Athlete Approved Supplements

Campus Protein has been around for a while now and the most common question we get is, "are these supplements safe for an athlete to take?" This is basically asking if they will fail a drug test and get suspended. First off, Campus Protein does not carry any questionable supplements with illegal ingredients that will lead to a failed employee drug test. However, the NCAA does have different rules regarding supplements so you need to be aware of that. That is a good thing why CP has an Athlete Approved Supplement Section on the site.

The Campus Protein Athlete Approved Section contains only supplements NSF Certified made in a GMP/FDA regulated facility. This means they will not fail any NCAA drug tests.

Check out the section HERE

Little History:

A few years ago, a company by the name of CytoSports had a contract license with the NCAA and provided athletes with a product called MuscleMilk Collegiate Edition. This came as free and was up to the athlete to take it or not. If they choose not to, then it was up to them to spend their own money on other protein that is considered "safe and legal."This puts all the responsibility on the student which can be scary. I actually remember being in class with a couple of IU football players back in the day and they told me how much they hated the taste of this product so they ended up becoming customers. 

My Research:

I looked into this more and there is a lot of misunderstandings when it comes to NCAA Athletes and the supplements they can and cannot take. There are ratios involved in macro nutrients of proteins, the understanding of caffeine, and ingredients to stay away from. 

The first place you should go to is the BANNED SUBSTANCE list which will give you a "guideline" of what to stay away from. Somethings like street drugs are obvious but when it comes to "dietary supplements," they say its at YOUR OWN RISK. They are broken down in 7 categories: 1. Stimulants, 2. Anabolic Agents 3. Beta Blockers 4. Diuretics (water pills) 5. Street Drugs 6. Peptide Hormones 7. Anti Estrogens 8. Beta 2 Agonists.

Looking at those 7 categories, there are only 4 or 5 you need to worry about when picking out supplements. Some more than others and some not at all when shopping at Campus Protein.

When it comes to number 6. Hormones or number 7. Anti Estrogens, I would just stay away from all Test Boosters or Muscle Hardening Agents sold on our site...its just not worth it. You can take some and be just fine since its naturally boosting your levels but like we just said...not worth it. You will never hear us tell you its okay to take it...that's on you.

Number 4. is Diuretics or water pills and we really only sell 1 on the site, called MHP XPEL. The ingredients that are banned are: "bumetanide; chlorothiazide; furosemide; hydrochlorothiazide; probenecid; spironolactone (canrenone); triameterene; trichlormethiazide;"

MHP XPEL LABEL

As you can see, they do not have any synthetic water loss ingredients in the formula. This banned list is more for the over the counter illegal substances that hardcore bodybuilders use before shows. MHP XPEL is the safe all natural product that can aid in water loss. We strongly advise that you confront your coach, and conduct your investigation when it comes to water loss supplements. It is a lot cheaper and no risk to sit in a sauna for an hour than buy a supplement for water loss. However, if you need the extra-legal kick, MHP XPEL will help. 

The real dangerous substance to watch out for is 1. Stimulants. The NCAA list these stimulants as banned: "amphetamine (Adderall); caffeine (guarana); cocaine; ephedrine; methamphetamine; methylphenidate (Ritalin); synephrine (bitter orange); methylhexanamine (DMAA); “bath salts” (mephedrone); Octopamine; DMBA; phenethylamines (PEAs); etc. exceptions: phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine are not banned."

So out of these, Adderall and anything like it is obvious. The ingredients that are in a lot of supplements are caffeine, guarana, DMAA, and a very close chemical DMHA. With an ingredient like DMHA, you only need to stay away from one product on our site and that is MAN Sports Gameday. This stimulant increases focus and gets you really dialed it...but not worth failing any tests. Campus Protein does not carry any DMAA products so you do not have to worry about that.

Synephrine is a sneaky one and found in several supplements in our industry. This can be found in the nutritional label under Synephrine or by its licensed name Avantra Z. These are stimulants so they are usually found in fat burners and pre-workouts.

Campus Protein banned Fat Burners with Synephrine are DNPx by Pro Supps, Animal Cuts, GAT Jet Fuel, and MAN Sports Scorch

Caffeine is a weird banned substance when it comes to the NCAA. It is technically banned at a certain level. You can have coffee, soda, along with all caffeinated drinks and pass so what is the threshold? The NCAA sets it at 300mg of caffeine before failing a test. In regards to supplements, it allows you to take 90% of the pre-workouts on the site. Honestly, caffeine gets digested so fast that you would need to take the pre-workout 10 minutes before your test to fail otherwise it will get digested and excreted through your urine. 

A lot of the time, we get questions regarding protein's that is banned by the NCAA. We do not carry any proteins that would fail a drug test. Protein is simple because it is a food item, rather than a performance enhancer. There are no ingredients found in protein formulas that would fail a drug test. Mass gainers, fat burning proteins, and all proteins in between are legal for you to take. It is just up to your preference and your goal. 

Next is the most studied ingredient in the supplement world, creatine. This is completely legal and strongly suggested to take if you are an NCAA athlete. Schools cannot provide it but lucky for anyone who is strapped for cash, creatine is usually cheap. Just go to our Creatine section and check out all our amazing deals on creatine. 

All these questions regarding supplements at the college level is why Campus Protein created their ATHLETE APPROVED SECTION on their site. This will be your go-to spot to find supplements that are safe to take. 

Supplement Cheat Sheet for Athlete Safe Products: 

• Brands that ALL Products are SAFE
• KAGED Muscle
• Dymatize Nutrition
• MusclePharm 
• FitMiss
• Lines by brands that are ALL SAFE
• Cellucor Cor-Performance Line
• Cellucor Sport Line
• Optimum Gold Standard Line
• Products that are ALWAYS Safe on Campus Protein
• Protein 
• Protein Bars and Snacks