Performance Pre-Workout Powder

Performance is a training-day powder from the AF Nutrition Lab × Amanita Store line, labelled Performance Formula, built around Cordyceps militaris, creatine monohydrate, L-citrulline and betaine (TMG). It combines cumulative components for strength and endurance with an acute-acting citrulline dose that works directly during the session it's taken for. It's meant to be taken daily, including on rest days.

Key benefits:
Strength output and power, from creatine
Muscle blood flow and pump, from citrulline
Cellular hydration and endurance, from betaine
Endurance, oxygen use and muscle recovery under load, from Cordyceps

Separate supplements — creatine on its own, a generic pre-workout on its own — rarely cover the energy, vascular and hydration layers in one serving. Performance combines all three plus Cordyceps for endurance and post-training muscle recovery in a single scoop, for anyone who trains regularly and wants strength, endurance and recovery support without stimulants.

What's in Each Serving

One scoop (≈12 g) contains Cordyceps 10:1 extract, creatine monohydrate, L-citrulline (free form) and TMG (betaine). Powder, black stand-up pouch. Net weight 400 g, 33 servings. Available in Black Cherry, Red Apple, Sweet Orange, Blue Raspberry, Grape, Peach and Pineapple. Full per-ingredient amounts are given on the product label.

What Each Ingredient Does

Cordyceps supports endurance, oxygen use during exertion, muscle recovery after training and immune function, the same fruiting-body extract behind our Cordyceps capsules and tincture.
Creatine monohydrate is the most studied sports supplement for strength, with a cumulative effect through saturating the phosphagen energy system.
L-Citrulline supports nitric oxide production and blood flow to muscle, giving the acute "pump" effect.
TMG (betaine) supports cellular hydration and working capacity under sustained load.

Why These Ingredients Together

Each works at its own level: creatine on the energy system, citrulline on the vascular system, betaine on cellular hydration, Cordyceps on oxygen metabolism. No mechanism duplicates another.

What the Research on Cordyceps Shows

Human research on Cordyceps is newer and smaller than the research on creatine, so we describe it only by what studies in people have actually measured.
Later onset of fatigue: in a 12-week placebo-controlled trial in healthy adults aged 50–75, the Cs-4 strain of Cordyceps sinensis shifted the ventilatory and lactate thresholds, so participants could keep working longer before fatigue set in, although VO2max did not change (Chen et al., 2010).
Oxygen use: a 2026 randomised crossover trial of Cordyceps militaris found higher resting oxygen uptake and faster reaction times after a single dose, and a 2026 review of the human studies on Cordyceps militaris reports better oxygen saturation during exertion.
Muscle recovery: the same review reports a smaller rise in creatine kinase, a marker of micro-damage to muscle fibres, after exercise.
Immune function: in an 8-week randomised controlled trial in 40 healthy adults, Cordyceps militaris increased natural killer (NK) cell activity and lowered the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6.
Tolerability: the NIH LiverTox database rates Cordyceps as an unlikely cause of liver injury, and the side effects reported in studies are rare, mild and mostly digestive.
The immune and safety findings are the most solid. The endurance and recovery results come from a small number of short trials, so they are promising early evidence, not settled science. We don’t claim that Cordyceps boosts ATP production: that idea comes from cell and animal studies, and no human study has confirmed it.

What to Expect and When

Subjectively: a pump sensation from the first dose (citrulline); growing strength and endurance over 2–4 weeks (creatine, betaine).
Objectively: saturation of the muscle phosphagen energy system, support for nitric oxide production, cellular hydration, and improved efficiency of oxygen use.

How and When to Take Performance

Dissolve one scoop (≈2.4 of the included scoop, 12 g) in 250–300 ml of water, 20–30 minutes before training.

Training Days and Rest Days

Take it every day, regardless of your training schedule — creatine and betaine work through building a stable concentration in muscle tissue over time, not as a one-off dose before a specific session.

Quality and Sourcing

The Cordyceps in Performance is Cordyceps militaris, cultivated to full fruiting body on a vegetarian substrate — not the wild Himalayan Cordyceps sinensis (genuinely rare and effectively impossible to buy authentically at supplement prices), and not mycelium grown on grain, which is largely starch by weight and correspondingly low in cordycepin. This is the same fruiting-body standard as our standalone Cordyceps capsules. The creatine is creatine monohydrate, the form behind essentially all of the strength and power research on creatine, rather than a newer, more expensive form with no demonstrated advantage. Citrulline is supplied as free-form L-citrulline rather than citrulline malate, so the amount on the label is citrulline itself, not a blended weight.

Who This Suits

Performance is built for anyone training regularly — strength training, endurance work, or a mixed routine — who wants a stimulant-free pre-workout that also functions as a daily creatine and hydration product. It suits people who already drink coffee or take Focus earlier in the day and don't want a second dose of caffeine before training, and people who found that stimulant-heavy pre-workouts leave them wired well past their session. It is not a fat-burner or a weight-loss product, and it is not intended for anyone under 18.

Creatine Loading and What to Expect Week to Week

A loading phase is not required — the daily creatine amount in each serving reaches steady-state muscle saturation within roughly 3 to 4 weeks, the same endpoint a traditional loading protocol reaches faster but with more water retention in the first week. Most people notice a small, unremarkable weight increase of 1–2 kg in the first few weeks from water drawn into muscle tissue — this is expected and is not fat gain.

What's on the Label

Every batch of Performance is lab-tested for purity, carries no hidden additives, uses premium-grade raw materials, and has a certificate of analysis available for every batch.

Stacking with Focus and Recovery

Performance is caffeine-free and pairs naturally with Focus or coffee on the same day — take Performance before training, Focus for the working day, and Recovery in the evening after training. For an existing single-species option, see our Forest Cardio Power blend, or browse the full Sport & Performance collection. Our supplement stacking guide and Cordyceps endurance research cover the evidence in more depth.

Safety and Contraindications

Not recommended for people with kidney disease without consulting a doctor first, due to the creatine content. Ensure adequate water intake throughout the day. Do not exceed the recommended serving. This is a food supplement, not a medicine, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Not for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding without medical advice. Creatine draws water into muscle tissue, so adequate hydration across the day matters more on this product than on most — aim to increase your baseline water intake rather than only drinking around the training session itself. People with pre-existing kidney or liver conditions should get medical clearance before starting any creatine-containing product, and anyone on medication that affects kidney function should mention Performance to their doctor.

Storage

Store the sealed pouch in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to take it on rest days? Yes — the cumulative effect of creatine and betaine needs daily intake, training day or not.

When does the effect appear? Citrulline works from the first dose. Creatine and betaine build over 2–4 weeks of regular use.

Can I combine it with coffee or Focus? Yes, Performance is caffeine-free and has no known restrictions on combining it with either — it's a common pairing for anyone who wants a caffeinated boost from coffee or Focus alongside the training-specific ingredients here.

Does the flavour affect the formula? No. All seven flavours — Black Cherry, Red Apple, Sweet Orange, Blue Raspberry, Grape, Peach and Pineapple — carry the identical ingredient panel and doses.