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What can you do if you’re eating right, working out regularly and still not getting the muscle gains that you want? You could go the illegal steroids route, but that puts you at risk for criminal prosecution and encountering unsafe products that don’t belong in your body.
The legal alternative is supplements for building strength and muscle mass, and they can help a little. But only a few have good evidence behind them, and a label isn’t a safety guarantee. The FDA doesn’t review dietary supplements for safety or effectiveness before they’re sold, and it has found hidden steroids and steroid-like drugs in products marketed for bodybuilding.
However, there are a lot of products out there that aren’t as effective as others. How can you tell whether or not the supplements you buy are the real deal? Here are a few factors to consider.
Top Ingredients for Muscle Gain and Strength
The best supplements for getting stronger and leaner are going to contain well-known ingredients that have been clinically tested for efficacy.
Creatine
One of the most common of these is creatine. This substance is already in your body, but when you supplement with it, your muscles get stronger, allowing you to push around more weight. This leads to growth so that you start seeing the gains you’ve been chasing.
Protein Isolate
Another common and effective ingredient is additional protein. This can come in the form of whey supplements, or the protein may be isolated from common sources like beef, eggs and chicken. Your muscles need enough protein if they’re going to get bigger. Most people who lift need about 1.4 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight a day, spread across meals in 20 to 40 gram servings. Food can get you there, so think of a powder as a convenient top-up.
Branched-Chain Amino Acids
Branched-chain amino acids are extremely popular with bodybuilders, and there are plenty of reasons why. These BCAAs, as they are commonly called, are a compound of three amino acids: valine, leucine and isoleucine. BCAAs are a crucial component of growing muscles. They are found in animal proteins like fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products, and your muscles have naturally occurring BCAAs already in them. But don’t rush out for a separate BCAA product: the strongest evidence is for getting enough total protein, with all the essential amino acids.
Consider Your Goals
Everyone who considers taking a supplement that will give them increased strength and size has a unique goal. After all, not everyone wants to win Mr. Olympia. Some people just want to look leaner, get more toned or are just having trouble gaining size.
Some of the supplements on this list are designed to help you meet a multitude of goals.
Other supplements have a more specific goal. Perhaps they are designed to ramp up your energy before a workout so that you’ll be intense and focused. Maybe they are only meant to assist with helping your muscles to recover more quickly after an exercise session. Still others aim to give you massive amounts of protein or creatine in a meal-replacement package that contains highly specific nutrients.
The point is that there are many different supplements out there. Any one or a combination of two or more supplements may be right to you.
Does Delivery Method Matter?
The products on this list are all powders that can be mixed with water or other liquids. You simply drink them as directed.
Take these different delivery methods into account before choosing the right supplement. Some people have to do a lot of trial and error before finding a beverage that tastes good to them while other people aren’t concerned about the taste. If you’re looking for something more convenient, then tablets or a spray may make more sense.
Talk to Your Doctor
Before beginning any supplement, it’s wise to ask for your doctor’s advice. They’ll let you know if you have any conditions that might make these supplements dangerous for you.
1. Labrada Nutrition Lean Body Meal Replacement Powder
With a stunning 40 grams of protein in every serving (check the current label), this meal replacement shake is a convenient way to hit your daily protein target when you can’t sit down to a meal. It includes ingredients like branched-chain amino acids to give your body the fuel it needs to get bigger. The formula also is packed with high-fiber carbohydrates to improve your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels more efficiently. With 24 vitamins and minerals, this supplement further is a nutritionally dense addition to your fitness routine.
2. Real Gains Weight Gainer
If you’re looking to bulk up, then the nutrition that you put into your body is critical to your success. This product acts not only as supplements for weight gain, but also an incredibly nutritious meal replacement. A single serving is packed with 600 or more calories of high-octane nutrition. You get good-for-you fats from EFAs and MCTs and the protein that is essential to building lean muscle mass. The formula contains both slow- and fast-acting carbohydrates to ensure that you have energy now and in the long run. You’ll also find plenty of healthy fiber. The main ingredient is whey protein. Keep in mind that gainers only make sense if you have trouble eating enough calories while you’re training.
3. BPI Sports ISO HD 100 Percent Protein Isolate & Hydrolysate
If you’re looking for a pure source for protein, then this may be the perfect product for you. With a minimum of calories and an amazing 25 grams of protein per serving, this product is formulated to give excellent nutritional value. What’s more, the manufacturer says that hydrolyzed whey protein like that contained in this product allows better, faster absorption of amino acids. This means that more nutrition gets to your muscles. You can take this supplement before or after a workout, since both help, and spreading 20 to 40 gram servings through the day is a good rule of thumb. Users love that this product doesn’t have a lot of additives or hard-to-pronounce ingredients. It’s just fast-absorbing whey protein isolate and hydrolysate.
4. Nitro Tech – Whey Isolate Protein Powder
This is another whey isolate protein powder. However, it’s from MuscleTech’s Nitro-Tech line, which is a well-known name in the bodybuilding and extreme sports industries. With this product, you get an amazing 30 grams of protein with each serving. The formula is bulked up with the addition of creatine at three grams per serving, various amino acids at four grams per serving and 100 milligrams of digestive enzymes. With just one gram of carbs per serving, it’s easy to see why this protein powder supplement is so popular with fitness enthusiasts. Use this product between meals as a snack, right before workouts or just after an exercise session.
5. BulkSupplements.com Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Creatine is a perennially popular supplement for putting on size, and plain creatine monohydrate is the best-studied one for strength training. Pick a product that lists creatine monohydrate as the only ingredient. Typical use is 3 to 5 grams a day.
BulkSupplements.com Creatine Monohydrate Powder
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Checked October 2026.
About the writer
Mark Krasner
Mark is an avid writer, fitness enthusiast, and digital marketing professional living in South Florida. Having studied psychology and cognitive science in school, his love for researching and writing on mental health topics compelled him to create The Authentic Gay with his partner, Bae. When he is not engaging in the creation of digital content, you can find him hiking with Bae and their two dogs, Kanye and Pig.
