Anabolic Analysis

Coach Kolt
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Nutrition

Anabolic Analysis is where evidence-based fitness meets real-world application. Every week Kolton Brenneman interviews experts with unique perspectives on training, nutrition, muscle growth, and performance. Every episode is designed to cut through the noise, challenge assumptions, and leave you with practical takeaways you can apply to your own fitness. Less guessing. More growing.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    Ep. 2: Protein, Calorie Surpluses, & How to Maximize Gains - Alan Aragon

    In this episode of Anabolic Analysis, I sit down with author of the ISSN position stand on dieting, and pioneer of the evidence-based fitness movement, Alan Aragon to break down some of the biggest debates in training and sports nutrition. We discuss Alan's current training, training to failure versus leaving reps in reserve, how many carbs and fats you need for hypertrophy, and why the commonly cited 1.6 g/kg protein target probably is not the ceiling for maximizing muscle growth. We also dive deep into the calorie surplus debate. Do you actually need to bulk to maximize muscle growth? If so, how large should the surplus be, and can you minimize fat gain while still maximizing progress? Finally, Alan shares several things he has changed his mind about, his best advice for building your physique over the next five years, and what he is currently experimenting with in his own training. Topics CoveredTraining to failure vs. reps in reserveHow many carbs you need for hypertrophyMinimum dietary fat intakeWhy 1.6 g/kg of protein may not maximize gainsProtein vs. carbs for additional caloriesLimitations of hypertrophy researchWhether you need a calorie surplus to maximize muscle growthHow large a muscle-building surplus should beRealistic rates of natural muscle growthAlan's thoughts on rep ranges, drop sets, and cluster setsOur Links: Coach Kolt: https://linktr.ee/kolt45fitness Alan Aragon: AlanAragon.com FitAdvancement.com Timestamps00:00 - Is 1.6 g/kg of protein enough? 00:35 - Who is Alan Aragon? 03:18 - Alan's current training 06:50 - Training to failure 10:22 - How accurate is RIR? 20:33 - Carbs for maximizing hypertrophy 24:49 - How much fat do you need? 30:49 - The protein ceiling debate 32:04 - Benefits above 1.6 g/kg 36:09 - DEXA, glycogen, and lean mass 40:18 - Problems with hypertrophy research 45:26 - Protein vs. carbs 46:15 - Is 1 g/lb the better protein target? 48:26 - What Alan has changed his mind about 49:45 - The real hypertrophy rep range 55:36 - Alan's best advice for building muscle 57:05 - Drop sets and cluster sets 59:27 - Do you need a calorie surplus? 1:02:03 - Small vs. large surpluses 1:05:37 - Hard gainers and larger surpluses 1:08:31 - Who can gain muscle without bulking? 1:09:48 - How big should your surplus be? 1:13:55 - How long does muscle growth take? 1:19:28 - Where to find Alan

  2. Aug 9

    Ep. 1: Why You Don’t Need a Huge Surplus to Build Muscle - King Deltoids

    In this episode, Kolt speaks with King Deltoids, aka Braden, an exercise science student and bodybuilding content creator, about what actually matters in contest prep, muscle gain, and physique development. They cover high protein dieting in a steep deficit, whether you can build muscle while cutting, and the long running debate over needing a surplus to maximize hypertrophy. Along the way, they also dig into fatigue, failure, body fat levels, and why so much fitness advice breaks down once people try to apply it outside the lab. Key topics Braden’s current prep setupHow he structures full body trainingProtein intake during a deficitFat intake stays at a minimumWhy higher protein may matter more in harder deficitsProtein is harder to store as fatCan you maximize hypertrophy in a deficit?The surplus debateHow body fat level changes the recommendationWhy a huge bulk is usually unnecessaryWhy body composition claims often get exaggeratedTraining failure, fatigue, and the brainBest advice for physique progressSocial Media Links: Coach Kolt: https://linktr.ee/kolt45fitness Braedon (King Deltoids): https://www.instagram.com/king_deltoids/ Timestamps 00:00 - Guest introduction and what King Deltoids studies and posts about 01:12 - Why full body every other day is working in a hard contest-prep deficit 02:28 - Prep timeline and how Braden sets calories on training and rest days 03:31 - Protein targets in the cut and why he aims around 1 gram per pound 04:11 - Why fats stay around 40 grams and the hormone-related minimum 05:22 - Research on protein retention in trained lifters during deficits 07:39 - Why enhanced lifters and natural lifters cannot use the same nutrition logic 09:12 - Why severe deficits create a different physiological problem than normal cuts 10:13 - Satiety, thermic effect of food, and why protein is not always magically more filling 12:24 - Why protein is inefficient to store as fat 13:46 - High-protein overfeeding studies and what they suggest mechanistically 15:17 - Practical protein advice for naturals in a deficit 17:32 - Setting up the bulking and maintenance debate 19:00 - Why “main gaining” is mostly a body-fat management question 21:09 - Where recomp stops being realistic for different individuals 22:51 - Why population-level body-fat data and BMI create confusion 25:11 - Why gaining body fat is not the same thing as maximizing muscle gain 26:52 - Can you maximize hypertrophy in a deficit? 28:35 - Why lean body mass loss in studies does not always mean contractile tissue loss 29:43 - Practical deficit ranges for people who want to gain muscle while cutting 32:40 - Why higher body fat lets you use a bigger deficit without losing growth potential 34:28 - When the goal shifts from recomposition to faster fat loss 35:55 - Why surplus arguments often confuse fat gain with muscle gain 39:30 - New hypertrophy meta-analysis and what diminishing returns look like over time 43:54 - Why very large surpluses are usually unnecessary 46:23 - Time-restricted eating in a surplus and what happened to body weight 50:14 - Why more calories did not automatically mean more muscle 55:49 - Hormone changes, IGF-1, and why small fluctuations do not prove much 59:41 - What Braden has changed his mind about over time 63:02 - His hottest take on failure and why he thinks the brain is the limiter 68:19 - Best advice for building a physique over the next five years 71:32 - What Braden is currently experimenting with in training and dieting

    Ep. 1: Why You Don’t Need a Huge Surplus to Build Muscle - King Deltoids
  • 2 Episodes

About

Anabolic Analysis is where evidence-based fitness meets real-world application. Every week Kolton Brenneman interviews experts with unique perspectives on training, nutrition, muscle growth, and performance. Every episode is designed to cut through the noise, challenge assumptions, and leave you with practical takeaways you can apply to your own fitness. Less guessing. More growing.

Information

  • Creator
    Coach Kolt
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Coach Kolt
  • Show Website
    Anabolic Analysis