A Beginner's Guide to the Gym Floor

The gym can be a very intimidating place.You have a bunch of in shape people walking around in form fitting workout gear and cut off sleeves, lifting heavy weights, grunting, slamming, sweating, butt slapping, head bobbing to music, and staring at all the newbies... seemingly judging their every move....

Well that last part isn't true, but if you're new to the gym there is absolutely NO way in hell of convincing you otherwise. So, how can you avoid this judgement? How do you bust into the fitness scene without looking like a noob? It's actually pretty damn simple. I'm writing this post not because I think it is necessary to avoid looking like a noob (because it isn't) and not because new people annoy us regulars (because they don't!). I'm writing this post because feeling comfortable and confident in the gym is key to starting and adhering to a workout regimen long enough to achieve results. When you feel good, you lift good and when you lift good you gain dem gainz... good.

I'm also writing this post to stop newbies from gravitating towards the cardio room. People tend to avoid the weight room because they simply don't know how to lift. They need someone to show them the ropes before they just jump in there. Running and biking on the other hand is super easy. In the short term this is great, but in the long run, people who do this wind up quitting after a couple weeks because it's boring, grueling, and fruitless. For the QUICKEST and BEST results, you're going to need to lift weights (and follow a proper diet). But I know you won't lift if you don't feel comfortable in the weight room. Hell I wouldn't either! Psst.. by the way... I'm a Certified Personal Trainer and I sell personalized 4 phase workout plans designed to last up to 16 weeks. They are VERY reasonably priced and include exercises, sets, repetitions, rest intervals, and links to videos demonstrating proper form...CLICK HERE to send me a message requesting a workout!

But without further ado...

Working Out

• Use weight that you can control. No one is impressed by people who lift heavy weights if they use bad form. I know from first hand experience that having weights slide off of a bar that you lose control of is embarrassing! Start light, use proper form and gradually increase weight. The results will come with a little hard work and patience!
• One of the times new gym goers feel the most self-concious is during their rest intervals. The best thing to do when you're not in the act of lifting weights is to just  kind of hover around the equipment you're using. If you're at a bench, just sit on it and relax. Although it may feel like everyone is watching you...they aren't! Unless you're wearing neon colored clothing that is... i'll cover that in the next section though...
• Have a plan. For new lifters, it's best to go into the gym knowing your routine ahead of time. Once again, I sell personalized 4 phase workout programs that are designed to take you up to 16 weeks to complete. I also include links to YouTube videos that show the PROPER form for each exercise. CLICK HERE to send me a message requesting a workout! You don't have to go through me though... you can do all the research yourself and put together your own routine from scratch as well. The important thing is that you go into the weight room with a plan.
• Don't be afraid to grunt and slam weights should the need arise. It's a gym, not a library. Aside from Planet Fitness, no one judges those who workout hard. 

Apparel

This attire is great for women in the gym.
Form fitting but not too revealing.

• Wear something relatively form fitting and comfortable. For women, this means yoga capris and tank-tops with a built in sports-bra. That's just one suggestion, but there are a TON of different gym fashions for women out there so have fun with it! For men, this means athletic fit t-shirts or tank tops and shorts that go down to just above or below your knee. Spandex shorts for men are never okay! So if you're an avid biker, don't walk into the weight room wearing your road shorts... you can get some affordable and suitable workout shorts from Target r Walmart
• For guys: Avoid bright colors! Sporting goods stores are filled with neon colored shirts, shorts, and shoes that match to boot. Don't buy them though... as tempting as it may be (and I fight it every time I go through the men's apparel section at sporting goods stores) just say no.
• Also for guys... abide by this rule: Sleeveless on upper body days is fine, but on leg days wear a t-shirt. Only go sleeveless when you know you're about to get your arms pumped up like Popeye after downing a can of Spinach. 
• Shoes: I personally wear zero drop shoes when lifting weights. This means that the difference between the height of the heal and the height of the ball of the foot is...you guessed it... zero. It helps the muscles of the foot develop naturally and makes it easier for you to keep your weight on your heels which is a critical component of most exercises. Good ol' fashioned tennis shoes work just fine too though! The only real no no is toe shoes. Zero drop shoes give you all the benefit of toe shoes...without looking ridiculous, So in the weight room, skip the toe shoes and just go with zero drops. 
• For Guys: Wrist straps are okay to wear, especially if your wrists hurt during activities such as bench pressing, push-ups, and shoulder pressing. Weight lifting gloves on the other hand are never okay for men... unless you're a hand model and need baby softy pretty hands to make your living.
• Headphones: One of the best ways to slip into your zone and block out your perceived haters is to slip on some headphones or some ear buds and jam out. 
• And the last Rule... if you're straight up jacked, none of the above rules apply. You can combine toe shoes with a matching neon shirt and no one will judge you. In fact, they may even try to copy you. So follow these rules for a few months, but once you achieve the body you want... throw them out the window and wear whatever you want like you don't give a what what.

  

  Those who can get away with banana hammocks on stage can wear anything
   in the gym... as long as its not their stage apparel.

How to Meditate... A SIMPLE Guide

Before you read this, please know that I know some of you will try this out, some will shrug it off, and most will just think I'm crazy, weird, or whatever. Regardless of where you find yourself after reading this, I invite you to keep an open mind and try this sh*t out for yourself before passing judgement. I'm 95% certain it will help you and I'm 105% certain that it will NOT hurt you, so again.. give it a shot! Now onto the good stuff...

I don't know about you, but I've recently been hearing a lot about meditation and how calming and fulfilling it can be. So, for two weeks i tried it out on a nightly basis. Here's what I did: Every night before bed I turned the lights out in the bathroom, lit a big candle, and jumped in a hot shower. I also played some Tibetan Monk songs that I found on Spotify. This definitely relaxed me and got me ready to sleep, but I definitely didn't feel any kind of spiritual enlightenment or any of that crap. So were all these people commenting on the weird YouTube videos I watched and obscure blog posts that I read lying? Were they just trying to sound trendy?? WHAT THE HELL MAN! I'm trying to improve my spiritual health here and it ain't working!

So before I totally raged out and lost my Zen or my Chi or whatever the hell you wanna call it... I had an idea (dangerous I know). My idea was to figure out what in Buddah's name these Tibetan Monks were chanting. I figured maybe the secret to meditating was taking the time to understand the seemingly random syllables that these old men were singing over and over and over and over and over and over and... you get the point. Here's what I found out!

I'll use just one chant as an example: Om Mani Padme Hum.

Om Mani Padme Hum. Here each syllable is a different color.

In this simple chant there are 6 syllables... and therein lies THE KEY TO SUCCESSFULLY MEDITATING! You see, each syllable means something different and how you interpret each syllable is referred to as a mantra. Every chant has many possible mantras, I chose my favorite mantra for this particular chant and broke it down for you here:

1. Om- purifies your pride/ego
2. Ma- purifies your jealousy/lust for entertainment
3. Ni- purifies your passion/desire
4. Pad- purifies your ignorance/prejudice
5. Me- purifies your greed/possessiveness
6. Hum - purifies your aggression/hatred

CLICK HERE for a YouTube Video of this Chant

To successfully meditate, fully relax, and eventually...after a lot of practice... transcend your own body... you slowly chant each syllable while thinking of it's meaning (it's mantra). You blank out EVERYTHING with the exception of the mantra. EVERYTHING. It takes a ton of practice and dedication, but i'll tell you what... it's an amazing experience. You can feel your muscles relax and your stress slip away. It's only been a few weeks for me so of course I'm no where near mastering this. I last about 3 minutes tops before my thoughts drift elsewhere, but i'm slowly seeing improvements. To start... just find a dark, quiet place and let yourself go. It's that simple.

Physical, mental, and spiritual health are all equally important. So many people neglect the spiritual side... let's not be one of those people. 

Why Wrist Straps Should Be Banned!

Exhibit A: A common wrist strap.

We've all heard this before (hell, I've said it myself a ton of times)... "I could have lifted more but my grip gave out." So to prove that we're not all talk, testosterone driven men like myself put on some wrist straps and lift that mother f*cker. WOOOO! Well... that's probably a pretty stupid move in the long term (not in the short term... chicks dig heavy weights). Kidding of course... women tend to find that kind of stuff repulsive. I'll give the guidos out there a few seconds to catch their breath after that psyche shattering revelation ;)

Your grip, and the amount of strain necessary to keep your grip from breaking, serves as a barometer for your musculoskeletal system. The harder you must squeeze to lift a weight, the more neurological excitation there is in the system, which causes this thing called neurological overLOAD, and then leads to neurological overFLOW. You see, you have nerve bundles centered on each one of your vertebrae (spinal bones) that control different muscles in your body. When one of these nerve bundles gets overloaded (say, by you trying to deadlift a bunch of weight), the electric signals overflow into adjacent sets of nerve bundles and consequently recruit more muscles to contract in order to help you lift the weight. So check this... you ca

n easily tighten your grip into a fist without a need for neurological overflow. But when you try to deadlift hundreds of pounds, keeping your fist closed into a fist is no longer such an easy task. Your brain now says, "Hold up, I need to get more muscles in on this thing." So it activates muscles from the neck all the way down to the toes. To demonstrate this, ball your fists up and squeeze as hard as you can. Notice the shaking, the tightening of your abs, the strain in your neck and traps? THAT is neurological overflow. Your body NEEDS this to protect itself from injury. 

Franco Columbu did not use wrist straps when entering
Beast Mode.

SO back to the wrist straps... When you wrap these puppies around a barbell you can lift the load with significantly less grip strain. As a result, your  brain says, "Hey, this sh*t's easy. I don't need to recruit more muscles to lift this up." Then BAM! your shoulder pops of out socket, you slip a disc in your spine, or you damage an elbow joint. All because you used a wrist strap to impress the other dudes in the gym (since we've already established that these macho displays of manliness don't actually impress females). 

Here's what you need to do instead... build up to the heavy weights in a gradual manner, and do auxiliary exercises that deliberately increase your grip  strength. One of my favorites is simply holding a barbell bell in front of you at waist level for 60 seconds. Slap a 25 or a 45 on either side at first and go heavier as you get stronger. Another great grip strengthener is to just hang from a pull up bar for 60 seconds. You'll see your grip strength increase pretty quickly. 

So bottom line my friends... if you can't lift it, DON'T. Save yourself some money, and prevent potential injuries, by going strapless.

Six Pack Abs are Overrated and Completely Worthless

#SixPack, #Washboard, #Shredded, #Ripped, #CutUp Abs. Everyone wants 'em... but how do you go about gettin' 'em? 

If you're seeking the answer to that question, you're not going to find it here. Well... not directly anyways. This article is going to be all about developing your core, not just those relatively weak and HIGHLY overrated muscles on the front of your stomach. Developing your entire core is extremely important. Why? Because your core's job is to protect the most fragile and vitally important part of your entire body...your spine. A strong core can eliminate lower back pain, prevent slipped discs and tweaks, and result in increased strength throughout your entire body. And as for six packs... I'd rather have a six pack of beer and no abs than a six pack abs and no core. Of course, along with a strong core comes a defined abdomen, but that's not the point!

Your core consists of the following 4 main muscles (just read the bold words if you're in a rush!):

1. Transverse Abdominis- I call this the internal belt. It's deep inside you and encases your spine and internal organs, including your stomach. This is the muscle that works when you suck in your belly and when you force yourself to exhale. A strengthened transverse abdominis will actually keep your belly from sticking out as far as usual. 
2. External Obliques- Located on your sides, these muscles run diagonally downwards in the same direction as your hands when you put them in your front coat pockets. They assist in twisting motions. 
3. Internal Obliques- Located underneath your external obliques, and running in the opposite direction, these muscles also assist in twisting motions. 
4. Rectus Abdominis (aka the Six Pack muscle)- this is the superficial muscle on the front of your abdominal wall that some (most) people kill themselves to get. Men and women will deprive themselves of good, tasty food, skip leg day, and neglect loved ones in their quest get a washboard of sex appeal placed front and center just below their chest. F*ck that noise. Focus on your entire core and this will gradually follow.

Other core muscles include a bunch of small muscles that run along your spine, along with your hip flexors, gluteus maximus and medius, and some other muscles that attach to your pelvis. All important to develop and perhaps the subjects of future articles... but for now lets get back to the 4 main muscles that I outlined above.

So here's how to strengthen your core, flatten your stomach, and possibly even get yourself a six pack (not that you still care about that, right?). This post would be WAY too long if I explained each and every exercise so for a Core sculpting workout, send me an email (strengthbymatt@gmail.com) or a facebook message (facebook.com/strengthbymatt). 

This is an advanced variation of a plank. Next step: Raise up
a leg, then an arm, then one of each.

• Planks- There are a ton of variations of these. The idea is to progress in difficulty levels as you. get stronger. Constant progression. You can put weights on your back, do them for longer, bring a stability ball into the mix, the possibilities are endless! Don't forget to do side planks either
• Off-balance Weight Training- using weights of two different sizes forces your core muscles to fire off and stabilize your body in order to keep your balance.
• Unilateral Exercises- Single leg squats, single romanian deadlifts (close your eys for an extra challenge), single leg box jumps, etc. The core fires off to stabilize your body and keep your balance.
• Unstable Platforms- Bocu balls, stability balls, Core-X platforms, medicine balls, etc. Countless combinations can make any ordinary lift completely dynamic and demanding for your core.
• Twists- anytime you twist your trunk, you work your internal and external obliques. Trim down your sides and "blast" away your love handles by twisting.

Again, this post would be WAY too long if I explained each and every exercise so for a Core sculpting workout, send me an email (strengthbymatt@gmail.com) or a facebook message (facebook.com/strengthbymatt). 

CRUNCHES are good for shaping your rectus abdominis muscle, but can actually damage your spine in the process. Numerous studies have found that the benefit you obtain from doing these archaeic exercises does not outweigh the risk that you place on your spine. The only reason to do a crunch is to prepare for a bodybuilding, physique, or figure show. If you care about athleticism and structural integrity, stop doing them. I personally haven't done a crunch or a sit-up in nearly a year and my abs are on par with where they were when I played college football. 

For my personal core workout- the one that I actually do in the gym- send me an email (strengthbymatt@gmail.com) or a facebook message (facebook.com/strengthbymatt). 

So there you have it amigos! Just in time for beach season!!!

WTF Should I Eat after I Lift??

!!!!!!Send me an email if you want a personalized lifting routine!!!!!!!

strengthbymatt@gmail.com

If you've been reading my stuff at all, you probably already know that I'm against using protein supplements at any time of day, including as a post workout recovery shake. While it is true that protein shakes are proven to work, these supplements are in my opinion, a HUGE waste of money. For a more detailed explanation, CLICK HERE to read my post on protein supplements.

INFB Pro Jodie Marsh claims to not use supplements
produced by the company she owns because they contain
banned substances!

The follow up question that I almost always get after making this bold statement is, "Well then what should I take after a workout, smartass?" But before I just straight up answer that question... let's break it down a bit.

First, instead of asking what you should TAKE, you should be asking what should you eat or drink for post workout nutrition. Second, as much as you care about eating and drinking the right stuff, you probably care just as much about convenience because you're busy as all hell. I could give you a ton of foods that take a lot of time to prepare for a post workout meal, but if I did that, you'd go right back to protein shakes. And finally, if you want to keep drinking your #Whey protein shakes because, through personal experience, you can't build muscle as efficiently without them, then you should absolutely keep drinking them. When it comes to working out it is my personal mantra that PERSONAL EXPERIENCE TRUMPS SCIENCE. I'm only inviting you to try something different, something more affordable. I will say though that your body can only take in .7-.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day (for a 170lb. person thats 120-150 grams)... after that you either piss it out or store it as fat. So that mass your gaining from drinking 5 shakes a day probably ain't lean muscle my friend. But I digress...

So here are some easy to prep, cheap post workout meals that are just as effective as protein shakes:

1. Chocolate Milk
2. Plain, non-fat Yogurt with Granola mixed in
3. Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich on 100% Whole Wheat Bread
4. Peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, chesnuts, postachio nuts, nuts, nuts
5. 4-5 Hard boiled or raw eggs (if you can man up and get past the texture)
6. Oatmeal with fruit mixed in

The goal is to get 10-20 grams of protein-- that's all your body needs to take advantage of it's peeked protein synthesis levels-- and some carbohydrates into your body within an hour of completing your workout. Ladies, this goes for you too!

Again, this is all just advice...do whatever you want... as long as you lift!

Is THIS Supplement an Effective Replacement for Fruits and Veggies?

To start things off, I am not selling the product in this post, nor am I benefiting from writing this article. I'm simply trying to provide you guys with a little information...

So if you've been following my blog, you know that I am against almost all supplements. To date, the only supplement that I support is Creatine Monohydrate. There are three main reasons for this... you can't possibly get enough Creatine from your daily diet to benefit you, there are no negative side effects, and... it's cheap as hell. Those three reasons are my guiding factors in recommending supplements to my readers and clients.

I'm often approached by friends, clients and colleagues with questions about supplements and/or offers to sell them. I always give frank advice when asked and decline the opportunity to sell, but recently, a friend of mine and licensed Physical Therapist, began endorsing a product called Juice Plus. Like all health related items that I am presented with, I began researching this product before casting judgement one way or the other, and here's what I found...

There are 2 separate products in the Juice Plus line, vegetable, fruit and berry capsules and a plant based complete shake. National Safety Associates (NSA), the owners of Juice Plus, claim that it is the "next best thing to eating fruits and vegetables and that the product is absorbed by the body, reduces oxidative stress, promotes cardiovascular wellness, supports a healthy immune system, and helps protect DNA. These claims have been highly researched and backed up with studies CLICK link here (http://www.teamjp.net/health/exercise2.shtml). With all these claimed benefits, no negative side effects discovered, and a relatively cheap price, I have decided to try it out for myself... just like I am currently doing with Creatine Monohydrate. Afterall, how can I honestly recommend something that I haven't tried out for myself? I'm going to reiterate, just like the Juice Plus owners said, that eating actual fruits and vegetables is always superior to any supplement. However, I will submit to the fact that consuming that large amount of fruits and veggies to meet minimum daily requirements is impossible on some days for a lot of people.

All that said, I am going to start a 6 week trial period and report my progress every couple of weeks. If I find any negative side effects, I'll let ya'll know and shit can my recommendation. If I find none, I just might have to add Juice Plus to my exclusive list of approved supplements.

Product in a Nutshell (VIDEO)  

The Juice Plus Company has also highly marketed their Complete Transformation 6 week program for individuals looking to maintain and/or revitalize their healthy lifestyles.  It provides a DETAILED NUTRITION PLAN and recommendations including water intake, and food servings at no extra cost.

For those of you who don’t want to wait until my post-trial review on this product and need to find a probable system to get back on track for Spring Break, Beach season, your New Years Resolution, or just looking for a fresh start and want to get involved, contact JuicePlusLifestyles@gmail.com for more information on getting you set-up with the Complete Transformation Plan.

I'll let you know how it goes for me!

Carb Free Diets are Bullsh*t!

Before diving into why Carb free diets are bullshit, you must first understand the sources from which your body draws energy:

1. The first source is carbs which are stored in the body as glycogen.

Good carb sources are not fattening. It's what you cook them
in and put on them that make them fattening.

• There are two types of glycogen stores in the body: Muscle glycogen which fuels your muscles directly, and liver glycogen commonly known as blood sugar. Liver glycogen fuels your brain and basically gives you the mental fortitude to push yourself despite being tired. Have you ever gotten to the point in the gym or in sports when you feel great then suddenly WHAM! you can't do another rep or run another ten yards? This is called "bonking" and is a result of depleted liver glycogen stores. It simply means that your brain is not getting the nourishment it needs because your carb stores have been thoroughly depleted. As a result it shut downs and commands your body to do the same.
• Muscle glycogen is a form of carbs that is stored in your muscles as a ready source of energy and it is the first source of energy that your body uses when conducting physical activity.

1. Your body's secondary energy source is fat, which is stored in the body as glycerol. You don't start burning fat as a source of energy until you deplete all of your muscle glycogen stores within a particular muscle.  
2. The third source of energy your body uses is protein. This is only used in extreme circumstances such as marathons or triathlons. When your body is using this form of energy, it is basically eating away your muscles to survive.

*Note: from here on out I am going to refer to glycgogen as carbs and glycerol as fat.*

So here is why including carbs in your diet is actually a good thing for weight loss (no one disputes the fact that it is good for weight gain so I'm not going to go into that explanation here)...

Without carbs, the intensity of your workouts will not be at an optimum level. This in turn will lead to LESS fat being burned, despite the fact that you have to go through your carb stores prior to using up your fat stores. The whole reason why people advocate a carb free diet is to forgo having to burn up your body's carb stores prior to getting into the fat stores. Here's the flip side of that...

If you eat the proper amount of carbs in your daily diet you will be adequately fueling your muscles and, more importantly, your brain. The carbs that fuel your brain will allow you to push through a workout once your muscle carb stores are gone. If you fail to eat the proper amount of carbs in your daily diet, you're putting yourself at a huge disadvantage from the get-go. Unless you use a pre-workout supplement (WHICH IS A HORRIBLY UNHEALTHY DECISION!) to overcome these depleted carb stores, you will already be at your bonking point. You won't have to mental fortitude or muscular endurance to burn through a sufficient amount of fat stores required to change your body's physical appearance. Carbs lead to results, carb-free leads to mediocrity. 

There are ways to overcome the lack of carbs, such as ingesting simple carbs in the form of a supplement just before your workout or taking a pre-workout supplement. These methods really mess with your body's chemical and hormonal balances, cost a lot of money, and are simply not as effective as carbs... aka nature's pre-workout. 

Hey as always though, this is just advice and you can do whatever the HELL you wanna do! 

If you want a good diet to maximize your gains in the gym, send me an email at strengthbymatt@gmail.com. I'll hook you up!!