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.
Protein
Makes it easier to hit your protein goal than food alone.
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.
Magnesium Glycinate
200mg elemental
I take it for sleep, and the effect in trials is small. Check the label for elemental magnesium.
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.
Zinc
30mg
The RDA is 11mg and the ceiling is 40mg. A multivitamin or fortified shake counts toward that, so add up your labels.
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.
Omega-3 (Fish Oil)
2g EPA + DHA
Above 1.5g a day there was an AFib signal in people with high cardiac risk. If that's you, or you don't know, ask your doctor first.
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.
