The Protein Corner

Quacks be like: “Grains make you fat . Fruit makes you fat. Eating too little makes you fat. Vegetables make you fat. Sugar makes you fat.”   So to get lean : No grains, fruit, vegetables, or sugar, and lots of butter, red meat , and calories . Seems legit. Look, eating GMO food doesn’t make people fat. Eating too much OMG food makes people fat. Eating fructose doesn’t make people fat. Eating too much fructose (and thus calories) makes people fat. Stress doesn’t make people fat. Eating too much food when stressed makes people fat. Bad gut bacteria don’t make people fat. Feeding gut bacteria too much food makes people fat. Eating from large plates and bowls doesn’t make people fat. Eating too much from large plates and bowls makes people fat. Hormones don’t make people fat. Eating too much food when hormones are pumping up appetite makes people fat. Eating at the wrong times of the day doesn’t make people fat. Spending too much time in the day eating make...

Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube It’s tempting to view health as a purely physical pursuit, especially in the age of social media and constant visual stimuli. We often associate being healthy with having a fit physique, but health doesn’t mean having abs or being the strongest person in the gym. True health encompasses much more than just our physical appearance or exercise habits, and it’s essential to keep an open mind and adapt our perspectives as we grow and learn.  In this episode, Jordan Syatt, former competitive powerlifter, renowned fitness coach, and fitness industry veteran and entrepreneur, shares his journey of redefining what it means to be truly healthy. In this conversation, we explore . . . The evolving definition of health and how Jordan’s perspective has changed over the years The significance of incorporating mobility work and flexibility training for long-term health and well-being The role of community and engaging in difficult conversations for ...

If you want to build a broad, strong back, the seal row should be part of your training arsenal.  It’s so effective because it allows you to train your entire back with heavy weights while minimizing stress on your spine, so you can gain muscle and strength without wearing yourself out. Because you lie on a bench to perform the seal row, you can’t use momentum to help lift the weights, either, which ensures your back muscles work hard and get an excellent muscle-building stimulus.  The only downside is that setting up and performing the seal row can seem tricky at first. However, this article will provide all the know-how you need to overcome this.  You’ll also discover the many ways to configure the seal row exercise, how to perform it correctly, which muscles it works, why it’s beneficial, the best seal row alternatives and variations, and more.    Table of Contents What Is the Seal Row Exercise? Seal Row Configurations: Seal Row Bench, Bar & Atta...

A simple muscle building hack:  You don’t need to do a dozen different exercises per workout, minimize between-set rest periods, or use “fancy” training techniques like reverse pyramid training , pre-exhaustion , drop sets, negatives, etc.  Rather, a few “straight sets” of a few foundational exercises taken close to muscular failure (the point where you can’t perform another rep) with a couple of minutes of rest in between each set is a simple recipe for a highly effective strength training session. Some more pointers for you to mull: A workout split (how you arrange your weekly workouts, usually by body part, body region, or movement pattern) doesn’t drive muscle growth . Your biceps don’t care if you do an “ arms ,” “ pull ,” or “ upper-body ” workout. Your muscles will grow when you do the right number of sets of the right exercises at the right level of intensity and frequency . Training isn’t a hot dog eating contest. How much you do in the gym doe...

Many fitness buffs know there are two approaches to bulking: ”dirty bulking” and “clean bulking.” However, fewer know which is best for building muscle. Dirty bulking is the easier, more enjoyable strategy that helps you rapidly gain size. The drawback is that much of the weight you gain while dirty bulking is fat, not muscle.  In contrast, clean bulking requires meticulous attention to your diet and delivers much slower weight gain. The advantage is that most of the weight you gain while clean bulking is muscle, not fat. On the other hand, clean bulking requires precision and won’t help you bulk up as quickly. The benefit, however, is that most of your newly gained size will be muscle, not fat. In this article, we’ll dig into the difference between dirty bulking vs. clean bulking to help you determine which approach will work best for you. Table of Contents What Is Bulking? Types of Bulking: Clean vs. Dirty Bulking What Is a Dirty Bulk? What Is a Clean Bulk? What Is a “...

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on YouTube From the potential downsides of TRT for individuals with moderate testosterone levels to strategies for mitigating the effects of chronic sleep deprivation, in this episode, I dive into a wide array of topics based on questions from my loyal Instagram followers.  I also get into a few “fun” ones, including updates on my new house, my most hated trends of the decade, and my favorite conspiracy theories. As always, these questions come directly from my Instagram followers, who take advantage of my weekly Q&As in my stories.  If you have a question you’re dying to have answered, make sure you follow me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness) and look out for the Q&A posts. Your question might just make it into a podcast episode! 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 like it, let me know that too or...

Many serious gymgoers think at-home chest workouts are a waste of time.  By their lights, no amount of push-ups, band presses, or bodyweight dips will compare to training with barbells, dumbbells, and machines. What’s more, they say, even if they were effective, at-home workouts (chest or otherwise) would still get stale faster than a loaf of bread in a hobo’s backpack.  In reality, though, at-home chest workouts don’t have to be a fruitless grind. Design them well, and you should be able to maintain—or perhaps even gain—muscle with bodyweight workouts alone. And if you get your paws on some bands or dumbbells, you’ll be able to retain much of your strength, too. We’ll break it all down in this article. Y ou’ll also get 12 weeks’ worth of free at-home chest workouts , all expertly laid out in Google sheets. Let’s get started. Table of Contents The Anatomy of the Chest Muscles The Simple Science of Effective At-Home Chest Workouts 1. Do more reps or sets.  ...