Every year the fitness industry is flooded with supplement trends that come and go. But when you cut through the noise and look at the real research, which supplements actually deliver consistent gains in muscle and performance?
We dug into the science, checked the meta-analyses, and found five foundational supplements that are shown to improve strength, muscle mass, power, and endurance.
No fluff, no filler—just hardcore, research-backed results.
It’s the most researched, most effective muscle-building powerhouse on the planet. Its ability to increase various parameters of acute exercise performance is well documented(2). Best part? It’s got
incredible brain benefits and it works for people of all ages(3).
Why it works: Creatine cranks up your ATP production(4), fueling explosive strength and endurance.
Dosage:
3-5g daily. No cycling necessary. Just proven results with more research shedding light on this incredible molecule each and every year.
Caffeine isn’t just for waking up—it’s a proven performance enhancer. It improves your endurance, strength(5), power output, and mental focus(6) so you can push harder, longer, and stronger.
Energy drinks and
pre-workout supplements containing caffeine have been demonstrated to enhance both anaerobic and aerobic performance. A low/moderate dose of caffeine before and/or during exercise can improve self-reported energy, mood, and cognitive functions, such as attention; it may also improve simple reaction time, choice reaction time, memory, or fatigue(7).
Why it works: Caffeine is a potent stimulant that acts on the central nervous system, promoting spinal cord excitability and muscle fiber recruitment. By blocking adenosine receptors in the brain, caffeine helps to increase alertness and focus, making it easier to push through workouts and feel more energized.
Dosage: 3-6 mg/kg body weight(8), 30-60 minutes pre-workout.
It's well known that
protein supplementation augments muscle strength gain during resistance training. In fact, it improves muscle strength when combined with resistance training, irrespective of age, sex, baseline protein intake, added protein intake, or body part(9).
One study revealed that co-ingestion of protein and carbohydrates demonstrated statistically significant improvements in endurance performance, whereas high protein intake alone did not(10).
Why it works: Protein synthesis is necessary for growth, but the fact that it also impacts endurance and aerobic capacity is important(11) which makes hitting your daily intake is non-negotiable, and a high-quality protein powder makes it effortless.
Dosage:
20-40g per serving, depending on your protein needs.
Beta-alanine is the precursor to carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine), itself shown to have a key role in acid–base regulation during exercise, with other important health-linked roles such as antioxidant and anti-glycation properties(12,13).
Why it works: Beta-alanine fights off lactic acid buildup so you can grind out those extra reps. More volume means more growth—that’s a fact. The good news is, along with caffeine and more, you can find it in our pre-workouts.
Dosage: 3-6g daily.
Yeah, you read that right. The simple ingredient that soaks up odors and keeps your fridge and pantry fresh. It has been featured in scientific literature as early as the 1930s and regularly since the 1970s(14), and is now part of many elite athletes regular supplement stack(15).
Why it works: Sodium bicarbonate buffers acid buildup, letting you push past fatigue and crush high-intensity sets.
A 2019(16) and 2021 review in Sports Medicine showed that sodium bicarbonate supplementation acutely enhances peak anaerobic power, anaerobic capacity, performance in endurance events lasting ∼45 s to 8 minutes(17), making it perfect for sprinters, fighters, endurance athletes, and lifters looking to grind out the last few reps to maximize that time under tension alike(18).
Dosage: 0.2-0.3g/kg body weight, 60-180 minutes before training.
(A word of caution, start with a low dose and determine your tolerance. Gastrointestinal discomfort is a common side effect and appears to be more pronounced in the 60-90 minute window.)
Look, no supplement can outwork a bad diet or lazy training.
But if you're re serious about results and you’re going to build a foundational stack for yourself, these five are a great place to start.
And if you’re looking to take your performance to another level and add serious strength and size to your frame, you may want to consider adding a STEEL Andro stack to your routine.
Imagine standing in front of the mirror and you feel like your body is firing on all cylinders. Your muscles look fuller, harder, and more defined. Your strength has skyrocketed, and your physique is lean, dry, and sculpted, with sharp, chiseled detail.
The A1 Stack is an ideal introduction to the individual interested in utilizing multiple Andros simultaneously. 1-Andro promotes high rates of anabolic activity while 3-EPI promotes high rates of androgenic activity, making these two compounds a great combination for a stack. Add in ALPHA-AF as a PCT and you've got a recipe for gains.
References:
(1) https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2022/09000/efficacy_of_alternative_forms_of_creatine.42.aspx
(2) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8228369/
(3) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11547435/
(4) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10180745/
(5) https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(24)11056-0
(6) ttps://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
(7) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8000732/
(8) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0765159722000934
(9) https://sportsmedicine-open.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40798-022-00508-w
(10) https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1455728/full
(11) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33358231/
(12) https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/34/6/article-p397.xml
(13) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11280034/
(14) https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2012/07000/practical_recommendations_for_coaches_and.32.aspx
(15) https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2016/07000/recent_developments_in_the_use_of_sodium.8.aspx
(16) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6544001/
(17) https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-021-00469-7
(18) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3374095/
