Best products from r/bodybuilding

I see a lot of posts lately about bluetooth earbuds/headphones,

I've been using some Soundcore Anker Liberty Air Wireless Buds.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07GWVPYHN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have to say these are the best $100CAD I have ever spent. They are head to head with apple earbuds, but IMO better, because unlike apples down syndrome earbud shape, these come with normal fucking rubber earbud tips, and they have much better noise cancellation cause they fit.

Pros:

Never fall out, ever, Super comfortable,

noise cancellation

More than half the price of airpods

Black color, black matte rubber case

Auto Connect the second you put them in earSound great, I was surprised cause i've had every WIRE earbud you can think of, and these beat them all. very punchy bass, Volume does not have to be cranked cause of noise cancelling fit

Battery life is amazing. I literally wear them for 2 hours or more a workout, pop them back in the case (which gives 30 hour charges) and never charge them. I charge the actual case maybe 2/month, and it takes like 20 mins to full charge.

Cons:

Voice control is garbage,chatting on a phone call with them, garbage, for me IDGAF

Using the buds to control skip/pause/play etc, is a nightmare, but i use spotify on my phone and control normal route and don't mind.

The buds themselves are a gloss black, woulda been doper to have it that matte rubber, same as case.

Other then that, no complaints, I mean even the packaging felt like i just picked up a high end product. I recommended to my friend who skateboards in them, and hes in awe of how good they work.

If these broke tommorow, I would instantly buy another pair.

Hope this helps guys, I know I'm super fussy about headphones, I don't wear fucking beats and RYDER shoes. I hate stupid clip on Sporty boy shit, and I can't shell out $250 for airpods.

I posted this in another thread but figured it might be helpful to you as well:

If you haven't already go read Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Matthews. Located help

Took me about four hours to read the whole book and it changed the way I work out, eat and look at gains. The best part of the book is the first few chapters when he defines all the terms of bodybuilding. You would be surprised how little you actually know.

I am in week two now of his program and it is brutal but fun. Everyone I talk to thinks I am insane (ONLY three exercises most days?! Only four sets of six reps?) but the science of overloading is proven and it has definitely helped me mentally and physically with soreness/gain ratio.
Also, are you keeping a good log of what you are doing and eating? I thought I was eating a lot of calories and protein but after logging for two weeks, I found that I was coming up short in both areas. Only 3200 calories on average and just barely at my protein intake. Low GI carbs had to be increased and a lot of foods I thought were Low GI carbs were actually high GI carbs.

Make sure you stick to your log and log everything you eat. Use calorieking.com to figure out the values of all your foods. Do not forget to include dressings/cheese/bread when computing. I think you will be amazed at how different the actual amounts are than what you thought!

Hope this helps.

Arnold's The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding is of course ghostwritten mass-market content, worth having for the photos and the name on the spine on your shelf, but that's about it.

For the science/biology, the definitive reference right now is Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld, one of the leading researchers in the field.

For how to plan your training and why, the best thing I've read so far is Scientific Principles of Strength Training by Mike Israetel, and his other book The Renaissance Diet is also a great guide to applied sports nutrition if you don't want to slog through a textbook. These are not bodybuilding-specific, but very valuable for the thinking lifter in understanding and prioritizing the many factors that go into designing and executing a training/diet plan.

Greg Nuckols and Omar Isuf's The Art and Science of Lifting pair of books are also okay, though I found "Art" too watered down, "Science" too bland, and both too disorganized to recommend.

FIRST: You will never do everything perfectly. Luckily, that's not necessary in order to improve.

The trouble is, that there are a lot of great resources full of a lot of bad information. There's too much information swirling around and everyone is an expert. The only thing that worked for me was to read everything and believe nothing. If you read six or seven articles, you will get six or seven different theories. Most of these magazines/web sites need new information every day/week/month, and the truth is, there isn't that much new information. The only way to be sure of something, is to see what EVERYONE is saying. Nobody who has a "secret" has your best interests at heart.

That being said, if you have some free time, I have heard good things about the Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding.

I've had good success with Guillotine Presses on the Smith Machine as an accessory lift, after my regular benching. Larry Scott gives a great explanation of how and why to use this lift, including optimal hand positioning in his book, Loaded Guns.

Also, try Dumbbell Around the Worlds. This unique exercise combines both a DB Fly and Pullover movement into one exercise. Again, best used at the end of a chest workout. This was a favorite of Bill Pearl and is one of the 1800 exercises described in his book, Keys to the Inner Universe.


Craig

Author of Bodybuilding: From Heavy Duty to SuperSlow

It's not necessarily up to date, but if you want a really great counter-point to Arnolds programs I highly suggest picking up Mike Mentzer's High Intensity Training.

It's always good to research two completely different schools of thought that resulted in equally impressive physiques.

Basically. They have to be thawed but typically what I do is every other weekend or so, I get the 10lb bag of frozen breasts from BJs along with whatever other stuff I need (like their 4 packs of pints of egg whites), leave it in the sink overnight to thaw out, then the next morning, stick the whole bag in the cooker together because my mom is awesome and gave me her giant crock pot. Oh snap, forgot to mention, for even further laziness, these things are awesome, just put them inside like you were lining a trash bin, put the food on top of/inside the bag and then when everything is done you probably won't have much clean up (sometimes they break/liquids leech into the crockpot anyways, ymmv.)

Strength Training Anatomy - 3rd Edition

Amazon - $ 13.37

This book is awesome. I keep it in my gym bag to reference it before I do a workout if I need to. It's broken down by body section and shows different exercises for each body part. The cool thing about it is that it's drawn like an anatomy text book and it shows which muscles you should be feeling during each exercise. It also has injury prevention tips and some good stretches. I REALLY like this book. I mean check this shit out! 2 of the pages on deadlifts


PROS:
Amazing illustrations, exercise instructions, injury prevention, etc.


CONS:
Some exercises I wish were explained a little better.

If you have access to a punching bag, this is my go-to. Some friends who do kickboxing got me turned on to them a few years ago. Bas Rutten just calls out punch combos for 2/3 minute rounds with 1 minute rests. Not exactly HIIT, obviously those intervals are longer, but it's an awesome cardio workout and feels great after arm day.

Kinivo BTH240 I just got these! Fit over the ear and behind the neck nice and great battery life. Super cheap too! If you are fussy about sound quality they probably aren't the best though.

This. I've been doing this for about 6 months now. Not only is it cheaper, but you know exactly what's going into your body. I highly recommend the 200mg of caffeine, and sticking towards the top end of his BA/CM dosages.


If you're into that "focus"/"mind muscle connection" aspect of many preworkouts, you can toss in 1-2g of ALCAR as well.


Creatine can be taken any time during the day and the impact is unchanged, but you can just make it more convenient for yourself by pre-mixing little baggies with all of your supps.


Also it's important to note this is WAY CHEAPER!


Beta Alanine, 125 Servings for $24

Citrulline Malate, 25 Servings for $16

Creatine, 200 Servings for $19

ALCAR, ~500 Servings for $18

*Caffeine, 100 Servings for $5

I use the Kinivo BTH 240's

In all honesty they are the best $25 ive spent. Comfortable, bluetooth, and sound quality isnt bad. Good for cardio and any exercise.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: http://smile.amazon.com/The-New-Encyclopedia-Modern-Bodybuilding/dp/0684857219


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
|France|www.amazon.fr||
|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||
|Italy|www.amazon.it||
|India|www.amazon.in||
|China|www.amazon.cn||




To help add charity links, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

Strong,
thick,
and cheap and most importantly, way stronger than velcro which will pop off if you're pushing against it too hard at heavy weight and then you ded. No need for an Inzer or anything super fancy at this point.
I've had mine for about a year now and it's fantastic.

https://www.amazon.com/SoundPEATS-Bluetooth-Headphones-Earphones-Sweatproof/dp/B00LP6CFEC

Theses are great wireless gym headphones. Probably the best investment in gym equipment that I ever made! And only 20$

I'll give you two answers;

Bose Noise Canceling Wireless bluetooth over the ear headphones. Expensive yes. But you get what you pay for and the sound quality is extraordinary. Bose is a household name with above average hardware. (I own these personally)

https://www.amazon.com/Bose-QuietComfort-Wireless-Headphones-Cancelling/dp/B0756CYWWD


Second ones I like are the power beats. Not the over the ear type but they're nice and lightweight with pretty good audio. Light enough to not notice them, loud enough to drown any sound out if you're cranking that r/bodybuilding Spotify playlist.

https://www.amazon.com/Powerbeats3-Wireless-In-Ear-Headphones-Black/dp/B01LZH8QHJ/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1520216277&sr=1-4&keywords=dre+beats+wireless+headphones

Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier is a fantastic reference. It's $14 on Amazon. The illustrations are very good but can be a bit graphic lol.

https://www.amazon.com/New-Encyclopedia-Modern-Bodybuilding-Updated/dp/0684857219/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1574046116&sr=8-1

you can find used copies on there for like $5. a truly worthy investment. I've read it probably 15 times. It's an incredible book. Nutrition is outdated, though. So be careful with the meal plans in it. Arnold is outspoken against his nutritional information in the book.

Baby wipes, srs.

Also, this is really a great gift, got it for Christmas myself a couple of years ago:

https://www.amazon.com/New-Encyclopedia-Modern-Bodybuilding-Updated/dp/0684857219

I always loved this book. Along with the second volume.

Strength Training Anatomy, 3rd Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0736092269/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_joI7ybS2GC7TG

I don't own this and haven't ever read it, but others have recommended it and it's got good ratings on Amazon. I plan to get it at some point.

Strength Training Anatomy

https://www.amazon.com/Legion-Pulse-Pre-Workout-Supplement/dp/B00QYZ6MLG

This is the best you are going to find thats premade, its pricy but really does give you "clinically effective dosages" of each ingredient and theres no bullshit in its ingredients list.

If you want to actually have the cheapest and best preworkout, research different preworkout compounds and order them in bulk yourself from amazon and bulk supplements. I do the second option and it saves me a ton of money.

Check out pulse. It's got great reviews and I really like it. The guy seems to listen to feedback too.

http://www.amazon.com/Ader-Fitness-Olympic-Fractional-Plates/dp/B008RP3KY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427548557&sr=8-1&keywords=fractional+plates

I've been thinking about getting these to do smaller jumps than 5lbs. So it is possible, but yeah - they were likely talking out their rear. haha.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWRK8G1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Slightly higher right now, but its def solid. The timer on it/tracker thing crapped out after a month but I've ridden this thing at a BW anywhere from 200-260lbs over the last 1.5-2 years and its still going strong.

https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Training-Anatomy-Frederic-Delavier/dp/0736092269

For anyone interested in source or more drawings. Excellent book.

Oh wow, here are my results. That's a lot more than I expected. I thought it would be closer to 3000 kcal.

I'll see how it goes. I just bought the bible a few days ago, so when it ships to my house I'll hopefully be able to dive deeper into the research.

Edit: my bf is probably closer to 15%.

If you want a massive book about bodybuilding, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzeneggar is pretty good.

My vote
1)It's huge and makes an awesome coffee table book
2)It's packed with info (see #1)
3)You will always read its text in Arnold's voice.

No prob. I keep these in my gym bag at all times, and pull out whenever necessary.

Good luck! Make sure to report back in when you hit swole mode.

What's the difference between [these] (https://www.amazon.ca/Lifting-Wrist-Straps-Rip-Toned/dp/B00COY99U2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1496168491&sr=8-5&keywords=versa+grips) and [these] (https://www.amazon.ca/Ez-Gripz-Fit-Advanced-Flexible-Self-Support/dp/B018LPM8O6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1496168491&sr=8-3&keywords=versa+grips)? Does one feel better than the other? I've been using myprotein wrist wraps for a while and I don't really like them ; looking for something better.

Also, I have these and they work great and are holding up well too.

I use these.

Never had an issue with them, they're built well, don't feel cheap and they sound great.

I ordered a lifting straps
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00COY99U2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

to support my hands, and looking for lifting belt, what are the good products to buy?

My personal favorite, it also makes good toilet reading material.

This book has an awesome section for forearms. Forearms are just as important as biceps imo.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Encyclopedia-Modern-Bodybuilding-Updated/dp/0684857219/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325034957&sr=1-1

I use Bose QC35II's. Aside from the ear sweat, which isn't that bad considering I just take them off occasionally and wipe them on my hoodie, they're great

Belt

Straps

Reebok Lite TR (flat sole powerlifting shoe)

Chucks

Adidas Powerlift 3 Oly/squat shoes, 0.6" heel

You can get the 2's and the originals for cheaper if you look around on the internet a little bit more.

Adidas "Adipower" Oly shoes, 0.75" heel

I've heard most people get these for closer to 80-90 dollars, but I don't know where. Wei Rui is also a good brand for heeled Oly/squat shoes and come it a fair bit cheaper, but are not available on Amazon.

As for wraps and sleeves, I've no experience with them so I can't help much.

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding by the very best

Go pick up Strength Training Anatomy ( http://www.amazon.ca/Strength-Training-Anatomy-3rd-Frederic-Delavier/dp/0736092269 )

Worth looking at!

Dorian was a big advocate of Mike Mentzers high intensity training style 'Heavy Duty' and he wrote books and training plans around it.

Exert from one of his books:

According to Mentzer, biologists and physiologists since the nineteenth century have known that hypertrophy is directly related to intensity, not duration, of effort (Mentzer 2003;39). Most bodybuilding and weightlifting authorities do not take into account the severe nature of the stress imposed by heavy, strenuous resistance exercise carried to the point of positive muscular failure.

Mike based his style off the HIT training he was introduced to from creator Arthur Jones who had a very different take on training back when the typical "bro-split" would dare beat questioned. For most exercises only 1 set but that set taken to complete and utter failure. 3 workouts a week. The biggest emphasis was on rest. See the original plan below:

http://www.arthurjonesexercise.com/MuscularDevelopement/Idealworkout.PDF

Mike took those core foundations and reworked them to form Heavy Duty training and introduced Dorian to it around 1990/91. Mikes approach was similar in 3 training days, big emphasis on test but he lowered the rep ranges so the total weight could be increased. His reasoning for this was more stress and thus activation of the muscle fibres to stimulate growth.

This style of training can clearly work Mike and Dorian are proof but you need to bring a level of intensity to the gym that majority of your everyday gym rat doesn't have.

I've read both of Mike's books and highly recommend to anyone who hasn't ive put links below.

https://www.amazon.com/High-Intensity-Training-Mike-Mentzer-Way/dp/0071383301

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071452931/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2DQWMSV5K4C78Q40YY4A&dpPl=1&dpID=51B6x0cKhzL

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

Secret Life of Fat

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

I've been happy with mine. Bought it a little over a year ago, and I don't have any complaints.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004164SRA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D1YQBOK/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011865IQ/

That's the last stuff I bought, works great for me

Amazon's top seller food scale is $12 i think

Ozeri Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale, Elegant Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004164SRA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_P8Ybzb9JWQ6D1

Here you go, same one I use.

I got a pair of olympic plate loadable dumbbells and some tiny olympic fractional plates but its only worth it if you do a lot of dumbbell stuff like I do.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWRK8G1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Relatively cheap and I've used this model before so I pulled the trigger. Should fit just fine in my studio apt too so easy way to get the blood pumping without having to get to the gym in the morning.

Cheap and effective

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004164SRA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495222165&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ozeri+food+scale&dpPl=1&dpID=51E1WT7IpdL&ref=plSrch

Just get Bigger, Leaner, Stronger. It's become the #1 best selling bodybuilding book because it covers everything you need to get started: diet, training, supplements. No BS.

Is this version better or is the updated version better?

Highly recommend this food scale

https://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-ZK14-S-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen/dp/B004164SRA/ref=asc_df_B004164SRA/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167142021489&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17983742337290251135&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023907&hvtargid=pla-113282083020&psc=1

Thanks for the link.

I bought the book on Amazon for $12 (shipped) earlier this year, but it's at $14 now. Price Fluctuation

Having a PDF of it, I can look at it on mobile without having to carry the book around.

Depends, do you think 1$ per serving is worth the extra stimulants? 8 cents per serving seems a lot more reasonable for just caffeine pills

I don't go home for a pre-workout either. I just dump a scoop of whey, 2 scoops of PWO, and some Lo-Salt in a shaker bottle and head off to work, and fill it with water from the cooler at the end of the day.

Even easier, just get some caffeine pills. Much cheaper.

Any kind of nylon strap will be just fine. I've been using these for a few months.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00COY99U2/

Only cost £20 on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0684857219/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item

Here's a link to the book if you want the rest of the muscles explained

It's no Inzer, but I picked up this belt from Amazon early this year when I wanted to upgrade from my shitty Valeo belt and it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/New-Encyclopedia-Modern-Bodybuilding-Updated/dp/0684857219/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501665333&sr=8-1&keywords=arnolds+encyclopedia+of+modern+bodybuilding

https://www.amazon.com/New-Encyclopedia-Modern-Bodybuilding-Updated/dp/0684857219

> Arnold's bodybuilding encyclopedia

this one you mean? link

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Encyclopedia-Modern-Bodybuilding/dp/0684857219

New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. Amazon link.

get this

Check this out OP

Buy this, follow it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011865IQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is my preworkout.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011865IQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use this one. It's fine.

This one? I use the same one, it gets the job done. https://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen-Elegant/dp/B004164SRA/ref=lp_289787_1_6?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1480953070&sr=1-6

https://www.amazon.com/SoundPEATS-Bluetooth-Headphones-Earphones-Sweatproof/dp/B00LP6CFEC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1497907075&sr=8-3&keywords=soundpeats

I have Strength Training Anatomy, which is pretty close

Edit: I also have becoming a supple leopard, which sounds retarded and is kind of a 'how to move correctly' manual. The combination of those two might be what you want.

In the past I would train: Sunday - Back, Monday - Chest, Tues - Legs, Wed - biceps, THurs - Shoulders/Triceps
And I would do 4 or 5 excercises of 3-4 sets for each.
It was just lots of reps/sets, lots of bullshit with no direction.

Then, I studied Dorian Yate's, and gave his "Blood N Guts" routine a try:
http://zajachealthandfitnessblog.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/7/

Then, I read this bood by Mike Mentzer:
http://www.amazon.com/High-Intensity-Training-Mike-Mentzer-Way/dp/0071383301

I downloaded it on google play.
I highly recommend reading it so you apply the workouts correctly

My current routine:

• I am listing the working sets - you can give yourself 1-2 light/easy warmup sets to get yourself mentally ready for the (1) working set
  
  Workout A
  Squats (Normal pace)
  1 set 12-20 reps
  
  Dips 1 set 6-10 reps
  (SLOW pace - 4 seconds up, 1-2 second pause at top, 4 seconds down)
  
  Underhand Lat Pulldowns 1 set 6-10reps (SLOW pace - 4,1-2,4)
  
  Workout B
  Deadlift 1x 12-16 reps (Normal Pace)
  
  Shoulder Press 1 set 6-10 reps (SLOW pace - 4,1-2,4)
  
  Standing Calf Raise 1 set 12-20 reps (SLOW pace - 4,1-2,4)
  
  I rotate between workout A and workout B every 5-7 days.
  Although there is only 1 working set per exercise - they are done very slow & controlled - very intense.
  AND they are done till complete failure - till you absolutely cannot move the weight anymore.
  Only allow a few minutes rest in between exercises, so that whole thing takes around 20 minutes or so.
  It doesnt matter how tired you are from the previous set - do not save your energy - the key is to shock your central nervous system with as few sets as possible in order to trigger the maximum growth response.

There you go, read that cover to cover and see how little Arnold knew and learnt about nutrition. Clen... no, just much longer cuts for comp with heavy anabolics to prevent muscle loss, although there was less of a calling in those days for super lean, dry, physiques as the 'doughy' era (talking about Reg Parks etc.) had not long ended.

Thinking I can finally start calling myself an intermediate lifter. Going to soon end my current bro split (shoutout to Mike Matthews and his Bigger/Leaner/Stronger Program for helping me get started) and move into a PPLx2 routine that’s based on a GZCL type rep scheme. Sundays are my rest day, but if you’re lifting today I hope you kill it.