Combine these supplements to power up your training in the gym and achieve your goals
High-quality supplements with science-backed formulations are highly effective on their own, but combining synergistic products can take your results to the next level.
"Whether you're aiming to support muscle growth, accelerate weight loss, enhance performance, or improve overall health, the right combinations of supplements can amplify their effects. Try pairing compatible products to maximize your gains in the gym and achieve better results."
1. Energise your workout
How: Combine a pre-workout with B-complex vitamins
Pre-workout products typically contain caffeine and L-citrulline malate. Caffeine is a scientifically-validated stimulant that can improve alertness and focus, while L-citrulline malate can help increase nitric oxide (NO) production to improve blood flow and oxygen and nutrient delivery to working muscles.
B-complex vitamins play an important role in energy metabolism, so taking a B-complex supplement before your workout helps your body convert food into usable energy, which can help prevent fatigue and improve your overall workout performance.
2. Boost your strength
How: Combine creatine and Beta-alanine
Creatine is one of the world's most researched supplements and is also one of the most effective. It increases stored levels of creatine phosphate, which fuels short-duration, high-intensity muscle contractions.
Beta-alanine helps buffer the effects of lactic acid, which can limit muscle contractions, extending the time it takes for working muscles to fatigue. When combined, you'll increase your work capacity, which allows you to train harder for longer, which is what ultimately delivers better gains in strength, size and fitness levels.
3. Fuel your workout
How: Combine EAAs and carbohydrates
An essential amino acid (EAAs) supplement provides all nine essential amino acids your body can't synthesise on its own. These get absorbed quickly during exercise, delivering the building blocks for muscle protein synthesis and helping prevent muscle breakdown. Your body can also break down circulating amino acids during training to spare muscle tissue.
Your muscles need glycogen during workouts to produce energy, which comes from carbohydrates. Ideal sources include maltodextrin, a complex carbohydrate that digests easily to provide readily available energy; the simple fast-releasing sugar dextrose; waxy maize starch, which provides a more sustained energy release; or cluster dextrin, a highly branched, cyclic dextrin that offers sustained energy with minimal bloating and digestive discomfort.
Pairing EAAs with carbs provides a readily available energy source, allowing your muscles to focus on performance rather than breaking down protein for energy.
4. Support muscle growth and recovery
How: Combine whey and L-glutamine
Protect hard-earned muscle and support growth and recovery by combining whey protein. This fast-absorbing protein source provides the full spectrum of amino acids needed to retain and build muscle after a workout.
L-glutamine is another important substance needed to create muscle and other protein structures and support recovery. This supplement stack also minimises muscle breakdown during training and boosts recovery and muscle repair.
5. Burn fat faster
How: Combine CLA and L-carnitine
Tap into stored body fat more efficiently and boost your body's fat-burning capacity by combining conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and L-carnitine. This combo diverts fatty acids to muscle cells due to the effects of CLA, while L-carnitine efficiently transports them into the muscle cells where they are used to produce energy.
6. Boost your immune response
How: Combine vitamin C and vitamin E
Boost immunity to ward off infection and improve recovery, while also reducing oxidative stress by increasing your intake of vitamins C and E. These two potent antioxidants limit the impact of damaging free radicals that develop after intense or prolonged exercise, or during times of stress or illness.
7. Reduce your infection risk
How: Combine vitamin A and vitamin D
Vitamin A protects epithelium and mucus integrity in the body, which serve as our primary physical barriers against possible infection. This micronutrient is also vital for developing immune system strength and function as it regulates immune cell and antibody responses.
Vitamin D functions as an immune system modulator to regulate its response and various functions. Specifically, vitamin D reduces levels of inflammatory proteins called cytokines and helps to increase levels of antimicrobial proteins such as B lymphocytes and killer T cells that destroy invading germs and viruses.
Vitamin A works synergistically with vitamin D across various immune functions to help reduce your risk of infection.
