The Drop Set with Darin Starr: Bodybuilding for the Masses

The Drop Set – Episode 149 0:00 – #149 coming in hot!  I make a small pitch to support my client Ben’s Movember efforts to raise awareness for men’s health issues.  If you’re interested in donating, here’s the link:  https://mobro.co/14102817?mc=5    Also, an update on the podcast logo work! 6:16 – Brian is wondering about lifting shoes – I don’t have a whole lot of...

The Drop Set – Episode 148 0:00 – Welcome to the 452 nd installment of our recurring segment, “Darin is a Moron” – have a laugh at my expense, please! 13:20 – Having JUST competed on Saturday, Heather’s questions of course were all about peak week and WHY exactly things are done the way they are. 21:40 – From @dan_tulpa via Instagram – a good question about rest day calories and also carbing...

The Drop Set – Episode 147 No show notes this week! I’m under the weather but managed to get through a handful of listener questions in (somewhat) rapid fire style right from the opening words this week!

The Drop Set – Episode 146 0:00 – A ‘behind the scenes’ story of the stupid, daily struggles of running a business as a 1 man show! 22:21 – Jenni from MN asks about digestion and water intake and how those two work together (or don’t) and also wants to know about strategies for macro compensation following a bad day. 34:35 – Tom from NYC asks about men’s physique competitors – are they takin...

The Drop Set – Episode 145 0:00 – Whoa, back to 2 episodes in a week!  Starting off with a gruesome, nightmare-ish tale and a big fat “AVOID” warning in a quick TV report, then we get on with it. 10:34 – One of the biggest and most common problems in bodybuilding is post-show blues and it’s time to tackle it head on and figure out how to avoid them before they ever even start. 32:34 &nb...

The Drop Set – Episode 144 0:00 – Long breaks are becoming the norm!  Back today after taking last week off due to illness, there’s a lot to cover.  We’ll start with the critical stuff:  a lawn report and logo update! 8:54 – Dan in MA called with questions regarding exercise substitutions in the gym which gave me a chance to address it as a larger and broader topic 18:42...

The Drop Set – Episode 143 0:00 – Finally back after a longer-than-expected hiatus due to a root canal and some travel.  Don’t forget to vote on the NEW logo options for The Drop Set which will be online for voting for just a short term 9:30 – Trish had a good question via email on freelance training in gyms.  Problem, or not so much? 15:30  – Sally raises a good question abou...

The Drop Set – Episode 142 0:00 – Intro and welcome! 2:50 – An unplanned detour into RANT territory regarding crossovers at NPC shows.  Executive summary:  it’s gotta stop! 8:35 – My Olympia recap from a fairly forgettable (yep, I said it) weekend, and also:  how bodybuilding is like the NFL (hint:  it’s not a good thing) 20:55 – Morgan from Instagram asks about transitio...

The Drop Set – Episode 141 We’re back! I missed y’all on Monday and my excuse for being absent is a new one. Check it out! 0:00 – Intro, and Darin whines about his tooth pain and goes into way too much detail on his new drum set.  Apologies in advance. 10:24 – Steve from NY has questions about targeting specific muscle groups, namely developing outer quad sweep and bringing...

The Drop Set – Episode 140 It’s dentist day on The Drop Set!  I lament my upcoming torture session in the chair and then we dig in to the topics of the day. 5:01 – a little perspective from Emily on how alcohol factors in (or doesn’t) when it comes to contest prep and I gotta say, this take is very refreshing 10:38 – have issues finishing a meal?  Yeah, me neither.  But Ashley does (sometime...

The Drop Set – Episode 139 For the final Friday in August we do some really, really deep digs on topics that commonly confuse people – so consider this my bible on these topics! Check the full timestamped notes below for details! 0:00 – Intro – Upcoming Changes, Feedback Welcome! 6:55 – Leg press loading mechanics – ever wonder why a lot of leg press machines ha...

The Drop Set – Episode 138 0:00 – Intro, follow-up segment! 14:00 – Macros – what to count? 25:45 – Alcohol, revisited! 40:22 – Personal update

The Drop Set – Episode 137 Today, I probably reveal more about myself than I should, including right off the bat. Everything about myself summarized in a semi-embarrassing 5 minute story. Then we move on to much better things, with good questions from Steve and Zack (regular contributors!) – and then, my coup de grace: a rant on why Absentia is one of the worst shows I’ve seen in...

The Drop Set – Episode 136 Today I spent way too long going over a yard/weekend update and dissecting music suggestions from listeners before getting into the meat and potatoes of the episode – talking about plant-based proteins and a couple of great questions concerning gym equipment. Also, it’s raffle time! A new winner is announced… Go vote in the new poll up at TheDropS...

The Drop Set – Episode 135 Apparently I was in rare form today. I had a 20 minute pet peeve, so apparently there are some unresolved issues I need to work out with my therapist. Brian called in and sparked a good discussion on music (and gave me an opportunity to call him out for his poor life choices), and then the conversation shifted to my TOP 7 THINGS I wish I’d known earlier in my...

The Drop Set – Episode 134 Great listener contributions today and I’m totally on a roll with my music and TV reports so the madness continues there as well! 0:00 – Disability Fraud – story time! 7:03 – Intermittent Fasting 16:07 – Meal Replacement Options 23:08 – Dealing with Unsolicited Advice 32:30 – TV Update 41:45 – Music update!

The Drop Set, Episode 133 In today’s episode we tackle a little business and then a little entertainment, because…well hey, it can’t ALL be serious, right? I maintain that bodybuilding is all about life balance, and if this podcast can’t be the embodiment of that than nothing can! 0:00 – Intro, summer’s over! 4:40 – Conditioning Defined, Belt Squat Mechani...

The Drop Set – Episode 132: Perfectionism, Average Macro Planning, Progressive Overload AGAIN Everyone’s favorite bodybuilding podcast (or at least mine…maybe someone else’s?) is back today after a week’s absence to talk about some “greatest hits” topics in further detail and with some prodding via listener voicemail as usual. Also a quick personal update...

The Drop Set – Episode 131: Shawn Rhoden Drama, Wellness Division, Progressive Overload 0:00 – Intro/personal update! 5:20 – IFBB update regarding Shawn Rhoden & Kai Greene 14:28 – Wellness Division Standards and Guidelines announced 23:08 – Listener VM – relationship with food, sustaining intensity 34:08 – NPC done fucked up – Universe Screw-ups...

The Drop Set – Episode 130: Body Types & Aesthetics, Dysmorphia Revisited, Travel In today’s episode 130, we dig in on several different bodybuilding discussion points, staying largely out of the world of competitive bodybuilding and talking more about real world/practical subjects when it comes to a more typical body transformation. In the intro you can hear me equate my absolutel...

Episode 126 will be the LAST episode for 2 weeks, as I return on Monday the 24th (fingers crossed) following my upcoming vacation.  In the meantime, plenty to discuss including:  What’s the best way to eat out effectively on prep?  How many showers should you take?  And why does Facebook suck so bad?

June 7th, 2019 – today I field listener calls AGAIN (seriously, you guys are awesome) on a wide range of topics and go over a new competitive organization making it’s debut next weekend.  Also, the return of a long-lost recurring segment!