Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

Poke around the Internet for advice on gaining muscle as fast as possible, and you’ll find a lot of advice along the lines of “eat big to get big.”You know, eat everything in sight, drink a gallon of milk per day, and so forth.This will definitely help you gain muscle, but it also results in a lot of unnecessary fat gain. And while a YOLO bulk or two can be productive and fun when you’re a beginner, it becomes counterproductive as you move into your intermediate phase and beyond.Luckily, though, there’s a better way to gain muscle and strength.Instead, you can do what’s called a lean bulk, where you gain muscle a bit slower than you would gorging every day but with much less fat gain.And in this interview, you’re going to learn how to best go about it from Dr. Eric Helms, and particularly, how to ensure your calories are in the right place—not too low, which hinders muscle gain, or too high, which accelerates fat gain.And in case you’re not familiar with Eric, he’s not only is he an accomplished bodybuilder, powerlifter, coach, author, scientist, and member of the Legion Athletics Scientific Advisory Board, but he’s also one of my favorite guests for offering pragmatic advice you can apply to your diet and training.Oh and if you like what Eric has to say, you should definitely check out his research review Monthly Applications in Strength Sport (MASS). Every month they put out interesting, practical information on the latest research.10:28 - What’s the website for the events you’re putting on? 11:36 - How much of a calorie surplus is enough for muscle gain? 28:26 - What was the caloric intake between the slow and fast? 33:22 - How big of a surplus are we looking at for each group? 36:45 - Is that more muscle gain than expected from experienced lifters? 43:53 - How do the two studies we discussed compare to the story you’re working on? 50:02- What diet advice do you have for people lean bulking? 53:54 - Where can people find you and your work?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 podcast dives into the surprising link between weekends and weight gain, shedding light on common binge eating habits. It explores the psychology behind cravings and the dangers of restrictive dieting. Listeners learn practical strategies to combat binge eating while still enjoying their favorite foods. Key insights include the significance of energy balance and mindful eating. Ultimately, it's about improving one's relationship with food to achieve lasting weight management.

In this episode, I interview Meaghan, who used my Thinner Leaner Stronger program to completely transform her body and life.Before finding my work, Meaghan was 160 pounds, 28% body fat, and didn’t know what to do in the kitchen or gym.Then she found my book for women, Thinner Leaner Stronger, and now she’s about 40 pounds lighter and whole helluva lot stronger.Meaghan also has a much better relationship with food and fitness and truly enjoys her new sustainable lifestyle, which she knows can keep her fit and healthy for the rest of her life.Not only that, but she’s now paying it forward by coaching other women to follow in her footsteps and transform their bodies and lives too.In this interview, Meaghan and I chat about her story and some of the key lessons she has learned along the way, including the importance of consistency, overcoming gym intimidation, staying in shape while traveling, and more.6:16 - Who is Meaghan Janisse? 10:05 - What was your diet and fitness like before and after our program? 16:40 - What was it like managing your weight through energy balance? 19:56 - What were some of the difficulties you had to overcome? 30:33 - What are some tips and tricks to stay fit while traveling? 42:04 - What advice do you have for women who are about to start resistance training? 51:07 - What are your next fitness and business goals? 59:45 - Where can people find you and your work?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/

This was supposed to be a podcast about kettlebells.Instead, it turned into a digression into politics, psychology, religion, and more, which let’s be honest, is more interesting than kettlebells.Pat is an interesting dude to talk to about this stuff, too, because while he’s certainly a fitness expert, he also has a master’s degree in systematic philosophy and has written several bestselling books, including How to Be Better At (Almost) Everything.In this interview, Pat and I go all over the place, pontificating on questions like . . .- How much do memes influence political elections? - What are the rational (and irrational) arguments for believing in God? - How seriously should we take “conspiracy theories”? - How do you make decisions when there are no good decisions? - What are the chances our lives are predetermined by fate?Not exactly the norm here on my podcast, but it was a fun excursion into some of the bigger questions about how the world around us works, and if you wonder about such things yourself, I think you’ll enjoy the interview as well.And if it’s not your kind of thing, don’t worry, Pat will be coming back on to talk kettlebells.10:04 - Meme culture 14:27 - Humor as a marketing technique 16:36 - Jordan Peterson’s world view 28:54 - Persuasion technique 35:20 - The peg system memory technique 37:01 - 9/11, politics, and conspiracy theories 47:50 - The trolley problem and ethical experiments 52:01 - Nihilism versus relativism 1:02:13 - Transcendent dimensions 1:05:36 - Our world views and how they impact us 1:17:03 - Near death experiences 1:19:53 - Christianity, catholicism, and agnosticism 1:41:27 - Faith and free willWant 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 if shocking your muscles with electricity helped them grow and develop faster? What if it could reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and help you recover better from your workouts? What if it could straight up make you stronger? Well, this is why people buy and use electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) machines. They believe they’re an easy and safe way to gain muscle and strength faster and boost post-workout recovery. You might want to believe, too, but you’re skeptical. On one hand, the whole approach sounds pretty scientific, and haven’t we seen various professional athletes hooked up to these machines? Then again, some scientific studies aren’t worth the paper they’re published on and some athletes will beat the drum for anything that brings a paycheck. EMS machines are expensive, too, so there would need to be a considerable payoff to justify the cost. Well, when you take a cold, hard look at the science, here’s what you learn: EMS isn’t silly pseudoscience, but it’s also not as great as the machine manufacturers would have you believe. Yes, it’s safe, but no, it’s not going to dramatically impact muscle growth or recovery. That said, it doesn't mean you shouldn't necessarily give it a go. You should just have the right expectations. And in this podcast, we’re going to break down what EMS is, how it works, and what science has to say about its effectiveness. Let’s get started.5:00 - What is EMS? 5:26 - Does EMS work? 6:37 - Does EMS increase muscle growth? 7:59 - Does EMS increase strength? 12:35 - Can EMS improve muscle recovery? 12:52 - How do I do EMS correctly? 18:56 - How do I use EMS to build strength?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 if you could eat hamburgers, pizza, and ice cream every week—hell, maybe even every day—and still have abs?  Such is the rallying cry of many people who subscribe to the “If It Fits Your Macros” (IIFYM) style of dieting. Others claim the principles of IIFYM shouldn’t be used to merely get and stay lean while eating like a spoiled child. Instead, they should be used to look and feel great while eating a wide variety of foods including those verboten by more traditional, restrictive forms of dieting. For instance, this might mean regularly eating foods like pasta, bread, dairy, and sugar while also maintaining a healthy intake of more nutritious foods like lean meats, fruits, and vegetables.  Who’s right? Often the most accurate answer to such questions is “it depends” or “somewhere in the middle,” but in this case, there’s a clear winner: moderation. In other words, IIFYM works best as a more flexible, accommodating approach to “clean eating,” as opposed to its polar opposite, where you follow meal plans that emphasize whole, nutritious foods while allowing for less wholesome indulgences. And in this podcast, you’re going to learn why and get simple, science-based answers to all of your questions about IIFYM, including . . . What is IIFYM?Does IIFYM work as well as people say? Is IIFYM healthy?What’s the best way to use IIFYM principles?Should you follow the IIFYM diet?And more. Let’s get started. 5:46 - Do calories count? 18:55 - Will IIFYM wreck your health and physique? 30:10 - Does IIFYM promote eating disorders? 41:07 - How do you use flexible dieting and IIFYM principles correctly? 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/

“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.Want to be notified when my next book recommendation goes live?Hop on my email list and you’ll get each new installment delivered directly to your inbox.Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/

One of the problems with rigidly following a restrictive or narrowly focused dietary protocol like low-carb or low-fat is when you go off-plan for whatever reason, you can get slapped.For instance, if you’re a high-carber and miss a meal, you might find your energy levels plummeting, or if you’re a low-carber and indulge in some cake at a party, you might find yourself craving—and eating—every carb in sight.Ideally, these things wouldn’t happen—our bodies would be able to adapt to varying dietary circumstances and maintain an even physiological keel. In other words, ideally our bodies would possess a fair amount of “metabolic flexibility.”If you haven’t heard of metabolic flexibility, that’s understandable because few people have, and in this episode, Kurtis Frank explains what it is and how to improve it so our bodies can better shift between different fuel types and thus be more adaptable to whatever situations we find ourselves in.In case you’re not familiar with Kurtis, he’s the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer of Examine.com and the current Director of Research and Development for my supplement company Legion Athletics,.Here’s a sneak peek of what we talk about in this interview.- Insulin resistance and carb sensitivity as you age. - The signs that you lack metabolic flexibility. - How to avoid sugar crashes or carb-triggered binges. - And more...5:01 - What does metabolic flexibility mean? 6:36 - Do genetics play a role on whether the body will burn carbs or fats for energy? 7:45 - Are high carb diets still the go-to for endurance athletes? 9:31 - Does the body have an easier time processing carbs if you’re active? 15:44 - What are some signs that show lack of metabolic flexibility? 42:59 - Do certain exercises affect the way your body burns carbs? 58:48 - What’s new and interesting in the formulation front?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/

Last month, I flew out to Wichita Falls, Texas, to hang out with Mr. Starting Strength, Mark Rippetoe, and go on his podcast, Starting Strength Radio.I’ve been a fan of Mark’s work for a long time, I’ve had him on my podcast a number of times, and over the years, we’ve become buddies.Mark even wrote the foreword to the latest editions of my books Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger, which I think is pretty cool as Starting Strength was the first book to turn me onto proper training techniques.Now, in this interview we go all over the place, ranging from writing to how I lost close to a million dollars in Amazon sales, Google’s aggressive algorithm updates, the women’s soccer pay “scandal,” and more, so if you’re here strictly for practical and educational material, this isn’t for you.But if you’re interested in hearing Mark and I chew the fat for a bit, tell some jokes, share some war stories, and the like, keep listening.4:09 - Tell us about your new books 14:21 - How’s your business doing? 16:32 - What happened to Pulse on Amazon? 19:44 - Tell us about Google’s updates and how they’ve affected the health and fitness space. 21:49 - What are your thoughts on Planet Fitness? 31:48 - What should people be doing in the gym? 37:47 - What’s a simple way to easily start losing weight? 40:49 - What’s the most pervasive problem in body composition? 44:29 - What’s your take on vegan bodybuilding? 46:00 - Fake natties and FFMI 51:52 - Why are steroids illegal? 54:31 - What do you think of the equal pay soccer scandal?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/

“When’s your next book coming out?”“What kind of supplements are you going to release next?”“What would you name your boat if you had one?”I’m asked questions like these all the time and so I thought I’d start doing monthly updates about what’s new and exciting here at Legion HQ.So here’s a quick hosedown of what me and my jolly band of pirates and bums have been up to lately.Enjoy!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/