12 health and fitness mistakes you dont know youre making

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12 Health & Fitness Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making Michael Matthews

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Facts and fallacies on fitness and health

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12 Health & Fitness Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

Michael Matthews

Copyright © 2012 Waterbury Publishers, Inc.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions of this book and don’t participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, or ask them to buy their own copies. This was hard work for the author and he appreciates it.

This book is a general educational health-related information product and is intended for healthy adults, age 18 and over.

This book is solely for information and educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a medical or health professional before you begin any exercise, nutrition, or supplementation program or if you have questions about your health.

There may be risks associated with participating in activities or using products mentioned in this book for people in poor health or with pre-existing physical or mental health conditions.

Because these risks exist, you will not use such products or participate in such activities if you are in poor health or have a pre-existing mental or physical health condition. If you choose to participate in these risks, you do so of your own free will and accord knowingly and voluntarily, assuming all risks associated with such activities.

Specific results mentioned in this book should be considered extraordinary and there are no “typical” results. As individuals differ, then results will differ.

Cover Designed by: Damon Freeman

Published by: Waterbury Publishers, Inc at Smashwords.

www.waterburypublishers.com

Visit the author’s website:

www.buildhealthymuscle.com

OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS

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 crash dieting, “good genetics,” or wasting ridiculous amounts of time in the gym and money on

supplements...regardless of your age... then you want to read this book.

Click here to learn more about this book

Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body

If you want to be muscular, lean, and strong as quickly as possible, without steroids, good genetics, or wasting ridiculous amounts of time in the gym, and money on

supplements...then you want to read this book.

Click here to learn more about this book

Muscle Myths: 50 Health & Fitness Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

If you’ve ever felt lost in the sea of contradictory training and diet advice out there and you just want to know once and for all what works and what doesn’t—

what’s scientifically true and what’s false—when it comes to building muscle and getting ripped, then you need to read this book.

Click here to learn more about this book

Cardio Sucks! The Simple Science of Burning Fat Fast and Getting in Shape

If you're short on time and sick of the same old boring cardio routine and want to kick your fat loss into high gear by working out less and...heaven forbid...actually have

some fun...then you want to read this new book.

Click here to learn more about this book

The Shredded Chef: 115 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy

If you want to know how to forever escape the dreadful experience of “dieting” 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.

Click here to learn more about this book

CHAPTER 1

You Have Been Lied to, and It’s Time to Learn the TruthThe health and fitness industry is notorious for scams, fallacies, and pseudo-science.

CHAPTER 2

The War Against BS and Broscience

Learn about the biggest lie factories in the industry, and how to inoculate yourself.

CHAPTER 3

12 Health & Fitness Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

Myth #1: “I have bad genetics”

Myth #2: You can "shape" your muscles with certain exercises

Myth #3: You should always stretch before working out

Myth #4: When doing cardio, you want to get your heart rate into the "fat burning zone"

Myth #5: Sweating more during cardio burns more fat

Myth #6: Exercising on an empty stomach burns more fat

Myth #7: The body can only digest 30 grams of protein per sitting

Myth #8: Diet sodas are good for dieting

Myth #9: Salt is bad for you

Myth #10: Steroids make you look awesome

Myth #11: Stress and cortisol make you gain weight

Myth #12: Alcohol doesn't affect muscle growth or fat loss

CHAPTER 4

38 More Disastrous Health & Fitness Myths that Keep People Fat, Weak, and Unhealthy

Here’s what most people will never know about burning fat, building muscle, and staying healthy.

BONUS REPORT

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?

You’re awesome for buying my book, and I have a small favor to ask...

OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS

More practical health and fitness advice to help you get into the best shape of your life.

You Have Been Lied to, and It’s Time to Learn the Truth

When I started training nearly a decade ago, I was full of wrong ideas.

I thought that my genetics weren’t 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 shouldn’t eat at night if I didn’t 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 other people, I would hit the gym regularly only to see little or no results. Naturally, this leads to frustration and many people eventually quit or turn to steroids or develop unhealthy eating habits. Fortunately, I chose the path of better education, and I starting writing books to help people get great results from training naturally and eating healthily.

Because the fact is—and this is probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned over the last ten years—building a great body just isn’t that complicated. It’s like good sex—sure, it requires effort, but the principles are few and simple and if you stick to them, you get the job done.

Here’s what it boils down to: If you’re willing to train for 45 minutes per day, 3 – 5 times per week, and follow a sensible eating plan, you can have a great body that you’re proud of. And if you’re not already a seasoned lifter, you can easily gain 15 – 20 pounds of lean mass in your first 10 – 12 weeks of training—a pretty dramatic change. If you’re looking to lose weight, you can lose the same amount in the same period.

In this book, I’m going to address a dozen myths and bogus claims in a scientific and straightforward manner. I’m not going to bother with pictures or fluff material because you can get more than your fill of that in other fitness books or on various websites. I’m going to give you the straight facts and help you approach your training and nutrition in a smarter way.

But first I want to talk about the lie factories that spawn many of these bunk fallacies and how you can avoid the many more variations that are sure to come. So let’s get to it.

The War Against BS and Broscience

A couple decades ago, there wasn’t enough information on working out.

These days, with the Internet and magazine 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 truths—the stuff we’re actually looking for—but they’re greatly out-numbered by the worthless crap.

If you hit the Internet and start participating in health and fitness forums, you’re entering a land ruled by broscience and idiocy, where it’s almost impossible to sort out what’s true and workable, and what’s not.

“What’s broscience,” you ask? Broscience is the predominant brand of reasoning used by amateur bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts where the anecdotal stories of people that really have no idea what’s going on inside their bodies takes precedence over credible scientific research. Just because a guy is big thanks to steroids or a girl is thin thanks to starvation diets that wreck your body doesn’t necessarily mean they have good advice for you.

A million bad advices fall under the heading of broscience. You should do high reps and low weight to tone your muscles—BZZZT. The more sets you do, the better—BZZZT. Deadlifts are bad for your back—BZZZT. Women shouldn’t lift weights because they’ll get bulky—BZZZT. Wrong, wrong, wrong, bro.

And what about the magazines? Here’s a fun fact that you probably didn’t 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 Twinlab’s shill piece; Muscle & Fitness and Flex are owned by Joe Weider, and are thus promotion catalogues for his companies, such as Weider, Metaform, MuscleTribe, and several others; 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 just keep getting these magazines into people’s 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 or so 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 can’t trust these types of magazines. They’re nothing more than shiny lobbyists for the supplement companies.

So how do you get good information, you wonder? Well, this book will give you a head start. Forgive the shameless plug, but another book of mine, Bigger Leaner Stronger, is also an excellent resource that gives you everything you need to create your own training program and diet that will help you achieve your goals as efficiently as possible.

Alright, now that we have all that out of the way, let’s get to the myth busting, shall we?

MYTH #1

I have bad genetics

This one gets tossed around a lot. Genetics are a favorite scapegoat for people who can’t build enough muscle or lose enough fat. But how much do they actually influence your results?

A lot less than these people want to believe. Sure, your genes determine certain things like which muscle groups tend to be your “strong points,” your hormone levels, how much fat you tend to hold on your body, and where you tend to gain fat, but they’re not standing in your way in terms of gaining muscle or losing fat. You can get in amazing shape if you know what you’re doing. Period.

I’ve known quite a few “hardgainers” over the years that have gained 30, 40, and even 50 pounds in their first year or two of training correctly (and with no drugs). I’ve known countless men and women who were convinced that they were genetically programmed to be fat get in the best shape of their lives once they fixed what they were doing wrong.

Now, genetics can make it easier or harder. Some people have naturally high testosterone levels, which means faster muscle growth and an overall leaner physique. Some people’s metabolisms are naturally faster than others, making weight loss an easier endeavor. Genetics also play 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, round butt. But none of these things are limitations.

So, who cares if you gain muscle or lose fat slower than the other person? As long as you get to where you want to be, the added time is irrelevant. And big deal if you can’t have the same aesthetics as a fitness cover model. You can still look awesome and feel great, and that’s what it’s all about.

MYTH #2

You can "shape" your muscles with certain exercises

In my dreams, I can do Cable Flyes to make my chest squarer—you know, the type of pecs that look like symmetrical armor plates. I can then do Concentration Curls to get a scary high peak on my biceps, followed by Reverse Decline Crunches to get symmetrical, sculpted abs.

Well, unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a “shaping” exercise. You can make your muscles bigger or smaller and 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 and compensate for weak areas.

If you feel you lack bicep peak, for example, you should focus on growing your biceps with good ol’ heavy weight training and include reverse or Zottman Curls and Hammer Curls to work the brachioradialis and brachialis muscles, which can push your bicep up.

If you’re unhappy with some aspect of your chest—the upper part, lower part, middle, etc.—make it bigger with proven mass-builders like the Dumbbell and Barbell Bench Press(I like to do them on both flat an incline benches), and Weighted Dips.

If you’re not happy with the width of your shoulders, you can really isolate the middle deltoid with an exercise like the Leaning Lateral Raise.

Let’s talk about girls for a minute. The claims that certain forms of strength training will make “long, lean” muscles like a dancer’s while others will result in “bulky, ugly” muscles like a she-male are bogus. Whether you do Pilates, yoga, or weight training to strengthen and build your muscles, their shape will come out the same, with the difference being that weight training will grow your muscles faster than Pilates or yoga (and yoga and Pilates offer things that weight training doesn’t, of course, such as flexibility, intense sweating, inner calm, etc.).

“Sculpting” best describes what is actually possible. 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 # 3

You should always stretch before working out

Some guys believe that stretching before lifting makes you stronger. Others believe it helps prevent injury. Others do it just because it feels good. Many people stretch before running or doing other cardio activities for the same reasons.

Well, stretching before lifting is actually terrible. Studies have shown it weakens those muscles being stretched by up to 30%, and it not only doesn’t prevent injury, but can actually increase the risk of injury because it loosens the muscles which should be tense and tight while lifting to ensure everything stays in its right place. Stretching to loosen your muscles after working out is totally fine, however.

Stretching before doing cardio may be equally bad. According to a study done by the University of Hawaii-Manoa, pre-workout stretching was linked with a higher risk of injury in white, male runners (females that stretched before running were not injured any more than those that didn’t, and the same went for males of other races—strange, indeed!). A previous study by Dutch researchers found that stretching before running had neither a preventative effect in terms of injury, nor caused more injuries.

Now, don’t confuse stretching with warming up, which is very important with both lifting and cardio. When lifting, you should do 3 – 5 warm-up sets with light weights before your first heavy, “working” set for a muscle. You should never go to failure on warm-up sets as this saps strength that you could otherwise use in your muscle-building sets.

So, to summarize, stretch after lifting, and stretching before doing cardio may make you more likely to get injured, while stretching afterward certainly does not. This not only follows science, but common sense: The best time to stretch your muscles is when they’re warmed up and able to achieve a full range of motion. Before a workout, your muscles are “cold” and tight, whereas after a workout they’re completely warmed up and engorged with blood.

As a note, when doing static stretches (stretches that you hold), make sure to hold them for 30 – 45 seconds or they won’t have much of an effect.

MYTH # 4

When doing cardio, you want to get your heart rate into the "fat burning zone"

Like much BS advice in the health and fitness industry, this myth is given an air of scientific legitimacy.

Many cardio machines 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 .6. If you keep your heart rate at this number, the legend says, you’ll be in the “fat burning zone.” The (il)logic given for this is that by keeping your cardio training at a low intensity, it will burn fat instead of carbs (huh?).

Well, it’s a crock. You can’t trick your body’s complex metabolic system by making your heart beat a certain number of times per minute. There is no special way of exercising that will get your body to burn only fat for its energy—it will always use a combination of glucose and glycogen (substances your body creates from the carbs you eat), and fat, and even a bit of muscle too.

Long, low-intensity cardio sessions tend to negatively impact muscle growth and burn relatively few calories, thus rendering them ineffective in helping with fat loss.

Studies such as those conducted by Laval University, East Tennessee State University, Baylor College of Medicine, and Florida State University have shown that shorter, high-intensity sessions, however, not only cause less muscle breakdown than low- intensity, steady-state cardio, but they burn more calories and stimulate more fat loss.

Therefore, I recommend doing HIIT for all cardio, and keeping your sessions between 20 – 30 minutes long. Here’s how it works:

You start your workout with 2 – 3 minutes of low-intensity warm-up.You then go all-out, as fast as possible, for 1 minute.You then slow it down to a low-intensity recovery period for about 1 minute.You repeat this cycle of all-out and recovery for 20 – 30 minutes.You take the last 2 – 3 minutes to cool down at a low intensity.

You can apply the HIIT style 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.

Give it a try next time you’re planning on losing weight. You’ll be amazed at how much more effective it is.

MYTH # 5

Sweating more during cardio burns more fat

Many people still don heavy sweat suits or plastic suits while doing their cardio workouts. The idea is that by making yourself sweat more, you’ll burn more calories.

This has no basis in science. More sweating doesn’t mean more fat loss. Any extra weight you lose is simply water, and your body will quickly gain it back once you drink some liquids.

Not only does inducing heavy sweating like this not do anything in terms of fat loss, it can cause severe dehydration and even heat stroke. Not fun. The body also interferes with fat loss when it’s dehydrated.

The journal of Medicine in Sports and Exercise even found that colder environments cause the body to burn more calories than warm environments (according to one study, 13% more calories are burned).

MYTH # 6

Exercising on an empty stomach burns more fat

Many people wake up and immediately work out in order to burn more fat.

Calling this one a flat-out “myth” is a bit unfair because it’s true that the body will tap into fat stores quicker when it’s been without food for many hours. The other half of the story, however, is that when you haven’t eaten for several hours, your body enters a state of “catabolism” wherein it begins to break down muscle tissue for energy.

If you go do cardio or weight lifting when your body is in this catabolic state, you’ll burn fat, but you’ll also accelerate the muscle loss. For this reason, you shouldn’t do it.

If you train shortly after you wake up, make sure you have a protein shake (I recommend whey, as it’s absorbed quickly) right when you get out of bed to halt the catabolic cycle that your body has entered while sleeping. If I’m lifting, I also like to eat about 25 grams of carbs before training to help fuel my workout.

MYTH #7

The body can only digest 30 grams of protein per sitting

Many different numbers are used in this myth. Some sources say 50 grams is the max while others say 60 and still others still claim 20.

Who’s right? Here’s the bottom line: Science has not given any conclusive answer on the subject. Everyone’s body is different. I highly doubt that an NFL linebacker’s body deals with protein the same way as a computer programmer’s 120 lb body.

To make a long story short, studies have shown that it’s safe to assume that your body can absorb 60 – 80 grams of protein in one sitting. That doesn’t mean you have to eat that much, of course, but your body shouldn’t have a problem with up to that amount.

It’s a good idea to spread your daily protein requirement over 4 – 6 meals throughout the day. This keeps your body anabolic (a state wherein it grows muscle and other tissues) and ensures there’s a steady stream of amino acids in the blood for cellular repair.

MYTH #8

Diet sodas are good for dieting

Many people drink diet sodas to cut down on their sugar intake and thus the number of calories eaten each day. Theoretically, this should help with weight loss. But that’s not how it pans out.

According to a study done by the University of Texas, diet soda drinkers gained nearly the same amount of weight as regular soda drinkers. How could this be?

A couple reasons were identified. Studies on mice showed that the artificial sweeteners used in the diet sodas caused almost the same insulin reaction as sugar. This insulin spike and crash leaves people feeling hungry and irritable, which leads to overeating.

People also felt they could eat more because they had diet soda, thus losing the benefit of calorie savings.

MYTH # 9

Salt is bad for you

Salt has gotten a pretty bad rap over the years. It’s blamed for high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke, water retention, and other health nightmares.

On the other hand, salt is a vital nutrient that helps regulate blood pressure (too much is as bad for your blood pressure as too little), helps the nervous system do its job, helps muscles contract properly, and more.

What is salt, exactly? It’s a combination of two electrolytes (substances that conduct electrical currents): sodium and chloride.

The Institute of Medicine recommends 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day as the adequate intake level for most adults (less than one teaspoon per day). According to the CDC, the average American aged 2 and up eats 3,436 milligrams of sodium per day.

Too much sodium intake causes water retention (which gives you that puffy, soft look) and it can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Too little sodium in your body can lead to nausea, lethargy, dizziness, vomiting, and other health problems.

Frozen and canned foods are full of sodium, as are cured meats like bacon and sausage (one slice of bacon has 1,000 milligrams of sodium!).

When you add salt to foods, I recommend sea salt or Himalayan rock salt (sounds like fancy BS, but it’s actually great stuff) because it has many naturally occurring minerals, while run-of-the-mill table salt has been “chemically cleaned” to remove “impurities,” which includes these vital elements.

It’s also important to ensure your body gets enough potassium. Potassium helps balance sodium levels by pumping it out of the cells. A good potassium/sodium intake ratio is one-to-two, and some good natural sources of potassium are bananas, avocados, fish, and beans. You can also buy potassium tablets that you can take as a supplement.

MYTH # 10

Steroids make you look awesome

Many people are quick to chalk up a guy’s great physique to steroids. “Who cares, he’s obviously on steroids,” they say. The mystique of steroids lies in the false belief that you take them and magically transform into a Greek god. It isn’t that simple.

Steroids are certainly effective, and there are certain levels of muscle size and density that you just can’t reach without them, but they are far from wonder drugs.

First, what are they, exactly? Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones that resemble testosterone and thus trigger muscle growth (and many other reactions).

The truth is that steroids do work incredibly well. They enable you to build muscle and burn fat very quickly. They speed muscle recovery and dramatically increase strength. But they’re also illegal—just possessing them is a felony offense here in the U.S.

But the illegality of steroids isn’t the only reason you should stay away from them. First, they don’t guarantee anything in terms of obtaining a great physique. It takes a lot more than out-of-control muscle growth and webs of slithering veins to look good. Many guys have horrendously unattractive bodies thanks to steroids (bulging 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. So, 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.

Another reason to stay away from steroids is that if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing in terms of what drugs to take together and in what dosages while you’re “on,” and also what to take when you’re off (post-cycle therapy), you can cause serious and even permanent damage to your endocrine system. Many guys have ruined their body’s natural balance of hormones and suffer the consequences, which includes “man boobs” (gynecomastia), hair loss, testicular atrophy, prostate enlargement, and other emasculating consequences.

Last but not least, I believe you shouldn’t do steroids because they’re just not necessary to look great. Many people have thought I’m on steroids over the years, which was a nice compliment considering the fact that I’ve never done a single performance-enhancing drug.

Through proper dieting and training, you can not only reach your fitness and aesthetic goals, you can also do it healthily and with longevity. Many ‘roiders are going to wish they hadn’t turned to the dark side when they’re in their 50s and suffering from grim health complications (one guy I know was a big drugger in the 70s, and now he can’t get an erection anymore—not worth it!).

MYTH # 11

Stress and cortisol make you gain weight

The “stress hormone” cortisol is a favorite scapegoat of the pseudo-scientific weight-loss pill pushers. The marketing pitch is that when your body is stressed, it releases cortisol. This causes your body to become bloated and to store fat, especially in the belly area. Therefore, if you simply take some pills that block cortisol production or absorption, you can lose weight without changing how you eat or exercising.

It sounds enticing, but it’s 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.

Cortisol levels rise when the body is under stress due to things like very restrictive eating, weight lifting, traveling, getting angry, and so on. This isn’t bad—it’s just how the body works.

Cortisol can increase the amount of fat stored in the abdominal area, but you have to provide your body with excess calories to store. Cortisol can’t magically create fat if the body doesn’t have the additional calories needed to form it.

Cortisol does increase your appetite, however, so this is how the dwindling spiral of stress and weight gain goes. You get stressed out, your cortisol levels rise, you over-eat to feel better, and your body tends to store this fat in your belly area. Drinking alcohol when you’re stressed leads to even more cortisol production.

So, as you can see, there is value in keeping your cortisol levels low. It doesn’t require that you take cortisol suppressors though. Taking Vitamin C and glutamine every day helps reduce cortisol levels. More importantly, though, you should try to remove the causes of stress in your life. Simple stress busters are getting enough sleep, eating healthily, and exercising regularly. You might be surprised how far these simple actions go in making you feel good.

MYTH # 12

Alcohol doesn't affect muscle growth or fat loss

Yes, it certainly does. In fact, drinking alcohol is one of the most effective ways to halt muscle growth and fat loss. Why?

First, alcohol is very calorie dense, with between 25 – 100 calories per ounce, and it provides no nutritional value. To make matters worse, when alcohol is in the system, the body will burn it for energy over fat, stopping fat loss. I’ll repeat this point: If alcohol is in your system, your body will not burn fat for energy until the alcohol has been burned off. Studies have shown that this can take up to twelve hours.

The body also tends to store excess calories from alcohol as visceral fat, which is fat that encases your organs. That’s where the “beer belly” comes from. Visceral fat is harder to lose than subcutaneous fat, which is the fat in between your muscles and your skin.

Alcohol stimulates the appetite, which often leads to over-eating (and over-drinking). And what kinds of food do watering holes provide? Fatty, processed, junk like pizza, chicken wings, hamburgers, etc. I’m not done yet though. The case against alcohol is still building.

Studies show that alcohol suppresses testosterone production in the body, which leads to less muscle growth and more fat storage.

Last but not least, alcohol impairs your strength and endurance. If you have just a few alcoholic beverages at night, your workout the next day will suffer. This effect can last up to 48 hours, which means that two nights of even mild to moderate drinking can ruin four training days that week.

If you can’t give up alcohol, I recommend that you pick one day per week (ideally one where you don’t train the following day) and limit yourself to two drinks. Don’t drink the sugary mixed drinks.

But the bottom line is that if you want to get the most from your hard work in the gym and discipline with your diet, stay away from alcohol altogether.

Want to Learn the Truth About 38 More Commonly Believed Myths That Ruin Your Efforts to Build Muscle,

Burn Fat, and Get Healthy?

If you’ve ever felt lost in the sea of contradictory training and diet advice out there and you just want to know once and for all what works and what doesn’t, then you need to read Muscle Myths.

Thanks to the overwhelming amount of fitness pseudo-science and lies being pushed on us every day by bogus magazines and self-styled “gurus,” it’s becoming harder and harder to get in shape.

Muscle Myths was written to debunk the most commonplace and harmful gimmicks, fads, myths, and misinformation in the health and fitness industry.

Here are just some of the things you’ll learn in this book:

• Why you don’t have to completely cut out carbs or fat, or eat weird combinations of food to lose weight.

• The truth about supplements and why 99% of them are a complete waste of money (and the few that are actually scientifically proven to work).

• Why women shouldn’t be training differently than men if they want the lean, toned, and sexy type of body that they see in magazines, TV shows, and movies.

• The scientific secrets of getting a six-pack. Forget 6-minute gimmicks, doing endless crunches, and hours of grueling cardio—it’s actually pretty easy when you know what you’re doing.

• Training and diet methods that will completely shatter any perceived “genetic barriers” that you think are holding you back from building muscle or losing weight.

• And much more.

This book will save you the money, time, and frustration of falling into the traps of misleading diet plans and products, and teach you how to finally start seeing real results with your diet and exercise.

Click here to learn more about this book!

BONUS REPORT

Finally! Escape the Horrors of “Dieting” and Build Muscle or Lose Fat by Eating Tasty, Nutritious Food!

If you want to know how to build muscle and burn fat by eating healthy, delicious meals that are easy to cook and easy on your wallet, then you want to read this special report.

Do you lack confidence in the kitchen and think that you just can’t cook great food?

Are you not sure of how to prepare food that is not only delicious and healthy but also effective in helping you build muscle and lose fat?

Are you afraid that cooking nutritious, restaurant-quality meals is too time-consuming and expensive?

Do you think that eating healthy means having to force down the same boring, bland food every day?

If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, don’t worry—you’re not alone. And this book is going to help. Inside you’ll find 15 fast, healthy, and tasty meals that will help you build muscle or lose weight, regardless of your current skills.

Download this report now and learn how to escape the dreadful experience of “dieting” and learn how to cook nutritious, delicious meals that make burning fat or building muscle easy and enjoyable!

Visit http://bit.ly/12hf-free-report to get this report now!

WOULD YOU DO ME A FAVOR?

Thank you for downloading my book. I hope you enjoyed reading it and have found it helpful.

I have a small favor to ask. Would you mind taking a minute to write a blurb on Goodreads about this book? I check all my reviews and love to get feedback (that’s the real pay for my work—knowing that I’m helping people).

Click here to leave me a review on Goodreads

Also, if you have any friends or family that might enjoy this book, spread the love and lend it to them!

Now, I don’t just want to sell you books—I want to see you use what you’ve learned to build the body of your dreams.

As you work toward your goals, however, you’ll probably have questions or run into some difficulties. I’d like to be able to help you with these, so let’s connect up! I don’t charge for the help, of course, and I answer questions from readers every day.

Here’s how we can connect:

Like me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/biggerleanerstronger

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikebls

Add me on G+: www.gplus.to/mikematthews

And last but not least, my website is http://www.buildhealthymuscle.com and if you want to write me, my email address is [email protected].

Thanks again, I hope to hear from you, and I wish you the best!

Mike

P.S. Turn to the next page to check out other books of mine that you might like!

OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS

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 crash dieting, “good genetics,” or wasting ridiculous amounts of time in the gym and money on

supplements...regardless of your age... then you want to read this book.

Click here to learn more about this book

Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body

If you want to be muscular, lean, and strong as quickly as possible, without steroids, good genetics, or wasting ridiculous amounts of time in the gym, and money on

supplements...then you want to read this book.

Click here to learn more about this book

Muscle Myths: 50 Health & Fitness Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

If you’ve ever felt lost in the sea of contradictory training and diet advice out there and you just want to know once and for all what works and what doesn’t—

what’s scientifically true and what’s false—when it comes to building muscle and getting ripped, then you need to read this book.

Click here to learn more about this book

Cardio Sucks! The Simple Science of Burning Fat Fast and Getting in Shape

If you're short on time and sick of the same old boring cardio routine and want to kick your fat loss into high gear by working out less and...heaven forbid...actually have

some fun...then you want to read this new book.

Click here to learn more about this book

The Shredded Chef: 115 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy

If you want to know how to forever escape the dreadful experience of “dieting” 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.

Click here to learn more about this book