The Latest GLP-1 Science on Muscle Loss, Fat Loss, and Weight Regain | Ep 461
21/04/2026 | 31 mins.
What REALLY happens when you take a GLP-1 drug? Your fat loss, your muscle, your heart, your inflammation, what happens to your weight when you stop, and long-term safety. This episode covers body composition data from the 2026 semaglutide and tirzepatide trials, cardiovascular outcomes from SELECT and SURPASS-CVOT, inflammation findings beyond weight loss, weight regain patterns after stopping, and a 5-part framework to keep muscle on or off the drug after 40. Plus the 2026 safety update and recent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research for adults considering, taking, or tapering off a GLP-1. Join Eat More Lift Heavy, the 26-week coached program where adults over 40 build the nutrition and training skills to preserve muscle, lose fat, and manage their physique for life. Timestamps: 0:00 - The GLP-1 drug narratives 5:55 - Lean mass loss in STEP 1 and SURMOUNT-1 8:30 - Organ mass, muscle quality, and DXA 10:15 - STEP UP trial and higher-dose semaglutide 11:23 - Cardiovascular outcomes from SELECT and SURPASS-CVOT 13:00 - Inflammation markers and CRP reduction 14:00 - GLP-1s and neurodegeneration research 15:32 - Habits that outlast the drug 17:00 - What happens to your weight when you stop 19:30 - Exercise while taking GLP-1s and natural production 20:48 - 5-part framework for muscle preservation 26:55 - Safety signals and long-term effects 28:12 - 3 high-protein meals when you don't have an appetite
💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week. 📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40. 👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.
👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Why Lifting Weights 6 Days a Week Won't Help You Lose Fat (Ben Brown) | Ep 460
16/04/2026 | 43 mins.
How much lifting is too much vs. too little? What about cardio? And how hard does your body fight back when you try to out-exercise your diet? Exercise physiologist and clinical nutrition expert Ben Brown breaks down why exercise is often a weak tool for weight loss, even when you are lifting weights and doing everything “right.” We unpack metabolic compensation, how stress after 40 changes your results, and why nutrition and fitness habits like protein, recovery, and smarter programming matter more than chasing calorie burn. We also cover GLP-1s, muscle building, hormone health, and how to use cardio strategically for longevity instead of relying on it to build muscle or lose fat. Get Fitness Lab (20% off for listeners), the #1 coaching app that adapts to YOUR recovery, YOUR schedule, and YOUR body. Build muscle, lose fat, and get stronger with daily personalized guidance. Timestamps: 0:00 - Why more exercise backfires 2:14 - What exercise is really for 5:24 - Why calories out misleads 8:38 - How metabolic compensation happens 11:56 - Cardio as a strategic lever 17:34 - Stress after 40 changes everything 24:26 - GLP-1s, weight loss, muscle 32:00 - Tapering GLP-1s and recovery 36:24 - Cardio for longevity and health Episode resources: Body Systems Coaching on Instagram: @bodysystemscoaching 30-Day Fat Loss Reset: bodysystems.com/30-day-reset
💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week. 📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40. 👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.
👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Lifting Weights Builds Flexibility Better Than Stretching (New Research) | Ep 459
14/04/2026 | 26 mins.
Do you need yoga, stretching, or "mobility work" to stay flexible. Does lifting weights make you "stiff" or does it improve flexibility? We examine 3 recent studies that compared resistance training to stretching for flexibility, and their findings challenge everything most people assume about lifting weights and mobility. Philip covers the "lifting makes you stiff" myth and a training approach that builds flexibility and strength at the same time. If you're over 40 and worried about losing range of motion, this one's for you. Stay for the bonus 60-second squat test at the end. Upgrade your sleep to match your training with Cozy Earth. Cozy Earth's bamboo-derived sheets regulate temperature so you stay comfortable all night. 100-night sleep trial, 10-year warranty. Use code WITSANDWEIGHTS at witsandweights.com/cozyearth for up to 20% off. Timestamps 0:00 - Lifting weights and flexibility 1:10 - Strength training and mobility after 40 3:00 - Partial range of motion and stiffness 6:12 - 3 recent studies on strength training vs. stretching 8:30 - Bodyweight exercises and flexibility 10:22 - Eccentric training and range of motion 12:38 - 2025 Delphi consensus on stretching 13:31 - The best way to improve recovery 14:49 - Full ROM on compound lifts 16:30 - Exercises that load muscles at long lengths 18:00 - Load intensity and flexibility gains 19:30 - Exercise substitutions for flexibility 21:00 - Olympic weightlifters and mobility 22:34 - Bonus: 60-second squat flexibility test
💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week. 📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40. 👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.
👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
5 Ways Intermittent Fasting Backfires for Women Over 40 | Ep 458
09/04/2026 | 35 mins.
Intermittent fasting is still the most popular nutrition advice on the internet. Skip breakfast, shrink your eating window, lose weight. But if you're over 40, this may not give you the results you want. It could even backfire. Learn about the 5 specific ways intermittent fasting can backfire when your goal is losing fat and building muscle after 40. Philip examines a 2025 meta-analyses comparing IF to standard dieting, the challenge of getting enough protein in a compressed eating window, recent findings on cortisol and hormonal effects that especially affect women in perimenopause, and a surprising 2025 review that challenges one of fasting's biggest marketing claims (hint: it's about inflammation). Plus, learn a structured meal timing alternative and 3 diagnostic questions to test whether your current eating window is causing issues for you. Try my favorite Cozy Earth temperature-regulating sheets for better sleep and recovery. Use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for 20% off: witsandweights.com/cozyearth Enroll in Eat More Lift Heavy, the 26-week coached program that builds your nutrition and strength training skills so you don't have to use a restrictive diet or intermittent fasting while still building muscle and losing fat. Go to: eatmoreliftheavy.com Timestamps: 0:00 - Intermittent fasting and fat loss 0:53 - 5 ways fasting backfires after 40 3:44 - #1: Metabolism and fat loss 11:04 - #2: Muscle building and protein 14:28 - #3: Cortisol and stress 17:33 - #4: DHEA and thyroid hormones 20:28 - #5: Fasting and inflammation 25:00 - Eating more to lose fat 27:00 - Structured meal timing 31:22 - 3 questions to test your eating window
💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week. 📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40. 👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.
👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
How to Lose Fat Without Losing Your Muscle Gains | Ep 457
07/04/2026 | 36 mins.
You spent months building muscle, and now you're ready to cut. Or you're on a GLP-1 medication and losing weight but not sure how much muscle your'e also losing. Without getting 3 things right, roughly 25% to 40% of the weight you lose can come from lean tissue. Tune in to learn what they are! Join Eat More Lift Heavy, a 26-week coached program where Phase 2 guides you through exactly this transition, from building to cutting without losing what you built: eatmoreliftheavy.com Track your nutrition with MacroFactor using code WITSANDWEIGHTS for a free two-week trial Timestamps 0:00 - Muscle loss during a cut 6:31 - Rate of loss and lean mass 9:56 - Protein during a fat loss phase 13:12 - Per-meal protein over 40 15:01 - Sleep and body composition 17:08 - Eating more and lifting heavy 18:36 - Rate of loss and protein targets 21:25 - Training volume and intensity 23:57 - Diet breaks and refeeds 27:04 - GLP-1 body composition research 33:16 - Bonus: 50g protein meal for low appetite
💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week. 📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40. 👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.
About Wits & Weights | Evidence-Based Fitness & Nutrition for Lifters Over 40
Wits & Weights is a strength and nutrition podcast where in every episode I put a popular piece of fitness advice under the microscope, find the hidden reason it doesn't work, and give you the deceptively simple fix that does.For skeptics of the fitness industry who are tired of following the rules and still not seeing results. If you've been lifting weights, tracking macros, and doing "all the right things" but your body composition hasn't changed, you're probably overcomplicating it. This is the fitness podcast that shows you how to build muscle, lose fat, and achieve a real body recomp by focusing only on what the evidence actually supports.Evidence-based fat loss coach Philip Pape brings an engineer's approach to strength training, nutrition, and metabolism. Instead of another generic program or meal plan, you get specific, science-based strategies for optimizing body composition, whether you're focused on building muscle, losing fat, or both. The focus is on strength training over 40, hormone health, perimenopause and menopause, and longevity.You've seen the conflicting advice. One expert says cut carbs, the next says eat more. One says train six days a week, another says three is plenty. Building the body you want doesn't have to be this confusing or time-consuming. By using your wits (systems + identity-based behavior change) and lifting weights, you can build muscle definition, improve your physique, and maintain your results for life without rebound weight gain.You'll learn smart, efficient strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle, and mindset, such as:- Why fat loss matters more than weight loss for both your health and your physique- Why all the macros, including protein, fats, and yes even carbs, are critical to body composition- How just 3 hours a week of proper hypertrophy training can deliver better results than most people get in twice that time- Why building muscle is the single most powerful thing you can do for metabolic health, longevity, and aging well- Why perimenopause and menopause don't have to derail your progress when your training and nutrition are dialed in- How shifting the way you think about fitness can unlock more physical (and personal) growth than any program aloneIf you're ready to learn what actually works with evidence-based training and nutrition, hit "follow" and let's engineer your best physique ever!Popular Guests Include: Mike Matthews (author of Bigger Leaner Stronger), Greg Nuckols (Stronger by Science), Alan Aragon (nutrition researcher), Eric Helms (3D Muscle Journey), Dr. Spencer Nadolsky (Docs Who Lift), Bill Campbell (exercise science researcher), Jordan Feigenbaum (Barbell Medicine), Holly Baxter (evidence-based physique coach), Laurin Conlin (physique coach), Lauren Colenso-Semple (nutrition researcher), Karen Martel (hormone optimization expert), Steph Gaudreau (women's strength and nutrition), Bryan Boorstein (hypertrophy coach)Popular Topics Include: hormone health, metabolism optimization, hypertrophy training, longevity and healthy aging, nutrition tracking, best protein powder selection, strength training over 40, women's fitness, perimenopause, menopause, muscle building, body recomp, macros and nutrition tracking
Listen to Wits & Weights | Evidence-Based Fitness & Nutrition for Lifters Over 40, The Mel Robbins Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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