Kris Gethin, co-founder of Unmatched Supps and Nova Prime Labs, returns to break down biohacking, peptides, and the new Longevity Bar on Episode #236 of the PricePlow Podcast.
Episode #236 of the PricePlow Podcast welcomes back Kris Gethin, the Welsh-born natural bodybuilder, former Bodybuilding.com Editor-in-Chief, and co-founder of Unmatched Supps and Nova Prime Labs. It's Kris's first full episode with us since Episode #012 back in 2018, well before Ben joined as co-host, though longtime listeners got an update on his current chapter when Unmatched co-founder Doug Miller stopped by Episode #219 earlier this year.
This wide-ranging conversation covers how Kris and Doug built Unmatched around an all-natural, no-sucralose philosophy, why the line between biohacking and being natural keeps blurring, and how Kris's own protocol includes stem cell therapy, peptides, EMF mitigation, and regular blood donation.
Kris also gives PricePlow its deepest look yet at Unmatched's upcoming Longevity Bar, 16 months in development, plus previews of a reformulated BH2K, an ElectraShred stick-pack launch, and the new Unmatched University education platform.
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https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/kris-gethin-biohacking-236
Video: Biohacking, Peptides, and the Longevity Bar with Kris Gethin
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32:03 — 87.0MB)
Detailed Show Notes: Kris Gethin on Unmatched Supps, Longevity, and Biohacking
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0:00 - Introductions
Ben and Mike welcome Kris Gethin back for the first time since Episode #012 in 2018, before Ben joined the show as co-host. Mike notes it's hard to believe that first conversation happened so long ago, especially with this episode landing well into the 200s. The three briefly catch up on seeing each other a few weeks earlier at FNIS in Houston before diving into everything that's happened since Unmatched Supps launched publicly, from Kris's partnership with Doug Miller to where the brand stands today.
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1:30 - How Unmatched Supps Came Together with Doug Miller
Kris opens by explaining how Unmatched Supps came together from his perspective. He'd wanted to partner with Doug Miller, founder of Core Nutritionals, for years, drawn to Doug's discipline and family-first values as much as his business sense. Doug's natural physique is so extreme that the industry jokingly calls him "Drug Miller", a nickname Doug has finally embraced with a laugh. Kris says he turned down bigger offers from other brands because the "frequency" wasn't right, while Doug felt like an obvious fit.
The idea took shape around merging Kris's biohacking interests with traditional bodybuilding, a combination he felt was missing from the industry. Once Doug signed on, Unmatched launched as that bridge between the two worlds.
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5:30 - Redefining "Natural" in the Age of Biohacking
Ben pushes Kris on a running theme: the goalposts for what counts as "natural" keep moving. If someone uses a compound to extend their health span, are they still natural? Kris agrees the line has blurred and says the real question is whether something helps, not what category it falls into.
That leads into a critique of biohacking conferences themselves. Kris says attendees will drop six figures on the newest device but skip the hotel gym entirely, even though squat strength, grip strength, and bone density, built through resistance training rather than gadgets, are the strongest predictors of a long healthspan.
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9:00 - Trial, Error, and How Kris Found Biohacking
Ben notes that Kris has always had to figure things out on his own, since there was rarely a template to follow for what he wanted to do. Kris agrees, describing his approach as taking one useful "chapter" from many different sources rather than following any single program. He tried Dorian Yates's low-rep training style for years but found it left him constantly injured and inflamed, eventually switching to higher-rep training out of necessity rather than theory.
His interest in biohacking traces back to a 2015 mold toxicity diagnosis that forced him to rebuild his sleep and health from scratch. He credits Alex Viada and top CrossFitters as early inspiration for blending serious strength with serious endurance work.
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12:15 - Updating the Training Approach: From Low Reps to High Volume
Mike asks for an update since Kris's public shift away from traditional bodybuilding toward higher-rep training. Kris explains he started experimenting with higher reps back in 2007, and ironically made his best gains after retiring from competitive bodybuilding in 2009, once he was no longer dieting in a constant calorie deficit. Injuries from extreme sports, including a torn tricep from snowboarding, pushed him toward kettlebells and shorter rest periods, which he says target sarcoplasmic hypertrophy through accumulated training stress rather than raw load.
Unmatched Supps BH2K isn't your typical pre-workout. CreGAAtine technology, zero artificial ingredients, and a stimulant that won't wreck your sleep. Kris Gethin and Doug Miller created something different here.
He's tried keto for months at a time and felt sharp mentally, but says he looked flat and couldn't get a pump, since his current training style depends on carbohydrates to fuel higher-volume work.
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14:30 - What Kris Would Tell His 30-Year-Old Self
Asked what his 30-year-old self got wrong, Kris points to his early devotion to heavy, low-rep training modeled after Arthur Jones, Mike Mentzer, and Dorian Yates. He loved the mental discipline of that style and got remarkably strong (a training partner was pulling seven-plate squats alongside him in Australia), but the accumulated toll included back issues, knee inflammation, and bicep tendinitis.
Kris also traces his path into training back to retiring from motocross, which left him without an identity for a while and led to a rough stretch before he found weight training through physiotherapy. His advice to his younger self: train lighter, use higher reps, and cut rest periods instead of chasing maximum loads.
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17:00 - Stem Cells, Surgery-Free Recovery, and CPI
Kris has done stem cell treatments almost every year since 2017, starting after tearing his rotator cuff and labrum before his first Ironman. The treatments require a full three months away from training afterward, since any localized inflammation can pull the stem cells toward the wrong area, but he calls the long-term relief unbelievable.
More recently, a torn ACL and meniscus from snowboarding got bad enough that his surgeon recommended surgery. Instead, Kris went to CPI (Cellular Performance Institute) in Tijuana, and a follow-up MRI five months later showed the injury had healed without it. He notes CPI is the UFC's official stem cell therapy partner, which is how fighters end up there too.
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20:30 - Scaling Academies and Trainer Education in India
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Mike asks about Kris's gym network in India, curious whether it's still expanding given how expensive Unmatched's ingredients can be for that market. Kris says his gyms, which he calls academies, exist because personal trainers there weren't being treated as professionals the way doctors or dentists are. He's since educated more than 2,000 trainers and built equipment-focused facilities that aren't priced for everyone, mirroring the approach he takes with Unmatched.
He compares it to his time as Editor-in-Chief of Bodybuilding.com, when India generated as much traffic as the US but converted far fewer sales, since readers there absorbed the education even when they couldn't afford the products.
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23:15 - Inside Kris's Current Peptide Protocol
Mike circles back to the "glow stack" mentioned earlier and asks what Kris is currently running through Nova Prime Labs, the peptide venture he co-founded with Doug Miller. Kris says he's using KPV for knee inflammation from a recent increase in running volume, along with an anti-aging stack of Epitalon, Pinealon, and Thymosin Alpha-1, the last of which he credits with knocking out a rare cold within days.
He also uses Thymalin alongside Epitalon and Pinealon to reset his circadian rhythm after long-haul travel, running that stack three or four times a year when he's crossing time zones often, and only once or twice a year otherwise.
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26:00 - Biological Age, HRV, and the Limits of Quantified Self
Mike pushes back on Kris's claim of reversing his biological age to 20. Kris says he takes it with a grain of salt and cares more about consistent measurement than which specific test he uses. Ben raises a similar point about HRV (heart rate variability), noting it's more useful for tracking your own trend over time than comparing against someone else, since some people run more sympathetic or parasympathetic by nature.
A single 500mg dose of CyanthOx™ sea buckthorn extract was shown to mobilize three distinct circulating stem cell types within two hours. That's the anchor ingredient in Kris Gethin's new Unmatched Supps Stem Cell, a 9-ingredient cellular longevity formula.
Kris has worked through most major wearables, including an early Dexcom G6 glucose monitor in 2017 and both the Oura ring and Ultrahuman. He's since scaled back, trusting his own instincts over constant quantification, and Ben adds that a Whoop band once left him with skin irritation.
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31:00 - Heavy Metals, the Gold Tooth Story, and an Overlooked Toxic Load
Mike notes that EMF exposure has never really come up on the podcast before, despite years of covering supplements, peptides, and training. Kris ties it back to heavy metal and neurotoxin exposure, explaining that he uses a low-EMF Clearlight sauna and takes chelating compounds beforehand to help clear accumulated toxins.
He also shares a personal story about removing a gold tooth after a biodentist friend in Germany warned it was acting like an antenna. Kris says his lifelong sugar cravings disappeared after that procedure and a metal jaw implant removal, and his wife had a similar digestion improvement after her own dental work. He notes a chocolate brand sold in Whole Foods is now infusing products with calming frequencies, wondering if supplements are next.
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36:30 - Turning Off Wi-Fi at Night and the EMF Research Ahead
Ben shares that he started turning off his Wi-Fi router every night after his sleep improved, and Mike does the same on a timer. Kris explains the brain does its detox work at night, and a phone held close to the head generates heat that can interfere with that. He references a friend, Dr. Sponaugle of the Sponaugle Wellness Institute, who now sees Alzheimer's-pattern symptoms in patients as young as their 40s, decades earlier than when he started.
Kris points listeners to Nick Pineault, known as "the EMF guy", who has flagged a new government review period on EMF's health effects. Mike ties this to a pattern of health shifts alongside new waves of electrical and wireless technology throughout history.
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42:15 - Blood Donation, EBO2, and a Preview of the Ultimate Wellness Conference
Most of us forget the separate probiotic and enzyme capsules. Unmatched Supps put 10 billion CFU across 14 strains, plus DigeSEB enzymes, straight into Longevity Greens+, alongside 5,750mg of organic greens and a 1,500mg reds blend.
Mike brings up a conversation the two had at FNIS (the Future Nutra Innovation Summit) about blood donation as a way to help clear microplastics from the body. Kris donates blood roughly every three months now that his green card allows it, and adds in EBO2 treatments, a process that filters his blood through two IVs to help remove microplastics and pathogens, a few times a year depending on how much he's traveled.
Looking ahead, Kris previews his upcoming talk at the Ultimate Wellness Conference at Miami Beach's Faena Forum, where he'll cover peptides and lead attendees through a "blue zone" workout built around resistance training for bone density rather than passive recovery devices.
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47:00 - 16 Months in the Making: The Longevity Bar
Mike shifts to the product Ben has tried and Kris hasn't: the new Longevity Bar, first previewed last spring as "the Unmatched Bar". Kris built it for traveling clients frustrated with bars full of refined oils and sugar alcohols. Hitting 20g of protein without drying out took 16 months of R&D, and functional ingredients like cordyceps, lion's mane, and spermidine were added for cellular repair and autophagy support on top of the macros.
Two naturally sweetened flavors, apple cinnamon danish and peanut butter chocolate, launch soon with a third approved for later. Kris credits Core Nutritionals' manufacturing experience for the small-batch, direct-to-consumer approach, which keeps the bars fresh and avoids the SKU creep that sinks other functional food launches.
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54:15 - Why Unmatched Will Never Use Sucralose
Kris says sucralose is off the table at Unmatched, a stance that took Doug Miller some convincing (per Episode #219, Kris wouldn't budge). Based on observations training clients and IFBB pros, Kris says eliminating sucralose shows up as less bloating and a tighter waistline. He traces the theory to Dorian Yates, who allowed himself only a single packet of sucralose-based sweetener a day before competing in the late 1990s.
Unmatched Supps CogniShot is a stim-free liquid nootropic with 3000mg goBHB, 250mg Cognizin citicoline, and 100mg CognatiQ. No caffeine, no crash. Clean cognitive fuel you can take any time of day.
Kris found the same thing after moving to the US in 2005 and going all-in on "sugar-free everything". Ben adds the real risk is cumulative: sucralose stacked across a protein, pre-workout, and electrolyte drink adds up fast, even in small doses.
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1:00:00 - The EMF-Blocking Fanny Pack and Other Travel Must-Haves
Callback to the stevia packets Kris carries: it turns out they live in an EMF-blocking fanny pack from DefenderShield, which also holds his phone. On a recent 20-mile backpacking trip for his birthday, he swapped it for a different fanny pack, this one holding a gun for bear encounters. On international flights, he travels with a Faraday blanket to block the seatback screens facing other passengers from behind his seat.
Kris says he still travels lighter than fellow biohacker Ben Greenfield, who he's seen get stopped at security in some countries for up to an hour explaining a carry-on full of gear.
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1:03:00 - Minimum Viable Biohacking: Sauna, Light, and Grounding
Asked for the minimum viable biohacking stack, Kris starts with sauna use for autophagy and growth hormone support, followed by blue light blocking glasses if your environment doesn't allow amber lighting at night. For anyone who can't walk barefoot on grass regularly, he recommends Bahé grounding trainers, which he tested and liked at the Health Optimization Summit.
Ben shares his own love of grounding from years of walking barefoot outdoors, and Kris points to the documentary Earthing by Clint Ober as a deeper resource on the research. For footwear, Kris has shifted almost entirely toward function: Hoka Clifton Pros for longer runs and Peluva, Mark Sisson's five-toe shoe, for everyday wear and grounding at the same time.
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1:09:15 - From Lifting to Iron Man: Building Durability for Endurance Sports
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Ben asks about the transition from heavy lifting into endurance sports, noting how many lifters and CrossFitters are now moving into triathlon and running. Kris says he's always loved cardio, going back to being called a daydreamer in school, and treats long bike rides and swims as active meditation, similar to the silent Vipassana retreats he's done.
The harder adjustment wasn't cardiovascular. Kris dealt with croup, asthma, and pneumonia as a kid, plus lung scarring from a severe COVID infection, yet says his hip flexors give him more trouble than his lungs during endurance events. He runs off-road exclusively for the more forgiving surface and trains with a weighted vest and ankle weights on a curved treadmill to build leg strength.
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1:13:15 - Injuries, Volume, and Feeling Vindicated
Ben shares his own journey from 280 pounds to running, and Kris's business partner offers another example, working through all the global marathon majors despite battling more overuse injuries than he ever saw in powerlifting. Kris had to cut training from five or six days a week down to three or four once he added cardio volume, since more wasn't supporting his endurance work.
He now favors a pre-fatigue method, a tough leg day immediately followed by a run or ride, over stacking extra volume. Asked if he feels vindicated for pursuing hybrid training early, Kris again credits Alex Viada as an inspiration and says the real reward is fans crediting their first triathlon or 5K to him.
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1:20:00 - Swimming Technique and the VASA Trainer
Mike mentions his own swim season, and Kris agrees that swimming is almost entirely about technique rather than raw strength, since simply becoming more efficient let him swim for miles once it clicked. Mike adds a technical note on drag: deadlift strength can help swimmers keep their hips up in the water, and the two riff on whether CrossFit-style kipping pull-ups translate to a better catch.
Doug Miller, CEO of Core Nutritionals, rejoins the PricePlow Podcast for Episode #219 to cover the full Crush It Holdings portfolio update: selling his Arms Race Nutrition stake, killing the Myoblox revival, two years of Unmatched Supps with Kris Gethin, the launch of Nova Prime Labs research-use peptides, and another brutal round of protein price increases.
Kris tried a VASA trainer, a dryland device meant to mimic swim strokes, but didn't find it especially useful for his own stroke. He credits simply filming himself for catching technique flaws he couldn't otherwise see, pointing to a recent round of golf where a single video revealed exactly what he was doing wrong.
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1:25:15 - Navigating Social Media Bans in the Peptide Space
Mike asks about a social media issue he'd heard referenced elsewhere. Kris says he's up to four strikes on Meta platforms for discussing peptides, even for something as minor as showing a Nova Prime Labs logo, and one more would get him banned entirely. He describes automated moderation that flags peptide-adjacent content almost instantly now that Meta has cut its human review staff.
He mentions a fellow peptide brand founder who ignored similar warnings and ended up losing his Instagram presence completely, a cautionary tale Kris says he takes seriously given how much of Unmatched's marketing depends on the platform.
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1:26:30 - What's Next: BH2K, Dissident, and Unmatched University
Looking ahead, Kris previews several updates in the pipeline. BH2K is getting a light reformulation with 8g of citrulline added, Dissident is being reformulated with newer peptides, and stick packs of ElectraShred are coming based on demand.
An Unmatched-branded energy drink is also in development, with a possible artist collaboration for one flavor. Part of what's driving it is UPDATE, a separate energy drink Kris used to love until a Kim Kardashian investment pushed it from natural sweeteners to sucralose. He won't touch it now, and hints he may eventually build something closer to that old formula himself. Longer-term, he's building Unmatched University, requiring short quizzes on ingredients before customers advance.
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1:29:30 - Closing Thoughts: The Business Leaders Kris Admires
For his closing question, Mike asks who else in the industry Kris would want running Unmatched with him if Doug didn't exist. Kris points to Jocko Willink for his ethics and approach to business, and gives a shoutout to Mark Glazier at NutraBio, admiring the transparency Mark has built his brand around even though the two have only crossed paths at events over the years. Kris also mentions his friend Chris Cavallini as someone with a similar mindset.
Mike wraps by thanking Kris for joining, teasing a custom laser-etched Perfect Shaker cup as a thank-you gift, with Kris requesting logos from both Unmatched and Nova Prime Labs on it.
Where to Follow and Learn More
Connect with Kris Gethin and Unmatched Supps
- LinkedIn: Kris Gethin
- Instagram: @krisgethin
- Unmatched Supps Website (use code PricePlow)
- Instagram: @unmatchedsupps
- LinkedIn: Unmatched Supps
- Nova Prime Labs Website
- Unmatched Supps on PricePlow (sign up for news alerts)
Resources Mentioned
- Episode #012: Kris Gethin Interview - Leaving a Legacy Behind
- Episode #219: Doug Miller Returns - Nova Prime Labs Peptides Extends Empire Beyond CORE & Unmatched
- Core Nutritionals on PricePlow (sign up for news alerts)
Products Discussed
Big thanks to Kris Gethin for the wide-ranging catch-up on training, biohacking, and everything happening at Unmatched Supps and Nova Prime Labs. Keep an eye out for the Longevity Bar's launch and the reformulated BH2K, and don't be surprised if Kris shows up with a custom laser-etched shaker cup soon, since that's his thank-you gift for joining us.
Speaking of which, thanks as always to Perfect Shaker for sponsoring the PricePlow Podcast. Check out their full lineup at PricePlow.com/perfect-shaker, or hear the story behind the brand straight from Darren Thompson in Episode #209.
Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on any platform, sign up for Unmatched Supps and Kris Gethin news on PricePlow, and leave us a great review on iTunes and Spotify!
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