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We get asked all the time about paid blog posts on our bodybuilding blog, so here is the specification:

1. Each website is limited to 5 articles on our blog per month
2. Articles must be written in perfect English, using MS Word or equivalent
3. Articles must be unique, not spun and copyscape proof
4. Articles must contain at least 300 words
5. Articles must deliver whatever they suggest in their title
6. Images can be included within articles, as long as it results in no copyright infringements
7. If tables, lists, etc. are to be included within an article, then the relevant W3C compliant XHTML code must be provided within the article and in Notepad text format
8. Articles must be written about related subjects, such as supplements, bodybuilding, powerlifting, weightlifting, fat loss, general health and well being, weight gain, strongman events, MMA/UFC, boxing, cycling, athletics, football, etc. Other topics may also be considered such as Anabolic Steroids, but at the discretion of Promart Supplements
9. Following recent SEO analysis by seomoz(dot)org, we have decided to only allow a single dofollow anchor text link OR image link per article, as this would be of most benefit for all

2011 Pricelist for Paid Guest Blog Posts

If you would like to start writing, or require further information, please email blog@promartsupplements.co.uk

Regards,

Promart Supplements

Powerlifting is the quickest way to build strength. Bodybuilding is the quickest way to build muscle mass. Whilst muscle mass and strength are linked, powerlifters are generally much stronger than bodybuilders. The reason for this is because bodybuilders generally train their muscles to a high intensity aiming for a skin bursting muscle pump, where increasing the actual weight used is more of a secondary objective to training intensity. The idea is to make a light weight feel as heavy as possible. Pretty much the opposite applies for powerlifting, where the idea is to use maximum power to lift the heaviest weight possible as fast as you can. In terms of training, typical bodybuilding and powerlifting routines are as follows:

1. Bodybuilding Routine: 4-6 weight training sessions per week, rep range 10-12, time per set 40-60 seconds, 10-20 exercises per session, 1-3 sets per exercise. Routines generally involve isolation exercises, supersets, dropsets, super slow sets, pre-exhaustions, post-exhaustions, etc.
2. Powerlifting Routine: 3-4 weight training sessions per week, rep range 1-5, time per set 5-15 seconds, 4-8 exercises per session, 5+ sets of compound exercises, 2-3 sets of assistance exercises. Routines are based around squats, deadlifts, presses and pulls, with 3-5 minutes rest between sets. A trainee powerlifter usually starts off 2 days per week doing something like:

   5 x 5 Squats
   5 x 5 Bench Press
   2 x 5 Incline Dumbbell Press
   2 x 5 Dumbbell Flies

Prilepin’s Table

Prilepin’s Table shows the optimum range of total sets and reps on a particular compound exercise like squats, relative to your 1 rep max for building power in minimum time. Watch this:

Applying Prilepin’s Table to the bench press over an 8 week cycle, you would start in the 65-70% of your 1RM range, aiming for maximum speed with control completing the relevant number of sets and reps. Build up to 90%+ of your 1RM by week 5 or 6. Continue aiming for maximum speed under control, but by now, your total reps will be about 7 over 4-7 work sets. The aim would be to smash through your plateau, so that you can return back to your bodybuilding routine, lifting heavier weights, thereby achieving a higher intensity and stimulating more muscle mass.

Assuming:

1. your diet contains plenty of clean calories and is moderate to high carb and high protein – use protein supplements!;
2. you sleep 8 hours every night; and
3. you train with maximum effort

then you should gain a lot of strength over the 8 week cycle. Personally, I gained 37.5Kg on my bench 1RM and bigger numbers on the squat and deadlift.

You don’t get that same tight muscle tone with powerlifting and the higher carb diet results in fat gains, but as a bodybuilder, you should know how to shift the fat and retain the muscle shouldn’t you??! If not, read some of our other articles.

Regards,

Martin Procter

We all know the best exercises for your back are deadlifts, barbell rows and pull-ups, which are sufficient for all the powerlifters out there. However, for the bodybuilders among us, we need that extra bit of isolation and focused intensity to really draw out the definition and striations in your lats and the rest of your back.

The problem

After completing your multiple joint, compound movements as above, it is highly likely that your forearms are over pumped and your grip strength is fatigued, making it difficult to complete a good work set on your back using exercises such as cable pulldowns, cable rows, hammer strength pullovers and their variants, etc. as your grip can give way before your back muscles have received the extra stimulus required to trigger muscle growth.

The solution

If you are lucky enough to have the Nautilus Pullover machine in your gym, then 3 high intensity sets on this awesome apparatus will get your back pumped on a completely full range of motion. If not, the alternative is to perform sets of Serratus Pulldowns for the fully contracted range of motion and dumbbell pullovers for the fully extended range of motion. All three exercises require no grip strength and can be completed with a high intensity even when you have skin bursting forearm pumps and can’t even close the grip on your hands. On the Nautilus Pullovers, you are pulling with your elbows, which does not involve grip strength at all.

Try these exercises out for sets of 12, 10 then 8 slow reps all to failure on the same weight, with a 30 second gap for maximum muscle pumps. As a side effect of the Serratus Pulldowns and the Dumbbell Pullovers, your abs get a good workout at the same time.

An explanation of how to do the Exercises

1. Nautilus Pullover Machine – a seated pullover, where your elbows rest on a pad, which you pullover from above your head at full extension down to past your sides for full contraction. This exercise isolates the back muscles, removing the grip/arm involvement. The machine has a seatbelt to keep you in place if you use extra heavy weights.
2. Serratus Pulldowns – Using a high setting on a cable crossover machine, or equivalent, use the T-bar and stand on your knees 2-3 feet back from the machine, reaching up so you can just grab the bar. Pull the weight down smoothly using an arcing motion until the bar hits your hips, then allow to raise back to around eye level taking about 2-3 seconds, then pulldown again. Adjust your setback from the machine to find the most stable position.
3. Dumbbell Pullovers – Lay across a bench, with your upper back resting on the bench and your body perpendicular to the bench. Put both hands round a dumbbell, with hands overlapping, holding the dumbbell on the plates, rather than the handle. Using an arcing motion again, lower the weight behind your head until it touches the floor (if your range of motion permits) and arc back up until the dumbbell is nearly above your head (maintaining constant tension) and then lower again slowly and smoothly. Start with a light weight to avoid neck injuries and increase the weight as quickly as your lats can handle it.

Regards,

Promart Supplements

A little off topic here, but kind of related to our post about starting a supplements business, I thought I would post this extract from Wikipedia about setting prices, as it seems to resemble the pricing structure in the supplements industry…

A Technical Look at Pricing, Resembling the Supplements Industry

“According to neoclassical price-determination theory and game theory, the independence of suppliers forces prices to their minimum, increasing efficiency and decreasing the price determining ability of each individual firm. However, if firms collude to increase prices loss of sales is minimized as consumers lack alternative choices at lower prices. This benefits the colluding firms at the cost of efficiency to society.

One variation of this traditional theory is the theory of kinked demand. Firms face a kinked demand curve if, when one firm decreases its price, other firms will follow suit in order to maintain sales, and when one firm increases its price, its rivals are unlikely to follow, as they would lose the sales’ gains that they would otherwise get by holding prices at the previous level. Kinked demand potentially fosters supra-competitive prices because any one firm would receive a reduced benefit from cutting price, as opposed to the benefits accruing under neoclassical theory and certain game theoretic models such as Bertrand competition.”

Profit Margins for new Supplements Sites

That’s right, you start a supplements business, set your prices, feel upset at the low profit margins, then see other sites selling cheaper. You reduce your prices, virtually eliminating profit to match other sites, then you see other sites selling cheaper still. To match their prices you would make a loss. The only way you can increase your profit margins is to increase sales volumes to get better prices from the manufacturers, but that is never going to happen when other more popular sites are cheaper. Like in my other article about starting a supplements business, I’m not saying it’s impossible, but you need to be realistic about your expectations.

Over time, the industry is becoming ever more saturated and since the recession, profit margins are getting squeezed from every angle in terms of shipping, VAT, merchant fees, packaging, etc. and it would be a massive task for anyone to start from scratch and compete with the biggest sites.

I’m not trying to falsely put people off launching their own site here, I’m simply trying to help like minded people. We receive 2-3 emails per week from individuals replying to our other post (link above) saying they have “a plan”, are extremely dedicated, know SEO, etc. and ask various questions, stating that they are going to go for it no matter what, all believing they will succeed. At least they take our comments on board and consider things they may not have even know existed.

The Supplements Layer Cake

The supplements industry resembles the analogy made to the drug suppliers in the film Layer Cake in that there are higher and higher levels of companies, from the biggest US Manufacturers down through major importers, smaller importers, supplements companies, smaller supplements companies, supplements shops and finally dropshippers. They all want a slice of the profits, with the biggest profits at the top of the cake… collusion springs to mind! We are at a good place in the Supplements Layer Cake, somewhere in the middle and we therefore welcome newcomers to the industry, as after making initial contact, some of them go on to order their supplements from us, or even dropship through us… “It doesn’t mattter. It’s all profit” – Ray Liotta, Goodfellas.

Regards,

Martin, Promart Supplements

Based upon our research, tests, tasting and reviews, combined with customer feedback and industry knowledge regarding sales volumes, here is a list of our opinion of the best protein shakes available in the UK in 2011:

1. AST VP2 – 100% whey isolate, mixes easily, tastes great, over 90% protein, zero lactose and used daily by several of the staff at Promart Supplements. Unbiased university double blind studies undertaken in the USA show that supplementing with VP2, compared to a standard protein shake results in significant additional increases in muscle mass and strength compared to a standard protein shake. I agree with the findings.
2. Allmax Isoflex – a blend of whey isolate and hydrolysed whey isolate make this protein powder our most successful new product of 2011. It tastes great, is very high in BCAAs, lactose free, mixes easily and is a real contender for the top spot.
3. CNP Pro Peptide – By now I’m presuming everyone knows the benefits of Pro Peptide, but for people who don’t, Pro-Peptide is a fast and slow digesting blend of micellar casein, whey concentrate, egg albumen, etc. which means that it helps your body maintain a positive nitrogen balance, meaning that your body stays in an anabolic muscle building state for much longer between meals, compared with standard whey protein. Pro peptide is therefore a great protein shake to drink before bed and also between meals.
4. USN Pure Protein IGF-1 – An extremely popular premium protein blend manufactured by USN, originally from South Africa. Pure Protein IGF-1 consists of a precise mixture of whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, calcium caseinate, egg albumen and soy protein isolate supplying your muscles with everything they need for growth. Pure protein tastes great and mixes well
5. Massive Nutrition Colossal Whey – This is another new product, from a new manufacturer, which offers a lower priced whey protein concentrate / isolate blend at low cost. Colossal Whey is low in carbs and fats, mixes really easily and tastes very nice. This product is formulated for maximum bio-availability and ease of digestion and has received some very good feedback from our customers.

We only stock the best brands of supplements in the world, which is why all of the top 5 protein shakes above are available from our store with free next day delivery.

ON 100% Whey doesn’t make the top 5 list because despite it being a good protein powder, it is over priced, with better products costing less. You should know that a lot of the big companies around the world who supply supplements have affiliations with the brands they promote as being the best, where they either own the brands or get discounted wholesale prices on them for promoting them. For example, Monster Supplements own PhD, who win all of their supplements awards. Anyway, the point we are trying to make is that our top 5 list above is based on our own opinions only and is there to help our customers make the right choice.

Regards,

Brian, Promart Supplements

If you are a keen bodybuilder or powerlifter, then it is highly likely that at some point, when you legs reach around 27+ inches, you can no longer find a pair of jeans that fit. All high street shops selling jeans offer waist and inside leg measurements which are fine for most people, but people who train their legs using heavy weights need some extra thigh space. The average guy in a pair of 34/32 jeans has 20″ thighs, so the average bodybuilder with an extra 8 inches on their thighs just can’t pull them much further than their knees.

To get jeans that fit your thighs, you need to look at adding maybe 6 inches to your waist measurement to get the corresponding larger width thigh areas to fit your legs. This then looks silly, cos you still have tight jeans, but have to pull a belt round them to overlap the waist area. I’ve raised this issue on the popular Facebook group “Shut Up and Lift”, with around 50 replies from people experiencing the same issues. Anyway, here are some suggestions as to decent jeans for people living in the UK, USA or Australia:

1. UK – Next jeans (up to 25/26″ Thighs), GASP Jeans (stylish jeans for powerlifters with huge quads)
2. USA – Pajama jeans, GASP Jeans
3. Australia – Street Cut jeans from Jeans West, GASP Jeans

There’s nothing worse than tight jeans with a baggy waist, so if you can add some stylish jeans to the list that fit larger thighs and look good, then help us all out a bit and leave your comments below.

Regards,

Martin, Promart Supplements

If you are trying to pack on some extra muscle mass, but getting nowhere, then why not try copying what some of the guys have done from Promart Supplements? Some simple changes to your diet and training and you will see quicker size and strength gains than ever.

1. Increase your daily protein intake to at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day, using a quality whey protein powder such as Allmax Isoflex – Whey Isolate
2. Add a small sprinkle of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (high in protein and good fats) to your protein shakes 2-3 times per day (using blender)
3. Increase carbohydrates in your diet by eating more noodles, pasta, rice, potatoes, rice cakes, spaghetti, bread, etc.
4. For supper, have 2 slices of wholemeal toast with peanut butter and a pint of semi skimmed milk before bed
5. Go to the gym 2 or 3 times per week, no more


Lift Heavy Free Weights For Bigger Muscles

6. Lift extra heavy weights for 5 sets of 5 reps on two big exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, barbell rows, dips, pullups, etc., followed by 2 sets of 5 reps on two assistance exercises, such as triceps extensions, close grip presses, standing barbell curls, calf raise, shrugs, pulldowns, etc.
7. Use perfect form, warm up for each exercise, then lift with maximum power, using minimum effort on the negative phase of each rep. Form MUST be perfect, or you will get injured, resulting in you losing all the hard earned muscle you gained to start with.

You should be able to increase weight for about 6-8 weeks with the above power lifting style training tips. Aim for 5% extra weight per week. After 6-8 weeks, you will be more than ready to go back to slower, more emphasised reps, as it can take its toll training as above. You may gain a little bit of fat, but it’s worth it for the extra muscle size and strength. Once you go back to bodybuilding, you can cut your carbs a bit and maybe add a bit of early morning cardio to show all the new muscle.

Regards,

Martin

Shut Up N Lift is a Facebook group for powerlifting and bodybuilding, with over 20,000 members worldwide. Shut Up N Lift is an excellent resource for anyone interested in improving their physical strength and/or appearance. Upon joining the group, you will gain access to hundreds of genuine, non sales driven videos of amateurs and professionals alike lifting medium to huge weights. You can even post your own videos for constructive feedback from the regulars.

I am not linked to the group in any way, other than being a member myself, but it offers a great social area for men and women involved in powerlifting or bodybuilding.

If you are looking for other online body building communities, then you could also try Muscle Talk or Bodybuilding.com.

If you are looking for discount supplements, then take a look at our supplements special offers & coupon codes.

Regards,

Martin, Promart Supplements

One of the main reasons men go to the gym is to get stronger. However, after training for a while you can lose sight of your original goals and float between bodybuilding, powerlifting, fitness training and any other form of training that takes your interest.

If you are trying to re-focus on that goal of increasing your power and getting stronger, quickly, and assuming your diet and lifestyle is in order, then you need to do the following:

• Lift heavy weights 3 times per week, no more
• Start your routines with:
  • 5 sets of deadlifts on workout 1
  • 5 sets of bench press on workout 2
  • 5 sets of squats on workout 3
• Do 5 reps per set, using perfect form and explosive lifting style
• Spend no more than 50 minutes in the gym
• Never train on consecutive days
• Increase weight progressively, by around 2% to 5% per week
• Use multiple joint exercises only and avoid isolation exercises

Obviously, a lot more comes into play, such as calorie intake, protein consumption, protein supplements, general diet, hydration, rest, sleep, stress levels, training focus and intensity, genetics, age, bodybuilding supplements, etc., but this article is intended to give you some quick tips only. If you want more detailed tips, check out our Top 50 Bodybuilding Tips article.

Our most popular supplement aimed at helping you increase muscle mass and strength quickly is Allmax Quickmass.

Regards,

Promart Supplements