Iron Culture presented by MASS

History, Science, Culture. As a CULTist, that's what you signed up for and we've been lax delivering the first: history. But no more! We are joined by Dr. Conor Heffernan, Assistant Professor of Physical Culture and Sport Studies at the University of Texas at Austin to discuss how vaudeville circus acts became the iron game as we know it. Learn how Eugen Sandow literally ripped off his suit to enter the world stage and reshaped the view of what strongmen looked like. Learn how bodybuilding was born of this history and what the very first shows were like. We look back with reverence, but without rose-tinted glasses, exploring surprising aspects of this history, like the legal battles and money-making schemes that look surprisingly like the fit teas of today. Know your history, or repeat the mistakes of the past dear cult.

You're hitting those sets of five on triceps pushdowns because you want maximum transfer to bench. Or maybe, you're doing sets of 8-12 on the big 3, because you want to be strong and big. But damnit, your elbows and hips hate you. Are you doing something wrong? Is this really the best way to train for strength and size? Are you actually being specific in a useful way? In this episode, we discuss not only these topics, but also how they apply when you've been away from the gym, like many of us have been due to COVID, and you're regaining strength you previously had.

The stories often used in the fitness and nutrition space, but which certainly aren't restricted to it, can suck us in, bleed our wallets, and turn us into zealots. "I used to think X but I was wrong! Look at this obscure mechanism (which I probably don't understand and you definitely don't understand), and look at this anecdote! This is why I now think Y! Everything we thought we knew was wrong and THEY don't want you to know! You're unknowingly missing out on gains/unhealthy, so we need to eat/train like Z now!" We are joined by Ben House, who has his PhD in nutrition and has been an educator in the lifting world for years helping people to think critically, learn nuance and get better. Today he joins us to pull back the curtain on the stories that pull us in with an emotional response, prey on them, and subvert our critical thinking. Moreso, he also asks the challenging question, is this always bad? Is this natural and how can elements of these approaches be used positively?

The majority of personal training clients are women, and the majority of women will be pregnant at least once in their life. Yet, resistance training and nutrition during and following pregnancy are not topics most trainers are well versed in. Join Omar and Eric in this episode to watch these two flawed protagonists find redemption. They previously used the documentary "Junior" starring Saint Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito as their sole information source on pregnancy, but now they are enlightened. Join them on their knowledge-seeking journey in this episode. They learn all about lifting and nutrition during and following pregnancy with guests Molly Galbraith, CSCS, a world-leading evidence-based educator for women's health and fitness through her work as the owner of Girls Gone Strong, and Marika Hart, an experienced musculoskeletal physiotherapist completing her post-graduate education incontinence and pelvic health. Molly is Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and co-founder and owner of Girls Gone Strong, a global movement dedicated to helping women feel strong, confident, and empowered in their lives and bodies through industry-leading education materials, certification programs, and coaching — all focused on women. Molly is also the creator of the Girls Gone Strong Academy, the world's first online academy housing multiple evidence-based, interdisciplinary, women-specific certifications for health and fitness professionals. Marika is a postgraduate trained physiotherapist, pilates instructor, and mother-of-two. She is super passionate about helping women feel fit, strong, and healthy during pregnancy and beyond. https://herasphere.net/about/ For More Information: Pre- & Postnatal Coaching Certification Info Page GGS Coaching & Training Women Closed Facebook Group Free 5-Day Course: Exercises To Do & Avoid During & After Pregnancy Free 5-Day Course: The Ultimate Guide To Coaching & Training Postpartum Clients

We've all been in 5th grade...many of us wish it never ended. In this episode we take you back to that magical time by transposing our most important questions from that era like: "who would in a fight, Superman or Godzilla?" or "Could a silverback defeat a grizzly bear?" and the important follow up "what if they had swords?", onto strength sports. Today we ask, who are the strongest: Powerlifters, Weightlifters, or Strongmen/women? We discuss what ways we could legitimately test strength across disciplines to answer this question and each guests "picks a character" as a champion of their sport in this thought experiment. To tackle these important questions the guests are thankful to be joined by returning guests and strength aficionados, Alan Thrall, Jonnie Candito and Max Aita. Strap up your Velcro's, hop on the school bus, grab your bag lunch from mom and get ready to argue during recess in this episode of iron culture!

Everything you thought you knew about body composition is WRONG. Ok, that's absolutely not true, but this episode will deepen your understanding of the composition of muscle, the composition of fat, the tools we use to estimate (notice I didn't say measure) body composition, and what this means for understanding how the human body changes in response to training and nutrition. We guarantee you'll have some eye-opening moments listening in to this conversation as the hosts are joined by Dr. Cody Haun, who carries out cutting edge research on skeletal muscle anatomy, and Dr. Grant Tinsley who is a leading researcher in body composition assessment. More importantly, though, Cody has ridiculous pec development, and Grant can deadlift over 500lbs.

As a hardcore Iron CULTure listener, you're already drinking the cool-aid. But, did you know that a large majority of adults are already drinking another addictive drug? You guessed it, caffeine is consumed in one form or another ubiquitously across the globe. In this episode, the man himself, Registered Dietitian Ben Esgro becomes a three-peat Iron Culture guest. He unholsters his dual master's degrees in sports nutrition and pharmaceutical chemistry and comes in blazing in this episode to teach you everything about caffeine. From its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to its mechanisms of action, performance-enhancing effects, side effects, withdrawal, dependence, and the other nutraceuticals which can modify its effects, this monster episode of iron culture could easily replace your morning cup-a-Joe!

Elite sprinters don't run sub-10s year-round, elite powerlifters aren't always ready to total new personal bests, and physique athletes aren't shredded in the offseason. Why is this? Are they doing something wrong the rest of the year, or are they doing something right when they're at their peak performance? In this episode, we explore what Omar always says "you may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like." In the end, you'll learn whether or not you should continue to freak out and change your program each time you can't lift more weight or do more reps than last time.

You might be just one of the many chosen of the Cult, vacillating between Draperism and Paimon, but that doesn't mean you aren't a unique snowflake. Today we discuss just what makes you unique, and how with that understanding, you can unlock your potential and get so smoking hot that the heat threatens your own existence as a snowflake. That's right Cultists, today we explore the intricacies of individual differences and the fundamental nature of why frequentist statistics will never dominate evidence-based practice...all in the service of the most important goal of all: becoming really, really, ridiculously good looking.

Today we explore iron game disciplines with deep historical and cultural roots with Kyle Lillie. We discuss Highland games, a 1000-year-old sport, and throwing, which dates back to ancient civilization. Kyle is a professional Highland games competitor and Division 1 throws coach at Sacramento State University. Before Highland games, he threw for Arizona State at the national championship level and was a National Junior College Athletic Association champion before that. Shortly after his start in Highland games, he became a 2-time amateur world champion before turning pro in his now burgeoning professional career. Tune in to learn about the most functional activity of all, throwing stones, spears, discs, hammers, and yes, even trees at your enemies.

Chris Barakat MS, ATC, CSCS is a natural bodybuilder, coach, and researcher studying body composition manipulation at the University of Tampa. In "evidence-based" circles, we like to think we're immune to the echo chamber effect because what we say is based on data. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. The statement "gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time is impossible unless you're on drugs, high in body fat or a novice" is often repeated without a thorough understanding of the underlying science. Chris recently authored a publication titled "Body Recomposition: Can Trained Individuals Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time?" which challenges this belief. Join us in this episode as he breaks down the science for our understanding.

Before there was powerlifting, bodybuilding, weightlifting, and strongman, there was the iron game, and it all overlapped. Before that, there was the physical culture movement. During this era, you couldn't find a strongman or woman who didn't do hand balancing, calisthenics, or tumbling as a part of their training. Gymnastics has a long history, but today it is its own sport and embedded in some national sport systems to build a foundation for young athletes' careers. Further, it's a major component of CrossFit. Finally, you ever see the delts on a gymnast?? In today's episode, we explore these relationships, roles, the history of Gymnastics, and the new evolution of sports science within it. To do so we're joined by Eric's 3DMJ teammate Andrea Valdez, a former gymnastics coach and young gymnast who has returned to the sport as an adult, and Dr. Dave Tilley who is leading the modern, evidence-based charge in the sport.

"Advanced lifter" - what comes to mind when you hear this phrase? Strong, muscular, elite, clearly doing things right? Perhaps, and that's why many people emulate advanced lifters. Everyone wants the athleticism, strength, and physiques that advanced lifters have, and thankfully, these days novices and intermediates are coming to understand that those outcomes take time. But what they don't often realize is that the processes that result in those outcomes take time to engrain as well. Trying to change your nutritional, sleep, recovery, training, and mindset habits all simultaneously fails to acknowledge that it's not only the advanced outcomes but also the advanced processes that take time to master.

Kedric Kwan of The Strength Guys, Jim Elli of Reactive Training Systems and Joe Stanek of The Strength Athlete all have something in common: they started as young online powerlifting coaches who were given a chance to learn the ropes under the guidance of some of the biggest and most respected online coaching teams. Today, we host a reflective discussion with them to understand their journey; where they started, what they expected, what they've learned, how they've grown, and what expectations and judgments, external, internal, real, and imagined they faced. It's a brave new world and in 2020 a young fitness professional trying to make it online might not know where to start. In this episode, you can learn what the process might look like.

In another era, bodybuilding was considered as much as an art as it was a pseudo-sport. A decade ago one could argue that its artistic element was at an all-time low, but things have changed in the last few years. In the IFBB specifically, the creation of the classic physique division is arguably resulting in the cultural revival of these artistic elements. Today, Iron Culture hosts a fantastic ambassador of the art of bodybuilding, Terence Ruffin. Not only has he won multiple pro titles and recently finished second at the Arnold Classic, but he was also the youngest IFBB pro card winner when he attainted pro status as a lightweight at the 2014 NPC nationals at the age of 21. His impressive physique stands on its own; however, his ability to displaying it is amongst the best in the game and his posing routines leave lasting impressions on all who view them.

The World Natural Bodybuilding Federation was founded in 1989, and since its inception led the way in professionalism for drug-free bodybuilding. We have the pleasure of speaking to one of the heads, Bob Bell, who started as a WNBF competitor, became a promoter, and now sits at the helm with Tina Smith and Nancy Andrews. The story of this progression is an intriguing one that gives insight into the complexities of keeping a sporting organization alive and flourishing. Further, just how do you decide winners in a fair and consistent way in a subjective sport? Tune into this episode to learn the answer and hear the story of the WNBF.

Previously in Episode 33, Iron Culture hosted a roundtable on Pain Science as it relates to lifting. It was in that episode that the hosts learned Dalton from Road House was right all along; pain doesn't hurt much. Building on top of this episode, the CULT returns to the topic of injury, getting "hurt" and what you can do about it. The hosts are joined by 3 DPTs in Nick Licameli of 3DMJ, Quinn Henoch of Clinical Athlete, and Sam Spinelli. This episode is full of practical takeaways, useful tips, and Quinn's baritone voice letting you know that even if you are feeling beat up, it's going to be OK.

Things happen fast on the interwebs these days kids. You might have only recently learned what intuitive eating actually means. In the course of that, you might have come across the terms "diet culture" and "anti-diet culture". If you didn't know what the former was, then you certainly weren't aware of the definition or possibly even the existence of the latter. In this episode returning guest, Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro helps us understand the roots, definitions, misunderstandings of, and the arguments between these "camps". As is often the case when people don't see eye to eye, there is typically something lost in translation. In this episode, we wade into that gap with Dr. Fundaro, who's been working to bridge it. Brene Brown's Ted Talk on Shame Brene Brown's book on women and shame, I Thought It Was Just Me Helen Veit's book Modern Food, Moral Food Christy Harrison's book Anti-Diet Bridging the Gap Article Series

Evie Corrigan began lifting just over four years ago and started Powerlifting shortly after. This was truly her first introduction to competitive sport, yet within two years, and in her first international competition, she got to represent her home country of New Zealand and became a Junior World Champion. How did her motivations to lift change once she became an overnight champion? What pressures did she experience? Fast forward to earlier this year, she was one of the few IPF lifters invited to compete in the now-canceled Sheffield. Join us in this episode of Iron Culture where we get to take a look into the experience of a world champion who never saw it coming. Trust me, there is a lot of wisdom in this episode, and we were grateful Evie shared it with us!

The recent explosion of washed-up lifters getting in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has sparked some introspection within the CULT. To discover their chances of becoming a mixed martial legend, Eric & Omar bring in notable Strength & Conditioning coaches Phil Daru and Seth Lenetsky to discuss what it is liked getting punched in the face. Phil has coached many top lifters at ATT (American Top Team) and Seth is one of the few published researchers on the subject of MMA, with his Ph.D. being in "Punchology" as he puts it. Find out how fighters train to improve their performance and discover a tender moment when Omar puts forth his pride and joy, Eric, as the soon to be undisputed King of the Cage.

This episode is sure to create a lot of future apologies for the co-owners. In this far-ranging interview with IPF royalty and powerlifting phenom Jessica Buettner, the hosts immediately mispronounce her last name. Gracious in victory as well as in hearing butchered variations of her last name, Jessica has ascended to the tippity top of drug-tested powerlifting in only a few short years. Beyond the junior world championship and world records however is an insightful story of a lifter overcoming the odds, redefining what strength means and becoming an ambassador of all things heavy lifting.

This is the episode where the two hosts sell out. You knew it was going to happen. Inside you'll find Eric's top tips in order to become the biggest dancing sensation on TikTok and Omar explains how there really is no moral conundrum with selling photos of your calves on OnlyFans. Somewhere between those two sizzling topics, the hosts manage to give a sneak peek at the content creation process at Iron Culture. Many Iron CULT members have noted enjoying the diversity and depth of the discussions; it is high time the hosts explain the guiding principles of the Iron CULT. Instructive not only for aspiring personal trainers, educators, and lifting enthusiasts, underneath the thick banter you might just discover some guiding principles to leading a fulfilling life. Or learn a sick dance move from Eric. The man can move.

Have you noticed that more and more of the new crop of elite powerlifters were high-level athletes before hitting the platform? Powerlifting participation has grown greatly, and with it comes a greater talent pool. But what is talent? Is it just "genetics"? Or might it also be that powerlifting's recent popularity, and later age-peak for performance attracts former athletes? If so, are these athletes succeeding purely because they've got "genetics", or is there a mindset that comes from years of sport that fuels success? Tune in to this episode with world champions LS McClain and Taylor Atwood to get the perspective from two individuals who were competing long before they got their first squat command.

Training volume has a relationship with rates of hypertrophy in research. But how do you quantify volume? Further, just because a group doing more volume often grows more than a group doing less, does that mean your volume needs to increase? When should volume increase? Are there times volume increases are counterproductive? What are the fundamental differences between increasing load or reps, and number of sets? In this episode we break down hypertrophy, progressive overload, progression, and volume from a first principles perspective, ultimately helping you understand the answers to all of these questions.

It is time to talk about the new old school in powerlifting. We aren't referring to Larry Pacifico, Don Reinhoudt, or Ed Coan. We're talking about the rise of drug-tested powerlifting in the last decade with two of the biggest voices leading the way, Jonnie Candito and Russel Orhii. The number of participants in the IPF (and USAPL) has grown immensely over the last decade in no small part due to individuals being able to share their journey online. Jonnie Candito (of CanditoTrainingHQ) pioneered the informative strength video on YouTube, leading to many of his contemporaries trying out powerlifting. This in turned inspired individuals like Russel Orhii to get into powerlifting. Russel is one of the most popular powerlifters today with his 2019 IPF Championship win accumulating more views than any other IPF related video. What has led to this explosive growth? Why are squats suddenly cool? And is there any point in training other than getting ridiculously aesthetic? The hosts find out in today's episode.

A few years ago, the supplement industry was in such a state that simply putting effective ingredients at their proper dosage on a label, without a proprietary blend was revolutionary. Fortunately, today there are a handful of "evidence-based" companies that do this and do it well. However, in a competitive market, where do you go from here? What is the process? In this episode, we're rejoined by a registered dietician and DeNovo Supps founder and formulator, Ben Esgro. He has two masters, one in Sports Nutrition, the other in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. He gives a behind the scenes look at formulation and development. Also, Eric Trexler, Ph.D., a researcher with experience conducting and reviewing studies on supplements is back to give us insight into the research process of supplement science.

Weightlifting is the filet Mignon to the ground chuck of powerlifting and bodybuilding, the First Class to our coach seats on the Iron Game Express. Most people can lift weights, but weightlifting requires power, range of motion, and coordination that squatting or curling in the squat rack simply can't compare to. In this episode of Iron Culture, we're joined by Amy and Greg Everett of Catalyst Athletics, former champions in American Weightlifting, and now some of the most prominent coaches and content creators in the sport. Also, Max Aita returns, also a prominent coach working with Juggernaut Training Systems, who competed at a high level in both weightlifting and powerlifting. In this episode of Iron Culture, we explore the unique aspects, history, athletic demands, experience, and training philosophies of weightlifting, and compare and contrast them with the rest of the iron game.

In a perfect world, we would never need to rest between sets, because we would never need to stop lifting. Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world, and we do have to consider rest. How long should we rest between sets? Why? What is the nature of fatigue? How do we reconcile research suggesting longer rest periods enhance hypertrophy, and other research suggesting rest-pause and drop sets can be just as if not more effective for hypertrophy? Join us in this duo episode as we get into the weeds and answer these questions.

Biomechanics is the understanding of the body's structure, function, and motion with physics to describe what we experience. As lifters, most of what biomechanics explains mathematically, we understand intuitively. But, in a complex dynamic system like the human body, sometimes what we experience, or our assumptions based on a limited understanding of biomechanics, can be counterintuitive and misleading. To clear up the confusion and address the popular tropes, we're joined by Megan Bryanton-Jones, PhD, the powerlifting biomechanist behind Kinetic Advantage. She joins us alongside returning guest, the PhD candidate and intellectual entity known as Andrew Vigotsky, on this episode of Iron Culture.

Around these parts, cardio has a bad reputation. Sure, in the greater fitness community, cardio (a fancy way of saying running, usually on a treadmill) has long been one of the cornerstones of any fitness regime. Want to lose weight? Do "cardio"! Have stubborn fat to lose? Do (slow) or (really fast) "cardio"! Whatever body composition problems you faced, cardio was seen as an essential tool. This has largely fallen by the wayside over the last decade, with its importance now seen as being grossly overstated for body composition. Some go so far as to call it useless and utter waste of time. Is this truly the case? In this episode, two men with grossly irrational fears of aerobic activity struggle to unravel the mystery behind the ever-elusive cardio question. Just kidding, they completely nail it.

In the lifting community, two words are often used interchangeably: periodization and programming. Are they, in fact, the same thing? As you will learn in this episode featuring special guest Dr. Mike Zourdos, they are surprisingly not synonyms. What develops from the conversation is a more thorough understanding of the two which will yield a better perspective on your training. Find out in what context both periodization and programming are useful and why Bulgarian style training sounds fun until you actually try to execute it. Don't say we didn't warn you.

If you're a long time listener of Iron Culture, you've been exposed to calisthenics, CrossFit, powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman/woman, and more! Maybe, just maybe, it's influenced you to pursue multiple avenues of strength? If so, you might have had some head-scratching moments or found yourself struggling to juggle multiple goals simultaneously. In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Stefi Cohen and Max Aita, impressive multi-sport strength athletes in their own right, who have made careers out of helping lifters make simultaneous progress in multiple disciplines of strength. Join us in today's discussion as we learn how that balancing act is performed.

From lifting calibrated plates on competition spec bars in approved knee sleeves through the same three movement patterns to moving uncalibrated humans through a near-infinite combination of vectors and forces while covered in your shared sweat and blood in a half-off Gi. How did such an unexpected turn occur? It seems like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has taken the strength world by storm. Instagram feeds once populated by squats, bench presses and deadlifts are now populated by rolls, holds, and throws. Just what is going on here? Join us we sit down with two individuals who know a fair bit about BJJ: none other than Chad Wesley Smith and Dr. Melissa Davis, as we explore this recent iron game cultural shift.

Dig if you will this picture, of you inside with the kids. This is what it sounds like when gains die. At this point, it has been four weeks without access to gyms for most individuals. Exacerbating the painful absence of the gym is the abundance of free time at our disposal, leading many to struggle with their nutrition. Fear not because in this episode today, Iron Culture co-owners (and current hosts) Eric Helms and Omar Isuf overview what you can do to stay on track with your nutrition. Eric delves into what the literature shows when it comes to activity levels and hunger cues. A robust helpful framework is established to arm you with the tools necessary to better adhere to your nutrition paradigm. We're all going to make it, one deliciously grilled chicken breast and a steamed cup of broccoli at a time. http://www.nutritioncoachingglobal.com

"Nihilism: the belief that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value; used to explain the general mood of despair at a perceived pointlessness of existence." We've all been there folks, and many of the iron cult are without the iron and struggling. In this episode rife with coping-motivated banter and sarcasm, we dig deep and discover that the iron is in fact, always with us. Join us in this iron-forge side chat as we discuss how to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones and find a will, and thus a way forward. What can science and history tell us about training in our current time? The hosts explore this question in today's episode.

From the 1900s when Eugen Sandow promoted "Plasmon" and his "Health and Strength Cocoa", the supplement industry has been rife with dubious claims. Since, like a game of limbo, the bar for quality, and scientific accuracy has only lowered. Rather than bending under the low bar, a few individuals vaulted right over by doing the unthinkable: starting companies that sell science-backed products, educate consumers, and use no-nonsense marketing. This week, Eric hosts a roundtable consisting of Ben Esgro, the biochemical-artist behind De Novo Nutrition, Mike Matthews of Legion Athletics, and our very own Omar Isuf, founder of Ouroboros. Learn the challenges they face as iconoclasts in the supplement industry and how they overcame them in this episode.

Ten years ago, any supposedly knowledgeable PT would be making judicious use of the friendly blue foam roller with clients. Ten years later, the blue idol has fallen out of fashion and we've seen a trend towards minimalism. Stretching is overrated. Doing a squat will prepare you to squat and that is the end of the story. Or is it? Co-owners Eric Helms & Omar Isuf are joined by veteran personal trainer and gym owner Dean Somerset. Dean has been successfully navigating the realm beyond simply counting 3 sets of 10 for almost 20 years and his approach is an exemplary model for aspiring trainers to follow. By the end of this episode, you will learn that the blue cylinder is neither friend nor foe but a tool whose utility depends upon the context of use. Spoiler Alert.

Rewind the clock. The year is 2009, Lady Gaga is all the rage, MySpace is THE social media platform and if you eat carbs after 6 pm, you are sabotaging your gains. Enjoy this episode of co-hosts Eric Helms and Omar Isuf reminiscing on their early days as lifting enthusiasts. You'll learn about the most anabolic chili, how far Eric is willing to go to get his protein intake and why adding 5lb per week to the bar doesn't work forever. You'll probably find yourself nodding along relating to many of the anecdotes...and probably being horrified by several others.

What is aesthetic? While the hosts agree on what they consider aesthetic in a physique (except for the importance of calves), individual opinions vary drastically. Despite the variety of opinions, physique sport judges have the difficult task of ranking competitors in multiple divisions. In this episode, we are joined by first-time guests Chris Bumstead, the current Classic Physique Mr. Olympia, and Pro Natural Men's Physique Champion and Coach, Paul Revelia, to explore aesthetics in and out of physique competition.

Omar and Eric realized that if they maintained their current totals, and cut to the 59kg class, they'd rank among the top 10 raw drug-free powerlifters in the world. In this episode, they bring on three researchers/coaches/athletes: Kedric Kwan, David Nolan, and Arthur Lynch, experts who in the course of their ongoing PhDs have published the only peer-reviewed research in existence on this topic. Ultimately, Omar and Eric's dreams of becoming elite 59kg lifters are crushed, but the listeners come away with valuable knowledge.

Dr. Melissa Davis is a Renaissance Periodization consultant and coach with a Ph.D. in neuroscience, who specializes in behavior change. She is also no stranger to setting and achieving difficult goals as a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu who is a multi-time masters world champion. Join us this week on Iron Culture as we explore the science and practical application of behavior change with Dr. Mel Davis.

Brett Gibbs is one of the current icons of IPF powerlifting. Having placed 1st or 2nd in the 83kg class every year since 2014 at IPF Worlds, competing sometimes in both equipped and raw divisions, he's elite among even other elite lifters. However, what is perhaps most interesting, is how his outlook on the sport and his outlook on winning has changed over time. Join us this week as we delve into the mind of a champion, as we discuss the journey of Brett Gibbs as a lifter.

Eric & Omar are joined once again by guests Gabrielle Fundaro and Mike Tuchscherer to discuss a seemingly taboo concept in the "evidence-based" fitness community: intuition. Find out how intuitive eating & autoregulation are related and why listening to biological feedback has a high degree of utility. Our subjective experiences can provide useful inputs for how we shape our decision making. Intuition need not be relegated to the background of our choices and fortunately, Gabrielle & Mike emphatically explain why.

This week Omar and Eric sit down with Greg Nuckols and Sohee Lee. Both are fantastic science communicators in the world of fitness, but specifically, they both have expertise in sex differences among lifters. Greg did his master's thesis specifically looking at sex differences in inter-set recovery during resistance training, while Sohee is in the early stages of her Ph.D. in which she's planning to examine how circuit vs traditional resistance training may impact female lifters. What differences are there between men and women, different modalities of lifting, and why? Join us this week to find out!

Periodization in and of itself tends to be a confusing and hotly debated topic, heavy on opinions but light on evidence. But periodization for hypertrophy alone is an even greater unknown. Join Omar and Eric this week as they explore this nebulous topic by discussing the scant, and not perfectly applicable research on the topic, periodization theory, and mechanisms of hypertrophy. In the end, this speculative discussion sheds a bit of light on what elements of periodization, if any, might be applicable for hypertrophy training and how they could be applied.

At last, the long-standing feud between Iron CULTure, free speech and Danny Lennon of Sigma Nutrition comes to a close. The co-owners, Eric and Omar, interview the very friendly (there is not even a remote possibility that he is a serial killer) Danny Lennon on chrononutrition, the intersection of circadian rhythms and nutrition. Learn about your master clock, why it appears those who eat the majority of their calories earlier in the day lose more weight and dietary considerations for every individual.

Bryce Lewis, elite powerlifter and founder of The Strength Athlete is back on Iron Culture fresh off his 2019 USAPL Raw Nationals 105kg Open win. Now a 3-time national champion, his 902.5kg total is an unofficial world record and ranks him #1 in the world for tested raw 105kg lifters. His eyes are on IPF Classic Worlds 2020 to secure a 2nd World title, but 2020 also marks his 10 year anniversary of working with Eric as his coach. In this episode Omar grudgingly puts aside jealousy to interview Eric and Bryce, getting to the heart of what makes an effective coaching relationship long term.

Four words to describe this podcast would be authentic, vulnerable, and being real. Or something like that. We are joined by Jordan Syatt, a personal trainer who has grown an online presence by doing everything you shouldn't. You'll find almost no video or photo of him lifting, showing off abs, or "exposing" other practitioners. Instead, he delivers on a consistent basis practical, insightful, and useful fitness information. Explore with co-owners Eric Helms & Omar Isuf as they define what qualities make a good personal trainer and how to succeed in the online fitness space without selling your (immortal) soul.

It's a new year, it's a new decade, and it's a year in review for Iron Culture. Join our hosts...or rather owners, as they reflect on the first year of Iron Culture and discuss their plans for 2020 in this tongue and cheek bonus episode. Bonus: Eric tries to expand the Culture's demographics into Mukbang territory. Bonus Bonus: And apparently ASMR. We apologize.

In one of our previous duo episodes, Omar went on a deep dive with Eric into autoregulation, the topic of his Ph.D. In this episode, Omar sits down with Eric and asks him to rewind the academic clock even further, to his first foray into academia and research, his masters. In this episode, the hosts not only discuss the roots of how Eric's career as a trainer and online coach forked into becoming a researcher, but they also dive into the nitty-gritty of his master's thesis, which was done on everyone's favorite macronutrient: protein!