In an age where experimentation to achieve optimal health is at the forefront, there’s probably someone who has already tried out what you’re thinking about using or doing.
And his name is Tim Ferriss.
Tim Ferriss is one of the most popular individuals in the world across many domains, including business, entrepreneurship, fitness, and self-improvement.
Over the years, Ferriss has constantly experienced, tweaked, and adjusted numerous aspects of his diet, supplementation, exercise, meditation, and other protocols to determine what works best for him.
And this article particularly focuses on what supplements Tim Ferriss uses to help him succeed across every area of his life. So, let’s get into Tim Ferriss’s supplements!
About Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss is one of the most unique, engaging individuals out there with a wide range of talents and success in numerous fields.
For one, he’s an entrepreneur and investor, having been rated one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and one of Fortune’s “40 Under 40”. Ferriss is also a very successful author with numerous #1 New York Times Best Sellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek, Tools of Titans, and The 4-Hour Body. And his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, is one of the most popular ever, with over 900 million downloads.
Tim Ferriss has also had many opportunities as a speaker, lecturer, and guest on various media outlets, so needless to say, he’s very well-respected and thought highly of.
Of course, to achieve all of this, it’s essential that Ferriss pays absolute attention to his body, mind, and overall health. From some of his books, as well as his podcast and blog, Ferriss has certainly made it clear that he takes many steps to optimize health and performance, which includes the use of supplements.
Listed below, we’ll go over Tim Ferriss’s supplements and see what benefits they may have for him and all his endeavors.
Tim Ferriss’s Supplement Summary
- Nordic Naturals Pro Omega: 1 serving (650 EPA 450 DHA) daily
- Thorne Super EPA
- Athletic Greens: 1 serving in the morning
- Ascent Protein: After workouts
- Momentous Creatine: 5g
- Ubiquinol
- Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane & Chaga Coffee: (2-3x/week)
- Exogenous Ketones
- KetoCaNA
- KetoForce
- 1, 3 Butanediol
- Sodium Potassium BHB salts
- Quest MCT Oil: 1 scoop (otherwise 1 to 2 tbsp coconut oil) in the morning
- BCAAs: Before and during workout
- L-Glutamine: After workout, sometimes upwards of 40 to 50g split in divided doses
- Zinc & Magnesium: Before Bed
- Momentous Magnesium L-Threonate: 3 caps (2g Magtein®) before bed
- Momentous Apigenin: 50mg before bed
- Momentous L-Theanine: 200mg before bed
- Lithium Orotate: 5mg daily
- Apple Cider Vinegar: 1 tbsp in water (morning and before bed)
- Berberine
Tim Ferriss’s Supplements
Tim Ferriss has been known for his experimental nature and taking dozens of different supplements and compounds over the years. However, more recently, his routine has become much simpler, in which he focuses really on things that are well-tested and thoroughly researched.
In a recent interview, he said “I’ve really tried to minimize supplements and that’s not because I think they are bad. I think…generally speaking, the greater the effect, the greater the side effects. And if you don’t know what the side effects are and it has a very high amplitude effect, then you’re just the sucker at the poker table who doesn’t realize he’s the sucker because there are very rarely free lunches in biochemical enhancement, usually.”
An interesting way of looking at it, for sure!
Now, let’s get into his supplement regimen.
Nordic Naturals Pro Omega and Thorne Super EPA
In episode #527 of the Tim Ferriss Show, Ferriss explained to Kevin Rose that he takes two different omega-3/fish oil supplements: Nordic Naturals Pro Omega (which provides 650mg of EPA and 450mg of DHA), as well as Super EPA from Thorne Supplements.
Ferriss takes fish oil for the wide variety of benefits, such as brain function and reduced inflammation. Interestingly, he also says that it improved his sleep, to which he’s said, “The effect is really remarkable… and it’s impossible to say that my sleep quality improvements are entirely caused by this. There are many factors in my life that have taken place, but my sleep has not had as dramatic of a change [until using the fish oil]”.
Athletic Greens
Tim Ferriss uses Athletic Greens (AG1 Greens) basically as his “all-in-one nutritional insurance”. Although he is a sponsor now, Ferriss took (and recommended) AG1 back in 2010 in his book The 4-Hour Body, and didn’t get paid for it. So it seems this is a legitimate supplement that he takes.
Despite his healthy diet, Ferriss still thinks Athletic Greens is useful because it “further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.”
Ascent Protein
Ferriss has used different protein supplements over the years, but one that he talked about using in 2020 in a podcast episode with Kevin Rose was Ascent Protein.
He typically takes his protein after workouts to support muscle growth and recovery, although he also may at times take a shake here and there throughout the day especially during intense training periods.
He says Ascent Protein was one of the few products that “made the cut” for him due to quality and other aspects. After looking at it, this protein is one of the better ones because it’s Informed Sport Certified and doesn’t have any artificial ingredients.
Momentous Creatine
Ferriss has taken creatine for a while too, but in a recent podcast (October, 2023) with Apollo Robbins (#699), he said that he’s been using Momentous Creatine.
On creatine supplementation, he states “while it certainly helps physical performance, including poundage or wattage in sports, I use it primarily for mental performance (short-term memory, etc.).”
This is echoed by an older video in which Ferriss explained that creatine was actually one of the “smart drugs” he uses to optimize brain performance and prevent cognitive decline.
It’s not clear what dose he takes, but the serving in Momentous Creatine is 5g, which is a typical dosage amount.
Ubiquinol
Another supplement Ferriss uses for brain health is ubiquinol, which is also one of Rhonda Patrick’s key supplements. In a relatively older video, Ferriss detailed that he uses this along with creatine as one of his effective smart drug combos.
Ferriss knows that he has genetic markers that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s. And in that same video mentioned just above, he says that “If you have, for instance, Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative diseases in your family that might have a mitochondrial basis, this is a good combo to take on a daily basis.”
Four Sigmatic Think Mushroom Coffee
Another one of Ferriss’s go-tos for brain performance is Four Sigmatic Lion’s Mane and Chaga (which is now called Four Sigmatic Think). This product contains coffee as well as lion’s mane and chaga mushrooms, which are both medicinal mushrooms.
You obviously get an energy boost from the coffee but the two mushrooms may also boost cognitive function and overall brain health.
Ferriss really believes that this mix is very high-powered. So much so that he says in this video that “this will extremely impact your cognitive and mental state. I have to use this with some moderation because I’m very sensitive to it. But, when I really need to put on the gas, this works really well”.
He uses this in moderation, typically two to three times per week.
Exogenous Ketones
Another compound in Ferriss’s regimen is exogenous ketones, which he takes in several forms. Ferriss doesn’t always practice a keto diet (although he’s tried it out in the past), but rather uses what he calls a “Slow-Carb” diet, referring to only eating carbs that have a low glycemic index and are slowly digested.
Nonetheless, he still uses ketones because he believes they have benefits even if you’re not on a ketogenic diet.
Depending on desired potency, he’ll take one (or more) of the following:
- KetoCaNA
- KetoForce
- 1, 3 Butanediol
- Sodium Potassium BHB salts
Specifically, Ferriss takes these mainly for improved endurance performance. He says “The benefits of all of these are decreased oxygen requirements. When I’m in deep ketosis, my breath hold time doubles. This can have that effect even if you are consuming a carbohydrate-rich diet”.
MCT Oil
Ferriss also says that part of his morning routine (at least in the past) was to consume one to two tablespoons of coconut oil, or otherwise, one scoop of Quest MCT Oil Powder.
He mainly incorporated MCT oil in order to enhance brain function and, to a lesser degree, to aid exercise performance.
BCAAs
In an somewhat older video (2015), Tim Ferriss said he takes branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) before and during his workouts to support workout recovery and muscle growth. It’s unclear how much he took or if he still uses these.
L-Glutamine
In that same video, Ferriss also said that he takes l-glutamine “after training for muscular repair and prevention of soreness. It works really well at higher doses, and I mean sometimes 40, 50 [grams] in divided doses.”
Zinc & Magnesium
The last main supplement in Ferriss’s workout regimen is zinc and magnesium, which he said that he took before bed to help with recovery and to help him sleep. It’s unclear if he still takes the same magnesium since he’s now using an additional magnesium supplement (which we’ll touch on below).
Momentous Magnesium L-Threonate
Momentous Magnesium L-Threonate is one of three main supplements that Ferriss has been raking recently before bed (the other two are apigenin and l-theanine, all of which he discussed early on in episode #699 with Apollo Robbins).
Ferriss says that “it passes through the blood-brain barrier more effectively than other forms of magnesium. I take Momentous Magnesium Threonate every evening before bed because it helps me fall asleep and sleep more restfully. My tracked biometrics support this, and it’s become a critical part of my bedtime routine.”
He doesn’t state the specific dose, but the serving size from this product is 145mg elemental magnesium (from 2g Magtein® magnesium l-threonate).
Many other notable individuals use magnesium l-threonate too, such as Andrew Huberman and Peter Attia.
Momentous Apigenin and Momentous Theanine
The two other supplements from Momentous that Ferriss takes are Apigenin and L-Theanine (the latter of which you can also find in Momentous Elite Sleep).
Again, he doesn’t explicitly state the dose, but the serving size from these supplements is 50mg for Apigenin and 200mg of L-Theanine.
He says that these two, in combination with magnesium l-threonate, “have helped me improve the onset, quality, and duration of my sleep.”
This is backed up by evidence that shows these all have relaxing properties by stimulating GABA, alpha brain waves, and other factors in the brain.
Lithium Orotate
In episode #266 of the Tim Ferriss Podcast, Ferriss noted that he takes lithium orotate, mainly to help with his bipolar depression.
He’s found it very helpful and says that “I began taking 5 milligrams lithium orotate on a daily basis. It appears to take the edge off and mitigate to some extent anxiety and potential spiraling towards the edge of the precipice, as was put earlier, with respect to depression.”
Apple Cider Vinegar
While not technically a supplement, it’s worth noting that Ferriss also takes apple cider vinegar. Typically, he takes one tablespoon with warm water in the morning and before bed (a similar practice also used at times by Dolph Lundgren).
Ferriss says that it helps with immune function and can even improve sleep.
Berberine
Lastly, from episode #266, we also found that Tim Ferriss takes berberine, although he cycles on and off of it.
He mainly uses berberine for metabolic health, in particular for “attenuating insulin or glucose responses after meals”.
Summary: Tim Ferriss Supplements
Tim Ferriss’s supplement regimen contains several products with a lot of solid research and evidence behind them. Many of the supplements he uses are general mainstays for exercise performance, cognition, and overall health, although there are other products such as lithium and ubiquinol which are more geared towards his specific and individualized concerns.
Overall, it’s clear that Ferris has taken the time over many years to figure out what supplement regimen works best for him. Of course, given his experimental nature, this could change over time. But that’s part of what makes supplementation exciting, as long as you know what you’re doing!
