Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

There’s no doubt steroids can help you get bigger, leaner, and stronger, but they’re not exactly safe. They're also stigmatized, which is why many people who use them do so in secret. So why do people use steroids? How effective are steroids and how safe are they? What are the risks of steroids? Can you just do one cycle to get the benefits without the side effects? What’s the best way to come off...

Have you ever garbaged down enough food to sedate an elephant and then worried that you’ve botched your diet? Have you ever skipped a workout or five for whatever reason and then despaired that you’ve derailed your progress? We all have. But none of that actually matters. Listen to this podcast to find out how you can fail over and over in fitness and still succeed. I think you’ll enjoy this episo...

Will cutting “waste” your newbie gains? Is adrenal fatigue real? Are knee sleeves necessary? Do I ever get bored of my workout routine? Should you take every set to failure? Can foam rolling help muscle growth? Should you increase energy flux? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on Muscle For Life....

Steve MagnessHave we been thinking about real toughness the wrong way? How can we reliably and practically build our resilience beyond “just pushing through” to overcome challenges? These are the questions Steve Hall explores in his latest book, Do Hard Things , and it’s what we talk about in this interview. This book is Steve’s attempt to help athletes, parents, business leaders, and everyone in...

Can adding a minimal amount of walking enhance your results by 50%? Does ginseng boost testosterone? Do artificial sweeteners enhance or inhibit weight loss? What type of lifting cues work best? I’m covering the latest research on these topics in this podcast. This podcast is another installment in my Research Roundup series of episodes, where I give you concise and practical takeaways from studie...

In this installment of the Best of Muscle For Life, you’ll hear hand-picked clips from three popular MFL episodes: an interview with Kyle Hunt on “powerbuilding” for getting bigger and stronger, a monologue on beating food cravings, and a book club episode with my top takeaways from Peak Performance. Some people—my favorite people—listen to most or even all of my podcasts, but my wizbang analytics...

This podcast is a bit different because rather than interviewing a guest, I’m sharing an interview of me. Specifically, I recorded a webinar for students at Oxford Brookes University in the UK, in which I shared business advice for students who wish to start a health or fitness business or for fitness professionals who wish to grow their existing business. I was interviewed by professor Paul Hough...

One of the most controversial topics in fitness is whether you should allow your knees to go over your toes during the squat. Some say that allowing your knees to extend beyond your toes will cause knee pain and injury, while others say preventing your knees from traveling forward is the real problem. Who’s right and what does science say about this topic? Listen to this podcast to learn the answe...

What’s my daily supplement regimen? How long does it take to go from skinny to jacked? How can you stay motivated during a long period of weight loss? What’s better, LISS or HIIT? Is it worth going to a chiropractor? Is 10,000 steps per day a good walking goal? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on...

In this podcast, I interview Josh, who I coached through his weight loss journey to lose 50 pounds, get in the best shape of his life, and learn the skills and habits to stay that way for life. Josh has always struggled with his weight. He was one of the biggest kids in his class ever since grade school and stayed that way until he was a teenager. Eventually he lost some weight, but because he did...

What's the best training program if you have minimal time? Does foam rolling enhance recovery? Are activity trackers accurate enough to help you estimate calories burned? Do rack pulls (partial deadlifts) help you get stronger? I’m covering the latest research on these topics is in this podcast. This podcast is another installment in my Research Roundup series of episodes, where I give you concise...

The bench press is a staple of strength training and hypertrophy programs. However, some people claim that it’s dangerous and that its benefits aren’t worth the risks, especially for the shoulders. Is that true though? Is the bench press an injury waiting to happen? In this podcast, I’ll answer that and provide my tips for bench pressing as safely and effectively as possible. I’ve written and reco...

Breathing might sound like a boring topic. It’s our most basic biological function, and something we do unconsciously every day. So, it may seem shocking that a book with the title Breath could become a New York Times bestseller. The reality is breathing is a lot more fascinating than many people realize, and how you do it can have drastic effects on your health. That’s something James Nestor (the...

Many people believe a lot of different things can make them fat. Common culprits are stress, bad gut bacteria, hormones, genetics, slow metabolisms, insulin, large plates and bowls, alcohol, and even undereating. So what’s the real cause? What actually makes people fat? You’re going to find out in this podcast. Timestamps: 0:00 - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts an...

How can dead hangs reduce shoulder pain? Is genetic testing worth it for health purposes? How can you get biceps veins and increase vascularity? Are there limits to progressive overload? Should you use a sauna before or after training? Does cryotherapy improve recovery? How can you stay satiated while on a diet? How can you model healthy behavior for kids? All that and more in this Q&A podcast...

Whether you have lagging or weak muscle groups, or just want to focus your efforts and grow certain body parts faster than others, specialization routines can help you. These specialization training blocks involve prioritizing specific muscle groups to get them to grow faster while maintaining your size and strength in other muscle groups. In this episode, Steve Hall offers tips and guidance every...

These are my key takeaways and notes from Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages . “Can you recommend a book for…?” “What are you reading right now?” “What are your favorite books?” I get asked those types of questions a lot and, as an avid reader and all-around bibliophile, I’m always happy to oblige. I also like to encourage people to read as much as possible because knowledge benefits you much...

In this installment of the Best of Muscle For Life, you’ll hear hand-picked clips from three popular MFL episodes: an interview with Dr. Susan Kleiner on “power eating” and sports nutrition, a monologue on how fast you can “safely” lose body fat, and a motivational piece explaining why I took cold showers every day for a year. Some people—my favorite people—listen to most or even all of my podcast...

Are all body fat scales equally inaccurate? Are some accurate enough to actually be useful when tracking our body composition? That’s what Dr. Grant Tinsley wanted to test in the latest study out of his lab, and he’s discussing the surprising results in this interview. Many fitness enthusiasts want to track their body fat levels and body composition to keep tabs on their progress and ensure their...

Do women actually prefer dad bods? Is it ok to bend your back on deadlifts? What’s the best way to lose visceral fat? Do electrical muscle stimulators work? Can a high-protein diet lower your testosterone? Who do I idolize? When can kids start lifting? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on Muscle F...

Remote voluntary contraction sounds like technical mumbo jumbo, but is actually a pretty simple concept to understand and very practical. You'll immediately be able to use this whenever your next workout is to perform better in the gym. What's more, you’ll be able to use remote voluntary contraction regardless of your programming and you won't have to make any programming changes. You can keep doi...

Does hyperventilating between sets help you get more reps? Does using exercise variations help you gain muscle and strength faster? Can low-carb dieting actually reduce your testosterone levels? Are expensive forms of creatine actually effective? Answers from the latest research on these topics is in this podcast. This podcast is another installment in my Research Roundup series of episodes, where...

Kyle Hunt and Mike Matthews talk shop about business and marketing, what it’s like writing books, how they decide what books to read and why, how they efficiently get the most out of those books and put the information they learn to use, and more. This podcast is a low-key discussion with my buddy Kyle Hunt where we share a “behind the scenes” look at the process of writing, revising, publishing,...

What’s my go-to evening snack? Should you try “fat freezing?” How do you fix butt wink? How long will it take to get down to 10% body fat? How much does muscle boost your TDEE? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on Muscle For Life. In my usual Q&A episodes, I take a question from email or Insta...

Many people are afraid of losing muscle, especially when they can't train. The good news is it takes a lot longer to lose muscle when you stop training than many people think. And the even better news is if you do lose actual muscle tissue, there’s something called muscle memory.  In this podcast, I’m going to describe what this phenomenon is, how it works physiologically, and how you can take adv...