Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

If you’re like most people, you’ve been paying attention to what’s happening with coronavirus.Over 300,000 people have taken ill as of this writing and, depending on who you ask, the death rate ranges from 0.3 to 1 to 3% (one of the latest studies pins this number right in the middle at 1.4%).This makes it slightly more deadly than the flu, and significantly more deadly for those who are over 60 years old.While it’s easy to blow the situation out of proportion (and the media firestorm isn’t helping), it’s still wise to do everything you can to shore up your immune system in times like these.You’re probably already taking preventative measures like washing your hands, avoiding large crowds, and so forth, but you’re still exposed to thousands of different germs every day (and possibly, COVID-19). That’s not to mention the thousands of other seasonal diseases that sweep around the world every year like a swarm of locusts.And if one of these germs manages to sneak past your guard, it’s up to your immune system to knock them out before they make you sick.That raises the question: can you do anything to boost your immune system?If so, which methods work and which don’t?You’ll learn the answers to all of those questions and more in this podcast.So, let’s start with discussing what the immune system is and how it works, and then we’ll get to how to strengthen it and how to prevent and quickly overcome illnesses.---Mentioned on The Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/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.legionathletics.com/signup/

Scott Carney is an interesting guy doing fascinating things.I first had him on the podcast to discuss his New York Times Bestseller What Doesn’t Kill Us, which took an investigative look at “hacking” our bodies and using the environment to stimulate our biology.Specifically, Scott went on a journey with biohacking legend Wim Hof, using special breathing techniques to push the limits of strength and endurance, submerging himself in ice water and climbing a freezing mountain with only a pair of shorts.Scott decided to take what he learned from Wim even further in his newest book, The Wedge, where he explores controlling mind and body to hijack stress and experience life in a whole new way.In this podcast, we discuss . . .- How too much comfort can actually be unhealthy - Developing unstoppable grit - Using kettlebell tossing to enter a flow state - Creating new neural symbols to change your experience of sensations - And so much more . . .Let’s dig in!4:47 - What is The Wedge and why did you write it?7:44 - Is there a spiritual or paranormal component to how you respond?9:42 - Can you change the way your body instinctively reacts?14:14 - How do you change the way your body instinctively reacts?18:52 - Does controlling comfort enhance other aspects in your life?27:34 - Can change your emotional response to danger?37:24 - Are there other interesting techniques that you discuss in your book?48:44 - What do you mean when you say there is a spiritual element to your practice?---Mentioned on The Show:Scott’s Carney's New Book - The Wedge: https://www.scottcarney.com/the-wedgeScott Carney’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgcarney/Scott Carney’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottcarneyauthor/Scott Carney’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/sgcarney Books by Mike Matthews:https://legionathletics.com/products/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.legionathletics.com/signup/

FRANDO!It’s-a-me, your Pandemic Pal, Corona Chum, and Quarantine . . . uhhhh . . . Quixote?And here we are, socially stranded, steadily sanitized, and slightly stir crazy thanks to The Rona, which isn’t merely “another flu,” as many not-doctors on (delete your) Instagram would have you believe.But hey, there are some white clouds in the sky, too.For instance . . .1) Thanks to the cancellation of sports, many men have discovered they live with women and children who seem pretty nice.2) We’ve discovered how someone eating bat soup in China can cause a worldwide shortage in toilet paper.3) This may lead to an orgiastic baby boom, and in the 2030s, we’ll witness the rise of THE QUARANTEENS.Ha ha ha, and that’s not all sweet cheeks—open your mouth, so I can ladle some more rich, creamy good news into it.According to a March 19th message from Harvard Health Publishing . . .- Most people with COVID-19 recover. Estimates now suggest that 99% of people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 will recover. Some people have no symptoms at all. And while thousands of people have died, the overall death rate is about 1% (or perhaps even lower), far less than MERS (about 34%), SARS (about 11%), or Ebola (90%), though higher than the average seasonal flu (0.1%).- Children seem to be infected less often and have milder disease. According to the CDC, the vast majority of infections so far have afflicted adults. And when kids are infected, they tend to have milder disease.- The number of new cases is falling where the outbreak began. During his speech declaring the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, the director-general of the WHO pointed out that “China and the Republic of Korea have significantly declining epidemics.” In fact, Wuhan province (site of the very first cases) has just reported no new local cases for the first time since the outbreak began.- Scientists around the world are making breakthroughs in developing a vaccine. For instance, vaccination trials are already underway at Kaiser Permanente, Israeli scientists are nearing development of their first vaccine, and China is testing five different vaccine options, claiming it could have one ready by next month.- Many businesses have stepped up to help us through the crisis. The sports world is raising money for stadium employees, Uber Eats is divvying out free delivery to help independent restaurants, professional soccer players are entertaining viewers with a FIFA tournament, and restaurants are doling out free food to those in need, to name just a few out of dozens.What’s more, if we all comply with the requested precautions, we may get to enjoy a tide of positive developments and see a marked shift toward normalcy by the end of next month.So, let’s just mind our own business for a couple of weeks, and then we’ll be able to say we survived the Great Toilet Paper Crisis of 2020 and not . . . something else.That said, if you’re new to working (and working out) from home, the quarantined life is a long row to hoe.How are you supposed to organize your day? What should you do with your newfound free time? How do you keep from skipping workouts, eating too much, frittering away all your time on social media and entertainment, and shirking your work?That’s what this podcast will be all about.Before we get to all of that, however, let’s begin with a bit of perspective. 5:00 - How do I manage my time better?14:19 - What should my routine look like?23:06 - How can I eat well?34:17 - How do I stay productive and busy?---Mentioned on The Show: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://legionathletics.com/coaching/---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:/

For centuries, women were more or less excluded from organized athletics, relegated to more “feminine” tasks like being homemakers or taking care of children.A lot has changed.Women have their own leagues and divisions in all sports now, and while the WNBA might not ever be as popular as the NBA, for example, things are more equal now than they’ve ever been.But it’s been a gradual process that took many iconoclastic women to get to this point.To learn more about the culture of women’s strength and the history of women in sports, I invited journalist Haley Shapley on the podcast.In this episode, we discuss Haley’s new book Strong Like Her, which offers a deep dive into the world of women’s athleticism throughout history. We chat about . . .- How she got involved in women’s sports and why she wrote the book - How you’re in control of your body and can avoid getting bulky - The differences in how women and men are treated in sports - Unique challenges women face like being paid less and lack of sufficient maternity leave - The different dimensions of athleticism and why men are viewed as more athleticLet’s get to it!4:57 - What inspired you to make this book?7:21 - How was that experience for you personally?17:24 - What were some of the most inspiring stories you wrote about?28:50 - What are your thoughts on the challenges that women face today?39:13 - Where can people find you and your work?---Mentioned on The Show:Haley Shapley’s New Book - Strong Like Her: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Strong-Like-Her/Haley-Shapley/9781982120856 Haley Shapley’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleyshapley/ Haley Shapley’s Website: https://www.haleyshapley.com/ Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://legionathletics.com/coaching/---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.legionathletics.com/signup/

The issue of transgender women competing in women’s sports has become a hot button affair in recent years, mostly because many are blowing biological women out of the water, and in some cases, setting records that no biological woman will likely ever be able to break.Some people argue this isn’t a problem, because men who have transitioned to women and follow official competitive protocols don’t have any advantages over other women.Others argue that the significant physical advantages that men enjoy over women, such as more strength, speed, and power, can’t be eliminated by hormone therapy, and thus, biological men shouldn’t be able to compete against biological women.Who’s right?I invited Dr. Greg Brown onto the podcast to help explain what science has to say on the matter. He’s a professor of Exercise Science at the University of Nebraska Kearney who recently wrote an “expert declaration” on this very subject that examines all of the relevant research currently available.In this interview, Dr. Brown breaks it all down, explaining the physical advantages men enjoy over women, how much they matter in sports, and what happens to them after men transition to become women.Press play and tune in!5:02 - Who is Gregory Brown and what is his background?6:14 - Why did you write this controversial expert declaration?7:17 - What are these inherent advantages that men have compared to women?12:46 - How do physiological differences affect performance?15:00 - How does transitioning before puberty affect the body?19:27 - What are your thoughts on how this could affect women’s sports?22:50 - If there are physical advantages in transgenders, where should we go from here? Should we ban them from women’s sports?29:01 - How does your average transgender athlete compare to an elite women athlete?44:19 - Where can people find you and your work?---Mentioned on The Show:Dr Gregory Brown’s Declaration: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/a69528e3-c613-4bcc-9931-258260a4e77f/downloads/2020.01.07%20G%20Brown%20Report%20Executed.pdf?ver=1578668890484 Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: legionathletics.com/coaching/---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.legionathletics.com/signup/

In this episode, we’ll digress from our regular programming on how to lose fat, gain muscle, and stay healthy, and enter the world of professional sports with David Nurse, who’s one of the premier shooting coaches in the NBA.David once had aspirations to play in the NBA himself, but eventually, he learned the painful truth that he simply wasn’t good enough to compete at the highest levels of the sport.This was a tough row to hoe for David, who had devoted most of his life to the sport. Basketball was more or less all he knew and loved, and if he couldn’t make it as a pro, what else was he supposed to do?Instead of quitting his passion, however, David redirected it, successfully pivoting to a career of helping other good athletes become great. And today, he works with some of the best players in the world to help them continue to hone not just their physical talents but their mental game, as well.So, if you’ve ever wondered what professional sports teams do when the cameras aren’t running to achieve such superhuman feats of athleticism, you’ll enjoy this episode.In this episode, David talk about . . .- How David transitioned from failed player to coach for some of the best basketball players in the world - How a "swag reel" can help players get into a flow state - Why preparation and confidence are the true keys to success - The importance of wanting to be educated and coached - The unseen extra work that creates elite athletesClick the player below to listen!9:48 - How did you transition from being a player to coach? 13:54 - What are some of the negative talk and self limiting beliefs that you help NBA players overcome? 17:40 - What are the things that you can do to get a high probability that can produce a positive return? How do you put yourself into that situation as much as possible? 25:07 - How do you make what you say persuasive to NBA players? 38:09 - How do you help cultivate the willingness to be coached in the NBA players that you work with? With NBA players that aren’t born with extraordinary talent, how do you persuade them? 56:50 - What is your book Pivot and Go about? 58:11 - What are some examples of shifting your mindset?Mentioned on The Show: David Nurse's Book - Pivot and Go: http://davidnurse.com/book/ David Nurse's Podcast (The 1%): https://linktr.ee/davidnurse5 David Nurse's Website: http://davidnurse.com/ David Nurse's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidnursenba/ Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://legionathletics.com/shop/---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.legionathletics.com/signup/

As of right now, I’ve produced over 500 episodes of Muscle for Life, totaling over 700 hours of content.I’ve talked about 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 episode of The Best of Muscle for Life, you’ll be hearing hand-picked morsels from three episodes:Eric Helms on the Simple Science of Making “Lean Gains” Helping people, building a brand, and my biggest lessons learned Here’s How I Go About Setting and Achieving My GoalsAnd we’ll be starting with number one, the simple science of making lean gains with Eric Helms.---Timestamps5:59 - Eric Helms on the Simple Science of Making “Lean Gains”16:05 - Helping people, building a brand, and my biggest lessons learned25:13 - Here’s How I Go About Setting and Achieving My Goals---Mentioned on The Show:legionathletics.com/eric-helms-build-muscle/legionathletics.com/building-a-brand-podcast/legionathletics.com/achieving-goals-podcast/ Shop Legion Supplements Here: legionathletics.com/shop/---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.legionathletics.com/signup/

Weight loss advice has been muddled for decades now.For example, in the 90’s, we were told that all we had to do to get the body of our dreams is eat as little dietary fat as possible.That didn’t work.Now we’re being told we can eat a snootful of fat every day so long as we restrict our carbohydrate and sugar intake.That’s not working, either.Hormones…artificial sweeteners…chemicals and “toxins”…genetically modified foods…wheat and gluten…they’re all to blame for our collective fatness, according to one “guru” or another.And the weight loss solutions they offer?Restrictive dieting, of course, which, in many cases, means facing down a short list of what you can eat with everything else being strictly verboten.Ironically, and fortunately for you, they’re all missing the forest for the trees.You see, losing weight is much simpler than you’ve been led to believe, and in this podcast, we’re going to talk about a weight loss and maintenance strategy that not only makes sense and is supported by good science, but actually works in the real world: portion control.The reason portion control works is simple. It strikes at the heart of why our weight changes for better or worse, which is the fact the quantity, not quality, of the food we eat matters most.Yes, when we’re talking weight, what we eat matters much less than how much.Couple that with the fact that people’s overall food portion sizes keep getting bigger, leading them to passively eat more and more calories, and it’s no wonder that obesity rates are rising faster than a Viagra erection.Research shows that portion size is one of the strongest environmental factors contributing to weight gain, and by the end of this podcast, you’re going to know why, how it works, and how to use it as a tool for not just losing weight but preventing unwanted weight gain as well.Let’s get started.5:08 - Why does portion control matter? 8:51 - Why do we accidentally overeat? 16:51 - How do internal cues cause overeating? 21:44 - How can I use portion control to my advantage? 28:20 - How can I apply portion control at restaurants?---Mentioned on The Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://legionathletics.com/shop/---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.legionathletics.com/signup/

Coronavirus.The only thing anybody is talking about right now as it continues to upend life as we knew it and highlight all the things we’ve been taking for granted, like eating at the local pizza joint, walking more than 100 steps per day, and oh, I don’t know, being able to leave the fucking house.And then there’s the fitness fallout, what with lifters everywhere yearning for their usual diet and training routines, driven to boredom and overeating by lame home workouts with soup cans and small children for resistance.If all that weren’t enough, there’s also the scumpot of scammers and losers clogging our Instagram feeds with posts about pills, powders, and potions that’ll purportedly ward off infection and disease.And so understandably, you have questions about stuff like what to do with your diet, how to best work out at home, and how to help your immune system, and that’s why I wanted to bring Dr. Layne Norton back on the podcast.Not only is he a pro bodybuilder, accomplished powerlifter, and published scientist, but he’s also an all-around knowledgeable dude who’s known for putting things in context and putting diet and exercise gurus and zealots in their place.In this podcast, Layne answers questions people have been asking me quite a bit, including . . .- Am I going to lose all my gains if I can’t go to the gym? - How can I make my home workouts more effective? - How can I support my immune system? Will the carnivore diet help? - Should I cut right now? - And more . . .Let’s dig in!4:04 - What are your thoughts on COVID-19? 5:20 - Where can people find your resources for online learning? 5:49 - How can we get a good workout from home? 13:26 - Why is heath and nutrition important during this time? 21:16 - How do you deal with fear of the unknown? 24:49 - What do you think about scammers capitalizing on the COVID-19 outbreak? 34:27 - How can we enhance immune function? Should I be cutting right now? 36:55 - Where can people find you and your work?---Mentioned on The Show: Layne Norton's Carbon Diet Coach App: https://joincarbon.com/ Layne Norton's Books & More: https://www.biolayne.com/ Layne Norton's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biolayne/ Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://legionathletics.com/shop/ ---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.legionathletics.com/signup/

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:- What do I think about the coronavirus? - What are the best home workouts for maintaining muscle and strength? - Is eating at night unhealthy and does it cause weight gain?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/home-workout/ - https://legionathletics.com/how-to-prevent-mindless-eating/Timestamps:2:18 - What do I think about the coronavirus? 6:53 - What are the best home workouts for maintaining muscle and strength? 34:32 - Is eating at night unhealthy and does it cause weight gain?---Mentioned on The Show: Legion's Charity Sale: https://legionathletics.com/shop/---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.legionathletics.com/signup/