In 30 seconds
- First, the foundations: enough food, strength training at least 2 days a week and 7 hours' sleep or more. Supplements come afterwards, to fill the gaps.
- Choose by need: Nitrus for hydration, creatine for strength, CLA and L-carnitine if you are getting leaner, with no stimulants, and Sleep Recovery for your evening routine.
- Add omega-3 if you eat little oily fish, protein if you do not reach your 1.4-2.0 g per kilo, and BCAAs as a drink for your sessions.
- Start with 1-2 products, stick to the dose and try them out in training. If you have a medical condition or take medication, check with your doctor first.
With the basics. Eating well, training consistently and sleeping 7 hours or more do more for you than any tub. With that in order, choose one or two supplements according to your goal, take them properly for a few weeks and build up. This guide takes you through it step by step.
Foundations before supplements
Food, training and sleep: your starting figures
Step 1: the foundations, before any supplement
The International Olympic Committee consensus on supplements is clear: before deciding what to take, you need to review your whole diet. Supplements come into the picture once your diet is on the right track 1. What holds for an elite athlete holds for you too.
Food
Food is the foundation. The first thing worth checking is protein: if you train, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends 1.4-2.0 g per kilo of body weight a day, in servings of 20-40 g spread across the day 9. Include a source of protein at every meal: meat, fish, eggs, dairy or pulses.
Training
The World Health Organization recommends that adults do 2:
- 150-300 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week, or 75-150 minutes of vigorous exercise.
- Strength training at least 2 days a week.
- From 65 onwards: in addition, exercises that combine balance and strength on 3 or more days a week.
Supplements are designed to go alongside training, not to replace it.
Sleep
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults get 7 hours or more a night, and considers 6 or fewer not enough to maintain health 3. If you train, sleep is part of the plan, just like food and training.
With these three pieces in place, supplements really add something.
Step 2: define your goal
There is no one supplement for everything. Each one has its place, and the most useful approach is to choose by what you are looking for:
| Your need | Product | What it gives you | How to take it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydration & Energy | Nitrus Isotonic | Carbohydrates, 5 electrolytes, 13 vitamins, BCAAs, glutamine and taurine | 25 g in 400-500 ml of water |
| Strength & Muscle | Creatine monohydrate | Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. | 3 g a day (one scoop) |
| Body Composition | CLA and L-carnitine | 2,400 mg of CLA a day and 1,500 mg of L-carnitine + 1,500 mg of tartrate per serving, with no stimulants | 3 softgels a day and 20 ml before training |
| Sleep & Rest | Sleep Recovery | Glycine, L-theanine, tryptophan, magnesium, vitamin B12 and melatonin | 30-40 min before bed |
| Everyday tiredness | Magnesium Bisglycinate + B6 | Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. | 2 capsules a day, ideally in the evening |
| Heart & Brain | Anchovy Omega-3 | 900 mg of EPA and DHA a day | 3 softgels a day, with meals |
| If you fall short on protein | Gourmet Isolate Protein | 42.8 g of protein per serving | 1 or 2 scoops in water or milk |
| A drink for your sessions | BCAA 2:1:1 | 6 g of BCAAs with 3 g of leucine, no added sugars | 7.5 g in 200-300 ml of water |
Amounts according to Nutri Gains labels.
A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.
If you are not sure, take our 5-question test: it suggests up to three products based on how you train and what you are looking for. You can also browse the products by need: Sleep & Rest, Body Composition, Hydration & Energy, Strength & Muscle, or Heart & Brain.
Sodium per litre of drink
Sodium: the recommendation and Nitrus in 400 ml of water
Step 3: get to know each supplement
Hydration: Nitrus Isotonic
If you train for more than an hour, sweat a lot or it is hot, hydration comes first. The German Nutrition Society recommends drinking during exercise from 60 minutes onwards, with 400-1,100 mg of sodium per litre 4. For efforts of more than 90 minutes, add 30-60 g of carbohydrate an hour 4.
Our Nitrus Isotonic is the drink for that: for your workouts, hot days and everyday life. Each 25 g serving contains:
- Carbohydrates, about 15.1 g per serving, of three types.
- 5 electrolytes: sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. With 400 ml of water, about 490 mg of sodium per litre.
- All 13 vitamins at 100% of the NRV, 1 g of BCAAs 2:1:1, glutamine and 200 mg of taurine.
- No caffeine, and Tropical Punch flavour.
Riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamins B6, B12 and C, niacin, pantothenic acid and folate contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue 5. Everything you need to know about how much to drink is in our sports hydration guide.
Strength: creatine
Creatine has an authorised health claim on performance. Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine 5.
Those 3 g a day are also the amount that AESAN, Spain's food safety agency, considers safe and acceptable as a supplement for healthy adults 6. No loading phases: one scoop a day, every day.
Our Creatine monohydrate is micronised to 200 mesh, unflavoured and with a single ingredient. It works out at €0.17 a day.
Fat loss: CLA and L-carnitine
They are two classics of fat-loss phases, and both have figures in meta-analyses:
- CLA: in a meta-analysis of 18 placebo-controlled trials, taking 3.2 g a day was associated with 0.09 kg more fat lost per week than with placebo. The effect built up over the first 6 months 7.
- L-carnitine: in a meta-analysis of 9 trials with 911 people, those who took it lost 1.33 kg more weight than the control group 8.
We sum up each one in CLA: what the studies say and L-carnitine: what the studies say. During a fat-loss phase, protein also has a role. Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass 5.
Rest: Sleep Recovery
Sleep Recovery contains glycine, tryptophan, L-theanine, magnesium, vitamin B12 and melatonin, with orange flavour. Vitamin B12 contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system 5.
It is taken 30-40 minutes before bed, as part of your evening routine. One tub lasts 40 nights.
Omega-3: if you eat little oily fish
If you eat little oily fish, a supplement ensures you get enough EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart. The effect is obtained with 250 mg a day of EPA and DHA 5.
Our Anchovy Omega-3 provides 900 mg of EPA and DHA in 3 softgels (540 mg of EPA and 360 mg of DHA), with 40 mg of vitamin E. It is anchovy oil. One softgel with each main meal.
Protein: if you do not reach your figure
Protein is taken to fill a gap, not to replace meals. If your diet does not get you to 1.4-2.0 g per kilo a day, a shake is the most convenient way to close the difference 9. Work out how much you need with our protein calculator.
Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass 5. Our Gourmet Isolate Protein is chocolate-flavoured whey protein isolate: 42.8 g of protein per 50 g serving, with 0.2 g of sugars. It contains milk and soya.
BCAAs: a drink for your sessions
BCAAs are leucine, isoleucine and valine. They have been studied mainly for muscle soreness: a meta-analysis of 18 trials found less muscle pain between 24 and 96 hours after demanding exercise 10.
We cover the rest of the studies in do BCAAs work?.
To combine them well
Five rules to get started
Step 4: how to combine them
You do not need them all. But if you take several, this is how they fit into a training day:
| When | What to take |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | 1 CLA softgel and 1 omega-3 softgel, with water. Protein with yoghurt or oats if your breakfast falls short. |
| Lunch | 1 CLA softgel and 1 omega-3 softgel. |
| 30 minutes before training | L-carnitine: 20 ml. |
| During training | Nitrus in 400-500 ml of water, with your scoop of creatine mixed in. BCAAs in the same bottle or another one. |
| After training | A protein shake, if you do not reach your figure with food. |
| Dinner | 1 CLA softgel and 1 omega-3 softgel. |
| 30-40 minutes before bed | Sleep Recovery. |
Directions from Nutri Gains labels. Creatine can be taken at any time: what matters is taking it every day.
Five rules for combining them well:
- Start with one or two. That way you know what suits you and what you notice.
- Try them out in training. The International Olympic Committee consensus recommends testing any supplement in training before using it in competition 1. Nothing new on race day.
- Stick to the dose. A larger amount is not better. The dose on the label is the one that makes sense.
- Combine what complements each other. Creatine and Nitrus go in the same bottle. CLA and L-carnitine are spread across the day. Protein and BCAAs do not get in each other's way.
- Give them time. They are daily habits: in the CLA studies, for example, the effect kept building over the first 6 months 7.
Step 5: save with a pack
If you are going to take two or more, a pack works out cheaper and includes delivery:
| Pack | What it includes | Who it is for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength & Hydration | Nitrus + Creatine | Strength and hydration in a single drink | €36.90 (€42.30 separately) |
| Essentials | Creatine + Omega-3 + Nitrus | Three basics with an official health claim | €54.90 (€64.20) |
| Strength | Creatine + BCAAs + Nitrus | Weeks of strength training | €55.90 (€65.20) |
| Lean | CLA + L-carnitine | CLA and L-carnitine together, with no stimulants | €27.90 (€35.75) |
| Lean Plus | CLA + L-carnitine + Nitrus | CLA and L-carnitine, with hydration when you are active | €44.90 (€55.65) |
| Hydration | 2 Nitrus + BCAAs | Long sessions, hot days and everyday life | €53.90 (€62.70) |
| Day & Night | Nitrus + Sleep Recovery | Training by day and an evening routine | €42.90 (€49.80) |
| Rest | Sleep Recovery + Omega-3 | Your evening routine | €44.90 (€51.80) |
| Recovery | Sleep Recovery + BCAAs | Between one session and the next | €44.90 (€52.80) |
| Total | Nitrus + Creatine + Sleep Recovery + Omega-3 + BCAAs | Hydration, strength, heart and evening routine | €93.90 (€117.00) |
Prices include VAT. Delivery in 1-2 working days to mainland Spain, 2-3 working days to the Balearic Islands and 24-72 h to Portugal.
If you are in a fat-loss phase and want continuity, the CLA 3-Month Pack brings together three bottles for €34.90, instead of €47.40. You will find all the details on our packs page.
Safety: what you need to know
- Check with your doctor before you start if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication, have kidney disease or are under 18.
- Creatine: AESAN does not recommend its use if you have pre-existing kidney disease, and considers the information on its safety in under-18s insufficient 6.
- Quality: the International Olympic Committee points out that some supplements on the market may contain substances that are not listed on the label. In an analysis of more than 600 products from around the world, about 15% contained undeclared prohormones 1. That is why it is worth choosing brands that control what they make. It also helps to know how to read what the label says: we explain it in how to read a food supplement label.
- Professional advice: the same consensus recommends getting advice from a professional before starting on supplements 1.
At Nutri Gains we design our formulas in Girona. Quality from the source: our own formula, made in Spain with IFS Food and BRCGS certification, and every batch traceable. Every raw material arrives with its specifications and every tub carries its batch number, so its history can be traced from start to finish.
Your starting point, in three steps
- Check the foundations: protein at every meal, strength training 2-3 days a week and 7 hours' sleep or more.
- Take the supplement test or choose by goal, as explained in step 2.
- Start with one or two products, or with the pack that brings them together, and give them a few weeks.
If you have any questions about your choice, write to us at info@nutrigains.es or on WhatsApp at +34 619 775 659.
Frequently asked questions
Which supplements should I take if I am starting strength training?
First, make sure you eat enough protein and sleep well. After that, creatine, with this authorised claim: “Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise.” The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. If you do not reach your protein target with food, add a shake.
Can you take several supplements at once?
Yes, as long as you stick to the dose of each one. Some combinations are very convenient: creatine dissolved in Nitrus, or CLA with L-carnitine during a fat-loss phase. Start with one or two and build up.
Do I need supplements if I eat well?
Food is the foundation. The International Olympic Committee consensus recommends reviewing your diet first and deciding afterwards. Supplements fill the gaps: hydration in long sessions, creatine for strength or protein when your diet falls short.
Which should I start with if I have several goals?
With the one you will notice most in your daily life. If you train regularly and sweat heavily, Nitrus and creatine. If you are in a fat-loss phase, CLA and L-carnitine. For your evening routine, Sleep Recovery. Our 5-question test puts them in order for you.
Are supplements safe?
Taken as the label directs, in healthy adults, yes. For example, AESAN, Spain's food safety agency, considers 3 g of creatine a day safe as a supplement. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medication or have kidney disease, check with your doctor.
Sources
- Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J, et al. IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(7):439-455. View publication
- Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020;54(24):1451-1462. View publication
- Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep. 2015;38(6):843-844. View publication
- Mosler S, Braun H, Carlsohn A, et al. Position of the working group sports nutrition of the German Nutrition Society (DGE): fluid replacement in sports. Dtsch Z Sportmed. 2020;71(7-9):178-184. View publication
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods. View publication
- AESAN Scientific Committee. Report on the risk associated with the consumption of food supplements containing creatine as an ingredient. Journal of the AESAN Scientific Committee. 2024;39:47-62. View publication
- Whigham LD, Watras AC, Schoeller DA. Efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid for reducing fat mass: a meta-analysis in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85(5):1203-1211. View publication
- Pooyandjoo M, Nouhi M, Shab-Bidar S, Djafarian K, Olyaeemanesh A. The effect of (L-)carnitine on weight loss in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Obes Rev. 2016;17(10):970-976. View publication
- Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. View publication
- Salem A, Ben Maaoui K, Jahrami H, et al. Attenuating muscle damage biomarkers and muscle soreness after an exercise-induced muscle damage with branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation: a systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression. Sports Med Open. 2024;10:42. View publication
Information based on published studies. It does not replace the advice of a doctor or registered dietitian. The results describe what was measured in each study, not the properties of any specific product.
