Supplements I recommend

People keep asking which ones I take, so here's the list. For each one you get the dose I use, and I tell you where I take more than the research supports.

Supplements are the last 5%. Sleep, protein and training are the other 95, and nothing on this page fixes a bad version of those three.

Affiliate disclosure: the buy links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn't change what I take.

• Creatine Monohydrate

  If I could only keep one, it's this. It's cheap, and it's the most-studied supplement there is for strength and muscle.

  My dose

  10g a day

  When

  Whenever you'll remember. It saturates your muscles over weeks, so taking it every day matters more than when.

  5g is the number the research supports, and it's where I'd tell you to start. I take 10 because I'm betting on the brain data, and that bet hasn't paid off yet. The one trial that tested 10g for cognition found nothing over placebo. Buy plain monohydrate powder. Skip the blends and the HCL, and get it unflavored.

  What I buy: Thorne Creatine (micronized monohydrate, unflavored)

  Get it on Amazon →

• Vitamin D3 + K2

  If you work indoors, there's a real chance you're low. Over 40% of US adults test at or below the line.

  My dose

  5,000 IU D3 with K2 (MK-7)

  When

  With a meal that has some fat in it. Both are fat-soluble.

  5,000 IU is 25% over the official 4,000 IU ceiling. That's my call, not advice. The only way to know what you actually need is a 25(OH)D blood test, so get one and dose to your number with your doctor. Look for D3, not D2, with the K2 as MK-7 in the same capsule.

  What I buy: Pure Encapsulations Vitamin D3 & K2

  Get it on Amazon →

• Magnesium Glycinate

  I take this one for sleep. That's the only reason.

  My dose

  200mg of elemental magnesium at night

  When

  30 to 60 minutes before bed.

  Read the Supplement Facts panel, not the front of the bottle. The number that counts is elemental magnesium, and a lot of bottles print the weight of the whole compound instead. Mine reads 200mg of elemental magnesium per serving, and that's the line to check on yours. The sleep effect in trials is real but small, so keep your expectations in that range.

  What I buy: Klaire Labs Magnesium Chelate Powder (bisglycinate)

  Get it on Amazon →

• Zinc

  Insurance, not magic. If you're low, it helps testosterone. If you're not, it won't do much.

  My dose

  30mg a day

  When

  With food. On an empty stomach it can make you feel sick.

  The RDA is 11mg and the ceiling is 40mg. Add a multivitamin and a fortified shake on top and you clear that ceiling faster than you'd think, so add up your labels. 50mg a day for a few weeks is where copper absorption starts to suffer, so skip those bottles.

  What I buy: Pure Encapsulations Zinc 30mg

  Get it on Amazon →

• Omega-3 (Fish Oil)

  I used to say this was for recovery and joints. The research doesn't back that, so I stopped saying it. I still take it.

  My dose

  2g of EPA + DHA a day

  When

  With a meal.

  Most 1,000mg softgels only hold about 300mg of EPA + DHA, so 2g is six or seven of them. Read your own label. Two softgels of the one I buy give 1,100mg of EPA + DHA, so 2g takes about four. Above 1.5g a day there was an AFib signal in people who already had high cardiac risk. If that's you, or you don't know, ask your doctor before copying this.

  What I buy: Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega

  Get it on Amazon →

This is what I take, not medical advice. A few of these doses sit above what the research or the official limits support, and I say so where they do. Talk to your doctor before adding any of them.