Muscle for Life

In this podcast, I interview Chanel Collette all about her experience transitioning from a long-time physique competitor to embracing other forms of motivation in her training, and all of the mindset shifts and body image hurdles that come with that. Most people get into strength training and bodybuilding to achieve a certain look, whether it’s losing fat, building muscle, or both. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with training to look good, but once you have a few years of proper training under your belt, progress is so slow that it becomes unnoticeable. So how do you stay motivated and keep training fun once you’re no longer seeing changes in the mirror every week, month, or even year? That’s one of the topics I discuss in this podcast with Chanel. In case you’re not familiar with Chanel, she’s a former physique and wellness competitor who competed in various bikini shows and won Ms. Bikini Universe in 2014 and overall champion at Fitness Universe in 2016. She’s also a strength and conditioning coach, c

This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on Muscle For Life. In my usual Q&A episodes, I take a question from email or Instagram and then fully answer it in an episode of the podcast every week. However, over on Instagram, I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it occurred to me that many podcast listeners might enjoy hearing these questions and my short answers. So, instead of talking about one thing in an episode, I’m going to cover a variety of questions. And keep in mind some of these questions are just for fun. :) So if you want to ask me questions in my Instagram stories, follow me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness), and if I answer your question there, it might just make it onto an episode of the podcast! If you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram. And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. Timestamps 6:21 - W

I’ve written and recorded a lot of evidence-based content over the years on just about everything you can imagine related to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy. I’ve also worked with thousands of men and women of all ages and circumstances and helped them get into the best shape of their lives. That doesn’t mean you should blindly swallow everything I say, though, because let’s face it—nobody is always right about everything. And especially in fields like diet and exercise, which are constantly evolving thanks to the efforts of honest and hardworking researchers and thought leaders. This is why I’m always happy to hear from people who disagree with me, especially when they have good arguments and evidence to back up their assertions. Sometimes I can’t get on board with their positions, but sometimes I end up learning something, and either way, I always appreciate the discussion. That gave me the idea for this series of podcast episodes: publicly addressing things people disagree with me on and s

In this podcast, I interview Dr. Aaron Horschig all about lifting injuries, including injury prevention, treatment, and pain management. I thought Aaron would be the perfect guest for this topic because he has a book called Rebuilding Milo, which is all about fixing common lifting injuries, whether it’s knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, you name it. Of course, when it comes to injuries, you can kick the can down the road by loading up on NSAIDs and slathering on Icy Hot, but to really deal with injuries and pain correctly, you need to assess and address the root cause, which Aaron helps you do through his book. In case you’re not familiar with Aaron, he’s the founder of SquatUniversity.com, has a doctorate in physical therapy, and has been involved in olympic weightlifting for over a decade as both a competitor and coach. So, he knows how to approach injury prevention and rehab from the perspective of someone who actually lifts and has experience with professional athletes. In this episode, we

This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on Muscle For Life. In my usual Q&A episodes, I take a question from email or Instagram and then fully answer it in an episode of the podcast every week. However, over on Instagram, I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it occurred to me that many podcast listeners might enjoy hearing these questions and my short answers. So, instead of talking about one thing in an episode, I’m going to cover a variety of questions. And keep in mind some of these questions are just for fun. :) So if you want to ask me questions in my Instagram stories, follow me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness), and if I answer your question there, it might just make it onto an episode of the podcast! If you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram. And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. Timestamps 2:24 - D

In this podcast, I chat with my friend, Michael Chernow, about his new oatmeal and apparel business called Kreatures of Habit. In case you’re not familiar with Michael, he’s a trained chef and “serial entrepreneur” with repeat success in the restaurant industry, including The Meatball Shop (with 8 locations) and Seamore’s (a sustainable seafood restaurant). It’s clear Michael hasn’t just “gotten lucky,” but knows how to build effective brands and businesses, and I’ve had him on the podcast before to talk about entrepreneurship. And that’s why I wanted to get him back on the show to talk about this new endeavor. A direct-to-consumer oatmeal business is a horse of a different color from a restaurant, so I wanted to ask Michael how things are going and what inspired him to delve outside of his usual realm of restaurant entrepreneurship. In our discussion, we discuss the backstory of Kreatures of Habit, the importance and life-changing benefits of habits in general, money and financial freedom, the challenges he’

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question: Are deadlifts worth the risk? If you have a question you’d like me to answer, leave a comment below or if you want a faster response, send an email to mike@muscleforlife.com. Timestamps 5:22 - Are deadlifts a risky or dangerous exercise for your average lifter or lifestyle bodybuilder? 10:52 - What’s the best alternative to the conventional deadlift? Rack pulls. 11:22 - Do deadlifts hurt your biceps? 15:56 - Is deadlifting especially difficult to recover from? Is 3 sets too much? 16:25 - What is CNS fatigue? 18:42 - Why should you deadlift? What are the benefits of deadlifting? 20:37 - Can deadlifts affect your h

This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on Muscle For Life. In my usual Q&A episodes, I take a question from email or Instagram and then fully answer it in an episode of the podcast every week. However, over on Instagram, I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it occurred to me that many podcast listeners might enjoy hearing these questions and my short answers. So, instead of talking about one thing in an episode, I’m going to cover a variety of questions. And keep in mind some of these questions are just for fun. :) So if you want to ask me questions in my Instagram stories, follow me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness), and if I answer your question there, it might just make it onto an episode of the podcast! If you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram. And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. Timestamps 4:09 - R

In this podcast, I chat with Stan Efferding all about speed training. If you’re not familiar with speed training, it’s based on the concept of lifting lighter weights with maximum velocity in order to increase your speed when using heavier weights. Basically, it boils do to doing lighter work as fast as possible (while still using proper form, of course). Speed training is particularly useful for powerlifters looking to increase their totals. However, it’s also useful for people looking to try new things in the gym or maybe even squeeze out a bit more muscle and strength gain if they’ve already achieved the majority of their natural potential. And because I haven’t done speed training myself, I wanted to get an expert like Stan onto the podcast to help people who are interested in this type of training. In case you’re not familiar with Stan, he’s held two all-time raw world powerlifting records and is colloquially known as the “world’s strongest bodybuilder.” He’s more than just super-strong, though. He also

“Can you recommend a book for…?” “What are you reading right now?” “What are your favorite books?” I get asked those types of questions a lot and, as an avid reader and all-around bibliophile, I’m always happy to oblige. I also like to encourage people to read as much as possible because knowledge benefits you much like compound interest. The more you learn, the more you know; the more you know, the more you can do; the more you can do, the more opportunities you have to succeed. On the flip side, I also believe there’s little hope for people who aren’t perpetual learners. Life is overwhelmingly complex and chaotic, and it slowly suffocates and devours the lazy and ignorant. So, if you’re a bookworm on the lookout for good reads, or if you’d like to get into the habit of reading, this book club for you. The idea here is simple: Every month, I’ll share a book that I’ve particularly liked, why I liked it, and several of my key takeaways from it. I’ll also keep things short and sweet so you can quickly decide wh

Some people do make the time to listen to most or even all of my podcasts, but my wizbang analytics tell me that while many listeners tune in on a regular basis, they don’t catch every installment of Muscle for Life and thus miss out on insights that could help them get a little better inside and outside the gym. And so I got an idea: how about a “best of” series of podcasts that contains a few of the most practical and compelling ideas, tips, and moments from my most popular episodes? This way, people who are new to the show can quickly determine if it’s for them or not, and those who enjoy what I’m doing but don’t have the time or inclination to listen to all of my stuff can still benefit from the discussions and find new episodes to listen to. So, in this installment of The Best of Muscle for Life, you’ll be hearing hand-picked morsels from three episodes: Mark Rippetoe on the Right (and Wrong) Ways to Squat (Originally published 4/6/2018) What Do I REALLY Think About People on Steroids? (Originally publis

In this podcast, Jordan Syatt and I chat about building a healthy relationship with food. Have you ever felt anxious about going off your diet by going out to eat? Or nervous about going on vacation because you’re afraid you’ll lose all of your hard-earned progress and gain gobs of fat? If so, you might need to improve your relationship with food. In this interview, Jordan explains what a healthy (and unhealthy) relationship with food is, why it matters, how to develop good food habits, how to avoid restricting and bingeing cycles, and more. In case you’re not familiar with Jordan, he holds several powerlifting records, has a Bachelors of Science in Health & Behavior Science, and hosts his own successful podcast called The Jordan Syatt Mini-Podcast. He’s also a strength and nutrition coach (with clients like Gary Vaynerchuk), and has a lot of experience with the personal points of coaching people and helping them adopt healthier, sustainable lifestyles. In other words, he’s spent a lot of time thinking ab

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question: Should you do very high-rep, “finisher” sets in your workouts? If you have a question you’d like me to answer, leave a comment below or if you want a faster response, send an email to mike@muscleforlife.com. Timestamps 4:01 - Why do some people recommend including very high-rep sets in your training? 6:08 - What do I think about very high-rep training? 7:17 - Why do I not recommend high-rep training? 9:36 - Are very high-rep sets effective for gaining muscle? 11:53 - Does getting a pump matter? Do very high-rep sets give you a better pump? 13:50 - Who should do very high-rep training? Mentioned on the Show: Shop

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question: How does menopause affect fitness? How does it affect diet and training? What can you do to mitigate the effects of menopause? If you have a question you’d like me to answer, leave a comment below or if you want a faster response, send an email to mike@muscleforlife.com. Timestamps 4:02 - How does menopause affect fitness? 8:04 - What role do hormones play? 11:33 - What can women do to manage menopause? 13:49 - Dietary tips for menopausal women. 14:57 - Eat phytoestrogen-containing foods. 16:00 - Exercise and menopause. 19:40 - The importance of patience. Mentioned on the Show: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: ht

In this podcast, I chat with Menno Henselmans all about the science of self-control and willpower. Menno just released a book called The Science of Self-Control, which is an evidence-based look at willpower and how to be more productive. This isn’t your typical self-help book either, filled with anecdote and fluff. It’s more like a textbook in the sense that it references over 500 scientific papers while giving you practical tips on boosting your self-control. Menno’s book will help anyone understand what self-control is, and how you can boost yours so that you can better stick to a diet, work smarter (not harder), and simply put, be better. In this interview, Menno and I discuss the two-system theory of self-control, the causes of willpower depletion, simple tips to boost your focus (including taking imaginary breaks!), and a whole lot more, only scratching the surface of what’s in his book. Menno has been a repeat guest on my podcast, but in case you’re not familiar with him, he’s a former business consulta

This podcast is going to cover a technical aspect of muscle building. I’m discussing which is more important for getting bigger and stronger: hypertrophy or hyperplasia? What do those words even mean? Well, hypertrophy is when your muscle cells get bigger, and hyperplasia is when the number of muscle cells increases. Scientists aren’t sure whether hyperplasia even happens in humans, but “believers” contend that both hypertrophy and hyperplasia contribute to muscle growth. Thus, according to them, you should train to produce both of these phenomena to gain muscle as quickly as possible. Focusing on hypertrophy or hyperplasia would change how you train, so this topic has practical applications I’m going to break down for you in this podcast. Timestamps: 4:27 - What is hypertrophy? 4:46 - What are the components of muscle? 4:56 - What is myofibrilar hypertrophy? 5:16 - What is muscle hyperplasia? 5:37 - Does hyperplasia happen in humans? 7:16 - Does hyperplasia exist? 8:10 - How do you induce hyperplasia in ani

I’ve written and recorded a lot of evidence-based content over the years on just about everything you can imagine related to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy. I’ve also worked with thousands of men and women of all ages and circumstances and helped them get into the best shape of their lives. That doesn’t mean you should blindly swallow everything I say, though, because let’s face it—nobody is always right about everything. And especially in fields like diet and exercise, which are constantly evolving thanks to the efforts of honest and hardworking researchers and thought leaders. This is why I’m always happy to hear from people who disagree with me, especially when they have good arguments and evidence to back up their assertions. Sometimes I can’t get on board with their positions, but sometimes I end up learning something, and either way, I always appreciate the discussion. That gave me the idea for this series of podcast episodes: publicly addressing things people disagree with me on and s

In this podcast, I interview Tara, who read Thinner Leaner Stronger and used what she learned to lose a total of 80 pounds, going from “morbidly obese” to super fit. She didn’t just lose a ton of fat, either. Tara gained quite a bit of muscle and got super strong in the process. Before finding TLS, Tara was 204 pounds at 5’5”, and her doctor told her she needed to lose some weight. Like many people, Tara wanted to get in shape, but didn’t know how to do it correctly. She didn’t know what to eat or what to do in the gym, and like many women, started to do hours of cardio every day. She successfully lost over 60 pounds, but she was skinny fat and even more unhappy with her body than before. Fortunately, she found my work through a conversation she overheard at the gym, and she read TLS. She learned all about macros and lifting weights, and started to train. The weight continued to fall off, and now Tara’s body composition was improving. She was getting stronger and gaining muscle, and her loose skin started to

If you’re “searching for things on the Internet” or “watching YouTube videos” or “reading articles,” some say you aren’t “doing your own research” but merely “consuming content.” This plays well with the peanut gallery because, as Aldous Huxley noted, the opportunity to maltreat others with good conscience, to misbehave as a form of “righteous indignation,” is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.⁣ What is “research,” though?⁣ The hecklers will often say something like, “it’s skillfully reviewing every study you can find on the matter and determining the balance of the evidence.”⁣ If you consult a dictionary, though, research is “studious inquiry or examination.” Ferreting around on the internet to find things to watch, read, and listen to is in fact “doing research,” then. The crux, however, is how you go about it. Are you doing good research? ⁣ And that requires more than just scientific literacy. ⁣ So, can you “do good research” if you’re not an educated specialist? Listen

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question: Is reverse pyramid training a good way to train? If you have a question you’d like me to answer, leave a comment below or if you want a faster response, send an email to mike@muscleforlife.com. Timestamps 3:24 - What is reverse pyramid training (RPT)? 10:56 - Is reverse pyramid training effective? 14:02 - What are the advantages of reverse pyramid training? 18:23 - What are the downsides of reverse pyramid training? Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/beyond-bigger-leaner-stronger/