2021 USAPL nationals was just back after a year off due to COVID. So, emotions were high, the competition was fierce and as always, USAPL nationals didn’t disappoint. This episode we host the “winner’s circle”, joined by multiple time national champions Heather Connor, Jonathan Cayco, and Sam Calhoun. Not only do we learn about each of their two-year journeys to nationals, but also about the current challenges facing athletes due to the current conflict between the USAPL and the IPF.

Iron Culture

Ep. 129 - Elite Level Powerlifting (Champions Edition)

This episode of Iron Culture was a classic. You want lifting-specific introspection which will resonate with anyone in the culture of lifting? Look no further! In this episode the one and only Ryan Doris, pro natural bodybuilding champion, elite powerlifter, and deep thinker joins the cult. In this episode we discuss the nature of what makes athletes tick, and how to balance “Book Bodybuilding and The Dog”. Don’t miss this one folks, you’re guaranteed to have some “ah ha” moments and to come away with a better perspective on your journey with the iron.

Episode 128 - Book Bodybuilding & The Dog (ft. Ryan Doris)

Ben Esgro is back on Iron Culture to do another deep dive. This time, we discuss all things stimulants. What are stimulants, exactly? What makes a stimulant stimulating? Which stimulants are most potent? Why do some products use stimulants you’ve never heard of while others just use caffeine? Why can your experiences with the same stimulant, and even the same dose sometimes differ? Why do some products combine stimulants? Tune into this episode as we cover everything from physiological mechanisms, to formulation strategy, to legal and regulatory changes of stimulants.

Ep. 127 - Supplement Science: Everything You Didn’t Know About Stimulants (But Should)

Does being a competitor require a competitive mindset? In some sports, yes. But in powerlifting, you arguably could just focus on yourself, progressing, and show up on game day ignorant to your competition, put up the best total you can, and see where you place. Indeed, some world-class competitors do just that. With that said, athletes are human. Some thrive off a competitive mindset and feel it drives them to athletic heights they couldn’t achieve on their own. Others, however, feel like this provides pressure, self-judgment, and saps the joy from powerlifting without adding any benefit. Ultimately there isn’t a right or wrong answer. Each person has to figure out what is most facilitative to improved performance for them individually. On this episode we’re joined by Bryce Lewis and Ashton Rouska, the top two 105kg IPF lifters in the world currently who’ve battled it out at USAPL nationals twice now, with Bryce coming away as the 2019 National champ and Ashton the 2021 National champ. They have a candid conversation where you’ll learn how they each approach competition, what they’ve learned, and how it can apply to you.

Ep. 126 - Competing At The Highest Level In Powerlifting: An Inside Look (ft. Bryce Lewis and Ashton Rouska)

What do the 2015 USAPL Junior National title, the 2017 Yorton Cup Pro Figure Tall title, and the 2017 WNBF Pro Figure Overall title have in common? They were all won by our guest on this episode of Iron Culture: Katie Anne Rutherford. Competing and simply being competent in both strength and physique sport simultaneously is a challenge that few people can overcome, but achieving truly elite performance in both is something truly extraordinary. In this episode, Katie shared her trials, tribulations, perspectives, history, and advice across multiple physical and mental domains as someone who has not only walked the walk but been incredibly successful doing so. Make sure to tune in as there is a lot of insight in this episode!

Ep. 125 - Competing (and Winning) in BOTH Powerlifting & Bodybuilding (ft. Katie Anne Rutherford)

Omar and Eric are back with another Q&A episode! This time, they go IN on the topic of not just being skeptical but also being rational when thinking about the likelihood of someone being drug-free. As you are probably aware, skepticism abounds on this topic online, which is fine, but the question is: what do you base that skepticism on? Since most of the information on this topic consists of sweeping generalizations that simply don’t generalize outside of a specific context, is purposely clickbaity and controversial, and is heavily biased, we do our best to present things logically, from multiple angles, and considering different contexts in this episode.

Ep. 124 - Natty or Not, Drug Testing and Genetics (Q&A #3)

Sam Okunola has been at the top echelon of the natural bodybuilding competitive circuit for over a decade. Winning his pro card in his first sanctioned show in 2009, he’s gone on to win multiple pro shows, culminating in winning the 2017 IPE Overall World title, even NPC regional shows in the classic division, and he’s also placed 2nd at the 2012 IFPA Yorton Cup and 2017 and 2019 WNBF worlds. What kind of mindset does an elite natural bodybuilder like Sam have? How does he stay focused on improving? How have his military background, upbringing, and his experience as a coach influenced him? Join us on this episode of Iron Culture to learn the answer to these questions and more!

Ep. 123 - Retiring Early From Natural Bodybuilding

What goes into making a YouTube channel dedicated to educating people about lifting, nutrition, getting stronger, and bodybuilding? We asked Jeff Nippard just that on this episode of Iron Culture where he was kind enough to join us to share his experience. But, not before Eric engaged him in probably one of the most important discussions we’ve had to date, who should have won the 2007 Mr. Olympia? In this episode, you’ll learn what goes into content creation, and which bodybuilder got robbed 14 years ago. 

Ep. 122 - From Bodybuilding to Crafting High Quality Content (ft. Jeff Nippard)

Nutrition is not just about comparing methods, macro breakdowns, or foods. Navigating nutritional changes that support your goals is a skill set that needs to be actively developed over time. What are the common sources of error when someone “should” be losing or gaining weight based on their activity, body mass, and reported intake? How do you correct those errors? Did you ever think that even as a “macro coach” using client-created meal plans might be a game-changer for teaching someone how to manipulate their nutrition, while also individualizing it? Developing nutrition competence is an often overlooked aspect in the “evidence-based” community where we often focus on quantitative science and neglect qualitative experience. In this episode, learn how to avoid overlooking this key aspect of nutrition. 

Ep. 121- Achieving Nutritional Competence

Principle of specificity bro, everybody knows that? But do they? What’s more specific to a squat 1RM, a leg press 1RM, or doing a set of 10 on squats? Why does squatting have just as good of transference to leg press strength as it does to squatting, but not the other way around? Why won’t training tricep pushdowns in the 6-8 rep range improve your lockout on bench press more effectively than tricep pushdowns in the 15-20 rep range? The answers to these questions, and more, are covered in this episode of Iron Culture. 

Episode 120 - A Deep Examination of “Specificity”

On this episode of Iron Culture, we are joined by the strongest of them all: Amanda Lawrence. She currently tops the ranks of drug-tested raw powerlifting by coefficient using multiple formulae and is just weeks out from USAPL raw nationals where she hopes to further improve on her already mind-blowing total of 646kg at under 84kg. Join us as we discuss how she got into the sport, what she loves about the sport, her future in powerlifting, her experiences coaching and competing, and who she is outside of the gym. Also, listen in to find out who she calls out for a post-nationals posedown on Daytona Beach!

Ep. 119 - The Strongest Powerlifter (ft. Amanda Lawrence)

We’re back with round 2 of our question and answer episodes on Iron Culture! We begin with the dumpster fire that is the “Natty or Not” debate, hopefully providing some unique insights, and then we get into some useful advice on both accurately identifying, and potentially, when appropriate, addressing “lagging” muscle groups. The real gem of this episode though, is answering the question “when is the right time to compete?” We address both strength and physique sport and truly get to the heart of what holds most people back, but what probably shouldn’t. Finally, we cover how to use the right types and balance between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to ensure continual progress. 

Ep.118 - Should You Compete?

Dr. Ben House is back on Iron Culture! This time he’s here to explain why not only is exercise not pointless for weight loss, but indeed may be the most effective and low-risk tool we have to arrest the obesity epidemic. In this episode, we discuss why “exercise nihilism” for weight loss stems from an overly reductionist view of activity, purely as a means of increasing energy expenditure. We also discuss how activity can have profound effects on the metabolic response to meals, and can better regulate energy intake. We juxtapose the likely-to-fail strategies based on purposeful, lifelong diet restraint, with a focus on activity and exercise which may better regulate passive energy intake. Finally, we do a bit of ranting about our love affair with “willpower” that leads people astray when the diet is over. 

Ep. 117 - Is Exercise Pointless for Weight Loss?

Can you believe it’s episode 116 and we haven’t yet done a deep dive specifically on “flexible dieting”? Well, we couldn’t either, so in this episode, we did just that. You’ll learn what the origins of flexible dieting are in the research and also the fitness industry and how they diverged to the point they became wholly separate. You’ll learn why IIFYM is not always flexible, what the data on flexible dieting suggests, and where the research stands today as newer concepts like intuitive eating have emerged.

Ep. 116 - Flexible Dieting: A Reexamination?!

This week, Dr. Hayden Pritchard joins Iron Culture. Hayden did his Ph.D. specifically on tapering for maximal strength enhancement, which included surveying top powerlifters to see what they do in practice prior to competition. Since his Ph.D. he’s gone on to survey strongmen/women, CrossFit competitors and weightlifters as well. No stranger to maximal strength himself, Hayden Pritchard is also a national-level weightlifter, and a world-level powerlifter, having represented New Zealand at IPF Worlds in the 93kg class. As you know, we value nepotism here at Iron Culture, as you’ll find out that Eric and Hayden actually did their Ph.D.’s at AUT in the same time period, and competed with one another in powerlifting in 2013-2014 multiple times. Join us in this episode as you benefit from that nepotism and learn the science of how strength athletes set themselves up to PR on the platform. 

Ep. 115 - Tapering For Strength: What You Probably Don’t Know

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 Podcast focuses on dispensing practical, useful information to the listener, bouncing from history, to philosophy, to contemporary lifting culture issues, to science. This can range from teaching the audience about lifting, programming, nutrition, supplements/PEDs and the history of lifting culture. The format includes casual conversations between the two hosts on a variety of topics, discussions with a panel of experts and interviews with authoritative figures in the lifting community.

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Iron Culture

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