Muscle for Life

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 four questions: Are bro splits optimal for muscle growth? Should you use a weightlifting belt? How long should you remain in a calorie deficit? Is intermittent fasting better for retaining muscle than traditional dieting when cutting? 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: The Definitive Guide on How to Build a Workout Routine: https://legionathletics.com/how-to-build-a-workout-routine/ 5 Studies Answer: Should You Use a Weightlifting Belt?: https://legionathletics.com/do-weightli

Tom Brady’s diet has become something of an obsession for many Americans. Since the publication of his 2017 health and wellness book, The TB12 Method, “Touchdown Tom’s” eating habits have gone mainstream in a major way. Every major media outlet has weighed in multiple times and you can even find “I tried Tom Brady’s diet and here’s what happened” videos online. And unlike many fly-by-night celebrity diets, Brady’s has earned staying power. The main reason for this is obviously the halo effect. He’s indisputably one of the greatest and most accomplished athletes of all time, so anything he says and does is likely to be judged favorably. Moreover, Brady isn’t just a Hollywood hunk who got jacked for a superhero movie. Brady’s a world-class athlete who appears to be invincible by normal NFL standards, which many players joke stands for “Not for Long.” Due largely to the brutal nature of the game, the average NFL player lasts just 3.3 years, and many careers are cut short by torn ligaments, broken bones, severe c

In this episode, I interview Tom, who found me on Youtube and used my teachings to completely change his body and life. When he first started working out, he didn’t know what he was doing with his training or diet and after a spurt of newbie gains, fell into a rut. He was also dealing with debilitating sciatica that sometimes had him crawling to the bathroom in the middle of the night and asking his girlfriend to help him put on underwear. Everything changed when Tom discovered the world of evidence-based fitness, however, and started implementing my advice.  In the span of 1.5 years, he bulked up from 160 pounds to 205 and then cut back down to a much leaner, more muscular 160 pounds. And even better, his back pain was more or less gone. He couldn’t believe it. In fact, Tom was so astounded that he decided to pay it forward by starting to share his journey and learnings on the popular website Twitch.  Now, his channel is now the most popular fitness-related hangout on the website, and every day, Tom uses it

For many people, ibuprofen, naproxen, and acetaminophen are godsends. Whenever they feel a niggling ache or pain, they pop a pill and feel right as rain. Elbow pain from benching? No problem. Knee pain from squatting? Nothing a few pills can’t fix. Shoulder pain from overhead press? Not today. Have a bad case of DOMS? NBD, man. Take a few pills, and you’ll be able to push through workouts that might otherwise keep you sidelined. And others even take these over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers on a regular basis, just in case something starts to hurt. If you’ve read anything about these drugs, though, then you may have heard that they can also interfere with muscle growth. Some even go so far as to say that you should avoid them at all costs. It’s better to stay home and wait for your body to heal itself than to take a pill that kills your gains. Who’s right, and what should you do? That’s what you’re going to learn in this podcast. By the end, you’ll know how painkillers affect muscle growth, whether or not taki

If you’re new to proper weightlifting, you have much to look forward to.  You’re taking your first steps in a journey that can transform not only your body but your entire life.  With every bit of muscle and strength you gain, you’re going to look a little better, feel a little better, and thrill a little more at the prospect of what else you might be able to achieve.  You have a special advantage, too—one that even the most accomplished weightlifters envy.  Whereas they have to fight tooth and nail for every ounce of improvement on the scale and bar, thanks to a quirk of physiology, you’re going to progress with relative ease. For instance, for someone like me, no matter how hard I work in the gym, the best I could possibly do over the next 12 months is maybe 30 to 35 pounds added to my key lifts and 1 to 3 pounds of muscle gain. You? Well, in just your first year of proper training, you should have no trouble increasing your whole-body strength by several hundred pounds and gaining 15 to 25 pounds of muscle

As fun as it can be to geek out on obscure and advanced muscle-building strategies, most people looking for advice on how to gain more muscle and strength just need to double down on the fundamentals instead. You know, compound exercises, heavy weights, progressive overload, and the like. There comes a point, though, where a basic understanding of the basics is no longer enough to keep the needle moving. Then, you should add some more advanced tools to the shed, including programming techniques like periodization, set schemes like drop and rest-pause sets, and exercise variations to address weak points. That last point—exercise variations—is what Chris Barakat and I talk about today, and specifically, how to use different types of exercises and ways of performing those exercises to maximize muscle gain in every major muscle group you train. As you’ll learn, relatively small changes to the exercises you do and how you do them can make quite a big difference in the bottom-line results. If you’re not familiar wi

“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/

“CrossFit won’t just transform your body,” an acquaintance once told me, “it will change everything—who you are, how you view the world, what you think is possible.” I’m a big believer in the life-changing power of being fit, but . . . really? I felt like I was being pitched on an MLM, not a workout program. This type of talk is common in the CrossFit universe, which has enjoyed tremendous success in the last decade. There are over 13,000 CrossFit affiliates (gyms) around the world, and CrossFitters are some of the most passionate fitness folk you’ll ever meet. But is it everything the true believers claim it to be? Is it really the best way to get fit? Does it really transform mere “working out” into something transcendent? Or is it just another fad with nothing particularly special to offer other an increased risk of injury and overtraining, as many of its detractors claim? Well, the long story short is this: CrossFit can absolutely help you get in great shape, and depending on the coach you work with, it’s

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 every Monday morning for the latest and greatest installment. 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/

If you’ve been slinging iron for any amount of time, you’ve probably seen quite a few “ONE MORE REP” lifters. They’re usually a 20-something year-old dudes in stringers and Waffen-SS haircuts with oompa loompa tans and maybe, just maybe, a bit of lip gloss too (yep, I’ve seen it). These boys just love training to failure, often ending set after set with the weights on the floor or their bodies. We might think they look ridiculous, but maybe the joke’s on us? Maybe training to muscle failure—the point where you can no longer move the weight—is the key to gains? Well, like rep ranges and training frequency, the topic of training to failure is a contentious one. Many bodybuilders, experts, and “gurus” claim it’s at least beneficial, and some say it’s essential for maximizing muscle and strength gain. On the other hand, others say we should never train to failure because it doesn’t increase anything but our risk of injury and overtraining. Who’s right? Well, in this podcast, you’re going to learn what the scienti

Poke around the Internet for advice on gaining muscle as fast as possible, and you’ll find a lot of advice along the lines of “eat big to get big.” You know, eat everything in sight, drink a gallon of milk per day, and so forth. This will definitely help you gain muscle, but it also results in a lot of unnecessary fat gain. And while a YOLO bulk or two can be productive and fun when you’re a beginner, it becomes counterproductive as you move into your intermediate phase and beyond. Luckily, though, there’s a better way to gain muscle and strength. Instead, you can do what’s called a lean bulk, where you gain muscle a bit slower than you would gorging every day but with much less fat gain. And in this interview, you’re going to learn how to best go about it from Dr. Eric Helms, and particularly, how to ensure your calories are in the right place—not too low, which hinders muscle gain, or too high, which accelerates fat gain. And in case you’re not familiar with Eric, he’s not only is he an accomplished bodybui

Pop quiz: which days of the week are most fattening? Yes, you heard the question correctly. Which days of the week are most associated with weight gain? Don’t overthink it. Listen to your gut here (it should know!). If you go with your intuition, your answer is probably “the weekends.” And you’d be right.  Research shows that most people maintain a steady weight throughout the week and gain weight on the weekends. How does that work, you ask? Well, what happens to the diets of most people that have trouble with their weight come Friday night? I’ll tell you what happens: mayhem. The problem with this all-too-common ritual of weekly binge eating is the sheer amount of body fat you can gain in just a few days of overeating. Depending on your genetics and activity level, a couple moderate bouts of bingeing can easily “undo” the fat loss of a whole week of proper dieting. I’ve worked with thousands of people and, hands down, the biggest mistake made by those baffled by their inability to lose weight is binge eatin

In this episode, I interview Meaghan, who used my Thinner Leaner Stronger program to completely transform her body and life. Before finding my work, Meaghan was 160 pounds, 28% body fat, and didn’t know what to do in the kitchen or gym. Then she found my book for women, Thinner Leaner Stronger, and now she’s about 40 pounds lighter and whole helluva lot stronger. Meaghan also has a much better relationship with food and fitness and truly enjoys her new sustainable lifestyle, which she knows can keep her fit and healthy for the rest of her life. Not only that, but she’s now paying it forward by coaching other women to follow in her footsteps and transform their bodies and lives too. In this interview, Meaghan and I chat about her story and some of the key lessons she has learned along the way, including the importance of consistency, overcoming gym intimidation, staying in shape while traveling, and more. 6:16 - Who is Meaghan Janisse? 10:05 - What was your diet and fitness like before and after our program? 1

This was supposed to be a podcast about kettlebells. Instead, it turned into a digression into politics, psychology, religion, and more, which let’s be honest, is more interesting than kettlebells. Pat is an interesting dude to talk to about this stuff, too, because while he’s certainly a fitness expert, he also has a master’s degree in systematic philosophy and has written several bestselling books, including How to Be Better At (Almost) Everything. In this interview, Pat and I go all over the place, pontificating on questions like . . . - How much do memes influence political elections? - What are the rational (and irrational) arguments for believing in God? - How seriously should we take “conspiracy theories”? - How do you make decisions when there are no good decisions? - What are the chances our lives are predetermined by fate? Not exactly the norm here on my podcast, but it was a fun excursion into some of the bigger questions about how the world around us works, and if you wonder about such things your

What if shocking your muscles with electricity helped them grow and develop faster?   What if it could reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and help you recover better from your workouts?   What if it could straight up make you stronger?   Well, this is why people buy and use electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) machines.   They believe they’re an easy and safe way to gain muscle and strength faster and boost post-workout recovery.   You might want to believe, too, but you’re skeptical.   On one hand, the whole approach sounds pretty scientific, and haven’t we seen various professional athletes hooked up to these machines?   Then again, some scientific studies aren’t worth the paper they’re published on and some athletes will beat the drum for anything that brings a paycheck.   EMS machines are expensive, too, so there would need to be a considerable payoff to justify the cost.   Well, when you take a cold, hard look at the science, here’s what you learn:   EMS isn’t silly pseudoscience, but it’s also not as

What if you could eat hamburgers, pizza, and ice cream every week—hell, maybe even every day—and still have abs?    Such is the rallying cry of many people who subscribe to the “If It Fits Your Macros” (IIFYM) style of dieting.   Others claim the principles of IIFYM shouldn’t be used to merely get and stay lean while eating like a spoiled child. Instead, they should be used to look and feel great while eating a wide variety of foods including those verboten by more traditional, restrictive forms of dieting.   For instance, this might mean regularly eating foods like pasta, bread, dairy, and sugar while also maintaining a healthy intake of more nutritious foods like lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.    Who’s right?   Often the most accurate answer to such questions is “it depends” or “somewhere in the middle,” but in this case, there’s a clear winner: moderation.   In other words, IIFYM works best as a more flexible, accommodating approach to “clean eating,” as opposed to its polar opposite, where you follow

“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

One of the problems with rigidly following a restrictive or narrowly focused dietary protocol like low-carb or low-fat is when you go off-plan for whatever reason, you can get slapped. For instance, if you’re a high-carber and miss a meal, you might find your energy levels plummeting, or if you’re a low-carber and indulge in some cake at a party, you might find yourself craving—and eating—every carb in sight. Ideally, these things wouldn’t happen—our bodies would be able to adapt to varying dietary circumstances and maintain an even physiological keel. In other words, ideally our bodies would possess a fair amount of “metabolic flexibility.” If you haven’t heard of metabolic flexibility, that’s understandable because few people have, and in this episode, Kurtis Frank explains what it is and how to improve it so our bodies can better shift between different fuel types and thus be more adaptable to whatever situations we find ourselves in. In case you’re not familiar with Kurtis, he’s the co-founder and former

Last month, I flew out to Wichita Falls, Texas, to hang out with Mr. Starting Strength, Mark Rippetoe, and go on his podcast, Starting Strength Radio. I’ve been a fan of Mark’s work for a long time, I’ve had him on my podcast a number of times, and over the years, we’ve become buddies. Mark even wrote the foreword to the latest editions of my books Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger, which I think is pretty cool as Starting Strength was the first book to turn me onto proper training techniques. Now, in this interview we go all over the place, ranging from writing to how I lost close to a million dollars in Amazon sales, Google’s aggressive algorithm updates, the women’s soccer pay “scandal,” and more, so if you’re here strictly for practical and educational material, this isn’t for you. But if you’re interested in hearing Mark and I chew the fat for a bit, tell some jokes, share some war stories, and the like, keep listening. 4:09 - Tell us about your new books 14:21 - How’s your business doin

“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/