The Protein Corner

You’ve probably heard that training in different rep ranges is better for muscle growth than training in just one range, and studies show that this is true for experienced weightlifters (but probably matters little for newbies). In my training, for instance, I’m doing anywhere between 2 and 10 reps per set on primary exercises and 4 and 12 reps on accessory exercises.  (Primary exercises being ones that involve several muscle groups and joints and relatively large amounts of weight, and accessory exercises being ones that involve just one or two muscle groups or joints and less weight, and that are meant to assist muscle and strength gain).  Am I forsaking gains by not including higher rep ranges, though? Should I be doing sets of 15, 20, 25, or more reps? Many people—bodybuilders in particular—would say yes, but I’m not convinced. While research shows you can gain muscle doing anywhere from 6-to-20 reps per set so long as you take the sets close to muscle failure...

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question: Are peptides a safe and effective alternative to steroids? If you have a question you’d like me to answer, leave a comment below or if you want a faster response, send an email to mike@muscleforlife.com. Timestamps: 0:00 – Pre-order my new fitness book now for a chance to win over $12,000 in splendid swag: www.muscleforlifebook.com/   5:26 – What are peptides? 7:16 – Why are peptides popular among bodybuilders? 9:07 – How effective are peptides at increasing HGH production? 11:56 – The biggest problem with peptides 12:25 – Are peptides safe? What are the side effects and...

Balanced Eating During The Holidays And New Year Learn our best tips on how you can maintain your balanced eating habits during the holidays and beyond this year.  The holidays are often a particularly trying time when it comes to maintaining balanced eating habits. It makes sense though, right? Our routines are often shifting frequently due to events, outings, and vacation time. Additionally, for a lot of people, this involves much more socialization than they’re used to on a regular week-to-week basis.  Changes in routines and schedules generally indicate a change in eating opportunities and options. There may be more sweets and treats around than you’re used to, more social eating sessions, and simply more opportunities for dining out. While the holidays are a beautiful time to celebrate and spend time with loved ones, it’s understandable that this same time can be a bit more stressful than most.  By learning how to navigate the holidays with ease, you can spend mor...

The post How Stefanie Used Thinner Leaner Stronger to Lose 56 Pounds and 20% Body Fat appeared first on Legion Athletics . https://ift.tt/eA8V8J December 19, 2021 at 06:00PM Legion Athletics

For decades, most doctors recommended cardio over strength training because they believed it produced more health benefits, stressed the body less, and was more popular among the public.  We now know that strength training has multiple major advantages over cardio, and if you had to pick just one kind of exercise, it should be strength training.  That said, there are good reasons to include cardio in your exercise routine as well.  First, as the term implies, cardio boosts the health and function of your cardiovascular system. For instance, while cardio and strength training are about equally effective for reducing blood pressure, research shows that doing both reduces blood pressure the most.  Additionally, cardio—but not strength training—helps keep your arteries flexible and responsive to changes in blood flow. Hence, studies show that people who do the most cardio have the supplest arteries, which is crucial for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels and m...

  This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on Muscle For Life. In my usual Q&A episodes, I take a question from email or Instagram and then fully answer it in an episode of the podcast every week. However, 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 like it, let me know that too or how you thin...

Are we too comfortable? Do we complain too much?  Modern life is filled with modern conveniences that are engineered to make life easier and more enjoyable. But what if these contemporary comforts masquerading as a panacea of pleasure are really a double-edged sword? What have we lost in the process of gaining comfort? Is there value in choosing to be uncomfortable and adding discomfort to our lives? What are the benefits? These are questions Michael Easter addresses in his book The Comfort Crisis , and in this interview. As he’ll explain in the podcast, he’s traveled all around the world and interviewed an interesting cast to learn why you should inject challenge into your life and not get too comfortable. In case you’re not familiar with Michael Easter, he’s not only an author, but a contributing editor at Men’s Health magazine, columnist for Outside magazine, and professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His work can be found in Men’s Journal , New York , ...