Iron Culture

Dr. Jake Linardon is a researcher at Deakin University in Melbourne Australia where he is leading the charge with a flurry of new research on the causes of, contributors to, associations with and the effectiveness of treatments for eating disorders. Additionally, he’s one of the few researchers exploring surprising similarities between rigid and flexible dieting approaches. In this episode, we explore how eating disorders manifest, especially in lifters and physique athletes, what might be at their root, what we know, what we don’t know, and discuss exploratory steps towards solutions.

Modern social media has an abundance of choices. Look up any particular topic and you’ll find a plethora of options. An abundance of choice does not mean an abundance of quality, however. In this episode, Eric & Omar explore the role of the evidence-based practitioner, contrasting it with the rise of the “guru”. In this podcast, you might not find easy answers but you will find deeper meaning.

“Evidence-based” is said without questioning its meaning. While science popularisation in the iron game is a net win, we must learn the difference between #science and evidence-based practice. To understand what differentiates the two and why the distinction is critical, we‘re joined by two researchers, science communicator, practitioners, Drs. Andy Galpin and Brad Dieter. Andy is a former competitive weightlifter, consults with athletes, and is a professor studying muscle fiber responses to training at Cal State Fullerton. Brad researches exercise and nutrition to improve health and human performance and is an author at Science-Driven Nutrition and the Chief Scientific Officer at Eat to Perform. Join them as we strive to understand the role of evidence-based practice in lifting.

At Iron Culture we ask important questions, for example: “what meaning do you make in life?” But in this episode, we are joined by Drs. Brad Schoenfeld, Brandon Roberts, and Juha Hulmi to ask THE most important question: “why and how do muscles grow?” Each guest in this episode is such an avid devotee to the iron that not only are they a dedicated lifter, but dedicated to the scientific study of muscle. Brad is one of the foremost experts on the mechanisms and applied training variables of muscle hypertrophy, Juha is renowned for his work on muscle wasting and anabolic genetic signaling, and Brandon is an expert in molecular signaling of hypertrophy. If you’ve ever wanted to learn the complexities of muscle growth, then join us this episode for a deep dive into the science of size.

In 2019 technology is not only a part of life, but a part of fitness. Whether you wear a heart rate monitor, track your steps, scan the barcodes of foods to track their calories, or watch videos of your lifts to assess form, you’ve experienced this intersection first hand. We take these things for granted, but we miss the behind he scenes hard work, success, failures, struggles, ingenuity, creativity, setbacks and triumphs of the fitness-tech developers who make the augmented fitness world we live in possible. In this episode Iron Culture welcomes the founders of three lifter-specific apps, Obi Anachebe of FitGenie, Eric Wagner of Gravitus and Nidhi Kulkarni of Spitfire and Gravitus to give us a peak behind the curtain.

Omar and Eric are joined by two experts in psychology, Dr Kori Propst and Amanda Rizo, MS, who are not only therapists, but are both lifters themselves. Dr Kori Propst was a elite level natural physique athlete and has worked with the Diet Doc alongside Dr Joe for a decade as a world leader in bodybuilding psychology. Likewise, Amanda Rizo, MS is a licensed therapist and the Team 3DMJ mental health consultant. Join us for an in depth discussion of what goes on in the minds of physique competitors.

This is a Podcast you'll want to listen to from start to finish. Selected by hosts Eric Helms & Omar Isuf as one of their favourites (look, they can do that), this Podcast delves deep into the art of coaching. The hosts are joined by Sioux-z Hartwig-Gary, Matt Gary and Dan John; three veteran coaches at the top of their respective fields. Coaching is so much more than giving someone a spreadsheet or telling them their macros. Learn insights from these three who have spent decades honing their craft. Whether your goal is to become a better coach or just be more introspective as a lifter, this episode has something for everything.

In this episode, the hosts learn about the brief but interesting history of CrossFit, both as a fitness movement and competitive sport. They are joined by James Fitzgerald, the first CrossFit Games champion, who transitioned from athlete to coach, to a coach of coaches as the sport has evolved. A highly influential leader and thinker in the high-intensity functional fitness arena, he has watched CrossFit change and morph over time. Also, they are joined by Marcus Filly, a prolific athlete having competed at the games six times while CrossFit only became more competitive. He is also a coach, and pioneering thought leader using rational approaches to combining high-intensity functional fitness training with other modalities such as bodybuilding.

The reality of lifting is that most individuals do not make it a lifelong pursuit. For a variety of reasons people start lifting and somewhere along the way, they stop. Why? In this episode, Eric & Omar explore motivation and take a look at the outcome vs the process of any activity. How can we frame lifting in such a way that we stick with it forever?

For a long time in the fitness industry, it was said that scientific information wasn't sexy. If you wanted to attract an audience, go with a captivating headline and tell people what they want to hear. One weird trick to lose weight. And for a long time, this was the norm. However, two individuals in the last several years have completely disproved this theory. Greg Nuckols & Jeff Nippard have grown sizeable audiences while actually increasing the complexity of science in their fitness information. How do you effectively communicate information so it reaches a large audience? How do you avoid clickbait? What can we learn from marketing? Hosts Eric Helms & Omar Isuf explore these questions and more in this extended podcast!

The hosts are joined by 3DMJ, a group of extremely knowledgeable coaches aimed at providing science based strategies for the natural lifting community. In this episode, the coaches share war stories from their competitive days. You might think you know what dieting is like but it is a whole different animal when you are preparing for a bodybuilding show.

Today the hosts are joined by two elite Powerlifters, Bryce Lewis & Isabella von Weissenberg. Both athletes have achieved tremendous success in the sport of powerlifting, as well as being internationally recognized coaches. However both have had to come to terms with using social media as a tool for business and their athlete profiles. Is social media all that it is cracked up to be? What are some of the potential pitfalls? We explore these questions and more in today’s episode.

Eric & Omar are joined by Dr. Joe Klemczewski, the pioneer of modern natural bodybuilding coaching. Many practices taken for granted today, including tapering for a proper peak week, were first utilized by Dr. Joe. He is the OG evidence based natural bodybuilding coach.  He also was one of the first successful coaches to transition into online coaching. The hosts discuss his successes in a multitude of business ventures and learn tips applicable for aspiring fitness entrepreneurs.

Eric and Omar are joined again by Dr. Dominic Morais, Physical Culture and Sport Studies scholar, to discuss the emergence of the “Iron Game” in the early to mid 1900’s. We learn what it was like to be a lifter when Muscle Magazines emerged. Communities formed around shared experiences created by the stories told in magazine columns. This contemporary history would be the first battle grounds between magazine owners, athlete icons, “gurus” and training philosophies. During this era Olympic Lifting underwent changes, bodybuilding became a legitimate separate endeavour and powerlifting would also formalize. Further Resources: 1. https://www.starkcenter.org/ 2. https://www.mbpowercenter.com/powerprof Dominic (@brainybrawn)

In this episode, the hosts are joined by calisthenics competitor and filmmaker Rain Bennett. His documentary Raise Up illuminates the recent explosion of calisthenics (body weight training) around the world. Chronicling the rise in Brooklyn in New York and drawing parallels with the rise in Russia, Rain explains the fundamental appeal and utility of calisthenics.

For the longest time, powerlifting was a male dominated sport. Recently there has been a seismic shift as more women train and compete in the sport of powerlifting. Reports indicate approximately 38% of competitors are female, a stark contrast from just a decade ago. What happened? In this episode we are fortunate to have three women at the top of their respective categories, share their insights. For raw classic powerlifting, we have the OG, Jen Thompson who has broken over 60 world records in the IPF. For equipped powerlifting, we have 2x IPF Open World Champion Natalie Hanson. Last we have the unstoppable Stefi Cohen, who continues to shatter world records in the untested powerlifting division. These three women offer an inside look at their experiences, struggles and triumphs in this episode.

Eric and Omar sit down with Danny Lennon and Cliff Harvey for a non-dogmatic discussion of the ins and outs of carbohydrate manipulation, ketogenic diets, and the context of when one might use various carbohydrate intakes in various situations. Cliff Harvey is a registered clinical nutritionist, author and researcher in the final stages of his PhD at the Auckland University of Technology. He has extensive experience working with athletes, the lay public and clinical populations and is a published researcher in the field of ketogenic diet induction and low carbohydrate diets. Danny Lennon is the founder of Sigma Nutrition. He has a masters in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork and has worked as a nutrition practitioner with a wide variety of clients. He became well known for his role as a performance nutritionist to professional mixed martial artists & boxers, and is known worldwide as an educator through his seminars and podcast.

This week on Iron Culture Eric and Omar reflect on the decisions content producers make in the fitness industry. While snake oil peddlers are abundant, even well meaning, well informed leaders have to figure out how to help as many people as possible without losing the quality and utility of their message. In this episode Omar and Eric reflect on their own content and where they personally try to find the balance between building a broader reach without turning away from their mission statements.

In this episode Iron Culture brings a who’s who panel of the some of the most influential modern minds in periodization and auto regulation. Champion IPF powerlifter and prolific coach Mike Tuchscherer who introduced the lifting world to “reactive training” based on programming a specific proximity to failure within a set is joined by John Kiely, a sports scientist, theorist and long time strength and conditioning coach whose peer reviewed articles have acted as wake up calls in periodization academia. Last but not least, Dr Michael Zourdos joins the panel, a pioneer in modern applied periodization research who was the first to specifically advocate for the integration of periodization concepts previously considered mutually exclusive. Join us for this in depth discussion! Periodization 2012: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55b7ffebe4b0568a75e3316b/t/580a2604725e25c8080a03d9/1477060101545/09Kiely+IJSPP_PeriodizationParadigms.pdf Periodization 2018: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-017

In this episode, Iron Culture attempts to bring an intellectually honest conversation to the emotionally charged topic of steroids. Hosts Eric and Omar are joined by John Meadows and Dr. Mike Israetel. John is a well known and respected IFBB pro bodybuilder, who has been open about his steroid use. Dr. Israetel attained his PhD in Sports Physiology and has a very knowledgeable understanding of PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs). The hosts will explore societal attitudes around steroids, discuss why someone decides to use and contrast lifting as a natural vs being enhanced. The goal with this episode is to give different perspectives on a controversial topic and highlight the large similarities that exist between both parties.   For More Information On Our Guests: John Meadows: https://mountaindogdiet.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mountaindog1/ https://www.youtube.com/user/mountaindog1/   Mike Israetel: https://renaissanceperiodization.com/ https://www.instagram.com/rpdrmike