Iron Culture

Coach Ian Pyka has more history than fits in an episode. While currently an instructor of kinesiology, biomechanics and strength and conditioning at Florida Atlantic University, Coach Pyka has done it all. He was a 3 time NCAA All American Shot Putter and made the 1980 Olympic team as an alternate. He completed his MS in Ex Phys at The University of Tennessee in 1984 and got his CSCS in 1986. Since then, he’s worked at all levels as an S&C coach. As the former head S&C of the University of Massachusetts, Tulane University, the New England Patriots, the Florida Panthers, and in his own S&C company, he‘s accumulated an incredible depth of experience that we were privileged to discuss on Iron Culture.

It is no secret that co-host Omar Isuf has had a long and difficult relationship with Creatine Monohydrate. Today's episode is about facing your addictions head-on as the hosts bring leading Creatine researcher Dr. Darren Candow on to discuss the potent white powder. The talk extends beyond the normal discussions on Creatine, examining not only the performance benefits but the cognitive perks as well. Even if you are a fellow Creatine enthusiast like one of the hosts, we're positive you'll walk away with a few new insights on everyone's favorite PES (Performance Enhancing Supplement).  

Humans try to reduce answers to binary outcomes: yes or no, black or white, or often as is the case in fitness, good or bad. Unfortunately, this is often to our own detriment as few fitness questions have binary answers. Training frequency is no different. While there is a recent perception that higher frequency is better, full stop, in many cases it is no different and if improperly implemented has the potential to be worse. In this episode join the cult leaders as they discuss frequency conceptually. Listeners will leave with tools rather than a false binary answer.

John Berardi has been a voice of evidence-based nutrition for decades. A competitive bodybuilder in his youth he went on to pursue his Ph.D. and became one of the first well-known voices advocating for a scientific approach to performance nutrition. Before social media, he became a well-known writer on topics related to nutrient timing, macronutrient breakdown, and nutrition for enhancing fat loss and muscle gain, and was one of the first writers on T-Nation. Since, he started Precision Nutrition which became a wildly successful personal trainer education company helping professionals learn nutrition to aid clients in achieving weight loss, wellness and performance goals. We were very fortunate to sit down with Dr. Berardi to discuss the long road that took him from being a young bodybuilder to a successful fitness entrepreneur. Dr. Berardi's new book -- Change Maker -- is being called the health and fitness industry’s #1 career guide. And, for a short time, he’s making the first few chapters (plus other b

If you've been in the fitness industry long enough, you've undoubtedly heard of flexible dieting. Depending upon who you ask, flexible dieting is either a liberating way of quantifying the food you consume or needlessly obsessive. The question becomes, what is the best approach for an individual looking to get into their best shape? Today, the hosts are joined by accomplished coach Laurin Conlin (MSc in Exercise Science) who's Masters research focused on how different dieting strategies affect weight loss and weight regain. Particularly, looking at a ‘flexible’ diet where no foods are excluded versus a meal plan, where foods were excluded. Her research was the first study to directly examine this relationship between these two diets. Join us for an in-depth conversation on nutrition.  

James Krieger has been putting out some of the best science-based information in the lifting community for over a decade. With expertise in nutrition, resistance training, statistics, and with personal experience in physique sport and with substantial coaching experience across a diverse spectrum from recreational lifters, to high-level competitors, he’s a voice of reason worth listening to. In this episode, James helps us understand the oft-misrepresented and frequently demonized hormone: insulin! Is it the cause of obesity? What role does it play in the body? How should we conceptualize it? If you’ve struggled with these questions, you won’t want to miss the episode where he joins Eric and Omar on Iron Culture.

Cliff Wilson is universally respected in the bodybuilding community, on both sides of the fence, by enhanced and natural athletes and coaches alike. He’s an example of a coach who is science-aware but informed by what works first and foremost. Never one to be trapped by how “it’s supposed to be”, his keen observations, attention to detail, and practices built through years of trial and error have resulted in the peak performance of many a competitor. Join us for this episode of Iron Culture as we discuss what peaking is for physique sport, and how the concept of there being a universal peaking formula is inherently flawed.  

“In this episode of Iron Culture, you get to observe the emotional maturity of Omar as he realizes he’s in an open relationship with Eric. The original bodybuilding bromance is on display this week, as Alberto Nuñez joins Iron Culture so that he and Eric Helms can discuss the “lifestyle” of bodybuilding. While many take careful notes on the sets, reps, exercise selection, food choices and macros of physique competitors, most miss the deeply entrenched habits that are the true keys to their long term success.”

We were joined by Dr. Mike Israetel to discuss Maximum Recoverable Volume...just kidding. Actually, we were moved to chat with Mike after his recent post where he went point-by-point through his self-perceived shortcomings as a science communicator. In an industry where “being right” is often valued more than being correct, and serving one’s ego comes before serving the greater good, we saw this as an opportunity to discuss the importance of critical self-evaluation, and how to prevent your ego from ruining your career, life, goal pursuits or reputation.

Everybody hurts, but what if pain don't hurt much?! The immortal bard Dalton from Roadhouse might have been onto something. This episode the hosts are joined by three experts in the field of performance, rehab and pain science. Nick Licameli of 3DMJ (PT, DPT), Quinn Henoch of Clinical Athlete (DPT) and Jordan Feigenbaum of Barbell Medicine (MD, MS) discuss the current status of pain science, injury reduction, and managing setbacks. Further Information For Our Guests: Quinn Henoch (DPT): https://www.clinicalathlete.com/ @quinn.henochdpt Nick Licameli (PT, DPT): https://3dmusclejourney.com/ @nicklicameli Jordan Feigenbaum (MD, MS): https://www.barbellmedicine.com/ @jordan_barbellmedicine

Consider this episode a homecoming as co-host Eric Helms reminisces on Sacramento lifting culture. He is joined by fellow Sacramento natives Alan Thrall, Silent Mike, and Jim McDonald. A seemingly small city tucked away in Northern California, the soon to be infamous SacTown Boys explore the reasons why Sacramento has made such a strong impact inside the lifting community. From weightlifting legend Tommy Kono to Body Tribe in the present, Sacramento is home to a vibrant, diverse lifting community. The conversation also explores starting your own business, traversing the fitness industry and why Iron Culture is the world's friendliest Cult.

Over the last three decades, Randall Strossen was there for it all. World records in weightlifting at the Olympics and world championships, incredible performances at the Highland games world championships and the worlds strongest man; if he wasn’t behind the lens as a photographer, he might have been the commentator, or written about the performances in Milo magazine or in his sport psychology column in Ironman magazine which ran for 12 years. Randall has a Ph.D. in psychology, founded IronMind in 1988, and Milo magazine in 1993. Thousands of lifters have seen what level of IronMind Captains of Crush grippers they could close, most serious strength athletes from prior decades owned a copy of his book Super Squats, and he took every iconic picture that adorns the covers of Milo magazine, which ran for 25 years from until 2018. Sit back and marvel at the rich iron game experiences and personal insights that Dr. Strossen had to share with Omar and Eric on this episode of Iron Culture.

Is Iron Culture big enough for two pro natural bodybuilders with PhDs named Eric (or was it Derek)? The banter heats up as metabolisms cool down this week as the cult leaders are joined by Dr Eric Trexler to discuss metabolic adaptation. Why is weight loss difficult to sustain? What is adaptive thermogenesis, the phenomenon we call metabolic adaptation colloquially? Is it the cause of our fat loss woes, or are it’s effects overhyped? If it is overhyped, what really are the barriers to successful fat loss and fat loss maintenance? Join us on this episode as we discuss all of the above.

Doping: the topic every 19 year old in the YouTube comments section seems to be an expert on. Maybe it’s more complicated and nuanced than the local internet culture would have you believe? In this episode, we have Ph.D. candidate Alex Kolliari-Turner on Iron Culture. He is a true expert in this field, doing his Ph.D. research on the long term effects of anabolic steroids on muscle. His research examining the impacts of steroids on anabolic signaling pathways and potential permanent retention of myonuclei may have wide-reaching impacts on how we view doping, doping detection and the concept of being “drug-free”. In addition to the hard science, Eric and Omar discuss with Alex advancements in anti-doping, how retrospective testing is changing the face of elite sport, and how different sport cultures, societies, and governmental structures impact how commonplace doping is, the reason and pressures behind the decision to dope, the source of doping, and its sophistication.    Email: A.Kolliari-Turner@brighton.ac.

In this episode, Eric & Omar are joined by firebrand Chip Conrad. A true physical culture enthusiast, Chip has been involved with seminal figures in our culture (Mel Siff, Tommy Kono, Jan Todd and Dan John to name but a few).  Chip's unique approach to training stands in stark contrast to the modern fitness industrial complex. Combining aspects of different disciplines from strongman to yoga, Chip is a rare thinker and teacher. Listen to how he redefines what strength means, what the point of lifting is and the merit of early Van Halen. PS www.chipconrad.com (it'll be a real thing soon, we promise)

In this episode, Eric and Omar are joined by one of the most celebrated, revered and respected pro natural bodybuilders, Brian Whitacre. Brian is a legendary figure, historically being the first to win both the WNBF Worlds and Yorton Cup Overalls the same year in 2015. The hosts discuss natural bodybuilding, economics and what it takes to be a champion. Listen up, you might be surprised.

Brian Minor, MS, pro natural bodybuilder and national level USAPL raw powerlifter, is not only an impressive dual-sport strength and physique athlete, but he’s also top of the bodybuilding and Powerlifting coaching game. As a thought leader in the evidence-based strength and physique community, he does an excellent job putting context and application to theory to help move practice forward. Join us in this episode as we get into the nitty-gritty of what progressive overload really means with Brian, and how it’s often misunderstood.

At the edges of scientific understanding, pseudoscience is bred and born. When a topic is studied, but not yet understood, marketers plant the seeds of hype to suck you in. “This one weird trick”, “doctors hate him”, “the herb the FDA doesn’t want you to have”. The emerging field of gut health is an arena rife with such quackery. Fortunately, we have Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro as a guiding light. She has a Ph.D. in human nutrition, is a competitive strength and physique athlete, and was a professor at Georgia Gwinnett College before joining Renaissance Periodization as a coach and science communicator. As a gut health researcher and professional, she joins Omar and Eric to uncover the myths and truths, and to discuss how pseudoscience forms.

In this episode of Iron Culture, Omar leads a discussion looking inward to the academic journey of Eric Helms through his Ph.D. As we explore the science, history, and culture of lifting, it’s important to not only consume the outcome of scientific research but to consider it in the context of the human experience of the researchers who dedicate years of their lives to sometimes uncovering ludicrously simple answers through intense and complicated study. Like lifting itself, exercise and nutrition research is a marathon not a sprint, and a labor of love. In this episode learn not only about autoregulation, the topic of Eric’s Ph.D. but also about the experience of the academic pursuit of knowledge.

Iron Culture hosts a Roundtable discussion on strength development and the relationship between hypertrophy and it’s relationship to a one-repetition maximum. We’re joined by researcher Andrew Vigotsky who is currently pursuing his Ph.D., and also we bring back the ever jolly Greg Nuckols of Stronger by Science. Between them, they have not only personal experience with the iron, but more importantly, they’ve published academic peer-reviewed papers specifically on the multi-component factors that go into strength expression, from neuromuscular, to biomechanical, to technical and morphological contributing factors, including hypertrophy. Tune in to this episode for a deep dive on strength.