Research
Mixed
CrossFit practitioners who use supplements primarily target performance enhancement and muscle hypertrophy, with whey protein and creatine being the most frequently used substances, despite a lack of scientific consensus supporting their specific necessity for all practitioners.
Most CrossFit users take whey protein or creatine to build muscle or perform better. While these are common and generally safe, they are not strictly necessary for everyone. Focus on your training and whole-food nutrition first; use supplements only if they fill a specific gap or support a specific goal you have discussed with a professional.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Whey protein was the most used supplement (n = 70), followed by creatine (n = 54)... reasons... increasing exercise performance (n = 47; 54%), increasing muscle mass (n = 29; 33.3%)
Why this rating
Based on self-reported survey data from a cross-sectional study.
Source
Prevalence of dietary supplements consumption among CrossFit practitioners
Marcus Vinicius Lúcio dos Santos Quaresma et al. · Research Square · 2022
DOI 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2084649/v1
cross_sectional · n=112
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Mixed
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