The top five supplements for fishing guides and serious anglers, counted down, are magnesium, protein, a wide-spectrum multivitamin, sunscreen, and at number one an electrolyte replacement drink with high sodium, potassium, and magnesium and no sugar. These are the ones I lean on as a veteran guide to perform and recover through a hard season. In this Physical Friday I count them down and explain exactly why each one earns its spot.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Counting down: number five is magnesium for sleep, number four is protein for recovery and muscle, number three is a wide-spectrum multivitamin, number two is sunscreen and protective clothing, and number one is an electrolyte replacement drink high in sodium, potassium, and magnesium with no sugar. These are the supplements I rely on as a veteran guide to perform and recover across a long, demanding season.
Because rowing or poling a boat all day in the heat makes you sweat heavily, and replacing that water with only plain water washes out your electrolytes, which can be dangerous. The number one pick is an electrolyte replacement drink with high sodium, potassium, and magnesium and no sugar or junk. My favorite has a thousand milligrams of sodium, two hundred of potassium, and sixty of magnesium — exactly what a sweating guide needs.
Even though you do not eat it, sunscreen is critical to your success and longevity as anyone who spends long days outside. My dermatologist recommends a mineral-based sunscreen. I pair it with the best protective clothing I can get, including a hood and a face mask that comes up right under my sunglasses, so I stay completely covered through the day. Protection from the sun is non-negotiable for a career on the water.
I aim for about one gram of protein per pound of body weight, whether it comes from real food or protein powder. That intake helps me recover from long days of pulling and poling, maintain muscle mass, and stay strong through the entire season when I am really grinding. Protein is the recovery foundation that keeps you durable when the days are long and physical.
Magnesium is the supplement most people forget, yet most are deficient, and it helps with sleep — I take it every night before bed. A wide-spectrum multivitamin covers the gaps, making sure you get a broad range of vitamins and minerals; I use one that gives me everything I need. Together they support the baseline health and recovery that a demanding outdoor season constantly draws down.
I make Physical Friday for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen who want to stay strong and capable for life. I walk through the full breakdown in the audio above, so press play and listen along.
I start the countdown with the basics most people miss. Magnesium comes in at five because most of us are deficient and it quietly improves sleep, so I take it every night. Protein lands at four — I target a gram per pound of body weight to recover from long days of pulling and hold onto muscle through the season. I explain how I hit those numbers in the episode, so press play in the player above.
At number three is a multivitamin, and the key is range. Whatever you pick, make sure it covers a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals so the daily gaps get filled. For a guide grinding through a season, that baseline coverage matters more than people think. I share what I look for on the label in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Sunscreen at number two surprises people because you do not swallow it, but for anyone outside all day it is critical to your longevity. My dermatologist points me to mineral-based sunscreen, and I pair it with serious protective clothing — a hood and a face mask up under my sunglasses — to stay fully covered. I walk through my sun setup in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The top spot goes to an electrolyte replacement drink, because sweating all day and refilling with only plain water washes your electrolytes out, which is genuinely dangerous. I want high sodium, potassium, and magnesium and zero sugar — my favorite carries a thousand milligrams of sodium, two hundred of potassium, and sixty of magnesium. I explain why this one wins in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Press play in the player above to get the full breakdown.
These five — magnesium, protein, a multivitamin, sun protection, and electrolytes — are the supplements that keep me performing and recovering through a hard guiding season.
Build your stack from the bottom up, and do not skip the electrolytes if you sweat for a living. Listen to the full countdown by pressing play in the player above.
magnesium · protein · multivitamin · mineral-based sunscreen · protective clothing · electrolytes · sodium · potassium · fishing guide performance · recovery
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I am Tom Rowland — a Florida Keys fishing guide for more than 30 years, a competitive angler, a lifelong CrossFit athlete, and the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast. I started Physical Friday because staying strong, mobile, and durable is what lets all of us keep hunting, fishing, and chasing the outdoors for life. I train the same way I want you to: simple, consistent, repeatable.
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