Iron Culture presented by MASS

In this Q&A episode, we address a few great questions, the first of which, on how does periodization for hypertrophy works, resulted in a deep dive by Mr. Dr. Eric Helms on the topic. You’ll learn about the definition of periodization, how it applies to hypertrophy goals, the rationale for periodizing specific variables, and what gaps we have on this topic. Finally, we discuss what we do know, and logically what’s reasonable to periodize and how. To wrap up, we answered questions on what gym equipment Omar is planning to get for his home gym, and also how NSAIDs impact gains. 

Your training environment, it’s a variable we all acknowledge as being relevant and important, but it’s rarely discussed in depth. In this episode, we give this topic the attention it deserves. What are the pros and cons of commercial gyms of various types? What are the pros and cons of home gyms? Collectively, we’ve both been personal trainers in multiple gym and studio environments, and personally, we ourselves have trained in a wide array of commercial, boutique, hardcore, specialty, military, and community gyms. In this episode we do a deep dive on how to find and cultivate the best training environment possible for one’s personality and goals. 

Saturated fat, it gets a lot of attention, but there’s not much consensus in this attention…at least in influencer conversations. However, the research on the health impacts of saturated fat are reasonably consistent in terms of scientific consensus. Beyond the impact of saturated fat on health, often in bodybuilding circles discussions on the effects of saturated fat focus on testosterone. However, does saturated fat have a meaningful effect on testosterone? In this episode we’re joined by returning guests Alan Flanagan, and Spencer Nadolsky, both experts in the topic, to discuss. 

This week we are joined by new IPF super heavyweight 2021 world champion and 2x US national champion Jesus Olivares. We’re all familiar with Ray Williams, one of the most impressive lifters of all time, who holds the highest IPF total currently at 1112.5kg, which he put up in 2019 at the age of 32. Amazingly, Jesus put up an 1110kg total just recently at Powerlifting America nationals at the tender age of 23. He’s only a few weeks out from Worlds and we were fortunate enough to sit down and learn about his history, his mindset, and his training. Are we on the cusp of a new era in the IPF super heavyweight division?

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.