Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

What if I told you that with one pill, you could boost your energy levels, supercharge your strength, and even melt away mental and physical pain and discomfort? And what if this pill could do those things naturally and safely? And what if I even told you that it’s just a sugar pill, but so long as you truly believe in its ability to work, it will? If that sounds like science fiction, I understand...

Would you like to see a trick? With just one word, I can stimulate electrochemical responses in your brain associated with feelings of affection and joy. By merely uttering this three-letter rune, I can ignite your imagination, drench you in desire, and constrain you to my every command. And no, it has nothing to do with slapping slippery body parts together. Are you ready for this primordial tali...

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...

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...

Nobody likes getting hurt. Well, besides masochists, of course. But seriously, getting injured sucks. Pain is annoying at best or excruciating at worst, but that’s not necessarily even the worst part. If you try to work through the pain, you’ll usually end up even worse off. So, injuries not only prevent you from working out comfortably, but they often keep us out of the gym altogether. In turn, t...

Building muscle can seem like a confusing process. Some people say you need to use high reps in your workouts, others say you should just focus on getting strong. Some say you need to eat a high-protein diet, others say it doesn’t matter. Some say you need to eat a meal immediately before and/or after your workout, others say you just have to eat enough calories throughout the day. How are you sup...

It’s time for another contentious topic, my friends. No, not volume, frequency, or intensity. Today, we’re talking about workout splits. Specifically, full-body training. Full-body and higher-frequency training has become more popular lately. And if you’ve followed my work over the years, you know I haven’t been a big proponent of full-body workouts. In fact, in previous editions of Bigger Leaner...

Imagine for a moment that we’ve just received a message from an alien race in a galaxy far, far away. “Hey, Earthlings,” it reads. “Want to hang out?” Despite Elon Musk’s protests, our response would probably be something along the lines of “We’re in a weird place right now . . . can you call back later?” While the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be behind us, and most countries have begun...

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...

Pity our poor thyroid. This small gland is blamed for countless weight loss frustrations and is a consistent scapegoat for people who encounter fat loss plateaus. And that’s understandable. The thyroid affects metabolism and hypothyroidism (suppressed thyroid function) can slow the basal metabolic rate and reduce fat loss if you don’t adjust your diet or get treated.  I hear from many people who h...

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...

In this episode, I interview Jamie, who read Thinner Leaner Stronger and used my coaching program to bulk up from an underweight 93 pounds, to lean and muscular at 105 pounds.  At 5”1’, Jamie has always been petite. Somewhere along the way, though, she got up to 125 pounds and 33% body fat, and decided to make a change. She wanted to lose some weight, so she did what most people do: a lot of cardi...

Weightlifting may look easy compared to sports like golf, soccer, or gymnastics, but it’s far more technical than most people realize.  For example, properly performing a barbell back squat requires balance, coordination, and strength in a variety of muscle groups. Even the humdrum bench press and deadlift demand meticulous timing and muscular control. Your weightlifting technique also has a major...

Many people out there who don’t know nearly as much as you probably don’t know about losing weight. For example, they don’t know what energy balance is, they do know that if they just starve themselves, if they eat very little and move around a lot, do a lot of cardio, they will lose weight. And of course, that’s true.  But often what happens is these people do that and then they don’t know what t...

For everyday gym-goers and fitness enthusiasts, nutrition is pretty simple. Control your calories, eat enough protein, get a nice mix of carbs and healthy fats from nutritious, whole foods, and you’re basically set if you just want to lose fat, build muscle, and get healthier.  This changes for high-level athletes, though.   When performance is your livelihood, nutritional optimization becomes par...

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...

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...

“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...

As someone who’s helped legions of people (har har) lose fat, get lean, and build muscle, it’s no surprise I also get asked about preparing for natural bodybuilding and bikini competitions. After all, there’s a lot of overlap between natural bodybuilding and getting fitter as a recreational weightlifter. While I’ve never done a bodybuilding show or coached serious competitors, I’ve gotten “photosh...

It’s no secret most weightlifters don’t like cardio.  Most avoid it because it’s uncomfortable. Others are worried it’ll interfere with their ability to gain strength and muscle. And others just find it boring and pointless. After all, if you’re already lifting weights several times per week, how much can you really benefit by adding a bit of cardio to your weekly routine?  Sure, you’ve heard abou...

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 three ques...

Why do food cravings strike when you least want them? You know…you’re at work and locked in the conference room when you remember the cake down the hall. Minutes turn to hours as you fixate on that chocolatey goodness. Or you’ve just crawled into bed, only to find yourself overwhelmed by a hankering for the cold pizza languishing in the fridge (it would be so much happier in your belly!). Or your...

It has been said that there are two types of weightlifters in the world: On one hand, you have the people who just want to get as strong as possible—“aesthetics” be damned—and on the other hand, you have the people who just want pretty physiques, even if it’s all “show” and little “go.” I don’t know about you, but I’m somewhere in the middle—I got into lifting to look better and that’s still a maj...

I get asked quite frequently about my personal training and eating habits. People who read my books, read my articles, or listen to my podcasts know what I recommend in terms of training and dieting, but what does my personal regimen look like? In other words, what’s really going on behind the scenes when you peel back the curtain? What’s my exact training routine and what do my meals look like? A...

In this episode, I interview Andrew, who used Bigger Leaner Stronger to transform his understanding of getting fit and finally start making real progress. When Andrew was 240 pounds and out of shape, he decided to make a change. He wanted to lose some weight, and he did what most people do: hopped on the treadmill for endless hours of cardio, ate way too much, and . . . not much changed. Eventuall...