Training, it’s the most fun thing we all do in our mundane lives, and we’re ok with that! But unfortunately, it’s only about 4-8 hours of the week and typically not every day. So, what’s an easy way to improve our quality of life? Train twice a day! In this episode, we actually discuss the intriguing research on two a day training for lifting. While it’s not something that makes sense in most cases, that isn’t to say it’s a universally bad idea, depending on your goal and your situation. In this episode, we discuss the context and also the research on this topic for how it can apply in a variety of situations. 

We’re back with another Q&A episode, with just one trendy commercial break. That’s right, we had to shill the 5-year MASS anniversary sale going on until May 3rd because let’s face it, no corporation except one we’re a partial owner of would sponsor us. But we do cover a range of questions in this episode, the first being how to address lagging body parts and setup muscle group specialization cycles…oh and 3DMJ has a new course for this…OK, so just one commercial break AND one integrated ad, BUT THAT’S IT (we gotta eat folks)! In addition, we also discuss other important topics, like body recomp, minimalist training, and the verifiable fact that Iron Culture Podcast started before the Stronger By Science Podcast (not that you’ve heard of it). [MASS Research Review] https://www.strongerbyscience.com/mass/ [3DMJ Lagging Body Parts]  https://www.3dmjvault.com/bundles/vip

The world of rehab is full of assessments and treatments. Some are legitimate, others less so, but the confusing part is that some of these assessments have a logical basis, connecting movement to function, can be improved with an treatment, and this coincides with the natural time course of healing. But was the assessment actually measuring the dysfunction or injury in some way, and did the treatment actually positively impact recovery beyond the placebo effect? To answer these hard questions we’re joined by Iron Culture regular, Dr. Nick Licameli, an experienced physical therapist who works with the general populace as well as 3DMJ athletes, and his colleagues Dr. Jared Maynard of Unbreakable Strength and John Flagg of Rebuild Stronger, a physical therapist and a certified athletic trainer, respectively, who both work with strength athletes.

Mike Tuchscherer has been on Iron Culture multiple times to speak as a thinker and coach, but this time we brought him on as an athlete. For those who don’t know, Mike has been competing since 2003 and has competed at the highest level. He is a two-time single-ply junior national champion, a single-ply collegiate national champion, a two-time single-ply open national champion, a four-time open raw national champion, a single-ply junior world champion, and to top it off, he’s a world games gold medalist, the highest honors a powerlifter can win. Over nearly 20 years of competing, his mentality has understandably and necessarily changed over the years. Most recently, he came back after a 6-year injury induced hiatus to beat his last competition total by nearly 80kg, with room to grow. Join us to learn how this story unfolded and what you can learn from it.  

Powerlifting has exploded in popularity over the last decade within the lifting community. From deadlifts being frowned upon at commercial gyms to your favourite fitness influencer now entering a local powerlifting meet for clout, the rise of powerlifting has been well documented. However, beneath this meteoric rise has been some signs that this rapid expansion within the community might be coming to a halt. Why did powerlifting become popular in the first place? If powerlifting IS regressing popularity, what are the likely factors? And ultimately what does the future hold for this beloved sport? Two hunks seek to uncover the full scoop in the latest sizzling episode of Iron Culture.

Combine enough truisms that lack precision and nuance and people get confused. This is exactly what happens in typical discussions of hypertrophy training while dieting. When a deficit is framed as a “state” rather than the cumulative effects of long term (body comp) and short term (acute energy balance) energy availability, and tropes like “volume is the primary driver of hypertrophy”, “intensity is more important than volume” and “dieting is catabolic” are stated without nuance, logic disconnects from physiology. In this episode we discuss the nature of caloric deficits, the effects they have in the long and short term, why and how you lose muscle while dieting, and the role of training for muscle retention in this context. 

The Carnivore Diet has exploded in popularity over the last several years thanks in large part to some very bold claims made by leading advocates. From the harmfulness of plants to the uselessness of fiber, these assertions are certainly bold. In this sizzling episode, Iron Culture hosts Omar Isuf and Eric Trexler investigate the validity of these claims, thoroughly examining and dispelling many incorrect beliefs commonly parroted by some aspects of the community. Surely this will be the least controversial episode they've done to date. References: Smajis et al 2020 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31796953/ Ingestion of a high dose of fructose for 8 wk was not associated with relevant metabolic consequences - lean, healthy, weight-stable individuals consuming 150 g (!!!) of fructose daily Nick Hiebert https://www.the-nutrivore.com/post/a-comprehensive-rebuttal-to-seed-oil-sophistry Mullie at al, 2021 Vitamin C in East-Greenland traditional nutrition: a reanalysis of the Høygaard nutritional data (1936-1937)     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC8266228/ Anderson et al, 2009 Barber et al, 2020 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19335713/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC7589116/ If you want good info on diet, blood lipids, and cardiovascular risk, check out the three-part series by Alan Flanagan of Sigma Nutrition:https://sigmanutrition.com/diet-cvd/ The Pattern of Fatty Acids Displaced by EPA and DHA Following 12 Months Supplementation Varies between Blood Cell and Plasma Fractions https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4555124/ Increasing dietary linoleic acid does not increase tissue arachidonic acid content in adults consuming Western-type diets: a systematic review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132704/ The omega-6/omega-3 ratio and cardiovascular disease risk: uses and abuses https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17045070/ https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/96/5/1193S/4577160

EMG studies, they’re the classic “evidence-based” tool to “Um actually” all the bros about what the perfect exercises they should have chosen for every muscle group. Or are they? Today we’re joined by returning guest, Ph.D. candidate Andrew Vigotsky, who’s published some of the most influential papers on the limitations and the best practice guidance for EMG research. In this episode, we learn what EMG data can and can’t tell us, what types of evidence we should rely on to inform exercise selection, and what research we should perform in the future to move the field forward. Ultimately, we unfortunately learn that the good old days of T-Nation articles might be sadly behind us.

As you all know, we at Iron Culture have succeeded in becoming lifting cult leaders, which basically means we’ve failed at our previous attempts at having respectable jobs  (sorry mom). However, the good news is that we are experts on failure because of this. In this episode we do a deep dive on failure in resistance training, building on prior episodes to help you understand why this seemingly straightforward concept is so murky, and why there is so much disagreement in the literature on proximity to failure. Further, before we even get to the topic du jour, we have a delicious appetizer discussion on expert creep and how not all sources of misinformation are necessarily perpetrated by sell-outs trying to trick you, and how to respond accordingly.

We’re back with another completely legit Q&A episode from 100% real listeners. Once again, thank you, Tommy, Tanya, and Tyrone. Omar was the highlight of this one, as the second question was specifically about using “questionable” marketing tactics, but in the name of good, to distribute evidence-based information, and whether doing so was ultimately helping people, or discouraging critical thinking. Sandwiching Omar’s fantastic answer, Eric addressed two science-based questions in this episode, the first being about when is it best to be process-focused versus outcome-focused, and the second is about how periodization operates with respect to other types of athletes and how much S&C should mimic the movements of the sport. Tune in for some great discussions on these topics in this episode!