosing recommendation for you.\n

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Why beetroot caught researchers' attention

Beetroot contains naturally occurring nitrate (not to be confused with the nitrates added to some processed meats, which are a different dietary context). After you eat or drink beetroot, nitrate circulates in the blood, is concentrated in saliva, and is converted by oral bacteria into nitrite. Nitrite can then be converted into nitric oxide, particularly when oxygen availability is low — which is exactly what happens in working muscles during hard exercise. That chain is why researchers began testing beetroot juice as a possible aid for exercise, rather than simply as a vegetable.

It is also worth noting what beetroot is not: it is not a stimulant like caffeine, and it does not directly build muscle. Any effect, where one is found, is thought to come through efficiency — muscles using oxygen a little more economically — rather than through extra energy or strength on its own.

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What the research actually says

The honest summary is: promising for endurance, inconsistent for everything else.

Endurance exercise. In one well-known crossover study of trained cyclists, six days of concentrated beetroot juice (about 140 ml per day) improved 10-km time-trial performance and lowered oxygen uptake during submaximal cycling compared with a nitrate-depleted placebo juice. The improvement was real but modest — roughly 12 seconds over about 16 minutes — which is the right scale to keep in mind.

High-intensity and resistance exercise. Results here are much less consistent. A 2025 dose-response study in resistance-trained men found that beetroot juice at low, moderate, and high nitrate doses did not change countermovement jump, squat, or bench press performance compared with placebo, even though blood nitrate and nitrite levels rose. A study of high-intensity functional training participants found no significant difference in benchmark workout time after a single beetroot supplement compared with a control session. And a study in female team-sport athletes found no significant effect on sprints, jumps, throws, grip strength, or an intermittent running test.

Other groups and outcomes. Some studies in specific populations have found benefits — for example, a small study in people with COPD found longer submaximal exercise time after beetroot juice — but those findings apply to the people studied and cannot be generalized into a recommendation for everyone. A 2025 study in adolescent judokas did find improvements in jump height, grip and back strength, and judo-specific throws after beetroot juice, which shows how much results can vary by sport, test, and population.

Taken together, the pattern is familiar in sports nutrition: a plausible mechanism, some positive endurance studies, and several null results. That does not make beetroot useless, and it does not make it a proven performance booster. It makes it a reasonable food to include if you enjoy it, with expectations kept modest.

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Timing, amounts, and practical details

Studies most often gave beetroot juice about 2 to 3 hours before exercise, because that is roughly when blood nitrite levels peak after nitrate intake. Some studies used a single dose; others used several days of daily intake. The amounts in studies are usually described in millimoles of nitrate — commonly around 6 to 13 mmol in a concentrated juice serving — rather than in grams of powder, because nitrate content varies by product, beet variety, and preparation. Again, those figures describe research protocols, not a recommendation for you.

A few practical points matter more than chasing an exact number:

Do not use antibacterial mouthwash right before or after beetroot if you are testing it for this purpose. The mouth bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite are part of the pathway researchers describe, and strong mouthwash can disrupt that step.
Expect pink or red urine or stools. This is called beeturia, is harmless for most people, and is a well-known effect of eating beets. It can be surprising the first time, but it is not blood.
Start with food first. Roasted beets, beet salads, and beet juice give you nitrate along with fiber, potassium, folate, and other nutrients that a powder alone does not. A powder is simply more convenient on training days.
Watch for stomach upset. Beetroot juice and concentrated powders can cause bloating or loose stools in some people, which is the opposite of helpful before a workout. Try any new product on a light training day first, not on race day or a personal-best attempt.
Be cautious if you take blood pressure medication or have kidney stones. Beets are relatively high in oxalates, and nitrate can interact with blood flow. This is a talk-to-your-doctor-or-pharmacist situation, not a reason to guess.

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Beetroot vs. other pre-workout choices

Beetroot is often grouped with pre-workout supplements, but it plays a different role. Caffeine acts on the nervous system and alertness; creatine supports short, high-intensity efforts by topping up the muscle's rapid energy system; beetroot, where it helps at all, is thought to help muscles work more efficiently. They are not interchangeable, and stacking several new supplements at once makes it impossible to tell which one — if any — made a difference, or which one upset your stomach. If you experiment, change one thing at a time and keep notes on the workout, timing, and how you felt.

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Fitness Now products in this guide

Prices below were verified on the Fitness Now store on October 29, 2026, and may change — check the product page for the current price.

Beetroot — $15.98: a straightforward beetroot powder for smoothies or pre-workout drinks. Check the label for serving size and follow it rather than adding extra scoops.
Grass-Fed Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptides — $25.95: a collagen powder some lifters use as part of their post-workout routine. It is not a performance booster on its own, and it does not replace protein from food, sleep, or rest days.

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Bottom line

Beetroot is a legitimate, nutrient-rich food with an interesting research story behind it. For endurance athletes, the evidence is encouraging but modest; for strength, sprint, and high-intensity interval athletes, the evidence is inconsistent. Treat it as one small, optional part of a sensible training diet — not as a replacement for training, sleep, or a balanced plate — and talk to a health professional if you take medication or have a health condition.

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Disclaimer

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet, and individual results vary. Consult your physician before starting any supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.

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Sources

Lansley, K. E., et al. — Nitrate supplementation and 10-km time-trial performance in trained cyclists (PubMed PMID 22248502): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22248502/
Dietary nitrate supplementation and exercise performance in COPD patients (PMC4411191): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4411191/
Effect of dietary nitrate supplementation on resistance exercise performance: a dose-response investigation (PubMed PMID 40274664): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40274664/
The effect of beetroot supplementation on high-intensity functional training performance (PMC7241616): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7241616/
Acute inorganic nitrate ingestion in female team-sport athletes (PMC11568988): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11568988/
Acute beetroot juice supplementation in recreational adolescent judokas (PubMed PMID 41112748): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41112748/

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