Muscle for Life

In the early 1960s, a scientist named Ancel Keys was puzzling over a question: Why were rich, middle-aged businessmen in Minnesota more likely to die of heart disease than poor villagers in Italy? Up to this point, most scientists considered heart disease to be part and parcel of the aging process—a result of your decaying DNA rather than your diet or exercise habits. But then there were these remote villages in Southern Italy that had the highest rates of centenarians in the world and some of the lowest rates of heart disease, despite being populated with people genetically similar to American men. Data like this convinced Keys that heart disease might be preventable, and was bolstered by other findings. For instance, Keys discovered that in food-starved regions of post-war Europe, cardiovascular disease dropped along with the food supply, implying a connection between the two seemingly unrelated circumstances. As the evidence mounted, Keys became more convinced that diet was a key factor in the risk of hear

As a general rule of thumb there are two reasons people take gut health supplements: 1. They have been told that to be optimally healthy you need to maintain a healthy gut. 2. Something just hurts and doesn’t work properly and they’d rather it was normal. A theoretical and more long-term reason that you put your faith into, and a super simple “as long as it makes me feel better and makes the washroom trips go easier” reason. Both are valid reasons, mind you, and it wasn’t until the rise of probiotics that people even cared about gut “health.” “Gut health” can also mean many different things, and so gut health supplements can work in many different ways. And we’re going to go over the main ones that work in this podcast. Let’s get to it. ----- Mentioned on the show:  Book by Mike Matthews ----- 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/

Recently, Jordan Syatt lost 6 pounds in a month. Ho-hum, so what. Well, the twist is he did it eating a Bic Mac every day, which is also completely ho-hum if you understand energy balance, but many people don’t or don’t want to and, well, many discussions ensued after word got around. Some people refused to believe the results, others denounced the experiment as irresponsible, and others still tried to reconcile it with their fetish for calorie denial. And in this interview, Jordan shares why he pulled the stunt, what he ate on the diet (besides Big Macs), how people responded, and most importantly, what he wants people to take away from it. We also discuss strategies for staying in shape while traveling or just really busy, because as Gary Vaynerchuk’s strength and nutrition coach, Jordan knows a thing or two about helping busy, on-the-go people reach their fitness goals. Not only that, but Jordan’s also a guy who has set several powerlifting records and definitely doesn’t just talk the talk. Let’s get to th

As you might know, I’m the founder of a supplement company called Legion, and it has gone pretty well so far. In just six years, Legion has grown into an Inc 5000 company with 8 figures in annual sales and close to 200,000 customers served and much more to come. Thus, I’m often asked about how it all started, what the supplement industry is like “on the inside,” and what advice I can share to others wanting to follow in my footsteps. I was invited to go on another podcast—the Supplement Engineer Podcast—to discuss these things and more, and as I don’t talk much business here on the podcast, I thought you might find the discussion interesting. And so I’m sharing the interview here. Tune in and let me know what you think! 3:24 - Why did you step into the supplement business? 10:29 - Did any of your previous experience with building Muscle For Life help you with Legion? 12:36 - What challenges did you face with manufacturing? 17:34 - Is there any recourse for you as a brand owner when a manufacturer screws you o

If you can’t endure discomfort, you’re not going to make it very far in your training, not to mention your life. Lifting weights is hard. Doing HIIT is hard. Stick to a diet is hard. Learning valuable skills is hard. Burning the midnight oil at work is hard. Overcoming setbacks is hard. What’s more, willpower and motivation are notoriously fickle, and when they’re at a low ebb due to poor sleep, stress, angst, or whatever else get us down some days, everything only gets harder. That’s why it’s often the ability to endure that separates the successful from the unsuccessful in just about every arena of life, not just athletics Now, endurance can be defined in many ways, but my guest Alex Hutchinson has an elegant one: the strength to continue despite an increasing desire to stop. Even if you aren’t an endurance athlete (I’m not), understanding how people find the physical and mental stamina and grit to finish marathons and other even more extreme endurance events can help you reach more of your own finish lines

The first few weeks after starting a diet are usually smooth sailing. You aren’t that hungry, your energy levels are good, and you’re still adding weight in the gym. Then, often at about the four to eight-week mark, the gears begin to grind to a halt. You feel more hungry before meals and less satisfied after. Your energy levels drop and it becomes increasingly hard to add weight to your compound exercises. And worst of all, the number on the scale moves slower and slower with every weekly weigh-in. What changed? Why did dieting suddenly transform from a sprint into a slog? Are you eating too much or too little? Not doing enough cardio? Not eating the right foods? Not taking the right supplements? The answer to all of those questions lies in a hormone called leptin, which is the topic of this podcast. Leptin lies at the center of the constellation of problems every dieter experiences as they lose fat—lethargy, hunger, metabolic slowdown, and even increased risk of illness. Like anything related to weight loss

This episode is part of a monthly 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: One Monday every month, 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 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://www.legionathletics.com/signup/

Have you ever stopped losing weight despite “doing everything right” with your diet? Have you ever struggled to gain weight no matter what you ate? Have you ever wondered why some people can stay lean eating sugar and junk food regularly? Well, the principles of energy balance answer these mysteries and more. They’re the fundamental laws that dictate how your body weight changes over time, and they can be used to intentionally gain and lose weight as desired. That means that you're going to be able use what you learn in this podcast to... - Consistently break through weight loss plateaus. - Kickstart weight gain (and even if you think you’re a “hardgainer”). - Maintain your current body fat percentage with ease. The bottom line is out of everything you could learn about dieting, energy balance should be at the top of your list because it’s the biggest linchpin. In other words, if you don’t understand energy balance and know how to use it to your advantage, you’ll never be able to put the rest of the puzzle t

Winstrol is one of the most famous steroids of all time, mainly thanks to a man named Ben Johnson. In 1988, Johnson was the reigning world champion in the 100-meter dash, widely considered the most prestigious of all track and field events. He had set a world record a year before, beating Carl Lewis with a time of 9.83 seconds. He was instantly propelled to world fame, reportedly making almost $500,000 a month from endorsements. He was showered in accolades including the Lou Marsh Trophy and Lionel Conacher Award, and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year for 1987. Johnson cemented his status as the golden boy of track and field on September 24, 1988, in one of the most competitive 100-meter races ever run, when he sprinted to an Olympic gold medal and a new world record of 9.79 seconds. Unfortunately, this would be the capstone of his career. Three days later, the Olympic Doping Control Center found traces of an anabolic steroid in Johnson’s urine sample. The drug? Stanozolol, aka Winstrol. John

This is part two of my interview with Maariana, who used my Bigger Leaner Stronger program to gain over 20 pounds of muscle, fit into her college clothes again, and even improve her career as an opera singer. In case you missed the first part interview, it ended with Maariana revealing that she was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after starting Bigger Leaner Stronger. I couldn’t end the discussion there, of course, and so on it went, which is what you’re about to hear. In this part of the interview, Maariana talks about her battle with cancer and how she refused to take it lying down and instead chose to view it as a challenge and opportunity to become stronger, inside and out. This meant regular physical training in the gym alongside her treatments as well as deep research into behavioral psychology to find practical techniques for elevating mood, boosting willpower, and reinforcing resolve (and she shares some of her favorites in our discussion). So if you’re looking for a jolt of inspiration or like h

Organic food is big business these days. Here in the US, it raked in about 50 billion dollars last year alone, and that number is projected to exceed 135 billion by 2025. What does “organic” really mean, though? And is it worth it? Are you really improving your health by eating organic food, or is it just a marketing ploy to exploit the common belief that if something is more “natural,” it’s automatically better for you? Some people say you should eat as much organic food as possible, full stop. Avoid conventional produce, dairy, meat, and any GMO products at all costs, they say. Others claim there’s nothing special about organic food whatsoever beyond its price tag. Well, as is often the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle, and I invited Lacey Dunn on the podcast to break it all down. In case you’re not familiar with her, Lacey is a personal trainer, registered dietician with a master’s degree in nutrition, and the owner of UpliftFit Nutrition, where she provides science-based diet and fitness coachin

In this episode, I interview Maariana, who used my Bigger Leaner Stronger program to radically transform not only her physique, but also her career and life. Before finding her way to me and my work through her boyfriend, she had fallen into just about every health and fitness trap out there—excessive cardio, very lightweight lifting, inadequate protein intake, and on and on. Despite working at it very hard for very long, the best she was able to accomplish was a “skinny fat” physique that left her constantly hungry, tired, and frustrated. Bigger Leaner Stronger changed all of that. Through the magical wonders of heavy compound weightlifting, proper meal planning, and effective supplementation, Maariana has gained a bunch of muscle and strength while still being able to fit into the types of clothes she was wearing in college. What’s more, Maariana is a professional opera singer and Bigger Leaner Stronger has made quite a difference there, too. She’s more confident and less nervous on stage and has even notic

“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

“Lose fat by drinking fat!” “Turn on the fat-burning power of ketosis with the flip of a switch!” “Supercharge your brain with this super-oil!” These are just a few of the many reasons MCT oil peddlers say you should give them your money (and a lot of it—this stuff ain’t cheap). In fact, according to many of these self-styled gurus and “biohackers,” MCT oil is one of the most effective supplements you can take for upgrading your mind and body. Just a few tablespoons per day, they say, and you’ll drop weight, turn on ketosis (which can help you drop more weight), boost exercise performance, and increase your brainpower . . . and that’s just the first week! Now, how much would you expect to pay for such a privilege? Hundreds? Thousands? Billions? Well, would you believe that it’ll only set you back a mere $1.60 per ounce!? Yes, that’s right, for just $205 per gallon, you too can basically have superpowers! You don’t want just any MCT oil, though. You want mine, which is grass-fed, gluten-free, organic, non-GMO,

“When’s your next book coming out?” “What kind of supplements are you going to release next?” “What would you name your boat if you had one?” I’m asked questions like these all the time and so I thought I’d start doing monthly updates about what’s new and exciting here at Legion HQ. So here’s a quick hosedown of what me and my jolly band of pirates and bums have been up to lately. Enjoy! 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/

There are two very different philosophies of dieting. One revolves around planning or counting/tracking the calories and macros of everything that you eat. The IIFYM Diet is a good example of this method. The other eschews numbers and opts for rules about how, what, and when you should eat, instead. All forms of dieting that agitate for one form of “clean eating” or another fit into this category, including the subject of this podcast: intuitive eating. Both of these approaches can work, and both have pros and cons. The first, quantitative approach more or less guarantees results, but it requires a fair amount of technical know-how, and it can be rigid, impractical, and tedious. The second, qualitative method is generally easier to understand and apply and more flexible and accommodating, but it’s also easier to screw up, and thus comes with a higher failure rate. Now, I’m going to assume you’re here because you don’t want to go through door number one. You don’t want to have to weigh and measure everything t

If you’re new to working out or weightlifting in general, the world of bodybuilding can be intimidating, confusing, and contradictory. Maybe you’re getting mixed signals about how much muscle you can gain or how lean you can get. Maybe you’re struggling with the terminology of sets, reps, mesocycles, cutting, bulking, and so forth. Maybe you’re unsure of exactly what you should be doing in your workouts. Well, today’s guest, Kyle Hunt, addresses all of these things and more in his new book, Bodybuilding for Beginners, and I invited him onto the show to discuss some of the key takeaways from his book. In other words, Kyle shares a “bodybuilding 101” crash course that will help newbies get up to speed faster and remind more experienced lifters of the fundamentals that never change. We also touch on a few other topics including fitness quackery and credibility, exercise science degrees, evaluating scientific studies, and more. If any of that strikes your fancy, hit that play button! 32:43 - What is the book Body

These days, there are a variety of companies offering DNA testing so you can learn about your genealogy, origins, and genetic makeup. Chances are you’ve already used one of them, like 23andMe or Ancestry.com. There’s even more you can do with these services, though. Poke around online and you’ll find quite a few self-styled experts who are eager to review your raw DNA data and provide you with very specific lifestyle recommendations that will purportedly maximize your health, performance, and well-being, including specific foods to eat and avoid, exercise programs to follow, supplements to take, and more. On the other hand, you’ll also find plenty of credentialed guys and gals saying that such DNA-based plans are little more than pseudoscientific scams that won’t have any meaningful impact on your life beyond your wallet. As is often the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle, and that’s what Dr. Anthony Jay and I discuss in today’s episode. And to make it more interesting, I sent Dr. Jay my raw data from

If you’re a regular listener of this podcast, you’ve heard me talk about many things related to training. I’ve covered how to squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, break through plateaus, utilize different rep ranges, deload, and on and on. Something I haven’t talked about before, though, is kettlebell training. This isn’t because I think it’s without merit, though—it’s simply an unintentional oversight—and that’s why I invited Pat Flynn back on the show to break down kettlebell training for beginners. Why Pat? Well, he was once the youngest person to ever pass the Russian Kettlebell Certification, and he’s coached many people over the years on how to properly use kettlebells to lose fat, build muscle, and get stronger. In this episode, he delivers a fantastic kettlebells 101, including his favorite exercises for gaining muscle and improving conditioning, how to do the exercises properly, how to program kettlebell training, and more. 4:51 - What are kettlebells good for? 7:57 - What do kettlebells hav

If you’re like most people, you don’t just want “big muscles”--you want defined muscles. For example, if you’re a guy, would you rather be big and “fluffy,” or smaller but ripped? And if you’re a gal, would you rather be skin and bones or lean and toned? Well, if you chose the second option, then you’re in the right place, because in this podcast, I’m going to teach you the simple science of not just gaining muscle, but gaining muscle definition. We’re going to cut through the myths and lies, too. “Clean eating” isn’t the key, and neither is exercise choice, rep ranges, or supplementation. Genetics aren’t the answer, either (fortunately!). You may not have the genetics to look exactly like your favorite Instagram model, but you don’t need singular genes to be a shining example of muscle definition. You have the same types of physiological hardware as the rest of us, and your body (and muscles) will respond fantastically if given the proper stimuli. So, if you’re ready to learn what muscle definition is, and w