Find Your 3%: Beetroot Nitrate and the Science of Small Gains
Find Your 3% is Beet It Sport's way of turning the science behind dietary nitrate into something meaningful for athletes. A 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis by Senefeld et al....
Find Your 3% is Beet It Sport's way of turning the science behind dietary nitrate into something meaningful for athletes.
A 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis by Senefeld et al. analysed 80 studies and concluded that, under optimal supplementation conditions, dietary nitrate produced an approximately 3% performance-enhancing effect in those athletes.
That does not mean every athlete will become exactly 3% faster. Individual responses vary, and factors such as training status, event type, dose and timing all matter.
Instead, Find Your 3% is about the small performance gains available when the work is already being done - and exploring what better nitrate optimisation could contribute to your own performance.
Key takeaways
- The 3% figure comes directly from peer-reviewed research, not from a marketing calculation.
- A major 2020 meta-analysis found an approximately 3% performance-enhancing effect under optimal nitrate supplementation conditions, with the clearest evidence in healthy young men.
- The International Olympic Committee recognises dietary nitrate as one of a small number of supplements with good evidence for potential performance benefits.
- Dietary nitrate can help reduce the oxygen cost of exercise, meaning the body may be able to sustain a given workload more efficiently.
-
400mg dietary nitrate taken around 2-3 hours before exercise sits comfortably within the 5-9 mmol range commonly supported by performance research.
- Individual responses vary. Find Your 3% is not a promise that every athlete will improve by exactly 3%.
Training, recovery, sleep, fuelling and pacing still come first. Nitrate is another tool to optimise the work you are already doing.
Small gains matter
Every serious athlete understands the small things. Athletes refer to 1% gains, we want them to lean into 3% gains.
A smarter pacing decision in the opening kilometre. Better sleep before a key session. Getting fuelling right. Holding form when fatigue arrives. Taking a few seconds out of a transition.
None of these things replaces training.
But once you have put in the work, performance is often decided by relatively small margins.
That is what Find Your 3% is about.
The 3% is not a number chosen because it sounds good.
In 2020, Senefeld et al. published a systematic review and meta-analysis examining dietary nitrate supplementation and exercise performance across 80 studies.
Their conclusion was that, under optimal supplementation conditions, nitrate produced a quantitative and repeatable improvement in exercise performance of approximately 3% in those athletes.
The overall statistical effect was small.
In competitive sport, small does not necessarily mean insignificant.
Small gains matter. Find yours.
What does "Find Your 3%" actually mean?
Dietary nitrate is naturally present in foods including beetroot and leafy green vegetables.
Once consumed, nitrate enters a pathway that ultimately increases the availability of nitric oxide in the body - a signalling molecule involved in blood flow, skeletal muscle function and muscle energetics.
Researchers have studied whether increasing nitrate availability can improve the body's ability to perform exercise.
The evidence does not suggest that nitrate suddenly transforms an athlete.
Instead, the interesting finding is a much smaller effect.
Senefeld et al. found a small but statistically significant overall improvement in exercise performance and concluded that optimal nitrate supplementation could produce an approximately 3% performance-enhancing effect in those athletes.
That 3% is an average research finding, not an individual guarantee.
Some people respond more strongly. Others respond less.
The meta-analysis also found that the overall effect was not detected in the subgroup of highly trained endurance athletes with exceptionally high aerobic fitness.
Female-only studies did not show a statistically significant overall effect either, although the researchers highlighted that women were heavily underrepresented in the evidence base, meaning far more research is needed before drawing strong conclusions.
So Find Your 3% is not:
"Take a beetroot shot and become 3% faster."
It is:
The research shows that small but meaningful performance gains are possible. Use nitrate properly, test it in training and discover what that gain looks like for you.
What does 3% look like in seconds and minutes?
Three percent can sound insignificant when it is written on a page.
To put the scale into context, here is what 3% of some common endurance race times looks like mathematically.
| Event | Example time | 3% of that time |
|---|---|---|
| 5K run | 20:00 | 36 seconds |
| 10K run | 45:00 | 1 min 21 sec |
| Half marathon | 1:30:00 | 2 min 42 sec |
| Marathon | 3:15:00 | 5 min 51 sec |
| 25-mile cycling TT | 55:00 | 1 min 39 sec |
| 40 km cycling TT | 1:00:00 | 1 min 48 sec |
| Olympic-distance triathlon bike leg | 1:10:00 | 2 min 6 sec |
These figures illustrate the scale of 3%. They are not predictions that nitrate supplementation will reduce an athlete's race time by these amounts. Individual responses and the effects across different event durations vary.
There is, however, a useful example of a gain of almost exactly this magnitude being demonstrated under controlled research conditions.
In a 2011 study by Lansley et al., nine competitive male cyclists completed 4 km and 16.1 km cycling time trials after consuming nitrate-rich beetroot juice or a nitrate-depleted placebo.
Performance improved by 2.8% over 4 km and 2.7% over 16.1 km.
In the longer trial, mean completion time fell from 27.7 minutes to 26.9 minutes - approximately 48 seconds faster.
Importantly, mean oxygen uptake did not increase, while power output was higher. In other words, the cyclists produced more power without a corresponding increase in oxygen consumption.
That is not a promise of what every athlete will experience.
It is an example of what a gain of this magnitude has actually looked like in performance research.
Why can a few percent matter?
Look at elite sport and small percentages quickly become meaningful.
At the 2024 Tokyo Marathon, Benson Kipruto won in 2:02:16.
Fifth-place finisher Tsegaye Getachew ran 2:06:25.
Just 4 minutes 9 seconds separated first from fifth - approximately 3.4% of the winning time.
That does not mean nitrate supplementation could have moved the fifth-place athlete into first place.
The example simply illustrates scale.
At the highest levels of sport, a few percentage points can separate very different outcomes.
And the principle extends far beyond elite competition.
For one athlete, the goal might be breaking 20 minutes for 5K.
For another, it might be holding target power through the end of a time trial.
For someone else, it might simply be arriving at the final few kilometres of a race with slightly more left to give.
Small percentages can matter massively.
How does that compare with the gains athletes make through training?
Training remains the foundation of performance.
But looking at training research helps put the scale of a few percentage points into perspective.
In a study by Turner, Owings and Schwane, regular distance runners continued their normal running while one group added six weeks of plyometric training.
The runners completing the plyometric programme significantly improved their running economy, with the study's average running economy measure increasing from 5.14 to 5.26 - an improvement of approximately 2.3%.
The researchers concluded that six weeks of plyometric training improved running economy in regular distance runners.
Compare that with the approximately 3% performance-enhancing effect identified under optimal nitrate supplementation conditions in the Senefeld meta-analysis.
The training effect
Approximately 2.3% improvement in running economy
6 weeks of additional plyometric training in regular distance runners.
The nitrate effect
Approximately 3% performance-enhancing effect
Identified under optimal nitrate supplementation conditions in the Senefeld meta-analysis.
A similar scale. A different method.
These are not equivalent measurements, and nitrate supplementation is not a substitute for six weeks of training.
Running economy and overall exercise performance are different outcomes, and the interventions work through completely different mechanisms.
But the comparison helps illustrate something important:
Athletes spend weeks, months and years chasing improvements measured in small percentages.
Nitrate optimisation is another potential source of a small gain to sit alongside that training - not instead of it.
How does dietary nitrate support exercise performance?
The process starts in an unusual place: your mouth.
Nitrate consumed through beetroot is absorbed and circulated through the body. Some is concentrated back into saliva, where bacteria naturally present in the mouth help convert nitrate into nitrite.
That nitrite can subsequently contribute to increased nitric oxide availability.
Nitric oxide is involved in several physiological processes relevant to exercise, including blood vessel function, skeletal muscle function and muscle energetics.
Unlike caffeine, nitrate is not a stimulant.
One of the most interesting findings from nitrate research is its effect on the oxygen cost of exercise.
Put simply:
How much oxygen does your body need to sustain a particular workload?
In a landmark 2009 study, Bailey et al. found that several days of nitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation reduced the oxygen cost of submaximal exercise and increased exercise tolerance during severe-intensity cycling.
Later research has continued to investigate several possible mechanisms behind nitrate's effects, including reduced ATP cost of muscle force production, changes in mitochondrial efficiency, muscle blood flow and type II muscle fibre function.
In practical terms, the goal is not to make exercise effortless.
It is to potentially make the body more efficient at producing the performance you are asking from it.
And in sport, that can really matter.
What does the wider evidence say?
Nitrate is now one of the most extensively studied sports nutrition interventions.
The International Olympic Committee identified nitrate as one of a relatively small number of supplements with sufficient evidence to support the possibility of marginal performance gains in appropriate sporting situations.
Its 2018 consensus statement reported nitrate supplementation being associated with:
-
1-3% improvements in sport-specific time-trial performances lasting less than 40 minutes
-
4-25% improvements in time-to-exhaustion exercise
-
3-5% improvements in some high-intensity intermittent exercise lasting 12-40 minutes
The size of the effect depends heavily on the exercise being measured.
Time-to-exhaustion studies, for example, should not be interpreted in the same way as fixed-distance race or time-trial improvements.
This is why the 3% used in Find Your 3% is particularly useful.
Rather than selecting the biggest result from an individual study, it is anchored to a large systematic review and meta-analysis looking across the wider body of evidence.
Does nitrate work the same way for every athlete?
No.
And this is an important part of Find Your 3%.
Senefeld et al. found an overall performance benefit across the research, but there was substantial variation between individual studies.
Several factors can influence the response.
Training status
The Senefeld analysis did not detect the same overall performance effect in the subgroup of highly trained endurance athletes with exceptionally high aerobic fitness.
That does not mean highly trained athletes can never benefit from nitrate. It means that, across that subgroup of studies, a consistent overall effect was harder to detect.
Dose
Dose matters.
Research reviews commonly identify approximately 5-9 mmol of nitrate - around 310-560mg - as an effective supplementation range.
Importantly, Senefeld et al. did not detect the overall performance-enhancing effect when nitrate doses were 5 mmol or less.
Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 provides 400mg of dietary nitrate - approximately 6.5 mmol - in a 70ml shot, placing it comfortably within the commonly researched range.
Timing
Timing matters too.
Plasma nitrate concentrations rise first, while plasma nitrite typically peaks approximately 2-3 hours after ingestion.
Senefeld et al. did not detect the overall performance-enhancing effect when nitrate was consumed within 90 minutes of exercise.
That helps explain why taking nitrate on the start line is unlikely to reproduce the protocols associated with positive results in the research.
Event type and duration
Nitrate does not produce the same result across every form of exercise.
Research suggests the effect can vary according to duration, intensity and whether the test measures fixed-distance performance, repeated high-intensity efforts or time to exhaustion.
Individual biology
People simply respond differently.
Diet, oral bacteria, training status and individual physiology can all influence the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway.
That is why the word your matters.
Find Your 3% is about using an evidence-based nitrate protocol and finding out what nitrate optimisation contributes to your own performance.
How to explore your own 3%
1. Start with a standardised nitrate dose
Beetroot itself is naturally rich in nitrate, but nitrate concentration can vary considerably between products and foods.
For sports performance, knowing the dose makes it easier to reproduce the protocols used in research.
Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 provides 400mg dietary nitrate - approximately 6.5 mmol - in a 70ml shot, placing it within the 5-9 mmol range commonly supported by performance research.
2. Take it around 2-3 hours before exercise
This allows time for nitrate to enter the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway and coincides with the period in which plasma nitrite commonly reaches its peak.
Research also suggests that taking nitrate too close to exercise can reduce the likelihood of seeing a performance effect.
3. Consider nitrate loading for key events
Research protocols include both acute supplementation and several days of nitrate use.
Studies and reviews have reported favourable physiological responses using approximately 5-9 mmol nitrate per day for periods ranging from a single day to multiple days. Full dosing guidelines here
Using nitrate consistently for several days before an important competition can therefore be another strategy worth testing in training.
4. Test it before race day
Do not make your key event the first time you try a new nutrition strategy.
Use nitrate around meaningful training sessions and race simulations first.
5. Avoid antibacterial mouthwash around supplementation
The bacteria in your mouth play an important role in converting nitrate into nitrite.
In research by Govoni et al., antibacterial mouthwash abolished nitrate-to-nitrite conversion in saliva and markedly reduced the subsequent rise in plasma nitrite.
That is why antibacterial mouthwash is best avoided around nitrate supplementation.
6. Keep doing the fundamentals
Training.
Recovery.
Sleep.
Fuelling.
Pacing.
Nitrate optimisation sits alongside all of them.
It does not replace the work. It is about finding more from the work you already do.
Why Beet It Sport Nitrate 400?
When researchers study dietary nitrate, controlling the dose matters.
That is one reason concentrated beetroot shots have become useful in both sports science and practical competition settings.
Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 provides a standardised 400mg dietary nitrate dose in a 70ml shot - approximately 6.5 mmol nitrate and comfortably within the range commonly supported by performance research.
It also avoids one of the biggest practical problems with relying on ordinary beetroot products alone: not knowing how much nitrate you are actually consuming.
For athletes wanting to explore their own response, a practical starting point is simple:
400mg nitrate. Around 2-3 hours before a meaningful training session. Test it. Learn how you respond. Build from there.
And more is not necessarily better. Research reviews identify approximately 5-9 mmol as an effective range, with no clear evidence that simply increasing nitrate intake beyond this produces greater benefits.
For longer endurance events, Beet It Sport Energy Gel Top Up 100 provides 100mg dietary nitrate alongside 30g carbohydrate, designed to provide additional dietary nitrate while fuelling during prolonged exercise.
Small gains matter. Find yours.
There is no single secret to better performance.
Athletes improve by stacking small decisions.
Training consistently.
Recovering properly.
Fuelling intelligently.
Pacing well.
Getting the details right.
Dietary nitrate is one of those details with a substantial body of sports science behind it.
Under the right conditions, nitrate can produce small but meaningful improvements in exercise performance.
Small improvements are exactly what athletes spend so much time chasing.
Find Your 3%.
More from the work you already do.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Find Your 3% mean?
Find Your 3% is based on a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis by Senefeld et al., which identified an approximately 3% performance-enhancing effect following optimal nitrate supplementation in those athletes.
It does not mean every athlete will improve by exactly 3%. Individual responses vary.
Find Your 3% is about exploring what evidence-based nitrate optimisation could contribute to your own performance.
Does beetroot juice improve athletic performance?
Research suggests dietary nitrate from sources including beetroot juice can improve exercise performance under certain conditions.
Evidence includes improvements in exercise efficiency, time-trial performance, exercise tolerance and some forms of high-intensity exercise.
The effect varies according to the athlete, dose, timing and type of exercise.
How much nitrate should athletes take?
Sports nutrition research commonly supports approximately 5-9 mmol nitrate, equivalent to around 310-560mg, as an effective supplementation range.
Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 provides 400mg dietary nitrate - approximately 6.5 mmol - per 70ml shot. Informed Sport approved and always 400mg of nitrate guaranteed.
When should I take a beetroot shot before exercise?
Around 2-3 hours before exercise is commonly recommended because plasma nitrite concentrations typically peak over this period.
The Senefeld meta-analysis did not detect the overall performance-enhancing effect when nitrate was consumed within 90 minutes of exercise.
Why did I try beetroot juice once and feel nothing?
Nitrate does not work like caffeine and does not necessarily create an obvious sensation.
Its potential effects are physiological, including changes in exercise efficiency and performance.
Dose, timing, exercise intensity and individual responsiveness all matter, so a poorly timed or unknown dose before an easy session may tell you very little about whether a structured nitrate protocol works for you.
Does mouthwash affect nitrate supplementation?
It can.
Oral bacteria help convert nitrate into nitrite, an important step in the pathway leading to increased nitric oxide availability.
Research has shown that antibacterial mouthwash can abolish nitrate-to-nitrite conversion in saliva and markedly reduce the expected rise in plasma nitrite.
For that reason, antibacterial mouthwash is best avoided around nitrate supplementation.
References
Bailey SJ et al. (2009). Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology. DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00722.2009.
Lansley KE et al. (2011). Acute Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Improves Cycling Time Trial Performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821597b4.
Turner AM, Owings M, Schwane JA. (2003). Improvement in running economy after 6 weeks of plyometric training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. DOI: 10.1519/1533-4287(2003)017<0060:IIREAW>2.0.CO;2.
Jones AM. (2014). Dietary Nitrate Supplementation and Exercise Performance. Sports Medicine.
Govoni M et al. (2008). The increase in plasma nitrite after a dietary nitrate load is markedly attenuated by an antibacterial mouthwash. Nitric Oxide.
Maughan RJ et al. (2018). IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. British Journal of Sports Medicine. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2018-099027.
Senefeld JW et al. (2020). Ergogenic Effect of Nitrate Supplementation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002363.
World Athletics / Tokyo Marathon. Tokyo Marathon Men's Marathon Results, 3 March 2024.