Iron Culture presented by MASS

On this episode of Iron Culture, we are joined by the strongest of them all: Amanda Lawrence. She currently tops the ranks of drug-tested raw powerlifting by coefficient using multiple formulae and is just weeks out from USAPL raw nationals where she hopes to further improve on her already mind-blowing total of 646kg at under 84kg. Join us as we discuss how she got into the sport, what she loves about the sport, her future in powerlifting, her experiences coaching and competing, and who she is outside of the gym. Also, listen in to find out who she calls out for a post-nationals posedown on Daytona Beach!

We're back with round 2 of our question and answer episodes on Iron Culture! We begin with the dumpster fire that is the "Natty or Not" debate, hopefully providing some unique insights, and then we get into some useful advice on both accurately identifying, and potentially, when appropriate, addressing "lagging" muscle groups. The real gem of this episode though, is answering the question "when is the right time to compete?" We address both strength and physique sport and truly get to the heart of what holds most people back, but what probably shouldn't. Finally, we cover how to use the right types and balance between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to ensure continual progress.

Dr. Ben House is back on Iron Culture! This time he's here to explain why not only is exercise not pointless for weight loss, but indeed may be the most effective and low-risk tool we have to arrest the obesity epidemic. In this episode, we discuss why "exercise nihilism" for weight loss stems from an overly reductionist view of activity, purely as a means of increasing energy expenditure. We also discuss how activity can have profound effects on the metabolic response to meals, and can better regulate energy intake. We juxtapose the likely-to-fail strategies based on purposeful, lifelong diet restraint, with a focus on activity and exercise which may better regulate passive energy intake. Finally, we do a bit of ranting about our love affair with "willpower" that leads people astray when the diet is over.

Can you believe it's episode 116 and we haven't yet done a deep dive specifically on "flexible dieting"? Well, we couldn't either, so in this episode, we did just that. You'll learn what the origins of flexible dieting are in the research and also the fitness industry and how they diverged to the point they became wholly separate. You'll learn why IIFYM is not always flexible, what the data on flexible dieting suggests, and where the research stands today as newer concepts like intuitive eating have emerged.

This week, Dr. Hayden Pritchard joins Iron Culture. Hayden did his Ph.D. specifically on tapering for maximal strength enhancement, which included surveying top powerlifters to see what they do in practice prior to competition. Since his Ph.D. he's gone on to survey strongmen/women, CrossFit competitors and weightlifters as well. No stranger to maximal strength himself, Hayden Pritchard is also a national-level weightlifter, and a world-level powerlifter, having represented New Zealand at IPF Worlds in the 93kg class. As you know, we value nepotism here at Iron Culture, as you'll find out that Eric and Hayden actually did their Ph.D.'s at AUT in the same time period, and competed with one another in powerlifting in 2013-2014 multiple times. Join us in this episode as you benefit from that nepotism and learn the science of how strength athletes set themselves up to PR on the platform.

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.