Iron Culture presented by MASS

Infographics, YouTubers, podcasters, and blogs, oh my! It ain't easy being a content creator in these hyper-speed feed times. In this episode, the hosts reflect on the challenging balance of producing meaningful, high-quality content that will help, while also staying relevant in the social media age, and somehow managing to pay the bills. Listen and you'll learn how and why Instagram makes it har...

In this episode, three of the most talented lifters in the IPF discuss their training, the state of powerlifting and their lifting careers during COVID, and the future. We are joined by Jessica Buettner, multi-time raw Canadian national champion, World Classic Junior Champion, Commonwealth champion, and World Classic Open podium finisher, in addition to Bryce Krawczyk, multi-time Canadian raw and...

It's been just about a year since the first COVID gym lockdowns, and for many, they are still happening. Some have been unable to train in the way they were accustomed to for the majority of that time, almost everyone has had to adjust, and the social dynamics of training are absent when training alone, at home. Some have had to ask the question "who am I without lifting?", coming up with as many...

We often throw around terms like "rational skepticism" or "empirical evidence" without knowing the specific definitions of what they mean beyond a general sense of them indicating some aspect of scientific thought or inquiry. What is rationalism? What is empiricism? How do we actually evaluate the evidence to make conclusions when viewed from the perspective of each? In this episode, the whole MAS...

You got questions? We got answers. In fact, we have THE answers. In this episode Omar and Eric take a step in a bold direction, doing what no other podcasts or fitness content creators have previously done, and answer questions from our subscribers. No, it's never been done before, yes it's a wild idea never previously considered (and if someone claims they've done it or thought it already, trust...

Citrulline Malate, an emerging supplement in the scientific literature with an overall positive publishing record. More and more these days, you'll see it alongside the more scientifically established usual suspects like creatine and caffeine in multi-ingredient mixes. But what exactly is it? What's Citrulline? What's malate? What do they do? How do they work? What do we know, and what is yet to b...

Black and white Animal Pak posters, a mid-set roar lunk alarm be damned, a willingness to sacrifice, and a middle finger to the concept of "balance". Most people would agree these are "hardcore" archetypes. Many of us have lived it, some do currently, some call on it when needed, some respect it but aren't about that life, and others judge them for not being about it. Ultimately, it's a subjective...

Opening a community gym in the middle of a pandemic: crazy, or if done safely, sorely needed? That's exactly what Mike Farr (Silent Mike) and Jim McDonald did. These Nor Cal natives return from their previous episode alongside Alan Thrall and Eric Helms where we discussed what the heck is in the water in Sacramento that produces so many iconic lifting groups. They join us today to talk about their...

Ahhh, the eternal question: should I bulk or cut? It seems like everyone at some point asks this question. In this episode, we tackle what seems like a simple question, but to do so we have to traverse concepts like P-ratios, body recomposition, the spectrum of novice to advanced lifter, rates of weight gain and loss, psychology and the impact of social media, setting appropriate expectations and...

The women's bodybuilding division has arguably changed more than any other division in physique sport. It's gone through periods of existence, non-existence, change, challenge, popularity, obscurity, and reemergence. While many focus on the physical differences of say, Cory Everson, and Iris Kyle, many don't realize the changing pressures uniquely placed on female bodybuilders in the IFBB. In this...

Without constraints, it's hard to know what direction to go in. But on the other hand, if you're too constrained it's hard to change direction in any meaningful way. This paradigm exists in many domains of life, but today we're discussing how it operates in training. You could conceptualise this as "top down" vs "bottom up" programming styles, but ultimately, the questions are: where do I begin an...

Literally, time to strap in for this one folks! Blood Flow Restriction training: hypertrophy training with light weights made as just effective as heavier weights by putting a wrap or cuff around an arm or leg! It sounds like a gimmick, but there are actually two decades of published research looking into this intervention. We're joined by returning guest and physical therapist Dr. Nick Licameli a...

100 episodes, wow. We just want to say thank you, dear listener. What began as an excuse for us to hang out more often than our friends and families thought was healthy, turned into a bonified opportunity for us to learn about all the various permutations the iron can take, the interesting, cutting edge science related to it all, and the history of what came before. We hope you learned as much as...

Still unsure if they need to get lawyers, our heroes emerge victorious from their mission to make the big leagues by being on with the one and only Joe Rogan. It only took breaking in, barricading the door, and hours of threats, but our hosts know when someone is just playing hard to get. While Joe has never released the episode, we're confidently waiting, and until then, enjoy these highlights. Y...

Jeff Alberts has been training longer than most Iron Culture listeners have been alive and competing in bodybuilding longer than some as well. As a natural bodybuilder, he's steadily climbed the ranks from amateur to professional, to winning pro shows, to placing top 5 at WNBF Pro Worlds. While these are impressive feats for any bodybuilder, what's incredible is that he's turning 50 this year, sti...

Danny Lennon still isn't returning our phone calls, but that's ok because his Sigma Nutrition Radio Co-host Alan Flanagan is! Alan is not only a Ph. D. candidate at Surrey University studying nutrition but was also a former practicing lawyer (and of course most importantly a powerlifter). This means he has not only a solid understanding of nutrition science but also logic and how to construct an a...

Despite the potato-famine controversy in our last episode with him, Dr. Conor Heffernan the strength historian is back dropping more gems from the past on iron culture. This time we address the ever-repeating cycle of the "machines vs free weights" argument from a historical perspective. From Sandow to Arthur Jones to the modern "functional fitness" era, this episode has it all!

Intermittent energy restriction, intermittent fasting, time-restricted feeding, refeeds, diet breaks, nonlinear dieting, and chrononutrition, oh my! You're not in Kansas anymore, it's a wide world of meal frequencies and eating patterns dear cultists, but don't worry we've assembled the avengers on these topics! Teaching us the terminology in the lay vs scientific community, the theories, the stat...

History, Science, Culture. As a CULTist, that's what you signed up for and we've been lax delivering the first: history. But no more! We are joined by Dr. Conor Heffernan, Assistant Professor of Physical Culture and Sport Studies at the University of Texas at Austin to discuss how vaudeville circus acts became the iron game as we know it. Learn how Eugen Sandow literally ripped off his suit to ent...

You're hitting those sets of five on triceps pushdowns because you want maximum transfer to bench. Or maybe, you're doing sets of 8-12 on the big 3, because you want to be strong and big. But damnit, your elbows and hips hate you. Are you doing something wrong? Is this really the best way to train for strength and size? Are you actually being specific in a useful way? In this episode, we discuss n...

The stories often used in the fitness and nutrition space, but which certainly aren't restricted to it, can suck us in, bleed our wallets, and turn us into zealots. "I used to think X but I was wrong! Look at this obscure mechanism (which I probably don't understand and you definitely don't understand), and look at this anecdote! This is why I now think Y! Everything we thought we knew was wrong a...

The majority of personal training clients are women, and the majority of women will be pregnant at least once in their life. Yet, resistance training and nutrition during and following pregnancy are not topics most trainers are well versed in. Join Omar and Eric in this episode to watch these two flawed protagonists find redemption. They previously used the documentary "Junior" starring Saint Schw...

We've all been in 5th grade...many of us wish it never ended. In this episode we take you back to that magical time by transposing our most important questions from that era like: "who would in a fight, Superman or Godzilla?" or "Could a silverback defeat a grizzly bear?" and the important follow up "what if they had swords?", onto strength sports. Today we ask, who are the strongest: Powerlifters...

Everything you thought you knew about body composition is WRONG. Ok, that's absolutely not true, but this episode will deepen your understanding of the composition of muscle, the composition of fat, the tools we use to estimate (notice I didn't say measure) body composition, and what this means for understanding how the human body changes in response to training and nutrition. We guarantee you'll...

As a hardcore Iron CULTure listener, you're already drinking the cool-aid. But, did you know that a large majority of adults are already drinking another addictive drug? You guessed it, caffeine is consumed in one form or another ubiquitously across the globe. In this episode, the man himself, Registered Dietitian Ben Esgro becomes a three-peat Iron Culture guest. He unholsters his dual master's d...