Supplements that are not worth your money

Redundant if you eat enough protein

BCAAs

Three amino acids sold as an anabolic supplement. Muscle protein synthesis needs all nine essential amino acids — supplying three is like delivering three of nine bricks. Whey contains all of them, in better ratios, for less money. If you hit your protein target, BCAAs do nothing. Among the largest sums wasted in the category.

EAAs

Better than BCAAs, since they contain all nine. Still redundant if you eat enough protein, and considerably more expensive per gram than whey.

Glutamine

Popular in the 1990s for immunity and recovery. Not supported in healthy, well-fed people. Has genuine clinical uses in burns and critical illness, which is not you.

Collagen, for muscle

No tryptophan, minimal leucine. Should never count toward a protein target — see protein powder: do you need it. Possible skin and connective tissue benefits are a separate claim.

The nitric oxide and pump category

Arginine / AAKG

Poorly absorbed orally — the liver metabolises most of it before it reaches circulation. Does not raise nitric oxide meaningfully. Citrulline is the version that works.

Nitric oxide "pump" blends

A pump is a sensation of blood and fluid in the muscle. It is not a measure of growth, and maximising it is not a training goal. Citrulline at 6–8 g has modest genuine evidence for reduced perceived exertion — most products contain a fraction of that.

Beetroot powder, for lifting

Nitrate has real evidence for endurance performance. For resistance training, effects are small at best, and whole beetroot juice is cheaper than powder.

Testosterone boosters

An entire category with essentially no support in healthy men.

• Tribulus terrestris — repeatedly tested, no effect on testosterone.
• D-aspartic acid — early positive findings did not replicate; later trials in trained men found no effect, and possibly a reduction at higher doses.
• ZMA — zinc and magnesium. Helps if you are deficient in zinc; otherwise nothing.
• Fenugreek, ashwagandha, tongkat ali — ashwagandha has the most interesting evidence of the three, mainly on stress and sleep rather than testosterone, and studies are small and often industry-funded.
• "Test boost" proprietary blends — under-dosed combinations of the above.

What actually affects testosterone in a healthy man: adequate sleep, not being significantly overweight, not being in an extreme deficit, and not eating a very low-fat diet — see dietary fat and hormones. All free.

Fat burners

• Thermogenic blends — caffeine plus green tea extract plus a stimulant list. The caffeine is the active ingredient. Buy caffeine.
• L-carnitine — oral supplementation does not raise muscle carnitine meaningfully, and does not increase fat oxidation.
• CLA — early promise, subsequent trials showed negligible effects in humans.
• Raspberry ketones, garcinia cambogia, forskolin — no credible human evidence.
• Green tea extract — effects measured in a handful of calories a day. High-dose extracts also carry documented liver toxicity reports.
• Apple cider vinegar — small effects on post-meal glucose; nothing meaningful for fat loss.
• Detox teas — laxatives. Weight lost is water and gut contents, and some carry real risk.

Fat loss requires an energy deficit. See fat loss myths that will not die.

Only if you are deficient

This category is not useless — it is conditionally useful, and marketed as though it were universally useful. The distinction matters because it determines whether you should test first.

• Multivitamins — cheap insurance for someone with a restricted or erratic diet. No benefit demonstrated in well-fed people, and no performance effect.
• Zinc — matters if deficient. Excess interferes with copper absorption.
• Iron — genuinely important for menstruating women, endurance athletes and vegetarians. Do not supplement without a blood test — iron overload is harmful.
• B vitamins — B12 is essential on a vegan diet. The rest are rarely limiting on a mixed diet. B-complex "energy" claims are unfounded unless deficient.
• Vitamin C — may marginally shorten colds in people under heavy physical stress. High doses post-training may blunt adaptation, similar in logic to ice baths.
• Magnesium — see magnesium and sleep claims.

Joint, greens and miscellaneous

• Glucosamine and chondroitin — extensively studied for osteoarthritis with largely disappointing results. Little reason for a healthy lifter to take them.
• Greens powders — expensive, and a poor substitute for vegetables. They lack the fibre and volume that make vegetables useful. Some contain useful vitamins, at a large markup.
• Turmeric / curcumin — poor oral bioavailability without a piperine or lipid formulation. Some evidence for joint pain and soreness at high doses; modest at best.
• Tart cherry — modest evidence for reduced soreness and possibly sleep. Reasonable, unexciting, and it may share the blunting concern that applies to other antioxidant-heavy interventions around training.
• HMB — early results looked strong; subsequent independent trials in trained people found little. May help in untrained or elderly populations.
• Weight gainers — protein plus maltodextrin at a markup. Oats and milk are cheaper — see eating enough when you have no appetite.
• Testosterone-free "anabolic" blends, SARMs, prohormones — unregulated, frequently mislabelled, and carry genuine health risk. SARMs are not approved for human use in any major market and have caused documented liver injury. Not a grey area.

The short list that does work

1. Creatine monohydrate, 3–5 g daily. The best value in the category — see creatine monohydrate.
2. Caffeine, 3–6 mg/kg pre-session — see caffeine and pre-workout.
3. Protein powder, as a convenient food if you are short on protein.
4. Vitamin D, if you live at northern latitudes or are deficient — see vitamin D and northern winters.
5. Omega-3, if you eat little oily fish — for health rather than performance.
6. Beta-alanine, if your sport involves one-to-four-minute efforts — see beta-alanine.
7. Sodium, for long or hot sessions — see electrolytes.
8. B12, if you are vegan. Non-negotiable.
9. Iron, if a blood test says so.

Common questions

Are BCAAs really useless?

Redundant if you eat enough protein, which covers nearly everyone reading this.

Should I take a multivitamin?

Reasonable insurance on a restricted diet. No demonstrated benefit otherwise.

Do testosterone boosters work?

No, in healthy men. Sleep, body composition and adequate calories are what move it.

Are fat burners ever worth it?

The caffeine works. Buy caffeine.

What about greens powders?

An expensive partial substitute for vegetables, missing the fibre and volume.

Is ashwagandha worth trying?

The most interesting of the herbal options, mainly for stress and sleep. Small, often industry-funded studies.

Are SARMs safe?

No. Unapproved for human use, frequently mislabelled, with documented liver injury.

How do I evaluate a new supplement?

Look for human trials in trained people at the dose in the product, ideally independently funded. Most products fail at the first step — see how to read a supplement label.

The practical version

• The working list: creatine, caffeine, protein powder, vitamin D, omega-3, beta-alanine, sodium, B12, iron if tested.
• BCAAs, EAAs and glutamine are redundant if you eat enough protein.
• Testosterone boosters do not work in healthy men.
• Fat burners work only through their caffeine content.
• Multivitamins, zinc and iron help only if you are deficient — test before taking iron.
• SARMs and prohormones are unapproved, often mislabelled and carry real risk.