Supplements I Take
As so many people ask what supplements I take, I thought I’d make a list.
There are 7 supplements listed below. Some of them I use daily, some I use several times per week, and one I use only for part of the year.
Before we get to the list, there are a few important things to bear in mind:
You need to focus more on your nutrition, workout, and recovery plan than on your supplement plan. While some of the supplements I mention below help me in these three areas, you won’t get results with supplements alone.
You can get good results without supplements. Supplements just make life a little easier.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I might earn a commission if you tap on a link and buy something.
Legion Athletics sponsors me. I happily accepted their sponsorship because I actually use and enjoy their products - and so does my wife. We’ve been using their products for over 3 years and we’re super happy with them. They’re a super ethical and transparent company, and their products are third-party tested. If you choose to purchase anything from Legion, you can use the code ROSENTRAIN at checkout and you’ll get a discount if it’s your first order.
Talk to your doctor before starting any new supplement regime.
On to the list!
(scroll to the end of this blog post for a summary of all 7.)
The 7 Supplements I Use
1. Whey Protein Isolate (daily)
Protein is super important during fat loss.
First, protein will reduce the hunger that comes from being in a calorie deficit.
Second, it will help you retain your muscle while losing fat - which will make you look more lean and toned.
To get both of these benefits, I generally recommend people consume 0.7-1g protein per lb target weight while losing fat.
So if someone’s target weight is 150 lb, they would consume 105-150g per day.
If you’re not used to eating that much protein, it can be a real challenge to hit that range. But whey protein powder can make it MUCH easier to do so.
There are tons of different kinds of whey protein powder out there.
I like to use whey protein isolate. It’s whey protein with the vast majority of the carbs and fat removed, making it lower in calories.
I use it on a daily basis.
I use the whey protein isolate from Legion Athletics, called Whey+. Cinnamon Cereal and Salted Caramel are my favorite flavors.
I use it in the following ways:
Mixed with oatmeal (after cooking the oatmeal) as part of my breakfast.
Mixed with water for a quick-and-easy snack or post-workout shake.
Blended with some banana, frozen berries, and nut butter for a smoothie (this would typically be my breakfast).
2. Casein protein powder (several times per week)
Whey isn’t the only kind of protein powder available.
I’m also a huge fan of casein protein powder.
Casein is a slower-releasing protein than whey, which means it can help keep you fuller for longer.
It also tends to produce a thicker texture when mixed with water in a smoothie. This makes it great as part of a breakfast smoothie, although I wouldn’t use it in a post-workout shake because I want to consume a faster-digesting protein for maximal recovery benefits.
I use it several times per week.
I love the Casein+ from Legion Athletics, specifically the Cinnamon Cereal and Dutch Chocolate flavors.
I use it in the following ways:
Morning smoothie. I might use 0.5-1 scoop of whey AND 0.5-1 scoop of casein.
Mixed with water for an evening snack if I’m still hungry after dinner.
3. Plant-Based Protein Powder (several times per week)
Most plant-based protein powder tastes terrible.
Which is a shame, because more and more people are trying to become more plant-based. Not to mention how many people can’t digest dairy (both whey and casein are derived from milk).
But Legion’s Plant+ protein powder actually tastes pretty damn good. Their Dutch Chocolate flavor is my favorite.
It would go well in a smoothie, but that isn’t how I normally use it. I use it to make a very specific high-protein snack:
0.5-1 cup Greek yogurt
0.5-1 scoop Plant+ (chocolate flavor)
0.5-1 cup frozen blueberries
For some reason, only plant-based protein seems to mix well with Greek yogurt (whey and casein taste weird, in my opinion, when mixed with Greek yogurt) and produce a very appealing texture - it kinda tastes and feels like frozen yogurt. So if I haven’t hit my protein goal for the day but I still want dessert, I’ll make this recipe.
I use it several times per week.
4. Creatine Monohydrate (daily)
Creatine monohydrate (usually referred to simply as “creatine”) is one of the most studied supplements out there.
It can improve your body composition (more muscle, less fat) while boosting performance when lifting weights.
It might also have a positive impact on brain health.
And the data tell us that creatine is safe to use for healthy people.
However, it probably won’t make much of a difference to you if you’ve been strength training consistently for less than a year.
I use Legion’s creatine, and it’s great. I see and feel a difference in performance and body composition.
I use it daily. I add 5g to a shake or smoothie.
I don’t really care much about the timing (whether I use it pre-workout vs post-workout) - I just make sure I take it daily and consistently.
5. Magnesium (daily)
I supplement with magnesium daily. I take it around 30-60 minutes before bed because the data show us it can improve sleep quality (although it won’t have any impact at all if you keep staying up late scrolling on social media).
I’ve certainly noticed an improvement since I started supplementing with magnesium.
The thing is, there are SO many different kinds of magnesium out there (magnesium chloride, magnesium citrate, magnesium sulfate, etc.), and they don’t all seem to have the same benefits on sleep.
In the past, I’ve seen benefits from using magnesium bisglycinate, but right now I’m using Sucrosomial Magnesium from Legion and I’m super happy with it.
6. Fish Oil (daily)
There are all kinds of potential benefits from fish oil, including:
I use Legion’s Triton Fish Oil daily. Unlike other brands I’ve tried, it almost never gives me the “fish burps”, which is a nice added benefit :)
I’m not super concerned about timing. I just make sure I take it daily with a meal.
7. Vitamin D (part of the year only)
I don’t take vitamin D during the warmer and sunnier months of the year. I just make sure I spend time outside each day so that my body can produce enough vitamin D naturally.
But I live in Canada, and I’m originally from England. At least half the year it’s either too cold or there just ain’t enough sunshine to be able to get enough vitamin D from the sun.
I supplement during those months, because the data shows us that supplementation can support bone health and immune health.
I use Legion’s Vitamin D+K.
In summary, the 7 supplements I use are:
1. Whey Protein Isolate (daily)
2. Casein Protein Powder (several times per week)
3. Plant-Based Protein Powder (several times per week)
4. Creatine Monohydrate (daily)
5. Magnesium (daily)
6. Fish Oil (daily)
7. Vitamin D (part of the year only)