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/

Contrary to the title, it’s not just for artists. It’s for anyone that wants to make a good life for themselves and their families.It’s a tribute to persistence and industry, and some of its core messages are…Don’t just wander through life from pillar to post. Find something that matters to you and pursue it passionately.Don’t whine about how much hard work it takes to succeed. Learn to love the work and despise failure and quitting, instead.Don’t let your feelings dictate your actions. What you want is rarely what you need, and you can create the right feelings by taking the right actions.Don’t wait for inspiration. That’s how amateurs stay amateurs. Do the work, grind it out, and eventually you’ll get inspired.These bits of advice are all well and good, but what really makes it stand out among the many other books that say many of the same things is it doesn’t just tell us what we “should” be doing to succeed, which is pretty commonsensical, really, but it goes deeper, and tries to get at WHY we find it so hard.The biggest obstacle in our way, Pressfield says, is something he calls “Resistance,” which is the central theme of the book.He defines Resistance as a mysterious force within us that works to sabotage our dreams and abilities and prevent us from creating the life that we really want.Pressfield points out that most of us have two lives, the life we live, and the unlived life within us, and Resistance’s sole mission is to ensure that we never realize that unlived life. That we remain small, weak, and unhappy.That’s why Resistance resists any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity. It will tell us anything to keep us from doing any of those things. It will feed us all kinds of enticing excuses, justifications, and bargains. You know...we’re too tired right now...we can just do it later...we’ve been working hard enough or maybe even too hard...why not start next week...does it really matter?...is it really that important?We’ve all been there, and I think Pressfield is right that this alone is one of the biggest barriers that we face in creating the type of life that we want.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/

No matter how big your arms, chest, or back are…an upper body just isn’t complete without well-developed shoulders.Now, if you’re listening to this podcast, I don’t think I have to do much to convince you to build bigger, stronger shoulders. You’re sold. You just need to know how.I bet you’ve tried too. You’ve poured who knows how many hours of time and gallons of sweat into your delts only to be disappointed. I know how that goes.The reality is anyone who says building impressive shoulders is easy is lying. It takes a lot of work–the right work–and patience. It can be done though. And this episode is going to show you 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/

In this episode, interview author and researcher Dr. Anthony Jay about a topic that isn’t discussed much in the fitness space at least, and that’s how estrogen-like chemicals that we’re exposed to every day can lower testosterone and raise estrogen levels in our bodies.Most “testosterone talk” revolves around using diet, training, supplements, and even drugs to boost testosterone production, and while that’s one way to do it, there’s also the other side of that coin: removing impediments to testosterone production, which include these estrogen-mimicking chemicals.Here’s a little sneak peek of what you’ll learn in this episode:- How phytoestrogens and mycoestrogens present in certain plant foods can interfere with your hormones. - Why an imbalance in sex hormones can promote weight gain. - A nasty little trick companies use to make you think their plastics are free of estrogen-mimicking chemicals when they're not. - Five things you can do right now to dramatically reduce your exposure to artificial estrogens and see marked improvements in your hormone profile. - And more...Listen to this episode and let me know what you think!Also, if you like the discussion and want to learn more about how these chemicals affect your body and what you can do to minimize their impact, definitely check out Dr. Jay’s book Estrogeneration.6:05 - What are artificial estrogens, how are we exposed to them, and why? 7:42 - What are the chemicals that act like estrogen in our body? 11:15 - How are we exposed to artificial estrogens? 13:43 - What are BPA and phthalates? 19:46 - How does high estrogen levels affect our body? 23:38 - What can we do to lower the artificial estrogens levels in our body? 32:59 - How can I measure the artificial estrogens in my body? 36:44 - Why is there a political discrepancy between Europe and America over artificial estrogen? 46:13 - What is epigenetics? 50:09 Where can people find your 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

When it comes to getting fit, or getting good at anything, really, there are two distinct phases:1. Learning and applying the fundamentals. 2. Learning and applying ways to optimize your results.And if you want to build muscle and strength faster, eating protein before bed can help……but it’s not nearly as important as some people would have you believe.You see, eating protein before bed falls squarely in bucket #2 above. If you don’t have the fundamentals in place, such as… - properly calculating and counting your calories and macros… - emphasizing heavy, compound weightlifting in your training… - following a sensibly designed workout program……when you eat protein simply won’t matter.And nor will many other things, like what types of supplements you take, how many carbs you eat, how “clean” your diet is, how often you change up your workouts, and much more.Once you have #1 squarely in place (fundamentals), though, and you’re looking for ways to get more out of your training, then it makes sense to start dipping into #2 (optimization).And this episode will help.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/

It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new weight loss supplement clamoring for your attention.You know, one that promises to shrink your belly fat, curb your appetite, or maybe even allow you to eat anything you damn well please and still lose weight.It all sounds great at first, but by now, most of us realize the idea of a “weight loss pill” is, at bottom, bunk.No amount of pills or powders alone can give us the lean bodies we want.Does that mean we should write off weight loss supplements entirely, though?Not so fast.When you look at the scientific research, evidence suggests some weight loss supplements can actually move the needle and thus are worth considering.You just have to know what to look for and how they affect your body, so you can use them properly.And that brings us to yohimbine.It’s often found in pre-workout supplements (because it’s a light stimulant) and fat burner supplements (because it purportedly accelerates weight loss), but what is it exactly?Does it actually help with weight loss? What about dosing and side effects? Is it dangerous?Well, this episode is going to answer all those questions and more.By the end, you’re going to know exactly what yohimbine can and can’t do and you can then decide if it’s worth your money.3:57 - What is yohimbine? 5:59 - Why do people supplement with yohimbine? 7:04 - How well does yohimbine work? 11:16 - What's the clinically effective dosage of yohimbine? 12:54 - What types of results should I expect from yohimbine? 14:25 - What are the side effects of yohimbine? 15:51 - Which product of yohimbine do you recommend?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/

Caffeine is the most popular drug in the world with a long and rich history, and no single molecule has enriched our culture like the wondrous little 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine.It’s also a controversial drug as various “experts” like to claim even mild but regular use eventually fries your nervous system, hurts your heart, and flatlines your adrenal glands.I’m not sure how many people would give caffeine up if this these claims were true–it’s just too damn good–but fortunately for us “users,” they’re either exaggerated or wholly false.While abusing caffeine can cause health issues, this is harder to do than you might think, but it raises the question of how much does caffeine actually impact our physical performance? Can it make a big enough differences to matter?Let’s find out.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/

“Push pull legs” routines have been popular for decades now.In fact, just about every time-proven strength and muscle-building program fits this basic mold, and that’s not likely to change.My bestselling workout programs for men and women are also, essentially, push pull legs (PPL) routines with additional “accessory” (isolation) work to help bring up “stubborn” body parts.The primary reasons push pull legs routines have stood the test of time are they train all major muscle groups, allow plenty of time for recovery, and can be tailored to fit different training goals, schedules, and histories.They’re easy to understand, too.At bottom, a push pull legs routine separates your major muscle groups into three different workouts:Chest, shoulders, and triceps Back and biceps (with a bit of hamstrings as well if you’re deadlifting) LegsAnd it has you train anywhere from 3 to 6 times per week, depending on how much abuse you’re willing to take, what you’re looking to achieve with your physique, and how much time you can spend in the gym each week.So, if you’re looking to gain muscle and strength as quickly as possible, and if you’re not afraid of a bit of heavy compound weightlifting, then push pull legs might be your golden ticket.And by the end of this episode, you’re going to know exactly how PPL works, who it is and isn’t best for, and how to create a customized routine that’ll work for you.Let’s get to it.4:30 - What is the push pull legs routine? 8:23 - What are the benefits to the push pull legs routine? 12:27 - How do I make push pull legs work for me? 17:12 - How can I make a push pull routine? 20:59 - What is push legs pull? 23:37 - How do you continue making progress with these routines? 29:56 - Do you recommend any supplements?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/

Are all types of protein equally good for building muscle?It depends on whom you ask.Many vegans and vegetarians will tell you that plant proteins are just as good as animal sources, if not better.And most hard-shell bodybuilders will laugh that at the idea that you can get big on a plant-based diet.“How many jacked vegans do you know?” they’ll ask. “Exactly. You gotta eat meat to gain mass, bro.”Well, who’s right?Is there something about animal proteins that makes them especially anabolic?Are plant proteins inherently deficient in some way and unsuitable to muscle building?And, bottom line, what types of protein should we be eating to gain muscle as efficiently as possible?Let’s find out.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/