Hany Rambod, the coach behind 25 Olympia victories, knows tried-and-true strategies for helping athletes reach their full potential. On June 12, 2025, he broke down his top five supplements in bodybuilding. He also discussed whether there are effective and safe alternatives to steroids.
Supplementation is as important in bodybuilding as diet and training. At the highest levels in the IFBB Pro League, competitors aim to gain every advantage possible to present their best onstage. When we think of the best supplements, creatine comes to mind. It’s widely studied, offering strength boosts and helping with muscle gain. In addition, it’s received recognition because new research suggests it also helps enhance cognition.
Other helpful tools, like protein powder, can make building muscle easier as well. Below, Rambod used his experience to outline which supplements are worth a spot in his top-five list.
Hany Rambod’s 5 Most Essential Supplements for Bodybuilding
Find his top five supplements below, which were presented in his latest YouTube Q&A.
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Out of all supplements, Rambod deemed ashwagandha as the most underrated.
“Honestly, I think the most underrated supplement right now is ashwagandha. I’ve been using it so much more as I’ve been developing more products with KSM-66 in it. It’s become a huge, huge help, especially for relaxing in the evening. So, whether I take it by itself and run 600 milligrams, even the other day, I was jacked up on caffeine because I was trying out a bunch of new EVPs,” he said.
He emphasized that, in addition to helping lower cortisol, the stress hormone, it can help reduce anxiety, which could lead to better sleep.
“I wanted something to mellow me out, so I ended up taking 1,200 milligrams, and that 1,200 milligrams by itself, again, not only does it help testosterone, but it helps you with lowering your cortisol, and it helps with reducing anxiety, and it helps you relax.”
Rambod also revealed that it’s helped with his blood sugar due to better sleep:
“It also helped me personally with blood sugar. Part of that might not be directly reducing blood sugar, but helping me relax and get better sleep helped me lower my blood sugar.”
As for steroid alternatives, Rambod warned that you cannot compare products like testosterone boosters with synthetic testosterone. However, he believes natural testosterone boosters could help bring someone with below normal test levels to baseline.
“It’s such a huge difference when it comes to taking testosterone versus taking a test booster. You cannot turn around a compare the two. The closest thing you can do is say hey look, if you want to use an EVO Boost [testosterone booster], it’s going to help elevate you to maybe if you’re below normal to mid-normal.”
“It’s not going to take you from a 300 to a 1,200 like a shot of test,” he explains. “A shot of test, depending on the dosage, can take you up to 2,000-3,000.”
Fitness coach and ATHLEAN-X founder Jeff Cavaliere is another expert in the field who’s gone into detail about supplementation. He recently named his top two supplements for bodybuilding, both of which were on Rambod’s list. Above all else, Cavaliere favors creatine and protein powder for optimal fitness.
Having coached names like Chris Bumstead, Jay Cutler, and Hadi Choopan to Mr. Olympia titles, Rambod continues to use his expertise to help the fitness community. He believes his top five supplements can steer individuals toward better and more complete physiques.
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