Hammer and Chisel Performance Podcast

In this week's nutrition rant...I wanted to cover a topic unrelated to nutrition that people ask me about all the time...Testosterone Replacement Therapy. Who should consider it? How does it work? What are the REAL risks and side effects? Is it dangerous? How to use it effectively. Lets dive in

Solo episode of the Hammer and Chisel Performance Podcast! In this episode I discuss my transition from 9 years working in NFL and college football strength and conditioning to launching my own coaching business and starting my journey as a solo business owner and entrepreneur. I discuss the pros and cons of both sides, why I decided to leave, how i set myself up for success, what the lifestyle looks like now, my advice for those considering going into business for themselves, leveraging social media, the money and more.

In this week's nutrition rant I dive into my philosophies around building muscle, and what I see many people doing wrong! I talk about both the training and nutrition sides of this. Enjoy and let's get big.

Tom Hibbert is a world-class strongman coach, educator, and founder of Winning Strength. Known for his evidence-based approach to strength development, Tom has coached athletes from beginners to elite-level competitors across strongman, powerlifting, and strength sports. Through his coaching, content, and programming, he helps athletes maximize performance by blending practical experience with sports science, making him one of the most respected voices in modern strongman training.

Weekly nutrition rant! I dive into how I break the year up into a planned series of structured phases to drive physique improvement over time...step one of this process is get lean!

Dr. Emily Dow is a performance dietitian specializing in sports nutrition, body composition, and evidence-based strategies to help athletes and active individuals optimize performance, recovery, and long-term health. Through her work with competitive athletes and fitness enthusiasts, she focuses on practical nutrition approaches that improve training outcomes without unnecessary restriction or fad dieting.

Monthly Q&A Answered from questions sent in to my Instagram! Time Stamps below

0:00 Intro

1:22 Mobility, soft tissue work & loaded stretching

4:34 Full-body split structure

6:48 Best workout splits

8:27 Training biceps without “training biceps”

9:09 Backloading carbs at night

10:27 Beginner strongman training

12:02 Starting strongman from scratch

12:14 Strongman vs bodybuilding for motivation

13:14 Transitioning from powerlifting to strongman

13:58 Strongman competitors/coaches to learn from

14:47 New dad going through a breakup while maintaining progress

16:16 Real food vs protein bars and shakes

17:42 Starting a cut with too deep of a deficit

18:26 Adding quality mass without sacrificing speed

20:00 When to increase calories during a gain phase

21:41 How to decide whether to cut or bulk

23:20 Tracking calories/protein vs all macros

24:10 Training day vs non-training day macros

26:31 Weekly surplus vs high-day surplus for bulking

26:47 How long cut, maintenance, and bulk phases should last

28:58 Recomping in-season while a bit too fat

30:06 Building muscle and losing fat at the same time

31:26 High carbs/protein during recomp with low calories

32:27 Loose skin after weight loss

33:07 Reverse dieting after a long cut

33:57 How fast to add carbs in a reverse diet

35:00 Cheat meals/refeeds while reverse dieting

37:21 Building metabolism without gaining excess fat

37:52 Switching from keto to a carb-based diet

38:42 Pre-workout carb amount and simple sugars

40:06 Coconut water powder vs regular coconut water intra-workout

41:02 Candy/sugar as pre-workout carbs

42:05 Best carbohydrate sources

43:20 Jasmine rice as a carb source

43:29 Where to remove carbs during carb cycling

43:50 Swimmer trying to get jacked

44:38 Body composition vs performance for explosive athletes

45:20 Sport-specific diet adjustments

45:48 Electrolytes when introducing growth hormone

46:17 Long-term low-dose Cialis for bodybuilders

46:49 CoQ10 for endurance athletes

47:19 Biggest supplement timing mistakes

48:28 Supplements to preserve/build muscle during fat loss

49:12 How often clients should get bloodwork

50:16 Personal daily caffeine intake

51:30 Why fiber is higher on non-training days

53:14 Tips for improving gut health

55:14 Why dairy has been a positive change

56:49 Avoiding digestive issues in a surplus

1:00:22 Almond butter vs peanut butter

1:01:29 Is a nutrition coach worth it if money is tight?

1:03:26 What to look for in a good nutrition coach

1:06:28 Biggest client pet peeve

1:09:34 Could you collaborate with Tom Brady?

1:09:51 Getting someone off the carnivore diet

1:12:15 Binge eating after dieting

1:14:15 Monitoring fasting glucose and HbA1c with high carbs

1:15:37 Plyos/jump training during a bodybuilding phase

1:17:04 Eating 50+ grams of protein in one meal

1:18:43 Caffeine-free pre-workout for PM training

1:19:45 How long to maintain after a cut before growing

1:20:28 Fats in the post-workout meal

1:22:12 Getting up to 40 calories/kg at lean body composition

1:24:24 Carb cycling high days before morning workouts

1:26:05 Pec not firing after scapular injury

1:27:16 Recovery after heavy sessions and current training split

1:29:23 Best advice for a new dad with low sleep and two jobs

1:31:17 General strength vs specialization for intermediate lifters

1:32:21 Custom meal plans for specific goals

1:32:43 Rucking vs running for fat loss

1:33:56 Sodium during exercise and potassium post-workout

1:34:30 Best nutrition books

1:35:50 How to avoid binge eating

1:36:48 Nutrition before 4:30 a.m. training

1:38:23 Outro

Luka Hocevar is a performance coach, gym owner, entrepreneur, and educator known for blending strength training, conditioning, nutrition, and mindset coaching into a holistic approach to human performance. He is the founder of Vigor Ground Fitness & Performance and has worked with everyone from general population clients to elite athletes, helping coaches and athletes optimize both performance and long-term health

In this weeks nutrition rant I dive into the reasons people often hit a stall with fat loss, or may not even be ready to start a fat loss diet, YET. And how to remedy this

John Haack is widely regarded as one of the greatest pound-for-pound powerlifters of all time. Known for his elite strength across multiple weight classes, Haack has set numerous world records and built a reputation for combining raw power with technical precision. From dominant performances on the platform to his influence on modern strength training, John continues to push the standard for what’s possible in powerlifting