Tier List & Honest Dosing
What Helps, What Is Optional, and What Is Mostly Hype
Supplements are tools. They cannot replace training, sleep, or food. They polish a finished plan. Below is the tier list a working coach uses — what is essential evidence, what is useful situationally, what is optional, and what to skip. Brand and price matter less than the dose, the timing, and whether you actually need it.
Essential, useful, optional, skip
Ranked by strength of evidence. Buy from the top down, and only if needed.
The most studied supplement in sport. Increases strength, lean mass, and high-intensity performance. Safe and cheap. Take with any meal — timing does not matter. Loading is unnecessary. → MyProtein→ Bulk.comAffiliate links — commission earned at no extra cost to you.
If you're indoors most of the day or live above 35° latitude, you're probably low. Bone density, mood, immunity, training adaptation. Get a blood test if you can; aim for 75–125 nmol/L. Most adults need at least 2,000 IU to maintain adequate levels. → MyProtein→ Bulk.comAffiliate links — commission earned at no extra cost to you.
Not magic — just convenient protein. Use it when food is impractical. Whey isolate digests fastest; pea + rice blends are excellent for plant-based eaters. → MyProtein Whey→ Bulk WheyAffiliate links — commission earned at no extra cost to you.
Reliable strength and endurance booster. Stop after 2 pm if sleep is sensitive. Skip 1–2 days a week to keep sensitivity.
Recovery, joint comfort, cardiovascular support. Especially useful if you eat fish less than twice a week. → MyProtein Omega-3→ Bulk Omega-3
Useful in heat, on low-carb diets, in long sessions, or for those who simply sweat heavily.
Most adults are insufficient. Supports sleep quality, muscle relaxation, and recovery. Glycinate or bisglycinate forms are best absorbed and gentlest on digestion. Avoid magnesium oxide — poor bioavailability.
Women of reproductive age and plant-based eaters are at high risk of insufficiency. Symptoms: fatigue, cold tolerance, poor recovery. Do not supplement without testing — excess iron is harmful. Get serum ferritin checked; aim for >30 µg/L for active women.
B12 is found almost exclusively in animal products. Vegans and many vegetarians will become deficient without supplementation. Methylcobalamin form is preferred. If you eat no animal products at all, this is Essential, not just Useful.
Modest endurance benefit in the 60–240 second effort range. Causes harmless tingling. Skip if it bothers you — not a needle-mover for most lifters.
Modest pump and endurance effect. Worth trying if you want a non-stimulant pre-workout edge.
Insurance, not therapy. Helpful if your diet is restricted or rotating; redundant if it isn't.
If you eat enough protein, BCAAs are already in every serving you eat. Buying them in powder form is paying for letters you already own.
Most are caffeine + a stimulant blend at premium prices. The fat loss is calorie deficit. Always was. Always will be.
Your liver and kidneys are the cleanse. Save the money for vegetables.
Almost none have meaningful effect outside of correcting genuine deficiency — and that requires a doctor, not a tub.
Useful in some clinical settings. For lifters eating enough protein, no measurable advantage.
Timing, simplified
Some supplements are time-sensitive. Most are not. Here is the difference.
Pre-workout
Caffeine 30–60 min prior. Citrulline 60–90 min prior. Carbs 1–2 h prior if needed.
Intra-workout
Water + electrolytes. That's it. Carbs only for very long or fasted sessions.
Post-workout
Protein within 1–3 hours. Total daily intake matters more than the magic 30-min window.
Daily
Creatine + Vitamin D3 + Omega-3 with any meal. Consistency beats timing.
If a supplement is not on the Essential or Useful tier above, it is unlikely to move the needle for a healthy training adult. Buy from the bottom up only when you have first mastered training, sleep, and food.
Get training and food right first. Supplements add the final few percent.
Use them once your training, sleep, food, and hydration are already in good shape. Anything else is paying premium prices for placeholder progress.
If you took only three things
Creatine monohydrate, vitamin D3, and a quality protein powder. That's the entire essential stack for the average lifter. The rest is situational.
A simple stack budget
Three essentials cost ~A$15–25 per month. Add caffeine and omega-3 for ~A$10 more. Total: under A$35 monthly for a full evidence-based stack.