Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

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 three questions: Should I wear a mouthguard while lifting? How beneficial is compression clothing for muscle gain? Should I eat or skip breakfast? 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. Recommended reading for this episode: https://legionathletics.com/skipping-breakfast/ 3:44 - Should I wear a mouthguard while lifting? 13:52 - How beneficial is compression clothing is for muscle gain? 21:16 - Should I eat or skip breakfast? 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/

“Hey bro, we’ve been stretching for an hour, can we start lifting now?” “Yeah right! We’ve only stretched our quads so far. It’s time for the hammies!” Conversations like this happen between gym buddies everyday across the iron kingdom, but luckily I’ve never been part of one. In fact, many people in the gym have noticed I don’t stretch much, and asked what my mobility routine is. I’ve touted the benefits of a daily short yoga routine, but beyond that, I don’t do any stretching in the gym. This may be surprising, because over the past decade or so, mobility work has become all the rage for lifestyle bodybuilders, powerlifters, professional athletes, and Crossfitters alike. Some people spend half their time in the gym just preparing to lift. Why is it so popular? Is it really necessary? To help explore the benefits of mobility work and find out what it can (and can’t) do, I’ve invited Sam Visnic onto the podcast. Who is Sam, you ask? He’s a certified massage therapist, expert on corrective exercise, and the founder of Release Muscle Therapy, where he specializes in helping people become pain-free through movement evaluations, techniques to re-learn proper movement patterns, massage, stretching, and more. In this episode, Sam and I chat about . . . How do you get started with a mobility routine (and whether you need to) How and why people became obsessive about mobility Finding balance between mobility work and training How mobility can improve nagging aches and pains and why pain might not be caused by lack of range of motion Common pain problems and causes with the squat, deadlift, and bench press How to test your ankle mobility Foam rollers, massage guns, and other gizmos And more . . . So, if you want to learn all about mobility work and how you can start nipping aches and pains in the bud, listen to this episode! Timestamps: 7:05 - What are your thoughts on mobility work? 12:47 - What is your approach and how do you find a balance between gaining muscle and attaining mobility? 38:29 - What are some of the exercises that tend to create the most common problems? 41:38 - How can someone determine their ankle mobility? 45:21 - How about the bench press and its relation to shoulder pain? 47:41 - What are your thoughts on rotator cuff exercises? 56:22 - What are your thoughts on massage guns and foam rollers? 1:09:44 - Where can people find you and your work? Mentioned on The Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Sam Visnic’s Website: https://releasemuscletherapy.com/ Sam Visnic’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/releasemuscletherapy/ --- Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

Progress comes easy when you first start lifting weights. You show up and get stronger almost without even trying. As you get stronger, though, smooth sailing turns into choppy waters. Progress stops being linear. Some weeks you’re a little weaker, other weeks you’re a little stronger, and it becomes harder to tell if you’re really getting stronger or not over time. At this point, the best way to measure your progress is to start tracking your one-rep max. A one-rep max is the maximum amount of weight you can lift for a single repetition of a given exercise through a full range of motion with proper technique. There’s a problem with actually testing your one-rep max, though: True one-rep max tests are time-consuming, risky, and exhausting, and can significantly disrupt your normal workout routine. Thus, a better alternative is to estimate your one-rep max using what’s known as a rep-max test. While not quite as precise as a real one-rep max test, rep-max testing is far less arduous and still accurate enough to track your progress over time. Let’s get started. Timestamps: 5:18 - Why should I track my one-rep max? 13:26 - How do you do rep-max testing? 21:16 - What are some tips for performing your best on rep-max testing? Mentioned on The Show: Books by Mike Matthews: 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 three questions: How do you determine when you need to deload? Does birth control hurt athletic performance? What popular exercises do you like and don’t like and why? 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: 3:58 - How do you determine when you need to deload? 12:08 - Does birth control hurt athletic performance? 17:50 - What popular exercises do you like and don’t like and why? --- Mentioned on The Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: buylegion.com/mike --- Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: 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: Dr. Eric Helms on the Best Way to Lean Bulk (Gain Muscle and Not Fat) (Originally published Sept 4th, 2019) What 17 Studies Say About Increasing Your Testosterone Naturally (Originally published Aug 9th, 2017) Motivation Monday: The Little Big Things About Building a Better You (Originally published Aug 13th, 2018) And we’ll be starting with number one, Dr. Eric Helms on the best way to lean bulk. Timestamps: 5:13 - Dr. Eric Helms on the Best Way to Lean Bulk (Gain Muscle and Not Fat) 14:12 - What 17 Studies Say About Increasing Your Testosterone Naturally 22:07 - Motivation Monday: The Little Big Things About Building a Better You 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/

As an author, entrepreneur, and owner of multiple businesses, I get asked a lot about writing, marketing, and how to make money. Of course, if you’re looking for shortcuts and magic formulas, I’m not the Jedi wizard you’re looking for. But if you’re willing to do the work and have realistic expectations, you’re well on your way and I’m happy to share insights on what’s worked for me. In fact, I’ve written about my story here on the blog, and I’ve had several episodes on how the Mike Matthews sausage is made, business lessons I learned building Legion, and the power of great content. And this podcast should be just as insightful, my fellow money-grubbing capitalist. That’s because it’s an interview from Nicholas Jensen’s Unlimited Wealth podcast, in which I shared juicy tiddly-bits on branding, valuable marketing resources, and getting started with creating content. Nicholas’ podcast is focused on helping entrepreneurs grow their business and money, and since many people want to know what goes on behind the curtain here at Oz Legion HQ, I thought it would be worth sharing the interview he did of yours unruly here on my own podcast. So if you want to learn about why I started Legion, free marketing resources, writing unique copy that sells, how I built my businesses the "hard way," the importance of branding, my thoughts on imposter syndrome, how to get started with content marketing, and a whole lot more, you’re going to love this episode! Press play and let me know what you think! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 9:35 - Are there certain marketing perspectives that you followed before your company became successful? 18:26 - What are some marketing strategies that you recommend? 23:45 - Do you think Legion could stand on its own without you? 27:13 - Where do you gather most of your information about marketing? 32:39 - Do you suffer from imposter syndrome? Mentioned on The Show: Nicholas Jensen’s Unlimited Wealth Podcast: nicholascjensen.com/podcast/ Nicholas Jensen’s Website: nicholascjensen.com/ Nickolas Jensen’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/nicholasjensen Shop Legion Supplements Here: 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/

There are many different schools of thought on how to set goals. Some swear by the SMART goal-setting paradigm. Others rely on affirmations, meditation, or journaling. And others kibosh goal-setting altogether and simply focus on envisioning a better future, hoping their thoughts transmogrify into reality. If you’ve played with any of these approaches, though, you’ve probably noticed that they tend to go nowhere fast. You keep reviewing your SMART goals, telling yourself to think positive, filling page after page of your diary, or chipping away at a few choice habits, but after a few weeks or months, you lose heart. Many people chalk up their failure to a lack of discipline, determination, or motivation, and while these can be factors, their biggest mistake lies in putting their faith in faulty, facile goal-setting systems. Most of the goal-setting models I just described have merit, but they also tend to be incomplete or ineffective when put to the acid test. Like a map without a compass, they help you feel like you’re on the right track without providing all of the tools and information you need to reach your destination. I’ve spent many years reading about and testing various goal-setting strategies, and I’ve come to believe there’s no one winning formula that works for everyone under all circumstances. That said, there are some evidence-based goal-setting principles that you can apply in every situation that will increase your chances of success. And in this podcast, you’ll learn to look at goal setting in a new, more productive light. Be warned: This isn’t a rah-rah you-can-do-it approach. It won’t be comfortable. But it’ll work. Before we get into all of that, though, let’s first diagnose the problem with most approaches to goal setting. --- Timestamps: 5:56 - What are the problems with how people set goals? 9:28 - What are the characteristics, habits, and behaviors of entrepreneurs? 31:18 - How can I better achieve my fitness goals? Mentioned on The Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: buylegion.com/mike --- Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: 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 a few of the more common or interesting contentions to address here on the podcast. And in this episode, I’ll be tackling the following . . . 4:41 - “Your natty expectations are unrealistic.” 17:50 - “Your BLS and TLS books are beginner lifting programs, but the macros are designed for elite athletes, and the fat recommendations are horribly low.” 25:43 - “Your books include cheat meals, but that’s an unproductive way to view food because it implies that eating off plan is bad and this can result in feelings of guilt which can lead to more off-plan eating.” 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/

What if I told you there was one weird trick to realize all of your biggest dreams? Just one thing you could do to achieve success and live your best life. Want to know what it is? The trick is to ignore all the one weird tricks. That’s right. The real secret isn’t shortcuts and fads. It’s hard work, consistency, discipline, and building good habits. That’s the real juice. If I just knocked the wind out of your sails, I understand. Hard work sounds a lot less fun than instant gratification. But what’s more fun? Failing, jumping on the next bandwagon, and failing again, or making real progress and actually achieving what you want? In the long-run, the tried-and-true methods of developing a strong work ethic and discipline have an astounding track record and are far more likely to get you where you want to go. That’s what I’m talking about on this episode with Nick Shaw. He’s someone who’s learned these lessons and honed them through personal hardship, building them into an actionable framework in his book Fit For Success, that you can follow to live your best life. If you’re not familiar with Nick, he’s the founder and CEO of Renaissance Periodization (co-founded by Dr. Mike Israetel, who’s also been on the podcast). He’s also a former competitive powerlifter and bodybuilder, who’s coached hordes of elite athletes, including CrossFit Games Champions, Olympians, UFC fighters, and professional athletes, so he knows a thing or two about achieving success and helping others do so. In this episode, Nick and I chat about . . . Why he wrote Fit For Success Enjoying the work process versus being outcome-oriented Morning routines and the benefits of waking up early Mindfulness and the difference between using data instead of feelings Developing discipline and thinking long-term The importance of a positive mindset And more . . . So if you’re ready to ditch the fads and nonsense and build positive habits that can improve your life, listen to this podcast! 13:48 - What are the key concepts of success that you wrote in your book? 16:17 - What does hard work mean to you? 21:39 - Where are you now with work/life balance? 24:24 - What are your thoughts on developing work ethic? 25:57 - How do you organize your to-do list? 27:07 - Do you have a morning routine? 47:08 - What is your take on developing discipline? 53:47 - What does a positive mindset mean to you? Mentioned on The Show: Nick Shaw's New Book (Fit For Success) Nick Shaw's Instagram: @nick.shaw.rp Nick Shaw's Website: Renaissance Periodization 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/

This episode is part of a 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 free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/