In this episode of the Iron Culture Podcast, the Erics discuss various topics including updates on Helms' contest prep vlog, a preview of the upcoming Powerlifting World Championships, misconceptions surrounding TRT, the effects of cold exposure, and the concept of lean mass hyper responders. They also discuss the importance of (and misconceptions surrounding) women's health research, and engage in a Q&A session addressing questions about energy expenditure, body composition, and more. Time stamps: 00:00 Introduction and Updates 02:59 Powerlifting World Championships Preview 07:55 New MASS issue; TRT misconceptions 16:50 Cold Exposure and Its Misconceptions 18:00 Lean Mass Hyper Responders (and resulting chaos) 31:20 Women's Health and Fitness Research 46:24 Understanding Training Status in Research 52:52 Core Strengthening and building general athleticism 59:03 Debunking Myths Around Posture and Anterior Pelvic Tilt 01:01:50 Evaluating BIA and BIS for Body Composition 01:10:48 Reconciling Energy Expenditure Models in Active Populations
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1:20:05
Ep 329 - What To Do About Microplastics
What's the deal with microplastics? Where do they come from? Are they in our bodies? If so, are they harmful? Also, what's the deal with microwaving Tupperware and other plastic containers? This episode is all about plastics - what we know, what we don't know, and what you can do about it. Key reference: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11800385/ Time stamps: 0:00 Intro 7:20 What are microplastics and where to they come from? 16:40 How much microplastic is in our bodies? Does it seem to be a problem? 32:05 What can you do about microplastics? 41:50 What can you do about Tupperware and other food storage options? 1:06:51 Related Q&A 1:20:48 Wrapping up
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1:31:01
Ep 328 - Bad Fundamentals Lead to Popular Pseudoscience
In this episode of Iron Culture presented by MASS, Dr. Eric Helms and Dr. Eric Trexler dive into a wide-ranging discussion covering updates on the long-awaited 3rd edition of the Muscle & Strength Pyramids, the writing process at MASS, and their recent frustrations with pseudoscientific claims in fitness and health. They dissect recent content related to eccentric training, ketogenic diets, LDL cholesterol myths, and the fine line between critical thinking and cynicism. Plus, they tackle rapid-fire audience questions on deloading, protein intake, training at short vs. long muscle lengths, and more. Timestamps 0:00 Intro 1:43 Muscle and Strength Pyramids Update 7:00 Why the Erics are extra snippy (about popular pseudoscience) in the upcoming issue of MASS 12:00 Keto diets and LDL (new research) 20:20 Why pseudoscience gains popularity 24:00 Cynicism vs. Skepticism 32:09 Paradigm shifts 37:02 Should I deload every 4 weeks? 46:02 Shortened vs. lengthened muscle training 50:37 High protein diets and kidney health question 53:21 Muscle imbalances after injury rehab 61:29 Why do we speak about the thermic effect of feeding so imprecisely? Why not manipulate it with high degree of specificity? 74:17 Hypertrophy rep ranges 74:56 Exercise science study design versus real-world questions 84:54 What's up with microplastics? 93:24 Wrapping up
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1:34:53
Ep 327 - Fat Loading, Sodium Limits, and More
In this episode of Iron Culture, hosts Eric Trexler and Eric Helms discuss a variety of topics related to bodybuilding, nutrition, and fitness. First they share updates on Front Page Fitness and discuss some soon-to-be-released articles from the Mass Research Review, with topics including the implications of cold exposure, how much testosterone actually impacts muscle mass, seed oils, the effects of ketogenic diets on blood lipids, and eccentric training on muscle growth. The conversation also touches on the effects of alcohol consumption, navigating excess skin after weight loss, fat loading, sodium intake, meditation to acutely impact lifting performance, the effects of creatine supplementation, circuit training, and much more. Time stamps: 00:00 - Opening and introductions 03:29 - Mass Research Review June issue preview - cold exposure vs heat, testosterone/TRT, dietary fat & seed oils 10:25 - Lean mass hyperresponders critique - "most egregiously misnamed term in health and physiology" 14:06 - Helms' articles: eccentric training defense and time-restricted feeding for hypertrophy 14:26 - Eccentric training controversy - debunking claims that eccentrics are useless or harmful 19:03 - Philosophy of science in fitness - how to evaluate competing training theories and models 22:20 - Formal education vs self-education - value of academic guardrails in exercise science 29:08 - Excess skin after weight loss - factors affecting skin elasticity and examples 38:20 - "Muscle maturity" phenomenon - skin thickness changes with age in bodybuilders 41:19 - Fat loading for bodybuilding - critical analysis of peak week strategies 48:51 - Deadlift re-bracing strategy - reset between reps vs continuous reps 52:27 - High sodium intake in athletes - 7g/day vs health recommendations 58:30 - Creatine and body odor - addressing unusual supplement side effect claims 61:01 - Alcohol consumption and fitness - 2-3 vodka drinks nightly impact on muscle growth 69:08 - Meditation and training performance - mental fatigue vs relaxation before lifting 74:59 - Diet quality vs calories - what drives weight gain in real-world scenarios 78:28 - Circuit training benefits - supersets and time-efficient programming 82:47 - Creatine effectiveness long-term - one-time investment vs compounding benefits 86:24 - Wrapping up
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1:27:30
Ep 326 - Daily 1RM Training: Crazy or Constructive? (ft. Dr. Nick Washmuth and Kaylee Chism)
In this episode of Iron Culture, hosts Eric Helms and Michael Zourdos reconnect and reflect on their experiences at the 2025 Sports Nutrition Association annual conference. Joined by guests Dr. Nick Washmuth and Kaylee Chism, they delve into the concept of daily 1RM training, discussing its origins, methodology, and findings from a recent study involving participants who maxed out daily. Insights from the participants reveal varied results and experiences, highlighting the mental and physical challenges of such a training protocol. The conversation also explores the importance of dosage, frequency, intensity, and the need for more empirical data to better understand the effectiveness of daily 1RM training. The episode covers various training protocols, particularly focusing on volume training and its effects on strength gains. The hosts and guests discuss personal experiences with different lifting protocols, the importance of balancing other lifts during intense training, and the recommendations for those interested in 1RM training. Additionally, they explore the intriguing concept of swearing as a performance enhancer, examining its psychological effects and potential benefits in athletic performance. Time stamps: Coming soon! Reminder:Don't forget to check out our sister podcast, Front Page Fitness, hosted by Drs. Lauren Colenso-Semple and Eric Trexler!youtube.com/@fpfpodcast
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. It's now hosted by Eric Helms and Eric Trexler, who repeatedly beg Omar to return as a guest.
Iron Culture focuses on dispensing practical, useful information to the listener, bouncing from history, to philosophy, to contemporary lifting culture issues, to science. 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.
Iron Culture is proudly presented by the MASS Research Review.
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