Supplements, without the hype
Twelve chapters that go from "does this do anything?" to "which one do I buy and for how much". Written from the ISSN position stands, the IOC consensus and the AIS framework, with the source next to every dose.
- chapters
- 12
- of total reading
- 121 min
- sources cited
- 64
- no sign-up
- Free
Four tracks, in order
Read it top to bottom, or jump straight into the chapter you need today.
Track 1
Fundamentals
How much a supplement can move at most, which ones have cleared the evidence bar, and what a label does and does not guarantee.
1. What to expect
The real order of magnitude: how much a supplement adds next to training, eating and sleeping. And why that order decides where the money should go.
2. What works
The full list of supplements with solid evidence fits in one table. Which they are, what each is for, what dose, and what it costs per month.
3. Quality and labels
What share of supplements does not contain what it says, which certifications actually mean something, and how to read a label without swallowing the marketing.
Track 2
Protein and amino acids
The best-selling family: what really separates one from another, how much per serving, and which loose amino acids are worth the money.
4. Protein types
Concentrate, isolate, hydrolysate, casein, plant blends and collagen: how they actually differ, which to pick, and when the powder adds nothing over food.
5. Amino acids
EAAs, BCAAs, leucine, HMB, glutamine, citrulline. Which has an effect of its own, which is an expensive version of something you already eat, and why BCAAs still sell.
Track 3
Performance
The ones with a measured effect: creatine, caffeine, and everything you eat, drink and take around a run.
6. Creatine
What it does, what dose, why monohydrate beats every expensive form, and what is true about hair, kidneys and water retention.
7. Caffeine
The most versatile ergogenic aid there is: dose per kilo, when to take it, why it does nothing for some people, and what is really inside a pre-workout.
8. For running
Gels, drinks, salts, nitrate, beta-alanine and bicarbonate: what to use by distance, how many grams an hour, and how to train your gut to tolerate them.
Track 4
Health and buying
Deficiencies worth correcting, products worth dropping, and the final decision: what to get and for how much.
9. Vitamins and minerals
Vitamin D, iron, omega-3, magnesium and company: where there are real deficiencies worth fixing, where a multivitamin adds nothing, and why high-dose antioxidants can subtract.
10. What does not work
Fat burners, testosterone boosters, glutamine, BCAAs, ketones and company: what the evidence says about each, and why they still get the best shelf space.
11. How to buy
The final decision: what to get for your goal and your budget, how to compare prices honestly, and in what order to add products if you want to build up.
12. Glossary
The vocabulary that shows up on labels and in studies, explained once: from DIAAS to hepcidin, from proprietary blend to group A.
What you can expect from this guide
Training is full of confident claims with no source behind them. Here the rule is the opposite.
Sources, not opinions
Every numerical claim comes with its meta-analysis, review or official position stand, linked and dated.
The confidence level is stated
High, moderate or limited. If the evidence is weak we say so; if it is common practice with no backing, we say that too.
No promises, and no substitutes
This is education, not medical prescription. With a diagnosed condition or persistent pain, your healthcare professional decides.
Full bibliography
64 sources: meta-analyses, systematic reviews, position stands and official guidelines.
The supplement is the 3%. What you log is the rest
My PR handles the volume, progression and calories that decide the other 97%; with those in place, the tub finally counts for something.
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