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Home / Blog / Podcast / Ep. #916: Research Roundup: Activating Your Glutes, Vitamin D Reduces Injury, Blood Flow Restriction For Muscle Growth, and More
Written by Michael Matthews
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Do glute activation exercises actually work? Is the 5:2 diet worse for muscle retention than a continuous calorie deficit? Does vitamin D supplementation protect you against injury? Can blood flow restriction training help you gain muscle just as effectively as traditional training? I’m going to give you the TLDR for the latest studies on these topics.
This podcast is another installment in my Research Roundup series of episodes, where I give you concise and practical takeaways from studies that I think are interesting and that can help us gain muscle and strength faster, lose fat faster, perform better athletically, feel better, live longer, or get and stay healthier.
There is a ton of scientific research that gets published every year, and even if you narrow your focus to fitness research, it would still take several lifetimes to unravel the hairball of studies on nutrition, training, supplementation, and related fields.
That’s why my team and I put a lot of time into reviewing, dissecting, and describing scientific studies in articles, podcasts, and books.
In today’s episode, I’m tackling studies on whether glute “activation” exercises boost glute growth, how effective the 5:2 diet is for preserving muscle while you diet, whether vitamin D can actually help prevent injury, and how well blood flow restriction training works for building muscle. Press play if you want to learn the answers to those questions.
Oh and if you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email ([email protected]) or direct message me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness). And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/ and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!
4:20 – Do glute activation exercises boost glutei activation when you squat?
8:59 – How effective is the 5:2 diet?
14:44 – What are the benefits of Vitamin D?
19:06 – How can blood flow restriction training help you gain muscle?
Mentioned on the show:
Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/ and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!
What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!
Legion Featured Author
Mike Matthews
Mike Matthews is the founder and CEO of Legion as well as the author of several award-winning fitness books, including Bigger Leaner Stronger, Muscle for Life, and The Shredded Chef.
His simple and science-based approach to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy has sold over a million books and helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever, and his work has been featured in many popular outlets including Esquire, Men’s Health, Elle, Women’s Health, Muscle & Strength, and more, as well as on FOX and ABC.
You can find Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
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