I thought it would be helpful to have an official Shot of Adrenaline resource page for the community. Here I’ll share important books, tools, products, and programs that will help you on your path to mastering calisthenics and building an incredible physique. I plan to add to it as I find more. I recommend bookmarking it for your reference and convenience.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase. I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.
SOA Products/Programs
I started A Shot of Adrenaline in the summer of 2011. Since then, I have created a couple of premium programs that I am quite proud of. Both of the programs below dive deeper into the concepts of calisthenic muscle and strength building.
Bodyweight Overload: Out of all my programs this is the one I am most proud of. It is a 6-week progressive program. The first 3 weeks are geared toward muscle hypertrophy. The second 3 weeks are geared toward strength. I designed this program off of a professional bodybuilding routine but tailored it toward calisthenics. The results have been amazing for me and many others.
Isometrics Strength: Have you ever been mesmerized by the physical feats of old-time strongmen? After hearing stories about people that could bend metal bars, lift horses over their heads and pull cars with their necks I became fascinated with their methods. The training style they used to build their strength is called isometrics. Isometrics are tension without movement. This is my 8-week program that incorporates all three types of isometrics: static contraction, yielding, and overcoming.
Bodyweight 9 Fat Loss Program: Do you struggle with having high body fat? Would you like to learn a system for dropping body fat quickly while using short workouts? The Bodyweight 9 Fat Loss Program will lead you through short, nine-minute workouts done 5 days a week. You’ll follow along with me and burn fat quickly. In the program, I’ll also teach you how to eat in order to increase your metabolism and burn more fat.
Fat Loss
Many people struggle with dropping body fat. No matter how hard they work out they just can’t seem to drop those extra pounds. It really comes down to the right nutrition. I say the “right” nutrition because it’s not just about eating healthy.
Truth About Abs: This is one of the oldest yet best programs for helping people drop body fat. I used this program quite a while ago because I needed to drop body fat. While I using it I dropped body fat quickly. Mike Geary lays out the reasons why people have a hard time getting a six-pack and presents a simple-to-follow solution.
Supplements
You don’t need supplements. Calisthenics performance and physique transformation rest on two key elements: nutrition and fitness. Let’s use an analogy of a bicycle. Nutrition is one wheel. Fitness is the other. When you only have one wheel you can’t get very far. You need to FIRST get both your nutrition and fitness under control. Then you can add supplements. Here are the ones I recommend.
Vega Protein: I’ll be honest, I am a protein snob. Over the past 10 years, I have tried so many protein powders it would make your head spin. Most of them have hurt my digestive tract and caused inflammation. If your digestive tract is inflamed, you are not absorbing the nutrients you need, thereby not growing muscle. Here is an article that I recommend you start with called: Is Your Protein Shake Killing You? . Vega protein is a vegan-based protein powder (I’m not vegan but the combination and quality of ingredients are amazing). I highly recommend it.
Sunwarrior Protein: Sunwarrior is the only other brand I recommend. It has super high-quality ingredients and is less expensive than Vega. Sunwarrior is also vegan-based. You’ll notice that with both Vega and Sunwarrior the amount of protein per serving is less than the average protein powder. The absorbability of these protein mixes is much higher so you are actually getting more protein than the other brands that cause damage to the wall of your small and large intestine.
Bodyweight Equipment
Calisthenics is great because you don’t need equipment. Your body is the only piece of equipment you need. With that being said, there are some awesome pieces of equipment that enhance your practice. Here are some of them I recommend.
PVC Calisthenics Gym: Are you a Do-It-Yourself kind of person? A while back I created a full calisthenic gym using PVC pipe. I used it for about 6 months with great success. Then I took it apart and stored it so not sure how it would hold up long term but still worth experimenting with. You could always use thicker PVC, wood, or metal.
Chin-Up/Pull-Up Bar
Gymboss Interval Timer: I use my interval timer almost every day. Time is such an important factor when exercising. You need to know how much time you are spending both while your muscles are under tension and when you are resting. The interval timer is your key. I use a GymBoss interval timer but if you have a smartphone there are apps that you can download. You can even use one of the many online interval timers. https://www.intervaltimer.com/ I stick with my GymBoss because it’s more convenient.
Books
Combat Conditioning
The 4-Hour Body
Podcasts
Fat-Burning Man Show: Abel James might be the most popular health authority in the podcast sphere. He is paleo-based and also has some incredible interviews by top nutrition experts. Super easy to listen to. This is by far my favorite podcast.
Primal Blueprint: Mark Sisson of MarksDailyApple.com has a podcast that is super helpful for obtaining optimal vitality. I like Mark because he is so down-to-earth and lays out the principles of good nutrition without the B.S.
Gold Medal Bodies: GMB again makes my list of favorite resources. This is a link to their podcast. They talk about all things bodyweight exercise movement (and sometimes go off topic… which is pretty funny). They also have some great interviews including Steve Kamb (Nerd Fitness), Al Kavadlo, and others.
Iron Radio: This is the GREATEST podcast for mass-building nutritional strategies. Dr. Lonnie Lowery has his Ph.D. in nutrition and applies these strategies for building mass. He is a strength coach and very easy to listen to. He does get a bit technical but if you listen to the older podcasts you’ll pick up on the jargon quickly.
Stretching/Rehab/Flexibility
SOA Stretching Resources: Several years ago I worked as a medical manual therapist and helped people with rehabilitation through stretching and massage. There is a list of videos and stretching routines that you can follow along. They include routines for your neck, back, hips, and many other problem areas. Best of all, it’s free! To check out another resource I created on recovering from a sports injury, click here.
Body Weight Strength Tests
7 Day Extreme Pushup Challenge: This is a super fun challenge that I created to help you improve your push-up ability. It goes through 7 days of challenging video-based push-up routines. They are short but intense. Can you make it through all 7 days?
Death By Push Ups Test: In this test, you will see how you stand against others in your push ability. You will do 6 different styles of push-ups and go from one to the next. Find out if you really are the Push Up Czar… or are you simply a Push Up Sprout?
Death By Squats Test: As bodyweight enthusiasts, we can’t just focus on our upper bodies. We have to develop strength in our legs too. How do you stack up in your squat ability? This Death By Squats test was inspired by the Death By Push Ups Test. You’ll also be doing 6 exercises. Can you make it to the Squat Behemoth level? Find out here.