Iron Minds

Sam Bolotta

Great powerlifting isn't just built in the gym. It's built in the conversations between coaches: the debates about programming, the lessons from failed attempts, the ideas most people never get to hear. Iron Minds brings those conversations to you. Every episode features a coach worth knowing, talking about the work they actually do and why they do it that way.

Episodes

  1. 29 Jul

    What Coaches Get Wrong When a Program Stops Working w/ Marcellus Williams

    In the eleventh episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Marcellus Williams - the "swolefessor" - to talk about why pacing, not structure, decides your best blocks, how genetics really works, and why powerlifting undersells sports psychology. 0:00 - Intro 0:42 - Coming off IPF Worlds with eight clients, and what's next 2:59 - How long he's really been coaching 3:46 - Calisthenics with his dad, boxing, and lifting at 17 7:20 - Discovering raw powerlifting in college 9:10 - Doing everything to the best of your ability 10:11 - The quality he values most: truly caring about people 12:16 - Why a client's trust is a big deal 15:54 - The biggest influence: his dad, the pastor and firefighter 18:11 - Knowing when to be tender, when to be blunt, and saying "I don't know" 22:20 - Ranking the six variables 24:17 - Genetics sets your ceiling; effort fills it 28:53 - Why we shouldn't obsess over a ceiling we can't see 33:51 - Why powerlifting underrates sports psychology 35:28 - Why so few coaches talk about the mental side 37:06 - Retention, and the Brandon Petrus story 38:55 - Is good technique a point or a spectrum? 40:32 - Principles over positions: consistent, repeatable technique 44:09 - Guiding the athlete "within a box" as they change 47:29 - Technique, hypertrophy, and missing the forest for the trees 49:39 - Cue first: the least invasive change wins 51:43 - Symmetry for performance, not for its own sake 55:19 - Top-down vs bottom-up, and the five-hours-of-sleep trap 57:14 - Deadlifting first: a principle, not a problem 59:19 - The low-volume-responder myth 1:02:23 - The common thread in every great block: pacing 1:05:33 - The one variable he'd track 1:07:53 - Static vs dynamic RPE 1:12:01 - The fatigue-to-fitness ratio he wishes existed 1:18:45 - Velocity tracking, and why it's the least useful tool 1:20:48 - Variable percentage-based training 1:24:14 - Intuition vs data, and how the curve bends back 1:26:16 - The Ashton week-four story that became a metric 1:30:26 - The Agatha six-days-a-week thought experiment 1:38:18 - The most common cause of plateaus 1:40:36 - Powerlifting in 2035 1:45:55 - The question nobody asks: legacy Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Marcellus: https://www.instagram.com/theswolefessor/

  2. 22 Jul

    RPE Is Overrated w/ Anas Anbar

    In the tenth episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Anas Anbar to talk about why you can't separate fatigue from the stimulus that builds strength, and what that means for how we program, cue, and read a lifter. 0:00 - Intro 1:55 - Growing up on soccer in Jordan, then finding the gym 4:26 - The coach's line that stuck: "the gains begin after you get tired" 8:05 - The most important quality in a coach 10:06 - What he changed his mind about: expanding the dosage continuum 11:46 - Hot take: RPE is overrated 17:04 - The John Song contrast — RPE as a teaching tool 18:38 - Second hot take: the golden microcycle will die out 20:26 - You can't separate the fatigue from the stimulus 22:59 - Why you shouldn't be scared of fatigue 24:36 - Strength depends on other qualities you have to build 30:47 - Raise the floor, don't just chase the ceiling 36:13 - Top-down vs bottom-up, and why it depends on the lifter 41:43 - Powerlifting as a moving target 44:04 - Is there objectively good and bad technique? 47:35 - Reading technique: levers, hip drop, center mass 53:24 - Coaching technique: environment vs cueing vs learning 1:03:53 - The most common cause of plateau right now 1:06:34 - What success looks like: force production, not top sets 1:10:39 - Velocity, and force as mass times acceleration 1:16:24 - Ranking the six variables 1:23:53 - How injuries actually happen: stress vs capacity 1:29:23 - The mocha-pot analogy for dosing stress 1:32:19 - Data vs intuition 1:38:21 - Powerlifting in ten years 1:47:25 - The question nobody asks: projects and gratitude Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Anas: https://www.instagram.com/anasanbar/

  3. 15 Jul

    There's No Direct Relationship Between Effort and Results w/ Filippo d'Albero

    In the ninth episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Filippo d'Albero - a former MMA fighter and engineer who came to powerlifting through injury rehab and turned it into a data-driven coaching practice and a decade of content - to talk about genetics, technique, data vs intuition, and what actually moves the needle for a lifter. 0:00 - Intro 0:50 - From MMA and a shoulder surgery to powerlifting 5:36 - AI and data analysis in powerlifting 12:42 - Who shaped him: Jason Tremblay & Eric Helms 15:41 - What he learns from his athletes 21:41 - Ranking the 6 variables (genetics first) 30:54 - Hot take: the underdog can't beat talent 40:51 - Why lifters really plateau 49:01 - What good technique actually is 55:28 - The squat: why the hips shoot up 57:04 - Fix the oven, don't split the line (the donut analogy) 1:07:20 - Programming: theory vs what works (Brett Gibbs) 1:15:37 - Data vs intuition 1:21:15 - The one variable to track: estimated 1RM 1:23:12 - VBT, RPE and the encoder 1:33:11 - Injury risk 1:37:54 - Powerlifting in 10 years 1:42:48 - The question no one asks Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Filippo: https://www.instagram.com/filippo_dalbero/

  4. 8 Jul

    There's a Difference Between Fatigue and Your Movement Crapping the Bed w/ John Song

    In the eighth episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with John Song — one of the most successful coaches in the world as well as a physical therapist — to talk about how he reads technique, writes programs, and manages fatigue for elite lifters. 0:00 - Intro 0:42 - From violin and wrestling to powerlifting and PT 5:09 - Coach McHugh and what makes a coach dependable 10:01 - What his athletes taught him 13:25 - Ranking the six variables of long-term success 18:22 - Why psychology is the long-term end-all 20:58 - Good technique as a boundary, not a point 31:07 - Programming: fundamentals-first vs bottom-up 37:39 - How a lifter should feel heading into a meet 42:50 - RPE/RIR vs percentages vs velocity 46:49 - Coaching intent and constant-velocity squatting 49:26 - Angelo's ultra-slow squat, explained 51:40 - The most common cause of plateaus 54:16 - Data vs intuition when writing programs 56:53 - The role of AI in powerlifting 1:01:31 - Where injury risk really comes from 1:06:04 - Where powerlifting will be in ten years 1:09:13 - The question nobody asks Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ John: https://www.instagram.com/john_song_dpt/

  5. 1 Jul

    Technique Is the Most Overhyped Thing in Powerlifting w/ Youssuf El Adlani

    In the seventh episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Youssuf El Adlani to talk about why an athlete's mindset matters more than genetics, technique or programming, and how he adapts the method to the lifter instead of the other way around. 0:00 - Intro 0:47 - From tennis and martial arts to powerlifting 2:36 - Rafael Nadal and his first coach Anthony Graziani 6:33 - Ranking the 6 variables: mindset #1, technique last 10:57 - Being relentless & the comparison trap 16:37 - Diagnosing a plateaued lifter 20:33 - Finding the pattern & coaching block-to-block 27:25 - How a block should feel & back-end deloads 30:43 - The one variable to track: average intensity 32:38 - Quality of work over tonnage 36:35 - Reactive coaching, RPE & the 5x5 question 41:14 - Can AI and data analytics help powerlifting? 46:03 - Intuition stories: Noemi Alabert & the junk-volume lifter 52:02 - Adapt the method to the athlete, not the reverse 57:41 - Good vs optimal technique & submaximal loads 1:05:29 - Velocity tracking as a monitoring tool 1:10:08 - Changing his mind & the women/volume hot take 1:14:34 - What really drives injury risk 1:17:49 - The future: 10 years, the Olympics & Sheffield 1:23:36 - Getting through the lows Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Youssuf: https://www.instagram.com/youssuf_el_adlani/

  6. 24 Jun

    I Went Two Years Without a Total PR — and a Lot of It Was a Mental Block w/ Matthew Henry

    In the sixth episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Matthew Henry — an Irish powerlifting coach, sports and exercise science graduate, and elite lifter heading to Worlds — to talk about why most plateaus are psychological, how to build and ride momentum, and why he keeps a toolbox of methods instead of a single doctrine. 0:00 - Intro 1:04 - Who Matt was before powerlifting 5:19 - The coach who shaped him & talent that works hard 8:46 - Ranking the six variables of strength 13:39 - Coaching technique: cues vs programming 16:09 - Reacting to a bad session & stacking the cards 20:32 - Diagnosing the stuck intermediate lifter 25:51 - Why lifters plateau & the junior-to-open crisis 30:01 - Momentum vs forcing progress: Jordan's road to Worlds 35:51 - RPE, percentages & velocity in prescription 41:11 - The one metric that tracks real progress 45:34 - Velocity drop-off & work capacity 48:20 - Top-down vs bottom-up programming 53:14 - Brett Gibbs & the work-capacity debate 59:16 - Intuition vs data 1:05:59 - Hot take: stop taking powerlifting so seriously 1:08:10 - What he changed his mind about 1:11:18 - The future of elite coaching 1:17:38 - Legacy & the question he wishes he'd be asked Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Matt: https://www.instagram.com/mhenry94/

  7. 17 Jun

    Genetics Is the Most Overrated Variable in Powerlifting w/ Matt Vena

    In the fifth episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Matt Vena — a Canadian èlite coach, competitive powerlifter with a 2,100+ lb total, and exercise-science grad — to talk about why psychology outranks programming, why he believes genetics is the most overrated variable in the sport, and how a submaximal, motor-learning-first approach drives long-term strength. 0:00 - Intro 0:40 - From high school gym class to Starting Strength 2:03 - Alec Blenis & how cardio coaching reshaped his thinking 3:39 - How aerobic training added 80kg to his total 6:00 - Ranking the six variables: psychology is 50% 10:17 - Coach-athlete relationship, autonomy & buy-in 14:32 - Diagnosing a year-long plateau & the role of externals 19:10 - What a successful block feels like & training at RPE 4-6 21:10 - Submaximal training & motor learning 23:22 - The one variable to track: a fatigue rating 26:20 - Workload over primary/secondary days 29:33 - Velocity tracking & the case against auto-regulation 35:04 - Top-down programming, bottom-up technique & biomechanics 39:05 - Planning backwards & his 16-week progression 42:12 - Coaching a Sheffield athlete & "lying by omission" 43:48 - Intuition vs data analysis 45:29 - Hot take: genetics is the most overrated variable 51:10 - What actually predicts injury 53:16 - What he's changed his mind on 55:22 - Why powerlifting will decline in ten years 1:01:05 - The motor-learning gap nobody talks about Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Matt: https://www.instagram.com/mattvena/

  8. 10 Jun

    A 500kg Squat Is Coming Before 2035 w/ Matt Gary

    In the fourth episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Matt Gary — a coach with three decades in powerlifting, a kinesiology background, multiple national-team head-coaching stints, and the man behind Ray Williams — to talk about what actually drives long-term athlete success and how he blends hard data with a trained eye, especially on game day. 0:00 - Intro 0:42 - Hearing the word "powerlifting" in 1982 (and quitting on day one) 5:43 - His first national-team role; coaching Susie to a world title 9:54 - The figures who shaped him: Mike Tomlin & Susie 13:28 - Psychology and the circle of control 17:06 - Ranking the six variables of athlete success 25:07 - Atypical technique and world-record kneecave 31:54 - Diagnosing a stalled athlete: look in the rear-view mirror 36:32 - How an athlete should feel block to block 41:46 - The one variable worth tracking: volume over time 44:43 - Ray Williams: why squat frequency went up, not down 50:05 - Principles vs tools: percentages, RPE, perception & reception 58:16 - Top-down vs bottom-up and the Brett Gibbs deadlift 1:03:57 - Intuition vs data in programming and on game day 1:10:06 - Injuries and the greatest ability: availability 1:15:47 - What he's changed his mind about 1:18:29 - Powerlifting in 2035: AI, the IPF, the Olympics & the records to come 1:28:30 - His Mount Rushmore of game-day coaches Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Matt: https://www.instagram.com/mlgary72/

  9. 3 Jun

    The Week 1-to-4 Pipeline Is Burning Lifters Out w/ Ronnie Vallejo

    In the third episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Ronnie Vallejo — powerlifting coach and owner of Access Training Systems — to talk about predictability in programming, the psychological traits that correlate with success, and how identity, technique, and load management shape an athlete's long-term progress. 0:00 - Intro 0:44 - From mental health work to powerlifting coaching 4:01 - Coaching influences: Phil Jackson and Bill Belichick 8:33 - What makes a coach–athlete relationship work 15:22 - Psychological traits, neuroticism, and presence 21:13 - When powerlifting becomes your identity 25:42 - Ranking the six variables of athletic success 33:41 - Top-down vs bottoms-up programming 38:50 - Intuition vs data in coaching 44:07 - AI, motion capture, and the future of the sport 46:02 - Injuries, load management, and movement quality 50:16 - Why he doesn't change technique right away 1:01:25 - Dose, priming, and sequencing 1:09:07 - RPE, percentages, and pacing strategies 1:15:33 - Forcing progress vs letting it emerge 1:22:15 - Predictability as the core of his system 1:28:12 - Taylor, Perk, Keiko: longevity vs pushing 1:32:18 - Wrap-up Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Ronnie: https://www.instagram.com/ronnieronnn/

  10. 27 May

    Chasing Perfect Reps Kills Your Ability to Troubleshoot w/ Kedric Kwan

    In the second episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Kedric Kwan — a powerlifting coach and nutritionist who leans heavily Bayesian — to talk about what actually builds a strong lifter: why genetics outweighs technique, how to read fatigue from bar speed, and why a coach's intuition is an unreliable instrument. 0:00 - Intro 0:34 - Before powerlifting: a skinny volleyball kid in Malaysia 6:07 - Arsène Wenger and coaching through adaptability 11:54 - The expanding support staff of a modern lifter 13:02 - Funding, nutrition, and an expensive hobby 18:29 - Ranking success: genetics 33%, psychology 20% 27:12 - Why technique is only 5% 36:50 - Perfection vs "good enough" 40:55 - Top-down vs bottom-up, and the Bayesian coach 46:43 - Brett Gibbs and reverse periodization 53:33 - The coach who runs on pure intuition 59:53 - The one variable to track: velocity at 65–70% 1:01:50 - Velocity loss as a fatigue proxy 1:07:48 - Percentages, RPE, or velocity? 1:11:55 - Tapering, overreaching, and the Sheffield study 1:18:36 - Digging deep vs blind auto-regulation 1:25:59 - Rethinking injury as cessation of training 1:34:28 - Platonist or Aristotelian? Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Kedric: https://www.instagram.com/kedric.reformance/

  11. 20 May

    Powerlifting Never Actually Learned to Periodize w/ Jason Tremblay

    In the first episode of Iron Minds, Samuele sits down with Jason Tremblay — head coach at The Strength Guys and one of the most accomplished powerlifting coaches in the world — to talk about what actually drives long-term success in the sport. 0:00 - Intro 0:40 - Jason's background before powerlifting 7:17 - The coaches who shaped his thinking 11:11 - Top-down vs bottom-up in training 15:41 - Rate of progress: when to push, when not to 19:36 - Competition frequency and career longevity 21:46 - Managing injury risk 25:37 - Ranking the variables: genetics, lifestyle, programming, technique 40:07 - What single variable to track 43:47 - How volume evolves across a career 50:32 - Signs of appropriate training load 52:07 - What makes a training block successful 54:49 - Weekly dose vs session structure 56:51 - RPE, percentages, and VBT 1:03:34 - RPE vs reps in reserve 1:06:24 - What Jason has changed his mind on Samuele: https://www.instagram.com/giulianodontario/ Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasontsg/ The Strength Guys: https://www.instagram.com/thestrengthguys/

  • 11 Episodes

About

Great powerlifting isn't just built in the gym. It's built in the conversations between coaches: the debates about programming, the lessons from failed attempts, the ideas most people never get to hear. Iron Minds brings those conversations to you. Every episode features a coach worth knowing, talking about the work they actually do and why they do it that way.

Information

  • Creator
    Sam Bolotta
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sam Bolotta
  • Show Website
    Iron Minds
  • Provider