The Protein Corner

Most everyone knows that if you want to build muscle, perform better, and recover faster, you should take 3–5 grams of creatine monohydrate every day. New research, though, shows that by taking 10, 20, or even 30+ grams per day, creatine may support cognition, mood, sleep, and overall brain health.  The theory goes like this:  Creatine helps your cells produce energy more efficiently. The brain uses more energy per unit of mass than almost any other organ in the body—it makes up just 2% of your body weight, yet accounts for about 20% of your resting energy expenditure .  Thus, increasing brain creatine levels could help it run more efficiently. Now, why can’t you get these benefits from the standard dose of 3–5 grams per day?  Muscles absorb creatine from the blood relatively easily, but your brain is much more “resistant” to creatine because it’s separated from the rest of your body by the blood-brain barrier .  This is a semipermeable membrane that prevents unwanted substance...

Fire up the grill, and you can prepare nearly any ingredient in the kitchen. Vegetables go from light and crisp to sweet and succulent, and even fruit like peaches become extra-delicious once grilled because the heat caramelizes the natural sugar. The prime target for the grill, however, is a big slab of meat. Beef, chicken, pork, and more will become tender and juicy with nothing more than a little time on those searing hot racks. The exact grilling method you use will depend on the equipment you have, the result you’re after, and of course the cut of meat you’re cooking. You might think it all boils down to charcoal or gas, and you wouldn’t be wrong – except for the fact you don’t need an outdoor set-up to enjoy these grilling recipes. If you’re stuck indoors, take advantage of your oven’s broiler or heat up a cast iron grill pan to get a similar char. The post 10 Healthy Grilling Recipes to Try This Summer appeared first on Legion Athletics . https://ift.tt/z6ucJT4 May 8, 202...

Women should train their chest for four main reasons: It improves your body composition . If you’re dieting to lose weight, your body can lose either fat or muscle. By training your chest, you “force” your body to retain more muscle, which means a higher percentage of the weight you lose is fat rather than muscle mass.  It helps build a balanced upper body. If you train your shoulders, arms, and back but neglect your chest, you can develop size imbalances that make your physique look lopsided.  It can improve how your chest looks. Chest exercises don’t change breast tissue, but they can build the muscles underneath it, which may make your chest look a little firmer and more lifted. It makes everyday pushing movements easier. Stronger pecs help you perform countless day-to-day movements like getting up off the floor, rearranging furniture, catching yourself if you fall, and opening a heavy door. Despite these benefits, many women skip chest training b...

Lyle McDonald’s Generic Bulking Routine is a 4-day upper-lower workout program designed to help intermediate lifters gain muscle and strength while eating in a calorie surplus. In other words, it’s best for people who have trained consistently for at least 12 months, moved past their “newbie gains,” and need more volume (sets) and structure to keep progressing. It’s called a “bulking routine” because it’s a demanding program that most people recover from best when they’re eating plenty of calories and enough protein .  You can adapt it for cutting , but running the full 4-day version unchanged in a calorie deficit is hard to recover from (and unnecessary for retaining muscle mass).  That’s also why it’s usually overkill for people new to strength training. Beginners usually don’t need this much volume or exercise variety to gain muscle while bulking or maintain muscle while cutting. In this guide, you’ll learn how Lyle McDonald’s Generic Bulking Routine ...