Know what's worth taking.

Creatine

Strength + size, gold standard

Whey protein

Hits your protein target

Caffeine

Power, reps, focus

Beta-alanine

Helps 1–4 min efforts

Citrulline

Small rep boost, not aerobic

Ashwagandha

Stress, sleep, modest gains

Sodium bicarbonate

Buffer for 1–8 min efforts

Beetroot

Best for non-elites

Taurine

Small, real, conditional

Omega-3

Recovery + heart/brain

Tart cherry

Soreness + sleep, situational

Magnesium

Sleep if deficient

Collagen peptides

Joints/tendons, thin evidence

Vitamin D

Fix a deficiency

Iron

Only if low ferritin

Electrolytes

Long, hot, sweaty sessions

Green tea extract

Small, caffeine-driven

Yohimbine

Niche: lean + fasted only

BCAAs

Redundant with protein

HMB

Big claims, weak in lifters

Glutamine

Skip it for recovery

Glucosamine + chondroitin

No better than placebo

Multivitamin

No upside if you eat well

L-carnitine

Effect vanishes in good studies

CLA

Sub-clinical fat loss

Thermogenic fat burners

Hidden caffeine, big claims

Testosterone boosters

Don't raise testosterone

Arginine / AAKG

Poor pump booster

Greens powders

No substitute for veg

Deer antler velvet

No benefit; doping risk

Protein intake

1.6–2.2 g/kg/day

Calorie balance

The only way fat loss works

Protein timing

The 'anabolic window' myth

Meal frequency

6 meals ≠ faster metabolism

Progressive overload

The one rule that matters

Training volume

More sets, more growth — to a point

Training to failure

Useful, not required

Rest between sets

2–3 min beats 60 s for growth