Tested by The supplements industry is bulking up at an incredible pace. And whether you’re new to the game or have two decades of self-experimentation under your lifting belt, it can be tricky to sort the whey from the chaff.
That's why the Men's Health Lab is here to help with its annual Sports Nutrition Awards. From supporting fitness and fat loss to strength and stamina building, these are the products that truly deliver. The real winner, of course, is you.
How We Test
Nutrition nerds could drone on for days about the relative merits of protein isolate and hydrolysate, or the optimum pre-workout dose of beta-alanine. And we’re not knocking them; in fact, we count ourselves among them (yes, we’re fun at parties). But when assessing what makes a ‘good’ supp, there’s more to it than nutritional nitpicking. Flavour counts for a lot, as does mouthfeel and, of course, price.
That’s why we put 152 products through multiple stages of testing. First, they were evaluated by four leading sports nutritionists: Rob Hobson, Tai Ibitoye, Lee Amico and Dr Sinead Roberts. Our expert squad eliminated any supplements with substandard ingredients or inadequate macros. Plant-based proteins, meanwhile, had to offer the complete spectrum of amino acids to make the cut, while electrolyte powders needed to contain all the necessary minerals for optimum hydration.
Those that passed muster were then submitted to a panel of gym-goers, cardioheads and foodies, who field-tested our products. The results are in...
The Best Whey Protein Powders
The OG, this quickly digested protein is derived from dairy and commonly used post-workout to provide muscles with the amino acids they need for repair and recovery. These three whey protein powders delivered the goods in scoopfuls.
Score: 94.3/100
If thick, milky shakes make you feel queasy, clear whey may be more your style. This Foodspring blend is light and refreshing, with a sharp lemon flavour and a consistency that reminded our panel of fruit squash. A 111-calorie serving provides a hefty 26g of protein, minimal carbs and fats, while the ingredients list is short and free from unwanted extras.
Score: 94.3/100
Of course, many people like to stick to the classics. Chocolate is a busy flavour category, but our ON winner stands out from the crowd for its natural-tasting cocoa flavour and creamy consistency. It scored highly for mixability and, unlike many of the chocolate powders we tried, it wasn’t overly sweet. It offers 24g of protein per serving, including 5.5g of BCAAs.
Protein Works Whey Protein 360 Extreme: Speculoos Biscuit Heaven
Score: 93.7/100
Not your standard shake, one scoop of this quality whey-soya blend is loaded with 25g of the good stuff, plus added micronutrients such as D3, B12 and calcium, as well as L-glutamine to assist with recovery and digestive enzymes to support nutrient absorption. The flavour went down a treat with our panel, particularly the crunchy biscuit pieces.
Check out our full list of MH-Lab approved whey protein powders.
The Best Plant Protein Powders
Vegan protein powder blends have come a long way since the days of grassy-tasting shakes with poor macro counts. The best are as creamy as any dairy offering – with comparable quantities of protein, as well. Here are our testers’ winners.
Score: 96/100
Even when blended with water alone, Form’s consistency was ultra- creamy with no unwanted aftertaste. Testers described it as sweet and nutty. The organic blend includes pea, brown rice and pumpkin protein, along with turmeric to support recovery and digestive enzymes. It scored extra points for its eco packaging, which is both plastic-free and compostable.
Score: 95/100
No time for a post-gym meal? Available in many supermarkets, these shakes provide a healthy balance of carbs, protein and fat, along with all 26 essential vitamins and minerals, plus omega 3. Our panel couldn’t fault the flavour and said the creamy consistency was bang on.
Score: 85/100
Dishing up 31g of protein to power your recovery, along with all nine essential amino acids, this shake packs in added goodness from maca, magnesium, coconut and rhodiola. The powder ranked highly for its smooth texture and the strawberry flavour hits the perfect level of sweetness.
Check out our full list of MH Lab-approved vegan protein powders.
The Best Pre-Workouts
Caffeine is your key word in this category – no other stimulant will supercharge your brain and body quite like it. But that’s not the only ingredient in a good pre-workout supp. These three have our testers’ seal of approval.
Score: 96/100
Tasty enough that you’d eat them just for fun, these fruit pastille lookalikes provide L-citrulline for delaying fatigue, as well as magnesium, B vitamins, taurine and a small amount of caffeine. If you’re caffeine sensitive, or like to train after work, they won’t leave your skin itching and eyes vibrating before bed. It’s also easy to ration them out.
Score: 92/100
No time to scoop and shake en route to the gym? Swig one of these before your workout. The sharp tropical flavour was a hit with our testers, and the 200mg caffeine dosage is spot on, helping lifters kick-start their sessions, without causing jitters.
Score: 86.7/100
This potent pre-workout contains an impressive list of active ingredients that have been scientifically proven to aid performance. This includes 200mg of caffeine, plus BCAAs, beta-alanine and creatine to help with endurance and power output. It helped our testers push hard even during their most demanding sets, and they rated the zingy flavour.
Check out our full list of MH Lab-approved whey protein powders.
The Best Dairy Protein Bars
Protein bars offer a practical, palatable way to inch you towards your macro targets when grilled chicken just won’t cut it. Flavour and mouthfeel count for a lot in this category. So, our panellists chewed it over.
Score: 94/100
No one wants to bite into a protein bar that tastes and feels like sawdust – no matter the nutritional contents. Fortunately, that’s not a problem here. With syrupy caramel, crunchy chocolate pieces and a sweet Milky Bar-style coating, Warrior's bars really impressed our testers. They’re also low in sugar with 20g of protein, at a very reasonable price point.
Score: 93.3/100
Making our top three for the second year running, Grenade remains a favourite for a reason. This flavour, which our panel of testers likened to a Quality Street, is full of jammy raspberry sauce, wrapped in dark chocolate. Not a fan of jam? There are 13 other flavours, including Oreo and Birthday Cake. With 20g of protein per 219 calories, the macros stack up pretty well, too.
Score: 92.3/100
This bar is higher in calories (409) and carbs (43g) than most of those we tested, making it a good choice if you’re on a bulk-building mission. Its 20g of protein comes from egg white and rice, with almonds, coconut sugar and spices giving it a fruit cake-like flavour. Each bar comes split into two portions, if you want to ration yourself – although restraint will be needed.
Check out our full list of MH-approved protein bars.
The Best Vegan Protein Bars
Whether you’re swerving dairy or just trying to work a little more plant protein into your diet, these vegan protein bars scored well for macros and quality ingredients. They’re as good for your desk drawer as they are for your gym bag.
Score: 95.3/100
Our vegan winner could almost be mistaken for a Snickers – sweet chocolate, salty peanuts, chewy centre. Offering 15g of protein, it’s a tasty way of topping up, whether you need an afternoon boost or you’ve got macros left to hit. Made with soya, pea and rice, it dishes out the full spectrum of essential amino acids.
Score: 94.7/100
Just like our champion, Foodspring’s vegan offering tastes more like a chocolate bar than a sports snack. Our testing panel liked the toasty peanut, while the nutty pieces added a satisfying crunch, and it wasn’t dry or crumbly. Alongside 18g of protein, it offers a whopping 15g of fibre and is safe for anyone with a soya or gluten allergy.
Score: 88.7/100
Finding a plant-based bar that packs 20g of the all-important macro and actually tastes good is no easy feat, but SiS has delivered. Not only does this snack hit the magic number, but the salted caramel flavour is very palatable. It’s a little higher in fat and calories than the others, but that’s not always a bad thing.
Check out our full list of MH-approved vegan protein bars.
The Best Protein Treats
If you're jonesing for a proper sweet treat, these tasty snack bars will satisfying your cravings...
Score: 88/100
This fruity flapjack – which packs a big hit of carbs for slow-releasing energy and a chunky 19g of protein – deserves a spot in your snack cupboard. Our panel thought it made a nice change from the usual whey-based bars and rated the combination of chewy oats and sweet berry pieces. Our panel thought it would go well with a cup of tea.
Score: 84.7/100
Slightly lower in protein than your average bar with 15g per portion, these vegan-friendly brownies have a ‘fudgy’ texture with minimal ‘dusty protein taste’ and are filled with chunky chocolate chips. They also pack just 1g of sugar and a helpful 5g of fibre per portion, so it won’t give you the spike-and-crash that regular brownies will. Good for the 4pm slump, too.
The Best Energy Gels and Chews
The rising popularity of trail runs, triathlons and ultra marathons means we've found more varied ways to drip-feed our bodies with energy on the go. These high-carb heroes were our panel’s runaway favourites.
Score: 94.7/100
For those who prefer solids to gels, Veloforte’s gummy sweets, which provide over 44g of carbs and a bump of electrolytes, are a smart choice. With a melt-in-your- mouth texture (a bit like Turkish delights), they are made with natural ingredients: coconut, fruit juice and beetroot sugar.
Score: 94.3/100
Popular with elites including Eliud Kipchoge and Sir Mo Farah, this gel will drag you over the finish line. Made with six ingredients – just sugars and minerals – its ratio of fructose to glucose is optimised for efficient absorption. The texture is thick enough to avoid a mid-race mess, and the neutral flavour is ideal if you find sweet gels overwhelming.
The Best Energy Drinks
Score: 95/100
Slip a sachet into your pocket and mix with water when needed. With 80g of carbs, it’s good for longer runs and events. While many energy supps provide a 3:1 glucose-fructose ratio, this one has a 1:0.8 blend, which allows your body to absorb carbs easily. Our panel liked the consistency and flavour.
Score: 94.7/100
With an ingredients list you can actually pronounce, Tenzing doles out 106mg of caffeine from green tea and green coffee, combined with beetroot sugar, fruit juices and Himalayan rock salt. The sparkling blend also contains 1500mg of BCAAs to help with mental fatigue. Testers rated the tropical flavour. As a bonus, it’s carbon negative.
Score: 90.7/100
A drink with a difference. Alongside caffeine, it contains purported ‘nootropics’: ingredients that some studies have linked to improvements in cognitive performance, including choline, tyrosine and ‘Brainberry’. It’s also free from sugar and artificial sweeteners. Mango was popular among our panel, as was the gentle fizziness.
Check out our full list of MH Lab-approved energy drinks, gels and bars.
The Best Energy Bars
Prefer solids? These top-rated energy bars will keep you fuelled for hours...
Score: 96/100
In need of some proper jump leads? Our nutritionists were impressed with this plant-based snack. Unlike most energy bars that are oat- or wheat-based, it uses digestion-friendly rice flour, plus it’s low in fibre – which you don’t want too much of mid-race. Best of all, it’s genuinely tasty and chewy.
Score: 92/100
Offering a shot of motivation without an enormous list of unpronounceable ingredients, this organic vegan bar is made from almond butter, date paste, agave, sprouts, rice protein, raisins and seeds. The gooey texture earned praise from our panel. A good pick for hikes, bike rides and all-day fitness events.
The Best Electrolytes
When you sweat, your body loses vital electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium. If you're training for a couple of hours at a time (or one hour in the heat), it's worth supplementing. These will get the job done.
Score: 97.3/100
SiS takes the top spot for another year. Each tab contains sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium, with extras such as green tea extract and B vitamins. The tube can be stashed in your gymbag–no need to measure out scoops – and our panel agreed they dissolved easily in water for a light, refreshing drink with a zingy grapefruit flavour.
Score: 94.0/100
Dissolved in 500ml of water, one tablet delivers 1000mg of sodium, along with calcium, potassium and magnesium – just what your body needs after a sweaty session. Testers enjoyed the citrus flavour and liked that it was free from powdery residue. If your training is less intense, the brand offers different strengths to accommodate.
Score: 84.7/100
In addition to electrolytes (potassium, magnesium, chloride and sodium), these effervescent tabs contain 18 essential vitamins and minerals. They dissolved well in water and the mango flavour was a hit with testers. Just make sure not to overdo it if you’re already taking a daily multivitamin.
Check out our full list of MH Lab-approved electrolyte drinks.
Read More
See more of our tried and tested nutrition guides below:
- The Best Protein Powders for Building Muscle
- The Best Whey Proteins To Buy Right Now
- This is How Much Protein You Need to Build Muscle
- Are We All Consuming Too Much Protein?
- The Best Vegan Protein Powders, Tested by Experts
- Hit Your Nutrition Goals Without the Admin with the Best Meal Replacement Shakes
- The Best Mass Gainers for Packing on Muscle
- The Science Behind Creatine Monohydrate & Its Muscle Building Potential
Priyankaa is our sleep and wellness expert, specialising in expert-tested reviews and roundups on the latest health and fitness products. From walking boots to running machines, Priyankaa has written about hundreds of products and is passionate about providing in-depth, unbiased reviews. Plus, as an avid runner and gymgoer, she knows exactly what to look for when finding the right gymwear, fitness tracker or earphones.
Priyankaa has an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University and over five years’ experience in health and fitness journalism. Priyankaa has written for Stylist’s Strong Women Training Club, where she regularly wrote about diversity in the fitness industry, nutrition tips, training advice and her experience completing various fitness challenges. She has also written for a variety of publications including Business Insider, Glamour, Bustle, Metro, HuffPost UK, gal-dem and more. Outside of work, Priyankaa can usually be found trying out a new gym class, seeking out London's best eats or watching a Spanish TV show in a bid to keep up her language skills.
Scarlett Wrench is the Senior Editor at Men’s Health UK.
With more than 12 years’ experience as a health and lifestyle editor, Scarlett has a keen interest in new science, emerging trends, mental well-being, and food and nutrition. For Men’s Health, she has carried out extensive research into areas such as wellness in the workplace, male body image, the paradoxes of modern masculinity, and mental health among school-age boys.
Her words have also appeared in Women’s Health, Runner’s World and The Sunday Times.
Angela is our Head of Testing managing all categories from Food & Drink to Homes. She has over 14 years’ food industry experience, helping companies such as Sainsbury’s, Pret, Nando’s and Leon achieve sustainable growth through innovative product development – and she’s even cooked for Heston Blumenthal! Her sensory evaluation training and finely honed taste buds means she knows exactly what’s worth spending money on. She led the food and drink testing team, who test more than 1,000 products each year, for seven years. Angela is WSET wine level 2 certified and has been a judge five years in a row for the British Sandwich Awards and the Pizza and Pasta Awards.
Callum is our Food and Drink Testing Manager and has been part of the world of professional catering for 10 years, from cheffing to food manufacturing. While working in manufacturing he specialised in bespoke product and menu development for several start-ups and well-known brands such as Wrap It Up! and HOP Vietnamese. He holds the WSET Level 2 in wine, a Level 3 in spirits and has a particular interest in agave spirits.
