Supplementation goes back centuries in Chinese medicine so let's take a look at what the fighters on the other side of the world are taking to build muscle, boost performance and burn fat.

1: Best for cage-ready endurance: Cordyceps

Mushrooms can have magic properties especially when they’re found on the highest mountains – sounds like the script for a bad kung fu movie. These pills are made from Himalayan mushrooms that have long been a staple of Chinese medicine to improve both athletic and bedroom endurance.

Research in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that it increases lactate threshold by 10.5%. That means you’ll potentially be able to punch the bag 10.5% longer before your mitts get that jelly feeling. They’re also used to treat cancer, protect bone marrow, boost liver function and have an anti-depressant effect. Not bad for a fungus. 

2: Best for more aggression: Long Jack

Also known as tongkat ali, it is extracted from a Malaysian plant. Long before those ever-popular diamond-shaped blue pills this is what vertically challenged blokes used to get the job done in the sack thanks to it’s testosterone-increasing effects.

Research in the Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology found that this supplement supports the folk use of this plant as an aphrodisiac that not only boosts testosterone but lowers estrogen. So your voice should be gruffer after every tablet. Take it before and after each workout and before bedtime, especially if you’ve got company. 

3: Best athletic immune booster: Loquat

This fruit – also called the Japanese plum – is similar to a peach. To boost your performance it reduces the mucus in your lungs. This helps you breath easier during exercise if you suffer from too much mucus production or are a smoker. Perhaps it’s what Mr Diaz uses to offset his ‘medical’ treatment.

Research in the Journal of Natural Products found that these benefits are because it has powerful anti-viral properties that could even help you ward off colds and flu. What’s more, a study in Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin found that they can boost the health of your liver, making it more apt at processing fat cells. Couple it with high-intensity interval training and your mid-section will soon have more cuts than a barbershop. 

4: Best for more energy and recovery: Gynostemma Tea

This Asian tea is somewhat of an upper but doesn’t work the same as nightclub-style stimulants that make your heart do a trance-dance. This means it has no side effects and you can safely take it in the long term to get a tired noggin through a working day and still have enough energy to hit the dojo afterwards.

Research at the University of Science and Technology of China found that it is also excellent at scavenging free radicals. These are caused when you train hard, and can hamper your recovery process. Sipping on a few cups after a workout means you’ll be flush with the anti-inflammatory properties that’ll ease any post-workout stiffness.

These properties make it a product that’ll not only boost gym performance but also your overall health. Better concentration. Improved recovery. More energy. Now does that sound like a bloke who is fit for the winner’s belt or what? 

5: Best for extra strength: Tribulus Terrestris

This all-natural product massages your adrenal glands, telling them to cough up the maximum levels of testosterone. A study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that it improves blood flow to working muscles and boosts your testosterone levels.

But there is a catch. It tends to work better for guys over 25 years old. This is because your ‘T’ levels decline as you age and this supplement is only able to top them up to their highest natural level.

On the plus side this will guarantee that you pass a drug test if you’re aspiring to the big leagues. And as a little bonus, users often report adding an extra rev to their bedroom engine.

6: Best for more muscle: Chaste Berry Tea

If you enjoy the cultured pursuit of tea drinking then fill your cup with a brew that boosts your sex hormones just enough to neutralize your raised pinkie. Just don’t be alarmed if your girl also uses it to ease her PMS.

But, you may well be asking, guys, How on earth can something good for her be any use to you? Well, the extracts of this tea have been shown to reduce estrogen, found research in Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes. That’s the womanly hormone behind your bud’s man boobs and her foul mood swings.

Less of it means more ‘T’ and more muscle everywhere. It’s particularly useful if you’ve been on the sauce because alcohol increases estrogen. Use it to wash away your hangover in the name of muscle.