Iron Culture presented by MASS

Without constraints, it's hard to know what direction to go in. But on the other hand, if you're too constrained it's hard to change direction in any meaningful way. This paradigm exists in many domains of life, but today we're discussing how it operates in training. You could conceptualise this as "top down" vs "bottom up" programming styles, but ultimately, the questions are: where do I begin and how do I adjust if it doesn't work? If you're an athlete, knowing the answer is how you make it to the next level, and if you're a coach, having a system to answer both questions is the cornerstone of your success. In this episode we tackle these questions, starting philosophically, and eventually getting down to specifics and providing examples and details. Dry your eye dear listener if you haven't hit a PR in months, today might be the start of something beautiful.

Join Dr. Nick Licameli and Dr. Nick Rolnick as they delve into the world of Blood Flow Restriction training, debunking the idea that it's just a gimmick. Learn about its extensive research, implications for hypertrophy, and practical applications in bodybuilding and therapy. The conversation also highlights the importance of safe and responsible fitness practices.

100 episodes, wow. We just want to say thank you, dear listener. What began as an excuse for us to hang out more often than our friends and families thought was healthy, turned into a bonified opportunity for us to learn about all the various permutations the iron can take, the interesting, cutting edge science related to it all, and the history of what came before. We hope you learned as much as we have, and that your connection to the iron has deepened, and become more multifaceted. In this episode, it's just us, reflecting on the journey thus far, and our favorite episodes out of the 100 we've had. Sit back and enjoy, because you were a part of making this happen.

Still unsure if they need to get lawyers, our heroes emerge victorious from their mission to make the big leagues by being on with the one and only Joe Rogan. It only took breaking in, barricading the door, and hours of threats, but our hosts know when someone is just playing hard to get. While Joe has never released the episode, we're confidently waiting, and until then, enjoy these highlights. You'll notice there is still more work to be done, however. Our attempts to emphasize science and nuance were met with interesting tangents on DMT, wolves, grass-fed butter honey toast, and general frustration with research, but we know our boy Mr. Rogaine will come around eventually!

Jeff Alberts has been training longer than most Iron Culture listeners have been alive and competing in bodybuilding longer than some as well. As a natural bodybuilder, he's steadily climbed the ranks from amateur to professional, to winning pro shows, to placing top 5 at WNBF Pro Worlds. While these are impressive feats for any bodybuilder, what's incredible is that he's turning 50 this year, still at his peak, and is in the midst of contest preparation for the 2021 season. This résumé alone would warrant any smart bodybuilder to listen closely and take notes, but on top of his personal experience, Jeff has coached over 1000 individuals, recreational and competitive, from amateur to professional champion. This isn't one to miss folks, so sit back and take in the wealth of experience of Jeff Alberts.

Danny Lennon still isn't returning our phone calls, but that's ok because his Sigma Nutrition Radio Co-host Alan Flanagan is! Alan is not only a Ph.D. candidate at Surrey University studying nutrition but was also a former practicing lawyer (and of course most importantly a powerlifter). This means he has not only a solid understanding of nutrition science but also logic and how to construct an argument. This combination makes him not only a potent communicator of nutrition science but also science at a meta-level. He joins us this episode to discuss how heuristics can become falsehoods, how evidence-based "rules" can masquerade as dogma, and why an RCT doesn't always trump epidemiology. This one is for the nerd's nerd, so strap in to expand your critical thinking skills (and if not just continue to put your blind faith in Iron CULTure).

Despite the potato-famine controversy in our last episode with him, Dr. Conor Heffernan the strength historian is back dropping more gems from the past on iron culture. This time we address the ever-repeating cycle of the "machines vs free weights" argument from a historical perspective. From Sandow to Arthur Jones to the modern "functional fitness" era, this episode has it all!

Intermittent energy restriction, intermittent fasting, time-restricted feeding, refeeds, diet breaks, nonlinear dieting, and chrononutrition, oh my! You're not in Kansas anymore, it's a wide world of meal frequencies and eating patterns dear cultists, but don't worry we've assembled the avengers on these topics! Teaching us the terminology in the lay vs scientific community, the theories, the state of the evidence, and ultimately, the practical application, are three guests: Danny Lennon MSc of Sigma Nutrition, science communicator well versed in chrononutrition, and Dr. Grant Tinsley of Texas Tech University, a leading researcher in the area of time-restricted feeding return! Also, joining us is a first-time guest, Ph.D. candidate Jackson Peos, who is doing his Ph.D. on diet breaks in athletes. Sit back, grab your popcorn (but only eat it in the 8-hour window while the sun is out on your refeed day or diet break week), and enjoy!

History, Science, Culture. As a CULTist, that's what you signed up for and we've been lax delivering the first: history. But no more! We are joined by Dr. Conor Heffernan, Assistant Professor of Physical Culture and Sport Studies at the University of Texas at Austin to discuss how vaudeville circus acts became the iron game as we know it. Learn how Eugen Sandow literally ripped off his suit to enter the world stage and reshaped the view of what strongmen looked like. Learn how bodybuilding was born of this history and what the very first shows were like. We look back with reverence, but without rose-tinted glasses, exploring surprising aspects of this history, like the legal battles and money-making schemes that look surprisingly like the fit teas of today. Know your history, or repeat the mistakes of the past dear cult.

You're hitting those sets of five on triceps pushdowns because you want maximum transfer to bench. Or maybe, you're doing sets of 8-12 on the big 3, because you want to be strong and big. But damnit, your elbows and hips hate you. Are you doing something wrong? Is this really the best way to train for strength and size? Are you actually being specific in a useful way? In this episode, we discuss not only these topics, but also how they apply when you've been away from the gym, like many of us have been due to COVID, and you're regaining strength you previously had.