11:06
supplements
Dr. Mike Israetel (RP Strength) reviews several supplements he regrets taking — creatine ethylester, non-stimulant fat burners, leucine powder, casein protein, and cheap whey concentrate — arguing that only a few supplement categories are actually effective, that most of the rest are repackaged or do-nothing products, and that food covers about 95% of what's needed to build muscle and get lean.
Only a few categories of supplements are effective; most of the rest of the supplement market is described as a waste of money.
Creatine ethylester (CEE) was marketed as more lipophilic than monohydrate and able to skip the creatine transporter, but in practice breaks down in the acidic stomach into creatinine, which is mostly excreted — he felt no training effect from it and advises passing on it.
Creatine monohydrate is presented as the best-vetted, cheapest, safest, and most effective form — 'that's how grandma did it.'
Non-stimulant fat burners (often containing berberine, capsaicin, green tea extract) produced no noticeable effect for him during a college-era fat-loss phase; he says these ingredients have real but 'teenytiny' mechanistic effects that stay below noticeable even stacked together.
For fat loss he says what actually works best is stimulants and real medications like GLP-1-type drugs (named in the transcript as 'Drespatide,' 'retriide,' and 'congrlandide'), plus a calorie deficit and 10,000 steps a day; he separately mentions using growth hormone.
Leucine powder was disgusting to consume (doesn't mix with water) but is framed as useful specifically for people eating non-meat or lower-quality proteins that are often leucine-deficient — adding about 3 grams per meal can meaningfully trigger muscle growth in that case; unnecessary if eating meat or high-quality proteins (soy, egg, whey, milk).
Casein protein is slow-digesting milk protein that keeps you fuller longer and titrates amino acids into the bloodstream; he still uses and loves it, but walks back his earlier belief that it specifically had to be taken before bed for 'magic bed things.'
Casein made into a pudding is presented as a better-tasting, lower-volume alternative to a big pre-bed shake; Greek yogurt, lean meat, and other low-fat high-protein foods are said to work about as well pre-bed, so casein 'isn't magical, it's just awesome.'
Whey protein comes in a spectrum by purity: concentrate has the most non-protein content ('more shit in it,' including lactose), isolate less, hydrolysate ('hydro') very little, and BLG (beta-lactoglobulin) potentially almost none.
Whey concentrate is fine for him as a meal replacement but not ideal during workouts due to its 'milky thickness'; he recommends avoiding concentrate if you're gut-sensitive, lactose intolerant, or dairy intolerant, since it can cause GI upset.
If someone has abandoned whey protein due to gut issues, trying whey hydrolysate or BLG can reveal whether the whey protein itself or the accompanying lactose/other components was actually the problem.
Overall TLDR: food is roughly 95% of what goes into building muscle and getting lean; the supplement categories that matter are creatine, protein powder, vitamin/mineral supplements, maybe stimulants, and a few other things.
Many supplement-store products are framed as either repackaged versions of these few effective basics or as having no real main effect ('they kind of do nothing').
The pitch closes by suggesting money saved by skipping exotic supplements can go toward saving/investing (with a joking plug for RP's Diet Coach and RP Strength/Hypertrophy apps).
Creatine ethylester (CEE) — A creatine ester marketed as more lipophilic than creatine monohydrate, in theory able to cross cell membranes and get more creatine into cells without needing the creatine transporter. Apply: Skip it — the source felt no training effect from it and states it breaks down in the acidic stomach into creatinine (mostly excreted) before it can deliver that theoretical advantage, so he advises passing on it in favor of monohydrate.
Creatine monohydrate — The standard, most heavily researched form of creatine, described in the source as 'how grandma did it.'. Apply: Use this as the default creatine choice — the source calls it cheap, widely available, backed by 'unbelievable amounts of data,' safe, and effective.
Non-stimulant fat burners — Stimulant-free fat-loss supplements typically built around ingredients like berberine, capsaicin, and green tea extract. Apply: The source says it's fine to try them for a small theoretical edge but not to expect a noticeable impact on an actual fat-loss phase; prioritize a calorie deficit, 10,000 steps a day, and (per the source's own regimen) prescription medications instead.
Berberine — An ingredient common in non-stimulant fat burners that the source says mechanistically does help with fat burning. Apply: Don't rely on it alone for a noticeable fat-loss effect — the source describes its effect size as 'teenytiny,' falling well below noticeable even stacked with capsaicin and green tea extract.
Capsaicin — Another common non-stimulant fat-burner ingredient credited by the source with a real but very small fat-burning mechanism. Apply: Treat it as a minor, not-noticeable contributor to fat loss, per the source, even when combined with other ingredients.
Green tea extract — A third common non-stimulant fat-burner ingredient with a genuine but tiny fat-burning mechanism according to the source. Apply: Don't expect it to move the needle on a fat-loss phase; the source says it 'might have some effects over the long term, but usually not much.'
Leucine powder — A standalone amino-acid supplement the source describes as unpleasant to consume — it doesn't mix with water and clumps on top of shakes. Apply: Only worth adding (about 3g per meal) if your usual protein sources are non-meat or lower-quality and likely leucine-deficient; if you already eat meat or high-quality proteins (soy, egg, whey, milk), the source calls it a waste of money and says he no longer uses it.
Casein protein — The slow-digesting milk protein (versus whey), which the source says titrates amino acids into the bloodstream over time and keeps you full longer. Apply: Use it when you need a quick, slow-digesting protein before bed or before a long gap without food; if you don't want a big shake, make it into a pudding — though the source notes Greek yogurt and lean meat work about as well pre-bed, so casein 'isn't magical, it's just awesome.'
Whey protein concentrate — The least-processed, cheapest form of whey protein, containing more non-protein content ('more shit in it') including lactose, per the source. Apply: Fine as a general meal-replacement protein if it agrees with you, but the source says to avoid it if you have gut sensitivity, lactose intolerance, or dairy intolerance, and to avoid it during workouts since its 'milky thickness' makes for a less pleasant workout shake than isolate or hydrolysate.
Whey protein isolate — A more filtered form of whey with less non-protein content than concentrate, described by the source as working better than concentrate during workouts. Apply: Use it for training/workout shakes over concentrate for a lighter, less 'milky' drink; the source says it's what he uses today as his regular whey.
Whey protein hydrolysate ('hydro') — A further-processed whey form with very little non-protein content, exemplified in the source by Optimum Nutrition's Platinum Hydrowhey as 'super ultra super high quality.'. Apply: If you've given up whey due to gut issues, the source suggests trying hydrolysate to test whether the whey protein itself, rather than accompanying lactose or other components, was the actual problem.
BLG (beta-lactoglobulin) — A whey-derived protein fraction the source describes as potentially containing 'nothing but protein.'. Apply: Per the source, try it if you're dairy- or lactose-sensitive and want to isolate whether whey protein itself or accompanying 'gunk' was causing issues, or use it as a premium option when accessible.
He repeatedly applies a specific self-test heuristic — 'if you can't tell at all when you're very keenly paying attention, probably not doing shit' — as his personal bar for whether a supplement (CEE, non-stim fat burners) is doing anything.
The CEE 'regret' isn't just a subjective feeling — he gives a specific, falsifiable mechanism for why it fails: gut acidity converts it to creatinine before it can leverage its supposed lipophilic advantage.
Leucine powder's value is framed narrowly and conditionally: useful only for a specific dietary gap (people eating non-meat, lower-quality proteins likely missing leucine), with a concrete quantified dose (about 3g per meal) — not a general muscle-building recommendation.
The whey-processing hierarchy (concentrate → isolate → hydrolysate → BLG, in decreasing non-protein content) is offered as a diagnostic tool: someone with gut issues can use hydrolysate or BLG to isolate whether whey protein itself, or the accompanying lactose/'gunk,' is the actual culprit.
Casein's 'must be taken before bed' reputation is explicitly walked back to being situational (long gaps between meals, not wanting a big shake or frequent nighttime urination) rather than a universal requirement, with Greek yogurt and lean meat flagged as roughly equivalent substitutes.
There's a running self-aware irony: he calls himself a 'walking pharmacy' relying on prescription weight-loss medications and growth hormone in the same breath as telling the audience that food plus a handful of basic supplements covers 95% of what's needed — an implicit gap between his own regimen and the baseline advice he gives.
«I'm a walking pharmacy and you don't want to end up like me, bald, desperate, pathetic, and addicted to masturbation.»
— 00:00
«And the thing with supplements is if you can't tell at all when you're very keenly paying attention, probably not doing shit.»
— 00:05
«You will consume it and then it will 30 minutes later come out of your asshole. Roughly the same.»
— 00:11
«Many of the supplements at the supplement store are either repackaged versions of these things or in many cases just don't have a main effect. Like they kind of do nothing to be completely honest.»
— 00:14
«That's how grandma did it. That's how mom did it. That's how you're going to do it.»
— 02:12
«I haven't used lucine in years. Don't miss it. Would not recommend out of 10.»
— 05:21
«So casein isn't magical. It's just awesome.»
— 07:04
«drinking it during workouts is weird because it has a milky thickness, which is also my stripper name.»
— 08:08
«food is 95% of this thing of stuff that goes into your body to make you jacked and lean.»
— 09:52
Reception
Engaged and positive reception with knowledgeable audience discussing specific supplement recommendations, requesting related content, and offering constructive feedback.
The segment delivers more substance than a typical supplement listicle by attaching a concrete mechanism or conditional use-case to each regretted product (CEE's gut breakdown, leucine's narrow use case, the whey purity hierarchy), though its evidence base is presented as personal anecdote and mechanistic reasoning rather than cited studies.
11:06