By Philip Pape, Evidence-Based Nutrition Coach & Fat Loss Expert
For skeptics of the fitness industry who want to work smarter and more efficiently to build muscle and lose fat. Wits & Weights cuts through the noise and deconstructs health and fitness with a
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The podcast currently has 369 episodes available.
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Tired of stressing about holiday food choices and being told to "just control your portions"?
Learn how the engineering concept of Entropy reveals why fighting against holiday chaos usually backfires. Instead, discover how to build a robust system that can handle any amount of disorder while still making progress.
By understanding how entropy affects your fitness goals during Thanksgiving, you'll transform holiday nutrition from a source of anxiety into an opportunity for growth.
Main Takeaways:
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Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
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📧 To learn more about lifting weights, workout programs, and tips for strength training and building muscle, join my FREE mailing list at witsandweights.com/email
Could lifting heavy weights be the key to stronger bones and a longer life? What if you could reverse bone loss—even in your 70s?
Philip (@witsandweights) tackles one of the most overlooked aspects of health: bone density. Learn why the traditional advice about osteoporosis falls short and discover the science-backed power of strength training. Philip shares practical tips and key principles to build stronger bones, improve mobility, and maintain independence at any age. Whether you're 30 and proactive or 70 and looking to regain vitality, this will shift your thinking about bone health forever.
Today, you’ll learn all about:
1:10 The reality of age-related bone loss
2:54 Common myths about bone health
6:51 Three key principles for bone adaptation
11:07 Why bodyweight exercises and cardio aren’t enough?
12:25 Misconceptions about lifting heavy weights
16:17 The transformative benefits of strength training
17:23 True strength training vs. lifting weights
19:42 How bone adaptation mirrors muscle growth principles
21:30 Outro
Episode resources:
Related episode:
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Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
🩷 Love the podcast? Leave a 5-star review or share on social and tag @witsandweights
📞 Send a Q&A voicemail
Could the secret to aging well be hidden in the weights room? We're challenging the age-old advice of merely popping calcium supplements to safeguard against bone loss. Instead, we bring you a revolutionary perspective that highlights strength training as the cornerstone for healthier bones. Tune in to learn about the powerful connection between muscle and bone development and why traditional recommendations might not be cutting it. Our conversation unravels the misconceptions surrounding heavy lifting and high-impact workouts, empowering you to embrace these activities for a more resilient and robust future.
We guide you through the principles of strength training, emphasizing the importance of progressive loading and compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses. Discover how these exercises do more than just bolster bone density; they enhance balance, coordination, and overall hormonal health, crucial for maintaining independence as you age. Whether you're just starting or looking to elevate your fitness journey, we provide actionable insights and resources to help you improve your quality of life. Get ready to reshape your understanding of bone health and adopt a proactive approach to strength training that promises long-term well-being.
📲 Send me a text message!
Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
🩷 Love the podcast? Leave a 5-star review or share on social and tag @witsandweights
📞 Send a Q&A voicemail
📲 To learn about progressive overload, why it’s important, and how to use it to maximize your muscle gains, download the free Progressive Overload guide here or go to witsandweights.com/free
Are you pushing to failure in every workout but not seeing the gains you want? Do you think longevity in bodybuilding means constantly increasing intensity? What if smarter, more mindful training could unlock sustainable progress without constant burnout?
Philip (@witsandweights) sits down with Jeff Alberts, the “Godfather of Natural Bodybuilding,” to redefine how to train with purpose. With over 30 years of experience in natural bodybuilding, Jeff coaches athletes to build muscle intelligently through a 3D Muscle Journey. Together, they dive deep into the principles behind sustainable training, revealing why pacing yourself, prioritizing recovery, and respecting individual limitations can lead to a long-term, injury-free journey in the gym.
Jeff Alberts is a WNBF Pro natural bodybuilder with over 30 years of experience in competitive bodybuilding and coaching. Through his company, 3D Muscle Journey, Jeff has helped hundreds of natural athletes achieve their goals by emphasizing a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to training and nutrition. His philosophy focuses on sustainable, injury-free progress and efficient training, making him a trusted mentor in the natural bodybuilding community.
Today, you’ll learn all about:
1:11 Who is Jeff Alberts?
3:56 The counterintuitive approach
6:56 Evaluating the progress
9:12 Guidelines for volume, intensity, and finding an individual threshold
12:23 Understanding principles of training
18:41 Failure: Use or Lose?
21:55 Harmonizing training-recovery and program design
27:12 Realistic expectations for natural athletes
33:05 Joint health, fatigue management, and connective tissue care
46:28 Dieting, fatigue, and pacing weight loss goals
52:16 Outro
Episode resources:
📲 Send me a text message!
Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
🩷 Love the podcast? Leave a 5-star review or share on social and tag @witsandweights
📞 Send a Q&A voicemail
→ Join Physique University
Your wearable says you got 8 hours of sleep, but you're still waking up exhausted. Your sleep efficiency looks good, but your energy levels tell a different story.
Learn the 7 key sleep metrics that actually matter for muscle gains and fat loss, plus how to use Root Cause Analysis, an engineering method that reveals the true sources of poor sleep quality hiding beneath your data.
Whether you're dealing with low energy, poor recovery, or sleep numbers that don't match how you feel, this episode gives you a systematic approach to optimize your sleep for better results in the gym.
A special thank you to Aubrey from Wits & Weights Physique University who inspired this episode with her questions about sleep quality metrics!
Main Takeaways:
Episode Mentioned About 5 Why's Technique:
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Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
🩷 Love the podcast? Leave a 5-star review or share on social and tag @witsandweights
📞 Send a Q&A voicemail
📲 For the exact steps to set up your next bulking phase for substantial muscle gains, download my free Muscle-Building Nutrition Blueprint (updated for 2025) or go to witsandweights.com/free.
Can you build muscle faster than we thought... WITHOUT gaining more fat as you bulk? What if the current advice to on rate of gain is actually holding you back?
Philip (@witsandweights) shares groundbreaking research that shows you can gain muscle faster than you thought - without getting bogged down by excess fat. He breaks down the latest science into simple, actionable tips for beginners, intermediates, and advanced lifters. Whether you're just starting or a seasoned lifter aiming to push past your current limits, Philip shares practical tips on tailoring your muscle-building pace based on your experience level. Tune in for a fresh perspective on building the body you want!
Today, you’ll learn all about:
1:11 Traditional bulking advice and why it’s outdated
2:06 Philip’s muscle-building program update
3:49 Why are recommendations changing?
5:41 Gain faster now
10:41 For optimal muscle gain
14:29 Tone up smart and assess your training experience
18:30 Determining your training level and rate of gain
20:23 Consistent progression and monitoring results
21:39 Importance of quality nutrition
23:37 Nutrient partitioning abilities
Episode resources:
Related episode:
📲 Send me a text message!
Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
🩷 Love the podcast? Leave a 5-star review or share on social and tag @witsandweights
📞 Send a Q&A voicemail
→ Join Physique University
Welcome to another Weird Q&A, where I answer three offbeat questions about health and fitness, covering nutrition, training, and mindset. Have a weird question you'd like answered?
Send your question as a text message and I'll answer it on the show!
Today's questions:
📲 Send me a text message!
Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
🩷 Love the podcast? Leave a 5-star review or share on social and tag @witsandweights
📞 Send a Q&A voicemail
📲 Download your free Nutrition 101 Guide to Body Composition to master your nutrition plan for sustainable fat loss, muscle gain, and improved health, plus support your workouts, or go to witsandweights.com/free
Can the specific foods you eat transform your mental well-being? Does nutrition hold the key to unlocking mental resilience?
Philip (@witsandweights) welcomes Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, a PhD researcher and New York Times bestselling author, to discuss the powerful relationship between nutrient-dense foods and happiness. They explain how specific food nutrients can boost mood and resilience in ways supplements cannot. Learn and discover easy strategies to add nutrient-packed foods to your diets, the benefits of a diverse intake, and why eating for abundance rather than restriction may be the key to physical and emotional well-being.
Dr. Sarah Ballantyne is a scientist with a PhD in medical biophysics and an acclaimed author whose work focuses on the links between nutrition, immune health, and chronic disease. Her NutriVore framework encourages a balanced, nutrient-focused approach to food based on evidence, not restriction.
Today, you’ll learn all about:
2:45 Nourish beyond restriction
8:13 Nutrients, happiness, and wellbeing
13:39 Boosting mood and stress management
18:52 Hidden compounds with big benefits
22:35 Diversifying your plate for maximum nutrients
31:57 Tips for making nutritious foods irresistibly flavorful
41:24 Breaking from food fear and diet culture
46:07 Insulin and nutrient diversity misconceptions
49:41 The importance of increasing scientific literacy on nutrition
55:24 Outro
Episode resources:
📲 Send me a text message!
Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
🩷 Love the podcast? Leave a 5-star review or share on social and tag @witsandweights
📞 Send a Q&A voicemail
To build your best physique through proper exercise technique (including free form video checks!), join our free Facebook community at facebook.com/groups/witsandweights
Are you quick to abandon exercises that don't feel quite right? Maybe bench press bothers your shoulders, rows don't hit your back, or squats just feel unstable.
The typical advice is to "just find another exercise." But before you give up on a movement that could be great for your goals, there's an engineering solution you need to try.
You'll learn how the engineering concept of Tolerance Analysis reveals why small, systematic modifications can transform problematic exercises into some of your best movements - all while maintaining proper form principles.
Discover how to methodically test exercise variations, know exactly which variables you can adjust (and by how much), and determine when modifications will work versus when you truly need a different exercise.
Whether you're dealing with discomfort, poor muscle engagement, or exercises that just don't feel right, this episode gives you a systematic approach to optimize movements for YOUR body.
Main Takeaways:
📲 Send me a text message!
Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
🩷 Love the podcast? Leave a 5-star review or share on social and tag @witsandweights
📞 Send a Q&A voicemail
What if the key to maximizing your strength and muscle is based on how you vote?
No, not for president or your local politicians, but between two important choices:
Volume vs. Intensity
Let's settle the long-standing debate: do you cast your “vote” for volume—stacking up work (reps, sets, tonnage, and skill development) to build a solid foundation?
Or do you go all-in on intensity, focusing on heavy, high-effort lifts to push the envelope and increase your max force production?
Main Takeaways:
📲 Send me a text message!
Support the show
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment
🎓 Join Wits & Weights Physique University
👥 Join our Facebook community for live Q&As & support
✉️ Join the FREE email list with insider strategies and bonus content!
📱 Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS. The only food logging app that adjusts to your metabolism!
🏋️♀️ Download Boostcamp for free and access 70+ evidence-based workout programs
🩷 Love the podcast? Leave a 5-star review or share on social and tag @witsandweights
📞 Send a Q&A voicemail
The podcast currently has 369 episodes available.
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