

Brains and Gains with Dr. David Maconi
Dr. David Maconi
On the Brains and Gains podcast, Dr. David Maconi discusses all things exercise science, nutrition, health, and personal development. Every week, Dr. Maconi invites health experts and thought leaders to share their expertise. Each episode ends with a charity donation to the charity of the guest's choice.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 18, 2025 • 1h 31min
Basement Bodybuilding Q&A - What If You Lost All Gains, 19 Inch Arms, Staying Shredded
0:00- Intro 0:30- Motivation 10:00- Getting shredded and maintaining a shredded state 12:00- Artificial sweeteners 19:30- What is the best way to eliminate hip shift during squats? 22:30- Getting stronger but not bigger, what is the cause? 25:30- Growing home gym space, better than commercial gyms? 35:15- How big should one expect to be for a certain height 36:15- How many meals per day and how many times do you train per week? 45:30- Atlaspowershrugged trolling 46:00- Best lift named after someone 50:00- Can I reach an advanced physique without being obsessed with lifting? 55:50- Is there any benefit to bulking beyond 15% body fat? 1:00:40- If you lost all of your gains, what would you do to get jacked again? 1:04:45- Minimum number of sets per week to grow muscle? 1:06:45- Do you find wide grip pulldowns to be worth it for lats? 1:09:00- Nausea during training 1:10:30- When is the road to 19” arms? 1:16:45- How to program a good bodybuilding program if you have 3 days to train? 1:21:00- How do you program brachialis training in your program?

12 snips
Oct 4, 2025 • 1h 29min
Mario Tomic Q&A - High Dose Creatine, Knowing You're 10%, Genetic Variation
Mario Tomic, a fitness coach and content creator known for his evidence-based approach, dives into fascinating insights on high-dose creatine, revealing its potential boost in mental energy and gym performance. He discusses how to accurately gauge reaching 10% body fat using various methods, and when faced with weight loss plateaus, he shares critical strategies. Delving into genetics, Mario emphasizes their role in fat loss and muscle gain variability. He also highlights the importance of progressive overload to avoid injuries during training.

4 snips
Sep 27, 2025 • 1h 3min
Geoffrey Verity Schofield Q&A (Pt 2): Paul Carter, Lyle McDonald, Beyond Failure Training
Geoffrey Verity Schofield, a seasoned lifter and coach, shares his profound insights on training techniques and philosophies. He tackles the complexities of beyond-failure training and how to mitigate injury risks. Geoff also discusses the importance of not getting too fixated on the logbook and offers strategies for advanced naturals to maintain leanness without sacrificing progress. Delving into disagreements with Lyle McDonald, he challenges common assumptions about muscle growth and underscores the significance of programming variations.

5 snips
Sep 26, 2025 • 57min
Geoffrey Verity Schofield Q&A (Pt 1): High Dose Creatine, High Volume Training, Weak Points
Geoffrey Verity Schofield, an experienced bodybuilding coach and content creator, dives into a wealth of knowledge in this discussion. He answers audience questions on high-dose creatine and its cognitive benefits, and how advanced lifters can manage realistic yearly progress. Schofield also shares insights on training high volume without injuries, the growing hype around full-body workouts, and the balance needed between calisthenics skills and bodybuilding goals. Plus, he candidly identifies his own weak points and the necessity for targeted specialization.

Aug 24, 2025 • 1h 15min
Aaron Straker + Bryan Boorstein - Lifetime PRs With Low Volume, High Energy Flux, Glucose Readings
0:00- Intro 1:00- Fasting glucose and HbA1c 24:00- Bryan’s high energy flux experiment 27:30- Low volume training 36:00- Libido and dieting 38:00- Back to volume 48:00- Aaron’s PED use and competing

Jul 28, 2025 • 1h 7min
Alex Leonidas (Part 2) - Self Experimentation, Ideal Diet For Health & Performance
Alex Leonidas, a natural bodybuilder and online fitness coach known for his data-driven approach, dives deep into the world of self-experimentation. He discusses the importance of personalizing diet and training, arguing against common fitness myths. Topics include the pros and cons of a vegan diet on health and performance, the balance of macronutrients, and the evolving perspectives on protein intake. Leonidas also touches on the risks in advanced calisthenics and navigating dietary choices for optimal wellness.

Jul 12, 2025 • 1h 6min
Alex Leonidas (Part 1) - Lifting Continuum, How To PR On Pull Ups, No PEDS
In this engaging conversation, fitness influencer Alex Leonidas shares his expertise in calisthenics and bodybuilding. He discusses the importance of staying lean and adjusting training goals over time to avoid stagnation. The talk dives into the myths surrounding performance-enhancing drugs, particularly for older lifters, and the natural limitations of muscle growth. Alex also breaks down the mechanics of pull-ups, offering insights into grip variations and training strategies to help listeners achieve their pull-up personal records.

Jun 28, 2025 • 1h 21min
Abel Csabai - 100 Men vs 1 Gorilla, Abel's Divorce, Video Game Addiction
0:00- Intro 0:30- Getting Abel back on 5:00- AI discussion 10:00- Abel’s divorce 21:00- Video games and addiction 36:30- 100 Men vs 1 Gorilla 49:00- Myo Reps 60:00- Neck training and photos vs in-person 1:13:00- Sugar Diet

Jun 22, 2025 • 1h 2min
Andrew Coates - Reverse Dieting Myths, AI In Fitness, Meal Prepping
Andrew Coates, a fitness coach and writer for T Nation, joins the discussion to debunk the myth of reverse dieting and share insights from his experience in the podcasting world. He explores the pros and cons of meal prep services versus home cooking, emphasizing efficiency in nutrition. The conversation also dives into the transformative role of AI in fitness, examining how it reshapes content creation and challenges authenticity. Coates reflects on evolving beliefs in fitness and the importance of maintaining human connections amidst technological advances.

Jun 1, 2025 • 58min
GVS + FitnessFAQs - Calisthenics, Epic Workout Meet Up, Combining Lifting Approaches For Gains
0:00- Intro 0:30- Introducing Daniel from FitnessFAQs 4:30- Can calisthenics build the ideal physique? 14:00- Humbling lessons from calisthenics 22:00- Combining bodybuilding with calisthenics 33:00- GVS and Daniel meeting up 39:00- Choosing what sources of information you receive 50:00- Getting started with calisthenics 52:00- Orthopedic issues 57:00- Where to find our guests


