The Ripped Body Podcast

Joseph Agu talks about the challenges he faced working as sports nutritionist to the British Athletics Team, and how those lessons apply to us regular trainees.For the full show notes and links go to: rippedbody.com/podcast-joseph-agu

In this second part of our interview, Menno talks about the recent HMB and Ketogenic diet study fraud, and why using steroids can be like creating a "game over" scenario which you want to avoid.For the full show notes & links visit:https://rippedbody.com/podcast-menno-henselmans-pt2

Recorded in my living room in Tokyo, Coach Menno Henselmans of BayesianBodybuilding.com shares tips on how he has stayed jacked and shredded while traveling for the last five years.I also asked Menno about the somewhat controversial topic of race-based muscular potential, why he isn’t a fan of HIIT, why he quit business consulting to pursue a fear in fitness, and his frank thoughts on meal timing and intermittent fasting.For the full show notes & links visit:https://rippedbody.com/podcast-menno-henselmans/

This time I have Patrick Umphrey on the show, the man behind the legendary "Eat. Train. Progress." Facebook group. I talk to him about the power of empathy when working with clients, building that community, and how that has lead to a stream of applicants for his coaching business.For the full show notes and links go to: rippedbody.com/podcast-patrick-umphrey

This interview with Luka Hocevar was absolutely epic.Luka owns Vigor Ground fitness, a 12,000 square foot facility just outside of Seattle in a town called Renton. It's the best gym I have ever walked into, so I invited Luka on to talk about his journey to opening that, from being a regular LA Fitness trainer.The interview ended up being SO much more than that.The start of this episode may sound like an advert for his gym, but the point of it is that I want you to hear the vision and the passion, and be inspired if you are looking to do something similar.Later in the interview, we start talking about building a fitness business yourself. How Luka has run charity boot camps for the last 10 years every Saturday, which is not only something he loves doing but has helped him seal a solid reputation in the community and earned him heaps of clients along the way.We dig into how you can leverage ideas such as this to build trust, empower people to make a change, and build a business out of something you love doing.Show notes and links here: rippedbody.com/podcast-luka-hocevar

Special Q&A Session with questions from members of the RippedBody.com Family Facebook Group.Why not join the family?https://facebook.com/groups/rippedbody Get the full show notes and links here:https://rippedbody.com/podcast/andy-morgan-2

"The thing that ties all lifters together, regardless of their level, is that we are all interested in getting to the next PR."On this episode, I interview Mike Tuchscherer, founder of Reactive Training Systems, and father of using 'Rate of Perceived Exertion' (RPE) based on 'reps in reserve' to modulate recovery with training. Mike has coached 12 people to world records, he is one of only five people to have ever totaled over 2100 lbs in the 260 lb in the IPF, and is something of a legend in the training community.In this interview, you'll hear the story of how Mike accidentally pulled a world record deadlift. You'll learn how to use RPE in your training to help manage and progress better, and we also answer reader questions. Enjoy!Show LinksSuper Training - The go-to book in Mike’s college lifting careerhttps://goo.gl/iCLHiaReactive Training Systems - Mike’s coaching businesshttp://www.reactivetrainingsystems.com/ Free Applications - To monitor athlete training and recoveryhttps://goo.gl/LDmyUfGreg Nuckols’ kitchen sink analogy - On work capacity and recoveryhttps://rippedbody.com/work-capacity/RTS Basics - Great starting resources on RPEhttp://articles.reactivetrainingsystems.com/category/rts-basics/“Fixing the ‘Tuck Under’ When I Squat” - Fixing butt wink / limited squat depth by Tony Gentilcorehttp://tonygentilcore.com/2012/03/q-a-fixing-the-tuck-under-when-squatting-part-i/Project Momentum - It’s for a training question we do not have an answer forhttp://articles.reactivetrainingsystems.com/2016/04/01/project-momentum/Complete Show Notes here: https://goo.gl/TdiK8u

This is the third and final of a multi-part interview with Greg Nuckols of StrongerbyScience.com.Greg is one of my favorite people in the industry, exceptionally smart, a gifted writer, and happens to be one of the strongest people in the world.Greg answers reader questions and we cover three key things:- Squats: How do your muscles distribute the load when squatting?- Why Greg is not a fan of the term “progressive overload”.- Muscle Gain: Pushing yourself and why we stop growing.Greg on load distribution when Squatting. - How do bi-articular muscles distribute the load over the entire lower body when squatting? If this section goes a little over your head, get in-depth squatting guides and information on StrongerbyScience.com [1:15]Greg on hamstring emphasis. - How much can we emphasize the hamstrings when sitting back when squatting? Greg digs into the research on forward knee travel and muscle activation. Ultimately, there tends to be a lot of similar muscle activation, even when squats look very different. Greg was initially skeptical of this research, based on his personal experience with front squats. [9:15]Progressive Overload. - How should we think of progressive overload and accumulation of volume when you are not a newbie anymore? Greg is not a fan of the term, “progressive overload.” Training stimulus relative to their capacity is key. [15:45]Not pushing yourself in the gym. - Greg thinks the majority of people train like a bitch. There is a big difference between people working directly with a coach versus given a training program. There are genetic limits, but how hard you train determines how far you can progress. [23:00]Is it fine to add upper body accessory work on a lower body day? - Greg says, yes. You will likely want to hit more of your upper body on different planes. [29:15]What are the behaviors of people who have gained a lot of strength? - They tend to have extreme personalities. They tend to have obsessions with sleep. [32:15]Can unilateral exercises be helpful in bringing up maximal strength in the big lifts? - Greg doesn’t think they build much strength directly, but it helps avoid injuries or hypotrophy. [33:45]Is it optimal to put competition lifts and secondary lifts on different days? - In a perfect world, split them up. However, generally, it is better to put them into one session (based on recovery). [36:15]My squat has plateaued, I’m trying to avoid leg hypertrophy, what should I do? - If your squat is not going up and you do not want to get bigger, you have simply plateaued. [37:15]Should strength go up during a mesocycle? - Greg thinks your strength should improve or stay flat, most of the time. However, if you are seeing a bigger drop, you are likely over-reaching. [38:15]How would you set up a power-building plan? - Powerlifting and power-building are pretty much the same. Power-building is just smart powerlifting training. [39:45]Does the body adapt to cardio and burn fewer calories over time? - Yes, your body does become more efficient, to a degree. There are relatively larger differences between individuals, but the difference within an individual is small. Unless you are a competitive endurance athlete, the differences will likely not be noticeable. [41:15]Is it possible to strategically drop training volume in order to resensitize for muscle growth? - Greg thinks there is something to varying the stimulus itself. However, that’s essentially why you use a periodization program. [43:45]Why do we stop growing(muscle)? There is no strong data to show why. Greg doesn’t know why people stop growing. [47:15]Show Links: Strongerbyscience.com - Greg’s website:http://strongerbyscience.com/Gregnuckols.com - Greg’s blog:http://gregnuckols.com/MASS - Greg’s research Review:www.strongerbyscience.com/mass/Podcast Interview #3 - Greg Nuckols on Lifting Heavy Things, Business Ethics, Beer and Music:https://rippedbody.com/podcast-greg-nuckols/

This is the second of a multi part interview with Greg Nuckols of StrongerbyScience.com.Greg answers reader questions and we cover three key things:Protein timing recommendations - are smaller people eating too little when they set their protein intake based on bodyweight?Misapplication of science to push agendas and how to treat people with opposing points of viewHilarity of consuming too many blueberries.If you wish to skip past the funnies and straight to the first question covering why Greg doesn’t bother with Youtube, jump to the 8 minute mark.Pineapple on Pizza? Greg thinks, yes. Andy’s odd Japan pizza experiences. [1:45]Ben Carpenter vs. Greg Nuckols. Is Greg really in Andy’s “Top 3?” [2:45]Beard Care. Genetics is really what’s responsible for a great beard, according to Greg. [3:45]Greg’s blueberry intake. Greg usually has one pint of blueberries per day, but it is not the secret to his intelligence. Greg warns not to eat too many blueberries. [4:45]Is there anything Greg does not know? Greg is really good at steering a conversation into things he knows a lot about. [7:30]Why did Greg stop posting on YouTube? Greg feels that the YouTube fitness industry is “cancerous.” He thinks the reason is due to the highly visual nature of the content and the audience’s knowledge. [8:00]Greg on Protein Intake Articles: Jorn Trommelen vs. Eric Helms. Greg speaks to the differences between “Perfecting Protein Intake in Athletes” by Jorn Trommelen and “Reflecting on Five Years of Protein Research” by Eric Helms. The difference really boils down to what research you are looking at and how you balance the research. The newest research has shown that muscle protein synthesis does not show different recommended amount of protein based on lean body mass. Jorn will add an addendum to the article to clarify that if you get enough lucine to trigger muscle protein synthesis. [11:45].Could a protein study work for lighter powerlifters? Greg would want to see if a study would work above and below the normal range. [24:15]Japan’s Powerlifters. Andy and Greg talk about Powerlifters in Japan and their amazing bench pressing technique. [25:45]Misapplication of science to push agendas, GMO vegetables, and wide-squats. Greg thinks you should treat information and people differently. You don’t always need to agree with people, but you should treat them with respect. [27:45]Show LinksStrongerbyscience.com - Greg’s website:https://strongerbyscience.com/Gregnuckols.com - Greg’s blog:http://gregnuckols.com/MASS - Greg’s research Review:https://www.strongerbyscience.com/mass/“Perfecting Protein Intake in Athletes” - Article on Greg’s website by Jorn Trommelen:https://www.strongerbyscience.com/athlete-protein-intake/“Reflecting on Five Years of Protein Research” - Article on Greg’s website by Eric Helms:https://www.strongerbyscience.com/reflecting-on-five-years-studying-protein/Listen on iTunes and Stitcher: ↳ iTunes: goo.gl/sH8g8s↳ Stitcher: goo.gl/zDLA1t

"Dude, if you're like a hardcore Ketofile, you're probably not going to be aware of the vast majority of research that says otherwise.If you're not spending time on Pub-med, and you're mostly spending time reading blogs and perusing social media, you find yourself in an echo chamber. Then if you get in a discussion and toss those studies out at people, it's not cherry picking, that's just being unaware of what else is out there."How Greg felt about presenting at a fitness conference. - Greg described presenting with Eric Helms and Mike Tuchscherer as a surreal and great experience. [2:00]How Greg started. - The story of how Greg got started in the industry until now, where he is invited to speak internationally. Greg didn’t feel like his formal education is really meaningful. Greg learned out of genuine curiosity as to why things are true. Greg started writing on GregNuckols.com because of the encouragement of his wife. Next, Greg started to offer online training because he was moving cities. Greg decided not to go back to school, and instead worked with his wife, Lindsay, to focus on their online business. [3:00]Greg as a speaker. - Greg doesn’t take himself too seriously, even through his material is very data driven. Greg also doesn’t feel like he is on the same level as others with a more formal education. [7:30]Contradicting studies. - Greg explains why this myth exists and how he recommends you critique research findings. Greg mentions different populations, different methods of data collection, different methods of study design, or statistical change. Greg admits that single studies can be wrong, but that’s where a larger body of research is valuable. [9:30]People caught in an “echo chamber.” - Greg thinks that people are generally not cherry picking, but instead are caught in an echo chamber. If you are not spending time on PubMed, you are simply unaware of the information that is out there. [17:15]Hanlon’s Razor. - "Do not ascribe to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity." [19:00]The Dunning-Kruger effect. - What you think you know versus what you actually know. People who didn’t know much on a topic tend to overestimate how much they know. Greg thinks that more people should use the statement, “I think.” [20:30]Keeping up with research. - How crucial is keeping up with research yourself versus relying on a research review? What Greg recommends you do. Most of the time, Greg recommends to let other people model how to interpret research. If you struggle to read a paper, it is likely not relevant to you. Research reviews, such as MASS, are also available. Sometimes, Greg feels that other people’s interpretations of papers are incorrect. [27:15] Thanks for listening - Andy and Greg