TrainedByJP

What is TrainedByJP Rice Cream?

TrainedByJP Rice Cream is a flavoured instant rice cream, sold in a 2 kg bag, providing 38.6 g of carbohydrates per 50 g serving. The bag covers 40 servings.

The product is a pre-cooked rice flour. That single detail explains everything else: the rice is extruded, meaning cooked under pressure, before being milled. The starch is therefore already gelatinised, which allows the powder to thicken instantly on contact with a hot liquid, with no cooking. You pour, you stir, you have a porridge in thirty seconds. An ordinary rice flour, by contrast, would call for a saucepan and ten minutes.

The flavours listed on this page, from Triple Chocolate to Banoffee by way of Apple Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Maple Syrup and Cherry Bakewell. The list of variants available here is the definitive one. The rest of the range can be found in our TrainedByJP section.

What does a 50 g serving contain?

The per 100 g values are calculated from the manufacturer's declaration for a 50 g serving. An anomaly deserves to be flagged rather than copied out: the manufacturer declares 0.30 g of total fat and 0.5 g of saturates per serving, which is arithmetically impossible since saturates are a fraction of the total. We will not decide in its place, and we have therefore reproduced neither of the two saturates figures. The label on the bag you receive is the definitive reference.

38.6 g of carbohydrate for 1 g of sugars is exactly the profile you want. Almost the entire intake is starch, not simple sugar. Compared with a maltodextrin, which raises blood glucose very quickly, or with an oat porridge, slower but heavier, rice cream sits between the two: fast enough to carry a training session, complete enough to make a real meal.

The 170 kcal per serving are easy to stack up. Two servings and a shaker of protein make a breakfast of roughly 400 kcal, which is precisely how it is used when bulking. Conversely, during a deficit, a 50 g serving is a better bet than a bowl of commercial cereal of the same weight, with ten times less sugar.

Note the low protein content: 3.4 g per serving. That is not a flaw, it is the nature of rice. Rice cream is a carbohydrate source, not a protein source, and it is made to be combined with something else. Mixing it with a whey concentrate after the session gives you a complete meal in a single bowl.

One final remark on digestibility, which is the product's real selling point: pre-cooked starch is far easier to digest than a raw flour or whole oat flakes. That is what makes rice cream usable an hour before a session, when a classic porridge would still be sitting in your stomach.

Ingredients list

Base composition: rice flour, flavouring, salt, sweetener (sucralose). Chocolate flavours: rice flour, flavouring, salt, cocoa powder, sweetener (sucralose). Birthday Cake flavour: rice flour, flavouring, birthday sprinkles (sugar, WHEAT starch (GLUTEN), water, glucose syrup, cocoa butter, beetroot concentrate, coconut vegetable oil, colours E163 and E100), salt, sweetener (sucralose). Possible traces of GLUTEN depending on the flavour.

How do you prepare TrainedByJP Rice Cream?

Dose: 25 to 50 g depending on your needs. Liquid: 200 to 250 ml of hot water or milk. Timing: at breakfast, 60 to 90 minutes before the session, or within the 30 minutes following exercise. Frequency: one to three servings a day depending on your intake. Duration: there is no course to follow, it is a food.

Pour the powder into the liquid and not the other way round, then stir immediately. Pre-cooked starch thickens very fast, and if you wait you will end up with lumps that cannot be rescued. It is the only technical step in the product, and it makes all the difference between a creamy porridge and an uneven gruel.

Adjust the liquid, not the powder. At 200 ml for 50 g you get a thick texture to be eaten with a spoon; at 300 ml, something closer to a drink. The choice depends on the moment: thick for a filling breakfast, thinner for a snack before training.

Milk clearly improves the taste and adds roughly 8 g of protein per 250 ml of semi-skimmed milk. Water gives a more neutral, less calorific result. Both work, and hot water is enough to obtain the texture.

For a complete meal, mix a serving with 30 g of protein powder after preparation, not before: whey added to a very hot liquid forms lumps. Let it cool for a minute, then stir it in.

Who is Rice Cream for, and who is it not for?

It suits someone bulking who struggles to reach their calorie quota, someone who trains early and cannot face a solid meal before the session, and someone looking for a clean carbohydrate base that is cheap per serving.

It also suits sensitive stomachs: gluten free in its base composition, lactose free, very low in fibre and fat, it goes down where whole oat flakes stay heavy.

One important exception: the Birthday Cake flavour contains wheat starch, and therefore gluten. It is not suitable for people with coeliac disease or intolerance, unlike the other flavours. The manufacturer also flags possible traces of gluten depending on the flavour, which is reason enough to check the label on the bag you receive.

The manufacturer's warning states that the product is not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women. This statement is unusual for a flavoured rice flour and we reproduce it exactly as worded, without interpreting it: in the event of pregnancy, put the question to your doctor.

What not to expect from it: this is not a weight loss product, and 340 kcal per 100 g are easy to underestimate when you pour by eye. Nor is it a protein source. And it is not a complete food: refined rice provides little fibre and few micronutrients, which makes it an excellent fuel but a poor sole breakfast over the long run.

Rice cream or oat flakes?

This is the basic breakfast choice for anyone training, and both have their case depending on what you are after.

Oat flour provides more fibre, more protein — roughly 13 g per 100 g against 6.8 g here — and a lower glycaemic index, hence longer satiety. It is the better choice for a breakfast that has to last until midday, or for someone short on fibre. Its drawback is mechanical: those same fibres make it heavier to digest, which rules it out an hour before an intense session.

Rice cream wins exactly where oats lose. Fast digestion, no heaviness, a fine texture, and a neutrality that makes it easy to get down in large quantities when your appetite is not keeping up. It is the better choice before training, straight after, or when bulking and you have to fit 3,000 kcal into a day.

For an even faster intake around exercise, there is a third family: maltodextrin and cyclodextrin are drunk during the session and empty the stomach faster still. At breakfast, on the other hand, they hold no interest, and rice cream remains superior.

Frequently asked questions

How many servings are there in a 2 kg bag?

Forty, at 50 g per serving. It is one of the most economical formats in the carbohydrate section, and it keeps well: the powder is dry, fat free, and does not go rancid the way a nut flour can.

Does it need cooking?

No, and that is the whole point. The rice is extruded then milled, so the starch is already cooked. A hot liquid is enough to obtain the texture in thirty seconds. You can also prepare it cold, but the result is less creamy.

Does rice cream contain gluten?

The base composition does not, rice being naturally gluten free. However, the Birthday Cake flavour contains wheat starch and is therefore not suitable. The manufacturer also flags possible traces depending on the flavour: if you have coeliac disease, check the label on the bag you receive.

Can it be mixed with whey?

Yes, and that is the most common use. Prepare the rice cream first, let it cool for a minute, then stir in the protein: added to a very hot liquid, whey forms lumps and loses its texture. One serving plus 30 g of protein makes a complete meal in a bowl.

When should it be taken relative to training?

Sixty to ninety minutes before an intense session, or within the thirty minutes following exercise to restock your reserves. Its digestibility allows a shorter gap than with an oat porridge, but an hour remains more comfortable than a quarter of an hour.

Is it suitable when cutting?

Yes, provided you weigh your servings. 340 kcal per 100 g is quickly underestimated when you pour by eye. A 25 g serving is often enough in a deficit, and its advantage over commercial cereal is clear: 1 g of sugars per 50 g serving against ten times more elsewhere.

Are there any colours in the product?

Only in certain flavours. The base composition contains nothing but rice flour, flavouring, salt and a sweetener. The Birthday Cake flavour, on the other hand, contains coloured sprinkles with the additives E163 and E100. The chocolate flavours simply add cocoa powder.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Rice Cream?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the product we recommend to those who cannot manage to eat in the morning: a warm rice cream goes down where two slices of toast will not, and that is often what unlocks a bulk. The rest of the carbohydrate section can be browsed in our sports nutrition range.

What is TrainedByJP EAA + Hydration?

TrainedByJP EAA + Hydration is a powdered training drink that brings together two things usually sold separately: the nine essential amino acids and an electrolyte complex made up of magnesium, potassium and sodium. A 10 g serving is mixed into 300 to 400 ml of cold water. The 300 g tub covers 30 servings.

The thinking behind this combination is simple, and rarely put into practice properly. During exercise, two things are lost: water and mineral salts through sweat, and amino acids that the muscle draws on. Most drinks on the market address one or the other; this one takes both in the same scoop.

Sodium is the most frequently overlooked component of training drinks, and yet it is the first mineral lost in sweat. Here it is present in two forms, sodium bicarbonate and salt, alongside potassium and magnesium. The rest of the British range can be browsed in our TrainedByJP section, and the other products in this category in our EAA section.

What does a serving of EAA + Hydration contain?

We have to be blunt: the manufacturer's documentation discloses no figures at all, neither for the amino acids nor for the electrolytes. We will not invent them, and we will not estimate them from a comparable product. On a drink of this type, the figures are precisely what allows a comparison to be made — the sodium per serving in particular, which determines how genuinely useful the product is on a long session. The values appear on the packaging you will receive, and this page will be updated as soon as the manufacturer sends them to us.

What we can state is the qualitative composition, and it holds up. All nine essential amino acids are indeed present: leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine, threonine, phenylalanine, methionine, histidine and tryptophan. That is what sets an EAA formula apart from a BCAA product, which supplies only three of them.

On the electrolyte side, the three minerals that genuinely matter during exercise are there. Magnesium contributes to electrolyte balance, to normal muscle function and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue; potassium contributes to the normal function of the nervous system and to normal muscle function. These are the authorised wordings, provided the amounts reach the required thresholds — which we cannot verify in the absence of figures.

One formulation caveat is worth flagging: the magnesium is supplied as the oxide, the least well absorbed form on the market. It is a common choice in exercise drinks, where magnesium is not the main active ingredient, but do not count on this product to cover a magnesium requirement. A dedicated magnesium, as citrate or bisglycinate, does an altogether different job.

Ingredients list

Essential amino acid blend (leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine, threonine, phenylalanine, methionine, histidine, tryptophan), acidity regulator (citric acid), sodium bicarbonate, flavouring, magnesium oxide, potassium chloride, sweetener (sucralose), salt, colour. List given for the Fizzy Blue Bottles flavour; flavourings and colours vary slightly from one flavour to another.

Made in a facility that handles MILK, SOYA, EGG and GLUTEN. Colours may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.

How do you take EAA + Hydration?

Serving: 1 to 2 scoops, i.e. 10 to 20 g. Liquid: 300 to 400 ml of cold water. Timing: 15 to 20 minutes before the session, sipped during exercise, or immediately afterwards. Frequency: one serving per session; can be taken between meals on rest days. Duration: no set course required.

The use that gets the most out of this formula is taking it during exercise, in small sips. That is the only moment when both components are working at once: the amino acids and the minerals you are losing through sweat. On a session longer than sixty minutes, or in hot conditions, that is where this product sets itself apart from a plain tub of EAAs.

Start with one scoop. The manufacturer allows for two scoops during intense training, calorie-restricted diets or endurance sports, but there is no reason to start at that dose: assess tolerance and taste first. Then adjust the volume of water to suit how strong you like the flavour — 300 ml gives a bold drink, 400 ml a lighter version for sipping.

Shake vigorously until fully dissolved, and drink straight away. The sodium bicarbonate in the formula produces a slight fizz as it dissolves, which is normal.

A reminder that matters more than the product itself: an electrolyte drink is no substitute for drinking. Minerals are of no use without an adequate fluid intake across the day. This powder combines without any overlap with creatine monohydrate or, on very long efforts, with a carbohydrate source such as a cyclic dextrin.

Who is EAA + Hydration for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at athletes who sweat heavily: long sessions, overheated gyms, summer training, endurance sports. It is also a good choice for anyone training fasted, since free amino acids require no digestive work.

The manufacturer advises against it for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and asks that medical advice be sought first if you are on any medication. The statement about colours — which may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children — is a regulatory warning to be taken seriously: this product is not intended for children.

The formula contains sucralose and colours. If you avoid those ingredients, this is not the right product. Anyone with allergies should note that the facility handles milk, soya, egg and gluten.

What not to expect from it. It is not a pre-workout: there is no caffeine, no stimulant and no carbohydrate, and you will feel no kick from it. It is not a protein substitute: 10 g of powder does not replace 25 g of whey. Nor is it a meaningful source of magnesium, as the oxide is poorly absorbed. And it will not make up for inadequate hydration across the rest of the day.

EAAs on their own, or EAAs with electrolytes?

The two sit side by side on the shelf and the difference is not cosmetic.

A standard EAA product puts everything into the amino acids, often at higher doses — 12 to 15 g of amino acids per serving on the best-served formulas. If your goal is nutritional, if you train in an air-conditioned gym on hour-long sessions, and you sweat little, that route gives better value per gram of amino acid. Our BCAA section also lets you compare with the previous generation of these drinks.

This formula takes a different bet: less concentrated in amino acids, but rounded out with the minerals lost in sweat. It is intended for long efforts, for the heat, for sessions where you genuinely sweat. In that case, it saves buying and mixing two products.

When is an electrolyte product on its own enough? If you already comfortably cover your protein needs and your only problem is dehydration. Our electrolytes section then offers dedicated formulas, higher in sodium and often cheaper. And if your priority remains muscle mass, the answer is neither one nor the other but a complete protein.

Frequently asked questions

What are the exact amounts per serving?

The manufacturer does not disclose them, neither for the amino acids nor for the electrolytes, and we will not invent them. That is a genuine limitation of this page. The values appear on the packaging you will receive; we will update this page as soon as they are sent to us.

What is the difference from BCAAs?

BCAAs supply only three of the nine essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. This formula supplies all nine, plus three electrolytes. On paper as in practice, that is a difference in kind and not merely in dosage.

Which flavours are available?

Sour Peach Ring, Fizzy Blue Bottles, Sour Watermelon and Fizzy Cola Bottles. These are confectionery flavours, bold and sharp, which go down well during exercise. The official ingredients list is given for the Fizzy Blue Bottles flavour; flavourings and colours vary slightly across the others.

When should you drink it?

The most coherent use is during the session, in small sips, since that is the only moment when amino acids and electrolytes are both working at once. Taking it 15 to 20 minutes beforehand works equally well, particularly for fasted training.

Is magnesium in the oxide form a good choice?

It is the least well absorbed form on the market. It is common in exercise drinks, where magnesium is not the main active ingredient, but do not count on this product to cover a magnesium requirement. A dedicated product as citrate or bisglycinate does an altogether different job.

How many servings are in the tub?

30 servings of 10 g in the 300 g tub. At four sessions a week and one scoop per session, that comes to close to two months. If you move up to two scoops, expect logically half as long.

Does it replace an isotonic drink?

Not entirely. An isotonic drink also supplies carbohydrate, which is absent here. This formula covers hydration and amino acids, not fuel. On a long effort, you therefore need to add a separate carbohydrate source.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP EAA + Hydration?

The 300 g tub can be ordered from this page, in whichever of the available flavours you prefer, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is a product that mainly moves in summer: when it is thirty degrees in the gym, the question of electrolytes stops being theoretical. The rest of the range can be browsed in our sports nutrition selection.

What is TrainedByJP's Estro Control?

TrainedByJP Estro Control is a food supplement in vegetable capsules, sold in a bottle of 60 capsules for a once-daily dose — that is, two months' use. It is formulated around two compounds derived from cruciferous vegetables: indole-3-carbinol, abbreviated to I3C, and diindolylmethane, abbreviated to DIM. The second is a transformation product of the first in the stomach.

The formula is a short one: I3C, DIM, broccoli extract (Brassica oleracea) and black pepper extract (Piper nigrum) standardised for piperine. To these are added the hypromellose vegetable capsule and two anti-caking agents, magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide. Black pepper plays the same role here as it does in turmeric-based formulas: DIM and I3C are fat-soluble, and piperine is added to limit how quickly they are eliminated.

TrainedByJP is the brand of the British coach Jordan Peters. Its range leans towards foundational supplements rather than immediate performance, and can be found in the TrainedByJP collection.

What does a capsule of Estro Control contain?

We have to be frank here, and the table below is unlike any other on this site.

No dose is published for any of the four active ingredients in this formula in the data available to us. We will not invent them, and we will not repeat figures found elsewhere. This is the most serious limitation of the product: without milligrams, no comparison with another brand is possible, and you cannot know whether you are taking 100 mg or 300 mg of DIM. Check the official labelling on the bottle you receive, and if the detail matters to you before buying, ask us — we will go and look at the box on the shelf.

On the regulatory side, we also need to be clear: no health claim is authorised in Europe for DIM, indole-3-carbinol, broccoli extract or piperine. Not on hormones, not on metabolism, not on anything else. So we describe what the capsule contains, how to take it and who it is not for. Any product page that promises you a quantified effect on your hormone levels goes beyond what the regulations allow to be written.

What can be said factually: I3C and DIM occur naturally in cruciferous vegetables — broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. They are well-known dietary compounds, not synthetic molecules.

How do you take Estro Control?

Dose: 1 capsule a day, without exceeding the recommended daily dose. Liquid: a glass of water. Timing: with a meal containing fat, at any point in the day. Frequency: one dose daily. Duration: the manufacturer recommends a course of 8 to 12 weeks; beyond 12 consecutive weeks, consult a healthcare professional.

The instruction about a fatty meal is not decorative. DIM and I3C are fat-soluble: taken on an empty stomach or with a salad, part of the capsule serves no purpose. A normally composed meal is enough — some eggs, some fish, a drizzle of olive oil.

One precaution worth repeating: if you are taking other medicines, leave several hours between doses. The manufacturer asks for this explicitly, and the presence of piperine, which alters the liver metabolism of many molecules, justifies that caution. The manufacturer also mentions that this supplement can be combined with calcium D-glucarate.

Stop taking it and seek advice if you notice joint pain, hot flushes or mood changes after starting supplementation.

Who is Estro Control for, and who is it not for?

The list of situations in which this product is not suitable is a long one, and it is the most important part of this page.

Do not use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Consult a healthcare professional if you are trying to conceive. In cases of liver disorders, medical advice is mandatory before use, and you must stop immediately at any liver symptom: jaundice, abdominal pain, dark urine, unusual nausea. Do not use without medical advice in cases of gallstones or bile duct obstruction. In cases of stomach ulcer or excess acidity, caution is required.

Drug interactions deserve particular attention: the manufacturer cites medicines metabolised by the liver, oral contraceptives, tamoxifen and hormone treatments. That is not a trivial list — if any of them appears on your prescription, the question is one for your doctor, not for a product page.

Two further points. This supplement may interfere with iron absorption: if you are deficient or supplementing, take that into account and leave a gap between doses and your iron intake. And if you show signs of low oestrogen — joint pain, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, irregular periods — medical advice is required before any use. Finally, the manufacturer refers you to the official labelling for the full allergen list, which we have not been able to verify here.

Estro Control or a ZMA?

These two products are often bought for similar reasons. Yet they do not have remotely the same regulatory status, and that is the criterion that ought to settle it.

A ZMA combines zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. It has one decisive advantage: zinc benefits from a claim authorised under European regulations — it contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood, provided the product supplies at least 15 % of the NRV. That is a validated wording, with a quantified threshold, and you can check on the label that the product reaches it. Magnesium also contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal muscle function. If you want a product whose effect is recognised by the European framework and whose doses are verifiable, that is the one to take.

Estro Control is on different ground. It supplies no mineral, claims no authorised health claim, and its doses are not published. What it does supply is a combination of cruciferous compounds that is hard to obtain other than by eating a lot of broccoli, in a format that is simple to keep up over two months. It is a choice for an informed user, not a first purchase. Those building a foundational routine generally start from a base in our multivitamins or zinc range, and add this kind of product afterwards — never the other way round.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between DIM and I3C?

Indole-3-carbinol is the compound present in cruciferous vegetables; diindolylmethane forms from it in the stomach, under the effect of acidity. This formula supplies both, which is a common formulation choice. The respective proportions are not published by the manufacturer.

How long does a bottle last?

Two months. The bottle contains 60 capsules and the dosage is one a day. That corresponds to the lower end of the course length recommended by the manufacturer, which runs from 8 to 12 weeks.

Why does it have to be taken with a fatty meal?

Because DIM and I3C are fat-soluble. Without fat in the food you eat, absorption is markedly poorer. An ordinary meal containing some fat is enough; there is no need to add anything or to count anything.

Can it be taken alongside the contraceptive pill?

Not without medical advice. The manufacturer explicitly cites oral contraceptives among the treatments for which a consultation is necessary, in the same way as tamoxifen and hormone treatments. Put the question to your doctor or your pharmacist before opening the bottle.

Are the doses shown on the packaging?

The manufacturer refers you to its official labelling, and the data passed on to us contains no milligrams. We prefer to flag this gap rather than put forward approximate values. When it arrives, read the label on the bottle: that is the one that counts.

Is this product suitable for women as well as men?

The manufacturer does not restrict use to one audience, but the list of precautions includes several specifically female points — pregnancy, breastfeeding, plans to conceive, oral contraception, signs of low oestrogen. These precautions should be read before buying, and the question is one for a healthcare professional.

Can it be combined with other supplements?

The manufacturer mentions a possible combination with calcium D-glucarate. For the rest, the rule is to leave several hours between doses and any medicine, because of the piperine. If you are already taking a product from our NAC range or a liver complex, take stock before stacking.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Estro Control?

The 60-capsule bottle can be ordered on this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is a niche line, which we stock because it is regularly asked for — not because we recommend it to everyone.

If you come by our Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we will take the bottle off the shelf and read the label with you: on a product whose doses are not circulating online, that is still the most reliable method. The rest of the range can be browsed from sports nutrition.

What is TrainedByJP EAA 1000 g?

TrainedByJP EAA is an essential amino acid powder to be mixed with water, sold in a 1 kg tub, i.e. 66 servings of 15 g. The flavours listed: Cherry Lime, Berry Burst, Orange & Mango, Tropical and Strawberry & Kiwi.

The essential amino acids are the nine the body cannot make and which must come from food. This formula provides all nine in free form, that is to say not bound together within a protein: that is what sets an EAA apart from a protein powder. The manufacturer states that they are derived from plant fermentation, which makes the formula suitable for a vegan diet.

Added to these are two electrolytes — magnesium oxide and potassium chloride — then the formulation ingredients: flavouring, citric acid, trisodium citrate, sucralose as a sweetener, and a colour that varies with the flavour. The British brand is stocked here in our TrainedByJP section.

What does a 15 g serving contain?

* Column calculated from the values declared for 15 g. Three reservations, and we would rather put them in writing. The manufacturer does not publish the amounts of magnesium oxide and potassium chloride: without figures, no NRV percentage can be shown for these two electrolytes, and no regulatory wording can be used. Nor does it publish any macronutrient breakdown. Finally, it declares 3 kcal per serving, a value hard to reconcile with 12.5 g of amino acids: we reproduce it exactly as it is given to us, flagging the inconsistency rather than correcting it ourselves.

The figure that shapes this formula is 4 g of leucine per serving. Leucine alone accounts for a third of the blend, and that is a straightforward dose: many EAAs on the market stop at 2 or 2.5 g. The ratio between leucine, isoleucine and valine is 2:1:1, the classic BCAA pattern, but here built into a complete nine-amino-acid profile.

The second figure to look at is the tryptophan: 80 mg. That is little in absolute terms, and that is normal — it is the essential amino acid with the lowest requirement. But it is precisely its presence that sets an EAA apart from a BCAA, and that explains one of this product's contraindications.

A word of framing, and it is a necessary one: no health claim is authorised in Europe for free amino acids. The wording "protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass" applies to protein, not to a powdered blend of amino acids. So you will read here no promise of protein synthesis, no accelerated recovery, no protection against catabolism. What we are describing is a composition, a dose and a use.

How should TrainedByJP EAA be taken?

Dose: 15 g, i.e. one scoop. Liquid: 300 to 400 ml of cold water. Timing: during the session, sipped, or within the 30 minutes that follow; on rest days, between two meals. Frequency: one serving per day. Duration: ongoing, as the manufacturer gives no course length.

The volume of liquid is not a suggestion: 300 to 400 ml for 15 g is a minimum. A free amino acid powder is acidic and very concentrated in taste; short on water, it becomes frankly harsh, and the flavours in this range are already pronounced. If the first attempt puts you off, add 100 ml before concluding anything at all.

The most sensible use is during the session, sip by sip, with the added benefit of getting you to drink. That is the real argument for this kind of product against a protein shake: nobody downs a whey from a bottle between two sets, whereas a clear, fruity drink goes down without difficulty.

A practical note on the size: a one-kilo tub lasts a long time. Close it carefully and keep it dry — free amino acid powders are hygroscopic and clump into a solid block at the slightest damp. The formula is otherwise compatible with taking another product before or after training, with no particular interaction.

Who is this EAA for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed first at people who train fasted or a long way from a meal, those who cannot tolerate a milky shake during exercise, and vegans — since the amino acids come from plant fermentation, the formula contains no ingredient of animal origin.

The manufacturer does not advise it for children, or for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Two contraindications deserve careful reading: it is not recommended for people on antidepressant treatment — the presence of tryptophan and phenylalanine, two neurotransmitter precursors, explains this caution — nor for people with kidney failure. Antidepressant treatment is never altered on one's own initiative: if this concerns you, the question is one for your doctor or your pharmacist, not for a product page.

It is less suitable if you are trying to raise your daily protein total. Twelve and a half grams of amino acids do not replace 25 g of complete protein, and generally cost more per gram.

What you should not expect from it, and this is the most useful thing to say: if your protein intake across the day is already sufficient, this product will add nothing. An EAA makes sense when a meal is missing, not stacked on top of three shakes and 180 g of protein a day. Nobody in this category will tell you so, and yet it is the first question to ask.

EAA or a whey?

This is the comparison that decides the purchase, and it turns on use rather than on quality.

A protein powder provides 22 to 27 g of complete protein per serving, including roughly 2 to 2.7 g of leucine, at a far lower price per gram of protein. It is the better choice in the great majority of cases: to make up for a meal, for an inadequate breakfast, for the post-session snack. If you are only going to buy one product, buy that one, and our whey isolate section covers the cases where digestion is a problem.

The EAA wins in three specific situations. During exercise, because it drinks clear and light where a whey sits heavily on the stomach. On a vegan diet, where it provides a complete profile with no dairy. And at 4 g of leucine per serving, it exceeds what a standard whey shake supplies on that one amino acid. If your need is limited to the leucine-isoleucine-valine trio, our BCAA section works out cheaper — but an incomplete profile remains an incomplete profile, and that is precisely what an EAA corrects. Finally, if what you are mainly after is making up for losses through sweat, it is our electrolytes you should be looking at, since the amounts present here are not quantified.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an EAA and a BCAA?

A BCAA provides only three amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. An EAA provides all nine essentials, including lysine, threonine, methionine, histidine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. Here, the 4 g of leucine are built into a complete profile of 12.5 g, which is not comparable to a three-component product.

How many servings does the one-kilo tub contain?

66 servings of 15 g, a figure given by the manufacturer and consistent with the net weight. At one serving per training day, on four sessions a week, that comes to around four months. Close the tub properly: these powders take up moisture and harden.

Why only 3 kcal per serving?

That is the value declared by the manufacturer, and we have not changed it. Set against 12.5 g of amino acids, it seems to us hard to explain: we publish it as it stands and would rather flag the doubt. If the actual energy value matters for your tracking, go by the label on the tub you receive.

Is the formula suitable for vegans?

Yes. The manufacturer states that the amino acids come from plant fermentation, and no ingredient of animal origin goes into the composition. That is one of the genuine advantages of this kind of product on a dairy-free diet.

Can it be taken alongside antidepressant treatment?

The manufacturer does not recommend it in that case. The formula contains tryptophan and phenylalanine, two neurotransmitter precursors, which justifies the caution. This question is one for your doctor or your pharmacist, and ongoing treatment must never be stopped or altered on your own initiative.

Which flavour should I choose?

All are in a fruity, tangy register: Cherry Lime and Berry Burst are the sharpest, Orange & Mango and Tropical the mildest, Strawberry & Kiwi in between. All are sweetened with sucralose and coloured according to the flavour. The real adjustment is not the flavour but the volume of water: at 400 ml, they all become distinctly more drinkable.

Should it be taken during or after the session?

The manufacturer suggests both, and between meals on rest days. In practice, taking it during exercise is what makes the most sense: it gets you drinking, and a clear drink goes down where a milky shake would not. After the session, a complete protein will do the same job for less.

Where can I buy TrainedByJP EAA 1000 g?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. The one-kilo tub is a regular user's size: if this is your first EAA, be aware that it will last you several months.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, the conversation about this product always starts with the same question, and it is not a sales one: how much protein do you eat per day? Until the answer is satisfactory, an EAA is of no use, and we would rather say so at the counter. The rest of the amino acids can be compared in our sports nutrition section.

What is TrainedByJP Vital Support?

TrainedByJP Vital Support is a vegetable capsule complex bringing together five actives, every one of them quantified to the milligram. The bottle contains 240 capsules, or 30 servings of 8 capsules — a full month. It is a niche product, designed by British coach Jordan Peters, and it is nothing like an entry-level supplement.

The five components are astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus), N-acetylcysteine, IP6 (inositol hexaphosphate), TUDCA (tauroursodeoxycholic acid) and a maritime pine bark extract. The rest comes down to the hypromellose vegetable capsule and two anti-caking agents.

The key thing to take away first: none of these five actives carries a health claim authorised in Europe. Not for the liver, not for the kidneys, not for anything else. So what we describe here is a composition, doses and precautions — not effects. The product appears in the TrainedByJP collection.

What does a serving of 8 capsules contain?

This is a rare table in this category: all five actives are quantified, with no proprietary blend and no "complex" to hide behind. With ingredients as expensive as TUDCA, that transparency has real value — it lets you compare against another product, which most brands in this sector make impossible.

Two doses are worth putting in context. The 4,000 mg of astragalus per serving make it the main active by weight. And the 500 mg of TUDCA: this is a bile acid, one of the most expensive ingredients on the supplement market, which goes a long way towards explaining the product's price positioning. The manufacturer does not specify whether these are standardised extracts, or to what ratio, and we are not going to invent that.

Let us say it again plainly, because it is the most useful piece of information on this page: astragalus, NAC, IP6, TUDCA and pine bark have no health claim authorised under European regulations. Any product page promising you organ protection is stepping outside the legal framework. What we can say, on the other hand, is factual: TUDCA influences bile production, which is why the precautions listed below apply.

How should you take Vital Support?

Dose: 8 capsules a day, split into two servings. Liquid: a glass of water with each serving, alongside a daily fluid intake of 2.5 to 3 litres. Timing: 4 capsules on waking, on an empty stomach or with a light breakfast, and 4 capsules before bed. Frequency: two servings a day. Duration: a course of 8 to 12 weeks, as recommended by the manufacturer.

Hydration is not a cosmetic detail here: the manufacturer explicitly puts a figure on it, 2.5 to 3 litres a day, which is well above what most people drink. If you do not intend to stick to that, this product is not for you.

Eight capsules a day is a significant amount to swallow. Splitting them morning and evening is not only a question of absorption: it is also what makes taking them manageable. The evening serving is taken before bed, with a large glass of water.

The manufacturer notes that this complex can be combined with omega 3 or with a B vitamin complex. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before any use — that is the manufacturer's own recommendation, and we pass it on exactly as it stands.

Who is Vital Support right for, and who is it not right for?

This is a product for the informed user, someone who knows exactly what they are buying and why. If you are new to supplements, this is not where to start: a foundation of multivitamins or a plain N-acetylcysteine will cover more needs for far less money.

The precautions are numerous and serious. Pregnant or breastfeeding women: seek the advice of a healthcare professional before use. Anyone on medication: consult a healthcare professional, particularly in the case of liver or kidney treatment. Diagnosed liver or kidney disorders: medical consultation is mandatory before use. And one point specific to TUDCA: it influences bile production, so you should avoid the product in the case of gallstones or bile duct obstruction without medical advice.

On allergens, the list for the manufacturing site is particularly long: CELERY and CELERIAC, CRUSTACEANS, FISH, MILK, MUSTARD, PEANUTS, SOYA, GLUTEN, EGG, LUPIN and MOLLUSCS. If you have a severe allergy, take that into account.

What you should not expect from it: organ protection. No regulatory evidence allows that to be claimed, and a food supplement makes up for neither alcohol consumption, nor heavy medication, nor a medical condition. If you are worried about your liver or your kidneys, the answer is a blood test prescribed by a doctor — not a bottle of capsules.

Vital Support or NAC bought on its own?

That is the honest comparison to make, because NAC is by far the best known and most accessible of the five actives.

A NAC sold on its own is the better choice in two very common cases. First, price: N-acetylcysteine costs a fraction of this complex, and if it is NAC you are after, there is no reason to pay for four other ingredients. Second, dosing: you adjust it freely, whereas Vital Support fixes 1,200 mg within a serving that also contains 4 g of astragalus and 500 mg of TUDCA. It should be said that NAC on its own has no authorised claim in Europe either.

Vital Support keeps the advantage if it is precisely this combination that you are after. TUDCA in particular is virtually impossible to find on its own in France, and 500 mg per serving is a serious dose. Astragalus at 4 g and IP6 at 1 g round out an assembly that would be difficult and expensive to rebuild bottle by bottle. This is the product of a deliberate plan, not a top-up purchase.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a bottle last?

One month. The bottle contains 240 capsules and the daily serving is 8, which makes 30 servings. That amounts to a third of the 8 to 12-week course recommended by the manufacturer, so reckon on two to three bottles for a full course.

Do you really have to take 8 capsules a day?

Yes, that is the serving the doses in the table are based on. Cutting down to four capsules halves every intake. Splitting it into two servings, four in the morning and four in the evening, is what the manufacturer specifies.

What is TUDCA?

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid, a bile acid present here at 500 mg per serving. It influences bile production, which is what justifies the precautions regarding gallstones and bile duct obstruction. No health claim is authorised in Europe for this molecule.

Can it be taken alongside medical treatment?

Not without medical advice, and the manufacturer is categorical on this point — particularly in the case of liver or kidney treatment. If you are on any form of treatment, put the question to your doctor or pharmacist before opening the bottle.

Why do you have to drink so much water?

The manufacturer puts fluid intake at 2.5 to 3 litres a day during the course. That is an explicit instruction, not a general wellbeing recommendation: stick to it or choose another product.

Are the capsules suitable for vegetarians?

The shell is made from hypromellose, a plant cellulose, with no animal gelatine. The manufacturer does not, however, explicitly claim vegetarian or vegan certification in the data available to us, and we will not write it on their behalf.

Can it be combined with other supplements?

The manufacturer mentions that it can be combined with omega 3 or a multivitamin containing B vitamins. Just check the totals: if your multivitamin already contains NAC, as some complexes do, the amount adds up fast.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Vital Support?

The 240-capsule bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is a product we stock because customers ask for it by name, and because the label puts a figure on all five of its actives — a criterion that matters more than the name on the box.

If you drop into our shop in Vendargues, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we will read the label with you and tell you straight whether a simpler product would do the same job in your situation. It often would.

What is TrainedByJP MPS MAX?

MPS MAX is a powder to drink during training, with a serving of 22 g. It combines three things you rarely find together: 10 g of free essential amino acids, 2.5 g of PeptoPro® (hydrolysed casein) and 2.5 g of hydrolysed whey protein. The flavours listed: Blackcurrant Squash, Peached Ice Tea and Sunny Orange.

On top of that come four trademarked ingredients: Peak O2® at 1 g, a blend of five mushrooms (cordyceps, reishi, king trumpet, shiitake and lion's mane); Velositol®, an amylopectin-chromium complex; Aquamin®, minerals derived from marine algae; and AstraGin®, a blend of astragalus and Panax notoginseng extracts. The rest is maltodextrin, citric acid, trisodium citrate, flavouring, sucralose and beta-carotene as a colouring.

It is a dense formula, and it is also a formula you need to know how to read. Below we set out what the manufacturer puts a figure on and what it does not, because the gap matters. The full range sits in our TrainedByJP aisle, and the category as a whole in EAA.

What does a 22 g serving contain?

What is missing has to be said plainly, because it is substantial. The manufacturer publishes no energy value, no macronutrients and no salt figure for this product, and does not break the 10 g of essential amino acids down amino acid by amino acid: it states only that leucine is the largest share. Nor does it put a figure on the Velositol®, the Aquamin® or the AstraGin®. The direct consequence: no magnesium, calcium or chromium content can be declared, and so no regulatory wording can be used for those minerals. On a product positioned like this one, that is a shortcoming, and we will not fill it in with figures found elsewhere.

What can be said with confidence comes down to two points. The first: 15 g of protein material in 22 g of powder, between the free amino acids and the two hydrolysates. That is a straightforward dose for a training drink, and clearly above an ordinary EAA that stops at the amino acids alone.

The second: pairing free amino acids with hydrolysates is rare, and there is logic to it. Free amino acids have no digestion to go through; a hydrolysate is a protein already broken down into short peptides. Both therefore go through without sitting heavily on the stomach, which is exactly what you ask of a drink taken between two sets.

A regulatory framing to close, and it is a necessary one: no health claim is authorised in Europe for free amino acids, nor for the Peak O2® mushrooms, nor for astragalus. So you will read here no promise of amplified protein synthesis, no quantified performance, no percentage improvement. Those figures do circulate about this product; they cannot be repeated, and we will not repeat them.

How do you take MPS MAX?

Serving: 22 g, that is one scoop. Liquid: 200 to 600 ml of water depending on how concentrated you want the taste. Timing: from 15 minutes before the session, then throughout the session. Frequency: one serving per training session. Duration: continuous, as no cycling is required.

The liquid range is wide, and that is deliberate: at 200 ml you get a very concentrated drink, at 600 ml a light one you can sip over an hour and a half. Our advice is to aim for the top of the range: the point of a training drink is as much to get you drinking as to supply amino acids, and 500 ml worked through over a session beats 200 ml downed in one go.

The manufacturer's protocol is precise on one point: start 15 minutes before rather than at the first exercise, and keep going throughout. For a session longer than 90 minutes, it recommends saving the whole serving for intra-workout.

A common-sense remark that holds for this whole category: if you have eaten a full meal one to two hours before the session, an amino acid drink during the effort is of little use. The amino acids from that meal are still circulating. This product makes sense when you train fasted, early in the morning, or a long way from any meal — not stacked on top of an already well-filled day.

Who is MPS MAX for, and who is it not for?

It is intended for adults engaged in intense physical activity, those are the manufacturer's terms, and it targets long or fasted sessions in particular. The liquid, tangy, non-heavy format is its real argument: nobody downs a whey shake between two sets of squats.

It contains MILK, twice over: PeptoPro® is a hydrolysed casein and the second hydrolysate comes from whey. The product is made in a facility that handles MILK, SOYA, EGGS and GLUTEN, and traces of NUTS, CRUSTACEANS and PEANUTS are possible. It is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women and must be kept out of reach of children. If you are on medical treatment, the manufacturer asks that you seek professional advice beforehand.

So it suits neither vegans nor people allergic to milk proteins — unlike a BCAA or an EAA made of free amino acids alone, which are often vegan. That is the price of the two hydrolysates.

What you should not expect from it: a shortcut. Fifteen grams of protein material during the session do not make up for a day at 90 g of protein, and no trademarked ingredient replaces a sound daily total. Nor can we assert anything about the mushrooms, the astragalus or the chromium in this formula: with no published contents and no authorised claim, there is nothing honest to say about them. What you are buying that can be verified is a training drink very well supplied with amino acids and easy to digest.

MPS MAX or a hydrolysed whey?

Both target the same moment of the day and are digested quickly. The choice comes down to texture and to price.

A hydrolysed whey supplies 22 to 25 g of complete protein per serving, at a far lower cost per gram of protein. It is the better choice if your aim is to add protein around training and you tolerate a milky shake. Its drawback lies in the taste, frankly bitter with a pure hydrolysate, and in the texture, which goes down badly mid-session.

MPS MAX wins on that precise point, and that is its reason for existing: it is a clear, fruity drink you can sip during the effort, where no shake would go down. It also wins on leucine, the largest share of the 10 g of free amino acids. It loses clearly on price per gram of protein, and on dosage transparency.

If your need is more about slow release outside training, it is the casein aisle that answers it, not this one. And if what you are after above all is replacing sweat losses on long sessions, our electrolytes will do it better and for far less — since the marine minerals in this formula carry no figures, they cannot be counted as an intake.

Frequently asked questions

How much of each amino acid is in the 10 g?

The manufacturer does not publish the breakdown in the data available to us: it states only that leucine is the predominant amino acid. We will not complete that table with unverified values. If the breakdown matters to you, the label on the tub you receive is what counts.

What is the difference from a standard EAA?

A standard EAA stops at free amino acids. This one adds 5 g of hydrolysates — casein and whey — that is, short peptides on top of the isolated amino acids. It is more complete and more expensive, and it brings milk into the formula, which rules out vegans.

How much water should you use?

From 200 to 600 ml, depending on how concentrated a taste you can handle. Our advice: aim for 500 ml. A training drink is there as much to get you drinking as to supply amino acids, and regular sips over an hour beat a concentrated glass downed at the start of the session.

What is PeptoPro®?

It is the trade name of a hydrolysed casein, that is, a milk protein pre-cut into short peptides. The stated benefit is faster digestion than an ordinary casein, which is consistent with use during effort. We are describing the ingredient, as no claim is authorised for it.

Does the product contain usable electrolytes?

The formula contains Aquamin®, minerals derived from marine algae, but the manufacturer does not publish the contents. Without figures, we can declare neither magnesium nor calcium, nor use any regulatory wording. If mineral hydration is your goal, take a dedicated electrolyte product.

Is it suitable for vegetarians or vegans?

For vegetarians yes, for vegans no: the formula contains two milk proteins. It is also made in a facility that handles soya, eggs and gluten, with possible traces of nuts, crustaceans and peanuts.

Should you take it on non-training days?

The manufacturer does not provide for that: the protocol is set around the session, from 15 minutes before. On rest days, ordinary protein intake does the same job for far less. This product answers a digestion constraint during effort, not a permanent need.

Where to buy TrainedByJP MPS MAX?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. It is a product for the seasoned: it assumes the rest of your diet is already in place.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the kind of label we read line by line with the customer, because it mixes very precise doses with trademarked ingredients whose quantity is not given. Knowing how to tell the two apart is what stops you paying for a name. The rest of the amino acids can be compared in our sports nutrition aisle.

What is TrainedByJP Sustain?

Sustain is a powdered exercise drink, to be sipped during training, supplied in a 1.8 kg tub, or 60 servings of 30 g. The flavours we stock: Orange & Mango and Berry Burst.

What sets it apart is the carbohydrate make-up, which the manufacturer calls the Tri-Carb Complex: 25 g of carbohydrate per serving, split across three sources with different absorption rates — cyclic dextrin, palatinose and fructose. The idea is to spread the intake over time rather than concentrate it on a single pathway.

Added to this are a coconut water powder, glycerol monostearate and Himalayan pink salt. The product contains no stimulants: this is not a pre-workout, it is fuel. The rest of the British range can be found in our TrainedByJP aisle.

What is in a 30 g serving?

* Column calculated from the 30 g serving declared by the manufacturer. The energy value is given only in kilocalories and only approximately, and the full nutrition table — fat, protein, salt, sugars — is not published. We will not invent it.

The figure that shapes the product is the 25 g of carbohydrate per 30 g of powder. In other words, more than 83% of the sachet is fuel, which leaves little room for anything else — flavouring, citric acid, beetroot colouring, sucralose. That is consistent with an exercise product.

The split is worth pausing on, because it is what you are buying. Cyclic dextrin empties from the stomach quickly and supplies energy without heaviness. Palatinose, or isomaltulose, is a slow-absorbing sugar that spreads the intake out. Fructose, finally, uses a different intestinal transporter from glucose: combining the two makes it possible in practice to absorb more carbohydrate per hour than with a single source. That is the real technical argument behind this formula, and it stands up.

What we cannot assess: the amounts of coconut water, glycerol and pink salt are not published. On an exercise drink, sodium content is nonetheless the second most important piece of information after the carbohydrate — it is what decides whether the product covers your sweat losses. Without that figure, we cannot tell you whether you need to add electrolytes alongside it. The manufacturer suggests as much itself, depending on the heat and how heavily you sweat, which suggests the intake stays modest.

How do you use Sustain?

Serving: 30 g. Liquid: 750 ml of cold water. Timing: during the session, starting 15 to 20 minutes after it begins. Frequency: one bottle per long session. Duration: none, this is an exercise food.

The 750 ml volume is not merely indicative: it is what makes this product a bottle rather than a shake. You sip it in small mouthfuls across the whole session, and it is that way of drinking it that lets you take on 25 g of carbohydrate without digestive discomfort. Downed in one go, the same liquid would cause problems.

The manufacturer gives three specific protocols. Sessions of more than 90 minutes: continuous consumption in small sips. High-intensity training: start 15 to 20 minutes after the session begins. Endurance sports: spread it across the full duration of the effort.

One instruction to respect: take Sustain separately from your EAAs or your protein. The manufacturer says so, and it is justified — a carbohydrate drink and an amino acid drink in the same bottle do not digest as well as you would hope. If you take EAAs during exercise, alternate rather than mix.

The 1.8 kg tub covers 60 servings. At three long sessions a week, that works out at around five months. Store dry, and close it properly.

Who is Sustain for, and who is it not for?

It suits efforts that last, first and foremost: a long bike ride, a run of more than an hour and a half, trail running, a high-volume strength session, a team sport with two training slots. That is where 25 g of carbohydrate during exercise genuinely changes something. The fact that it contains no stimulants also makes it usable in the evening, unlike a pre-workout.

It contains GLUTEN, the barley starch being the source. That is a decisive piece of information and one rarely highlighted in this category: people with coeliac disease must avoid it. The product is also made in a facility that handles milk, soya and eggs.

It is not recommended for children, or for pregnant and breastfeeding women. The manufacturer also urges caution in cases of diabetes or disordered carbohydrate metabolism: that makes sense for a drink delivering 25 g of carbohydrate in one go, and this question is one for your doctor.

It is not for a session of less than an hour. For an ordinary weights session, your glycogen stores are more than enough, and drinking 100 kcal during training simply adds 100 kcal to your day. Nor is it for you if you are in a strict calorie deficit, for the same reason.

What you should not expect from it: any kick. With no caffeine and no stimulants, you will feel nothing immediate — what you should notice is not falling apart in the second hour. This is a product judged on the end of the effort, not on the first ten minutes.

Sustain or cyclic dextrin on its own?

That is the real trade-off, and it turns on price as much as on the formula.

Cyclic dextrin bought on its own costs distinctly less per gram of carbohydrate, and it is the best-established exercise carbohydrate in the category: rapid gastric emptying, very good digestive tolerance, no pronounced sweetness. It is the better choice if you want to control your own dose, if you prefer a single-ingredient product, or if budget matters — you can add your own salt and your own electrolytes for a few pence.

Sustain brings two things a dextrin on its own does not have. The first: fructose, which uses a separate intestinal transporter and allows more carbohydrate to be absorbed per hour over a long effort. The second: palatinose, which spreads the intake and avoids the spike-then-slump. Add the taste, the coconut water and the salt, and you have a ready-made drink, which a plain powder is not.

If your effort lasts less than an hour and a half, the gap between the two will not show, and maltodextrin or waxy maize will do the job for far less. Beyond two hours, the multi-source formula comes into its own.

Frequently asked questions

Why three different carbohydrate sources?

Because they do not use the same pathways. Glucose and fructose travel via separate intestinal transporters, which means combining the two allows more carbohydrate to be absorbed per hour than relying on a single source. Palatinose, being slower, spreads the intake over time. Over a two-hour effort, that split has a real benefit.

Do you really need 750 ml of water?

Yes, and that is what separates an exercise drink from a shake. At 750 ml sipped across the session, the carbohydrate concentration stays low and the stomach copes. In 300 ml downed in one go, the same 25 g becomes uncomfortable during exercise.

Does it contain gluten?

Yes. The barley starch that forms the base of the cyclic dextrin supplies it, and the manufacturer declares it as an allergen. People with coeliac disease must avoid it. This is a point on which this formula differs from most cyclic dextrins in the aisle, which are usually made from maize or tapioca starch.

How many servings are in the tub?

Sixty servings of 30 g for 1.8 kg. At three long sessions a week, that covers around five months. It is a size that only makes sense if you regularly string together efforts of more than an hour and a half.

Can it be mixed with EAAs or with protein?

The manufacturer advises taking them separately. Mixing a carbohydrate drink and an amino acid source in the same bottle slows gastric emptying and increases the risk of discomfort during exercise. If you take both, alternate the mouthfuls rather than the bottles.

Does it contain enough electrolytes for a session in summer?

We cannot say: the amounts of coconut water and pink salt are not published. The manufacturer suggests adding electrolytes itself, depending on weather conditions and how heavily you sweat, which suggests the baseline intake stays modest. On a long effort in real heat, plan for a supplement.

Is it suitable for an hour-long weights session?

Not really. Over an hour of weights, your glycogen stores comfortably cover the effort, and drinking an extra 100 kcal brings nothing beyond 100 kcal. This product comes into its own beyond 90 minutes, or on continuous endurance efforts.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Sustain?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. On a 60-serving tub, you had better be sure of the flavour: at 750 ml per session, a taste you tire of quickly becomes a problem.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we discuss by starting with one simple question: how long does your session last? Under an hour and a half, we recommend something else, and often something cheaper. The rest of the exercise carbohydrates can be compared in our sports nutrition aisle.

What is TBJP Hydration?

TrainedByJP Hydration is a powdered electrolyte drink, to be diluted, dosed at 10 g per serving. It combines three mineral sources — potassium citrate, magnesium citrate and Himalayan pink salt — with 3 g of taurine, an unusually high amount for this type of product.

The principle behind an electrolyte drink is simple: sweat does not just make you lose water, it also carries away sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride. Drinking plain water after a very sweaty session restores the volume but not the composition. That is what this type of formula sets out to put right.

The flavours listed: Melon & Apple, Pineapple & Strawberry and Pink Lemonade. The number of servings per tub is not published by the manufacturer in the information available to us; the packaging carries it. The rest of the range appears in our TrainedByJP aisle.

What does a 10 g serving contain?

One important caveat has to be set out right away. The manufacturer declares the weight of the salts, not the amount of mineral they provide. 1,160 mg of potassium citrate is not 1,160 mg of potassium: the citrate accounts for most of the mass. The same goes for the magnesium and for the sodium. Yet on an electrolyte drink, it is precisely these elemental values that let you compare one product with another, and they are not published. We are not going to recalculate them in the manufacturer's place: it is a point we have raised, and the label on the tub you receive is what counts. Nor are the energy values disclosed.

That said, what is quantified is worth pausing over. 3 g of taurine per serving is a straightforward dose: that is three times what a can of energy drink contains, and more than most hydration drinks on the market, which often settle for 500 mg to 1 g. Taurine plays a part in the osmotic balance of the muscle cell, that is to say in how much water it holds — which is consistent with the product's positioning. The taurine aisle offers it on its own if you want to add some to another base.

The choice of citrate forms for the potassium and the magnesium is likewise sensible. Citrate is highly soluble, which is essential in a drink, and it is better tolerated digestively than the oxide. On a powder meant to be drunk during exercise, that is not a cosmetic detail.

The 1,000 mg of fructo-oligosaccharides are more debatable in this context: these are prebiotic fibres, which ferment in the colon. At 1 g per serving the effect stays mild, but it is an ingredient you would happily do without in a drink taken during an intense session, particularly if you have a sensitive stomach.

Lastly, no health claim is authorised for taurine, watermelon extract or FOS. Magnesium does have one, provided it is present in a significant amount — which the absence of an elemental value makes impossible to verify here.

Ingredients list

Taurine, acidity regulator (citric acid), tripotassium citrate, fructo-oligosaccharides, watermelon extract 5:1, magnesium citrate, Himalayan pink salt, acidity regulator (malic acid), flavouring, tricalcium phosphate, anti-caking agent (silicon dioxide), sweetener (sucralose). Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Made in a factory that handles MILK, EGGS, SOYA and GLUTEN.

How do you take TBJP Hydration?

Dose: one scoop, i.e. 10 g. Liquid: 250 to 350 ml of cool water. Timing: before the session, during training, or straight afterwards. Frequency: one serving per session. Duration: there is no notion of a course here, use is tied to training.

The volume of liquid given produces a fairly concentrated, acidic drink, citric acid and malic acid being at the top of the list after taurine. If you drink it during exercise, go up to 500 ml instead: the drink goes down better, it hydrates more, and a less concentrated solution sits more lightly on the stomach when your heart is pounding.

The best slot depends on your situation. As a precaution, a diluted serving drunk in the hour before a session in a hot gym prepares you better than a glass of water downed in the changing room. During exercise, sip it across the whole session rather than swallowing it in one go. Afterwards, taking it mainly serves to restore what has been lost through sweat.

The product does not provide carbohydrate in any useful amount, which is a deliberate choice. For a long session you therefore need to add an energy source: a cream of rice beforehand, or a carbohydrate powder during. In the same way, if you are after an amino acid intake, it pairs happily with EAAs in the same shaker.

A practical point: the powder is hygroscopic, as all electrolyte salts are. Reseal the tub properly and keep it dry, otherwise it will set into a solid block within a few weeks.

Who is this formula suitable for, and who is it not suitable for?

It suits someone who sweats a lot: training in a gym without air conditioning, sessions of over an hour, endurance sports, or simply summer in the south of France. It is in these situations that mineral losses become real and that an electrolyte drink is of measurable use.

It also suits those looking for a sugar-free drink for training: the sweetness comes from sucralose, and the formula provides no carbohydrate.

It is compatible with vegetarian and vegan diets, which the manufacturer states explicitly. On the other hand, it is made in a factory that handles milk, eggs, soya and gluten: in the case of a severe allergy, that point alone rules it out.

It suits you less well if you have a sensitive stomach during exercise, because of the 1 g of fructo-oligosaccharides and the acidity of the drink. Nor is it suitable if you are on a low-potassium diet or taking a treatment that acts on blood potassium: in that case the question is one for your doctor, and the absence of published elemental values makes it all the more necessary to show him or her the label.

What not to expect from it: an electrolyte drink does not improve performance in someone who is properly hydrated. It makes up for losses, it does not create an advantage. If your sessions last forty minutes in an air-conditioned gym, a glass of water does the same job for nothing. And it does not rule out cramp in any guaranteed way: cramp has multiple causes, and putting it down to electrolytes alone is a convenient simplification that we will not be repeating.

Electrolyte drink or a course of magnesium?

Both contain magnesium and yet they are made for opposite situations.

A magnesium supplement is taken every day, at a known dose, over several weeks, to correct an insufficient intake. It is the better choice if you get night cramps, if your diet is low in magnesium, or if you are after an underlying effect. It carries an authorised claim: magnesium contributes to normal muscle function, to the normal functioning of the nervous system and to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

TBJP Hydration answers a different logic: a one-off serving, around the session, with sodium and potassium that the daily supplement does not provide. It is the better choice if your problem is sweat, heat or the length of your sessions. It is not a background product, and it does not replace a course.

There is nothing to stop you combining the two: magnesium in the evening, the electrolyte drink at training. They overlap only very partially. The full aisle can be compared in our sports nutrition section.

Frequently asked questions

How much sodium and potassium per serving?

The manufacturer does not publish the elemental mineral amounts, only the weight of the salts: 1,160 mg of potassium citrate, 465 mg of magnesium citrate, 450 mg of pink salt and 100 mg of sodium chloride. Yet it is the elemental values that let you compare two products. The label on the tub you receive is the only reference.

Why 3 g of taurine in a hydration drink?

Because taurine plays a part in the osmotic balance of the muscle cell, and therefore in the water it holds. That is consistent with the aim of the product. 3 g is a straightforward dose: three times what a can of energy drink contains, and well above most competing formulas.

Is there any caffeine?

No, none at all. The formula contains no stimulant and can therefore be used at any time of day, including for an evening session. Taurine has no stimulant effect in itself, contrary to a widespread idea born of its presence in energy drinks.

Does the product provide carbohydrate?

Not in any useful amount. This is an electrolyte formula, not an energy drink. For a long session you need to add a separate carbohydrate source. The sweetness comes from sucralose, with no significant calorie contribution.

Is it suitable for vegans?

Yes, the manufacturer states so explicitly, and no ingredient on the list is of animal origin. The point to watch concerns the production factory, which handles milk, eggs, soya and gluten — which is a matter of cross-contamination and not of the formula.

Does it prevent cramp?

Nobody can guarantee that, and no claim of that kind is authorised. Cramp during exercise has multiple causes: neuromuscular fatigue, dehydration, mineral losses, unsuitable training. Restoring lost electrolytes is reasonable; promising that cramp will disappear is not.

How much water should you use?

The manufacturer gives 250 to 350 ml for one scoop. In practice, 400 to 500 ml produce a less acidic drink, more pleasant to sip and more hydrating — which remains the primary aim. Adjust it to the length of the session and the ambient heat.

Where can you buy TBJP Hydration?

The flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product with a very pronounced season: between June and September, in a region where people train at 30 degrees, it makes sense in a way nobody argues with. In January, in an air-conditioned gym, far less so. The other training drinks can be compared in our BCAA aisle.

What is TrainedByJP Cure Coming?

TrainedByJP Cure Coming is a turmeric extract in vegetable capsules, standardised in the patented BCM-95® form. The bottle holds 60 capsules and the intended dose is one capsule a day, taken with a meal containing fat. Two months of supplementation per bottle.

Turmeric is the rhizome of Curcuma longa, a plant from the ginger family, used for centuries as a spice and in the Ayurvedic tradition. The molecules that interest supplement manufacturers are the curcuminoids, of which curcumin is the main one — it is also what gives turmeric its orange-yellow colour.

Curcumin's long-standing problem is easy to state: taken as it is, it passes very poorly into the blood. It is barely soluble in water and rapidly eliminated. The entire industry around this category consists of getting round that obstacle, and that is precisely what a patented form like this one sets out to do. The rest of the British range can be browsed in our TrainedByJP section, and the other products in the category in our curcumin section.

What is in one Cure Coming capsule?

One figure is missing from the manufacturer's file, and it matters: the exact amount of curcumin per capsule has not been disclosed to us. We will not invent it, and we will not infer it from a comparable product. Yet it is the number that ought to decide the purchase in this category. It appears on the packaging you will receive, and that is the authoritative source. We will update this page as soon as the manufacturer sends us the value.

What we can say about the patented form, on the other hand, is verifiable. BCM-95® is an extract that combines turmeric's curcuminoids with the essential oil of the same rhizome, rich in turmerones. That combination is what sets it apart from standard extracts: where many products add piperine — the alkaloid from black pepper — to improve passage into the blood, this form relies on the volatile compounds of the plant itself. It is a difference in design, not a promise of results.

On the regulatory side, we have to be blunt, because this is one of the most talkative categories on the market. No health claim is authorised in Europe for curcumin or for turmeric. Not for joints, not for digestion, not for inflammation, not for the body's defences. The applications submitted either failed or are still pending. So we describe a plant, an extract and how to use it. Any site promising you anything else is stepping outside the rules.

The capsule is vegetable, made from hypromellose, which makes the product suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets — a real difference from the gelatine capsules that dominate this category.

Ingredients list

Turmeric extract (Curcuma longa) standardised in BCM-95® curcumin, vegetable capsule (hypromellose), anti-caking agents (magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide).

Missing from the manufacturer's file: the list of allergens handled in the production facility is not disclosed. Please refer to the packaging you receive.

How should Cure Coming be taken?

Dose: 1 capsule. Liquid: a glass of water. Timing: with a meal containing fat. Frequency: once a day, at whatever time suits you. Duration: a course of at least 2 to 3 months according to the manufacturer.

Taking it with a fatty meal is by far the most important instruction on this page. Curcumin dissolves in fat, not in water. A capsule swallowed on an empty stomach with a glass of water leaves a good part of its contents never crossing the intestinal wall. A meal with a drizzle of olive oil, half an avocado, a handful of almonds, eggs or oily fish genuinely changes things. This is not a comfort detail, it is what the product actually delivers.

The time of day, on the other hand, makes no difference: lunch or dinner work equally well. What counts is consistency — and taking the capsule with the same meal every day remains the best way not to forget it.

The minimum duration of two to three months is the second point to remember. With a plant of this kind, judging after ten days makes no sense. The 60-capsule bottle covers exactly two months: it therefore corresponds to one complete short course, while a long course calls for one and a half bottles.

Curcumin combines without overlap with an omega 3 — both are taken with the same fatty meal — or with a vitamin C. If your goal concerns joint comfort, our glucosamine section and our collagen section follow a different logic and are worth reading alongside.

Who is Cure Coming for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at an adult who wants a standardised turmeric extract rather than ground spice, and who is willing to follow a course lasting several months. The vegetable capsule makes it accessible to vegetarian and vegan diets.

Three situations call for medical advice beforehand, and they are specified by the manufacturer. The first: anticoagulant or anti-inflammatory treatment. The second: a medicine metabolised by the liver, since curcumin may interfere with certain hepatic pathways. The third, and the most concrete: an obstruction of the bile ducts or gallstones. Curcumin stimulates bile production, and this contraindication is stated explicitly on the packaging.

It is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women without the advice of a healthcare professional.

What you should not expect from it. No noticeable effect when you take it: curcumin does not wake you up, does not send you to sleep and cannot be felt. No effect on sporting performance, muscle mass or body fat. And above all, it is not a treatment: joint pain that persists, an ongoing digestive problem or a question about a blood test are matters for your doctor. Nor does this product replace a proper diet, and the spice itself remains a good idea in the kitchen.

Patented extract or turmeric with piperine?

This is the real debate in this category, and it deserves better than a marketing line.

The most common route is to combine a standard turmeric extract with piperine, the alkaloid from black pepper, at a few milligrams. Piperine slows the elimination of curcumin by the liver, which increases its presence in the blood. It is effective and inexpensive. The downside, rarely mentioned: piperine acts on the same hepatic pathways as many medicines, which multiplies the risk of interactions.

The patented route chosen here is different: it uses the essential oils of turmeric itself rather than an outside compound. It costs more to produce, and that is what explains the price gap with an entry-level turmeric. For anyone already taking medication, that is an argument worth taking seriously — after medical advice in every case.

When is a standard turmeric enough? If you are on no treatment, if budget comes first, and if you simply want to try the plant. Our NAC section, for its part, answers a different antioxidant logic. And if your priority is a broad micronutrient intake rather than one specific plant, our multivitamins section answers another question.

Frequently asked questions

How much curcumin is there per capsule?

The manufacturer has not disclosed it to us and we will not invent it. Yet it is the number that ought to decide the purchase in this category. It appears on the packaging of the product you will receive; this page will be updated as soon as the official value is sent to us.

What is BCM-95?

It is a patented form of turmeric extract that combines the curcuminoids with the essential oils of the rhizome, rich in turmerones. It differs from extracts that add black pepper piperine to improve passage into the blood: here, it is the compounds of the plant itself that are used.

Why take it during a fatty meal?

Because curcumin dissolves in fat and not in water. Taken on an empty stomach, a good share of it does not cross the intestinal wall. A drizzle of olive oil, half an avocado, eggs or oily fish at the same meal are enough to genuinely change what the product delivers.

Does turmeric have proven effects?

No health claim is authorised in Europe for curcumin or turmeric, whether for joints, digestion or inflammation. The applications submitted did not succeed. We sell a plant of traditional use in the form of a standardised extract, without attributing any effect to it.

Are there any contraindications?

Yes, and one of them is very concrete: curcumin stimulates bile production, so it should be avoided in cases of bile duct obstruction or gallstones. Medical advice is also needed if you are on anticoagulants, anti-inflammatories, or a medicine metabolised by the liver.

How long does one bottle last?

60 capsules at one a day: exactly two months. Since the manufacturer recommends a course of at least two to three months, one bottle covers a short course and one and a half a long one. With this kind of plant, a two-week course proves nothing.

Are the capsules suitable for vegans?

Yes. The shell is a vegetable capsule made from hypromellose, and the extract comes from the turmeric rhizome. No ingredient of animal origin appears in the composition disclosed by the manufacturer.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Cure Coming?

You can order the 60-capsule bottle on this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. In the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we always start with one question: are you on anticoagulant treatment? With turmeric, the answer determines whether the sale goes ahead or whether we send you to your doctor. The rest of the category can be browsed in our sports nutrition selection.

What is TrainedByJP's D3 K2?

TrainedByJP D3 K2 combines two fat-soluble vitamins in one vegetable capsule. The vitamin D3 here is of plant origin, extracted from algae, and the vitamin K2 comes in a patented menaquinone-7 form. The bottle holds 60 capsules, at one a day: two months of use.

Pairing these two vitamins has become common in recent years, and for a precise reason. Vitamin D improves the intestinal absorption of calcium; vitamin K, for its part, is involved in the proteins that play a role in fixing it into bone. The two work on the same ground, at two different stages.

The point that really sets this product apart is the origin of the vitamin D3. In the vast majority of supplements, cholecalciferol is extracted from lanolin, the grease from sheep's wool — which rules those products out of a vegan diet. Here, the D3 comes from algae, and the capsule is made of hypromellose. The formula is therefore vegan from end to end, which remains rare. The rest of the British range can be browsed in our TrainedByJP section, and the other products in the category in our vitamin D section.

What does one D3 K2 capsule contain?

Data missing from the manufacturer's file, and it has to be said plainly: the doses of vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 per capsule have not been disclosed to us. On this type of product, those are nonetheless the only two figures that count. We will not invent them and we will not infer them from a competing product. They appear on the packaging you will receive, and this page will be updated as soon as the official values are passed on to us.

What is established, on the other hand, are the authorised claims, and they are solid for these two vitamins. For vitamin D: it contributes to the normal absorption and utilisation of calcium and phosphorus, to the maintenance of normal bones, to the maintenance of normal muscle function, to the normal function of the immune system and to the maintenance of normal blood calcium levels. For vitamin K: it contributes to normal blood clotting and to the maintenance of normal bones. These are the exact wordings of the European framework. Those claims are conditional on a minimum intake, which we cannot confirm as we do not know the doses.

A word on the form of vitamin K2 chosen: menaquinone-7, also written MK-7. It differs from MK-4 in staying present in the blood for markedly longer after being taken, which makes a single daily serving sufficient where MK-4 would call for several. It is the form most used in current supplements, and it is a coherent formulation choice.

As for algal vitamin D3, it is chemically identical to cholecalciferol from lanolin: the same molecule, obtained by another route. The difference is ethical and dietary, not biological.

List of ingredients

Plant-based vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol from algae), vitamin K2 (patented menaquinone-7), maltodextrin, vegetable capsule (hypromellose).

Data missing from the manufacturer's file: the list of allergens present in the manufacturing facility is not disclosed. Refer to the packaging you receive.

How should you take D3 K2?

Dose: 1 capsule. Liquid: a glass of water. Timing: during a meal containing fat, preferably in the morning or at midday. Frequency: one serving a day. Duration: a course of 3 months minimum, continued if needed from October to March.

Taking it with a fatty meal is not optional with this product, and it is the first thing to remember. Vitamins D and K are fat-soluble: swallowed on an empty stomach with a glass of water, a substantial part does not cross the intestinal wall. A little olive oil, half an avocado, a handful of almonds or an oily fish in the same meal is more than enough. It costs nothing, and it changes what you get out of the bottle.

The manufacturer advises the morning or midday rather than the evening. That is a preference for comfort more than a physiological constraint: some people report poorer sleep with vitamin D taken late. If that does not apply to you, the time hardly matters.

The time of year counts for more than the time of day. At our latitudes, the skin makes virtually no vitamin D between October and March, the sun being too low on the horizon. That is the window in which supplementation makes full sense, and the 60-capsule bottle covers two months of it. Even in Montpellier, where the sunshine is generous, winter is still winter.

The manufacturer suggests pairing this product with an intake of magnesium, a mineral involved in the metabolism of vitamin D. It can also be taken with the same meal as an omega 3, which provides the fatty support the two vitamins need for absorption.

Who is D3 K2 for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed first and foremost at people following a vegan or strict vegetarian diet: it is one of the few vitamin D3 products they can take, since almost the whole market comes from sheep's lanolin. It also concerns anyone with little sun exposure, working indoors, or living through the autumn-winter period in northern Europe.

It is not recommended for people on anticoagulant or vitamin K antagonist medication without prior medical advice, and that is a contraindication to take seriously. Vitamin K antagonist medicines work precisely by opposing the action of this vitamin; supplying it through a supplement can upset the balance of the treatment. If this applies to you, the question goes to your doctor before the purchase, not after.

It is not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women without the advice of a healthcare professional, and it is not intended for children.

What you should not expect from it. You will feel nothing when you take it, and that is normal: these two vitamins have no perceptible effect. They do not improve sporting performance, muscle mass or mood in any immediate way. And supplementation does not replace a blood test: if you are wondering about your vitamin D status, a work-up prescribed by your doctor will answer far better than a bottle bought at random. Finally, watch out for stacking: a multivitamin already contains vitamin D, and intakes add up.

D3 on its own, or D3 combined with K2?

A frequent question in the shop, and the answer depends above all on what you are looking for.

Vitamin D on its own does the main job very well: making up for the shortfall in sunshine during the cold season. It is the best-justified supplement in this whole catalogue for a European population, and it costs little. If that is your only aim, standalone vitamin D exists in a range of doses, often for a smaller budget, and a vitamin C will usefully round out the winter period.

Adding vitamin K2 answers a logic of complementarity where bone is concerned. Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium, vitamin K is involved in the proteins that play a role in fixing it. The combination makes sense if your concern is specifically bone capital, and it saves buying two bottles.

In which case is D3 on its own the better choice? If you are on anticoagulant medication — in which case K2 is precisely what to avoid without medical advice — or if budget is the deciding criterion. And if your aim is broader, a multivitamin already provides both, in more modest amounts. For all-round bone support, our collagen section and our zinc section rest on other mechanisms and are best read alongside.

Frequently asked questions

What are the doses of D3 and K2 per capsule?

The manufacturer has not disclosed them to us and we will not invent them. They are nonetheless the only two figures that count on this type of product. They appear on the packaging you will receive; this page will be updated as soon as the official values are passed on to us.

Is this vitamin D3 suitable for vegans?

Yes, and it is the product's main selling point. The vitamin D3 here is extracted from algae and not from sheep's lanolin, as is the case in almost every supplement on the market. The capsule is vegetable, made of hypromellose. The formula is therefore vegan from end to end.

Why take it during a fatty meal?

Because vitamins D and K are fat-soluble. Taken on an empty stomach with a glass of water, a substantial part is not absorbed. A drizzle of oil, half an avocado or a few almonds in the same meal are enough to genuinely change what you get out of the product.

Can it be taken on anticoagulants?

Not without medical advice, and the warning is categorical. Vitamin K antagonist medicines work by opposing the action of this vitamin: supplying it through a supplement can unbalance the treatment. If this applies to you, talk to your doctor before buying.

What is menaquinone-7?

It is a form of vitamin K2, written MK-7. It stays present in the blood for much longer after being taken than the MK-4 form, which makes a single daily serving sufficient. It is the form most used in current supplements.

Should it be taken all year round?

The period in which supplementation is most justified runs from October to March: at our latitudes, the skin makes virtually no vitamin D in winter, the sun being too low. The rest of the year depends on your actual exposure. If in doubt, a blood test settles it better than an assumption.

Can it be stacked with a multivitamin?

First check what your multivitamin contains: most already provide vitamin D, and intakes add up. With a fat-soluble vitamin, which is stored in the body, it is better to do the sum than to discover a build-up after several months.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP's D3 K2?

The 60-capsule bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, it is the product we bring out when a vegan customer asks us for a vitamin D: the question of origin comes up every time, and answers are rare in this category. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition section.

What is TrainedByJP Ashwagandha KSM-66?

TrainedByJP Ashwagandha KSM-66 is a supplement in vegetable capsules providing 600 mg of ashwagandha root extract (Withania somnifera) per capsule, standardised to 5% withanolides, i.e. 30 mg of withanolides per serving. The formula pairs this extract with whole-plant powder, the amount of which is not published.

Ashwagandha is a plant from the Indian Ayurvedic tradition, long used in the form of dried root. KSM-66® is a raw-material brand, not a variety: it denotes an extract obtained through a water-based process, with no chemical solvent, standardised for its withanolide content. What the patent guarantees is the consistency of the assay from one batch to the next — no small thing for a plant extract, where the content of a raw root varies threefold depending on where it comes from. The rest of the range is in our TrainedByJP section.

The number of capsules per bottle is not published by the manufacturer in the information available to us. The packaging you receive carries it.

What does one Ashwagandha KSM-66 capsule contain?

No nutrient reference value exists for withanolides.

600 mg of extract standardised to 5% is the benchmark dose for this category, and it is the one that recurs across most of the published protocols on the KSM-66® raw material. Plenty of competing products stop at 300 mg, or state 600 mg of root powder — which is an entirely different thing. The distinction matters: 600 mg of dried root powder delivers a few milligrams of withanolides, whereas 600 mg of extract standardised to 5% delivers 30. When you compare two bottles, compare the standardisation, never the weight on the label.

The presence of whole-plant powder alongside the extract deserves a comment. It adds non-standardised plant material whose contribution in withanolides is unknown, since the amount is not published. This is neither a flaw nor an advantage: it is simply a part of the capsule about which we can assert nothing.

A regulatory clarification is essential here: no health claim is authorised in Europe for ashwagandha. Not for stress, not for sleep, not for cortisol, not for recovery, not for strength. The previous description on this page announced a “reduction in cortisol” and an “improvement in resistance to stress”: those wordings were not compliant and have been removed. It also stated that the extraction process “removes withaferin A”, something we cannot verify and will therefore not repeat.

Ingredients list

Ashwagandha root extract KSM-66® (Withania somnifera), ashwagandha powder (whole plant), vegetable capsule shell (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), anti-caking agent (magnesium stearate). May contain traces of MILK, EGG, GLUTEN, SOYA and NUTS through cross-contamination at the factory. The manufacturer states no gluten-free certification.

How do you take Ashwagandha KSM-66?

Dose: 1 capsule. Liquid: a large glass of water, 250 ml. Timing: with a meal — in the evening if you are after relaxation, in the morning if you want everyday background use, after training if recovery is what interests you. Frequency: one serving a day. Duration: the manufacturer recommends a course of at least three months, followed by a two-week break.

Always take it at the same time of day. That is the most useful piece of advice on this type of extract: the expected effects, if there are any, are gradual and build over several weeks. The manufacturer itself indicates that the first changes generally appear between six and twelve weeks. Irregular use makes any assessment impossible.

A meal improves tolerance. Ashwagandha on an empty stomach causes digestive discomfort in some users — nothing serious, but enough to put them off. One capsule with dinner settles the matter, and coincides with the slot people most often choose.

It combines without difficulty with magnesium in the evening or with a ZMA. That said, if you start several “evening” products at the same time, you will never know which one is doing anything: introduce them one at a time, a fortnight apart.

Do observe the two-week break after three months. With a standardised plant extract, a periodic interruption remains the most sensible approach, and it lets you check whether stopping changes anything — which is the only honest way to assess a product that carries no authorised claim.

Who is this ashwagandha for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at an adult who wants to try a standardised, transparent extract, with a raw material whose assay is consistent. The capsule is vegetable, which makes it compatible with a vegetarian or vegan diet.

The manufacturer advises against it for pregnant or breastfeeding women, as well as for children and adolescents. It also asks that you seek the advice of a healthcare professional if you are on any treatment acting on the central nervous system, the thyroid or the immune system. That last mention is not a turn of phrase: ashwagandha is regularly associated with variations in thyroid parameters, and if you are being monitored for a thyroid condition, the question is one for your doctor before you buy.

One more point has to be added, one the manufacturer does not mention and that a French buyer should know: ANSES has published an opinion on food supplements containing ashwagandha and reported cases of liver damage and thyroid disorders, recommending that several groups avoid these products, among them pregnant and breastfeeding women and people with liver or thyroid disease. That is not a reason to give up if you are in good health; it is a reason not to keep going indefinitely and to seek advice at the slightest unusual sign.

What not to expect from it: it is not an anxiolytic, it is not a sleeping pill, and it is not a treatment. No food supplement is. Nor is it a product whose effect you feel as you take it, contrary to what many people hope: if something does change, it shows over several weeks, not within the hour. Fatigue or anxiety that persists calls for a medical consultation, not a bottle of capsules.

Ashwagandha or melatonin if the problem is sleep?

The question comes up constantly, and the answer is in no way ambiguous.

Melatonin holds a health claim authorised in Europe: it contributes to the reduction of time taken to fall asleep, at 1 mg taken just before bedtime. It is the only ingredient in this family to have passed the EFSA assessment. So it is the better choice if your problem is specifically falling asleep, if you are shifting your hours, or if you want a product whose expected effect is documented and immediate.

Ashwagandha does not play on that ground and cannot legally lay claim to it. Its use follows the logic of a course lasting several months, not a one-off serving before bed. It is the choice of someone going through a demanding period who accepts the idea of trying a standardised plant extract, without guarantees and over time.

If you would rather have a single amino acid taken in the evening, our GABA section offers another approach, also without an authorised claim. And if your sleep has been deteriorating since you started training late, look at your pre-workout before buying anything at all: in many cases the cause is there and the solution is free.

Frequently asked questions

How much withanolide is there per capsule?

30 mg, i.e. 5% of the 600 mg of extract. That is the figure to compare from one product to the next, not the extract weight shown on the label. A product stating 600 mg of root powder with no standardisation provides only a few milligrams of withanolides.

When should it be taken?

With a meal, at a fixed time. The manufacturer describes three possible slots depending on your goal: the evening for relaxation, the morning for everyday background use, after training for recovery. What matters more than the slot is regularity over several weeks.

How long before you can judge?

The manufacturer indicates six to twelve weeks for the first changes, and recommends a course of at least three months. In other words, a trial of a fortnight or so supports no conclusion at all. That is also what makes this product a poor fit for anyone looking for an immediate effect.

Should you take a break between courses?

Yes, the manufacturer recommends two weeks off after three months of continuous use. That is a sensible practice with a standardised plant extract, and it is also the best way to judge honestly what the product is doing for you: if stopping changes nothing, the question is worth asking.

Is the capsule suitable for vegans?

Yes. The shell is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, of plant origin, and both active ingredients come from the same plant. The point to watch is the declared manufacturing traces — milk, egg, gluten, soya and nuts — which come from the factory and not from the formula.

Can it be taken alongside thyroid medication?

Not without medical advice. The manufacturer explicitly asks you to seek advice if you are on any treatment acting on the thyroid, and ANSES has reported cases of thyroid disorders associated with these supplements. If you are taking medication of that kind, the question is one for your doctor before you buy, not after.

Is the product gluten-free?

The manufacturer does not state that it is and claims no certification to that effect. On the contrary, it flags possible traces of gluten through cross-contamination at the factory. For a serious intolerance or coeliac disease, this product is therefore not indicated.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Ashwagandha KSM-66?

The bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we sell by saying first of all how long it takes before you can think anything of it: three months, not three days. Those who buy it knowing that are rarely disappointed; the others give up after a fortnight. Other plant extracts can be compared in our ashwagandha section.

What is TrainedByJP Pycnogenol 100 mg?

TrainedByJP Pycnogenol 100 mg is a maritime pine bark extract in capsule form. One capsule supplies 100 mg of Pycnogenol®, a patented extract, alongside just two excipients: microcrystalline cellulose and magnesium stearate. The dose is one capsule a day, taken with a meal.

Pycnogenol® is extracted from the bark of the French maritime pine, Pinus pinaster, which grows in the Landes region among other places. This is not a generic plant extract: it is a patented, standardised raw material produced under a registered process, which makes it one of the most studied plant extracts on the supplement market.

Its richness comes down to a family of molecules, the oligomeric proanthocyanidins, often shortened to OPCs. These are polyphenols also found in grape seed and in the skins of red berries, but here they are concentrated and standardised. The rest of the British range can be browsed in our TrainedByJP section, and the other antioxidants in our catalogue in the coenzyme Q10 section.

What does a Pycnogenol capsule contain?

100 mg per capsule is a straightforward dose for this extract, and it matches what is used in most of the published work on this raw material, which most often sits between 50 and 200 mg a day. You are in the middle of the range, with a single, simple daily intake.

The formula is short, and that is an argument in itself: the active, a bulking agent, an anti-caking agent. Nothing else. In a category dominated by twelve-ingredient complexes, a three-line list lets you know exactly what you are swallowing and rule out any overlap with your other supplements.

On the regulatory side we need to be perfectly clear, because this is one of those products about which you can read absolutely anything: no health claim is authorised in Europe for Pycnogenol® or for maritime pine bark extract. None on circulation, none on joints, none on skin, none on cognitive function, none on sports recovery. The dossiers submitted did not go through. So what we are describing is a patented plant extract, its dose and how to use it — nothing more, and you should be wary of any seller who goes further.

What we can honestly say is that this is a standardised extract, produced under a registered process, which guarantees a consistent composition from one batch to the next. In a plant-extract category where standardisation is often vague or absent, that is a genuine reference point, and it is what explains the price.

Missing from the manufacturer's documentation: the number of capsules per bottle is not disclosed, which makes it impossible to work out how long a course will last. We are not going to estimate it; the information is on the packaging you receive.

Ingredients list

Pycnogenol® (maritime pine bark extract), microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate. No animal gelatine, no artificial colouring, no preservative. Suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets.

Made in a facility that handles CELERY, CRUSTACEANS, FISH, MILK, MUSTARD, PEANUTS, SOYA, GLUTEN, EGG, LUPIN, MOLLUSCS, TREE NUTS, SESAME and SULPHUR DIOXIDE. The manufacturer specifies that the absence of gluten is not certified, although no gluten goes into the raw materials.

How should you take Pycnogenol?

Dose: 1 capsule. Liquid: a large glass of water. Timing: during a meal. Frequency: one intake a day. Duration: 8 to 12 weeks minimum according to the manufacturer, taken continuously every day.

Taking it with a meal improves the absorption of polyphenols, particularly when fats are present, and that is the manufacturer's instruction. A normal meal containing a drizzle of oil, a few almonds or a little cheese is more than enough. It is not a heavy constraint, and it costs nothing.

The time of day does not matter: lunch or dinner work equally well. What counts is consistency, and taking the capsule with the same meal every day is the simplest way not to forget it.

Duration is the decisive parameter with this extract. The manufacturer specifies 8 to 12 weeks minimum, and is right to say so: polyphenols produce nothing in three days, and a two-week course gives you strictly no basis for forming an opinion. Plan your purchase accordingly, bearing in mind that the number of capsules per bottle is not disclosed.

One point worth knowing: the manufacturer advises spacing it apart from any vitamin C. The two are taken separately rather than at the same time. In practice, vitamin C in the morning and Pycnogenol at lunch settles the matter. Taking them separately is enough to follow this instruction. This extract combines without any overlap with an omega 3 or a turmeric, taken with the same fat-containing meal.

Who is Pycnogenol for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at an adult who is specifically looking for this patented extract, usually because they have heard about it or because a healthcare professional suggested it. This is not an entry-level product or an impulse buy: it is an expensive extract, with a precise dose and a short formula, meant for someone who knows what they are buying.

It is not advised for people on anticoagulant treatment without medical advice. The manufacturer flags this explicitly because of a possible interaction, and the same warning comes up on most polyphenol-rich extracts. If this applies to you, the question is one for your doctor before you buy.

It is for adults only, and not advised for pregnant or breastfeeding women without the advice of a healthcare professional. The facility statement is unusually broad — fourteen allergens — and should be read carefully by anyone with an allergy. The manufacturer also states that neither gluten-free status nor halal status is certified.

What you should not expect from it, and this is what nobody writes in this category. You will feel nothing when you take it. This product cures nothing, treats nothing and holds no health claim in Europe. It does not improve sports performance, does not build muscle and does not burn fat. Nor does it replace a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, which naturally supplies polyphenols in abundance and for far less money.

Pycnogenol or another antioxidant?

The antioxidant category is a broad one and the products in it are not in the same price bracket.

Pycnogenol® is a patented, standardised extract, and that is what explains its cost. You are paying for consistency of composition from batch to batch and for the documentation that comes with the raw material. That is a legitimate argument for anyone who wants to know precisely what they are taking, but it is not an efficacy argument — no claim supports one.

Against it, vitamin C and vitamin E have a decisive regulatory advantage: each holds an authorised claim on the protection of cells from oxidative stress. For the same budget, they offer something this extract cannot: a framework.

When does Pycnogenol remain the right choice? When this precise raw material is what you are after, for reasons of your own, and when standardisation matters to you. If your goal is more general, our NAC section or our multivitamins section answer other needs, often for less.

Frequently asked questions

How much Pycnogenol is there per capsule?

100 mg of patented maritime pine bark extract. That is a dose sitting in the middle of the range used in the published work on this raw material, which most often runs from 50 to 200 mg a day. A single capsule a day is therefore enough.

Does Pycnogenol have proven effects?

No health claim is authorised in Europe for this extract, none on circulation, none on joints, none on skin, none on cognitive function. We sell a patented, standardised raw material without attributing any effect to it. Be wary of any site promising otherwise.

Where does this extract come from?

From the bark of the maritime pine, Pinus pinaster, a species that grows in the Landes region among other places. Pycnogenol® is a patented raw material, produced under a registered process, which guarantees a consistent composition from one batch to the next — a rare reference point in the plant-extract category.

Should it be taken with a meal?

Yes, the manufacturer recommends it: polyphenols are better absorbed when fats are present. A drizzle of oil, a few almonds or a little cheese in the same meal is enough. The time of day, on the other hand, does not matter.

Can it be combined with vitamin C?

The manufacturer advises separating the two intakes rather than taking them at the same time. In practice, vitamin C in the morning and Pycnogenol at lunch settles the matter with no particular effort.

Can it be taken alongside anticoagulants?

Not without medical advice. The manufacturer flags a possible interaction, as with most polyphenol-rich extracts. If you are on anticoagulant treatment, speak to your doctor before buying rather than after.

How many capsules are there per bottle?

The manufacturer does not disclose it, and we are not going to invent it. It is a missing piece of information, all the more so as it determines how you work out an 8 to 12 week course. It appears on the packaging of the product you will receive.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Pycnogenol?

The bottle can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is a product we never push: the customers who ask for it generally know why they want it, and those who are discovering the name usually leave with a vitamin C, which costs ten times less and does have a regulatory framework behind it. The rest of the category can be browsed in our sports nutrition selection.

What is TrainedByJP OH Mega V?

TrainedByJP OH Mega V is a flaxseed oil in plant-based softgel capsules. Three capsules provide 3,000 mg of flaxseed oil, of which 1,650 mg is alpha-linolenic acid — the plant-derived omega-3 — along with 450 mg of oleic acid and 300 mg of linoleic acid. The bottle holds 180 softgels, which is 60 servings.

Flaxseed oil is one of the plant sources most concentrated in alpha-linolenic acid, often shortened to ALA. It is a short-chain fatty acid that the body cannot make and which therefore has to come from food: on that basis it is described as essential, in the same way as linoleic acid from the omega-6 family.

This product answers a precise need: supplying omega-3 without going through fish. That is what appeals to vegans, vegetarians and anyone allergic to marine products. The capsules are plant-based, made from tapioca starch and glycerine, with no gelatine. The rest of the British range can be browsed in our TrainedByJP section, and the other products in the category in our omega 3 section.

What does one serving of OH Mega V contain?

The figure to hold on to is the one for the full daily dose: 3,300 mg of alpha-linolenic acid across six capsules. It matters because a European claim is attached to it and its condition is a precise one: alpha-linolenic acid contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, provided an intake of 2 g a day. At six capsules you are comfortably above that; at three capsules only, you are below it and the claim no longer applies. This is the kind of detail that decides whether a product is genuinely worth it, and it is almost never explained.

Now for the most important thing on this page, and it does not work in favour of the sale. Alpha-linolenic acid is not equivalent to EPA and DHA, the two long-chain omega-3s found in fish. The body can convert ALA into EPA and then into DHA, but that conversion rate is low, particularly for DHA. In other words, a flaxseed oil, however well dosed, does not replace a fish oil for the functions that depend specifically on EPA and DHA — heart function, brain function, vision. Those three claims apply only to EPA and DHA, never to ALA.

That does not disqualify the product: ALA has its own claim, its own nutritional value, and for a vegan diet there are not ten solutions to choose from. But you need to know what you are buying. For anyone genuinely after EPA and DHA without fish, the only equivalent route is algae oil.

A word on the ratio in the formula: 1,650 mg of omega-3 to 300 mg of omega-6, roughly five to one in favour of omega-3. That is the reverse of the profile of the usual Western diet, which is heavily dominated by omega-6.

Ingredients list

Flaxseed oil, tapioca starch, glycerine, purified water. No animal gelatine, no dairy, no artificial colouring.

Made in a facility that handles CELERY, CRUSTACEANS, FISH, MILK, MUSTARD, PEANUTS, SOYA, GLUTEN, EGG, LUPIN, MOLLUSCS, NUTS, SESAME and SULPHUR DIOXIDE. The manufacturer specifies that the absence of gluten is not certified, although no gluten goes into the raw materials.

How do you take OH Mega V?

Dose: 6 capsules a day, in two servings of 3. Liquid: a large glass of water. Timing: with meals, 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening. Frequency: two servings daily. Duration: 8 to 12 weeks minimum according to the manufacturer, then continuous use.

Six capsules a day is a lot, and it is this product's main constraint. Better to know it before buying: if you already struggle to swallow one capsule in the morning, six spread across the day will take real discipline. The 180-softgel bottle then covers only one month, where many customers imagine three. That is a direct consequence of the dose needed to reach the 2 g of ALA a day.

Taking them with a meal is not optional. Fatty acids need bile in order to be absorbed, and bile is only released in the presence of fatty foods. A capsule swallowed on an empty stomach with a glass of water loses part of its value.

Do not open the capsules and do not pierce them. Flaxseed oil is one of the most fragile oils there is: it oxidises very quickly on contact with air and light, and an oxidised oil no longer delivers what it promises. That is also why the bottle should be kept somewhere cool, dry and away from light, and why it is best closed carefully.

The manufacturer suggests pairing this product with a source of vitamin E, which protects fatty acids from oxidation. It also combines without overlap with a vitamin D, taken at the same fatty meal, and sits well alongside a plant protein in a routine free of animal products.

Who is OH Mega V for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at vegans, vegetarians and people allergic to fish and shellfish, for whom marine oils are ruled out. It is also an option for anyone who cannot tolerate the taste or the repeats that come with fish oil capsules: here, the problem does not arise.

It is not advised for people on anticoagulant treatment — warfarin, aspirin — without medical advice, nor for those with a clotting disorder. That is an explicit warning from the manufacturer, and it holds for every oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids at these doses. If this applies to you, the question is one for your doctor before you buy.

It is not advised for pregnant and breastfeeding women without the advice of a healthcare professional. The facility statement is very broad and should be read carefully by anyone with allergies.

What not to expect from it. It does not replace a fish oil for the functions linked to EPA and DHA: heart, brain, vision. It will neither make you lose weight nor build muscle. You will feel nothing when you take it, and that is normal. And it does not make up for a diet with no quality vegetable oils in it: a tablespoon of rapeseed or flaxseed oil over raw vegetables remains an excellent idea, and costs a great deal less.

Plant omega 3 or fish oil?

This is the decisive comparison in this aisle, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a sales argument.

A fish oil supplies EPA and DHA directly, the two long-chain fatty acids carrying the most interesting claims: heart function, brain function, vision. It is the most direct route and the cheapest per milligram of useful fatty acid. If you eat fish, or have nothing against it, a concentrated marine oil will be more direct and cheaper per milligram of useful fatty acid.

Flaxseed oil supplies ALA, which the body converts poorly into EPA and very poorly into DHA. It has a claim of its own, on blood cholesterol, from 2 g a day. It is perfectly legitimate — it simply is not playing on the same ground.

When is it the better choice? When fish is ruled out: a vegan diet, an allergy to marine products, or a refusal of animal oils. In that specific case it is one of the few serious options, and a dose of 3,300 mg of ALA a day is a real dose. For a broader micronutrient intake, our multivitamins section answers another question, and our spirulina section a third one again.

Frequently asked questions

How much omega-3 a day does this product give?

1,650 mg of alpha-linolenic acid across three capsules, that is 3,300 mg at the full dose of six capsules. That figure matters: the European claim on the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels assumes 2 g of ALA a day, which only the full dose reaches.

Is it equivalent to a fish oil?

No, and that is the most important point on this page. Flaxseed oil supplies ALA, which the body converts poorly into EPA and very poorly into DHA. The claims on heart, brain and visual function apply only to EPA and DHA. For a genuine plant equivalent, only algae oil will do.

Why six capsules a day?

Because that quantity is what it takes to reach a meaningful ALA dose. It is the product's main constraint, and it also explains why a bottle of 180 softgels covers only one month. Three in the morning and three in the evening, with meals.

Do they have to be taken with a meal?

Yes. Fatty acids need bile in order to be absorbed, and bile is only released in the presence of food. Taking them on an empty stomach with a plain glass of water markedly reduces the return. Breakfast in the morning and dinner in the evening work perfectly well.

Are these capsules suitable for vegans?

Yes, entirely. The oil comes from flaxseed and the shell is made of tapioca starch, glycerine and water, with no animal gelatine. That is in fact the main audience this product is aimed at.

Is there a fishy taste?

No, and that is a genuine argument in its favour. The complaint most often levelled at fish oil capsules — the fishy repeats, especially on an empty stomach — does not apply here. Flaxseed oil has no marine taste at all.

How long does one bottle last?

180 softgels at six a day: one month exactly. Since the manufacturer recommends a course of 8 to 12 weeks minimum, reckon on two to three bottles for a full course. That is a budget best anticipated at the first purchase.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP OH Mega V?

The bottle of 180 softgels can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we sell this product on one condition: that the customer knows a flaxseed oil is not a fish oil. Those who rule out fish leave with it; the others often leave with something else, and that is exactly as it should be. The rest of the range can be browsed in our sports nutrition selection.

What is TrainedByJP Iron?

TrainedByJP Iron is an iron supplement in vegetable capsules, sold in a bottle of 60 units. The mineral is provided as iron bisglycinate — the iron is chelated to two molecules of glycine, an amino acid. It is the best-tolerated form from a digestive point of view, and on a mineral as notorious for its side effects as iron, that is not a matter of comfort alone: it is often what decides whether a course is seen through or abandoned after ten days.

The formula is minimalist: iron bisglycinate, a hypromellose capsule shell, anti-caking agents. Nothing else. The manufacturer declares it free from gluten, lactose, soya, artificial colours and preservatives, and suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets. The brand's full range is in the TrainedByJP aisle.

One word straight away, because it shapes this whole page: iron is not a supplement you take “just in case”. It is the only common mineral in this aisle where an excess is genuinely a problem, and the first thing to do is not to open this bottle but to ask for a ferritin test.

What is in one capsule?

The bottle contains 60 capsules: two months at one capsule a day, one month at two.

The line that counts is the second one. 112 mg of bisglycinate amounts to only 20 mg of elemental iron, the rest of the weight being the glycine the mineral is bound to. That is the rule for every chelated form, and it is the first source of error when comparing two bottles: always compare milligrams of elemental iron, never milligrams of salt.

Those 20 mg cover 143% of the nutrient reference value, set at 14 mg. That is a corrective dose, not a maintenance one — designed to rebuild low stores, not to top up an already adequate diet. In someone whose ferritin is normal, this dose brings nothing and the surplus iron has no active route out: the body stores it.

Iron is, on the other hand, a mineral with solidly established claims. We can write, using the exact wordings of the European regulation, that iron contributes to normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin, to normal oxygen transport in the body, to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal function of the immune system and to normal cognitive function. It is these mechanisms that explain why an iron deficiency shows up first as breathlessness and fatigue on exertion.

How do you take TrainedByJP Iron?

Dose: 1 to 2 capsules a day. Liquid: a glass of water. Timing: whenever suits you — with meals or away from them, since bisglycinate does not irritate the stomach the way ferrous salts do. Frequency: 1 intake, or 2 split between morning and evening if you take two capsules. Duration: 8 to 12 weeks at the very least to rebuild ferritin stores, with a blood test every 2 to 3 months.

Freedom over timing is the real advantage of bisglycinate. A standard iron sulphate has to be taken on an empty stomach to be absorbed, which causes precisely the nausea and cramps that make people give up on a course. Here, you can take it with a meal if that suits you better.

Two rules on combinations, however, apply to every form of iron. Avoid taking it at the same time as tea, coffee, dairy products, calcium or zinc: tannins and these minerals reduce iron absorption, sometimes considerably. Leave two hours between them. Conversely, vitamin C improves the absorption of non-haem iron: a glass of citrus juice or a few berries at the time you take it are a useful and free habit.

As for duration, do not think in days. Rebuilding ferritin stores takes weeks, and fatigue linked to a deficiency is not corrected in three doses. The manufacturer speaks of 8 to 12 weeks minimum: that is realistic. And have another test done — it is the only way to know whether the course is doing anything and when to stop it.

Who is this iron for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at adults whose iron status is low, which mainly concerns four profiles: women with heavy periods, people following a vegetarian or vegan diet, high-volume endurance athletes, and anyone whose blood test has shown low ferritin. It suits vegetarian and vegan diets, the capsule being made of hypromellose.

It is not advised in cases of haemochromatosis, a genetic iron overload disorder, or in cases of thalassaemia or another disorder of iron metabolism. These contraindications are not theoretical: in someone affected, iron supplementation makes matters worse. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should consult a healthcare professional before use.

Keep this bottle out of reach of children, and not merely as a matter of principle. Accidental ingestion of iron tablets is one of the most serious paediatric poisonings, and a handful of capsules is enough in a young child. It is the most important warning on this page.

What you should not expect from it. This is not a product for general tiredness. Iron only reduces fatigue when that fatigue is caused by an iron deficiency — otherwise you are supplementing with no benefit and you are accumulating. Nor is it a performance product: in an athlete whose ferritin is normal, adding 20 mg of iron a day improves nothing. Do not start prolonged supplementation without a blood test — ferritin and serum iron — and discuss it with your doctor. It is the most useful advice we can give on this product, even if it delays the sale.

A dedicated iron or a multivitamin?

The question is worth asking, but it does not arise in the same way depending on who you are — and that is what most product pages forget to say.

If you are an adult man with no medical condition, the answer is simple: neither one nor the other. Most multivitamins aimed at men deliberately contain no iron, precisely because a man with no regular blood loss almost never runs short and accumulates the surplus. That is not an oversight by the manufacturers, it is a considered formulation choice, and it applies to you too.

If you are a menstruating woman, a vegan or an endurance athlete, the comparison becomes a real one. A multivitamin containing iron generally provides 7 to 14 mg, that is a maintenance dose: it is the right choice if your ferritin is normal and you simply want to secure your intake alongside the vitamins. Dedicated iron at 20 mg is the right choice in the opposite case — a documented deficiency to correct, over a two- to three-month course, with a blood test to confirm it. You also gain in clarity: a single line to keep an eye on, and no zinc or calcium in the same capsule competing for absorption. When in doubt, it is the blood test that settles it, not the product page.

Frequently asked questions

Should you have a blood test before taking it?

Yes, and it is the most important recommendation on this page. A ferritin and serum iron test tells you whether you are genuinely short of iron. Supplementing without a deficiency brings no benefit and exposes you to accumulation, since the body has no active mechanism for removing the excess. The manufacturer recommends this test before any prolonged supplementation.

Why does 112 mg of bisglycinate amount to only 20 mg of iron?

Because chelation adds the weight of the two glycine molecules the iron is bound to. Only elemental iron counts. That is the figure to compare from one label to another: a bottle stating “112 mg of iron bisglycinate” is not stating 112 mg of iron, and a great many buyers are caught out by it.

Does bisglycinate cause digestive trouble like other forms of iron?

Far less. Chelation to glycine limits the gastric irritation and constipation associated with standard ferrous salts, and allows it to be taken with meals. It is not an absolute guarantee — some discomfort remains possible — but it is the most tangible difference between the two forms, and often the one that makes a three-month course possible.

Can it be taken with coffee or tea?

No, or rather not at the same time. The tannins in tea and coffee markedly reduce iron absorption. Leave at least two hours between them. The same applies to dairy products, calcium and zinc. Conversely, some vitamin C at the time you take it improves it.

One or two capsules a day?

The manufacturer leaves the choice between 1 and 2, that is 20 or 40 mg of elemental iron. Start with one: that is already 143% of the reference value. Two capsules are for an established deficiency and should be decided with a doctor, splitting them between morning and evening rather than taking them in one go.

How long does a bottle of 60 capsules last?

Two months at one capsule a day, one month at two. Since the minimum recommended course is 8 to 12 weeks, count on one to two bottles for a full course at the single dose. Store it cool and dry, away from light — and out of reach of children.

Are the capsules suitable for vegans?

Yes. The shell is made of hypromellose, a plant cellulose, and the formula contains no ingredient of animal origin. That is consistent with the profile of the users concerned: iron of plant origin, known as non-haem iron, is less well absorbed than iron from meat, which makes vegan diets one of the cases where the question of iron genuinely arises — just as the question of plant proteins does.

Where can you buy TrainedByJP Iron?

It can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe.

If there is one product in the aisle for which we would sometimes rather send you to your doctor than take your money, this is it. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, the question asked at the counter is always the same: have you had your ferritin measured? When the answer is no, the right course of action starts with a blood test, not with a bottle. The rest of the minerals and vitamins can be compared in our sports nutrition selection.