The Smarter Starter Stack: What Buddy Ray Actually Recommends for Guys Just Getting Into the Gym

Anabolic Network · Jul 04, 2026 | 0 comments

Posted by Anabolic Network | Educational Content | General Health & Wellness Support

Most people who walk into a gym for the first time — or walk back in after a long break — make the same move. They pull up a supplement website, throw a pre-workout, a fat burner, and maybe some greens in the cart, and assume that stack is the entry ticket to the physique they want.

Buddy Ray and Mike Nguyen have heard this story hundreds of times. And in Episode 13 of Anabolic Network SUPP Talk, they spend a significant portion of the conversation explaining why that approach, while understandable, often creates more noise than it does results — at least in the early stages.

This blog post captures the key frameworks from that conversation, applied specifically to mainstream dietary supplements that support general health, energy, and active lifestyle goals.

The Problem with Fat Burners Right Out of the Gate

Fat burners are not bad products. Eight Shot, for example, is a well-formulated stimulant-based thermogenic — caffeine, thermogenic compounds, appetite support — and it has a time and a place. But Buddy Ray's personal experience suggests that place is not necessarily Day 1.

Here's the reasoning: when someone is brand new to structured training, the single most valuable piece of information they can collect is how their body responds to food. What does hunger actually feel like after a properly portioned meal? How does the metabolism respond when meals come more consistently throughout the day? How does energy level shift when training is paired with structured nutrition?

If a high-stimulant, appetite-suppressing fat burner is introduced before any of that baseline data exists, that feedback loop gets short-circuited. The appetite signal is masked. The hunger cues that would help calibrate meal timing get suppressed. And the person never really learns how their body actually operates — which is arguably the most important information available in the early stages of a fitness journey.

That said, not all fat burner-style products work this way. Fire Water — Outlaw's stim-free option featuring CLA, L-Carnitine, Grains of Paradise, and Yohimbine — carries none of those concerns. It supports thermogenesis without stimulants and without appetite suppression. Mike Nguyen shares his perspective that he stacks it with his pre-workout daily: not specifically for fat-loss purposes, but because it supports body temperature during training, increases sweat output, and helps him feel more warmed-up and limber through a session. Buddy Ray notes it has long been a staple for MMA fighters and physique competitors in conditioning phases for the same reason.

The core takeaway: know what a fat burner does before buying one, and know whether that mechanism serves the current training stage.

Buddy Ray's Personal Starter Stack Philosophy

For guys in their late twenties through mid-thirties asking Buddy Ray where to start, Buddy's personal experience has consistently pointed toward the same general framework:

1. A Pre-Workout for Energy and Focus
Gunslinger (Outlaw's standard pre-workout) or MNL-1 (Manimal Labs Formula One) both get mentioned in the episode. The purpose is straightforward: if motivation and energy are barriers to getting into the gym consistently, a quality pre-workout addresses that while the habit is still forming. Buddy's personal view is that stim-based pre-workouts can be a useful bridge until intrinsic motivation becomes the primary driver. (Curious about MNL-1? DM @manimal_labs for info.)

2. A Natural Testosterone Support Supplement
Renegade — Outlaw's natural test booster — falls into the general wellness support category. Buddy Ray's personal experience suggests that for individuals who haven't experimented with more advanced compounds, a quality natural test support formula can have noticeable effects on sleep quality, natural energy levels, and general vitality, supporting an active lifestyle from the foundation.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

3. A Non-Hormonal Anabolic for Nutrient Absorption Support
Anabolic Alchemy is formulated to support the body's anabolic environment and nutrient absorption — meaning it is designed to help the body get more out of the food being put in. In Buddy Ray's personal experience, this is what makes the combination click: the pre-workout gets a person into the gym, the test support supplement supports natural energy and wellness, and Anabolic Alchemy helps the body maximize what it's being fed.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The Baseline Window: Why Six Weeks of Structure Tells You Everything

One of the most practical frameworks from Episode 13 is what Buddy Ray calls the baseline window. Before loading up on a full supplement stack, he recommends giving structured training and structured nutrition at least six weeks to run before drawing conclusions.

Structured nutrition — not a crash diet, not severe calorie restriction — means portioned, consistent meals spaced throughout the day. Three to five meals spread across the day, consumed at consistent intervals, teaches the body that fuel is reliably coming in. The metabolism responds by staying elevated. The body stops holding onto excess fat because it no longer needs to protect those stores against scarcity. Muscle gets fed consistently, which supports muscle-building goals. And hunger signals start to normalize, giving a far more accurate read on what the body actually needs.

Mike Nguyen's counterpoint from the episode is worth repeating: eating once or twice a day does not accelerate fat loss in most cases. What it often does instead is signal scarcity, which prompts the body to protect fat stores and draw on muscle tissue for energy. The result is typically the opposite of the goal — slower metabolism, muscle loss, and stalled progress. More consistent meals at appropriate portions generally support a healthier metabolic environment for active individuals.

Six weeks of this, before adding aggressive fat burner stimulants or an alphabet of supplements, gives the best possible read on what the body is actually doing — and what it actually needs next.

Pixie Dusting: The Label Problem Nobody Talks About Enough

Episode 13 dedicates a significant segment to what Buddy Ray calls "pixie dusting" — a term for the practice of listing ingredients on a supplement label without disclosing individual amounts, usually under a "proprietary blend" designation.

The proprietary blend will carry a total weight — say, 1,300 mg — but won't break down how much of any individual compound contributes to that total. A label might list ashwagandha, for example, alongside five other compounds, with no way for a consumer to know whether that ashwagandha is present at 50 mg or 500 mg.

For consumers who are trying to hit a specific amount of a specific compound — which is entirely reasonable, given that research on many supplement ingredients points to efficacy thresholds — a proprietary blend makes that impossible to verify.

Buddy Ray and Mike Nguyen's position is straightforward: every Outlaw product displays individual compound amounts clearly on the label. Consumers know exactly what they're getting per scoop or per serving. That transparency is a non-negotiable part of how the products are formulated. Buddy Ray's experience researching the non-hormonal anabolic compound ecdysterone before formulating Anabolic Alchemy is a clear example — knowing the amount he personally found effective informed how the product was dosed and labeled.

When shopping for supplements, the advice from the hosts is simple: flip the bottle. If you see "proprietary blend" with no individual breakdowns, you don't actually know what you're buying.

Vitamin D, Vitamin K, and the Under-Dosing Problem

A brief but important detour in Episode 13 covers Vitamin D — one of the most underutilized vitamins the body responds to, according to both hosts — and the common reality that multi-ingredient products often contain it in amounts too small to be meaningful.

Vitamin D supports immune function and general energy levels. It is also synthesized naturally through sun exposure — Buddy Ray personally spends ten minutes in morning sunlight as a daily habit. But for many people who spend most of their day indoors or in climates without year-round sun, supplementation is a practical support strategy.

The pairing point Mike Nguyen raises: Vitamin K and Vitamin D are commonly discussed together in the supplement space because Vitamin K is thought to support how the body utilizes Vitamin D appropriately. If supplementing Vitamin D specifically, checking the label for Vitamin K inclusion — or supplementing them together — is worth considering.

The broader principle: if a specific nutrient is a priority target, getting it from a standalone supplement rather than assuming a multi-ingredient product delivers an adequate amount is the more reliable approach.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning any supplementation program.

Use It or Lose It: The Case for Consistent Training Over Time

Buddy Ray closes Episode 13 with a straightforward philosophy on long-term physical maintenance: the body adapts to the demands placed on it. Consistent training creates a demand that the body builds to meet — maintaining muscle, supporting bone density, and preserving mobility. Remove that demand, and the body has no reason to maintain those adaptations.

This is not a medical claim. It is a training principle that Buddy Ray credits — alongside consistent supplementation and structured nutrition — with allowing him to move and perform the way he does, in comparison to individuals around him who are younger but less regimented.

The application is simple: staying active is not optional for people who want to stay capable. Find the training style that can be sustained, build consistency around it, and support it with a supplement strategy that fits the actual stage of the journey.

Build Your Starter Stack

Everything from this breakdown, ready to grab:

Curious about MNL-1? DM @manimal_labs for info.

This blog post represents educational content and the personal experiences and perspectives of Mike Nguyen and Buddy Ray. It is not intended as medical advice, a treatment protocol, or a prescription recommendation.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Outlaw Supplements products are dietary supplements and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified, licensed healthcare professional before beginning any supplementation program.

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