Beyond Muscle

by Eric Munson | June 1, 2026

Ingredients for strength are now seen as a wellness and longevity metric.

According to Rajat Shah, co-founder of India-based Nutriventia, the muscle and strength category has undergone “remarkable transformation.”

What started as a domain for bodybuilders and elite athletes has now evolved into a mainstream health priority spanning fitness enthusiasts, aging adults and everyday consumers who want to move better, recover faster and live stronger. Today’s consumers are looking for three things: results they can feel, ingredients they can trust and formats that fit into their lives.

“On the results front, demand goes well beyond muscle building. Consumers want faster recovery from training, reduced soreness after intense workouts, and the ability to get back to peak performance without unnecessary downtime, Shah said. “Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) remains one of the most consistent barriers to training regularly and addressing it effectively has become a significant opportunity for brands in this space.”

“Consumers are continually seeking more benefits from their products, from muscle recovery and muscle synthesis to fatigue support and improved performance. They’re looking at their fitness routines—specifically, how they fuel for activity—through a macro lens, where what they consume before, after and on rest days matters as much as their pre-workout,” added Kim Fernandez, business development manager at Natural Alternatives International (NAI, Carlsbad, CA).

What Consumers Want

Sydney Staedt, marketing manager at Bioenergy Life Science (BLS, Minneapolis, MN), said consumers have beyond the old “bigger muscles, heavier lifts” mindset. Today’s shoppers—whether a committed lifter, a busy parent, or an active 55-year-old—are looking for products to help them train effectively, recover faster and still feel energized the next day. Strength is increasingly being viewed as a longevity metric, not just a gym outcome.

“At the same time, there’s a clear shift toward more efficient, multifunctional products. Consumers don’t want to stack multiple supplements to cover energy, recovery and long-term muscle health. They’re looking for formulas where ingredients work together and each component has a purpose,” Staedt said. “We’re also seeing more attention placed on how a product feels beyond the workout itself. It’s not just about performance in the moment, but how the body responds hours and days later. That shift is pushing brands to think beyond the traditional gym user and focus more on supporting the body’s underlying energy and recovery systems.”

According to Jordan Miller, vice president, marketing at New Jersey-based Everwell Health, muscle health is foundational to wellness, powering everyday strength for daily activities. It is essential for all to maintain mobility, balance and the ability to stay active and independent throughout life.

“When it comes to supporting muscle health and strength, active individuals, older adults and athletes each have unique priorities,” Miller said. “For active individuals, maintaining strong muscles is essential for supporting their busy lifestyles. Older adults prioritize longevity, desiring to stay active and independent as they age. Athletes, on the other hand, want to optimize their strength and muscle gains beyond what is provided by protein alone.”

According to Mike Young, R&D manager, dairy nutrition at Glanbia (Chicago, IL), the muscle and strength market has grown to include more mainstream consumers. These consumers have a desire to have protein in a familiar format and don’t want to sacrifice taste or texture while consuming protein.

“Protein is everywhere now. As the benefits of protein are better understood, more consumers look for it in convenient and enjoyable products. Protein in powders might be for the gym goers, but when you see protein in cereals, beverages and snacks, you know it’s gone mainstream. Foodservice is also getting in on the action, with things like protein-rich bowls at popular chains,” Young said. “We’re finding consumers are increasingly looking for ingredients that go beyond traditional muscle and strength benefits though. Creatine is a big one. It was largely seen as a gym-focused supplement but is now recognized not only for muscle support but for its broader potential health benefits like energy, endurance, bone and joint health.”

Floor van der Horst, global marketing director, performance and active nutrition at Netherlands-based FrieslandCampina Ingredients, said consumers are taking a no-compromise approach, rejected chalky textures, heavy mouthfeel and off-notes once tolerated in high-protein products. They also want more protein per gram.

“It’s worth noting that different consumers have different needs. GLP-1 users, for example, represent a distinct and rapidly growing segment. Reduced appetite is central to how these medications work, but this creates a unique nutritional challenge. Smaller eating occasions mean less room for compromise: every bite or sip needs to deliver more,” van der Horst said. “Studies show that as much as 40-60 percent of total GLP-1-supported weight loss may come from reductions in lean body mass. So, for these consumers, muscle and strength products are not a lifestyle choice–they are a nutritional necessity. This evolution changes the conversation entirely, and raises the bar for great-tasting, convenient products, even among people eating less.”

Innovations

According to Shah, turmeric has come a long way from being a traditional wellness ingredient to being a strategic addition to the muscle and strength space.

“From a muscle and performance standpoint, turmeric plays more of an enabling role rather than a direct muscle builder. When you train hard, your body undergoes stress leading to muscle soreness, inflammation, and fatigue,” Shah said. “While this is part of the growth process, excessive inflammation can slow you down and impact consistency. Curcumin helps strike that balance by supporting a healthy inflammatory response, reducing post-workout soreness, and promoting faster recovery.”

Staedt said creatine is one of the most exciting areas of innovation, but the biggest innovation is how it’s being used.

“It’s no longer just positioned for gym performance. We’re seeing it expand into everyday health, cognitive support and long-term vitality, which is opening the door for more advanced formulations,” Staedt said.

She added there’s also a broader shift toward supporting cellular energy and metabolism, not just immediate performance. Ingredients that influence ATP production and mitochondrial function are becoming more important because they help sustain energy over time rather than a short-term boost.

“At the same time, innovation isn’t just happening at the ingredient level. Delivery formats and formulation strategies are improving, making it easier to incorporate these combinations into a wider range of products beyond traditional powders, including RTDs (ready-to-drinks), stick packs and functional foods. That flexibility matters because it lets brands meet consumers where they already are, whether that’s a morning coffee routine or an on-the-go snack,” Staedt said.

According to Young, one of the most notable ingredient advancements is the expansion of protein into formats where it wasn’t traditionally used, such as snack and indulgent products.

“To make this possible, ingredient suppliers have developed highly functional proteins that allow formulators to push the boundaries of protein inclusion without sacrificing taste and texture.

“An example of this is high protein extruded snacks,” Young explained. “Traditional extruded snacks would be made up of primarily starch but with increased protein functionality, the makeup of the extruded snack can now shift from carbohydrate to protein without sacrificing taste or texture.”

Van der Horst said ingredient innovation is moving fast, and the most compelling advances are happening at the intersection of protein and gut health. For health-savvy consumers looking for marginal gains, there’s a new generation of “protein plus” formulations that could take them from plateau to peak performance.

“The science driving this transition is the growing evidence for the gut-muscle axis–a bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiota, muscle function and athletic performance,” van der Horst explained. “Research suggests that a healthy, balanced gut microbiome supports the body’s ability to utilize protein more effectively and contributes to the processes involved in building and maintaining muscle. And the relationship also works both ways—regular physical activity has been shown to positively influence gut health, reinforcing the synergy between these interconnected systems.”

Natural Ingredients

Suppliers offer a variety of natural ingredients for formulating muscle and strength products. Nutriventia offers TurmXTRA, which has been keenly intentional and focused not just on improving curcumin delivery, but on making it effective, safe and adaptable for modern consumers.

According to Shah, one of the most significant advancements is a proprietary molecular dispersion technology. This enables curcuminoids to become highly water-dispersible, which traditional turmeric extracts struggle with due to being oil-soluble. It also doesn’t rely on bioenhancers like piperine.

“What sets TurmXTRA apart is its ability to deliver sustained plasma levels of free curcumin over 24 hours with just a single low dose. This pharmacokinetic performance ensures prolonged activity in the body, supporting recovery, muscle resilience, and overall performance without the burden of high dosing,” Shah said.

Fernandez said beta-alanine is a well-established ingredient known for supporting endurance, training capacity and overall exercise performance. However, traditional forms are often associated with paresthesia—a harmless tingling sensation that if uncomfortable for some.

NAI’s CarnoSyn 4X has been shown to have four times greater bioavailability than conventional beta-alanine without the paresthesia. For every 1,029 mg of CarnoSyn 4X, you would have to consume 3,200 mg of traditional beta-alanine. It works by increasing carnosine levels which buffers acid in muscle tissue—the burning sensation of overworked muscles during and after strenuous exercise comes from lactic acid buildup. Consumers can work out longer at higher intensities while also supporting recovery after the gym.

“This enables formulations to support beta-alanine supplementation even on rest days; beta-alanine works best with daily consumption to allow for proper muscle loading,” Fernandez said. “If people skip doses because of the paresthesia, then they also miss out on the clinically studied benefits. CarnoSyn 4X solves this problem while also creating a more formulator-friendly profile since it’s suitable for even small applications.”

BLS’ flagship ingredient is Bioenergy Ribose, which plays a direct role in ATP production that is essential for muscle contraction, strength and recovery. The company has also formulated more advanced solutions like PeakPwr, which combines ribose with creatine monohydrate to help initiate rapid ATP production and restore energy levels after they’ve been depleted.

“Overall, our approach has always centered on cellular energy. By focusing on how energy is produced, used and replenished in the body, we’re able to support muscle function in a way that feels sustained rather than stimulated, and that translates across a wide range of consumers, from serious athletes to active adults focused on healthy living at every age,” Staedt said.

Everwell Health rebranded Velositol to MyoVera in 2025 to highlights its broadened role as a muscle health ingredient for all consumers at any stage of life.

Miller explained protein intake is important for muscle health because it plays an essential role in muscle building and maintaining muscle mass. Some consumers struggle to get enough protein in their diet while others look for more results than what protein alone can provide.

“A key study supporting MyoVera demonstrated that MyoVera, when combined with 15 grams of whey protein, improved functional muscle performance better than 15 or 30 grams of whey protein alone,” Miller explained. “In the eight-week study, MyoVera significantly increased muscle endurance, strength and power. While these results are highly relevant to performance-oriented consumers, they also translate to everyday active consumers—showing MyoVera can help muscles carry more weight, keep going for longer in daily activities, and help power muscles so consumers feel stronger.”

FrieslandCampina’s muscle and strength portfolio centers around core dairy protein ingredients including whey and casein—both designed for a different job in muscle recovery and performance. Nutri Whey provides highly versatile, format-flexible options for snacks, shakes, gels and more.

“Our Nutri Whey whey ingredients provide highly versatile, format-flexible options for snacks, shakes, gels and more. Within this range, our microparticulated whey builds on this further, with enhanced heat stability and improved texture control that gives manufacturers greater formulation freedom across more demanding applications like ready-to-drink beverages,” van der Horst explained.

FrieslandCampina also has the Excellion line of caseins. Van der Horst added as consumers become more educated about sports nutrition, they are moving away from thinking about standalone products and starting to consider how nutrition works across the whole day.

“Our caseins’ slow-release profile makes them particularly well suited for longer recovery windows– overnight or between meals—providing a steady supply of amino acids when the body needs it most,” van der Horst said. “This makes casein-based concepts a natural fit for snacks in-between meals—such as overnight protein powders, afternoon snack bars and after-dinner puddings—to keep consumers feeling fuller for longer, too. The growing popularity of casein shows that we’re moving away from one-size-fits-all solutions and toward a 24/7 approach to muscle maintenance and recovery—not just post-workout.”

CreaBev is a proprietary creatine ingredient developed by Glanbia designed to enable effective creatine delivery in ready-to-drink beverages.

“Creatine is well known in the muscle and strength category for its ability to increase muscle strength and power, but it’s also known to fall out of solution and degrade over time to creatinine, a waste product,” Yong explained. “To solve this, CreaBev is an encapsulated creatine that improves stability and dispersibility, allowing formulators to add creatine to beverages and modern delivery formats like gummies and gels, where standard creatine typically fails.”

Manufacturing and Formulating

Shah said when it comes to formulating effective muscle and strength products, it is important to follow science as opposed to just trends.

“Today’s consumers are far more informed and discerning. They’re not just looking for ingredients on a label; they’re looking for proven efficacy, transparency and real results. So, the first step is to prioritize clinically validated ingredients over generic commodities. Look for solutions that have strong human data backing their claims, especially in areas like recovery, inflammation management, and performance,” Shah said.

Equally important is bioavailability. An ingredient may look impressive on paper, but if it isn’t absorbed well by the body, its benefits are limited. Choosing advanced, bioavailable formats can make a significant difference in delivering consistent and measurable outcomes, Shah added.

“Formulators should also think beyond capsules. The future is clearly moving toward versatile, consumer-friendly formats beverages, gummies, powders so ingredients need to be adaptable, stable, and easy to work with across applications, without compromising efficacy or sensory experience,” Shah said. “Another key aspect is safety and compatibility. With consumers increasingly stacking multiple supplements, it’s important to opt for ingredients that don’t rely on additives or bioenhancers that may interfere with drug metabolism or long-term use.”

Staedt explained manufacturers should look beyond “headline claims” and ask a more important question: “How does this ingredient actually perform in the body?” Performance isn’t driven by a single pathway. Energy production, recovery and adaptation are all connected so ingredients need to support these systems in a meaningful, complementary way.

“Quality and transparency also matter more than ever. It’s not just about what the ingredient is, but where it comes from and how it’s made. Having a clear chain of custody, consistent sourcing, and strong quality standards helps ensure what’s on the label is what’s in the product. That’s becoming a bigger differentiator as consumers and brands both demand more accountability,” Staedt explained. “There’s also a tendency to over-formulate. More ingredients don’t always mean better results. In many cases, a well-designed formula with fewer, synergistic ingredients will outperform a long list of disconnected actives. Thoughtful combinations that support the full energy cycle tend to deliver a more noticeable and consistent experience.” NIE