If you want to skip straight to buying things and don’t care about my thoughts, feelings, or ideas, there’s a storefront up now. I’ll try to keep it updated with my current stack and faves.

👉 Amazon Store Front 👈

SUPPLEMENTS

Overall Best Protein

Pick: Jocko Molk.

https://amzn.to/4caFVQd

Why: This is a blend of protein types, and supposedly this is superior to just having isolate.

Flavor: The Vanilla is chill. If it’s fall, get that pumpkin spice.

Why Blends Are Better.

Best Tasting Protein

Here's a referral link to Ghost in general. They're pricey, but "BeSeen" gets you 30% and makes things more reasonable.

Flavor: Ghost Cereal Milk. (I actually get excited about having this)

Why: I can’t explain. Get a tub. Put your wallet in therapy, and thank me later.

Update:Ryse’s Protein has been giving Ghost a run for their money. Nothing beats cereal milk, but I’ve been mixing the cosmic brownie flavor with a bunch of greek yogurt, and maybe adding some oreo’s cereal on top, and it SLAPS. I haven’t loved traditional shakes with Ryse, but the mixing with yogurt or using it to bake is on point.

Best Bang/Buck Protein

MuscleTech (Nitrotech) Whey. It already has BCAAs, so it saves you a supplement purchase, and 5 lbs will last you at least 2-3 months.5 lbs of this is still almost cheaper than some of the 2 lbs from Ghost or Ryse.

Flavor: Cookies and Cream.

Why: It’s averaging $1.35/a serving, has a higher than average protein count, and you get creatine along with it.

Overall Best Casein

This is hard, because I’ve yet to find one I like. But, if I had to pick, I think NAKED is the best option.

Flavor: Probably Vanilla. Hopefully you make icecream with it.

Why: In general, Casein is supposed to help recovery at night. I picked NAKED because they’re popular and I want to be popular too.

Best Tasting Casein

N/A. I haven't had one that stood out as exceptional, so grab whatever you feel. I do strongly support Casein as a nightly thing, though.

Best Bang/Buck Casein

Dymatize- They have BCAA's & extra boost of Leucine.

Overall Best BCAA

Thorne BCAA

Thorne does everything the best. Honestly, I should probably have them more on this list. They’re just expensive.

Best Tasting BCAA

Here's a referral link to Ghost in general.

Ghost x Sour Patch. I mean, it tastes just like sour patch kids. SO. GOOD.

Best Bang/Buck BCAA

Cheapest Option- Bulk Supplements

BCAA + EAA Option- ANIMAL

Overall Best Creatine

Ghost Size

I love ghost, but they sell out a lot. So if the links empty, sorry. Also, it’s hard to recommend when it’s so much more expensive.

Creatine Alternative Option

A creatine and BCAA Combo. Vintage Build. I liked it, and if you have a protein shake right before your lift and use this powder as a post-shake recovery, you cover 90% of your workout's bases on supplements with only two jugs taking up space in your cabinet.

Best Bang/Buck Creatine

Optimum- it's just $16. Easy Peasy.

TRAINING

My Singular Recommendation

This is rather new, and a drastic change to my stance on the gym.

First, CrossFit. It’s been one of the best swaps I’ve done for my fitness in 15 years. The intensity, the community, and the coaches help it stack into something exceptional. I’ve been at Crossfit Amarillo, so I can highly recommend it.

If price is problematic, or you refuse to give it a try (talk to me, I was in the same boat for years), I’d honestly recommend joining some group class of some kind. I think it’s a lot more effective than going at it alone. Definitely add in some lifting or cardio days on your own as you see fit, but I’d make the meat of your gym time a group class of one kind or another.

Favorite App for Lifting

Jefit. I only recently started using it, but it's free, has excellent tracking, and so many built-in programs it's not even funny.

That said, there are plenty of excellent apps, and I had to choose one consciously, so I didn't spend six months playing with half a dozen lifting apps to see which one I liked best.

Favorite For Pay Program + Diet (Self Motivated)

Renaissance Periodization Template + Diet App. This is the gold standard for all things in my mind.

It's essentially an excel sheet with six weeks of workouts. Freaking incredible. You do need a full gym to work it, though. Takes care of EVERYTHING.

Favorite Program for Lifting

For basics, I love Greyskull. It's three days a week, really simple.

If you want something complicated, Renaissance Periodization.

If you want something that beats you up and pushes your limits/ is more CrossFit-like, check out Tier Three Tactical. I ran these for six months, and honestly, it was the best I looked before I went to do easier things.

TIPS & TRICKS

Track Your Metrics

Find an "InBody" machine that you can use for free or cheap. This is great for getting your body fat analysis (a way better metric than weight or BMI). I go around the first of the month and buy some protein or creatine or something because I'm pathetic and can't just go use the machine and then leave. But their prices are pretty dang close and sometimes better than Amazon, so it's worth it anyways.

Protein and Creatine

You need Protein Shakes and Creatine supplementation. Unless you're planning on eating super clean, six meals a day, you just can't get your protein needs otherwise. And the creatine is just beneficial and safe.

BCAAs/EAAs

BCAA's are 50/50 on usefulness from what I understand, so feel free to skip if you want.

Casein

Casein is helpful because it provides a different hit than regular protein, but it can meet your daily protein needs.

Daily Protein Needs

At a minimum, you should aim for about 1 gram per 1 lb of bodyweight.

So let's say you weigh 130 lbs. A protein shake nets you 25 grams. A post-lift shake and a before bed casein brings you to close to 50 grams, leaving 80 grams to be found elsewhere.

Egg breakfast- 4 eggs. 24 grams.

Lunch- Chicken breast meal. Generally 40-50 grams.

Dinner- Beef/Steak/Chicken. Somewhere between 40-50 grams if you're eating a lot.

Each of these meals would be pretty dang big. Most people eating the above would be close to 40 grams per meal, bringing your day without the shakes to maybe 100-120 grams. Even for a bigger person, you're talking massive amounts of protein needed that's hard to just eat even in 3 meals. Two, double-scoop protein shakes gets you a 100 grams. Add in some meals, and y’oull be close to where you need be.

Bonus

Vegan Protein. In case that's something you want, I'd recommend Redcon's Green Beret or Ladders Protein.

Ladders is truly amazing, FYI. But also quite expensive.

Favorite Recipes

I’ll put a little more work in on this down the road and link to a recipes section in Notion, but for now, this is my current favorite way to get protein.

• 2.5 servings of Oikos Triple Zero (half of the big container)
• 2 Scoops of Nutter Butter(Ghost), Oreo (Ghost), or Cosmic Brownie (Ryse) protein powder
• Some blueberries, granola, or cereal

Mix it all together and you get a slightly thicker than normal yogurt. Tastes great, and gets you 80 grams of protein.

Educational Content

Renaissance Periodization

Standardizing Your Caloric Intake | Fat Loss Dieting Made Simple #1

Dead by Tomorrow

https//www.deadxtomorrow.com/episode/resolutions-systems-and-what-counts-as-failure

Tools

Gym Tracker - AirTable

https://airtable.com/shrPtWEU9hf1H8jnz

Homebrew fitness tracker, if you need help, holler.

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