
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

Feb 26, 2024 • 1h 27min
Ep. 263 - Is Protein Timing Debunked?
Protein timing controversies, research shifts, and debunked myths explored in a humorous and insightful manner. Evolution of protein perspectives, real-life implementation complexities, and muscle pump dynamics discussed. Optimal protein intake for muscle growth emphasized over strict timing and source fixation.

Feb 19, 2024 • 1h 25min
Ep. 262 - Sheffield 2024 Recap
The trio is back on the heels of THE Sheffield 2024, the biggest powerlifting competition to date, which outdid its inaugural 2023 performance. Once again, the 12 best IPF-unequipped women and men clashed in a cross-weight class competition ranked by their total as a percentage of their respective world record. This meet incentivizes going BIG, rewarding cash prizes for both placing and breaking individual lift records, with over $500k USD up for grabs, boy did it deliver. The sold out crowd watched the first ever 300kg women’s squat in sleeves by Sonita Muluh, and Jesus Olivares break Ray Williams’ squat world record. Women’s champion Agata Sitko totalled an astonishing 600kg at 69kg, benching an incredible 152kg, annihilating the 69kg total record by 51kg alongside 10 additional women who totalled over the world record. Without question, powerlifting is on the rise, and there is a lot to discuss, so make sure to listen in! 00:00 A synchronised intro, reviewing reviews, and an Iron Culture goal 12:30 Moving onto Sheffield 2024: the rundown 22:00 Development in the sport of Powerlifting 29:03 The men’s side and the KoTL predictions 42:02 Trexler’s take and the limitations measuring the body composition of large individuals Slater 2011 Nutrition guidelines for strength sports: sprinting, weightlifting, throwing events, and bodybuilding https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21660839/ 1:02:42 Segue back to Sheffield and some insider information 1:13:43 What Sheffield means for Powerlifting and a broad recap 1:17:39 Trexler addresses the nasty rumours and men’s physique before we close out Iron Culture Ep. 33- Pain Science, Injury & Rehab https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-S8nThxpqY

Feb 12, 2024 • 1h 22min
Ep. 261 - A Unified Theory of Metabolic Adaptation?
In this podcast, the hosts discuss the interconnected nature of overtraining syndrome, metabolic adaptation, relative energy deficiency in sport, exercise energy compensation, and body fat regulation. They explore the unsustainability of extreme leanness in bodybuilders and delve into the clinical manifestations of stress fractures in female endurance athletes. The relationship between metabolic adaptation and the female athlete triad is also explored, along with the connection between overtraining syndrome and low energy availability. The importance of finding balance in contest preparation is emphasized, and the hosts express gratitude to the listeners.

Feb 5, 2024 • 1h 3min
Ep. 260 - Does Powerlifting with a Rounded Back Cause Pain?
The podcast explores topics such as the health at every size movement, weight loss drugs and biases, personal responsibility and obesity rates, powerlifting with a rounded back and pain, the paradigm shift from biomedical to biopsychosocial model, and the impact of resources and care on recovery and experience of injury.

Jan 29, 2024 • 1h 46min
Ep. 259 - MASScast 6: Response Variation, Individualizing Training, and Protein Consistency (ft. Dr. Mike Zourdos and Dr. Eric Trexler
Dr. Mike Zourdos and Dr. Eric Trexler answer questions about response variation, individualizing training, movement screens, rest days, protein intake recommendations, exercise variation and joint pain, the effects of alcohol on body composition, pros and cons of caffeine, and training in unconventional locations.

17 snips
Jan 22, 2024 • 1h 56min
Ep. 258 - The Rise of Lifting Antiscience
The hosts discuss the rise of antiscience in lifting and the problems it poses. They debate the limitations of science and the importance of exercise science. The chapter explores the historical background and the development of scientific practices. They also discuss the misuse of science for marketing and the misconceptions about applying science in health and fitness.

Jan 15, 2024 • 1h 19min
Ep. 257 - WNBF Pro World & Pro Natural Olympia 2023 Champion Beccy Pateman
In our third interview following the 2023 natural bodybuilding season, we sit down with another historic champion with a truly outlier series of performances. This time, Australian phenom Beccy Pateman joined the Erics on Iron Culture to discuss her season, which culminated not only in her winning her WNBF pro card in both Figure and Fit Body, but also winning the WNBF pro world fit body title. As we’ve discussed, for an athlete to turn pro in the WNBF and win a pro world title in the same season is incredibly rare. Further, the weekend prior to WNBF worlds, Beccy won the Professional Natual Olympia Figure title in the INBA/PNBA. Winning two world titles, relatively early in one’s career, in two different federations, and in two different divisions nonetheless, is an even more incredible feat, which only a handful of athletes have ever done in the history of natural bodybuilding. Indeed, the athletes who have done so have, in most cases, gone on to become legends of natural bodybuilding. How did Beccy do it? What did it take for her to get to this point in her career and what is in store for her? Join us to find out! 00:00 Dr Trexler… Dr Helms… 05:22 Introducing Beccy 14:54 The timeline of Beccy’s journey 20:48 A recap of Beccy’s season 31:22 Testing for Natural Bodybuilding: urinalysis and polygraph testing 38:28 Winning her pro card at WNBF Australia and competing at The Natural Olympia 43:18 Competing in two divisions and working with Joey Cantlin 48:45 Beccy’s WNBF Pro debut and potential for the bodybuilding division 59:38 The recovery and what helped Beccy have such a successful season 1:11:50 Transitioning from recovery to off-season 1:14:50 Final words and where to find Beccy Instagram @beccypateman https://www.instagram.com/beccypateman/ Unrivalledphysiques Coaching Instagram @unrivalledphysiques https://www.instagram.com/unrivalledphysiques/ Website https://unrivalledphysiques.wixsite.com/onlinecoaching

8 snips
Jan 8, 2024 • 1h 29min
Ep. 256 - The Challenge of Science Communication (feat Layne Norton)
Dr Layne Norton joins Iron Culture for the first time in this episode to discuss the importance and challenges of science communication in the modern age. They explore strategies for effective science communication, the competition against non-evidence-based individuals, and the challenges of combating misinformation. They also discuss their day-to-day activities, the significance of social media, conflicting evidence on dietary components, the value of debates for education, and personal experiences with injuries and challenges in the fitness industry.

Jan 1, 2024 • 1h 53min
Ep. 255 - WNBF World, Yorton Cup & Ms. America 2023 Champion Natalie Hays
Natalie Hays did what no natural bodybuilder has ever done before. Not only did she win her OCB pro card, to then go on and win the Yorton Cup pro title, but she also then won the Ms. America pro title, and then the WNBF Amateur World title to secure her WNBF pro card…but not satisfied, the next day she competed in the WNBF Pro Worlds, and won the professional women’s bodybuilding title as well. Without any qualifiers, this series of wins at the biggest shows in natural bodybuilding is unprecedented and downright incredible. But, consider that she did this in her very first season competing! In this episode the Erics sit down with Natalie to talk through her historic competitive season and learn just how unique she is, both in her psychology and relentless dedication to her craft, but also in her physiology. Further, like other young champions of late, we learn how she was patient in her decision to eventually step on stage, and was awarded immensely. This is not one to miss for bodybuilding fans! 00:00 We got the intro right and introducing Natalie Iron Culture Ep. 253- 2023 Lightweight WNBF Pro World Champion Dirk Emmerich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGapMQFeznA 05:39 Natalie’s prep and first show experience 22:34 Moving into the natural circuit 27:05 Judging criteria and expectations 36:51 Comparing the atmosphere of shows 50:14 Finishing the season and obsessing over bodybuilding 1:00:01 Reflecting on the moments 1:09:14 WNBF Worlds 1:17:56 Self-coaching 1:23:36 Being ready to compete and embracing the lifestyle 1:38:30 Getting on-stage and knowing if bodybuilding is for you 1:42:48 Competing in the Natural Olympia, what’s next for Natalie and where to find her Instagram: @nph_fit https://www.instagram.com/nph_fit YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@nataliehays5037

Dec 25, 2023 • 1h 8min
Ep. 254 - Do Fat Burners Actually Work?
In this episode, the hosts discuss fat burners and their effectiveness. They reference a recent study that showed a commercially available thermogenesis fat burner seemed to have some effect, but the extent of its impact on fat loss is uncertain. They also explore the ingredients in fat burners, individual variation in energy expenditure, and the effects of caffeine. The hosts share personal experiences with fat burners during preparation for competitions. They discuss other fat burners on the market and the broader data on this class of supplements.