The Arnold Sports Festival is as iconic as its namesake, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Primarily a consumer show, a noticeably different vibe filled the halls, especially on the heels of Natural Products Expo West B2B show.
As a first-time attendee, I was particularly excited to see what ingredient insights I could glean from the bodybuilding-focused expo. What I found didn’t disappoint — the following breaks down the top supplement trends in sports and active nutrition I observed.
The elephant in the room: Creatine
If you’re in the dietary supplement industry and you don’t yet know that creatine is one of the hottest trending ingredients, you haven’t been paying attention.
Made from amino acids, creatine has been a staple in sports nutrition for many years. This ergogenic compound has garnered additional fame in recent months for its cognitive benefits and role in women’s health.
Creatine products were plentiful at Arnold Expo 2026, especially in tablet and chew format. Photo Credit: Devon Gholam
While creatine powders were plentiful, manufacturers are expanding delivery innovations for creatine into edible formats, especially combined with beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) for muscle health.
Creatine gummies are more commonplace, albeit with mixed results, but tablet forms dominated at the Arnold expo. Think Sweet Tarts or Smarties with benefits for sports nutrition, blending taste with convenience.
Persnickety peptides, oral and injectable
“Peptides” is the hot buzzword across the industry, although the word has different connotations. Whether taken orally in a dietary supplement or by injection, this class of active ingredients appeared in every corner of the expo floor.
To the food scientist and formulator, a peptide means a short chain of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. The term peptide has increasing familiarity among consumers thanks to glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications and subsequent trends.
Ion Peptide was one of several exhibitors at the Arnold promoting injectable peptides. Photo Credit: Devon Gholam
Many peptides function as hormones or signaling molecules within the body. Consumers have increasingly focused on injectable peptides for their purported health benefits. Without clear regulatory approval, however, most sellers provide the products “for research purposes only.”/p>
The popularity of peptides has opened the door for dietary supplements powered by food-derived peptides for multiple needs states. MuscleTech, a sports nutrition supplement brand by Iovate, showcased its peptide series of supplements at Arnold:
Muscle Peptide (capsule) with 2,000 mg dileucine (marketed as DL-185 by NNB Nutrition).
Metabolic Peptide (capsule) with 250 mg yeast hydrolysate (marketed as DNF-10 by Fytexia, now part of Biotexia).
Nitric Oxide Peptide (capsule) with 150 mg casein hydrolysate (marketed as VasoDrive-AP by Maypro).
Creatine Peptide (powder) with 3 g hydrolyzed whey protein isolate and creatine monohydrate (marketed as PepForm by Glanbia Nutritionals).
Recovery Peptide (powder) with 2.4 g hydrolyzed fava bean protein (marketed as PeptiStrong by Nuritas).
Hydration heats up with multiple formulations
Hydration was a key trend that showed up both at the Arnold and at Natural Products Expo West. Drink mixes abounded, providing electrolytes, amino acids and other active ingredients to support pre- and post-workout goals.
Thrive Supplements provided samples of its clear protein products, electrolyte hydration stick packs and amino acid formula formulated with a branched chain amino acid blend and essential amino acid blend. Sports Research had samples of salted and unsalted electrolyte mixes in various flavors, along with flavored creatine stick packs.
Exhibitors at the Arnold Expo prominently displayed hydration stick packs, featuring amino acid blends, clear protein and electrolyte formulations. Photo Credit: Devon Gholam
One prominent hydration ingredient was not found in powdered form, however. Several products featured glycerol for muscle hydration, leveraging its ability to increase osmotic pressure. Glycerol may also improve aerobic and anaerobic performance.
Glycerol was a key hydration ingredient at the Arnold Expo, as it improves muscle volume and hydration by increasing osmotic pressure. Photo Credit: Devon Gholam
The power of protein
No post-show report of a sports expo would be complete without mentioning protein. The usual suspects — milk, pea and collagen — were all present, but one stood out among the rest: bone broth protein. While it primarily contains collagen, some of the protein is broken down into gelatin during manufacturing.
TruMeta showcased its chocolate flavored functional protein with 20 grams of beef bone broth collagen per serving. Photo Credit: Devon Gholam
TruMeta’s product successfully masked any off notes with chocolate flavor, defying expectations of a savory taste for beef bone broth protein. Although not a complete protein because it lacks the essential amino acid tryptophan, collagen could be a budding source of clear protein for future sports nutrition beverages formulations.
