The Ripped Body® Podcast

Hi, I’m Andy, and welcome to another episode of the Ripped Body Podcast, where we explore what it really takes to build and maintain a strong, lean physique — without sacrificing your sanity or your life outside the gym. When Jay first reached out, he wanted help refining his plan to build a superhero-like physique — something lean, muscular, and impressive for his young daughter to look up to. Bu...

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Hi, I’m Andy, and welcome to another episode of the Ripped Body Podcast where I interview listeners and newsletter subscribers, and help them understand what they need to do, to take their physiques to the next level, without the process taking over their lives. Today I’m speaking with Fred. Fred has lost more than half his body weight — and kept it off for two decades. But this isn’t just a story...

Last Sunday, I had a freak accident while cycling that resulted in a broken arm and three torn shoulder ligaments. So I decided to jump on a call with Ripped Body Coach Sam to explain my recovery plan. This episode isn’t a pity party. It’s the recovery blueprint I’m following — and the mindset that’s keeping me from spiraling while I can’t train normally. We've worked with thousands of client...

Brian is an engineer living in New York, a disciplined calisthenics enthusiast, and one of the most thoughtful guests I’ve ever had on. Eighteen months ago, when Brian returned to Malaysia to visit his family, his parents commented they were worried about how skinny he had gotten. — They didn't realize how hard he had been working to unfatten himself after an unsuccessful dream bulk. Nonethel...

Scott was one of the first clients I ever coached — and one of the first client transformations I ever posted online. At his leanest, he was absolutely shredded. But that was over a decade ago. Since then, life happened — including a multi-year battle with cancer, time off from training, and a long road back to health. Now 50, Scott’s strong again. Back in the gym. Lifting heavy. Building momentum...

This One’s Personal. While updating our Client Onboarding Guidelines this week, I found myself going off on a bit of a rant. Fifteen years ago, my cousin died of a heart attack. I was too broke to fly back for the funeral. I’ve regretted that ever since. So when I see dangerous diet trends gaining traction — the kind that could quietly send someone else’s cousin to an early grave — I can’t stay qu...

Savio grew up the chubby kid — avoiding pools, hiding behind crossed arms, and feeling the weight of insecurity long before he ever picked up a weight. Now in his 30s, he moved from Canada to live in Vietnam with his wife, but he is still chasing the same goal that’s been with him for half his life: to finally see abs. But as he tries to diet down, self-doubt, conflicting advice, and the temptatio...

Don’t be fooled by how fit he looks. Don is 6’4”, 180 lbs, lean, and strong—but what makes his story special isn’t what you see now. It’s the journey he has been on. He’s a 41-year-old father of three who used to weigh 250 lbs. He’s yo-yo dieted for over a decade. He even got liposuction once because he thought it would help him feel “enough.” But what really changed his life was when he broke the...

Brian, a 44-year-old father of three, has already done the hard thing — he lost 40 pounds, got lean, built serious strength, and learned to fuel himself like an athlete. But now, years later, with more on his plate and less room for perfection, he’s looking to get back into shape and is wondering: “Why isn’t what worked before working now?” We talk about the pressure of setting an example for his...

Today I’m joined by Justin — a 42-year-old stay-at-home dad, former diesel mechanic, and garage business owner who's been working hard to build a lean, muscular physique without letting the rest of life fall apart. He’s been shredded at 189, bulked up to 227, and now he’s trying to land somewhere in the middle — strong, athletic, and confident… while still keeping up with the demands of paren...

Today I’m speaking with Richard Golden — a longtime Ripped Body reader who’s undergone a dramatic transformation over the last decade. Rich grew up with an identical twin brother who was lean, while he struggled with weight gain, body image issues, and cycles of yo-yo dieting. At his heaviest, he weighed over 230 lbs. Now at 44 years old, he’s sitting at a lean and healthy 155 — and more important...

Today’s guest is Justin Maller — a world-class digital artist and tech founder based in New York. At 41, Justin just completed his first real bulk after years of hovering in maintenance and making no real physique progress. We talk about what finally pushed him to commit, how he gained 30 pounds and made the biggest strength gains of his life, and why cutting back down now feels surprisingly diffi...

Michael opens up about his lifelong struggle with weight, starting in his early 20s when he hit 200 pounds, without any muscle. After the birth of his first son, he realized he needed to change — not just for himself, but to keep up as a dad. That was his first serious cut, and it sparked a 10+ year journey of self-education, strength training, and cycles of cutting and bulking. He’s now stronger...

Alex opens up about his years-long battle with performance obsession, burnout, and a hidden addiction to Adderall. What began as a drive to "get the physique" spiraled into overtraining, under-recovering, and chasing a shredded look at the cost of his mental and physical health. A serious injury and a breaking point in his personal life forced him to confront what he was running from — a...

Ryan is stuck in a battle a lot of men never talk about: the fear that changing his body might change how he’s seen - by the world, by his family, and by himself. He’s no longer chasing a six-pack for vanity. He’s chasing a bigger goal: becoming the kind of role model his daughters deserve. But to do that, he has to wrestle down the old fears - of getting too lean, of looking "too small,&quot...

It started with a moment of quiet shame: his girlfriend swooning over a Twilight actor’s abs while Sam sat next to her, skinny-fat and stuck. That moment sent him chasing change — first through generic magazine workouts, then into the hands of a “pro” coach who gave him abs, yes, but also exhaustion, rebound weight gain, and a deep sense of failure. Sam rebuilt himself the hard way — through obses...

Today, I’m speaking with Danny Lennon. Danny is the founder of Sigma Nutrition. He is the long-time host of the popular podcast Sigma Nutrition Radio , and a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association , the global regulatory body responsible for the standardization of best practices in the sports nutrition profession. In this conversation, we talk about the issues with interp...

Today, I’m speaking with Eric Trexler. Eric has a PhD,  and is a pro bodybuilder,  coach, co-owner of the MASS Research Review , and a metabolism researcher at Duke University. In this conversation, we talk about the physiological changes that happen when weight cycling (i.e. going through diet and bulk phases) and what this means for us when chasing our physique goals. We’ve been friends for a nu...

Today I’m speaking with Sohee Carpenter. I first met Sohee back in 2012, and at the time, she was a Stanford student studying human biology. Then she completed a master’s in psychology and is now finishing up her Ph. D. in sports science under my co-author, Eric Helms. Sohee’s business is evidence-based training and nutrition coaching delivered with empathy and compassion. She has moved away from...

Today I'm speaking with Greg Nuckols, the co-founder of Mass Research Review , Stronger by Science , and MacroFactor .  Greg also held three all-time world records in powerlifting and is one of the smartest people in the fitness industry.   In this episode, Greg and I discuss all sorts of topics and lessons, including: 👉🏻  The concussions that forced Greg to stop playing sports. 👉🏻 Whethe...

Today I'm speaking with Eric Helms, one of my co-authors of The Muscle and Strength Pyramids, and one of the brightest minds in the fitness industry.  Eric is a Research Fellow at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand, a natural bodybuilder and powerlifter, co-founder of MASS Research Review , and the co-founder of 3D Muscle Journey , a coaching service for natural athletes. I...

This season on the Ripped Body podcast, I’ve been speaking with readers who find themselves stuck, helping troubleshoot their progress and break through plateaus.  For the next part of season 4, I’ll be sitting down with some of my fitness industry friends to discuss their backstories, mistakes they’ve made, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. To kick things off, I’m speaking with Steve...

Today, I’m speaking with Hemang, who is a 50-year-old father of two who works in finance, and has a work-from-home arrangement. He does the carpool drop-off most days, is co-president of his son’s school PTA, and is a Scout volunteer. Hemang has been around the same weight for most of his life. He’s not what anyone would call fat, but not lean either. However, he managed to drop around 20 lbs of f...

Today, I’m speaking with Gary, a 59-year-old consultant living in Scotland. Gary has been self-described skinny-fat all of his life. He lived in the United States for 15 years, where he gained a little too much weight.  In the 10 years since his return to the UK, he’s managed to lose 50 lbs of fat and gain 10-15 lbs of muscle. He doesn’t feel as self-conscious as he once did. But he’s not done yet...