This Army vet started a supplement company dedicated to education

Before John Klipstein joined the Army, he smoked a pack a day and his PT test run time was roughly 23 minutes — which accounts for the time spent throwing up on the side of the track. The military turned that around. The newly-minted 13B found a love for fitness and pushing his body to the limit. After leaving the military, he developed a line of supplements to help others do the same — safely.

During his first deployment, Klipstein and his friends handled the stress by working out. In his time at the gym, he noticed a lot of soldiers taking a lot of different supplements — some of which could be found on the military's banned supplement list. Klipstein was interested in why those expensive jugs of pre-workout were confiscated — what exactly their ingredients were.

By the time his second deployment rolled around, he was making his own pre-workout using ingredients he ordered himself. Now that he was in the role of squad leader, it was his job to confiscate banned substances. He used the opportunity to educate his troops on the dangers of those banned ingredients. Sadly, shortly after his deployment ended, an NCO in their unit died during a five-mile run. The cause was cardiac arrest — caused by a pre-workout supplement.

"This happens all the time in the military," Klipstein says. "Heavy stimulants mixed with extreme heat and intense training can be very dangerous and soldiers end up dying from it."

"Sometimes, supplements may be effective but have questionable safety profiles." says Jennifer Campbell, an Army veteran, Certified Personal Trainer, and Master of Science in Nutrition Education. "Remember Hydroxycut back in the early 2000s? Its active ingredient was Ephedra, which was banned by the FDA in 2004."

So, when Klipstein started UXO Supplements after leaving the Army, he made it UXO's mission and vision to provide safe and effective formulas for supplements while educating people on how to use them the right way.

"With UXO you get clean energy with clinical amounts of researched and proven ingredients" he says. "All products are manufactured in an FDA approved lab, so you will not find any banned substances. In fact, we have all products 3rd-party tested before they hit the shelves to ensure they are safe for our consumers."

"Knowledge of a supplement's legality, safety, purity, and effectiveness is critical," Campbell says. "Unlike food, the FDA does not review supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed. The manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements are responsible for making sure their products are safe before they go to market."

Klipstein left the Army as an E6 promotable after herniating two discs and banging up his knee but UXO's other business partner remains in the service, keeping up with the fitness trends that affect the military the most. Even though John Klipstein isn't rucking up and down mountains and patrolling villages on maneuver missions anymore, he's still working to keep himself — and his veteran-owned business — in shape and taking care of his brothers- and sisters-in-arms.

"The most important thing about being a vet-owned business is giving back to the veteran community," Klipstein says. "We do it with a quality product and solid education. We also offer them a 25 percent discount."

Just use the coupon code MILSUPPS25 at when checking out at UXOSupplements.com. He also invites the military-veteran community to tell him what they think of his products.

Fitness and Nutrition expert Jennifer Campbell also adds that some supplement manufacturers aim to pursue the most inexpensive raw material from suppliers that will pass under the given certificate of analysis to minimize the cost of goods. She backs Klipstein's insistence on supplement education.

"Do your research," she says.

John Klipstein isn't about to let another soldier fall to poor or unethical supplements. He's happy to post his ingredients — and explain how lesser supplements are trying to be deceptive with their ingredient lists. He, like Campbell, warns of things like "proprietary blends" and implores supplement seekers to find third-party reviewed ingredients in the products they purchase.

UXO products are tasty and provide the energy and recovery they promise. The military discount is great because it makes the products extremely affordable. On top of that, before purchasing, UXO Supplements tells you everything you need to know about the type of product you're buying as well as the formulation and purpose of the specific item you're interested in. It's a great intro to workout supplements, from start to finish.

Klipstein wants all his clients to be healthy, happy, and of course, repeat customers. The UXO Blog says it all.

"There is nothing better than receiving positive feedback from veterans and athletes alike. Our goal is to deliver a great product with an amazing taste. We will never sacrifice our values or our quality to try and make a quick dollar."