Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

Alan Aragon, an expert on nutrition, provides a balanced perspective on the controversy surrounding aspartame and its possible link to cancer. He discusses the latest news and opinions on aspartame, the negative connotations of artificial sweeteners, animal testing, and practical considerations for consumption. They also delve into acceptable daily intake, the classification of aspartame, and achieving a balanced lifestyle.

Learn about body types and how they can affect your fitness goals. Find out if your body type can be changed and get strategies to overcome obstacles based on your body type. Discover tailored fitness and diet tips for ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs. Explore the ideal training routine, diet, and nutrition for each body type. Understand the impact of body types on muscle gain and fat loss and learn how to achieve your desired physique through proper nutrition and exercise.

In this installment of the Best of Muscle For Life, you’ll hear hand-picked clips from three popular MFL episodes: an interview with Eric Helms on the problems with staying too lean, a monologue on whether you should train for hypertrophy or hyperplasia, and book club episode on Titan by Ron Chernow. Some people—my favorite people—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 do at least a little better inside and outside the gym. That’s why I do “best of” episodes that contain a few of the most practical and compelling ideas, tips, and moments from the more popular episodes I’ve published over the years. This way, you can learn interesting insights that you might have otherwise missed and find new episodes of the show to listen to. So, in this installment of The Best of Muscle for Life, you’ll be hearing hand-picked morsels from three episodes: Eric Helms on Trying To Stay Too Lean (What the Science Says) (Originally published 8/18/2021) Should You Train For Hypertrophy or Hyperplasia? (Originally published 10/4/2021) Book Club: Titan by Ron Chernow (Originally published 8/4/2017) And we’ll be starting with number one, Eric Helms on Trying To Stay Too Lean (What the Science Says). Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (3:18) - Eric Helms on Trying To Stay Too Lean (What the Science Says) (16:52) - My free meal planning tool: buylegion.com/mealplan (18:21) - Should You Train For Hypertrophy or Hyperplasia? (29:47) - Book Club: Titan by Ron Chernow Mentioned on the Show: Want a free meal planning tool that figures out your calories, macros, and micros, and allows you to create custom meal plans for cutting, lean gaining, and maintaining in under 5 minutes? Go to https://buylegion.com/mealplan and download the tool for free!

Gut health is a hot topic these days, and for good reason. Your gut isn’t just about digestion. It’s a key player in your overall health, and scientists are discovering fascinating links between the gut microbiome and mental health and even your body composition.  And that latter connection is the primary subject of this podcast episode. In this interview, Elisa Marroquin helps demystify the complex world of gut health and its role in influencing our body composition.  Dr. Marroquin is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at TCU, and the gut microbiome’s effects on obesity and body composition is one of her main areas of research.  The connection between gut health and physique is not well understood by many, but with Elisa's expertise, you will gain insights into how you can leverage your gut bacteria for your health and fitness goals. Elisa and I chat about . . . - Understanding the pivotal role of the gut microbiome in overall health and its intricate link to body composition (including how the gut influences responses to exercise). - Energy balance and glycemic responses in relation to gut health. - Navigating the marketing around microbiomes and probiotics, and practical tips for building a robust microbiome. - The impact of hygiene and dietary habits, including artificial sweeteners and dietary diversity, on the gut microbiome. - Strategies for rehabilitating an unhealthy gut microbiome and the potential for recovery at any age. - And more . . . Ready to learn how you can take control of your gut health to optimize your body composition? Then press play and listen to this interview! Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (1:41) - What is gut health, and how does the microbiome contribute to it? (2:53) - How does the microbiome influence different aspects of our health and physiology? (4:43) - How does the microbiome affect body composition? (10:52) - Can you explain the concept of "responders" and "non-responders" when it comes to certain exercises? How does the microbiome play into this? (13:54) - How does this new discovery align with the concept of energy balance? (15:00) - Can you go into more detail about what it means that some people extract more energy from food? (17:49) - How can glycemic responses indirectly affect our bodies? (20:22) - What are your thoughts on the marketing industry surrounding microbiomes and probiotics? (21:39) - New protein cookie: buylegion.com/cookie (24:02) - What are your thoughts on the marketing industry involving microbiomes and probiotics? (25:41) - Do you have any tips for building a healthy microbiome? (27:57) - What does eating a diverse range of foods mean for a healthy gut microbiome? (34:00) - Can you explain the importance of balanced hygiene and its role in preventing sickness? (36:04) - What are some of the negative consequences of excessive hygiene? (38:25) - How do artificial sweeteners affect the gut microbiome? (44:48) - Are there any foods that someone should eat almost every day to support their microbiome? (46:34) - What are your thoughts on probiotics? (57:25) - If someone has an unhealthy gut microbiome, what's the best way to recover? (01:01:30) - For people who didn't get a good start with their microbiome at an early age, is recovery still possible later in life? Is there a point when it's too late? (01:07:04) - Where can people find you and your work? Mentioned on the Show: Try my new protein cookie! Go to https://buylegion.com/cookie and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! Elisa's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisa_marroquin_phd/ Elisa's Twitter: https://twitter.com/elisa_mm_phd

“Don’t skip rest day!” That’s not a phrase you often hear, but there’s a valid argument that it should be if you want to boost your fitness and performance. The key to enhancing your recovery is not another supplement or a fancy gadget, but simply adequate rest. Quality rest isn't laziness; it's an often-overlooked investment in your wellbeing.  In this podcast, you’ll learn about data-backed restful activities and why common habits like TV or social media might not offer the restoration you need.  Tune in, and invest in your rest! Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (0:25) - How much you rest isn’t all that matters (0:46) - What you do to relax is important! (2:10) - Using a basic Likert scale (3:38) - My new protein cookie: buylegion.com/cookie Mentioned on the Show: Try my new protein cookie! Go to https://buylegion.com/cookie and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!

Topics discussed in this podcast include training goals, lower back pain, HIIT workouts for weight loss, motivation, seated calf raises, work-family balance, magnesium for training, reducing back pain, muscle soreness, and muscle gain

If you want to maximize your physique through resistance training, you’re going to have to do more than just “lift heavy things.” This is especially true after your first year of lifting, when you’re no longer a true beginner.  By choosing the right exercises, making small technique tweaks, and tailoring your programming to your specific goals, you can make every workout more efficient and effective. That’s the topic of this interview with coach Kassem Hanson. In case you’re not familiar with him, Kassem is an educator, writer, and coach, whose unique training methods prioritize exercise selection and technique to maximize muscle growth.  He’s also the founder of N1, an educational resource and coaching service that specializes in completely individualized training programs and nutrition. In our conversation, Kassem and I discuss . . . - The importance of exercise selection and modification in enhancing muscle and strength gains, making your training more productive - Exercise tweaks and variations that can better target and stimulate specific muscle groups, including practical tips for training the quads, delts, biceps, triceps, and glutes - Using cables and when cable machines beat free weights - How to optimize quad activation in squats and hack squats, including technique modifications and equipment recommendations like wedges, slant boards, and footwear - Programming considerations for hypertrophy, including the evolution of a training regimen as you gain experience - And more . . . So, if you want to elevate and optimize your training, listen to this podcast with Kassem Hanson! Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (6:46) - How can you modify your lower body training to make it better for a 2-day per week routine? (31:25) - Try Recharge today! Go to https://buylegion.com/recharge and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! (33:40) - For elevating heels on a squat how should someone go about that? (42:30) - What would you rather use? Dumbbells or cables? (01:04:12) - What are your thoughts on using cables for biceps, triceps, and glutes versus dumbbells and free weights? (01:06:04) - What do you use for triceps? (01:10:57) - What about glutes? (01:23:34) - Where can people find you and your work? Mentioned on the Show: Try Recharge today! Go to https://buylegion.com/recharge and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! Kassem’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach_kassem/?hl=en Kassem’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/N1education

Has your progress stalled, or are you experiencing unexplained fatigue? It could be low energy availability. As we strive to push our physical limits, sometimes we might inadvertently fall into the trap of Low Energy Availability.  This can lead to a condition known as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) which can severely hinder not just our performance but overall health. In this episode, I’ll dissect the science behind low energy availability and RED-S, and help you understand how you might be underfeeding your body despite intense training routines. You will learn about the symptoms of RED-S, its consequences, and how to prevent it. So tune in and learn how to balance your diet with your exercise and training and why it's essential to match your food intake with your energy expenditure. Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (1:24) - What is low energy availability? (4:14) - What is your energy availability and how do we calculate it? (8:03) - Try Triumph today! Go to https://buylegion.com/triumph and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! (18:21) - What would happen if you maintain a low energy availability for too long? What are RED-S symptoms? Mentioned on the Show: Try Triumph today! Go to https://buylegion.com/triumph and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!

Could disrupting your sleep cycle on weekends sabotage your weight loss efforts?  Does fish oil supplementation play a significant role in muscle strength gains?  Can cooling your palms between sets actually boost your reps? In this episode, we'll explore the latest research studies that explore these intriguing questions. This podcast is another installment in my Research Review series of episodes, where I give you concise and practical takeaways from studies that I think are interesting and that can help us gain muscle and strength faster, lose fat faster, perform better athletically, feel better, live longer, or get and stay healthier.  There is a ton of scientific research that gets published every year, and even if you narrow your focus to fitness research, it would still take several lifetimes to unravel the hairball of studies on nutrition, training, supplementation, and related fields.  That's why my team and I put a lot of time into reviewing, dissecting, and describing scientific studies in articles, podcasts, and books.  Oh and if you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness). And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (1:19) - Can staying up on weekends affect weight loss? (5:46) - Can taking fish oil help with strength gains? (13:27) - My free quiz to answer all your diet questions: www.muscleforlife.show/dietquiz (14:57) - Can cooling your palms in-between reps improve reps? Mentioned on the Show: Take this free quiz to get science-based answers to all of your diet questions: www.muscleforlife.show/dietquiz

What if fitness was about more than just aesthetics?  What if we viewed sport not just as a game, but as a transformative power in society, and training as a tool for resilience and durability?  These are just a few of the themes and questions Kelly Starrett unpacks in this podcast. In case you’re not familiar with Kelly, he’s a Doctor of Physical Therapy, renowned speaker, and a New York Times bestselling author, whose book Becoming a Supple Leopard made him into the biggest mobility guru in the world. In our conversation, Kelly and I delve into . . . - The essential role of training for more than just aesthetics and how personal experiences led him to emphasize resilience and durability - The transformative power of sport in society and the dangers of early sports specialization in young athletes - The often undervalued psychoemotional components of coaching and the surprising sleep disruption side-effects of COVID-19 - Debunking the sleep deprivation myth in successful people and advocating for a shift towards whole foods for improved performance and health - The vital importance of communal eating in fostering unity and its profound influence on team culture - The practicality and scalability of fitness practices, with a focus on creating daily routines that improve overall well-being - The alarming decline in outdoor activities among children and the potential health hazards of this trend - And more . . . So, if you're ready to elevate your health, durability, and longevity, don't miss this conversation with Kelly Starrett! Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (10:07) - The role of sports in society and how to transform its perception (41:06) - The vital signs of health and the importance of benchmarks for progress (38:31) - Try Whey+ risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/whey and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! (59:29) - The importance of small changes and consistency for long-term success (01:02:49) - Where to find Kelly Starrett's work and more resources Mentioned on the Show: Try Whey+ risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/whey and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! Kelly’s new book Built to Move: https://www.amazon.com/Built-Move-Essential-Habits-Freely/dp/B0B9T7CWHG/?tag=mflweb-20 Kelly’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/sanfranciscocrossfit Kelly’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereadystate/ Kelly’s Website: https://thereadystate.com/ Becoming a Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett: https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Supple-Leopard-2nd-Performance/dp/1628600837?tag=mflweb-20