272 Clients In 48 Hours

Expert Opinion

Brain Health

Brain health gets overlooked in sports nutrition.

We monitor heart rate, blood markers, and sleep quality. But cognitive function? Usually an afterthought.

CONKA, a UK-based nootropic supplement company, is trying to change that. Founded by Humphrey Bodington and Harry Glover after experiencing rugby concussions firsthand, they challenged the standard medical advice: "Sit in a dark room and do nothing."

Not exactly a performance-minded approach.

In a recent webinar with Performance Nutrition Network members, the CONKA founders explained their decision to take a different route.

Systematic ingredient research with objective testing, working with brain scientists at Durham University to develop evidence-based cognitive supplements for athletes.

The research process was rigorous. They evaluated 106 nootropic compounds and excluded 40% due to insufficient evidence. That's the kind of filtering most supplement companies skip.

Their system splits cognitive support into two targeted phases. CONKA 1 prepares your brain before stressful training sessions or competition. CONKA 2 supports recovery after hard contact sessions or intense training.

The data is promising. Studies with professional teams showed 5-10% cognitive improvements within one month. A rugby league team saw progressive gains over seven weeks of testing.

What sets CONKA apart is their built-in testing system—an FDA-approved brain test that measures processing speed in two minutes without educational or practice bias. Unlike traditional concussion assessments that rely on language skills, this tracks raw cognitive function.

The takeaway? Cognitive function varies daily like any other performance marker. Maybe it's time we started tracking it systematically.

WATCH FULL WEBINAR VIA THE PERFORMANCE NUTRITION NETWORK →

Resource Roundup

News & Resources

272 Clients in 48 Hours

Performance nutritionists face a choice: build from scratch or join an established team.

Omnia Performance just demonstrated why the latter might be smarter.

Their multidisciplinary approach combines coaching, nutrition, and technology into a cohesive system that scales from £39.99 to £249.99 monthly memberships.

The tech stack tells the story: TrainingPeaks handles training plans, Hexis manages nutrition planning and periodisation, Circle.so powers their education hub and community.

Rather than each specialist building separate platforms, Omnia created an integrated ecosystem where performance nutritionist Tom McClure works alongside coaches, not in isolation.

The results speak: over 1,000+ athletes across multiple countries, with testimonials like "cut two minutes off my 5K while maintaining strength" and "added 10kg to big lifts while completing a 53-mile ultramarathon."

Since launch, they've added 272 new athletes in just one week—founder Fergus Crawley posted this update 48 hours into the launch.

Here's what's brilliant: McClure positioned himself as the nutrition specialist within an existing successful system.

The Gold tier at £249.99 includes 1:1 performance nutrition support alongside coaching—proving clients will pay premium prices when nutrition integrates seamlessly with training.

The opportunity: Stop building nutrition practices in isolation. Partner with established coaches that understand athletes but lack specialised nutrition expertise.

Their Scottish EDGE award and expanding team suggest this model works financially and operationally.

CHECK OUT OMNIA PERFORMANCE →

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