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Showing posts from March, 2023

Ep. #1049: Q&A: Pyramid Training Vs. RPT, “Metabolic Eating,” Workout Slumps, Walking For Cardio, & More

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Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube How should you deal with workout slumps? Is reverse pyramid training better than standard pyramid training? Should you do cardio while bulking? Are ashwagandha and tongkat ali supplements worth taking? All of that and more in this Q&A podcast. Over on Instagram , I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it occurred to me that many podcast listeners might enjoy hearing these questions and my short answers. So, instead of talking about one thing in an episode, I’m going to cover a variety of questions. And keep in mind some of these questions are just for fun. So if you want to ask me questions in my Instagram stories, follow me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness), and if I answer your question there, it might just make it onto an episode of the podcast! If you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email ( mike@muscleforlife.com ) or direct message me on Instagram. And if you don’t ...

Research Roundup #39: Ice Baths and Massage for Recovery, the 5:2 Diet and Fat Loss, and Walking Backward to Boost Performance

It’s estimated that there are over 2+ million scientific papers published each year, and this firehose only seems to intensify. Even if you narrow your focus to fitness research, it would take several lifetimes to unravel the hairball of studies on nutrition, training, supplementation, and related fields. This is why my team and I spend thousands of hours each year dissecting and describing scientific studies in articles, podcasts, and books and using the results to formulate our 100% all-natural sports supplements and inform our coaching services.  And while the principles of proper eating and exercising are simple and somewhat immutable, reviewing new research can reinforce or reshape how we eat, train, and live for the better.  Thus, each week, I’m going to share three scientific studies on diet, exercise, supplementation, mindset, and lifestyle that will help you gain muscle and strength, lose fat, perform and feel better, live longer, and get and stay healthier. ...

The Difference Between Mindful Eating vs. Mindless Eating

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The Difference Between Mindful Eating vs. Mindless Eating As a mindfulness-based Registered Dietitian and coach, I often talk about “ mindful eating ” and “ mindless eating .” While the two concepts may seem similar, they actually have very different impacts on our health and relationship with food. In this article, we’ll explore the differences between mindful and mindless eating, and why it’s important to pay attention to how we eat. Mindful Eating vs. Mindless Eating: Understanding the Difference and Its Impact on Your Health What is Mindful Eating? Mindful eating is the practice of paying attention to the present moment and being fully present while eating. This includes paying attention to the sensory experiences of food, such as taste, texture, and smell. It also involves being aware of our physical and emotional states while eating, including hunger and fullness cues, as well as any emotional triggers that may influence our eating behaviors. One of the key principles of mi...

A Calorie Calculator Caution

Even the best calorie calculators ( like you’ll find here ) come with a crucial caveat:  They produce informed estimates that should be viewed as starting points, not pin-sharp and incontrovertible computations. (And in case you’re wondering— activity trackers are even worse .) There are a few reasons for this: The majority of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) comes from your resting metabolic rate (RMR)—the number of calories your body burns at rest in 24 hours—and this number is different even among people with identical body compositions . Thus, calorie calculators assume an average RMR, but you may be above or below this amount. The second-biggest component of TDEE comes from your physical activity level, and while most of this is captured by inputting time and general intensity, actual numbers will vary based on types of activity, types of exercises, amounts of effort, and other factors that can’t be practically represented mathematically. And so again, calo...

Ep. #1048: Stacie Barber on Mobility and Flexibility for Strength and Health

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the topic of flexibility and a lot of conflicting advice.  Is stretching necessary? Should you be working on mobility during your workouts? Some people say strength training itself provides all the flexibility you need, and any additional stretching should be at your discretion.  Others suggest that skipping foam rollers, massage guns, and band-work is not only going to impair your performance, but put you at risk of injury. To help clarify some of the kerfuffle, Dr. Stacie Barber joins me on the podcast for an interview all about flexibility and mobility. In case you’re not familiar with Stacie, she has a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Duke and is the founder and owner of The Physio Fix, which offers physical therapy, training, and classes to help everyone from professional athletes and Olympians to fitness newbies feel and move better. And as a former collegiate...

The Top 10 Best Side Delt Exercises

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Side delt development is a top priority for many weightlifters. That’s because, despite their size, the side delts significantly impact how your upper body looks.  For men, well-developed side delts broaden your shoulders, make your waist appear slimmer, and balance your upper-body aesthetics. And for women, the side delts enhance the appearance of your upper arms, which many ladies like.  Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation about how best to train your side delts online, which is why many people struggle to progress the way they want. This article is different. In it, you’ll get an evidence-based guide to training your side delts and learn the best side delt exercises according to science, a side delt workout that puts everything into practice, and more. Table of Contents What Are the Side Delts? Side Delt Training Tips 1. Do the right side delt-focused exercises. 2. Try to add weight or reps to every exercise in every workout. 3. Prioritize side de...

Ep. #1047: You Know You’re Getting Good at Fitness When . . .

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube If you start noticing these things, you know you’re on the right track. For example, you know you’re getting good at this fitness stuff when the disappointment of skipping a workout stings more than the struggle to motivate yourself to do one.  And when you notice that you’re making far fewer excuses about how you eat and exercise than you used to.  Press play to hear this motivational episode on the things you start noticing as you adopt a healthier lifestyle. What are the signs you noticed? Timestamps: 0:00 – Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! 0:54 – My award-winning fitness books for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Mentioned on the Show: My award-winning fitness books for men and women What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below! The post Ep. #1047: You ...

How Shay Used Thinner Leaner Stronger to Lose 35 Pounds in Just 6 Months

The post How Shay Used Thinner Leaner Stronger to Lose 35 Pounds in Just 6 Months appeared first on Legion Athletics . https://ift.tt/H4QSbfN March 26, 2023 at 06:00PM Legion Athletics

Ep. #1046: The Best of Muscle For Life: Science of Self-Control, Eating Less than 1,200 Calories, & Power of Habit

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube In this installment of the Best of Muscle For Life, you’ll hear hand-picked clips from three popular MFL episodes: an interview with Menno Henselmans on the science of self-control and willpower, a Says You episode on eating less than 1,200 calories per day, and a motivational episode on the power of habit.  S ome people—my favorite people—listen to most or even all of my podcasts, but my wizbang analytics tell me that while many listeners tune in on a regular basis, they don’t catch every installment of Muscle for Life and thus miss out on insights that could help them do at least a little better inside and outside the gym. That’s why I do “best of” episodes that contain a few of the most practical and compelling ideas, tips, and moments from the more popular episodes I’ve published over the years. This way, you can learn interesting insights that you might have otherwise missed and find new episodes of the sho...