Hammer and Chisel Performance Podcast

Jon Heck

My name is Jon Heck, and I am a strength and conditioning coach and nutritionist. I am a former strength coach from Division-1 college football and the NFL. I now run my coaching business Hammer and Chisel Performance full time, working with all walks of life on nutrition and training. With a background in powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, football and coaching in different fields, I will be bringing on a wide variety of guest from all of these realms of the world of performance and the fitness industry to talk all things coaching, nutrition, training, business, and more.

  1. 1d ago

    Bonus Q&A with Will Ratelle, 70+ Questions Answered

    I met up with Will Ratelle at his house in North Dakota. We trained our asses off and answered all of your questions you sent us on Instagram! TIME STAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:46 Advice for novices to gain as much muscle as possible 3:25 Hunger hacks during a fat loss phase 4:39 Best way to improve bench with a history of pec pulls/tears 6:08 Cutting body fat while running high mileage 7:26 Best protein, carb & fat split when cutting 8:43 Are Zercher cleans useful for explosiveness and thickness? 9:01 Could you guys beat Kane in a fight? 9:33 How long to convince Jon to move to North Dakota? 10:12 Top set/back-off sets vs. equal-weight working sets 12:17 Would you return to strength & conditioning for an NFL head job? 14:26 How important is electrolyte supplementation? 15:53 How should you track cooking fats? 16:26 Thoughts on full-body training for hypertrophy 18:34 How to gain 10–15 lbs when training is already on point 19:08 How should night-shift workers track calories? 20:03 Do you miss college/pro football strength & conditioning? 22:21 Reasons and timing for a mini-cut 24:37 Should you go straight from a cut into a bulk? 25:19 Nutrition, training & sleep: two great, one terrible 25:48 Should training change between cutting and bulking? 28:03 How lean should a male be before starting a gain phase? 29:15 Thoughts on sauna for athletic recovery 30:13 Which area of your business would you drop first? 31:09 Should you adjust calories based on WHOOP calories burned? 32:19 Top 3 protein and carb sources 33:47 Does Will still warm up with dot drills? 34:09 Diet structure for performance vs. body composition 35:20 Minimum calories/kg before starting a cut 36:09 Can you improve bench using only dips and behind-the-neck press? 36:33 Best frequency and volume for sprint training 37:46 What attributes do you like in your clients? 40:13 All-time favorite training split 42:02 What food scale brand do you recommend? 42:21 Is power work and jumping overrated? 43:23 Training an obese client with limited range of motion 44:12 Hobbies outside of lifting and fitness 45:26 How many years to reach your natural lifting limit? 45:36 What have you changed your mind on nutritionally? 47:30 Can a busy dad get big, strong & capable training 3–4 days/week? 50:02 How do you recover after heavy training sessions? 52:03 Favorite movies 53:19 Could you arm wrestle Devon Larratt? 54:29 Best strategies for injury prevention 55:43 Does your pre-workout meal change between gaining and cutting? 56:05 What do you believe that 99% of the field would disagree with? 58:59 How to drink alcohol in moderation while maintaining a healthy lifestyle 1:01:27 Can you still make gains while drinking on weekends? 1:01:35 How should you adjust calories and training after surgery? 1:02:23 Is hunger necessary for a good calorie deficit? 1:03:19 How do you stay on plan while traveling? 1:05:30 How can you speed up digestion? 1:06:02 Accessory lifts improving but compounds regressing during a cut 1:06:27 Why are Jon's calves so small? 1:07:08 Should you stay in an 800-calorie deficit during a peaking cycle? 1:08:17 Most impressive athletic feats 1:09:58 Struggling to lose more fat after going from 25% to 13% 1:10:46 Athletes you looked up to growing up 1:12:10 Is an initial weight spike normal when starting a gain phase? 1:12:42 Does undereating your calorie target during a cut matter? 1:13:14 What do you think of people who say bulking is dumb? 1:14:36 Preferred rep range for hypertrophy 1:15:53 Maintenance or surplus on vacation with little exercise? 1:16:21 Are barefoot/minimalist shoes worth it for training? 1:16:38 What do you do to stay disciplined? 1:19:47 Outro

  2. 3d ago

    Matching Training with Your Diet Phase

    In this week's nutrition and training rant I cover how to properly match training cycles with the diet phase you are in. How to approach training while cutting, while bulking, and in transition or maintenance periods.

  3. 6d ago

    Ep. 94: Ashley Kowalewski, Unorthodox Training Methods

    Ashley Kowalewski is a Strength & Conditioning Coach at LSU, where she oversees performance training for the Tigers' volleyball and women's tennis programs. A former Division I javelin thrower at the University of Oklahoma, Ashley has coached at Arizona, Missouri, Michigan, and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. Known for her innovative, athlete-first approach, she specializes in developing resilient, high-performing athletes through unconventional and evidence-based training methods. Time Stamps00:00 Intro01:08 Meet Ashley Kowalewski (LSU Strength Coach)07:30 Pull-Up Progressions for Beginners11:42 Ashley's Coaching Journey18:34 Assistant Strength Coach of the Year20:14 Isometric Training Explained24:34 Yielding vs. Overcoming vs. Quasi Isometrics30:09 How Ashley Programs Isometrics38:34 Offseason Isometric Progressions43:23 Sponsor Break / Training Programs45:17 Isometrics for Recovery & Performance46:36 Hotel Workouts with Ratchet Straps50:50 "Train Like an Athlete" Misconceptions56:45 Deep-Tier Plyometrics & Landing Progressions01:01:45 Olympic Lifts: Are They Necessary?01:05:50 Why Athlete Availability Is King01:10:17 Single-Leg Training & Pit Shark Progressions01:18:40 Gamifying Training for Athletes01:28:30 Unilateral Training Philosophy01:36:45 Hold Strong Opinions Loosely01:45:10 Coaches, Social Media & Sharing Knowledge01:54:16 Where to Find Ashley Kowalewski01:55:08 Outro

  4. Jul 30

    Q&A Answered! Fat Loss, Carb Cycling, Reverse Diets, Training, Supps and More

    Timestamps Below: 00:00 Intro 00:52 Carb cycling on week 11 of a cut – training is getting harder 03:17 Creatine dosing 04:49 How many intra-workout carbs should you use? 07:34 My Mount Rushmore of training exercises 09:30 Do you take HCG? At what dose? 10:11 Can a natural lifter eat 900g of carbs on a high day? 11:05 Is 1,900 calories too low for a 220 lb person finishing a cut? 12:51 How do you reverse diet and know you're at maintenance? 14:36 Macro percentages for bulking vs. cutting 16:41 Nutrition after surgery (ACL repair) 18:52 How should I structure a reverse diet after fat loss? 19:56 My disc injury, rehab, and mental recovery 22:31 Do you need a coach for a reverse diet? 23:26 How would I redesign collegiate strength & conditioning? 25:24 Rest days vs. active recovery 26:15 Addressing metabolic slowdown during a calorie deficit 27:24 Training program or nutrition plan first? 28:07 When should athletes use a weight belt? 28:56 Do you live in North Carolina? 29:02 Will I ever do an endurance event? 29:45 Recomp for a competitive powerlifter? 31:03 Do women reach maintenance faster after a diet? 32:00 Should you add activity calories to BMR? 32:54 Nutrition for early morning training 33:44 How do you get your girlfriend into the gym? 34:42 Thoughts on designer PEDs 35:20 Carb cycling for endurance training 35:54 Ending a cut, hunger, reverse dieting & refeeds 37:20 One thing I wish I knew before starting my business 38:44 Best way to learn the science of nutrition 40:13 Coming off retatrutide into maintenance 40:43 Is 0.8 g/lb of protein enough naturally? 41:14 Balancing lifting with speed & agility 41:48 Programming lifting and running together 43:13 Can you maximize lifting and cardio simultaneously? 44:09 Finger flexor training for rock climbing 44:31 Training during cutting and reverse dieting for general population 45:06 Choosing a coach when transitioning from natural to enhanced 46:20 When is moving to enhanced a good idea? 47:33 Thoughts on BPC-157 for strength 48:16 Transitioning from a cut into maintenance or a bulk 48:49 Nutrition recommendations postpartum 49:46 First time I witnessed freakish strength 50:49 Could I beat Devon Larratt in arm wrestling? 51:41 My current carb cycling approach 52:08 Could I beat The Undertaker? 52:23 Thoughts on intermittent fasting 53:46 Balancing physique and performance goals 54:36 When am I dropping merch? 55:35 Outro

  5. Jul 27

    Ep. 93: Dr. Michelle Gordon, Is Obesity a Disease? Understanding GLP Drugs

    Dr. Michelle Gordon is a board-certified obesity medicine physician with a background in general surgery and lifestyle medicine. After spending years as a practicing surgeon, she shifted her focus to treating obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease, helping patients understand the complex physiology behind weight regulation, metabolism, and long-term health. Her work emphasizes evidence-based care, the science of obesity, and the appropriate use of therapies such as GLP-1 medications to improve health outcomes. Obesity is one of the most misunderstood conditions in healthcare. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Michelle Gordon to separate fact from fiction and explore what obesity really is, when it becomes a disease, and why it's far more complex than simply eating less and moving more. We dive into the biology behind weight regulation, discuss the role of genetics, hormones, and metabolism, and unpack the science surrounding GLP-1 medications—including who they're for, common misconceptions, long-term use, and where they fit into obesity treatment. Whether you're a coach, clinician, athlete, or someone looking to better understand metabolic health, this episode provides an evidence-based look at one of the most important topics in modern medicine

  6. Jul 23

    Why society treats discipline like its weird

    This week's nutrition rant...Why do people like me get cast out as "the weird one" for adhering to structured nutrition and passing on alcohol? The frustrating backlash we face from society when we have a fitness based lifestyle.

  7. Jul 21

    Ep. 92: Joe Pedulla, How to train for SPEED

    Joe Pedulla is a strength and conditioning coach specializing in sprint development, return-to-play, and athletic performance. He has worked with athletes across multiple levels of sport and is known for his practical, evidence-based approach to integrating weight room training with on-field speed development. How do you actually get faster? In this episode, I sit down with speed coach Joe Pedulla to break down how to effectively program both the weight room and field work for speed development. We discuss sprint mechanics, exercise selection, weekly programming, balancing lifting with sprint sessions, common mistakes coaches make, and how to build athletes who are faster, more explosive, and more resilient. Whether you're a strength coach, sport coach, or athlete, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways you can immediately apply to your training.

  8. Jul 16

    Tips for handling your diet while traveling

    In this week's nutrition rant I cover some tips and perspective on how to handle your diet when traveling in various situations

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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

My name is Jon Heck, and I am a strength and conditioning coach and nutritionist. I am a former strength coach from Division-1 college football and the NFL. I now run my coaching business Hammer and Chisel Performance full time, working with all walks of life on nutrition and training. With a background in powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, football and coaching in different fields, I will be bringing on a wide variety of guest from all of these realms of the world of performance and the fitness industry to talk all things coaching, nutrition, training, business, and more.

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