Hack You

» Produced by Hack You Media: pioneering a new category of content at the intersection of health performance, entrepreneurship & cognitive optimisation.
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Website: https://hackyou.media/

Stan Efferding spent decades coaching weight loss clients, and the science is clear: your body actively resists fat loss by increasing hunger hormones, making it a biological problem, not a willpower issue.

The Vertical Diet is systematic, calorie deficit, adequate protein for hunger control, minimum healthy fats, and then carbs chosen for satiety. Boiled potatoes beat everything for keeping you full, especially if you cool them overnight to create resistant starch that feeds your gut. Training matters infinitely more than diet optimisation, and most people skip it entirely. Only creatine and caffeine are worth supplementing. Internet obsession with glucose spikes and CGM monitoring is noise, distracting from the actual problem: hyper-palatable, cheap foods engineered to make you overeat. Fix your environment and hunger first, not the details.

00:00 Intro
03:12 Stan's background as a skinny kid turned professional bodybuilder
11:20 Deficiencies hidden in restrictive diets and the female athlete triad
14:24 Red meat, dairy and the 1.6g protein consensus broken down
19:30 White rice as an energy tool
27:48 White rice vs brown rice
33:48 Satiety index potato swaps and practical tools to beat hunger
37:47 Pre-workout nutrition and why training intensity beats everything else
43:00 Caffeine, perceived effort and the psychology of pushing past failure
48:21 Overrated trends, seed oils and bro science debunked
53:00 How misinformation spreads and the value of staying academically honest
01:01:38 The Shark Tank experience
01:08:53 Life in American Samoa and running an online business
01:10:41 The one hack: sleep apnea resolution

DISCLAIMER
Nothing shared on this podcast is a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health or lifestyle changes.

Hack You Media
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→ More from Hack You: https://hackyou.media/#aa19104a-abc1-4697-b0f5-0e81e47e60c5

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YouTube: YouTube.com/@mikethurston
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First Things THRST: YouTube.com/@firstthingsthrst

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stanefferding/?hl=en
Website: https://stanefferding.com/

» Produced by Hack You Media: pioneering a new category of content at the intersection of health performance, entrepreneurship & cognitive optimisation.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
Website: https://hackyou.media/

The mitochondrial stack that changed bodybuilding, and why brain damage from compounds can't be undone.

Dean created a stack (Motzi, SLUPP, Methylene Blue) after fixing his gut issues and realising optimised metabolism meant he never needed to starve during prep, calories in/calories out ignores actual metabolic efficiency. Most people don't realise compounds that spike dopamine permanently fry your brain's reward system, leaving guys with normal testosterone but zero libido because their dopamine receptors are damaged. Teenagers now skip the basics and jump straight to peptides, thinking it shortens years of work, but that's where irreversible harm happens.

00:00 Introduction
01:28 Starting from scratch and moving to a new city
04:00 Leaving a secure job for passion
08:30 Personal health challenges and breakthroughs
12:05 Creating an energy-boosting supplement stack
17:20 Psychological impact of extreme dieting in bodybuilding
22:30 Balancing nutrient intake for optimal brain function
26:40 Addressing dopamine and libido post-steroid cycles
31:00 The rise and influence of peptide use in fitness
35:10 Impact of social media on health trends and youth
40:10 Longevity vs muscle mass: navigating trade-offs
45:20 The complex nature of obesity beyond diet
48:50 Utilities and drawbacks of GLP-1 usage in weight loss
54:30 Hair loss treatments: options and myths
58:30 Testosterone replacement therapy: next steps and pitfalls
1:04:00 The interplay of mental health and supplements
1:08:45 Managing oxidative stress for better health
1:13:20 Developing a balanced approach: gains vs health risks

DISCLAIMER
Nothing shared on this podcast is a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health or lifestyle changes.

Hack You Media
→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
→ More from Hack You: https://hackyou.media/#aa19104a-abc1-4697-b0f5-0e81e47e60c5

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YouTube: YouTube.com/MikeThurston
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First Things THRST: YouTube.com/FirstThingsThrst

» Follow Dean«
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanstm/?hl=en
Website: https://linktr.ee/deanstm

Dr Tyler Panzner joins us for a discussion on genetic testing, why your supplements clash, and why diet trends are wrong for you.

Genetic testing is accurate, but most panels are overhyped marketing, interpretation matters more than the test itself.

Most people take multiple supplements without knowing they clash together and cancel each other out or cause side effects. Methylated vitamins don't work for everyone, and carnivore, keto, and vegan diets are short-term tools, not permanent solutions. What works depends on your genetics and your ancestry. Figure out your actual genes instead of following influencers selling the same diet to everyone.

00:00 Introduction
02:42 Personal journey into precision medicine and genetics
05:46 Transition from academia to personalised medicine
09:53 Reliability of genetic testing and its interpretation
19:03 Genetic testing alongside regular blood panels
26:30 Risks of supplements interacting negatively with genetics
30:20 Permanent insights from genetic testing
38:12 COMT gene's influence on stress and behaviour
42:40 The complexity of diet, genetics, and health trends
47:37 Genetics' role in diet and lifestyle choices
57:41 Genetic insights for exercise recovery and performance
01:02:47 Considering peptides and their genetic interactions

DISCLAIMER
Nothing shared on this podcast is a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health or lifestyle changes.

Hack You Media
→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
→ More from Hack You: https://hackyou.media/#aa19104a-abc1-4697-b0f5-0e81e47e60c5

» Follow Vadim «
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» Follow Mike «
YouTube: https://youtube.com/MikeThurston
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikethurston/
First Things THRST: https://youtube.com/FirstThingsThrst

» Follow Tyler «
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtylerpanzner/
1:1 Genetic Coaching: https://drtylerpanzner.com/startyourjourney
Free Guides: https://drtylerpanzner.com/free-guides
Email Newsletter: https://drtylerpanzner.com/email-newsletter

» Produced by Hack You Media: pioneering a new category of content at the intersection of health performance, entrepreneurship & cognitive optimisation.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
Website: https://hackyou.media/

Kris Gethin built the DTP training program, a high-rep low-rep pyramid approach, after injuries forced him away from heavy lifting, it became massively successful because it worked for his body.

His biggest discovery: reversing biological age came from removing things, not adding them—sleep matters infinitely more than expensive biohacks, and he gets better results going to bed early and waking early than from any supplement stack.

He spent years chasing red light therapy, hydrogen water, EMF blocking, only to realise the basics like sunlight, grounding, and rest do the heavy lifting—most people are sympathetic dominant and need to calm their nervous system, not stimulate it more. The myth he breaks: keto works until it doesn't, and when clients add carbs back, they actually build better physiques because training volume requires glycogen, not just fat burning.

00:00 Introduction
02:12 The Origins and Success of the DTP Program
06:53 Lowering Biological Age Through Lifestyle Changes
10:25 Dealing with Health Challenges
14:39 High vs Low-Volume Training Opinions
19:26 Understanding and Increasing Natural Testosterone
21:02 Misconceptions in Health and Fitness Approaches
26:13 Impact of EMFs and Environmental Toxins on Health
30:08 Exploring Uncommon Health Devices and Practices
32:49 Kris's Supplementation Strategy and Daily Routine
40:10 Cardio's Role in Recovery and Performance
45:07 Maintaining Health During Travel
47:10 Using Mortality Awareness for Focus and Purpose
52:08 Finding Balance Between Biohacking and Real Life

DISCLAIMER
Nothing shared on this podcast is a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health or lifestyle changes.

Hack You Media
→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
→ More from Hack You: https://hackyou.media/#aa19104a-abc1-4697-b0f5-0e81e47e60c5

» Follow Vadim «
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Bioniq: https://bioniqlab.com/

» Follow Mike«
YouTube: Youtube.com/MikeThurston
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First Things THRST: YouTube.com/FirstThingsThrst

» Follow Kris«
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krisgethin/?hl=en
Website: https://www.krisgethin.com/

The narrative telling you to lower protein for longevity is backwards. Alan explains why protein is the strongest macronutrient for appetite control, how higher protein wins in every controlled study for body composition and metabolic health, and why food selection matters more than hitting arbitrary numbers.

Alan breaks down why this is just water retention and your body's survival response, how diet breaks every 4-8 weeks make cutting sustainable, and why waiting until your fifties to increase protein makes no sense when you should have built muscle your whole life.

The bottom line: don't follow theory, look at who's actually strongest at their oldest.

00:00 Introduction07:01 Journey of Alan Aragon's career in nutrition10:44 Protein intake debate and addressing misconceptions18:09 Discussing upper limits of protein consumption24:30 Ability to build muscle while in a calorie deficit30:49 Effective strategies for quick fat loss38:48 Psychological breaks during long-term dieting45:25 Transitioning from a fat loss phase to maintenance51:24 Perspectives on fasting and its benefits01:00:02 Importance of tracking and understanding nutritional intake01:05:56 Modern debates around GLP-1 medications for weight loss01:17:19 Addressing misinformation in the health optimisation space

DISCLAIMER
Nothing shared on this podcast is a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health or lifestyle changes.

Hack You Media
→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
→ More from Hack You: https://hackyou.media/#aa19104a-abc1-4697-b0f5-0e81e47e60c5

» Follow Vadim«
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» Follow Mike«
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikethurston/?hl=en
First Things THRST: Youtube.com/FirstThingsThrst

» Follow Alan«
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealanaragon/?hl=en
Website: https://alanaragon.com/

Temp

Dean Henry returns to break down the peptide landscape after FDA changes, share his personal stack, and explain why biological individuality matters more than cookie-cutter protocols.

Learn why insulin has been around for 100 years as a peptide, but people don't realise the connection, how KPV and BPC work orally for gut health because they don't need to break through the bloodstream, and why stacking 18 peptides simultaneously makes no sense.

This covers Mike's first injection experience and why he wants to try retatrutide on micro-dosing, how BPC makes receptors more sensitive when stacked, why most people think retatrutide isn't working because they're still hungry instead of realising they get fuller quicker, and Dean's current five-peptide stack for body composition while travelling.

00:00 Introduction
01:03 Introduction to Dean Henry and peptide discussion
07:26 Basics of what peptides are
18:53 Immediate effects of peptides versus supplements
23:31 Starting peptide recommendations and initial effects
28:24 Personal experiences and favourite peptides
35:29 Forms of peptides: injectables, pills, and sprays
41:17 Who should consider peptides and how to start
55:01 Common peptides and their potential side effects
1:11:22 Peptides specific to women
1:14:51 Can peptides help with specific health issues?
1:19:08 Future of peptides and upcoming innovations

DISCLAIMER
Nothing shared on this podcast is a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health or lifestyle changes.

Hack You Media
→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
→ More from Hack You: https://hackyou.media/#aa19104a-abc1-4697-b0f5-0e81e47e60c5

» Follow Vadim«
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Bioniq: https://www.bioniq.com/

» Follow Mike«
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikethurston/?hl=en
First Things THRST: Youtube.com/FirstThingsThrst

» Follow Dean«
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dean.e.henry/
Website: https://uaepeptides.com/author/deanuaepeptides-com/

Ben Pakulski is a former IFBB Pro Bodybuilder and founder of Muscle Intelligence, and this conversation reveals why most lifters plateau because they never learn to direct tension to the right muscle, how true resilience means switching between warrior and monk states instantly, and why fixing digestion matters more than chasing hormones.

Ben explains why his MI40 program became a phenomenon—he pioneered intelligent execution and individualised mechanics before anyone else talked about the scientific approach to training. Learn why activation sets before maximum effort work better than mindless volume, how the final reps where speed slows down are what actually recruit growth fibres, and why earning your sets through recovery capacity beats arbitrary set schemes.

0:00 Introduction to Ben Pakulski and his fitness philosophy
03:18 The evolution of Ben's MI-40 training program
09:43 Framework for setting fitness goals: mission, map, mentor
15:51 Managing stress and emotional resilience in training
21:31 Diagnostic approach to customised fitness programs
28:23 Evaluating sleep quality and its impact on fitness
32:30 Deciding when to consider testosterone therapy
37:03 Training intensity and the concept of failure
42:31 Structuring workouts for optimal muscle activation
53:59 Precision in movement for experienced vs. novice athletes
58:52 The reality of achieving an elite physique healthily
1:03:32 Optimal body fat percentage for health and longevity
1:11:06 Views on GLP-1s and appetite control in fitness programs
1:15:22 Current peptide experiments and their effects

DISCLAIMER
Nothing shared on this podcast is a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health or lifestyle changes.

Hack You Media
→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
→ More from Hack You: https://hackyou.media/#aa19104a-abc1-4697-b0f5-0e81e47e60c5

» Follow Vadim«
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» Follow Mike«
YouTube: YouTube.com/MikeThurston
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikethurston/?hl=en
First Things THRST: YouTube.com/FirstThingsThrst

» Follow Ben«
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bpakfitness/
Website: https://www.benpakulski.com/

Dr Joel Fuhrman has practised nutritional medicine for over 35 years, and this conversation reveals why most protein and performance advice is wrong, how slowing your metabolism extends lifespan, and why eating more vegetables matters more than exercise for longevity.

Joel explains why he became a nutritional specialist after being a professional figure skater—he's reviewed tens of thousands of studies showing the evidence is overwhelming and not controversial among longevity researchers. Learn why you cannot be healthy and overweight even at moderate body fat percentages, how nuts and seeds reduce cardiovascular death by 40% compared to oils, and why most people should cut animal products from 35% down to below 10% of their diet.

00:00 Introduction
04:20 Common misconceptions about nutrition and longevity
08:35 Importance of nutrient density and healthy fats
17:11 Muscle mass vs. body fat in longevity
24:28 Ideal body composition and diet composition
31:19 Blue Zones and dietary patterns for long life
40:47 Implementing dietary changes and food intolerances
47:45 Comparing Mediterranean diet to Nutritarian diet
58:04 Potential risks of excessive supplementation
1:02:01 Summary of dietary strategies for longevity
1:08:59 Summary of insights from various health experts
1:10:46 Closing remarks and final thoughts on dietary impact

DISCLAIMER
Nothing shared on this podcast is a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health or lifestyle changes.

Hack You Media
→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
→ More from Hack You: https://hackyou.media/#aa19104a-abc1-4697-b0f5-0e81e47e60c5

» Follow Vadim«
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vadim_bioniq/?hl=en
Bioniq: https://www.bioniq.com/

» Follow Mike«
YouTube: YouTube.com/MikeThurston
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikethurston/?hl=en
First Things THRST: YouTube.com/FirstThingsThrst

» Follow Joel«
YouTube: YouTube.com/drfuhrman
Website: https://www.drfuhrman.com/

Dr Valter Longo is a longevity researcher who developed the fasting-mimicking diet, and this conversation reveals why 16-hour fasting increases mortality risk, how true autophagy takes five full days to activate, and why high protein might be accelerating ageing.

Valter explains why skipping breakfast and 16-hour fasting correlates with higher cardiovascular disease, despite faster results, 12-hour eating windows show zero negatives in studies. Learn why the five-day FMD uses low protein and high fat to trigger fasting while feeding gut bacteria, how less than 10% of people reach age 70 disease-free, and why blocking growth hormone pathways makes organisms live dramatically longer.

00:00 Daily fasting duration recommendations
04:02 Development of the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD)
10:30 Concerns about water-only fasting effects
14:07 Application of FMD for disease prevention and longevity
21:51 Completing the fasting cycle with proper refeeding
25:09 The debate on protein sources and intake
32:48 Protein intake for muscle growth and longevity
38:16 The relationship between strength training and longevity
50:20 Stress and its interaction with food and health
54:35 Key lifestyle factors influencing longevity

DISCLAIMER
Nothing shared on this podcast is a substitute for professional medical guidance. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health or lifestyle changes.

Hack You Media
→ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyoumedia/
→ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hack.you.media?lang=en
→ More from Hack You: https://hackyou.media/#aa19104a-abc1-4697-b0f5-0e81e47e60c5

» Follow Vadim«
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vadim_bioniq/?hl=en
Bioniq: https://www.bioniq.com/

» Follow Mike«
YouTube: youtube.com/MikeThurston
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikethurston/?hl=en
First Things THRST: YouTube.com/FirstThingsThrst

» Follow Valter«
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prof_valterlongo/?__d=1%252F
Website: https://valterlongo.com/