Whey Protein & Supplements: What's Actually Worth Your Money?

Supplements are named that way because they supplement a working diet, not replace it. If your food and calories are off, no powder will change your body. Still, two or three products have strong evidence and are worth the money.

Whey protein: when do you need it?

Aim for 1.6-2.2g of protein per kilo of bodyweight per day. If you hit that from eggs, chicken, tuna and cottage cheese, you don't need whey. Whey is just a fast, relatively cheap way to close the gap — one scoop delivers around 24g.

Creatine: the cheapest, strongest supplement

Creatine monohydrate, 3-5g daily, any time of day, no loading phase needed. It increases strength, performance and muscle size, and is well studied for long-term safety. Skip the fancy versions — monohydrate is the gold standard.

Supplements you can skip

Fat burners, BCAAs if your protein is adequate, glutamine, and most expensive pre-workout blends (plain caffeine does the same job for a fraction of the price). Spend that money on good food and sleep instead.

A supplement adds the last 5% after you've nailed the other 95%.