Best Supplements for Building Strength
- hellodonaldsonnutr
- May 7
- 5 min read
If you are wanting to increase muscular strength, chances are you have considered adding a supplement or two into your regimen.
As a registered dietitian who works with athletes, I often get lots of questions about what supplements people should take if they want to get stronger and build muscle.
Although supplements can be helpful, they should not be your only priority.
The biggest things you can do to help to improve your muscular strength are:
Consume enough energy (calories)
Consume enough protein
Follow a training program that includes resistance training
Get adequate sleep and fluid intake
If you are consistently lacking in one or more of these areas, adding a supplement (even if it is highly reputable) is NOT going to make up for those shortcomings.
Today, we will review a few supplement options to consider:
1) Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine is one of the most well researched sports supplements and ergogenic aids on the market. An ergogenic aid is a nutritional, pharmacological, or mechanical tool used to enhance performance. It is safe, and beneficial in various populations - even in youth and seniors. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, creatine is one of the most effective supplements available to athletes that can increase muscle mass and high intensity exercise capacity (1).
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in cells that plays a major role in the creatine phosphate energy system. It is primarily found in skeletal muscle, and small quantities can also be found in animal-based foods such as meat, fish and poultry.
Creatine supplementation works by increasing the phosphocreatine/creatine ratio in skeletal muscle tissue, which in turn increases the capacity for rapid adenosine triphosphate (ATP) resynthesis during repeated high-intensity exercise tasks - such as weightlifting or sprints(2). An overwhelming amount of evidence shows that supplementing with creatine monohydrate can increase muscular strength, muscle mass and improve sports performance (1). In addition, creatine is one of the few sports supplements that has been researched specifically on women, with benefits seen in pre and post menopausal women (2). Dose recommendations may vary, but they often fall between 3 - 5 g per day.
Options Include:
2) Protein
Proteins are built up by amino acids (think of a protein as a necklace, and amino acids as the beads on the necklace) and have many important structural roles in the body. Adequate protein intake plays an important role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis, and those who are training with the intent of increasing their muscle should have even higher protein needs. For most active people, needs can range anywhere from 1.2 - 2.0 g/kg (3), though strength athletes may increase upwards from 1.6 - 2.8 g/kg (3).
Protein needs are sometimes even higher for those who are in intensive fat loss phases such as competitive bodybuilders. This is because fat loss phases require a caloric deficit - in other words, eating less calories than what your body needs to maintain its weight. Where adequate energy intake is important in muscle building, reducing your calorie intake may increase your risk of losing some muscle. So increasing protein intake is a strategy that may negate some of this effect.
Protein needs can be met through food sources alone, however protein powders can be a convenient way to get high quality protein that contains all the essential amino acids - notably leucine. Leucine is an amino acid that is known for its ability to independently stimulate muscle protein synthesis activating a signaling pathway (known as the mTOR pathway) that regulates protein synthesis (1, 4). Leucine is especially high in certain proteins such as Whey protein. It is also rich in some plant-based protein blends.
In short, protein powder is not necessary, but it can be a convenient and cost-effective way to get high quality protein in your diet.
Options Include:
*Not third party tested. Athletes who may undergo drug testing should ensure they choose supplements that are third party tested to prevent unintended doping
Bonus: Vitamin D
This supplement is included as a "Bonus", because unlike supplements like Creatine Monohydrate, Vitamin D is generally not considered to be an ergogenic aid (1). Vitamin D is often known as the "sunshine vitamin" that benefits both bone health and immune function. Vitamin D also plays an important role in muscle function. Although Vitamin D itself does not directly improve strength or athletic performance, low levels of vitamin D could pose some risks to strength.
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to atrophy in both fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers, and impair the speed of muscle contraction and relaxation (5, 6). In plain language, Vitamin D deficiencies could lead to muscle breakdown and impaired muscle function. A blood test can assess whether or not you have a deficiency.
Vitamin D can often be purchased over the counter at doses ranging from 400 - 2500 IU daily, and sometimes as high as 4000 IU. 1000 IU Vitamin D daily is appropriate for most healthy adults, however higher doses may be warranted in some circumstances, such as the prevalence of an inflammatory conditions that inhibit nutrient absorption such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
It is important to note that an estimated 40% of Canadians have suboptimal Vitamin D levels (7). So while taking vitamin D may not directly make you crazy strong, it can prevent the negative effects associated with Vitamin D deficiency.
Options include:
At the end of the day, supplements are the like the sprinkles or the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae - they can give a great boost to muscle building, but they're not going to make up for poor calorie intake, or an ineffective training program (which would be the actual ice cream). Because you probably wouldn't want an ice cream sundae with 10% ice cream and 90% sprinkles. Gross.
In a future blog post, we will review my top supplement recommendations specifically for sports performance, including endurance.
Need personalized guidance on building muscle? I'd love to help! Get in touch, so we can chat about how I can support your needs and goals.
Please note that the content provided in this blog post is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment
(1) Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., Candow, D. G., Kleiner, S. M., Almada, A. L., & Lopez, H. L. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
(2) Smith-Ryan, A. E., Cabre, H. E., Eckerson, J. M., & Candow, D. G. (2021). Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective. Nutrients, 13(3), 877. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030877'
(3) Amawi, A., AlKasasbeh, W., Jaradat, M., Almasri, A., Alobaidi, S., Hammad, A. A., Bishtawi, T., Fataftah, B., Turk, N., Saoud, H. A., Jarrar, A., & Ghazzawi, H. (2024). Athletes' nutritional demands: a narrative review of nutritional requirements. Frontiers in nutrition, 10, 1331854. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1331854
(4) Drummond, M. J., & Rasmussen, B. B. (2008). Leucine-enriched nutrients and the regulation of mammalian target of rapamycin signalling and human skeletal muscle protein synthesis. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 11(3), 222–226. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0b013e3282fa17fb
(5) de la Puente Yagüe, M., Collado Yurrita, L., Ciudad Cabañas, M. J., & Cuadrado Cenzual, M. A. (2020). Role of Vitamin D in Athletes and Their Performance: Current Concepts and New Trends. Nutrients, 12(2), 579. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12020579
(6) Ceglia L. (2009). Vitamin D and its role in skeletal muscle. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 12(6), 628–633. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0b013e328331c707
(7) Amrein, K., Scherkl, M., Hoffmann, M., Neuwersch-Sommeregger, S., Köstenberger, M., Tmava Berisha, A., Martucci, G., Pilz, S., & Malle, O. (2020). Vitamin D deficiency 2.0: an update on the current status worldwide. European journal of clinical nutrition, 74(11), 1498–1513. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-020-0558-y
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