The science of supplements and nutrition is light years ahead of when I first started taking supplements in 95 – 96 entering UCLA looking to win a National Championship.

I recall fondly being a freshman at UCLA and taking creatine monohydrate for the first time and literally going up 45 pounds in my squats the very next day and going from 3 sets to 5 sets with 8-10 Reps. Since then over 20 years ago, the advancements in legal supplements have been so incredible it honestly feels like cheating if I compare to back then! In this article I will share what works for me!

I break my supplement intake into 3 main categories. Daily Vitamins, Pre and During workout, Post Workout and Recovery.

Daily Vitamins:
For my daily vitamins the first recommendation I would have is purchase allot of this at Costco! The quality and price is hard to beat. Also look for monthly specials and stock up.

• Costco Daily Vitamin – I go with the Costco brand.
• Nature’s Bounty – Hair Skin and Nails (Costco) – This is one of those vitamins where you see instant results! Your hair, skin and nails will transform immediately and you will look younger in weeks! No Bull! (Buy a nail clipper you are going to need it!)
• Costco Fish Oil – I tend to not feel much different taking this. But everyone says it important so I just add it. I feel that way for many of the daily vitamins. I have researched them, however most I do not see or feel a physical change to my body.
• Costco CoQ10 – Another supplement I tend to feel very little difference taking but from my research is important.
• TruNature Prostate Health Complex – My father died in his early 60’s from prostate cancer and was extremely healthy. So I take this, not sure if it works but it is cheap and easy to take.
• Green Vibrance – Plant Based Advance Daily Superfood. This is the only one that I can drink because the others taste so bad. I mix it in the mornings with Suja Juice (All Greens) and it taste pretty good!

Pre and During Workout:

• Coffee – Caffeine is one of the best tools for training. It numbs pain plus creates motivation! Also I love drinking coffee, I get happy drinking it! So it automatically puts me in a good mood ready to train! Coffee For Closers! 🙂
• The Big 3 – These work, you will feel it instantaneously and are incredible. I do suggest you limit them to days you plan to work hard and are not drinking alcohol.
  • Creatine – Creatine is one of the best legal supplements ever created. The research is astoundingly positive! For me though, the quality of the creatine you take really matters.
    For example, just a few weeks ago I bought some old school pure cheap creatine monohydrate. Wow! I literally put on 5 – 8 pounds of water in 3 days. What I find personally is some of the newer versions do not result is the same water retention as the old school creatine! This is important as your weight really matters when playing volleyball.
  • Nitric Oxide (NO) or Arginine – The pump and results I see from this is similar to creatine. I can lift hard and longer when I take this.
  • Beta-Alanine – Push longer and harder! This is an incredible supplement on par with NO and creatine. It is the one people use the least and should be!For me when purchasing the “Big 3” I like to buy them individually. I find the quality is better and I don’t get the jittery caffeine feeling most pre-workout give you! I think this is very important also if you take these supplements when playing volleyball! The last think I want on the court is to be jittery, nervous and worry about what others are thinking about me! When I take “Pre-Workout” that contains the big 3 by comparison I often get those nervous, jittery feelings!
• Endurox R4 – This is a during workout muscle recovery and support drink. It has a good combination of fast acting carbs and protein and I find what it helps me with is when pushing on a 2+ hour workout, I still having energy! Also this is great for beach volleyball during long days or multiple matches in a row.
• BCAA – For this I tend to buy the generic cheap brands as I tend to not see much difference. This I find really helps with next day muscle soreness.
• I take all these supplements in this category just before or during my workout. I have a large water bottle with them mixed inside and tend to take these over a 1 hour period to maintain energy, focus and pump while training.

Post Workout and Recovery:

• Protein – For me I am a firm believer in protein post workout. I have found I struggle with the protein supplements and prefer chicken and real meat! I don’t like the gas and bloated feeling taking allot of these old school protein supplements like whey protein.I have however found more success recently in rice protein and plant based protein. Also when I do take a protein supplement I want something with many different types of protein which tend to have different release time-lines. I have found this works best for recovery and DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)!
• BCAA – Again like during my workout I tend to go cheap and generic and I have found the same levels of success.
• ZMA – This is a must in my opinion! This is one of the greatest supplements you will ever take and what it does is help you sleep like a baby. With this “Deep sleep” come muscle and mental recovery! All it is zinc, magnesium and B6. The combination is the secret!As you get older you have so many things pulling you every direction. If you are like me, sleep is the thing you tend to give up first. Well this will help you feel great on 6 hours of sleep! Brand I like is True Athlete – ZMA with Theanine.

Important things to consider is that I tend to cycle my supplements. I have heard taking this much supplements can be bad for your liver. I therefore take breaks from everything for periods of time. I also am cautious about heavy drinking (alcohol) and eating during periods when I am pushing myself physically at the gym and taking higher amounts of supplements.

I also like to experiment with new types of creatine, NO and Beta-Alanine. I also tend to try 1 new supplement every month or two. I find I budget about $150-200 / month for all of these.

Please let me know your thoughts and secrets. I am available to talk over the phone with long time Volleyball1on1 Members or coaches who run Volleyball1on1 Camps who I am available to consult with before, during and after running a Volleyball1on1 Camp.