Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

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: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

If you want to gain some much-needed perspective on the current political, social, and economic zeitgeist, and get an informed idea of what will come next, then you need to read this book.Because whether we’re talking our (extremely entertaining) political pageantry, (extremely troubling) racial and social antagonisms, or (extremely naive) grievance and entitlement worship, know this:It has all happened before and, human nature being what it is (hardened), it will play out again in more or less the same ways.So yes, let’s look doe-eyed to Washington to solve all our problems, conveniently forgetting that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and that every system of government we’ve ever created has ultimately been destroyed by crooks and villains.Right, let’s enthrone the ideas that we have no personal responsibility for the conditions we face in life and that the individual exists only to serve the collective whole, conveniently forgetting that these beliefs have resulted in some of the most tyrannical and deadly regimes in all of history.Sure, let’s burn the rich and redistribute all their wealth, conveniently forgetting the catastrophic consequences of the French Revolution.Durant’s wife Ariel said it well:“The present is the past rolled up for action, and the past is the present unrolled for understanding.”If you want to better understand and navigate the world as it is, then you want to better understand and navigate it as it was. It’s that simple.Want to be notified when my next book recommendation goes live? Hop on my email list and you’ll get each new installment delivered directly to your inbox. Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

For most, the beginning of a diet is an exciting moment, teeming with optimism and ecstasy.For the first couple of months, it’s usually smooth sailing: you exercise regularly and maintain a proper calorie deficit and your body fat percentage progressively declines.Eventually, though, progress slows. Your energy in the gym wanes and your workouts get harder and harder. Your goal, which seemed in the bag just a month ago, now appears further and further away.And if you’re like most people, this is where you lose heart and binge. And then binge again. And again.But there’s hope. And it doesn’t involve dropping your calorie intake to dangerously low levels or frying your muscles with excessive cardio.Instead, the “trick” is something you’ll relish: occasional overfeeding.Yes, that’s right–eating a bunch of food. Not just anything and everything, though–there’s more to it than that. This weight loss aid is known as “refeeding,” and here’s how it works…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 Bobby Samuel, who’s a recent graduate of my 90-day transformation coaching service, which helped him lose 27 pounds and get abs for the first time in his life, as well as add about 130 pounds to his major lifts and fix his form in just, well, 90 days.Before finding his way to me and my work, he had been working out for 10 years and had tried more or less everything--personal trainers, Crossfit, running, bodybuilding magazine workouts, you name it--and despite it all, he was overweight and unhappy with his body, and unsure what to do about it.Then, he found my cookbook The Shredded Chef, gave it a read, liked the food and saw results, and realized that there might be something to this Mike Matthews guy. He read Bigger Leaner Stronger next and was pretty sure it wasn’t going to work because it just sounded too simple, but decided to give it a go anyway because he had nothing to lose.He then learned about my coaching service and figured he’d might as well go all in and give himself the best chances for success, and if it was all bullshit, he’d just get his money back and move on.Well, as you’ll hear in the interview, my team put together a custom diet and exercise program specifically for him and his goals, and it exceeded all his expectations. He not only completely transformed his body but he learned for the first time how to completely take control of his body composition and build the body of his dreams.In this interview, Bobby walks us through the whole story and shares the big lessons he learned along the way, including how he made everything work as a dad of two who’s on the road every week, so if you’re in the middle of your own transformation, then I think you’re going to find it encouraging and motivating.6:36 - How has your body changed with our program? 7:57 - What got you into fitness? 12:30 - How did our coaching program work for you? What are some of the obstacles you went through and how did you overcome them? 16:35 - How do you make the coaching program work while you travel for work? 19:58 - How do you manage what you eat at restaurants while you travel? 29:47 - What's your goal for the next year?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/

Sometimes it feels great to just let go.To stop striving and trying to control everything and just give in to your impulses.You know…to just “be human” now and then.When it comes to dieting, we all know what that means: ignoring the plan and “cheating.”No counting calories. No estimating macros. And no worrying about what you are and aren’t “supposed” to eat.There are quite a few opinions on cheating.Some people believe that even mild deviations from your diet plan can prevent you from reaching your goals.Others are of the mind that you can stray so long as you don’t turn to certain forbidden foods.Others still just throw caution to the wind and gorge on anything and everything their hungry little hearts desire.All of these people are misguided.You certainly can have “cheat meals” without ruining your progress and you don’t have to stick to a short list of “approved” foods, but you can’t eat yourself unconscious every week without paying a price.And that’s what this episode is going to be all about:How to get maximum enjoyment out of your cheat meals while simultaneously minimizing the downsides.In fact, when done correctly, cheating can ultimately make it easier to stick to your diet and see results.Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too. Let’s find out how…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/

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: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

You’re watching your calories and macros.You’re giving your workouts everything you’ve got.You’re spending a small fortune on workout supplements.And it’s all not enough. The needle just isn’t moving as quickly as you want.Maybe you’ve thought about turning to steroids. You know they work, but you also know about the side effects and health risks, and you’re not ready to take that plunge (har har har).And then you stumble upon SARMs, and you can’t help but wonder:Are these the holy grail of bodybuilding supplements?Can they really help you gain muscle and lose fat almost as effectively as steroids, but without any of the downsides?And they’re cheap and legal!?It beggars belief.That’s why many people are claiming that SARMs are the ultimate supplements for health-conscious bodybuilders, and why many athletes are singing their praises for performance enhancement and muscle-building purposes.It definitely sounds too good to be true, but is it? What does the science say?Well, in this episode, we’re going to get to the bottom of all of it.We’re going to look at what SARMs are, how they work, what research says about how effective and safe they really are.4:04 - What are SARMs and how do they work? 10:23 - Why do people supplement with SARMs? 11:19 - How well does SARMs work? 15:51 - Are SARMs legal?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 want to gain muscle and strength as quickly as possible, you have to maintain a slight calorie surplus. Unless you’re new to weightlifting, there’s just no way around it. In the end, energy balance impacts muscle gain just as much as fat loss.The unfortunate “side effect” is unwanted fat gain, of course, because even mild overeating will raise body fat levels over time.Can you get around this by including a “fat burner” or two in your supplement regimen while bulking, though?Well, the short answer is no, and in this episode, you’ll find out why.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/

When I started working out, I was just over six feet tall and weighed about 155 lbs.I was your average skinny dude.After about 1.5 years of traditional “bodybuilder workouts,” I was … shall we say … a little less skinny.I had gained about 20 pounds since starting in the gym (~175 pounds), which isn’t very impressive considering most of it was gained in the first 10 months — the “newbie gains” phase.After 7 years, I weighed around 190 lbs, and was about 16% body fat.A big change from where I had started, of course, but that means that in 5 to 6 years, I had gained just 10 to 15 pounds of muscle.Again, not very impressive considering how much time and work I had put into my training.Well, this is where I decided to get serious about educating myself on the science of muscle building and fat loss, and I quickly discovered that I was making a lot of mistakes.For example, I was working exclusively in the 10 to 12 rep range and doing a lot of isolation exercises instead of compound exercises, and I thought you just had to “eat big to get big” and “eat clean to get lean.”This was a turning point.I dramatically changed the way that I was eating and training.I’m currently 193 pounds and 9% body fat, which means that while things have slowed down (as they should), I’ve continued to gain a bit of muscle year after year.How much will I ultimately be able to gain, though? How big will I be able to get without having to turn to steroids?Well, that’s what this episode is about.By the end, you’re going to know what determines how much muscle you can gain, approximately how much muscle you can gain, and why some people can gain more and some less.13:41 - What determines how much muscle you can build naturally?16:15 - How does our muscle structure relate to our muscularity? 18:19 - What bodily factor most influences how quickly you can gain muscle? 21:29 - How much muscle am I going to be able to gain?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/

Few things turn heads quite like a killer butt.We just can’t help but oogle and think carnal things when we see a pair of round, perky glutes.That’s why so many of us — guys and gals alike — want to know how to get our best butts ever.And if you’re one of them, you’ve come to the right place because by the end of this episode, you’re going to know exactly what you need to do for more butt gains in the next 30 days than you’ve seen in the last 3 months.(Hint: it’s more or less what you would think – train your backside a lot – but isn’t that simplistic.)I have to warn you, though — it’s not going to be easy.You can’t get a set of god(dess)-like glutes by “eating clean” and doing bodyweight squats and donkey kicks.So if you’re looking for “weird tricks” or “workout hacks,” then this isn’t for you.If, however, you’re ready to learn the simple science of building a badass butt, and if you’re ready to put in some work, you need to listen to this episode.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/