These Legal Doping Strategies Are Reshaping Endurance Sports. Here’s How They Can Make You Faster

January 13, 2026

Across sports like long-distance running, cycling, and triathlon, athletes are using science-backed interventions to push the limits of what the human body can do. With each innovation comes faster races, broken course records and new fastest-known-times (FKTs). From high-carb fueling to cooling technology to heat training, these strategies all tap into the same basic physiological principle: improving the body’s ability to deliver oxygen and use it efficiently, says Brad Wilkins, Ph.D., exercise physiology and endurance performance researcher at the University of Oregon. And while they don’t offer the same performance benefits of illegal doping methods like blood transfusions, which have been shown to boost performance by up to seven percent, they don’t come with the major health risks and career-ending penalties either. These legal approaches may offer a two to three percent advantage, acting as a kind of “legal doping.” When the goal is to eke out even a tiny competitive edge, every small performance boost matters.

Which ones are worth adding to your routine? We talked to researchers, coaches, and athletes about the science behind these methods to find out. Men’s Journal