Michael Matthews - The Shredded Chef: 125 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy (Third Edition)

THE SHREDDED CHEF

Copyright 2016 Oculus Publishers, Inc.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion there of 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. Dont participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

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

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

Cover designed by Claire Guigal

Book designed by Claire Guigal

Edited by Andrea Lynn

Photographs by Emily Blumberg

Art direction by Jeremy Blumberg

Published by Oculus Publishers, Inc.

www.oculuspublishers.com

Visit the authors website: www.muscleforlife.com

No matter how many times youve tried and failed to diet,
no matter how hopeless or confused you might feel,
there is one thing the diet and weight loss industry didnt lie to you about.
You absolutely, positively can build muscle and lose fat
eating foods and doing workouts you actually enjoy.

What if I could show you how to improve your body composition and health by forever abandoning every form of boring, restrictive dieting ever devised?

What if I gave you a crash course in how to use food to make losing fat and gaining muscle simple and inevitable?

What if I showed you just how flexible you can be with your food choices while still looking the way you want to look and feeling better than ever before?

And what if I promised that everything Im going to teach you isnt just a quick fix but a true lifestyle that you can enthusiastically embrace and maintain for the rest of your life?

Imagine if you woke up every day looking forward to each meal youre going to eat and enjoying it guilt-free because you knew, with certainty, exactly what is going to happen in your body and why.

Imagine peoples surprise when they see you having your cake and eating it, tooquite literally! Imagine their continued confusion as you lose fat and improve your health while eating foods strictly verboten by the latest and greatest diet gurus. Yes, Im talking about grains, starchy carbs, fruit, red meat, and even the most dreaded molecule of them all, sugar.

Well, you can have all these things! Its not nearly as complicated or tough as the diet and nutrition industry would have you believe. It doesnt matter whether youre 21 or 61, whether youre in shape or not. No matter who you are, I promise that you can change your body into whatever you desire and you can do it without all the mental and physical agony that so many other people have to go through.

So, would you like my help?

If you answered, Yes! then youve taken a leap, not a step, toward your goals to become a leaner, healthier you.

Your journey to dietary freedom begins as soon as you turn to the next page.

A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if youre not enough without one, youll never be enough with one.
IRV FROM THE MOVIE COOL RUNNINGS

Im Mike, and I believe that every person can achieve the body of his or her dreams. I work hard to give everyone that chance by providing workable, proven advice grounded in science.

Ive been training for more than a decade now and have tried just about every type of workout program, diet regimen, and supplement you can imagine.

While I dont know everything, I know what works and what doesnt.

Like most guys, I had no clue what I was doing when I started out. I turned to magazines for help, which had me spending a couple of hours in the gym every day and wasting hundreds of dollars on worthless supplements each month, only to make mediocre gains.

This went on for years, and I jumped from workout program to workout program. I tried all kinds of splits and routines, exercises, rep ranges, and other schemes, and while I made some progress during this time (its impossible not to if you just keep at it), it was slow going and eventually put me in a rut.

My weight remained stuck for over a year, and I wasnt building any strength to speak of. I had no idea what to do with my nutrition beyond eating clean and making sure I was getting a lot of protein.

I turned to various trainers for guidance, but they had me do more of the same. I liked working out too much to quit, but I wasnt happy with my body, and I didnt know what I was doing wrong.

TIME TO GET SMART

I finally decided that it was time to get educatedto throw the magazines away, get off the forums, and learn the actual physiology of muscle growth and fat loss to figure out what it takes to build a muscular, lean, and strong body.

I sought out the work of top strength and bodybuilding coaches, talked to scores of natural bodybuilders, and read hundreds of scientific papers. A clear picture emerged.

The real science of getting into incredible shape is very simplemuch simpler than the health and fitness and supplement industries want us to believe. It flies in the face of almost all the crap that we hear on TV, read in magazines, and see in the gym.

As a result of what I learned, I completely changed the way I trained and ate, and my body responded in ways I couldnt believe. My strength skyrocketed. My muscles were growing again for the first time in years. My energy levels went through the roof.

THE BIRTH OF MY CAREER

Along the way, my friends noticed the improvements in my physique and began asking for advice. I became their unofficial trainer.