What Supplements I take
By Matt Johnson
Founder of The Feed.
I try a lot of supplements, but only a few make my routine that I stick with day in and day out. Here is my current go-to daily routine and what benefits I'm looking for from each supplement.
I try a lot of supplements, but only a few make my routine that I stick with day in and day out. Here is my current go-to daily routine and what benefits I'm looking for from each supplement.
First, the most common question I get about supplements is whether you should take supplements if you already are eating a healthy diet. I agree wholeheartedly that a healthy diet should be your primary source for all the daily vitamins and nutrients you need. As you will see below, all the supplements I use daily are for a specific performance benefit that I want to achieve, and most of the supplements are not something you would be getting from your everyday diet. REMINDER: Today we are also having a Pre-Black Friday Training Sale with amazing deals on Clif, Honey Stinger, and SuperFat.
☀️My Morning Routine
TruNiagen - To have more energy during the day.
I've been supplementing NAD for two years now. The active ingredient in TruNiagen helps your body produce more NAD+, which exists in every cell in our body and declines dramatically with age. For example, your NAD levels will drop by 90% from age 20 to age 90. The benefit I'm looking for is more baseline energy throughout the day. I found that after starting NAD+ supplementation, I had more energy in the late afternoon, giving me enough energy to stay motivated for training after work.
SoundProbiotic - To make my tummy happy.
The first time I used Sound was when the entire team I was running used it at the Tour de France, and we were the only team not to get sick that year. Sound is specially formulated for the needs of athletes, and its benefit is two-fold. First, having a healthy gut lets me extract more nutrients from the healthy food I'm already eating. Second, it helps give me an added boost to help digest the carb/glucose heavy products (Gels, Chews, High-Carb Drinks) that I use in my training.
Thorne Creatine - To go harder for longer
Second, only to caffeine, Creatine is the most studied and widely used performance boosting supplement in the world. Thorne makes the highest quality source of Creatine that I have found, and it's "micronized" formula helps prevents any stomach upset that I sometime would get with Creatine. The benefit I'm looking for is the ability to maintain my maximum intensity efforts for longer. I take 5 grams per day in the morning. Lots of people talk about pre-loading then maintaining a dosage, but all that normalizes after a few weeks, so stick with 5g per day, and you will be in good shape.
Thorne Glutathione - To repair my body after training.
Within 10 minutes of doing aerobic activity, the amount of glutathione in your muscle cells (the cells that you’re exercising) goes down by about 40%. This reduction is Glutathione doing its work to clean up the after-effects of the production of lactic acid.
When I'm training and producing lactic acid, the cells that generate the lactic acid become inflamed. I use Glutathione to help reduce the inflammation from lactic acid build-up. The harder I train and the more lactic acid I produce, the more Glutathione I need to clean up afterward. I take one capsule each morning. If I had a really hard training session, I'd take one more post-training.
Eternus - To fight the effects of aging and boost my energy levels
I'm a big fan of the Kaufmann Protocol developed by Dr. Sandra Kaufmann. She spent years studying all of the supplements in the universe of anti-aging (aka health optimization) and figured out what was working and had real scientific evidence behind it. The result was about 20 different supplements that had merit for improving cellular energy and to help delay the effects of aging.
The problem was it was 20 to 30 pills to take per day until Eternus came along from the highly reputable group Neurohacker Collective. They put all of the essential Kaufmann protocol supplements together into a single capsule, making it much more convenient. Plus, they went around the world to find the highest quality source for each ingredient, making Eternus the ultimate turn-key anti-aging supplement.
I use Eternus to help prevent the effects of aging and to increase my daily energy levels. The only ingredient that Eternus is missing is the active ingredient in TruNiagen, which is still under patent protection. That is why the combination of Eternus + TruNiagen is essential. Eternus is still eight pills per day, so I tend to take it 4 to 5 days during the week, and I like to cycle on and off, so I don't take it on Friday through Sunday.
HVMN Rise - To boost my productivity at work
Whenever I have to write or get a specific task completed at work (versus just meetings and calls), I will take two HVMN Rise capsules. HVMN Rise has taken a handful of the most effective natural neurological enhancing ingredients without going to the extreme. It works really well for me to increase my level of focus, not quite at the level of a stimulant like Adderall, but it is not far off, and I describe it as a much gentler impact with no side effects afterward. If you want to try a more extreme version of nootropic, then try Qualia Mind.
🏃♂️🚴♂️🏋️♀️My Workout Routine
SFH Push Pre Workout - For energy and nutrients to get the most from my training.
This is my favorite pre-workout drink, and in addition to 115mg of caffeine, it also provides a great source of BCAAs to help build lean muscle during my workout, Quercetin, to combat inflammation, Glycine to prevent fatigue and break down fat, and Arginine to increase blood flow and carry more oxygen. I like to drink it 45 minutes prior to the start of my training. It quickly transforms me from zero to hero at early morning workouts, fully engaged and focused. I strongly recommend it.
👉 Get SFH Push Pre Workout Drink
Sur AltRed - To go harder and have my legs hurt less
One of the most popular supplements we sell for Endurance Athletes. Sur uses a proprietary combination of beet extracts that helps increase your oxygen-carrying capacity and buffer lactic acid. I think a better description is that my legs hurt less for the same effort. Notably, during high-intensity training and all racing, the fact that my legs are hurting less lowers my perceived level of exertion and lets me push harder. I take one tablet 1 hour before training, and for longer efforts, I'll take another one every 2 hours.
AMP Human - To buffer lactic acid and be able to push harder in training
We use to take Sodium Bicarbonate as a drink before Time Trial events as it is an incredibly effective lactic acid buffer. The problem was that my stomach could never tolerate it, from burping to nausea, I felt terrible. Now I can use AMP Human, which is a topical lotion you rub on your legs before training/racing (and even for recovery afterward). Based on technology from a biotech company, it enables you to pass Sodium Bicarbonate directly through your skin to working muscles. It has become incredibly popular in the last 12 months.
I have two tips on using AMP Human. First is to make sure you always use a very generous portion. The biggest issue is that most people have is that they don't use enough. Second, I like to use a small plastic sandwich bag to apply. I put my hand in the bag and use it like a glove to rub on the cream. I do this as I find my hands can be slippery if I use them to apply it.
🙌My Post Workout
HVMN Keto Collagen+ - To protect my tendons and ligaments
Collagen Peptides have been the buzz for a while. Still, we are finally seeing some solid research showing that they can be beneficial in soft-tissue injury prevention in addition to recovery. I have a bad knee, and after starting a daily routine of HVMN Collagen, I have seen significant improvements, I believe this is due to the extra collagen in my body. Let's put it this way; when I stop taking it daily, my knee starts to flare up and hurt again. The best part is that the HVMN Keto Collagen Product tastes fantastic. My favorite is Chocolate. I will sometimes drink it hot with coffee (making a Mocha style drink) or with Almond Milk in the blender as a post-workout shake.
QuickSilver B12 - To boost energy, improve mental focus, and improve my iron levels.
B12 is an incredible energy booster, especially for endurance athletes where the constant load can impact iron levels, and B12 helps increase the absorption of Iron, in addition to boosting red blood cell production, and improving mood, memory, and heart health.
The problem with most B12 is whether it is bio-available or not. When you take it as a pill, it's never evident in the studies how well it works. This is why many endurance athletes use B12 Shots (injections), but this is inconvenient for most people. Quicksilver's B12 is taken sublingually, which dramatically increases your body's ability to absorb it. I take two pumps in my mouth and hold it there (ideally under my tongue) for 30 to 60 seconds.
QuintEssential - To rehydrate with 100% natural minerals and electrolytes
This is a new product, but I immediately felt the effects of rapid rehydration post-workout. What's impressive is how it is made. It is captured in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of France, and it contains all of nature's 78 essential minerals and trace elements, most notably the vital electrolytes you need to rehydrate after hard training. It is seawater that is cold-sterilized using the same technique that has been used for over 120 years. While a Nuun Tablet will taste much better (Quinton is salty, like seawater), I love that this is all-natural, contains no sugar or added sweeteners, and has a rich makeup of minerals, not just electrolytes. While you can take the package straight, I recommend mixing it with water to dilute the taste a bit. I feel amazing after drinking it.
👉 Get Quicksilver QuintEssential
As I mentioned above, my supplement routine is not focused on adding in the essential vitamins I need, as I expect to get all of them from my daily diet. But when that is not the case, during times of intense training and sometimes in the winter when I don't feel I'm always getting the nutrients I need from real food, I will add in a Multi-Vitamin as an insurance policy. My go-to is Thorne's Daily Multi-Vitamin Elite, with two different capsules you take in the AM and the PM to get the right vitamins at the right time of the day.
If you have any questions, just hit reply, and one of our coaches or I will get right back to you.
Best,
Matt
Founder
The Feed.