This is why we include MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) in our Muscle Cream. Sulfur is essential for connective tissue health, and MSM provides it in a form your body can absorb topically. When you apply our cream to your IT band, your patellar tendon area, or your Achilles, you're delivering sulfur directly to tissue that needs it.

Chondroitin sulfate, combined with MSM, glucosamine, and organic arnica, delivers. It's earned a spot in our gym bags, and based on the feedback we receive, it's earned a spot in many others. If you're training hard and planning to keep training for years to come, maybe it belongs in yours too.

Protein science as applied to skincare is still evolving. Researchers are actively investigating goat milk proteins for applications beyond what's been discussed here, including potential uses in wound dressings, therapeutic creams for specific conditions, and delivery vehicles for other active ingredients.

Your skin isn't separate from your training—it's part of it. When your skin is healthy, comfortable, and properly protected, you can focus entirely on performance. When it's irritated, inflamed, or breaking out, it's one more distraction pulling focus from your goals.

Our fresh goat milk base actively nourishes the skin you're treating. The pH matches human skin naturally. The fatty acids support barrier function. The vitamins contribute to skin health. For college athletes applying muscle cream daily, sometimes multiple times daily, to the same areas—this matters.

Arnica is one tool in a complete recovery approach that includes nutrition, sleep, programming, and stress management. No topical product replaces adequate protein intake or seven-plus hours of sleep. But within a solid recovery foundation, arnica provides targeted support that can make the difference between showing up for your next session feeling ready and showing up still compromised.

In 2007, a study published in Rheumatology International quietly challenged everything athletes thought they knew about managing muscle and joint discomfort. Researchers compared topical arnica—a flowering plant that's been used for centuries in traditional medicine—directly against ibuprofen gel in patients with confirmed joint issues. The results weren't just encouraging. They were paradigm-shifting.

Physical fitness, he wrote in 1945, is the first requisite of happiness. He spent his entire life understanding what that fitness required and developing a comprehensive system to achieve it.

The first World Championship took place in Oberhausen, Germany in 2019, drawing roughly 600 participants—mostly German, since the sport hadn't yet expanded significantly beyond its home country. German athletes Lukas Storath (the first man to finish under one hour) and Imke Salander claimed the inaugural titles.

The numbers tell a remarkable story. According to Strava's 2024 Year in Sport report, running club participation increased 59% globally in a single year. Women joining running clubs surged by 89% over the previous year. Running USA estimates that over 50 million Americans now run or jog, and industry data suggests approximately 25% are connected to some form of running club or group. When Strava surveyed Gen Z participants, one-fifth reported going on a date with someone they met at a group fitness activity.

The skin's barrier function takes time to recover from environmental stress. Research indicates that compromised barrier function can persist for hours after exposure to harsh conditions. This is why the immediate post-run period is so critical—the products you apply during this window encounter skin that's actively trying to repair itself, making them more effective than the same products applied hours later.

The competition itself is straightforward on paper: eight one-kilometer runs alternated with eight functional workout stations, all completed indoors in convention centers and exhibition halls. In practice, it's an hour or more of sustained effort that creates unique challenges for your skin—challenges that most skincare brands haven't begun to address because they don't understand what happens when you push a sled across a convention center floor while your body temperature soars and sweat pours from every pore.

Before examining specific interventions, it's essential to understand that not all athletic pain is created equal. The pain from a sprained ankle minutes before competition demands different management than the accumulated muscle soreness from a week of intense training. Sports medicine has developed increasingly sophisticated frameworks for categorizing and addressing different types of athletic pain.

One thing that sets our Active Cream apart for runners is the fresh goat milk base. Running is notoriously hard on skin—between chafing, weather exposure, and the drying effects of repeated showering, runners often struggle with skin health alongside muscle recovery.

The athletes who recover best aren't the ones who do nothing all week and then spend hours on recovery modalities before competition. They're the ones who incorporate recovery into their daily routine—proper sleep, good nutrition, active recovery, and yes, topical support for stressed tissues.