Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

Today’s episode is with the one and only Ben Greenfield, the bossman of biohacking and New York Times Bestselling author of several books, including his latest work, Boundless, which is a delicious buffet of techniques and tricks for optimizing your mind, body, and spirit.And with most of us huddled up in our homes with our families, only venturing out for necessities like groceries and toilet paper, what better subjects to talk about in this moment than immunity, longevity, and . . . sex!In this episode, Ben and I chat about . . .- How specific breathing techniques and nasal breathing can decrease stress and improve your sleep - Ways you can support your immune system - The benefits of cold exposure - How “sex salad” and oxytocin can enhance your drive and satisfaction - “Doomsday” prepping and using newly found pandemic time productively - And more . . .Enjoy!9:40 - What forms of breath work do you discuss in your new book? 13:29 - How can you train yourself to breath through your nose when you sleep? 17:44 - How can you boost your immune system? 37:53 - How can you increase satisfaction while having sex? --- Mentioned on The Show:Legion’s Charity Sale:https://legionathletics.com/shop/Ben Greenfield’s New Book ‘Boundless’:https://boundlessbook.com/ Ben Greenfield’s Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ben-greenfield-fitness/id283908977Ben Greenfield’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/bengreenfieldfitness/?hl=en --- 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/

There’s no doubt heavy drinking is a ticket to an early death.The CDC estimates 88,000 Americans die annually from alcohol-related causes, which includes car accidents, a cornucopia of cancers, and liver disease.Fifteen million Americans are believed to have an alcohol dependency disorder, and until recently alcohol killed more people than opioids.That’s not to mention the disastrous effects of alcoholism on quality of life, mental health, productivity, and relationships.Of course, you’ve heard all this before, and don’t need me to tell you heavy drinking can ruin and shorten your life.That said, you’ve also probably heard that moderate drinking is good for you. That’s the claim doctors, scientists, and beverage companies have promoted for years—heavy drinking is bad for you and moderate drinking is beneficial.Now, though, the pendulum is swinging in the other direction after a series of studies emerged that seemed to show alcohol is dangerous in any amount.For example, CNN published an article titled “Even one drink a day could be shortening your life,” in reference to one such study (which you’ll learn about in a moment). Now, the fashionable opinion is that any alcohol is bad for you, full stop, and even moderate drinking is an invitation to long-term health problems.Is this true, though?Are you shortening your life by having a glass or two of wine or beer each night?Well, the simple answer is no, probably not.The more complicated answer is that there’s still a lot we don’t know about the long-term effects of alcohol and there’s no one size fits all answer for how much alcohol you can safely drink.So, what exactly does alcohol do to your body, and how much can you safely drink?Keep listening to learn the answer.---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/

Chase Chewning hasn’t had an easy time of it.When he was still a teenager, he lost his father to Lou Gehrig’s disease. A few years later while he was in the army, he got seriously injured, requiring multiple surgeries, and got medically discharged.Chase’s life was in shambles. His body was broken, his mind was muddled, and his spirit was shattered. He had no money, no job, and no purpose.What he did have, though, was a lesson his father taught him—one he shares in our interview—that he used to emerge from this dark period and regain his physical and emotional strength, build a popular podcast and following online, and launch successful coaching and media consulting businesses that allow him to make a living doing work he loves and believes deeply in.In this episode, Chase shares his story, including . . .The transformative “gift” that his late father gave him How he ended up getting discharged from the army The experience of going “all in” on entrepreneurship and quitting a stable career How to stand out in a saturated field like the fitness industry How to find your passion And more . . .So, if you like inspiring stories and want to learn how Chase used tragedy to ignite a motivational fire under his own butt, listen to this episode.5:33 - Why did you move to Los Angeles? 7:27 - What does Ever Forward mean and why did you choose that as your brand? 11:19 - How long ago was it when you discovered Ever Forward? 14:19 - Was your major injury the beginning of the descent? 19:49 - How did you turn that experience into where you’re at today? 23:34 - How did you start doing your podcast and brand? 39:23 - Was transitioning from coaching to podcast another leap you had to make? 49:12 - How do you find your passion? Should I turn my passion into my career?---Mentioned on The Show: Chase's Podcast: https://chasechewning.com/radio Chase's Website: https://chasechewning.com/ Chase's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chase_chewning/ 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/

Look at most popular pre-workout supplements and you’ll find they have several ingredients common.L-citrulline is one of them.Its name comes from citrullus, the Latin word for watermelon, which is a natural source of it. Other food sources include peanuts, soybeans, and kidney beans.Most supplements aren’t all that special and can’t live up to the hype, but, as you’ll see, L-citrulline is one of the proven winners.And in this podcast, we’re going to answer all your questions:- What is L-citrulline? - What are its benefits and side effects? - How much do you have to take to see results? - What’s the best way to supplement with it? - And more…Let’s start at the top.9:57 - How did citrulline get its name? 10:27 - What is l-citrulline? 11:40 - Why do people supplement with l-citrulline? 14:09 - What are the benefits of supplementing with l-citrulline? 19:24 - How much l-citrulline do I need to take to get the benefits? 23:24 - How do I get l-citrulline?---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/

You’ve probably heard that masturbation can drain your testosterone levels, dampen your drive to work out, and decrease muscle growth.This idea that masturbation (or more specifically, ejaculation) hinders muscle building and athletic performance goes all the way back to ancient Greek and Roman times, when athletes would refrain from sex before athletic contests.It turns out this idea still persists among many modern athletes.As former heavyweight boxing champion David Haye said, “I don’t ejaculate for six weeks before the fight. No sex, no masturbation, no nothing. It releases too much tension. It releases a lot of minerals and nutrients that your body needs, and it releases them cheaply.”Hmm . . . sounds an awful lot like an international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.Perhaps he’s right. But what does the scientific literature say?Does masturbating interfere with your gains or your athletic performance?The short answer is no, it doesn’t, unless you masturbate immediately before working out.The long answer is studies show masturbation and sex have a variety of effects on the body and can impact your testosterone levels in the short term, but they’re highly unlikely to affect muscle growth. --- 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/

Chances are good you found this podcast because you think you may have “man boobs.”And, chances are also good you’re willing to do just about anything to get rid of them.And I’d also wager you haven’t had much luck so far. Even when you manage to lose a few pounds your “moobs” don’t seem to shrink, and maybe you’re even wondering if you’ll need surgery to get rid of them.After all, many other guys are taking that route.According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, male breast reduction surgeries increased 32% from 2000 to 2017, and in 2015 men accounted for 40% of all breast reduction surgeries.Is that really your only option, though?Is surgery the only way to get rid of man boobs?And even if you manage to get rid of them, are they just going to come back thanks to your genetics?The short answer is no, no, and no.The long answer is that most cases of “man boobs” are simply caused by having too high of a body fat percentage, and once you reduce your body fat percentage your man boobs will disappear along with the rest of your chest fat.So, if you want to learn how to get rid of man boobs as quickly as possible, you’re in the right place.Let’s get started.---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/

What’s the best way to eat for optimal health—and brain health in particular—and longevity?That’s a question Max Lugavere is working to answer.When Max’s mother’s mental health began to decline, he became obsessed with how it could have been prevented. And that culminated in his first book, Genius Foods, which was a New York Times best-seller all about using diet and nutrition to help prevent dementia.Unfortunately, Max’s mother developed pancreatic cancer, which she died from shortly after. Max’s determination didn’t wane, though, and he’s since gone on to write his newest book, Genius Life, which expands on the premise of his first book to go beyond food and build a healthy lifestyle.In this episode, Max and I talk about . . .- Why many people don’t need to eat so many carbs - Misconceptions about olive oil for cooking - The effect of late-night eating on hunger hormones - Blue light blocking and magnesium for better sleep - And more . . .So, if you want to live a longer, healthier life while avoiding disease and optimizing your brain, listen to this episode!12:49 - What are some of the big takeaways that you discussed in your book? 34:21 - Why is eating at night not healthy? 51:57 - How much time outside should you spend to increase better sleep? 53:45 - Can you simulate natural light with artificial light? 1:00:01 - What are some toxic chemicals that we are constantly exposed to and how can we avoid them?---Mentioned on The Show:Max’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxlugavere/Max’s New Book: https://geniuslifebook.com/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/

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 inaugural episode of The Best of Muscle for Life, you’ll be hearing hand-picked morsels from three episodes:Lyle McDonald on How Women Can Improve Fat Loss https://legionathletics.com/lyle-mcdonald-podcast/How to Safely and Healthily Lose Weight Fast https://legionathletics.com/how-to-lose-weight-fast-podcast/The Science of Supercharging Your Willpower and Self-Discipline https://legionathletics.com/increase-willpower-podcast/And we’ll be starting with number one, fat loss tips for women from Lyle McDonald.5:24 - Lyle McDonald on How Women Can Improve Fat Loss 14:53 - How to Safely and Healthily Lose Weight Fast 18:19 - The Science of Supercharging Your Willpower and Self-Discipline---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/

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 four questions:1. Should I do touch and go deadlifts or should I pause between reps? 2. How quickly should I expect results with muscle gain and fat loss? 3. How much sugar can I eat and still be healthy? 4. I’ve used online calculators to determine my ideal calorie intake, how come I’m not losing or gaining weight?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:legionathletics.com/paused-reps/legionathletics.com/sugar-facts/legionathletics.com/how-many-calori…s-should-i-eat/Timestamps:1:35 - Should I do touch and go deadlifts or should I pause between reps? 12:17 - How quickly should I expect results with muscle gain and fat loss? 23:55 - How much sugar can I eat and still be healthy? 30:13 - I’ve used online calculators to determine my ideal calorie intake. How come I’m not losing or gaining weight?---Mentioned on The Show: 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/

I’m pretty sure that’s how the “Gallon of Milk a Day,” or GOMAD Diet was conceived.It’s equally simple to follow because the name alone tells you everything you need to know:You drink an entire gallon of milk every day.(You eat other food too, of course, but you’re not following the diet unless you’re getting down that gallon.)Most people would say that’s silly, but when you’re struggling to gain weight and have tried just about everything but steroids, well, why not?I mean, there are plenty of jacked dudes on the Internet that swear by GOMAD for gaining muscle fast and hitting PRs, so who knows…maybe there’s really something to it?Unfortunately, it’s not that black and white.Yes, GOMAD can help you gain weight faster…but a lot of it isn’t going to be the type of weight that you want to gain (fat).You see, putting down a couple thousand calories of milk per day will certainly move the needle to the right, but it isn’t going to do much good for your body composition.It’s not going to do your gut any favors, either.That’s why there are much better ways to go about gaining weight, and in this podcast, I’m going to break it all down for you.By the end, you’re going to know why people turn to GOMAD, what’s wrong with it, and how to go about gaining weight the right way.Let’s get started.4:45 - What is the GOMAD diet and why do people do it? 9:45 - Is the GOMAD diet better than eating more food? 10:24 - Does milk have the ideal nutrient profile for muscle building? 16:22 - Does milk have saturated fat that boosts testosterone levels? 20:20 - Does milk spike insulin levels to accelerate muscle growth? 28:40 - Can guys gain 20-30 pounds in a month on the GOMAD diet? 30:23 - What should I do instead of GOMAD?---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/