The Ripped Body Podcast

Today I’m speaking with Richard Golden — a longtime Ripped Body reader who’s undergone a dramatic transformation over the last decade.Rich grew up with an identical twin brother who was lean, while he struggled with weight gain, body image issues, and cycles of yo-yo dieting. At his heaviest, he weighed over 230 lbs.Now at 44 years old, he’s sitting at a lean and healthy 155 — and more importantly, he feels in control for the first time in his life.We talk about how a painful breakup triggered a turning point, what he learned about sustainability after years of failure, and why he’s now chasing something new: not just maintenance, but mastery.But can he push through the final plateau now that his health is not on the line — or will comfort hold him back?Let’s get to it.

Today’s guest is Justin Maller — a world-class digital artist and tech founder based in New York. At 41, Justin just completed his first real bulk after years of hovering in maintenance and making no real physique progress.We talk about what finally pushed him to commit, how he gained 30 pounds and made the biggest strength gains of his life, and why cutting back down now feels surprisingly difficult — despite having done it before.This is a conversation about late-stage gains, body image rewiring, and what happens when you finally give yourself permission to grow.Let’s dive in.

Michael opens up about his lifelong struggle with weight, starting in his early 20s when he hit 200 pounds, without any muscle. After the birth of his first son, he realized he needed to change — not just for himself, but to keep up as a dad. That was his first serious cut, and it sparked a 10+ year journey of self-education, strength training, and cycles of cutting and bulking.He’s now stronger than ever but stuck in a long-standing all-or-nothing mindset, especially with weekend eating. During the week, he’s disciplined and in control. But when Friday hits, family time, baked treats, and decompression turn into overeating — not just for enjoyment, but out of habit.Michael wants to set a better example for his four kids, especially his son, who’s now lifting and developing his own self-control. He’s wrestling with how to stay consistent, how to eat in a way that balances discipline with family joy, and how to shift from "perfect or nothing" to something sustainable.He’s not just chasing fat loss — he’s trying to break a generational pattern before it repeats.

Alex opens up about his years-long battle with performance obsession, burnout, and a hidden addiction to Adderall. What began as a drive to "get the physique" spiraled into overtraining, under-recovering, and chasing a shredded look at the cost of his mental and physical health. A serious injury and a breaking point in his personal life forced him to confront what he was running from — and how much he’d been avoiding.Alex shares how rebuilding his relationship with food, training, and himself has given him a new mission: to pursue sustainable progress, not perfection. But that doesn’t mean the struggle is over — he's standing at the edge of his next challenge: bulking. And with it comes old fears of bloating, body image, and letting go of his abs.This is an honest conversation about identity, control, and learning to trust the process — even when it’s uncomfortable.

Ryan is stuck in a battle a lot of men never talk about: the fear that changing his body might change how he’s seen - by the world, by his family, and by himself.He’s no longer chasing a six-pack for vanity. He’s chasing a bigger goal: becoming the kind of role model his daughters deserve.But to do that, he has to wrestle down the old fears - of getting too lean, of looking "too small," of not being "enough."This is a raw, vulnerable conversation about what it really takes to fight for growth when staying the same feels safer.Ryan knows the man he wants to be. The question is: **can he stay in the discomfort long enough to become him?

It started with a moment of quiet shame: his girlfriend swooning over a Twilight actor’s abs while Sam sat next to her, skinny-fat and stuck. That moment sent him chasing change — first through generic magazine workouts, then into the hands of a “pro” coach who gave him abs, yes, but also exhaustion, rebound weight gain, and a deep sense of failure.Sam rebuilt himself the hard way — through obsession, mentorship, and reps. He became the coach he once needed. But success brought its own trap: business mentors told him to prioritize profit over people. That wasn’t who he wanted to be.In this episode, Sam shares what pulled him back to coaching for the right reasons, the personal loss that changed how he shows up for clients, and why empathy — not macros — is his real coaching superpower.

The podcast discusses the challenges of interpreting research in nutrition and the prevalence of misinformation in weight cutting for combat sports. They also explore the growth and evolution of the podcast, debunk uncertain nutrition claims, and address the issue of misrepresentations in nutrition research. Additionally, they share a personal story about a powerlifter struggling to make weight for a competition and explore the ideal temperature range for Japanese hot baths.

Physiological changes during weight cycling, truth about starvation mode, managing fitness during busy seasons, metabolic changes in dieting, Andy's experience in bodybuilding competitions, exploring metabolic adaptations and survival strategies, use of doubly labeled water in metabolic analysis, supporting health of pastors in rural areas, transitioning to overall well-being, Eric Trexler's coaching services and research work, anecdotes from a research lab

Today I’m speaking with Sohee Carpenter.I first met Sohee back in 2012, and at the time, she was a Stanford student studying human biology. Then she completed a master’s in psychology and is now finishing up her Ph.D. in sports science under my co-author, Eric Helms.Sohee’s business is evidence-based training and nutrition coaching delivered with empathy and compassion. She has moved away from the “calories and macros for everyone” approach, and her coaching now focuses on behavior change tactics and habits, which comes from her own personal struggles in the past with disordered eating.At some point, we’re going to come across loved ones who are struggling with disordered eating, and we’ll want to help but not necessarily know how. Sohee specializes in this, which is why I invited her on to chat.In this episode, we discuss:👉🏻 What led Sohee to develop an eating disorder when she was only 14 years old. 👉🏻 Why black or white thinking usually backfires and increases your risk of disordered eating.👉🏻 How to spot red flags that may indicate eating disorders. 👉🏻 The strategies Sohee uses to develop a flexible mindset with her clients. 👉🏻 And more. ABOUT THIS POD 🎙At RippedBody.com, we are known for our no-nonsense nutrition and training guides. We teach you exactly how to achieve the client results you see on the site.👉🏻 To get started, head over to RippedBody.com and enter your email address.You’ll get the third edition of our Nutrition Setup Guide, and our email course teaching you how to avoid the 5 most common ways people screw up. We’d be honored to guide you. 🙏🏻If you have any questions, hit me up in the comments in the articles. I've been answering daily for the last 12 years.📖  Download our free Nutrition Setup Guide now.👥 HOSTED BYAndy Morgan of RippedBody.com  (Instagram 👉🏻 @andy_rippedbody)

Today I'm speaking with Greg Nuckols, the co-founder of Mass Research Review, Stronger by Science, and MacroFactor.  Greg also held three all-time world records in powerlifting and is one of the smartest people in the fitness industry. In this episode, Greg and I discuss all sorts of topics and lessons, including:👉🏻  The concussions that forced Greg to stop playing sports. 👉🏻 Whether or not children and teenagers should be lifting weights.👉🏻 The biggest mistakes Greg made along the way. 👉🏻 The problem with choosing which experts to listen to. 👉🏻 And much more.  ABOUT THIS POD 🎙At RippedBody.com, we are known for our no-nonsense nutrition and training guides. We teach you exactly how to achieve the client results you see on the site.👉🏻 To get started, head over to RippedBody.com and enter your email address.You’ll get the third edition of our Nutrition Setup Guide, and our email course teaching you how to avoid the 5 most common ways people screw up. We’d be honored to guide you. 🙏🏻If you have any questions, hit me up in the comments in the articles. I've been answering daily for the last 12 years.📖  Download our free Nutrition Setup Guide now.👥 HOSTED BYAndy Morgan of RippedBody.com  (Instagram 👉🏻 @andy_rippedbody)