Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

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 o...

In this episode, I interview Mark Murphy, who is the founder and CEO of Leadership IQ, a leadership training services provider and the author of Hard Goals. Mark and his team have worked with companies like Microsoft, IBM, Mastercard, and other industry giants, and in this interview, we dive deep into what he has discovered about effective goal setting, including... Why setting goals that are spec...

In this episode I interview Amy, who is 42 years old and recently completed my 90-day coaching service. She shares how she found her way to me and my work, including what she had tried previously, how things changed after she started implementing the advice in my books and articles, and how my 90-day coaching service helped her take her body to a whole new level. More specifically, she lost 8 poun...

In this episode, I speak with Greg Nuckols who’s a world-record holding powerlifter, researcher, and coach, and one of foremost authorities on the science of strength training. Greg also produces a fantastic monthly research review along with Dr. Eric Helms and Dr. Mike Zourdos, called MASS (www.strongerbyscience.com/mass), and in this interview, Greg is going to break down one of the studies anal...

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 o...

You’ve probably heard that meditation can do many wonderful things for your body, like reduce stress and inflammation, help you live longer, think more clearly, and more. How true are these claims, though? Can something as simple as controlling your attention and focus for a few minutes every day have such profound benefits? And, if so, what are the best and most effective ways of doing this? Shou...

“Muscles don’t grow in the gym.” I’m sure you’ve heard that old bodybuilding adage before. Well, there’s truth in it. Weightlifting alone doesn’t make your muscles bigger and stronger. That’s what happens after the workouts. That’s why the work that your body does to repair the stress and damage caused by training is just as important as the work you do in the gym to stress and damage your muscles...

What if I told you that you could maintain and even gain muscle and strength in as little as 45 to 60 minutes per week? And what if I wasn’t trying to pitch you on a PDF, pill, or powder? Well, give me ten minutes and I’ll give you the “secret,” right here in this episode. (Alright, it’s less of a secret and more a couple of simple, science-based strategies, but it’s helpful nonetheless.) And even...

“Remember to breath” someone says as they walk past you while you’re sporting your tomato face during a hard set of squats. You nod, smile, and ignore them, but you also wonder . . .  could they be right? You’ve heard more and more noise about how holding your breath while lifting could be dangerous. This technique is officially known as the Valsalva maneuver, and it’s become quite a controversial...

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 o...

Bodybuilder Ben Pakulski interviews me on his podcast to talk about how to structure a diet to get extremely lean, fasting, planning your diet over several months, supplements for fat loss, book publishing, and more. This interview is different from my normal routine of drilling deep down into one topic, because Ben wanted to cover a lot of different topics including the finer points of getting le...

When it comes to building muscle and losing fat, most people “in the know” agree on at least a few things: -A high-protein diet is best. -An energy surplus is necessary for maximizing muscle growth. -An energy deficit is necessary for losing fat. In fact, those fundamentals are so well established both scientifically and anecdotally that they form a litmus test of sorts for diet “gurus” and method...

Today I talk with Stephen Guise, author of the book Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results. Now, habits and routines is a trendy topic these days that has been basically beaten to death, and that’s why I wanted to get Stephen on the show to talk about a little subcult of the habit space that I thought you might find interesting and helpful. Specifically, the “mini-habit” movement that he has...

According to weightlifting purists, if you’re not squatting, you’re not doing it right. Sure, you can get a decent set of wheels without squatting (there are plenty of other exercises you can do to train your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves), but the reason the squat reigns supreme is it’s freaking hard. The squat requires just about every major muscle group in your body to work in concert t...

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 o...

In this episode, I speak with the grandfather of barbell training, Mark Rippetoe, who has given us many a great things, like Starting Strength and Practical Programming. I’m a fan of Mark and his work, of course, because nobody has done more to promote, teach, and defend barbell training than Rip, and because he’s extremely disagreeable, which always makes for a fun conversation. In this interview...

If there’s one thing that would-be diet “gurus” everywhere agree on, it’s that a low-sugar diet is one of the most reliable ways to lose weight. Cut the heinous sugar molecule out of your life, they say, and watch the pounds melt away. Keep eating it regularly, though, they claim, and you’ll always look in the mirror with shame. (Yeah, you know, I like to flex my lyrical muscles too…) … Please cla...

In this episode I interview Wade, who recently completed my 90-day coaching service, to hear his story. He shares how he found his way to me and my work, including what he had tried previously, how things changed after he started implementing the advice in my books and articles, and how my 90-day coaching service helped him take his body to a whole new level. As with everything, nothing ever goes...

You’ve probably heard that creatine is one of the few supplements that don’t suck…and you’ve heard right. It’s the most well-researched molecule in all of sports nutrition–the subject of hundreds of scientific studies–and its benefits are clear: It helps you build muscle faster. It helps you get stronger faster. It improves anaerobic endurance. It improves muscle recovery. What isn’t so clear, tho...

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 o...

You’ve counted every calorie and checked them twice. You’ve logged every step and rep, every day. You’ve bought every supplement that might possibly help. And you’re still not losing weight. What the hell? You know how a calorie deficit works and you’re not overeating. You know how to prevent “metabolic damage” and aren’t starving yourself. And you know you’re working way too damn hard in the gym...

The health and fitness space is full of gimmicks and gimcracks that promise to help you lose weight, look sexier, and get healthier. You know, things like… -Detox teas and “cleanses” -Starvation (and overly restrictive) diets -Overhyped nutrition “hacks” (like intermittent fasting and ketogenic dieting) -Testosterone boosters -Estrogen blockers …just to name a few. The sad truth is if you simply i...

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 o...

You’ve probably heard that herbs, spices, and essential oils can do many wonderful things for your body, like balance your hormones, reduce inflammation, improve your gut health, speed up fat loss, and more. How true are these claims, though? Can you really help “optimize your body” by sprinkling some goodies on your meals and huffing nice-smelling oils? Can the pigment in curry really improve you...

In this episode, I speak with Greg Nuckols who’s a world-record holding powerlifter, researcher, and coach, and one of foremost authorities on the science of strength training. Greg also produces a fantastic monthly research review along with Dr. Eric Helms and Dr. Mike Zourdos, called MASS (www.strongerbyscience.com/mass), and in this interview, Greg is going to break down one of the studies anal...