Beginner's guide · NewFitness Nutrition, Koinange Street, Nairobi CBD · Updated July 2026
You have started training and everyone at the gym is telling you to buy something different. This is what actually matters in your first three months, in what order, and what you can safely ignore until much later.
Before you buy anything
Supplements are the smallest lever you have. Sleep, consistent training and total daily food intake account for the overwhelming majority of your result in the first year. A powder cannot compensate for training twice a week or sleeping five hours.
That is not a reason to avoid them. It is a reason to buy the two or three that earn their place and ignore the rest until you have a base.
Food first, and what that actually looks like in Kenya
Most protein advice online is written around chicken breast and Greek yoghurt. Here is the same target using what is actually in the shops.
| Food | Typical portion | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 2 large | ~12g |
| Ndengu (green grams), cooked | 1 cup | ~14g |
| Beef / nyama choma | 150g | ~38g |
| Tilapia | 150g | ~30g |
| Milk (fresh) | 500ml | ~16g |
| Chicken | 150g | ~40g |
| Githeri | 1 cup | ~12g |
| Whey shake | 1 scoop | ~24g |
A reasonable target for someone training seriously is roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day. For a 70kg person that is around 110 to 150 grams.
Look at the table and you will see that is achievable on food — eggs at breakfast, ndengu at lunch, beef or fish at dinner gets you most of the way. Whey exists to close the last 20 to 40 grams on days when it does not happen, not to replace the rest.
Month 1: protein, and nothing else
If you buy one thing, buy whey protein concentrate.
Why concentrate rather than isolate: isolate costs 40 to 60 percent more and the difference matters mainly if you are lactose intolerant or in a late-stage cut. As a beginner you are neither.
How much: one to two scoops a day, on training days especially. A 2kg tub lasts roughly six to eight weeks.
When: the timing debate is overblown. Total daily protein is what matters. After training is convenient because you are already thinking about it, but a shake at breakfast works equally well if that is when your intake is short.
What to expect: nothing dramatic. You will not feel whey working. It closes a nutritional gap, and the result shows up over months in recovery and how much muscle you keep.
Month 2: add creatine
Creatine monohydrate is the most researched supplement in sports nutrition and among the cheapest. If whey is the one you notice least, creatine is the one that does the most per shilling.
- Form: plain micronised monohydrate. Not HCl, not buffered, not a flavoured blend. Those cost more and none has beaten monohydrate in a fair test.
- Dose: 3 to 5 grams daily, every day, including rest days.
- Loading: unnecessary. Loading fills your stores in a week instead of a month. Skipping it saves money and avoids the stomach upset that loading sometimes causes.
- Timing: irrelevant. Take it whenever you will remember.
- Water: creatine draws water into muscle cells. Drink normally and adequately, particularly in hot weather.
What to expect: a 1 to 2kg increase on the scale in the first few weeks, which is water inside muscle, not fat. Then gradually better performance in sets of 6 to 12 reps.
Month 3: reassess before you add anything
By now you have three months of training and two supplements. Before buying a third, answer these honestly:
- Am I training at least three times a week, consistently?
- Am I hitting my protein target most days?
- Am I sleeping seven hours or more?
- Am I getting stronger on the main lifts?
If any answer is no, the next product will not fix it. If all four are yes, then a pre-workout for training energy or a multivitamin if your diet is narrow are reasonable additions.
Start with the right two
Come in and we will set you up with whey and creatine that fit your budget, and show you exactly how to use them. Free consultation, no pressure to buy the expensive option.
Shop whey protein Talk to us firstWhat to skip in your first year
| Product | Why beginners are sold it | The honest position |
|---|---|---|
| BCAA / EAA | Marketed for recovery and muscle preservation | Redundant if you are eating enough protein. Whey already contains them. |
| Fat burners | Promise faster weight loss | Effect is small and depends entirely on a calorie deficit you would need anyway. |
| Test boosters | Promise strength and size | Little effect in men with normal testosterone, which describes most people under 40. |
| Mass gainers | Sold to anyone who says "I want to grow" | Only useful if you genuinely cannot eat enough. Most people can, and gainers are largely sugar. |
| Glutamine | Legacy recommendation from the 1990s | Repeatedly failed to show benefit in healthy trained people. |
| Multi-product "stacks" | Bundled at a discount | You cannot tell what is working. Add one thing at a time. |
None of these are scams. They have narrow uses for specific people. They are simply not where a beginner's money belongs.
If your goal is more specific
Losing weight
Whey and creatine still come first. Protein preserves muscle in a deficit and keeps you full; creatine keeps strength up while calories are low. A fat burner is optional and marginal — expect it to help at the edges of a deficit you are already running, not to create one.
Gaining size when you are naturally thin
Whey and creatine first. If you are genuinely struggling to eat enough — and be honest about whether you have tried — a mass gainer is a legitimate tool. Read the label: many are 1,200 calories of mostly sugar. A blender with milk, oats, peanut butter and a banana does the same job for less.
General health rather than performance
A multivitamin and omega 3 are reasonable if your diet is narrow. Protein still helps, particularly if you are over 40 or eating mostly plant-based.
Common questions
No. You need progressive training, enough total protein and enough sleep. Supplements make hitting the protein target easier and, in creatine's case, add a small direct benefit. Neither is required.
Only in the sense that any food can. A scoop is roughly 120 calories. If it replaces a snack, it is neutral or helpful. If you add it on top of everything else, it is extra calories like anything else.
Yes, the research applies equally. Women often see slightly less water retention. It does not cause bulkiness.
Yes. Many people put creatine in their shake. There is no interaction to worry about.
Creatine shows in performance within two to four weeks. Whey has no felt effect — it works by helping you hit protein targets, and shows up in progress over three to six months. Anyone promising visible change in a fortnight is selling something.
Whey is food and safe at any age. Creatine has been studied in adolescent athletes with a good safety record, though under 18 it is worth a conversation with a doctor first. Stimulant pre-workouts and test boosters are best avoided in your teens.
Beginner's guide · NewFitness Nutrition, Koinange Street, Nairobi CBD · Updated July 2026
You have started training and everyone at the gym is telling you to buy something different. This is what actually matters in your first three months, in what order, and what you can safely ignore until much later.
Before you buy anything
Supplements are the smallest lever you have. Sleep, consistent training and total daily food intake account for the overwhelming majority of your result in the first year. A powder cannot compensate for training twice a week or sleeping five hours.
That is not a reason to avoid them. It is a reason to buy the two or three that earn their place and ignore the rest until you have a base.
Food first, and what that actually looks like in Kenya
Most protein advice online is written around chicken breast and Greek yoghurt. Here is the same target using what is actually in the shops.
| Food | Typical portion | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 2 large | ~12g |
| Ndengu (green grams), cooked | 1 cup | ~14g |
| Beef / nyama choma | 150g | ~38g |
| Tilapia | 150g | ~30g |
| Milk (fresh) | 500ml | ~16g |
| Chicken | 150g | ~40g |
| Githeri | 1 cup | ~12g |
| Whey shake | 1 scoop | ~24g |
A reasonable target for someone training seriously is roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day. For a 70kg person that is around 110 to 150 grams.
Look at the table and you will see that is achievable on food — eggs at breakfast, ndengu at lunch, beef or fish at dinner gets you most of the way. Whey exists to close the last 20 to 40 grams on days when it does not happen, not to replace the rest.
Month 1: protein, and nothing else
If you buy one thing, buy whey protein concentrate.
Why concentrate rather than isolate: isolate costs 40 to 60 percent more and the difference matters mainly if you are lactose intolerant or in a late-stage cut. As a beginner you are neither.
How much: one to two scoops a day, on training days especially. A 2kg tub lasts roughly six to eight weeks.
When: the timing debate is overblown. Total daily protein is what matters. After training is convenient because you are already thinking about it, but a shake at breakfast works equally well if that is when your intake is short.
What to expect: nothing dramatic. You will not feel whey working. It closes a nutritional gap, and the result shows up over months in recovery and how much muscle you keep.
Month 2: add creatine
Creatine monohydrate is the most researched supplement in sports nutrition and among the cheapest. If whey is the one you notice least, creatine is the one that does the most per shilling.
- Form: plain micronised monohydrate. Not HCl, not buffered, not a flavoured blend. Those cost more and none has beaten monohydrate in a fair test.
- Dose: 3 to 5 grams daily, every day, including rest days.
- Loading: unnecessary. Loading fills your stores in a week instead of a month. Skipping it saves money and avoids the stomach upset that loading sometimes causes.
- Timing: irrelevant. Take it whenever you will remember.
- Water: creatine draws water into muscle cells. Drink normally and adequately, particularly in hot weather.
What to expect: a 1 to 2kg increase on the scale in the first few weeks, which is water inside muscle, not fat. Then gradually better performance in sets of 6 to 12 reps.
Month 3: reassess before you add anything
By now you have three months of training and two supplements. Before buying a third, answer these honestly:
- Am I training at least three times a week, consistently?
- Am I hitting my protein target most days?
- Am I sleeping seven hours or more?
- Am I getting stronger on the main lifts?
If any answer is no, the next product will not fix it. If all four are yes, then a pre-workout for training energy or a multivitamin if your diet is narrow are reasonable additions.
Start with the right two
Come in and we will set you up with whey and creatine that fit your budget, and show you exactly how to use them. Free consultation, no pressure to buy the expensive option.
Shop whey protein Talk to us firstWhat to skip in your first year
| Product | Why beginners are sold it | The honest position |
|---|---|---|
| BCAA / EAA | Marketed for recovery and muscle preservation | Redundant if you are eating enough protein. Whey already contains them. |
| Fat burners | Promise faster weight loss | Effect is small and depends entirely on a calorie deficit you would need anyway. |
| Test boosters | Promise strength and size | Little effect in men with normal testosterone, which describes most people under 40. |
| Mass gainers | Sold to anyone who says "I want to grow" | Only useful if you genuinely cannot eat enough. Most people can, and gainers are largely sugar. |
| Glutamine | Legacy recommendation from the 1990s | Repeatedly failed to show benefit in healthy trained people. |
| Multi-product "stacks" | Bundled at a discount | You cannot tell what is working. Add one thing at a time. |
None of these are scams. They have narrow uses for specific people. They are simply not where a beginner's money belongs.
If your goal is more specific
Losing weight
Whey and creatine still come first. Protein preserves muscle in a deficit and keeps you full; creatine keeps strength up while calories are low. A fat burner is optional and marginal — expect it to help at the edges of a deficit you are already running, not to create one.
Gaining size when you are naturally thin
Whey and creatine first. If you are genuinely struggling to eat enough — and be honest about whether you have tried — a mass gainer is a legitimate tool. Read the label: many are 1,200 calories of mostly sugar. A blender with milk, oats, peanut butter and a banana does the same job for less.
General health rather than performance
A multivitamin and omega 3 are reasonable if your diet is narrow. Protein still helps, particularly if you are over 40 or eating mostly plant-based.
Common questions
No. You need progressive training, enough total protein and enough sleep. Supplements make hitting the protein target easier and, in creatine's case, add a small direct benefit. Neither is required.
Only in the sense that any food can. A scoop is roughly 120 calories. If it replaces a snack, it is neutral or helpful. If you add it on top of everything else, it is extra calories like anything else.
Yes, the research applies equally. Women often see slightly less water retention. It does not cause bulkiness.
Yes. Many people put creatine in their shake. There is no interaction to worry about.
Creatine shows in performance within two to four weeks. Whey has no felt effect — it works by helping you hit protein targets, and shows up in progress over three to six months. Anyone promising visible change in a fortnight is selling something.
Whey is food and safe at any age. Creatine has been studied in adolescent athletes with a good safety record, though under 18 it is worth a conversation with a doctor first. Stimulant pre-workouts and test boosters are best avoided in your teens.