Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Q&A: Sunbeds, Stomach Vacuums, Fasting and Keto, and More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hello, and welcome to Muscle for Life. I'm Mike Matthews. Thanks for joining me today. And quickly, if you haven't already, please do take a moment to subscribe to the show in whatever app you're listening to me in so you don't miss new episodes. And it helps me out because it boosts the ranking of the show in the various charts. And this episode is going to be, what is this? This is my sixth I have here, my sixth Q&A, the new format of Q&A that I've been doing for a few weeks now that has been getting a lot of positive response. And that is I answer people's questions a lot faster than I normally do. I don't go on 10 minute tangents for every question.

Starting point is 00:00:43 I spend maybe a couple of minutes answering the question and then moving on to the next. And I get the questions over on Instagram. So if you want to participate in this Q&A series, follow me on Instagram at muscleforlifefitness. And every Monday or Tuesday, I post in my stories. One of those ask me anything little stickers. I get a lot of questions from people and I answer the questions on Instagram. And then I also come and answer them here on the podcast. And so I'm picking questions that are just interesting to me or maybe funny or topical,

Starting point is 00:01:17 you know, things I'm getting asked about frequently or things that I haven't already beaten to death and spoken and written a lot about. And so that's what we are going to be doing today. And as usual, we are going to go all over the place. I try to be eclectic with my question selection. So we're going to be talking about glute growth and boosting testosterone. And then we're going to be talking about effective sales communication and economic collapse, using a sunbed, shitting yourself while squatting. Yes, I did answer that question and more. Also, if you like what I'm doing here on the podcast and elsewhere, definitely check out my health and fitness books, including the number one bestselling weightlifting books for men and women in the world, Bigger Leaner Stronger and definitely check out my health and fitness books, including the number one best-selling

Starting point is 00:02:05 weightlifting books for men and women in the world, Bigger Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger, as well as the leading flexible dieting cookbook, The Shredded Chef. Now, these books have sold well over 1 million copies and have helped thousands of people build their best body ever. And you can find them on all major online retailers like Audible, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, and Google Play, as well as in select Barnes and Noble stores. And I should also mention that you can get any of the audio books 100% free when you sign up for an Audible account. And this is a great way to make those pockets of downtime, like commuting, meal prepping, and cleaning more interesting, entertaining, and productive. And so if you want to take Audible up on this offer,

Starting point is 00:02:50 and if you want to get one of my audio books for free, just go to www.buylegion.com and sign up for your account. So again, if you appreciate my work and if you want to see more of it, and if you want to learn time-proven and evidence-based strategies for losing fat, building muscle, and getting healthy, and strategies that work for anyone and everyone, regardless of age or circumstances, please do consider picking up one of my best-selling books, Bigger Leaner Stronger for Men, Thinner Leaner Stronger for Women, and The Shredded Chef for my favorite fitness-friendly recipes. Okay, so the first question comes from Anonymous because it looks like I didn't take my screenshots correctly of all the questions that I answered, but it is, for glute growth, are explosive moves or explosive reps better than normal rep tempos

Starting point is 00:03:47 or should you be going slower than usual and a normal rep tempo which is 111 really or even 101 meaning the first part of the exercise the first half which sometimes is lowering the weight sometimes it's raising the weight depends on what you're doing is about one second. Then you have a slight pause, not an extended pause, slight pause. And then the second half of the exercise takes about a second. So you're moving pretty quickly, but you're moving in a controlled fashion and rep tempo has been studied multiple times. And the key takeaway is that normal traditional rep tempo appears to work best. It works better than super slow rep training, for example. And as far as super fast training goes, where you are taking lighter weights and you are trying to explode, you're trying to move

Starting point is 00:04:39 as quickly as possible with good form, that does have its uses. For example, athletes who want to improve power, who want to be able to generate a lot of force very quickly, they can benefit from including that in their training. Now, that's not all they would do. They would want to do a lot of strength training to be able to generate that force. And then they would want to calibrate their bodies, so to speak, to generate now power. So not just to generate the force, but to generate it quickly. So in generally in training, the more specific you can be to what you want to achieve, the better results you are going to get. So if you want to generate more power, then you want to train that way. You want to practice generating power, generating force

Starting point is 00:05:22 very quickly. And if you use heavy weights, you are not going to be able to do that. You're going to be able to generate a lot of force, but not very quickly. However, for most of us who are mostly concerned with body composition and just general performance, the explosive training is not necessary. It's not negative. It's not going to detract from our goals of building muscle, gaining strength, losing fat, staying healthy, but it's not going to be more effective than just traditional, like I said, normal 1-1-1, 1-0-1 or 1-1-1 rep tempo with relatively heavy weights in the range of 65 to maybe 95% of one rep max, taking our hard sets close to muscular failure.

Starting point is 00:06:06 That is the bread and butter. If you want to do some explosive training just for fun, you can, but it would be in addition to your foundational training. The next question, and unfortunately, I don't have who asked this. I do have who asked some, but not this one. It is what, if any, is the most effective sales communication that resonates with me? And I can answer this, what resonates most with me, but I have a lot of experience selling things to other people, both through sales, more of a one-to-one, and then marketing, which is one-to-many. And generally speaking, the most effective sales communications are powerful presentations of value, of a value proposition, an offer, right? So you have clear and credible and elegant answers to simple questions.

Starting point is 00:07:08 answers to simple questions. What is this? Who is it for? What does it do? Why should I believe you? Why should I buy from you and not a competitor? Why should I buy this product of yours and not another? And why should I buy it right now versus doing something else? If you can answer those questions again, clearly, credibly, elegantly, then you can create sales messages that resonate. The next question is, do you think there will be an economic collapse? Well, to answer that, I'm going to quote from a book. To answer that, I'm going to quote from a book. Contrary-wise, continued Tweedledee, if it was so, it might be, and if it were so, it would be, but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic. And I'm saying that to say I have no clue.

Starting point is 00:07:57 It seems unlikely anytime soon, but I don't know that much about macroeconomics. And the phenomenon of dueling experts is particularly prevalent in economics, meaning you have one highly credentialed expert who says one thing and then another highly credentialed expert who says the exact opposite. And it can be hard to follow along unless you have technical expertise yourself. And so who knows, right? We live in a tilt-a-whirl. So I guess we'll find out. Next question.

Starting point is 00:08:32 And hey, I have who asked this one. It is Fayaz2424. And he asks, best ways to naturally boost testosterone? Well, the first is strength training. to naturally boost testosterone? Well, the first is strength training. The second is a nutritious diet with at least 25 to 30% of calories from fat with more unsaturated fat than saturated fat. And that's for health reasons. The third is good sleep hygiene, hugely important, more important probably than any of these other points actually. So keep that in mind, even though I'm ordering them the way that I am. The next one is adequate vitamin D and zinc

Starting point is 00:09:11 intake. Very important. And the fifth and final tip is to manage stress levels because if stress levels are too high too often, then cortisol levels are going to be too high. And then that depresses testosterone. There is an inverse relationship there. Next, we have Jack Hand 66 who asks, would you ever use a sunbed? I have in the past. I remember I had a photo shoot one time and I didn't have enough time to get in the sun and I wanted to be a little bit more tan. So I did a few tanning bed sessions, but as a general rule, no, because if you look at the weight of the evidence, it clearly increases the risk of skin cancer. So no sunbeds for me. Next we have Jean Paul De Silva, or no, this is a, this is a woman. So it would be Jean probably probably Jean Paul De Silva. And she says, getting started seems hard, willing to put the work in, but still seems hard.

Starting point is 00:10:10 And that's totally normal. It is the way it's supposed to be. Actually, I mean, working out is supposed to be hard. That's that's the point. It's not blowing up balloons. It's not bagging groceries, even though some days it can feel like that. It is hard, period. Sometimes it's hard as hell. And sometimes you have to leave a little bit of blood on the altar. And that's as it really should be. That's as it must be, right?

Starting point is 00:10:37 And the fact that it's hard is not a sign that it's probably not worth it. That is how it signals its worth. Next, we have Cameron Claytor. I'm guessing that's how you pronounce the last name. And he asks, are you going to be getting easier slash cheaper distribution to the UK anytime soon? So he's referring to Legion. And yes, Legion will be live on Amazon UK early next year. We are starting with a couple of products and then we are going to be adding the rest of our range of our slate. And from there, we are going to figure out better distribution into Western Europe, possibly Eastern Europe. We also are going to be figuring out Canada. Unfortunately, international logistics is not easy, particularly in these Corona

Starting point is 00:11:27 doom times. But we're working on it and we will get there. Tono Flores asks the next question, how to get rid of love handles? And this one's easy. You just have to keep getting leaner. That really is the question for spot reducing any area of your body. Meaning if you want to make any specific area of your body leaner, you just have to keep reducing your general body fat percentage. And you just have to stay patient. Unfortunately,

Starting point is 00:11:56 the areas that we generally care the most about are the ones that are the last to get lean. So for us guys, lower abdominal fat, just the lower area of our abdomen, that's what we care the most about. And that is the last to go for us guys. And for women, it's generally the hips and the thighs and the butt, that whole area. So just stay patient, keep getting leaner. You probably are going to have to get a bit leaner than you think to get the look that you want, but you will get there and then you can flip to a maintenance mode and enjoy the fruits of your labor. The next question comes from dbalt1346, does foam rolling help recovery? And I've written about this over at legionathletics.com if you want to look at some of the research, but the weight of the evidence, my interpretation of it is that, yeah, it can help a little by increasing blood flow, by decreasing inflammation. It also can

Starting point is 00:12:59 help resolve trigger points. You have to know a little bit about trigger points, how to find them and how to work through them. It's not complicated, but you just have to understand the basics and foam rolling can help with that. Although something more targeted like a lacrosse ball or a golf ball can be even better for that to find these little points and then mash them up. And if you can find trigger points and resolve them, that can help you in the gym. Because for example, there could be a trigger point that is making bench pressing uncomfortable or making pulling uncomfortable. And if you were to resolve that, you wouldn't have to hold yourself back in the gym because of pain. Next up, we have a question from James Jordan, real and then ellipsis,

Starting point is 00:13:44 probably real estate. When shit hits the fan in the US, where are you going? I'm escaping to Switzerland. Lol, lol. Well, I'm going to the gym, James, because that's the last chance for PRs, man. The next question comes from Anonymous because he, yes, it's definitely a he, of course, asks, does masturbating stunt gains? And this is something that over at Legion, we get asked about often. One of the more common questions outside of the standard, how do I lose belly fat or how do I gain muscle and strength? Outside of those questions, does jerking off jack up my gains?

Starting point is 00:14:29 That's a common one. And the answer is only if you are unvaccinated and mercury is in retrograde. So pay attention. And when that's the case, you got to stop punching the clown. Otherwise, wax away or find someone who's willing to have sex with you. That's probably the best option. Mr. Freedomist asks, best mobility exercises? And I guess I read this as best mobility exercise because I answered Turkish getup.

Starting point is 00:15:03 If I had to pick one, that is a very good one because there's a lot of function there. It's very good for your shoulders, for example. And as far as the lower body goes, I'm going to say a walking lunge, which is not normally thought of as a mobility exercise, but it is a highly functional exercise because it trains your hips through a full range of motion. You can load it, of course, and it trains them in exactly the way that they were designed to move. Sean Shank Redemption asks, have you always expressed the same political views you have now? Mostly because my politics have evolved, but really only according to my understanding of

Starting point is 00:15:48 history and my understanding of human nature, which of course are limited. But those are topics that I've put a fair amount of time into reading about and thinking about. And really, they're rather dreary topics on balance. I actually am surprised that us humans, that we've made it this far. That really is the conspiracy of good, so to speak, at work. Meaning that when we hear conspiracy, it's usually in connection with something nefarious, but the biggest conspiracy, the most influential conspiracy ongoing since the beginning of time is the conspiracy of good. All the people who have worked together to help others to make the world a better place. Bryce Garber asks, fasting slash keto for longevity?

Starting point is 00:16:42 Well, my understanding of the evidence used to support these types of claims is that it's very speculative. It focuses a lot on mechanistic research, on in vitro research. There are some cherry-picked human trials in there, often with very unhealthy participants who are not even closely representative of those of us with a healthy body composition, with a nutritious diet, with a vigorous exercise routine, with good sleep hygiene, and so on. So the big question is, again, are benefits seen in very unhealthy people also going to be seen in very healthy people? And if we are going to see the same benefits, how big of an effect are those things going to have? Because just producing a statistically significant effect

Starting point is 00:17:35 doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to make any difference. How big is that effect? And take something like insulin sensitivity and some of the research showing that again in very unhealthy people switching from a standard american diet to intermittent fasting diet can significantly improve insulin sensitivity and that matters because many of these people are diabetic or pre-diabetic okay but what about somebody like me or probably you? We have high insulin sensitivity levels already because we do the things that I mentioned just a minute ago. If we add intermittent fasting to our regimen, how much of a difference does it make? And the limited research that we have on that suggests not much. The next

Starting point is 00:18:26 question comes from Hussein for Insta, and he asks, which moves should I absolutely avoid with disc herniation? And this is going to be an answer for anyone having any back issues. Pick up a copy of Dr. Stuart McGill's book called The Back Mechanic and go through the assessments in that book, self-assessments, and follow the exercise prescriptions because it can work wonders. And another great book for working through aches and pains and injuries and improving function and performance at home is Dr. Aaron Horschig's Rebuilding Milo. at home is Dr. Aaron Horschig's Rebuilding Milo. Next is a question from Semaj Bradshaw. And he asks, have you ever ripped off a little more than gas while heavy squatting? Yes. Yes, it's happened. It has happened more than once, but I never let a chart stop me from finishing a set because I am hashtag

Starting point is 00:19:27 dedicated. And we all know that hashtag real lifters shit themselves. Extra fly Dan Sanch asks, how many six-year-olds could you beat in a fight? I thought about that and I think I could beat quite a few. I think it would be mostly a matter of stamina, right? Because these little hellions, they couldn't inflict or absorb any real damage. I could even grab a skinny one, disable them, and then wield them as a blunt weapon. So really the question is just how long could I wail on a punching bag for before I collapse from exhaustion? And I asked people in a poll, how long do you think I could make it for? More than 15 minutes or less than 15 minutes? And 61% said more than 15 minutes, which is generous

Starting point is 00:20:19 because punching the shit out of a punching bag is exhausting. If you've never done it, try it. It is so surprisingly tiring. So I think if my life depended on it, yeah, I probably could go 15 minutes. I don't know if I could go much longer though. The next question comes from unknown, but it's a good question. Do stomach vacuums flatten your belly? Yes, when you combine them with a consistent calorie deficit. In other words, the only way to really flatten your belly is to lose fat, unfortunately. All right, final question also comes from anonymous. If I am using a Fitbit, is it a good method for estimating my total daily energy expenditure based on my activity zone minutes? No. I wish that weren't the case, but I've looked at a number of

Starting point is 00:21:12 studies on these devices and they can be way off. And these studies have shown that they are consistently way off. I mean, upward of like 40 to 50% off. So if you are trying to figure out how many calories you burn, how many calories you should eat based on how many calories you're burning, head over to legionathletics.com and go to the learn section of the site. It's on the menu. Go to the tools section and you'll find a calorie calculator tool. You will also find a total daily energy expenditure tool, a weight loss tool. We have quite a few calculators that do similar things, but based on exactly what you want to know, one will probably work better for you than another, but just check out the tools and you'll learn how to accurately estimate how many calories you're

Starting point is 00:22:04 burning and then calculate how many calories you should be eating. And of course, you can never be exactly precise on calories out or in, but you don't have to be. It just has to be good enough for government work to get results. liked this episode. I hope you found it helpful. And if you did, subscribe to the show because it makes sure that you don't miss new episodes. And it also helps me because it increases the rankings of the show a little bit, which of course then makes it a little bit more easily found by other people who may 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.

Starting point is 00:23:06 So thanks again for listening to this episode and I hope to hear from you soon.

Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Q&A: Sunbeds, Stomach Vacuums, Fasting and Keto, and More

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