Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

If you’ve spent any amount of time lifting weights, taken a break for a bit, and then started back up again, you probably noticed that you seemed to regain strength and size much quicker than the first time around.Well, this isn’t your mind playing tricks on you–the acceleration in progress is a scientifically verified phenomenon often referred to as “muscle memory,” but what is actually going on?Neurological mechanisms can explain the rapid regain of strength, but not muscle size. Do muscle fibers have some sort of “memory” of their previous, more conditioned states? Or is something else responsible for these effects?Let’s find out.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 Dr. Mike Zourdos who’s an assistant professor of Exercise Science at Florida Atlantic University, published researcher, 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 in this interview, Mike is going to break down one of the studies analyzed in their review.The study he’s going to discuss is on training to failure, and in this discussion, Mike explains what training to failure is, how it relates to muscle growth, how necessary it is, how to best incorporate it into your training, and more.6:36 - What is the study of training to failure and is it necessary13:02 - When should you incorporate training to failure?20:24 - How does training to failure effect strength and muscle growth? 27:10 - Does cardio with HIIT harm or improve muscle hypertrophy? 31:26 - 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/

Let’s face it.A big reason we work out is to look good.Yes, there are many other benefits beyond the physical, but what we see in the mirror every day matters. A lot.That’s why a big part of staying motivated to stick to our meal plans and training programs is seeing progress.And this is where the mirror can mislead.You see, it takes longer than most of us realize to see marked changes in our appearance, and when the squishy parts don’t transform as quickly as we’d hoped, it’s easy to lose heart.It can feel like all that work in the kitchen and gym is more or less for naught.Well, if you learn to track your body composition properly, you can avoid these problems because you’ll know exactly what is or isn’t happening with your physique, and you’ll be able to then adjust your diet and exercise accordingly.It’s pretty easy, too. There are just three steps: 1. Weigh yourself daily and calculate weekly averages. 2. Take weekly body measurements. 3. Take weekly progress pictures.That’s all you have to do to always have an accurate snapshot of your body composition and a clear idea of which direction things are going in.Let’s take a closer look at each.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/

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/

I have a rather long list of things in the fitness space that annoy the shit out of me.To name a few…Starvation dietingLow-carb maniaMost fitness magazinesThe cult of “clean eating““Weight loss foods“Supplement shenanigansCelebrity workoutsMost weightlifting advice given to women If you feel the same way, you’ve come to the right place. We were tarred with the same brush.And in this episode, we’re going to talk all about exercise and weight loss and how to best go about it.I have good news, too.You can reach your goals without sacrificing your life to the treadmill.In fact, you can get as lean as you want without ever doing more than a couple hours of cardio per week.(You can eat foods you actually like, too.)If that sounds too good to be true, I understand.Suspend your disbelief, though, and in ten minutes, you’ll know things most people will never know about not just losing weight but building a body they can be proud of.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/

In this episode I interview Jason Phillips from iN3 Nutrition, who runs a thriving coaching business that is particularly popular among Crossfitters.Accordingly, Jason has worked with many Crossfit athletes, and many high-level Crossfit athletes, and has seen firsthand what a lot of extreme exercise and dieting can do to the body, and to the metabolism in particular.In short, if you push the envelope too hard for too long, you can find yourself in a situation where your energy levels and mood are chronically depressed, it’s very hard to lose weight despite eating in what SHOULD be a calorie deficit, every workout is way more of a slog than it should be, your libido is gone, your sleep is disrupted, and your life is generally a lot less enjoyable than it used to be.In this interview, Jason shares with us a bit of the Crossfit insanity that leads to severe symptoms of overtraining, as well as how he has helped people out of that rut, and we also discuss how to avoid falling into it in the first place.8:16 - When Crossfit athletes push themselves too hard, how do you make them healthy again?10:14 - Why are some Crossfit athletes suffering from hormonal issues?11:57 - What makes you certain that your clients’ food logs are accurate?13:12 - How do the health complications of Crossfit athletes impact their body composition? 14:14 - What does the path to sanity and health look like?15:24 - How do your experiences with these athletes jive with the implications of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment?17:18 - What shape are your athletes usually in?23:08 - Why would a Crossfit athlete ever want to go on a lower carb diet?24:10 - Is the Paleo diet still popular in the Crossfit world?30:37 - Do you have any advice for normal, everyday people who are looking to get fit? 34:52 - Are there any general mistakes that everyday people can avoid? 36:42 - For the average person, what have you found has been the most effective when it comes to training and nutrition? 37:19 - Have you seen positive results with reverse dieting? 41:21 - What has your experience with an eating disorder been like? 51:10 - What keeps you going? 56:33 - Where can people find your work and reach out?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/

Some people say that anterior pelvic tilt  is caused by weak and tight muscles, and that it’s likely to lead to back pain, injuries, and other dysfunctions.Others say that anterior pelvic tilt is totally normal and can’t be changed, so it’s not worth worrying about.Well, the short story is that anterior pelvic tilt is normal and probably isn’t a major cause for concern. If it is a problem, it’s probably just poor posture, which can be corrected.So, by the end of this episode, you’re going to know know what anterior pelvic tilt is, how it affects your body and physical performance, and what you can and can’t do about it.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/

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/

Nitric oxide supplements hit the bodybuilding scene about a decade ago, and they hit the ground running.The first one to make waves was called “NO2.”It became an overnight bestseller, and was quickly followed by a pile of “me too” products, which only served to further ratchet up the nitric oxide hype.People were saying it’s the next creatine. A natural and safe alternative to steroids, even.It could help you gain muscle and strength faster, we were told, as well as significantly improve blood flow, which would give you bulging biceps and, uh, other bulgy things. 😉How true is all of this, though?Do nitric oxide supplements really work, or are they just a waste of money, like most bodybuilding supplements?Well, you’re going to find out in this episode.We’re going to look at what nitric oxide is, what these supplements are comprised of, what science has to say about their effectiveness, and more.Let’s get started.4:09 - What is nitric oxide? 4:45 - What is a nitric oxide supplement? 5:25 - What are the benefits of nitric oxide supplements?8:20 - What do nitric oxide supplements do? 9:02 - What are the best nitric oxide supplements?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/

“You have to change up your workouts more.”“You have to eat more protein.”“You have to increase your time under tension.”“You have to use more/less weight in your training.”If you’re looking for advice on building muscle, you’ve probably heard plenty of one-liners like those.If you keep looking, you’ll hear a lot more. And, after it all, you’ll probably wind up like most people–confused, frustrated, and overwhelmed by a sea of contradictory tips, “hacks,” strategies, and shortcuts, with no idea who to believe and what to do next.Well, I have good new for you: Out of all the possible things you could know about diet and training, 20% are going to give you 80%+ of your results.In fact, I’d go as far as saying that the average person looking to build a lean, muscular, strong physique can learn everything they need to know in 7 to 8 hours of reading. (And that’s what I try to provide in my books.)Don’t get me wrong–I’m all for continuing to learn and improve, but if you don’t manage your “information flow” properly, you can easily fall into the trap of “analysis by paralysis.”So, this episode isn’t going to teach you everything you need to know, but it’s going to give you a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of muscle building. Put these five principles into use and you will see 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: www.muscleforlife.com/signup/