Bodybuilding Resources

Ready to begin your journey for REAL bodybuilding success? We all know how much it costs to hire a personal trainer! A personal trainer would be great for everyone to have, but unfortunately, not everyone has deep pockets like the rich and famous. Fortunately for you, you’ll be glad to know that you CAN build a body like those who can afford a personal trainer,

• Without having to break the bank
• And within the comfort of your own home

Below you will find product comparisons that I highly recommend to help you take your muscles to the next level. These are the products, which I have found to work best to take your muscles to the next level, all through trial and error. I have listed comparisons of each type of product that is needed to assist you on your bodybuilding journey. You can then gauge which one can fulfill your needs in regards to price, features and/or your current level in this bodybuilding game.

Protein Supplements

Which Protein Supplement to Buy? Protein and carbs are the two nutrients that you will have to refill as you workout and pump your muscles. It’s common knowledge that lifting weights actually makes you lose weight. In order to make them grow you’ll have to shock them AND feed them… with food. Sounds simple, just eat decent meals 5-7 times a day. But we are talking about life in the 21^st century here, where time is often not in our favor to eat 5-7 times a day. If you don’t eat, you won’t grow. Simple!

So if you are serious about building muscle in today’s world you better start taking supplements to help refill those nutrients that you lose during your weightlifting workouts. And we begin with protein supplements.

Below are supplements, which I’ve personally tried at some point during the past 10 – 12 years.

I have also been provided  discount coupon codes for all Stay-Fit Bug readers on selected items.  All you have to do is enter the coupon code on the purchase page before you buy to save you even more money!

RED = Stay-Fit Bug Favorite!

Creatine Supplement

Which Creatine Supplement to Buy?

Creatine Monohydrate is the stuff that you can take to reduce muscle fatigue in your workouts. However, many supplements today don’t just contain creatine, they also contain other compounds which in turn, make for great pre-workout supplements as a whole.

Multi-Vitamins

Which Multi-Vitamins to Buy? Going back to what I mentioned earlier, our bodies need to be fed correctly if we wish to build REAL muscle. This can be done by eating GOOD food 5 – 7 times a day. But to take your muscles to the next level you really do have to supplement them to the next level. Real food is good, but it won’t be enough. Your body will need super doses of amino acids, carbs, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids (EFAs) in order to grow the way that I know you want them to grow, and the multi-vitamins listed below will help you do that, without question!

Bodyweight Exercise Equipment

Which Bodyweight Exercise Equipment to Workout With? Bodyweight exercises are great for quite a few reasons,

• Build great functional strength
• Work out from home
• Work out and maintain muscle mass while on vacation
• Target muscle groups that you may miss with free weights and machine weights

It’s also what I started out with 10-12 years ago back as a broke student.  But when you add any of the products below to your bodyweight workouts, you really can maximize the above points to ensure that bodyweight exercises help you build that body you know you deserve. I’ve used or still use all of these products. Take your pick! They are all great in their own way. If you get lost on how to use these products in your bodyweight workouts, be sure to grab the Stay-Fit Bug Unique Bodyweight Exercises Ebook HERE There are plenty of tips there to assist you on your bodyweight workout journey. Version 2.0 is on its way soon, so make sure you grab it while it’s still at the promotional rate.

Dumbbells and Weights

How to Choose the Right Dumbbells? If you are just starting out, it can be quite confusing on which weights you should buy for your home gym. If so, checkout this post, Vinyl Weights or Cast Iron Weights? Now, although the default weights are,

• Vinyl
• Cast Iron
• Chrome

You may want to upgrade your dumbbells and invest in a pair of Powerblocks or Bowflex dumbbells. Both are good, although I do favor the Powerblocks. Why these dumbbells?

• Save space
• Easy to transport
• Easier to change weight during exercises

There are other bonuses, but those are the stand out ones. You’ll find what you need below, whichever your current needs are.

The Books

There are so many books to choose from out there , I need some direction! It has been said that I write good articles (Thank you for those who have praised). But I am no best selling author… yet . But there are some great books out there that I have read that will help you on your bodybuilding journey. I’ve read all of these, so take your pick Gourmet Nutrition Cookbook Before I picked this book up, I did do a lot of searching around as there are a lot of ‘bad’ books out there and this wasn’t a usual recommendation from a friend. The first thing I noticed is that the books format is like a ‘cookbook’ and a ‘manual’ and if you are a single guy/girl or not a good cook like myself… I’d say, get this book! The authors are the main reason I like this book. They go out of their way to give step-by-step guidance on how to actually process the meals outlined properly. Scrawny to Brawny- The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way Since starting this site I have talked quite a bit about going from ectomorph to a daddy mammoth. If my advice to you so far hasn’t been enough, then this is a gem you can stash away and retrieve whenever you don’t have an encouraging voice to turn to.

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I could have added this to the whole shock body exercise preparation series that you have all been bombarded with this week, seeing as taking supplements is a key part of taking your muscles to the next level. But I decided to give this supplement some special treatment, by giving it it’s own post.

Most important supplement you say eh? How is that so? Our bodies need a variety of supplements to enable us to build hulk size muscles!

Yes that is true. But just like all of the other secrets that I unveil here at stayfitbug.com, It has usually been sitting right under your nose the whole time. Yet I bet you don’t take enough of the stuff.

WATER!

What the hell… that’s info even a 5 year old kid would know Shaun. Rubbish post… I’m outta here!

….

But wait!

Check out this info before you decide to hit the X button. I can guarantee you I will correct your current ways. Because I can guarantee you that you are not drinking enough water… even if you think you are.

Water is so important, that I consider it a ‘supplement‘ more than just some human need.

Scientist Fact

According to Jonny Bowden’s book ‘The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth’ and a few other scientists out there, our body is 83 percent water. Your muscles are 75 percent water. Even your brain is 74 percent water.

Since you now know that… how the hell are you going to be trying to fill your body full of some whey protein shake. Eh?

I bet your diet looks a little something like this

• Food 40%
• Shakes and snacks 40%
• Water 20%

Or something not far off from that. I like taking protein shakes and supplements as much as you do. In fact, you need supplements if your goal is to take your body to the next level. But your current ‘ways’ are just wrong.

And now for the high school science lesson.

The Benefits Of Water

• Crucial to live and survive
• Can help improve energy
• Increase mental and physical performance
• Remove various toxins and waste from your body.

But most importantly for you, is that drinking water is necessary to digest and absorb vitamins and nutrients. That means,

No water = No digesting those ‘protein shakes‘ That you love ever so much.

And you’ll have a hard time staying true to the saying,

You are what you eat

As your body won’t be very effective in converting protein into muscle.

Have I converted you to remain on this post yet? Yea… I think so!

But I’m not going to beat you up about it too much though. Because not drinking enough water is something that we all do, myself included.

Here Is a Quick Solution.

1. Drink a large glass of water with every meal
2. Carry a large bottle of water with you and make it a daily goal to finish it by the end of the day
3. Have a glass of water after every alcoholic drink when you are out partying

The third one I have been doing for years. It seemed to prove effective every time I tried to drive back home. Oops! Did I just say that well, I was sober almost every time, so not guilty!

Sure, water is far from a sexy supplement, and doing the above might even bore you to death at times. But doing so and following through with it will allow for some drastic improvements to your body, for the way it looks AND feels. And this is definitely something you will want to do if you are preparing for shock body exercises.

See you in the comments.

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When you were young, your mummy probably taught you that you must always drink 8 glasses of water a day so that you stay fit and healthy (And to have clear coloured pee).

As you got older, that would have naturally changed and drinks such as these would have poisoned your body.

• McDonalds – Milk shakes
• Coca Cola – Fizzy drinks
• Alkopops
• Beer

If you managed to avoid all of those things, you either had pushy parents that trained you vigorously from a young age, or you have just lived in a cage all of your life and are quite simply an uncharismatic bore!

None of the above drinks are completely bad, as your body does need to be exposed to some ‘bad’ at times and there’s nothing wrong with breaking the rules.

You Enter the World of Bodybuilding

You decide that you want to build muscle and become fit and buff. Like magic, time starts to rewind itself and you start listening to mummy again and start guzzling your 8 glasses a day… again. Time passes and you find that drinking water is boring, yet you don’t want to compromise your weightlifting diet plan.

Well, now you don’t have to, as I have listed 5 tasty alternatives that will give you the same benefits of water with some extras to add.

Iced (Caffeine free) Herbal Tea

Decaf tea ‘in general’ is a great source of the fluid you need to look and feel great. Try my favorites,

• Peppermint (Morning)
• Chamomile (At night)

And you will find that they will hydrate you the same way that water does. If you get bored, just change the flavours. Simple!

Lemon Juice and Water

When life gives you a lemon… squeeze it, mix it with six ounces of distilled water and drink twice daily. Well, you don’t have to drink it twice daily, but it is a great alternative to drinking water. Lemon Juice does have some extra magic up its sleeve too.

• Prevents disease and assists in cleansing your system of impurities
• Get’s rid of indigestion, heartburn, bloating and burping.
• Helps you S**t more efficiently.

Fill a pitcher with –
Sliced cucumber, lemon slices and fresh mint. Let it steep overnight.

You can mix any variation of fresh fruits and vegetables for this and your drink will be packed with vitamins and nutrients that promote health. But this is a mix that I drink often. And as you might have guessed (knowing me)… it sure is a tasty alternative.

Chocolate milk

I covered this back Killer foods for fitness and this is still a favorite today. It is both healthy and tasty and is even better than water for hydrating your body. Chocolate milk also provides your body with the perfect balance of carbs, protein, and fat for speedy muscle recovery. But most importantly, it is a great alternative for a drink when you find yourself getting bored of drinking water.

Soup

Why soup?

The broth in soup is mostly made up of water, and since water is ‘very hydrating’ why should you not guzzle down a bowl of soup?

Although soup is a great alternative, you must make sure you drink low-sodium soup, so check the labels before hand.

Note: High-sodium soup will dehydrate you rather than hydrate you

Remember!

Although these all taste great and are cool alternatives to drinking water, the main benefit for doing this is to keep your diet plan fun and exciting. Keeping it fun and exciting is what will prevent you from cheating too much during your weightlifting workouts.

What water alternatives do you drink?

See you in the comments.

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For weeks I have been asked the question,

‘ What ingredients should I mix in my protein shakes’?

I too have asked this question to others over the years. The main concern that I had was that I didn’t want to mix and blend ingredients that could jeopardize the effectiveness of the protein supplement. After all I am into building muscle fast… I do not want to be slowing down the process.

Other than that, I did always want to make sure that the protein shake at least tasted good, as I do not believe you should be taking a disgusting tasting protein shake for the long term. That actually goes back to what I mentioned in yesterdays post. You will want to take something that you naturally enjoy in your everyday life, not just when you are in your barbarian weightlifting workout mode.

From what I have seen so far, those are some of the same concerns that you may have in regards to what you should include in your protein shake. But today I will share with you 10 great protein shake recipes that I have either stumbled upon, have been introduced to or have experimented with on my own behalf.

For all of these recipes I used Optimum Nutrition protein powder, as that is what I usually use on a regular basis. You can try others, but Gold Standard Whey is the one I know they work well with.

The Banana and Bread Shake

This one is a personal favorite. I am a fan of bananas and probably eat too many for my own good. I am also a fan of Quaker Oats porridge (and mixed with bread) which I mentioned killer foods for fitness. So it was inevitable that I would stumble upon this mix.

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops of Gold Standard Whey Protein (Banana Flavour)
• 1 Banana
• 1/2 Cup Quaker Oatmeal (cook with boiling water)
• 3/4 Cup Kellogg’s Bran Flakes
• 1 Bottle of Water
• Sugar, Brown Sugar or Artificial Sweetener to taste

Mix, blend and enjoy!

Raspberry Shake ‘Berry good’

Yesterday I spoke about buying yogurt and freezing it. This is when I got experimenting and came up with this mix.

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops of Raspberry yogurt and protein
• 4 strawberries
• 15 blueberries
• 16 ounces of non-fat milk
• 2 cups of ice cubes

Now, when I shared this with a few gym buddies they gave me the seal of approval for creative excellence. So I must have done something right… remember when I talked about the importance of having a great tasting protein shake? Well this is complimentary to that statement. In fact I would recommend to have some gym buddies get together and then serve a few of these up with umbrellas on top.

Chocolate Coffee Shake

This one is for all of you coffee and chocolate milk lovers reading this. I am a fan of food in general so I will naturally say that this tastes good.  However, I am not a fan of coffee, so it is not a favorite of mine… but it might be for you.

Ingredients:

• Mix 2 scoops of Chocolate Mint Protein
• 1 cup of skim milk
• 5 ice cubes
• 1 cup of water
• 1 spoonful of instant coffee!

Gourmet anyone?

Peanut Brittle Protein Shake

This is a ‘now’ favorite which I discovered by accident while playing around with the Vanilla flavored protein. This mimics peanut brittle only in taste. It won’t send your blood sugar soaring and it’s a fun way to get in some healthy unsaturated fat.

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops vanilla protein
• 1 tablespoon of sugar-free instant butterscotch pudding mix (Dry)
• 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter (Chunky)
• 8 oz cold water or low-fat milk.
• 3-6 ice cubes

Directions:

Just stick them all into a blender. I like to add the peanut butter in last so that it stays thick and chunky, just like the peanut brittle it is replacing.

A ‘Good morning’ Shake

This is a protein smoothie that I have had for breakfast in the past. This one was introduced to me and now with the power of referrals; I am now introducing it to you. This shake gives you a good start to the day and is high in protein, has good fats and carbs.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of pure water
• 1 big scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
• 3/4 cup of natural yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1 teaspoon of flax-seed oil
• 2 teaspoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of spirulena

Pineapple Power

This tropical fruit is known to speed up muscle recovery and help breakdown and digest protein. But other than that… it’s lovely pineapple. Get tropical with this one.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of pineapple juice
• 3 strawberries
• 1 banana
• 1 teaspoon of yogurt
• 1 scoop of your choice of protein (Mixes well with a few)

A Stay-fit Bug Favourite*

I won’t say much about this one. Just try it!

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops of chocolate protein
• 10 Ice Cubes
• 12 oz. fat free milk
• 2 tablespoons of fat free vanilla yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of reduced fat peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons of hazelnut coffee
• 1/8 cup of caramel ice cream topping

You can add more or less caramel topping, depending on how sweet you want your shake.

Strawberry Nut Shake

For the strawberry lovers.

Ingredients:

• Mix 2 Scoops of Vanilla protein
• 1 cup of fat-free strawberry yogurt
• 6 shredded macadamia nuts.

Tropical Island Shake

Take this one to the beach.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. pure water
• 1/2 tablespoon of pineapple extract
• 1/2 tablespoon of coconut extract
• 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 big scoop (1 oz) of Eggnog Protein
• Stevia or Agave to taste (optional)
• 2-3 ice cubes (optional)

The Almond Shake

Last but not least… the almonds. When go shopping and want munchies, almond rounds are always on the list, and again, I probably eat too many of those too. My obsession with them led me to experimenting with this protein shake mix.

Ingredients:

• Mix 2 Scoops of Vanilla protein
• 10-12 oz of skimmed milk
• 1.2 cup of dry oatmeal
• 1.2 cup of raisins
• 12 shredded almonds
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.

I’ve tried and tasted many protein shake recipes, but these are a handful (well… 2 handfuls) of recipes that I tasted but simply did not forget. Give these a try and I’m sure you will find a favorite.

Just in case you are new to all of this, here is a shaker for you.

Bodybuilding.com Shaker Bottle, 25 Oz.

What protein recipes have you tried?

See you in the comments.

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It’s been a ride so far here at stayfitbug.com and I have covered many topics, many of which have been suggested by readers like yourselves and those in other online communities. One of the biggest topics has been ‘how to build muscle mass with a high metabolism’. I have covered this topic through out various posts in the last few weeks, but the information is scattered across the site, so I intend to make this a bible post for all of you skinny men out there. I will help you get that muscle and I will make it my duty that you achieve from the information you pick up from stayfitbug.com!

You are what you eat

This we all know, but when you suffer, or should I say, when you are ‘blessed’ with a high metabolism, you just have to eat more. And these are the foods you will want to include in your diet.

• Spinach – This is muscle fuel and will help repair muscles after working out (but you have to eat loads of it)
• Pineapple and papaya – Will help speed up muscle recovery and will help breakdown and digest protein.
• Salmon – Or any other type of fish will help you (Especially for cardio training).
• Pasta and meat sauce – Is good for building and repairing muscle.
• Pork tenderloin – Will help reduce fat around your waist.
• Cold water – Will help with endurance.
• Chocolate milk – Helps with hydration. Chocolate milk gives the perfect balance of carbs, protein, and fat for a speedy muscle recovery.
• Coffee – Good for pain relief after workouts.
• Green tea – Good for muscle recovery.

Other great additions

• Peanuts
• Turkey
• Porridge
• Brown bread
• Brown rice
• Black beans
• Potatoes
• Eggs

If you are lost for what meals to include, have a read of killer foods for fitness (one and two).  That is still in it’s early stages and you will see more of killer foods for fitness, but in the mean time see my verdict on this book ‘Gourmet Nutrition’.

The high metabolism meal plan

In one of my very early posts I described how to eat in the early days of building muscle for mass, and this is how you should structure your daily meals.

• Meal 1. A GOOD breakfast like porridge with bread mixed in.
• Meal 2. Drink a gainer meal
• Meal 3. Lunch with a lot of carbs 2/3 and 1/3 proteins
• Meal 4. Drink a Gainer meal
• Meal 5. Dinner with 1/3 protein and 2/3 carbs
• Meal 6. Drink a gainer meal
• Meal 7. Eat a dish with 2/3 proteins and 1/3 carbs

Realistically this can be hard to keep up, as I have tried doing this on a number of occasions to fit around my daily schedule. But if you keep it to at least 5 meals on the busy days and 7 meals on your free days, you will put on weight for sure. If you really do struggle, like most people do nowadays, then you can always take a supplement and add that to your diet. Whey protein is my personal favourite as of now, but take a look at my personal view on how to use these supplements.

Note: Also make sure you have a healthy bank account; all this food can be costly, depending on how and where you eat. Again give the Gourmet nutrition book a read for some tips.

Resistance Training

How much and how often?

I have frequently talked about the importance of setting goals when training for results, and you will have to do this here too. But because we are talking about training to build muscle on a high metabolism/ ectomorph body type, the goal (no matter who you are) will be mostly the same.

1) Resistance training 3-4 times a week (1 hour a day)

2) One cardio training session a week. Depending on how skinny you are it could be a case of doing no cardio training at all in the early stages.

To see how to set your own personal goal, see my guest post on Dieselcrew.com

Lift Weights at Moderate Speed

Now, there has always been this myth that,

Lifting weights slowly = Bigger muscles

You can agree to disagree with me here, but I no longer believe this to be the case. For years I use to perform slow movement weightlifting and I would usually always achieve slow results… compared with now. With 2 years of power lifting and ‘explosive movements’ I would see results every 3-6 weeks!

The reason why lifting slow is bad is because,

1) It puts stress on the muscle from taking to long.

2) Allows pressure to build up in the joints… from taking to long.

3) Oxygen and energy run out before the muscle is even worked.

In general, changes will occur in your muscles when the muscles contract ‘intensely’. And this is why your weight lifting should not focus on slow movement. Yes… it may possibly give you an increase in strength, but you may lose muscle mass and you will only then be a strong, but still… skinny man!

The Ultimate Solution

There will be arguments on which is better,

Lift fast, or lift slowly? Why and for which type of goals?

But the key thing to remember is that weight training whether fast or slow is better than no weight training at all. But for you high metabolism types, the best thing to do is,

1) Start with lightweights – This will allow you to understand how to lift the weights properly regardless of the exercise.

2) Do the exercise properly – Once you have mastered how to do it, focus on control and execution.

3) Lift at moderate speed – Explosive yes! But not fast and not slow.

4) Increase the weight – Do the above 3, but always aim to increase the weight.

Structuring your weight lifting techniques like this will allow for the blood in your body to flow properly when lifting, and will give you the ‘pump’ that your muscles need. Do this and your muscles will grow!

You and the previous You!

See you in the comments.

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Through out this site have often stated my dislike for supplements and steroids as i believe you can achieve great results with what nature has to offer. But that same former body builder i told you about in this post (Forearms) is the one who introduced this to me.

At first i was very hesitant to even try it, but i have always lived by the rule ‘try anything once’, so i gave it a shot. I already knew what creatine does to the body, but i can say that trying this for a short while was great. I didn’t suffer any side effects that everyone usually goes on about and i think as long as you currently eat healthy and train regularly you’ll be just fine. There is no one great life changing product out there, not even this does that, but you will notice an increase in strength and muscle mass when you use it.

I guess this is good for all of those readers here that are like me and usually do not touch this stuff. If that is you, I’d try it once at least. And for any body building types reading this then you already know what to do. Have fun with it but be moderate,.

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