Summer workouts can be tricky. On the one hand, the weather is great for taking whatever you like to do into the great outdoors. The counter to this is the oft-brutal heat that can sap energy, along with the natural urge to just enjoy the weather and take a lot of downtime.
This is where supplements step up and play a vital role. We all need a boost for our workouts every now and then, but we also want the supplements we take to get to be as healthy and untainted by bad ingredients as possible. The world of supplements can be a maze full of false health and fitness claims, so let’s navigate the twists and turns so you can make the best possible choices.
Start your supplement search with protein
You know you’re taking on a serious challenge when you realize it’s difficult just to delineate the categories for a summer supplement guide. My personal choices tend to be on the quirky side — that’s probably being kind, actually — so I quickly turned to a high-level expert to help level the supplement playing field.
That choice was Dr. Jordan Glenn, PhD. He’s the Head of Science at SuppCo, so he’s an ideal choice to bring some much-needed rigor to the evaluation process.
One thing we agreed on right away was to start the selection process with protein powders. They’re a hot topic right now, not to mention a vital nutritional add if you’re going to do supplements. There are way too many choices out there, and whittling them down can be a formidable task without the right kind of help.
The protein powder criteria
Glenn’s criteria for protein powders is definitely different from a lot of the current evaluation trends. Much of what’s happening now is a numbers game, with manufacturers vying to become king of the hill by offering the most grams of protein in a single serving. Getting complete proteins in your powder is also important, and this aspect helps explain Glenn’s choice.
“I tend to gravitate towards pea protein as I respond better from a digestive perspective,” he explains. “It is practically a complete protein, and a breakfast of eggs makes up for the methionine and cysteine I may be missing by choosing pea over whey.”
Regardless of the source, it’s important to get a protein powder that gives you enough branch chain amino acids (BCAA) — specifically, we’re talking leucine, isoleucine and valine. The ratio he recommends is 2:1:1, which is optimal for muscle protein synthesis.
It’s important to read the labels, too. Here are the three questions Glenn says you need to ask when you go to evaluate your protein powder:
- Is the product cGMP certified?
- Has it been third-party lab tested through an ISO 17025 lab, and are the COAs, i.e., Certificates of Analysis, available?
- Does it have other certifications indicative of quality (NSF or USP)
Protein propaganda to avoid
A lot of protein powders come with some pretty wild claims that are borderline propaganda, so Glenn also offers some advice to sort through the noise
“I highly recommend avoiding ‘proprietary blends’ that fail to disclose their amino acid breakdowns,” he says. “This typically means a product is being filled with cheaper amino acids vs the ones that will actually help with strength benefits and recovery.”
It’s just as important to be on the lookout for problematic additives.
“Keep an eye out for products that contain unnecessary or problematic added ingredients,” he says. “Especially as artificial colors and sweeteners are being flagged as dangerous, it is more important than ever to make sure we are not sabotaging our goals by consuming unnecessary ingredients.”
Another red flag is a long ingredients list. Protein powders are one supplement that should have a short list, with creatine and magnesium being the others.
“A complete list and breakdown of amino acids is great,” he says. “Lots of non-protein ingredients should be avoided.”
The protein powder choices
Glenn uses TrustScore as the basis for his choices — here are the top three:
- Momentous 100% Plant Protein Powder (Vanilla Spice) (TrustScore 9.63)
- Parsley Health Rebuild Clean Protein Powder (Chocolate) (TrustScore 9.50)
- Ritual Prenatal Protein Powder (Vanilla) (TrustScore 9.44)
“While all of these are very popular in our platform, our most popular protein powder is Transparent Labs Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate Powder,” he adds. “The flavor is milk chocolate, and the TrustScore is 9.19.”
Vitamins and minerals
Not surprisingly, Glenn applies a completely different set of criteria when selecting the best vitamins and minerals.
“Clinically meaningful dosages are one of the first things that matters to me,” he explains. “If I need 1,000 milligrams of a nutrient to achieve my goals, I do not want a product providing 200 milligrams per serving. This is especially important for essential nutrients like vitamin D3, B12, or magnesium.
“Vitamins are a little trickier given that they have so much variability. But Vitamin D is by far the most stacked vitamin we have, followed by multivitamins and Vitamin C.”
The next criteria is all about increased absorption. Certain combinations like magnesium with B6, or vitamin D with K2 provide higher absorption levels, and the enhanced performance of these combinations is supported by clinical data.
When it comes to label reading, the questions Glenn asks are identical to those he poses when choosing protein powders. He’s also looking for products that are free of artificial flavors, colors or fillers.
What to avoid with vitamins
The must-to-avoid list for vitamins is just as explicit.
“I would avoid using inferior or poorly absorbed forms,” Glenn says. “Examples like magnesium oxide [have] low absorption, [and a] laxative effect. Iron in the form of ferrous sulfate competes with other minerals for absorption, [and] iron bisglycinate is typically better.”
Proprietary blends can also be a problem, just as they often are in protein powders. Glenn refers to this as “fairy dusting” — i.e., the label tells you that an ingredient is in the supplement, but not how much you’re getting.
“This usually means you are getting trace or ineffective amounts of a nutrient, if any at all,” he says. “Proper testing and third-party accreditation can go a long way to avoiding products like this.
“Finally, I avoid products containing risky or banned additives. For example, titanium dioxide is restricted in several countries for oral use, but still appears in some U.S. supplements.”
The vitamin choices
- Pure Vitamin D3 & K2 (TrustScore 9.31) is the most popular vitamin in the SuppCo platform
- Thorne Multi-Vitamin Elite A.M. (TrustScore 9.31) is our most stacked multivitamin
- Kirkland Vitamin C 1000 mg with Rose Hips and Bioflavonoids (TrustScore 7.06) is our most stacked vitamin C<li>
The criteria for pre-workout supplements
What you take before you work out can be a huge factor in fitness success, but once again, you have to know about the specific testing and certification requirements that are involved.
“Brands that do third party testing or have cGMP certifications are good indicators,” Glenn says, “as well as anything that is NSF Certified for Sport. This tells you right away that you can trust what is on the label.”
The effectiveness of those listed ingredients are often another matter entirely, however. Glenn mentions citrulline, beta-alanine, and creatine as examples that may be added, but not at the levels necessary to be effective.
“For example, citrulline-malate is shown to be acutely effective at an eight milligram dose, but if a pre-workout blend only includes two milligrams per serving, you are not getting any real benefits,” he explains. “Consumers should be discerning to make sure they are getting real benefits and not a watered-down blend pumped with stimulants.”
The timing of these ingredients matters, too. What you’re looking for in a pre-workout product is a combination of a nitric oxide booster, a pH buffer, a stimulant and ingredients that enhances exercise recovery. But some ingredients take time to be effective, e.g., beta-alanine requires approximately 30 days of consistent use to be effective.
What to avoid in your pre-workout choices
The amount of stimulants is the most important red flag in this area, either via an excessive amount or a combination of stimulants that can end up being dangerous.
“Caffeine is the most common stimulant in pre-workouts,” Glenn says. “But many also include additional stimulants, like yohimbine, synephrine, theobromine, or even exotic ones like DMHA, which is banned in many countries.
“High stimulant loads can increase heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety, and insomnia. Combining multiple stimulants can amplify these risks, especially for those sensitive to them. As a rule of thumb, find single stimulant blends and stay below 300 milligrams of caffeine per serving unless you have a high tolerance.”
Proprietary blends are also a no-no in this category, largely because they can be used to hide the actual doses of individual ingredients.
“This makes it impossible to know whether you’re getting effective amounts, or just a ‘fairy dusting’ of actives surrounded by cheap fillers,” Glenn explains. “High-quality pre-workout blends should be transparent in their ingredient usage.”
The pre-workout choices
- Transparent Bulk Pre-Workout (Black Cherry) (TrustScore: 9.56)
- Klean Pre-Workout Natural (Lemon Tea Flavor) (TrustScore: 9.50)
- Thorne Pre-Workout Elite (TrustScore: 9.31)
“Our most popular pre-workout blend is also from Transparent Labs,” Glenn says. “Their Lean Pre-Workout (Strawberry Lemonade) takes the top spot in popularity among SuppCo user stacks.
Dr. Glenn’s personal stack
Given Glenn’s attention to detail in all of these categories, it’s natural to wonder what he uses in his personal stack. Here’s his top ten, so you can pick and choose according to your fitness needs and add accordingly:
- Purebulk Caffeine Powder (synthetic), one scoop daily for energy<li>
- Bulk Supplements Creatine Monohydrate, one scoop daily for fitness
- Bulk Supplements BCAA 2:1:1, one scoop daily for fitness
- Bulk Supplements Beta Alanine Powder, two scoops daily, two servings, for fitness
- Sports Research Omega 3-6-7-9, two soft gels, one serving daily for essential health
- Momentous Turmeric, 2 capsules, one serving daily, for bone and joint
- Health Thru Nutrition, H2Q 100 mg, one capsule daily, for cardiovascular
- Bulk Supplements L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1, one scoop daily for fitness
- Bulk Supplements Berberine HCL, two scoops daily, two servings for cardiovascular
- Naked Nutrition, Naked Pea (unflavored), two scoops daily, one serving, for fitness
