Yes. Particularly if you train hard and don't recover as fast as you used to.
Training is a stressor. Your body doesn't distinguish between the stress of a heavy session and the stress of a difficult week at work. Both raise cortisol. Both interfere with recovery, sleep, and testosterone if sustained. Ashwagandha works on all three.
The recovery angle
Studies using KSM-66 in trained men showed improved muscle recovery and reduced exercise-induced muscle damage compared to placebo. The mechanism is cortisol suppression. When cortisol stays lower post-training, the window where your body repairs and builds is less disrupted.
One study found men taking KSM-66 for eight weeks gained significantly more muscle and strength than the placebo group on the same training programme. The difference wasn't the training. It was the recovery environment.
The sleep angle
Hard training without quality sleep is a bad trade. You break the body down in the gym and rebuild it during sleep. If cortisol is elevated at night, sleep quality drops and the rebuild doesn't happen properly. Ashwagandha improves both sleep onset and sleep quality. For men training consistently, that matters as much as what happens in the session itself.
When to take it
Evening works best for most men. The calming effect on cortisol works alongside the natural drop that should happen as you move toward sleep. Some men take it post-training. Either works.
If you're putting the work in and not getting the return, recovery is usually the missing piece.
Shop Ashwagandha KSM-66® 500mg
Related reading: What does ashwagandha actually do for men?, Does ashwagandha lower cortisol or is it overhyped?