AtoZ Bodybuilding & Nutrition Blog Feat. Stickman

New Ice Cream Protein Shake Recipe Added

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 10:58:00 +0000

A recent visitor to Protein Bodybuilding.com suggested a new homemade protein drink recipe made from supplement powder combined with ice cream and fresh fruit. Tony's recipe is a mixture of banana, peach and strawberries with ice cream which makes a very tasty shake - I tried it and will be adding it to my personal list of favorites.

In my opinion, the shake recipes that use fresh fruit are my favorite because, as the author noted, you get more fresh fruit in your diet without having to stress so much about making yourself eat it at some other time during the day. You are also getting all the vitamins and energy fresh fruit provides.

Living in a tropical country as I do makes me feel luck as I can get great fruit cheap which makes for some pretty exotic protein shakes. Some of the more tropical fruits here like pineapple, mango and so on are SO sweet and SO juicy that the drinks I'm able to make are fantastic - sorry if I'm bragging a little too much.

So, give Tony's Banana, Peach and Strawberry Ice Cream Protein Drink a try today! Follow his example and get creative with your bodybuilding recipes and if you come up with something special, please, please share it with us and the rest of the bodybuilding world by submitting it to our site!

You Drink Protein Shakes to Gain Lean Muscle or Mass According to our Poll!

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 07:47:00 +0000

First of all, thanks to everyone who took part in one of our recent polls 'What Do You Want Most From Your Bodybuilding Shake?'. At the time of this post, we had received over 260 votes and I think the results very clearly demonstrated that most people (in fact more than 80% of you according to the poll) purchase protein supplements and take protein shakes/drinks to either Gain Lean Muscle or Gain Mass / Bulk.

Results of this Bodybuilding Poll

The precise results we gained from this simple poll showed us that of the 267 votes gathered at the time of writing this post, your main reason for taking protein supplements was as follows:

Gain Lean Muscle - 41.9%
Gain Mass / Bulk - 40.4%
Lose Weight - 15.4%
Increase Energy - 2.2%

Clearly you can see that most visitors to the ProteinBodybuilding.com site (probably more than 80% of you) are interested in getting bigger! I'd say that the results of our poll show that almost the same number of people consume protein drinks to gain lean muscle as people consume protein drinks to bulk up or increase mass. Depending on what you put in your shake, you can of course tailor it to be a 'lean-muscle-gainer' or a 'mass-gainer'.

We also see a significant number of you (just over 15%) taking a leaf out of the bodybuilder's diet book because you understand how high protein shakes can be an integral part of the high protein diet many people pursue to help them lose weight.

Only a very small portion of you are looking to create shakes that increase energy but then that is expected because the energy a protein shake provides you is not really going to be dependant on the amount of protein but rather other ingredients added.

Remember this is predominantly a bodybuilding website and so results in this poll are naturally going to be heavily slanted towards a bodybuilder's stand point.

If you want to participate in this poll, please place your vote for this and the other polls here. Don't forget to check the results after you have voted.

Bodybuilding Breakfast; Vital Meal

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 06:54:00 +0000

We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This makes perfect sense because you have been sleeping for the past 8 to 9 hours (hopefully if you are lucky to get that amount of rest) and your body needs to be fed adequately to make up for the time you spent asleep.

Why I Need My Bodybuilding Breakfast

Personally, I used to suffer from headaches and suspected my diet had something to do with the problem. I did some research and discovered that headaches are often triggered in some people if they aren't eating regularly enough during the day. Sometimes I wake up with a headache and so I get some breakfast down me as soon as I can and my headache soon clears. I found a statement on the Tylenol headache medication website that suggests your meals should be less than '5 waking hours' apart and 13 'nighttime hours apart'. This would mean that the 8-9 hours sleep added to the time between my evening meal and falling asleep may be a large enough gap to trigger my headache. So, make sure you are getting your bodybuilding breakfast soon after waking up!

What Makes a Good Bodybuilding Breakfast?

I'm not a nutritionist but as I understand it, you need your breakfast needs to quickly 'refuel' you for the day ahead. Of course, a bodybuilder is going to need more fuel than the average person. Fuel is going to come in the form of carbohydrates. On top of this you will need to get a decent amount of protein to make up for the protein that your body did not get during the night. I think one of the perfect breakfast foods is oatmeal because it naturally contains carbohydrates and protein. Then all you need to do is add the supplementation and maybe some fresh fruit. You could make this into a shake or eat it as you would normally eat oatmeal (in a bowl?). The great thing about this idea is the simplicity and speed with which you can make it - perfect if you are rushing out the door to work. Here are two examples of bodybuilding breakfast recipes (note the second that I found on the About site that was recommended by a professional ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer):

Protein & Wheat Bodybuilder Breakfast
Anabolic Oatmeal Recipe (from the About: Bodybuilding website)

Of course, if you have more time in your mornings, you can make all sorts of bodybuilding recipe delights like pancakes, eggs, grilled bacon. etc, etc.

Please let me know what you think makes a good bodybuilding breakfast!

Cheap Protein Bars - Are they worth it?

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 06:17:00 +0000

First of All, What are Cheap Protein Bars?

Okay, this post is not about good discounted prices on reputable brands of protein bars available on the internet or your local sports supplements store. What I'm talking about are those cheap protein bars you sometimes find at wholesale supermarkets and the like (I'm not going to refer to any particular name or brand).

Nutritional Benefits of 'Cheap Protein Bars'

It stands to reason that the cheaper bars may be cheaper for a reason. If the manufacturer is cutting corners, you may be getting a bar that does have high protein in but also gives you too much of other factors you are avoiding - high calories might be one of these factors you are concerned with.

If you get into the science, and I do not claim to be someone who understands all of that, you find documentation about how the reputable supplement companies manufacture their protein to maximize muscle-building or weight loss benefits. Note, this documentation is provided by the manufacturers themselves so you should take that information as you see fit.

The Taste

I've tried a couple of cheaper protein bars and was not impressed with their flavors. Also, I found the ones I tried a little hard to get down my throat. Apart from the fact that their taste wasn't good enough, half way through eating them, I felt I was having to force them down because they were so 'heavy'.

My Opinion

If you get the chance, try a few different samples (you can buy a selection of single bars) and also do some background reading on the internet and then you will be able to find a bar that suits your nutritional needs and taste buds. Then stick with it until you find something better.

Why Not Make Your Own Cheap Protein Bars?

Of course, if you are on a strict budget, you might consider making your own bars. Using protein powders you already buy you can mix them with other ingredients (oats, honey, dried fruit, nuts, etc) to make your own very tasty bars. If you are interested in this, check out some protein bar recipes.

High Protein Diets: Using Supplements in Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:49:00 +0000

If you have read any of the Protein Bodybuilding blog (and indeed the rest of the site) you will already know that the focus so far has been on using protein supplements in your homemade recipes to help you meet your own high protein diet requirements.

Do I Need To Use Supplements?

This is a very popular question and at the end of the day it depends on your goals and your current diet. The average person eating a balanced diet probably does not need any supplementation because they are most likely getting the basic nutrition their body requires.

However, if you are reading this, you are likely to be someone who is on or considering a high protein diet. Most likely you are not going to be meeting the protein amounts you are looking for. Whether you are on a bodybuilding, fitness, weight loss, etc program, protein supplements can help you. It should be clear that protein supplements must not replace you current protein intake (that comes from everyday foods like meat, fish, dairy, etc, etc) but rather supplement your existing protein sources.

Bodybuilders know that protein is a fundamental building block of new muscle and so it is extremely important to make sure, as a bodybuilder, that you are supplying enough protein in your diet. Supplements make life a lot easier for maintaining this required high protein diet. This is why protein shakes are so popular - protein shakes are very convenient sources.

If you are on a weight loss diet, again, you are going to be pursuing a higher protein intake and supplement powders are going to make life easier for you.

Can I Use Protein Supplements in Recipes?

Sure, why the heck not? Anyone who has used powder supplements to create health shakes will know that flavor can be very disappointing. This is why you need to try different ways of using protein supplements in your diets. Get them in your recipes for drinks, snacks, bars, desserts and anything else you can think of.

One warning though, when you heat protein powder too much, I think the necessary properties are 'killed'. Please post a comment below if you know more about this.

How to Gain Weight/Muscle Mass/Bulk Quickly

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:51:00 +0000

How Can I Gain Muscle Mass Quickly?

Okay, now this is a popular question you will see being asked all over the place. Like everything else in successful bodybuilding, it comes down to eating a good diet that will complement your workout routines. Gaining weight, or rather, muscle mass quickly is not easy and you should not try not to go overboard to pursue this. Always be sensible. I recommend working on a bodybuilding diet that gives you both enough protein and enough carbohydrates. You might also consider modifying your exercise routine to focus more on heavier compound movement weight lifting and less on isolation exercises.

A Diet for Gaining Muscle Mass

You need to make sure your body is getting more carbohydrates and also protein to help you both fuel and build your muscle tissues. Look through the homemade protein shake recipes on our site paying attention to those recipes that use ingredients that will give you the extra healthy carbohydrates (avoid too much processed foods). Of course there are plenty of supplement products out there you can purchase to help you but these should be used to complement a healthier mass-building diet and not replace it.

Weight Lifting Routines for Bigger Muscle Mass

For example, the squat (using a free barbel) is a great compound exercise that works primary muscles in the legs as well as other stabilizing muscles. Shoulder presses, bench presses, back exercises are all good. You can cut down the amount of time you put into isolation exercises such as preacher curls, shoulder shrugs, cable cross overs, etc.

Cardio Training

If you are on an intensive cardiovascular program then you will need to put it on hold as cardio exercises are a very important part of losing weight or 'cutting'. Even if you are doing a normal amount of cardio training, you might want to reduce it for your weight gain period.

Don't Forget to Rest!

You Know You're a Protein Junkie When...

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 04:33:00 +0000

the only meat in your refrigerator is chicken
you choose your groceries according to protein content not taste or cost
the only nutritional info you can read on a foreign food item is the word or characters for 'protein' (I can pick this out on a Chinese food label)
you no longer notice how bad that protein shake of supplement powder and water tastes
you go to a restaurant with friends and they order grilled chicken and steamed vegetables for you.
you forget to bring your daily protein shake in a flask to work and everyone asks you if you need help looking for it
you eat all of the food you cooked for a potluck party and nobody else's for fear of contamination from high carb/high fat dishes
you think your protein bar tastes infinitely better then a Snickers bar
your idea of the perfect full English breakfast is eggs, bacon, fried bread, mushrooms, grilled tomato, sausage, black pudding, baked beans providing the eggs have no yolk; the bacon is grilled; the fried bread, sausage and black pudding are binned (put in the trash).
your friend tells you what they had for lunch and you automatically start calculating how many grams of protein was consumed in your head
you know that the beef patties at McDonald's have a higher protein content then the McChicken Sandwich chicken patties.
you have friends over for dinner but you cook yourself a different high-protein meal from what you cook for them.
everyone you know avoids eating with you for fear of you preaching the merits of a high protein diet
what everyone else calls a coffee break, you call your protein shake/bar break
your friends stock protein supplements at their homes just for you in case you make a visit
all of your gym vests have a name and logo of a particular sports supplement you bought in the past
the first thing you consume when you wake is a protein shake
the last thing you consume before bed is a protein shake
if you wake up in the middle of the night, you take the opportunity to gulp down a protein shake
the sales person at your local electrical home wares store tries to sell you another blender every time you go to buy batteries
you take your blender on vacation or business trips with you
you'll try blending anything into a shake as long as the protein content is high enough
you have to buy eggs every other day

Add any more you think of in the comments, thank you!

How to Use Green Tea Powder in Your Everyday Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 03:03:00 +0000

I just posted a new article on the site with some information on how to choose the best kind of green tea that ensures you get the maximum health benefits you've heard green tea provides. It's important to choose the right kind of tea and take it regularly.

Because this type of green tea is not to many people's taste outside Japanese and Chinese cultures, you may be interested in the ideas suggested for including it in your diet. These ideas enable you to consume the green tea without really noticing it's presence.

Remember, first you need to make sure you get the right kind of tea (hint, it's the kind of tea that means you actually consume the leaves, not just the tea!). Next, you need to have a few backup ideas if you can't get used to drinking it the traditional way.

Learn more by reading my article on How to Take the Green Tea that Keeps the 70% Goodness other Teas Lose in Your Everyday Diet.

NEW POLL: What Do You Want Most From Your Bodybuilding Shake?

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 13:48:00 +0000

Everyone who takes a bodybuilding shake is hoping to reach their muscle building goals. Of course everyone is different which means those goals vary. I've created a simple poll (click here now to submit your vote) aimed at discovering what most of the site visitors consider to be the most important reason for using bodybuilding shakes.

People will choose an option based on where they are in regard to meeting their goals. Some people are happy with their current physique and want to simply maintain it. Others will want to gain more mass and others will like to cut and become more toned. Let us know what you want by taking part in the poll now!

Protein in Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 09:13:00 +0000

All dairy products are high in protein. The protein in ice cream can easily be found by visiting the USDA National Nutrient Database search tool (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/). You can use this tool to search for the nutritional information of almost any food you can imagine. Doing a search for the amount of protein in ice cream returns data on various different types of ice cream.

The following protein information shows the amount of protein in 100 grams of different ice creams:

chocolate ice cream = 3.80g
chocolate ice cream, light = 5.00g
chocolate ice cream, light, no sugar added = 3.54g
strawberry ice cream = 3.20g
vanilla ice cream = 3.50g
vanilla ice cream, fat free = 4.48g
vanilla ice cream, light = 4.78g
vanilla ice cream, light, no sugar added = 3.97g
vanilla ice cream, light, soft-serve = 4.90g

Interestingly enough, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database, the light chocolate ice cream has the most protein. The ice creams highest in protein seem to be the healthiest as they are lower in fat content and sugar.

When you are creating your own homemade protein shakes, the amount of protein in ice cream is something you will obviously take into account. Depending on what kind of bodybuilding shake you need (whether you need to build mass or lose weight) you can select the best kind of ice cream. If you are trying to bulk up then you won't be as strict about fat and sugar content as if you were losing weight.

For some examples of ice cream protein shakes try the following:

Don't forget to send me your protein drink recipes!

Juicer Recipes with Protein Supplements: Fruit & Vegetable Bodybuilding Drinks

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:47:00 +0000

Juicer machines are a popular household product nowadays with people juicing practically any fruit and vegetable they can lay their hands on. The health benefits of juicing are fantastic with homemade drink recipes you can make for weight loss, cancer prevention, detox, and more. It's hard enough to include enough fresh fruit and vegetables in our diet so making your own fresh juices are a great way to get the vitamins and nutrients your body needs!

'Whey' Not Make Your Juicing Recipe 'Fit' for Bodybuilding?

(Sorry for the pathetic 'whey' - 'why' pun above). The obvious next step for a bodybuilder is to simply throw in a scoop or two of their favorite protein supplement powder. Of course it is not just a great idea for people on a bodybuilding diet. If you are on a high protein diet then adding protein supplements to your homemade juicer recipe is something you need to try. Depending on what you need to get from your new juicer protein drinks, you can create recipes that give you the perfect mix of fruit, vegetables and protein to meet your weight loss, energy, carbohydrate, vitamin and nutrient requirements.

Juicer Recipes - Juicing Fruit & Vegetables to Perfection

Okay, so you are ready to create your first homemade bodybuilding or weight loss juicer drink. How do you get started? There are a number of free recipes sites on the internet with ideas you can use to create some tasty and healthy protein drinks. Just go to your favorite search engine and type in a few relevant searches. Try the following:

free juicer recipes
weight loss juicing recipes
healthy juicing recipe

You can also visit Google's directory and have a look at the sites listed in their 'Juicer Blends' category - http://www.google.com/Top/Home/Cooking/Beverages/Juicer_Blends/

So, what are you waiting for? Go get creative with your juicing machine and your protein supplement powders - reach the bodybuilding or weight loss goals you wish to achieve!

Great Article for Skinny People wanting to Build Muscle and Gain Weight

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 02:32:00 +0000

I just added a new article to the bodybuilding articles section of the site. It was written by Vince DelMonte and is targeted at those of us who are naturally skinny. I personally am in this boat and it certainly seems like I have to work twice as hard as most other people I see at the gym.

Vince's article basically is telling you to make sure your workouts are intense, efficient and without time wasting and distractions. He says you should work every rep as if it is your last. He also points out that you can not expect to build serious muscle by leisurely working out and consuming lots of protein shakes. At the end of the day, your bodybuilding program should put equal importance on...

working out effectively
a nutritious muscle-building diet

I suggest you read Vince's article, How To Build Muscle And Gain Weight Quickly (Part I), and also use the various bodybuilding supplement recipes here to help with your bodybuilding diet. REMEMBER: supplements should not replace the proteins and nutrients you get from a natural diet, but rather enhance them.

Very Hard Bicep Concentration Curls on an Incline Bench - A Real Killer

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 04:56:00 +0000

Stickman Bodybuilder is demonstrating a rather hard difficult of doing concentration bicep curls. It's a very simple way of isolating your bicep because in this position you are forced to use your bicep only - it's a bicep exercise that is very difficult to 'cheat' at.

Set an incline bench at an angle of say 60 degrees (depends on your height as you need to comfortably hang your arms over the top). Grasping a dumbbell (probably lighter then you think if you haven't tried this exercise before), lean your body on the incline bench's back with your legs spread either side to steady yourself (almost straddling the bench). With this exercise you work one arm at a time. Drop the arm with the dumbbell over the top of the bench and tuck your resting arm's wrist under your 'dropped' arm's armpit (your hand should pop out the other side). Your resting arm's elbow should be almost hanging off the edge of the bench. The resting arm has two purposes; 1) provide support and steady your exercising arm, 2) ensure the exercising bicep is completely isolated.

Start with the dumbbell at position (1) - Note, your arm is not completely straight as this would put a lot of strain on your elbow, especially bad if you are using a heavier dumbbell. Because of your position, you bicep is well stretched. Now raise the bicep to position (2) as you would in any other curl. Don't forget to squeeze your bicep at the top of the motion before returning to position (1) in a slow controlled motion (work the negative!!!). Switch arms and repeat.

By the time you get to the 3rd set, providing you've been squeezing and working the negative, your biceps should be on fire. One advantage with this exercise is you can use your resting arm to help lift those last two reps if you don't have a spotter (you do lose a little stability and isolation though).

What can Lactose Intolerant Bodybuilders Do For Protein Shakes?

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 08:40:00 +0000

There are a lot of people out there who have trouble digesting dairy products. If you are a bodybuilder who needs to be taking protein supplements to help you with your high protein diet requirements then you have a problem other bodybuilders take for granted. The most popular way to consume protein supplements is by combining them with milk. So, what options are open to lactose intolerant bodybuilders like you?

Water
Using water is the obvious choice instead of using milk and most protein supplement powders will suggest mixing with water or milk on their labeling. Let's face it though, water and protein powder (even if it is 'flavored') makes for a boring bodybuilding shake. You will need to add other ingredients to improve the taste.

Soy Milk
Soy milk is a popular milk substitute among vegans and other vegetarians. It is definitely an acquired taste and when you mix with your protein supplement powders I suggest adding a few ingredients that can hide the soy milk flavor. Add sweeteners like honey, chocolate syrup, fresh fruit, and so on. Don't forget, soy milk is a good source of protein so even if you aren't lactose intolerant, try it!
> example recipe of soy milk in a protein drink recipe

Fruit Juice
Instead of dairy milk, why not use fruit juice? Apple, orange, pineapple and grapefruit are all easily available at the supermarket and are cheap. Your protein shakes will be higher in vitamins and energy. However, there is no protein in fruit juice so you may want to add an extra scoop of your favorite protein powder to make up for it.
> example recipe of fruit juice in a protein shake for lactose intolerant bodybuilders

Be creative with your homemade shakes!!!

Welcome! Meet Stickman Bodybuilder

noreply@blogger.com (Adam) — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 11:47:00 +0000

Thanks for dropping by this new blog. The aim is to be a non-formal source of quick tips and ideas to help people interested in bodybuilding, fitness and the all-important nutritional side that ties everything together. I hope to provide you with inspiration now and again both in your diet and your workout.

Stickman Bodybuilder will make little cameo appearances when needed whether it is to demonstrate a suggested exercise or to offer his own 2 cents (2 pence, 2 baht or whatever):

I hope you enjoy the AtoZ Bodybuilding & Nutrition with Stickman Blog and don't hesitate to contact us with any comments.