Iron Culture presented by MASS

The reality of lifting is that most individuals do not make it a lifelong pursuit. For a variety of reasons people start lifting and somewhere along the way, they stop. Why? In this episode, Eric & Omar explore motivation and take a look at the outcome vs the process of any activity. How can we frame lifting in such a way that we stick with it forever?

For a long time in the fitness industry, it was said that scientific information wasn't sexy. If you wanted to attract an audience, go with a captivating headline and tell people what they want to hear. One weird trick to lose weight. And for a long time, this was the norm. However, two individuals in the last several years have completely disproved this theory. Greg Nuckols & Jeff Nippard have gr...

The hosts are joined by 3DMJ, a group of extremely knowledgeable coaches aimed at providing science based strategies for the natural lifting community. In this episode, the coaches share war stories from their competitive days. You might think you know what dieting is like but it is a whole different animal when you are preparing for a bodybuilding show.

Today the hosts are joined by two elite Powerlifters, Bryce Lewis & Isabella von Weissenberg. Both athletes have achieved tremendous success in the sport of powerlifting, as well as being internationally recognized coaches. However both have had to come to terms with using social media as a tool for business and their athlete profiles. Is social media all that it is cracked up to be? What are some...

Eric & Omar are joined by Dr. Joe Klemczewski, the pioneer of modern natural bodybuilding coaching. Many practices taken for granted today, including tapering for a proper peak week, were first utilized by Dr. Joe. He is the OG evidence based natural bodybuilding coach.   He also was one of the first successful coaches to transition into online coaching. The hosts discuss his successes in a multit...

Eric and Omar are joined again by Dr. Dominic Morais, Physical Culture and Sport Studies scholar, to discuss the emergence of the "Iron Game" in the early to mid 1900's. We learn what it was like to be a lifter when Muscle Magazines emerged. Communities formed around shared experiences created by the stories told in magazine columns. This contemporary history would be the first battle grounds betw...

In this episode, the hosts are joined by calisthenics competitor and filmmaker Rain Bennett. His documentary Raise Up illuminates the recent explosion of calisthenics (body weight training) around the world. Chronicling the rise in Brooklyn in New York and drawing parallels with the rise in Russia, Rain explains the fundamental appeal and utility of calisthenics.

For the longest time, powerlifting was a male dominated sport. Recently there has been a seismic shift as more women train and compete in the sport of powerlifting. Reports indicate approximately 38% of competitors are female, a stark contrast from just a decade ago. What happened? In this episode we are fortunate to have three women at the top of their respective categories, share their insights....

Eric and Omar sit down with Danny Lennon and Cliff Harvey for a non-dogmatic discussion of the ins and outs of carbohydrate manipulation, ketogenic diets, and the context of when one might use various carbohydrate intakes in various situations. Cliff Harvey is a registered clinical nutritionist, author and researcher in the final stages of his PhD at the Auckland University of Technology. He has e...

This week on Iron Culture Eric and Omar reflect on the decisions content producers make in the fitness industry. While snake oil peddlers are abundant, even well meaning, well informed leaders have to figure out how to help as many people as possible without losing the quality and utility of their message. In this episode Omar and Eric reflect on their own content and where they personally try to...

In this episode Iron Culture brings a who's who panel of the some of the most influential modern minds in periodization and auto regulation. Champion IPF powerlifter and prolific coach Mike Tuchscherer who introduced the lifting world to "reactive training" based on programming a specific proximity to failure within a set is joined by John Kiely, a sports scientist, theorist and long time strength...

In this episode, Iron Culture attempts to bring an intellectually honest conversation to the emotionally charged topic of steroids. The hosts will explore societal attitudes around steroids, discuss why someone decides to use and contrast lifting as a natural vs being enhanced. The goal of this episode is to give different perspectives on a controversial topic and highlight the large similarities...

Eric and Omar are joined by Dr. Dominic Morais and Dr. Ben Pollack, not only accomplished strength athletes but also experts with PhDs in Physical Culture and Sport Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. The guests take us through the history that leads to modern lifting culture. We trace the strongmen and strongwomen doing Vaudeville performances in the 1700s to the early 1900s where the...

Iron Culture was started by Eric Helms and Omar Isuf as a means of exploring the world of physical culture and attempting to distill a unified philosophy of lifting and to help listeners find greater meaning from the iron. The lifting community has become fractured over the last ~70 years and this Podcast will attempt to explore the fundamental threads that unite these different tribes.  The Podca...