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If you want to know how to build muscle, lose fat, and be healthier, happier, and wiser…faster than you ever thought possible…then this podcast is for you. Hosted by the bestselling author and entrepreneur, Mike Matthews, each episode gives you simple, science-based know-how and inspiration that will help you build your best body and life ever.
Find out more at www.legionathletics.com
Copyright: © Mike Matthews
Every year, a couple health and wellness books go great guns, saturating the airwaves and selling millions of copies.
You know, books like How Not to Die, Grain Brain, and Why We Get Fat.
The talk of the town is currently Dr. Steven Gundry’s The Plant Paradox, which claims the conventional advice of eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is flawed and in many cases even harmful.
In other words, according to Dr. Gundry, many of the foods you’ve been told were good for you contain substances that spark “chemical warfare” in your body and insidiously undermine your health over time.
Gluten, dairy, and sugar—the usual suspects—are fingered, but so is another component of many fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains that many people haven’t heard of: lectins.
These little “splinters of protein,” as Dr. Gundry calls them, purportedly wreak havoc in the body, causing weight gain, “leaky gut,” cancer, and heart, brain, and autoimmune disease, as well as a slew of nuisances like acne, gas, morning stiffness, joint pain, migraines, and chronic pain and fatigue.
In fact, lectins are so destructive that Dr. Gundry denounces them as the common cause for most health problems, full stop. Thus, he says, it’s time to slaughter the sacred nutrition cow of generally eating more plant food, because it’s making people sick, fat, and ultimately dead.
To support his claims, Dr. Gundry stands on the shoulders of his 40-year career as an accomplished surgeon and medical expert, which includes:
- Performing over 10,000 heart surgeries
- Patenting multiple medical devices widely used in heart surgeries
- Pioneering new research on heart transplants for infants
- Serving as volunteer president of the American Heart Association
- Founding a “waitlist-only” clinic for disseminating his wisdom to a lucky few
He’s also scored major social proof for his teachings, including appearing on just about every major mainstream media platform and receiving celebrity endorsements.
It’s hard to argue with bona fides like those. Or is it?
While Dr.Gundry presents himself as a charismatic caregiver who only wants what’s best for his patients and the world, many of his peers aren’t buying it.
They point to gaping holes in his interpretation of the research, which they say clearly rejects his lectin hypothesis and maintains the nutritional value of getting the majority of your calories from plant foods.
Who’s right?
Well, the short story is this:
The Plant Paradox is rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and outright misinformation, and the diet espoused in it is unnecessarily restrictive and blatantly designed to sell people overpriced and ineffective supplements.
And in this podcast, you’re going to find out why.
5:38 - What is the plant paradox diet?
9:47 - What are lectins and why are they the target of Dr. Gundry’s book?
12:43 - What are the benefits of lectins?
16:48 - Do the healthiest people in the world eat a lot of lectins?
25:58 - Do lectins make you fat?
34:21 - Do lectins cause heart disease?
37:31 - Do lectins cause leaky gut?
42:03 - Were our ancestors diet low on lectins?
45:14 - Can lectins make you sick if they’re eaten raw?
47:49 - Are Dr. Grundy’s products and supplements good?
57:30 - How can you use food to optimize your body composition, physical health, and longevity?
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Mentioned on The Show:
Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/
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Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
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Confucius once said that life is simple but we insist on making it complicated.
Come again?
What’s simple about the myriad demands, dilemmas, and dealings of everyday life that push and pull on our body, mind, and soul?
What’s simple about love, success, health, wisdom, satisfaction, spirituality, and the rest of the brass rings we all strive for?
Many times, life appears overwhelmingly complex, like trying to build an airplane while in flight, or even bitterly abusive, like licking a car battery.
And understandably so.
In this age of liberty and abundance where we’re free to be and do whatever we want, we must choose tasks and responsibilities from a dizzying number of possibilities. And then, as efforts evaporate, wins elude, and penalties encroach, we realize we’re not spinning an elegant web but cobbling up a clumsy knot.
And so we sputter, skid, and spiral as our self-confidence leaks from a thousand wounds.
Many people try to escape this existential strike zone by heaving more lumpy stones into the rock tumbler of life. This only makes more noise.
What they need to do instead is, as Confucius counseled, strive for simplicity by jettisoning everything that’s unclear, unsound, and unworkable and seeking the opposite—clarity, sanity, and practicality.
Often, this means doing less but doing it better by focusing on what’s essential and saying no to everything else, by learning to do the right things, not trying to do everything right.
And in this podcast, I want to share with you several simple and essential laws of successful living, some of which go back thousands of years.
These principles have remained in currency because they form a robust operating system for life—one that not only helps you make smart decisions but also avoid very stupid ones, which many people fail to appreciate the importance of.
Most of my biggest wins in life have come from remembering the obvious and ignoring the esoteric and trying to be consistently not stupid instead of sporadically brilliant.
Anyway, let’s get to the laws . . .
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Mentioned on The Show:
Books by Mike Matthews: legionathletics.com/products/books/
The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation: legionathletics.com/the-little-blac…out-motivation/
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Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
Click here: www.legionathletics.com/signup/
The pendulum of workout programming is always a swingin’.
Some people say frequency is the ticket. You know, you have to squat every day if you want big legs, and if you’re squatting once a week, you’ll always have pinions.
Others claim absurd amounts of volume is the key. If you’re not doing 20 to 40 sets per muscle group per week, you’re basically an unlifting slug.
And others still beat the drum for intensity over everything. Not big enough yet? Lift heavier, you trousered ape.
The bottom line is it’s an extreme world out there and many people have extreme opinions.
Today’s guest Mark Rippetoe is one of those people, but he also has over 40 years of experience with strength training and coaching and is the creator of the iconic weightlifting program Starting Strength.
In this episode, Mark and I talk workout programming, including the needs of beginners versus advanced lifters, how to know you’re no longer a novice trainee, how age affects volume needs and recovery, and more.
Buckle up!
11:13 - What is the stress recovery adaptation cycle?
20:20- Is progressive overload the best way to get gains for a beginner?
32:49 - What is junk volume?
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Mentioned on The Show:
Mark's Website: https://startingstrength.com/
Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/
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Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/
Plant-based diets are more popular than ever, and for good reason.
Research shows that people who eat an abundance of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains tend to live longer and stay healthier than those who eat little.
You probably know this and, understandably, are considering a major overhaul to your diet, but aren’t wholly sold on the idea of cutting out animal products entirely.
How are you supposed to get enough protein?
Will you be able to cover all of your nutritional bases with plants alone?
Will you actually enjoy your meal plans?
Well, the short answer to each of those questions is “yes,” but it’s not necessarily easy because certain animal foods make it much easier to improve your body composition and stay healthy.
That’s why more and more people are turning to “modified” vegetarian diets like the pescatarian diet, which is simply a vegetarian diet that includes seafood.
Some pescatarians also eat eggs and dairy, as well, which is technically known as “lacto-ovo-pescatarianism.”
As you’ll see, pescatarian diets require a little more fine-tuning than regular omnivorous diets, but if you understand and address the downsides and limitations, you’ll have no problem using the pescatarian diet to build a lean, healthy, athletic body you can be proud of.
By the end of this podcast, you’re going to understand . . .
- What the pescatarian diet is
- Its pros and cons
- The most common muscle-building mistakes pescatarians make
- How to use the pescatarian diet to maximize muscle growth, fat loss, and strength gains
- What foods to eat on a pescatarian diet plan
- And more!
Let’s start by defining exactly what a pescatarian diet is.
3:31 - What is the pescatarian diet?
5:36 - What are the benefits of a pescatarian diet?
16:37 - What are the drawbacks of a pescatarian diet?
26:05 - Does the pescatarian diet help with weight loss?
28:00 - Does the pescatarian help with building muscle?
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Mentioned on The Show:
Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://legionathletics.com/shop/
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Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/
When I first heard about heart rate variability (HRV), I was expecting it to be yet another lame “biohacking” gimmick.
The pitch is by analyzing the rhythm of your heart beat with special software, you can gauge how stressed your body is and adjust accordingly.
For instance, if you wake up and your HRV indicates your body is overstressed, you may want to save the heavy squat or deadlift workout for another day, or if your HRV has been off for several days in a row, it might be time to deload or take a diet break or get a little more sleep.
Again, it sounds like very fake news, but lo and behold, there’s good evidence of its validity. This is why high-level athletes have been using it for years, and now that the technology has become cheaper, it’s becoming more popular among recreational athletes too.
In this episode with HRV expert Dr. Mike Nelson, you’re going to get a crash course in HRV, including how to measure and track your HRV, what lifestyle factors affect it most, how to use it to regulate your training, and more.
Let’s dive in.
5:13 - What is heart rate variability?
10:06 - What are the differences between average heart rate and heart rate variability?
15:07 - What do higher and lower levels of heart rate variability indicate?
17:26 - Why is variability affected by the physiology?
25:08 - What affects heart rate variability?
37:36 - Does diet affect heart rate variability? Does caffeine affect HRV as well?
40:02 - How does diet affect heart rate variability?
58:57 - How much does training intensity affect heart rate variability?
01:16:13 - Is there a specific range where you you tell the client to slow down?
01:31:23 - How does nutrition affect heart rate variability?
01:43:54 - How can someone track their heart rate variability?
Mentioned on The Show:
Dr. Mike Nelson's Website: miketnelson.com/
Shop Legion Supplements Here: legionathletics.com/shop/
Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
If you’re serious about weightlifting, one of the worst things that can happen is getting stuck.
Your workouts become robotic chores, you stop giving each exercise your all, and you begin to wonder if you’re simply at the end of your genetic rope for muscle and strength gain.
This is particularly true of isolation exercises like the dumbbell side raise, barbell curl, calf raise, and the like.
For one thing, you’re forced to lift what seem like relatively light weights compared to your heavy compound exercises.
Every pound of progress is precious, and it can be maddening to show up to the gym every week and lift the same weight for months (or years) on end, with no idea how to pull yourself out of this rut.
Moreover, you may find yourself plateaued on most of your isolation exercises despite making steady progress on your heavy compound exercises, which is even more puzzling.
Why does this happen, and what can you do about it?
Well, the short answer is there are several very simple explanations for why progressing on isolation exercises is more difficult than compound exercises.
Once you understand what these are, you can use the eight strategies in this podcast to get stronger on all of your isolation exercises for years to come.
A word of warning before you continue:
Progress will always be painfully slow on isolation exercises once your newbie gains are gone. Anyone who seems to defy this rule is either new to lifting, returning to lifting after a long hiatus, or on drugs. Period.
If you keep at it, though, and commit to the process, you can make consistent, predictable progress on even the most stubborn isolation exercises, without taking steroids.
So, if you want to learn why isolation exercises are so damn difficult, and the eight best ways to get stronger despite this, venture forth once more unto the breach, dear friend, for this podcast will show you the way.
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Mentioned on the show:
Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://legionathletics.com/shop/
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Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/
In this episode, I interview Cheri, who read my book Thinner Leaner Stronger and used it to completely change her body and life.
When she first started on her journey, Cheri was 187 pounds and well over 30% body fat. She tried everything to lose weight, including low- and high-volume training programs and even the HCG diet.
After years of frustration, she read my book and got started with proper training and nutrition.
And she started seeing results almost immediately.
In the span of about a year, she not only dropped to 141 pounds and 12 sizes but also completely transformed her body composition. By adding muscle in all the right places, she learned firsthand why what you see in the mirror is far more important than on the scale.
In fact, Cheri was so happy with her results that she’s gotten several other women to start the Thinner Leaner Stronger program and has even created a “Fit Over 50” Facebook group for like-minded women to join a community and hold each other accountable.
In this interview, Cheri and I chat about her story and the important lessons she’s learned along the way, including how she learned to use gym equipment properly, how she found a balanced approach to her diet, why she became a certified personal trainer, and more.
So if you’re looking for a jolt of inspiration and like motivational stories, I highly recommend you listen to this episode.
5:57 - What was your health and fitness like before Legion?
10:24 - What type of shots were you getting in the stomach?
11:29 - Did you start with diet or exercise?
13:50 - How did exercising go in the beginning?
17:40 - How long have you been properly training?
25:44 - Was there a point when you realized that the training program was working?
28:09 - What obstacles did you have to overcome?
38:26 - What are your numbers now?
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Mentioned on the show:
Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: legionathletics.com/coaching/
Cheri's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherilynn_livethelifeyoulove/
Cheri's Email: iknowmikematthews@gmail.com
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Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
Click here: www.legionathletics.com/signup/
You don’t have to look far to see that extremism and alarmism sells.
Turn on any cable news network at just about any time of the day, for instance, and it’s a daisy chain of drama and conflict—”breaking news” banners preceding humdrum bits of information and “countdown clocks” to minor events underscored by melodramatic music and striking sound effects.
The same forces are at work in the health and fitness space as well, and especially in the realm of diet and nutrition.
Everywhere you look there's another self-styled expert selling the superiority of one regimen or another, and plant-based dieting is a favorite of many.
Its popularity is also bolstered by a number of successful documentaries produced over the last decade, including Forks Over Knives, What the Health, and the most recent, The Game Changers.
I wrote and recorded a long, evidence-based review of What the Health a couple years ago, and as The Game Changers repeats many of the same talking points, I was disinclined to repeat the process.
I kept getting asked about it though and so decided to do a podcast on the film with someone who has already done the heavy lifting and can walk us through what the scientific literature has to say about the major claims in the film.
Chris Kresser is that guy, and in this interview, we talk about all the major claims in The Game Changers, including . . .
- How a vegan diet can affect athletic performance
- Common nutritional deficiencies among vegans
- Plant vs. animal protein for health and body composition
- Potential health issues associated with eating animal products and meat in particular
- Environmental impact of plant-based dieting
- And more
Oh and in case you’re not familiar with Chris, he’s one of the premier evidence-based Functional Medicine practitioners and a New York Times bestselling author, and if his name sounds familiar, it may be because he recently was on Joe Rogan's podcast to talk about The Game Changers.
7:10 - Can a vegan diet affect an athlete’s performances and their health?
10:56 - What are some examples of nutrients that can affect how you handle a vegan diet?
13:41 - Is plant protein the same quality and as effective as meat protein?
24:20 - Do you think the vegan diet is optimal for any athlete?
25:57 - What are some common deficiencies in a vegan diet?
35:21 - Do problems with the vegan diet happen to most people or a small percentage?
37:57 - What are some of the claims that eating animal products have negative side effects?
51:00 - What kind of impact does veganism have on the environment?
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Mentioned on the show:
Chris's Website: https://chriskresser.com/
Chris's Podcast: https://chriskresser.com/podcasts/
Chris's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriskresser/
Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/chriskresser
Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://legionathletics.com/coaching/
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Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/
Let’s face it: a big reason most of us guys work out is to look great.
You know, muscular, lean, proportional . . . “aesthetic” as the narcissists like to say.
People are always looking for “hacks” and shortcuts to live a better life and looking good is a big one.
When you look good, people instinctively like you more and treat you better, and this more or less always pay dividends no matter what you’re trying to do.
How exactly do you build that type of physique, though?
In this podcast, you’re going to learn . . .
- The ancient formula that dictates the proportions of the “ideal” male body
- How to compare your body to these standards to see what parts need the most work
- How close you can expect to get to these numbers based on your genetics
- And finally, how to eat and train to build the ideal male body.
Let’s get started.
6:56 - What is the golden ratio?
14:56 - How can we use the golden ratio to create the ideal male body?
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Mentioned on The Show:
Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://legionathletics.com/coaching/
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Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/
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 questions:
1. What is the best way to get ripped for a photoshoot or event? (2:32)
2. Is it harmful to eat below your basal metabolic rate? (8:09)
3. How can Bigger Leaner Stronger or Thinner Leaner Stronger be modified for intermediate and advanced weightlifters? (13:23)
4. Should I stop eating red meat? (21:46)
If you have a question you’d like me to answer, leave a comment below or if you want a faster response, send an email to mike@muscleforlife.com.
Recommended reading for this episode:
A Simple and Accurate BMR Calculator (and How to Use It)
Is Red Meat Really as Bad For You as “They” Say?
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Mentioned on The Show:
Shop Legion Supplements Here: legionathletics.com/shop/
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Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter!
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