Science- Noah Syndergaard is obsessed with "human optimization" through fitness, nutrition, and more.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher has an elaborate regimen, including ice plunges and many supplements.
Noah Syndergaard admits he has always been fascinated with superheroes.
While he knows he's only human, and that the superpowers he covets are simply out of reach, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher has devoted much of his life to coming as close as he possibly can through fitness, nutrition, and various other forms of self-care.
"Health and wellness is such a faddy term now — I like to use the term human optimization," Syndergaard told Insider while discussing his partnership with supplement brand Thorne. "Being the best version of you could be a superpower in itself, and that's what I'm all about."
Syndergaard fills his days with routines and regimens dedicated to perfecting his physical form
Syndergaard — the 2016 MLB All-Star nicknamed "Thor" for his Scandinavian heritage, long, blond locks, and lightning-fast pitches — boasts an extensive daily routine replete with state-of-the-art tools, science-backed regimens, and some processes he suspects may come off as "too hippy dippy" to some people.
When he's home in Los Angeles, he starts his day with an ice plunge in the cold tub that sits next to the barrel sauna in his garage. He keeps the temperature at a teeth-chattering 35 degrees Fahrenheit, but insists that the cold gives him "a boost of energy."
The 6-foot-6 right-hander then warms himself up with black coffee and stirs in creatine, his first of many supplements of the day. Research suggests the amino acid can bolster strength, athletic performance, injury prevention, and cognition, according to the Mayo Clinic. Syndergaard says drinking it in a hot beverage allows him "to absorb it better."
From there, he often walks on the beach barefoot to take advantage of the "healing benefit" he believes comes from absorbing the "magnetic electrical current" emanating from the Earth's core. Sometimes he'll spend time meditating or doing box breathing near the edge of the ocean, and every once in a while, he'll take his second plunge of the day in the Pacific.
"I'm kind of terrified of the water, but I like to jump in it now," Syndergaard said. "It's so invigorating. I mean, it's chilly, but it gives me so much life."
Syndergaard says he's passionate about nutrition but can't stand the cooking or the cleanup, so he hired a personal chef within the last year. He eats lots grass-fed red meat and has his chef cook almost exclusively with raw butter, which he says elevates the taste of everything.
But he's only human, and admitted that he strays from his prescribed diet from time to time.
"When we're traveling on the road and they have Chick-fil-A on the planes, sometimes I can't resist that," Syndergaard said, name-dropping the chain's Spicy Chicken Sandwich. "When God gives you a gift like that, you have to take it."
Whether he's home with his chef or on the road where eating healthfully can be a challenge, Syndergaard says he takes an assortment of supplements to ensure he has "adequate vitamin and nutrient consumption throughout the day." He takes around a half-dozen a day, including curcumin phytosome — which Johns Hopkins Medicine says has "antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties" — and L-glutamine to support intestinal and joint health (both made by Thorne, for which Syndergaard is a spokesperson).
If he's pitching that night or has a heavy training day in between starts, Syndergaard turns to Thorne's RecoveryPro — which consists of whey protein, tryptophan, magnesium bisglycinate, and GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter — to help him reach what he referred to as "a parasympathetic state." Activating this portion of one's autonomic nervous system can result in calming effects in the face of stress, according to Mayo Clinic.
Before bed, Syndergaard also takes the brand's Magnesium CitraMate supplement to support heart and bone health.
Supplements and, more broadly, the pursuit of peak wellness "can help any athlete or any normal person that doesn't compete in sports to be the best version of themselves," Syndergaard says.