The Protein Corner

Imagine you’re given the choice of $90 now or $100 in two weeks. Which would you choose? Most people would take the $90 because “good now” is more enticing than “better later.” This tendency to discount the value of future events and outcomes underlies a host of self-destructive behaviors, including substance abuse, pathological gambling, risky sexual behavior, and most notably for us, an inability to stick with health-promoting habits. There are ways to short-circuit it, however, and one is something scientists call episodic future thinking, which simply involves imagining a specific, personal, and detailed future event linked to a personal goal. Productive daydreaming, essentially. In a study conducted by scientists at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, researchers split 29 overweight or obese women who wanted to lose weight into two groups: one that used an episodic future thinking (EFT) protocol, and another that used an episodic recent thinki...

In 12 months of Legion’s body transformation coaching , Jacob lost 75 pounds, 25% body fat, and gained significant muscle and strength. Before joining the program, Jacob was about a year into remission from cancer. Chemo had drained his body, and he used to run 5Ks and had finished the 75 Hard challenge more than once, and he wanted to get back to that. He had purchased Legions supplements and several of Mike’s books, but he didn’t know where to start again, and procrastination kept winning. With his coach’s help, he addressed these issues and found the consistency he’d been missing. Here are his results: Jacob’s Journey Jacob signed up for coaching looking for a plan he could actually stick to. His coach built him a 5-day training plan and a nutrition plan around his real schedule. Jacob’s job took him out of town about once a month, so whenever he landed in a hotel or an unfamiliar gym, he’d send his coach a photo of the eq...

Table of Contents + Instructions (Cable Lat Pulldown) Instructions (Plate-Loaded Machine Lat Pulldown) Expert Tips Mike's Take Lat Pulldown Alternatives 3 Lat Pulldown Workouts Lat Pulldown vs. Pull-Up: Which Is Better? Muscles Worked by the Lat Pulldown More Back Exercises Instructions (Cable Lat Pulldown) Adjust the thigh pad so that it locks your legs in place and prevents your butt from rising off the seat when pulling the bar down. Grab the bar with your palms facing away from you and a few inches wider than shoulder-width apart, and sit down, letting your body weight pull the bar down with you, and then wedge your legs underneath the thigh pad. Sit slightly behind the cable rather than directly under it, with your chest proud and a slight arch in your lower back. Relax your arms and shoulders, letting the weight pull your arms straight and your shoulders as high as possible (they should be almost touching your ears). Staring straight ahead, initiate the rep ...

Table of Contents + Instructions (Seated Machine Shrug-Back) Instructions (Seated Cable Shrug-Back) Instructions (Chest-Supported T-Bar Shrug-Back) Instructions (One-Arm Dumbbell Shrug-Back) Expert Tips Mike's Take Shrug-Back Alternatives 3 Shrug-Back Workouts More Trap Exercises Instructions (Seated Machine Shrug-Back) Adjust the seat height so the top of the chest pad is level with the top of your breastbone, and grip the handles with your arms straight. If the handles are adjustable, set them so they’re just out of reach when you extend your arms. Grab the handles and relax your arms and shoulders, letting the weight pull your arms straight and your shoulders as far forward as they’ll go. Staring straight ahead, retract your shoulder blades and pinch them together as close as you can, without bending your elbows. Pause briefly, then let the weight pull your shoulder blades forward and return to the starting position. Instructions (Seated Cable Shru...

A simple way to lose fat slowly and steadily: Eat as you normally do five days per week and then eat basically nothing but 150–200ish grams of protein ( or 1-1.2 g/lb if you want to be more precise ) and maybe a serving or two of fruit or vegetables two nonconsecutive days per week. Just make sure you don’t accidentally eat more than usual in the five regular-calorie days to compensate for the two low-calorie days. Technically, this approach is known as intermittent calorie restriction (ICR), and studies show that when the size of the weekly calorie deficit is matched, ICR can work just as well as a small daily deficit, or continuous calorie restriction (CCR), for losing weight. And in some people, ICR can work even better because they find it easier to heavily restrict their food intake two days per week rather than moderately restrict it seven days per week, resulting in a larger average weekly calorie deficit (and thus fat loss). Another variation of ICR with scientific ...

Table of Contents + Instructions Expert Tips Mike's Take Barbell Shrug Alternatives 3 Barbell Shrug Workouts More Trap Exercises Instructions Set the safety bars or hooks in a squat rack to midthigh height and load the bar (or load a barbell on the floor and deadlift it into position). Grip the bar just outside your thighs with your palms facing you, stand up tall with your chest out, and lean forward slightly so your shoulders are over the bar. Let the bar pull your arms straight and shoulder blades down as far as they’ll go. Take a deep breath, brace your abs, and raise your shoulders straight up toward your ears as high as they’ll go, keeping your arms straight. Pause briefly, then let the weight pull your shoulders down and return to the starting position. Expert Tips Don’t be afraid to experiment with a slightly wider grip. Some people find that placing their hands about 3–6 inches outside of their thighs allows them to engage their trap...