Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Q&A: Sex Before Working Out, Developing Stubborn Muscles, Pyramid Training, and More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, Mike Matthews here, and welcome to Muscle for Life. Thank you for joining me today. And if you haven't already, please do take a moment to subscribe to the show in whatever app you are listening to me in, so you don't miss any new episodes, and also so you help me by boosting the rankings of the show. And that, of course, then helps other people find it. Okay, so this episode is the fifth installment of this new Q&A format that people are liking and that is performing well and that I'm having fun doing and that counts for something, right? And so what I'm doing is over on Instagram at Muscle for Life Fitness, once a week, usually on Monday or Tuesday, I'll put up in my stories, a story asking for questions, you know, the little, what is it?

Starting point is 00:00:40 Is it called a sticker or a tag or something? Ask me a question and then people can submit questions and I pick questions to answer on Instagram. And then I bring those questions and answers over here to the podcast. For those of you who don't follow me on Instagram or don't pay attention to Instagram or don't even have Instagram on your phone, you win the big prize. And so today we are going to be going all over the place. We are going to be talking about ab training, traditional pyramid sets, living your best life, eating well, but also dealing with the rising costs of food, dealing with the inflation that remember that was never supposed to happen. And then it was just supposed to be transitory, but now we're just told it's a good thing. Inflation is a good thing. Okay. And biceps training and a lot more. Also, if you like what I'm doing here on the podcast and elsewhere, and if you want to help me do more of it, please do

Starting point is 00:01:38 check out my sports nutrition company, Legion, because while you don't need supplements to build muscle, lose fat, and get healthy, the right ones can help. And that's why over 300,000 discerning fitness folk have chosen Legion and left over 25,000 five-star reviews for our products on our website and on Amazon. Well, that and our 100% natural and science-based formulations, our fanatical customer service, and our commitment to transparency, authenticity, and honesty. Now, Legion is also holding its biggest sale of the year right now and its biggest sale ever. This is our biggest and our bestest sale ever. We are trying to make up for last year's Black Friday, Cyber Monday sale, which because of inventory constraints was not very

Starting point is 00:02:32 exciting. This year though, you can save up to 40% on everything plus get free gifts on all orders over $99. And you can do that right now over at buylegion.com, B-U-Y-L-E-G-I-O-N.com. And everything is on sale, including our protein powders, our pre-workout and post-workout supplements, fat burners, multivitamins, joint support, and more. So again, that URL is buylegion.com, skedaddle on over to there, save big. Hurry up though, because no matter what my exorbitant ERP software predicts, we always run out of stock of at least a thing or two every year during our big site-wide sales, especially our Black Friday sale. There's always that flavor or two or three or that product or two or three

Starting point is 00:03:21 that just blows up out of nowhere. So that means that your favorite flavors or products may or may not survive the onslaught. Do not risk such a calamity. Instead, head over to Buylegion.com now and claim your discount and bask in the post-purchase glow. Okay, let's begin. First, we have Hassan M. Zayer, and he asks, do you train abs in BBLS, Beyond Bigger, Leaner, Stronger, which is the program that I am following. It is my program for intermediate and advanced weightlifters. And you can learn all about it in the book called Beyond Bigger, Leaner, Stronger, if you want to check that out. And by the way, if you're a woman who doesn't really want to be bigger, but maybe beyond fitter, leaner, stronger, there is a lot for you in that book as well. And I do plan on creating a female version. It's just on the list.

Starting point is 00:04:17 And I do hope to get to that sooner rather than later. So the question, do you train abs in beyond bigger, leaner, stronger? And this would apply to, I would say any intermediate or advanced weightlifter, which is why I wanted to talk about it here on the podcast, not just to people who are following my program. And the question is, no, there is no direct ab training in beyond bigger, leaner, stronger because heavy compound weightlifting adequately trains the core muscles. And many people who are intermediate and advanced weightlifters find that their core definition is quite good. They actually don't want more size in their abdominal muscles, for example. Some guys in particular, they like that really bulging ab muscle, blocky ab muscle look.

Starting point is 00:05:07 Other guys think it looks a bit odd. It starts to look like a turtle shell, and I'm in that camp. And what many people find is even if they start lifting with underdeveloped abs and core muscles, simply by getting strong on the squat, the deadlift, the overhead press, even the bench press to some degree and different variations of those exercises, their core development moves along quite nicely without any direct ab training. And so I don't think it's appropriate to put direct ab training in an intermediate or an advanced program. It's more applicable to newbies who maybe want to see a

Starting point is 00:05:47 little bit of extra development. They want to speed that up and they often like doing it. But for those of us who have been lifting for a while and we already have good ab development, the heavy compounds are all we need to stay that way. Okay. The next question comes from to stay that way. Okay. The next question comes from Gareth Ligo and he asks, what do you think about pyramid sets? And I prefer reverse pyramid training over traditional pyramids, because when you do your heaviest sets last, like you do with traditional pyramids, where you work from, let's say you, maybe you start with sets of 12 or 10 and then let's say it's 10 right and then you're going to do a set of eight and then you're going to rest and six and four and maybe even go down to two what happens is you're most fatigued when you get to the heaviest weights and it

Starting point is 00:06:35 doesn't really make much sense especially in the case of big compound exercises when our form also gets worse as we get more fatigued and the risk of getting hurt goes up. So instead, if I were going to pyramid my training, I would do it the other way around. I would warm up and I would do my heaviest and hardest sets first, and then I would work toward the lighter sets. And if you want to learn more about that, head over to legionathletics.com and search for reverse pyramid, and you'll find an article I wrote on it. Okay, next up we have Funk MW. Are you living your best life? Well, you know, I thought about this and I don't eat avocado toast, although it is good, but I don't eat it, at least not regularly. I don't drink green smoothies.

Starting point is 00:07:28 not regularly. I don't drink green smoothies. I don't fuel my hashtag wanderlust. I don't slap parts with random strangers. So I guess, according to Clown World, I am not living my best life. I am living something less than my best life. What are some good tips for someone who wants to make healthy food, but who is dealing with inflation? Mexican Nitrum asks this. And a few tips are one, stick with individual foods you can buy in bulk and then you can prepare as opposed to prepackaged and pre-prepared foods. And then use recipes with different flavor profiles to introduce variety into your diet. Another tip is to not buy out of season or organic produce because it can often be a lot more expensive than stuff that is in season and also conventional produce.

Starting point is 00:08:21 Number three is consider chicken thighs over chicken breast. I know the macros aren't as good. It's a bit fattier, but you can make it work and it is usually quite a bit less expensive. And the fourth and final tip is to buy a cheap protein powder from a trustworthy company like Optimum Nutrition. And you can buy, I think you can buy 10 pound bags of that stuff. And when you look at the price per serving and the price per gram of protein, it is hard to beat really. It's hard to beat with any type of food. Daniel Mufti one asks if I have any tips for his biceps because they are genetically challenged compared to his triceps. And in case you're wondering if that is really a thing, yes, it is really a thing. All of us have muscle groups that are more and less

Starting point is 00:09:11 responsive to training than we would like. In my case, my chest and my biceps have always been highly responsive to training, but my shoulders and lats, not so much. It has taken a lot of work to get them to a respectable level of development. So coming back to this question, biceps genetically challenged, any tips? Well, volume and a variety of rep ranges, those two things are going to get it done. So, and this really applies to bringing up any stubborn muscle group. If you do two to four months of 12 to 15, maybe as much as 20 hard sets of direct training per week for that muscle group. And you might not be able to get up to 20 in the case of like your quads, but you might be able to in the case of your biceps. And so biceps, as we're talking about here, that means let's just say 12 to 15,

Starting point is 00:10:02 12 to 15 sets of curls of various types. We're not counting the indirect volume that comes from pulling. So not six to eight sets of curls, then maybe the same amount of pulls. You're going to do 12 to 15 sets direct training for biceps. And you are going to be doing some pulling as well, which is indirect volume for your biceps. If you do that for two to four months and you make sure you are not in a calorie deficit, if you really want to get the most out of it, of course, you want to be in a slight calorie surplus. You are going to get results.

Starting point is 00:10:35 Something will change for the better. Ideas, Parenquad, and then it gets cut off with an ellipsis. Asks, best exercise for chest without having a bench? I would say a floor press. That could be a barbell or a dumbbell floor press. Good exercise. Doesn't need a bench. And if you have no equipment whatsoever, get some bands. I guess that would qualify as equipment, but bands are cheap. Get some bands and do banded feet elevated pushups.

Starting point is 00:11:08 Javier Jack asks, Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J? This is such a racist question because the obvious answer is all of them. Obviously, max vaxxing is the only way that we are going to flatten the new normal and build back better billionaires. Okay. Jeff Singer asks if it's a good idea to time his refeeds or his diet breaks with his deloads. And it's not a bad idea because the reduction in training intensity and volume, you know, the deloading plus the extra food, plus hopefully

Starting point is 00:11:47 some better sleep, maybe even a little bit more sleep. If you can squeeze that in means you are going to feel really rejuvenated at the end of that refeed or that diet break, but you don't have to go out of your way to synchronize those things. You can just take your diet breaks or your refeeds every four to eight weeks, depending on how lean you are and how aggressive you're being with your cut and how you're feeling. And you also should be deloading probably every four to eight, maybe 10 to 12 weeks. If you're newer, you can go longer without deloading. If you are more experienced and if you are training hard, you have to deload more frequently.

Starting point is 00:12:29 And so you can just manage those things independently. You don't have to try to sync them up. Lucas Rochelle or Rochelle asks, how much cardio should be done in a deficit? Walking, do as much as you'd like. Go outside, walk, burn some calories, look at the birds, look at how they don't give a shit about us and our problems. Nice life. Moderately hard stuff, let's say up to two to three hours per week. And then the really hard stuff, let's say up to one hour per week. And someone, I will graciously withhold his handle, asks, should I avoid sex before working out? Well, dude, two minutes every two months, probably not going to get in the way of your gains. You're probably overthinking it. And the non-snarky answer, well, try to put a couple of hours in between the humping and the

Starting point is 00:13:17 lifting, or you will probably do worse in the gym. Rula Big asks, does it make sense? Is it safe to take creatine all year long or should you take a break from time to time? You don't have to cycle creatine. It does make sense to take it basically forever. It is safe to take it basically forever. Think of it like a multivitamin, a fish oil, a protein powder, and so on. Luke M 81 asks, are higher reps slash sets better for growing smaller muscles like biceps versus three sets in the four to six rep range? In theory, no, but in practice, sometimes mostly because it's hard to maintain good form and progress when you're using 80 to let's say 85% of your one rep max on certain exercises like side raises or rear raises doing good let's say strict in terms of form sets of fours on side raises rear raises quite hard sixes is where it starts to work but it's still tough you still have to pay attention to your form or it gets a little bit sloppy whereas something something like a bicep curl, you can do fours with good form, especially if you're using dumbbells.

Starting point is 00:14:31 That said, remember though that research shows that for intermediate and advanced lifters in particular, a variety of rep ranges is likely best for hypertrophy. And that applies to all muscle groups, small and large. And that's why bigger leaner stronger, which is intended for guys who have yet to gain their first 25 pounds of muscle or so has you do a lot of four to six rep work. And then also some six to eight where four to six just isn't practically feasible. We just don't need to get fancier than that. If we work in that rep range, four to eight reps, we are going to gain a lot of strength. We are going to gain a lot of muscle. We don't need to

Starting point is 00:15:11 get fancy with our periodization. However, beyond bigger, leaner, stronger, which is again for intermediate and advanced weightlifters, you go from 12s down to fours and sixes in the case of isolation exercises. You go from tens all the way down to twos in the case of compound exercises. And that's not because I just wanted to get fancy. I just wanted people to think that the program is more sophisticated. No, it's really because research shows that that probably is the best way to train after you have gained a lot of muscle and strength. Me, Gustin Torti, and then Ellipsis, asks, how are your supplements tested for purity? How are Legion's supplements tested for purity? And the answer is third-party labs, including Covance, Eurofins, Labdor, and other reputable companies.

Starting point is 00:16:03 We also, over at Legion's website, we post test results for each batch of product. So you can see what is in the product, what is not in the product. There are not chemicals or drugs, for example, and you can find those certificate of analyses on every product page on our site, legionathletics.com. A female whose handle I will also withhold says, I don't know whether everyone experiences or not, but how to handle sweaty crotch in gym? Ew, no, that's definitely just you. How embarrassing. But if I were afflicted with such a disgusting disorder, I would simply dust my bits with a cornstarch-based powder before working out. Caleb C. Bradbury asks, what would you tell Sal DiStefano from Mind Pump about his 15K in book sales? Be honest. Laughing with tears face,

Starting point is 00:17:07 sales? Be honest. Laughing with tears face, whatever that emoji is called. Well, I would say, Sal, remember, this is a competition with yourself. Don't compare your book sales to mine. 15K is pretty good for someone like you. Oh, and by the way, in case you don't know, Sal and I are friends. So this is not me being obnoxiously arrogant and rude. Last question. Steven B. Wolf asks, do you still believe those not getting vaccinated are bringing us one step closer to the abyss? I definitely never said that. But look here, sweetie, it's pretty simple. OK, so first you need the first shot.

Starting point is 00:17:40 Then you need the second shot. Then once you've done that, you still have to continue wearing a mask and you have to continue socially distancing because you can still actually catch the virus and you can still transmit it to others. But then you can get a booster shot and that's what you need to do. And then that won't really change anything because you'll still be able to get the virus and transmit the virus. And you still actually will be able to end up in the hospital and die. And then also everyone around you is going to have to complete the same process for it to possibly work. And so, yeah, that's about the size of it. It's not

Starting point is 00:18:18 that hard to understand, sweet summer child. Just think about it. Let it sink in. understand sweet summer child. Just think like it just as much as you. And if you didn't like something about this episode or about the show in general, or if you have ideas or suggestions or just feedback to share, shoot me an email, mike at muscleforlife.com, muscleforlife.com, and let me know what I could do better or just what your thoughts are about maybe what you'd like to see me do in the future. I read everything myself. I'm always looking for new ideas and constructive feedback. So thanks again for listening to this episode and I hope to hear from you soon.

Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Q&A: Sex Before Working Out, Developing Stubborn Muscles, Pyramid Training, and More

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