Fitness
**Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews – Mike Matthews**

OVER 25,000,000 DOWNLOADS AND COUNTING!

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

Latest Episodes:

Here's Why You Should Start Rucking (Especially If You Hate Cardio) Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Put some weight in a backpack.

Put on the backpack.

Walk.

That’s rucking in a nutshell.

While rucking is simple, it’s also one of the most underrated kinds of cardio you can do:

It burns a boatload of calories
It boosts your cardiovascular fitness
It’s easy to recover from
It’s versatile (you can do it anywhere)
And, it’s social—you can easily do it with a group

What’s more, it’s also very easy to progressively overload your workouts. That is, you can continually make your rucks a little bit harder, which isn’t easy with walking.

In other words, rucking is one of the best kinds of cardio for people who “don’t like” cardio.

3:22 - What is rucking?

7:16 - What are the benefits of rucking?

16:23 - How do you do rucking right?

25:02 - What kind of shoes should you wear for rucking?

26:46 - How do you program your rucks around your weightlifting?

29:40 - How do you make rucking more comfortable?

Mentioned on The Show:

Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike

Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

Q&A: Mouthguards, Compression Clothing, and Skipping Breakfast Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

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 three questions:

Should I wear a mouthguard while lifting?
How beneficial is compression clothing for muscle gain?
Should I eat or skip breakfast?

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.

Dr. Eric Helms on the Best Way to Lean Bulk (Gain Muscle and Not Fat)

(Originally published Sept 4th, 2019)

What 17 Studies Say About Increasing Your Testosterone Naturally

(Originally published Aug 9th, 2017)

Motivation Monday: The Little Big Things About Building a Better You

(Originally published Aug 13th, 2018)

And we’ll be starting with number one, Dr. Eric Helms on the best way to lean bulk.

Timestamps:

5:13 - Dr. Eric Helms on the Best Way to Lean Bulk (Gain Muscle and Not Fat)

14:12 - What 17 Studies Say About Increasing Your Testosterone Naturally

22:07 - Motivation Monday: The Little Big Things About Building a Better You

Mentioned on The Show:

Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike

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Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

On the Art of Marketing, Business Building, and Content Creation Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

As an author, entrepreneur, and owner of multiple businesses, I get asked a lot about writing, marketing, and how to make money.

Of course, if you’re looking for shortcuts and magic formulas, I’m not the Jedi wizard you’re looking for. But if you’re willing to do the work and have realistic expectations, you’re well on your way and I’m happy to share insights on what’s worked for me.

In fact, I’ve written about my story here on the blog, and I’ve had several episodes on how the Mike Matthews sausage is made, business lessons I learned building Legion, and the power of great content.

And this podcast should be just as insightful, my fellow money-grubbing capitalist. That’s because it’s an interview from Nicholas Jensen’s Unlimited Wealth podcast, in which I shared juicy tiddly-bits on branding, valuable marketing resources, and getting started with creating content.

Nicholas’ podcast is focused on helping entrepreneurs grow their business and money, and since many people want to know what goes on behind the curtain here at Oz Legion HQ, I thought it would be worth sharing the interview he did of yours unruly here on my own podcast.

So if you want to learn about why I started Legion, free marketing resources, writing unique copy that sells, how I built my businesses the "hard way," the importance of branding, my thoughts on imposter syndrome, how to get started with content marketing, and a whole lot more, you’re going to love this episode!

Press play and let me know what you think!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

9:35 - Are there certain marketing perspectives that you followed before your company became successful?

18:26 - What are some marketing strategies that you recommend?

23:45 - Do you think Legion could stand on its own without you?

27:13 - Where do you gather most of your information about marketing?

32:39 - Do you suffer from imposter syndrome?

Mentioned on The Show:

Nicholas Jensen’s Unlimited Wealth Podcast: nicholascjensen.com/podcast/

Nicholas Jensen’s Website: nicholascjensen.com/

Nickolas Jensen’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/nicholasjensen

Shop Legion Supplements Here: buylegion.com/mike

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Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

This Is How Top Athletes and Coaches Think About Their Fitness Goals Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

There are many different schools of thought on how to set goals.

Some swear by the SMART goal-setting paradigm.

Others rely on affirmations, meditation, or journaling.

And others kibosh goal-setting altogether and simply focus on envisioning a better future, hoping their thoughts transmogrify into reality.

If you’ve played with any of these approaches, though, you’ve probably noticed that they tend to go nowhere fast.

You keep reviewing your SMART goals, telling yourself to think positive, filling page after page of your diary, or chipping away at a few choice habits, but after a few weeks or months, you lose heart.

Many people chalk up their failure to a lack of discipline, determination, or motivation, and while these can be factors, their biggest mistake lies in putting their faith in faulty, facile goal-setting systems.

Most of the goal-setting models I just described have merit, but they also tend to be incomplete or ineffective when put to the acid test.

Like a map without a compass, they help you feel like you’re on the right track without providing all of the tools and information you need to reach your destination.

I’ve spent many years reading about and testing various goal-setting strategies, and I’ve come to believe there’s no one winning formula that works for everyone under all circumstances. That said, there are some evidence-based goal-setting principles that you can apply in every situation that will increase your chances of success.

And in this podcast, you’ll learn to look at goal setting in a new, more productive light.

Be warned: This isn’t a rah-rah you-can-do-it approach. It won’t be comfortable. But it’ll work.

Before we get into all of that, though, let’s first diagnose the problem with most approaches to goal setting.

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Timestamps:

5:56 - What are the problems with how people set goals?

9:28 - What are the characteristics, habits, and behaviors of entrepreneurs?

31:18 - How can I better achieve my fitness goals?

Mentioned on The Show:
Shop Legion Supplements Here: buylegion.com/mike

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Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

Says You! Natty Expectations, Low-Fat Dieting, and "Cheat Meals" Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

I’ve written and recorded a lot of evidence-based content over the years on just about everything you can imagine related to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy.

I’ve also worked with thousands of men and women of all ages and circumstances and helped them get into the best shape of their lives.

That doesn’t mean you should blindly swallow everything I say, though, because let’s face it—nobody is always right about everything. And especially in fields like diet and exercise, which are constantly evolving thanks to the efforts of honest and hardworking researchers and thought leaders.

This is why I’m always happy to hear from people who disagree with me, especially when they have good arguments and evidence to back up their assertions.

Sometimes I can’t get on board with their positions, but sometimes I end up learning something, and either way, I always appreciate the discussion.

That gave me the idea for this series of podcast episodes: publicly addressing things people disagree with me on and sharing my perspective.

Think of it like a spicier version of a Q&A.

So, here’s what I’m doing:

Every couple of weeks, I’m asking my Instagram followers what they disagree with me on, and then picking a few of the more common or interesting contentions to address here on the podcast.

And in this episode, I’ll be tackling the following . . .

4:41 - “Your natty expectations are unrealistic.”

17:50 - “Your BLS and TLS books are beginner lifting programs, but the macros are designed for elite athletes, and the fat recommendations are horribly low.”

25:43 - “Your books include cheat meals, but that’s an unproductive way to view food because it implies that eating off plan is bad and this can result in feelings of guilt which can lead to more off-plan eating.”

Mentioned on The Show:

Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/

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Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

Nick Shaw on His 7 Favorite Habits for Success Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

What if I told you there was one weird trick to realize all of your biggest dreams?

Just one thing you could do to achieve success and live your best life.

Want to know what it is?

The trick is to ignore all the one weird tricks.

That’s right. The real secret isn’t shortcuts and fads. It’s hard work, consistency, discipline, and building good habits. That’s the real juice.

If I just knocked the wind out of your sails, I understand.

Hard work sounds a lot less fun than instant gratification. But what’s more fun? Failing, jumping on the next bandwagon, and failing again, or making real progress and actually achieving what you want? In the long-run, the tried-and-true methods of developing a strong work ethic and discipline have an astounding track record and are far more likely to get you where you want to go.

That’s what I’m talking about on this episode with Nick Shaw. He’s someone who’s learned these lessons and honed them through personal hardship, building them into an actionable framework in his book Fit For Success, that you can follow to live your best life.

If you’re not familiar with Nick, he’s the founder and CEO of Renaissance Periodization (co-founded by Dr. Mike Israetel, who’s also been on the podcast). He’s also a former competitive powerlifter and bodybuilder, who’s coached hordes of elite athletes, including CrossFit Games Champions, Olympians, UFC fighters, and professional athletes, so he knows a thing or two about achieving success and helping others do so.

In this episode, Nick and I chat about . . .