In this podcast, I interview Jose, who used the information he learned through my articles, podcasts, and my book Muscle For Life, to finally overcome his bingeing and purging eating disorder, start losing weight the right way, and get healthy and fit. In fact, Jose successfully lost 120 pounds while getting stronger and reversing several conditions, including pre-diabetes and high blood pressure. Before finding my work, Jose was close to 300 pounds, and had tried various diets and weight loss hacks, including keto, Atkins, acupuncture, and even hypnosis. Nothing stuck, and nothing worked for him. He felt lost with his health and struggled with a bingeing and purging eating disorder and was even hospitalized for it at one point. Luckily, Jose started to find good information online by following some Legion athletes on Instagram, and once he saw transformations of people who had accomplished his dream—of going from fat to fit—everything changed. He finally saw it was possible to reach his goal. He continued following Legion and read my content to build an educated foundation, and started making progress. I wanted to bring Jose on the show because there isn’t a lot of content out there featuring men with eating disorders, and if his story can help even one other person, then it was worth it. So this is Jose’s story of all the obstacles he ran into on his fitness journey, and how he finally overcame his eating disorder and learned what it takes to really get fit and lose weight for good. If you’re looking for a jolt of inspiration and like motivational stories, definitely listen to this episode. Timestamps: 0:00 - Try Whey+ risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/whey and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! 4:17 - What has your fitness journey looked like? 26:35 - How has your relationship with food changed? 39:17 - What changes did you make to break your plateau? 1:00:44 - Where can we find you? Mentioned on the show: Try Whey+ risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/whey and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! Muscle For Life: https://legionathletics.com/muscle-for-life-book/ Jose’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jose.gomez.13/
What’s wrong with slow cutting? If you’re low on protein, but already hit your calorie target, should you stop eating? How can you prevent muscle loss while on vacation? Should you lift your head off the bench while pressing? What’s the most effective type of cardio for sports? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on Muscle For Life. In my usual Q&A episodes, I take a question from email or Instagram and then fully answer it in an episode of the podcast every week. However, over on Instagram, I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it occurred to me that many podcast listeners might enjoy hearing these questions and my short answers. So, instead of talking about one thing in an episode, I’m going to cover a variety of questions. And keep in mind some of these questions are just for fun. So if you want to ask me questions in my Instagram stories, follow me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness), and if I answer your question there, it might just make it onto an episode of the podcast! If you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram. And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. --- Timestamps: 0:00 - Try Pulse today! Go to https://buylegion.com/pulse and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points 3:16 - Is there a downside to slow fat loss? 4:17 - Do you have any tips to minimize or prevent muscle loss while on vacation? 8:11 - Should you lower your macros as you decrease bodyweight in a cutting cycle? 10:19 - Would you squat barefoot if your gym allowed it? 10:42 - Do you have doubts about the war on Ukraine? 11:50 - Should I lift my head while benching? 12:52 - Which type of cardio is most effective for increasing stamina for sports? 13:48 - Should I continue using creatine while cutting? 14:01 - What do you think is the best form of government? 15:14 - Which pulse flavor do you recommend for someone who thinks most are too sweet? 15:48 - What book had the most significant impact on you life? 16:27 -What is the best way to see if I have gained muscle? 17:21 - Is WWIII about to start? 18:04 - If I’m under my protein but hit my calories for the day while cutting, should I stop eating? --- Mentioned on the Show: Try Pulse today! Go to https://buylegion.com/pulse and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!
Many people want to know how we can get a better world. I want to know how we can deserve a better world. And I know that starts with giving far more to others than we take. More consideration. More service. More love. Because the person who lives on the emotion and effort of others–the sponge, the freeloader, the deadbeat–is really a consumer of human life, no better than a cannibal or parasite. Listen to this podcast for some motivational inspiration on the concept of give and take. --- Timestamps: 0:00 - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! 3:15 - Energy Surge and Performance Surge are two new supplements to augment Pulse for an even better pre-workout stack: https://muscleforlife.show/epstack --- Mentioned on the Show: Energy Surge and Performance Surge are designed to be added to Pulse for even more energy, focus, strength, and endurance for an even better pre-workout supplement. Check them out here: https://muscleforlife.show/estack https://muscleforlife.show/pstack https://muscleforlife.show/epstack https://muscleforlife.show/esurge https://muscleforlife.show/psurge https://buylegion.com
Does aging cause weight gain? Can you train glutes (or any muscle group) every day? What are my secrets to a happy marriage? How do I handle sleepless nights? All that and more in this Q&A podcast. This podcast is a Q&A, but it’s a bit different from the kind you’ll typically find here on Muscle For Life. In my usual Q&A episodes, I take a question from email or Instagram and then fully answer it in an episode of the podcast every week. However, over on Instagram, I’ve started doing weekly Q&As in the stories, and it occurred to me that many podcast listeners might enjoy hearing these questions and my short answers. So, instead of talking about one thing in an episode, I’m going to cover a variety of questions. And keep in mind some of these questions are just for fun. :) So if you want to ask me questions in my Instagram stories, follow me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness), and if I answer your question there, it might just make it onto an episode of the podcast! If you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram. And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. --- Timestamps: 0:00 - Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://www.muscleforlife.show/vip 4:16 - What is the secret to a happy marriage? 8:02 - How intense should exercise be during a cutting phase? 10:21 - is age independent of diet and exercise a reason for weight gain? 11:50 - How do you deal with sleepless nights? 14:30 - Do you have tips to get better sleep while cutting? 18:58 - What oil do you like cooking with and why? 19:27 - Do you have a degree? 25:30 - Do you eat the same thing daily? Who does the cooking at home? 27:28 - What blood panel metric do you find most valuable for overall health? 28:06- What are your thoughts on Carnivore MD’s animal based diet? 28:37 - How do I get my wife to start tracking food? 29:42 - Will daily cardio during a bulk phase affect strength and gains? 31:26 - Is there any value in temporarily maintaining after bulking and before cutting? 31:49 - What is the best way for a newbie to progress doing a pull up? 32:03 - How soon do you lose muscle when you stop training? 32:57 - What percentage of fat do we need daily? 34:04 - Do you think the US and China will have a war in the next 100 years? 35:19 - Can I train my glutes everyday? --- Mentioned on the Show: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://www.muscleforlife.show/vip
In this podcast, I’m interviewing Legion Athlete Zach Coen all about meal planning and meal prepping. I don’t mean the basics like figuring out your calories or macros, but planning out delicious meals and practical tips on making healthy foods tastier and easier to prepare. In case you’re not familiar with Zach, he’s a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who shares recipes, educational nutrition content, and meal planning tips on his TikTok and Instagram accounts, which have over one million followers. Zach’s content is all about incorporating foods you actually enjoy into your meal plan and making food planning and prepping simple and fun so you can stay on track and make progress with your fitness, all without breaking the bank. In our chat, we discuss . . . Practical tips for snacking and incorporating more vegetables into your diet Tips on making your own versions of store-bought items and prepared foods Crafty shopping tips so you can save money (including Zach’s favorite ...
All of the following is based on the studies I’m covering in this podcast: Want to live longer? Walk more. Want to boost your mood, energy, and mental acuity? Get extra sleep. Want to perform better in the gym? Take betaine. Want to retain your muscle while losing fat? Don’t follow the OMAD diet. Want to improve your agility and sports performance? Go with unilateral exercises over bilateral ones. This podcast is another installment in my Research Roundup series of episodes, where I give you concise and practical takeaways from studies that I think are interesting and that can help us gain muscle and strength faster, lose fat faster, perform better athletically, feel better, live longer, or get and stay healthier. There is a ton of scientific research that gets published every year, and even if you narrow your focus to fitness research, it would still take several lifetimes to unravel the hairball of studies on nutrition, training, supplementation, and related fields. That's why my team and I put a lot of time into reviewing, dissecting, and describing scientific studies in articles, podcasts, and books. Oh and if you like this type of episode, let me know. Send me an email (mike@muscleforlife.com) or direct message me on Instagram (@muscleforlifefitness). And if you don’t like it, let me know that too or how you think it could be better. Timestamps 0:00 - Try Triton risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/triton and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! 3:33 - Can sleeping longer improve mental and physical performance? 7:27 - Do unilateral exercises improve athletic performance more than bilateral exercises? 11:49 - What are the benefits of walking? 14:46 - Can betaine boost athletic performance? 19:00 - What are the effects of eating one meal a day? Mentioned on the Show: Try Triton risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/triton and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!
Most people think cardio is the best type of exercise for losing weight. While it’s true that cardio can help you lose fat and that you should do cardio for its health benefits, strength training is often unfairly criticized as ineffective when it comes to losing weight. For example, many people say strength training doesn’t burn enough calories to matter, which isn’t exactly true. Others say that while strength training can help you build and maintain muscle, that doesn’t make weight loss easier, which isn’t true. This podcast covers everything you need to know about using strength training effectively for losing fat as quickly as possible. Timestamps: 0:00 - New chocolate peanut butter protein bars are here! Try them risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/proteinbar and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points! 11:56 - Is strength training good for weight loss? 14:14 - What is the best way to maximize fat loss while strength training? 17:05 -What exercises do you recommend? Mentioned on the Show: New chocolate peanut butter protein bars are here! Try them risk-free today! Go to buylegion.com/proteinbar and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% or get double reward points!
In this installment of the Best of Muscle For Life, you’ll hear hand-picked morsels from three popular MFL episodes: an interview with Maria who got fit while raising three kids and how she stays fit in her 50s, a monologue on whether you should still do cardio if you lift weights, and a motivational piece called “In Filth It Will Be Found.” Some people—my favorite people—listen to most or even all of my podcasts, but my wizbang analytics tell me that while many listeners tune in on a regular basis, they don’t catch every installment of Muscle for Life and thus miss out on insights that could help them do at least a little better inside and outside the gym. That’s why I do “best of” episodes that contain a few of the most practical and compelling ideas, tips, and moments from the more popular episodes I’ve published over the years. This way, you can learn interesting insights that you might have otherwise missed and find new episodes of the show to listen to. So, in this installment of The Best of Muscle for Life, you’ll be hearing hand-picked morsels from three episodes: How Maria Got Fit with 3 Kids and Stays Lean In Her 50s (Originally published 5/29/2020) Should You Do Cardio If You Lift Weights? Science Says Yes and Here's Why (Originally published 7/6/2020) Motivation Monday: In Filth It Will Be Found (Originally published 11/26/2018) And we’ll be starting with number one, how Maria got fit with 3 kids and stays lean in her 50s. --- Timestamps: 0:00 - Which of my books is right for you? Take my quiz and find out: www.muscleforlife.show/bookquiz 4:01 - How Maria Got Fit with 3 Kids and Stays Lean In Her 50s 14:12 - Should You Do Cardio If You Lift Weights? Science Says Yes and Here's Why 26:44 - Motivation Monday: In Filth It Will Be Found --- Mentioned on the Show: Find the Perfect Mike Matthews Book and Program for You in Just 60 Seconds: http://www.muscleforlife.show/bookquiz
I’m often asked about Olympic weightlifting. Specifically, I’m asked about lifts like the clean and jerk, snatch, and power clean, and how to incorporate them into a more general strength training or even bodybuilding program. Should you even include Olympic-style lifts? What are the benefits of Olympic weightlifting? Can it increase your power, speed, explosiveness, and athleticism? Is it dangerous? All that and more in this podcast. I wanted to get an Olympic weightlifting expert on the podcast to help answer these questions. So, I tagged in Greg Everett, owner of Catalyst Athletics, which is a USA Weightlifting National Champion team and a huge educational resource for Olympic weightlifting content. Not only is Greg an accomplished Olympic weightlifter himself, but he’s a coach at the world championship level. He’s also an author of a dozen books, including Olympic Weightlifting, the world’s best-selling book on the subject. So I was happy to have him join me for an interview. In this podcast you’ll learn about . . . What Olympic lifting is and how it differs from strength training, bodybuilding, and powerlifting Reason to do Olympic weightlifting (and who shouldn't do it) How to learn the Olympic lifts and how to get started with it How Olympic lifting affects explosiveness and athleticism Olympic lifting’s safety and danger compared to basic compounds (and what to do to avoid injuries) Programming considerations (and how to progress) Body fat percentage sweet spots for performance And more . . . So if you’ve ever wondered about Olympic weightlifting, what you might be missing by not doing any Olympic lifts, and how to get started with Olympic-style weightlifting, listen to this episode. I think you’re going to enjoy it! Timestamps: 0:00 - Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://www.muscleforlife.show/vip 5:03 - What is Olympic weightlifting? 7:23 - What are your thoughts on Olympic weightlifting and athleticism? 9:34 - How can people benefit from Olympic training? 13:43 - How can we start Olympic training? 16:51 - What are some safety tips for Olympic weightlifting? 19:51 - What is the best way to learn Olympic training? 24:24 - What are some Olympic training workouts? 27:49 - What is the relationship between intensity and volume? 33:38 - Do women and men recover differently? 35:41 - How can we work these exercises into our routine? 51:47 - What body composition is best for Olympic training? 53:57 - Where can we find you and your work? Mentioned on the show: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://www.muscleforlife.show/vip Catalyst Athletics: catalystathletics.com Greg’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catalystathletics/
There's no shame in admitting that at least 50% of the reason you exercise is that you have a “complicated” relationship with carbs or a sweet tooth and don't want to get fat. Or that you literally can’t afford to gain weight because then you’d have to buy a new wardrobe. Or that you want a good excuse to buy a new one. No matter how zany your reasons may seem to others, if you can use them to fire your fitness furnace, there’s no shame in exploiting them to the fullest. Listen to this podcast for a bit of motivational inspiration! Timestamps: 0:00 - Please leave a review of the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe to the show! 2:48 - Save up to 25% during my July 4th sale! https://buylegion.com/ Mentioned on the Show: Go to buylegion.com and save up to 25% during my big July 4th sale! Use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% on any non-sale items or get double reward points!