50% Facts

Welcome to another short Friday episode of the show we’re now calling “Topic Thunder with the Gossip Boyz” (subject to change). In this episode, we discuss not so much whether organic food is better but whether we should pay any attention to “influencers” on either side of the issue. We’re joined on the panel by Dean Saddoris of Caffeine and Kilos, and our gym manager, Kyle Castro. You can find De...

Dipping back into a kind of causal series we’ve been doing about common words are phrases that we use all the time, but we may not entirely understand: Do you really want someone to “break a leg?” Does “getting the upper hand” have anything to do with a knob? Why is a “master of none” sometimes a good thing? Does “sleep tight” have anything with cutting your guest some slack? Is “close but no ciga...

Welcome to another short Friday episode of the panel discussion segment we’re now calling “Topic Thunder with the Gossip Boyz” (subject to change). In this episode, we take on the “No Fap” trend which has guys (and maybe girls?) give up masturbation in order to gain more focus, get stronger, etc. We’re joined on the panel by Dean Saddoris of Caffeine and Kilos, and our gym manager, Kyle Castro. Yo...

Hey, powerlifting-specific content! We asked one of our gym members who had just competed in his first meet, the USAPL California State Championships, to talk about the experience. We also share our personal experiences and best practices. What should your last week of training look like? Do you need a handler? How should you warm up? Who do you give your attempts to? What should you eat? How do y...

We wanted to share a side project that we’re working on. It’s a panel show that mostly relies on opinions – some outrageous, some insightful, and some just well…funny. All packed into roughly ten minutes. We’re joined on the panel by Dean Saddoris of Caffeine and Kilos, and our gym manager, Kyle Castro. You can find Dean on Instagram @deansaddoris.ck, and at caffeineandkilos.com. Kyle’s at @kyle.c...

We spend a couple of episodes talking about a couple of high profile (in their sports) transgender athletes through the lens of documentaries about their lives: “Transformer” about the life of powerlifter/bodybuilder Janae Kroczaleski, and “Untold: Caitlyn Jenner” about the 1976 US Olympic Decathlon gold medal winner. Most people did not know either was transgender when they were at the peak of th...

We spend a couple of episodes talking about a couple of high profile (in their sports) transgender athletes through the lens of documentaries about their lives: “Transformer” about the life of powerlifter/bodybuilder Janae Kroczaleski, and “Untold: Caitlyn Jenner” about the 1976 US Olympic Decathlon gold medal winner. Most people did not know either was transgender when they were at the peak of th...

Humans seek heroes. They probably always have, but is this a good thing? And who qualifies as a hero? Can you be considered a hero just because of your job title? Does performing a heroic act make someone a hero? Do heroes have to be perfect people in all aspects of their lives? Where should we draw the line between being inspired by heroes and patterning our lives after them? Mike kicks off the e...

Discussion about the book, "The Power of Now" and other approaches that help people with anxiety live in the moment. Viewer questions include our funniest gym moments, whether carb cycling is worthwhile, and making progress on the bench. We also talk about some of the nuances of conjugate programs versus progressive overload. We kick it off with the news that Usain Bolt has dropped an album. Check...

This is a conversation about the limits and challenges of monetizing a presence on social platforms. Last week the OnlyFans platform announced an end to explicit content. This week that decision was reversed. Since many personalities and creators in fitness rely on social platforms to make money – yes, even through sexually explicit content on sites like OnlyFans– we thought it was worthwhile to t...

The 2021 Netflix documentary “Untold: Malice in the Palace” unpacks some overlooked elements of a riot that broke out during an Indiana Pacers/Detroit Pistons in November 2004. The careers of Pacers’ Jermaine O’Neal, Reggie Miller, Stephen Jackson, and Ron Artest (Metta World Peace) were all impacted in the aftermath. All but Miller received suspensions…and he chose to retire at the end of the sea...

The 2020 Netflix documentary “Athlete A” details the scandal that nearly destroyed USA gymnastics. Team doctor Larry Nassar sexually violated young women gymnasts for decades before a shocking number came forward to tell their stories of abuse – so many that the story could no longer be ignored or covered up. Some of the top names of Olympics past were among the victims. After Simone Biles, perhap...

After a brief, unplanned break last week, we’re back to follow up on another of the words/phrases that people say all the time but not everyone understands. Nearly all the social media and streaming platforms we all encounter daily run on “recommendation algorithms that control what we see. We break down what we know about how they (probably) work, and how they can make or break creators on every...

Since we like to tackle one health- or mental health-related issue every month -- and since we’ve developed an interest in words and phrases people use but don’t necessarily understand – we decided to look into the definition of the word “sociopath.” We took a trip through an online questionnaire to learn which traits are associated with being a sociopath, and discussed whether we felt any of thos...

With the postponed 2020 Olympics finally opening in Tokyo, we decided to take a look at the 2016 documentary about eight-time Olympic Gold medal Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt. The film offers a behind-the-scenes look at (some of) his training and preparation, as well as (some of) his life outside of training and competition. Dean Saddoris of Caffeine and Kilos joins us in our review and reaction t...

We asked the question, “People say (word or phrase) all the time, but I don’t know what it means. From training terms like “spread the floor” to slang like “no cap” to old school sayings like “getting down to brass tacks” we search for some definitive…uh…definitions. We kick it off with a discussion of small talk boundaries. Check out our new gym (Third Street Barbell) at ThirdStreetBarbell.com an...

Head to 3sb.co for our once-a-year blowout sale! Episode notes: As the time nears for the pandemic-postponed Olympic Games to commence in Japan, we dive into the issue of the rules around international competitions. Should smoking pot get you suspended when athletes using hormones are allowed to compete? Are these things even related? We offer our opinions on these topics, somewhat through the len...

Head to 3sb.co for our once-a-year blowout sale! The 2021 documentary, WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn, presents what seems like an age-old story. A “charismatic” leader paints a rosy picture of a money-making plan that seemingly can’t fail, and people – even the ones who should know better – fall for it hook, line, and sinker. WeWork is a co-working space provider that...

The 2021 Netflix documentary, Seaspiracy, is a bit of a Trojan horse. It’s (so very) earnestly concerned with the many disconnected threats to life in Earth’s oceans, but it ends up in a far different place with a far different message. Is this slickly produced -- and highly-rated – film just a tract for a radical diet change like the other documentaries (Cowspiracy and What the Health) from the s...

Mike brings a “hot take Tuesday” issue to the table. Is how you do one thing really how you do everything? Other questions include whether we’re getting any World’s Strongest Man visitors? Do we have hobbies outside the gym? What’s our gym equipment wish list? What surprised us most about the process of starting a business? Finally, we discuss where we think the fitness industry is in its business...

We all see instances of what many people categorize as “fat shaming” both in conversation and on social media. What’s the real intent of these comments? Is it meant to hurt or help? Do people ever make permanent, positive behavioral changes because they have been shamed? And are fit people similar targets for shaming because they’re too focused on maintaining their appearance? It is worse for wome...

The 2004 Morgan Spurlock documentary, “Super Size Me” posited that fast food – and a sedentary lifestyle – caused America’s growing obesity epidemic. Spurlock spent 30 days eating food from McDonald’s three meals a day for 30 days, and cut his normal exercise to zero to “prove” the ill effects of these choices. Dean Saddoris of Caffeine and Kilos joins us for this episode. Mike and Dean had seen t...

Nick Scopoletti returns to the show -- this time with fellow standup Beau McDowell, and their life coach, retired comic Lisa Lampanelli. Their podcast “Losers with a Dream” features conversations between Nick and Beau about their struggles toward comedy success…and just becoming better people. Then, Lisa weighs in with both life tips and comedy advice. Their show stresses the importance of working...

We shifted the schedule around a little in anticipation of some special guests for next week’s show. This week, we address some comments and questions from social media. Is there a particular way that we’re totally wrong for our jobs? What was the easiest part of the project of building our gym? How much of the accomplishment was driven by just showing up? And finally, do keto and heavy lifting go...

This month’s media review and react episode is centered on the documentary “Icarus.” Dean Saddoris joins us to discuss this Oscar-winning 2017 documentary. This episode definitely contains spoilers. Filmmaker and cyclist Bryan Fogel made himself a guinea pig to learn if steroids would dramatically improve his race performance – and maybe more importantly, whether he could do it without being detec...