the boundary between “real” ergogenic (performance-enhancing) aids and “fake” belief effects is much fuzzier than most people, even scientists, realize. They cited an observation by sports scientist Trent Stellingwerff, who also coaches athletes including his wife, Hilary, a two-time Olympic 1,500-meter runner. At a conference in 2013, Stellingwerff noted the wide variety of supplements and training methods that have been shown to produce a 1–3 percent boost in performance, from caffeine to beet juice to altitude training. In theory, combining all these approaches should create a superathlete;
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