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...

If you want to gain some much-needed perspective on the current political, social, and economic zeitgeist, and get an informed idea of what will come next, then you need to read this book. Because whether we’re talking our (extremely entertaining) political pageantry, (extremely troubling) racial and social antagonisms, or (extremely naive) grievance and entitlement worship, know this: It has all...

For most, the beginning of a diet is an exciting moment, teeming with optimism and ecstasy. For the first couple of months, it’s usually smooth sailing: you exercise regularly and maintain a proper calorie deficit and your body fat percentage progressively declines. Eventually, though, progress slows. Your energy in the gym wanes and your workouts get harder and harder. Your goal, which seemed in...

In this episode, I interview Bobby Samuel, who’s a recent graduate of my 90-day transformation coaching service, which helped him lose 27 pounds and get abs for the first time in his life, as well as add about 130 pounds to his major lifts and fix his form in just, well, 90 days. Before finding his way to me and my work, he had been working out for 10 years and had tried more or less everything--p...

Sometimes it feels great to just let go. To stop striving and trying to control everything and just give in to your impulses. You know…to just “be human” now and then. When it comes to dieting, we all know what that means: ignoring the plan and “cheating.” No counting calories. No estimating macros. And no worrying about what you are and aren’t “supposed” to eat. There are quite a few opinions on...

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’re watching your calories and macros. You’re giving your workouts everything you’ve got. You’re spending a small fortune on workout supplements. And it’s all not enough. The needle just isn’t moving as quickly as you want. Maybe you’ve thought about turning to steroids. You know they work, but you also know about the side effects and health risks, and you’re not ready to take that plunge (har...

If you want to gain muscle and strength as quickly as possible, you have to maintain a slight calorie surplus. Unless you’re new to weightlifting, there’s just no way around it. In the end, energy balance impacts muscle gain just as much as fat loss. The unfortunate “side effect” is unwanted fat gain, of course, because even mild overeating will raise body fat levels over time. Can you get around...

When I started working out, I was just over six feet tall and weighed about 155 lbs. I was your average skinny dude. After about 1.5 years of traditional “bodybuilder workouts,” I was … shall we say … a little less skinny. I had gained about 20 pounds since starting in the gym (~175 pounds), which isn’t very impressive considering most of it was gained in the first 10 months — the “newbie gains” p...

Few things turn heads quite like a killer butt. We just can’t help but oogle and think carnal things when we see a pair of round, perky glutes. That’s why so many of us — guys and gals alike — want to know how to get our best butts ever. And if you’re one of them, you’ve come to the right place because by the end of this episode, you’re going to know exactly what you need to do for more butt gains...

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...

Contrary to the title, it’s not just for artists. It’s for anyone that wants to make a good life for themselves and their families. It’s a tribute to persistence and industry, and some of its core messages are… Don’t just wander through life from pillar to post. Find something that matters to you and pursue it passionately. Don’t whine about how much hard work it takes to succeed. Learn to love th...

No matter how big your arms, chest, or back are…an upper body just isn’t complete without well-developed shoulders. Now, if you’re listening to this podcast, I don’t think I have to do much to convince you to build bigger, stronger shoulders. You’re sold. You just need to know how. I bet you’ve tried too. You’ve poured who knows how many hours of time and gallons of sweat into your delts only to b...

In this episode, interview author and researcher Dr. Anthony Jay about a topic that isn’t discussed much in the fitness space at least, and that’s how estrogen-like chemicals that we’re exposed to every day can lower testosterone and raise estrogen levels in our bodies. Most “testosterone talk” revolves around using diet, training, supplements, and even drugs to boost testosterone production, and...

When it comes to getting fit, or getting good at anything, really, there are two distinct phases: 1. Learning and applying the fundamentals. 2. Learning and applying ways to optimize your results. And if you want to build muscle and strength faster, eating protein before bed can help… …but it’s not nearly as important as some people would have you believe. You see, eating protein before bed falls...

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...

It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new weight loss supplement clamoring for your attention. You know, one that promises to shrink your belly fat, curb your appetite, or maybe even allow you to eat anything you damn well please and still lose weight. It all sounds great at first, but by now, most of us realize the idea of a “weight loss pill” is, at bottom, bunk. No amount of pills...

Caffeine is the most popular drug in the world with a long and rich history, and no single molecule has enriched our culture like the wondrous little 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine. It’s also a controversial drug as various “experts” like to claim even mild but regular use eventually fries your nervous system, hurts your heart, and flatlines your adrenal glands. I’m not sure how many people would give ca...

“Push pull legs” routines have been popular for decades now. In fact, just about every time-proven strength and muscle-building program fits this basic mold, and that’s not likely to change. My bestselling workout programs for men and women are also, essentially, push pull legs (PPL) routines with additional “accessory” (isolation) work to help bring up “stubborn” body parts. The primary reasons p...

Are all types of protein equally good for building muscle? It depends on whom you ask. Many vegans and vegetarians will tell you that plant proteins are just as good as animal sources, if not better. And most hard-shell bodybuilders will laugh that at the idea that you can get big on a plant-based diet. “How many jacked vegans do you know?” they’ll ask. “Exactly. You gotta eat meat to gain mass, b...

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...

If you like to read biographies to find ideas, models, systems, habits, etc. that extraordinary people have used to improve their lives and achieve great things, then you want to read this book because Alexander the Great wasn’t just one of the greatest military geniuses of all time, he was also, to quote the author, “...perhaps more than any other man in history, the absolute embodiment of pure h...

This episode is a change of pace because instead of me babbling about something by myself, I’m babbling with Josiah Novak from The Fitman Project. Seriously though, Josiah was kind enough to interview me for his podcast and I thought all of ya’ll might like it and so I’m reposting it for your listening pleasure. Our discussion kind of wanders all over the place, but if you want to hear the rather...

In this episode, I interview Cody Lee, who’s a follower of mine and recent graduate of my 90-day transformation coaching service, which helped him lose 18 pounds of fat AND gain muscle and strength. Before finding his way to me and my work, he was a new dad who was overweight and unhappy with his body, and unsure what to do about it. Then, he found my book Bigger Leaner Stronger , gave it a read a...

You probably know what kind of physique you want, but you’re not quite sure how to best get there. My guess is you want to be lean, strong, and muscular, and you’re struggling to understand the next immediate steps. Should you “bulk” and focus on gaining muscle as quickly as possible, or should you “cut” and strip some fat and then bulk? Well, both bulking and cutting have pros and cons. Bulking a...