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. 

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!!!

The Creatine Experiment

!!!!!!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)

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!

VIDEO: My 48" Box Jump Progression

Box jumps are excellent for increasing the strength, power, and explosiveness in your legs. Land with your feet flat and even on the platform. Use plates, as I do in this video, to increase the height of your platform. Hit me up in the comments section with any questions!

VIDEO: Deadlifting 405 Raw at 165lbs

THIS is the Only Proven and Safe Supplement on the Market

I read a few studies on this supplement and went ahead and summarized one of them below. The last 2 paragraphs are pretty detailed so if you're a health nerd like me, you'll like them, otherwise just read the next 3 paragraphs. So what ergogenic actually works as advertised?

CREATINE is PROVEN to work! Not only that, but there are no negative side effects associated with taking it! It's the only supplement on the market that I would recommend adults (not high schoolers) taking. One of the best things about creatine is that it is naturally produced by your body, which means you're not putting something into your body that it isn't used to having.  When you supersaturate your muscles through creatine supplementation, you will put on mass and you'll see increases in strength and power. It goes without saying that you need to lift weights to see these gains... but I figured I'd say it just in case.

If you're going to take a creatine supplement, I recommend CREATINE MONOHYDRATE. There are many different types of creatines that manufacturers claim will turn you into some sort of a super human, but creatine monohydrate is the only one that has been proven to work by academic, non-biased studies. 

How to take it: Start with a LOADING PHASE of 5 grams 4 times per day for 5-7 days. This loading phase is important to seeing the best results. Very few studies have shown positive results in people who skipped the loading phase. After the loading phase just take 3-5 grams immediately after working out. You will see benefits if you take creatine prior to your workout, but for BEST results, take it afterwards. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water while your taking this supplement (aim for a gallon per day), and don't forget to lift weights. You're likely to get "bitch tits" if you take it and don't lift weights.

Now for the super informative, but slightly boring technical-term-filled summary of one of the studies I read about creatine...


Creatine monohydrate supplementation increases performance by giving the muscles more energy during workouts. The way this works is that the creatine monohydrate molecules that are ingested via a supplement bond with Adenosine Di-Phosphate (ADP) molecules that the human body naturally produces. When this happens, Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP) is formed, thus resulting in more energy and decreased recovery time during workouts. As we learned in class, this is the primary storage form of energy in the muscles of the body. ADP molecules naturally bond together to form ATP molecules in the body. The benefit of taking a creatine monohydrate supplement is that these bonds occur at a much higher rate because there are more free molecules in the body for ADP molecules to bond with in order to form ATP. Creatine monohydrate supplementation has been proven to increase lean muscle mass, so this study was conducted in order to determine if creatine supplementation was more beneficial when taken pre or post workout.

The results of this study showed that creatine monohydrate supplementation was more beneficial when taken post workout vs. pre-workout. When taken both pre and post workout, fat free mass increased, fat mass decreased, and muscular strength increased. However, those participants that ingested creatine monohydrate after they worked out showed greater benefits than those that took the supplement prior to working out.  The participants were taken off all other supplements 4 weeks prior to the study commencing and they were put on the exact same workout routine for four weeks, and their diets were spot checked throughout the study and found to be relatively congruent amongst all participants. 

Reference

Antonio, J., & Ciccone, V. (2013). The effects of pre vs. post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strength. Journal of the International Study of Sports Nutrition, 10, 36.

3 Keys to Bulking Up (Beyond Lifting Weights)

                    Increased Portion Sizes, Plus Snacks

     In order to gain weight you need to increase your normal portion sizes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to eating one to two snacks throughout the day. The key to eating snacks is packing them in advance when you are on the go. Put them in your gym bag, book bag, or your locker at school or work. When you know that food will not be readily available, it is up to you to make sure you have the food you need for your diet. In order to get the maximum benefit from your increased calorie intake, your timing needs to be right.
               

                   Timing is Key

     After lifting weights your protein and glycogen synthesis levels are at their peak. In order to take advantage of this and thus maximize the benefits of resistance training, you need to ingest protein within 45 minutes of completing your workout and carbohydrates within 15 minutes. So how much protein and carbohydrates should you take in? Make sure to ingest 10-20g of protein within 45 minutes of completing your workout and you should take in the appropriate amount of carbs within 15 minutes of lifting.  To figure out how many grams of carbohydrates you should eat, simply divide your body weight by 2. 

Example: a 200 pound person needs 100g of carbs (200/2 = 100). They then need to continue to take in 100g of carbs every 30 minutes for the next 4 to 5 hours. 

     The combination of protein and carbohydrate will also reduce cortisol in your body, which is a hormone that breaks down muscle fiber. Studies have shown that athletes who consume protein and carbohydrates immediately before and after their workouts gained more muscle mass than those who did not time their protein and carb intake in this way. Beyond working out, you should aim to eat at least every four hours throughout the day. Break up long gaps between your three main meals with healthful, calorie dense snacks as discussed above.

Perseverance

Weight gain of this nature is going to take patience and increasing your calorie intake this much is going to be hard work. Do not give up. Think of your food as your weight gaining medicine. You will not get over a virus by skipping on your antibiotics the same way you will not gain weight by skimping on your food intake. Your weight gain will not happen overnight, but instead will happen gradually. It will be tempting to take supplements such as protein and weight gaining shakes. These are a waste of money and have not been proven to add any benefit for those who eat correctly. You will reach your goals without supplements by lifting weights and sticking with larger portions of healthful foods for meals and snacks.

For a 3 day healthy, mass gaining meal plan... shoot me an email! strengthbymatt@gmail.com

       Real soon here, I'll highlight a proven, easy to follow weight lifting strategy that'll get ya allllll kinds of gains!

Protein Supplements: a Complete WASTE of Money

Watch my video on this and subscribe to my channel!  

Strength by Matt's YouTube Channel

Before I dive into why protein supplements are a waste of money, I’m going to explain a couple of things first. Your body draws energy from 3 sources:

1.       Primary source is carbs (stored in your body as glycogen)

2.       Next is Fat (stored in your body as glycerol)

3.       Last is Protein (you only use protein for energy in extreme situations such as running marathons)

During weight lifting your body rapidly burns through its glycogen stores.

Also during weight lifting, you create tiny tears or abrasions in your muscles that require protein to repair. During this process, you build muscle.

So, after a good weight lifting session you need 2 thing:

1.       Carbs to restore your depleted glycogen stores and

2.       Protein to repair and build your muscles.

After a workout, your glycogen and protein synthesis levels are spiked. Therefore, you must take in protein following your exercise session.

How much protein do you need though to satisfy this peaked level of protein synthesis? Ask most muscle heads at the gym and they will tell you to take in as much as possible as soon as possible. I’ve heard guys swearing that if you don’t take in half your body weight in grams of protein within 10 minutes of working out, you might as well have not lifted at all.

This is totally false!!! Studies have shown that the human body only needs 10-20g of protein to satisfy its peaked protein synthesis levels after a lift. That’s all… 10-20g within 45 minutes of finishing your workout.

What’s the best/cheapest way to get this protein in your system? A simple glass of chocolate milk. That’s all. Protein supplements are completely unnecessary and a huge waste of money. Other good sources are yogurt with some granola mixed in, a peanut butter and banana sandwich, or a bowl of oatmeal.

Alright so there you have it… Don’t fall for the advertisements and the advice of the huge guys at the gym…they’re huge not because they waste money on protein supplements, they’re huge from genetics and hard work along with the large amount of carbs and calories they’re most likely eating throughout the day. Listen to the science and save a shit ton of money. 10-20g of protein is all you need.

 I’ll talk about restoring your glycogen stores (which might be even more important than taking in protein after a workout!) in a future post.

Deuces.