Iron Culture presented by MASS

The diet is over...now what? Well, that depends. Are you someone looking to maintain your (hopefully reasonable amount of) weight loss? Or are you a competitor who’s purposely dieted to an unsustainable level of leanness and needs to recover physiologically and psychologically so you can have a productive offseason? Depending on who you are and your situation, the answer will differ. Further, there is considerable debate as to the best approach even if you have narrowed down your situation. Reverse diet, recovery diet, or something like else? Have no fear, Iron Culture is here to separate fact from fiction, and clarify the physiology, psychology, and strategies we have that are relevant to the topic. 

Iron Culture gets back to its roots in this episode, meaning, hunks. WNBF Pro Natural bodybuilder and 2x World Pro Champion in the lightweight and bantamweight classes Brett Freeman joins us today to talk about his competitive journey with bodybuilding. Getting into the sport early, he’s now spent half his life in a tumultuous relationship with the sport. Like Icarus, he flew too close initially, burned out, and took three years completely off training and competing. As you’ll hear, while these were dark times for Brett, they allowed him to return to the sport with a renewed, healthier perspective towards competition, ironically resulting in his most successful competitive outcomes.

Infographics, YouTubers, podcasters, and blogs, oh my! It ain’t easy being a content creator in these hyper-speed feed times. In this episode, the hosts reflect on the challenging balance of producing meaningful, high-quality content that will help, while also staying relevant in the social media age, and somehow managing to pay the bills. Listen and you'll learn how and why Instagram makes it harder for Eric to read and review research, why Omar is one of the few surviving YouTubers who started their channel before the twenty-teens, and also the host's combined insights in how to stay afloat, and hopefully make a difference as a content creator. 

In this episode, three of the most talented lifters in the IPF discuss their training, the state of powerlifting and their lifting careers during COVID, and the future. We are joined by Jessica Buettner, multi-time raw Canadian national champion, World Classic Junior Champion, Commonwealth champion, and World Classic Open podium finisher, in addition to Bryce Krawczyk, multi-time Canadian raw and equipped national champion, World Classic podium finisher, and North American Powerlifting champion, and Taylor Atwood, six-time US raw national champion, and two-time World Classic Champion, to reveal how despite their mind-blowing totals, they are human like the rest of us. How have they fared in the last year? How has powerlifting fared, and what can we expect for the future of the sport? Join us to find out! 

It’s been just about a year since the first COVID gym lockdowns, and for many, they are still happening. Some have been unable to train in the way they were accustomed to for the majority of that time, almost everyone has had to adjust, and the social dynamics of training are absent when training alone, at home. Some have had to ask the question “who am I without lifting?”, coming up with as many different answers as there are lifters. In this episode, we reflect on the road behind us, how we’ve coped, the reasons we lift, and the meaning we make when our pursuit doesn’t go as planned. Join us, while it’s dark sometimes, we know there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

We often throw around terms like “rational skepticism” or “empirical evidence” without knowing the specific definitions of what they mean beyond a general sense of them indicating some aspect of scientific thought or inquiry. What is rationalism? What is empiricism? How do we actually evaluate the evidence to make conclusions when viewed from the perspective of each? In this episode, the whole MASS crew chats on Iron Culture to discuss how we form a rational theory based on logical reasoning, and evaluate actual empirical evidence to come to conclusions. How do you evaluate the strength of a rational argument? How do you use empirical evidence and rational thought in a complementary way to answer questions? Tune in to this episode and strengthen your critical thinking skills so you aren’t simply a victim to the blowing winds of #science on social media. 

You got questions? We got answers. In fact, we have THE answers. In this episode Omar and Eric take a step in a bold direction, doing what no other podcasts or fitness content creators have previously done, and answer questions from our subscribers. No, it’s never been done before, yes it’s a wild idea never previously considered (and if someone claims they’ve done it or thought it already, trust us, they actually stole it from us). But ever the bold innovators, Iron Culture steps into the breach. No need to thank us. 

Citrulline Malate, an emerging supplement in the scientific literature with an overall positive publishing record. More and more these days, you’ll see it alongside the more scientifically established usual suspects like creatine and caffeine in multi-ingredient mixes. But what exactly is it? What’s Citrulline? What’s malate? What do they do? How do they work? What do we know, and what is yet to be determined? In this episode, we're joined by returning guests Ben Esgro and Eric Trexler to answer these questions. Ben is a registered dietitian with two master's degrees, one in sports nutrition and one in pharmaceutical chemistry, and he’s been a supplement formulator and supplement company owner for over a decade. Dr. Eric Trexler actually did his Ph.D. dissertation on Citrulline, so it’s safe to say we have probably the most informed duo on the topic in podcast history. So sit back, learn, and enjoy!

Black and white Animal Pak posters, a mid-set roar lunk alarm be damned, a willingness to sacrifice, and a middle finger to the concept of “balance”. Most people would agree these are “hardcore” archetypes. Many of us have lived it, some do currently, some call on it when needed, some respect it but aren’t about that life, and others judge them for not being about it. Ultimately, it’s a subjective mindsight that can have positive and negative effects on your life and even your goals. Also, from some perspectives, it’s actually the easy way out. In this episode of Iron Culture, our hosts ponder the question “what does it mean to be hardcore?”

Opening a community gym in the middle of a pandemic: crazy, or if done safely, sorely needed? That’s exactly what Mike Farr (Silent Mike) and Jim McDonald did. These Nor Cal natives return from their previous episode alongside Alan Thrall and Eric Helms where we discussed what the heck is in the water in Sacramento that produces so many iconic lifting groups. They join us today to talk about their experience of pulling the trigger on their dream of opening a gym in Sacramento, despite the challenges of COVID. Philosophically, they have the outlook that you can only put your dreams on hold for so long, and that there will always be a reason not to do something. Ethically, these two didn’t cut any corners in pursuit of their dreams. They realise that for folks like us, lifting has to find a way, because it’s something we need. Learn how they provide their members the space as an outlet, while protecting their health, and not going bankrupt in this episode.