Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

In this episode I interview Nick, who’s 40 years old and recently completed my 90-day coaching service.In this interview we talk about how he found his way to me and my work, including what he had tried previously, how things changed after he started implementing the advice in my books and articles, and how my 90-day coaching service helped him lose 19 pounds, 11% body fat, and 6 inches off of his waist, while also maintaining his strength on all of his big lifts.As with everything, nothing ever goes exactly as planned, and learning to adjust and adapt to conditions is an important part of the fitness game, which is something Nick experienced firsthand.He ran into a number of roadblocks along the way that most of us can relate to, including issues with workout and meal scheduling, hunger and cravings, dietary temptations, and more, and in our chat, Nick shares what has helped him navigate these barriers skillfully and prevent them from getting in his way.So, if you like hearing motivational stories about how people have changed their bodies and lives, and if you want to pick up a few tips that may help you along in your personal journey, then this episode is for you.0:09 - Where were you at before the coaching? Where are you at now? 2:53 - How did your macros and diet change? 4:04 - Do you not go out to eat much? Or have you worked that back in? 10:52 - What type of mindset has helped you during the process? Has your mindset changed at all? 15:09 - What do you struggle with? 20:56 - How did you find my work? What was your coaching experience like? 24:01 - What did the training program look like? How about the meal plan? 25:30 - Why did you switch to low bar squats? 27:12 - What obstacles did you run into? 30:29 - What was your solution to snacking? 36:50 - What did the training look like? Did you run into any obstacles? 40:14 - Have you been really lean before? Is this approach to managing your body composition new to you? 41:31 - Do you see yourself continuing to manage your body comp? 47:09 - Is there anything else you'd like to share? 49:45 - Do you think anyone can achieve similar results?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 interview James Clear, who runs the very popular blog JamesClear.com, where he writes about many facets of the science of self improvement.I enjoy reading James’ writing because it’s simple, clear, and practical, and chock full of interesting studies, examples, and anecdotes. If you peruse his website, you’ll quickly realize that James’ hobbyhorse is habits, and that’s the topic of today’s interview (and his upcoming book, which I’m excited to check out later this year).Here are a few things you’re going to learn in this episode:Why you should focus on systems instead of goals when you want to achieve something.Why making habits a part of your identity makes them easier to stick to.How perfectionism can be productive or counterproductive, depending on how you use it.And more... 3:56 - What are systems over goals and environment over motivation? 5:59 - What is the difference between a system and a goal? 11:51 - What is the difference between a system and a goal? 20:09 - How can changing your beliefs change your identity? 21:20 - Can changing your habits change your beliefs? 30:02 - How does our environment impact our self-control? 35:57 - Does reinforcement destroy intrinsic motivation? 42:23 - How do we progress? 52:11 - What is a mismatch environment? 57:36 - Is perfectionism productive or counterproductive? 60:25 - Where can people follow you and find 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/

You’re here because you want to lose weight fast, and that’s completely understandable.Whether you have a lot or a little fat to lose, the sooner it’s over, the better.You have to be careful what you wish for, though, because if you go about it incorrectly—like most people do—you may just wind up skinny fat.In other words, if you do what most people do—starve yourself and do a bunch of cardio—you’ll lose weight alright, but you’re probably not going to be happy with what you see in the mirror.The reason for this is most rapid weight loss protocols are essentially “crash diets” that burn just as much muscle as fat, which ruins your body composition.The goal, then, isn’t to loseweight as quickly as possible, but to lose fat and not muscle as quickly as possible.That’s how you get lean, toned, and defined, not skinny, flabby, and weak.And when that’s the goal, you have to do things very differently. The good news, though, is the better way is also easier than you probably think.That’s right, once you know what you’re doing, you can not only lose fat (and not muscle) rapidly, but you can do it without suffering. In fact, you can evenenjoy the process.That’s what you’re going to learn in this podcast.You’re going to learn the 3 worst mistakes people make that stop fat loss in its tracks.You’re going to learn the simple rule for determining how fast you can lose weight without losing muscle.You’re going to learn the 5 steps you need to follow to lose fat and not muscle as quickly as possible.And then you’re going to get a proven diet and exercise plan that you can start today and see real results within your first week.Let’s get started.6:40 - How to lose weight the wrong way 8:43 - Why is a very low calorie and low protein diet bad? 10:15 - Why is lots of cardio bad? 13:03 - Cardio and overtraining 14:40 - Why is high-reps, low-weight training bad? 15:41 - What’s the best way to lose fat? 17:21 - Use an aggressive but not reckless calorie deficit 24:04 - Eat a high protein and high carb diet 29:07 - Do a lot of heavy, compound weight lifting 32:26 - Keep your cardio to minimum 33:06 - Take supplements that are proven to accelerate fat loss 34:53 - How much weight can you lose in 30 days? 39:19 - Why is losing fat fast so hard? 46:36 - Can you lose weight quickly without going to the gym? 49:13 - The best way to diet to lose fat fast 20:10 - How to determine your macros 55:15 - How to create a meal plan 1:05:03 - How to adjust your numbers/plan based on how your body respondsWant 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 the deadlift and its many subtleties and variations.There are a number of factors that ultimately determine how well you can deadlift that are out of your control—your limb lengths, bone structure, height, and so forth—but there are also many things that you can control, like your technique, tools, and training methods, and these are what you’re going to learn about in this podcast with Mark.Whether you’re new to the deadlift 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 sumo, trap-bar, or conventional deadlift? - Should you deadlift with a mixed grip, hook grip, or double-overhand grip? - Should you use a belt? - Should you round your upper back? - What are the best cues?The bottom line is by the end of this interview, you’re going to know more about deadlifting than 90% of the people in your gym, including the trainers.6:02 - What is the starting strength method?  8:32 - What do you think of pulling with a rounded back? 12:37 - What are your thoughts on sumo, conventional, and trap bar? 20:16 - Can you lift more with sumo? 25:43 - What is the trap bar deadlift? 28:30 - Does the sumo deadlift use the quads more? 32:10 - What type of deadlift do you recommend for people with preexisting conditions? 41:00 - What are your thoughts on mix grip, hook grip, and double overhand rip? 42:20 - What is the supine grip? 48:35 - What are your thoughts on deadlifting shoes? 50:20 - What type of deadlifting shoes do you recommend? 55:50 - What are your thoughts on deadlift belts? 1:50:06 - 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/

Rep ranges and muscle building is a controversial topic.Some people believe that you can maximize muscle building by training with high reps and light weights (<60% of your one-rep max), others believe you should train with low reps and heavier weights (80+% of your one-rep max), and others still believe you should to do both.Who’s right?That’s what James Krieger and several other researchers wanted to find out in a meta-analysis that was just published just this year in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.They combed through 21 different studies that compared how training with heavier or lighter weights affected muscle and strength gains, and in this episode, James is going to break down exactly what they found and how to use it to optimize your programming and ultimately your muscle and strength gain.5:57 - What is the study on high vs load training and how it impacts strength and hypertrophy? 11:10 - If you’re no longer gaining strength on your key lifts, are you going to get stuck on your size? 25:49 - What are the takeaways? 29:48 - Are there benefits to varying rep ranges? 34:45 - 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.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Many people think weightlifting is inherently dangerous, and I understand why.When you compare deadlifting, squatting, and bench pressing gargantuan amounts of weight to other forms of exercise, like jogging, cycling, or calisthenics, weightlifting looks more like a death wish than a discipline.Poke around on Internet forums and you’ll find plenty to feed your anxiety.Personal stories range from the tame--mild joint and muscle aches and the like--to the downright horrific and debilitating, with some long-time bodybuilders so incapacitated that they can’t even tie their shoes until the ibuprofen kicks in.If that isn't enough, there's plenty of video evidence, too.I’ll save your eyes (and appetite), but trust me--serious weightlifting injuries can be particularly gruesome.And so weightlifting, and strength training in particular, has been saddled with a bum rap for decades now.Thankfully, the tides are changing and strength training is gaining more and more mainstream popularity, but many people still think that the dangers of weightlifting far exceed the benefits.Well, as you’ll soon see in this podcast, while weightlifting does have its "dangers," they’re not nearly as bad as many people think.Ironically, research shows that it’s actually one of the safest kinds of exercise you can do...when it’s done properly.That, my friends, is the catch.When done incorrectly--and there are many ways to mess it up--weightlifting can become very dangerous, very fast.So, if you want to understand what science really says about the dangers of weightlifting, the benefits it has to offer most everyone, and how to do it as safely as possible, then let's dive in.5:26 - How likely is it to get injured with weightlifting? 8:46 - What are the benefits of weightlifting? 11:00 - How do you avoid weightlifting injuries?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/

Why are some people so motivated and others aren’t?Why do some people seem to have “it”—grit, willpower, conscientiousness, whatever you call it—and others don’t? Were they born with it? Did they develop it through training? Does it have to do with them finding and pursuing their “true calling”? Or is there some other explanation?Today’s guest, Jeff Haden, is going to address these questions and more.Jeff has been a popular columnist on Inc.com for years, and he’s spent much of his professional life researching and writing on the topics of success and motivation.In his new book The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win, Jeff argues that motivation doesn’t come from luck or genes, but from something much simpler and more practical: small wins.More specifically, Jeff believes the best way to get and stay motivated is to set goals, and then, more importantly, to create a process that allows you to experience and celebrate regular small wins along the way, and I completely agree.Here’s a bit of what you’ll learn in this interview...-How to stay motivated to achieve your goals even after repeated failures. -How to create a daily routine that gets you closer to your goals every day. -The right way to think about self-doubt and critical feedback to achieve your goals -And more...7:44 - What inspired you to write The Motivation Myth? 12:25 - What are some myths about motivation? 18:35 - What are some tips on creating healthy processes when achieve goals? 24:02 - How can you differentiate between a coach and a pro? 44:05- What are the two types of positive self-talk? 54:00 - What are your thoughts on work-life balance? 101: 10 - Why should we be a “serial achiever”? 1:19:01 - 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/

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/

Personal trainer, blogger, and soon-to-become Registered Dietitian Lacey Dunn was kind enough to have me on her podcast to talk about how I got started in the fitness industry, the story behind my books, how I came to start Legion Athletics, and more.This interview is different from my normal routine of drilling deep down into one topic, because Lacey wanted to cover a lot of different topics more related to the hard lessons I’ve learned growing multiple businesses while raising a family, the ins and outs of the supplement industry, and the most important rule I’ve learned about success along the way.I hope you enjoy it.4:15 - Who are you and what do you do? 5:10 - What are some of the biggest hoops you had to jump through to start your businesses? 29:44 - How was the transition like from writing books to writing your business’ content? 38:35 - How do you balance family, life, and work? 47:30 - What’s your biggest piece of advice for success? 53:55 - Where can people find you and follow 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/