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People Aren’t Rats. And Athletes Aren’t People.

6:22 am By Matt 5 Comments

I've gotten quite a few emails from people wanting to know my take on a rat study showing that intermittent fasting may lead to increased belly fat.

Thankfully, two very smart people have already taken the time to go through the study and point out some of the reasons why this type of research isn't applicable to humans. 

So I'll point you to to these two articles if this topic interests you.

Does Fasting Make You Fat?

So Does Intermittent Fasting Now Make You Fat?

But I also want to add my own take on things from a top-level perspective:  People aren't rats.  And athletes aren't people.  I think the first part of that statement is pretty self-explanatory.  But athletes aren't people?  Huh?   'splain please!

The simple fact is this:  If you engage in regular resistance training and metabolic conditioning activities, you are a very different "test subject" than the average couch potato.  As such, general diet advice that works fine for "regular people" will not apply for the athlete.  For example:  The government's take on how you should eat might be a fine recommendation for a normal person.   But an athlete would eat dramatically different.  

Let me give you another example:  If you fed a rat a steady diet of carbohydrates and sugar products, you would expect the rat to get fat. 

If you fed a regular human a steady diet of carbohydates and sugar products, you would expect the human to get fat. 

But ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes regularly eats an entire whole pizza WHILE he's running, along with copious amounts of sugar.

And Dean Karnazes is anything but fat.

People aren't rats. And athletes aren't people.

Filed Under: Fat Loss, Metabolism

A Bill Starr Deadlift Routine

9:00 am By Matt 2 Comments

Bill Starr passed on recently. This is perhaps my favorite photo of him.  He's deadlifting some ungodly amount of weight.  Not sure how much in this photo but I know he did 575lbs at a bodyweight of 181lbs at another time. As the story goes, … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Muscle

High Reps For Biceps, Low Reps For Triceps

12:38 pm By Matt 2 Comments

Arnold knew the secret to building bigger arms. What's better: High reps with lighter weights or heavier weights with fewer reps?As always, the answer is: It depends. A recent study shows that when it comes to increasing your one rep maximum, it's … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

How To Micro-load With Dumbbells

10:42 am By Matt 7 Comments

You can make big gains with tiny plates.


If you've read my stuff before, you know I'm a big fan of micro-loading.

In case you're not aware, micro-loading is the practice of increasing the amount of weight on the bar by small (or micro) amounts.  Most guys try to add 5-10 lbs to the bar every time they increase they weight.

This inevitably leads to stalled progress.

But micro-loading is the practice of adding just 1 or 2 pounds to the bar every time you increase the weight.

It sounds like a slow way to make progress.

And it is. But if you added just 2 pounds to the bar once a week on your bench press for a year, you'd be benching 104lbs more today than you did last year. Suddenly, it doesn't sound like such a slow way to make progress.

Micro-loading with barbells is easy. You just have to buy (or make) some microplates and you can slap them on the bar when needed.

Micro-loading dumbbells takes a little more creativity.

Here's how I do it:

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Bodybuilding, Muscle

Hey Bro, What Kinda Protein You Use?

1:04 pm By Matt 5 Comments

Last week, a guy at the gym came up to me and said: "Man, you are strong."  (I had just finished up some chin-ups with an additional 90 pounds strapped to my waist.) I said "thanks." And then waited for what I knew was coming next. "So... … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Got Knee Pain? My Three Step Fix.

5:08 pm By Matt 2 Comments

I have incurable shitty knees. Excuse the language but that's the medical diagnosis that most accurately describes the condition of my knees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey4WSb-BVDQ The true label could be patella tendonitis or … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

How do prisoners get muscular?

6:46 am By Matt 1 Comment

This article reveals how convicts build muscle. If you've ever wondered how prisoners get lean and muscular without proper equipment, without quality food and without access to common supplements, this article is for you.Warning:  This article … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Bodybuilding, Fat Loss, Muscle, Myth

How To Figure Out Your Body Fat Percentage Without Humiliation

12:47 pm By Matt 5 Comments

If you want to figure out your body fat percentage, your options are limited. You can either find somebody skilled in using body fat calipers (which is a little embarrassing, as a stranger will be pinching your fat.) You can find a "Bod Pod" … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Motivation

How To Eat Damn Near 100 Pieces Of Halloween Candy This Weekend And Actually Lose Fat

11:05 am By Matt 1 Comment

This is going to blow your mind. But you could actually eat 30 fun-sized pieces of Halloween candy on Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night... and wake up with less fat on Monday morning. That's 90 -- damn near 100 -- pieces of … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Fat Loss, Motivation

Five Unspoken Secrets Of The Ultra-Fit

10:08 pm By Matt 12 Comments

Most people are familiar with the famous exchange between Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway regarding rich people. “Rich people are different than us”, Fitzgerald said. And Hemingway's legendary reply, “Yes, they have more money.” Anyone … [Continue reading]

Filed Under: Motivation

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Recent Posts

  • People Aren’t Rats. And Athletes Aren’t People.
  • A Bill Starr Deadlift Routine
  • High Reps For Biceps, Low Reps For Triceps
  • How To Micro-load With Dumbbells
  • Hey Bro, What Kinda Protein You Use?

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