Sometimes a simple change can produce meaningful performance benefits. Take peppermint, for instance. A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests that this common natural herb is capable of increasing exercise performance, at least on cardio day.

After consuming 500 mL (about 17 fl. oz.) of water enhanced with 0.05 mL (0.002 fl oz.) of peppermint oil for 10 days, a dozen healthy male subjects were able to increase treadmill running time to exhaustion by an average of 166 seconds. Power and work capacity also increased.

True Strength Moment: Researchers speculate that mint helped increase concentrations of oxygen in the brain while decreasing blood lactate. Whatever the mechanism, if you want to try this experiment on your workouts, the Chocolate Mint flavor of Gold Standard 100% Whey is naturally flavored.