7.10 Supplements
Supplements are the 1%. They cannot compensate for a bad diet, poor training, or insufficient sleep. If your total daily protein is below 1.6 g/kg, you are sleeping 5 hours a night, and your training consists of random exercises with no progressive overload, no supplement on earth will produce meaningful results. Fix the foundation first.
That said, a small number of supplements have robust, replicated evidence supporting their use. Below is a tier system based on the strength of evidence.
Tier 1 — Strong Evidence
Creatine Monohydrate (5 g/day)
Creatine is the most extensively researched supplement in sports science history. It works by increasing intramuscular stores of phosphocreatine (PCr), which serves as a rapid energy buffer during short, high-intensity efforts (exactly the kind of effort you produce during a working set). Meta-analyses consistently show that creatine supplementation combined with resistance training produces greater gains in strength, power, and lean body mass compared to training alone [14, 15].
- Dose: 5 g per day, every day. No loading phase is necessary—loading (20 g/day for 5–7 days) saturates stores faster but is not required. Daily dosing will saturate stores within ~3–4 weeks.
- Timing: Does not matter. Take it whenever is convenient.
- Form: Creatine monohydrate. Not creatine HCl, not buffered creatine, not creatine ethyl ester. Monohydrate is the cheapest, most studied, and most effective form. Every “advanced” formulation is a marketing gimmick.
- Side effects: May cause ~1–2 kg of water weight gain (intracellular, not subcutaneous). Does not cause kidney damage in healthy individuals. Does not cause hair loss (this myth stems from a single, unreplicated study).
Caffeine (3–6 mg/kg, 30–60 minutes before training)
Caffeine improves endurance, strength, and power output while reducing perceived effort. Meta-analyses confirm consistent ergogenic effects across a variety of exercise modalities [16]. Most people already consume caffeine—coffee, tea, pre-workout supplements—so this is less about “should I take it” and more about “how much and when.”
- Dose: 3–6 mg/kg of body mass. For a 80 kg person, that’s 240–480 mg (roughly 2–4 cups of coffee).
- Timing: 30–60 minutes before training.
- Caution: Tolerance develops. If you consume caffeine daily, you may need to cycle off periodically to restore sensitivity. Avoid caffeine within 6–8 hours of bedtime—sleep is more important than any supplement.
Protein Powder
Not technically a supplement—it’s food in powder form. Whey, casein, and plant-based blends (pea, rice, soy) are all effective at providing amino acids for muscle protein synthesis. The advantage is convenience: a scoop of whey in water takes 30 seconds to prepare and delivers ~25 g of high-quality protein.
Use protein powder when whole food is impractical (post-workout, between meals, travelling). It is not inherently superior to chicken, eggs, or Greek yogurt.
Tier 2 — Moderate Evidence
| Supplement | Use Case | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D | If blood levels are <30 ng/mL | Common deficiency; 1000–2000 IU/day. Get tested. |
| Omega-3 / Fish Oil | If dietary intake of fatty fish is low | 1–2 g combined EPA/DHA per day |
| Magnesium | If dietary intake is low, or for sleep quality | 200–400 mg glycinate or citrate before bed |
Tier 3 — Weak or No Evidence (Save Your Money)
| Supplement | Reality |
|---|---|
| BCAAs | Redundant if total protein intake is adequate. BCAAs are a subset of protein; if you eat enough protein, you already have them. |
| Testosterone boosters | No legal, over-the-counter supplement meaningfully increases testosterone in healthy young males. Period. |
| Fat burners | Expensive caffeine pills with proprietary blends of ingredients that have no independent evidence for fat loss. |
| Collagen (for hypertrophy) | Collagen is an incomplete protein with poor amino acid profile for MPS. Useful for joint/tendon health, not for muscle building. |
| Glutamine | No effect on muscle growth in well-nourished individuals. May benefit gut health in clinical populations but is irrelevant for gym-goers. |
If a supplement promises results that sound too good to be true, it’s because they are. The supplement industry is largely unregulated, and marketing claims do not require evidence. Stick with the Tier 1 basics and invest the rest of your budget in better food.