Iron
Hey guy! Love the podcast, listening to you has really changed my thinking on diet and exercise. I track my food and noticed my iron is consistently low. Should I be adding in an iron supplement based on that? Is there any other systems that would come with low iron? And on the flip side of this what if you take too much iron and is it easy to take too much? I know blood work is the best way to know my range for sure, just wanted your thoughts on noticing it while tracking food! Thank you!
Steps calories burned
Hey, i know that this will vary based on the individual/intensity but i was wondering how many calories steps actually burn. My summer job was very active and I was averaging about 20k steps a day and lifting about 3-4 times a week. As I start school I plan on keeping the same lifting routine and aiming for about 10k steps a day if my schedule allows. I was maintaining my weight this summer and want to continue to maintain. I’m not sure if I’m thinking too much into this but since I won’t be getting as many steps in I was wondering if I needed to adjust my calories accordingly.
When to Track - Only in a Cut?
Recently had a week long vacation, I did not even try to track for the week. And wow! I did not realize how badly I needed a break from it after a 3 month period. I’ve heard you say that you shouldn’t be tracking always, and I was really only tracking that long because it was my first time doing it, I successfully cut for 8 weeks and then I was trying to nail down my TDEE for a bit, and then I think I just kind of got stuck. I’m a data guy and having all the weight, calorie, and step count data for months allowed for a lot of analysis I was enjoying. But it is taxing, and I think it may be better to just monitor my weight, and only track calories when in a cutting phase going forward. Thoughts?
Travel Training Routine
For adherence purposes, my normal program is in my home gym, using only adjustable dumbbells, a bench and a pull up bar. I understand there are better exercise programs, but it’s difficult for me to get to the gym consistently, the home routine allows for 99% adherence. When I travel for vacation or work I utilize whatever free gym passes I can find. And once I’m in those gyms I usually try to do the “better” exercises that mirror my program. But recently I’ve been wondering if that’s just a mistake? There are dumbbells available in every gym, should I just be continuing my program? I’ve been altering my workout because there is a “better” version available, but it’s a random week here and there, so the benefit in doing that “better” workout is probably very limited.
Jumping into a Bulk
Coming from a very lean body fat percentage, would it be beneficial to jump into a bulk by going pretty heavy on a bulk for a couple of weeks to boost from the 8-10% range to the 15-17% range and then just maintain? Or is there some benefit to slowly increasing body fat percentage with a leaner bulk?
Creatine Reference Range
I’ve been pushing closer to a 10g serving of Creatine, given some of the newer research supporting cognition/brain health benefits. When I had bloodwork done, my Creatine Kinase levels came back above the reference range, prompting some initial concern. Though, shouldn’t this be expected? I would assume the reference range is set according to the recommended 5g per day dose.
Can someone lose this much muscle in less than a month!?
Hey y’all! Hope you two are well! I have been doing dexascans once a month for a year. I just got one yesterday and it said within less than a month I have loss 5 pounds of muscle. I am 5’8, 170 and previously had 119 pounds of muscle on me. I eat about 145g of protein and all of my other macros are met. I walk 10-13k a day. I also work out 4x a week and am still doing progressive overload. This has happened a couple of times before but I am wondering is that even possible? I am telling myself this is just a marker and it may not be accurate, keep the course but wanted to ask you all. Thanks in advance if you all are able to answer my question.
Help my dad lift with RA and heart issues
Hey you two! Wondering if you can help me with how best to help my 70 year old dad out. He has rheumatoid arthritis as well as heart failure. He had 4 stents put in back in 2019 and then a quadruple bypass in 2022. Each time he went to physio and really enjoyed the weight lifting but once that’s done he struggles to know what to do. He has been doing amazing at daily walks for a year and he just ordered a functional trainer for at home. Do you have any recommendations for online trainers who can write programming for him that is tailored to his very unique situation? I lift 4-5 days per week but I am a fit 40 year old female without RA and heart issues so I am unsure how best to guide him. I tried advising he see a personal trainer or physio but he won’t do it. I think he would consider a remote trainer. If you have ways you could recommend to help search for one I would love that so I could help him more. Thank you!
Activity level, Binging, Calorie range
Hi! I have kind of a specific question, but I think some general advice could come from it too. I’m a 22-year-old woman, 5’2”, 150 lbs. I follow a glute-focused workout 5 days a week and average about 15k steps per day. I’ve found that eating 1,800–2,000 calories feels like a good range for me—when I try going lower, I end up bingeing. It just seems high for a deficit, so I’m wondering if this range makes sense for me?
Exercising to recovery from surgery
Sup dudes, I’m about 4 months post-op from a acl quad reconstruction and meniscus repair surgery. I’m recovering well, doing all my PT and stuff but still got a lot of work to do for strengthening my quad. I’ve heard you guys have had some experiences with surgeries and I was just curious to hear your stories on recovery. Thanks
Finding balance in life with fitness and nutrition and not becoming “consumed” by it
Hi from Canada! I love your podcast! I found your podcast at the height of my struggle with orthorexia where I was deep in the “clean girl, non tox, hormone balancing” lifestyle and miserable and although I still struggle, it has helped me get to a place I never thought possible with my fitness journey and my relationship to fitness. BTW I’ve been doing your 12wk full body program and love it. I have never seen so much progress in the gym. My question is do you have any advice on how to prioritize fitness without being fully consumed by it? I still struggle with falling into cycles of obsession where I end up neglecting my relationships, my other hobbies and isolating myself and my thoughts are all about food and exercise. I am 21 years old and very passionate about fitness, I love to strength train, run, hike, bike and do yoga, but I also want to have fun with friends and make the most of my 20s in ways that may not always be 100% conducive to my fitness journey, without feeling the guilt and anxiety about it. How do you guys find consistently find balance?
Back on My BS
Hey, y’all! Longtime listener here. I’m so grateful for the grounded, no-BS approach you bring to fitness. I’d consider myself an intermediate to semi-advanced lifter, having trained consistently for the past 7+ years. Unfortunately, due to a combination of physical illness and personal loss, I’ve been out of the gym for a few months now. My eating habits and mental health took a hit during that time, and now that I’m finally in a place to return, I’m feeling a bit lost on how to start. I’ve never taken this long of a break, and while my body composition has definitely changed for the worse, I do feel I’ve retained a decent amount of underlying muscle. My main question is: would you recommend easing back in with a full-body split to rebuild overall strength and momentum, or would something more focused—like a glute growth program—be a better way to reengage both physically and mentally? Would really appreciate your take on how to restart smartly (smarter? lol), especially after an unintentional hiatus like this. Thanks again for everything you put out—it means more than you know.
program
Im new to the podcast and the programs and they all seem amazing!!! Great info and good biohacking tips, my question is I want to start a program Im between the new athele program or the full body... I wanted to follow the athele program but Im afraid it would be too much for me I have left the gym and eating good for like 2 months so I want to really to focus in my body recomposition, fat loss and strength... what are the important difference in both programs?? Thank you so much, so excited to start listening to all the premium podcast!!
Body composition comparison?
I know body fat % is not that important. But im trying to decide when to stop loosing fat and when to begin a lean bulk. When comparing myself with pictures to try work out body composition should I be flexing or relaxing? I have just about lost 50kg over the last 2 years. (At my biggest I was 135kg now at 85kg I'm 191cm/6 foot 3 for you guys tall and I'm a 40 year old male.) I'm lifting weights 4 days of every 6 due to the roster I work as a firefighter, any advice would be great. Love your work keep it up.
Do I need to follow a strict routine?
Sup dudes. I’ve heard you say a few times that it’s very important stay consistent with the workouts you do and not just go based off feeling but in my experience adding a little more flexibility to my workout by tweaking it a little each time keeps the workout engaging. I follow a PPL split but sometimes I’ll just change up the movements (e.g., on a push day, one day I might do flat bench and incline DB and the next push day I might do incline bench with chest flies.) I’ve kinda adopted this workout style from watching Sam Sulek lift and I also feel like it promotes Arnold old saying to “shock the muscle”. I know that different training styles work for different people but I was still wondering if there was a better way to still keep my workouts flexible while not leaving gains on the table. Or just you’re thoughts in general about a flexible training style like Sam Suleks.
How to get out of a gym funk?
Hi both! Wondering what you both do to get out of a gym funk? E.g. nothing's wrong, just not really feeling the gym much. I had a few weeks off the gym recently and expected to get right back into it afterwards, but finding workouts quite 'meh' at the moment (I still go though!) Thanks :)
Fatigue and Recovery
Hi- First of all, love your podcast, training programs and all the great information! So I have a question and I'm not sure if you both have some suggestions for me or if you could direct to me to somewhere else. I am a 48 year old woman who has been exercising/working out for the majority of my adult life. Yes, I've done all the things and all the fads. I'm currently struggling with the whole being smaller vs. being stronger thing, but so is every child of the 80's/90's!! I have had Hoshimoto's and Ulcerative Colitis and have been on medication for both of them since my 20's. It is what it is, and I still power through and I don't let anything stop me. I am slender, 5'4" 137 pounds. Last summer I had surgery for endometrios and getting that diagnosis has been a complete game changer for me- imagine knowing that something else is wrong but so many doctors have told you that it's all in your head and that this is just how your body is; deal. Anyway- since the surgery- EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED. I am able to work on my stress, my sleep, my anxiety, etc. And I have been able to lift heavier than I ever have! And I love it! I love my strength! I love my body comp changes! I look forward to all the good things ahead. My question- I have noticed within the past month that my fatigue levels the day after a lift is off the charts. I am exhausted, my muscle recovery takes like 1-3 days sometimes; but it's the overall exhaustion and fatigue. I eat about 1600-1700 calories a day and hit about 100 grams of protein. Do you have any suggestions for me? I don't want to quit lifting and love this journey that I'm on. Thanks so much for everything!!- Devon