It should come as no surprise that there are companies that take short cuts when engineering their formulas for workout supplements. They forgo quality ingredients and attempt to pass cheaper, less effective ones as must-haves when, in reality, what they’re offering isn’t worth the price of admission. Over the past few years “protein spiking” has become a big way for some vendors to cheat the system. Instead of using pure protein sources such as whey protein isolate or whey concentrate, they opt to use other amino acids to boost nitrogen levels in their formula as a workaround. This can slash the protein dose by as much as 50%.

So, how can you tell which supplements to buy and which to avoid? Use these three simple rules …

#1. Look For Third-Party Verification

This could actually serve as rules one through three — it’s that important. P4’s line of workout supplements — Pre-Game Formula, Energy Formula, and Recovery Push Formula — all prominently feature the NSF Certified for Sport seal on the bottle. What that tells consumers is that an outside party was hired to inspect each product to ensure that everything printed on the label is accurate and that no ingredients in the formula are found on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances. If you don’t see an NSF Certified for Sport or another third-party certification label on the product you want to buy, purchase a product that does have that label.

#2. Stick With Trusted Brands

Like any industry, there are always opportunists looking to cash in quickly by promoting the latest and greatest workout elixir. It doesn’t work that way. Either you put in the work, or you don’t. The supplement should aid your quest to be bigger, stronger, and faster, not do it for you. That’s why it is imperative to stick with brands that have earned consumers’ trust. Shelley Mead, the CEO of Proven4, had experience in the pharmaceutical industry before launching P4 in 2010. Mead, a mother of two, was familiar with the raw ingredients and put the time in to ensure her formulas would provide top-notch service to serious athletes, lifters, fitness enthusiasts, and anyone else in search of quality workout supplements that would provide an energy boost or support recovery. And, as mentioned, she insisted on having P4 products vetted by a third party to build trust with anyone interested in her supplements.

#3. Listen To Your Gut

Quality ingredients aren’t cheap. So if you spot a deal on a workout supplement that seems too good to be true, it definitely is. You don’t buy it when someone tries to sell you on how to get six-pack abs in five minutes, right? Apply that same logic to someone who tries to sell a product at a fraction of the going rate on the market. When in doubt, it’s always a better idea to pay a little more when it comes to workout supplements. Why? Because you only get one body. And you’re someone who already takes care of that body in the kitchen and on the field, in the gym, or on the court. So make sure you take care of it when it comes to your supplement regimen.