Iron Culture

Eric Helms & Eric Trexler
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Iron Culture

Iron Culture was started by Eric Helms and Omar Isuf, now currently hosted by Eric Helms and Eric Trexler with Omar as a returning guest, as a means of exploring the world of physical culture and attempting to distill a unified philosophy of lifting and to help listeners find greater meaning from the iron. The lifting community has become fractured over the last ~70 years and this Podcast will attempt to explore the fundamental threads that unite these different tribes. The Podcast focuses on dispensing practical, useful information to the listener, bouncing from history, to philosophy, to contemporary lifting culture issues, to science. This can range from teaching the audience about lifting, programming, nutrition, supplements/PEDs and the history of lifting culture. The format includes casual conversations between the two hosts on a variety of topics, discussions with a panel of experts and interviews with authoritative figures in the lifting community.

  1. 18 NOV

    Ep 302 - Why We Believe Nutrition Lies

    In this Iron Culture, Sigma Nutrition Radio, SNA crossover, Dr. Joe Klemczewski returns! Dr. Joe, possibly the first online bodybuilding coach and person to advise clients to track macros before IIFYM was an acronym, joins us to reflect on the past and help us navigate the future. In the modern information age, there is more information than ever, which is a good thing, right? Perhaps, except that there is also more misinformation and disinformation than ever as well. While the evidence-based movement solved the problem of information inadequacy, we now face a much more complex problem of information illiteracy. What can you do to better navigate the “fake news” littering all aspects of social media, especially the nutrition space, and how can you facilitate better critical thinking in your clients and followers to reduce the likelihood they will undertake harmful diets? In this episode we tackle just that, discussing how paying attention to history and social changes can provide protection against modern fads.   Time stamps: 00:00 Danny, Erich? And sending our condolences to the listeners https://raskolapparel.com/ 02:37 Re-introducing Dr. Joe Klemczewski 09:57 Changes in science 18:01 Science education for the consumer 26:53 How Dr. Joe communicates science with nuance to different audiences and how society (and social media) operates to perpetuate beliefs 36:59 Discerning truth and fact from context – using the recent meta-regressions on volume and frequency as an example Pelland 2024 The Resistance Training Dose-Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/460 51:00 The psychology of persuasion 59:34 Embedding heuristics and the utility of AI in academia 1:09:50 Broader trends in society, marketing strategies and delivering what is expected 1:21:46 Recapping the episode and closing out (be wary of Eric’s positivity propaganda)

    1h 26m

  2. 13 NOV

    Ep 301 - A New Era for Iron Culture

    Even among the many monster episodes of Iron Culture, today’s episode truly stands out. First, the MASS crew discusses this new era of Iron Culture and lets the cult know what they can expect as the show pushes forward and climbs to new heights. After that, the crew has an insightful discussion about the science of satellite cells – what they are, when they might (or might not) matter, and how they intersect with many hypertrophy-related topics, such as sex differences, aging, muscle damage, and factors that limit long-term muscle growth. The MASS crew records Iron Culture LIVE on YouTube, every Monday night at 7pm eastern time. Be sure to join us for a future episode and say hello in the live chat! If you'd like to submit a question or topic for us to address on an upcoming episode, please use this link: https://massresearchreview.com/office-hours/   Time stamps 0:00 Intro 0:21 Big announcements about the future of Iron Culture and MASS Office Hours 5:10 Helms reflects on “the merger” 7:04 Re-introducing Dr. Mike Zourdos 17:53 Re-introducing Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple 26:38 Dr. Helms’ recent research 30:46 Dr. Trexler’s current research 34:20 A primer on satellite cells 49:31 The role of satellite cells during growth/maturation and during use of exogenous anabolics 51:21 Sex differences and exogenous anabolics 53:52 The impact of aging on satellite cells and their function 58:54 Do satellite cell responses to muscle damage play a major role in muscle growth? 1:02:37 Do satellite cells and myonuclear domain theory become more relevant for muscle growth when the magnitude of growth becomes more substantial? 1:10:01 Does hard training induce muscle hyperplasia? 1:19:06 If meaningful muscle hyperplasia does occur in response to resistance training, does that impact how we should approach or design training programs? 1:24:39 Wrapping up

    1h 26m

  3. 11 NOV

    Ep 300 - The End of Iron Culture As You Know It (Omar Is Leaving)

    I’m going to break the fourth wall here and speak directly to our dear listeners. When we started this podcast almost six years ago, I never imagined it would last this long or become such a fixture in the community. The goal was always to create a space aimed at enriching the listener's appreciation and understanding of lifting. I want to thank every single person who has tuned in, supported throughout the years and engaged with us in this journey. I feel very confident in the future direction of Iron Culture with the two Erics taking lead. We'll catch you in that next episode from now, until the end of time. With heartfelt gratitude, Omar Time stamps: 00:00 Erics… Omar 03:09 Reviewing reviews (including one from Dr. RayGun) 08:04 Future horizons and looking back 19:56 Trexler’s anniversary and some reflections 27:20 Climate change isn’t real… the science is the science and a quick update on the Iron Culture documentary 31:40 Trexler’s commentary and how he came to be on the cult 42:24 Helms reflects on some memorable episodes and guests 48:52 The Iron Culture mission statement 56:51 The future of Iron Culture (including the interview of a certain guest) 1:08:50 The running Iron Culture jokes 1:16:14 Coming full circle with some final thoughts

    1h 23m

  4. 4 NOV

    Ep 299 - Can You Legally Give Someone Macros? Nutrition Scope of Practice (ft. Danny Lennon and Alex Thomas)

    In this Iron Culture/Sports Nutrition Association/Sigma Nutrition Radio crossover episode, host Eric Helms is joined by co-host Danny Lennon and guest Alex Thomas. Alex is the president of the Sports Nutrition Association who started this association years ago when he was rudely awakened to the fact that he couldn’t provide nutrition advice in his personal training clinic, despite having done so for years, having an RD on staff, and getting a degree in exercise science and nutrition. This prompted him to do a deep dive into scope of practice, insurance, legal requirements to provide nutrition coaching, and eventually to realise just how large of a gap there is in the nutrition coaching industry. Becoming aware of how common coach negligence leading to poorer consumer health is, spurred him to create the Sports Nutrition Association. Now SNA seeks to elevate the profession of nutrition coaching and protect the public. In this episode we navigate the confusing world of scope of practice, both legally and from a liability perspective, and why it’s not only an important box ticking exercise, but a fundamental part of serving your clients. Time stamps: 00:00 Introduction to a podcast that needs a longer name and title 01:32 What is the Sports Nutrition Association? 06:15 Protected titles, scope of practice, and insurance 22:30 The importance of scope of practice and advice for practitioners 38:58 Trends and big claims in the space, risk/reward and consequences 51:36 Areas where practitioners should focus on and what to do going forward 1:00:06 The career pyramid for nutritionists 1:02:01 Closing out and where to find out more about the SNA Website https://sportsnutritionassociation.com/ Instagram @sportsnutritionassociation https://www.instagram.com/sportsnutritionassociation/ Sigma Nutrition Radio https://sigmanutrition.com/podcast-welcome/

    1h 3m

  5. 28 OCT

    Ep 298 - Smart Nutrition for Brain Health and Function (ft. Danny Lennon and Dr. Shawn Arent)

    In this Iron Culture/Sports Nutrition Association/Sigma Nutrition Radio crossover episode, host Eric Trexler is joined by co-host Danny Lennon and guest Dr. Shawn Arent. Dr. Arent is a professor and department chair at the University of South Carolina with a wealth of knowledge and research experience pertaining to nutritional strategies and supplements purported to support brain health and function. In this meeting of the minds, Eric, Danny, and Dr. Arent discuss the brain-related effects of carbohydrate, amino acids, caffeine (and caffeine-related substances), theanine, nicotine, fish oil, creatine, and much more. If you’re interested in preserving the health and function of your brain, listening to this episode is certainly a smart decision. 00:00 Introduction to another crossover episode and Dr Shawn Arent 03:20 Defining cognitive performance and function 07:48 The acute effects of carbohydrates and caffeine on fatigue 13:01 Carbohydrate mouth rinsing and glycogen depletion (and are bodybuilders athletes?) 26:15 The (non-linear) glycogen utilisation response to exercise 29:53 The role of protein (EAAs and BCAAs) on cognitive function  Daivs 1999 Effects of branched-chain amino acids and carbohydrate on fatigue during intermittent, high-intensity running https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10452228  36:06 Caffeine dose-response relationship on cognition 40:50 Caffeine timing and dosing strategies 51:38 Optimisation and thinking outside the box to minimise the effects of caffeine on sleep 55:18 Other (interesting) supplements with less evidence 1:01:28 Nicotine and sports culture 1:08:52 Supplementation for brain health and recommendations/protocols for TBIs 1:21:22 Closing out with some final take homes

    1h 26m

  6. 21 OCT

    Ep 297 - Is More Volume Always Better? (feat Josh Pelland PhD(c))

    In this crossover episode of Iron Culture and MASS Office Hours, Dr. Trexler is joined by special guest Josh Pelland, a coach for Data Driven and a PhD candidate at Florida Atlantic University, to discuss Pelland's recent meta-analysis which investigates the effects of training volume and frequency on hypertrophy and strength outcomes. These data have created a lot of stir in the evidence based community as very high volumes seem to be associated with hypertrophy without a definitive plateau. But as you can expect, there’s much more to the story. The analysis synthesizes data from numerous studies and quantifies dose-response relationships by which higher training volumes and/or frequencies may lead to greater strength and muscle gains in response to resistance training. In a thorough discussion of the paper, Pelland discusses nuances, such as the point of diminishing returns where further volume or frequency may yield less significant gains, and highlights how individual factors like training experience and muscle group-specific responses affect outcomes. Practical recommendations include tailoring volume to individual needs, utilizing periodization and volume cycling to maximize adaptations, and addressing common pitfalls such as overtraining. Further, in this live episode audience questions drive deeper exploration into the practical implications of the findings and strategies for optimizing training programs based on current evidence. If you liked this crossover, remember the MASS crew goes live for Office Hours every Wednesday night at 7pm eastern time. Be sure to join them for a future episode! 0:00 Introduction to another official crossover episode  MASS Office Hours Episode 58 (Is More Volume Always Better?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HErS8Hw12k  02:00 Getting to know Josh Pelland   07:35 An overview of Josh’s new preprint Pelland 2024 The Resistance Training Dose-Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/460 Data Driven Strength Podcast - Volume and Hypertrophy: New Science Explained | S2E1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKRAVrf-798&t=0s Data Driven Strength Podcast - Frequency and Hypertrophy: New Science Explained | S2E2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rxOj92Q4p8  14:01 The search strategy and volume/frequency quantification method comparison 25:43 Statistical models  30:51 Volume results 39:32 Volume efficiency tiers  1:08:47 Frequency results  1:16:43 Q&A Question 1: How was the volume of different exercises quantified? 1:18:36 Question 2: Disconnect between theoretical vs practical optimum? 1:25:00 Question 3: How were different set structures, intensification techniques, and proximity-to-failure accounted for? 1:28:55 Question 4: Recommendations for 6x/week Full Body Powerbuilding training? 1:30:53 Question 5: The potential effects of different partials and ranges of motion?  1:34:45 Question 6: Did the studies measure both hypertrophy and strength outcomes? 1:36:10 Question 7: Strength training recommendations for sprint cyclers? 1:39:03 Question 8: Upper vs lower body set volume tolerance? 1:40:45 Question 9: Moderator analyses on the impact of training status? 1:42:50 Question 10: How do you know if you are performing too much volume? 1:46:36 Wrapping up and where to find Josh Data Driven Strength YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@datadrivenstrength  Instagram @josh.datadrivenstrength https://www.instagram.com/josh.datadrivenstrength/?hl=en

    1h 49m

  7. 14 OCT

    An Evidence-Based Look at Body Image and Self-Worth

    There is a great deal of fitness content about strategically modifying your diet or changing your physique. Many of these strategies may appear to be simple on paper, but they are inseparable from the complexity of human perception and emotion. Whether we like it or not, diet or physique manipulation inherently interact with concepts relating to one’s confidence, body image, self-esteem, and relationship with food. Further, many fitness coaches and clients mistakenly believe that poor body image or self-esteem are improved by simply changing one’s body. A growing area of interest in the fitness space aims to directly address and improve these outcomes by focusing on beliefs and behaviors in the absence of physique manipulation. In this crossover episode with Sigma Nutrition Radio and the Sports Nutrition Association, Eric Trexler and Danny Lennon are joined by Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro to take an evidence-based and practical look at the ways diet or physique modifications interact with confidence, body image, and self-worth. 00:00 Welcome to another crossover episode (passively) dominated by Iron Culture 02:09 Defining body image and self-esteem 07:49 Relationship with food and weight stigma 21:22 Are your behaviours and beliefs really sustainable? 32:13 Different approaches to safe weight modification 39:19 Screening for risk factors and contraindications 47:20 Scope of practice and individuals who fall into the gaps 53:20 Interventions and approaches for improving body image  58:28 Closing out with some links Sports Nutrition Association https://sportsnutritionassociation.com/ Sigma Nutrition https://sigmanutrition.com/

    1 hr

  8. 7 OCT

    Do Lifters Need Carbs? (with Dr. Cliff Harvey and Danny Lennon)

    The Iron Culture universe is expanding! In this crossover episode the host of Sigma Nutrition Radio, Danny Lennon, joins Eric Helms to co-host! Dr. Cliff Harvey, who did his PhD on ketogenic diets at AUT, joins Danny and Eric to discuss the often conflicting research and anecdotes on the effect of carbohydrates on lifting performance, adaptations and body composition change. Eric, Danny and Cliff are all on the Sports Nutrition Association (SNA) advisory board - an organisation dedicated to supporting the profession of sports nutrition. The board is packed with nutrition experts with a ton of experience. This is the first of many crossover episodes to come where Iron Culture, Sigma Nutrition Radio, and the SNA combine forces to bring you the best practical, science-based nutrition content possible! 00:00 Danny? Entering the multiverse (Sigma Iron Culture Nutrition Radio Ultra Podcast Show) 02:00 An update on carbohydrates for resistance training performance 05:34 The spectrum of carbohydrate intake related to work demands and Cliff’s approach 15:13 The complexities of substrate utilisation and glycogen replenishment Hokken 2021 Subcellular localization- and fibre type-dependent utilization of muscle glycogen during heavy resistance exercise in elite power and Olympic weightlifters https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32961628/  King 2022 The Ergogenic Effects of Acute Carbohydrate Feeding on Resistance Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35809162/ Naharudin 2019 Breakfast Omission Reduces Subsequent Resistance Exercise Performance https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30707135/  Naharudin 2020 Viscous placebo and carbohydrate breakfasts similarly decrease appetite and increase resistance exercise performance compared with a control breakfast in trained males https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32174286/  28:10 Intrasession carbohydrate intake and mouth rinsing  King 2024 Isoenergetic pre-exercise meals varying in carbohydrate similarly affect resistance training volume performance compared to placebo https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/443/version/566 41:03 The placebo/nocebo effect related to food intake around training 53:30 Reconsidering nutrient timing and individualising coaching approaches 1:06:54 Goals, optimising approaches, and methodological considerations in the research Vargas-Molina 2020 Effects of a ketogenic diet on body composition and strength in trained women https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32276630/  Paoli 2021 Effects of Two Months of Very Low Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet on Body Composition, Muscle Strength, Muscle Area, and Blood Parameters in Competitive Natural Body Builders https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33530512/ 1:17:11 Individual approaches to ketogenic diets and does macronutrient distribution really matter? Harvey 2019 Low-carbohydrate diets differing in carbohydrate restriction improve cardiometabolic and anthropometric markers in healthy adults: A randomised clinical trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30740270/ 1:25:48 Considerations for a low carbohydrate/ketogenic approach and ketosis misunderstandings  1:30:02 The take home and closing out

    1h 34m
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Hosts & Guests

About

Iron Culture was started by Eric Helms and Omar Isuf, now currently hosted by Eric Helms and Eric Trexler with Omar as a returning guest, as a means of exploring the world of physical culture and attempting to distill a unified philosophy of lifting and to help listeners find greater meaning from the iron. The lifting community has become fractured over the last ~70 years and this Podcast will attempt to explore the fundamental threads that unite these different tribes. The Podcast focuses on dispensing practical, useful information to the listener, bouncing from history, to philosophy, to contemporary lifting culture issues, to science. This can range from teaching the audience about lifting, programming, nutrition, supplements/PEDs and the history of lifting culture. The format includes casual conversations between the two hosts on a variety of topics, discussions with a panel of experts and interviews with authoritative figures in the lifting community.

Information

  • Creator
    Eric Helms & Eric Trexler
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2024
  • Episodes
    304
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © (c) 2024 Eric Helms
  • Show Website
    Iron Culture

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