Flex Diet Podcast

Emily Werner, PhD, RD, CSSD, IFNCP is Team Dietitian for the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), and Nutrition Affairs Sport Lead at Timeline.

Dr. Emily joins Dr. Mike to unpack postbiotics, urolithin A, and why mitochondrial health matters for pro athletes and everyday people alike, digging into the real research behind Timeline's Mitopure and why chasing $200K gadgets rarely beats getting the fundamentals right.

Expect to learn what a postbiotic actually is and how urolithin A differs from other supplements, why old-school and new-school sports dietitians disagree on peptides and supplement fads, how chronic undereating quietly undermines performance in women's sports, what the current human performance research on urolithin A actually shows, how Mitopure is dosed and why urolithin A can't be reliably food-sourced, and why product quality and manufacturing integrity matter more than marketing claims, and much more.

Connect with Emily:

Website: https://www.eateliteperform.com/

Instagram: @emilywerner34

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-n-werner-phd-rd-cssd-ifncp-4a820a97/

Episodes you'll enjoy next:

#377 — Methylene Blue for Mitochondria & Performance: Benefits, Dosing & Risks with Dr. Scott Sherr: Listen here

#382 — Creatine for Muscle, Bone, Brain & Longevity (Plus Caffeine, Dosing, and Safety) with Dr. Darren Candow: Listen here

Episode Timestamps:

2:21 Welcome & introductions

6:09 What is a postbiotic? Pre-, pro-, and postbiotics explained

7:09 Urolithin A: the postbiotic behind Mitopure

8:19 How Emily started consulting for Timeline

10:11 Old-school vs. new-school sports dietitians on supplements

13:53 Peptides, anecdata, and why athletes ignore the data

20:05 The hardest lesson: letting go when clients won't listen

21:15 Money, ego, and athletes chasing $200K wellness gadgets

24:53 Chronic undereating in women's sports

30:48 Nutrition's real job: keeping athletes available to play

33:19 Inside Mitopure: Timeline's flagship urolithin A product

35:06 Mitochondria, mitophagy, and why they matter as we age

38:16 Diet, fasting, and exercise as natural mitophagy triggers

43:36 What the performance research on urolithin A actually shows

53:19 Aging, aerobic capacity, and Emily's 101-year-old grandma

55:40 Mitopure dosing: how much urolithin A and when to take it

57:14 Why urolithin A can't be food-sourced (and can't be faked)

1:03:19 Why product quality and integrity matter in supplements

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Zach Moore is a nutrition and exercise coach based in southern Indiana, coaching clients online and in person.

Zach cuts through the noise of complicated programming and diet protocols to get back to what actually works — minimalist strength training, honest macro-setting, and paying attention to gut health and micronutrient status before chasing anything fancier.

Expect to learn how to build serious strength with far less training volume than you think, why chasing perfect programming conditions is often a waste of energy, how Zach sets carbohydrate and macro targets for real-world clients, when (and when not) to bother with micronutrient or gut testing, and why micronutrients matter even on restrictive or elimination diets, and much more.

Connect with Zach:

Website: zmoore.com

Instagram: @ZachMFitness

Episodes you'll enjoy next:

#388 — What Vinegar & Lifting Really Do To Your Gut: Listen here

#397 — Why Getting Better Never Gets Easier with Cliff Wilson: Listen here

Episode Timestamps:

02:37 Training in a garage gym during a heat wave

03:53 Grip strength, sweat & cold water immersion

06:32 Overthinking training & lessons from old-time strongmen

09:54 Minimalist strength training & the trap bar deadlift

15:13 Go-to lifts & why you must add muscle for body comp

17:42 Progressive overload & long-term strength gains

19:56 How too much program variety kills progress

27:06 Individualizing & dialing in training volume

30:42 Favorite upper & lower body exercises

35:46 Nutrition foundations: informed eating

38:10 Eating enough to fuel training & recomp

44:06 Determining carb needs & setting client macros

48:13 The insulin myth: do carbs turn into fat?

52:40 Meal balance, fat timing & digestion

55:34 Tracking micronutrients with Cronometer

58:13 Gut testing, carnivore & elimination diets

1:02:25 Sleep tips: circadian rhythm, light & temperature

1:04:39 The Shiftwave chair for stress downregulation & sleep

Get the Daily Fitness Insider newsletter (free): https://www.miketnelson.com/newsletter

Cliff Wilson is a physique coach with over 16 years of experience working with bodybuilders and physique athletes of every level, including 24 world champions and the current natural bodybuilding world champion.

Getting better doesn’t make hard things feel easier—it makes you capable of doing more. Cliff Wilson explains the mental skills behind elite physiques, why context beats internet absolutes, and how great coaches turn research, experience, and failure into better decisions.

Expect to learn why impulse control makes up 20–50% of physique coaching, why you have to learn to dribble before you try to dunk, why practitioners and social media commentators are not the same thing, why getting fitter never makes a true max effort feel easier, how context (not absolutes) explains wildly different carb intakes between world-class physique athletes, why most advanced bodybuilders eventually land back on a bro split, and what separates “collectors” of credentials from coaches who can actually integrate and apply what they know—and much more.

Connect with Cliff:
teamwilsonbb.com (book: Becoming Unrivaled)
Instagram: @cwteamwilson

Raw Intensity app (mentioned in the episode)

Episodes you'll enjoy next:

#323 — Natural vs. Enhanced Bodybuilding: An In-Depth Chat with Aaron Straker: https://flex-diet-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-323-natural-vs-enhanced-bodybuilding-an-in-depth-chat-with-aaron-straker

#167 — The Physiologic and Psychologic Benefit of Doing Hard Things: Akshay Nanavati of Fearvana: https://flex-diet-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-167-the-physiologic-and-psychologic-benefit-of-doing-hard-things-akshay-nanavati-of-fearvana-with-dr-mike-t-nelson

Episode Timestamps:

02:15 — The edited interview begins and Mike explains the unusual opening

02:49 — Why 20–50% of physique coaching is impulse control

05:19 — Skill levels: learn to dribble before trying to dunk

07:37 — Practitioners vs. social media commentators

10:45 — Why you cannot sidestep the hard parts of fat loss

12:44 — Getting fitter does not make a true max effort feel easier

14:04 — Context beats absolutes: 700 grams vs. 50 grams of carbs

19:26 — Slow thinking, pondering, and turning information into insight

21:57 — Giving clients autonomy dramatically improved results

25:18 — Range, cross-domain learning, and better problem-solving

27:03 — Using OODA loops to make better coaching decisions

28:24 — Why most advanced bodybuilders return to a bro split

31:42 — Low-volume training, outliers, and small-sample traps

44:01 — A surprising DNA result and the role of elite genetics

48:31 — Michael Phelps, elite rituals, and competitive mindset

50:43 — Why bodybuilding coaching skill may have declined

53:11 — Objectivity, Austin Stout, and the traits of great coaches

01:03:14 — Collectors vs. integrators: credentials are not application

01:08:07 — Cliff's Raw Intensity app and upcoming book Becoming Unrivaled

Get the Daily Fitness Insider newsletter (free): https://www.miketnelson.com/newsletter

Rick Collins, Esq., NSCA-CSCS, is a lawyer who defends the nutrition and fitness community, a partner at Collins Gann McCloskey & Barry PLLC, and General Counsel to the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Peptides are everywhere right now, but most of what's sold online as BPC-157 or TB-500 is illegal — and the FDA is about to decide what happens next. Rick breaks down the science, the legal gray market, and why the military's new testosterone screening policy matters too.

Expect to learn what actually counts as a "peptide," how GLP-1 drugs normalized injectable medications and fueled the gray market, what the FDA's own scientists concluded about BPC-157 and TB-500, why Rick's caseload has shifted from steroids to 80-90% peptide cases, what a possible "experimental peptide" middle-ground category could look like, and what really happens when the FDA raids a peptide seller, and much more.

Connect with Rick:
www.RickCollins.com

Episodes you'll enjoy next:

#371 — Peptides, TRT, GLPs & Bloodwork: How to Do It Safely (and What Most People Miss) with John Gorman: Listen here

#319 — Exploring the World of Peptides with Anthony Castore: Listen here

Episode Timestamps:

4:07 Rick's background as a lawyer and his standard legal disclaimer

6:14 What actually counts as a "peptide"

8:25 How GLP-1 drugs normalized injectable medications

10:44 Loss of trust in the FDA fuels the gray market

11:46 The rise of personal health autonomy

13:40 Two markets: the medical model vs. "bro science"

16:23 Inside the FDA Compounding Advisory Committee meeting

19:23 FDA scientists' verdict on BPC-157 and TB-500

20:49 Why the science on BPC-157 is still so thin

22:07 Prohibition logic: the black market will keep growing

25:47 A possible middle ground: an "experimental peptide" category

32:11 Rick's caseload shift — from steroids to 80-90% peptide cases

35:30 Why big pharma cares about tirzepatide and retatrutide knockoffs

42:28 Pete Hegseth and testosterone screening in the military

46:57 Why the new TRT policy may be "much ado about nothing"

49:23 Low testosterone's real, well-documented health risks

52:26 Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, and biohacking against nature

57:12 The schism between orthodox medicine and biohacking

62:39 What happens when the FDA raids a peptide seller

63:30 Connect with Rick Collins

Get the Daily Fitness Insider newsletter (free): https://www.miketnelson.com/newsletter

Samuel Brown, M.Ed., CSCS is a Cognitive Performance Specialist for the U.S. Air Force and a strength and conditioning professional who has worked everywhere from collegiate athletics to elite tactical units.

Sam spends his days training Air Force pilots and aircrew who run on nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol — and almost never turn off their nervous system. In this episode he reveals why the toughest operators need recovery just as much as intensity, and what years of coaching in Altus, Oklahoma taught him about real performance under extreme cognitive load.

Expect to learn what Air Force pilots are actually like to train, why the nicotine-caffeine-alcohol "trifecta" dominates military performance culture, how the physical act of flying itself takes a hidden toll through vibration and posture, why sympathetic nervous system domination cements poor posture and movement patterns, how Sam sneaks down-regulation into hard training sessions disguised as recovery work, and why resting heart rate might be a better performance metric than any wearable, and much more.

Connect with Sam:
https://www.instagram.com/sambrownstrength

Episodes you'll enjoy next:

#312 — Optimizing Stress and Performance for Firefighters and Tactical Athletes with Dr. Drew Gonzalez: Listen here

#310 — Unpacking the Science of Sleep with Dr. Allison Brager: Listen here

Episode Timestamps:

01:59 – What Air Force Pilots Are Actually Like

07:21 – Back to Basics: Training with Minimal Equipment

10:13 – Breaking the Instagram Training Cycle

12:06 – Endurance Trends Among Pilots

17:05 – The Air Force Trifecta: Nicotine, Caffeine & Alcohol

20:31 – Physical Toll of Flying: Vibration, Posture & Injury

23:44 – Stress Cements Posture: The Sympathetic Domination Problem

28:06 – Down-Regulation Protocols After Training

30:47 – Hiding the Pill in the Peanut Butter

47:44 – Wearables & the Loss of Body Awareness

50:31 – Resting Heart Rate as the Performance Metric

52:14 – The GOAT Drill for Cognitive Load & Recovery

1:02:31 – Building a Culture of Buy-In & Program Integration

Get the Daily Fitness Insider newsletter (free): https://www.miketnelson.com/newsletter

Get the Daily Fitness Insider newsletter (free): https://www.miketnelson.com/newsletter