Lauren interviews Eric about his research on metabolism and energy expenditure. He describes turning down a tenure-track job to move into science communication and then evolutionary anthropology, studying how humans regulate their energy budget. He explains why people get metabolism wrong in both directions — treating it as mysterious and stretching the real person-to-person variation to impossible extremes — and walks through metabolic adaptation, why reverse dieting usually backfires, and the evolutionary logic of the body's "low-power mode." They get into why resting metabolic rate doesn't crater at menopause (the real changes from 20 to 60 are mostly behavioral), how non-exercise activity works and its limits, and what hunter-gatherer and subsistence populations reveal as a kind of "control group" for modern health. He closes with simple public-health advice — sell people on physical activity, find a sustainable calorie-appropriate eating pattern, get enough fiber from whole food sources — and discusses the ongoing debate over the constrained energy expenditure model.

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review

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Chapters

0:00 From supplements to energy expenditure

7:56 What everyone gets wrong about metabolism

10:12 Metabolic adaptation & reverse dieting

14:13 The evolutionary logic of the energy budget

16:19 Evolutionary head-scratchers

18:25 Metabolism, sex differences & aging

22:35 Non-exercise activity & step counts

28:19 What hunter-gatherers teach us

31:04 The simple public-health message

35:14 The constrained energy model debate

38:26 Wrap-up

A special interview episode: Trexler interviews Lauren about her research at the intersection of exercise, muscle physiology, and women. She explains how she backed into menstrual-cycle research after realizing it was a perceived barrier keeping labs from studying women at all, and why her finding that cycle phase doesn't much affect training adaptations should have opened the door to more research — before the internet "slapped her in the face." They cover which sex differences actually deserve attention (menstrual symptoms, PCOS, endometriosis, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause) versus the over-complication that markets special protocols off single-hormone claims. The heart of the episode is three practical questions — how to train around your menstrual cycle, how to think about hormonal contraceptives, and what to actually do at menopause — with the same nuanced answer each time: track your own response, adjust reactively rather than proactively, and match the tool to the goal.

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review

massresearchreview.com

Chapters

0:00 Why study exercise & women's physiology?

9:12 Which sex differences actually matter

12:28 The single-hormone trap

19:49 When bone & DEXA expectations mislead

22:16 Actionable Guidance: training & your menstrual cycle

26:36 Actionable Guidance: hormonal contraceptives

30:39 Actionable Guidance: menopause

35:04 Wrap-up

The last "normal," headline-focused episode before Trexler travels. After the usual Mountain Dew mail — a Baja Blast TikTok and a sticky Australian Mountain Dew candy — they dig into three stories. First, a CNN piece calling strength training a "secret weapon" for women's heart health; they agree the underlying study is solid but the real takeaway is combining resistance training, aerobic activity, and less sedentary time, not any single magic bullet. Second, the push to tax or label ultra-processed foods, where they worry vague definitions and poor categorization could slap warnings on healthy foods like Greek yogurt, and unpack why "food addiction" is more nuanced than headlines suggest. Finally, a NYC "wellness clinic" that rewards healthy habits with perks like Botox and facials, prompting a mixed-bag take on concierge medicine and pay-to-play healthcare.

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review

massresearchreview.com

Chapters

0:00 Intro & Mountain Dew mail

8:34 Is strength training a heart-health "secret weapon"?

14:50 Should we tax or label ultra-processed food?

26:08 Is food really "addictive"?

30:44 The complexity of eating behavior

37:00 Botox-for-checkups: the NYC wellness clinic

48:05 Goldfish redemption & wrap-up

Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple run through the week's health and fitness headlines, starting with Lauren's suspicion that her landlord is poisoning her — and that landlord's confident counter-diagnosis that she's pregnant. The stories: a Huffington Post piece arguing novelty, not more routine, is what's missing from your life; the booming world of "Fido hacking," where owners buy dogs red light beds and AI collars; and research suggesting modern parents' sleep problem is more about perceived quality than actual lost hours. The two fitness segments both push back on sex-specific advice. On the viral claim that women are "squatting wrong," they argue stance comes down to limb proportions and hip anatomy, not sex. On the claim that caffeine hits women differently, they note that body size relative to a flat dose explains far more than estrogen does. They close with Monster-brand pasta and a warning that the show may take a short break due to travel schedules.

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review

massresearchreview.com

Chapters

0:00 Intro - Is Lauren's landlord poisoning her?

11:09 The one thing missing from your life

17:55 "Fido hacking": $800 red light for dogs

25:10 Are modern parents really sleep-deprived?

35:42 Are women squatting wrong?

48:26 Does caffeine hit women differently?

1:03:12 Monster pasta

1:07:34 Reddit drama & firing your therapist

In this episode, Eric and Lauren work through a batch of health-and-wellness headlines with their usual skepticism, covering viral "heatwave hacks" (damp sheets, yogurt on windows), a study claiming gossip is "good for you," a doomsday-prepping wellness trend, a face-scanning "longevity mirror" they technically invented, and whether biological-age tests and the famous "blue zones" hold up. Plenty of tangents along the way, including Homo naledi, reality dating shows, and Eric's inability to stay awake during interesting documentaries.

Join us for a live recording of Front Page Fitness on Mondays at 5:30 pm eastern time!

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review

massresearchreview.com

Chapters

0:00 – Intro

6:35 – Heatwave "hacks"

22:45 – Gossiping is good for you?

26:19 – Tangent: Homo naledi documentary

32:28 – Reality TV

41:51 – The "future of wellness": doomsday prepping meets fitness

49:23 – The "longevity mirror" that scans your face

57:11 – Are biological-age tests actually legit?

1:05:56 – Blue zones: longevity secret or pension fraud?

1:13:06 – Wrap-up

In this episode of Front Page Fitness, Drs. Eric Trexler and Lauren Colenso-Semple run through a grab bag of fitness news, listener follow-ups, and Q&As. They open with a listener taste-test of Mountain Dew donuts and a clarification of their earlier "anxiety bag" segment, then react to M&M's cutting two colors over natural dyes and reminisce about Four Loko and other toxins of the 2010s. From there they check out "grief workout" classes, break down the idea of training for a "curvy" hourglass figure, and question whether a DNA test can really program your workouts. They also work through a "15 things trainers would never do" list, read a Gen Z listener's take on their generation, and chat about social media's downsides. The show wraps with listener questions on whether stomach vacuums shrink your waist and how circuit training stacks up against heavy lifting.

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review

massresearchreview.com

Chapters

0:00 Intro (Mountain Dew donuts and "anxiety bags")

10:22 M&M's cuts two colors over natural dyes

16:20 Four Loko & the toxins of 2010

19:30 Inside "grief workout" classes

25:38 Building a "curvy" figure

37:51 Can a DNA test program your training?

48:03 "15 things trainers would never do"

54:49 Gen Z speaks

1:02:33 Social media

1:07:34 Do stomach vacuums shrink your waist?

1:10:35 Circuits vs. heavy lifting: what counts?

1:17:44 Sign-off & listener mail

In Episode 61 of Front Page Fitness, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple worry about the young people. They revisit the Mountain Dew "Dunkers" saga from last episode before digging into the headlines: an Instagram "testosterone coach" advising men to smoke and skip sunscreen, and RFK Jr.'s sauerkraut-and-fermented-foods diet, which detours into a discussion of a pricey wellness program. They then tackle the New York Post's "anxiety bags" trend among Gen Z, answer a listener email from a man whose partner's Hyrox-racing obsession is straining their relationship and finances, and close with a science question on whether you can deliberately make the placebo effect work on yourself even when you know it's a placebo.

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review

massresearchreview.com

Chapters

0:00 Intro

6:35 The Mountain Dew "Dunkers" saga & donut backlash

9:16 Headline: The "testosterone coach" who says smoke & skip sunscreen

17:39 RFK Jr.'s sauerkraut & fermented-foods diet

39:41 Gen Z "anxiety bags," panic pouches & calm-down kits

52:40 Listener email: a partner's Hyrox obsession strains a relationship

1:07:40 Listener Q: Can you make the placebo effect work on yourself?

1:12:46 Wrap-up

In Episode 60 of Front Page Fitness, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple work through a batch of fitness and health headlines before answering a listener question. After catching up on Eric's international speaking trips and Lauren's new glasses, they tackle Mountain Dew–flavored donuts at QuikTrip, a viral social-media claim linking autoimmune disease to women "people-pleasing" and self-silencing, and Dave Asprey's Beyond Biohacking Conference. They close with a listener question from Jonathan (and his cat, Marsh) about whether the body can actually use 80+ grams of protein in a single serving, with Lauren breaking down why protein "utilization" is widely misunderstood.

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review

massresearchreview.com

Chapters

0:00 Intro

7:29 Mountain Dew donuts hit QuikTrip

12:00 The viral autoimmune-disease "people pleaser" claim

24:01 Dave Asprey's Biohacking Conference

36:00 Does biohacking actually work?

56:19 Listener Q: How much protein can your body use per serving?

1:03:10 Wrap-up

In this episode, Drs Eric Trexler and Lauren Colenso-Semple begin with an extended rant about the state of science publishing & communication. From there it's a tour through the week's health headlines which include public debates about potential side effects of hormonal birth control, the "you're moving wrong" pain-and-posture fearmongering, a confused New York Post piece treating teen creatine use as a gateway drug, and a list of "parenting mistakes that shorten your kids' lives," among others.

Join us for a future episode on Mondays at 5:30 pm eastern time!

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review.

Mostly because Lauren and Eric co-own it.

massresearchreview.com

Chapters

0:00 - Intro rant about science communication & scientific communication on social media

22:08 - Headlines begin: birth control & the nocebo effect

34:20 - Fear of moving "wrong"

46:23 - Creatine as a gateway drug

55:11 - 5 "parenting mistakes that shorten your kids' life"

1:10:53 - Cats, birds & dirty windows

1:13:02 - Wrap-up & sign-off

In Episode 58 of Front Page Fitness, Eric Trexler and Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple break down the latest health and fitness headlines and answer listener questions. They unpack why "build muscle in a month" marketing sets beginners up for disappointment, why the fear of yo-yo dieting wrecking your metabolism is overstated (the real harms are more psychological than physiological), and where the truth lies in the ongoing "protein wars" over how much you actually need (with the reminder that training, not protein, drives muscle growth). They also dig into the surprising power of the placebo effect through the lens of peptides and steroid research, then close with practical advice on training around 24-hour shift work and prepping for a 161-mile trail hike.

Join us for a future episode on Mondays at 5:30 pm eastern time!

Front Page Fitness is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review.

Mostly because Lauren and Eric co-own it.

massresearchreview.com

Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:59 This month in the MASS Research Review

4:47 Headline: "How to build muscle in a month" and the quick-fix problem

11:13 Headline: does yo-yo dieting really wreck your metabolism?

20:53 The Protein Wars: how much do you actually need?

36:21 Placebo effects & peptides

52:06 Listener Q: training around shift work

57:19 Listener Q: prepping for a 161-mile trail hike

1:03:47 Wrapping up