MUSCLE

MYTHS
50 HEALTH & FITNESS MISTAKES YOU
DONT KNOW YOURE MAKING

Michael Matthews
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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hi,
Im Mike and Ive been training for nearly a decade now.
I believe that every person can achieve the body of his or her dreams,
and I work hard to give everyone that chance by providing workable, proven
advice grounded in science, not a desire to sell phony magazines, workout
products, or supplements.
Through my work, Ive helped thousands of people achieve their health
and fitness goals, and I share everything I know in my books.
So if youre looking to get in shape and look great, then I think I can
help you. I hope you enjoy my books and Id love to hear from you at my site,
www.muscleforlife.com.

Sincerely,
Mike
 CONTENTS

YOU HAVE BEEN LIED TO, AND ITS TIME TO LEARN THE
TRUTH
The health and fitness industry is notorious for scams, fallacies, and
pseudo-science.
THE WAR AGAINST BS AND BROSCIENCE
Learn about the biggest lie factories in the industry, and how to
inoculate yourself.
SECTION ONE: WEIGHTLIFTING MYTHS

Myth #1: I cant build muscle/lose weight because I

have bad genetics 7
Myth #2: Im a hardgainer 9
Myth #3: Deadlifts are bad for your back 13

Myth #4: Squats are bad for your back and knees 17
Myth #5: You have to work your abs more to get a six-
pack 21
Myth #6: You can turn your fat into muscle 25

Myth #7: Lifting light weights for many reps gets you
toned 27
Myth #8: Women should train differently than men 29
Myth #9: The more you work out and the longer the
workouts are, the better 33
Myth #10: You can shape your muscles with certain
exercises 37
Myth #11: You dont have to lift weights if you just want
to be healthy and fit 39

Myth #12: You should always stretch before working out 41

Myth #13: You can get rid of fat by working out a
particular area of your body 45
Myth #14: Its okay to cheat on form if youre going heavy 47
Myth #15: Once you stop training, all your muscle turns
to fat 49
Myth #16: You should eat whatever you want when you
want to maximize muscle growth 51
Myth #17: Weight training makes you inflexible 53

SECTION TWO: CARDIO MYTHS

Myth #18: When doing cardio, you want to get your heart
rate into the fat burning zone 57
Myth #19: Your body kicks into fat-loss mode after 20
minutes of cardio 59
Myth #20: You have to do cardio to get lean 61

Myth #21: You shouldnt do cardio when youre trying to

gain weight 63
Myth #22: You should do cardio before lifting weights 67
Myth #23: Sweating more during cardio burns more fat 69

SECTION THREE: DIET & NUTRITION MYTHS

Myth #24: Fasting puts your body into starvation mode 73

Myth #25: If you eat a lot of carbs, you will always be fat 75
Myth #26: Eat many small meals per day to stoke the
metabolism and control hunger 81
Myth #27: You cant drink alcohol if you want to look good 85
Myth #28: Fruit juice is good for you 89

Myth #29: Fruit is bad for you 91

Myth #30: The body can only absorb and use (insert number
here) grams of protein at a time 95

Myth #31: I wont have to watch what I eat if I exercise a lot 99

Myth #32: Dont eat at night if you want to lose weight 101
Myth #33: If you eat breakfast, youll stay thin. If you skip it,
youll get fat 103
Myth #34: Egg yolks increase the risk of heart disease 105

Myth #35: Eating fats makes you fat 107

Myth #36: Dont drink water while eating because it

interferes with digestion 109
Myth #37: Diet sodas are good for dieting 111
Myth #38: Salt is bad for you 113
Myth #39: Certain foods have negative calories 117
Myth #40: I dont need to count calories if I eat healthy
foods and watch my portions 119
Myth #41: Eating a lot of protein is bad for your kidneys 125
Myth #42: One cheat day per week is okay 129

SECTION FOUR: SUPPLEMENT MYTHS

Myth #43: The only way to get big and lean is to take
steroids 133
Myth #44: You have to take a bunch of supplements to get
jacked 135
Myth #45: Fat burners get you ripped 137

Myth #46: Creatine is a steroid/is dangerous/doesnt work/is

bad for your kidneys 139
SECTION FIVE: LIFESTYLE MYTHS

Myth #47: Stress and cortisol make you gain weight 145
Myth #48: Sleep isnt that important 149
Myth #49: Im overweight because I have a slow
metabolism 153
Myth #50: I dont have the time/opportunity to diet and
exercise 155

BONUS REPORT 157

Muscle Meals: 15 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and
Staying Healthy

If you hate dieting and wish you could eat tasty, nutritious food and
still build muscle or lose weight, then you want to read this special
report.
WOULD YOU DO ME A FAVOR? 159
Youre awesome for buying my book, and I have a small favor to
ask...
ALSO BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS 161
More practical health and fitness advice to help you get into the
best shape of your life.
REFERENCES 165

INDEX 187
 YOU HAVE BEEN LIED TO,
AND ITS TIME TO LEARN
THE TRUTH

This is the book I wish I had had when I started training nearly a decade
agoback when I was full of wrong ideas.
I thought that my genetics werent good enough, that it took hours and
hours of grueling cardio to lose weight, that I was a hardgainer, that a really
sick pump was the key to muscle growth, that I shouldnt eat at night if I
didnt want to get fat, and many other fallacies that were foisted upon me by
workout magazines and trainers (many of whom get their information from
magazines).
Like many people, I would hit the gym regularly only to see minor
improvements that came far too slowly. Achieving my ideal physique
seemed impossible.
This frustrating rut can lead to quitting, or turning to unhealthy diets or
steroids and other drugs that can seriously harm your health. Fortunately,
I chose the path of better education, and it has since helped me transform
the way I eat and train, and as a result, transform my entire physique. I then
started writing books to help others do the same.
The fact isand this is probably the biggest lesson Ive learned over the
last ten yearsbuilding a great body just isnt that complicated. Its like good
sexsure, it requires effort, but the principles are few and simple, and if you
stick to them, you get the job done.
Heres what it boils down to: If youre willing to exercise for 3045
minutes per day, 35 times per week, and follow a sensible eating plan,
you can have a great body that youre proud of. And if youre not already a
seasoned lifter, you can easily gain 1015 pounds in your first 1012 weeks
of traininga pretty dramatic change. If youre looking to lose weight, you
can lose the same amount, or more, in the same period.
In this book Im going to address a bunch of myths and bogus claims
in a scientific and straightforward manner. Im not going to bother with a
bunch of pictures or fluff material because you can get more than your fill
of that in other fitness books and on various websites. Im going to give you
the straight facts and help you approach your training and nutrition in a
smarter way. You dont necessarily have to read this book in order. Feel free
to scan the Table of Contents and jump to whatever sparks your interest
most.
By the end of this book, youre going to understand things about your
body and the physiology of weight loss and muscle growth that most people
will never know. And youre going to be able to put what you learn into
practice to make achieving your ideal body easier, faster, and more enjoyable
than ever before.
Before we begin with the myth busting, however, I want to talk about
the lie factories that spawn many of these bunk fallacies and how you can
avoid the many more that are sure to come. So lets get to it.

 THE WAR AGAINST
BS AND BROSCIENCE

A couple decades ago, there wasnt enough information available on

working out.
These days, with the internet and racks full of glossed-up magazines
featuring chemically enhanced athletes, the workout information market is
like a mountainous garbage dump. Somewhere in the muck are the basic,
workable truthsthe stuff youre actually looking forbut the useful info is
greatly outnumbered by the worthless crap.
If you hit the internet and start participating in health and fitness
forums, youre entering a land ruled by broscience and idiocy, where its
almost impossible to sort out whats true from whats not.
Whats broscience? you ask. Broscience is the predominant brand of
reasoning used by amateur bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts where the
anecdotal stories of people who really have no idea whats going on inside
their bodies take precedence over credible scientific research. Just because
a guy is big thanks to steroids or a woman is thin thanks to starvation diets
that have wrecked her metabolism doesnt mean these people have good
advice for you.
A million bad pieces of advice fall under the heading of broscience. You
should do high reps and low weight to tone your musclesBZZZT. Eating
too many carbs will make you fatBZZZT. Deadlifts are bad for your
backBZZZT. Women shouldnt lift weights because theyll get bulky
BZZZT. Wrong, wrong, wrong, bro.
And what about the magazines? Heres a fun fact that you probably didnt
know: MuscleMag, IronMan, Flex, Muscular Development, Muscle & Fitness,
Muscle Media, and the rest of the mainstream bodybuilding magazines are
owned by supplement companies and are used simply as mouthpieces for
their products. Yup. MuscleMag is controlled by MuscleTech; IronMan is
controlled by MuscleLink; Muscular Development is Twinlabs shill piece;
Muscle & Fitness and Flex are owned by Joe Weider, and are thus promotion
catalogues for his companies, such as Weider, Metaform, and MuscleTribe;
and MuscleMedia is the EAS cheerleader.
The primary goal of these magazines is to pimp supplements for the
companies controlling them, and they work damn well. The magazines push
products in various ways. They have pretty advertisements all over the place,
they regularly run advertorials (advertisements disguised as informative
articles), and they balance the sales pitches with some articles that actually
provide workout and nutrition advice (which also, in many cases, end with
product recommendations of some kind).
So, this is the first blow that magazines deal to you: They give you a
lot of advice that is geared first and foremost to selling you products, not
helping you achieve your goals.
The supplement companies know that if they can keep getting these
magazines into peoples hands, they will keep selling products. So, how do
they ensure that you will keep buying? By coming up with a constant flow of
new advice and ideas, of course.
And this is the second, probably more harmful, blow: They inundate you
with all kinds of false ideas about what it takes to get into great shape. If they
told the simple truth every month, they would have maybe twenty articles
that they could re-print over and over. Instead, they get quite creative with
all kinds of sophisticated (but useless) workout routines, tricks, and diets
(that include certain supplements to really MAXIMIZE the effectiveness,
of course).
The bottom line is that you cant trust these magazines. Theyre nothing
more than shiny lobbyists for the supplement companies.
All right, now that we have all that out of the way, lets have some fun.
 SECTION ONE:
WEIGHTLIFTING MYTHS
 MYTH #1:

I CANT BUILD MUSCLE / LOSE

WEIGHT BECAUSE I HAVE
BAD GENETICS

This one gets tossed around a lot. Genetics are a favorite scapegoat for
people who cant build enough muscle or lose enough fat. But what are they,
exactly, and how much do they actually influence your results?
The word genetics comes from a Greek word meaning origin, and it
refers to the molecular structure and function of our genes. Genes are mol-
ecules in our DNA that provide instructions for the creation of special types
of proteins that then tell each of our cells what to do, such as build muscle,
make bone, carry nerve signals, and so forth.
While our bodies all contain the same types of genes, our programming
is different. For instance, the cells that form my iris were programmed to be
a certain shade of blue, whereas yours were programmed to be a different
shade, or a different color altogether. This variability in programming ap-
plies to every physiological activity in our bodies.
So yes, your genes determine things like which muscle groups tend to
be your strong points, your natural hormone levels, how much fat you tend
to hold on your body, and where you tend to store it, but they dont alter the
basic physiological processes by which your body builds muscle or loses fat.
So long as you dont have a disease directly impairing these functions, you
can get into amazing shape if you know what youre doing. Period.
Ive helped quite a few hardgainers to gain 30, 40, and even 50 pounds
in 12 years of training and eating correctly (and with no drugs). Ive helped
scores of men and women who were convinced that they were genetically
programmed to be fat get in the best shape of their lives by targeting and
8 MUSCLE MYTHS

changing the many little things they were doing wrong.

If youre afraid that your body is genetically destined to be small, weak,
or fat, you can lay those fears to rest. Your body contains the same genetic
programs as mine that result in muscle growth and fat loss. In fact, your
body might be able to do certain functions relating to these things better
than mine. If Ive made better progress than you with my physique, its only
because I have a better understanding of how to kick those programs into
gearthat is, I know more about proper training, eating, and resting. Thats
it.
Now, genetics can make parts of the process easier or harder. Some
people have naturally high testosterone and growth hormone levels, which
means faster muscle growth and an overall leaner physique. Some peoples
bodies mobilize fat stores more effectively than others, making weight loss
an easier endeavor. Genetics also plays a role in the shape of your muscles.
Not all guys can have that perfect square chest or ridiculous bicep peak, and
not all women can have a gravity-defying, perfectly round butt.
But none of these things are limitations. Who cares if you gain muscle
or lose fat more slowly than someone else? As long as you can see regular
improvements and get to where you want to be, the added time is irrelevant.
Regardless of the quality of your muscle-building and fat-burning genetic
programming, you can build the body of your dreams in a matter of a few
years and maintain it for the rest of your life.
And its no big deal if you cant have the same aesthetics as your favorite
fitness cover model. You can still look awesome and, more importantly, feel
great, and thats what its all about.
 MYTH #2:

IM A HARDGAINER

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 quit.
While its true that some people naturally have an easier time gaining
muscle than others due to hormone levels and genetic predispositions, no-
body is doomed to have a forever-frail physique.
The truth is every person Ive known who has made the hardgainer
claim was training and eating incorrectlyevery single one. They were all
making several (or, in some cases, all) of the following mistakes: working
out too little or too much (not giving your body enough rest is severely
detrimental to gains), lifting with too little weight and intensity, doing the
wrong exercises (relying mainly on isolation machines and not doing com-
pound mass-builders is a sure way to stay small and weak), and eating too
little every day/week.
If youre an ectomorph body typeskinny and lean, and you have trou-
ble putting on sizeI actually envy you. Your natural leanness is a blessing
because when you start lifting hard and eating properly, youll build muscle
like the rest of us, but youll put on less body fat, making you look better
with less effort. And when you want to cut down to super-lean body fat
levels, youll find it much easier than most. Yet another benefit of being an
ectomorph is that you dont need as much muscle mass to look big when
youre lean. Fifteen pounds put on a lean frame can be quite a dramatic
change, and if you know what youre doing, thats 35 months of work, tops.
10 MUSCLE MYTHS

But you need to know what you're doing in those first few months. This
primarily boils down to doing two simple things: eating enough food and
lifting heavy weights.

YOU HAVE TO EAT BIG TO GET BIG, BUT YOU DONT WANT TO
PILE ON THE BODY FAT
The word bulking has negative connotations with many guys.
They think it means spending their days planning meals and eating ev-
erything in sight, that it results in a gradual transformation into some kind
of amorphous blob that can throw around 150-lb dumbbells.
Excessive weight gain is not only unnecessary in a proper bulk; it should
be avoided for several reasons. Being overweight comes with all kinds of
health risks, as most people know, but it also accelerates fat storage and gets
in the way of building muscle.
How?
Because as body fat levels rise, insulin sensitivity drops1, which in turn
impairs your bodys ability to burn fat and increases the likelihood that it
will store carbohydrates as fat2, and suppresses intracellular signaling re-
sponsible for protein synthesis (which can actually lead to muscle loss)3. Yes,
you read that right. Excessive weight gain during a dirty or dreamer bulk
impairs muscle growth and makes undoing the weight gain even harder.
So, a much smarter way to bulk is to provide a low-to-moderate caloric
surplus that allows for steady muscle growth while minimizing fat storage.
A proper bulk should give you about 0.51.5 lbs. of weight gain per week,
and heres a simple way to work this out for your body:
1. Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
2. Eat 2 grams of carbs per pound of body weight per day.
3. Eat .4 grams of healthy fat per pound of body weight per day.
Thats where you start. For a 150-pound male, it would look like this:
150 grams of protein per day
300 grams of carbs per day
60 grams of fat per day
Since protein and carbs total about 4 calories per gram, and fats pack 9
calories per gram, this would be about 2,340 calories per day, which should
be enough to maintain steady muscle growth.
If you eat like this for 1014 days and havent gained weight, you should
 MYTH #2: I'M A HARD GAINER 11

up your calories by about 200 per day to see if that fixes it. If after another
1014 days your weight is still stuck, simply bump your calories up again.
While most people dont have to adjust much, metabolisms do vary, so part
of the process is finding your bodys sweet spot.
While dietary needs for building muscle efficiently and without exces-
sive weight gain arent disputed (eat enough protein every day and keep your
body in a moderate caloric surplus), the subject of how to train to maximize
strength and muscle growth is controversial.
Lets tackle that next.
Everybody Wants to Be a Bodybuilder...But Nobody Wants to Lift
This Heavy Ass Weight!
The above quote is an astute observation made by one of the leading
minds in exercise science, Professor Ronnie Coleman (hyuk hyuk).
Seriously though, heres a simple little fact most guys, and even many
experts, want to avoid: If you want to get big and strong in the least amount
of time possible, you have to lift heavy weights, and you have to get off the
machines.
The reasoning is simple: Muscle grows in response to increased tension
within the muscle4. In order to keep stimulating growth, you have to keep
increasing the tension caused by lifting; that is, you have to keep adding
weight to the bar5. And while machines are good for rehabilitating injuries,
research has shown that they just dont build muscle and strength as effec-
tively as free weights do6.
One of the main never-ending arguments in the world of weightlifting
is over the ideal rep range for growth. That is, how much weight you should
use and how many reps should you do in each set. Opinions on whats best
are all over the place, ranging from recommendations of only a few heavy
sets to 2030 high-rep sets per workout.
I can say with absolute certainty that theres something special about
lifting heavy weights while keeping your total workout sets (known as your
workout volume) moderate in number. And this isnt just based on personal
experience; youll find evidence of its effectiveness in various places in lit-
erature.
One example is a study conducted by Arizona State University wherein
they reviewed 140 other weightlifting studies and concluded that training
with weights that are 80% of your one-rep max produces maximal strength
gains7.
A paper published by the American College of Sports Medicine recom-
mends an eventual emphasis on heavy loading (16 repetition maximum)
12 MUSCLE MYTHS

using at least 3-minute rest periods between sets.8

Yet another sign of the effectiveness of lifting heavy weights is found
in a study conducted by Ohio University in which 32 untrained men lifted
weights for 8 weeks. They were spilt into 3 groups. One worked in the range
of 35 reps, another in the range of 911 reps, and the last in the range of
2028 reps. By the end of the 8-week period, the group working in the low-
est rep range made significantly more gains in both strength and muscle
than the other two groups9.
My conviction about the superiority of this style of training goes be-
yond studies and theory. I used to train exclusively in the 1012 rep range
and REALLY got stuck in terms of strength and physique development.
When I switched to focusing on 46 reps (about 3 years in), my strength ex-
ploded and physique dramatically changed. Ive since increased my weights
on every lift by 5080%, which resulted in a change from 187 lbs. at 11%
body fat to 193 lbs. at 8%.
I've also had the opportunity to coach hundreds of people through my
work, and the results are the same. Every day I email with guys who were
stuck in a rut, pounding away in the 812 rep range, and who are now mak-
ing progress again by focusing on heavy lifting with medium/high workout
volume.
Unsurprisingly, many of the most respected names in this industry,
such as Charles Poliquin, Mark Rippetoe, Martin Berkhan, Alan Aragon,
Lyle McDonald, and Pavel Tsatsouline, advocate heavy, compound lifting.
The consensus is simple: It just works.
The bottom line is if you want to get bigger, you have to get stronger,
and the best way to do that is to lift heavy stuff.
If youve had trouble building muscle despite regular weightlifting, heed
my advice. Eat big and lift big, and youll get big.
 MYTH #3:

DEADLIFTS ARE BAD FOR

YOUR BACK

In the 70s, top powerlifters like John Kuc, John Cole, and Don Reinhoudt
had outstanding deadlifts with personal bests around 900 pounds. It was
considered the king of compound exercises.
These days, many powerlifters choose to compete only in the bench
press, and for those who compete in all three (bench press, squat, and
deadlift), the deadlift takes the back seat because of assistance gear that
can add hundreds of pounds to their bench and squat, but nothing to their
deadlift.
Well, the fact is the deadlift is, hands down, one of toughestand
most rewardingexercises you can do. It's the ultimate full-body workout,
training just about every muscle group: legs, glutes, core, arms, and the
entire back. Anything thats involved in producing whole-body power
is blasted by the deadlift, and its an integral part of any serious strength-
training program.
Oddly enough, its also one of the most neglected compound exercises
by both guys and gals, the unfortunate victim of the long-standing myth
that its bad for your back.
At first, it would seem to make sense that lifting hundreds of pounds off
the groundputting all that pressure on your back, particularly your low-
back and erector spinae muscles (also known as the spinal erectors)would
be a recipe for spinal disaster.
Anecdotal evidence is ambivalent: We all know or have heard of
someone who messed up their back deadlifting, yet also know that many
14 MUSCLE MYTHS

serious strength trainers, bodybuilders, and powerlifters swear by it.

Is the deadlift bad for your back when performed properly? A series of
scientific studies shed more light on this oft-feared, oft-revered lift.

THE SCIENCE OF DEADLIFTING

Lets start with a bang and look at a study conducted by the University
of Valencia to determine the most effective way to train the paraspinal
muscles, which run down both sides of your spine and play a major role in
the prevention of back injuries10.
Researchers had 25 people with no low-back pain perform two types
of exercise for their backs: body weight exercises like lumbar extensions,
forward flexions, single-leg deadlifts, and bridges; and two weighted
exercises, deadlifts and lunges, using 70% of their one-rep max weight.
Muscle activity was measured using electromyography, a technique of
evaluating and recording electrical activity produced by muscles (the more
and harder a muscle contracts, the more electrical activity takes place inside
it).
The result? Deadlifts most activated the paraspinal muscles. And the
contest wasnt even close. The deadlift's average electromyographic muscle
activity was 88% and peaked at 113%. In contrast, the back extension
produced an average activity of 55% and peak of 58%; the lunge, an average
of 46% and peak of 61%. The rest of the exercises average activities rang in
between 2942%. (The supine bridge on a BOSU ball was the least effective,
in case you were wondering.)
Thus, researchers concluded, the deadlift is an incredibly effective way
to strengthen the paraspinal muscles.
Another study conducted by the University of Waterloo set out to
determine how much low-back flexion deadlifting caused and thus how
much strain it put on the vertebrae and lumbar ligament (there were many
claims that the lift put these things under tremendous strain, which could
lead to injury)11.
Researchers used real-time x-ray imaging (fluoroscopy) to watch the
spines of elite powerlifters while they fully flexed their spines with no
weights and while they deadlifted over 400 pounds. With the exception of
one trial of one subject, all men completed their deadlifts within the normal
range of motion they displayed during full flexion. Ligament lengths were
unaffected, indicating that they dont help support the load, but instead limit
range of motion.
As we can see, a proper deadlift effectively strengthens your entire back,
 MYTH #3: DEADLIFTS ARE BAD FOR YOUR BACK 15

including your erector spinae muscles, and doesnt force anything unnatural
in terms of range of motion. The major no-no in deadlifting is rounding
your back, as this shifts much of the stress away from the erector spinae
muscles to the vertebrae and ligamentsand this is whats bad for your back.

TWO USEFUL VARIATIONS OF THE DEADLIFT: SUMO AND HEX

While you cant go wrong doing a full-range conventional deadlift,
there are two useful variations that you should know about.
The sumo deadlift uses a wide stance (1.52 times the width of your
shoulders) to shorten the range of motion and reduce shearing force on
the lower back12. It also can feel more comfortable in the hips than a
conventional deadlift, depending on your biomechanics (if you walk with
your toes pointed out, the sumo may be better for you).
The downside of the sumo deadlift is the reduced range of motion, which
results in less work, which means less muscle development13. Nevertheless,
give this variation a try if you lack the flexibility to do a conventional deadlift,
if it just feels very uncomfortable (certain peoples bodies are better suited to
the sumo deadlift), or if it causes you low-back pain.
The hex bar deadlift, or trap bar deadlift, is a great way to learn to
deadlift, because it doesnt require as much hip and ankle mobility to get to
the bar, and it puts less shearing stress on the spine14. It also allows you to
lift more weight than the conventional deadlift, which may make it a more
effective exercise for developing overall lower body power15. That said,
since the hex-bar deadlift is more like a squat due to the increased load
it places on the quadriceps, the conventional deadlift is more effective in
strengthening the erector spinae muscles and hip muscles.
So there you have it: Deadlifting isn't bad for your back, and to the
contrary, is actually a great way to protect yourself against back injury and
low-back pain. I think it should be included in all workout routines, so feel
free to try all three variations to see which you like best.
Someone who already has low-back pain or a disc injury will need to
do a rehabilitation program before they can perform conventional deadlifts,
but that will often include sumo and/or hex deadlifts to gradually strengthen
the erector spinae muscles and restore structural balance.
And if you dont deadlift because you believe regular squatting makes
it unnecessary, youre wrong. Research has shown that these two lifts train
very different sets of muscles16.
Before I sign off on this myth, a caveat and comment: Some people
advocate deadlifting on unstable surfaces like the BOSU ball. Dont bother
16 MUSCLE MYTHS

with thisit decreases the effectiveness of the exercise17.

 MYTH #4:

SQUATS ARE BAD FOR

YOUR KNEES

Like the deadlift, the squat is one of the most powerful exercises you
can do, involving the strength and coordination of over 200 muscles in your
body18.
But, also like the deadlift, its avoided by many due to the fear that its
bad for your back and knees.
The fact that many sports doctors say these things doesnt help the
squats cause. Consider, however, that these doctors specialize in treating
people with injuries, many of whom should not be squatting in their current
conditions. These people are not representative of the average, healthy gym-
goer, and the advice that applies to those undergoing rehab does not apply
to everyone. Just because barbell squats can exacerbate a knee injury doesnt
mean performing them will cause a similar injury in a healthy person.
Another common reason why these squat myths linger is even less sci-
entific. Just like how heavy, strenuous deadlifts look like theyre bad for your
back (when, if performed correctly, theyre not), intense squats look like
theyre bad for your back and knees.
To get to the bottom of these myths, lets look to the anecdotal evidence
of decades of weightlifters in combination with the scientific evidence of
published literature.

WHY SERIOUS LIFTERS ARE IN LOVE WITH THE SQUAT

When it comes to leg training, there are usually two types of people.
The first loads up the leg press with every plate in the gym and goes
18 MUSCLE MYTHS

through an intricate ritual involving tourniquet-tight knee wraps, a weight

belt cinched to its tightest notch, and pre-lift announcements and cheers.
He then wiggles into the sled and grinds out a few excruciating half-reps,
ending with an ear-splitting yell and high-fives with his buddies.
The other type? Well, he was in the corner with the squat rack (you
know, the loneliest place in the gym) quietly going about his business with
deep, heavy squats. No wraps, no belts, no swaggerjust a bar bending
across his back, loaded with a measly few hundred pounds, and a puddle
of sweat on the ground.
Whos the winner in the end? Who will consistently get bigger and
stronger, and whos the least likely to get hurt? The latter, of course.
While many people will do anything for legs before putting the barbell
on their backs, theyre missing out on what many of the top strength coach-
es in the world consider the absolute toughest and most rewarding exercise.
Squatting strengthens every muscle in your legs, which in turn helps
you not only lift more weight in the gym, but run faster, jump higher,
and improve flexibility, mobility, and agility19,20. As if those arent reasons
enough to squat, its also an incredibly effective core workout21.
That said, the biggest fears that keep people from including squats in
their workout routines are worries of spinal and knee injuries. Are these
valid concerns?

HOW YOUR BACK AND KNEES CAN LOVE THE SQUAT TOO
The myth that squatting is bad for your knees started with work done in
the 1960s. Research concluded that a properly done squat stretched the knee
ligaments, increasing the risk of injury. These findings spread like wildfire
through the fitness world. Some US military services even cut squatting
movements out of their training programs.
It was noted that the studies had serious flaws, including the choice of
subjects and researcher bias (for instance, one of the studies was done with
parachute jumpers, who often hurt their knees due to legs getting caught in
parachute lines and violent impacts when landing), but that wasnt enough
to stop the uprising against the squat.
Extensive research has been done since then, however, and a much dif-
ferent picture has emerged.
A rigorous study conducted by Duke University involved the analysis
of over two decades of published literature to determine, in great detail, the
biomechanics of the squat exercise and the stresses it places on the ankles,
knees, hip joint, and spine22.
 MYTH #4: SQUATS ARE BAD FOR YOUR BACK AND KNEES 19

Highlights from the study, and many reviewed within, set the record
straight on how the squat affects our bodies, and teach us a lot about proper
squat form:
While most of the attention is given to the knee, hip, and spine,
ankle strength plays a large role in power generation during squat
performance. Research has shown that ankle weakness actually
causes faulty movement patterns during the squat23.
The hamstrings counteract the pull on the shinbone, which helps
neutralize the shearing force placed on the knee, and alleviates
stress on the ACL.
Even in extreme cases, such as powerlifters lifting 2.5 times
bodyweight, the compressive forces placed on the knee and its
tendons are well within their ranges of ultimate strength.
Stress placed on the ACL is negligible considering its ultimate
strength (in one study, the highest ACL force recorded when
squatting was a mere 6% of its ultimate strength)24. Highest recorded
PCL forces in other studies were well within natural strength limits
as well.
Dont let your knees bow inward at any point during the squat.
Keep them in line with your toes.
Squat depth mattersa lot. The deeper you squat, the more work
your legs and butt have to do. (I recommend either full squats or
parallel squats, but not half squats.)
Full squats cause more muscle activity in the butt than shallower
squat depths (you hear that, girls?)25. Use a wide stance too if you
want to hit your butt even harder!
Your spine is better at dealing with compressive force than shearing.
If you maintain a neutral spine position while squatting (instead
of a rigidly flexed position), you greatly reduce the shearing force
placed on your vertebrae26.
Maintaining a posture as close to upright as possible further reduces
this force27, as does increasing intra-abdominal pressure28, which
you can create by holding your breath while you squat, and gazing
straight ahead instead of down29.
20 MUSCLE MYTHS

Squatting rapidly can double the amount of shearing and

compressive forces placed on your knees30. Keep your reps at a
controlled pace to avoid this (I like a 2:1:2 pace2 seconds down,
pause, 2 seconds up).
Avoid exaggerated rotation of the feet inward or outward, as they
dont make the exercise any more effective, and can potentially
cause undesirable knee movements.
While the low-bar position produces less torque on the knees than
the high-bar position, the magnitudes of both forces are well within
tolerable ranges, making neither position better than the other in
this regard. Use whichever is most comfortable for you.
The front squat produces significantly lower knee compression
and low-back stress in comparison to the back squat, and thus is
a viable alternative for those suffering from various knee and back
problems31.
Squatting while youre fatigued can cause poor form, and is likely a
contributing factor in both short- and long-term injuries32. (This is
one of my gripes regarding Crossfit, wherein participants are often
urged to squat and deadlift heavy weights while fatiguedan injury
just waiting to happen).
Researchers concluded that the squat does not compromise knee sta-
bility and can enhance stability if performed correctly. Furthermore, any
risks of spinal injury can be avoided by simply minimizing the amount of
shearing force placed on the spine.

LETS GET SQUATTING

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association:
Squats, when performed correctly and with appropriate supervision,
are not only safe, but may be a significant deterrent to knee injuries.33
So rest easy: As long as you use proper form, the squat does not put
your back or knees at risk of injury.
Oh, and as a final note, dont bother with the Smith Machine squat. It
forces an unnatural range of motion, which can actually lead to knee and
back injuries, and research has shown its far less effective than the free-
weight barbell squat34.
 MYTH #5:

YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR ABS

MORE TO GET A SIX-PACK

These days, having six-pack abs is basically synonymous with being

sexy and in shape. For men, this means a washboard stomach. The goal is a
little different for women: less defined but flat, lean, and toned.
Fitness magazines are constantly touting new ab workouts. Fancy new
supplements are released every month that promise to kick your fat burning
into high gear and help you get a lean, rippling stomach. There are quite a
few ab gurus online selling eBooks on the secrets of getting a six-pack.
At first glance, the belief that ab training gives you great abs seems to
make sense. Thats basically true with any other muscle in the body, so it
must also hold true for the abs, right?
Well, not quite.
While direct ab training will grow the muscle over time, just as with
any muscle, youre not just going for bigger ab musclesyoure going for
visibility. That is, if you have a beautifully developed set of abs hiding under
a layer of fat, you just look fat.
A study conducted by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
demonstrated this very clearly with 24 healthy adults35. A control group did
nothing different, and the other did 140 repetitions of ab work 5 days per
week for 6 weeks. After the training period, the ab training group saw no
change in body weight, body fat percentage, abdominal circumference, or
abdominal skinfold measurements. Although their abs were stronger, they
looked exactly the same.
So the good news is you dont have to train your abs for hours and hours
22 MUSCLE MYTHS

every week to have a six-pack. In fact, you dont have to train them at all.
What do you have to do?
If youre a guy, the mystical secret to a sexy stomach is to get your body
fat percentage under 12%. Yup, thats it. When your body fat percentage
approaches 10%, your abs become clearly visible whether you directly train
them or not. If youre a woman, getting your body fat percentage under 20%
will get you a flat, lean, toned stomach. Thats all there is to it (although exact
numbers vary by body type, of course).
While reducing body fat percentage requires nothing more than making
sure your body burns more energy every day than it gets from food, there
are a few little tricks that have been scientifically proven to speed up the loss
of not just fat, but abdominal fat in particular.
The first is known as fasted training.

FASTED TRAINING HELPS REDUCE ABDOMINAL FAT

When you eat food, your body breaks it down into various substances,
one of which is glucose, or blood sugar. Your body also releases the hormone
insulin, which tells your liver, muscles, and fat tissue to take the glucose
from the blood and store it.
Your liver and muscles store the glucose as a substance known as
glycogen, and your fat cells store it as a substance known as triglycerides.
The storage of glycogen expands the size of the muscle cells, and the storage
of triglycerides expands the fat cells, which in turn expands your waistline.
When youre in this fed state, fat burning does not occur36. Your body
uses the glucose in the blood for all its energy needs and stores the excess.
Depending on how much you eat, this state can last for several hours37.
But, as the nutrients recently eaten are absorbed, insulin levels decline,
and the body senses that its post-meal energy is running out. It then shifts
toward burning fat stores to meet its energy needs. Day after day, it juggles
these states, storing nutrients you eat and then burning its stores when the
supplies run out.
When insulin is at a baseline level, your body is in a fasted state and
therefore relies on its energy stores. For a moderate-sized meal, it takes 23
hours for your body to enter this state.
When exercise is performed in this state, fat loss is accelerated38. Weight
training in a fasted state is particularly effective39. As an added bonus,
research has shown that weightlifting in a fasted state results in an improved
anabolic response to a post-workout meal40.
A fasted state is also great for that six-pack because it increases blood
 MYTH #5: YOU HAVE TO WORK YOUR ABS MORE TO GET A SIX PACK 23

flow in the abdominal region, resulting in more stubborn fat mobilization41.

And it gets even better: Fasted training first thing in the morning has an
added benefit since fasting for longer than 6 hours increases your bodys
ability to burn fat42.
There is one significant drawback: accelerated breakdown of muscle
tissue. Fortunately, this is simple to prevent. Supplementing with BCAAs
1015 minutes before training will suppress muscle breakdown during your
workout43.

GREEN TEA EXTRACT HELPS TOO

Green tea extract (GTE) is an herbal product derived from green tea
leaves.It contains a large amount of a substance known as a catechin, which
is responsible for many of teas health benefits44.
One of these benefits relates to weight loss. Research has shown that
supplementation with GTE accelerates exercise-induced fat loss45. In
particular, it can help reduce abdominal fat46.
Based on these studies, you want to take 600900 mg of catechins per
day to realize the weight-loss benefits. The average GTE product contains
about 300 mg of catechins per pill.

IS AB TRAINING POINTLESS?
Some experts say that regular deadlifts and squats are all you need for
ab training, but I disagree.
Both deadlifts and squats do provide an excellent core workout, but
unless you naturally have excellent ab development, you will benefit from
direct ab training in addition to the core work that comes with heavy,
compound lifting. If your abs are underdeveloped, no matter how lean you
get, youll always feel like something is lacking.
But rememberno matter how trained your abs might be, they only
look good when youre lean.
 MYTH #6:

YOU CAN TURN YOUR FAT

INTO MUSCLE

This is the health and fitness version of alchemy. Its a fools errand.
Fat and muscle are two completely different substances, and you can
only decrease and increase themno transmogrification possible.
On top of that, you can only focus on one or the otheryou cant
maximize both simultaneously. Losing fat requires that you consume less
energy (food) than your body needs, causing it to burn fat for the extra
energy. Building muscle requires that you eat more energy than the body
needs, not only enabling it to build muscle efficiently, but also causing it to
store some fat too. The former is generally known as cutting and the latter
as bulking.
If this sounds like a hopeless situation, dont despair. When you diet
correctly, youll lose more fat than muscle when cutting, and youll gain
more muscle than fat when bulking, which will allow you to juggle these
eating cycles to change your overall body composition. This is how, over
time, guys go from 150 pounds at 15% body fat to 190 pounds at 8% body
fatin one phase of bulking, they might gain 10 pounds of muscle and 3
pounds of fat, followed by a phase of cutting wherein they lose the 3 pounds
of fat along with a pound of muscle. This leaves them as lean as before the
bulking cycle, but with 6 more pounds of lean muscle. If you repeat this a
few times, youll fully transform your body.
Theres an exception worth mentioning. Its very common for both men
and women new to the style of training and dieting I teach in my books
Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger to build muscle while
26 MUSCLE MYTHS

losing fat, at least for the first few months. These people are enjoying the
very real newbie gains that come with starting a proper program, but
eventually they are subject to the rules like everyone else.
If youre already fairly lean and want to put on muscle, dont be afraid
to gain some fat along the way. Its just part of the game. Then, when youre
ready to lose fat, if you train and diet properly, you will keep your muscle
and just lose the fat.
If youre a woman, training is a bit easier in this regard. You dont have
to bother with bulking unless you really want to focus on growing your
muscles as big as possible. Most women just want to get lean, strong, and
defined and stay there, which is simply a matter of reaching the target body
fat percentage (usually around 17%), building enough muscle to show, and
eating to stay in that condition.
 MYTH #7:

LIFTING LIGHT WEIGHTS FOR

MANY REPS GETS YOU TONED

Common expert advice for people who are dieting to lose weight is
to start doing high-rep, high-volume workouts with light weights. Explana-
tions about how this is actually supposed to work usually degenerate into
broscience about it really bringing out striations, giving you really nice
cuts, and other such nonsense.
I have some different advice for you. Do the opposite.
When youre dieting to lose weight, lift heavy weightsweights that
allow for no more than 10 reps if youre a woman, and no more than 6 reps
if youre a man.
Why? Several reasons.
The first relates to what you learned in the chapter on hardgainer
claimsheavy weights build strength and muscle faster than light weights.
What exactly do high-rep sets do to your muscles, then?
Well, research has shown that lifting lighter weights (4060% of your
one-rep max, or 1RM) for many reps (15+) doesnt do much in the way of
improving your absolute strength or building bigger muscles, but instead
improves your muscles aerobic capacity and time to exhaustion47. That is,
it improves your muscles ability to perform prolonged or repeated contrac-
tions with that weight48. Thats why I dont ever recommend training with
light weights if youre trying to build muscle; it just doesnt work that way.
Theres another reason to lift heavy, though, and it relates directly to fat
loss.
A study conducted by Greek sports scientists found that men who trained
28 MUSCLE MYTHS

with heavy weights (8085% of their 1RM) increased their metabolic rates
over the following three days, burning hundreds more calories than the men
who trained with lighter weights (45-65% of their 1RM)49. Another study
showed that the increased energy expenditure after lifting heavy weights is
mainly derived from burning fat (researchers werent sure why)50.
So, hit the weights and hit them hard if you want to jack up your meta-
bolic rate and, in turn, speed up your fat loss. And if you want to score extra
points, focus on compound lifts like squats and deadlifts because they burn
the most post-workout calories51.
 MYTH #8:

WOMEN SHOULD TRAIN

DIFFERENTLY THAN MEN

Most women desire the same type of body. They want to be lean but not
too skinny. They want to have some muscle definition, particularly in their
arms, stomach, and legs. And they want to have a bubbly butt that fills their
jeans. And, amen! Im all for that.
To achieve this physique, the average woman needs to lose fat and add
some muscle. Just losing the fat wouldnt be enough as most women lack the
muscle that gives an athletic look (leaving them with the common skinny-
fat body type).
What is the best way to achieve these goals? Conventional wisdom
has women grinding away on the treadmill every day and working out with
three-pound dumbbells. Ive yet to see a woman achieve a fitness model
physique by doing that.
Achieving a lean, athletic look takes nothing more than having a good
amount of muscle and low body fat percentage. Reducing body fat percent-
age is mainly a function of diet, but whats the best way to build muscle?
Lifting weights, of course. And youre probably not surprised that I recom-
mend heavy weights.
I can already hear you disagreeing. Women shouldnt lift heavy weights
because they dont want to get bulky, right? Wrong. Its incredibly difficult
for a woman to ever reach the point of looking bulky, regardless of how hard
or often she trains.
The hormone that most directly regulates muscle growth is testoster-
one, and an average womans testosterone levels are a mere 510% of an
30 MUSCLE MYTHS

average mans. In one study, post-exercise testosterone levels were 45 times

higher in men than women52. This isnt surprising when you consider that
research has shown that resistance training doesnt even increase testoster-
one levels in womenonly growth hormone, estradiol (a type of estrogen),
and cortisol53.
If youre a woman, I PROMISE you that you will never wake up one
day disgusted with your bulky physique if you lift heavy weights (heavy for
YOU, but light for weightlifting guys) and stay lean. Getting to the point of
having large, protruding muscles is a very gradual, grueling process that you
would have to consciously work at every day, and it would take years.

BENEFITS OF BUILDING MUSCLE

If youre a woman and youre still not quite sold on weightlifting yet,
these health benefits of building your muscles, as discussed in a study con-
ducted by the University of Texas, will change your mind54:
Your chances of developing diseases like diabetes, metabolic
syndrome, and cancer are significantly reduced.
Your bones become stronger.
Your metabolism speeds up because muscle, even when idle, burns
energy. This makes it easier to stay lean.
Your life expectancy increases.
Your immune system becomes stronger.
And what about your physique? Well, gaining muscle does wonders for
that too. Strong, well-developed muscles are what give women the curves
they love. Nothing improves your image more in and out of your clothes
than lean, defined muscles.
If all that isnt enough, then you should also know that maintaining a
strong, well-muscled body helps you age better. Research has shown that
greater muscle mass percentage in older women is associated with better
mobility, lower body weight, and lower body fat levels55.
Now, what qualifies as heavy weight for a woman? Weight that is heavy
enough to limit you to 810 repetitions. Lifting heavy weights (relative to
your strength, of course) is just the fastest way to change your physique.
If youre a woman and you want toned, sexy legs and a round, tight
butt, then you cant beat an intense workout of boy exercises such as
barbell squats, Romanian deadlifts, and barbell lunges. If you want sleek,
defined arms, the quickest way to get there is by going heavy on exercises
 MYTH #8: WOMEN SHOULD TRAIN DIFFERENTLY THAN MEN 31

like dumbbell curls, straight-bar curls, and EZ-bar curls.

Women, its time to put down the pink play weights and get sexy by
lifting with the guys! (Theyll find it pretty hot, too.)
 MYTH #9:

THE MORE YOU WORK

OUT, AND THE LONGER
THE WORKOUTS ARE, THE
BETTER

In most endeavors in life, you can expect to receive rewards in propor-

tion to what you give in time and effort.
Work more and harder in your career, and youll grow your business or
earn promotions and raises.
Spend more time with friends and family, and youll build stronger,
more fulfilling relationships.
Practice longer and more diligently on your golf swing, and youll shave
strokes off your game.
Exerciseand weightlifting in particularis a bit different, however.
Theres a point where exerting more effort actually becomes counterproduc-
tive. Most people are aware of this concept, but they dont know how easy it
is to overtrain or how to spot it.
You see people overtraining all the time. The guys that spend 2+ hours
working a single muscle group, doing set after set after set, are overtrain-
ing without realizing it. They dont understand why they dont get bigger
or stronger despite their long, grueling workouts. The more effort they put
into growing their chest, they figure, the more it will grow. Thats not how it
works, though. Your body can only take so much before it becomes afflicted
with whats known as overtraining.
Overtraining is simply an imbalance between work and recovery. When
you put too much stress on the body and dont give it the proper amount of
rest, various undesirable things happen. The common side effects are a state
of chronic fatigue, depression, and underperformance despite rest, but its
34 MUSCLE MYTHS

not always that extreme or obvious. There are other, subtler signs of over-
training that you should know and watch for so you can stop the process be-
fore you hit the point where you require an extensiveseveral weeks long
in some casesrecovery.
What follows is a list of signs that you may be overtraining. If youre
only experiencing one of the symptoms, it may not indicate overtraining.
But if youre experiencing several, chances are you need to take a rest week
(57 days of no exercise or very light training has always handled it for me).
Getting a proper amount of sleep is also a key part of preventing overtrain-
ing. Seven to eight hours per night is generally considered optimal. The last
crucial element is a proper diet that fully provides your body with every-
thing it needs to repair itself.

YOU SIMPLY CANT FINISH A PROPER WORKOUT.

When your body is overtrained, you wont be able to lift the weights
you normally can, you wont have the energy to do as many sprints, you
wont have the stamina to run your normal route, and so forth. Even though
youre hitting the gym every day, youll feel progressively weaker, slower,
and more lethargic. Ive had it so bad before that I couldnt stop yawning in
the gym and couldnt possibly push myself to do another set.

YOURE GETTING FATTER DESPITE TRAINING HARD.

When hormones are normal, losing fat is simply a matter of increasing
energy output over caloric intake, but when youre overtraining, this no
longer holds true. What gives? Your hormones get thrown out of whack.
Testosterone levels plunge, and cortisol levels rise, which causes catabolism
(the breakdown of muscle tissue) and increases insulin resistance and fat
deposition. The end result? You train harder and watch your diet closely, but
you get fatter.

YOURE TRAINING HARD EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.

Ive yet to meet someone not on drugs who can lift heavy, sprint hard,
or engage in otherwise intense training every day of the week and still
adequately recover. Unless you have Wolverines gift of regeneration, its
absolutely vital that you take at least two days off weights per week and
schedule at least one day of absolutely no exercise.
What I like to do is lift weights MondayFriday and do cardio Sunday
Tuesday or Wednesday. That leaves Saturday as a full rest day. You can
intersperse your rest days throughout the week too:
Day 1: Weights
 MYTH #9: THE MORE YOU WORK OUT, AND THE
LONGER THE WORKOUTS ARE, THE BETTER 35

Day 2: Weights & cardio

Day 3: Cardio only
Day 4: Weights & cardio
Day 5: Weights & cardio
Day 6: Weights
Day 7: Full rest
You can play with this as much as you want so long as you take two days
off weights and let yourself have one day of no exercise whatsoever. If you
want to give your metabolism a little boost, dont take two full rest days in
a row.
YOURE RESTLESS AT NIGHT AND ARE HAVING TROUBLE
SLEEPING.
If you do a lot of aerobic exercise and are overtrained, your sympathetic
nervous system can remain excited at all times. As a result, youll feel restless
and unable to focus, and your sleep will be disturbed and broken.

YOU FEEL OVERLY FATIGUED AND SLUGGISH.

If youre a weightlifter and are overtrained, your parasympathetic ner-
vous system becomes overstimulated, leading to a decrease in testosterone,
an increase in cortisol, a crushing fatigue (mental and physical), and a stub-
born tendency to hang onto body fat.

YOU HAVE ODD ACHES AND PAINS IN YOUR JOINTS, BONES,

OR LIMBS.
This is one of the first things that I notice as I approach the point of
overtraining. My shoulder will start to ache. Then my wrist. Then my knee.
Then my forearm. Itll usually take 810 consecutive weeks of intense
training before repetitive stress issues like tendinitis turn on, and then I take
a week off to let my body recover. Theyre always gone by the end of the rest
period.
(Aches and pains can also be signs of poor form, but thats easy enough
to diagnose. If youre lifting heavy weights for the first time, you can also
expect various aches like these right off the bat, but your body should
steadily adapt.)
36 MUSCLE MYTHS

YOURE GETTING SICK MORE OFTEN THAN USUAL.

You can throw a wrench into your immune system in many different
ways. Increasing sugar can do it, as can a lack of vitamin D/sunlight, poor
sleep habits, and even mental stress. But if youre all good on these fronts and
are getting inexplicable little coughs, sniffles, sinus pressure, or headaches,
you may be overtraining. Take a rest week and let your immune system
build back up.

YOU FEEL DRAINED AND CRAPPY AFTER WHAT NORMALLY

WOULD BE A GOOD WORKOUT.
The post-workout feeling of general wellbeing is one of my favorite
things about training. The rush of endorphins calms the entire body and
mind and can last for hours. Its great, isnt it? Well, if it never comes, and
if you feel irritable and uncomfortable after working out, you may be
overtraining. Exercise should elevate your mood. If youre feeling negative
instead, it might be time to take a rest.
Listen to your body, and you can avoid the incredibly frustrating and
discouraging trap of overtraining.
 MYTH #10:

YOU CAN SHAPE YOUR

MUSCLES WITH CERTAIN
EXERCISES

In my dreams, I can do cable flyes to make my chest squareryou know,

the type of pecs that look like symmetrical armor plates. I can do concentra-
tion curls to get a scary high peak on my biceps, followed by reverse decline
crunches to get symmetrical, sculpted abs.
Well, unfortunately, theres no such thing as a shaping exercise. You can
make your muscles bigger or smaller, but your genetics will determine their
shape (think of adding clay, as Arnold put it in Pumping Iron). That being
said, you can still do quite a bit with your physique to compensate for weak
areas.
If you feel you lack bicep peak, for example, you should focus on grow-
ing your biceps with good ol heavy weight training, including reverse or
Zottman curls and hammer curls to work the brachioradialis and brachialis
muscles, which can push your bicep up.
If youre unhappy with some aspect of your chestthe upper part,
lower part, or middlemake it bigger with proven mass-builders like the
dumbbell and barbell bench press (I like to do them on both flat and incline
benches) and weighted dips.
If youre not happy with the width of your shoulders, you can really iso-
late the middle deltoid with an exercise like the leaning lateral raise.
For women in particular, its important to know that the claims that cer-
tain forms of strength training will make long, lean muscles like a dancers
while others will result in bulky, ugly muscles like a wrestlers are bogus.
Whether you do Pilates, yoga, or weight training to strengthen and build
38 MUSCLE MYTHS

your muscles, their shape will come out the same. The key difference is that
weight training will grow your muscles the fastest, and yoga and Pilates can
offer things that weight training doesnt, such as extreme flexibility, intense
sweating (hot yoga, for instance), and built-in meditation.
While shaping is a myth, sculpting best describes what is actually possi-
ble. You can build your muscles and reduce your body fat percentage, which
will give you that thin, athletic beach body that so many women envy.
The key takeaway here is that you can work out your muscles in such a
way as to achieve full development, but in the end, the overall shape is going
to be determined by your genetics.
 MYTH #11:

YOU DONT HAVE TO LIFT

WEIGHTS IF YOU JUST WANT
TO BE HEALTHY AND FIT

Generally speaking, there are two types of people in the gym: those
on the cardio machines trying to get or stay thin or lean and those on the
weights and machines trying to get bigger muscles.
Section Two: Cardio Myths will cover the many benefits of cardio for
weightlifters, but what about the benefits of weightlifting for people who
just do cardio?
Those who stick to cardio often dont see the point in lifting weights
because they want to have a lean, athletic look. At the extreme end, cardio
junkies might even think lifting is only for meatheads who have neurotic
breakdowns if they dont have a protein shake every 3 hours.
The type of physique most guys and gals want actually requires that
they gain a fair amount of lean massand weightlifting is the only way to do
this efficientlybut there are even greater benefits to consider.
Unless you do something to stop it, starting in your 20s, your body
will lose a small amount of muscle and strength every year56. Research has
shown that upwards of 40% of total muscle is lost between the ages of 20
and 6057.
In medical lingo, this is known as sarcopenia, and studies have associ-
ated the gradual loss of strength and muscle with:
Increased risk of diabetes and heart disease
Increased risk of osteoporosis
Shorter lifespan
40 MUSCLE MYTHS

Decline of metabolic health58

Frailty and disability in the elderly59
People often build muscle merely to look good, but its incredibly
healthy in the long term as well. Muscle mass not only combats sarcopenia,
but it imparts many of the metabolic benefits once thought to be the sole
realm of cardiovascular exercise. And in terms of aging, having a significant
amount of muscle mass is one of the most important things you can do to
maintain your health and ward off disease.
I strongly believe that everyone, men and women of all ages, should
include some form of resistance training in their exercise routine. The fre-
quency and intensity of the training should be dictated by personal goals,
but even if your goal is just to stay healthy, resistance training must be part
of your workout regimen.
And dont think that weightlifting is only for young people. Research
has shown that middle-aged men (35-50 years old) on a weightlifting pro-
gram can build strength and muscle as well as college-aged men60. Studies
have even shown that the elderly (ages 60 to 80) can make significant gains
in both muscle growth and strength in response to regular weightlifting61.
 MYTH #12:

YOU SHOULD ALWAYS STRETCH

BEFORE WORKING OUT

The common reasons for static stretchingholding stretched positions

for extended lengths of timebefore exercise is the belief that it helps
prevent injury, makes you stronger and faster, reduces muscle soreness, and
accelerates recovery. Everyone from peewee soccer players to professional
athletes stretch before or after training, so it must work, right?
While anecdotal evidence would seem to support these claims, what
does science have to say about stretching?

STRETCHING AND PREVENTING INJURY

Many people stretch before aerobic exercise and weightlifting because
they believe it will ward off injury. Research says otherwise.
A paper published in 2004 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
reviewed 361 studies on stretching before various kinds of exercise and
concluded that it doesn't reduce injury rates62. The SMBD-Jewish General
Hospital did an analysis of their own and found that stretching before ex-
ercise does not reduce the risk of injury.63 Other studies, such as the one
conducted by McMaster University, agree64.
In fact, according to Dr. Ian Shrier, a McGill University sports medicine
specialist, its possible that static stretching before exercise can increase your
chances of injury due to the cellular damage it causes to muscle and its anal-
gesic effect65, 66. (Its probably not a good idea to damage a muscle, increase
your tolerance of pain, and then strenuously exercise it, right?)
So where did the belief that stretching prevents injury come from?
42 MUSCLE MYTHS

This faulty logic hinges on the assumption that improved flexibility (which
stretching definitely accomplishes) reduces the risk of injury.
Research has shown that most muscle injuries occur within the normal
range of motion, however, and specifically during the eccentric portion of
movements (wherein the muscle lengthens, such as when youre lowering a
dumbbell in a curl)67. Therefore, improving flexibility doesnt do anything
in terms of preventing injury except when the activity calls for actions that
require great flexibility (such as doing the splits).
Another reason theres widespread confusion about this issue is the fact
that stretching is often done as a part of a more comprehensive warm-up
routine. This raises body temperature and involves repeated movements
within the expected range of motion, which does prevent injury, whether
you add static stretching or not68. Scientists mistakenly attributed these
benefits to stretching rather than the warm-up, and the myth was born.

STRETCHING AND STRENGTH AND MUSCLE GROWTH

Many weightlifting routines begin with a series of stretches in the
hopes of increased strength and muscle growth. Is this just another myth?
First, consider a study conducted by the University of Milan69. Re-
searchers had 17 young males do a series of jumps from various squat po-
sitions, with or without stretching beforehand. Jump height, power, and
maximum velocity were all lower in the group that stretched for 10 minutes
before the jumps.
Other research indicates that only static stretches of longer duration
(over 60 seconds) negatively impact maximal muscle performance, whereas
shorter static stretches (under 30 seconds) dont improve performance, but
dont impair it either70.
There are various theories for why stretching can reduce strength and
power. Some researchers believe that loose muscles and tendons cant con-
tract as forcefully as shorter ones, whereas others point to evidence that
stretching interferes with signals from the brain that tell muscles to con-
tract71.
And what about stretching and muscle growth? Research has proven
the claim that stretching helps more deeply activate muscles and stimulate
additional growth to be false72.

STRETCHING AND SPEED

Louisiana State University conducted a study in 2008 to determine how
stretching affects the speed of sprinters73. They had 19 of their top sprinters
perform three 40-meter sprints in two sessions a week apart. Before each
 MYTH #12: YOU SHOULD ALWAYS STRETCH BEFORE WORKING OUT 43

session the runners performed a warm-up routine.

Four static stretches of the calf and thigh were added before one of the
sprint sessions.
The result?
The stretching slowed them down by one-tenth of a second, with most
of the loss occurring in the second half of the sprint.
Miami University conducted a similar study with 18 collegiate sprinters,
and their research revealed that static stretching resulted in a significant
slowing in performance...in the second 20 meters of the [100 m] sprint
trials74.

STRETCHING AND MUSCLE SORENESS AND RECOVERY

Next on the chopping block is the myth that stretching reduces exercise-
related muscle soreness and accelerates recovery. Sorry to spoil the surprise,
but thats just not true.
It used to be believed that muscles damaged by exercise would spasm,
which then blocked blood flow and caused the pain we know as delayed-
onset muscle soreness (DOMS). As stretching helps alleviate spasm, it was
hypothesized that it would alleviate post-workout muscle soreness.
Although the spasm theory was debunked in 1986, the stretching advice
has lingered to this day75. Yet evidence of its ineffectiveness in reducing
DOMS is readily available.
The University of Sydney published a paper in 2008 involving the review
of 10 studies on stretching and muscle soreness. It concludes that muscle
stretching does not reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness in young healthy
adults76.
Another study, this time by the University of Western Australia,
demonstrated that neither hot/cold therapy nor post-exercise stretching
helped elite rowers recover from stair-climb running77. The university
published another study with football players demonstrating that post-
game recovery is not enhanced by stretching either78.

DYNAMIC STRETCHING VS. STATIC STRETCHING

While static stretching doesnt help prevent injury, increase strength,
speed, or muscle growth and doesnt reduce soreness or accelerate recovery,
it does have its uses. If youre going to engage in a sport or activity that
requires a high amount of flexibility, then static stretching will absolutely be
a help. It's best to do static stretches when your muscles are warm (like after
exercise, for instance).
44 MUSCLE MYTHS

One form of stretching has actually been shown to improve strength,

power, muscular endurance, anaerobic capacity, speed, and agility: dynamic
stretching79.
Unlike static stretching, which involves holding stretched positions
for various lengths of time, dynamic stretching involves movements that
repeatedly put muscles through the expected ranges of motion, such as air
squats, leg kicks, side lunges, arm circles, and so forth.
Dynamic stretching accomplishes several things that improve
performance. It increases the suppleness of and blood flow to the muscles,
raises body temperature, and enhances free, coordinated movement80. It can
and should be done before any type of exercise. This is why I recommend
several warm-up sets when weightlifting that progressively increase blood
flow to the muscles that will be trained before you load your working weight.
 MYTH #13:

YOU CAN GET RID OF FAT BY

WORKING OUT A PARTICULAR
AREA OF YOUR BODY

This is a myth that will never go away thanks to silly advertisements and
workout products.
You can do a million side-twists, but it wont make your obliques emerge
from the flab. You can work your inner thighs religiously, and they arent go-
ing to get thinner. Thats not how fat loss works, and research has proven it81.
The only way to make a particular area of your body leaner is to reduce
your overall body fat percentage, which will reduce fat everywhere on your
body. This is a function of diet more than anything else.
Another thing you need to know is that peoples bodies are different
in terms of where they lose fat first and more easily, determining which
areas are more stubborn and last to lean out. Unfortunately, the areas that
take the longest to get lean are usually the ones people are most concerned
aboutthe abdominal area in men and the pelvic region, thighs, and butt
in women.
Generally speaking, upper body fat tends to go first, whereas lower
body fat takes its time. When someone checks the mirror every day and
really only pays attention to the latter, they can easily get discouraged.
My advice to combat this is simple: Keep the body fat percentage mov-
ing down and have some patience. As long as you keep reducing your body
fat percentage, you will get rid of the unsightly gut, saddle bags, and thunder
thighs. Just remember that no special exercises can speed up the process of
getting rid of the stubborn fat youre most concerned about.
 MYTH #14:

ITS OKAY TO CHEAT ON FORM

IF YOURE GOING HEAVY

Every day in the gym I cringe at some peoples form.

Knees wrapped, plates stacked on the bar, squatting down maybe a foot
or two before struggling to standthats a knee injury waiting to happen.
Loading up the bench to barely manage a few quarter-repsshoulders dont
appreciate that.
Heres the deal: These people are not only risking injury, but theyre also
cheating themselves of gains. Big time. When a guy wildly swings around
130 pounds on the EZ-bar for a bicep workout, hes actually only moving a
fraction of that weight with his biceps. The rest is being lifted by the lower
back, shoulders, and momentum. Worse, his elbows have to bear the full
brunt of the weight that his arms cant actually lift, which can lead to injury.
In order to achieve full, optimal muscle growth, you must engage as
many muscle fibers as possible, and this can be maximized by lifting with
a full range of motion (good form). If youre squatting, that means deep
squats where your thighs reach a point slightly below parallel to the ground
(your butt will be just below your knees). If youre benching, it means a con-
trolled lowering of the bar to your chest (no bouncing!) followed by a slight
pause and an explosive movement upward. If youre curling, it means your
elbows stay at your side with minimal swinging.
A study conducted by Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil
demonstrates the importance of proper form82. Researchers split men with
no prior resistance training experience into three groups: a control group, a
partial range group, and a full-range group. The participants trained twice
48 MUSCLE MYTHS

per week for ten weeks, using a program that increased weight and de-
creased reps every two weeks. The only exercise performed was the preacher
curl: 1RM was tested for strength gains, and muscle thickness was measured
to determine muscle growth.
After ten weeks, both the partial- and full-rep groups increased strength,
but the full-rep groups strength gains were 60% higher. Both groups ex-
perienced muscle growth, but the full-rep groups muscle growth was 29%
higher.
These mechanics apply to every exercise you do. By doing partial reps,
you can literally make half the potential gains while exposing yourself to an
unnecessary risk of injury.
That said, when youre lifting heavy, sometimes squeezing out that last
rep means your form gets a little sloppy. Maybe you miss parallel by an inch
or two on your squat, or the barbell bounces a little off your chest while
on the bench. Thats okay, but you should always strive to keep your form
as strict as possible. If you find youre cheating by the second or third rep,
youre using too much weight.
Dont lift with ego in the gym. Throwing around heavy weights like an
idiot impresses nobody. To the contrary, people who know what theyre do-
ing respect good form when they see it, regardless of the weight being lifted.
 MYTH# 15:

ONCE YOU STOP TRAINING,

ALL YOUR MUSCLE TURNS
TO FAT

Look at Arnold now! people say in defense of this myth.

Arnold Schwarzenegger doesnt have a flabby physique because the
muscle he once had turned to fat. Thats scientifically impossible; muscle
and fat are two completely different substances. Just as you cant transform
the fat on your body into muscle, muscle cant morph into fat.
Heres what can happen. When a guy trains, he eats a lot of calories to
ensure his body can recover and build muscle. Because of his high amount
of muscle mass, which burns calories every day, he stays fairly lean. But if he
stops training for whatever reason and keeps eating the same way, his body
has not only lost the extra calorie burn from workouts, but it also sheds
muscle that it no longer needs, further reducing the amount of calories it
needs to maintain its current condition. Before long, the guy is sheathed in a
layer of fat, and if he doesnt curb his eating, his body composition will keep
progressing in that fashion, losing muscle and gaining fat.
This is what people think is muscle turning into fat: muscle is broken
down because its no longer needed at the same time fat is added because of
overeating. But, dont think that this means you cant ever take a break from
training because youll lose muscle and gain fat. If a very muscular guy was
to stop training and reduce his eating proportionately, he would lose muscle
but stay lean.
According to one study, strength and muscle mass is generally main-
tained for up to four weeks of no training83. In my experience, this seems a
bit optimistic as Ive seen drop-offs in strength in as little as one week of no
50 MUSCLE MYTHS

training, but no noticeable muscle loss in two and even three weeks out of
the gym.
Nevertheless, I dont like to take that much time off, even when Im on
vacation. I prefer to do a daily full-body workout with body-weight exercis-
es like push-ups, pull-ups (I travel with a doorway pull-up bar), squats, and
lunges. I find it really helps me retain my strength so that, once Im home, I
can (more or less) carry on with the weights where I left off.
 MYTH #16:

YOU SHOULD EAT

WHATEVER YOU WANT
WHEN YOU WANT TO
MAXIMIZE MUSCLE GROWTH

Some bodybuilders follow grueling yo-yo diets. They gorge for months,
turning into massive balls of fat, and then cut hard to get into competition
shape. This cycle is very tough on the body.
Its true that your body requires a surplus of energy to build muscle ef-
ficiently (you have to eat more energy, or calories, than you burn every day).
But I dont recommend that you see this bulking phase as a license to eat
anything and everything, also known as a dirty or dreamer bulk.
There are several problems with dirty bulking.
The first was talked about in the myth about hardgainers. As body fat
levels rise, insulin sensitivity drops, and this can then get in the way of mus-
cle growth and accelerate fat storage. It also doesnt help that a dirty bulk
tends to shoot your water retention through the roof, causing you to look
and feel quite bloated all the time.
Another problem with the dirty bulk is the longer cutting (weight loss)
phase that has to follow for you to get back to a respectable body fat per-
centage. A longer weight-loss phase means more chances to fall off the wag-
on and more muscle loss along the way. Your body doesnt burn 100% fat
when youre restricting caloriesit burns some muscle too, although heavy
weightlifting can mitigate much of this loss.
I recommend that you clean bulk, which means eat controlled, albeit
large, amounts of calories sourced from high-quality foods. Youre looking
to keep yourself in a 300500 calorie surplus every day, and you want to
focus on good carbs, such as whole wheat grains, brown rice, sweet potato,
52 MUSCLE MYTHS

oats, and fruits; lean proteins, such as chicken, turkey, fish, and lean beef;
and healthy fats, such as those found in fish, avocado, nuts, and olive oil.
If you bulk correctly, you should be able to gain 23 pounds of muscle
for every pound of fat.
 MYTH #17:

WEIGHT TRAINING MAKES

YOU INFLEXIBLE

THIS ONE HAS BEEN AROUND for a while. Athletes were once advised
not to lift weights because it would make them stiff and inflexible and there-
by hurt their performance.
Well, we now know better. Sure, being a hulking brute naturally lim-
its your flexibility (big bodybuilders have an interesting time with daily
tasks like wiping on the toilet and showering), but research has shown that
weightlifting itself, with a full range of motion, actually increases flexibility
just as well as, or even better than, static stretching.
In a study conducted by the University of North Dakota, researchers
divided 25 volunteers into three groups: a control group (that did nothing,
of course), a static stretching group, and a resistance training group.
After five weeks, the researchers found no significant difference be-
tween the static stretching and resistance training groups in all measures of
flexibility (hip extension, hip flexion, shoulder extension, knee extension)84.
Another study conducted by Castelo Branco University in Brazil
showed that 8 weeks of resistance training improved flexibility better than
static stretching in all but one measurement85.
The reality is that weight training with proper form increases flexibility
because youre repeatedly moving muscles, joints, and ligaments through
their full ranges of motion.
In fact, some weight training exercises provide deep stretches that are
hard to beat, such as the dumbbell fly, Romanian deadlift, dumbbell pullover,
dumbbell row, and overhead triceps press.
54 MUSCLE MYTHS

Improved flexibility is yet another reason to use a full range of motion

in weightlifting (in addition to preventing injuries and improving strength
gains and muscle growth, covered in Myth #14).
SECTION TWO:
CARDIO MYTHS
 MYTH #18:

WHEN DOING CARDIO, YOU

WANT TO GET YOUR HEART RATE
INTO THE FAT BURNING ZONE

Like most bad advice in the health and fitness industry, this myth is
given a false air of scientific legitimacy.
Cardio machines often show pretty graphs indicating where your
heart rate should be for fat burning versus cardiovascular training.
You calculate this magical heart rate by subtracting your age from 200 and
multiplying this number by 0.6. If you keep your heart rate at this number,
as the story goes, youll be in the fat burning zone.
Theres a kernel of truth here. You do burn both fat and carbohydrates
when you exercise, and the proportion varies with the intensity of exercise.
A very low-intensity activity like walking taps mainly into fat stores, whereas
high-intensity sprints pull much more heavily from carbohydrate stores. At
about 60% of maximum exertion, your body gets about half of its energy
from carbohydrate stores and half from fat stores (which is why many
experts claim that you should work in the range of 6070% of maximum
exertion).
Based on the above, you might think that Im actually arguing in defense
of this myth, but theres more to consider.
The first issue is total calories burned while exercising. If you walk
off 100 calories, 85 of which come from fat stores, that isnt as effective as
spending that time in a moderate run that burns off 400 calories with 200
coming from fat. And that, in turn, isnt as effective as spending that time
doing sprint intervals that burn off 800 calories with 300 coming from fat.
The second issue to consider is that studies such as those conducted by
58 MUSCLE MYTHS

Laval University86, Baylor College of Medicine87, and the University of New

South Wales have shown that shorter, high-intensity cardio sessions result
in greater fat loss over time than low-intensity sessions88. Research has also
shown that high-intensity training is more muscle-sparing than low-inten-
sity cardio89.
Although the exact mechanisms of how high-intensity cardio trumps
steady-state cardio arent fully understood yet, scientists have isolated quite
a few of the factors: increased resting metabolic rate for upwards of 24 hours
after exercise; improved insulin sensitivity in the muscles; higher levels of
fat oxidation in the muscles; significant spikes in growth hormone levels
(which aid in fat loss) and catecholamine levels (chemicals your body pro-
duces to directly induce fat mobilization); and post-exercise appetite sup-
pression90.
You can apply high-intensity interval training (or HIIT) to any type
of cardio that you would normally do. You can head outside and walk and
sprint, or you can hop on the elliptical trainer or recumbent bike to get it
done.
A standard HIIT protocol looks like this:
1. You start your workout with 23 minutes of low-intensity warmup.
2. You then go all-out, as fast as possible, for 30-60 seconds (if youre
new to HIIT, 30-second intervals will be plenty, but you want to try
to work toward being able to do 60-second intervals).
3. Slow it down to a low-intensity recovery period for the same period
as your high-intensity interval. Again, if youre new to HIIT, you
may need to extend this rest period to 1.52 times as long as your
high-intensity interval. If youre still out of breath and your heart is
racing, youre not ready to hit the high-intensity again.
4. You repeat this cycle of all-out and recovery intervals for 2030
minutes.
5. You do a 23 minute cool-down at a low intensity.
Give it a try next time youre planning on losing weight. Youll be
amazed at how much more effective your workouts are.
 MYTH #19:

YOUR BODY KICKS INTO

FAT-LOSS MODE AFTER 20
MINUTES OF CARDIO

If youve been into fitness for a while, youve probably heard this before:
Your body doesnt start tapping into fat stores until youve done about 20
minutes of cardio.
This piece of wisdom has led many people to believe that cardio is only
effective in long bouts (40+ minutes), which can be hard to fit into a busy
schedule (and can be horribly boring to boot).
Well, the good news is this claim is rubbish and has no basis in science.
As you learned in the fat burning zone myth, your body begins burn-
ing a combination of fat and carbohydrates the minute you start exercising.
The proportions change based on the intensity and duration of the workout,
but theres no magical point during exercise when your body begins aggres-
sively burning fat.
This is also another opportunity for me to shamelessly plug high-in-
tensity interval training (HIIT). Not only does it result in more fat loss than
low-intensity cardio, but it requires less time as well; 20 minutes of HIIT
is plenty and can be more effective in terms of fat burning than even 60
minutes of a low-intensity form of cardio. Research has even shown that
high-intensity interval cardio is more effective at reducing abdominal fat91.
Remember, however, that no amount or type of cardio will result in
sustained fat loss if you take in as many or more calories (energy) than your
body burns every day. The big mistake many people make is they increase
their eating in proportion to their training, which negates the fat loss
potential of burning extra calories.
 MYTH #20:

YOU HAVE TO DO CARDIO

TO GET LEAN

How many people have you seen that spend hours on the treadmill ev-
ery week, yet never get lean?
How many people have you seen who seem to only lift weights and
never do cardio, but were ripped?
What gives? Everybody knows that cardio is required to get lean and
weightlifting is just for getting bigger muscles, right?
Not exactly.
Your body fat percentage is primarily determined by your diet. Doing
cardio does burn fat, but if you eat too much, your body will simply replace
the fat lost with the excess calories youre giving it.
Weightlifting actually burns about the same amount of calories per
hour as low-intensity cardio, but it also burns more calories after the work-
outthe afterburn effect, as its called92. The muscle you build as a result
also helps keep you lean because it increases the total amount of calories
that your body burns while at rest.
While I recommend cardio for its many health benefits (detailed in the
next myth), if youre willing to be strict with your diet, you can get lean by
that alone and not even bother with cardio.
 MYTH #21:

YOU SHOULDNT DO CARDIO

WHEN YOURE TRYING TO
GAIN WEIGHT

Lots of guys fear the treadmill, believing it has a mystical ability to

shrivel up muscle and sap strength. And some bodybuilder types bash car-
dio simply because they dont like doing it.
While its clearly evident that excessive cardio causes muscle loss (just
look at any marathon runner), what about moderate cardio? Does it inter-
fere with your muscle growth, or does it help?
Actually, it can go either way.

3 WAYS CARDIO CAN HELP WITH MUSCLE GROWTH

There are 3 primary ways that cardio can help you build (and retain)
more muscle:
1. It improves muscle recovery.
2. It improves your bodys metabolic responses to food.
3. It keeps up your conditioning, making the transition from bulking
to cutting easier on your body.
Lets look at these in more detail.
CARDIO AND MUSCLE RECOVERY
As you know, intense exercise causes damage to muscle fibers, which
must then be repaired. This damage is the cause of the soreness that you feel
the day or two following a workout and is known as delayed onset muscle
soreness (DOMS).
64 MUSCLE MYTHS

The reparation of the damage is a complex process that is partly regu-

lated by two simple factors: how much of the substances needed for repair
are brought to the damaged muscle over time and the speed at which waste
products are removed.
Cardio can help your body repair muscle damage quicker because it
increases blood flow. This helps your body build the muscle back up more
quickly and remove the waste, which results in an all-around faster recov-
ery. This is why I always do a cardio session on legs dayit dramatically
reduces leg soreness in the days to follow.
Its worth noting, however, that these benefits are primarily seen in the
legs because most forms of cardio dont really involve the upper body. If you
want to boost whole-body recovery, then you would need to do something
that gets your upper body working, like a rowing machine, or even using
your arms to help pump on the elliptical.
CARDIO AND HOW YOUR BODY METABOLIZES FOOD
In our collective dietary fantasy, all nutrients eaten would be sucked
into the muscles and either absorbed or burned off, and none would result
in fat storage. And when we dieted to lose weight, all energy needs would be
met by burning fat, not muscle.
The reality, however, is that our bodies do these things to varying de-
grees. Some peoples bodies store less fat when they overeat (they burn off
more excess calories instead of storing them) and lose less muscle when
they diet for weight loss (more energy is sucked from fat than muscle to
make up for the caloric deficit). Other people are more likely to store excess
calories as fat and to lose muscle when they restrict calories for weight loss.
Hormones like testosterone and cortisol play major roles in this. Higher
levels of testosterone promote more muscle and less fat, whereas higher lev-
els of cortisol promote less muscle and more fat. But unfortunately, there
isnt much we can do about either beyond injecting ourselves with danger-
ous drugs. Our genetics have set our normal physiological hormonal ranges,
and thats that.
All is not lost if youre not of the genetic elite, though. Another factor
in what your body does with the food you eat is insulin sensitivity (how
well your cells respond to insulins signals). As discussed in my advice for
hardgainers, being insulin sensitive is highly beneficial when youre eating a
surplus of calories to build muscle, whereas insulin resistance inhibits mus-
cle growth and promotes fat storage under these dietary conditions.
Genetics affect natural levels of insulin sensitivity as well, but you can
take various steps to manipulate this mechanism. This is where cardio
 MYTH #21: YOU SHOULDNT DO CARDIO
WHEN YOURE TRYING TO GAIN WEIGHT 65

comes in, because it improves insulin sensitivity93. And does so in a dose-

dependent manner (meaning the more you do, the more benefits you get)94.
Cardio can help your muscles better absorb the nutrients you eat, leav-
ing less available for fat storage.
CARDIO AND CONDITIONING
A common issue in the bodybuilding world is the dramatic reduction
in cardiovascular fitness when focusing only on heavy weightlifting for
months on end.
Building ones cardio conditioning back up is not only uncomfortable,
but doing so on top of a caloric deficit for weight-loss purposes puts a lot of
stress on the body. This added stress makes weight loss physically and psy-
chologically tougher and can even accelerate muscle loss95.
By keeping regular cardio in your routine during your bulking phases,
you can maintain your metabolic conditioning and prevent the shell shock
that many people experience during the beginning of a cut.
Its also common for people who have bulked for months without car-
dio to experience an initial lag in weight loss. Those who keep doing cardio
regularly seem to better retain the ability to oxidize fat96.

2 WAYS CARDIO CAN GET IN THE WAY OF MUSCLE GROWTH

As I said to introduce this myth, cardio can both hurt and help muscle
growth. The two primary ways it can negatively affect your gains are by re-
ducing your caloric surplus too much and by causing you to overtrain.
The surplus issue is pretty moot, though, if you watch what youre burn-
ing. Normal cardio sessions dont burn that many calories (a few hundred
at most), which is easy enough to correct (eat a pile of fruit afterward, for
instance). But if long, intense sessions go for a couple hours or longer, it can
cause more caloric deficit than you can easily make up for.
Hardgainers have more to worry about in this regard as they usually
have trouble eating enough as it is. Research has shown that low-intensity
cardio stimulates the appetite, so including some every week can help en-
sure you eat enough97.
Issues relating to cardio and overtraining revolve around intensity and
frequency. Simply put, the more cardio you do, and the more intense it is,
the more your strength and growth will be negatively affected due to ex-
cessive stresses put on both the central nervous system and muscles being
worked (usually the legs get it the worst)98.
66 MUSCLE MYTHS

SO, CARDIO WHILE FOCUSING ON MUSCLE GROWTHYES OR

NO?
I think the positives of including cardio when you're bulking clearly
outweigh the negatives, especially considering the fact that the negatives are
easily dealt with.
Generally speaking, I prefer HIIT cardio to steady-state even when
bulking, despite the fact that it puts more stress on my body. Research has
shown that HIIT cardio preserves muscle better than steady-state, but dont
take that as a carte blanche to do hours of HIIT every week while bulking99.
The point at which the added cardio will impair your strength gains and
muscle growth will depend on your genetics and conditioning, but a safe
recommendation is no more than 23 sessions of cardio each week for no
longer than 30 minutes.
If you find that even that much HIIT negatively impacts your strength,
then opt for a few sessions of low-to-moderate cardio each week instead.
That will still be enough to enjoy the benefits of cardio while avoiding its
drawbacks.
Research has shown that cycling is a better choice than running when
youre trying to maximize muscle gains, probably because it mimics move-
ments you perform with weights100. I experienced this when I made the
switch to cycling for all of my cardio, and my leg strength dramatically
jumped over the following few months.
 MYTH #22:

YOU SHOULD DO CARDIO

BEFORE LIFTING WEIGHTS

People often start their workouts with cardio, thinking its a warm-up,
and then move on to the weights. This is a mistake.
While a few minutes of light cardio before lifting can raise body tem-
perature, which improves athletic performance, a moderate bout will get in
the way of your weight training in several ways.
Research shows that doing both weightlifting and cardio in the same
workout can reduce results. Researchers from RMIT University worked
with well-trained athletes in 2009 and found that combining resistance ex-
ercise and cardio in the same session may disrupt genes for anabolism.101
In laymens terms, they found that combining endurance and resistance
training sends mixed signals to the muscles. Cardio before the resistance
training suppressed anabolic hormones such as IGF-1 and MGF, and cardio
after resistance training increased muscle tissue breakdown.
Several other studies, such as those conducted by Childrens National
Medical Center102, the Waikato Institute of Technology103, and the Univer-
sity of Jyvaskyla (Finland)104, came to the same conclusions: Training for
both endurance and strength simultaneously impairs your gains on both
fronts. Training purely for strength or purely for endurance in a workout is
far superior.
Furthermore, cardio before weightlifting saps your energy and makes
it much harder to train heavy, which in turn inhibits your muscle growth.
So, not only is doing cardio before weightlifting bad, but doing it imme-
diately after isnt optimal, either. Its best to separate your cardio and weight-
68 MUSCLE MYTHS

lifting workouts by at least a few hours.

This can be tough, however, depending on your schedule , lifestyle, and
chosen activity. If theres no way for you to separate the workouts, then I
recommend doing your cardio after, but not before, your weightlifting.
And instead of hopping on the treadmill for a weightlifting warm-up,
I recommend you use what you learned in the chapter on stretching. Do a
dynamic warm-up routine consisting of several sets of the exercise up first
for the muscle group(s) being trained that day.
 MYTH #23:

SWEATING MORE DURING

CARDIO BURNS MORE FAT

Some people still don heavy sweat suits or plastic suits while doing their
cardio workouts. The idea is that by making yourself sweat more, youll burn
more calories.
If only this were true, the sauna would be my best friend.
While sweating is great for keeping your skin clear, more sweating un-
fortunately does not equal more fat loss. Any extra weight you lose is simply
water weight, and your body will quickly gain it back once you rehydrate.
In fact, doing things to jack up your core body temperature and induce
excessive sweating can actually be dangerous. Sweating is a mechanism by
which your body cools itself (through the evaporation of the sweat), and
short-circuiting this process can raise your body temperature to unsafe
levels.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association banned rubber sweat suits
in 1997 after three wrestlers died using them in a high-heat environment to
drop as much water weight as possible.
Excessive sweating can also lead to dehydration, which according to a
study conducted by California State University, increases circulating con-
centrations of the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine, blunts the
testosterone response to exercise, and negatively impacts the bodys metab-
olism of carbohydrate and fat105.
So, dont worry about how much you sweat while exercising. Just keep
the body moving vigorously and long enough, and youll be able to achieve
your fat loss goals.
 SECTION THREE:
DIET & NUTRITION MYTHS
 MYTH #24:

FASTING PUTS
YOUR BODY INTO
STARVATION MODE

Weve all heard this a million times, and it seems to make logical sense.
If we go too long without eating, wouldnt our body think its being
starved and drastically reduce its metabolic speed? In order to better deal
with future starvation, wouldnt it increase the rate at which it stores fat once
we actually do eat?
Regardless of how much it might seem plausible, its not true.

FASTING DOESNT NEGATIVELY AFFECT YOUR METABOLISM

A study conducted by the University of Rochester showed that meta-
bolic rate didnt decline until 60 hours of fastingand the reduction was a
mere 8%106. In fact, research has demonstrated that the metabolism actually
speeds up after 36-48 hours of fasting107,108.
True starvation in the eyes of the body occurs after about 3 days (72
hours) of not eating, at which point the primary source of energy becomes
the breakdown of proteins (and the biggest source of protein is muscle)109.
Until then it relies on body fat and glycogen stores in the liver and mus-
cles for its energy, nothing more than routine biological functioning. Once
it has to begin breaking down proteins for energy, however, the body knows
its survival is imperiled, and that is when the real starvation mode begins.
This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. If we havent eaten
in quite some time, what does our body want us to do? Go find food, of
course. And how does it stimulate us to do that? By increasing production
of two chemicals called adrenaline and noradrenaline, which sharpen our
74 MUSCLE MYTHS

minds and make us want to go move around. They also increase our basal
metabolic rate, the minimal amount of calories you burn at absolute rest.
(Exercise elevates these chemicals as well.)
And what happens when we lose muscle? We become physically weak-
er, our metabolism slows down, we become more likely to succumb to dis-
ease, and eventually we die (usually from a heart attack).

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FASTING

A growing body of evidence is demonstrating that fasting has various
health benefits. Studies have shown that fasting increases insulin sensitivity,
stress resistance, fat oxidation, and life span and reduces the risk of disease110.
Yes, you read that right: Relatively long periods of fasting (1624 hours)
actually improve your health and help you burn more fat without any wor-
ries of the body obsessively storing every calorie you eat after the fast.
There are dietary strategies built around this research, and they are
known as intermittent fasting routines. Such protocols entail splitting up
your days into fasting and feeding periods, usually calling for 1620 hours
of fasting and 48-hour feeding windows. You eat your entire days worth
of calories during these feeding periods, which requires large meals, espe-
cially if youre lifting weights.
You should also know that intermittent fasting while exercising regu-
larly requires proper meal and workout timing if youre to make optimal
gains. I wont go into all the details here, but if youre interested in following
this style of dieting, I recommend you read my blog post on it, which you
can find by visiting my website (www.muscleforlife.com) and searching for
intermittent fasting.
Personally, I dont like having to eat large (1,000+ calories) meals due to
the uncomfortable fullness, as well as the ensuing lethargy caused by a hor-
mone called cholecystokinin that is released when you eat protein and fat111.
The key takeaway of this chapter is that you can eat infrequently if thats
how you like to do it, or have to due to schedule hiccups. Only two meals
need be set in stone: your pre- and post-workout meals. Your pre-workout
meal should contain about 30 grams of protein and carbohydrates, and your
post-workout meal should contain about the same amount of protein and
between 3040% of your total daily carbs.
You can even work in a planned fast once or twice per week to reap
some of its benefits. I will occasionally do this by simply skipping breakfast
on a day that Im not lifting (I lift early in the morning) and eating my first
meal after about 1214 hours of fasting.
 MYTH #25:

IF YOU EAT A LOT OF

CARBS, YOU WILL
ALWAYS BE FAT

The hysterical crusade against the carbohydrate 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 carbo-
hydrate is now the victim of the same level of persecution that saturated fat
endured for decades.
Weve come to learn that saturated fats arent the evil heart killers they
were made out to be.112 (This excludes the processed form, trans fat, which
is known to increase risk of heart disease, among other health issues)113.
If were to believe the leaders of the Carbohydrate Inquisition, this mol-
ecule will force us to be fat, break our metabolism, lead us to develop dia-
betes and other diseases, and generally turn us into hungry, horrible people.
If you ditch the diabolic carbohydrate, experts claim you will melt
fat away and keep it off (without having to count pesky calories), build an
invincible immune system, live forever, and maybe even develop superpow-
ers. And youll be part of the cool crowd to boot.
But is this dietary culture war justified? In other words, does it have any
basis in science?

CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE AND INSULIN LEVELS

Much of the carbohydrate controversy revolves around its relationship
to the hormone insulin.
As the unfounded claims go, insulin makes you fat, and carbohydrates
76 MUSCLE MYTHS

spike insulin; thus, carbohydrates make you fat. Sounds so simple, right?
Well, yeah, the story is simple because its false.
While its true that insulins job is to pull glucose out of the blood and
store excess as fat, the hormone is also responsible for driving amino acids
into our muscles for protein synthesis and clearing dietary fats out of the
blood (which are stored as body fat more efficiently than carbohydrate, I
might add)114. On top of all that, insulin has a mild anti-catabolic effect
(meaning it helps preserve your muscle)115.
And while its also true that eating carbohydrates increases insulin lev-
els in your blood, many common sources of protein (such as eggs, cheese,
beef, and fish) are comparable in their ability to do the same116.
Some people claim that because your body generally produces more
insulin when you eat carbohydrates, this leads to more fat storage. Theyre
wrongresearch has shown that the amount of insulin your body produces
in response to eating food (or insulin response) doesnt affect the amount of
fat stored117.
So, in short, insulin is your friend, not part of a conspiracy between
your pancreas and fat cells to ruin your self-image.
Thats one strike against the carbs make you fat camp. Now lets look at
the connection between carbohydrate intake and fat loss.

CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE AND REAL-WORLD WEIGHT LOSS

Many low-carb gurus will claim that you can lose weight much more
quickly if you consume very few carbs every day. Some people even believe
they can only lose weight if they cut their carbs to nil.
The problem with these beliefs is they fly in the face of both basic physi-
ology and scientific findings, and they mask the most common weight-loss
roadblock: eating too much while moving too little.
A simple review of scientific literature shows that diet composition has
no effect on long-term weight loss.
Lets first look at a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania118.
Researchers assigned 63 obese adults to either a low-carb, high-protein,
high-fat diet (20 grams of carbohydrate per day, gradually increased until
target weight was achieved), or a conventional diet of 60% of calories from
carbohydrates, 25% from fat, and 15% from protein.
The result: the low-carbohydrate group lost more weight in the first 3
months, but the difference at 12 months was insignificant.
Reducing carbohydrate intake decreases the amount of glycogen we
store in our liver and muscles119. The 3-month result isnt surprising, then,
 MYTH #25: IF YOU EAT A LOT OF CARBS, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAT 77

considering that total body water retention is decreased120. This causes a

rapid drop in weight that has nothing to do with burning fat (anyone that
has reduced carbohydrate intake as a means of cutting calories for weight
loss has experienced this).
Harvard University published a study in 2009 on the effects of diet com-
position and weight loss. They assigned 811 overweight adults to one of sev-
eral diets, which were composed of the following percentages of fat, protein,
and carbs: 20, 15, and 65%; 40, 15, and 45%; and 40, 25, and 35%121.
After 6 months of dieting, participants had lost an average of 6 kg
(roughly 13.2 pounds). They began to regain weight after 12 months, and
by 2 years, weight loss averaged out to 4 kg, with no meaningful differences
between low-protein or high-protein, low-fat or high-fat, and low-carb or
high-carb groups.
A study conducted by Arizona State University found that an 8-week
high-carbohydrate, low-fat, low-protein diet was equally effective in terms
of weight loss as a low-carbohydrate, low-fat, high-protein diet122.
So, the conclusion we can derive is brutally simple and clear: As long
as you keep yourself in a caloric deficit, youll lose weight regardless of the
dietary protocol you follow123.

THE EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE: WHEN LOW-CARB (OR HIGH-

CARB) MIGHT BE BETTER
Despite this body of evidence, practical experience in coaching hun-
dreds of people has taught me that some people just do better on high-carb
or low-carb diets, whereas some do fine with either.
For instance, some peoplelike myselfdo very well with high-carbo-
hydrate diets. They can lose weight very easily, feel energized all day with-
out any crashes, and are able to maintain considerable strength in the gym.
Others dont do well with a high-carb approach. Weight loss is slower than
optimal, they are very hungry, which leads to overeating, and any progress
comes with frustrating energy highs and lows.
This personal response can go the other way, too. When people dont
react well to low-carb, high-fat diets, they can feel lethargic and mentally
clouded, lose a ton of strength, and have trouble getting lean. Others thrive
on fats, having plenty of energy and a general sense of well-being. What
gives?
While feeling like crap certainly increases the chance youll overeat and
give less than 100% in your workouts, theres more at work here.
Research has shown that some peoples bodies deal better with large
78 MUSCLE MYTHS

amounts of dietary fat than others124, responding with positive metabolic

changes like an increase in resting energy expenditure and fat oxidation to
maintain energy balance125. It can also result in better appetite control126.
However, other peoples bodies respond negatively to high amounts of
dietary fat and are more likely to store it as stubborn body fat. Such research
sheds light on why different individuals respond so well or poorly to low-
carb, high-fat diets.
The above also relates to research on how insulin sensitivity and re-
sponse can affect diet results. Studies have shown that weight-loss efforts
arent improved or impaired by insulin sensitivity or resistance per se127.
But when we move away from a balance of nutrients and use high-carb, low-
fat, or low-carb, high-fat diets in conjunction with different levels of insulin
sensitivity and response, things change.
For instance, a study conducted by the Tufts-New England Medical
Center found that a low-glycemic load diet helped overweight adults with
high insulin secretion lose more weight, but did not help overweight adults
with low insulin secretion128.
A study conducted by the University of Colorado demonstrated that
obese women who were insulin sensitive lost significantly more weight on
a high-carb, low-fat diet than a low-carb, high-fat diet (average weight loss
of 13.5% vs. 6.8% of body weight, respectively). Women who were insu-
lin resistant lost significantly more weight on a low-carb, high-fat diet than
a high-carb, low-fat diet (average weight loss of 13.4% vs. 8.5% of body
weight, respectively).
What we can take away from these studies (and my anecdotal observa-
tions) is that if you have good insulin sensitivity and low secretion (good
insulin response), youll probably lose weight more easily on a high-carb,
low-fat diet. On the other hand, if you have poor insulin sensitivity and high
secretion (poor insulin response), odds are youll do better with a low-carb,
high-fat diet.

SO, WHICH APPROACH, THEN? HIGH-CARB OR LOW-CARB?

Unfortunately its not easy to tell if your body type responds better to a
high-fat or low-fat diet, but it is fairly easy to take an educated guess regard-
ing your bodys insulin dynamics.
After eating a high-carb meal, signs of good insulin sensitivity and re-
sponse are pumped muscles that feel full, mental alertness, stable energy
levels (no crash), and satiety. Signs of poor insulin sensitivity and response
are bloat, gassiness, mental fogginess/inability to focus, sleepiness, and hun-
ger soon after eating.
 MYTH #25: IF YOU EAT A LOT OF CARBS, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAT 79

Based on the above symptoms, you can decide which approach to try.
But remember that these are only general guidelinesin the end, actual
weight loss is what matters most.
You should be able to lose 12 lbs. per week with the right caloric in-
take. If youre not seeing progress despite being absolutely certain that youre
in a proper caloric deficit, you may benefit from altering the composition
of your diet.
 MYTH #26:

EAT MANY SMALL MEALS

PER DAY TO STOKE
THE METABOLISM AND
CONTROL HUNGER

This myth was dietary dogma for the longest time, and is still promoted
by fitness experts and related magazines.
The idea that small, frequent meals will speed up your metabolism and
help you control hunger kind of makes sense at first. When you eat, your
metabolic rate increases as it breaks down the food. So, if you eat every few
hours, your metabolism will remain in a constantly elevated state, right?
And nibbling on food throughout the day should help reduce hunger, right?
Bodies are not so simple. Like many of the myths that seem to make
sense on paper, this one just doesnt pan out in clinical research.

MEAL FREQUENCY AND YOUR METABOLISM

Each type of essential nutrient (protein, carbohydrate, and fat) requires
varying amounts of energy to break down and process. This is the thermic
effect of food consumption and is the metabolic boost that comes after eat-
ing.
The magnitude and duration of that boost depends on how much you
eat. A small meal causes a small metabolic spike that doesnt last very long,
whereas a large meal produces a larger spike that lasts longer.
So the question, then, is whether a higher frequency of smaller meals
per day increases total energy expenditure over a 24-hour period than fewer,
larger meals. The French National Institute of Health and Medical Research
had the same question and performed an extensive review of literature to
provide an answer.
82 MUSCLE MYTHS

Researchers looked at scores of studies comparing the thermic effect

of food in a wide variety of eating patterns, ranging from 1 to 17 meals per
day130. In terms of 24-hour energy expenditure, they found no difference
between nibbling and gorging. Small meals caused small, short metabolic
boosts, and large meals caused larger, longer boosts, but by the end of each
day, they balanced out in terms of total calories burned.
A study conducted by the University of Ontario split participants into
two dietary groups: 3 meals per day vs. 3 meals plus 3 snacks per day, with
both in a caloric restriction for weight loss131. After 8 weeks, researchers
found no significant difference in average weight loss, fat loss, and muscle
loss among 16 individuals.
While increasing meal frequency can make dieting more enjoyable for
some, it doesnt help burn more energy.

MEAL FREQUENCY AND APPETITE

A study conducted by the University of Missouri with 27 overweight/
obese men found that after 12 weeks of dieting to lose weight, increasing
protein intake improved appetite control, but meal frequency (3 vs. 6 meals
per day) had no effect132.
The University of Kansas investigated the effects of meal frequency and
protein intake on perceived appetite, satiety, and hormonal responses in
overweight/obese men133. In line with many other studies, the researchers
found that higher protein intake led to greater feelings of fullness and that 6
meals actually resulted in lower daily fullness than 3 meals.
On the other hand, you can find studies wherein participants were less
satiated on 3 meals per day and found that increasing meal frequency in-
creased feelings of fullness, thereby making it easier to stick to their diets.
The bottom line is that there are many variables, including psychologi-
cal ones, and clinical evidence shows that its incorrect to conclusively state
that either more or fewer meals per day for hunger control will be best for
everyone.

SO HOW MANY MEALS PER DAY, THEN?

How often you should eat boils down to personal preference. As the
clich goes, the best dietary protocol is the one youll stick to, and reducing
psychological stress makes a big difference in increasing diet compliance
and thus overall effectiveness.
I often recommend eating more, smaller meals per day. In my experi-
ence coaching hundreds of people, many prefer the feeling of eating every
few hours as opposed to fewer, larger ones separated by 56 hours. I person-
 MYTH #26: EAT MANY SMALL MEALS PER DAY TO
STOKE THE METABOLISM AND CONTROL HUNGER 83

ally dont like eating 8001,000 calories to then feel stuffed for several hours.
I much prefer a 400-calorie meal that leaves me satisfied for a few hours,
followed by another smaller meal with different ingredients and flavors, and
so forth.
That said, if someone cant or doesnt want to eat frequently, then we
work out a meal plan consisting of fewer, larger meals that fit their prefer-
ences or lifestyle. Our hunger patterns are established by our meal patterns,
so its usually easiest to work around your schedule, not against it134.
 MYTH #27:

YOU CANT DRINK

ALCOHOL IF YOU
WANT TO LOOK
GOOD

Alcohol and its relation to health and fitness is a tricky subject.

In small amountsa drink or two a dayit has potential health ben-
efits like improved insulin sensitivity135, healthier cardiac function136, and
decrease in blood lipids (fatty substances in your blood, which when low-
ered, reduces your risk of heart disease)137.
In larger amounts, alcohol leads to barely conscious drives home, fist-
fights over whos the best NFL rusher of all time, and charges of public inde-
cency. And to nobodys surprise, chronic alcohol abuse basically just breaks
your ass138.
But this chapter isnt about the various effects of mild or severe drink-
ing.
Instead, it will answer a question on all dieters and body builders
minds: How much alcohol can we drink before it will negatively affect our
efforts to lose weight and build muscle?

ALCOHOL AND FAT LOSS

Similar to the carbohydrate inquisition thats in vogue these days, alco-
hol is the target of many criticisms. According to some people, if you drink,
youre going to get fatend of story. And, depending on whom you talk to,
you might just lose all your muscle as a bonus.
Well, if we take a quick look at epidemiological research, we can see
that moderate alcohol consumption is actually associated with lower body
weight, not higher139.
86 MUSCLE MYTHS

A study published in 1985 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

looked at the diets of 1,944 adults aged 18-74140. Researchers found that an
increase in calories from ethanol (alcohol) alone didnt result in the weight
gain that would normally occur if those calories were from protein, carbs,
or fat. In fact, thanks to regular alcohol intake, drinkers took in an average
of 16% more calories each day than non-drinkers and had the same levels of
physical activity, but werent any fatter than their alcohol-free counterparts.
Another study following obese women on a weight-loss diet instructed
one group to intake 10% of daily calories from white wine and another from
grape juice141. After 3 months, the white wine drinkers lost about 2 pounds
more than the grape juice group.
The exact mechanisms at work arent totally clear, but a likely factor is
that drinking can reduce your appetite for food142. According to another
study, it may also be related to alcohols effects on insulin sensitivity143.
While it may seem like Im encouraging you to drink to get shredded,
thats not the goal. Alcohol consumption can hinder your weight loss efforts,
but in an indirect way.
While alcohol itself basically cant be stored as body fat144, it blocks fat
oxidation145, which in turn accelerates the rate at which your body stores
dietary fat as body fat.
In short, its not the calories from alcohol that can make you fat, but all
the crap that you eat with it, which is hard to resist when youre hammered.
So, if you want to be able to drink while dieting and still lose weight, dont
consume alcohol more than one day per week, and use the following tips to
protect yourself from excess fat storage:
Restrict your dietary fat intake that day, and dont eat any fatty
foods while youre drinking.
Get the vast majority of your calories from protein and carbs that
day (with most coming from protein).
Stay away from carb-laden drinks like beer and fruity cocktails. Dry
wines are a good choice as well as spirits (when not mixed with
sugary soda or juices).
By following these guidelines, you can enjoy a few drinks every week
without having to feel guilty and without ruining your weight-loss regimen.

ALCOHOL AND TESTOSTERONE LEVELS

Men do have to face the music when it comes to one result of alcohol:
It suppresses testosterone production146. The magnitude of this effect varies.
 MYTH #27: YOU CANT DRINK ALCOHOL IF YOU WANT TO LOOK GOOD 87

A study conducted by the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute

had 10 men drink 3040 grams of alcohol per day (2 to 3 beers, 2 to 3 ounc-
es of liquor, or 10 to 15 ounces of wine). After 3 weeks, their testosterone
levels had dropped by about 7% (pretty insignificant)147.
Another study had 9 men drink 6070 grams after working out, and it
had no effect on testosterone levels during the following 5 hours148.
What happens when we increase the post-workout dose, though?
The University of Helsinki conducted a similar study, administering
1.5 g ethanol per kg of body weight (the equivalent of six beers or six 1.5-oz.
shots) to 8 healthy men ages 20 to 26. Their testosterone levels dropped by
23% on average between the 10th and 16th hour after they started drink-
ing149. Furthermore, cortisol levels were elevated by 36% on average, and
growth hormone secretion was heavily suppressed.
Another study conducted by the same university agreed: Binge drink-
ing after engaging in exercise is bad for testosterone production, thus prov-
ing that 10 beers is a poor post-workout meal (awww, shucks)150.
All things considered, if you have a few drinks here and there, you
probably have nothing to worry about in terms of testosterone production.
But doing post-workout shots? Not a good idea.

ALCOHOL AND MUSCLE RECOVERY AND PERFORMANCE

In rat and in vitro studies, alcohol impairs protein synthesis151,152. Some
people directly apply that type of research to living, breathing humans and
say it prevents you from building muscle and accelerates muscle loss.
Well, it doesnt work like that. Rats and humans have major metabolic
differences, and in vitro findings dont always pan out in vivo.
In live humans, muscle-wasting effects of alcohol have only been seen
in chronic alcoholics153. If you have 7+ drinks per day, youre going to have
trouble building muscle. And walking. And remembering your name.
Its also commonly claimed that alcohol consumption impairs strength
and interferes with the bodys ability to repair muscle damage.
According to studies conducted by the University of Massachusetts and
Aarhus University, however, alcohol has no effect on strength or indicators
of exercise-induced muscle154, 155.
To the contrary, a study conducted by Massey University showed that
1 g of ethanol per kg of body weight after exercise magnified post-workout
muscle damage156. It should be noted that the workout regimen used was
a bit ridiculous (300 eccentric contractions on a machine for training the
legs), so we cant be sure its findings apply to more traditional, lower-volume
88 MUSCLE MYTHS

weightlifting workouts.

TO DRINK OR NOT TO DRINK?

Alcohol advocates like to talk it up as some kind of superfood, but the
bottom line is its not necessary in any way for good health and it wont give
you any performance benefits.
If youre like me and dont drink, I dont see any reason to start. If you
drink regularly, you have a lot more to worry about than it interfering with
muscle gains.
But if you drink infrequently and moderately enough to not notice any
aftereffects (no hangovers or lingering issues), then you probably dont have
reason to give it up altogether.
 MYTH #28:

FRUIT JUICE IS
GOOD FOR YOU

The general health advice to consume several servings of fruit every day
has been around for a while, and this has led people to drink more fruit juice
and juice-based drinks as a way to do this.
While most fruits are healthy snacks (Ill be debunking claims against
fruit next), juice is another story.
The first thing to consider is the fact that fruit juices and smoothies
that you buy in the store are almost all full of added sugarsome even have
hundreds of grams of carbs per bottle, which is crazy.
The Lille 2 University of Health and Law conducted a study in 2012 that
analyzed 187 different fruit beverages, including juices, smoothies (juice
plus pulp), fruit drinks (water plus fruit juices), and fruit-flavored waters
(waters that have fruit flavors, but no juice)157.
They found that 71% of smoothies, drinks, and fruit-flavored waters
contain added sugar, and smoothies and juices contain, on average, just
44.5% and 10.5% fruit juice, respectively. Average sugar content:
Fruit-flavored water: 2.4g per 100 mL / 5.8g per cup
Fruit drinks: 8.8g per 100 mL / 21.1g per cup
Fruit juices: 10.7g per 100 mL / 25.7g per cup
Fruit smoothies: 10.8g per 100 mL / 25.9g per cup
In many cases, drinking a glass of a fruit juice-based beverage is no bet-
ter for your body than mixing a few cubes of sugar in water and drinking
90 MUSCLE MYTHS

it. And, to nobodys surprise, research has associated regular consumption

of sugar-sweetened beverages with an increased risk of developing type 2
diabetes158.
Even if you make your own fruit juice, you are removing the flesh of the
fruit, which provides fiber. The flesh is what makes you feel full and slows
the digestion of the sweet sugars that make the juice taste good, so removing
it makes it too easy to consume the calories of several servings of fruit with-
out even realizing it. Eating 5 apples in one go would fill you up for quite
a while; drinking the juice obtained from 5 apples would provide more or
less the same amount of calories, but wouldnt fill you up for nearly as long.
When it comes to getting your daily serving of fruit, stick to eating
whole fruits and drink water instead.
 MYTH #29:

FRUIT IS BAD FOR

YOU

I figured this would be a good one to address on the heels of the last.
Many health gurus claim that fruit can cause horrible things in the body
due to the sugar molecule it contains, known as fructose.
Ive known many people who were thoroughly convinced they would
get fatter if they ate any fruit (many of whom were already overweight,
which is ironic) and who couldnt believe I was able to stay in the single-
digit body fat percentages while eating over 100 grams of carbohydrate from
fruit every day. (Apples, oranges, and bananas are my favorites.)
Some pretty heavy claims have been leveled at fructose in the pop cul-
ture of nutrition and diet. One popular crusader against it is Dr. Robert H.
Lustig, whose talk Sugar: The Bitter Truth has over 3.4 million views on
YouTube. According to Lustig and others, fructose has special qualities that
directly induce fat storage and make it toxic to the liver.
But does the current scientific evidence support these positions? Is
fructoseand, by association, fruitbad for our health?

WHAT IS FRUCTOSE ANYWAY, AND WHATS THE BIG DEAL?

Fructose is a simple carbohydrate (one that is broken down quickly
into energy) that, together with glucose, makes up sucrose (table sugar). Its
found in many plant sources like honey, fruits, flowers, and root vegetables
and is one of the three basic forms of sugar that our body can use as fuel.
Eating an abundance of refined sugarsfructose includedcan defi-
nitely cause problems beyond added calories. They have addictive proper-
92 MUSCLE MYTHS

ties normally found with drug abuse, and that can lead to cravings, binging,
and withdrawal symptoms159. Regular consumptions of sugar-sweetened
beverages is particularly bad and has been associated with weight gain and
obesity160, as well as an increased risk of cancer161.
But, if were to listen to fructose alarmists, this molecule in particular is
to be avoided at all costs. Research has indicated that regular consumption
of fructose may play a causative role in the epidemic of a cocktail of diseases,
including hypertension, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and kidney
and cardiovascular disease162.
These observational studies have led to assumptions that the less fruit
you eat, the better. But theres more to this story.

THE BIG FLAW IN FRUCTOSE ALARMISM

When you really dig into the feeding trials that highlight the health
problems associated with fructose intake, something seems peculiar. The
dosages of fructose required to produce negative effects are quite high. Not
out of reach through dietary means, but damn near impossible to intake
through fruit alone.
One study conducted by the University of Lausanne showed that 7 days
of a high-fructose diet increased fat deposits in the liver and muscle, as well
as fasting triglycerides and decreased insulin sensitivity163. Bad, no doubt.
Yet the researchers had 16 guys consume a solution consisting of 3.5
grams of fructose per kilogram of weight every day. I weigh about 90 kilo-
grams, so that would mean I would have to eat 315 grams of fructose per
day. If I wanted to get that from bananas, Id have to eat about 45. Or 80 cups
of strawberries. Or 800 cherries. Or 26 apples.
Another study conducted by the University of Fribourg in Switzer-
land had one group drink a beverage containing 60 grams of fructose and
the second a beverage with the same amount of glucose164. Blood pressure
levels were elevated for 2 hours in the fructose group, but not the glucose
group. But thats the fructose found in about 9 bananas, 15 cups of strawber-
ries, 150 cherries, or 5 applesin one sitting!
Yet another study, this time conducted by the University of California,
made sure participants got 25% of their daily calories from either fructose
or glucose165. After 12 weeks, both groups gained weight (due to overeat-
ing), but the fructose group experienced negative side effects not seen in the
glucose group:
Increased amount of visceral fat (abdominal fat that gets packed
between the organs, as opposed to fat thats just under the skin)
 MYTH #29: FRUIT IS BAD FOR YOU 93

Increased fat production in the liver

Decreased insulin sensitivity
Elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol
Increased triglyceride levels (fatty substances in the blood that,
when elevated, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke)
Pretty nasty indeed. But wait a minute25% of daily calories? Well, I
eat close to 3,000 calories per day, so that would call for about 175 grams of
fructose per day. I wont bother with the fruit list, but you get the idea.
Okay then, so eating large amounts of fructose every day is a bad idea.
But, practically speaking, reaching dangerous levels through fruit alone
would require deliberate overfeeding. Not only that, but the fiber content
of fruit changes how your body deals with sugar. Fruit also contains various
phytochemicals that are good for our overall health166.
Bottom line: Consuming 30 grams of fructose from fruit is different
than drinking 30 grams of pure fructose, or eating that much in the form of
high-fructose corn syrup.

BONUS ROUND: DOES FRUCTOSE MAGICALLY TURN INTO BODY

FAT AND WRECK YOUR LIVER?
One of the common claims against fructose is that, regardless of level
of intake, it leads to more weight gain than other types of carbohydrate. An-
other is that its toxic to the liver, nearly as much as alcohol.
Unfortunately, these positions just arent supported by studies done
with humans, as opposed to mice and rats (which have very different meta-
bolic characteristics than humans). Research has shown that a paltry 23%
of fructose consumed is converted into fat in the liver, whereas 50% ends up
as glucose, 25% as lactate, and 15% as glycogen167.
Its not surprising, then, that a McMaster University meta-analysis pub-
lished in 2012 reviewed 31 fructose feeding trials involving 637 total partici-
pants to conclude that fructose does not seem to cause weight gain when it
is substituted for other carbohydrates in diets providing similar calories168.
Some people point to the lactate production as a problem, but these
claims were debunked over a decade ago169. It turns out that lactate isnt a
metabolic miscreant; in fact, it plays an important role in a number of meta-
bolic processes and is an effective aerobic fuel.
Fructose, like any other form of calories, will cause weight gain when
overeaten. But it doesnt have magical fat storage powers, and it doesnt
94 MUSCLE MYTHS

damage your liver at low-moderate consumption levels.

SO, HOW MUCH FRUCTOSE SHOULD YOU EAT EVERY DAY?

According to a meta-analysis of clinical trials evaluating fructose in-
take, 2540 grams of fructose per day is totally safe170. Thats 36 bananas,
610 cups of strawberries, 1015 cherries, or 23 apples per day. Or, as the
sage old advice goes, a few standard servings of fruit every day.
While regular fruit eaters dont have anything to worry about, regular
eaters of refined sugars like high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose can reach
unhealthy levels very easily. A 20-ounce bottle of soda sweetened with
high-fructose corn syrup contains about 35 grams of fructose. One gram
of sucrose is about half glucose, half fructose, so if you eat a dessert with
50 grams of sugar, youre getting about 25 grams of fructose. High-fructose
corn syrup is about 55% fructose and found in many processed foods, so
this can add up quickly.
Even agave syrups, which are touted as healthy by many due to their
low-glycemic properties, can be as high as 90% fructose. Other less pro-
cessed forms can be as low as 55%.
You can avoid all the health complications associated with simple sug-
ars like fructose by keeping your daily intake relatively low. The sources are
many, but the effects are the same for agave, sucrose, honey, maple syrup,
raw sugar, molasses, brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, turbinado sug-
ar, and on and on.
 MYTH #30:

THE BODY CAN ONLY

ABSORB AND USE (INSERT
NUMBER HERE) GRAMS OF
PROTEIN AT A TIME

Many different numbers are perpetuated in this myth. Some sources say
30 grams is the max, while others say 60.
Whos right? As with many issues of nutrition, theres no simple answer.
It would stand to reason that an NFL linebackers body deals with protein
intake differently than a 120-lb weakling. Protein needs due to lifestyle and
lean mass should influence the matter of protein metabolism.
Additionally, if it were true that a person can only absorb a relatively
small amount of protein in one meal, then super-dosing daily protein
needs into 23 meals would result in protein deficiencies. This assumption
begs the question of how the human species survived the hunter-gatherer
days. Can there be any truth in these claims?

THE SCIENCE OF PROTEIN ABSORPTION

In order to better evaluate the issue at hand, lets look at what actually
happens when you eat protein.
First, your stomach uses its acid and enzymes to break the protein down
into its building blocks, amino acids. These amino acids are transported
into the bloodstream by special cells that line the intestines and are then
delivered to various parts of the body. Your body only has so many trans-
porter cells, which limits the amount of amino acids that can be infused
into your blood every hour. This is what were talking about with protein
absorptionhow quickly our bodies can absorb the amino acids into our
bloodstreams.
96 MUSCLE MYTHS

Its widely known that the human body absorbs different proteins at
different rates. According to one review, whey clocks in at 810 grams ab-
sorbed per hour, casein at 6.1, soy at 3.9, and egg at 1.3171. These numbers
arent completely accurate due to the complexities involved in measuring
protein absorption, but they lend insight nonetheless: certain proteins are
absorbed very slowly, whereas others can be quite fast.
You should also know that food substances dont move uniformly
through the digestive tract, and they dont leave sections in the same order
that they arrived in. For instance, the presence of protein in the stomach
stimulates the production of a hormone that delays gastric emptying (the
emptying of the food from the stomach), and that slows down intestinal
contractions173. This causes food to move more slowly through the small
intestines, where nutrients are absorbed, and this is how your body buys the
time it needs to absorb the protein you eat. Carbohydrates and fats can move
through and be absorbed while your body is still working on the protein.
The next step in protein metabolism occurs once the amino acids make
it into the bloodstream. Your body does various things with them, such as
tissue growth and repair, and it can temporarily store (up to about 24 hours
or so) excess amino acids in muscle for future needs174.
If there are still amino acids in the blood after doing all of the above,
your body can break them down into fuel for your brain and other cells.
If thats how your body processes proteins we eat, whats up with the
claims that it can only absorb so much in one meal?

THE PROBLEMS WITH CLAIMS OF PROTEIN ABSORPTION

LIMITATIONS
Claims that the body can only absorb so much protein in one sitting are
usually based on one of two things:
1. An ignorance of how food moves through the digestive system.
Some people believe that all foods move through the small intestines
in 23 hours. Thus, if you ate even the fastest type of protein that
can be absorbed at a rate of 810 grams per hour, you could only
absorb 2530 grams of protein in one meal. If you eat proteins that
are absorbed more slowly, then you would (apparently) wind up
with even fewer grams absorbed into the bloodstream.
2. References to studies relating to the anabolic response to protein
consumption.
Weve already addressed number one. Your body is smart and regulates
 MYTH #30: THE BODY CAN ONLY ABSORB AND USE (INSERT
NUMBER HERE) GRAMS OF PROTEIN AT A TIME 97

the speed at which protein moves through the small intestines to ensure it
can absorb all the amino acids present.
Lets look at number two. A study commonly cited in connection with
protein absorption showed that 20 grams of post-workout protein stimu-
lated maximum muscle protein synthesis in young men175. That is, eating
more than 20 grams of protein after working out did nothing more in terms
of stimulating muscle growth.
The most obvious flaw in this argument is you cant use studies on the
anabolic response to protein consumption to extrapolate ideas about how
much we can absorb in one sitting.
Acute anabolic responses to eating protein dont give us the whole pic-
ture. Absorption relates to the availability of amino acids over extended pe-
riods of time, which prevents muscle breakdown and provides raw materials
for growth. And, as we now know, our body doesnt just throw away all of
the amino acids it cant immediately useit can store them for later.
Further supporting this position is a study conducted by the Human
Nutrition Research Center176. It had 16 young women eat 79% of the days
protein (about 54 grams) in one meal or four meals over the course of 14
days. Researchers found no difference between the groups in terms of pro-
tein synthesis or degradation.
Furthermore, if we look at the amount of protein used in the above
study relative to body weight, it comes out to about 1.17g/kg. Apply that to
a man weighing 80 kilograms (176 pounds), and you get about 94 grams of
protein. While this isnt scientific proof, its food for thought.
Research on the style of dieting known as intermittent fasting is also
relevant. For this diet people fast for extended periods, followed by any-
where from 28-hour feeding windows. One study found that eating the
entire days worth of protein in a 4-hour window (followed by 20 hours of
fasting) didnt negatively impact muscle preservation177.
Its also worth noting that you shouldnt take the 20 gram number as the
final word on the acute anabolic response to protein consumption. Protein
metabolism is affected by several things:
How much muscle you have: The more you have, the more amino
acids your body needs to maintain your musculature, and the more
places your body can store surpluses.
How active you are: The more you move around, the more protein
your body needs178.
How old you are. The older you get, the more protein your body
98 MUSCLE MYTHS

needs to maintain its muscle179.

Your hormones. Elevated levels of growth hormone and insulin-
like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) stimulates muscle synthesis, whereas
elevated levels of cortisol reduces protein synthesis and accelerates
gluconeogenesis (thus leaving fewer amino acids for tissue repair
and growth).
So, while 20 grams of protein might be enough to stimulate maximal
muscle growth in a 140 lb man with little lean mass, the same wouldnt hold
true for someone with 180 lbs of lean mass.

THE BOTTOM LINE: YOU CAN BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR PROTEIN

INTAKE
As you can see, its impossible to put a cap on how much protein your
body can absorb in one meal. Its definitely a hell of a lot more than the
2030 grams that some people claim.
While its smart to have a good amount of protein before and after train-
ing, break up the rest of your daily needs however you want and let your
body take care of the rest.182 Personally, I like to eat every few hours, but if
you prefer fewer, larger meals, then dont be afraid to load up on the protein
when you eat.
 MYTH #31:

I WONT HAVE TO
WATCH WHAT I EAT IF I
EXERCISE A LOT

Oh, how I wish this were true. I would plan epic feasts multiple days per
week and just train extra hard on those days.
The truth is that how you eat determines much of how you look. If you
eat like crap (and eating too much of healthy food qualifies as eating like
crap for this discussion), youre going to look like crap. End of story.
How many people have you seen who work out daily and have little
to show for it because of an ever-present coat of flab? Even guys who have
worked their butts off to build a considerable amount of muscle just wind
up looking like big, puffy meatballs until they get lean. Many of them could
look awesome if they were willing to fix how they ate.
Unfortunately, you cant out-exercise poor eating habits. You cant burn
enough calories through exercise to do it. The handful of cookies you ate
for dessert requires an hour of intense cardio to offset. And what about the
pizza you ate before the cookies? Forget ittheres another few hours.
The bottom line is if you dont follow an eating plan and know how
many calories youre eating every day and why, youll never achieve the type
of body that you dream of.
Ironically, food quality doesnt even matter in terms of body composi-
tionit all boils down to how much energy youre putting in your body
versus how much energy its using. Weight loss, gain, and maintenance are
governed by the laws of thermodynamics, not Mens Health broscience rapid
fat loss tips.
Its okay to indulge now and again, but it needs to be the exception, not
100 MUSCLE MYTHS

the rule. When dieting to lose weight, I eat no more than one cheat meal per
week. That means that every meal I eat is planned in terms of calories, pro-
tein, carbs, and fats, and the cheat meal is an intentional, semi-controlled
instance of overeating.
When Im dieting to gain weight (muscle), I follow a meal plan in the
same way. Although I eat a lot more every day, Im keeping my caloric sur-
plus regulated so as to prevent excessive fat storage. I usually do two cheat
meals per week, and I dont go crazy.
The key is you have to look at food as fuel.
Imagine for a second that your car has no mechanism to stop the pump
when its tank is full. And imagine that when you go to the gas station, you
just decide on random amounts of time to pump, regardless of your tanks
capacity. Sometimes you over-pump and spill gas all over the place, and
other times you under-pump and leave yourself with a less-than-full tank.
And, for the sake of continuing the metaphor, imagine that over-pumping
was a lot more fun than under-pumping.
Well, thats how eating goes. The amount of energy your body burns
every day is, in a sense, your tanks capacity. Unfortunately, if you over-fuel
your body, it doesnt just pee out or burn off the excess energyit stores a
portion of it as fat. When it gets under-fueled, it goes to its stores for the
energy it needs, and this results in fat loss.
Proper dieting is little more than regulating your fuel intake based on
your goals and your tanks capacity. Sure, you can eat food that tastes good
and build a great physique, but you have to know how much fuel youre put-
ting in and how much your body needs to maintain its current state.
 MYTH #32:

DONT EAT AT NIGHT IF

YOU WANT TO LOSE
WEIGHT

This is silly advice, but its followed by many. Losing weight requires
that you consume less energy (calories) than you expend, and meal timing
has little bearing on this.
If you overeat during the day instead of late at night, theres no differ-
ence in the effect of those extra calories. Weight loss is such a precise activity
that if you eat too much in just one meal but stick to your meal plan for the
rest of the day, you can fail to lose fat that day.
A literature review conducted by the French National Institute of Health
and Medical Research highlights several key findings relating to meal fre-
quency:
Past studies that associated a grazing style of eating (many small
meals per day) with greater weight loss were flawed in various ways,
and the conclusions drawn from them even more so.
Newer, more rigorous research has shown that there are no meta-
bolic advantages to eating fewer or greater meals per day.
Meal patterns do not directly accelerate or impair weight loss, but
can predispose people to overeat and thus fail to lose weight183.
You may be shocked to learn that studies have shown that eating larger
meals later in the evening can actually result in more fat loss and less muscle
loss184. (Ive yet to experience this personally, but it soothed any fears I had
in the past about eating late dinners.)
I like to eat a couple smaller meals at night (in addition to larger break-
102 MUSCLE MYTHS

fasts and lunches), but if your schedule or lifestyle is better suited to larger
meals at night, dont worryit wont get in the way of hitting your goals.
Instead of trying to tough it out for hours and hours with no food at night,
plan your meals so you can eat on a schedule that you like while maintaining
a caloric deficit, and you will lose weight.
 MYTH #33:

IF YOU EAT BREAKFAST,

YOULL STAY THIN. IF YOU
SKIP IT, YOULL GET FAT

For many years now, a staple in weight-loss plans and maintenance ad-
vice has been to eat a nice, big breakfast every day.
This is backed by observational research in which eating breakfast is
associated with lower body weight in large populations, such as the analyses
conducted by the University of Warsaw and University of Tsukuba185, 186.
This myth perfectly illustrates how bad advice can become so prevalent
in this industry. Observational research, which cant establish causation,
suggests that something may be the case (skipping breakfast seems to be
negatively associated with body weight), but indicates that more rigorous
research is needed to see if there truly is a connection and why.
The media, however, jumps on such studies as cold, hard proof and
starts running stories with headlines announcing breakthrough discover-
ies. Big health and fitness magazines and websites pick up on those stories
for new content, trainers and gym-goers read it and spread it, and on it goes.
The side of the breakfast story youre not told is that research has shown
that people who skip breakfast are more likely to eat junk food and tend
to eat more in general188. It wasnt the breakfast skipping that was causing
the problem; it was the candy, soda, and excess calories. Breakfast eaters
merely tend to maintain better overall dietary habitsno big surprise that
they tend to be thinner as well.
So, eat breakfast if you like it (I do), especially if you find yourself very
hungry when you wake up. But skip it if that works better for you. I know
youre sick of hearing it by now, but when it comes to weight loss and weight
104 MUSCLE MYTHS

maintenance, how much you eat is what matters, not when.

 MYTH #34:

EGG YOLKS INCREASE THE

RISK OF HEART DISEASE

The yolk contains half of the eggs protein and most of its vitamins and
minerals, and it helps with the digestion and absorption of the protein in the
white. The reason often given for leaving out the yolk is that the cholesterol
it contains increases the risk of heart disease.
Its hard to pinpoint exactly where this claim originated, but a good place
to start is research published by the American Heart Association in 1961 on
the relationship between cholesterol and heart attacks and strokes189.
At the time, it was believed that reducing intake of dietary fats and cho-
lesterol would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and that increasing
intake would increase the risk. As egg yolks contain a fair amount of choles-
terol (about 200 mg per yolk), the general recommendation became to avoid
them altogether.
The AHA has maintained this position ever since. As of December
2012, it recommends that you eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day190.
Considering the cholesterol content of egg yolk, were clearly not supposed
to eat much of it. For whatever reason, the AHA doesnt want to change
its mind despite the steadily growing pile of evidence mounted against its
claims.
For instance, a study conducted by the Shiga University of Medical Sci-
ence analyzed two Japanese health surveys, one from 1980 and the other
from 1989191, and noted a decline in deaths from heart disease despite a
dramatic rise of elevated cholesterol levels.
Another study conducted by Harvard University involved the analysis
106 MUSCLE MYTHS

of over 100,000 subjects. It concluded that increased egg consumption was

not associated with the risk of heart disease192.
These observational findings are also supported by clinical trials.
In a recent study conducted by the University of Connecticut, 3 eggs
per day for 12 weeks raised HDL-C levels (good cholesterol) without af-
fecting LDL-C levels (bad cholesterol)193. Further research showed that
eating eggs also reduced various markers of inflammation, which can help
prevent all manner of health problems and disease194.
Other health benefits of eating egg yolks include reduced risk of throm-
bosis (blood clotting that can disturb blood flow and cause heart attacks
or strokes) and higher blood concentrations of two powerful antioxidants,
lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect your eyes and skin from UV damage
and prevent eyesight degradation196.
Dont buy into the egg yolk hysteria. The only reason to keep your in-
take low is when youre restricting calories, but even then, including a cou-
ple yolks per day is a great way to get your healthy fats while reaping the
other benefits of eggs.
 MYTH #35:

EATING FATS MAKES

YOU FAT

While going low-carb is all the rage right now, the fad of eating as little
fat as possible has enjoyed its time in the sun too, and many people still
avoid dietary fats out of a fear of gaining weight.
Like many myths, the belief that the more fat you eat, the fatter you get
begins with a simple, scientific fact that is colored to look menacing when
its harmless.

THE PROBLEM WITH DIETARY FAT

Dietary fat is very easily stored as body fat. Research has shown that
03% of the energy contained in dietary fat is used to store it as body fat,
which means that basically all of the calories you eat from fats are available
for storage (and thats exactly what your body likes to do with them)197.
Dietary fat contains quite a bit of energy as wellabout 9 calories per gram,
which is a little over double that of protein and carbohydrate.
Carbohydrates require more energy to store as body fat. Research has
shown that the storage cost of carbohydrates is about 25% of the energy it
contains, leaving only 3 out of every 4 calories from carbohydrates available
for fat storage198. Furthermore, your liver and muscles store a large amount
of carbohydrate, and your body will only store carbohydrate as fat after the
muscles and liver are full199.
Protein is the least efficient macronutrient in terms of fat storage. The
exact storage cost isnt known, but we do know that 2030% of the energy
contained in protein is used just to break it down into amino acids, which
the body can then use200. Further processing must occur to turn the amino
108 MUSCLE MYTHS

acids into body fat, expending more energy. Practically speaking, the body
can store very few calories from protein as body fat.
So, when we consider just the above information, it might seem sensible
to avoid eating fats. Not quite.

DIETARY FAT ISNT THE ENEMY AFTER ALL

Reducing fat intake can help with weight loss in the short term because
its an easy way to create a caloric deficit, but you can achieve the same result
by following a properly calculated high-fat or high-protein diet. Any diet
that creates an energy deficit is effective for weight loss; this has been dem-
onstrated numerous times in scientific literature (and mentioned a whole
lot throughout this book).
A massive study conducted by the MedStar Research Institute in-
volved 48,835 postmenopausal women following either a low-fat or nor-
mal diet201. After 7 years, researchers found that the low-fat diet offered no
weight-related advantages over the typical diet.
In a study conducted by Harvard University, 811 overweight adults fol-
lowed one of four diets, each with differing percentages of calories derived
from protein, carbs, and fats. After 2 years of the trial, with 80% of partici-
pants remaining, researchers concluded that reduced-calorie diets result in
clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of which macronutrients they
emphasize202.
The reality is that neither protein, carbohydrate, nor fat can cause us to
gain weight until we put ourselves in a positive energy balance. That is, we
have to overeat to gain weight. And consuming fats cant stop anyone in a
caloric deficit from losing weight.
 MYTH #36:

DONT DRINK WATER

WHILE EATING BECAUSE
IT INTERFERES WITH
DIGESTION

This story generally goes like this: Drinking water with meals dilutes
gastric acids and enzymes, which interferes with or slows down digestion.
Another version of the myth is that cold water in particular causes issues
because digestion is a hot process (Im not sure what that even means, but
this advice is out there).
These claims have been around for a long time (thousands of years,
actuallyadmonitions against combining food and water can be found in
ancient Arabic and Greek medical texts) and continue to make the rounds,
despite the fact that they have no scientific legs to stand on.
One of the earliest studies dispelling these baseless claims was conduct-
ed by the University of Illinois and published in 1910203. Researchers had a
healthy, 22-year-old man drink three liters of water with meals for five days
and then studied the effects on his body. They found that the water intake
didnt impair digestion through dilution because the body produced more
gastric juices to compensate. Contrary to this myth, the water intake actu-
ally improved the absorption of nutrients in the food, leading the research-
ers to conclude that water is a beneficial part of digestion, helping to carry
the food to your stomach and then break it down.
Furthermore, drinking water with meals can actually help you lose
weight, as reported in a study conducted in 2010 by Virginia Tech204. A
weight-loss diet was assigned to 48 overweight adults, who were split into
two groups: one with 500 mL of water prior to each daily meal, the other
without. After 12 weeks, the water group had lost 44% more weight (over 4
pounds) than the non-water group.
110 MUSCLE MYTHS

Researchers couldnt be sure as to the exact mechanisms behind this,

but they suspect it had to do with satiety. Other studies have shown that
drinking water with a meal is a simple way to cope with feelings of hunger
and can help prevent overeating205.
 MYTH #37:

DIET SODAS ARE GOOD

FOR DIETING

When it comes to advertising, names can be very misleading. To no-

bodys surprise, research has associated regular consumption of sucrose-
sweetened beverages (table sugar) with weight gain and obesity206, type 2
diabetes, and metabolic syndrome207.
As a result, many soda drinkers have switched to diet versions of their
favorites, believing them to be a relatively healthy alternative. By drinking
diet soda, you reduce your caloric and fructose or sucrose intake, which are
good things for both weight loss and general health. While that may be the
case, research is showing that artificially sweetened beverages come with
many of the problems of their sucrose-sweetened counterpartsand then
some.
A study conducted by the Center for Research in Epidemiology and
Population Health analyzed 14 years of dietary information for 66,118
women and found that both sucrose-sweetened and artificially sweetened
beverages increase the risk for type 2 diabetes208.
Researchers point to several findings as possible explanations for why
artificial sweeteners have this effect:
Increases in sweet preference and appetite have been linked with
increased consumption of artificially sweetened beverages209.
Aspartame, one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners,
produces a similar insulin response as sucrose210.
Regular use of artificial sweeteners has been shown to increase both
112 MUSCLE MYTHS

triglyceride and blood glucose levels, which, over time, can cause
various types of disease211.
While theres still much research to be done regarding artificial sweet-
eners effects on weight management and general health, the scales of scien-
tific evidence are tipping in favor of reducing intake.
If you just stay away from sweet drinks altogether, youll avoid the many
potential health risks they carry.
 MYTH #38:

SALT IS BAD FOR YOU

Salt has gotten a pretty bad rap over the years. Its blamed for high blood
pressure, heart attacks and stroke, water retention, and other health night-
mares.
Table salt is a combination of two electrolytes: sodium and chloride. In
fact, since electrolytes conduct electrical currents, sodium is a vital nutrient
that helps regulate blood pressure, support the nervous system, and ensure
muscles contract properly.
Like many substances we eat, its not inherently bad for us, but too
much is. Eating too much sodium causes water retention (which gives you
that puffy, soft look), and it can lead to high blood pressure and heart dis-
ease. Chronic high-sodium diets have even been linked to risk of stomach
cancer212. On the other hand, too little sodium in your body can lead to
nausea, lethargy, dizziness, vomiting, and other health problems.
The goal isnt to eat as little sodium as possible, but to eat the right
amount.

RECOMMENDED SODIUM INTAKE, AND ACTUAL INTAKE

The Institute of Medicine recommends 1,500 milligrams of sodium per
day as the adequate intake level for most adults, with an upper limit of 2,300
mg per day213.
Most people eat a lot more than this. According to the CDC, the average
American ages 2 and up eats 3,436 milligrams of sodium per day214.
Over-consumption of sodium is surprisingly easy. A teaspoon of table
114 MUSCLE MYTHS

salt contains a whopping 2,300 mg of sodium. Yup, you read that rightone
teaspoon per day is the recommended upper limit of sodium intake.
Not only that, but many commonly eaten processed foods contain a
ton of sodium. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Surveys, the top 10 food sources of sodium in the American
diet are:
1. Meat pizza
2. White bread
3. Processed cheese
4. Hot dogs
5. Spaghetti with sauce
6. Ham
7. Ketchup
8. Cooked rice
9. White rolls
10. Flour tortillas215
Frozen and canned foods are full of sodium, as are cured meats like ba-
con and sausage (one slice of bacon has 1,000 milligrams of sodium!). Fast
food is full of sodium, and restaurant food is often full of salt because its an
effective flavor enhancer.

5 SIMPLE WAYS TO CUT BACK ON THE SODIUM

A few simple ways to decrease your daily sodium intake are as follows:
1. No canned or pre-packaged foods (salt is used as a preservative)
2. No deli meat (full of sodium)
3. Reduce your use of table salt and spices. Use a salt substitute like
potassium chloride instead. Many spices are high in sodium as
welluse them sparingly.
4. Watch out for sauces and salad dressings, many of which contain a
lot of sodium.
5. Reduce your intake of cheese, which is often quite high in sodium.
 MYTH #38: SALT IS BAD FOR YOU 115

Its also worth noting that ensuring your body gets enough potassium
is important as it helps balance cellular sodium levels by pumping it out of
the cells. Most of us eat way too much sodium but an average of 2,500 mg
of potassium per day, which is about half of the daily recommendation for
adults216. Some good natural sources of potassium are bananas, avocados,
fish, and beans. You can also buy potassium tablets to take as a supplement,
if necessary.
 MYTH #39:

CERTAIN FOODS
HAVE NEGATIVE
CALORIES

Its often claimed that certain foods, such as celery, spinach, asparagus,
cabbage, and apples, require more energy to digest than they contain in
calories. Thus, they are said to have negative calories. According to this
myth, these types of foods will help you lose weight because they increase
the amount of calories you burn every day.
Long story short, all foods contain more energy than it costs for your
body to metabolize them. When we look over foods commonly touted as
containing negative calories, what were really looking at are very low-cal-
orie foods. For instance, celery is mainly water; a 12-inch stalk has a mere
9 calories. A large lemon contains about 25 calories, and a cup of canned,
drained spinach has about 50 calories.
Now, it is true that certain foods require more energy to break down
than others. This is the thermic effect of food that I mentioned earlier.
Most of the energy from dietary fat is available for storage (discussed in
Myth #35), whereas it costs more energy to process carbohydrates and pro-
tein, which have greater thermic effects. Therefore, the greater the thermic
effect, the less energy is left over for fat storage after metabolizing what is
eaten.
Research has shown that the thermic effect of food varies among peo-
plesome peoples bodies burn more of the calories eaten than others
based on insulin sensitivity. The more insulin resistant you are, the weaker
the effect, and vice versa217.
Not all fats, carbs, and proteins are equal in terms of thermic effects.
118 MUSCLE MYTHS

This has led to the popularization of various fad thermogenic diets that
promote eating low-calorie foods with greater thermic effects than others.
Some protocols also include strategies for improving insulin sensitivity. This
kind of diet would have you use an unsaturated fat like olive oil instead of
butter since the former requires more energy for processing than the latter,
but the difference is so slight its basically irrelevant.
The reality of weight loss is it really doesnt matter what you eat so long
as you keep yourself in a caloric deficit. If you want to make it complicated
and severely restrict the foods you eat to only those that produce maximum
thermic effects, thats one way of doing it. But if you want to eat more freely
and are willing to plan out and track all the calories youre eating, thats a
more enjoyable way (I think) to ensure a deficit.

THE EXCEPTION TO THE MYTH

There is a substance you can consume that is scientifically proven to
contain negative calories: cold water.
Water provides 0 calories, and your body heats it up after ingestion,
which requires energy. A study conducted by the University of Medicine
Berlin demonstrated that drinking just 500 mL of 70-degree water (about 16
ounces, or 2 cups) increased energy expenditure up to 30% over the course
of an hour after drinking218. However, 50 mL of water had no effect.
Now, before you start chugging gallons of icy water every day, remem-
ber that drinking too much water can cause serious health issues and even
death. The Institute of Medicine reported in 2004 that women should con-
sume about 91 ounces of wateror three-quarters of a gallonper day, and
men should consume about 125 ouncesjust shy of a gallonper day219.
 MYTH #40:

I DONT NEED TO COUNT

CALORIES IF I EAT
HEALTHY FOODS AND
WATCH MY PORTIONS

How many people out there want to lose weight but not count calories?
Thats about as logical as saying that you want to drive across the coun-
try but dont want to have to pay attention to your gas tank.
I wont be too hard on them, though, because most people who say this
dont even know what a calorie is, let alone why and how to count them.
The usual compromise people make is to try to eat healthy foods and
stick to smaller portions, and although thats the right idea, it may or may
not work in practice without a way to track how much the amount eaten
stacks up against the amount needed to stay alive and kicking. There are
two primary reasons why this is a very hit-and-miss way to attempt to lose
weight.

PORTION CONTROL IS INFERIOR TO CALORIE REGULATION

According to research conducted by Duke University, people are quite
bad at estimating the amount of calories contained in a meal220. A study
conducted by Cornell University found that caloric estimations become
more inaccurate as meals get bigger, and overweight people are poorer esti-
mators than lean221.
By focusing on eating smaller portions of healthy food, youll surely
eat less than if you wolfed down as much junk as you wanted, but will you
eat less energy than your body burns, thus resulting in weight loss? Maybe.
Maybe not. Healthy foods such as healthy fats, grains, dairy products, le-
gumes, and meats can be very calorie dense.
120 MUSCLE MYTHS

Another problem relates to satiety (the feeling of having your appetite

satisfied). Our natural eating instincts are regulated by three hormones: in-
sulin, ghrelin, and leptin222.
When we havent eaten in several hours and our bodies have finished
metabolizing and absorbing the nutrients in the last meal, insulin levels
drop to a baseline (because insulins job is to shuttle foods nutrients from
the blood into the cells for use). Ghrelin levels then rise, which stimulates
hunger. When you eat food, leptin levels rise, which turns off the hunger.
When you let this natural cycle guide your eating habitswhen you eat
when youre hungry and only until satisfied, youre going to maintain your
current weight. Why? Your body requires a certain amount of energy every
day to operate, and it uses ghrelin and leptin to persuade you to give it that
amount. It naturally doesnt want to over- or undereat.
Something that baffles many overweight people is they dont have to eat
very much to stay the way they are. They often think its because their me-
tabolisms are extremely slow, but thats not why; it just doesnt require much
energy to maintain a high body fat percentage. While having muscle costs
quite a bit of energy to maintain, fat needs much less.
When youre in a caloric deficit, circulating leptin levels decrease as
ghrelin levels increase223. And as you lose body fat, leptin levels drop even
further224. The net effect of this is that dieting for weight loss generally
makes you feel hungrier and makes meals feel less satisfying.
Realize that your bodys goal is to attain an energy balanceit wants
to consume as much energy as it uses. It doesnt want to be in a deficit even
though thats what it takes to lose weight and become a healthier, happi-
er body. When you listen to your natural instincts and eat more than you
planned, it doesnt take much to halt your weight loss. A few extra bites of
calorie-dense food at each meal can be enough to eliminate the deficit and
keep your weight the same.
Thats why keeping hunger under control is so important when dieting
for weight loss. If we give in, we fail to lose weight. But if we try to suffer
through it, we want to run people off the road. Fortunately, defeating hunger
isnt too hard when you know how to combat it.

8 WAYS TO IMPROVE HUNGER CONTROL AND WEIGHT LOSS

The number one weight-loss problem that I help people with is, by far,
sticking to their diet plans. This is especially the case with people who are
new to a healthy weight-loss regimen, which requires them to remain in a
caloric deficit for many weeks, as opposed to a crash diet that is followed for
 MYTH #40: I DONT NEED TO COUNT CALORIES
IF I EAT HEALTHY AND WATCH MY PORTIONS 121

a short period of time.

The overall experience of being in a caloric deficit varies dramatically.
For some (lucky bastards) it causes little-to-no uncomfortable symptoms
no hunger issues, no cravings, no energy lows. For others (the rest of us
mere mortals), cutting calories can get super tough due to hunger pangs,
intense cravings (usually brought on by any level of hunger), and a lingering
lethargy, which can be particularly bad when you go low-carb.
GET 30-40% OF YOUR DAILY ENERGY FROM PROTEIN, AND
INCLUDE SOME IN EACH MEAL YOU EAT
When youre dieting to lose weight, protein is your best friend. It helps
you preserve muscle and results in basically no fat storage. Best of all, re-
search has shown that a high-protein diet reduces overall appetite, possibly
by increasing leptin sensitivity. With protein, you feel fuller and more satis-
fied by the food you eat225.
Take advantage of this by getting 3040% of your daily calories from
protein, and eat protein-rich foods at every meal to keep the effect going
throughout the day.
DONT HEAVILY RESTRICT YOUR CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE
I always hated low-carb dieting because it caused significant declines
in strength (due to lower glycogen levels), but also because it just made me
generally hungrier. And theres a reason why.
Dietary fat isnt very effective at increasing leptin levels226, and research
has shown that low-carb, high-fat diets reduce 24-hour circulating leptin
levels227. High-fat diets are basically a recipe for reduced satiety. Its also
possible that dietary fat induces leptin resistance (meaning that leptins sig-
nals become blunted), as demonstrated in animal research228.
Carbohydrates, on the other hand, dramatically increase leptin levels229,
and the more carbs you eat, the higher your 24-hour circulating leptin levels
become230. A high-protein and moderate-carbohydrate diet (40% of calo-
ries from protein, 40% from carbohydrate, and 20% from fat) makes for a
double-whammy of satiety.
Based on the above, its not surprising that research has found that high-
carbohydrate, low-fat diets are very effective for weight loss, even when
subjects follow ad libitum diets (eat as much as they want each meal)231.
Researchers from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University put it
simply:
In conclusion, a low-fat diet, high in protein and fibre-rich carbohy-
drates, mainly from different vegetables, fruits and whole grains, is
122 MUSCLE MYTHS

highly satiating for fewer calories than fatty foods. This diet composi-
tion provides good sources of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and
fibre, and may have the most beneficial effect on blood lipids and
blood-pressure levels.
INCREASE YOUR FIBER INTAKE
Fiber is an indigestible portion of food that absorbs water as it moves
through the digestive tract (and helps you take healthy poops). Research has
also shown that it increases satiety232.
Keep your fiber intake high by eating plenty of fibrous vegetables and
fruits. I include one or the other in every meal. You can even use supple-
mentary fiber like psyllium seed husks, which rapidly expand in your stom-
ach and induce a feeling of fullness.
The Institute of Medicine recommends children and adults consume 14
grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories they eat each day233.
EAT MORE NUTS
Nuts not only contain protein and fiber to increase satiety, but they are
a great source of healthy fats as well. Studies have also associated frequent
nut consumption with a reduced risk of weight gain234.
DRINK WATER WITH EACH MEAL
Research has shown that drinking a couple of glasses of water with each
meal increases satiety while eating235.
AVOID HIGH-GLYCEMIC CARBOHYDRATES
The glycemic index (or GI) is a scale that measures the effect of differ-
ent carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that break down
slowly and release glucose into the blood slowly are low on the glycemic
index. Carbohydrates that break down quickly will release glucose into the
blood quickly, causing insulin levels to suddenly spike; these are high on
the glycemic index. Below 55 on the GI is considered low, and above 70 is
considered high.
Pure glucose is 100 on the GI. Research has shown that the rapid ab-
sorption of glucose that occurs after eating high-glycemic carbohydrates
induces a sequence of hormonal and metabolic changes that result in the
desire to eat more236.
Furthermore, most high-glycemic foods are processed junk with little
nutritive value. Replace them with unprocessed, low-glycemic alternatives,
and youll be better off in not just the hunger control department, but gen-
eral health as well.
 MYTH #40: I DONT NEED TO COUNT CALORIES
IF I EAT HEALTHY AND WATCH MY PORTIONS 123

EAT SLOWLY
Research has shown that eating slower helps reduce the amount you
need to eat to feel satisfied237. So take your time, chew your food, and enjoy
each and every bite.
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
When you restrict your sleep, leptin levels drop, and ghrelin levels rise.
One study found that people who slept 5 hours had 15% lower leptin lev-
els and about 15% higher ghrelin levels than people who slept 8 hours238.
Researchers found that the less people slept, the fatter they generally were.
Sleep needs vary from individual to individual, but according to the Na-
tional Sleep Foundation, adults need 79 hours of sleep per night to avoid
the negative effects of sleep deprivation239.
KEEP DIETING SIMPLE AND EASY
Dont make dieting unnecessarily hard by failing to plan and prepare
your meals to meet specific daily caloric targets. I recommend that you buy
a food scale if youre new to dieting in this fashion because it can help you be
very precise with your portions. Use the strategies outlined in this chapter to
beat hunger so you can follow your diet with relative ease.
 MYTH #41:

EATING A LOT OF
PROTEIN IS BAD FOR
YOUR KIDNEYS

Protein is a natural compound composed of substances called amino

acids. Amino acids are an essential part of all living things and comprise
structural components of the body such as muscle, hair, nails, skin, and
other tissues.
Hemoglobin, a substance in our blood that carries oxygen, is a protein.
Antibodies, which fight off disease, are composed of proteins. Certain hor-
mones are made from amino acids, and they regulate many systems in the
body including metabolism, digestion, and nutrient absorption. There are
quite a few more vital bodily functions that require protein, but you get the
idea.
Your body is able to synthesize 12 amino acids it needs but must obtain
the final 9 from the food you eat. This is why you must eat protein to survive.

PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS ARE VARIABLE

Protein needs vary from individual to individual. To avoid losing mus-
cle mass, the Institute of Medicine recommends 0.8 grams of protein per
kilogram of body weight per day for ages 1790240. Note that this recom-
mended dietary allowance (RDA) is a bare minimum that applies to sed-
entary individuals.
Most people know that the more physically active they are, the more
protein their body needs to repair and build tissues. Research has demon-
strated that protein intake over the RDA offers favorable benefits to seden-
tary individuals as well.
126 MUSCLE MYTHS

In a study conducted by Maastricht University, 72 overweight or obese

participants followed one of two isocaloric (equal in total calories) weight
loss diets241. One diet called for 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body
weight per day, and the other 1.2 grams. Weight loss was the same between
the groups, but the high-protein group lost more fat and less muscle, had a
higher resting metabolic rate (the amount of calories your body burns while
at rest), and lower blood pressure than the low-protein group.
Research has also indicated that many of the demonstrated benefits of
low-carb diets can be attributed to the increased protein intake that comes
with them, not the reduction of carbohydrate intake per se242.
These levels of protein intake are relatively low, though. For a 180 lb
man, 0.81.2 grams per kg of body weight would only be 6597 grams of
protein per day. An ounce of chicken has about 6 grams of protein; a cup of
low-fat cottage cheese, 30 grams; and even a cup of peas, roughly 15 grams.
The claims that eating large amounts of protein will harm your kidneys
usually refer to the consumption levels commonly seem among physically
active people, athletes, and bodybuilders, which can vary from 12 grams
per pound of body weight per day (2.24.4 grams per kilogram).

CAN A HIGH-PROTEIN DIET HARM YOUR KIDNEYS?

Your kidneys perform a number of functions, including filtering your
blood to get rid of waste, regulating blood pressure via water and sodium
balance, maintaining a healthy blood pH level, and creating certain hor-
mones.
When your body metabolizes the protein you eat, a substance called
urea is created, and the kidneys have to remove it from your blood and
prepare it for elimination through urine. Thus, the more protein you eat, the
more your kidneys have to work. This is the basis of the myththe more
your kidneys have to work, the more stressed they become.
Increased protein intake has been associated with the progression of
kidney disease, but what does research show for people with healthy kid-
neys243?
A study conducted by the Free University of Brussels investigated body-
builders and other well-trained athletes with above-average protein intake
(up to 2.8 grams per kg of body weight per day). After 7 days of dietary anal-
ysis and blood work, researchers found no evidence of kidney distress244.
The University of Ulm investigated chronic protein intake on kidney
function in 88 healthy volunteers, including vegetarians and bodybuilders,
with protein intake as high as 2.6 grams per kg of body weight per day. After
 MYTH #41: EATING A LOT OF PROTEIN IS BAD FOR YOUR KIDNEYS 127

4 months, there were no signs of negative changes in kidney function245.

The 2003 Nurses Health Study conducted by Harvard Medical School
supports these findings. After analyzing the protein intake of 1,624 women
over the course of several years, researchers found no association between
high protein intake and a decline in kidney function in females with normal
kidney function246.

HOW MUCH PROTEIN YOU SHOULD BE EATING

This depends on whom you listen to, and as research shows, ranges
much higher than the RDA of 0.8 grams per kg of body weight per day have
notable benefits.
According to research conducted by the University of Western Ontario,
1.21.5 grams per kg of body weight per day is sufficient for individuals par-
ticipating in regular endurance exercise, and 1.61.8 grams per kg of body
weight per day is recommended for those involved in strength exercise247.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition reported that 1.42.0
grams per kg of body weight per day was sufficient for active individuals248.
A literature review conducted by California State University found that
protein requirements of people that engage in regular strength training
ranges from 1.22.2 grams per kg of body weight per day249.
Personally, I never eat less than 1 gram of protein per pound of body
weight per day (2.2 grams per kg of body weight per day), and I eat a bit
more when cutting (1.2 grams per pound of body weight per day). Intake
this high may or may not confer any exercise-related benefits (research on
this is currently ambivalent)250. But its certainly not harmful to my kidneys,
and protein is a great source of calories when cutting because of how little
of it is stored as body fat.
 MYTH #42:

ONE CHEAT DAY PER

WEEK IS OKAY

Many diets give you one day per week to cheat and claim that eating
whatever you want on these days wont interfere with your fat loss. Some
even claim an occasional overindulgence may actually speed it up.
Heres the problem with unrestricted cheat days: They often lead to
no-holds-barred gorging, which can easily cancel out the calories youve
worked so hard to cut during the week.
If you successfully maintained a 500-calorie daily deficit throughout the
week and then overeat by 3,000 calories on the seventh dayeasy to do
when youre cheating for an entire dayyoull have undone much of your
work (not necessarily all, as your body is able to use the excess for things
other than fat storage).
There are much smarter ways to go about cheating.
The first is to think in cheat meals, not days. No sensible diet should
include entire days of overeating, but a single bout of overeating per week is
actually advisable when youre dieting to lose weight.
Why?
First theres the psychological boost keeping you happy and motivated,
which ultimately makes sticking to your diet easier251.
But theres also a physiological boost.
Studies on overfeeding (the scientific term for binging on food) show
that doing so can boost your metabolic rate by anywhere from 310%252.
While this sounds good, it actually doesnt mean much when you consider
that you would need to eat anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand
130 MUSCLE MYTHS

extra calories in a day to achieve this effect, thus negating the calorie-related
benefits.
More important are the effects cheating has on the hormone leptin,
which regulates hunger, your metabolic rate, appetite, motivation, and li-
bido and serves other functions in your body.
When youre in a caloric deficit and lose body fat, your leptin levels
drop253. This, in in turn, causes your metabolic rate to slow down, your ap-
petite to increase, your motivation to wane, and your mood to sour. When
you boost your leptin levels, this can have positive effects on fat oxidation,
thyroid activity, mood, and even testosterone levels.
What you really want from a cheat meal is a leptin boost. Eating car-
bohydrates is the most effective method254. Second to that is eating protein
(high-protein meals also raise your metabolic rate)255. Dietary fats arent
very effective at increasing leptin levels, and alcohol actually inhibits it256.
So, if your weight is stuck and youre irritable and unmotivated, a nice
kick of leptin might be all you need to get the scales moving again. To ac-
complish this, I like to bump my carbohydrate intake to about 2 grams per
pound one day per week when Im dieting to lose weight. I also drop my fat
intake to about 10% of total calories that day and set my protein intake at
about 1 gram per pound.
 SECTION FOUR:
SUPPLEMENT MYTHS
 MYTH #43:

THE ONLY WAY TO GET

BIG AND LEAN IS TO TAKE
STEROIDS

An easy way to write off someones physique or progress is to chalk it

up to steroids. Who cares? Hes obviously on steroids, is a common saying
at the gym or while arguing about sports. The mystique of steroids lies in
the false belief that you can take them and magically transform into a Greek
god. It isnt that simple.
Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones that resemble testosterone
and trigger protein synthesis in cells, especially in muscles. They also pro-
mote the development of masculine characteristics, such as the growth of
the vocal cords, testicles, and body hair. And theyre illegaljust possessing
them is a felony offense here in the U.S.
The truth is that steroids do work incredibly well. They enable you to
build muscle very quickly and stay lean without much effort. They speed
muscle recovery and dramatically increase strength.
They dont, however, guarantee anything in terms of obtaining a great
physique. It takes a lot more than supercharged protein synthesis and webs
of slithering veins to look good. Many guys have horrendously unattractive
bodies thanks to steroidsbulging stomachs, severe acne, and an overall
puffy, bloated look are common side effects.
Not only that, but steroid use increases your risk of injury because your
muscle strength outpaces the development of your supporting tendons and
ligaments. While it may feel like your chest, arm, and shoulder muscles can
handle that massive bench press, a tendon or ligament might tear under
the strain. (This is why druggers seem to hurt shoulders, knees, and elbows
134 MUSCLE MYTHS

more often than the rest of us.)

Another reason to stay away from steroids is that you can cause serious
and even permanent damage to your endocrine system, especially if you
dont know exactly what youre doing in terms of what drugs to take, how to
dose them, and what to take when youre off (post-cycle therapy). Many
guys have ruined their bodies natural balance of hormones and suffer the
consequences, which include man boobs (gynecomastia), hair loss, tes-
ticular atrophy, prostate enlargement, loss of libido, and other emasculating
consequences.
Roiders who dont know what theyre doing are going to wish they
hadnt turned to the dark side when theyre in their 50s and suffering from
grim health complications. (Think it wont happen to you? A guy I know was
a big drugger in the 70s, and now he cant get an erection anymorenot
worth it!)
The most unfortunate aspect of cheating with steroids or other perfor-
mance-enhancing drugs is that through proper dieting and training, you
can not only reach your fitness and aesthetic goals, but you can also do it
while improving your health and with an eye to longevity.
 MYTH #44:

YOU HAVE TO TAKE A

BUNCH OF SUPPLEMENTS
TO GET JACKED

This is what the supplement industry would have you believe, and they
spend a lot of money trying to convince you of it. You can spend a for-
tune every month filling up your cabinets with pre-workout supplements,
intra-workout supplements, post-workout supplements, test boosters, HGH
boosters, nitric oxide supplements, estrogen blockers, and the list goes on
and on.
If you believe half of the hype you read in supplement advertisements
or on their labels, it would take a while before you realize the simple truth
of the matter
Most everything you see in the world of workout supplements is utterly
worthless.
Yup, a complete waste of money. Not all, but most.
How can I say that so confidently? Ive not only tried nearly every type
of supplement you can imagine, but Ive studied the science and only follow
what has been objectively proven. Dont be swayed by subjective testimony
and fancy marketing pitches.
The supplement companies are cashing in BIG on a little trick that your
mind can play on you known as the placebo effect. This is the scientifically
proven mind-game that your simple belief in the effectiveness of a medi-
cine or supplement can make it work. People have overcome every form
of illness you can imagine, mental and physical, by taking substances that
they believed to have therapeutic value, but that actually didnt. Im talking
about things like curing cancer and diabetes, eliminating depression and
136 MUSCLE MYTHS

anxiety, and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels by taking medi-
cally worthless substances that the people believed were treatments for their
problems.
Many guys believe that the shiny new bottle of muscle-maximizing
pills will work, and sometimes they actually do feel them working even
though, it comes out later, the ingredients have never been scientifically
proven to do anything the company claims. Or its revealed that the scien-
tific trials they tout in their ads were biased and invalid.
That said, there are a handful of supplements that actually are worth
buying and using.
Protein powder is convenient and helps you reach your daily
protein requirements.
A multi-vitamin provides your body with the micronutrients it may
not be getting from the food you eat.
Fish oil is a fabulous supplement that has many potential benefits,
such as reduced muscle soreness and inflammation, improved
weight loss and protein synthesis, increased insulin sensitivity, and
more.
Creatine is a safe, effective way to improve strength and muscle
growth.
A good pre-workout drink gives you a nice kick of energy and,
depending on its ingredients and dosages, can help improve your
performance in the gym.
Glutamine helps the body better deal with the systemic stress of
exercise.
I talk about supplements in more depth in my books Bigger Leaner
Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger, but the key takeaway about this myth
is that the fancy stuff marketed to sound like its more effective than steroids
is always a waste of money.
While the supplements listed above are worthwhile, dont think that go-
ing without them will prevent you from reaching your goals. If youre tight
on cash, youre much better off skipping the supplements and spending that
money on high-quality food insteadthat will improve your gains more
than any supplements.
 MYTH #45:

FAT BURNERS GET

YOU RIPPED

The weight-loss industry is HUGE (like $30 billion+ huge), and scams
abound. A new wonder ingredient takes the media by storm every couple
of months, and millions upon millions of dollars are quickly wasted on crap
like acai berry drinks and resveratrol pills.
Many people incorrectly believe that a pill can trigger massive fat loss.
This simply isnt true.
Most fat burners are more or less the same. The common ingredients
are stimulants like caffeine, synephrine, and guarana; molecules known to
aid in fat mobilization and oxidation such as green tea extract and yohimbe
extract; the occasional amino acid such as taurine or tyrosine, which can af-
fect blood flow; compounds known to decrease appetite such as 5-HTP; and
things that will do basically nothing in terms of fat loss such as B-vitamins,
fancy-sounding herbs, and plant extracts.
The most common marketing claim used to sell these products relates
to increasing your metabolic rate. While they can speed up your metabo-
lism, its not by muchyou can expect a 35% increase in your metabolic
rate from an effective fat burner.
To put this into perspective, a 200-lb male with a normal amount of
lean mass burns about 1,900 calories per day with no physical activity what-
soever (known as your basal metabolic rate, or BMR). A good fat burner
would bump this up a mere 100 calories or sovery negligible when you
consider the fact that a pound of fat equals about 3,500 calories.
A bigger benefit of fat burners is the appetite suppression and the en-
138 MUSCLE MYTHS

ergy kick. These effects are very welcome when youre on an extremely strict
diet and you need to get in a daily workout.
Remember that weight loss requires a daily calorie deficittheres no
getting around it. Fat burners can help a little, but they will never allow you
to avoid following a proper diet.
To be fair, I do use one when Im cutting because it speeds the process
up a little. Want to know which fat burner I currently recommend? Head
over to www.muscleforlife.com and check out my supplement recommen-
dations.
 MYTH #46:

CREATINE IS A STEROID/
IS DANGEROUS/DOESNT
WORK/IS BAD FOR YOUR
KIDNEYS

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 sports
nutritionthe subject of over 200 studiesand the consensus is very clear.
Supplementation with creatine can help you build muscle and improve
strength257, improve anaerobic endurance258, and reduce muscle damage
and soreness from exercise259.
Yet for some reason, its often claimed that creatine is bad for your kid-
neys. You can rest easythese claims have been categorically and repeatedly
disproven260.
In healthy subjects, creatine has been shown to have no harmful side
effects in both short- or long-term usage261. However, people with kidney
disease are not advised to supplement with creatine262.
Creatine is safe, cheap, and effective, and I cant recommend it enough.
But there are many types out there, and its hard to know which is best.

WHICH TYPE OF CREATINE SHOULD YOU TAKE?

Creatine monohydrate is used in the vast majority of studies and is a
proven winner, but the marketing machines of supplement companies are
constantly pumping up fancy-sounding stuff like creatine citrate, creatine
ethyl ester, liquid creatine, creatine nitrate, buffered creatine, and creatine
hydrochloride.
These variations are certainly more expensive than creatine monohy-
drate, but are they any more effective? Lets find out.
140 MUSCLE MYTHS

Creatine citrate is creatine bound to citric acid, and research indicates

its no different from creatine monohydrate in terms of absorption and
effectiveness263.
There is evidence that creatine citrate is more water-soluble than mono-
hydrate, but this plays no role in muscle absorption or effectiveness, only
palatability.
Creatine ethyl ester is a form that is supposed to convert back to usable
creatine in the body. It is usually marketed as having a better absorption
rate than monohydrate. Too bad thats not true. In fact, creatine ethyl ester
is less effective than creatine monohydrate, on par with a placebo264. Re-
search has indicated that this is due to the fact that once creatine ethyl ester
enters your body, its quickly converted into an inactive substance known as
creatinine265.
Liquid creatine is simply any formusually monohydratesuspended
in liquid. It has been shown to be less effective than creatine monohydrate
due to the breakdown of creatine into the inactive form, creatinine, when
suspended in a solution for several days266.
Creatine nitrate is an extremely water-soluble form that may be more
drinkable and easier on the stomach, but no research has yet indicated it to
be more effective than the monohydrate form.
Buffered creatine is a form of creatine touted to out-perform monohy-
drate due to a higher pH level. Research indicates otherwise: its no more
effective than monohydrate267.
Creatine hydrochloride is creatine bound with hydrochloric acid. Its
turned into a basic creatine molecule by stomach acid, and research has not
yet proven it to be any more effective than monohydrate. Like other forms of
creatine, creatine HCL may be more water-soluble than monohydrate, but
this has no effect on absorption.
Creatine malate is creatine bound with malic acid. While malic acid
alone may enhance performance, it hasnt been researched in conjunction
with creatine268.
Creatine pyruvate is creatine bound with pyruvic acid. Research has
shown it to produce higher plasma levels of creatine, but that makes it no
more effective than monohydrate in terms of absorption269.
There is evidence that creatine pyruvate is more effective than creatine
citrate, which would imply its more effective than monohydrate too270.
Other research contradicts these findings, however, showing creatine pyru-
vate to be ineffective in improving the endurance or sprinting performance
of cyclistsan activity that creatine monohydrate positively affects271. More
 MYTH #46: CREATINE IS A STEROID/IS DANGEROUS/
DOESNT WORK/IS BAD FOR YOUR KIDNEYS 141

research on creatine pyruvate is needed.

THE BOTTOM LINE: STICK TO CREATINE MONOHYDRATE

According to research, dont overpay for over-hyped forms of creatine
pushed by million-dollar ad campaigns and sold in fancy bottles. Creatine
monohydrate is the best bang for your buck and is the standard by which all
other forms of creatine are still judged.
If creatine monohydrate bothers your stomach, however, it might be
worth the hit on your wallet to try a more water-soluble form such as mi-
cronized creatine, or creatine citrate, nitrate, or hydrochloride.
 SECTION FIVE:
LIFESTYLE MYTHS
 MYTH #47:

STRESS AND CORTISOL

MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT

The stress hormone cortisol is a favorite scapegoat of the shameless

weight-loss pill pushers.
The marketing pitch is that when your body is stressed, it releases corti-
sol, which causes bloating and fat storage, especially in the belly area. There-
fore, the pitch continues, if you simply take pills that block cortisol, you can
lose weight without exercising or changing how you eat.
Sounds enticing, but this myth is bogus.
Cortisol, like every other hormone in the body, has a specific purpose,
which includes regulating the energy levels of the body. It does this by
moving energy from fat stores to tissues that need it and, when the body
is under stress, by providing protein for conversion into energy. Things
like restricting calories, weightlifting, traveling, and getting angry increase
cortisol levels.
As youll see, this myth is yet another example of fitness alarmists mis-
interpreting and over-simplifying research.

LIKE INSULIN, CORTISOL ISNT A PROBLEMUNTIL IT GETS OUT

OF CONTROL
There are two studies often cited to promote this myth. The first, con-
ducted by Yale University, included men and women272. The researchers
associated increased levels of stress and cortisol with increased levels of ab-
dominal fat273.
Media sources and fake gurus jumped on this observational research
146 MUSCLE MYTHS

(which can only indicate correlation, not causation), touting it as scientific

proof that cortisol induces weight gain, particularly in the abdominal
region.
This is an ironic position to take considering the fact that cortisol actu-
ally induces lipolysis (the breakdown of fat into usable energy, known as free
fatty acids) and oxidation (the burning of those fatty molecules)274. Acute
cortisol spikes help with fat loss, which is part of the fat-burning power of
exercise.
Its interesting to note, however, that while cortisol increases whole-
body lipolysis, it tends to spare abdominal fat275. This partially explains why
people with chronically elevated cortisol levels are characterized by abdom-
inal obesity276.
As with other hormones in the body, the problems with cortisol begin
when theres too much for too long. When cortisol levels become elevated
over prolonged periods, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia (excess in-
sulin in the blood) result, which leads to easier weight gain277. It also leads
to the degradation of muscle mass, which slows down your metabolism and
sets the stage for various health problems.
Regardless, since weight gain requires excess calories to be eaten, no
amount of cortisol can cause you to gain weight unless you give your body
more energy than it burns.
The scientifically accurate statement is that chronically elevated cortisol
levels in addition to excess calories appears to lead to increased abdominal
fat. And that leads me to the final point to discuss about this myth, which is
how cortisol affects appetite.

THE DWINDLING SPIRAL OF STRESS AND WEIGHT GAIN

The relationship between stress and overeating has been thoroughly re-
searched. A literature review conducted by Louisiana State University found
that as stress hormones like cortisol increase, so do ghrelin levels (which, if
you remember from Myth #40, is the hormone that stimulates appetite278).
This hunger drives us to eat more and sometimes even binge.
Weve all experienced this before, turning to food to cope with stressful
situations in our lives. Further weight gain just adds more stress, which can
lead to more overeating, and so the unhealthy spiral goes. Fortunately, you
can avoid this by taking action to keep cortisol levels in a normal range:
Do things that you find relaxing, like reading a book, listening to
calming music, or going for a walk.
 MYTH #47: STRESS AND CORTISOL MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT 147

Get in your exercise. Research has shown that low-intensity

exercise lowers cortisol levels279. And while high-intensity Exercise
temporarily spikes it, it also causes physiological changes that help
the body better deal with, and nullify, negative effects of stress280.
Get enough sleep.
Cut back on the alcohol.
Take Vitamin C. One study showed that 1 gram per day significantly
reduced cortisol levels in junior elite weightlifters281.
Research is emerging to indicate that supplementation with
glutamine may help reduce the negative effects of exercise stress282.
Try incorporating these simple stress busters into your lifestyle and you
may be surprised how much better you feel and how much easier it is to
prevent weight gain.
 MYTH #48:

SLEEP ISNT THAT

IMPORTANT

High-quality sleep is getting scarcer and scarcer these days thanks to

ever-increasing work hours, TV watching, video game playing, obesity, and
other distractions that keep us up at night.
To research average sleep habits, the CDC followed 74,751 adults in
12 states. According to the findings published in 2011, 35.3% reported less
than 7 hours of sleep per night, 38% reported unintentionally falling asleep
during the day at least once in the preceding month, and 4.7% reported
nodding off or falling asleep while driving at least once in the preceding
month283.
Sleep insufficiency has been linked to auto crashes, industrial disas-
ters, and medical and other occupational errors. It can also increase risk of
chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, depression, obesity, and can-
cer; increase mortality; and reduce quality of life and productivity284.
When your body is asleep, it might look inactive, but thats far from
the case. Its very busy repairing tissue and producing hormonesfunctions
that are especially important if youre subjecting your body to increased lev-
els of stress every day through exercise.
Lets look at some of the various effects sleep has on our ability to
achieve health and fitness goals.

SLEEP AND FAT LOSS

A large amount of fat loss occurs while you sleep for two reasons.
Your body burns quite a few calories while you sleep (a 160-lb person
150 MUSCLE MYTHS

burns about 70 calories per hour), and much of it must come from fat stores
because you havent eaten any food in several hours. Furthermore, much of
your bodys growth hormone is produced while youre sleeping285, further
stimulating fat loss286.
With that in mind, its not surprising that the amount we sleep affects
our weight-loss efforts and overall health.
In a study conducted by the University of Chicago, 10 overweight adults
followed a weight-loss diet (caloric restriction) for 2 weeks. One group slept
8.5 hours per night; the other, 5.5. The 5.5-hour group lost 55% less fat and
60% more muscle than the 8.5-hour group, and on top of that, they experi-
enced increased hunger throughout the day.
This correlation has been observed elsewhere as well. Research con-
ducted by the National Center for Global Health and Medicine associated
shorter sleep duration with increased levels of body fat287. Theres also ev-
idence that acute sleep loss causes insulin resistance to a level similar to
someone with type 2 diabetes, which can increase the rate at which your
body stores carbohydrates as fat288.

SLEEP AND HORMONES

Insufficient sleep can negatively impact our hormone profiles.
Another study conducted by the University of Chicago found that when
10 healthy men reduced sleep for a week from about 9 hours per night to 5,
their testosterone levels dropped by up to 14% during the day289.
Its also known that insufficient sleep decreases growth hormone and
insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels, which play important roles in
maintaining muscle mass290.

SLEEP AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

While you would think that sleep deprivation has profound effects
on strength and speed, research says otherwise. A study conducted by the
Imam Khomeini International University demonstrated that one night of
sleep deprivation didnt affect anaerobic power in male participants, but did
impair reaction times291.
A study conducted by the Defence and Civil Institute of Environmental
Medicine had 11 male subjects undergo 60 hours of sleep deprivation and
then perform repetitions of forearm and leg exercises292. They found that
the sleep-deprived group performed equally as well as the group that slept 7
hours per night in reaction time and muscular performance.
Further research by the same institute, however, found that sleep depri-
 MYTH #48: SLEEP ISNT THAT IMPORTANT 151

vation does negatively affect time to exhaustion (subjects couldnt exercise

as long before feeling exhausted) and perceived exertion (the workouts felt
harder)293.
A practical takeaway from these findings is that you dont have to
skip your workout if you slept less than usual, but in general, try to get a
good nights sleep as frequently as you can. My experience lines up with
the above findings: Sleep-deprived workouts are tough to get through, and
while I often lose a rep or two (reduced muscle endurance), my strength
isnt negatively affected.

SO HOW MUCH SLEEP SHOULD WE GET THEN?

Sleep needs vary from individual to individual, but according to the Na-
tional Sleep Foundation, adults need 79 hours of sleep per night to avoid
the negative effects of sleep deprivation.
Since genetics and age affect how much sleep your body optimally
needs, a simple way to determine whats optimal for you is to pick a two-
week period such as a vacation and go to bed at the same time each night
without an alarm set. Chances are youll sleep longer than usual at first if
you have sleep debt to cancel out, but toward the end of the second week,
your body will establish a pattern of sleeping about the same amount every
night. And its trying to tell you something: Thats exactly how much sleep
it needs.
While research has shown that sleep deprivation doesnt impair athletic
performance, studies indicate that extended sleep may improve it. Research
conducted by Stanford University demonstrated that when basketball play-
ers extended sleep from 69 hours per night to at least 10 hours per night,
they ran faster, shot more accurately, had better reaction times, and felt
more physically and mentally fit during practices and games294.

SIMPLE, NATURAL WAYS TO SLEEP BETTER

Most people know they should sleep 79 hours, but its easier said than
done. As of 2006, its estimated that 5070 million Americans suffer from a
sleep disorder295.
Hypnotic drugs like Ambien, Rozerem, and Sepracor are common so-
lutions, but they have been associated with a host of rather scary side effects,
such as depression296, increased risk of skin cancer297 and infections298, de-
lirium, nightmares, and hallucinations299, and more. Relying on these types
of drugs is clearly not ideal. Fortunately, there are quite a few things you can
do to naturally improve your sleep:
152 MUSCLE MYTHS

Make getting enough sleep a priority. Just as you give priority to

proper diet and exercise, getting to bed on time must be non-
negotiable.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and other chemicals that interfere
with sleep. We all know that caffeine and nicotine are stimulants,
but many dont know that alcohol may disrupt their shuteye. It can
help bring on sleep, but a couple hours after drinking, alcohol acts
as a stimulant and can increase the number of awakenings during
the night.
Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool, which are all cues for
the brain to put the body to sleep. Dont expose yourself to bright
lights while youre getting ready for bed because this can suppress
the production of melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep.300
Dont watch TV or use a computer, tablet, or smartphone for at
least an hour before bed. These devices emit a type of light known
as blue light, which is a powerful melatonin suppressant301.
Establish a relaxing pre-sleep routine, such as taking a bath,
reading a book, listening to calming music, and stretching or doing
breathing exercises. Avoid stressful or stimulating conversations or
activity.
Dont just lie in bed staring at the clock. This can stress you, in turn
causing your body to produce cortisol, which keeps you awake.
Instead, ignore the clock, and if youre unable to fall asleep in a
reasonable amount of time, get up and occupy yourself with a quiet,
soothing activity like reading or listening to music until your eyes
become droopy. Then go back to bed.
Keep your bodys internal clock regulated by going to bed and
waking up at the same time every day. Waking up at the same time
despite when you went to bed is the best way to set your bodys
clock and maintain it.
Dont exercise too late. Finish your workout at least 3 hours before
bedtime to allow cortisol levels and body temperature to drop,
which is conducive to sleep. (Gentle stretching before bed, on the
other hand, is a great way to unwind.)
 MYTH #49:

IM OVERWEIGHT
BECAUSE I HAVE A
SLOW METABOLISM

I dont know how many times Ive heard an overweight person chalk up
his or her physical condition to a slow metabolism. Its the easiest excuse. If
a diet or exercise routine failed, its not that he or she did it wrong, its just
that dang slow metabolism.
The fact is almost everyone that leans on this popular old crutch is
wrong. I say almost everyone because some people actually do have an un-
der-performing thyroid (hypothyroidism); this causes the basal metabolic
rate to drop, which in turn makes it easier to overeat and gain weight302.
Other symptoms of a low-functioning thyroid are depression, sleepiness
and fatigue, loss of sex drive, constipation, and hair loss. If you suspect that
you might have a thyroid problem, you should see a doctor to get your hor-
mone levels checked.
That said, most of us have perfectly functioning thyroids, and our me-
tabolisms are more than adequate for weight loss. So lets get to the bottom
of this myth, starting with the basics of metabolism and how it relates to
weight loss.

WHAT IS ACTUALLY MEANT BY METABOLIC SPEED?

Your body burns a certain number of calories regardless of any physi-
cal activity, and this is called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Your total
daily energy expenditure (TDEE) for a day is your BMR plus the energy
expended during any physical activities.
When your metabolism is said to speed up or slow down, what is
actually meant is that your basal metabolic rate goes up or goes down. That
154 MUSCLE MYTHS

is, your body burns more or less calories while at rest, making it harder or
easier to overeat and gain weight.
Of course, some people do have naturally faster metabolisms than oth-
ers. Their bodies happen to burn more energy while at rest, and thus its
easier for them to stay lean and harder for them to gain weight. However,
the difference between the fastest and slowest of metabolisms isnt as pro-
found as many people think.
A literature review conducted by the University of Vermont found that
about 68% of peoples metabolisms are within 58% of the population aver-
age, and 96% are within 1016% of the population average303.
To illustrate this more concretely, if we assume 2,000 calories as an aver-
age BMR, 68% of people would fall in the BMR range of about 1,8002,200
calories per day and 96% in the range of about 1,7002,300 calories per
day. The difference between the absolute slowest and fastest metabolisms
would be about 600 calories per day. While that sounds fairly significant,
were comparing two extremes here. The vast majority of people are, for all
intents and purposes, metabolically comparable.
How can so-and-so eat nothing but pizza and ice cream and never gain
weight, then? you might be thinking. I can guarantee you that the person
you have in mind doesnt eat nearly as many calories as you might think, or
burns more calories than youre accounting for. Remember: Even if you eat
nothing but junk, as long as you dont overeat in terms of calories, you wont
become overweight (your general health would be another issue, though!).
Your metabolism might make it a tiny bit harder for you to reach a
caloric deficit than someone else, but nobody has a metabolism so fast that
they can never exercise yet eat thousands of calories day in and day out
without gaining weight.
 MYTH #50:

I DONT HAVE THE TIME/

OPPORTUNITY TO DIET
AND EXERCISE

This is always a problem of priority, not of time or work or anything

else.
Consider this: If you eat and train properly, you can make great gains
with 23 hours of exercise per week, and youd never need more than 56
hours per week. Just about anybody can figure out how to steal 26 hours
per week away from other responsibilities to benefit their health.
Fitting in cardio workouts is especially easy because you dont need a
gym or more than 2030 minutes of time, 34 days per week. (For more
about how easy this can be, check out my book Cardio Sucks! The Simple
Science of Burning Fat Fast and Getting in Shape.)
Fitting weight training into a very busy schedule is a bit tougher. If you
want to lift weights and are really crunched for time, I recommend a 3-day
Push, Pull, Legs routine. Heres how it works:
Day OnePull
Deadlifts5 sets x 5 reps
Rows (barbell, dumbbell, or t-bar)5 sets x 5 reps
Weighted pull-ups5 sets x 5 reps
Day TwoPush
Flat or incline barbell or Dumbbell press5 sets x 5 reps
Military press5 sets x 5 reps
156 MUSCLE MYTHS

Weighted dip or Close-grip bench press5 sets x 5 reps

Day ThreeLegs
Barbell squat5 sets x 5 reps
Leg press5 sets x 5 reps
Standing or seated calf raise3 sets x 1012 reps
If you rest for 23 minutes in between sets, you should be able to finish
these workouts in about an hour, meaning you need to carve out just three
hours a week to complete it.
This type of routine has endured for decades because it worksit works
every major muscle group in the body and relies on heavy, compound
movements (movements that engage multiple muscle groups) to produce
maximum strength and size gains.
Plan your workout times and stick to them. I prefer to train first thing in
the morning before work because I have more energy for training and also
enjoy higher energy levels throughout the day. And since its before many
people start their day, nothing can interfere with my plans at 7 am.
As for sticking to a diet when your life is hectic, its actually easier than
you might think. Pick one or two days per week, cook the meals you need
for the next week, and store them in air-tight containers in the fridge. Then
bring your daily meals to work (or wherever you go) and keep them in the
fridge or in a cooler. Work snacks into your diet that dont require prepara-
tion, such as low-fat yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, nuts, packaged tuna,
and fruit.
Its a big help to have a bunch of recipes for delicious foods you cook for
both cutting and bulking. Be sure to check out my cookbook, The Shredded
Chef: 120 Recipes for Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy.
 BONUS REPORT

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 WOULD YOU DO ME A
FAVOR?

Thank you for buying my book. I hope that it will help you avoid many
of the pitfalls of the world of health and fitness, and I hope that it will help
you achieve your goals.
I have a small favor to ask. Would you mind taking a minute to write
a blurb on Amazon about this book? I check all my reviews and love to
get feedback (thats the real pay for my workknowing that Im helping
people).
Visit the following page to leave me a review:

WWW.AMZN.TO/MMREVIEW

Also, if you have any friends or family who might enjoy this book,
spread the love and lend it to them!
Now, I dont just want to sell you a bookI want to see you use what
youve learned to build the body of your dreams.
As you work toward your goals, however, youll probably have ques-
tions or run into some difficulties. Id like to be able to help you with these,
so lets connect up! I dont charge for the help, of course, and I answer ques-
tions from readers every day.
Heres how we can connect:
Facebook: facebook.com/muscleforlifefitness
Twitter: @muscleforlife
 And last but not least, my website is www.muscleforlife.com and if
you want to write me, my email address is mike@muscleforlife.
Thanks again and I wish you the best!

Mike

P.S. Turn to the last page to check out other books of mine that you
might like!
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credible scientific evidence to back up the outrageous claims made on labels and in ads.
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And thats why I decided to get into the supplement game.

What gives? Am I just a hypocritical sell-out? Well, hear me out for a minute and then
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 ALSO BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS

Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male
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Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Advanced Guide to Buildijng Muscle,

Staying Lean, and Getting Strong

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Visit www.muscleforlife.com to get this book!

 Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate
Female Body
If you want to be toned, lean, and strong as quickly as possible without
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Cardio Sucks! The Simple Science of Burning Fat Fast and Getting in Shape

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 The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and
Staying Healthy

If you want to know how to forever escape the dreadful experience of diet-
ing and learn how to cook nutritious, delicious meals that make building
muscle and burning fat easy and enjoyable, then you need to read this book.

Visit www.muscleforlife.com to get this book!

Michael Matthews

100 Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes

for Building Muscle, Getting Lean,
and Staying Healthy

Eat Green Get Lean: 100 Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for Building Muscle,
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 Awakening Your Inner Genius

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 REFERENCES

Myth 2:
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Myth 3:
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Myth 4:
18. Solomonow, M., et al. The synergistic action of the anterior cruciate ligament
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35. Vispute, Sachin S., et al. The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat. The
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46. Maki, Kevin C., et al. Green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced
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Myth 7:
47. Campos, Gerson E., et al. Muscular adaptations in response to three different
resistance-training regimens: specificity of repetition maximum training zones.
European Journal of Applied Physiology 88.1-2 (2002): 50-60.
48. Kraemer, William J., et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand.
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Myth 8:
52. West, Daniel W. D., et al. Sex-based comparisons of myofibrillar protein synthesis
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53. Consitt, Leslie A., Jennifer L. Copeland, and Mark S. Tremblay. Endogenous
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55. Chen, B. B., et al. Thigh muscle volume predicted by anthropometric measurements
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 Myth 11:
56. Muscaritoli, M., et al. Consensus definition of sarcopenia, cachexia and pre-
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Myth 12:
62. Thacker, Stephen B., et al. The impact of stretching on sports injury risk: a systematic
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63. Shrier, Ian. Stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of local muscle
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68. Herman, Katherine, et al. The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies,
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80. McMillian, Danny J., et al. Dynamic vs. static-stretching warm up: the effect on
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Myth 13:
81. Vispute, Sachin S., et al. The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat. The
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 25.9 (2011): 2559-2564.
Myth 14:
82. Pinto, Ronei S., et al. Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness.
The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 26.8 (2012): 2140-2145.
Myth 15:
83. Mujika, Iigo, and Sabino Padilla. Muscular characteristics of detraining in
humans. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 33.8 (2001): 1297-1303.
Myth 17:
84. Morton, Sam K., et al. Resistance training vs. static stretching: effects on flexibility
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85. Santos, Elisa, et al. Influence of moderately intense strength training on flexibility
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86. Tremblay, Angelo, Jean-Aim Simoneau, and Claude Bouchard. Impact of exercise
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87. Treuth, Margarita S., Gary R. Hunter, and Martha Williams. Effects of exercise
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90. Boutcher, Stephen H. High-intensity intermittent exercise and fat loss. Journal of
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91. Trapp, E. G., et al. The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on fat
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92. Van Etten, Ludo M.L.A., et al. Effect of an 18-wk weight-training program on
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93. Frsig, Christian, and Erik A. Richter. Improved insulin sensitivity after exercise:
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100. Wilson, Jacob M., et al. Concurrent training: A meta-analysis examining
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Myth 22:
101. Hawley, John A. Molecular responses to strength and endurance training: are they
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102. Nader GA. Concurrent strength and endurance training: from molecules to man.
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104. Hkkinen K, et al. Neuromuscular adaptations during concurrent strength
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105. Judelson, Daniel A., et al. Effect of hydration state on resistance exercise-induced
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106. Nair, K. S., et al. Leucine, glucose, and energy metabolism after 3 days of fasting
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111. Wells, Anita S., et al. Influences of fat and carbohydrate on postprandial sleepiness,
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112. Anderson, Jennifer Shultz. Sex differences in the relationship of polyunsaturated
fatty acids and nonincasive imaging measures of subclinical cardiovascular disease.
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113. Mente, Andrew, et al. A systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link
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124. Blundell, John E., J. Cooling, and Neil A. King. Differences in postprandial responses
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130. Bellisle, France, Regina McDevitt, and Andrew M. Prentice. Meal frequency and
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131. Cameron, Jameason D., Marie-Jose Cyr, and ric Doucet. Increased meal
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135. Arima, Hisatomi, et al. Alcohol reduces insulinhypertension relationship in a
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136. Das, Samarjit, Dev D. Santani, and Naranjan S. Dhalla. Experimental evidence for
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301. Holzman, David C. Whats in a color? The unique human health effects of blue
light. Environmental Health Perspectives 118.1 (2010): A22.
 Myth 49:
302. Tata, J. R., L. Ernster, and O. Lindberg. Control of basal metabolic rate by thyroid
hormones and cellular function. Nature 193. March 17 (1962): 1058-1060.
303. Donahoo, William T., James A. Levine, and Edward L. Melanson. Variability in
energy expenditure and its components. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition &
Metabolic Care 7.6 (2004): 599.
 INDEX

A body composition, 25, 49, 99

abs, 2123 body fat
adrenaline, 7374 See also fats
afterburn effect, 61 abdominal fat, 146
age and sleep requirements, 151 accelerating storage of, 10, 51
aging and muscle loss, 3940 alcohol and fat loss, 8586
alcohol, 8588, 130, 147, 152 building muscle while losing, 2526
American Heart Association, 105 cortisols effect on, 146
amino acids, 9596, 107108, 125 fasted training benefiting, 2223
anabolism, 67, 9697 fat burner supplements, 137138
antioxidants, 106 green tea extract (GTE) benefiting, 23
appetite heavy lifting and fat loss, 2728
See also hunger control low-intensity activity and, 57, 58
alcohols effect on, 86 maintaining, 120
control, 78 myths about, 2526, 45, 59, 61
meal frequency and, 82 and stomach appearance, 22, 23
stimulation, 65 bulking, 10, 11, 25, 5152
supplement ingredients that decrease,
137 C
suppression, 58, 137 caloric values of nutrient categories, 107
artificial sweeteners, 111112 calories, 117120
carbohydrates
B activity level and usage of, 57
back injuries, rehabilitation for, 15 avoiding high-glycemic, 122
backs, 14, 19 caloric value of, 10
basal metabolic rate, 74, 153 controlling hunger with, 121122
See also metabolism fructose, 9194
BCAAs, 23 individual preferences for, 7778
bicep exercises, 37 insulin levels and intake of, 7576
leptin levels impacted by, 130
190 INDEX

myths about, 7579 impact of exercise on, 147

pre- and post-workout overtraining impacting on, 34, 35
recommendations, 74 resistance training impact on, 30
simple sugars, 94 role of in metabolism, 64
weight loss and intake of, 7677 sleep effected by, 152
cardio creatine, 136, 139141
benefits of, 58, 6566 cutting, defined, 25
conditioning and, 65 cycling vs. running, 66
high-intensity interval training (or
HIIT), 58, 59, 66 D
impact of on metabolism, 6365 deadlifts
muscle growth impacted by, 6566 benefits of, 13, 1415, 28
muscle recovery and, 6364 improper form for, 15
recommendations, 66 myths about, 1314
running vs. cycling, 66 science of, 14
cardio myths, about on unstable surfaces, 1516
cardio before weight lifting, 6768 variations of, 1516
fat loss and cardio, 59 dehydration, 69
getting lean with cardio, 61 delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS),
heart rate, 5758 6364
sweat and fat burning, 69 diet and nutrition
weight gain, 6366 See also supplement myths
Cardio Sucks! The Simple Science of to avoid overtraining, 34
Burning Fat Fast and Getting in Shape bulking diet calculation, 10, 5152
(Matthews), 155
determining body fat, 61
catabolism, 34
low-carb diets, 126
catechins, 23
meal frequency findings, 101
catecholamine levels, 58
meal planning and preparation, 156
Center for Disease Control and Prevention
mistakes, 9
(CDC), 149
Muscle Meals (recipes), 157158
cheat meals, 129130
pre- and post-workout
chest exercises, 37
recommendations, 22, 74, 136
cholecystokinin, 74
Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for
cholesterol, 105106 Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy, The
Coleman, Ronnie, 11 (Matthews), 156
conditioning, 63, 65 simplicity aiding, 123
cortisol weight-loss and diet composition, 7677
alcohols effect on, 87 diet and nutrition myths, about
dehydrations effect on, 69 alcohol, 8588
effect of on fat, 146 breakfast, 103104
effect of on protein synthesis, 98 carbohydrates, 7579
functions of, 145 cheat days, 129130
 INDEX 191

counting calories, 119120 glucose, 22, 9194, 122

diet sodas, 111112 glutamine, 136, 147
egg yolks and heart disease, 105106 glycemic index, 122
exercise level and food intake, 99100 glycogen, 22, 76
fasting, 7374 green tea extract (GTE), 23
fat consumption causing body fat, growth hormones, 58, 87, 98, 150
107108
fruit, 9194 H
fruit juice, 8990 hardgainers, 912, 65
meal frequency and metabolism, 8183 health, 30, 36, 40
negative calories, 117118 hex bar deadlift, 15
night eating, 101102 high-intensity interval training (or HIIT),
protein, 9598, 125127 58, 59, 66
salt, 113115 hormones
water and digestion, 109110 See also cortisol; steroids
digestion, 96, 109110 cholecystokinin, 74
diseases related to diet, 90, 92, 111113 composition of, 125
dynamic stretching, 44 and fat loss, 34
ghrelin, 120, 123, 146
E high-glycemic carbohydrates impacting,
ectomorphs, 9 122
eggs, 105106 kidneys role in, 126
endorphins, 36 leptin, 120121, 123, 130
estradiol, 30 protein requirements impacted by, 98
regulating eating instincts, 120, 146
F testosterone, 29, 34, 35, 64, 8687, 150
fasted training, 2223 thyroid, 153
fasting, 7374, 97 hunger control, 120123
fatigue, 20, 35 See also appetite
fats, 10, 75, 107108 hunger patterns, 83
See also body fat
fiber, 122 I
fish oil, 136 immune system, 36
flexibility, 5354 inflammation, 106
form, 35, 5354 injuries
free weights, 11 fatigue contributing to, 20
fructose, defined, 9192 improper form causing, 4748
to muscles, 42
G steroid use leading to, 133134
genes, function of, 7, 37, 38, 64 stretching not preventing, 41
genetics and sleep requirements, 151 symptoms of overtraining, 3536
ghrelin, 120, 123, 146 Institute of Medicine, 113, 118, 122, 125
192 INDEX

insulin 122
carbohydrate intake effect on levels of, improving rate of, 28, 30, 35
7576 insulins role in, 22
functions of, 76, 120 muscle loss or gain impacting on, 40
resistance caused by sleep loss, 150 myths about, 8183, 153154
response, 7879, 111 overfeedings impact on, 129130
role of in metabolism, 22 of protein, 9798
insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), 98, and protein intake, 126
150 role of cortisol in, 64
insulin sensitivity multi-vitamins, 136
alcohols effect on, 86 Muscle Meals (recipes), 157158
and body fat storage, 10, 51, 6465 muscles
cardio impacting, 58 aging and loss of, 3940
fasting impacting, 74 alcohols effect on recovery and
thermic effect varied by, 117118 performance, 8788
weight-loss efforts effected by, 78 benefits of building, 3031, 40
intermittent fasting, 74, 97 building while losing body fat, 2526
cardio and muscle growth, 63
K catabolism of, 34
kidney health, 126127, 139141 growth of, 11, 42, 6566
protein intake impacting, 97
L repairing muscle damage, 64
lactate, 93 sculpting of, 38
leptin, 120121, 123, 130 storing carbohydrates, 107
lifestyle myths (about) stretchings impact on, 4144
metabolism and overweight, 153154 suppressing breakdown of, 23
sleep, 149152
stress, cortisol and weight gain, 145147 N
time management, 155156 National Health and Nutrition Examination
liver (human organ), 9394, 107 Surveys, 114
Lustig, Robert H., 91 National Sleep Foundation, 151
newbie gains, 2526
M noradrenaline, 7374
machines (exercise), 11, 20 norepinephrine, 69
Matthews, Michael, books by, 161163 nutrition. See diet and nutrition
meals. See diet and nutrition nuts, 122
melatonin, 152
metabolism O
basal metabolic rate, 74, 153 observational research, 103
cardios impact on, 6365 overfeeding, 129
fastings impact on, 73 overtraining, 3336, 65
high-glycemic carbohydrates impacting,
 INDEX 193

P quantity of, 151

Pilates, 38 stress management and, 147
placebo effect, 135136 sodium, 113114
post-workout meals, 22 squats
potassium, 115 benefits of, 1718, 28
pre-workout drinks, 136 form for, 1920
priorities, 155 front vs. back, 20
protein machine, 20
absorption limitations, 9698 myths about, 1718
appetite control effect of, 82, 121 studies on, 1820
caloric value of, 10 steroids, 133134
functions of, 125 stress and weight gain, 146147
intake recommendations, 127 stretching, 4144
leptin levels impacted by, 130 success, 9, 11
low-carb diets and, 126 sumo deadlift, 15
pre- and post-workout supplement myths
recommendations, 74 See also diet and nutrition
requirements, 125126 creatine, 139141
science of absorption of, 9596 fat burners, 137138
supplements, 136 steroids, 133134
psychological aspects of weight loss, 82, 129 supplements as necessary to success,
135136
R sweating, 69
recovery, 63, 64 symptoms of overtraining, 3336
reps, 11, 20, 2728
running vs. cycling, 66
T
testosterone
S alcohol effecting levels of, 8687
salt, 113115 muscle growth regulated by, 29, 64
sarcopenia, 39 overtraining impacting, 34, 35
See also muscles sleep insufficiency effecting, 150
shoulder exercises, 37 thermic effect of food consumption, 8182,
117118
Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Getting
Lean, and Staying Healthy, The thermodynamics, 99
(Matthews), 156 thyroid, 153
sleep training, 9, 11, 3435
athletic performance and, 150151 See also weightlifting; specific exercises
fat loss and, 148149 triglycerides, 22
hormones effected by, 123, 150, 152
insufficiency, 148 V
natural ways to improve on, 151152 vacation workouts, 50
in overtraining prevention, 34, 35 vitamin C, 147
194 INDEX

volume (workout), 11, 12, 27 weightlifting myths about, 2930, 37

W Y
warming up, 42, 44, 58, 68 yoga, 38
water, 109110, 118, 122
water retention, 51, 77, 113
weightlifting
advocates of heavy, compound lifting, 12
afterburn effect, 61
benefits of for cardio people, 39
counterproductivity of, 33
heavy weights as superior, 2728
studies on, 1112
3-day routine for, 155156
weightlifting myths, about
about women training, 37
abs, 2122
deadlifts, 1314
diet and muscle growth, 5152
fitness goals, 3940
flexibility and weight training, 5354
form when lifting heavy, 4748
genetics, 78
hardgainers, 912
lightweight and reps, 2728
muscle turning to fat, 4950
shaping muscles, 3738
spot reducing, 45
squats, 1718
stretching, 4144
turning fat into muscle, 2526
women training, 2930
workout length and frequency, 3334
weight-loss roadblocks, 76
women
benefits of building muscles for, 3031
exercises for, 2930
goals for, 19, 26
kidney function and protein intake of,
127
response to diet types, 78, 108
testosterone levels in, 2930