Muscle for Life

You want to build muscle. You want to get strong. And you want to do these things as quickly and effectively as possible. What exercises should you do and why? Ask different people and you’ll get different answers. Some will say that compound exercises are all you need. They train every muscle in your body and are “highly functional” to boot. Others will say compound exercises are overrated or even dangerous, and that the right isolation exercises can give you everything your little heart desires. Who’s right? Well, in this podcast, we’re going to find out. By the end, you’ll understand the pros and cons of both compound and isolation exercises and how you should use them in your workouts based on your goals. Let’s start with a simple question: what exactly are compound and isolation exercises? 4:11 - What is a compound exercise? 10:01 - What is an isolation exercise? 17:05 - What are the advantages of compound exercises? 23:45- What are the advantages of isolation exercises? Want to get my best advice on how

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. 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’ve spent any amount of time pushing or pulling heavy things, you’ve probably experienced elbow pain. Maybe it only flares up when you’re doing heavy compound exercises, like the bench press, military press, or barbell row. Or, maybe it only happens when you’re doing isolation exercises like curls, triceps extensions, or skullcrushers. Or maybe it comes and goes with no rhyme or reason. Regardless of what triggers it, elbow pain can be maddening, and finding good answers for how to resolve it can be even more frustrating. Luckily, one guy who has good answers is Mark Rippetoe, so I invited him on the show to shed some light on this common nuisance. Mark has worked with thousands of lifters, and thus helped people work through many, many injuries, and he has quite a bit to say about how to deal with elbow pain. In this episode, you’ll learn: - The three most common types of elbow pain - The difference between “golfer’s elbow” and “tennis elbow” - How to diagnose what’s causing your elbow pain - What exer

“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/

In this episode I interview Rachel, who recently completed my 90-day coaching service and dropped 15 pounds and 6% body fat, while getting stronger on all of her key lifts. Before finding me and my work, Rachel didn’t look unhealthy, overweight, or feeble, but that’s how she felt. Like many women, she was an avid runner who avoided weightlifting because she thought it would make her look “bulky” and “manly,” and especially because she’s tall and has relatively broad shoulders for a woman. Also like many women, Rachel had subjected herself to all kinds of starvation and fad diets over the years, which had taken their toll both physically and emotionally. She was confused, she was frustrated, and she was starting to feel hopeless. Then she stumbled across this podcast, liked what she heard, started applying my teachings, and was thrilled with the results. Once she starting eating and training properly, the improvements came quickly, and she realized that gaining muscle in the right places in her body and reduci

My years in the fitness racket have taught me many things about people, and one of them is that binge eating is far more common than I previously realized. In many cases, it’s prompted by extreme forms calorie restriction like water fasting, detox diets, and the like, and in others, it’s the result of bad eating habits developed on the way to becoming overweight. Binge eating isn’t just a problem for overweight people, though. There are many fit people out there, usually ones trying to maintain very low levels of body fat for one reason or another (social media, usually), who binge and purge rather regularly. Regardless of how fit or fat someone is, however, bingeing is a problem, and even when it’s done more “strategically” by drastically undereating for a period before or after a binge to keep body fat levels generally in an acceptable range. That approach can work for maintaining a nice looking body composition, of course, but it’s unsustainable and unhealthy, both physically and psychologically. It takes

For years, milk has been touted as one of the healthiest foods you can eat.  It’s packed full of protein, calcium, and other nutrients, and it’s delicious to boot.  It’s also hugely popular among bodybuilders and people just generally interested in improving their body composition. If you go asking around the gym for the best way to gain muscle and strength as quickly as possible, it won’t take long until you’re told to just lift heavy weights and drink a gallon of milk per day. (The heavy weightlifting is a great idea, but the “GOMAD”? Not so much…) Recently, though, milk has come under heavy fire from the health “gurus” of the world who not only question its nutritional value, but go as far as labeling it a poison responsible for all kinds of disease and dysfunction. Drink milk, they say, and thanks to the lactose, pus, blood, hormones, and other “unhealthy” substances it contains, you’ll be more likely to gain weight, weaken your bones, and even get cancer and die. Many of the people making these arguments

Like it or not, the Bench Press is one of the primary lifts on which your strength is judged. Nothing turns heads faster in the gym than an impressive Bench Press, and it’s the first (and often only) lift people want to know your numbers on. There’s a good reason for this beyond ego, though. The Bench Press is one of the best upper body exercises you can do because, when performed properly, it trains not just the pectorals but the lats, shoulders, triceps, and even the legs (through a proper leg drive, as discussed later in this podcast). Every chest workout or push workout should include at least a few sets of the Bench Press. That said, like the other big compound lifts (Deadlift, Squat, and Military Press), the Bench Press is actually quite technical. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll quickly hit a plateau, which is not only frustrating, but can set you up for injury as you try to break through it by compromising form. So, in this podcast, we’re going to look at 11 safe, scientifically proven way

The ketogenic diet is all the rage right now. According to many, it’s the single best diet for losing fat, staying lean, and improving health and longevity. It’s not, of course, because there’s no single diet that’s best for accomplishing all of that in everyone all of the time, but the ketogenic diet can work well as a weight loss diet for some people some of the time. That’s how it has mostly been promoted, as well—as an effective way to lose weight rapidly—but recently, more and more people have been talking about the ketogenic diet’s superiority for building muscle as well. They’re calling this approach “ketogaining” and the story is that it’s a healthier, more effective way to gain muscle and not fat than the traditional high-carb diet popular amongst most bodybuilders and weightlifters. Poke around online and you’ll find some freaky big and lean people promoting ketogaining as well as a few studies that seem to validate their claims, and so understandably, it’s starting to catch on. How legitimate is ke

The featured book this time around is Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. And I know, this recommendation is pretty “basic” of me as stoicism is all the rage these days, but I’m going to make it anyway because I really do believe everyone can benefit from this book and stoic philosophy. I feel that’s especially true in today’s zeitgeist, which is moving further and further away from individualism, resilience, and responsibility and toward fear, fragility, and egoism. In fact, many young people in particular are upping the stakes by downright scorning many traditionally admired attitudes and behaviors and blindly celebrating their opposites. And I fear the consequences of this cultural experiment, which are already unfolding in a number of aways, are going to be severe. In short, I’d bet a lot of shekels that here in the West at least, the scene is going to get a lot worse before it starts getting better. But hey, hopefully I’m wrong. Anyway, back to the book—in case you’re not familiar with him, Marcus Aurelius w

Typically, “functional foods” are those that can provide additional health benefits beyond fulfilling basic nutritional needs. For example, fatty, cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines contain omega-3 fats, which can positively impact your health and wellbeing in a number of ways. Colorful fruits and vegetables like broccoli, berries, and Brussels sprouts are another good example. They contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, but also other goodies like sulforaphane, anthocyanins, and carotenoids that can reduce the risk of disease, support brain, eye, and heart health, and more. And even much-maligned foods like beef, pork, and lamb contain a special type of fat, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), that’s associated with a reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer (and grass-finished/fed meat are particularly rich in CLA). All this is why food and supplement marketers have seized on these types of foods and molecules and spent who-knows-how-many millions of dollars over the last decade

How can you tell if someone is natty or not? This is a wellspring of controversial fitness gossip, and particularly among men. Some people say that it’s childish, rude, and unnecessary to ask or even wonder if so-and-so is “natty” or not. Don’t ask for whom the bell tolls and all that. Others don’t take issue with the line of discussion but claim there are major problems with the common methods of analysis. Thus, they say, unless it’s completely obvious, it’s really impossible to know whether someone is on the sauce or not. And still others can’t fathom why people purportedly into being healthy and fit would secretly use dangerous drugs to impress strangers on the Internet. Here’s my position: 1. I couldn’t care less whether someone does or doesn’t take steroids. That’s their business. 2. I do care, however, when someone takes steroids and lies about it to deceive people. That’s when it becomes other people’s business. Why? Because it’s no different than lying about anything else to make a buck or burnish you

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. 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/

I’m a big believer in the value of aligning the various parts of our lives toward goals. In fact, I think it’s the only way to resist the forces of entropy that govern the universe and create a life worthy of our ancestors. While spontaneity and short-term thinking certainly have their uses (“what song should I listen to right now?”), I firmly believe the better we can conceive of positive long-term outcomes and create and execute plans to produce those outcomes, the more rewarding, meaningful, and satisfying our lives will be. For instance, many of the more significant goals we all share, like . . . - Building a great body - Improving our physical and psychological health and wellbeing - Becoming financially secure - Growing a successful career or business - Raising a healthy, harmonious family . . . all require goal setting, long-term planning, sacrifice of present pleasures, and perseverance. That’s probably not news to you, but what you may not know is some methods of goal setting are better than others.

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re either experiencing or have experienced the following scenario: You’re dieting to lose weight and are doing everything right. You’re... - Maintaining a calorie deficit - Eating enough protein - Sticking to your meal plan - Lifting weights regularly - Limiting your cardio And at first, everything more or less went as planned. Your weight and waist went down and muscle definition went up like clockwork. And then, the gears inexplicably ground to a halt. For no apparent reason, the scale stopped moving and your reflection in the mirror stopped changing. You understand energy balance and so, determined to get the ball rolling again, you further cut your calories and increased your cardio. It worked, of course...to a point. And then you got stuck again, and this time you felt even more haggard than before. What to do? Is this as far as your body will go? Have you reached its “set point”? Is a lower body fat percentage just not in the cards for you? And then you

Face fat can be slightly baffling. You can be fairly lean, with decent muscle definition and even a nice set of abs underneath your shirt, and still see double chins in every picture. Why? And what the hell can you do about it? Well, I have good and bad news. Let’s eat the frog first: There are no amount of face stretches or exercises that you can do to slim your mug. Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet or quick fix. Now the good news: You absolutely can lose face fat, and it’s easier than you probably think. I can’t promise that you’ll get that superhero jaw or those superheroine cheekbones, but if you feel your face is too fat, there is something you can do about it. So, let’s dive in and find out why some people’s faces seem disproportionately fat when compared to the rest of their bodies, and how to get leaner, more chiseled features. 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/

I’ve churned through over 100,000 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: -Is it okay to use a higher rep range for some accessory exercises? -Do you have any snack recommendations for cutting? -Do you have to train abs while cutting to get six-pack abs? -What should you do to fix a muscle imbalance between your quads? 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/rep-range-podcast/ https://www.muscleforlife.com/8-snacks-for-losing-weight-or-building-muscle/ https://www.muscleforlife.com/low-calorie-snacks/ https://

"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/

In this episode I interview Lyell, who’s 46 years old and used my one-on-one coaching service to completely transform his physique and add 300 pounds to his big compound lifts in just 6 months. In this interview he shares how he found his way to me and my work, including what he had tried previously, how things changed after he started implementing the advice in my books and articles, and how my coaching service helped him take his body to a whole new level. 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 Lyell experienced firsthand. He ran into a number of roadblocks along the way that most of us can relate to, including issues with workout and meal scheduling, hunger and cravings, dietary temptations, and more, and in our chat, Lyell shares what has helped him navigate these barriers skillfully and prevent them from getting in his way. Lyell’s story is particularly interesting, because as yo

Back pain is the bane of athletes everywhere. About a third of adults deal with it at some point, and that number is even higher for us fitness folk. To make matters worse, the cause of back pain, and low-back pain in particular, is rarely obvious and notoriously difficult to diagnose. It also often strikes out of nowhere, lingers for a while, and then suddenly vanishes for no apparent reason. Or not—sometimes it sets in the for long haul. All this mystery, confusion, and frustration has made low-back pain a reliable honeypot for Internet profiteers, fake doctors, and supplement shysters who aren’t bothered one bit by cashing in on people’s pain. That’s why I wanted to talk to one of the most respected, experienced, and knowledgeable experts in the world on spinal health and function—Dr. Stuart McGill—to help cut through the noise and get an honest, practical, evidence-based take on treating back pain. Dr. McGill has spent over 30 years studying the mechanics of the spine and what causes back pain and how to