Phenylcapsaicin study shows endurance and recovery gains for CrossFitters

aXichem announced preliminary results from a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study showing its ingredient aXivite (phenylcapsaicin) produced measurable endurance, strength and recovery benefits in high-intensity CrossFit settings. The study, led by Dr. Pablo Jiménez Martínez in Spain as part of a government-funded doctoral project, reported that athletes on aXivite held performance longer in the late rounds of WODs, produced higher peak power and lifted heavier loads under fatigue, and returned to peak performance faster with less reported muscle soreness.

The trial design strengthens the findings for box athletes and coaches: randomized assignment, placebo control and a crossover format reduce between-subject noise and let each athlete serve as their own comparator. The research team also used an AI-driven within-subject analysis to validate trends across sessions, an approach that can pick up small but consistent shifts in repeated high-intensity performances like AMRAPs, EMOMs and chipper-style efforts.

Details released by aXichem describe increased stamina in final rounds of workouts, higher repetition counts and greater power output under exhaustion, along with accelerated recovery markers. Sex-specific analyses are still under way, and the company noted the full study will be submitted to a sports nutrition journal for peer review. The announcement on January 15, 2026 framed the findings as preliminary but commercially promising, and aXichem’s sales and marketing team reported growing interest from supplement manufacturers exploring phenylcapsaicin formulations.

For CrossFitters, coaches and gym owners this study signals a potential new recovery and performance tool to watch. Practical takeaways are straightforward: monitor the upcoming peer-reviewed publication, wait for independent replication and transparent dosing data, and treat current results as early-stage evidence rather than conclusive proof. Athletes considering new supplements should coordinate with their coach and medical provider, especially when integrating anything aimed at altering recovery timelines or training loads.

The study’s combination of real-world high-intensity WOD conditions and within-subject AI validation makes it especially relevant to the CrossFit community, where small gains in late-round stamina and faster turnaround between sessions can translate to tangible improvements in training consistency and competition readiness. aXichem listed company contact Torsten Helsing, CEO aXichem AB, for follow-up.

Next steps for the community include watching for the peer-reviewed paper, following the sex-specific breakdowns, and tracking whether supplement makers roll phenylcapsaicin into products aimed at box athletes. If replicated, these findings could change how athletes manage recovery and program intensity in the weeks between heavy training blocks and competition.