Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

The more you think about it, the weirder it gets. Obviously we have reproductive differences but, beyond that, do women and men really vary that much? Especially when it comes to science. We use rats to estimate how stuff affects us for crying out loud. We share about 50% of the same genes as fruit flies and some have argued that our societal structures are similar to that of lobsters. When it comes to comparing one human against the other then 99.9% similarity may be an understatement because we don’t want to use more decimal places. And yet, despite this, we find numerous claims that supplements can benefit women and men differently beyond sex-based anatomical differences. To rub salt in the wound they are also all called vitamins for what I can only assume to be marketing or negligence. The amount of times I’ve seen calcium included in lists of vitamins for women’s health is equal parts staggering and saddening (we’ll get to why that’s wrong in a moment). Screw “vitamin,” the most commonly misused term by far in this regard. Want to know vitamins for women? Folic acid prenatal vitamins, boom, done, that’s it. It’s a useless question. A much better one is this: “What supplements should I, as a woman, consider that men do not need to consider?” And simple questions beget simple answers. Timestamps: 3:29 - Why are there supplements for women and what are the differences in these products? 10:00 - What supplements do you recommend for women? 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 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 . . . "You’re downplaying the pandemic and being insensitive." 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/

Is there a particular part of your body you want to strip fat from fast? Chances are good if you’ve searched online for answers about this “problem area,” you’ve found recommendations for specific exercises, foods, or supplements. Unfortunately, these solutions are a pipe dream. Fat loss is a simple process, but it’s not perfectly predictable. That is, if you know how to eat and exercise properly, you will lose fat consistently. However, there aren’t clearly defined stages of fat loss that allow you to forecast exactly where you’ll lose the fat from. There are some general patterns to fat loss, though, and these can give you an indication of how and when you’ll lose fat during a cut. This is helpful because it tells us what to expect, which can help us stay on track. That’s what this podcast is all about. Timestamps 5:39 - Where do you lose weight first? 10:24 - Why don’t men see fast results with their belly fat? Why don’t women see fast results with their thighs, butt, and hips? 15:29 - How does blood flow affect stubborn fat? 19:23 - How do genetics play a role with fat? Mentioned on the Show: Fasted Cardio Article: https://legionathletics.com/fasted-cardio/ 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 Do I Get Fit as a Shift Worker?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/

Everyone is new to fitness at some point. No matter how jacked, lean, or athletic someone is right now, there was a day where they stepped foot in the gym for the first time and started taking their fitness seriously. This is good to keep in mind because the gym can be a daunting place when you’re a newbie. What exercises should you do? How heavy should the weights be? How many sets should you do? How often should you exercise? How much should you eat to support your training and what foods? And when should you eat those foods? The questions go on and on ad nauseum. Many people turn to the internet for answers, and when you’re new and inexperienced, you’re especially prone to believing myths, focusing on the wrong things, and making mistakes. You know, things like super high-rep sets to bring out the cuts, skipping breakfast with no carbs after 8 pm, spending more time “researching” and reading magazine articles than training, jumping from routine to routine (“shiny object syndrome”), and “no pain no gain, baby!” I’m no exception either. I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes in training and nutrition, which is why I wrote books for beginners once I got most things right and learned what really moves the needle. I wanted to help people avoid the mistakes I made and reach their goals as quickly and painlessly as possible. The point is, while the fitness game might be relatively simple, it’s not exactly self-explanatory or intuitive. Having a proper blueprint of what really matters is more than half the battle, and this concept of being new to the gym is something I wanted to talk about with Adam Pfau. Like myself, Adam is no stranger to making mistakes as a newbie. He started out as a skinny teenager pumped full of misinformation, and now he’s downright jacked, and spends his time educating his 1.3 million followers on what really matters in the gym and in the kitchen. That is, Adam has become the educational resource that would have helped both him and myself tremendously when we first started training, so he knows all about navigating the fitness landscape as a newbie and avoiding potential pitfalls. This is also why we’re happy to have Adam on the team as a Legion Athlete. In this episode Adam and I talk about . . . Selecting a training program How to find good sources of information Dealing with gym intimidation Avoiding program hopping The psychology of maintenance and finding what you enjoy And more . . . So if you’re new to the fitness game and want some help getting on the right track, or if you have newbie friends who could use a nudge in the right direction, listen to this podcast and share it! 8:40 - How did you get into fitness? 16:04 - What has your experience been with programs? 24:56 - How do you find good sources of information? 42:00 - Did you ever experience gym intimidation? How did you overcome it? 46:47 - What are your thoughts on program hopping? 54:20 - How was the psychology of maintenance for you? Mentioned on the Show: Adam’s Pfau’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apfau/ Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/

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 I Gain Strength But Not Size? 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: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://buylegion.com/vip Strength Training: https://legionathletics.com/strength-training-plan/ 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: What are your thoughts on plant-derived meat alternatives? 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. 4:36 - What are plant-based meat alternatives? 6:05 - What are the health benefits of plant-based meat alternatives? 13:06 - What is the environmental impact of farming meat versus creating plant-based meat alternatives? Mentioned on the Show: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://buylegion.com/vip 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:6:02 - Dr. Stuart McGill on the Real Causes of Back Pain (and How to Fix It)16:57 - The 3 Little Big Things About Rapid Fat Loss26:16 - Motivation Monday: 6 Lessons for Training Hard Like a Motherf&*$er---Mentioned on The Show:Dr. Stuart McGill on the Real Causes of Back Pain (and How to Fix It)(Published1/18/2019) https://legionathletics.com/stuart-mcgill-interview/The 3 Little Big Things About Rapid Fat Loss(Published7/21/2019) https://legionathletics.com/rapid-fat-loss-tips-podcast/Motivation Monday: 6 Lessons for Training Hard Like a Motherf&*$er(Published8/14/2017) https://legionathletics.com/motivation-monday-6-lessons-for-training-hard/Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching:https://buylegion.com/vip---Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

Body composition refers to how much of your body is composed of body fat versus muscle.  Although most people fixate on their body weight when trying to get in shape, body composition is a much more useful metric to track.  The problem with just tracking your body weight is that if you’re new to proper diet and exercise, you’ll lose fat and build muscle at the same time. Your scale weight may not change significantly for several weeks or months, which rankles dieters to no end.  Even though it may not look like you’re making progress, though, your body composition probably tells a different story.  Thus, your real goal when losing weight should be to improve your body composition—to lose fat and maintain or gain muscle. In this podcast, you’ll learn:  - How to measure body composition. - What it looks like when you build muscle and lose fat simultaneously (with some body composition examples). - What the best body composition analysis tool is. - What the best body composition exercises are. - And more! Timestamps: 10:10 - What is body composition?  18:26 - How can body composition measurements be incorrect?  29:28 - How do you properly measure body composition? Mentioned on The Show: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: buylegion.com/vip Bigger Leaner Stronger Thinner Leaner Stronger Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

“Can you recommend a book for…?”“What are you reading right now?”“What are your favorite books?”I get asked those types of questions a lot and, as an avid reader and all-around bibliophile, I’m always happy to oblige.I also like to encourage people to read as much as possible because knowledge benefits you much like compound interest. The more you learn, the more you know; the more you know, the more you can do; the more you can do, the more opportunities you have to succeed.On the flip side, I also believe there’s little hope for people who aren’t perpetual learners. Life is overwhelmingly complex and chaotic, and it slowly suffocates and devours the lazy and ignorant.So, if you’re a bookworm on the lookout for good reads, or if you’d like to get into the habit of reading, this book club for you.The idea here is simple: Every month, I’ll share a book that I’ve particularly liked, why I liked it, and several of my key takeaways from it.I’ll also keep things short and sweet so you can quickly decide whether the book is likely to be up your alley or not.Alright, let’s get to the takeaways.---Mentioned on The Show:Shop Legion Supplements Here: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/