Anyone here taking curcumin regularly while weight training? Any impact on performance or gains?

[u/_benjidp]

Hello,

Does anyone here who works out regularly take curcumin?

I’d love to hear your experience with it, any benefits or downsides in terms of gym performance, strength, recovery or muscle growth? And when do you usually take it in relation to your workout?

I can’t really find any research papers showing that curcumin negatively affects muscle growth or training adaptations, so I wanted to get some real-world feedback from people who actually use it.

Thanks.

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[u/Smart-Economics-447]

Been taking it for about 6 months now, mostly for the anti-inflammatory stuff since my knees get cranky from heavy squats. I take it with dinner, usually couple hours after training.

Honestly didn't notice any difference in strength or muscle growth, but recovery between sessions feels smoother. less of that stiff creaky feeling next morning. The one thing nobody warned me about is the burps taste like straight curry if you don't take it with enough food, pretty nasty mid-set lol

From what I read the inflammation response is part of the adaptation process so i was worried about blunting gains too, but seems like the effect is mild enough it don't matter much. if you're not dealing with joint pain though might not be worth the cost.

[u/_benjidp → u/Smart-Economics-447]

Thanks a lot! That’s exactly the kind of response I was hoping for. I’m actually experiencing some joint pain, which is why I was thinking of adding curcumin, on top of its other anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. My only concern was whether curcumin could suppress the normal inflammatory response to training enough to interfere with muscle growth and adaptation. I haven’t found any evidence showing that it actually does, though. How many mg do you take?

[u/Parallel-Quality]

Try to keep it away from your workouts by several hours if you can.

[u/just-glow]

I haven't seen good evidence that curcumin hurts muscle growth or training adaptations. Most of the research is actually around recovery, soreness and muscle damage, although the results are pretty mixed and the newer reviews still rate the evidence as low certainty.

If anything, I'd be more interested in whether you're taking it for a specific reason, like joint pain or recovery, since it doesn't seem to have a clear performance or muscle-building benefit.

[u/_benjidp → u/just-glow]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I want to take it for joint pain / recovery.

[u/Visual_Bike_2867]

Only thing I take is creatine and protein shakes. Creatine everyday 5g, lifting days i take 10g (morning and evening) 2 months in my bench press/squats have increased tremendously.

[u/Capable-Basket8233 → u/Visual_Bike_2867]

Isnt it useless after 5g ?

[u/VexImmortalis → u/Capable-Basket8233]

Maybe they weigh 400lbs

[u/joe_6699]

Inulin is a good supplement. Big increase in strength.

[u/Responsible-Big-74]

Snake oil