Iron Culture

In this Iron Culture, Sigma Nutrition Radio, SNA crossover, Dr. Joe Klemczewski returns! Dr. Joe, possibly the first online bodybuilding coach and person to advise clients to track macros before IIFYM was an acronym, joins us to reflect on the past and help us navigate the future. In the modern information age, there is more information than ever, which is a good thing, right? Perhaps, except that there is also more misinformation and disinformation than ever as well. While the evidence-based movement solved the problem of information inadequacy, we now face a much more complex problem of information illiteracy. What can you do to better navigate the “fake news” littering all aspects of social media, especially the nutrition space, and how can you facilitate better critical thinking in your clients and followers to reduce the likelihood they will undertake harmful diets? In this episode we tackle just that, discussing how paying attention to history and social changes can provide protection against modern fads.

Time stamps:

00:00 Danny, Erich? And sending our condolences to the listeners

https://raskolapparel.com/

02:37 Re-introducing Dr. Joe Klemczewski

09:57 Changes in science

18:01 Science education for the consumer

26:53 How Dr. Joe communicates science with nuance to different audiences and how society (and social media) operates to perpetuate beliefs

36:59 Discerning truth and fact from context – using the recent meta-regressions on volume and frequency as an example

Pelland 2024 The Resistance Training Dose-Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/460

51:00 The psychology of persuasion

59:34 Embedding heuristics and the utility of AI in academia

1:09:50 Broader trends in society, marketing strategies and delivering what is expected

1:21:46 Recapping the episode and closing out (be wary of Eric’s positivity propaganda)

Even among the many monster episodes of Iron Culture, today’s episode truly stands out. First, the MASS crew discusses this new era of Iron Culture and lets the cult know what they can expect as the show pushes forward and climbs to new heights. After that, the crew has an insightful discussion about the science of satellite cells – what they are, when they might (or might not) matter, and how they intersect with many hypertrophy-related topics, such as sex differences, aging, muscle damage, and factors that limit long-term muscle growth.

The MASS crew records Iron Culture LIVE on YouTube, every Monday night at 7pm eastern time. Be sure to join us for a future episode and say hello in the live chat!

If you'd like to submit a question or topic for us to address on an upcoming episode, please use this link:

https://massresearchreview.com/office-hours/

Time stamps

0:00 Intro

0:21 Big announcements about the future of Iron Culture and MASS Office Hours

5:10 Helms reflects on “the merger”

7:04 Re-introducing Dr. Mike Zourdos

17:53 Re-introducing Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple

26:38 Dr. Helms’ recent research

30:46 Dr. Trexler’s current research

34:20 A primer on satellite cells

49:31 The role of satellite cells during growth/maturation and during use of exogenous anabolics

51:21 Sex differences and exogenous anabolics

53:52 The impact of aging on satellite cells and their function

58:54 Do satellite cell responses to muscle damage play a major role in muscle growth?

1:02:37 Do satellite cells and myonuclear domain theory become more relevant for muscle growth when the magnitude of growth becomes more substantial?

1:10:01 Does hard training induce muscle hyperplasia?

1:19:06 If meaningful muscle hyperplasia does occur in response to resistance training, does that impact how we should approach or design training programs?

1:24:39 Wrapping up

I’m going to break the fourth wall here and speak directly to our dear listeners. When we started this podcast almost six years ago, I never imagined it would last this long or become such a fixture in the community. The goal was always to create a space aimed at enriching the listener's appreciation and understanding of lifting. I want to thank every single person who has tuned in, supported throughout the years and engaged with us in this journey. I feel very confident in the future direction of Iron Culture with the two Erics taking lead. We'll catch you in that next episode from now, until the end of time.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Omar

Time stamps:

00:00 Erics… Omar

03:09 Reviewing reviews (including one from Dr. RayGun)

08:04 Future horizons and looking back

19:56 Trexler’s anniversary and some reflections

27:20 Climate change isn’t real… the science is the science and a quick update on the Iron Culture documentary

31:40 Trexler’s commentary and how he came to be on the cult

42:24 Helms reflects on some memorable episodes and guests

48:52 The Iron Culture mission statement

56:51 The future of Iron Culture (including the interview of a certain guest)

1:08:50 The running Iron Culture jokes

1:16:14 Coming full circle with some final thoughts

In this Iron Culture/Sports Nutrition Association/Sigma Nutrition Radio crossover episode, host Eric Helms is joined by co-host Danny Lennon and guest Alex Thomas. Alex is the president of the Sports Nutrition Association who started this association years ago when he was rudely awakened to the fact that he couldn’t provide nutrition advice in his personal training clinic, despite having done so for years, having an RD on staff, and getting a degree in exercise science and nutrition. This prompted him to do a deep dive into scope of practice, insurance, legal requirements to provide nutrition coaching, and eventually to realise just how large of a gap there is in the nutrition coaching industry. Becoming aware of how common coach negligence leading to poorer consumer health is, spurred him to create the Sports Nutrition Association. Now SNA seeks to elevate the profession of nutrition coaching and protect the public. In this episode we navigate the confusing world of scope of practice, both legally and from a liability perspective, and why it’s not only an important box ticking exercise, but a fundamental part of serving your clients.

Time stamps:

00:00 Introduction to a podcast that needs a longer name and title

01:32 What is the Sports Nutrition Association?

06:15 Protected titles, scope of practice, and insurance

22:30 The importance of scope of practice and advice for practitioners

38:58 Trends and big claims in the space, risk/reward and consequences

51:36 Areas where practitioners should focus on and what to do going forward

1:00:06 The career pyramid for nutritionists

1:02:01 Closing out and where to find out more about the SNA

Website https://sportsnutritionassociation.com/

Instagram @sportsnutritionassociation https://www.instagram.com/sportsnutritionassociation/

Sigma Nutrition Radio https://sigmanutrition.com/podcast-welcome/

In this Iron Culture/Sports Nutrition Association/Sigma Nutrition Radio crossover episode, host Eric Trexler is joined by co-host Danny Lennon and guest Dr. Shawn Arent. Dr. Arent is a professor and department chair at the University of South Carolina with a wealth of knowledge and research experience pertaining to nutritional strategies and supplements purported to support brain health and function. In this meeting of the minds, Eric, Danny, and Dr. Arent discuss the brain-related effects of carbohydrate, amino acids, caffeine (and caffeine-related substances), theanine, nicotine, fish oil, creatine, and much more. If you’re interested in preserving the health and function of your brain, listening to this episode is certainly a smart decision.

00:00 Introduction to another crossover episode and Dr Shawn Arent

03:20 Defining cognitive performance and function

07:48 The acute effects of carbohydrates and caffeine on fatigue

13:01 Carbohydrate mouth rinsing and glycogen depletion (and are bodybuilders athletes?)

26:15 The (non-linear) glycogen utilisation response to exercise

29:53 The role of protein (EAAs and BCAAs) on cognitive function 

Daivs 1999 Effects of branched-chain amino acids and carbohydrate on fatigue during intermittent, high-intensity running https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10452228 

36:06 Caffeine dose-response relationship on cognition

40:50 Caffeine timing and dosing strategies

51:38 Optimisation and thinking outside the box to minimise the effects of caffeine on sleep

55:18 Other (interesting) supplements with less evidence

1:01:28 Nicotine and sports culture

1:08:52 Supplementation for brain health and recommendations/protocols for TBIs

1:21:22 Closing out with some final take homes

In this crossover episode of Iron Culture and MASS Office Hours, Dr. Trexler is joined by special guest Josh Pelland, a coach for Data Driven and a PhD candidate at Florida Atlantic University, to discuss Pelland's recent meta-analysis which investigates the effects of training volume and frequency on hypertrophy and strength outcomes. These data have created a lot of stir in the evidence based community as very high volumes seem to be associated with hypertrophy without a definitive plateau. But as you can expect, there’s much more to the story. The analysis synthesizes data from numerous studies and quantifies dose-response relationships by which higher training volumes and/or frequencies may lead to greater strength and muscle gains in response to resistance training. In a thorough discussion of the paper, Pelland discusses nuances, such as the point of diminishing returns where further volume or frequency may yield less significant gains, and highlights how individual factors like training experience and muscle group-specific responses affect outcomes. Practical recommendations include tailoring volume to individual needs, utilizing periodization and volume cycling to maximize adaptations, and addressing common pitfalls such as overtraining. Further, in this live episode audience questions drive deeper exploration into the practical implications of the findings and strategies for optimizing training programs based on current evidence.

If you liked this crossover, remember the MASS crew goes live for Office Hours every Wednesday night at 7pm eastern time. Be sure to join them for a future episode!

0:00 Introduction to another official crossover episode 

MASS Office Hours Episode 58 (Is More Volume Always Better?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HErS8Hw12k 

02:00 Getting to know Josh Pelland  

07:35 An overview of Josh’s new preprint

Pelland 2024 The Resistance Training Dose-Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gain https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/460

Data Driven Strength Podcast - Volume and Hypertrophy: New Science Explained | S2E1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKRAVrf-798&t=0s

Data Driven Strength Podcast - Frequency and Hypertrophy: New Science Explained | S2E2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rxOj92Q4p8 

14:01 The search strategy and volume/frequency quantification method comparison

25:43 Statistical models 

30:51 Volume results

39:32 Volume efficiency tiers 

1:08:47 Frequency results 

1:16:43 Q&A Question 1: How was the volume of different exercises quantified?

1:18:36 Question 2: Disconnect between theoretical vs practical optimum?

1:25:00 Question 3: How were different set structures, intensification techniques, and proximity-to-failure accounted for?

1:28:55 Question 4: Recommendations for 6x/week Full Body Powerbuilding training?

1:30:53 Question 5: The potential effects of different partials and ranges of motion? 

1:34:45 Question 6: Did the studies measure both hypertrophy and strength outcomes?

1:36:10 Question 7: Strength training recommendations for sprint cyclers?

1:39:03 Question 8: Upper vs lower body set volume tolerance?

1:40:45 Question 9: Moderator analyses on the impact of training status?

1:42:50 Question 10: How do you know if you are performing too much volume?

1:46:36 Wrapping up and where to find Josh

Data Driven Strength YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@datadrivenstrength 

Instagram @josh.datadrivenstrength https://www.instagram.com/josh.datadrivenstrength/?hl=en 

There is a great deal of fitness content about strategically modifying your diet or changing your physique. Many of these strategies may appear to be simple on paper, but they are inseparable from the complexity of human perception and emotion. Whether we like it or not, diet or physique manipulation inherently interact with concepts relating to one’s confidence, body image, self-esteem, and relationship with food. Further, many fitness coaches and clients mistakenly believe that poor body image or self-esteem are improved by simply changing one’s body. A growing area of interest in the fitness space aims to directly address and improve these outcomes by focusing on beliefs and behaviors in the absence of physique manipulation. In this crossover episode with Sigma Nutrition Radio and the Sports Nutrition Association, Eric Trexler and Danny Lennon are joined by Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro to take an evidence-based and practical look at the ways diet or physique modifications interact with confidence, body image, and self-worth.

00:00 Welcome to another crossover episode (passively) dominated by Iron Culture

02:09 Defining body image and self-esteem

07:49 Relationship with food and weight stigma

21:22 Are your behaviours and beliefs really sustainable?

32:13 Different approaches to safe weight modification

39:19 Screening for risk factors and contraindications

47:20 Scope of practice and individuals who fall into the gaps

53:20 Interventions and approaches for improving body image

 58:28 Closing out with some links

Sports Nutrition Association https://sportsnutritionassociation.com/

Sigma Nutrition https://sigmanutrition.com/

The Iron Culture universe is expanding! In this crossover episode the host of Sigma Nutrition Radio, Danny Lennon, joins Eric Helms to co-host! Dr. Cliff Harvey, who did his PhD on ketogenic diets at AUT, joins Danny and Eric to discuss the often conflicting research and anecdotes on the effect of carbohydrates on lifting performance, adaptations and body composition change. Eric, Danny and Cliff are all on the Sports Nutrition Association (SNA) advisory board - an organisation dedicated to supporting the profession of sports nutrition. The board is packed with nutrition experts with a ton of experience. This is the first of many crossover episodes to come where Iron Culture, Sigma Nutrition Radio, and the SNA combine forces to bring you the best practical, science-based nutrition content possible!

00:00 Danny? Entering the multiverse (Sigma Iron Culture Nutrition Radio Ultra Podcast Show)

02:00 An update on carbohydrates for resistance training performance

05:34 The spectrum of carbohydrate intake related to work demands and Cliff’s approach

15:13 The complexities of substrate utilisation and glycogen replenishment

Hokken 2021 Subcellular localization- and fibre type-dependent utilization of muscle glycogen during heavy resistance exercise in elite power and Olympic weightlifters https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32961628/ 

King 2022 The Ergogenic Effects of Acute Carbohydrate Feeding on Resistance Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35809162/

Naharudin 2019 Breakfast Omission Reduces Subsequent Resistance Exercise Performance https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30707135/ 

Naharudin 2020 Viscous placebo and carbohydrate breakfasts similarly decrease appetite and increase resistance exercise performance compared with a control breakfast in trained males https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32174286/ 

28:10 Intrasession carbohydrate intake and mouth rinsing 

King 2024 Isoenergetic pre-exercise meals varying in carbohydrate similarly affect resistance training volume performance compared to placebo https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/443/version/566

41:03 The placebo/nocebo effect related to food intake around training

53:30 Reconsidering nutrient timing and individualising coaching approaches

1:06:54 Goals, optimising approaches, and methodological considerations in the research

Vargas-Molina 2020 Effects of a ketogenic diet on body composition and strength in trained women https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32276630/ 

Paoli 2021 Effects of Two Months of Very Low Carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet on Body Composition, Muscle Strength, Muscle Area, and Blood Parameters in Competitive Natural Body Builders https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33530512/

1:17:11 Individual approaches to ketogenic diets and does macronutrient distribution really matter?

Harvey 2019 Low-carbohydrate diets differing in carbohydrate restriction improve cardiometabolic and anthropometric markers in healthy adults: A randomised clinical trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30740270/

1:25:48 Considerations for a low carbohydrate/ketogenic approach and ketosis misunderstandings 

1:30:02 The take home and closing out

Weightlifting came before powerlifting, but did you know weightlifting wasn’t exactly the first barbell sport? Or rather, did you know that the first iteration of weightlifting was VERY different than what we see today in the Olympics? The history of weightlifting is fascinating, and in this episode of Iron Culture Drs Conor Heffernan and Cliff Harvey are back to share their experiences with, and the history of, All Around Lifting, the original barbell sport. With literally hundreds of potential lifts to compete in, All Around Lifters are barbell generalists rather than specialists, and both strong and versatile. Modern All Around meets are very similar to the original lifting competitions from the early 19th century before weightlifting centralised around the snatch, clean and jerk and clean and press (and eventually just the snatch and clean and jerk), and before modern strongman, powerlifting or CrossFit existed. While you may know Cliff Harvey as a nutrition researcher, he is also a former All Around world champion weightlifter and amateur historian. He shares his experience while Conor goes into the fascinating tale of how weightlifting began, and how modern All Around Lifting recaptures it.

00:00 Omar? And All Around lifting?

02:10 Welcoming back Drs. Conor Heffernan and Cliff Harvey and where everything lifting started

07:01 The format and how to prepare for All Around Lifting

15:11 The attraction of All Around Lifting

24:40 A deep dive into the history of All Around 

38:49 Specialisation vs generalisation and accessibility of All Around

55:05 ‘Evidence-based’ training and individualisation 

1:05:28 Cliff’s experience competing

1:15:10 Reframing your perspective and goals as you progress and age

1:20:35 Where to learn more about (and participate in) All Around Lifting and closing out

https://www.iawa.uk/

https://www.usawa.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@USAWAVideos

https://www.youtube.com/user/dinnie40

How do we know what we know? And do we know what we think we know? If your answer is “I don’t know,” then this episode is for you. In this classic-style episode, Omar and Helms sit down for a spirited chat on epistemology: the theory of knowledge, as it relates to hypertrophy. In the “evidence-based” world some people always claim to have things figured out entirely. In the case of hypertrophy, some people currently can explain with a “model” what must occur in training to produce hypertrophy, in a logically consistent narrative, based in true aspects of physiology. However, just because something is logically consistent and contains elements of truth, doesn’t necessarily make it entirely correct. So first, we should ask, when and why should models be used in scientific inquiry? How do models sit in relation to empirical studies? How does one check the veracity of a model? Is a “model” really a model if nothing was actually modelled? Can it be valid if it is contradicted by dozens of controlled trials? Most importantly, will we ever be ok with feeling uncomfortable and embracing our ignorance in the search of knowledge? Or, are we doomed to repeat the mistake of prematurely clinging to intellectually satisfying, logical, complete, yet factually incorrect answers whenever there are gaps in our understanding that makes us uncomfortable?

00:00 Do you know what you know?

04:56 Fitness content creators and models of hypertrophy

Refalo 2023 Influence of Resistance Training Proximity-to-Failure on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36334240/ 

Robinson 2024 Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Series of Meta-Regressions  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38970765/

17:15 Studies in sport science without black and white results/answers and mathematical models

27:55 (Dis)confirming models and considering scientific evidence

The Evidence is Lacking for “Effective Reps” by Greg Nuckols https://www.strongerbyscience.com/effective-reps/

Grgic 2018 Effect of Resistance Training Frequency on Gains in Muscular Strength: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29470825/

43:01 Engaging in dialogue regarding these models

48:24 Closing out this overdelivering 50 minute episode