Behind the Brand: Pro Supps Regional Manager Jason Arntz

Jason Arntz is an IFBB professional bodybuilder, promoter of the annual NPC Muscle Beach National Qualifier, and the Northeast Regional Manager for Pro Supps! By being so active in all of these areas Jason has become a big name on stage and in the supplement industry. Before we dive into the interview check out this 1 minute intro clip to get an idea of who Jason is!

Jason first off big thanks for taking the time to interview with me and give the fans some extra insight into the brand and the people behind it. I’d love to hear about how you got started with Pro Supps?

Thank you Andrew for thinking of Pro Supps and myself for this interview. We all got started back in 2012, we had all worked together for a different company anywhere from 3-7 years and we wanted to get away from the company and start doing things the right way. We had a tremendous sales team with passion, knowledge, experience plus relationships in this industry and some intelligence when it came to products. We knew what people were looking for and we wanted to give it to them with no strings attached; just great products that work and will keep you coming back for more. We basically started with one product, “Karbolic,” and now after 2 full years we have an entire line of products and we are the fastest growing company this industry has seen…and we are just warming up!!

I dare say the entire job is a blast, but is there anything in particular that you would say is your favorite part of working with Pro Supps?

Well this job is a blast, and that is easy to say. We all have our struggles as we try to get better each month and I’m sure everything looks great from the outside looking in but nothing comes easy and we are learning as we go. However, there is one thing that we have that is not seen very often anywhere, and this is my favorite part of being on this team, the camaraderie. This whole team looks out for each other like brothers. We all have a say in the products, we all have a say in the labels, the colors, and wording, and swag, and what we are going to do to move forward as a company. If one of us falls, the other is there to pick us up and keep us going. There is something to be said when each and every day you go to work, and I hate calling it work because it is our lives, but that you genuinely enjoy and love the people you work with and all of us do whatever is needed each day to move forward. That is something you can’t put a price on.

Even a 200+ pound bodybuilder has his struggles, what would you say was the hardest part of the job when you first started at ProSupps, and what steps did you take to get better at it? As someone who loves working in the supplement industry, it’s nice to hear of how professionals handle situations and become successful.

Well, when I first started the biggest struggle was the risk that we all took to leave a company and start a new one. For me, I was in the middle of real life situations, a 9 month pregnant wife, buying a new house, getting a mortgage and starting a new job that was going to require more work than a normal person could handle… all within a 2 week time frame. I’m a hustler and aside from working my full time job, I train up to 8 people doing contest prep, promote my NPC Muscle Beach in NJ and I’ve prepared for the Mr. Olympia while still being a present father and husband. So, the Pro Supps gig was just something that required my full attention and I was going to get it done. I say this all the time “when someone wants to do something, they do it, when they don’t want to do something they find excuses”. I hate excuses!!

I’ve been a big fan of this company for quite some time now and felt you all have produced a lot of great products. Pro Supps clearly never settles though, with the release of two exciting products, PS Whey and IncrediBULK, you guys have stepped it up once again. I’d like to talk about both so first I have to start with a question I’ve been very eager to ask. ProSupps has had a protein powder, TC-F Isolate, out for a while now which has been a constant supplement in my diet. What was the inspiration behind adding the new PS Whey to the product line despite already having a whey powder?

To put it simply, TC-F Whey Isolate is an expensive protein that some people just can’t afford. It is for the serious athlete or someone who cannot tolerate lactose and just wants the best clean protein they can get. With that being said, we wanted to give the consumer something they can easily afford and still keep the quality there, so we created PS Whey which is a concentrate and isolate blend.

It says a lot for a company to design products to help their customers save money when necessary and not have to sacrifice quality, rather than trying to make as much profit as possible. As I mentioned earlier, ProSupps is also releasing their new weight gainer IncrediBULK. I’ve seen the nutrition profile for this thing and it’s safe to say it’s a whopper! It definitely has plenty of calories to help consumers pack on size. Is this something you plan on personally adding to your off-season diet?

As for Incredibulk, the weight gainer market is seasonal as most people want to bulk up in the winter months and lean down in the spring and summer months. However, it is still a big market and we think that we can offer something a little better than the next guy. With our Incredibulk, we have a wide variety of different calorie sources from protein, carbs, and good fats to help the hard gainer reach his weight training and athletic goals. After experiencing the quality and taste of Incredibulk they will not have to look any further for a great weigh gainer; it’s here!! Fortunately for me, I have no offseason and I’ve gotten as big as I want to without scarring my daughters lol. So I will use Incredibulk as a treat form time to time but I am not looking to achieve maximum swoleness. Lol

Yeah maybe that’s a good idea, give some of us time to catch up to you! lol Pro Supps is often called “the largest growing brand in the industry” and there’s no doubt that you guys are proving that consistently. However any amount of success often comes with its share of setbacks. The entire industry was shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death of Pro Supps founder Art Atwood in 2011. Can you give us some insight into how the company responded to such a heartbreaking event?

Well Art Atwood was the creator and founder of Professional Supplements, with his death in 2011 the company was left to his sister and her husband who were also co-owners in the company. They didn’t know what to do with the company at that point so they sought out and found TJ Humphries. They approached him with an opportunity to purchase the company and to grow it, in Art’s name, so it could achieve the incredible vision Art had for it but was unable to reach due to his untimely death. I think that we have made Art’s wishes come true and have surpassed all expectations of this company so far. Every move we make is in Art’s memory and with respect to him, and like I said before we are just warming up.

I’ve been a follower of Pro Supps through social media for a long time, it seems like I always see posts of people within the company supporting one another, hanging out together, and just staying close in general. Would you say that apparent camaraderie is a big factor that contributes and is continuing to contribute to the success of the company?

Absolutely, this is what makes us different from all other companies. This is something that you can’t find and something that money can’t buy. All of us fought for a company in the past that treated its employees horribly. We fought through hard times that helped us grow closer and built our foundation. Not trying to be funny here but it was much like being in an abusive support group, when all the chips were down we helped each other stay strong. When we wanted to leave we stayed together because of our friendship. So, when we saw an opportunity to leave and possibly all stay together it was a no brainer. Again, this is no Hollywood story but the ending will be something to make a movie about.

Do you have an experience or story about Pro Supps that fans may not know but would be interested in hearing about; maybe something funny that has happened to you during your stent with PS?

Every day there is a new story I could talk about and get a laugh from. During the past 2+ years we have had our share of adventures. There is one story that always makes me think back to when we started: Our sales team flew out to Texas to discuss products, labels, branding and to create a plan of attack. Sitting, at that time, in our small office space we started trying some of the products that Art Atwood had created and we wanted to see what we were going to keep and what we were going to drop. So, there was this product labeled DNPX, which was supposed to be a strong stimulant based thermogenic fat burner. Now, I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years and I’ve tried all types of stimulants and then some, so what could this little pill do that no other pill has done to me before right?

So, I decided to try it and give my professional evaluation. 15 minutes go by and I feel nothing, 20 minutes go by and still nothing. 22 minutes past and WHOA!!! All of a sudden I have this overwhelming euphoric feeling, and a smile on my face bigger than Texas. It was like I was on Ecstasy, not that I would know what Ecstasy was like but if I did know what it was like this would be the feeling, it was like something you or I would see on television lol. The whole sales Team was laughing at me as if they didn’t know what the feeling was like either. I couldn’t help myself but I was rubbing my arms and chest and had this desire to get into a hot shower and shave my whole body. I was ready to KILL it in the gym! Needless to say we kept the DNPX and I always get a good laugh when I tell that story.

Jason Arntz, Pro Supps Regional Manager and IFBB Bodybuilder

It’s not every day that I get to talk with Olympia competitors so I have to ask, what’s it like to step on that stage, the biggest bodybuilding event in the world? I imagine it has to be a surreal and exciting experience!

The Olympia Stage was the most amazing experience of my professional career. There is a saying “Youth gets wasted on the young” and the same applies here “the Olympia experience gets wasted by the competitor,” What I mean by that is this, in most people’s early bodybuilding career you just want to win a local show. Once you achieve that then you want to get to a national show. Once you get there, you just want to be top 3, then you want to win and turn pro. After that you just hope to do well in a pro show, then if you are able to achieve that then you can only hope to qualify for the Olympia. Once you qualify for the Olympia you hope to be in the first call-out. Then you are training to stay there, do better, and win. So during the constant drive to get to the top, you sometimes forget to enjoy the ride. My last 2 Olympia’s in 2010 and 2011, I knew I was coming to the end of my career so I did stop and get to take in the whole experience a bit more than usual.

It is something that I will always cherish, something I can tell my children about, and something that shows hard work, discipline and the will to do better than the next person can make the difference in your life. Competing at the highest level in my sport is the most amazing experience for me, and the fact that I was able to do that gives me a sense of pride. It’s something that people dream of and most people don’t appreciate but I am humbled and thankful for my 4 Olympia appearances.

I’m sure a lot of people are curious as to what your current training and nutrition is like, and what the future holds for you as far as bodybuilding goes. Any upcoming shows, events or other plans in particular you have in mind?

My current training and nutrition it is basically the same. It’s hard to eat and train a certain way for a majority of your life and then all of a sudden do it differently. I will always eat good as I was into nutrition before I was a bodybuilder, I will always train hard because I don’t know any other way. As for competing, my days of getting on stage are in the past, except to hand out trophies at my NPC Muscle Beach completion every August, I am retired.

It was actually a very hard decision for me because I’ve been competing in sports my whole life, from wrestling and football to bodybuilding I’ve been competing since 3rd grade. So to not have that personal challenge is something that I struggle with. However, I felt I had done the best I could possibly do at the Olympia placing 4th, 5th, and 6th and it was time for me to move on. I now put my extra energy into Pro Supps, promoting my Muscle Beach show, and my family, who were usually the people who suffered during my final weeks of contest preparation.

I’m sure a lot of reader would like to follow your journey further and learn more about Pro Supps, do you have any social media links you would like to share with our customers?

Yes there are actually a lot of personal and business links fans can check out!

Pro Supps Social Media

Jason Arntz Social Media:

Jason it’s been AWESOME to chat with you both in this interview and through our various phone calls and emails, thanks again for taking time to contribute to our Behind the Brand series! Fans be sure to check out our Pro Supps section for plenty of great products including the exciting new IncrediBULK and PS Whey coming soon

-Andrew Pardue, Marketing Director and Content Contributor