50% Facts

We’re on a production break for a couple of weeks or so due to a trip out of the country, so we’re revisiting some valuable episodes from the beginning (and original format) of the show. (Plus, you get to hear us to an ad read we didn’t have time to cut out.) Here’s the original description of this episode:We’ve heard for years that WHEN you eat can make a huge difference. We’ve also heard that WH...

Simple enough question, and yet... If you’re in a relationship, is texting with someone that it’s possible that you could be in a relationship with at some point considered cheating? Joe Stanek (@joe_gameday) sat in as guest host on this one, along with Mike, Nico (@nicoflores83kg), and Elexa (@nanoo31). ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One Good Question” episodes? Hit us up on social m...

Netflix recently dropped the South Korean fitness competition series “Physical 100.” The premise? Collect 100 athletes — mostly Korean and all Korean-speaking — from many different disciplines and put them through multiple rounds of strength and endurance events. The final winners, male and female, take home about $250K (US). If this sounds anything like CrossFit it’s really not, but do the events...

Deadlift bar or stiff bar? Twenty-four hour weigh-in or two-hour weigh-in? Owned by lifters or owned by an individual? These are some of the factors on which lifter preferences differ. What do we, or more specifically Avi Leiu, think would be her perfect fed to compete in? How would you answer this question? Let us know on our Discord! You can find Avi on Instagram at @avi.lieu. ____ Have a questi...

Our own Avi Lieu took the top spot in the women’s professional portion of the USAPL meet at the Arnold! But what does it really mean to be a pro? What could federations do to make the pro rank more prestigious and more financially feasible? Avi and her coach, Michael Kieu, joined us in Columbus the day after the meet to break down these questions, and to reflect on the experience of preparing for...

Do athletes perform better when they’re not in a relationship? Niko and Elexa joined us again, for this particularly relevant question. You can find Nico at @nicoflores83kg on Instagram and TikTok and Elexa at @nanoo31 on Instagram and TikTok ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One Good Question” episodes? Hit us up on social media and use the hashtag #onegoodquestion. If your question is...

Recorded in Columbus, Ohio, the day after the Arnold. We’re joined by bodybuilding coach and huge (3 million!) TikTok influencer, JP Gallardo, another coach and social media content creator, Evan Holmes, and Hoka shoe designer John Nealon. Barbell Brigade’s Nadeem Hamidy also joins near the end. We talked about the years of preparation that goes into becoming an overnight success, the best ways to...

Slipping back into a Topic Thunder episode. The question: Are Jordan Ones the most overrated shoe? Niko and Elexa joined us for this one. You can find Nico at @nicoflores83kg on Instagram and TikTok and Elexa at @nanoo31 on Instagram and TikTok ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One Good Question” episodes? Hit us up on social media and use the hashtag #onegoodquestion. If your question i...

The Netflix documentary series “Full Swing” takes a look at the struggles players go through to end up in the money on the PGA tour, and a new alternative format where everyone gets paid regardless of performance. There was a time when golfers just played golf to prepare to compete at golf. That time has passed. Now, most players are in great shape and are always looking for an edge. That edge is...

One good question from our Discord ( goodcompanydiscord.com ): Bronzielocks asks: Would you ever try doing strongman? That would be a cool series to see, kind of like when you did the oly series. Our best-est friend from north of the border joined us for this one. Omar has been a force in YouTube fitness for years, and last year he led “Ancient Workouts with Omar” in association with the History C...

Our best-est friend from north of the border joins us in studio. Omar has been a force in YouTube fitness for years, and last year he led “Ancient Workouts with Omar” in association with the History Channel. We launched into a broad discussion about the things we didn’t know about training 10 years ago, whether not enjoying something that’s “classic” make you a tasteless idiot, and whether there a...

We’re still in Topic Thunder mode this week. Our panel tries to find agreement (or not) with the suggestion that training deadlifts the risks if you’re not a competitive powerlifter. Are they actually dangerous? Or are there just better ways to spend your training time? Joe Stanek and Nico Flores of Gameday Barbell joined us in addressing this question. You can find Joe on TikTok @joegameday and N...

We’re still in Topic Thunder mode this week. Our panel unpacks this hot take, “Hook grip Is unreliable and may be overrated.” Hook grip is a bandwagon that most lifters jump on at one time or another to try to up their deadlift. Is that a mistake? Joe Stanek and Nico Flores of Gameday Barbell joined us in addressing this question. You can find Joe on TikTok @joegameday and Nico @nicoflores83kg on...

Our panel takes on a couple of related questions about the giant meet we just ran from members of our Discord: AR17 asked, “ What do you believe was the most under (over) looked aspect of running/ prepping a meet?” Keith Honeycutt asked, “What all did you learn from hosting this massive USAPL meet? What did you do right? What did you do wrong? Joe Stanek and Nico Flores of Gameday Barbell joined u...

We just hosted a great big meet – maybe the largest local USAPL meet ever – and we’re beat so we’re slipping into Topic Thunder mode for a bit to recover our calm and our voices. Topic Thunder episodes are short, sometimes rant-filled, panel discussions about a listener-submitted topic. In this episode, we discussed whether powerlifting has become almost too predictable and jokey to grab attention...

This week’s question from our Discord: EvilFern asked, “How important is having a mentor? Am I missing out by not having one? Feel like it's something that should happen naturally instead of seeking one out somehow.” Joe Stanek of Gameday Barbell joined us in addressing this question. You can find Joe on TikTok @joegameday ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One Good Question” episodes? Hi...

Are we experiencing a plateau in the popularity of powerlifting? What happens if the sport falls off the social media radar? Will it still be able to attract young, new-to-the-sport competitors? Will the old guard lifters running federations be willing to pass the baton? Or will they be a source of toxicity that drives competitors, meet promoters, and sponsors away? Joe Stanek of Gameday Barbell j...

This week’s question from our Discord: ArrogantFool asked, “Why do people use ground turkey instead of ground beef to lose weight when the macros and calories are nearly identical and there isn't a cost advantage?” We kinda misread this question in prep for this episode, so ground chicken got thrown in the mix as well. ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One Good Question” episodes? Hit us...

In the time since we discussed this situation last week, the scandals of a particular powerlifting federation -- the USPA --have come into sharper focus. Pandora’s Box has been flung open, and there’s been a scramble to stuff the evil and suffering back inside. Where’s the line between holding an organization accountable for turning a blind eye to unspeakable acts and stirring an angry mob to chas...

Dean Saddoris is back to help us break down the first episode of the new Netflix documentary series “Break Point,” which documents up-and-coming tennis stars during the 2022 Grand Slam season. Gifted “bad boy” Nick Kyrgios and his play during the Australian Open is the focus of episode 1. He has no coach, only plays tennis nine or ten weeks a year, and has an explosive on-court personality. We exp...

This episode is about reacting to a hot take that was sent to us: Most people are putting in such low effort in the gym, it’s a waste of time! What’s the right amount of effort for most people? Is any effort really better than sitting on the couch? Is any time in the gym really wasted? Our own Kyle Castro and Sebastian Brambila on Instagram join us for this one. Kyle’s on Instagram at @kyle.castro...

We catch up with one of our favorite lifters from one of our favorite eras of powerlifting, Pete Rubish. We chat about adapting to drug-free lifting, how powerlifting has grown and changed in the last decade, and how it feels to no longer be one of the young, up-and-coming lifters. We also get Pete’s thoughts on three years of owning a gym, and what impresses him when evaluating young lifters in h...

Not every gym member knows the unwritten rules…or follows the written ones. How should gym owners handle those situations? Our own gym manager Kyle Castro and lead trainer Avi Lieu join us for this one. Kyle’s on Instagram at @kyle.castroo and Avi on @avi.lieu . ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One Good Question” episodes? Hit us up on social media and use the hashtag #onegoodquestion....

What’s your go-to that perks up any meal? Mike thinks he has the ultimate answer. (He’s wrong. The correct answer not appearing in this episode is salt.) Our own Kyle Castro and Sebastian Brambila on Instagram join us for this one. Kyle’s on Instagram at @kyle.castroo and Sebastian at @sebastian_brambila . ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One Good Question” episodes? Hit us up on social...

Balls and strikes in baseball may soon be called by “robot” umpires -- basically, technology that can give a more consistent strike zone. Should powerlifting meets be judged by similar technology? Our own Kyle Castro and Sebastian Brambila on Instagram join us for this one. Kyle’s on Instagram at @kyle.castroo and Sebastian at @sebastian_brambila . ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One G...