Fill out the form below and I'll send you my Muscle & Six-Pack Video Lessons, absolutely free.
Everything You Must Know About The Best Muscle Building Supplement
Creatine: What You Must Know About The Best Muscle Building Supplement
By Vince Del Monte – Author, No Nonsense Muscle Building
There are a number of critical muscle building supplements that we all know work because they’ve been proven both in the lab and among bodybuilders in the gym. You know the key players – they are most likely already in your cupboards and you consume them habitually – creatine, protein, some form of preworkout formula and a fat-burning/energy supplement.
These are the tried-and-true players but when it comes to declaring only one of these muscle building supplements king, who receives the crown?
Creatine Monohydrate.
Creatine is an organic molecule produced by the body (from the amino acids arginine, methionine and glycine) and is also found in dietary meat sources. More than a decade of scientific data has shown the significant impact creatine has on strength and power.
Although it’s not a fatu burner, creatine can help you trainer harder for longer periods, which is critical when dieting zaps your strength. Creatine is traditionally viewed as a offseason supplement, but I believe it can remain in your regimen right up to competition time.
A lot people ask me about cutting out creatine before a bodybuilding or fitness model show, because they believe it will make they look watery. I personally have not seen a negative impact of creatine taken right up to a contest, but if you wish to play it safe, you can cut it out two weeks before your competition day.
What is creatine ?
Creatine acts by supporting the reproduction of ATP (fancy term for energy) in muscle tissue resulting in cell volumization which can create a more optimistic cellular environment for muscle growth. By having more energy reserves in the muscle tissue, you now have the ability to train harder at higher intensities.
Why should I take creatine ?
Muscles use ATP to derive the quick energy needed for muscle contractions when lifting weights. Therefore, the more creatine your muscles have, the more ATP they can make while you work out, and the longer and stronger your muscle can contract. This means more reps, more sets, heavier loads, more explosive power and quicker recovery. Each of these stimulus are key requirements for continual muscle growth. Simply, creatine supports longer and more intense workouts.
How do I take creatine ?
To load or not to load, that is the question! You have three research-proven options to choose from. Each method will appeal depending on a variety of reasons:
- Method 1: 7 days to load at 20 grams a day plus a maintenance of 3-5 grams a day afterward.
- Method 2: 3-5 grams a day all year round.
It was once thought, that a loading phase was required to maximize the effects of creatine but there is countless research that shows you don’t have to go through all the hassle of loading.This will appeal to the individual who experiences gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea and other problems with higher dosages.
Click here to continue reading
No Nonsense Muscle Building Transformation of the Week: Tony Gregory
Success Story, May 2010: Tony Gregory, Gahanna, Ohio
You may remember Tony from a few weeks ago because he was the most recent 12-week transformation contest winner. Here’s what he said about his muscle up transformation:
“After being told that I could not run for five weeks, my cross country season had come to an end. I became interested again in lifting weights and bulking up. So I did some research and came across Vince Del Monte’s name. It turns out he was also a runner and transformed his body drastically in a short amount of time. I became inspired and my desire to have a better body kept me determined to reach my goals. I worked out hard for 4 days a week ( 2 upper body, 2 lower body) no longer than 90 minutes at a time and tried to limit my cardio. I took in a massive 4,000-6,000 calories daily until I reached my goal…(I’m still not there yet…want to get up to 190-”solid muscle” after Track Season).
Anyway, my strength gains were tremendous when I followed Vince’s No Nonsense Muscle Building workouts and the changes that took place have made me more confident in myself. After this transformation, I have realized that in the future, I am very interested in a career exercise and nutrition —Thanks for being an inspiration Vince…you’ve changed my life forever. Now I am a member of the 2010 Gahanna Lincoln Track Team (running healthy at 156 pounds, and looking to compete in the 1-mile run).”
Vince: As a high long distance runner yourself, how many miles do you figured you averaged a week before getting into the bodybuilding?
Tony: Before I got into a serious weight training program, I averaged about 40-50 miles per week. I was an avid distance runner and really enjoyed it. But a devastating stress fracture had put an early end to my cross country season, and I wanted to put on some muscle and participate in Track & Field at a healthier weight.
Vince: Why were you inspired to get a better body?
Tony: My inspiration came after viewing Vince’s transformation and I thought to myself, “WOW we have a lot in common, and I can do this too.” After seeing results very quickly with Vince’s program, the inspiration to concentrate on my goals came naturally. Because I was seeing positive results in my appearance, I WANTED to go the gym, I WANTED to get stronger, and most of all I WANTED a better body.
Vince: What was your skinniest weight and how old were you at the time?
Tony: Sadly, my skinniest weight during high school was a mere 107 pounds during my sophomore year. I had a passion for running that could not be described in words. It really made me feel better and allowed me to release my personal struggles with stress. I did not take in enough calories to maintain a healthy weight and it was a very depressing time in my life.
Vince: How much do you weigh today and how much of your gains were muscle?
Tony: Today, I currently weight a healthy 156 pounds and just about all of it is muscle. My body fat percentage is about 6%. Vince’s video coaching lessons really gave helpful insight to the key components of gaining MUSCLE, not fat.
Vince: Did you cut out your cardio completely when you got into weight training?
Click here to continue reading
No Nonsense Muscle Building Transformation of the Week: Phil Smith
Success Story, May 2010: Phil Smith, Grove City, Ohio
You may remember Phil as one of the recent 12-week transformation contest winners. Here’s what he had to say after his first transformation:
“With 3 months of total dedication I went from 155 lbs and 13% fat to 182 lbs and 7% fat. A gain of 15 lbs of muscle and lost of 8 lbs of fat. I have made the best gains of my entire life, and it has changed my outlook on life in general.
I have so much more confidence in myself, when I’m around my friends, and more importantly, around women. My transformation has changed me as a person, not only physically, but mentally as well. My change as even impacted the people around me, and has inspired them to make life changing goals.”
Just recnetly Phil sent me another email update as I encouraged him to send me new pictures every 12-weeks. As you can, Phil has packed on even more muscle and I’m sure he’s only hit the tip of the iceberg.
I asked Phil if we could explore his success story further with an email interview and he agreed. Find out how Phil packed on an additional 12 pounds of muscle in his second 12-weeks of using my muscle building program.
Vince: When did you begin working out with weights and did it stunt your growth in any way?
Phil: I started at age 14, but wasn’t serious about it until 16. I’m now 6′4″, 195lbs with 5.5% body fat, and no one in my family is over 6 feet tall. I think it did the complete opposite of stunting my growth!
Vince: Who or what was your motivation to work out with weights?
Phil: My motivation was anyone that told me I couldn’t do it.
Vince: What was the worst thing about being skinny? What did you hate the most?
Phil: I just hated being the scrawny weakling. I didn’t get any respect when it came to strength or physical activity. But the worst was taking off the shirt around other people.
Vince: What was the “trigger” that made you say, “I’m packing on muscle!”
Click here to continue reading
Top 4 High Protein Muscle Building Foods
Choosing the best high protein foods is a key principle of the bodybuilding lifestyle. Protein is responsible for muscle growth, repair, creation of hormones and forming neurotransmitters in the brain.
Your body craves the amino acids from protein after a hard work and your bodies growth is dependent on dedication to supplying your body with the right high protein foods before and after your workouts.
Pretty easy concept, right?
The trick for the bodybuilder is to ensure their diet comes from different forms of proteins because each form contains different amounts of amino acids, and some proteins lack amino acids that others make up for.
YOU ARE DIFFERENT: Your nutritional demands are completely different than a sedentary person who has no interest in six packs and big muscles and does not put a demand on their body with intense weight training.
This means the foods you eat must foster an anabolic environment your body needs to pack on the mass. Most research agrees that you need to ingest about 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
I prefer to apply this formula to “lean body mass.” So take the amount of lean body mass on your body, instead of overall weight, and multiply it by 1 to 1.5 and that is your protein intake for the day in grams. Take that number and divide it by 5-6 meals.
So a 200 pound bodybuilder who is 15% fat will have 170 pounds of lean mass on his body. This means he should consume 170-255 grams of protein per day or 30-40 grams of protein per meal.
NOTE: The right intensity and recovery protocols must be applied to your program to reap the benefits of the top high protein foods. A high protein diet can not compensate for a lack of training intensity or overtraining. The high protein foods only work if your workouts are high enough in intensity to challenge them to new growth.
The Top 4 High Protein Muscle Building Foods
1. Whole Eggs – Don’t Throw Out The Yolks
As far as protein is concerned, eggs are the kings. A whole egg has the biological value (BV) of 100 which measures the protein’s quality. BV is based on how much of the protein consumed is actually absorbed and utilized in the body. The higher the amount of protein (nitrogen) that is actually retained, the greater the BV. If a protein has a BV of 100, it means all the protein absorbed will be utilized and none has been lost.
Whole eggs score the highest of all foods with a BV of 100, while beans have a BV of only 49 an significant contrast.
Whole eggs are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids your body craves to decrease cholesterol levels, aid in joint inflammation, and increase hormone production. Eggs are high in BCAA’s which aids in muscle growth.
Since the egg yolk is the source of fat and some of the essential amino acids, it’s necessary to include yolk in whole egg/egg white mix to achieve the optimal ratio of nutrition. A whole egg has about 7 grams of protein with 3.5 grams from the yolk and 3.5 grams from the white. The yolk has about 3.5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat.
I have found that adding 1 yolk with every four whites (one whole egg and three extra egg whites if you’re making a custom order at a restaurant) delivers 17.5 grams of protein and 4 to 5 grams of fat.
So a carton of a dozen eggs, which would cost about three-four dollars, you will have three whole eggs and nine additional egg whites. This will deliver approximately 52.5 grams of protein and 15 grams of fat.
A 300 gram protein diet from eggs would cost you about twenty dollars a day. I prefer to use liquid egg whites, blended with a whole egg, instead of wasting the yolk from a carton of eggs.
2. Chicken Breast: The Bodybuilders “Go-To” Choice!
Why is chicken breast so popular for bodybuilders? It’s probably linked to the fact that it has an extremely high protein to fat ratio. It’s virtually non-exisitent of saturated fat and low in overall fat, making it a heart-healthy choice.
This is why bodybuilders feel safe in consuming it up to three-to-six times a day and for twelve-to-sixteen weeks at at time. Chicken has a BV of 76 making it a great choice for a high-protein food. The low-fat content makes is a very versatile food since it leaves room for the addition of good sources of fat like olive oil or avocado to your salad and vegetables so you don’t have to eat the chicken breast alone.
A typical 6 oz chicken breast is approximately 200 calories and 40 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat. A 6 oz chicken breast normally runs three-to-four dollars so it’s not as superior in cost and quality to whole eggs but pretty darn close.
3. Fish: A Great Catch
Tuna is probably the most popular muscle-building food amongst bodybuilders. The most redeeming quality is it’s non-existent fat content. Tuna is the best protein-to-fat ratio of all whole food proteins. It has a high concentration of BCAAs, so it made the list pretty easily.
Like red meat, tuna has a high amount of creatine in it, which is a nice bonus from a protein source. Tuna is not the only acceptable form of fish, salmon is exceptionally high in omega-3 fatty acids (good fats) and solid source of complete protein high in essential amino acids.
Click here to continue reading
The Top 3 Best Muscle Building Supplements
The Top 3 Best Muscle Building Supplements
By Vince Del Monte
When it comes to lifting for size and strength, boat loads of iron and buckets of sweat are summoned. Over the past eight years of bodybuilding I’ve resorted to three primary muscle building supplements, that have stood the test of time, and support muscle growth directly and indirectly.
In no particular order, here are my personal top 3 muscle building supplements to build into your bodybuilding budget:
Top Muscle Building Supplement #1: Creatine
Creatine is made from the three aminos arginine, glycine and methionine, creatine is technically is an amino-acid supplement, not an individual amino. There has been endless debate on whether to take creatine pre or post workout or both and which protocol works best.
During my research and experience, I’ve found that post workout creatine supplementation is more effective then pre-workout and does not require the traditional 5-day loading phase. For best results, take a dosage of creatine in your protein-shake immediately after a workout to prepare you for your next workout.
One way creatine boosts growth postworkout is by increasing levels of insulinlike growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in muscle. Whether you weight train or not, creatine has many other general health benefits: It guards against heart disease, provides antioxidant protection, can ease chronic fatigue syndrome, shields the brain against damage and can guard against skin damage.
I continue to use the original creatine monohydrate but most supplement products market multiple forms of creatine together these days.
DOSE: Bodybuilder over 200-pounds should consume 5 grams in the morning and 5 grams after a workout. Bodybuilder under 200-pounds should consume 2.5 grams in the morning and 2.5 grams after a workout. I recommend supplementing with creatine all year round and to only take a break when you go on vacation. This approach allows you to say “loaded” all year round and avoid the 5-day loading cycle.
Top Muscle Building Supplement #2: Zinc Magnesium Aspartate (ZMA)
The combination of zinc and magnesium aspartate plus vitamin B6 has been shown to increase anabolic hormone levels, include free testosterone and IGF-1, that could otherwise be suppressed in hard-training athletes.
ZMA can improve your quality of sleep. Enhanced recovery from workouts due to sleep efficiency, increased anabolic-hormone levels, and greater gains in strength and power are the reported benefits of ZMA supplementation.
Click here to continue reading
Vince (463)
vince_delmonte (243)
Chris (124)
Sean (120)
mike (87)
John (77)
Alex (65)
David (54)
A world famous fitness coach and author, Vince DelMonte is known as the top "Skinny Guy" expert and has helped more skinny guys and girls defeat their muscle unfriendly genes without drugs and supplements.
