Muscle for Life

I’ve had various non-fitness related discussions with my pal Sal Di Stefano (of Mind Pump Media fame) here on the Muscle For Life podcast, but this time we’re combining topics. In this interview, Sal and I chat about the intersection of culture, politics, and health and fitness, and how fear is used to manipulate people. Sound interesting? I don’t want to spoil the discussion, but we cover all sorts of subjects like propaganda in the fitness industry and controlling people with misinformation, toxic masculinity, claims about protein and the environment, veganism, the "body acceptance" movement, government and “conspiracy theories,” and we even speculate on what the future of fitness culture and manipulation in fitness industry might look like. In case you’re not familiar with Sal, he’s a co-host of Mind Pump Media, one of the top fitness podcasts out there. He’s also an author, coach, and repeat guest on my podcast for good reason. While we love to chat about fitness, we also enjoy our conversational jaunts i

I’m discussing the latest scientific studies on the ways mental fatigue impacts athletic performance, whether caffeine suppresses your appetite, if knee sleeves benefit your performance, and how weightlifting affects visceral fat loss. Listen now to dive into the science! 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 o

Did early humans have a better, more nutritious diet than we do? That’s the idea behind popular “ancestral eating” diets like paleo and primal. The pitch appeals to people who believe “caveman” hunter-gatherers were stronger, faster, more robust, and just plain healthier than our modern-day selves. Is that true, though? Should we be eating like our ancient ancestors, avoiding more modern foods like grains, dairy, and other processed foods? Will it help us live longer or shed fat effortlessly? In this podcast, I’ll answer these questions and address the topic of “evolutionarily-consistent” eating and dieting. 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—nobod

There’s no doubt steroids can help you get bigger, leaner, and stronger, but they’re not exactly safe. They're also stigmatized, which is why many people who use them do so in secret. So why do people use steroids? How effective are steroids and how safe are they? What are the risks of steroids? Can you just do one cycle to get the benefits without the side effects? What’s the best way to come off of steroids and what’s it like to stop taking them? Are they addictive? These are just some of the questions I ask Greg Doucette in this interview. In case you’re not familiar with him, Greg is an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, world record-holding powerlifter, coach, author, and Youtuber with over 1.5 million subscribers who’s been open about his steroid use over the years. Because I’ve never used these performance enhancing and muscle building drugs, I thought it would be interesting to chat with someone who has. In this podcast, we discuss . . . Perspectives on who should use steroids and who has "the right" to The ris

Have you ever garbaged down enough food to sedate an elephant and then worried that you’ve botched your diet? Have you ever skipped a workout or five for whatever reason and then despaired that you’ve derailed your progress? We all have. But none of that actually matters. Listen to this podcast to find out how you can fail over and over in fitness and still succeed. I think you’ll enjoy this episode! Timestamps: 0:00 - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! 2:48 - My award-winning fitness books for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ Mentioned on the Show: My award-winning fitness books for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/

Will cutting “waste” your newbie gains? Is adrenal fatigue real? Are knee sleeves necessary? Do I ever get bored of my workout routine? Should you take every set to failure? Can foam rolling help muscle growth? Should you increase energy flux? 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 th

Steve MagnessHave we been thinking about real toughness the wrong way? How can we reliably and practically build our resilience beyond “just pushing through” to overcome challenges? These are the questions Steve Hall explores in his latest book, Do Hard Things, and it’s what we talk about in this interview. This book is Steve’s attempt to help athletes, parents, business leaders, and everyone in between navigate life’s difficult moments. Gritting your teeth and pushing through the pain aren't always the best approaches, and Steve has explored the science and psychology behind real resilience and shares it in this book. He provides a roadmap for dealing with life’s challenges and achieving high performance that makes us happier, more successful, and better people. In case you’re not familiar with Steve, he’s a performance scientist and expert who coaches both Olympic athletes and executives. He’s also the author of many books, including Peak Performance (with Brad Stulberg), The Passion Paradox, and The Scienc

Can adding a minimal amount of walking enhance your results by 50%? Does ginseng boost testosterone? Do artificial sweeteners enhance or inhibit weight loss? What type of lifting cues work best? I’m covering the latest research on these topics in this podcast. 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, l

In this installment of the Best of Muscle For Life, you’ll hear hand-picked clips from three popular MFL episodes: an interview with Kyle Hunt on “powerbuilding” for getting bigger and stronger, a monologue on beating food cravings, and a book club episode with my top takeaways from Peak Performance. 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 morsel

This podcast is a bit different because rather than interviewing a guest, I’m sharing an interview of me. Specifically, I recorded a webinar for students at Oxford Brookes University in the UK, in which I shared business advice for students who wish to start a health or fitness business or for fitness professionals who wish to grow their existing business. I was interviewed by professor Paul Hough, a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at the university. Not only is he a fellow author, but he’s worked with elite-level athletes in tennis and Formula One, and published several studies in academic journals. In our discussion, we chat about . . . Writing books (and why you need to enjoy it if you're going to do it) How to use content marketing to help people The time management structure I use for projects and my daily schedule My system for taking notes on what I read How I deal with procrastination My favorite part of being an entrepreneur Marketing, "micro yeses,” and how to price your g

One of the most controversial topics in fitness is whether you should allow your knees to go over your toes during the squat. Some say that allowing your knees to extend beyond your toes will cause knee pain and injury, while others say preventing your knees from traveling forward is the real problem. Who’s right and what does science say about this topic? Listen to this podcast to learn the answer, along with my tips on how to squat safely and keep your knees healthy and pain-free! --- 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! 3:16 - Why is knees over toes when squatting highly debated? 8:17 - What are some tips to avoid knee pain when squatting? --- 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!

What’s my daily supplement regimen? How long does it take to go from skinny to jacked? How can you stay motivated during a long period of weight loss? What’s better, LISS or HIIT? Is it worth going to a chiropractor? Is 10,000 steps per day a good walking goal? 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 answe

In this podcast, I interview Josh, who I coached through his weight loss journey to lose 50 pounds, get in the best shape of his life, and learn the skills and habits to stay that way for life. Josh has always struggled with his weight. He was one of the biggest kids in his class ever since grade school and stayed that way until he was a teenager. Eventually he lost some weight, but because he didn’t know the fundamentals of energy balance, macronutrients, and strength training, he kept rebounding when his home life got busier, his job got more stressful, or when he just became complacent and reverted to old habits. Well, one day at the gym (where Josh and I met and became friends), he asked me to just tell him what to eat to lose weight. Without explaining any of the science, I gave him a dead simple plan of a calorie range and a protein target. He was shocked at the simplicity. But he followed the plan and immediately started seeing results. Since then, he’s worked with my team to go from 250 pounds down to

What's the best training program if you have minimal time? Does foam rolling enhance recovery? Are activity trackers accurate enough to help you estimate calories burned? Do rack pulls (partial deadlifts) help you get stronger? I’m covering the latest research on these topics is in this podcast. 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

The bench press is a staple of strength training and hypertrophy programs. However, some people claim that it’s dangerous and that its benefits aren’t worth the risks, especially for the shoulders. Is that true though? Is the bench press an injury waiting to happen? In this podcast, I’ll answer that and provide my tips for bench pressing as safely and effectively as possible. 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

Breathing might sound like a boring topic. It’s our most basic biological function, and something we do unconsciously every day. So, it may seem shocking that a book with the title Breath could become a New York Times bestseller. The reality is breathing is a lot more fascinating than many people realize, and how you do it can have drastic effects on your health. That’s something James Nestor (the author of Breath) discovered while researching his book, which explores how humans have lost the ability to breathe properly and how it affects our health in various ways, including snoring, sleep apnea, asthma, autoimmune disease, and allergies. And all that is why I invited James onto the podcast to discuss this often-ignored aspect of everyday life and how we can change our breathing habits to improve our lives. In this interview, James and I discuss . . . Why you’re probably a mouth breather (even if you think you’re not) How breathing affects sleep and what you can do to fix snoring Resonant, coherent brea

Many people believe a lot of different things can make them fat. Common culprits are stress, bad gut bacteria, hormones, genetics, slow metabolisms, insulin, large plates and bowls, alcohol, and even undereating. So what’s the real cause? What actually makes people fat? You’re going to find out in this podcast. Timestamps: 0:00 - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! 1:30 - Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://www.muscleforlife.show/vip Mentioned on the Show: Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://www.muscleforlife.show/vip

How can dead hangs reduce shoulder pain? Is genetic testing worth it for health purposes? How can you get biceps veins and increase vascularity? Are there limits to progressive overload? Should you use a sauna before or after training? Does cryotherapy improve recovery? How can you stay satiated while on a diet? How can you model healthy behavior for kids? 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

Whether you have lagging or weak muscle groups, or just want to focus your efforts and grow certain body parts faster than others, specialization routines can help you. These specialization training blocks involve prioritizing specific muscle groups to get them to grow faster while maintaining your size and strength in other muscle groups. In this episode, Steve Hall offers tips and guidance everyone can use if they’re interested in trying a specialization routine. In our discussion, Steve and I discuss . . . What specialization routines are and when it's appropriate to try a specialization routine Examples of how specialization routine might look Whether you can prioritize more than one muscle group at once How exercise selection and rep ranges play a role in specialization routines Duration of specialization training blocks And more . . . In case you’re not familiar with Steve, he’s a competitive natural bodybuilder and the founder of Revive Stronger, where he uses his decade-plus of experience

These are my key takeaways and notes from Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages. “Can you recommend a book for…?” “What are you reading right now?” “What are your favorite books?” I get asked those types of questions a lot and, as an avid reader and all-around bibliophile, I’m always happy to oblige. I also like to encourage people to read as much as possible because knowledge benefits you much like compound interest. The more you learn, the more you know; the more you know, the more you can do; the more you can do, the more opportunities you have to succeed. On the flip side, I also believe there’s little hope for people who aren’t perpetual learners. Life is overwhelmingly complex and chaotic, and it slowly suffocates and devours the lazy and ignorant. So, if you’re a bookworm on the lookout for good reads, or if you’d like to get into the habit of reading, this book club is for you. The idea here is simple: Every month, I’ll share a book that I’ve particularly liked, why I liked it, and several of my key