Below, the bodybuilding supplement guide table gives you a listing of all the dietary and muscle building supplements reviewed and recommended on this site.
This IS NOT a complete listing of all supplements marketed to increase muscle and weight gain, but rather a listing of the proven effective supplements (the ones that actually work). Find out more about how this guide was compiled here.
Dietary Supplements
Vitamins and Minerals(Multivitamins)
Supplement Reviews, Info on Vitamins and Minerals
Optimum Nutrition’s
Opti-Men’s and Opti-Women’s Multivitamins
Good cost-effective multi-vitamin for the intense trainer. 3 tablets a day with meals.
For 150 Tablets (50 days) pay less than $25
Opti-Men’s Multivitamins at Amazon
Opti-Women’s Multivitamins at Amazon
Twinlab’s Daily One Caps
With iron for men, w/o for women. Basic multivitamin, decent economic option for those who only want to pill-pop once-a-day.
For 180 Capsules (180 days) pay less than $32
Daily One Caps (w/ iron) at Amazon
Daily One Caps (w/o iron) at Amazon
Universal Nutrition’s Animal Pak
Lots of swallowing – 11 tablets a day. Popular among bodybuilders. They recommend 2 paks a day for “intense training,” but one should be fine.
For 44 Packs (44 days) pay less than $30
Optimum Nutrition’s
Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein
This is the top-selling powder for good reasons – good price and reasonable quality. High percentage of whey isolate for a concentrate.
For 5 lb. Container pay less than $62
Now Foods Whey Protein Isolate
Quality Isolate. No lactose and good reputation for being easy on the lactose-intolerant. Very easily mixed.
For 5 lb. Container pay less than $65
Optimum Nutrition’s Pro Complex
Very good and popular protein blend. High percentage of whey isolate. Whey, Egg and Casein protein. I’ve only tried the vanilla and banana cream – vanilla was very good, banana cream was disgusting. But then I’m not really a banana fan.
For 3.3 lb. Container pay less than $64
EAS’s Myoplex
Good nutritional content – very little sugar and saturated fat. Mixes fairly thick. All 3 base flavors (Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry) are decent.
For 20 Packs pay less than $45
Met-RX MRP
Also mixes thick. Little bit less in terms of taste as compared to Myoplex in my opinion, but equally good nutritional profile.
For 18 Packs pay less than $38
Quest Nutrition Protein Bars
21 grams protein and the 14 grams of fiber can be a good thing. “Chocolate Peanut Butter” is good, much-improved taste over bars 5-10 years ago, but you’ll still want a liquid nearby when eating (still a dry meal).
For 12 Bars pay less than $30
Optimum Nutrition’s Pro Gainer
My favorite weight gainer on the market. High protein with 60 grams a serving (yeah, thats a lot). And the taste is surprisingly decent.
For a 10.1 lb. container pay less than $75
Optimum Nutrition’s Serious Mass
Old-style weight gainer with a high carb-to-protein ratio. Might seem a better deal than Pro Gainer at first glance but it’s the extra carbs that are giving you the extra calories. Cutting the recommended serving size (which calls for 1250 calories) in half will work best for most people.
For 12 lb. container pay less than $50
Flora’s Udo’s Choice Oil Blend
An excellent, quality blend of oils and my personal favorite. Is a bit expensive though.
For a 32 oz. bottle pay less than $41
Jarrow Formula’s Flaxseed Oil
Another quality blend of oils and a much more economical choice as compared to Udo’s.
For a 32 oz. bottle pay less than $27
Note: Getting a supplement specifically made for post-workout nutrition isn’t necessary. MRPs and weight gainers make decent post-workout drinks. A sports drink combined with some whey protein is also good. And, chocolate milk is a decent alternative.
But you do want to get good carbs and protein to your muscles as soon as possible which is best accomplished by a liquid source.
Optimum Nutrition’s 2:1:1 Recovery
Not sure the 2:1:1 deal they cite is super important but a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein is a solid idea. Overall, a good post-workout choice without too much BS and too high a price.
For a 3.7 lb. container pay less than $50
Garden Of Life’s Super Seed
I’ve tried many products to keep "soft" on a high-protein diet and had the most success with this one.
For 600 Grams pay less than $23
Muscle Building Supplements
Optimum Nutrition’s
Micronized Creatine Powder
Great economical creatine monohydrate choice. Nothing fancy but it is the best quality creatine out there (Creapure) and can be just as effective as the more expensive products (if you learn to take creatine effectively). Micronized and mixes well.
For 600 Grams pay less than $20
MuscleTech Cell-Tech Hardcore
Creatine-plus product, providing you with a drink that maximizes absorption. I’ve used it, it can be effective, but if you take the time to learn about taking creatine you can get the same effect with a simple creatine monohydrate product and save some bucks.
For a 6 lb. container pay less than $53
Optimum Nutrition’s Glutamine Powder
A good, basic, quality powder.
For 1,000 grams pay less than $44
Optimum Nutrition’s ZMA
No need to look further for a quality ZMA product.
For 180 capsules pay less than $24
Looking for supplements you don’t see listed here?
Check The
Bodybuilding Supplement Reviews
Find out more about how this list was compiled
and get more info on supplement buying here.
- How Are The Supplements Making This List Determined?
- What is the #1 rule to apply to supplement shopping?
- What Are The Ratings Based On?
- What Are The Prices Based On?
- Where Are The Best Places To Buy Supplements?
- How Much Should I Buy At A Time?
