A protein shake after training, electrolytes in your water bottle, creatine with breakfast: supplements can enhance a fitness routine. But they are no substitute for smart training, good sleep, or balanced meals. This guide to sports supplements helps you narrow down your choices to what suits your goals, lifestyle, and body.
The best label is no guarantee of quality. What matters are clear ingredients, a sensible dosage, and a regimen you can consistently follow. Fewer products, carefully chosen, often feel better—and in many cases, deliver better results.
Set your goals first, then choose your supplement
Someone looking to build muscle has different needs from someone training for their first half marathon or trying to stay fit after long days at work. The key question is not: “What do others take?” But: “Where do I actually have a need?”
For strength training, adequate protein intake is usually the main focus. For long endurance workouts, hydration, carbohydrates, and electrolytes become more important. If you often train indoors, eat a one-sided diet, or avoid certain foods, you should have someone assess any potential nutrient gaps individually.
Supplements are additions, not shortcuts. A regular breakfast, enough protein throughout the day, vegetables, good carbohydrates, and sleep form the foundation. Only then can selected products deliver their benefits. Refined, not overloaded.
Protein: practical for building muscle and recovering
Protein is one of the most sensible supplements when it is difficult to meet your needs through food in everyday life. Especially after strength training or with a very active lifestyle, a shake can help you easily incorporate a high-quality serving of protein. However, the powder itself does not build muscle—the training stimulus and overall diet remain crucial.
As a rough guideline, many active people benefit from about 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. How much of that is actually sensible depends on training volume, energy intake, age, and goals. If you already regularly eat dairy products, eggs, fish, meat, legumes, or tofu, you may not need a shake at all.
For most people, it is more sensible to spread protein across several meals rather than hurriedly consuming a large amount in the evening. A shake after training is convenient, but no magical time window determines your progress. What matters is that you like the taste, it agrees with you, and it fits reliably into your routine.
Creatine: small doses, extensively researched
Creatine monohydrate is one of the best-researched sports supplements. It can support performance during short, intense exercise—such as strength training, sprinting, or repeated explosive intervals. Over weeks and months, this can help you perform more high-quality training.
The usual daily dose is three to five grams of creatine monohydrate. A loading phase is not necessary. What matters is taking it daily, even on non-training days. Some people notice a slight weight gain in the first few weeks because more water is stored in the muscles. This is not fat gain and is unproblematic for many sports. However, in sports with weight classes or if you have a clear weight goal, you should plan for this effect.
Healthy adults generally tolerate creatine well. However, if you have kidney problems, an existing medical condition, take medication, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding, the decision should be left to your doctor. Quality and transparency are essential for a product you use every day.
Electrolytes and carbohydrates: relevant for long workouts
If you exercise moderately for an hour and then eat and drink normally, you do not automatically need a sports drink. Water is often enough. The situation is different for long, intense, or very hot workouts—such as extended bike rides, runs, or summer team sports. In these cases, the body loses fluid and sodium through sweat while energy reserves drop.
A drink with electrolytes can make hydration more pleasant and, above all, provide sodium. Carbohydrates in a drink or gel can support performance during exercise lasting about 90 minutes or more. How much is right is highly individual: sweat rate, temperature, duration, and stomach tolerance all play a role.
Never test your strategy for the first time on race day. What feels easy during training can suddenly be hard on the stomach under stress or in the heat. Try different amounts, flavors, and drinking intervals during relaxed training weeks. This will make your routine reliable rather than a risk.
Vitamins and minerals: targeted rather than high doses for prevention
Vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12, calcium, or magnesium are often marketed as all-purpose sports supplements. They can indeed be very important—but especially if there is a deficiency or an increased risk. High doses based on suspicion are not a particularly elegant solution and can even be harmful depending on the nutrient.
Iron deserves special attention because a deficiency can impair performance, concentration, and recovery. Those affected can include people with heavy menstruation, endurance athletes, and individuals following a plant-based diet. A blood test and professional guidance are clearly more sensible here than self-medication.
Magnesium is also no miracle cure for every muscle cramp. Cramps can be caused by exercise, fluid loss, unusual intensity, or fatigue. If a deficiency has been proven, a supplement can be sensible. Without a deficiency, more magnesium does not automatically lead to better performance—and can irritate the bowel.
Omega-3 and collagen: sensible, but with realistic expectations
Omega-3 fatty acids can be a useful supplement if oily fish is rarely on the menu. However, they are not a direct training booster. Their benefit lies more in complementing a high-quality overall diet. Look for a clear declaration of the omega-3 fatty acids contained and make sure to take the product regularly.
Collagen is particularly interesting for active people who want to look after their tendons, ligaments, and joints. Research is ongoing, but collagen is no substitute for progressive load management, targeted strength training, or a medical assessment for pain. If you want to use it, you can consider it part of a long-term recovery ritual—not a quick fix.
This guide to sports supplements: recognizing quality
The Swiss market offers a wide selection. This makes a quick quality check before purchase all the more valuable. A good supplement does not impress with exaggerated promises, but with an understandable list of ingredients, clear amounts per serving, and a dosage that is easy to follow.
Pay attention to these four points:
- The manufacturer transparently lists the ingredients, allergens, and daily serving.
- The product does not contain an unnecessarily complicated mixture with many underdosed active ingredients.
- In competitive sports and doping controls, choose with particular care and prefer products with independent batch testing.
- The taste, tolerance, and preparation fit your everyday life—because a product in the kitchen cupboard does not work.
How to build your routine
Do not start with five new products at once. Choose one supplement that serves a specific purpose, and observe for two to four weeks how it fits into your everyday life. With protein, this may mean scheduling a shake after training. With creatine, it is about a simple daily routine. With electrolytes, test the drink during longer workouts.
Briefly note what changes: energy during training, stomach comfort, sleep, recovery, and, of course, your enjoyment of your routine. This will help you avoid attributing normal training fluctuations to a new product. If fatigue persists, performance noticeably drops, or you experience severe cramps or pain, a medical assessment is more important than the next supplement.
Exercise can be demanding, but it should also make you stronger. Choose products that quietly and reliably support your goals—with honest ingredients, good tolerance, and a quality that feels right every day.
