
Iron Culture presented by MASS
Iron Culture was started by Eric Helms and Omar Isuf as a means of exploring the world of physical culture and attempting to distill a unified philosophy of lifting and to help listeners find greater meaning from the iron. It's now hosted by Eric Helms and Eric Trexler, who repeatedly beg Omar to return as a guest.
Iron Culture focuses on dispensing practical, useful information to the listener, bouncing from history, to philosophy, to contemporary lifting culture issues, to science. The format includes casual conversations between the two hosts on a variety of topics, discussions with a panel of experts and interviews with authoritative figures in the lifting community.
Iron Culture is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review.
Latest episodes

Apr 1, 2022 • 2h 10min
Ep. 164 - A Scientific Examination of the Carnivore Diet
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

Mar 21, 2022 • 1h 26min
Ep. 163 - All About EMG and Hypertrophy (feat Andrew Vigotsky)
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.

Mar 14, 2022 • 1h 56min
Ep. 162 - Training To Failure, Advanced Lifters and Breaking Through Plateaus
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.

Mar 7, 2022 • 1h 34min
Ep. 161- Are Evidence Based Influencers Selling Out? (Q&A)
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!

Feb 28, 2022 • 1h 32min
Ep. 160 - Autoregulation & Individualization: Everything You Wanted To Know
Recently, the first systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of autoregulation on strength and hypertrophy was published. In this episode we explore why this publication almost sent Eric into a proverbial dark cave without a pen light, never to return, and what realizations helped him find his way out. In this episode, we discuss that the promise of autoregulation is really Individualization. With that discovery, we explore how it succeeds, and fails, at least in its current limited form, what research on autoregulation can and canto capture, and what will be needed in the future for autoregulation to truly become the game changer it theoretically could be.

Feb 21, 2022 • 1h 47min
Ep. 159 - Vitamin D Supplementation: A Deep Dive
The hype around Vitamin D supplementation has waxed and waned over the years in the lifting community, but has overall, landed in a place where it’s more or less universally seen as a positive supplement. But what is the state of the data? What can you expect as a lifter out of vitamin D supplementation? How do you measure vitamin D status, how reliable are these measures, and should we even be measuring it? The answer probably differs at the population and individual levels. We’re joined by Dr. Niamh Aspell of Sigma Nutrition who did her Ph.D. on Vitamin D as well as Austin Baraki, MD from barbell medicine who deals with this on a clinical level on a regular basis to answer these questions.

Feb 14, 2022 • 1h 38min
Ep. 158 - Why You Should Be Skeptical of Ecdysteroids (Including Turkesterone)
Turkesterone and ecdysterone have garnered a lot a of interest as of late, and a number of notable folks in the evidence based community have done a great job pointing out the lack of evidence supporting their efficacy. For newer lifters, you might not be aware, but this isn’t the first time these compounds have been hyped up beyond the evidence. Is this hope and hype founded? In this episode we’re joined by Ben Esgro, who uses his pharmacological knowledge to explain that it probably isn’t. Join us as he goes through a mechanistic evaluation of how these compounds works, and why we probably shouldn’t expect much out of them.

Feb 7, 2022 • 1h 22min
Ep. 157 - Exercise Selection for Hypertrophy: An In-Depth Examination
Exercise selection, a multi-layered piece of cake that you don’t have to eat all of to benefit from, but really, who eats just part of a slice of cake (weirdo)? For hypertrophy, it can be as simple as having a few compound exercises for each major muscle group, a few isolation exercises to round them, smaller muscle groups out, and training through a full ROM. But, what about the folks who tell you compounds are all you need? And what about all those bodybuilders who swear by (certain types) of partials? Well, the former folks may have not considered the functional anatomy of specific muscles, or how biarticular muscles function in compound exercises, and more importantly, they probably don’t care. Most of the time, these minimalists are actually answering a different question and have different goals from the competitive or non-competitive physique athlete, but on the internet, this gets lost. Likewise, those IFBB pros training through a partial range of motion…is it just steroid-induced ego lifting? Or are they perhaps focusing on something you hadn’t considered? In this episode we go through each layer, helping you understand why the range of motion is an important variable, and how certain types of partials are actually fine, and maybe even beneficial, while others will short change your stimulus. Finally, we talk about why it’s a good idea to not just stick to compounds if your goal is hypertrophy, and which specific muscle groups and exercises you need to consider.

Jan 31, 2022 • 1h 34min
Ep. 156 - Deloads: The Science of Overload, Fatigue & Recovery
Watch the Episode Here: https://youtu.be/99e5iFWZwEQ Deloads, sometimes called unloads, light weeks, or simply incorporated as phases of a periodized plan, are frequently discussed in the evidence-based community, but they actually have very little direct research behind them. If that’s the case, why are these phases universally used? What principles are deloads based on? What sectors of research do we use to indirectly inform their structure? And most importantly, what options do you have for deloading, and how should you apply different approaches in different contexts? Join us in this episode of iron culture to find out!

Jan 24, 2022 • 1h 21min
Ep. 155 - Alex Tilinca: A Self Made Man
In this episode of Iron Culture, we’re joined by Alex Tilinca. Alex is a young competitive physique athlete with an already impressive amateur career thus far, seeking to get nationally qualified this year and hopefully compete at the national level in the NPC in the Classic Physique division. He’s also a prep coach at Scooby Prep, the well-known prep coaching company started and led by Jason Theobald. What makes Alex’s journey unique, is that he was born female, and is the first transgender man to compete in the classic physique division. His goal is to become the first transgender IFBB Classic Pro and one day, to become an Olympian. Join us in this episode as he shares his story, his experiences, the unique aspects of contest prep he’s discovered along the way, and how he helps other similar lifters navigate their goals through his experiences. Alex Tilinca https://www.instagram.com/alextilinca https://www.selfmademan.shop/ Coaching: alex@scoobyprep.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsXl9txLLFtO71fg4wNKBw