Muscle for Life

It’s time for another contentious topic, my friends. No, not volume, frequency, or intensity. Today, we’re talking about workout splits. Specifically, full-body training. Full-body and higher-frequency training has become more popular lately. And if you’ve followed my work over the years, you know I haven’t been a big proponent of full-body workouts. In fact, in previous editions of Bigger Leaner Stronger, the workouts had typical “bro-split” names (even though the workouts themselves were more like a Push Pull Legs split with added accessory days). So, it’s not too surprising that I frequently get asked for my thoughts on full-body training versus body part splits and the “best workout split” in general. Well, full-body workouts can definitely work well in certain situations—like when you’re a beginner or when you can only train one or two times per week. But for this episode, I decided to bring in a big proponent of and expert on full-body training, Menno Henselmans. Menno has been a repeat guest on my podc

Imagine for a moment that we’ve just received a message from an alien race in a galaxy far, far away. “Hey, Earthlings,” it reads. “Want to hang out?” Despite Elon Musk’s protests, our response would probably be something along the lines of “We’re in a weird place right now . . . can you call back later?” While the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be behind us, and most countries have begun reopening, many restrictions remain in place around the world. Social distancing, mask wearing, occupancy limitations, and border closures are all in effect, and now the question on everyone’s mind is, When can we open up completely? After all, the original goal of the lockdowns, social distancing, and so forth was to “flatten the curve”—to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by an onslaught of COVID-19 patients—but that threat never seemed to materialize. For example, in New York City, one of the hardest hit areas in the U.S., hospitals reached about 85% capacity, and intensive care units hit about 90% capacit

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.”  (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. So, if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. --- Mentioned on The Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ --- Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click HERE: https://legionathletics.com/signup/

Pity our poor thyroid. This small gland is blamed for countless weight loss frustrations and is a consistent scapegoat for people who encounter fat loss plateaus. And that’s understandable. The thyroid affects metabolism and hypothyroidism (suppressed thyroid function) can slow the basal metabolic rate and reduce fat loss if you don’t adjust your diet or get treated.  I hear from many people who have thyroid issues asking for advice on how to lose weight, how to adjust their diets, and how to improve their overall health. This isn’t a subject I’ve touched on directly, so I decided to bring on a true thyroid expert, Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, to elucidate this little gland’s function and how it relates to fitness and health. In this interview, Dr. Nadolsky discusses …   - What is the thyroid, what does it do, and what are hypo- and hyperthyroidism? - How big of an effect can impaired thyroid function have on metabolism? - T3, T4, and TSH hormones - Goitrogenic foods and whether they should be avoided - Th

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 Jamie, who read Thinner Leaner Stronger and used my coaching program to bulk up from an underweight 93 pounds, to lean and muscular at 105 pounds.  At 5”1’, Jamie has always been petite. Somewhere along the way, though, she got up to 125 pounds and 33% body fat, and decided to make a change. She wanted to lose some weight, so she did what most people do: a lot of cardio and restricted her food intake. Unfortunately, this lead to a lot of yo yo dieting, bingeing, and even anorexia, without much progress in the way of body composition. It also lead to low bone density, which spiraled into full-blown osteoporosis. Doctors told her she had to gain weight, and luckily, Jamie discovered strength training and found my books. This transformed her understanding of what it takes to gain muscle and eat well, which lit a fire under her to lift weights and improve her diet. Given her history, however, Jamie was terrified to gain weight. So, after buying herself a home gym, Jamie signed up

Weightlifting may look easy compared to sports like golf, soccer, or gymnastics, but it’s far more technical than most people realize.  For example, properly performing a barbell back squat requires balance, coordination, and strength in a variety of muscle groups. Even the humdrum bench press and deadlift demand meticulous timing and muscular control. Your weightlifting technique also has a major impact on your long-term fitness results.  In a way, learning proper weightlifting technique is like mastering the fundamentals of personal finance.  “Invest” early by taking the time to hone good weightlifting technique, and that time and effort will pay dividends for the rest of your weightlifting journey.   So, what’s the best way to learn weightlifting technique?  Well, it’s not what most people do, which is aping others in the gym. The fact is that most people who lift weights don’t use good technique, and if you try to mimic what they’re doing, you’ll end up making the same mistakes.&n

Many people out there who don’t know nearly as much as you probably don’t know about losing weight. For example, they don’t know what energy balance is, they do know that if they just starve themselves, if they eat very little and move around a lot, do a lot of cardio, they will lose weight. And of course, that’s true.  But often what happens is these people do that and then they don’t know what to do after and they end up gaining all the weight that they lost back or sometimes even more.  And that usually is either the beginning of or just another episode of a long saga of yoyo dieting, where their weight goes up to a point where they’re uncomfortable and they feel like they have to lose weight or revert back to their old ways that results in rapid weight gain. Research shows that most people out there who diet regain at least 50% of the weight they lose in the first year after losing it. The most powerful way to break this cycle to be able to lose weight is developing the right habits. In this epi

For everyday gym-goers and fitness enthusiasts, nutrition is pretty simple. Control your calories, eat enough protein, get a nice mix of carbs and healthy fats from nutritious, whole foods, and you’re basically set if you just want to lose fat, build muscle, and get healthier.  This changes for high-level athletes, though.   When performance is your livelihood, nutritional optimization becomes paramount because dietary mistakes have bigger consequences. For instance, not properly fueling before a big event can mean the difference between winning and losing, and many athletes need to carefully manage their energy balance to ensure they’re not hindering their performance with a deficit or packing on unwanted fat with a surplus. While you and I probably don't need to micromanage our meal plans as thoroughly as athletes, we can certainly learn some useful tips and tricks for making our meal plans a little more effective for our goals.  In today’s interview, Dr. Susan Kleiner discusses how she

This episode is part of a weekly series that I have dubbed “Motivation Monday.”  (Yes, I know, very creative of me. What can I say, I’m a genius…) Seriously though, the idea here is simple: Every Monday morning, I’m going to post a short and punchy episode that I hope gets you fired up to tackle the workouts, work, and everything else that you have planned for the week ahead. As we all know, it’s one thing to know what you want to do, but it’s something else altogether to actually make yourself do it, and I hope that this series gives you a jolt of inspiration, energy, and encouragement to get at it. So, if you like what you hear, then make sure to check back every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. --- Mentioned on The Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: legionathletics.com/shop/ --- Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/

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

“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

As someone who’s helped legions of people (har har) lose fat, get lean, and build muscle, it’s no surprise I also get asked about preparing for natural bodybuilding and bikini competitions. After all, there’s a lot of overlap between natural bodybuilding and getting fitter as a recreational weightlifter. While I’ve never done a bodybuilding show or coached serious competitors, I’ve gotten “photoshoot lean” several times. And while it was fun seeing ab veins in the mirror and I got to take a lot of cool pictures, this physique came with a price: mild lethargy, decreased performance and motivation in the gym, semi-persistent low-grade hunger, and less sex drive. Natural bodybuilders get considerably leaner than I was and suffer a lot more to get in that condition.  If you look around for information on what it’s really like to prepare for these competitions, though, you’re likely to come across rose-colored accounts that make getting shredded look like a cakewalk.  The truth is that getting down to “s

It’s no secret most weightlifters don’t like cardio.  Most avoid it because it’s uncomfortable. Others are worried it’ll interfere with their ability to gain strength and muscle. And others just find it boring and pointless. After all, if you’re already lifting weights several times per week, how much can you really benefit by adding a bit of cardio to your weekly routine?  Sure, you’ve heard about the health benefits of cardio. Things like lowering blood pressure and bad cholesterol, and improving blood flow and arterial health, but can’t you get most of those benefits from lifting weights, too?  And what if you modify your weightlifting to more closely resemble cardio by resting less between sets, lifting weights faster, doing more reps with lighter weight, and so forth? Could this give you the benefits of weightlifting and cardio? The short answer?  Sort of.  Weightlifting does offer many of the same health benefits as cardio, including improved heart health, insulin sensitivity,

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 three questions: 1. When is the second edition of Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger going to come out and how is it different from the first edition?  2. How do you increase your biceps peak?  3. What is your current position on reverse dieting?  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. Recommended reading for this episode: https://legionathletics.com/how-to-get-bigger-stronger-biceps/ https://legionathletics.com/reverse-diet-steps/ --- Timestamps: 4:49 - When is the second edition of Beyond Bigger Le

Why do food cravings strike when you least want them? You know…you’re at work and locked in the conference room when you remember the cake down the hall. Minutes turn to hours as you fixate on that chocolatey goodness. Or you’ve just crawled into bed, only to find yourself overwhelmed by a hankering for the cold pizza languishing in the fridge (it would be so much happier in your belly!). Or your meal plan’s archenemy: the midday slump, where your brain refuses to work for anything but carbs and sugar. Sigh. If only we craved chicken breasts and vegetables…hitting our macros would be so easy… Well, that may be wishful thinking, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a slave to your food cravings and abandon your quest for the ideal body. The reality is cravings aren’t nearly as vexing when you know why they occur and how to manage them, which is what this podcast is going to be all about. Let’s begin. --- Timestamps: 3:32 - What is a food craving? 5:50 - How does alcohol cause food cravings? 8:16 - How does re

It has been said that there are two types of weightlifters in the world: On one hand, you have the people who just want to get as strong as possible—“aesthetics” be damned—and on the other hand, you have the people who just want pretty physiques, even if it’s all “show” and little “go.” I don’t know about you, but I’m somewhere in the middle—I got into lifting to look better and that’s still a major motivator, but I also enjoy training heavy and hard and knowing that all this flesh I’ve added to my frame has some function, too.  This is why I’ve advocated for a “powerbuilding” style of training from the beginning of my evidence-based fitness journey, even if I wasn’t familiar with the term at the time.  Basically, what we’re talking about is blending strength training and bodybuilding in a way that allows us to gain considerable strength and muscle—that delivers steak and sizzle. To help explain how powerbuilding works, I invited Kyle Hunt back onto the show. In case you’re not familiar with Kyle, h

I get asked quite frequently about my personal training and eating habits. People who read my books, read my articles, or listen to my podcasts know what I recommend in terms of training and dieting, but what does my personal regimen look like? In other words, what’s really going on behind the scenes when you peel back the curtain? What’s my exact training routine and what do my meals look like? And which supplements am I taking and why? Well, if you check out my Instagram stories, you’ll get glimpses now and then. I occasionally post videos of some sets during a workout or pictures of a meal. But in this episode, I’m going to reveal the whole shebang. People ask to see a full day of eating or what a week of training looks like for me, and I understand. Seeing how someone who’s been dieting and lifting weights correctly for over a decade does things can be a valuable learning experience, so I’m going to give the people what they want. And while I’ve answered these sorts of requests in past episodes of the pod

In this episode, I interview Andrew, who used Bigger Leaner Stronger to transform his understanding of getting fit and finally start making real progress. When Andrew was 240 pounds and out of shape, he decided to make a change. He wanted to lose some weight, and he did what most people do: hopped on the treadmill for endless hours of cardio, ate way too much, and . . . not much changed. Eventually, he got fed up with spinning his wheels, did a bit of Googling, and found Bigger Leaner Stronger. After reading the book, Andrew understood what he was doing wrong, and had a plan to fix it. He started following the BLS program and it helped him completely transform his physique and life.  He ended up losing 80 pounds while getting significantly stronger. In fact, the changes were so significant that his friends and co-workers started asking him what he was doing. In this interview, Andrew and I talk about his story and the key lessons he’s learned along the way, including how he was eating and exercising befo

You’ve probably heard that stretching is one of the pillars of an effective fitness plan, right up there with strength training and cardio. This same message is shared by personal trainers, group fitness instructors, and coaches around the world: You need to stay flexible to avoid injury, properly perform various exercises, and stay healthy into old age, and stretching is the best way to do this. Others disagree. Some say that stretching isn’t all that important for improving your fitness, and that it can negatively affect your performance and might not be as helpful for protecting against injuries as was once believed. Others say that while stretching may have some merit in certain situations, it’s unnecessary for most people. Who’s right? Is stretching really an essential aspect of an effective fitness routine, or is it just an outdated ritual based on faulty past assumptions, like the idea we need to eat immediately after every workout or that doing more reps automatically leads to more muscle growth? You’