Iron Culture presented by MASS

In this episode of "Office Hours Live," Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms delve into various aspects of muscle building and training strategies. They challenge common misconceptions about body fat levels and muscle gain, discussing how being extremely lean isn't necessary for effective bulking and may even hinder muscle growth. The conversation covers troubleshooting unsuccessful b...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live," Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Eric Helms dive into a variety of topics in exercise science and nutrition. They begin by discussing the latest MASS Research Review, touching on sugar alcohols and cardiovascular risk, as well as the relationship between muscle mass and powerlifting performance. A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to an...

This episode of "Office Hours Live" features host Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple discussing a wide range of fitness and nutrition topics. The show begins with a teaser for an upcoming MASS Research Review article about sugar alcohols, addressing recent studies that have linked these substances to cardiovascular risks. Dr. Trexler explains that while the studies were...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live" (Episode 45), Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms discuss a range of topics related to exercise science, longevity, and training methodologies. The first segment centers on the relationship between exercise and longevity, highlighting a study on 4-minute mile runners and their increased lifespan. They explore the concept of a "U-shaped" re...

In this episode of Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Mike Zourdos discuss the concept of flexible training templates, discussing their application in both resistance and endurance training. They explore current research, highlighting the potential benefits and limitations of these templates, and suggest ways to improve their implementation. The conversation then shifts to a wide-ra...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live," Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms discuss the newest issue of the MASS Research Review, focusing on Helms' article about muscle reallocation in untrained individuals. They discuss a study examining muscle volume changes during resistance training, exploring its methodology, findings, and implications for body recomposition and protein/energy...

In this episode of "Office Hours Live" hosted by Dr. Eric Trexler with guest Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, the experts dive into various topics related to fitness and nutrition. They begin by discussing strategies for recovering from crash diets and addressing relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), including approaches to post-diet recovery and hormone regulation. The conversation the...

The MASS crew is taking a week off from live episodes, but we hope you'll enjoy this pre-recorded video from the MASS Research Review. Rest redistribution sets and cluster sets are both referred to as alternative set structures. What exactly are these alternative set structures and are they beneficial? This video reviews the research on the advanced concepts and discuss when and how to impleme...

In this episode of Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and guest Dr. Mike Zourdos discuss a variety of topics related to strength training and nutrition. They begin by announcing the successful dissertation defense of Dr. Zourdos' PhD student, Zach Robinson. Dr. Zourdos then discusses a new study on training beyond muscular failure using partial repetitions. The Q&A portion includes questi...

In this episode of the MASS Research Review podcast, hosts Eric Trexler and Eric Helms discuss a recent article on the effects of saturated fat on body composition and dive into a variety of listener questions related to nutrition and training. The episode covers topics such as the ideal ranges for fat intake, the potential downsides of high saturated fat consumption, and the difficulty of adherin...

In this solo episode of Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler discusses some myths and misconceptions about hydration. He previews his upcoming article in MASS Research Review, which examines the extremely common claim that drinking more water can facilitate fat loss. Trexler reviews a new meta-analysis on water intake interventions and body composition, debunks common myths about hydration, and pro...

The MASS team is taking this week off, so we’re bringing you a special pre-recorded episode of Office Hours. This video comes from Volume 7 of the MASS Research Review. It’s long been said that multi-joint exercises should be performed before single-joint exercise to maximize strength and hypertrophy. But is that old adage true? This two-part video provides a comprehensive exploration of exercise...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, hosts Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms discuss a variety of fitness and nutrition topics, with a main focus on the concept of metabolic adaptation. They explore whether metabolic adaptation is a myth or an illusion, explaining that most of the adaptive decrease in total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) comes from reduced non-exercise activity thermogene...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Mike Zourdos kick off the show by discussing a recent controversial Instagram post about a retracted cold bath/cold shower study, emphasizing the importance of understanding the hierarchy of evidence and the challenges of effectively communicating retractions to the public. The hosts then share some of their past fitness and nutri...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler welcomes special guest Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, who recently defended her PhD dissertation on the influence of ovarian hormones on skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise. Trexler first discusses the importance of properly interpreting scientific evidence and understanding the hierarchy of evidence, using recent MASS articles on time-re...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms dive into a comprehensive discussion on the topic of mini cuts, exploring their definition, common justifications for their use, and the hosts' perspectives on their potential benefits and drawbacks. The conversation then shifts to answering a variety of listener questions from the live chat, covering nutrition-rela...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and special guest Dr. Mike Zourdos celebrate the 7th anniversary of MASS by walking viewers through a new (free) training guide on time-efficient upper body training techniques, including rest-pause sets, supersets, and drop sets. Trexler then delves into a thorough discussion of weight loss mechanisms, the role of calorie balance, the im...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours Live, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms dive into a recent study exploring the use of expandable gel capsules taken before meals as a strategy to reduce energy intake and promote weight loss. The duo then discusses potential ways to apply these findings in practice, such as utilizing whole food, protein shake, or water preloads before meals to enhance satiety...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms dive into the psychology of refeeds in bodybuilding, discussing a recent study that found relationships between intuitive eating skills, emotional coping ability, and controlled calorie intake during refeed meals. They also touch on the evolving research on physiological benefits of refeeds and diet breaks, and the importanc...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Mike Zourdos answer questions submitted by listeners and viewers in the live chat. Topics include rest intervals for acute performance, rest intervals for long-term outcomes, factors impacting rest interval length, practical recommendations for rest intervals, adjusting protein intake based on energy expenditure, estimating maintenance...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours, Dr. Eric Trexler and Lauren Colenso-Semple answer questions submitted by listeners and viewers in the live chat. Topics include step count goals, leucine threshold theory, minimum dietary fat needs, supplements for vegan lifters, intra-workout carb supplementation, beta-alanine for lifters, resistance training and heart health, training to failure while cuttin...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms answer questions submitted by listeners and viewers in the live chat. Topics include stretch-mediated hypertrophy, lengthened partials, mindfulness, optimal lengths for bulking and cutting phases, natural limits for strength and muscularity, maintenance blocks in training, improving sleep quality, Ramadan fasting, back train...

In this episode of MASS Office Hours, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Mike Zourdos answer questions submitted by listeners and viewers in the live chat. Topics include Progressive overload strategies, zone 2 cardio and interference effect, the importance of rest days, doing velocity work during rest periods, stretch-induced hypertrophy with low loads, specialization blocks, eccentric versus concentric tr...

The MASS team is taking this week off, so we’re bringing you a special pre-recorded episode of Office Hours. This video comes from Volume 6, Issue 7 of the MASS Research Review. In the fitness industry many claim that with their system, supplement, or coaching, you can have your lean, dream body 24/7. While some get really lean, few, including bodybuilders, maintain a shredded physique year round....

In this episode of MASS Office Hours, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms answer questions submitted by listeners and viewers in the live chat. Topics include ultra-processed foods, plant-based diets, food swaps, antioxidants, set volume, and much more. The MASS crew goes live for Office Hours every Wednesday night at 7pm eastern time. Be sure to join us for a future episode!  If you'd like to...