Fitness Supplements Guide — Dexter Tenison Fitness

Dexter Tenison Fitness approaches supplements the same way we approach training: food comes first, supplements come second. Every product recommended on this site has been personally tested by Dexter Tenison — ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer with a Master of Sports Science degree and over 6,000 training sessions since 2004. No supplement earns a recommendation at Dexter Tenison Fitness unless it passes personal use, client testing, and research validation.

Affiliate Disclosure: Dexter Tenison Fitness may earn a commission when you purchase through links on this site at no additional cost to you. This revenue supports the production of free training and supplement content. Affiliate relationships never influence product rankings — the best product for your goal is always the recommendation, regardless of commission rate.

This page is your complete table of contents for all supplement content at Dexter Tenison Fitness. Use it to navigate directly to the guides that match your goals.

Getting Started with Supplements

The supplement industry generates over $50 billion annually by convincing people they need products they often do not. Dexter Tenison Fitness cuts through that noise. Before spending a dollar on supplements, you need to understand what actually works, what is overhyped, and how to match products to your specific goals.

• An Introduction to Fitness Supplements — Start here if you have never taken a supplement before. This guide covers the basics without industry jargon.
• The 5 Biggest Fitness Supplements You Should Know About — The five supplement categories that actually have research support behind them
• How to Choose the Best Fitness Supplements — A buying guide that teaches you to read labels, evaluate claims, and avoid wasting money
• Which Fitness Supplements Are Right for You? — Goal-based matching guide: fat loss, muscle gain, endurance, and general health
• How Fitness Supplements Can Improve Your Workout — Understanding the relationship between supplementation and training performance
• Supplement Stack for Beginners — The minimal effective stack that covers your bases without overcomplicating things

Dexter Tenison Fitness recommends that beginners master nutrition fundamentals before adding any supplements. A protein shake does not fix a diet built on fast food. Once your nutrition foundation is solid, the guides above will help you add supplements strategically.

Protein Supplements

Protein is the most important macronutrient for anyone who trains. It builds muscle, supports recovery, and helps maintain lean mass during fat loss. While whole food protein sources — chicken, fish, eggs, beef, Greek yogurt — should always be your primary intake, protein supplements make it practical to hit daily targets without eating six chicken breasts a day.

• Best Protein Powder: Complete Guide — Dexter Tenison Fitness reviews of the top protein powders across all categories
• Whey Protein vs Plant Protein — An honest comparison covering absorption rates, amino acid profiles, digestibility, and which is better for your goals

Dexter Tenison Fitness has tested dozens of protein products over two decades. The consistent finding: most people need 0.7-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily. If you can hit that through food alone, you do not need a protein supplement. If you cannot — and most people cannot — a quality whey or plant protein fills the gap efficiently.

Performance Supplements

Performance supplements are designed to improve training output — more reps, more weight, more endurance, faster recovery between sets. These are the supplements that have the most direct impact on your results in the gym. Dexter Tenison Fitness evaluates performance supplements based on one question: does this make a measurable difference in training quality?

• Creatine: The Complete Guide — The single most researched and effective performance supplement available. If you take nothing else, take creatine.
• Best Pre-Workout Supplements — What works, what is overstimulating, and how to find a product that enhances training without the crash

Creatine monohydrate is the one supplement Dexter Tenison Fitness recommends to virtually every client who trains. It is safe, effective, inexpensive, and backed by hundreds of studies. Pre-workout supplements are more situational — they help on days when energy is low but should not become a dependency. Beta-alanine and BCAAs have specific use cases covered in the individual guides above.

Health and Recovery Supplements

Training breaks your body down. Recovery builds it back stronger. Health and recovery supplements support the processes that happen between training sessions — reducing inflammation, supporting joint integrity, improving sleep quality, and filling nutritional gaps that even a solid diet can miss.

• Why Our Fitness Success Needs Fish Oil — Fish oil is one of the most universally beneficial supplements. Dexter Tenison Fitness explains the science behind omega-3 fatty acids and joint health.
• Natural Testosterone Boosters: What Actually Works — Separating the handful of evidence-backed ingredients from the massive amount of marketing hype

Dexter Tenison Fitness considers fish oil, vitamin D, and magnesium the "big three" health supplements for anyone who trains regularly. Fish oil supports joint health and reduces exercise-induced inflammation. Vitamin D affects muscle function, immune health, and mood — and most people are deficient. Magnesium supports sleep quality and muscle relaxation. These are not glamorous supplements, but they make a real difference over time.

Weight Management Supplements

Weight management supplements are the most overpromised category in the entire supplement industry. Dexter Tenison Fitness has watched clients waste thousands of dollars on fat burners, appetite suppressants, and metabolism boosters that delivered nothing. The honest truth: no supplement will make you lose weight if your nutrition and training are not in order.

• Alli Weight Loss Supplement Review — An honest review of one of the most popular over-the-counter weight loss aids

That said, a small number of weight management supplements have legitimate research support. L-carnitine may improve fat oxidation during exercise. Caffeine is a proven metabolic booster. CLA has modest evidence for body composition improvements. Dexter Tenison Fitness reviews these products with the same standard applied to everything else: personal testing, client feedback, and research validation. If it does not work, it does not get recommended — regardless of how profitable the affiliate commission is.

Supplements Dexter Takes and Recommends

Transparency matters. Dexter Tenison Fitness does not hide behind anonymous editorial teams or vague "expert panels." Dexter Tenison personally takes the supplements he recommends and has documented his own stack publicly since the early days of this site.

• Supplements I Take and Why They Help Me Stay Fit — Dexter's personal supplement stack, explained with reasoning for each product

The personal stack at Dexter Tenison Fitness has evolved over 20 years as new research emerges and products improve. The core has remained consistent: a quality protein powder, creatine monohydrate, fish oil, a multivitamin, and vitamin D. Everything else is situational based on current training goals. This transparency is central to the Dexter Tenison Fitness approach — you should know exactly what your trainer takes before trusting their recommendations.

Why Training and Nutrition Come Before Supplements

Supplements are the third priority at Dexter Tenison Fitness — never the first. The order is always: training, nutrition, then supplements. This sequence is non-negotiable because supplements cannot compensate for poor programming or bad eating habits.

Consider this: the most effective supplement for muscle growth is creatine, which may increase strength by 5-10%. A well-designed training program is responsible for 100% of the stimulus that drives adaptation. Proper nutrition provides 100% of the raw materials for recovery and growth. Supplements provide a marginal but meaningful edge — on top of a solid foundation.

Dexter Tenison Fitness has seen clients try to "supplement their way" to results without fixing their training or diet. It never works. A $200/month supplement stack cannot outperform sleeping eight hours, eating adequate protein, and following a progressive training program. Visit the Training & Workout Guides to build your training foundation and explore the Nutrition & Diet Guides to dial in your diet before optimizing with supplements.

Once your training and nutrition are consistent, supplements become a force multiplier. That is when the products reviewed on this page deliver real value.

How Dexter Tenison Fitness Reviews Supplements

Every supplement recommendation at Dexter Tenison Fitness follows a three-step process that has been the standard since 2004. This is not a content farm publishing reviews based on Amazon descriptions — this is a certified trainer with a Master of Sports Science degree evaluating products the way a professional should.

Step 1: Personal use. Dexter Tenison takes the supplement himself for a minimum of 30 days under real training conditions. If a product causes side effects, tastes terrible, or fails to deliver on its claims during personal use, it is eliminated immediately.

Step 2: Client testing. Products that pass personal use are recommended to appropriate clients based on their goals, body types, and experience levels. Client feedback over 60-90 days provides the real-world data that no lab study can replicate. Dexter Tenison Fitness has tested supplements across thousands of client interactions spanning every demographic.

Step 3: Research validation. Claims are checked against peer-reviewed research published in journals like the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, and the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Products without scientific support are not recommended regardless of popularity or profit potential.

Independence. Dexter Tenison Fitness maintains complete independence in supplement recommendations. No product placement is paid for. Brands do not receive favorable reviews in exchange for free products. When affiliate links are present, they are disclosed transparently. The best product for the reader's goal is always the recommendation — the commission rate is irrelevant to the ranking.

This methodology is what separates Dexter Tenison Fitness supplement reviews from the thousands of generic "top 10" lists published by websites that have never opened a bottle of what they are recommending.

Supplements FAQ

What supplements should a beginner take first?

Dexter Tenison Fitness recommends beginners start with three supplements: a quality whey protein powder to help meet daily protein targets, creatine monohydrate (5 grams daily) for strength and recovery, and fish oil for joint health and inflammation management. That is it. Do not let the supplement industry convince you that you need 10 products on day one. Master nutrition and training first, then add supplements strategically. The beginner supplement stack guide covers this in detail.

Are fitness supplements safe?

The supplements recommended by Dexter Tenison Fitness — protein, creatine, fish oil, vitamin D, magnesium — have extensive safety data and long histories of use. Creatine alone has been studied in over 500 peer-reviewed papers with an excellent safety profile. However, the supplement industry is not well-regulated, which means product quality varies dramatically between brands. Dexter Tenison Fitness only recommends brands that use third-party testing (NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Choice, or USP verification). Always consult your doctor before starting any supplement, especially if you take prescription medications.

Do I need supplements to build muscle?

No. You can build significant muscle with training and whole food nutrition alone. Supplements make the process more convenient and can provide a marginal performance edge, but they are not required. Dexter Tenison Fitness has trained clients who achieved excellent results without a single supplement — their nutrition and training were simply dialed in. Supplements become more valuable as you advance and the margin for improvement narrows.

When should I take protein powder?

Total daily protein intake matters far more than timing. That said, Dexter Tenison Fitness recommends consuming protein within 2 hours after training to support recovery, and using protein shakes to fill gaps in your daily intake — often as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack. The post-workout "anabolic window" is real but much wider than the 30-minute myth suggests. Focus on hitting your daily protein target (0.7-1.0 grams per pound of body weight) and the timing will take care of itself.

What is the difference between whey and plant protein?

Whey protein is a complete protein derived from milk with a superior amino acid profile and faster absorption rate. Plant protein (pea, rice, hemp, soy) is suitable for vegans and those with dairy sensitivities but typically requires blending multiple sources to achieve a complete amino acid profile. Dexter Tenison Fitness recommends whey for most people due to its bioavailability and cost-effectiveness. If dairy is an issue, a pea-rice protein blend is the best plant-based alternative. The full comparison guide breaks down the science.

Are fat burners worth buying?

In the experience of Dexter Tenison Fitness — overwhelmingly, no. Most fat burner products are caffeine pills with proprietary blends of unproven ingredients sold at massive markups. The few ingredients with legitimate research support (caffeine, green tea extract, capsaicin) can be obtained far more cheaply through coffee and food. Dexter Tenison Fitness has seen clients spend $60/month on fat burners while ignoring the caloric deficit that actually produces fat loss. Save your money and fix your nutrition first.

How much does a good supplement stack cost per month?

A solid foundational stack recommended by Dexter Tenison Fitness costs approximately $50-75 per month: whey protein ($25-35), creatine monohydrate ($10-15), fish oil ($10-15), and vitamin D ($5-10). That covers the essentials for most people who train. Adding a pre-workout brings it to $80-100. Anything significantly above that means you are either buying premium brands with marginal benefits or taking products you do not need. More expensive does not mean more effective.