KNOWLEDGE HUB / SUPPLEMENT SCIENCE
SUPPLEMENTSNEED AFILTER.
Most supplements do little. A few are useful. Learn the evidence, dose, quality and context before you spend money.
01 / START HERE
RECOVERY
PROTECTS THE SIGNAL.
Supplements sit on top of training, calories, protein and sleep — not underneath them. Use them to solve a specific problem or add a small evidence-based edge.
Start with the outcome. Then match the ingredient, dose, timing, tolerance and product quality to the evidence.
02 / THE SUPPLEMENT MAP
LEARN THE
VARIABLES.
Thirty-six focused guides separate useful ingredients from expensive noise.
CREATINE SUPPLEMENTS: DOSE, LOADING & QUALITY
Choose and use a creatine supplement: evidence-based dosing, optional loading, timing, product quality, safety and why monohydrate remains the benchmark.
EXPLORE ↘02MUSCLEPROTEIN POWDERS
How whey, casein and plant protein powders fit a muscle-building diet, how to judge quality, and when a shake is useful versus unnecessary.
EXPLORE ↘03FAT LOSSPRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS
A practical evidence guide to caffeine, beta-alanine, citrulline, proprietary blends, stimulant stacking and what a pre-workout can realistically do.
EXPLORE ↘04MUSCLE GAINELECTROLYTE SUPPLEMENTS: WHO NEEDS THEM?
When electrolyte products help lifters, when plain water and food are enough, and how sweat rate, heat, session length, labels and dosing change the answer.
EXPLORE ↘05FUELOMEGA-3 + FISH OIL
Omega-3 supplementation for lifters: EPA/DHA, muscle and strength evidence, food-first context, dose interpretation and why hypertrophy claims need restraint.
EXPLORE ↘06EXECUTIONVITAMIN & MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS: WHO NEEDS ONE?
Evaluate vitamin and mineral supplements for genuine gaps, including dosing, product quality, safety, testing and why more is not automatically better.
EXPLORE ↘07PERFORMANCEBETA-ALANINE
Build carnosine over time for high-intensity buffering — not an acute stimulant.
EXPLORE ↘08PERFORMANCECITRULLINE + CITRULLINE MALATE
Small, context-dependent performance effects with real uncertainty around form and dose.
EXPLORE ↘09PERFORMANCESODIUM BICARBONATE
A real buffering aid for hard efforts, limited by gastrointestinal tolerance.
EXPLORE ↘10PERFORMANCEDIETARY NITRATE + BEETROOT
Nitrate can help selected endurance, repeated-effort and power outcomes — not every lift.
EXPLORE ↘11HEALTHCOLLAGEN + GELATIN
Connective-tissue context, tendon evidence and why collagen is not superior muscle protein.
EXPLORE ↘12PROTEINBCAA + EAA
Why amino-acid signaling matters, but complete protein usually remains the better default.
EXPLORE ↘13PERFORMANCECAFFEINE SUPPLEMENTS: DOSE & PERFORMANCE
Evidence-based caffeine supplementation for acute performance, including effective doses, timing, side effects, habituation and product quality.
EXPLORE ↘14HEALTHMAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENTS FOR LIFTERS
Magnesium is essential physiology, but supplementation does not reliably improve strength in already-sufficient athletes. Treat deficiency risk, diet and tolerability as the decision points.
EXPLORE ↘15HEALTHVITAMIN D FOR LIFTERS + ATHLETES
Vitamin D matters for bone and muscle health, but supplementation is most defensible when intake, sun exposure or blood status suggests a gap—not as a universal strength booster.
EXPLORE ↘16HEALTHIRON SUPPLEMENTS FOR ATHLETES: USE & SAFETY
Iron supplementation after appropriate assessment: who may benefit, why testing matters, common side effects, safety and clinician-guided use.
EXPLORE ↘17HEALTHZINC SUPPLEMENTS + TESTOSTERONE
Zinc is essential for normal physiology, but taking extra zinc above adequate intake is not a reliable testosterone or muscle-building hack.
EXPLORE ↘18HEALTHMULTIVITAMINS FOR LIFTERS
A multivitamin can help cover dietary gaps, but it cannot replace protein, calories, fruits, vegetables, sleep or training.
EXPLORE ↘19PERFORMANCEHMB SUPPLEMENTATION
HMB is marketed as anti-catabolic muscle insurance. In trained young adults, evidence for extra gains is weak; some clinical or older populations are a different question.
EXPLORE ↘20HEALTHASHWAGANDHA + EXERCISE PERFORMANCE
Ashwagandha has emerging exercise-performance evidence, but heterogeneous extracts and small trials make it less certain than creatine or caffeine.
EXPLORE ↘21HEALTHPROBIOTICS FOR ATHLETES
Probiotics are not one ingredient. Effects are strain-specific, outcome-specific and often more relevant to gastrointestinal or illness outcomes than muscle growth.
EXPLORE ↘22HYDRATIONSODIUM SUPPLEMENTS: WHEN THEY HELP TRAINING
Use sodium replacement for long, hot or high-sweat training when appropriate, with practical dose, timing, side-effect and product-quality guidance.
EXPLORE ↘23HYDRATIONGLYCEROL + HYPERHYDRATION
Glycerol can increase fluid retention when paired with substantial water, making it a niche hyperhydration tool rather than a normal gym supplement.
EXPLORE ↘24PERFORMANCETAURINE + EXERCISE PERFORMANCE
Taurine is biologically interesting and may influence selected endurance or recovery outcomes, but it is not a proven muscle-building essential.
EXPLORE ↘25PERFORMANCEBETAINE + RESISTANCE TRAINING
Betaine has plausible roles in methylation and cellular hydration, but resistance-training results are inconsistent and smaller than marketing implies.
EXPLORE ↘26PERFORMANCEL-CARNITINE + TRAINING
L-carnitine is essential to fat metabolism, but oral supplementation does not automatically make healthy lifters burn more fat or gain more muscle.
EXPLORE ↘27HEALTHCOQ10 + EXERCISE PERFORMANCE
Coenzyme Q10 participates in mitochondrial energy transfer, but supplementation is not a routine strength or hypertrophy requirement for healthy lifters.
EXPLORE ↘28HEALTHTART CHERRY + RECOVERY
Tart cherry polyphenols may help soreness or recovery after unusually damaging exercise, but routine use around every session is not automatically better.
EXPLORE ↘29HEALTHCURCUMIN + EXERCISE RECOVERY
Curcumin may reduce soreness or selected inflammatory markers after hard exercise, but bioavailability and formulation vary dramatically.
EXPLORE ↘30HEALTHMELATONIN FOR SLEEP + ATHLETES
Melatonin is a circadian signal, not a knockout supplement. It can be useful for selected sleep-timing or jet-lag situations when timing is correct.
EXPLORE ↘31HEALTHGLUCOSAMINE + JOINT HEALTH
Glucosamine is studied mainly in osteoarthritis, not as a preventive shield for healthy lifting joints. Gym marketing often stretches beyond that evidence.
EXPLORE ↘32HEALTHCHONDROITIN + JOINT HEALTH
Chondroitin belongs primarily to osteoarthritis research. It is not proven to make healthy cartilage invincible under heavy training.
EXPLORE ↘33HEALTHMSM + JOINT RECOVERY
Methylsulfonylmethane is marketed for joints and recovery, but the evidence base is small compared with established training and rehabilitation strategies.
EXPLORE ↘34HEALTHBORON + TESTOSTERONE CLAIMS
Boron is a trace element with interesting physiology, but small acute hormone studies do not establish a reliable testosterone or hypertrophy benefit.
EXPLORE ↘35HEALTHZMA SUPPLEMENTS
ZMA combines zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. The branding does not create a unique anabolic effect beyond correcting deficiencies in its ingredients.
EXPLORE ↘36HEALTHTESTOSTERONE BOOSTERS: EVIDENCE GUIDE
“Testosterone booster” is a marketing category, not a scientific ingredient class. Most blends combine herbs and micronutrients with uneven evidence and underdosed formulas.
EXPLORE ↘03 / THE FUNDAMENTALS PATH
NEW HERE?
READ IN THIS ORDER.
Build supplement literacy from the variables with the largest effect to the smallest.
- 01FOUNDATIONBASE
CREATINE
The clearest general-purpose performance supplement for many lifters.
- 02CONVENIENCEFOOD
PROTEIN POWDER
Use it when food alone makes your protein target inconvenient.
- 03ACUTEDOSE
PRE-WORKOUT
Read the ingredient panel instead of buying the front-label promise.
- 04CONTEXTEDGE
PERFORMANCE AIDS
Match beta-alanine, bicarbonate, nitrate or citrulline to the task.
- 05QUALITYVERIFY
TEST THE PRODUCT
Transparent labels and third-party testing matter when contamination risk matters.
04 / FEATURED SUPPLEMENT GUIDES
THE BIG
ROCKS FIRST.
Start with the supplements that solve a real problem, then move to smaller and more context-dependent tools.
05 / SUPPLEMENT LIBRARY
FIND THE
DECISION.
CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION
Choose and use a creatine supplement: evidence-based dosing, optional loading, timing, product quality, safety and why monohydrate remains the benchmark.
READ GUIDE ↗PROTEIN POWDERS
How whey, casein and plant protein powders fit a muscle-building diet, how to judge quality, and when a shake is useful versus unnecessary.
READ GUIDE ↗PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS
A practical evidence guide to caffeine, beta-alanine, citrulline, proprietary blends, stimulant stacking and what a pre-workout can realistically do.
READ GUIDE ↗ELECTROLYTES + HYDRATION SUPPLEMENTS
When electrolyte products help lifters, when plain water and food are enough, and how sweat rate, heat, session length, labels and dosing change the answer.
READ GUIDE ↗OMEGA-3 + FISH OIL
Omega-3 supplementation for lifters: EPA/DHA, muscle and strength evidence, food-first context, dose interpretation and why hypertrophy claims need restraint.
READ GUIDE ↗VITAMINS + MINERALS
Evaluate vitamin and mineral supplements for genuine gaps, including dosing, product quality, safety, testing and why more is not automatically better.
READ GUIDE ↗BETA-ALANINE
Build carnosine over time for high-intensity buffering — not an acute stimulant.
READ GUIDE ↗CITRULLINE + CITRULLINE MALATE
Small, context-dependent performance effects with real uncertainty around form and dose.
READ GUIDE ↗SODIUM BICARBONATE
A real buffering aid for hard efforts, limited by gastrointestinal tolerance.
READ GUIDE ↗DIETARY NITRATE + BEETROOT
Nitrate can help selected endurance, repeated-effort and power outcomes — not every lift.
READ GUIDE ↗COLLAGEN + GELATIN
Connective-tissue context, tendon evidence and why collagen is not superior muscle protein.
READ GUIDE ↗BCAA + EAA
Why amino-acid signaling matters, but complete protein usually remains the better default.
READ GUIDE ↗CAFFEINE FOR TRAINING + PERFORMANCE
Evidence-based caffeine supplementation for acute performance, including effective doses, timing, side effects, habituation and product quality.
READ GUIDE ↗MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENTS FOR LIFTERS
Magnesium is essential physiology, but supplementation does not reliably improve strength in already-sufficient athletes. Treat deficiency risk, diet and tolerability as the decision points.
READ GUIDE ↗VITAMIN D FOR LIFTERS + ATHLETES
Vitamin D matters for bone and muscle health, but supplementation is most defensible when intake, sun exposure or blood status suggests a gap—not as a universal strength booster.
READ GUIDE ↗IRON SUPPLEMENTS + PERFORMANCE
Iron supplementation after appropriate assessment: who may benefit, why testing matters, common side effects, safety and clinician-guided use.
READ GUIDE ↗ZINC SUPPLEMENTS + TESTOSTERONE
Zinc is essential for normal physiology, but taking extra zinc above adequate intake is not a reliable testosterone or muscle-building hack.
READ GUIDE ↗MULTIVITAMINS FOR LIFTERS
A multivitamin can help cover dietary gaps, but it cannot replace protein, calories, fruits, vegetables, sleep or training.
READ GUIDE ↗HMB SUPPLEMENTATION
HMB is marketed as anti-catabolic muscle insurance. In trained young adults, evidence for extra gains is weak; some clinical or older populations are a different question.
READ GUIDE ↗ASHWAGANDHA + EXERCISE PERFORMANCE
Ashwagandha has emerging exercise-performance evidence, but heterogeneous extracts and small trials make it less certain than creatine or caffeine.
READ GUIDE ↗PROBIOTICS FOR ATHLETES
Probiotics are not one ingredient. Effects are strain-specific, outcome-specific and often more relevant to gastrointestinal or illness outcomes than muscle growth.
READ GUIDE ↗SODIUM SUPPLEMENTS + PERFORMANCE
Use sodium replacement for long, hot or high-sweat training when appropriate, with practical dose, timing, side-effect and product-quality guidance.
READ GUIDE ↗GLYCEROL + HYPERHYDRATION
Glycerol can increase fluid retention when paired with substantial water, making it a niche hyperhydration tool rather than a normal gym supplement.
READ GUIDE ↗TAURINE + EXERCISE PERFORMANCE
Taurine is biologically interesting and may influence selected endurance or recovery outcomes, but it is not a proven muscle-building essential.
READ GUIDE ↗BETAINE + RESISTANCE TRAINING
Betaine has plausible roles in methylation and cellular hydration, but resistance-training results are inconsistent and smaller than marketing implies.
READ GUIDE ↗L-CARNITINE + TRAINING
L-carnitine is essential to fat metabolism, but oral supplementation does not automatically make healthy lifters burn more fat or gain more muscle.
READ GUIDE ↗COQ10 + EXERCISE PERFORMANCE
Coenzyme Q10 participates in mitochondrial energy transfer, but supplementation is not a routine strength or hypertrophy requirement for healthy lifters.
READ GUIDE ↗TART CHERRY + RECOVERY
Tart cherry polyphenols may help soreness or recovery after unusually damaging exercise, but routine use around every session is not automatically better.
READ GUIDE ↗CURCUMIN + EXERCISE RECOVERY
Curcumin may reduce soreness or selected inflammatory markers after hard exercise, but bioavailability and formulation vary dramatically.
READ GUIDE ↗MELATONIN FOR SLEEP + ATHLETES
Melatonin is a circadian signal, not a knockout supplement. It can be useful for selected sleep-timing or jet-lag situations when timing is correct.
READ GUIDE ↗GLUCOSAMINE + JOINT HEALTH
Glucosamine is studied mainly in osteoarthritis, not as a preventive shield for healthy lifting joints. Gym marketing often stretches beyond that evidence.
READ GUIDE ↗CHONDROITIN + JOINT HEALTH
Chondroitin belongs primarily to osteoarthritis research. It is not proven to make healthy cartilage invincible under heavy training.
READ GUIDE ↗MSM + JOINT RECOVERY
Methylsulfonylmethane is marketed for joints and recovery, but the evidence base is small compared with established training and rehabilitation strategies.
READ GUIDE ↗BORON + TESTOSTERONE CLAIMS
Boron is a trace element with interesting physiology, but small acute hormone studies do not establish a reliable testosterone or hypertrophy benefit.
READ GUIDE ↗ZMA SUPPLEMENTS
ZMA combines zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. The branding does not create a unique anabolic effect beyond correcting deficiencies in its ingredients.
READ GUIDE ↗TESTOSTERONE BOOSTERS: EVIDENCE GUIDE
“Testosterone booster” is a marketing category, not a scientific ingredient class. Most blends combine herbs and micronutrients with uneven evidence and underdosed formulas.
READ GUIDE ↗No guides match that search yet.
KNOWLEDGE → EXECUTION
NEED A PLAN
THAT FITS YOU?
DesiGenetics Coaching is opening in limited capacity around structured training, nutrition direction, accountability and evidence-led adjustments. Use the 60-second fit check to see whether the current format matches your goal before sending an inquiry.