Muscle for Life

In this episode I interview Corri, who recently completed my 90-day coaching service and dropped 12.5 pounds and 8% body fat, while getting stronger on all of her key lifts, and at 40 years old! AND after having a baby that she was nursing! Basically, Corri’s a perfect example of how there’s always a way to get into great shape if you want it enough, and that’s why I wanted to have her on the podcast. Now, as with everything, nothing ever goes exactly as planned, and learning to adjust and adapt to conditions is an important part of the fitness game, which is something Corri experienced firsthand. She ran into a number of obstacles along the path to success, including beating hunger, finding time to prepare meals, and working her way through challenging workouts often on too little sleep thanks to the baby, and Corri had a number of insights to share on how she overcame them. So, if you like hearing motivational stories about how people have changed their bodies and lives, and if you want to pick up a few tip

Biceps and abs are cool and all, but you know what really turns heads in the gym? Being strong. Really strong. You know, bench pressing a few plates, and squatting and deadlifting a few more. Getting really strong also inevitably builds you a great physique. In fact, as a natural weightlifter, your number one goal should be increasing whole-body strength, not getting big pumps or "feeling the burn." That's the big "secret" to gaining muscle quickly and effectively, because it's the best way to "progressively overload" your muscles. You see, by working to slowly and steadily add weight to your exercises over time, you progressively increase tension levels in your muscles. Mechanically speaking, this is the primary driver of muscle growth. That's why the biggest guys and gals in the gym are also generally the strongest. Another advantage to this approach to weightlifting is it's very simple and straightforward. There are just three steps: 1. Choose the right strength program for you. 2. Get your calories and ma

While there are many ways to thrive in many sectors of today’s modern economy, there’s no arguing that it’s getting harder and harder to identify and capitalize on these opportunities. Robots and AI are eliminating jobs, globalization and the democratization of high-quality education is expanding the talent pool, and customers are becoming more selective, sophisticated, and stipulating. To overcome these obstacles, we’re often told to specialize—to focus all of our energies, efforts, and resources on becoming really good at one thing to the exclusion of all else. This isn’t entirely wrongheaded, but for most people, it isn’t likely to lead to long-term success and fulfillment but disappointment, burnout, and failure, instead. This extends beyond merely moneymaking too, and applies to just about every endeavor you could want to undertake. The reign of the hyperspecialist is coming to an end and the rise of the skilled generalist is at hand. What does that mean, exactly? Well, as the author of the book How to B

Protein powders and drinks are more popular than ever for good reason: They’re convenient, tasty, affordable, and in most cases, well-digested, well-absorbed, and rich in essential amino acids vital to gaining and preserving muscle and strength. They also make eating a high-protein diet a cinch. A few meals per day with a protein shake or two thrown into the mix gets the job done, regardless of how much protein you need to eat. Now, while we know that protein powder isn’t harmful per se, is eating too much harmful? And if so, how much can you eat every day before it becomes a problem? Well, according to some people, if you drink too many protein shakes, you’re asking for all sorts of trouble, ranging from an upset stomach to severe digestive disorders, nutritional deficiencies, and even kidney damage. Others say such claims are nonsense because protein powder is just dried food, and therefore doesn’t fundamentally affect the body any differently than other forms of protein like chicken, eggs, or milk. Who’s r

It’s one thing to talk about finding opportunities where others only see obstacles . . . . . . seeing the silver lining in difficult situations . . . . . . turning coal into diamonds . . . . . . but it’s something else entirely to actually behave this way when the chips are down and to then actually win against all odds. Bedros is someone who has done just that. Most people know him as the founder of the multimillion-dollar Fit Body Bootcamp franchise, which is an impressive achievement by itself, but his backstory makes his entrepreneurial wins even more remarkable. Bedros grew up in a country gripped by Soviet communism, came to America as a child and grew up in abject poverty, and eventually pulled himself up by his bootstraps and became a screaming success in business. And as you can imagine, Bedros learned quite a few lessons along the way about responsibility, leadership, and perseverance, which is what we talk about in this interview, as well as other aspects of entrepreneurship, including marketing, b

Hafthor Bjornsson is the strongest man in the world, and in this podcast, he gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be him, a 6’9, 420-pound man who can squat, deadlift, and bench press over 2,500 pounds. He’s also the 2018 champion of the World’s Strongest Man competition (and hopefully the 2019 champion by the time this episode goes live), which involves incredible feats like . . . - Lifting five large stones ranging from 220 to 350 pounds onto columns the height of a man. - Pulling gargantuan objects arm-over-arm using a rope, such as planes, boats, cars, and giant tires. - Carrying a 900-pound yoke made of two refrigerators across a 30-meter course in under 60 seconds. You probably already know this, but Hafthor also played Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in Game of Thrones (RIP), and in this interview, we talk about how he’s currently training to defend his World’s Strongest Man title, how he manages his recovery, what his diet looks like, what supplements he takes (Hint: Legion), his favor

I realize this is a curious recommendation based on what I normally suggest, but I’m including it in the series because I think it’s an important and timely read. To understand why, consider the following from a speech the author gave in 1961: “There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda or brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods. And this seems to be the final revolution.” And then look at the world around you. Here in the West, people . . . -Watch an average of 38 hours of video content per week. -Spend an average of 1.5 hours on social media per day. -Play an average of 6.4 hours of video games per week. -Spend on average over 90

“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 and MFL 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

If you work out or do just about anything physically challenging often enough, chances are you’re going to have to deal with an injury or two along the way, even if they’re just minor issues like muscle strains, tendonitis, joint aggravations, and the like. In most cases, a little extra R&R is all it takes to heal up, but if an injury is more severe, there’s a lot more you can do to accelerate your recovery. And that’s what Lyle McDonald is going to talk about in this interview. In case you’re not familiar with Lyle, he has been one of the foremost evidence-based fitness researchers and writers for a couple decades now and someone whose work I’ve always liked. He’s also uniquely qualified to talk about injury recovery because he has not only scoured the literature on the topic but used what he learned to help recover from a rather gruesome rollerblading accident that literally shattered his leg. After the strategies he discusses in this episode worked so well that his doctor was genuinely impressed by how

In this podcast, I want to share what I've learned on calculating body fat percentage, including ... What “body fat percentage” means. The pros and cons of popular ways of calculating body fat percentage. How to determine your body fat percentage with a fair amount of accuracy. Why obsessing over body fat percentage is counterproductive (and what to do instead). And more. Let's get started. 5:37 - What is body fat percentage? 6:56 - What’s the difference between body fat percentage and body mass index? 8:56 - Can you determine your body fat percentage based on your body mass index? 11:09 - What is a healthy body fat percentage for men and women? 23:09 - What are the different ways to measure body fat percentage and how accurate are they? 37:07 - How do you calculate body fat percentage? 44:01 - What is the best way to reduce body fat percentage? 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

In this podcast, I talk with my friend and fellow podcaster, Adam Schafer, who’s the co-host of the popular podcast Mind Pump. Unlike most of my interviews, this isn’t a focused discussion so much as a fireside chat about things on our minds, and in particular, on the current trend of business mastermind groups that have been popping up left and right over the last few years like mushrooms and roadkill. In case you’re not familiar, the pitch for these groups goes like this: pay us $1,000 to $10,000 or more per month and we’ll give you the inside baseball on how to achieve some highly coveted goal or status like becoming an Internet millionaire to superstar “influencer.” Not only that, you’ll also get exclusive access to our VIP Inner Circle of beautiful people who will deign to shake your hand and pretend to give a shit about you a few times per year at our annual “retreats” that you’ll be invited to attend on your own dime. Just think of how impressed your 500 followers on Instagram will be when they see you

I'm going to make a couple assumptions as to why you're here. Sure, I know you want to learn about meal planning, but I'd wager a cheat meal that you're looking to achieve something very specific. Namely, weight loss or muscle growth or, God willing, a little bit of both If I'm right, this might be the most important meal planning piece you ever hear. I know I know...but seriously. That's not hyperbole. By the end of this podcast, you'll know a lot more than "how to make a meal plan." You'll know how to have the body want eating the foods you love...for the rest of your life. Imagine... No more fad diets. No more forcing down joyless, tasteless meals. No more battling hunger and cravings. No more struggling to lose or gain weight. What if you could confidently soar above all of the mainstream diet hysteria and gimmicks? What if you could use your diet to feel completely in control of your body composition and health? And what if you could do it without having to follow a bunch of restrictive rules or give u

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: 1. Is it bad if I don’t sweat while I work out? 2. What should I do if I struggle to maintain good form on accessory exercises? 3. Any recommendations for staying in shape during pregnancy? 4. Do you have to train abs on a cut? 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://www.muscleforlife.com/tdee-calculator/ https://www.muscleforlife.com/pregnancy-exercises/ https://www.muscleforlife.com/weight-gain-during-pregnancy/ Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle

In this episode I interview Laura, who recently completed my 90-day coaching service and dropped 8.5 pounds and 6.5% body fat, while getting stronger on all of her key lifts, and at 49 years old! She’s a perfect example of how it’s never too late to get into great shape. Regardless of your current age, condition, and history, you can lose fat, gain muscle, and get healthy, you can enjoy the process, and you can stay fit for the rest of your life. Full stop. You may not be able to get as jacked as you were or could’ve been when you were younger, but how much does that really matter? Especially if you love the way you look and feel? That’s what this episode is all about. Now, as with everything, nothing ever goes exactly as planned, and learning to adjust and adapt to conditions is an important part of the fitness game, which is something Laura experienced firsthand. She ran into a number of roadblocks along the way that most of us can relate to, including issues with balancing work with her workouts, getting h

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. 9:50 - When do I read and for how long? 12:20 - Should I read hardcopy books or audio books? 14:45 - How do I choose books? 20:23 - How do I choose one book among a list of worthy candidates? 23:03 - How do I read for maximum retention? Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and stren

For better and worse, online fitness coaching has exploded over the past decade or so. I say that because on the one hand, this has enabled many people to affordably connect up with legitimate experts and get into great shape, and on the other hand, it has also led many others into the gaping jaws of the legions of charlatans, shysters, and phonies who have swarmed the online coaching space. And unfortunately, the coaches who get the most eyeballs and buzz often aren’t the ones who offer the best services, and many superior coaches are struggling to gain any traction whatsoever let alone become a screaming success. I have quite a few of the latter folk in my orbit and so I thought a longform discussion on how to become a successful fitness coach would be worthwhile. I’ve spoken about this before as I have a coaching service that will do just over seven figures in revenue this year, but I felt like I couldn’t fully do the topic justice as I was able to “shortcut” the process by first achieving notable success

In the past few years, collagen protein has become a glittering moneymaker. According to some, it’s the new fish oil, what with its long list of benefits for nearly every major part of your health and physiology. The most popular claims include . . . -Reducing joint pain and improving joint health -Improving the health and appearance of your skin and nails -Increasing muscle growth and recovery And if none of that tickles your processors, then maybe you’d be interested in boosting immunity, making your hair prettier, and improving your digestion? On the other hand, collagen protein detractors say that the benefits are misrepresented, overblown, or flat out false. You know, like most supplements. Who’s right? Well, the short answer is this: Collagen protein is basically garbage—literally and figuratively. While some forms of collagen can help your joints, most, are nothing more than low-quality but highly profitable fodder for supplement shysters to separate people from more of their cash. And in this podcast

If you're a skinny guy or gal struggling to gain weight… Or a "fluffy" one struggling to "shift" fat… Or somewhere in between… This is going to be the most important fitness podcast you listen to. Seriously. And I want to start it with some good news: Your genetics can't stop you from getting the body you really desire. Yes, some people's bodies respond better to training than others', but I don't care how much of a "hardgainer" you think you are or how "stubborn" your body fat seems to be… -You can build muscle. -You can lose fat. -And you can do it faster than you think. Now, if you were to tell me your goal is to be an elite, competitive weightlifter or bodybuilder or physique competitor...that would be another story. In those cases, genetics are hugely important. Yes, steroids are involved and yes, training experience and methodologies matter...but the biggest and strongest guys and gals in the world were abnormally big and strong their entire lives. My point is this: at the top, where everyone works smar

If you’re over age 65, you’re more likely to die from heart disease than any other cause. Why, though? Is it due to stress? Over or under exercising? Eating too much fat, cholesterol, and junk food? A bit of each or something else altogether? Scientists have been searching for answers to those questions for a long time now, but if there’s one culprit that has been fingered more than any other, it’s diet. For a couple decades now, we’ve been told by experts everywhere that saturated fat, cholesterol, and often just dietary fat in general increases our your risk of heart disease, full stop. This idea has been further bolstered by the promotion of the food pyramid, which tells us to get most of our calories from whole grains like pasta, cereal, and bread, and as few calories as possible from added fats like oils, butter, lard, and others. Is it really that simple, though? Is reducing our dietary fat intake really the best way to avoid heart disease? Frankly, while I’ve read enough to know there are some major ho

“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 and MFL 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/