Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

If you like to geek out, this episode is for you. That’s because I’m getting into the weeds with Chris Barakat on peri-workout nutrition. If you don’t know what that means, peri-workout nutrition refers to the food you eat before, during, and after training. We’re talking pre-workout meals, post-workout feasts, and even intraworkout replenishment. Now, one important point (and one we’ll get into further in the episode) is that the advanced strategies Chris discusses are optimizations, as opposed to foundational knowledge. If you’re someone who just wants to get in shape without too much fuss, get your energy balance right and follow a meal plan that hits your macro targets, and you’re going to be doing better than most. In other words, get the most important things right, most of the time, and you’ll do well. But if you’re someone who likes to optimize--someone who wants to do everything you can to eke out every ounce of progress possible, these are the types of dietary strategies you should at least be thinking about. These small tweaks may not make a noticeable difference in the moment, but they can move the needle over time. Even if that’s not you, though, I think you’ll find this episode interesting, and you just may learn a strategy or two you’d like to try. In our chat, Chris and I talk about . . . What peri-workout nutrition is Specific macros and food choices for pre-workout and post-workout nutrition Whether the glycemic index of your carb choices matters Carbohydrate supplements When intraworkout nutrition is useful (and when it’s not) And much more . . . If you’re not familiar with Chris, he’s not only a member of Legion’s Scientific Review Board, he’s also a published scientist, educator, coach, and natural bodybuilder, so he’s had many years of developing his book smarts and “in the trenches” know-how, and definitely knows how to get results. So take a listen and let me know which of the strategies we discuss you’ll be implementing, as well as your own favorite peri-workout foods. :) Timestamps: 5:06 - What is peri-workout nutrition? 19:46 - What does a pre-workout meal look like? 25:33 - What are your thoughts on carbohydrate supplements? 35:51 - What should your protein and fat intake look like before a workout? 40:44 - How do you approach post workout? 47:12 - Is resynthesis more efficient at night? Mentioned on the Show: Chris Barakat's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopher.barakat/ Chris Barakat's Website: https://schoolofgainz.com/ Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

Mushrooms seem to be all the rage these days. What are the health benefits of mushrooms, though? Well, it depends on the type, but one of the most popular kinds of mushrooms people supplement is Reishi. What’s so special about this Reishi fungi? That’s what I’m here to tell you in this podcast. Specifically, you’re going to learn what Reishi mushroom is, why people supplement with it, what sorts of benefits and side effects you can expect, the best way to take it, how much to take, and more. Let’s get to it, shall we? Timestamps: 5:17 - What is reishi mushroom? 9:28 - What are the benefits of reishi mushroom? Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

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 question: How Do You Increase Urgency and Necessity? 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. Mentioned on the Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

I’ve written and recorded a lot of evidence-based content over the years on just about everything you can imagine related to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy. I’ve also worked with thousands of men and women of all ages and circumstances and helped them get into the best shape of their lives. That doesn’t mean you should blindly swallow everything I say, though, because let’s face it—nobody is always right about everything. And especially in fields like diet and exercise, which are constantly evolving thanks to the efforts of honest and hardworking researchers and thought leaders. This is why I’m always happy to hear from people who disagree with me, especially when they have good arguments and evidence to back up their assertions. Sometimes I can’t get on board with their positions, but sometimes I end up learning something, and either way, I always appreciate the discussion. That gave me the idea for this series of podcast episodes: publicly addressing things people disagree with me on and sharing my perspective. Think of it like a spicier version of a Q&A. So, here’s what I’m doing: Every couple of weeks, I’m asking my Instagram followers what they disagree with me on, and then picking the more common or interesting contentions to address here on the podcast. And in this episode, I’ll be tackling the following . . . Why should you do front squats instead of other quad dominant exercises? --- Mentioned on the Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ --- Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

While my world revolves around lifting heavy objects and learning how to eat “like an adult,” I occasionally dip into talking about entrepreneurship, marketing, and business in general. And feedback on this sort of content has been great. People with the entrepreneurship bug want to know what’s worked for me, what hasn’t, and what I’ve learned while growing my own businesses. The truth is starting your own business isn’t for everyone. You have to do a lot more work, take on a lot more stress, and generate a lot more revenue to be successful than most people think. In other words, it’s not for the lazy or faint of heart. These are things I recently talked about with Cody McBroom, who interviewed me on his Tailored Life Podcast, in which he asked me about all things business. I wanted to share this interview on my own podcast because I think it will be valuable to my listeners. It provides a peek behind the curtain of what it really takes to run and grow a business, build and maintain momentum, and more. In the interview, I talk about . . . The myth of “overnight success” stories and how to deal with impatience Reasons why you might not want to start a business or become an entrepreneur Work life balance, stress, and parenting Reflection and “self-care” routines (and why I don’t meditate) And a whole lot more . . . So if you’re interested in getting an “inside scoop” on what it takes to be successful in business, I think you're going to enjoy this episode. Timestamps: 6:35 - What are your thoughts on patience and people not being patient enough? 17:59 - What allowed you to become more patient? 25:18 - What does it take to start a business? 45:42 - What are your thoughts on reflection and balance? 56:06 - Rapid questions Mentioned on the Show: Cody McBroom's Podcast: https://tailoredcoachingmethod.com/podcast/ Cody McBroom's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codymcbroom/ Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

In this episode, I interview Anna, who read Thinner Leaner Stronger and used what she learned to lose over 85 pounds of fat while gaining 20 pounds of muscle and getting significantly stronger. Before finding TLS, Anna was 200 pounds, in pain from being overweight, displaying symptoms of pre-diabetes, and didn’t know how to lose fat. She wanted to make a change, but didn’t know where to start. Luckily, her brother was familiar with my work and convinced her to read TLS. That’s when she learned all about what to do in the gym, how to eat properly, and most importantly for her, flexible dieting. Now she knew what to do, but she was filled with self-doubt and didn’t know if she could accomplish her goals. She smartly set a smaller, attainable goal of getting down to 170 pounds as a benchmark. Once she started applying what she learned and saw progress, she gained confidence. She started to feel like she was in control and could actually set even bigger goals and reach those too. Now, Anna is 135 pounds, having gained 20 pounds of muscle while losing 85 pounds of fat, and more than tripled her strength on many lifts. This process has not only transformed her body, but her whole mindset. As you’ll hear in the interview, Anna is confident and fearless. :) In this interview, Anna and I chat about her story and the important lessons she’s learned along the way, including her childhood and how she became overweight, what convinced her to start going to the gym, how she’s incorporating cardio and diet breaks, what she’s working toward now, and more. So if you’re looking for a jolt of inspiration and like motivational stories, definitely listen to this episode. Timestamps: 6:57 - What does your before and after look like? 10:42 - How did you find me and my work? 12:56 - How did you deal with being overweight as a child? 17:37 - What did your meal plan look like? 22:25 - What did your training look like? 29:26 - Have you done any cardio? 31:54 - How have you set up your deficit periods and diet breaks? Mentioned on the Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

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 question:How Often Should You Switch Exercises?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.Mentioned on the Show:Books by Mike Matthews:https://legionathletics.com/products/books/---Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

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 question: How effective are negatives? 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. Timestamps: 3:07 - What are negatives? 6:04 - Should I only be doing eccentric training? 9:19 - How do I incorporate negatives in my training? Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike --- Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

I’ve recorded hundreds of episodes of Muscle for Life on a huge variety of things related to health, fitness, and lifestyle, ranging from the basics of diet and exercise like energy and macronutrient balance and progressive overload and training frequency and volume to fads like the ketogenic and carnivore diet and collagen protein to more unfamiliar territories like body weight set point and fasted cardio. Some episodes resonate with my crowd more than others, but all of them contain at least a few key takeaways that just about anyone can benefit from (that’s what I tell myself at least). And as cool as that is, it poses a problem for you, my dear listener: Ain’t nobody got time for that. Well okay, some people do make the time to listen to most or even all of my podcasts, but my wizbang analytics tell me that while many listeners tune in on a regular basis, they don’t catch every installment of Muscle for Life and thus miss out on insights that could help them get a little better inside and outside the gym. People have also been saying they’d like me to do more shorter, multi-topic episodes, like my Q&As. And so I got an idea: how about a “best of” series of podcasts that contains a few of the most practical and compelling ideas, tips, and moments from my most popular episodes? This way, people who are new to the show can quickly determine if it’s for them or not, and those who enjoy what I’m doing but don’t have the time or inclination to listen to all of my stuff can still benefit from the discussions and find new episodes to listen to. So, in this installment of The Best of Muscle for Life, you’ll be hearing hand-picked morsels from three episodes: Carter Good on How to Finally Stop Binge Eating 11 Scientifically Proven Ways to Increase Your Bench Press Motivation Monday: How to Know When "Good Enough" Is Good Enough And we’ll be starting with number one, Carter Good on how to finally stop binge eating. Timestamps: 4:56 - Carter Good on How to Finally Stop Binge Eating 14:55 - 11 Scientifically Proven Ways to Increase Your Bench Press 20:47 - Motivation Monday: How to Know When "Good Enough" Is Good Enough Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

This podcast is a story about overcoming oppressive obstacles. It’s about facing reality head-on, coming to terms with the truth, and deciding to make a positive change.Specifically, it’s the story of Brad Jensen and how he beat addiction to reinvent himself and become known as “the sober bodybuilder.”I’ll save the details for the interview, but in broad strokes, Brad was a fitness-interested teenager who found himself turning to alcohol and eventually hard drugs to get through life. This led to a decade of serious addiction, becoming a drug dealer, multiple arrests, homelessness, and repeated cycles of recovery and relapse.In other words, Brad has had to deal with far more hardship than the average Joe, but he was able to take responsibility, not succumb to a victim mindset, and completely turn his life around. And while most of you listeners luckily won’t have to deal with the same issues or episodes of intense withdrawal, I think his story will be inspiring and motivating.In case you’re not familiar with Brad, he’s a fellow podcaster (The Key Nutrition Podcast) and coach, who’s used his passion for fitness to help beat addiction, remain sober for over 8 years now, and help other people get fit and healthy. In this interview, he shares his powerful story about his transformation from an anxious kid to a homeless heroin-addict, to a successful entrepreneur and business owner.In this interview, we chat about . . .Why Brad turned to alcohol and drugs and how he got addicted to heroinDealing with withdrawal and his time spent in jailOther addictive behaviors like looking at pornographyThe difference between being sober and recoveryWhy people relapse during recovery and how he finally broke that cycleAnd more . . .So if you want to hear an inspiring story of how someone faced the truth, overcame addiction, and turned his life around, you’re going to enjoy this podcast.Timestamps:6:50 - What was happening before 2012?12:39 - What happened after high school?38:27 - How did you start to turn your life around?Mentioned on the Show:Brad Jensen's Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thesoberbodybuilder/Brad Jensen's Website (Key Nutrition):https://keynutrition.com/Shop Legion Supplements Here:https://buylegion.com/mikeWant free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/