Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews

I’ve long recommended limiting your saturated fat intake to no more than 10% of your total daily calories. Some people disagree with this, though. In fact, a popular position these days is that saturated fat is a “superfood” and you can eat as much as you want if it’s from certain unprocessed foods. Is that true? What does science say? Does saturated fat cause cardiovascular disease? Is saturated...

In this podcast, I interview Fernando, who read my book Bigger Leaner Stronger and joined my one-on-one coaching program to take his health into his own hands, lose over 55 pounds, and get leaner and stronger than ever before. The improvements to his physique are obvious, but more importantly, Fernando built a more resilient body that made him capable of not only playing with his kids, but taking...

Some people will feed your fears and mock your missteps. Let them. Let them see you take a stand anyway and overcome the odds. Listen to this podcast for a bit of motivational inspiration! Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (2:48) - Find the Perfect Strength Training Program for You: www.muscleforlife.show/trainingquiz...

Why are calves so hard to grow? Are cool downs necessary? Can Bulgarian split squats replace barbell squats? When will I do a live, in-person meet-and-greet? Why do some people find the carnivore diet so helpful? How can you maintain progress while on an international vacation? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. Over on Instagram , I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it...

Whether you realize it or not, you’re operating according to a worldview. Your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all influenced by how you make sense of the world, and so, that worldview determines your quality of life. If that concept sounds interesting, and if you enjoyed my previous philosophical conversations with my friend Pat Flynn, you’re going to enjoy this podcast. Pat is a repeat gue...

Let’s talk about a controversial condition: adrenal fatigue. This term describes a syndrome that people supposedly suffer from in response to prolonged stress. Long-term stress puts undue strain on your adrenal glands, which can cause them to stop functioning correctly, causing lethargy and other negative effects on your health and body composition. This sounds like a plausible theory, but it’s hi...

I hope you and yours are relishing many moments of joyous merriment, reveling in all of their pine-scented butter-lubed and tinsel-laden glory. In this podcast, I’m wishing you a merry Christmas and happy holidays, and laying out all of the wondrous gifts I’m planning to bring next year. So, press play to hear about new flavors of Pulse, Recharge, Whey+, and more, new tools on my blog, new podcast...

In this installment of the Best of Muscle For Life, you’ll hear hand-picked clips from three popular MFL episodes: an interview with Austin Current on the science of strength training, a monologue on how to easily and accurately calculate your body fat percentage, and a Motivation Monday episode on getting fired up for your workouts. Some people—my favorite people—listen to most or even all of my...

I’m often asked about how to make time for fitness when life gets in the way. It’s an especially common question from new parents looking for tips on getting fit or maintaining fitness. Life can be especially hectic for new parents and your health and gym time often take a backseat when your schedule feels out of control. So, this podcast is chockfull of practical tips for staying healthy, rested,...

Who else can vividly remember the satisfaction of the moment when you realized that your warm-up sets used to be your working sets? Or that you don’t have to choose between looks and health and can just train for both? In this podcast, I’m sharing some fun fitness wins that will help you remember how far you’ve come in your fitness journey and help keep you motivated. Listen and let me know what y...

What’s the best rep range for newbies? Should you do long fasts? How do sleep problems affect muscle gain and fat loss? How often should you refeed while cutting? How can women be healthy while minimizing weight gain during pregnancy? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. Over on Instagram , I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it occurred to me that many podcast listeners m...

How little training can you get away with while still making progress or at least maintaining what you’ve already built? There’s been a recent trend in the fitness space that more training volume is better. That’s great if you have lots of time to train, but not everyone wants to spend as much time as possible in the gym. In fact, many people want to know how to optimize their training so they can...

Refined oils (and especially vegetable and seed oils) have become a big part of the Western diet, and they’re generating a lot of controversy these days. Especially on social media, many people are saying that these oils are one of the driving factors in the large increase in various diseases like cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Do we need to eliminate refined oils from our diet altogether? If we d...

Is reverse pyramid training (RPT) the best way to periodize training for most people? What are the pros and cons compared to the double progression and linear progression schemes I recommend in my books? In what circumstances would I recommend reverse pyramid training instead? Find out in this podcast. I’ve written and recorded a lot of evidence-based content over the years on just about everythin...

In this podcast, I interview Enrique, who read my book Bigger Leaner Stronger and joined my VIP one-on-one coaching program to take all the guesswork out of his training and nutrition and get leaner and stronger than ever before. And here’s the kicker: he also managed to quit smoking and excessive drinking. As a result, Enrique is now fitter and healthier at 40 years old than he was at 25. In fact...

Decades of psychological research has demonstrated that we construct our worldview based on what we pay attention to, not what is. Want to see for yourself? Try the simple experiment I share in this podcast and you’ll see we have far more control over our emotions than we often think. In fact, we can “turn on” positivity almost on command by simply controlling our attention. Listen to this podcast...

What’s my favorite workout split? Is maintenance worth it or should you cut and bulk until you reach your goal? When should you start using a weightlifting belt? When will I release a kids multivitamin? Is plant protein as good as whey? What’s the difference between training and exercise? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. Over on Instagram , I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stori...

Do people respond differently to the same training? How big of a range is there? Is there such a thing as a non-responder? How can you know if you’re a high-responder or low-responder (hardgainer) to training? How should your starting point affect your workout programming? If you’ve ever wondered these things or had similar questions, you’re in good company, because they’re things I’m often asked....

Do you have or know someone who has diastasis recti? This is when the abdominal muscles separate, which causes abdominal pain, abdominal weakness, and visual abnormalities. It’s especially prevalent during the late stages of pregnancy and childbirth, and while this condition can resolve itself and often does, at least partially, there are things you can do to accelerate the process or complete the...

In this installment of the Best of Muscle For Life, you’ll hear hand-picked clips from three popular MFL episodes: an interview with Dr. Spencer Nadolsky on improving thyroid health and function, a chapter from the audiobook of Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger about the “almost nearly perfect” diet, and a Book Club episode on The Magic of Thinking Big . Some people—my favorite people—listen to most o...

I’m often asked about training shoes. For example, is it worth investing in weightlifting shoes with an elevated heel for squats? Should you deadlift in those shoes, or is it better to pull barefoot? What about minimalist, “ barefoot-style ” shoes? And to be honest, fitness footwear isn’t something I’ve spent a lot of time looking into, so I wanted to invite an expert in the field onto the podcast...

Is the morning the best time to lift weights? What does the research say about training in the evening instead? How big of a difference is there in muscle growth and performance between early morning and night workouts? What role does personal preference play? I’ll answer all these questions and more in this podcast. Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to pod...

How lean can you get without cardio? Are farmer’s walks beneficial? When will Legion be in retail stores? How much fat should you eat every day? Should you get blood work done or check your testosterone levels? Can you use a neutral grip on the dumbbell bench press? Should you do fulcrum deadlifts? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. Over on Instagram , I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in...

Does training at different muscle lengths affect how quickly the muscles grow? In this interview, Menno Henselmans and I discuss new research on stretch-mediated hypertrophy and the role muscle lengths play in combination with mechanical tension. This is something Mike Israetel and I briefly touched on in our recent interview on partial reps versus full-ROM training, but in this discussion, Menno...

You may have heard of the Smolov squat program, which is a high-volume, high-frequency specialization routine intended to boost your squat fast. It’s also supremely difficult. So, is it worth the effort, or is it just an exercise in masochism? In this podcast, you’re going to learn what the Smolov program is, whether you should try it, how to do the program correctly if you do want to give it a sh...