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Articles from Mike Matthews | Selfgrowth.com
- Does Alcohol Consumption Affect Weight Loss and Muscle Growth? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsDoes alcohol consumption ruin hormone levels, strength, fat loss, and muscle recovery? Alcohol and its relation to health and fitness is a tricky subject. In small amounts—a drink or two a day—it has potential health benefits like improved insulin sensitivity, cardiac function, and blood ...
Views: 1736 - Which Form of Creatine is Most Effective? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsCreatine is sold in many different forms. Which is most effective, and why? Creatine is a substance found naturally in the body and in foods like red meat. It is perhaps the most researched molecule in the world of sport supplements–the subject of over 200 studies–and the consensus is very ...
Views: 2379 - 8 Ways to Improve Hunger Control and Weight Loss - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsHunger control problems are behind most failed attempts at weight loss. The #1 weight loss problem that I help people with is, by far, sticking to their diet. This is especially the case with people that are new to a healthy weight loss regimen, which requires that you remain in a caloric ...
Views: 1144 - 3 Powerful Ways Working Out Makes You Better at Life - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsFew people argue the many health benefits of regular exercise. We all know it wards of all kinds of disease, and scientists have shown it’s a great way to fight depression, improve intelligence, and protect against the cognitive decline associated with aging. Many people don’t realize that ...
Views: 1125 - The Deadlift and Your Lower Back: Harmful or Helpful? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsFor some, deadlifting is synonymous with low-back pain. Is this fact or fiction? In the ‘70s, top powerlifters like John Kuc, John Cole, and Don Reinhoudt had outstanding deadlifts, with personal bests around 900 pounds. The deadlift was considered the king of compound exercises. These ...
Views: 1456 - Squatting and Your Knees and Back: Injury Risk or Safe? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsEveryone knows the squat is an effective leg exercise, but is it bad for your knees and back? Like the deadlift, the barbell squat is one of the most powerful exercises you can do, involving the strength and coordination of over 200 muscles in your body. But, also like the deadlift, it’s ...
Views: 1434 - Water Retention and Weight Loss: You Can Lose Fat, But Not Weight? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsFluid retention can be an insidious problem to deal with when dieting to lose weight. Have you ever been rolling along nicely on a cut and then, out of nowhere, had your scale freeze up on you? That is, you go one, two, even three weeks without losing any weight, and without looking any ...
Views: 1561 - Weightlifting and Flexibility: Does It Make You Inflexible? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsMany people believe that weightlifting impairs flexibility. Is this true? Athletes were once advised not to lift weights because it would make them stiff and inflexible, and hurt their performance. Well, we now know better. Sure, being a hulking brute naturally limits your flexibility ...
Views: 2096 - Carbohydrates and Weight Loss: Should You Go Low-Carb? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsDo carbohydrates actually cause weight gain and prevent fat loss? The hysterical crusade against carbohydrates has reached a frantic pitch these days. From the scientifically bankrupt theories of guys like Gary Taubes to the trendy low-carb diets like Paleo, Zone, Dukan, and so forth, the ...
Views: 1223 - Cardio and Muscle Growth: Friends or Foes? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsMany people think cardio should be avoided at all costs when trying to build muscle. Are they right? Many guys fear the treadmill, believing it has a mystical ability to shrivel up muscle and sap strength. And many bodybuilder types bash cardio simply because they don’t like doing ...
Views: 2089 - Do Fructose and Fruit Make You Fat and Unhealthy? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsDoes regular fructose intake ruin insulin sensitivity, cause weight gain, and damage your metabolism? Many health gurus claim that fruit can cause horrible things in the body due to the sugar molecule it contains, known as fructose. I’ve known many people that were thoroughly convinced ...
Views: 1270 - Stretching Before Aerobic Exercise or Weightlifting: Yes or No? - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsStretching improves flexibility, but does it prevent injury, increase strength, speed, and muscle growth, and accelerate recovery? The common reasons for doing stretches that involve holding stretched positions for various lengths of time, or static stretches, before exercise are the beliefs ...
Views: 2168 - The “Hardgainer’s” Guide to Guaranteed Muscle Growth - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsThe “hardgainer” gripe is common among skinny guys everywhere. It’s time to put it to rest. Some guys believe that their bodies are genetically programmed to stay scrawny and weak, regardless of how hard they train or how much they eat. Sometimes they turn to steroids and sometimes they just ...
Views: 1819 - Muscle Growth, Fat Loss, and Your Genetics - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsGenetics are often praised and cursed, but how much do they really affect muscle growth and fat loss? This one gets tossed around a lot. Genetics are a favorite scapegoat for people who can’t effectively build muscle or lose fat. But what are they, exactly, and how much do they actually ...
Views: 1522 - Use Cinnamon to Improve Insulin Sensitivity - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsCinnamon not only tastes great, but it improves insulin sensitivity… While many of us know spices like cinnamon, tumeric, chili pepper flakes, and ginger as mere flavor boosters, they once had medicinal uses. In fact, the molecular structures of many drugs are based on natural ...
Views: 1243 - Use Stevia as a Zero-Calorie Sweetener with Benefits - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsStevia is a healthy, tasty way to sweeten just about anything and control blood sugar levels. Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (and particularly carbonated soft drinks), can lead to weight gain and increase your risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Not to mention ...
Views: 976 - Stubborn Fat Sucks! 4 Strategies for Losing It For Good - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsBelly fat, thigh fat, hip and butt fat…Here’s how to lose stubborn fat fast. Fat loss is simple enough–consume less energy than you burn every day–but trying to lose stubborn fat frustrates many. Have you ever noticed that certain areas of your body get leaner quicker than others, and that ...
Views: 1076 - 8 Healthy, Pre-Packaged Snacks Perfect for Losing Weight or Building Muscle - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsQuick, healthy, and tasty snacks are an easy and enjoyable way to meet your dietary numbers every day. We all wish we could always have fresh, delicious, low-calorie foods within arm’s reach…but that’s just not the case. Packing fresh foods and transporting them around every day is a hassle, ...
Views: 1635 - 5 Ways to Break Through Weight Loss Plateaus: Part Two - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2013 from Mike MatthewsPicking up where we left off, here are the remaining 3 ways to blast through your plateus and supercharge your weight loss: 3. Increase Your Cardio If you know that your daily caloric target is good and you have absolutely no calorie creep, then you should increase your cardio. You can ...
Views: 1247 - The Real Battle We Have to Win to Get Into Shape - by Submitted on Apr 26, 2013 from Mike MatthewsBefore you can build the body of your dreams, you need to learn how to defeat the only force that can really stop you. “I’m going to really stick to this training program and diet and completely change my body!” thinks the wannabe athlete. “Oh man, I need to tweet about this before I ...
Views: 1031 - 5 Ways to Break Through Weight Loss Plateaus: Part One - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2013 from Mike MatthewsHave you hit a weight loss plateau? It’s time to learn why, and what you can do about it. Fat was practically falling off your body just a few weeks ago, and now you’re wondering if your scale is broken because no matter what you do, your weight won’t budge. What gives? Why did your ...
Views: 1467 - 6 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Testosterone Production - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2013 from Mike MatthewsBoosting your testosterone levels is one of the easiest ways to get bigger, leaner, and stronger. That’s why millions of guy take dangerous steroids, and millions more buy products that claim to be able to boost testosterone naturally (but do very little, in reality). So, are there ...
Views: 1608 - What is the Best Protein Powder for Building Muscle? - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2013 from Mike MatthewsWith so many options out there, what is the best protein powder for building muscle? In order to get an answer to that question, let’s first take a look at protein itself. There are two main sources of protein out there: whole food protein and supplement protein. Whole food protein is, ...
Views: 1585 - 8 Signs of Overtraining That Most People Don’t Know - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2013 from Mike MatthewsAre your workouts dragging? Feeling fatigued all the time? Having trouble sleeping? You may be suffering from overtraining… Overtraining is an insidious trap because it goes against our natural instincts. In most endeavors in life, you can expect to receive rewards in proportion to what ...
Views: 1185 - WD-40 and the Dirty Little Secret of Overnight Success - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2013 from Mike MatthewsDo you know why WD-40 is called “WD-40?” It stands for “Water Displacement–40th Attempt.” “Who cares?” I hear you wondering. Well, the formula that accounted for over $300 million in sales last year was successfully created only after 39 failed attempts. The incredibly popular game ...
Views: 1793 - 6 Ways to Kick Your Metabolism and Fat Loss Into High Gear - by Submitted on May 09, 2013 from Mike MatthewsDo you want to speed up your fat loss? Here are my six favorite strategies for melting fat away as quickly as possible. Have you ever been in the following situation? You feel like you’re giving 110% in the gym, you’re doing cardio, and you’re eating clean…but you’re still a bit soft in ...
Views: 1531(1 vote) - How to Quickly Gain Muscle: The Simple Science of Building Mass Fast - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2013 from Mike MatthewsSo you’re looking to quickly gain muscle? You’ve come to the right place. Gaining muscle quickly is simply a matter of diligently applying the laws of muscle growth, which are as certain, observable, and irrefutable as those of physics. When you throw a ball in the air, it comes down. ...
Views: 1711(1 vote)