Former national-level bodybuilder and current ProSupps CEO T.J. Humphreys doesn’t put stock in crazy marketing gimmicks or finding high-profile endorsements to drive the success of his company. Instead, he places emphasis on what drives performance in the gym.
“ProSupps was built on one premise: to create quality products for those who want to supplement like an elite athlete so they can perform like an elite athlete,” Humphreys says.
And the 46-year-old CEO doesn’t just talk the talk. In fact, he’s still a machine in the gym. The 6-foot, 225-pounder trains seven days a week on a rotating five-day workout schedule, using heavy poundages and traditional lifts.
He starts each workout with 30 minutes of cardio and then trains with weights in a high-intensity fashion using 8 to 10 reps per set with only 30 to 45 seconds of rest in between. Day 1 is dedicated to chest, where he’ll hit dumbbell presses from all angles, handling up to 125-pounders. On Day 2, Humphreys blasts back—his favorite body part. He loads a T-bar with six 45-pound plates and knocks out rows. Day 3 is for biceps and triceps and includes 155-pound barbell curls and close-grip Smith machine bench presses with 315 pounds. Day 4 is reserved for shoulders and traps, highlighted by 275-pound Smith machine front presses. Finally, on Day 5, he works his legs with heavy extensions and curls followed by front-facing hacks on the Hammer Strength machine with 10 plates per side. Then Humphreys repeats the schedule all over again without a day off.
Humphreys has always been obsessed with pushing his body to the limit. But his start in bodybuilding occurred almost by accident.
“I always lifted heavy and was pretty muscular,” he explains. “But I knew very little about bodybuilding and first competed on a dare from my motocross-riding workout partner. I bought some trunks and got posing practice from a female bodybuilder at my gym. Problem was, I didn’t know the poses were different for men and women. I was doing female poses but still took second place.”
From that inauspicious start, Humphreys put together a string of heavyweight wins at the Rocky Mountain Classic, Southwest Classic, and Red River Classic in Oklahoma. At the 2005 NPC USA Championships, he was a confident 221 pounds, standing just four positions from the eventual winner and reigning five-time Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath. He didn’t crack the top 15, but his time onstage led to numerous modeling gigs and magazine covers. After an 11th-place finish at the 2006 Nationals, the aspiring entrepreneur decided to hang up his posing trunks.
Alex Gonzalez
By then, Humphreys had already turned his passion in the gym toward business, having worked his way up to president of the supplement distributor Lone Star Distribution. Over the next seven years under Humphrey’s leadership, the company grew exponentially, with revenues topping $65 million.
The birth of ProSupps came after Humphreys befriended the late bodybuilder Art Atwood at the 2005 Arnold Classic. When Atwood died in 2011, Humphreys encouraged a childhood friend interested in sports nutrition, Joe Oblas, to help Art’s family run Atwood’s Professional Supplements brand.
In January 2012, Humphreys became CEO; Oblas is COO.
The creation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde pre-workouts helped Humphreys and the brand make an immediate impact. Dr. Jekyll is a low-stimulant formula for endurance and pump; Mr. Hyde is a balls-to-the-wall product powered by a proprietary stimulant blend.
There are now more than 30 products in the ProSupps portfolio, including the recently launched Mr. Hyde Cutz (a creatine-free pre-workout with three different fat burners) and Mr. Hyde Zero (the first pre-workout with natural flavor, color, and sweeteners).
Today, Humphreys, the father of six and husband to wife Nikki, strives to live each day to the fullest. “I challenge myself every day—in business and in the gym,” he says. “I believe if you focus on a goal and commit to working toward it each day, you will succeed. You can’t give up on your dreams, but it’s the day-to-day practice that will make them happen!”
So who do you want creating your supplements? How about a guy who hits the weights hard day after day, just like you? Exactly.
PRE-GYM
Pick your pump from ProSupps’s two completely different pre-workouts.
DR. JEKYLL: With 100mg of caffeine per serving, Jekyll is designed for delivering skin-tearing pumps without the jitters.
MR. HYDE: This formula is designed for the most hardcore-stimulant junkies looking for unrivaled focus and energy. A powerful combo of thermogenic compounds promises an unrivaled workout.
Tip: Mix half a serving of Hyde with one serving of Jekyll for a more intense pre-workout combo.
