Educational content only — not medical advice. Prices and availability update regularly.
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Daily intake guidelines derived from peer-reviewed sports nutrition literature (ISSN, ACSM, NIH).
Standard: 0.7 – 1.0g per lb of body weight daily (1.6 – 2.2g/kg).
Per-Serving: 25 – 40g per meal to maximize muscle protein synthesis (~2.5–3g leucine threshold).
Based on the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) Position Stand on Protein & Exercise.
Standard: 3 – 5g daily for muscle saturation. No loading phase required.
Creatine HCl: 750mg – 1.5g daily due to enhanced water solubility.
Based on 30+ years of clinical trials (ISSN & Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition).
Sodium: 1,500 – 2,300mg/day. Add 500–1,000mg/hr during heavy sweat.
Potassium: 2,600 – 3,400mg/day. Aim for ~1:1 to 1:2 sodium-to-potassium balance.
Magnesium: 300 – 420mg/day. Prefer chelated forms: Glycinate/Malate.
Based on American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Fluid & Electrolyte Replacement Guidelines.
Enter your body weight to get a personalized daily protein target and per-meal goal.
Enter a valid weight between 1 and 500 lbs to see your target.
Quick Rule of Thumb: Supplements are designed to bridge the gap between whole food intake and optimal athletic targets, not replace clean whole foods.
Isolate is filtered to ~90% protein by weight with minimal lactose and fat — ideal if you're sensitive to dairy or counting every gram. Concentrate sits around 70–80% protein, keeps more naturally occurring fats and immunoglobulins, and usually costs less per gram.
View Verified Whey IsolateMilk sourced from pasture-raised cows. It signals better animal welfare and a slightly richer fatty-acid profile. It does not change protein quality — treat it as a sourcing standard, not a performance claim.
A complete protein supplies all nine essential amino acids in usable amounts. Whey and casein are complete by default; single-source plant proteins often aren't, which is why quality plant blends mix pea with rice or pumpkin.
View Verified Plant-BasedA slow-digesting milk protein that forms a gel in the stomach, releasing aminos over several hours. Best used before bed or during long gaps between meals.
View Verified CaseinThe practice of padding a label's protein number with cheap free-form aminos like glycine or taurine, which nitrogen-based testing counts as protein. Third-party tested products are your protection against it.
Creatine monohydrate is the most studied sports supplement there is. Creapure is a branded German-made monohydrate held to tighter purity limits on creatinine, dicyandiamide and dihydrotriazine. Same molecule, stricter manufacturing.
View Verified Creapure ProductsCreatine molecularly bound to hydrochloric acid, making it ~38x more soluble in water than monohydrate. Dissolves completely without grit, requires micro-dosing (750mg–1g), and is the premier choice for anyone sensitive to stomach cramping or digestive bloating.
View Verified Creatine HCl Products3–5 g daily saturates muscle stores in roughly 3–4 weeks. An optional loading phase of 20 g/day split into four doses for 5–7 days gets there faster. Timing doesn't matter; consistency does.
View All MonohydrateLook for ≥99.9% purity and a batch certificate. Contamination risk in cheap creatine comes from residual creatinine and heavy metals — certification programs test for both.
View NSF Sport CertifiedPairs creatine with β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate, a leucine metabolite marketed for reducing muscle breakdown. Evidence is thinner than for creatine alone, so judge it on price per gram of creatine.
View Creatine HMBSweat loses far more sodium than potassium — typically a 5:1 to 10:1 ratio. Endurance and heavy-sweat formulas run 800–1000 mg sodium per serving; everyday hydration blends sit nearer 200–400 mg.
View High Sodium (800mg+)Minerals bound to amino acids (magnesium glycinate, zinc bisglycinate) absorb more reliably and are gentler on the gut than oxide or sulfate forms, which are cheap but poorly absorbed.
A small amount of glucose speeds sodium and water uptake via co-transport — useful mid-workout. Outside of training there's no reason to drink the calories.
View Zero Sugar OptionsMonk fruit (mogrosides) and stevia are plant-derived, zero-calorie and don't spike blood glucose. Sucralose and acesulfame-K are fine by regulators but draw gut-microbiome questions — a common reason people switch.
View Monk Fruit ProductsThe strictest mainstream program: every batch is screened against 280+ banned substances, plus facility audits and label-claim verification. The default choice for tested athletes.
View NSF Sport ProteinMonthly blind retail sampling plus batch testing for banned substances. Broad coverage and strong ongoing surveillance of what actually reaches shelves.
View Informed ChoiceFocuses on contaminants rather than doping — heavy metals, pesticide residue and plasticizers. Complements sport certifications instead of replacing them.
View Clean Label Project