The Muscle Engineer Podcast

In episode 36 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast I am joined by Nick Gloff, who is one of the rare people who are strong, have fantastic execution AND are well educated.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

6:25 Nick’s background and training history

16:36 How to balance striving for perfect execution vs actually progressing in loads

29:32 Momentum - how much is acceptable and when is it too much, with barbell rows and dumbbell lateral raises used as examples

42:26 Alignment and how to reduce joint stress on certain exercises (e.g. skullcrushers)

55:40 Pain when doing certain exercises and picking exercises for you

1:05:24 Warming up and using drills to fix your “mobility issues”

1:12:32 Chasing “optimality” and overthinking everything while not taking care of the really important stuff

1:20:33 My closing thoughts on the episode

If you want to apply for online coaching, email me:

[email protected]

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

You can find Nick at:

https://www.instagram.com/nickgloff

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

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In episode 35 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast I am once again joined by Greg Nuckols for the second part of our conversation. If you missed episode 33, make sure to listen to that first.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

1:23 The power of belief - false “steroid” studies and mental limitations

15:40 One weird trick to overcome a mental limitation in a certain lift

21:16 The impact of the environment you train in has on your results and what can you do about it

33:22 Implementable stuff vs learning things for the sake of learning

42:24 My top lessons from this episode

You can find Greg at:

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/mass/

https://www.sbspod.com/

https://www.instagram.com/gregnuckols

If you want to apply for online coaching, email me:

[email protected]

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 34 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast we continue episode 32 with the final part of this long conversation with Lyle McDonald. This is all about one of women’s biggest nightmares – cellulite.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

1:41 Cellulite basics – what is it and what causes it?

10:20 Cellulite treatments – do they work or not?

25:35 Could bigger glute muscles help with the visual aspect of it?

You can find Lyle at:

https://bodyrecomposition.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/810890695609053/

If you want to apply for online coaching, email me:

[email protected]

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 33 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast I am joined by one of the nicest – and smartest – guys in our industry, Greg Nuckols.

Greg has over a decade of experience under the bar and a B.S. in exercise and sports science. He is currently enrolled in the exercise science M.A. program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He’s held three all-time world records in powerlifting in the 220lb and 242lb classes. Greg is also one-third of Monthly Applications in Strength Sport (MASS), a monthly research review he runs with Eric Helms and Mike Zourdos and is the main writer at StrongerByScience.com, a website dedicated to providing you with practical, evidence-based information and resources to help you get strong, jacked, and sexy.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

3:35 Greg’s first day in the gym  -how much did he bench and other stories from his younger years

18:40 The influence of the environment you grow up in on your baseline strength level and the propensity for heavy lifting

27:45 Why are some people just baseline stronger than others?

43:40 The inability for people to accept that some are just more “gifted” when it comes to lifting weights

59:45 Instagram and balancing accurate information vs fishing attention for likes

1:05:18 The impact of structure (anthropometry) on lifts

1:21:30 Key ideas of this episode

You can find Greg at:

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/mass/

https://www.sbspod.com/

https://www.instagram.com/gregnuckols

If you want to apply for online coaching, email me:

[email protected]

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 32 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast we continue episode 30 and pick up where we left off with Lyle McDonald. In this episode we discuss the “energy out” component of energy balance and contrast James Levine’s N.E.AT. model with Herman Pontzer’s Constrained Total Energy Expenditure model.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

1:25 The components of energy expenditure and how James Levin’s N.E.A.T. fits in

32:55 Herman Pontzer’s Constrained Total Energy Expenditure model

53:34 My top take-aways from this episode

Resources and further reading:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15102614

https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(15)00123-8/abstract

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6058072/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4803033/

You can find Lyle at:

https://bodyrecomposition.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/810890695609053/

If you want to apply for online coaching, email me:

[email protected]

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 31 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast I welcome back Adam Tzur for the third part of our deep-dive into ketogenic dieting.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

02:51 Does a ketogenic diet reduce hunger more than a “regular” diet and if so, why?

11:46 How hard is it to stick to a keto diet? (no pun intended lol )

18:13 Is it harder to adhere to a ketogenic diet compared to any “named” / controlled diet?

22:50 How to transition away from a ketogenic diet to a more “balanced” diet long term?

28:40 The value of having a community to support your goals

33:28 The value of personalized nutrition – or at least the illusion of it

36:13 A discussion about internal drive and sacrificing short term pleasure for long term meaningful goals

45:24 Notable aspects unique to a ketogenic diet?

50:12 Side effects of the ketogenic diets

59:30 My top take-aways from the episode

Resources and further reading:

https://sci-fit.net/ketogenic-diet-hunger-suppression/

https://sci-fit.net/adhere-ketogenic-diet/

https://youtu.be/vA3QavPp1Ho

You can find Adam at:

https://sci-fit.net/

https://www.facebook.com/TheSCIFIT/

If you want to apply for online coaching, email me:

[email protected]

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 30 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast I welcome back the one and only Lyle McDonald to discuss how his thought process around refeeds and diet breaks has evolved since the  publication of the original “ Guide to Flexible Dieting “ , 15 years ago.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

03:08 Refeeds and diet breaks – are they necessary and / or superior to a strict diet phase?

20:10 Dieting as a learning experience

25:05 Different refeeding strategies and the value of each

37:15 The role of a full diet break

42:50 The role of maintenance phases

48:55 My top take-aways from this week’s episode

You can find Lyle at:

https://bodyrecomposition.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/810890695609053/

If you want to apply for online coaching, email me:

[email protected]

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 29 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast I welcome back my unofficial very first guest for a re-recording of our initial episode that had some audio issues, and this second take turned out much better than the first one.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

2:44 Paddy’s background and how his mindset around exercise selection has evolved throughout the years

16:00 What makes an exercise an effective option for muscle growth?

47:46 The need to lift with “full range of motion” and the distinction between active vs passive range of motion

1:05:18 How can someone improve their active range of motion for a given muscle?

1:12:33 Resistance profiles and how can we improve them?

1:19:06 “Adaptive resistance” and how often should you change exercises?

1:28:48 Why an exercise can be a great choice in the future, even if it isn’t right now

1:30:42 Paddy’s definition of success

1:31:50 My top take-aways from this episode

Resources and further reading:

You can find Paddy at:

https://www.instagram.com/therealpaddyfarrell/

https://triagemethod.com/

https://www.facebook.com/triagemethod/

If you want to apply for online coaching, email me:

[email protected]

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 28 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast I am once again joined by dr. Mike Israetel and I also welcome back fellow podcaster Ábel Csabai for a follow-up to episode 26 (which I’d recommend listening to first).

In this one we stay on the topic of performance enhancing drugs but take a much more practical route.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

3:10 What to expect from taking an initial dose of PED’s (~300 mg of test per week for example)?

13:43 What should a proper “first cycle” look like?

25:50 How can you tell you have a legit PED vs a counterfeit one?

38:36 What are the most common side effects of PED use?

43:22 What kind of gainzzz can be achieved via PED use that can be maintained after coming off?

47:08 Mike’s thoughts on “fat burners” (clen most commonly) and Dianabol use

53:42 Why are professional bodybuilders eating the same meals over and over again and not allowing themselves more flexibility?

59:20 Copying what someone else is doing vs relying on principles

1:04:12 A discussion about what’s achievable naturally with some notable examples

1:15:43 Why do people take PED’s even when they are not competing?

1:26:36 My closing thoughts about the episode

I’m available for online coaching and consultations, please send enquiries to:

[email protected]

You can find Mike at:

https://www.facebook.com/michael.israetel

https://www.instagram.com/rpdrmike

https://renaissanceperiodization.com/

You can find Ábel at:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzGVKv513I6Zb0u3mLsL_7w

https://soundcloud.com/abelcsabai

https://www.instagram.com/susdvc_abel/

https://www.facebook.com/sustainableselfdevelopment/

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 27 of The Muscle Engineer Podcast I welcome back Adam Tzur for the second part of our deep-dive into ketogenic dieting.

Topics discussed with time stamps:

3:10 Energy balance fundamentals and ways the ketogenic diet can or cannot circumvent them

12:06 What does it mean to become “fat adapted”, how long does it take and it’s impact on fuel utilization

24:45 Does being “fat adapted” have a preferential effect on fat loss, when compared to a higher carb diet?

32:55 How does a ketogenic diet impact high volume resistance training performance and muscle retention during a fat loss phase?

41:41 What are the scenarios where a ketogenic diet would be advisable?

44:24 How should a well formulated ketogenic diet look like?

47:38 Adam’s thoughts on the carnivore diet and a discussion about short term vs long term utility of diets in general

1:00:56 My top 3 take-aways from this episode

Resources and further reading:

https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(17)30152-X/fulltext

https://sci-fit.net/ketogenic-diet-fat-muscle-performance/

https://sci-fit.net/keto-flush/

https://www.facebook.com/vincent.sparagna/posts/1737011396401079

You can find Adam at:

https://sci-fit.net/

https://www.facebook.com/TheSCIFIT/

If you want to apply for online coaching, email me:

[email protected]

Say “Hi” on social media:

https://www.instagram.com/szotaktme/

https://www.facebook.com/szotaktme

https://www.facebook.com/szotakandras

Get all the previous podcast episodes:

http://themuscleengineer.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.