Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

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: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Pre JYM is one of the most highly rated pre-workout supplements on the market today, and it’s no surprise why.It boasts a long list of active ingredients, it contains no proprietary blends, and its formulation appears to be backed by sound scientific research.It’s also quite similar to my pre-workout Pulse because both contain citrulline malate, betaine, and beta-alanine, so many people wonder how the two compare.So, how good is Pre JYM? Well, the short story is this:Pre JYM’s formulation is better than many other pre-workouts on the market. It contains several high-quality ingredients at clinically effective levels and will likely enhance your physical performance and mental alertness.That said, Pre JYM also contains ingredients that don’t make sense given the formulation, as well as ingredients that are included at suboptimal dosages.Pulse, on the other hand, contains fewer ingredients, but all are chosen for good reason and included at clinically effective levels. Thus, it’s likely to deliver more bottom-line benefits and results.Let’s find out why.6:15 - What does science have to say about Pre-Jym? 6:42 - What is Creatine HCL? 7:49 - What is the clinically effective dosage of creatine? 9:27 - What is beta alanine? 10:04 - What is the clinically effective dosage of creatine? 10:32 - What is betaine? 10:59 - What is the clinically effective dosage of betaine? 11:17 - What is taurine? 12:13 - What is n-acetyl cysteine? 13:11 - What is the clinically effective dosage of n-acetyl cysteine? 13:44 - What is alpha gpc? 14:21 - What is the clinically effective dosage of alpha gpc? 16:00 - What is citrulline malate? 17:00 - What is the clinically effective dosage of citrulline malate? 17:19 - What is beetroot extract? 18:26 - What is the clinically effective dosage of beetroot extract? 19:18- What is branched chain amino acids? 22:47 - What is tyrosine? 23:53 - What is the clinically effective dosage of tyrosine? 24:25 - What is caffeine? 24:44 - What is the clinically effective dosage of caffeine? 25:05 - What is huperzine a? 27:19 - What is the clinically effective dosage of huperzine a? 28:08 - What is black pepper extract? 29:18 - What does science have to say about Pulse? 32:38 - What is l-ornithine? 33:23 - What is the clinically effective dosage of l-ornithine? 33:56 - What is l-theanine?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/

If you ask the average gymgoer what single physical factor most affects muscle growth and fat loss, they would probably answer “testosterone levels.”And they’re right.Testosterone is certainly a primary hormonal driver of muscle growth. Research has shown that anabolic steroids, which drastically raise testosterone levels, given to even young, healthy men can induce muscle growth and fat loss without any exercise whatsoever.Thus, it would be fair to assume that the higher our testosterone levels are, the more muscle we build and the leaner we get, right?Well, this is where things get interesting.Let’s dive in.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/

Blood flow restriction training is making waves of late.It sounds new. It sounds scientific. And some are saying it’s revolutionary.Well, it also smacks of artifice. Like it was contrived by marketers to sell the latest round of magazines, pills, and powders.And so if you’ve been skeptical, good. You should be.You see, the more time you spend educating yourself in the ways of muscle building, the more you become certain of one thing:If something sounds too good to be true — too easy, too effective, too innovative — it almost always is.Is that the case with blood flow restriction training?In this episode, Dr. Mike Zourdos is going to break it all down. He’s going to explain what blood flow restriction training is, how it’s supposed to increase muscle growth, what it’s best suited for, how to do it safely, and more.In case you’re not familiar with Dr. Zourdos, he’s an assistant professor of Exercise Science at Florida Atlantic University, published scientist, and competitive powerlifter, as well as the head Powerlifting coach at Florida State University.Mike also produces a fantastic monthly research review along with Dr. Eric Helms and Greg Nuckols, called MASS (www.strongerbyscience.com/mass), and this interview is actually based on one of the studies analyzed in their review.11:07 - What is blood flow restriction training and how do you utilize it? 12:30 - Does blood flow restriction training increase strength and hypertrophy? 14:10 - Is blood flow restriction training safe? 15:21 - How much blood flow restriction is dangerous? 18:49 - When should we use blood flow restriction? 19:42 - How does blood flow restriction work and what makes it legitimate? 21:55 - How can you use blood flow restriction training after an injury? 30:26 - Is blood flow restriction training a good stand alone training method? 32:19 - Which areas of the body should you apply blood flow restriction?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/

If you dread the idea of “dieting,” I understand.Most diets feel more like punishment than self improvement. Instead of educating you on how the metabolism truly works and giving you the tools you need to manage it effectively, most diet “gurus” resort to fearmongering and food restriction instead.If you want to lose fat or build “lean muscle,” they say, you can kiss just about everything you like eating goodbye.Grains…anything containing gluten or sugar…high-glycemic carbs…red meat…processed foods…fruit…dairy…caloric beverages…granola…it’s all gotta go.All your toys. Throw all that shit into the fire. No pain no gain! Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion!Maybe you’re not up to this, you think. Maybe you’re not tough enough. You’ve always had trouble with willpower and dedication. Maybe abs aren’t really worth it.On the other hand, who knows, maybe all you need in life is chicken, eggs, and vegetables? Starving children in Africa have it much worse…Stop! Put the Kool-Aid down and slowly walk away.What if I told you that you could dramatically transform your body eating foods you actually like…every day…7 days per week?What if all you had to do to build muscle and lose fat was follow a handful of flexible dietary guidelines…not starve and deprive yourself?And what if I promised you could forever break free of the restrictions and anxieties most people associate with dieting and learn to love it instead?Too good to be true, you think? Downright heresy?I know. I used to think the same thing. I now know the truth, though, and in this episode, I’m going to break it all down for you. Let’s get to it.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: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

If you’ve ever wondered what a day in the shoes of yours truly is like, and how I generally think about and approach my work and life on the whole...then you’re in for a serious disappointment because it’s probably not nearly as glamorous as you might think.Seriously though, this episode is actually an interview that I did with Dan Bradbury for his podcast, which is called The Business Growth Podcast, and I thought you all might find it interesting, so here it is.In this interview, Dan and I talk about some topics that are more important than ever right now, including what gets in the way of us realizing our full potentials, what my daily routine looks like, what books have most helped me in my career, what are my most important pieces of advice for people who want to grow their businesses, and more.Check it out and let me know what you think!3:54 - How do you balance multiple businesses and family? 9:31 - What do you think gets in the way of people achieving their full potential? 18:39- What is driving your businesses rapid growth? 34:00 - What is your daily routine? 38:54 - What’s your opinion on human growth hormone spikes after heat exposure? 52:02 - What are the top three books that have had the greatest impact in your life? 65:34 - What’s the most important piece of advice you have for people who want to grow their businesses?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/

Here’s an involable truth of nutrition science:If you eat more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight.And the more calories you eat, the more weight you’ll gain, and the more of that weight is going to be fat. That begs the question, though.Is there a limit to how much fat you can gain in, say, a single day? Can 24 hours of uninhibited gluttony really lead to several pounds of fat gain, as some claim?Well, that’s what you’re going to learn in this episode.The truth is that you can gain a large amount of fat from a single day of bingeing, but it’s probably less than you think.By the end of this episode, you’ll know how your body stores fat, how much fat you can really gain in a single day, and how to minimize fat gain if you have your heart set on plundering the kitchen.Let’s jump right in.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 my buddy Adam from the Mind Pump team to talk about, well, things. Life things. Business things. Personal things. All kinds of things that I hope you, dear listener, find interesting.This interview is a departure from my normal routine of drilling deep down into one topic, because Adam and I go all over the place and share some of the hard lessons we’ve learned growing both as individuals and businesspeople.For example, we discuss the difficulties we’ve had managing people in our businesses (and Adam shares a couple great tips that helped him improve), how to spot and eliminate “toxic” people from your life, how to have the “hard” conversations necessary for moving your life and relationships ahead, and more.5:01 - How long did it take for you to build your team? 12:58 - When did you realize you didn’t like managing people in a business? 21:55 - How do you make your podcast stand out in the health and fitness field? 52:59 - What were the childhood traumas that you had to overcome? 71:51 - How do you end poisonous friendships? 98:59 - What’s MindPump’s ambition?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/

Once upon a time, I was stuck in a rut.Despite training 5 to 6 days per week, my weight wouldn’t budge…I couldn’t get stronger…and I hadn’t built any muscle to speak of in years.What is an aspiring little “shredder” to do?Well, I consulted the prestigious annals of broscience and quickly found the answer:Eat more protein. A metric f$%# ton, to be exact. And so the great protein gluttony began. I double-scooped my protein shakes. I ate over a pound of meat per day. I popped hardboiled eggs like they were candy.I was a good little bodybuilder… with (thankfully) good little kidneys. Thanks mom! (Just kidding–high-protein diets aren’t bad for your kidneys.)Well, after a year of eating 400+ grams of protein per day… I had to face the facts.It wasn’t working.Despite all the gorging, I looked and weighed more or less the same and I was lifting more or less the same weights.Nothing had changed, really.Well…fool me once, shame on… shame on you. Fool me…you can’t get fooled again!To my credit, I got wise, dramatically changed course with my diet and training, and finally escaped the crater of mediocrity. And along the way, I learned “little things” like how much protein to eat every day.And here’s the long story short:You don’t have to stuff yourself silly with protein to build muscle or lose fat, but you might have to eat more–or less–than you think.And in this episode, I’m going to break it all down for you. By the end, you’re going to know exactly how much protein you need to eat every day based on your goals and why. Let’s get started.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/