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Showing posts from April, 2023

How Fernando Used Bigger Leaner Stronger to Shed 6% of Body Fat

The post How Fernando Used Bigger Leaner Stronger to Shed 6% of Body Fat appeared first on Legion Athletics . https://ift.tt/Qr4SMyN April 30, 2023 at 06:00PM Legion Athletics

Ep. #1061: Q&A: Minimizing Water Retention, Mind-Muscle Connection, White Vs. Whole Wheat, & More

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Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube How can you reduce water retention? Are seed oils as bad as “they” say? What am I doing to heal my biceps tendinitis? How important is the mind-muscle connection? Should you eat white or whole wheat carbs while bulking? 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.

Ep. #1060: Sam Miller on Easy Ways to Improve Your Metabolism

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube Metabolism can be a nebulous topic. Most people know that their metabolism is intertwined with their health, but people’s metabolisms aren’t just “fast” or “slow.” They’re adaptive systems that depend on a multitude of variables, including environment, nutrition, genetics, stress, training, past experience, and more. To help make sense of it all and offer practical ways to apply our understanding, I interview Sam Miller in this podcast.  In case you’re not familiar with Sam, he’s an Amazon best-selling author with over 15 years of experience as a health, fitness, and nutrition coach, helping coaches and health professionals improve their clients’ results.  As an educator, podcaster, certified nutritionist, and licensed, board-certified health practitioner, he shares simple, strategic methods for physique and health transformation.  And because he recently penned a book called, Metabolism Made Simple , he’s the p

The Complete Guide to Low-Impact Workouts

A “ low-impact workout ” is a workout that includes only joint-friendly exercises. They’re beneficial because they give everyone—including the elderly, unfit, and injured—the opportunity to exercise safely without pain or discomfort. If you’re interested in low-impact exercise but aren’t sure what constitutes a low-impact exercise or which low-impact exercises are effective, this is the article for you. In it, you’ll learn what low-impact workouts are, why they’re beneficial, the different types of low-impact workouts, the best low-impact strength training workouts and low-impact cardio workouts you can do, and more.  Table of Contents What Does “Low-Impact Workout” Mean? The Benefits of Low-Impact Exercise Types of Low-Impact Workouts Low-Impact Strength Training Workouts Low-Impact Cardio Workouts The Best Low-Impact Strength Training Plans 3-Day Low-Impact Push Pull Legs Workout Plan Low-Impact Pull Workout Low-Impact Push Workout Low-Impact Leg Workout 2-Day L

Ep. #1059: 10 Top-Flight Training Tips

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube In this podcast, I’ll give you 10 simple, yet powerful insights that will help you maximize your gym time, prevent injury, and improve your performance. These training tips cover everything from myths about behind-the-neck pulldowns to exploring my favorite underrated exercises. They’ll quickly equip you with valuable knowledge to level up your fitness game and optimize your workouts. Tune in and let me know your favorite training tip! Timestamps: 0:00 – Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! 00:30 – Why are behind-the-neck pulldowns a bad idea? 1:00 – Does the barbell squat irritate your back? 1:32 – Are side raises bothering your shoulders? 2:00 – Calf training tips 2:35 – Are you tipping too far forward when you squat? 2:45 – What are unilateral exercises good for? 4:00 – What grip should you use for the bench press? 4:22 – Can a weightlifting bel

How Lorraine Used Thinner Leaner Stronger to Lose 12 Pounds of Body Fat

The post How Lorraine Used Thinner Leaner Stronger to Lose 12 Pounds of Body Fat appeared first on Legion Athletics . https://ift.tt/pCrkHKU April 23, 2023 at 06:00PM Legion Athletics

Ep. #1058: Beat Disease With Food, Testosterone Replacement Therapy, & You’re Having a Bad Workout

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 Dr. WIlliam Li on how food can help fight disease, a monologue on whether you should take testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), and a motivational episode for when you’re having an awful workout.  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 ep

Research Roundup #41: Should You Gradually Reduce Your Calorie Intake When You Start Cutting?

For years, experts believed that abruptly increasing calorie intake after cutting would lead to rapid fat gain. The rationale was that dieting decreases your basal metabolic rate . Therefore, if you increase your calorie intake too quickly at the end of your diet, you’ll overwhelm your bogged-down metabolism and regain much of the fat you’d worked hard to lose.  To combat this, they recommended a strategy known as “ reverse dieting .” This involves gradually increasing your calorie intake over the post-cut period to “mend” any metabolic slowdown you’d suffered while dieting. We now know that reverse dieting is unnecessary and even counterproductive. You can safely swap cutting for bulking , provided it doesn’t spur frenzied overeating , and dragging this process out with reverse dieting simply prolongs your cut and the negative side effects that come with calorie restriction. Some folks have also claimed that by gradually reducing your calorie intake over time, you can del

Are Low-Carb Diets Bad for You?

Some people cut carbs to lose weight because they don’t like counting calories . Others count calories because they don’t like cutting carbs.  Both are workable means to the same end. Do whatever you like most. A caveat if you prefer carb cutting, however:  Relatively unprocessed and carbohydrate-rich foods are filled with nutrients that support overall health and function like vitamin K, magnesium, zinc, copper, antioxidants, and others, and if you restrict your intake of such foods, you can develop nutritional insufficiencies that will negatively impact your wellbeing. This is exactly what scientists at the Department of Nutritional Research and Education found when they analyzed the nutrient density of two popular low-carb weight loss diets: the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. The researchers analyzed suggested daily menus for each diet and found the Atkins Diet delivered 100% daily sufficiency for just 12 out of 27 essential micronutrients and the South Beat Diet

Ep. #1057: Menno Henselmans on Reasons to Stop Taking Diet Breaks

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube Diet breaks have become more popular in the evidence-based community over the past few years. The strategy is purported not just to improve your results during a cut, but actually make dieting easier. But is the science so clear-cut? In this interview, Menno Henselmans and I discuss the scientific literature on diet breaks, including a new study in which he was involved.  Menno has been on my podcast many times , but in case you’re not familiar with him, he’s a former business consultant turned international public speaker, educator, writer, published scientist, and physique coach who’s passionate about helping serious athletes attain their ideal physiques. In this interview, Menno and I chat about . . . Why diet breaks have become so popular in the evidence-based space in recent years How his new diet break study was designed and conducted and its results  The reasons why adding maintenance periods t

How to Lose Muscle Mass You Don’t Want

Most folks interested in fitness want to learn how to build muscle. Some, however, want the opposite: they want to know how to lose muscle they don’t want.  If you’re one of them, this article is for you. In it, you’ll learn whether losing muscle is a good idea, how to lose muscle mass you don’t want, how long the process will take, and more.   Table of Contents Should You Try to Lose Muscle? How to Lose Muscle Mass How to Lose Arm Muscle How to Lose Leg Muscle How to Lose Back Muscle How to Lose Shoulder Muscle How to Lose Chest Muscle Dieting to Lose Muscle Mass How Long Does It Take To Lose Muscle? Should You Try to Lose Muscle? Under most circumstances, no, you shouldn’t try to lose muscle.  Muscle helps you to move, maintain good metabolic health, enjoy a high quality of life, avoid disease and dysfunction, recover from trauma and illness, live longer, and more.  In other words, being muscular helps you live a healthy, enjoyable, and long life. As such