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/

This is one of my all-time favorite success/self-development books and one that I regularly gift and recommend to others because I attribute much of my own success in business and other areas of my life to the lessons found inMastery--lessons that I believe can transform anyone’s life for the better if they’re truly taken to heart.The premise of the book is simple: any one of us can become an elite performer in a skill or field if we simply embrace and embody established attitudes and behaviors that have produced past and current champions, and more importantly, that every one of us should strive toward greatness if we want to lead fulfilling lives.I think these messages are sorely needed because they’re in stark contrast to much of our mainstream culture, which is producing more and more people who are less and less interested in self-actualization than worshipping and pursuing meaningless materialism, entertainment, and distractions, and who are then dismayed when they realize that their lives feel hollow and insignificant.This philosophical argument was explored in another book that I recommend calledAll Things Shining, wherein philosophy professors Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly argue that throughout history, we’ve placed tremendous importance and value in notions of sacredness and meaning, but since the Enlightenment, we’ve moved away from these concepts as a consequence of the radical political changes that saw individual autonomy rise above the social order imposed by a God or king. In short, when we abandoned religious and royal dogmas, we tasked ourselves to identify what’s meaningful and what isn’t, and quite frankly, we haven’t done a very good job of it. Hence, the creeping nihilism and widespread malaise of modern life.There’s a pragmatic argument for choosing mastery over mediocrity as well, as our current economy pays a huge premium to people who are willing to do the hard, deep work necessary to demonstrate mastery--if you want to make a lot of money, get so good at something that people can’t ignore you and you’re halfway home--and tomorrow’s economy is going to demand mastery, as more and more simple, shallow, redundant work will be passed off to machines.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/

In this episode, I want to address some common myths and misconceptions about body fat levels.Obviously being “shredded” is the thing these days--if you want to be cool on social media, you’d better have abs--but how lean can you get before you start compromising your health? And how lean can you stay over the long term before it becomes a problem?Well, you’re going to get that question fully answered in this podcast, and I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised because I have good news: it’s harder to hurt your health than you might think.You can do it, but you have to work very hard at it and probably throw some drugs into the mix as well. Fortunately, for most of us, our body composition goals are not only very achievable, but they’re very sustainable, too.I’m also going to touch on various other things, including what body fat percentage is and how it changes when you gain and lose fat and muscle, whether it affects menstruation (something that many women worry about when they set out to get lean), and what you should do after cutting to reverse the negative side effects of caloric restriction without gaining back any of the fat that you just lost, which is huge for long-term weight and body fat maintenance.5:51 - What is body fat percentage? 7:39 - How do you determine your body fat percentage? 9:44 - What is the physiology behind losing body fat? 12:16 - What is a healthy body fat percentage for men? 14:11 - What is a healthy body fat percentage for women?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/

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/

In this book, Covey takes you by the hand and says…“Look, if you want to live a good life, you can’t be an irresponsible, self-absorbed, insolent, small-minded, unenlightened, judgmental, delusional little child.”“You might be able to bullshit your friends, family, and even yourself, but you can’t bullshit the universe.”“For whatever reason, there are some basic rules to this game of living and if you work with them, you can win. Flout them and you’ll lose.”He then lays out…in way too many words…his ideas about what makes people effective and ineffective in life, and I wholeheartedly agree with many of his assessments.There’s a reason why it’s on just about every “books you have to read list”–it’s full of powerful insights that, if internalized, can truly change your life.I have to warn you though: you’re probably not going to like reading it, mainly because Covey isn’t much of a writer. It’s twice as long as it should be and a lot of the prose is purple, but it’s well worth the slog.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, we’re going to have some fun but also address a very real problem: assholes in the gym.You know what I’m talking about. The assholes that smell like shit, that sweat on everything that gawk at women, that superset half of the gym and leave their weights everywhere, and so on.You might be laughing, and yes, these people can be pretty amusing, but they also make for a significantly worse gym experience for us and everyone else, and, in some cases, even drive people away from gyms altogether.And so I wanted to have a few laughs at the expense of these assholes by breaking down the 9 most annoying things that they do, and also share some commonsense advice on how we can all make our gyms a bit more pleasant for all of our fellow gymgoers.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/

If you like to read biographies to find ideas, models, systems, habits, etc. that extraordinary people have used to improve their lives and achieve great things, then you want to read this book.In case you’ve just arrived to Earth and spend most of your time in orbit, Elon Musk is one of the most fearless entrepreneurs around these parts. He was one of the founders of Paypal, and he used the money he made there to create SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and Solar City, which are space exploration, electric car, and solar energy companies, respectively.Elon’s genius, vision, work ethic, courage, and integrity has earned him billions of dollars and a cult of personality, and rightfully so, if you ask me. His story is a master lesson in the power of big think, hard work, and iron will, and we’re lucky to have people like him working for the betterment of humankind and not selling more knicknacks or creating new ways for us to waste time on our smartphones.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/

In this episode, I’m going to briefly address a question I’m asked about alot, and that’s what to do about loose skin after weight loss. Many people think that surgery is their only hope, and I’m happy to say that this isn’t the case. There are several things you can and should do before going under the knife, even if you think the damage is done and it’s too late. These things are equally important if you’re about to embark on a significant weight loss journey because they will help prevent you from having to deal with post-diet saggy skin syndrome.Here’s a little sneak peek of what you’re going to learn in this episode:How to determine whether you’re dealing with loose skin or body fat.What body fat percentage to cut down to really know if you have a legit problem with loose skin or not.4 simple ways to improve the look and health of your skin.Two supplements that can help improve skin elasticity (not to mention your overall health and well-being!).And more...3:17 - How can I tell if I have loose skin or fat?8:14 - How can I improve skin elasticity?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/

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.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/