A genuinely independent editorial operation whose supplement grades are built on deep literature review rather than vendor relationships — but it reviews ingredient categories, not specific products, so readers still need to verify what is actually in the bottle they buy.
What it's really for To translate sports science research into practical supplement and training guidance, with an explicit skeptical stance toward industry marketing claims
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about Supplement ingredient categories graded by published clinical evidence quality (not branded products or specific SKUs), not everything the site does.
Medium Scoring Confidence Mostly sourced, but a detail or two still needs a primary source, so the grade could shift slightly.
- Operating since
- 2015 (11 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- Primary revenue is the MASS paid subscription research review. Secondary revenue includes Amazon affiliate commissions embedded in supplement articles and direct coaching services. No pay-for-placement advertising in supplement rankings.
- What they do
- Publishes long-form, literature-grounded supplement reviews and ranked guides authored by Greg Nuckols and Eric Trexler (both with advanced exercise science credentials). Supplement articles evaluate the evidence base for each compound, typically grading it by research quality and practical effect size, and recommend only a short list of supplements with strong clinical support. The site also co-produces MASS (Monthly Applications in Strength Sport), a paid monthly research review with Eric Helms and Mike Zourdos, which is the primary revenue source.
- What to watch for
- Does not conduct independent lab testing of specific supplement products (purity, label accuracy, contamination). Reviews assess the ingredient category using published research, not the specific brand or batch the reader is about to buy. The site uses Amazon affiliate links in some supplement articles, creating a modest commission relationship, though this is not disclosed with the same prominence as major review sites. Supplement guides do not compare specific branded products head-to-head.
- Composite score
- 3.50 / 5.00 → grade B
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- Site was originally launched under the name Strengtheory by Greg Nuckols around 2014-2015 before rebranding; Eric Trexler joined around 2019 when the podcast also launched. Source: Grokipedia — Stronger by Science →
- MASS (Monthly Applications in Strength Sport) is the paid subscription research review co-produced with Eric Helms and Mike Zourdos, described as the site's premium product and primary monetization vehicle. Source: MASS Research Review — Stronger by Science →
- The supplement archive on the site lists multiple deep-dive ingredient reviews (creatine, caffeine, protein) graded by research quality, with no sponsored content labels or brand-specific rankings visible in search index entries. Source: Supplements Archives — Stronger by Science →
- A 2017 Tony Gentilcore profile of Nuckols describes MASS as a reader-funded product distinct from advertising, consistent with the site's independence from supplement industry sponsors. Source: MASS Appeal — Tony Gentilcore →