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??

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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!!

How to Free Your Mind and Release Your Stress

!!!!!!Send me an email if you want a personalized lifting routine!!!!!!!
strengthbymatt@gmail.com

Also, Like the Strength By Matt Facebook Page for daily fitness tips! And add me to your Google+ Circles! (view in full web format on your smart phone or tablet to see the link to to do this)

A lot of people have been telling me that they run not to improve their physical health but to improve their mental health. Others say they love hitting the gym because it's the only place they get alone time to recharge their batteries. Today at the gym though, I saw so many people standing around gossiping about stupid shit or bitching about legit shit going on in their lives. SO I felt compelled to write this shit...

Your body will only do what your mind allows it to do. If on your blissful run you think negative thoughts and refuse to let go and clear your head, you will not find your run therapeutic. In fact, you might even be more stressed because while your mind was racing thinking about whatever stressful situations you're going through, your body was "wasting time" running or lifting. The only way to pacify your mind at that point would be to take action against to solve your problems. If you're running or lifting, you're not taking that action, you're just wasting time as far as your mind is concerned. So here's the trick to turning your workout into therapy... let everything go! Think about your feet hitting the pavement, the air going into your lungs, your muscle fibers contracting, your fat burning away... think about the present and let your mind feel like it is actually accomplishing something right then and there. Then and only then will you truly be able to carry that peace and mental clarity into the other aspects of your life. YOU'LL SEE BIGGER PHYSICAL GAINS THIS WAY TOO! 

Another good tip which has nothing to do with working out is to just scream. Like a three year who just got told they couldn't have anymore candy. Do it in a pillow if you're shy or just out loud if you have the house to yourself. Open your mouth as wide as you can and discharge your rage loudly and violently. I personally try to do this monthly just to balance myself out. It's definitely different, but try it out before you think I'm crazy!

You don't have to choose a grueling activity to do this either. I did PiYo (a mixture of Pilates and Yoga) a couple days ago and found that, without really breaking a sweat, I was completely relaxed and re-centered. For a full hour, I focused on nothing but my muscles stretching, my spine extending, and breathing deeply. It was amazing and I definitely recommend it. 

If you're stressed out about a big test, being unemployed, an investment tanking, your kids misbehaving, your significant other cheating on you, your car breaking down when you need it most, or any other shit life is throwing your way, go workout and bring your mind with you. It will try to wander, but don't let it! Tell your brain to tell your mind to calm the f*ck down and focus on the present.   

As always though, this is all just advice. Take it or leave it my friends!

The ZeroCardio Diet - Part III

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Speed ladder drills have many benefits for mind and body!

In the first two parts of this series, I went over the numerous reasons why, if your goal is athleticism and/or aesthetics, you should stop doing cardio and start lifting weights. In this part, I am going to go into some exercises that you can and should do as part of your ZeroCardio Diet. Just to be clear, this program is meant to harness your athletic prowess as you develop copious amounts of lean, drop dead, mouth-wateringly sexy muscle. So if you want to run marathons or 5Ks or if you just enjoy running to clear your head... DO CARDIO. Just know that cardio WILL destroy your lean muscle gains so for MAXIMUM results, I do not recommend combining weight lifting with cardio.  Once again, cardio is NOT bad for you... it's just not the best for bulking up, trimming down, athleticism, and overall hotness.

When it comes to weight lifting, FORM is paramount...not the amount of weight you push around. Insecure jabronies sacrafice form for weight... don't be a jabroni. Also CrossFit warriors do the same thing. CLICK HERE to read about my OPINION of that "sport." But I digress...

I could go on and on about strength training routines and exercises you could do to BLAST FAT and improve your athleticism and appearance, but I'm not going to do that here. Instead, I invite you to send me an email ( strengthbymatt@gmail.com ) and ask me for a FREE, ZeroCardio strength training regimen. Whatever your goal is, be it body building, athleticism, bulking up, trimming down, or just plain getting a nicer ass! I can create a workout that will help you achieve it. Strength training is nothing without a proper diet though, so you won't be able to just lift right, you'll have to eat right too. I will cover that topic soon too.

Sled pulls are great for your heart and your
muscular development! 

The main concern people have with the ZeroCardio program is that they think that cardio is the only way to improve your CARDIOvascular system. But that thought is simply wrong. Among other things, sprints, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). and super setting your lifts will improve your cardiovascular health. You won't be able to run a mile very fast, nor will you be able to mindlessly watch TV or read a book while doing them, but that dosen't mean your cardiovascular system is unhealthy. The aforementioned exercises create lean, sexy fast twitch muscle fibers while still giving your heart a workout and improving your overall cardiovascular health. I recommend including at least 1 day a week of interval training or sprints in addition to weight lifting. These exercises will not diminish the gains you see from weight lifting, they will actually improve them. Sprints especially are very efficient in burning through your bodies glycogen (carb) stores. When sprinting you use glycogen almost exclusively as an energy source. The faster you blast through that, faster you begin burning through your glycerol (fat) stores. You DO NEED CARBS in your diet though in order to fuel your muscles so that you can have a good strong workout.

My whole goal of creating the Strength By Matt brand is not to rid the world of treadmills and elliptical machines. My goal is to make this world a better place by helping individuals become stronger versions of themselves in the most EFFICIENT manner possible. As you become physically and mentally stronger, not only will your life improve, but so will the lives of those around you and in turn, the world will be a little bit better of place. If you feel the strongest version of yourself is a marathon runner, then the Strength By Matt resistance training program is not for you. Just tune out articles like these and read my posts on nutrition, supplements, mental health, and the like. I really do welcome your feedback and your points of view so keep it coming!

And as always... all of this is just advice.. you can do whatever the HELL you wanna do!

The Creatine Experiment

!!!!!!Send me an email if you want a personalized lifting routine!!!!!!!
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Those of you who have been following my blog may remember a post I did on the benefits of creatine. Click CLICK HERE to read it.

Well I have continued doing research and have still not been able to find anything wrong with it. In fact, the only proven adverse side effects are weight gain and water retention... which actually aren't adverse at all since the whole purpose of taking the supplement is to gain mass. I am comfortable recommending this supplement to anyone 18 years and older because Creatine, the most studied supplement behind whey protein, has not been proven to cause any adverse health effects. Also, your body naturally produces Creatine, so it's not like you're adding anything to your system that might send your hormones into a tailspin. Now, because the supplement industry is highly unregulated you're going to want to heavily research the company from which you buy your products. Make sure their top dogs aren't criminals and check to see that their products have never been tainted with things like testosterone, steroids, or meth.

All the being said, I am going to use myself as a guinea pig for a 12 week cycle of Creatine supplementation. I purchased my Creatine powder from #truenaturals.com (a reliable source of supplements!) for $16 after shipping. Pretty affordable if you ask me. I will begin with a 5 day, 20 gram per day #LoadingPhase, and the rest of the cycle will be a 5 gram per day maintenance phase. I will take the 5 grams within 15 minutes postworkout (aka post swoll fest). Periodically, I will report my progress on here and at the end, I will give a full report. If I find any negative side effects I will stop taking it immediately. I have taken Creatine (and a sh*t ton of other legal supplements) in the past, but I did not take it properly, so this should be a pretty interesting experiment.

This is not a gateway supplement, so I still will not be taking #WheyProtein, #pre-workout supplements, #BCAAs, or anything else of the sort. And I STILL hold strong to the fact that proper nutrition can yield better results at a cheaper cost than any supplement can. But Creatine may be different. It is found naturally in beef and other meats, but to get the 5 grams per day that your muscles need to see a benefit from it, you would need to eat 32kg!!! of beef every day. That means eating a 64+ ounce steak every damn day! Also, at $16 for a 100 day supply, it's a pretty damn good value. So I invite you to follow along with me on this journey. In the end, I'll either recommend or I'll toss it in the same shitastic group as every other supplement on the market today. Cheers!

The Zero Cardio Diet - Part II

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As people progress in age past their 20's, and in some cases in their late 20's, they begin to lose a percentage of muscle mass every year. This percentage increases with age. Now here's the kicker: Strength training combats this genetic decline... cardio accelerates it. You see, in order to continue to increase muscle mass as you age, you must create lean, fast twitch muscle fibers. Cardio tends to atrophy (eliminate) fast twitch muscle fibers in favor of less toned, weaker slow twitch fibers. What's that you say? You don't care about your muscle composition because all you want in life is to be skinny? Well, cardio dosen't help that either!

Women who lift trim down instead of bulking up!

Lean, fast twitch muscle fibers require more calories to function then their slow twitch counterparts. So when you run or bike for miles and burn all those calories in the short term, you are actually making it harder for your body to burn calories in the long run. If, instead of running for an hour you chose to lift weights, you would create lean muscle in your body, and as a result every activity you do would require more calories. In other words, lean muscle will increase your basal metabolic rate! This lean muscle also appears to be more firm and more aesthetically pleasing. And you will be able to maintain this appearance into your old age. You simply cannot get this benefit from cardio. 

Most of us find ourselves in this
position for extended periods of time
every day, which is horrible for our
posture! 

Now let's talk about posture, which also tends to degenerate with age. Most of our lives today are anterior centric, or "forward leaning." From driving your car, to sitting at your computer, you spend a large part of your day hunched over with your shoulders rolled forward and your head sticking out forward like a chicken pecking for food. When you bike or run, you force your body to do the same thing only under a greater amount of stress! Just look at the next runner you see in your neighborhood if you want proof. This is horrible for your structural integrity, and for your overall appearance. Strength training, however, can correct this. I'll do a post soon about all the life benefits of good posture, but for now, just take my word for it... good posture is critical for long-term quality of life.

Next topic... let's address the concern that most women bring up to me... 

A lot of females believe that if they strength train they will bulk up like Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is simply impossible. Men have a much higher ability to gain mass and muscle due to their testosterone levels being far higher than those of women. Those "freak" female body builders are almost all on steroids. Women will actually appear thinner, and more trimmed down when they follow a lifting program. If you think you're different, you're not! Lifting weight burns both the fat surrounding your muscles and the fat within your muscles (and yes, there is fat within your muscles in the same way that there is fat in the middle of a nice juicy steak). This results in a trimmed down, toned appearance. Without the use of supplements like steroids and testosterone boosters, women cannot physically bulk up to "disgusting proportions". As long as females follow a healthy, calorie-conscious diet in conjunction with a proper lifting program, they will trim down, tone up and look sexier than they could ever look by doing mass amounts of cardio.

Biking, a form of cardio, is ineffective.

So cut the crap cardio and start getting more bang for your buck... lift weights! 

The Zero Cardio Diet - Part I

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You will only bulk up by lifting if that's your goal.
When it comes to bulking vs.  toning, it's all about what you
eat, not what you lift!

The key to losing weight and getting the lean shapely figure you're looking for is to burn more calories than you take in. To do this, most people think they have to run, bike, swim, hop on the eliptical machine or stair stepper, or row a 10k. WRONG! Cardio is not the answer! The answer is found in resistance training aka weight lifting aka pumping iron aka getting your swoll on. 'Merica.

The amount of calories you burn during a workout is determined by your heartbeat. Essentially, the harder your heart works, the more calories you burn. So here's the conundrum with devoting time to cardio in an effort to burn calories as you stive to achieve your aesthetic goals. As you get better at cardio, your entire cardiovascular system improves (hence the name cardio!) which means it requires less effort for your heart to pump oxygen throughout your body. Consequently, you burn less calories. To overcome that you must increase the duration or intensity of your cardio sessions. Ain't nobody got time for that! Additionally, your body begins to convert your lean, sexy fast twitch muscles into slow twitch muscles in order to adapt to the increased amount of cardio you've been doing. Lean muscle is made primarily of fast twitch fibers and is imperative to achieving the shape and pleasing aesthetic appearance that most people desire (if you show me someone who dosen't desire this, I'll show you a liar). More muscle on the body equals more calories burned in both the resting and active state. Why? Simply put, more muscle fibers are recruited and required during each and every activity that you perform. This means that people with more muscle burn more calories while walking, working, eating, watching tv, working out, and even sleeping than people with less muscle burn. 

To achieve the shape you desire for your body, you must change your body's composition. In other words, you must get rid of fat while simultaneously adding muscle. Cardio will drive you to lose some fat, but it does not allow you to gain muscle. The average overweight woman is pear shaped with more fat in the lower half of their body while the average overweight man tends to be apple shaped with more fat in their mid-section. Doing cardio then would drive these people to become smaller pears and smaller apples because they would lose some fat without adding muscle. Your goal however, should not be to look like pear or apple of any size. It should be to change your body's composition in your upper and lower half and in your core (abs and lower back). This goal can only be accomplished through strength training! 

I'll leave you with this final piece... I dare you to take the Strength By Matt challenge:
       

A not-so-uncommon sight in the cardio room.

Next time you're at the gym look in the cardio section and I'll bet you'll see a dozen or so people who look unhappy, are not losing weight, and are using cardio as an excuse to watch television. This form of exercise will closely resemble the time they spend on their couch! Next, look into the weight room and I'll bet you'll see a group of lean, toned, sexy individuals with great posture and a confident aura. Now answer this question... which group would you rather be a part of?

As always, I'm only giving you advice and inviting you to try something new as you strive to become a stronger version of yourself. You can do whatever the hell you want to do!