Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

You’ve been training hard and eating right, and you’ve been making gains. Your stomach is tighter. You’re stronger than ever before. Your friends are starting to make meathead jokes. But progress has slowed. It’s getting harder and harder to add weight to the bar and your body isn’t changing like it once was. What to do? Well, if you turn to the magazines, you’ll probably conclude that you just have to eat more. “Eat big to get big” right? Sorta kinda maybe… Yes, a caloric surplus is conducive to muscle gain, but no, adding a gallon of milk per day to your meal plan isn’t advisable. You’ll gain weight, alright, but too much will be fat. You need a smarter approach, and rest-pause training can help. As you’ll see, this simple weightlifting tool can be adapted to any type of workout program, and, unlike most fancy-sounding training tips, it has science on its side. It actually works. So, in this podcast, you’re going to learn what rest-pause training is, why it works, and how to do it right so you can get the needle moving again. Ready? Let’s start at the top. 5:11 - What is rest-pause training? 7:10 - How do muscles grow bigger and stronger? 10:56 - How does rest-pause training help build muscle faster? 12:22- How does rest-pause training help build muscle faster? 17:06 - What are the benefits of rest-pause training? 18:40 - What are the disadvantages of rest-pause training? 20:10 - How do you do rest-pause training? 22:00 - What is the dogg crapp style of rest-pause training? 23:05 - What is the Myo-reps style of rest-pause training? 26:52 - How do I get started with rest-pause training? 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

It’s rare for a billionaire legend to take his time to carefully outline his own personal “operating system” for achieving success and fulfillment in work and life, and that’s exactly what Ray Dalio has done with Principles. Inside, you’ll find many of his ideas and procedures for many aspects of his professional and personal life, ranging from his definition of meaningful work to his recipe for turning pain into pleasure, his prerequisites for deep relationships, his “fierce intolerance” of badness of any kind, and much more. Unlike similar books, Principles doesn’t try to entertain you with anecdotes or fancy prose or sell you with references to science or history. Instead, it simply presents Dalio’s thoughts, experiences, and practices in a clear and highly organized manner, which I appreciated because it allowed him to share an almost overwhelming amount of high-value information. By the end of this book, I had made a ridiculous amount of highlights and notes. I also appreciated that Dalio also isn’t one to mince words. He professes an unwavering fidelity to discovering, facing, and embracing truth, and he communicates accordingly. His goal isn’t to make you feel better about yourself or help you justify your shortcomings, but to challenge you to change your core beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors for the better. I also found his personal story rich and inspiring, and especially the period immediately after his first downfall. Imagine this for a minute: you and your growing team spend eight years working tirelessly to build an investment firm, which is well on its way to becoming a thriving enterprise, and then, in one very public and humiliating deathblow, you lose it all by betting the farm on a market downturn that never comes. Soon after, you’re borrowing money from your dad and selling your second car to feed your wife and two kids. What would you do? I won’t spoil the rest of the story for you, but Dalio not only didn’t give up (obviously), he applied one of his primary principles to turn the catastrophe into an invaluable learning experience that ultimately led to his development of a revolutionary new investment strategy that would catapult him to greater success than ever before and set the trajectory for the rest of his life. So, if you’re looking for powerful but unvarnished and sometimes unpalatable advice on achieving more happiness and satisfaction in your life, then Principles is for you. 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Some people say steroids are safe and awesome. Others say they cause permanent damage to your body and can even be deadly. Many drug users swear they’re not addicted and can quit at any point. Others admit that life is just better on steroids and don’t plan on giving them up. Many recreational bodybuilders often claim that steroids don’t make as big of a difference as everyone thinks. A quick look at professional fitness competitors suggests otherwise. My point is there’s a lot of mystery surrounding steroid use and even more confusion. Like most things health and fitness, opinions are all over the place. I assume you’re interested in listening to this podcast because you want to know things like how steroids work, how effective they are, their side effects, and how to know if someone is likely natural or “enhanced.” Well, in this podcast we’re going to take an in-depth look at steroid use and touch on all of those points and more. Before we start, I’d like to make my position on steroids clear: I’m mostly (but not completely) anti-steroid, I’ve never used them and never will, and I think most people don’t need steroids to achieve their goals. Keep that in mind as you listen to the first half of this podcast, which may give you a bit of a chub for doing at least a cycle or two of steroids. Get through the rest of the podcast before you run off to the juicehead in your local gym. So, let’s start at the logical beginning: what are steroids, exactly? 4:53 - What are steroids and how do they work in the body? 6:22 - Why are there so many different type of different steroids? 7:22 - How effective are steroids? 8:15 - How powerful are steroids? 14:14 - How much muscle can you build naturally? 20:23 - How can you determine your muscle growth potential? 22:55 - What are the side effects of steroids? 25:55 - How can you tell if someone is on steroids? 34:20 - Are there any natural alternatives to steroids? ? 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Let’s face it. One of the biggest reasons to toil away in the gym is to look good. Really good. Most of us guys want a big, broad upper body, bulging biceps, washboard abs, and a thick, strong lower half. Gals usually want lean legs, a curvy butt, and a toned upper body and abs. If you listen to the right people, you’ll discover that getting there isn’t all that hard, really. Get your calories and macros right, follow a well-designed workout program, take the right supplements (or not), and just put in the work, and you’ll gain muscle and lose fat each and every week. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll wind up with the exact body that you want. In time, you might notice that one side of your chest is slightly smaller than the other, or one arm is clearly larger than the other, or one thigh is more developed than its counterpart. What to do? Many people say this can’t even happen if you’re training properly. Many others say it’s purely genetic, and that you have to just play with the cards that you’re dealt. Well, both are wrong. You can develop muscle imbalances following any weightlifting routine, good and bad, and you can absolutely take measures to correct them. It’s pretty simple, too. You don’t have to drastically change your training or buy special equipment. As you’ll see in this podcast, all you have to do is make some simple tweaks to your training routine, keep an eye on how your body responds, and adjust accordingly. And by the end, you’re going to know exactly what to do to fix YOUR muscle imbalances. Let’s get to it. 4:36 - What is a muscle imbalance? 8:20 - What causes muscle imbalances? 15:00 - How do you spot a muscle imbalance? 16:34 - How do you prevent muscle imbalances? 21:24 - How do you fix muscle asymmetry? 25:03 - How do you fix muscle disproportion? 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

This episode is part of a weekly 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 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

There’s no denying the fact that people’s body weight tends to remain settled in certain ranges over long periods of time. There’s also no denying that “dieting” simply doesn’t work for most people. Sure, they can lose weight, but many regain it all once they stop the diet. And to add a cherry of hopelessness on top, we’re also often told that exercise kind of sucks for weight loss too. What are we to do, then? Accept whatever body weight nature and our environment has given us? Is there really no effective way to achieve and maintain an ideal body weight for the long term? Well, there’s a counterpoint to the above research: evidence that about 20% of overweight people successfully reduce their body weight by at least 10%, and then maintain their new weight for at least 1 year. What’s going on here? What’s going on is a result of people’s body weight set points, which are very real and can either work for or against you in your quest to get and stay lean. In this podcast, you’re going to learn why your body weight has “settled” to its current level, why it’s a pain in the ass to reduce your “default” weight, and how to actually do it. 4:45 - What is the body weight set point theory? 6:58 - Why can some people eat anything and not gain weight? 10:28 - What determines your body weight set point? 19 22- How do we influence our body weight set point for the better? 22 51- How do hormones affect body weight set point? 24:35 - How do you change your body weight set point? ht set point? 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

This episode is part of a weekly 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 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

In this episode, I speak with the grandfather of barbell training, Mark Rippetoe, who has given us many a great things, including books that everyone should read, Starting Strength and Practical Programming.I’m a fan of Mark and his work, of course, because nobody has done more to promote, teach, and defend barbell training than Rip, and also because of his peppery personality, which always makes for a fun conversation.This time around, we talk about pressing, specifically the bench and overhead press and all of their variations and subtleties.These are two of the most effective upper body exercises you can do for gaining strength and size. It’s not a stretch to say that the stronger you get on these two exercises, the happier you’re going to be with how you look above the waist.  There are a number of factors beyond your control that influence how well you can bench and overhead press—your limb lengths, bone structure, height, and so forth—but there are also many things that you can control, like your technique and training methods, and these are what you’re going to learn about in this podcast with Mark.Whether you’re new to the bench and overhead press or trying add a few more pounds to your powerlifting totals, I think you’re going to find today’s talk helpful, because we discuss a number of common questions like . . .Should you do incline bench press if you’re already doing bench press?Should you do wide- or close-grip bench press?Should you arch your back a lot, a little, or none at all while benching?Should you do seated or standing overhead press?Should you do overhead or military press?The bottom line is by the end of this interview, you’re going to know more about bench and overhead pressing than 90% of the people in your gym, including the trainers. 8:54 - What's your take on flat bench pressing versus incline versus decline? 11:17 - What are your thoughts on incline pressing to emphasize the upper chest? 24:47 - What are your thoughts on grip width? 34:39 - How much arch should you have in your back? 41:53 - What about elbow position? 44:40 - Do you prefer seated or standing pressing? 45:39 - What about seated allowing you to lift more weight? 49:34 - Let's talk about hip drive. 54:53 - How does a military press and strict press differ? 1:02:15 - Where can people find you online?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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

This episode is part of a weekly 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 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Rob Dionne over at Open Sky Fitness was kind enough to have me on his podcast to talk about various things that I thought you might find interesting, so I wanted to share the interview on my podcast as well.Rob and I go all over the place in the interview, from the best rep ranges for building muscle and training frequency, to key lessons I’ve learned growing multiple businesses while also raising a family, to the ins and outs of the supplement and publishing industries, to the most important rule I’ve learned about success along the way, and more.I hope you enjoy it.5:11 - What’s your origin story?9:13 - What was your college background?18:21 - How many books have you written?  19:15 - What was the impetus behind your supplement company?24:43 - What is a good profit margin for retail?28:44 - Do you feel pressure from being the face of your company?29:11 - Do you offer affiliate programs?40:47 - Do you feel like you have a hard time connecting to people?40:08 - Are light weights, higher reps better than heavy weights, low reps?48:06 - How often should beginners workout per week?58:24 - 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/