Strength Training

Strength training works through progressive overload. You add a little weight or a rep, your body repairs the tissue and adapts. Supplements do not create that adaptation. They remove the things that slow it down: too little protein, an empty tank before a heavy session, or poor recovery after one.

Two ingredients carry most of the evidence for lifters. Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short, high-intensity exercise, which is exactly what a set of five heavy reps is. Protein contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass. If you want the same subject from the goal side, our Muscle & Strength pages sit next to this one.

Forms and doses decide the result

Creatine monohydrate is the form used in nearly all the research, and 3 grams a day is the amount tied to the approved performance claim. Newer salts cost more per gram and have no better results behind them. That is why our range of creatine monohydrate powder leans on plain and micronised monohydrate, in powder and in capsules.

With protein, the tub size matters less than the grams of protein per 100 g and the leucine content, since leucine is the amino acid that switches muscle building on. Whey isolate is lower in lactose and useful if concentrate leaves you bloated. Plant options need pea and rice combined, or added leucine, to come close to dairy protein. Both sit in our whey and plant protein powders.

The three worries lifters raise most

The first is weight gain. Creatine can add a kilo or two of water inside the muscle in the first weeks, and that is water, not fat. The second is loading. A steady 3 grams a day reaches the same muscle level as a loading week, it simply takes longer. The third is pre-workout. It is mostly caffeine with extras, and a strong coffee does much of the same job for less money. We stock pre-workouts because taste and timing matter to some people, not because progress depends on them.

How we select for this collection

We check three things before a strength product goes live: the form, the dose per serving and whether the combination makes sense. A creatine tub has to state grams per scoop, not just a scoop size. A protein has to declare protein per 100 g, not only per serving. We are brand-neutral and buy directly from the brands, so you get what the label says. Our compliance team checks every product, we test products ourselves and independent labs spot-check batches. After more than ten years we stay sceptical of blends with twenty ingredients at token doses. How we select our brands.

Honest expectations

Nothing here replaces training and food. Expect creatine to show in the gym after two to three weeks of daily use. Protein powder is convenience, not magic: it is food in a tub, useful on days when cooking loses.

• New lifters: enough protein first, creatine second, nothing else yet.
• Four or more sessions a week: electrolytes help on long or hot sessions.
• Lifters over 55: daily creatine alongside regular resistance training, see the FAQ below.