Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

In this podcast, you’re going to learn about supplements that can help you focus better. The ability to control your attention and focus for extended periods of time is one of the most important metaskills. That is, it’s a skill that makes other skills better. Mastering your attention and eliminating distractions can make a big difference in your life. You can train your ability to focus with medi...

Many people who follow me on Instagram after reading my book Bigger Leaner Stronger have been asking about my workouts lately. That’s because I’ve been posting my daily workouts in my stories, and what I’ve been doing doesn’t match my recommendations in BLS. Naturally, this causes a bit of confusion. So, what exactly am I doing in the gym, and why? Why am I not following my own program? Well, I am...

If you like fresh content on a subject I haven't touched on before, you're going to love this episode. That's because I'm chatting with Joelle Samantha all about orthorexia, which is an eating disorder that focuses on food quality and “purity.” With more people entering the fitness game every year and consumers becoming more conscious of what they put into their bodies, many people are paying more...

Curcumin seems to be gaining momentum in the supplement space, and it’s not too surprising why. Studies show it has a number of health benefits, including reducing inflammation and joint pain. That said, it’s not as simple as eating a bunch of turmeric. If you want to get the most out of curcumin, you need to take the right amount of the right type. In this podcast, you’re going to learn what curc...

I’ve recorded hundreds of episodes of Muscle for Life on a huge variety of things related to health, fitness, and lifestyle, ranging from the basics of diet and exercise like energy and macronutrient balance and progressive overload and training frequency and volume to fads like the ketogenic and carnivore diet and collagen protein to more unfamiliar territories like body weight set point and fast...

If you like to geek out, this episode is for you. That’s because I’m getting into the weeds with Chris Barakat on peri-workout nutrition. If you don’t know what that means, peri-workout nutrition refers to the food you eat before, during, and after training. We’re talking pre-workout meals , post-workout feasts, and even intraworkout replenishment. Now, one important point (and one we’ll get into...

Mushrooms seem to be all the rage these days. What are the health benefits of mushrooms, though? Well, it depends on the type, but one of the most popular kinds of mushrooms people supplement is Reishi. What’s so special about this Reishi fungi? That’s what I’m here to tell you in this podcast. Specifically, you’re going to learn what Reishi mushroom is, why people supplement with it, what sorts o...

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question:...

I’ve written and recorded a lot of evidence-based content over the years on just about everything you can imagine related to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy. I’ve also worked with thousands of men and women of all ages and circumstances and helped them get into the best shape of their lives. That doesn’t mean you should blindly swallow everything I say, though, because let’s face...

While my world revolves around lifting heavy objects and learning how to eat “like an adult,” I occasionally dip into talking about entrepreneurship, marketing, and business in general. And feedback on this sort of content has been great. People with the entrepreneurship bug want to know what’s worked for me, what hasn’t, and what I’ve learned while growing my own businesses. The truth is starting...

In this episode, I interview Anna, who read Thinner Leaner Stronger and used what she learned to lose over 85 pounds of fat while gaining 20 pounds of muscle and getting significantly stronger. Before finding TLS, Anna was 200 pounds, in pain from being overweight, displaying symptoms of pre-diabetes, and didn’t know how to lose fat. She wanted to make a change, but didn’t know where to start. Luc...

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question:...

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question:...

I’ve recorded hundreds of episodes of Muscle for Life on a huge variety of things related to health, fitness, and lifestyle, ranging from the basics of diet and exercise like energy and macronutrient balance and progressive overload and training frequency and volume to fads like the ketogenic and carnivore diet and collagen protein to more unfamiliar territories like body weight set point and fast...

This podcast is a story about overcoming oppressive obstacles. It’s about facing reality head-on, coming to terms with the truth, and deciding to make a positive change. Specifically, it’s the story of Brad Jensen and how he beat addiction to reinvent himself and become known as “the sober bodybuilder.” I’ll save the details for the interview, but in broad strokes, Brad was a fitness-interested te...

The more you think about it, the weirder it gets. Obviously we have reproductive differences but, beyond that, do women and men really vary that much? Especially when it comes to science. We use rats to estimate how stuff affects us for crying out loud. We share about 50% of the same genes as fruit flies and some have argued that our societal structures are similar to that of lobsters. When it com...

I’ve written and recorded a lot of evidence-based content over the years on just about everything you can imagine related to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy. I’ve also worked with thousands of men and women of all ages and circumstances and helped them get into the best shape of their lives. That doesn’t mean you should blindly swallow everything I say, though, because let’s face...

Is there a particular part of your body you want to strip fat from fast? Chances are good if you’ve searched online for answers about this “problem area,” you’ve found recommendations for specific exercises, foods, or supplements. Unfortunately, these solutions are a pipe dream. Fat loss is a simple process, but it’s not perfectly predictable. That is, if you know how to eat and exercise properly,...

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question:...

Everyone is new to fitness at some point. No matter how jacked, lean, or athletic someone is right now, there was a day where they stepped foot in the gym for the first time and started taking their fitness seriously. This is good to keep in mind because the gym can be a daunting place when you’re a newbie. What exercises should you do? How heavy should the weights be? How many sets should you do?...

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question:...

I’ve churned through over 150,000 emails, social media comments and messages, and blog comments in the last 6 years. And that means I’ve fielded a ton of questions. As you can imagine, some questions pop up more often than others, and I thought it might be helpful to take a little time every month to choose a few and record and share my answers. So, in this round, I answer the following question:...

I’ve recorded hundreds of episodes of Muscle for Life on a huge variety of things related to health, fitness, and lifestyle, ranging from the basics of diet and exercise like energy and macronutrient balance and progressive overload and training frequency and volume to fads like the ketogenic and carnivore diet and collagen protein to more unfamiliar territories like body weight set point and fast...

Body composition refers to how much of your body is composed of body fat versus muscle.  Although most people fixate on their body weight when trying to get in shape, body composition is a much more useful metric to track.  The problem with just tracking your body weight is that if you’re new to proper diet and exercise, you’ll lose fat and build muscle at the same time. Your scale weight may not...

“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 like compound interest. The more you learn, the more you know; the more you know, t...