Iron Radio-Nutrition Radio Network

Coach Phil Stevens, Dr Mike T Nelson, Dr Lonnie Lowery, Coach Barber
  • 4.7 (10)
  • Nutrition
  • Updated Weekly

A rebooted Iron Radio and archives of Season Two of NutritionRadio.org are here! Stay up on breaking health news, exercise science, food trends, and innovations with professors, coaches, and guest co-hosts. Updated weekly. Legitimate content you trust, from educated, experienced podcasters as passionate as you are.

  1. 6h ago

    What Competing Does

    Why Competing Changes You—Even When You Lose Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery explore how competition can turn fear into focused energy, strengthen confidence and identity, and reveal how athletes respond when circumstances are outside their control. They share first-meet stories and discuss adapting coaching to experience and temperament; choosing confidence-building openers for newcomers; attempt selection, pacing, warm-ups, deloads, post-meet rest, and handler support; and using simulations to prepare for meet-day variability. They also discuss peak-week decisions in physique sports, caution against last-minute overreach and extreme fluid manipulation, and explain how competing can make training a higher priority while fostering resilience, personal benchmarks, and community support. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 02:50 Why Compete? Courage, Confidence, and Identity 08:59 First Meets, Pressure, and Performing Under Stress 14:30 Competition Timing and Event-Day Stress 15:42 Coaching for Different Personalities and Experience 19:17 Remote Coaching and Meet-Day Calls 22:57 Building Confidence: Openers and Tapering 26:21 Handlers, Rest, and Meet Logistics 28:01 No Mind: Avoiding Last-Minute Mistakes 29:16 Bodybuilding Peak-Week Decisions 32:15 Competition, Self-Comparison, and Winning Mindset 37:24 Does Competition Make Training Better? 41:23 Personal Limits and a Supportive Community 43:57 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com  Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

  2. Oct 12

    Less Optimizing More Training

    Less Optimizing, More Training: Build Strength Before Chasing the Perfect Plan Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery respond to listener Chris’s experience going from 170 pounds to a muscular 256 after years of lifting, highlighting the value of a meaningful body-weight goal and persistent work over endlessly precise calorie calculations. They discuss filling weight classes with realistic 10- to 20-pound gains, the difficulty of identifying an individual’s comfortable body-weight “set point,” the role of carbohydrate adaptation and energy intake, and why building mass earlier may help young athletes. The conversation then turns to the episode’s central theme: athletes and lifters cannot optimize their way around a missing strength base. The hosts cover progressive overload, absolute strength alongside relative percentages, individual variation in rep performance, AMRAPs for guiding training, and the importance of hard work, technical effort, and mental toughness for athletic development. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 00:56 Listener Email: Building Size and Strength 04:55 Weight Classes and Goal-Based Bulking 09:29 Calories, Carbohydrates, and Body Composition 12:41 Body-Weight Set Point and Long-Term Gain 18:37 Why Gaining Earlier Can Help Athletes 21:46 Iron Radio Network, Newsletter, and Book Updates 24:42 Stop Optimizing and Just Train 25:05 Strength Foundations for Sport Athletes 34:37 Progressive Overload, Absolute Strength, and AMRAPs 37:49 Hard Work, Failure, and Mental Toughness 39:44 Preparing Young Athletes for Next-Level Training 47:26 Put the Phone Down and Train 48:54 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com  Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

  3. Oct 5

    Warrior Mode

    Warrior Mode: Turning Intensity On—and Knowing When to Turn It Off Coach Phil Stevens and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss the learned skill of entering a focused, physical “warrior mode” for sport, training, and difficult goals without becoming reckless or a jerk. They explore youth football physicality, confidence and the on/off switch, Arnold-style training intensity, pain and effort in the gym, diet discipline, and why real control includes the ability to say yes as well as no. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:30 Youth Football, Physicality, and Running Through Contact 05:00 Confidence, Violence, and the Warrior On/Off Switch 08:30 Turning Intensity On in Training and Competition 11:30 Pain, Effort, and the Guts to Keep Going 14:00 Diet Discipline and Not Letting Food Win 17:00 Control Means Knowing When to Turn It Off 19:30 Finding Warrior Mode in Strength Sports and Life 21:15 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com  Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

  4. Sep 28

    Training Like Former You

    Training Like Former You: Re-aiming Athletic Intensity as You Age Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss why former athletes must stop comparing their current performance to their 20s and 30s, while preserving meaningful standards and continuing to participate. They explore changing goals and recovery needs, minimum strength benchmarks, injury-aware substitutions, training age and accumulated mileage, soft-tissue limitations, and how to redirect an athlete's intensity toward sustainable work. The hosts also discuss realistic benchmarks for pressing, pulling, squatting, grip, and aerobic conditioning, plus the mindset of doing hard things and finding something worthwhile on the other side of suck. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 02:10 Stop Training Like the Athlete You Used to Be 08:00 Aging, Drive, and New Performance Minimums 13:00 Adjusting Training Around Injuries and Recovery 18:30 Mike's Strength, Grip, and Aerobic Benchmarks 24:00 Training Age, Mileage, and Elite Older Athletes 29:00 The Mindset of Doing Something Hard 33:00 Re-Aiming Athletic Intensity and Choosing New Movements 36:15 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com  Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

  5. Sep 21

    Time-Restricted Bulking

    Time-Restricted Bulking: Can a Narrow Eating Window Build Muscle Without Excess Fat? Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery examine a new 12-week randomized controlled trial of 16:8 time-restricted eating during a bulking phase. They discuss the study's modest sample, single-frequency BIA, prescribed versus actual calorie and protein intake, and similar fat-free-mass and strength gains despite the restricted group eating less than planned. The conversation challenges the idea that a 300–500 calorie surplus is universally sufficient, considers beginner gains versus results in experienced lifters, and explores practical factors such as adaptive metabolism, training age, sleep, stress, stimulants, DOMS, and the difficulty of accurately tracking food in free-living conditions. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts02:00 The Time-Restricted Eating Bulking Study07:00 Calorie, Protein, and Strength-Gain Results11:30 Phil on Training Age and Real-World Bulking16:00 Mike on Surplus Accuracy and External Validity21:00 How Much Energy Does Muscle Growth Require?26:00 Practical Bulking, Maintenance, and Cutting Strategies31:00 Recomposition, G-Flux, and Metabolic Adaptation36:00 Natural Athletes, Overfeeding, and Measurement Limits39:30 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com  Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

  6. Sep 14

    Strength Coaching News

    Strength Coaching News: Why Every High School Needs a Qualified Strength Coach Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss a high school strength program that celebrates a dangerously sloppy clean and use it as a springboard to examine coaching quality, injury prevention, long-term development, strength versus speed and power, transfer to the field, and affordable ways schools can bring qualified strength and conditioning expertise to every sport. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts01:45 Sloppy Cleans and High School Strength Programs05:10 Numbers, Injury Rates, and Coaching Quality08:00 The Case for a School-Wide Strength Coach11:20 Team Building and Safe Training Alternatives14:00 Standards, Norms, and Four-Year Athlete Development17:25 Freshmen, Long-Term Planning, and Biological Reality20:15 Strength Coach Responsibilities and Sport Transfer23:10 Strength, Speed, Power, and Rate of Force Development26:15 Youth Athletes, Resilience, and Athletic Development28:20 Funding and Contracting Qualified Coaching30:05 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com  Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

  7. Sep 8

    Death of the Training Partner

    The Death of the Training Partner: Accountability, Feedback, and the Human Element of Strength Training Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery examine what happens when lifters lose the in-person training partner. They discuss accountability, technical feedback, healthy competition, support on bad training days, and the limits of remote programming. The conversation covers video review, velocity-based training, Tendo/GymAware and other wearables, tandem coaching, caffeine and perceived bar speed, interval feedback, social-media praise, AI coaching, and why earned human respect and tough love remain difficult to automate.00:00 Welcome and Hosts05:20 Youth Sports, Heat Acclimatization, and Resilience09:40 The Death of the Training Partner13:10 Accountability and Technical Feedback17:10 Healthy Competition and Support on Bad Days21:15 Video Review and Relearning Perception25:05 Velocity-Based Training and Wearables28:45 Tandem Coaching and the Eye in the Sky31:35 Caffeine, Bar Speed, and Objective Feedback34:05 AssaultBike, Rower, and Interval Accountability36:20 AI, Social Media, and the Limits of Outsourcing Coaching39:40 Earned Respect, Tough Love, and Human Connection41:55 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

  8. Aug 31

    Barriers to Lifting

    Why People Struggle to Lift: Barriers, Energy, Access, and the Minimal Effective Dose Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery angle a new qualitative study of 38 adults experiencing food insecurity toward strength training, unpacking time scarcity, fatigue, occupational demands, safety, weather, health complications, finances, and the tension between motivation and low energy. They share practical strategies from coaching younger athletes, workers, busy professionals, and low-aerobic-capacity clients: train before work, use brief lifting and high-intensity conditioning, build access and social support, start with one or two manageable changes, and reduce excuses without overwhelming the person. The hosts also discuss how basic aerobic fitness can improve energy and brain fog, why community health workers may lack specific resistance-training guidance, and the importance of finding the minimal effective dose for sustainable progress. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:05 Study on Barriers to Physical Activity and Food Insecurity 04:10 Time Scarcity, Fatigue, Work, and Environmental Barriers 08:25 Motivation Versus Energy and the Importance of Priorities 11:40 Diagnosing Low Energy: Iron, Sleep, Inflammation, and Aerobic Fitness 16:10 Building Exercise Into the Day and Improving Access 20:05 Something Is Better Than Nothing 23:00 Community Health Workers and Resistance-Training Knowledge 26:15 Meathead Cardio and the Minimal Effective Dose 29:45 Social Support, Coaching, and Reducing Excuses 32:35 Training Barriers, Accountability, and AI 34:20 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE. You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

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About

A rebooted Iron Radio and archives of Season Two of NutritionRadio.org are here! Stay up on breaking health news, exercise science, food trends, and innovations with professors, coaches, and guest co-hosts. Updated weekly. Legitimate content you trust, from educated, experienced podcasters as passionate as you are.

Information

  • Creator
    Coach Phil Stevens, Dr Mike T Nelson, Dr Lonnie Lowery, Coach Barber
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    290
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2023-2024
  • Show Website
    Iron Radio-Nutrition Radio Network

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