Iron Culture presented by MASS

From lifting calibrated plates on competition spec bars in approved knee sleeves through the same three movement patterns to moving uncalibrated humans through a near-infinite combination of vectors and forces while covered in your shared sweat and blood in a half-off Gi. How did such an unexpected turn occur? It seems like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has taken the strength world by storm. Instagram feeds...

Dig if you will this picture, of you inside with the kids. This is what it sounds like when gains die. At this point, it has been four weeks without access to gyms for most individuals. Exacerbating the painful absence of the gym is the abundance of free time at our disposal, leading many to struggle with their nutrition. Fear not because in this episode today, Iron Culture co-owners (and current...

"Nihilism: the belief that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value; used to explain the general mood of despair at a perceived pointlessness of existence." We've all been there folks, and many of the iron cult are without the iron and struggling. In this episode rife with coping-motivated banter and sarcasm, we dig deep and discover that the iron is in fact, always with us....

From the 1900s when Eugen Sandow promoted "Plasmon" and his "Health and Strength Cocoa", the supplement industry has been rife with dubious claims. Since, like a game of limbo, the bar for quality, and scientific accuracy has only lowered. Rather than bending under the low bar, a few individuals vaulted right over by doing the unthinkable: starting companies that sell science-backed products, educ...

Ten years ago, any supposedly knowledgeable PT would be making judicious use of the friendly blue foam roller with clients. Ten years later, the blue idol has fallen out of fashion and we've seen a trend towards minimalism. Stretching is overrated. Doing a squat will prepare you to squat and that is the end of the story. Or is it? Co-owners Eric Helms & Omar Isuf are joined by veteran personal tra...

Rewind the clock. The year is 2009, Lady Gaga is all the rage, MySpace is THE social media platform and if you eat carbs after 6 pm, you are sabotaging your gains. Enjoy this episode of co-hosts Eric Helms and Omar Isuf reminiscing on their early days as lifting enthusiasts. You'll learn about the most anabolic chili, how far Eric is willing to go to get his protein intake and why adding 5lb per w...

What is aesthetic? While the hosts agree on what they consider aesthetic in a physique (except for the importance of calves), individual opinions vary drastically. Despite the variety of opinions, physique sport judges have the difficult task of ranking competitors in multiple divisions. In this episode, we are joined by first-time guests Chris Bumstead, the current Classic Physique Mr. Olympia, a...

Omar and Eric realized that if they maintained their current totals, and cut to the 59kg class, they'd rank among the top 10 raw drug-free powerlifters in the world. In this episode, they bring on three researchers/coaches/athletes: Kedric Kwan, David Nolan, and Arthur Lynch, experts who in the course of their ongoing PhDs have published the only peer-reviewed research in existence on this topic....

Dr. Melissa Davis is a Renaissance Periodization consultant and coach with a Ph. D. in neuroscience, who specializes in behavior change. She is also no stranger to setting and achieving difficult goals as a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu who is a multi-time masters world champion. Join us this week on Iron Culture as we explore the science and practical application of behavior change with Dr. Mel...

Brett Gibbs is one of the current icons of IPF powerlifting. Having placed 1st or 2nd in the 83kg class every year since 2014 at IPF Worlds, competing sometimes in both equipped and raw divisions, he's elite among even other elite lifters. However, what is perhaps most interesting, is how his outlook on the sport and his outlook on winning has changed over time. Join us this week as we delve into...

Eric & Omar are joined once again by guests Gabrielle Fundaro and Mike Tuchscherer to discuss a seemingly taboo concept in the "evidence-based" fitness community: intuition. Find out how intuitive eating & autoregulation are related and why listening to biological feedback has a high degree of utility. Our subjective experiences can provide useful inputs for how we shape our decision making. Intui...

This week Omar and Eric sit down with Greg Nuckols and Sohee Lee. Both are fantastic science communicators in the world of fitness, but specifically, they both have expertise in sex differences among lifters. Greg did his master's thesis specifically looking at sex differences in inter-set recovery during resistance training, while Sohee is in the early stages of her Ph. D. in which she's planning...

Periodization in and of itself tends to be a confusing and hotly debated topic, heavy on opinions but light on evidence. But periodization for hypertrophy alone is an even greater unknown. Join Omar and Eric this week as they explore this nebulous topic by discussing the scant, and not perfectly applicable research on the topic, periodization theory, and mechanisms of hypertrophy. In the end, this...

At last, the long-standing feud between Iron CULTure, free speech and Danny Lennon of Sigma Nutrition comes to a close. The co-owners, Eric and Omar, interview the very friendly (there is not even a remote possibility that he is a serial killer) Danny Lennon on chrononutrition, the intersection of circadian rhythms and nutrition. Learn about your master clock, why it appears those who eat the majo...

Bryce Lewis, elite powerlifter and founder of The Strength Athlete is back on Iron Culture fresh off his 2019 USAPL Raw Nationals 105kg Open win. Now a 3-time national champion, his 902.5kg total is an unofficial world record and ranks him #1 in the world for tested raw 105kg lifters. His eyes are on IPF Classic Worlds 2020 to secure a 2nd World title, but 2020 also marks his 10 year anniversary o...

Four words to describe this podcast would be authentic, vulnerable, and being real. Or something like that. We are joined by Jordan Syatt, a personal trainer who has grown an online presence by doing everything you shouldn't. You'll find almost no video or photo of him lifting, showing off abs, or "exposing" other practitioners. Instead, he delivers on a consistent basis practical, insightful, and...

It's a new year, it's a new decade, and it's a year in review for Iron Culture. Join our hosts...or rather owners, as they reflect on the first year of Iron Culture and discuss their plans for 2020 in this tongue and cheek bonus episode.   Bonus: Eric tries to expand the Culture's demographics into Mukbang territory. Bonus Bonus: And apparently ASMR. We apologize.

In one of our previous duo episodes, Omar went on a deep dive with Eric into autoregulation, the topic of his Ph. D. In this episode, Omar sits down with Eric and asks him to rewind the academic clock even further, to his first foray into academia and research, his masters. In this episode, the hosts not only discuss the roots of how Eric's career as a trainer and online coach forked into becoming...

Mike Tuchscherer and Natalie Hanson return to Iron Culture in this obscenely strong episode. These world champions and top tier powerlifting coaches are joined by first-time Cult member, Canadian champ Bryce Krawczyk, also an elite lifter and coach. Uniquely, each has competed at the highest level in both raw, and equipped powerlifting and has experience coaching both types of lifters. We cover th...

Accused of being "Aesthetic Boys" that just care about muscular men, the hosts decide to pivot and talk about the next best thing; Strongmen/women. The hosts are joined by Strongman competitors Joey Szatmary & Alan Thrall. Joey is the recent USS National Strongman champion and Alan has been competing in Strongman for almost a decade. The two provide informative content on YouTube, helping to sprea...

Dr. Bill Campbell is a full professor at the University of South Florida where he runs the "Physique Lab", a unique place in the world of sports science. At his lab, Dr. Campbell and his students and volunteers specifically conduct research on practical strategies to improve body composition that are both sustainable and evidence-based. Interestingly enough, he often consults with leading coaches...

"Documentaries" have changed the game (pun intended) when it comes to nutrition. Unfortunately, this has not been for the better, as misinformation, bias, and conflicts of interest have polluted available knowledge. However, there is always the consummate guardian against confusion: logic. In this episode, Omar and Eric discuss these changes in the latest chapter of the diet wars, and how you can...

Coach Ian Pyka has more history than fits in an episode. While currently an instructor of kinesiology, biomechanics and strength and conditioning at Florida Atlantic University, Coach Pyka has done it all. He was a 3 time NCAA All American Shot Putter and made the 1980 Olympic team as an alternate. He completed his MS in Ex Phys at The University of Tennessee in 1984 and got his CSCS in 1986. Sinc...

It is no secret that co-host Omar Isuf has had a long and difficult relationship with Creatine Monohydrate. Today's episode is about facing your addictions head-on as the hosts bring leading Creatine researcher Dr. Darren Candow on to discuss the potent white powder. The talk extends beyond the normal discussions on Creatine, examining not only the performance benefits but the cognitive perks as w...

Humans try to reduce answers to binary outcomes: yes or no, black or white, or often as is the case in fitness, good or bad. Unfortunately, this is often to our own detriment as few fitness questions have binary answers. Training frequency is no different. While there is a recent perception that higher frequency is better, full stop, in many cases it is no different and if improperly implemented h...