Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

The argument over whether or not men and women should train differently is an old one. Years ago, “experts” said women should train with light weights and high reps to “tone” and “sculpt” their bodies, whereas men should train with heavy weights and low reps to pack on muscle. In the past few years, the pendulum has swung in the other direction, with many people claiming women and men should follo...

It’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, life was business as usual. Now, we’re just a few weeks into the COVID-19 lockdown, and it’s looking like this will be the “new normal” for at least another few months. And us fitness folks are having a time of it. For one thing, you have to work out from home, and if that weren’t bad enough, some grocery stores are running out of stock on meat, vege...

This episode is part of a monthly 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: One Monday every month, 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’...

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...

“When’s your next book coming out?” “What kind of supplements are you going to release next?” “What would you name your boat if you had one?” I’m asked questions like these all the time and so I thought I’d start doing monthly updates about what’s new and exciting here at Legion HQ. So here’s a quick hosedown of what me and my jolly band of pirates and bums have been up to lately. Enjoy! --- Menti...

If you’re like most people, you’ve been paying attention to what’s happening with coronavirus. Over 300,000 people have taken ill as of this writing and, depending on who you ask, the death rate ranges from 0.3 to 1 to 3% (one of the latest studies pins this number right in the middle at 1.4%). This makes it slightly more deadly than the flu, and significantly more deadly for those who are over 60...

Scott Carney is an interesting guy doing fascinating things. I first had him on the podcast to discuss his New York Times Bestseller What Doesn’t Kill Us, which took an investigative look at “hacking” our bodies and using the environment to stimulate our biology. Specifically, Scott went on a journey with biohacking legend Wim Hof, using special breathing techniques to push the limits of strength...

FRANDO! It’s-a-me, your Pandemic Pal, Corona Chum, and Quarantine . . . uhhhh . . . Quixote? And here we are, socially stranded, steadily sanitized, and slightly stir crazy thanks to The Rona, which isn’t merely “another flu,” as many not-doctors on (delete your) Instagram would have you believe. But hey, there are some white clouds in the sky, too. For instance . . . 1) Thanks to the cancellation...

For centuries, women were more or less excluded from organized athletics, relegated to more “feminine” tasks like being homemakers or taking care of children. A lot has changed. Women have their own leagues and divisions in all sports now, and while the WNBA might not ever be as popular as the NBA, for example, things are more equal now than they’ve ever been. But it’s been a gradual process that...

The issue of transgender women competing in women’s sports has become a hot button affair in recent years, mostly because many are blowing biological women out of the water, and in some cases, setting records that no biological woman will likely ever be able to break. Some people argue this isn’t a problem, because men who have transitioned to women and follow official competitive protocols don’t...

In this episode, we’ll digress from our regular programming on how to lose fat, gain muscle, and stay healthy, and enter the world of professional sports with David Nurse, who’s one of the premier shooting coaches in the NBA. David once had aspirations to play in the NBA himself, but eventually, he learned the painful truth that he simply wasn’t good enough to compete at the highest levels of the...

As of right now, I’ve produced over 500 episodes of Muscle for Life, totaling over 700 hours of content. I’ve talked about 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...

Weight loss advice has been muddled for decades now. For example, in the 90’s, we were told that all we had to do to get the body of our dreams is eat as little dietary fat as possible. That didn’t work. Now we’re being told we can eat a snootful of fat every day so long as we restrict our carbohydrate and sugar intake. That’s not working, either. Hormones…artificial sweeteners…chemicals and “toxi...

Coronavirus. The only thing anybody is talking about right now as it continues to upend life as we knew it and highlight all the things we’ve been taking for granted, like eating at the local pizza joint, walking more than 100 steps per day, and oh, I don’t know, being able to leave the fucking house. And then there’s the fitness fallout, what with lifters everywhere yearning for their usual diet...

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...

Today’s episode is with the one and only Ben Greenfield, the bossman of biohacking and New York Times Bestselling author of several books, including his latest work, Boundless, which is a delicious buffet of techniques and tricks for optimizing your mind, body, and spirit. And with most of us huddled up in our homes with our families, only venturing out for necessities like groceries and toilet pa...

There’s no doubt heavy drinking is a ticket to an early death. The CDC estimates 88,000 Americans die annually from alcohol-related causes, which includes car accidents, a cornucopia of cancers, and liver disease. Fifteen million Americans are believed to have an alcohol dependency disorder, and until recently alcohol killed more people than opioids. That’s not to mention the disastrous effects of...

Chase Chewning hasn’t had an easy time of it. When he was still a teenager, he lost his father to Lou Gehrig’s disease. A few years later while he was in the army, he got seriously injured, requiring multiple surgeries, and got medically discharged. Chase’s life was in shambles. His body was broken, his mind was muddled, and his spirit was shattered. He had no money, no job, and no purpose. What h...

Look at most popular pre-workout supplements and you’ll find they have several ingredients common. L-citrulline is one of them. Its name comes from citrullus, the Latin word for watermelon, which is a natural source of it. Other food sources include peanuts, soybeans, and kidney beans. Most supplements aren’t all that special and can’t live up to the hype, but, as you’ll see, L-citrulline is one o...

You’ve probably heard that masturbation can drain your testosterone levels, dampen your drive to work out, and decrease muscle growth. This idea that masturbation (or more specifically, ejaculation) hinders muscle building and athletic performance goes all the way back to ancient Greek and Roman times, when athletes would refrain from sex before athletic contests. It turns out this idea still pers...

Chances are good you found this podcast because you think you may have “man boobs.” And, chances are also good you’re willing to do just about anything to get rid of them. And I’d also wager you haven’t had much luck so far. Even when you manage to lose a few pounds your “moobs” don’t seem to shrink, and maybe you’re even wondering if you’ll need surgery to get rid of them. After all, many other g...

What’s the best way to eat for optimal health—and brain health in particular—and longevity? That’s a question Max Lugavere is working to answer. When Max’s mother’s mental health began to decline, he became obsessed with how it could have been prevented. And that culminated in his first book, Genius Foods, which was a New York Times best-seller all about using diet and nutrition to help prevent de...

As of right now, I’ve produced over 500 episodes of Muscle for Life, totaling over 700 hours of content. I’ve talked about 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...

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 four quest...

I’m pretty sure that’s how the “Gallon of Milk a Day,” or GOMAD Diet was conceived. It’s equally simple to follow because the name alone tells you everything you need to know: You drink an entire gallon of milk every day. (You eat other food too, of course, but you’re not following the diet unless you’re getting down that gallon.) Most people would say that’s silly, but when you’re struggling to g...