Muscle for Life

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

Life is full of surprises and things don’t always go as planned. This episode of the podcast is the perfect example of that. ;) That’s because I’m once again chatting with repeat guest Pat Flynn, and what was supposed to be a discussion about liberalism, morphed into a twisting and turning maze of philosophical ponderings. While you may mostly listen to my podcast for the health and fitness content, our musings aren’t completely unrelated. Life is more than just physical fitness. Ideally, we want to live well beyond fitness, and “flourish” as Pat likes to say. Pat is a repeat guest not only because I enjoy our conversations, but I’ve gotten great feedback from listeners who like hearing about these deeper, philosophical topics we wade through. In case you’re not familiar with Pat, not only is he a fitness expert who is known for his kettlebell prowess, but he’s also a podcaster, philosopher, and author. In this episode, our conversation runs the gamut, with several topics, including . . . Masks and lockdown

In this podcast, we’re going to talk about the “fat burning zone,” which is something you’ve probably heard about many times. When I first got into fitness, I read that if you’re doing cardio to lose fat, you better be doing it in the “fat burning zone.” If you don’t, proponents claim, your cardio is going to be a lot less effective, or maybe even completely ineffective. You’ll simply end up burning through the glycogen in your muscles or the carbs in your blood, leaving your body fat untouched and unscathed. This idea has stood the test of time, too. It’s been around for at least 50 years now, and many people think the fat burning zone is the ticket to losing weight. As you’re going to learn in this podcast, the fat burning zone is largely a myth. Lower-intensity cardio that burns a larger proportion of fat isn’t necessarily better than higher-intensity exercise when it comes to overall fat loss. That doesn’t mean you have to do a lot of high-intensity cardio either, though. Find out why by listening to this

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: What type of water should you drink? Tap? Bottled? Alkaline? 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. Mentioned on the Show: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://buylegion.com/vip Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

In this podcast, you’re going to learn how to be bad. I don’t mean Mad Max lone-wanderer badass bad. I mean how to be a bad client bad--that is, how to be uncoachable bad. You see, hiring a coach isn’t just a one-and-done transaction that gets you to your goal. If you want results, you still have to do the work. You have to be willing to learn, put in the time, and reach your goals with the help of a guiding hand. A coach is there to make a plan and guide you, but it’s a team effort. And there are many ways to mess up that client-coach relationship. Someone who knows all about good clients and bad alike is Cody McBroom, and this subject of how to be uncoachable is the topic of this podcast. Cody is a repeat-guest on my show, but in case you’re not familiar with him, he’s the CEO and founder of the Tailored Coaching Method, a lifestyle training and nutrition coaching company (that also coaches coaches how to coach), and host of the Tailored Life podcast. In this episode, we chat about . . . The various ways

The “One Meal a Day” (OMAD) diet has been around for a while, but it’s more popular now than ever before. That’s likely because fasting, intermittent fasting, and diets that revolve around not eating for long periods of time are more popular in general. OMAD is the most extreme variation of intermittent fasting, and much tougher to follow than the Leangains protocol, for example. Why would you want to eat just one meal a day, though? If you’re not doing it currently, should you consider it? Many people say OMAD improves your metabolic health, reduces your risk of disease, helps you live longer, and is generally superior to traditional eating. Other people are less convinced and question the efficacy, safety, practicality, and necessity of OMAD. So that’s what this podcast is all about. What is the OMAD diet, what are its benefits,  what are the downsides, who should consider it (and who should not), and more. Timestamps: 4:54 - What is the OMAD diet? 10:19 - What are the benefits of the OMAD diet? 15:05

I’ve recorded hundreds of episodes of Muscle for Life on a huge variety of things related to health, fitness, and lifestyle, ranging from the basics of diet and exercise like energy and macronutrient balance and progressive overload and training frequency and volume to fads like the ketogenic and carnivore diet and collagen protein to more unfamiliar territories like body weight set point and fasted cardio. Some episodes resonate with my crowd more than others, but all of them contain at least a few key takeaways that just about anyone can benefit from (that’s what I tell myself at least). And as cool as that is, it poses a problem for you, my dear listener: Ain’t nobody got time for that. Well okay, 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.

In this episode, I interview Sara, who read Thinner Leaner Stronger and used what she learned to go from obese (with a BMI of 32) to ripped at 18% body fat, while getting significantly stronger in the process. Before finding TLS, Sara was 190 pounds and a size 16 after having 4 kids, and was at her heaviest. She wanted to get in shape, but didn’t know the best way to go about it. She started to learn about calories and tracking her food intake through Noom, and the weight started to come off. Once a friend introduced her to TLS, though, she deepend her understanding of nutrition and most importantly, started to learn how to train. She stopped doing heaps of cardio, learned about progressive overload, and actually started to gain muscle and improve her body composition. Now she’s 135 pounds at 18% body fat, and significantly stronger than before with visible abs for the first time in her life. In this interview, Sara and I chat about her story, and the obstacles she navigated along the way, including how she c

This podcast is all about alpha-GPC, which is one of my favorite supplements. That’s why you can kind it in my pre-workout Pulse and my nootropic Ascend. Alpha-GPC has promise as both a performance enhancer and a cognitive booster and preserver. It’s also well-tolerated with very few side effects, which is not something that can be said about a lot of other nootropic supplements. So, should you try alpha-GPC? Will it help you push a little bit harder in the gym without the side effects associated with stimulants? Find out in this podcast. Timestamps: 5:27 - What is Alpha-GPC? 8:36 - What are the power and strength benefits with supplementing with Aplha-GPC? 11:57 - What are the cognitive benefits with supplementing with Alpha-GPC? 14:23 - What are the growth hormone benefits with supplementing with Aplha-GPC? Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://

I got a lot of great feedback on my previous podcast about weightlifting cues. In that episode, I covered my favorite cues for the squat, deadlift, and bench press. So, I thought I would do another episode covering the best cues for the front squat, overhead press, pull-up, chin-up, and the barbell row, which are some of my favorite exercises besides the “big three.” So, if you want to learn what weightlifting cues are, as well as my favorite cues for better form and performing better in the gym, listen to this episode! Timestamps: 2:19 - What is a cue? 8:17 - Front squat cues 11:24 - Overhead press cues 15:34 - Pull up and chin up cues 18:55 - barbell row and dumbbell row cues Mentioned on the Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

In this podcast, I interview Brooke Ence, an entrepreneur, actress, and CrossFit icon, which she became after winning 1st place in the California Regional at the 2015 CrossFit Games (her first year competing, by the way). She looks the part too, which is how she’s garnered over 1.5 million followers on Instagram, and landed roles as an Amazon warrior in Wonder Woman, Justice League, and Black Lightning. Reaching this level of performance and maintaining the look isn't easy, of course, and in this episode, we chat about Brooke’s story and how she ended up here. Specifically, we talk about . . . Her history in sports and athletics How she got involved in CrossFit and what it was like training (alone) for the CrossFit Games The data and mindset required to perform at your peak Why you have to do more than just "show up" Genetics and natural talent versus drive Social media and vlogging And more . . . So if you want to learn how Brooke became the “superhero” she is today, check out this podca

Today we’re talking about DHEA supplements. This is a popular supplement because DHEA can influence your hormones. Many people believe if you can enhance your hormones, you can look better, perform better, feel better, and more. That’s true because healthy living can help optimize your hormones, which has beneficial downstream effects. You can also affect your hormonal profile through medications, synthetic hormones, and supplements, but most of the stuff that actually works is only available through a prescription. As far as supplements go, most “testosterone boosters” are junk. However, DHEA can raise your testosterone in certain conditions, which is what I’m going to talk about in this podcast. Timestamps: 7:00 - What is DHEA? 10:29 - What are the benefits of DHEA? 15:16 - What are the side effects of DHEA? 16:23 - What is the effective dose of DHEA? Mentioned on the Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet

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: Does energy flux have any significant effects on fat loss and muscle retention? 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 Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

If you (k)need help with your knees (har har), this podcast is for you. That’s because I’m having a chat with Ben Patrick, also known as the Knees Over Toes Guy, and we’re talking all about improving knee function and pain. In case you’re not familiar with Ben, he’s taken the fitness world by storm with a seemingly controversial and contrarian stance on the old adage of never pushing your knees past your toes. So much so that he’s gained over 1 million followers across social media fast, and been featured on the Joe Rogan podcast. Ben gave up a career in college basketball to help people build strong, healthy knees, reduce knee pain, avoid surgery, and unlock their athletic potential. We’ll get more into his background in the interview, but after spending his teenage years riddled with chronic knee pain and getting knee surgery, he developed his own system to build bulletproof knees. Now he can perform impressive feats of lower body mobility and knee strength, and coaches everyone from to newbies dealing with

This podcast is all about reps in reserve (RIR). Specifically, I’ll discuss what that is and why you should be tracking it in your workouts. If you’re familiar with my work, you’re probably already tracking a lot of things: your body weight, how much weight you’re putting on the bar, your sets and reps, and more. One thing you’re probably not tracking, however, is reps in reserve. After your first 6 to 8 months of training and you’ve passed the newbie gains phase, reps in reserve becomes vital in your training. This is true whether you're using double progression or linear periodization. I’ve talked before about how to use reps in reserve and why I prefer it over RPE, but this episode is specifically about tracking RIR and how I’ve found it very beneficial. Timestamps: 3:35 - What are reps in reserve? 8:35 - Strength training and reps in reserve 15:25 - Isolation exercises and reps in reserve Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike Want free workout and meal plans?

In this podcast, I interview Joe Chura, who used what he learned in Bigger Leaner Stronger to get healthy and fit, and improve his well-being. Before finding my work, Joe was climbing the ranks in the automotive industry and building his own dealership company, Dealer Inspire. Unfortunately, while he was successfully growing his business, he neglected his health, and things started to deteriorate. Between drinking a lot of alcohol, not making time to exercise, and work stress, he was more than 50 pounds overweight and developed health issues like WPW syndrome and had to have back surgery. Once he sold his companies, though, and nearly having a heart attack, he realized how important his health was. After all, what good was all his hard work if he worked himself to death? And that’s where my work comes in. Joe found and read Bigger Leaner Stronger and started following the workouts and improving his diet, which has helped him get fit and dramatically improve his everyday life. In this episode, we chat about .

In this episode, I interview Mark Bell, also known as the "Meathead Millionaire” who invented the Sling Shot. In case you’re not familiar with Mark, he’s not only a successful entrepreneur, and inventor, but he’s a world ranked powerlifter (top 10 all-time with a total of 2,628 pounds), and the owner of Super Training Products Inc. He’s also the host of his own podcast (Mark Bell’s Power Project, on which I was recently a guest), and has a popular Youtube channel. For this interview, we originally planned to chat about powerlifting, but the conversation naturally diverted into a veritable bevy of other topics, which I think you’ll find interesting. Specifically, we talk about . . . Natty expectations, the power of steroids, and the best way to compete without drugs Testosterone levels and what happens once you start taking exogenous T How Mark likes to learn (it's not reading!) Finding your natural gifts and interests, developing them, and becoming "world class" Changing your mindset (why it's ha

This podcast is all about building your arms. Whether you’re a guy who wants to put on mass or a gal who wants more defined and toned arms, this episode is going to help. While most guys want arms as big as possible, and most women I’ve talked to care more about toning their arms than adding size, the solution is the same. You want to build muscle and strength in your arms, and reduce your levels of body fat. That’s the key. And the surprising truth for most women is they need a lot more muscle and strength in their arms than they realize. That is, they’re going to have to get a lot stronger and more muscular than the average woman who doesn’t train to get their desired look. That’s how you get sculpted, defined arms that aren’t big and bulky. Most arm workouts online are all about blitzing your biceps and triceps with huge amounts of volume and fancy techniques until you can no longer move your noodly appendages, which just isn’t as effective as what I’m going to share with you in this podcast. So, press pla

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: - What is the Blood Type Diet and should you follow it? 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. --- Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: buylegion.com/mike --- Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

In this episode, I interview Ann and Lo (also known as the Minny Hustlers on Instagram), who read Thinner Leaner Stronger and used what they learned to dramatically change their physiques and lives. Before finding TLS, Ann and Lo focused on what many women do--lots of cardio and lifting light weights. While they managed to prevent weight gain (the dreaded “freshman 15”...or 20...or 30), they didn’t know how to build the bodies they really wanted with toned arms and glorious glutes. Ever since they read the book in 2015 and learned what really moves the needle in terms of body composition, they’ve totally transformed their physiques, adding muscle in all the right places while stripping away fat, and building their strength to levels they had never seen before. And the best part is by working together, Ann and Lo were able to keep each other accountable and motivate one another to push through the tough times. They also used what they learned in the book to become Legion Athletes and launch their own Instagram