You’ve probably heard of the famous, ancient lifting stones in Iceland and Scotland, some of which are even replicated and used in strongman competitions. But did you know that over 20 stones (and still counting) have been uncovered just in the last few years in Ireland, many of them heavier than the stones in Iceland and Scotland, by primarily one man? That man, Kettlebell Sport World Champion and amateur historian David Keohan (affectionately called “Indiana Stones”) joins us in this episode to discuss the incredible stories of how these stones were unearthed. You’ll hear about these ancient stones and their rich cultural significance and connections to mythology. While we often think of history as something in the past, when you tune in you’ll learn how some history is still being uncovered in real time! 00:00 Paying respects to a ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ review 3:20 Introducing David Keohan and lifting stones in Ireland Rogue Fitness documentaries Stoneland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhQlNwxn5oo Fullsterkur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Tcsg2Yac8 Levantadores: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vck32S27RmM 19:53 Researching the stones 32:18 The process of finding the stones and recording the findings 37:24 Promoting the (oral) history of the stones 52:26 Significance of the symbolism of the stones  1:05:45 Closing out and where to find David  Instagram: @_indiana_stones_ https://www.instagram.com/_indiana_stones_/

Coaches in the evidence-based community are often up to date with the latest in periodization and sports nutrition, but many are not even aware that there is a tremendous amount of research on coaching itself. What makes a good coach? Hint: it’s not simply being up to date with science, as that would mean that every coach prior to the modern era is a bad coach. So, what is it to be a good coach? As the title implies, it’s not about you, it’s about being athlete-centered. But what does that mean? Join in to find out!

We recently visited Dr. James Steele, Dr. “Pak”, and Milo Wolf at Solent University to film some of their research methods and interview them about the innovative, high-quality approaches they take. These guys aren’t just any group of muscle nerds though, they are actively working to improve how sports science is conducted, using and promoting the tools of open science. What is open science you ask? Make sure to tune in to learn, as you might be surprised that despite science being the best tool we have to answer life’s questions, it has many systemic issues from peer review, to the publishing process, to the reward systems in academia, to the gaps in training that sports scientists often have.

Dr. Conor Heffernan is back to discuss our recent trip to Ireland where he introduced us to Ireland’s reigning strongest woman Ayshea Ullah, David Keohan a kettlebell sport world champion dubbed “Indiana Stones”, and the many members of Europe’s oldest continually open gym Hercules Club, in Dublin. On our trip we learned about the only recently uncovered history of Irish stone lifting that goes back centuries, and got to watch as the current physical culturists of modern Ireland physically connected with the past pioneers of strength, and we also sat down with the old and new members of Herc’s in Dublin to learn just how special their community is. Join us in this episode as we reflect on these incredible experiences. 00:00 The fellowship of the stone is back (with a limerick) SBD Road to Sheffield 2023 Series YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL85JoAo_KTFuKlOWLRY_-gHj362gYTBOm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sbdapparel/reels/ 13:33 The history of the stones that we lifted in Ireland 30:04 The historical and cultural significance of lifting the natural stones 45:22 The origin of Hercules gym and its importance 57:22 Eric and Conor’s experiences of training at Hercules gym 1:26:01 Closing out with the unofficial third member of the Iron Culture establishment

Last week was the first time in our history that we left you without an episode, but don’t worry this painful experience was for good reason. Omar and Eric were in fact, both together in person, with Dr. Conor Heffernan at the SBD Sheffield. Eric was on stage coaching Jessica Buettner, and Conor and Omar were in the audience filming with the help of the newest member of the fellowship, Jonathan Akagha, the strongest cameraman in Europe. The Sheffield was perhaps the most significant meet in raw tested powerlifting, and for the two days leading up to it, the day of, and the day following, we filmed and interviewed the athletes and hosts to capture the experience. In this episode Omar, Eric and Conor sit down to discuss the Sheffield in retrospect: what was it like behind the scenes as a participant, what was it like in the audience, what did it mean for powerlifting, how will it change the future of the sport, and how will it evolve? Tune in as we answer these questions and more!   00:00 Intro to our first in-person podcast in four years… and addressing the bed situation 3:00 Reintroducing Dr Conor Heffernan and discussing the unique spectatorship of the Sheffield 2023 Powerlifting Championships 13:33 The Sheffield backstage environment, running coaching adjustments, and challenging lifts Iron Culture Ep. 214- You Don't Know Powerlifting Coaching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tiq6lvhkN5s 42:20 Framing the leader board for the audience to improve engagement with such a historically significant event 57:39 The history and cultural significance of Sheffield and improving future events 1:19:37 Sustaining global interest and participation in Powerlifting 1:39:54 Our highlights and favourite moments at Sheffield 1:48:39 Final words and closing out

Look no further than the comment section of this post/video and you’ll find knee-jerk answers to the question posed in this title driven by emotional reactions, that are justified after the fact by a poorly thought-out argument that is logically inconsistent. In the philosophy of sport, however, you go the opposite direction. You put forth a logically consistent case, based on established information, within the constraints of the argument. In this episode we chat with philosophy Ph.D. candidate at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain Adrian Kind, who recently collaborated on the article: “Is Bodybuilding a Sport?” with Eric. It is currently in peer review, but available as a pre-print for all to read. This philosophy of sport article by Kind and Helms is a rebuttal to another philosophy of sport article by Aranyosi (2018), where Aranyosi claims competitive Bodybuilding is not a sport, but rather an artistic presentation with sport-like elements. While Adrian and Eric didn’t prove Bodybuilding is a sport in their paper, they refuted the argument as presented. Tune in to learn about the specifics of this debate, and how a conversation typically reserved for Reddit plays out in academia, and why philosophy is actually at the root of all science. 00:00 Intro to the one (another monster episode) … and introducing Adrian Aranyosi 2017 Body, skill, and look: is bodybuilding a sport? https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11097-017-9513-3 Kind & Helms 2023 Is Bodybuilding a Sport? https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/270/539  10:44 Discussing the Aranyosi paper: what makes an “activity”, a sport? 26:25 The rebuttal to the takes on posing 41:55 The physical skill component of bodybuilding 1:01:13 The Art vs. Sport spectrum argument Iron Culture Ep. 84- The Original Iron Sport: Gymnastics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_n5AiQvLzQ 1:24:00 Conceding that the physical skill involved in bodybuilding is displaying the body 1:33:40 Why is the categorisation of bodybuilding as a sport perceived as contemptuous? 1:49:03 Do you even lift? Future topics to discuss and closing out Iron Culture Ep. 19- The Science of Hypertrophy (Roundtable) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw1LDc7_Hrc

Matt Gary is back on Iron Culture after being on way back in episode 16! This time he discusses nuances most people don’t know about game day powerlifting coaching, including even most powerlifters! With the explosion of participants in the sport, there are some weight classes where as many as five individuals could be a world champion depending on how their cards are played. Truly, it’s no longer a question of just who is the strongest, but who is the best powerlifter, which requires coaches to truly know “the game”. In this episode, one of the most decorated platform coaches in the sport’s history, Matt Gary, breaks down what those cards are, all four aces and the joker. Tune in, as this man literally wrote the book on game day coaching (which we’d recommend you read!)   Game Day Coaching Manual: A Powerlifting Coach’s Guide to Maximising Game Day Performance By Matt Gary https://www.supremesportspt.com/gameday-coaching-manual  00:00 An introduction to a very Canadian Eric and Matt Gary Iron Culture Ep. 16- The Art of Coaching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1aGoBMPgYs 10:39 An overview of Matt’s coaching career  18:26 Matt’s strength and conditioning background 25:10 The ins and outs of gameday coaching 35:08 Taking a trip to the ATM and challenging the jury 43:14 Powerlifting technical jargon and application to some Sheffield match-ups 1:05:43 How Matt uses data to inform his practice 1:15:39 Determining the second attempt 1:25:17 Matt’s best advice for coaches  1:40:45 Closing out and where to find Matt Supreme Sports Performance & Training https://www.supremesportspt.com/ Instagram @mlgary72 https://www.instagram.com/mlgary72/?hl=en 

Cult, we’ve been working on this one for weeks. We’ve got Desmond Butler on this episode, the lead journalist who wrote the recent Washington Post series on the corruption, exploitation, and health and safety controversies in the NPC/IFBB pro league. We previously discussed this article series both in a duo episode as well as with Dr. Guillermo Escalante, and now, we’re privileged to sit down and hear it from the source (or rather the man with the sources). In this episode, you’ll learn how Desmond’s father directed the cult classic (pun intended) Pumping Iron, and then how years later he’d go on to revisit bodybuilding from a very different perspective. You’ll also learn just how much research went into the Post articles, and how many people they spoke to. This was a monster episode for sure folks and an eye-opening exposé.

The boys are reunited, don’t worry cult, and yes, reunited atop the pyramid. After catching up on what’s been going on for Omar that took him away from us last week, the boys get down to powerlifting talk. This is a big year for powerlifting, with COVID behind us and the Sheffield ahead, and epic battles to come in both the 93 and 76kg divisions at multiple international competitions. Eric discusses how different it can be to coach athletes at the highest level in powerlifting, where scouting, chips, lot numbers, attempt changes, and other subtle aspects of coaching that normally don’t come into play, make a big difference as only kilos separate world champions from runner ups. Then, Omar asks Eric about his own competitive aspirations as he’s just started his 2023 contest prep, where he plans to go all the way to INBF/WNBF worlds in November, while also competing in his first masters powerlifting meet, as he turns 40 this year.

The podcast covers the topics of training specificity for powerlifting and a new diet break study. It also touches on the risks of competitive bodybuilding, personal trainer education, and the impact of load reduction on strength gains. The hosts discuss the importance of varied practice and incorporating different squat variations. They also explore the concept of diet breaks and their effects on fat loss and muscle preservation.