Iron Radio-Nutrition Radio Network

Strength Coaching News: Why Every High School Needs a Qualified Strength Coach Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss a high school strength program that celebrates a dangerously sloppy clean and use it as a springboard to examine coaching quality, injury prevention, long-term development, strength versus speed and power, transfer to the field, and affordable ways schools can bring qualified strength and conditioning expertise to every sport. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:45 Sloppy Cleans and High School Strength Programs 05:10 Numbers, Injury Rates, and Coaching Quality 08:00 The Case for a School-Wide Strength Coach 11:20 Team Building and Safe Training Alternatives 14:00 Standards, Norms, and Four-Year Athlete Development 17:25 Freshmen, Long-Term Planning, and Biological Reality 20:15 Strength Coach Responsibilities and Sport Transfer 23:10 Strength, Speed, Power, and Rate of Force Development 26:15 Youth Athletes, Resilience, and Athletic Development 28:20 Funding and Contracting Qualified Coaching 30:05 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

The Death of the Training Partner: Accountability, Feedback, and the Human Element of Strength Training Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery examine what happens when lifters lose the in-person training partner. They discuss accountability, technical feedback, healthy competition, support on bad training days, and the limits of remote programming. The conversation covers video review, velocity-based training, Tendo/GymAware and other wearables, tandem coaching, caffeine and perceived bar speed, interval feedback, social-media praise, AI coaching, and why earned human respect and tough love remain difficult to automate. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 05:20 Youth Sports, Heat Acclimatization, and Resilience 09:40 The Death of the Training Partner 13:10 Accountability and Technical Feedback 17:10 Healthy Competition and Support on Bad Days 21:15 Video Review and Relearning Perception 25:05 Velocity-Based Training and Wearables 28:45 Tandem Coaching and the Eye in the Sky 31:35 Caffeine, Bar Speed, and Objective Feedback 34:05 AssaultBike, Rower, and Interval Accountability 36:20 AI, Social Media, and the Limits of Outsourcing Coaching 39:40 Earned Respect, Tough Love, and Human Connection 41:55 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Why People Struggle to Lift: Barriers, Energy, Access, and the Minimal Effective Dose Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery angle a new qualitative study of 38 adults experiencing food insecurity toward strength training, unpacking time scarcity, fatigue, occupational demands, safety, weather, health complications, finances, and the tension between motivation and low energy. They share practical strategies from coaching younger athletes, workers, busy professionals, and low-aerobic-capacity clients: train before work, use brief lifting and high-intensity conditioning, build access and social support, start with one or two manageable changes, and reduce excuses without overwhelming the person. The hosts also discuss how basic aerobic fitness can improve energy and brain fog, why community health workers may lack specific resistance-training guidance, and the importance of finding the minimal effective dose for sustainable progress. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:05 Study on Barriers to Physical Activity and Food Insecurity 04:10 Time Scarcity, Fatigue, Work, and Environmental Barriers 08:25 Motivation Versus Energy and the Importance of Priorities 11:40 Diagnosing Low Energy: Iron, Sleep, Inflammation, and Aerobic Fitness 16:10 Building Exercise Into the Day and Improving Access 20:05 Something Is Better Than Nothing 23:00 Community Health Workers and Resistance-Training Knowledge 26:15 Meathead Cardio and the Minimal Effective Dose 29:45 Social Support, Coaching, and Reducing Excuses 32:35 Training Barriers, Accountability, and AI 34:20 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Enhanced Games' Financial Reality Check and the Mainstreaming of Injectable Peptides Coach Phil Stevens and Dr. Lonnie Lowery open by shouting out Phil's son Odin, a finalist for Sports Illustrated/CBS Youth Athlete of the Year, then dig into a piece of news Mike sent in before missing the show: the Enhanced Games reported a $61.9 million net loss for Q2 2026, a quarter that included its inaugural live event. The company generated $17.7 million in revenue against roughly $79.6 million in operating expenses, about $52 million of which went to games, athlete, and event operating costs. Phil and Lonnie argue the promotion tried to go too big too fast by building its own roughly 2,500-seat arena instead of leasing an existing venue, capping potential ticket revenue compared to a stadium-scale event. Still, the numbers show real traction: a reported 419% increase in social media engagement and 227% increase in video views during the event, plus claimed reach of a billion people, which the hosts frame as a brand-awareness investment rather than a failure, pointing to Jón Páll-style headline moments like Thor Bjornsson's 475-kilogram deadlift win over Mitchell Hooper (both missed 515 kg) and the newly announced, lower-cost Enhanced Breakers Series as the next step toward pay-per-view streaming. The discussion then pivots to a much bigger cultural shift: injectable peptides and hormones going fully mainstream, no longer confined to bodybuilders and powerlifters. The hosts cite a reported surge in high-gauge needle sales, RFK Jr.'s public, positive stance on peptides, rising TRT use in women, and campus rumors of entire college teams using peptides despite NCAA bans. They debate the ethics of replacing hormones the body already produces versus adding novel pharmaceuticals, land on the idea of pursuing a minimal effective dose rather than "more is better," and reflect on how a historical lack of access to drugs was an accidental protective mechanism for amateur lifters that is quickly disappearing as telehealth and compounding pharmacies expand access. They wrap by agreeing that, drugs or no drugs, the same genetically and mentally gifted athletes would likely still rise to the top of their sports. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 00:20 Show Open and Odin's Youth Athlete of the Year Shoutout 02:20 Enhanced Games Q2 2026 Financial Loss 11:44 Enhanced Breakers Series and Streaming Strategy 12:52 Peptide and Needle Use Trends 15:38 Network Announcements and Newsletter 17:17 Dietary Supplements in Sports Performance Book 18:28 When Everybody's Super, No One Is 26:53 Minimal Effective Dose Discussion 32:55 Generational Perspective on Doping Norms 34:54 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Injectable Peptides, Influencers, and Why You Still Got to Lift Lonnie Lowery and Dr. Mike T. Nelson (Phil Stevens out with internet issues) open with an article, "Influencers are promoting dangerous peptides on social media, and regulators are struggling to keep up," detailing how unapproved injectable peptides have moved from niche bodybuilding forums into mainstream social media marketing via before-and-after claims and discount codes. The hosts debate what actually makes these compounds dangerous - the specific amino acid sequence and receptor interactions versus contamination, storage, and immune reactions from the injectable route itself - and connect it back to the show's core message: "you got to lift, bro." They discuss how influencer-driven peptide use sells the promise of results with minimal effort, contrast it with the disciplined training culture of 1980s and '90s PED-era bodybuilders, and share an anecdote from an ISSN conference where two of the field's top protein researchers agreed exercise outweighs protein for muscle retention. Mike notes the near-complete absence of controlled human trials on peptides like BPC-157 and mitochondrial compounds such as BAM15, the confound of concurrent TRT use, and the difficulty of testing vague, subjective outcomes like energy or recovery. They close by discussing the FDA's recent move allowing compounding pharmacies to produce certain peptides and the need for a legitimate, IRB-approved research effort - modeled on how ISSN itself began - to generate real safety and efficacy data before regulators are forced into further reactive policy. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 00:20 Host Introductions and Hypoxic Training Chat 03:25 You Got to Lift Theme Introduction 03:38 Peptide News Segment Setup 03:55 Article on Peptide Influencers 08:11 Amino Acids or Real Drugs Debate 14:27 Immune Reactions and Storage Risks 20:25 Bypassing Effort and the 80s-90s PED Era 27:03 VO2 Max and Measuring Progress 29:47 ISSN Anecdote: Exercise vs Protein 31:16 Microgravity and Human Need for Stimulus 34:21 Mitochondrial Peptides and TRT Confounds 36:42 Rick Collins and the Data Vacuum 40:13 Path to Legitimate IRB-Approved Studies 40:55 Wrap Up 42:29 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Youth Powerlifting Records and the Quarter-Rep Problem Phil Stevens opens with a recap of the USPA Midwest Junior Championship, where he coached five lifters including his son Odin (age 11), who broke the national squat record by 50 pounds with a 243-pound squat and just missed a 282.5-pound national deadlift record attempt after opening at 252. Also competing were 15-year-old Max (6'3", 250 lbs, chasing a 600-pound deadlift), newer lifter Ethan, Phil's 18-year-old daughter, and 19-year-old Cooper, who squatted 480 and benched 315 but missed a deadlift record at 582. The hosts then pivot to Phil's ongoing recovery from a torn meniscus and the increasingly aggressive nature of modern rehab and PT protocols compared to decades past. The back half of the show turns into a debate sparked by Lonnie's gym pet peeve: watching older lifters perform quarter-range-of-motion reps on machines like the leg press and recumbent elliptical. The group works through whether "something is better than nothing," how gym culture spreads through imitation ("monkey see, monkey do"), how Planet Fitness locations increasingly stock real free-weight equipment, and how an over-indexing on isolation and cable work may be holding back younger lifters chasing hypertrophy. They close by observing that a growing number of women at the gym now train harder and more intelligently than the average male gym-goer. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 00:15 Youth Meet Recap and National Records 04:15 Rapid Strength Progress in Young Lifters 05:51 Phil's Weak Bench and Training Priorities 10:33 Aggressive Modern Rehab and Recovery Trends 11:46 Network Announcements and Newsletter 13:55 Gym Etiquette and the Quarter Rep Debate 15:51 Effort and Doing Something Versus Nothing 18:02 Monkey See Monkey Do and Gym Imitation 19:43 Trends Across Different Gyms 21:04 Hypertrophy Culture and Isolation Work 23:40 Effort, Mobility, and Close Calls 27:20 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

FDA Advisory Panel Backs Six Peptides for Compounding Pharmacies Phil kicks things off with an update on the torn upper horn of his lateral meniscus, sustained just before a meet he ran anyway (600 lb squat, 600 lb deadlift) rather than sit out with his son. From there the hosts pivot to a Verywell Health piece by Amber Raiken on the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee recommending looser restrictions on six peptides — BPC-157, TB-500, KPV, MOTS-c, Selank, and Epitalon — while rejecting a seventh, Emoxypine, over weak human results. Mike, drawing on a recent conversation with attorney Rick Collins, explains the split between FDA researchers (mostly opposed) and the non-physician advisory panel (mostly in favor), and why compounding-pharmacy oversight could at least guarantee sterile, accurately-dosed product versus the unregulated grey market. The group works through the thin evidence base for BPC-157 — including a sham-surgery knee trial showing a large placebo effect — alongside real anecdotes, including Phil's own faster recovery after hip surgery. They also cover the money and politics behind the FDA's shift, the rise of pre-loaded peptide pens mirroring GLP-1 marketing, sermorelin's prior FDA history, grey-market use of unapproved compounds like retatrutide, and how peptides moved from underground research-chemical circles in the '90s to today's mainstream, driven largely by biohacker influencers and the normalization of GLP-1 injections — now increasingly popular with women as well as men. They close by comparing peptide-assisted recovery in elite athletes (citing Patrick Mahomes) to the old anabolic-era "impossible" recovery stories, and debate what a sane regulatory and tracking system for peptides could look like. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 00:20 Phil's Meniscus Tear and Meet Recovery 05:02 Transition to Peptide Regulatory News 06:18 FDA Advisory Panel and the Six Peptides 12:11 BPC-157 History and Anecdotal Evidence 17:02 Network Announcements and Newsletter 19:58 FDA Politics and Compounding Pharmacy Incentives 30:07 Six Peptides List and Emoxypine Rejection 34:59 A Proposal for Peptide Regulation and Tracking 37:28 How Peptides Reached the General Public 46:48 Elite Athletes and Faster Recovery Anecdotes 50:06 Wrap and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: AI, Forums, and the Future of Fitness/Nutrition Content On Iron Radio, hosts Dr. Lonnie Lowery and Dr. Mike T. Nelson discuss how AI and social media are reshaping strength and sports-nutrition education, using the rise and decline of forum-based brands like Biotest and T-Nation as context. They argue that AI produces confident answers even when wrong, making baseline knowledge and better prompting essential, and suggest strategies like asking for pro/con cases and restricting sources (e.g., PubMed). They note algorithms reward negative, context-free “myth-busting” clips, accelerating noise and short attention spans, while long-form podcasts, newsletters, and trusted individuals may become the new “moat.” They explore businesses building proprietary “expert AI” trained on decades of content, concerns about AI-generated writing undermining credibility, and using AI to automate low-value tasks while preserving human expertise. 00:00 Welcome to Iron Radio 01:33 Biotest and Community Models 03:27 Content Overload Era 03:59 AI Confidence Problem 04:40 Following Individuals Over Content 05:33 Article Spinning and SEO 06:28 Dead Internet Theory 07:23 Influencer Culture Shift 08:27 Attention Span Crisis 10:10 Newsletter Strategy 11:46 Storytelling in Science 12:13 Writing Better AI Prompts 13:59 AI Limitations Revealed 16:22 Navigating Information Noise 17:08 Instagram Algorithm Analysis 17:55 Negativity Drives Engagement 20:27 Custom AI Solutions 21:27 Context Loss Problem 21:48 Myth Busting Confusion 23:14 Trust and Authority 24:17 Government Sources Questioned 25:40 Forum Communities Discussion 26:08 Business Strategy Adaptation 27:02 AI Writing Limitations 28:16 AI Generated Content Dilemma 30:20 Smart AI Automation 30:49 Professional Standards Matter 32:04 Closing Thoughts Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

World-Class Numbers: Inside Colton Engelbreit's 2,700-Pound World Record Total Coach Phil opens the news segment with word that powerlifter Colton Engelbreit shattered the all-time world record total in Moscow, pulling roughly a 1,003-lb squat, 612-lb bench, and 1,086-lb deadlift for a total north of 2,700 pounds at a 265-lb bodyweight — beating the prior mark by over 100 pounds. The hosts marvel at how balanced his lifts are (no weak link) and reminisce that a 700-lb deadlift was 'elite' 15 years ago, while today many lifters in their teens and twenties are pulling similar numbers. They debate why standards have exploded: wider access to TRT and peptide-driven recovery, open sharing of training info on YouTube and social media (versus waiting months for the next magazine), kids starting serious lifting in their early-to-mid teens instead of their late 20s, and coaches accelerating athletes' progress by passing down decades of trial-and-error knowledge instead of making each generation re-learn it. Dr. Lonnie Lowery ties in classic overfeeding research, including the Vermont prison studies, to speculate that improved nutrient partitioning — not just sloppier bulking — may explain some of the added lean mass in modern lifters. The conversation closes on the psychology of record-breaking: training age versus biological age, how mental barriers (like the four-minute mile) collapse once someone proves a number is possible, and how seeing elite strength or size in person — rather than on video — permanently resets an athlete's sense of what's normal. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 00:45 Wildfire Smoke and Air Quality Chat 01:45 Colton Engelbreit's New World Record Total 03:15 Breaking Down an Otherworldly Squat-Bench-Deadlift Total 04:30 How Fast Strength Standards Have Skyrocketed 05:45 TRT, Peptides, and Modern Recovery 07:00 Social Media and the Open Sharing of Training Knowledge 08:00 Bodybuilding vs Powerlifting Culture on Sharing Secrets 09:00 The Pace of Record-Breaking Across Generations 10:00 Younger Athletes Entering the Sport Earlier 11:10 Colton's Early Training Background 12:30 The Risk of Early Sport Specialization 13:30 The Case for Training Variety 14:30 Getting Bigger and Losing Mobility 15:30 Building a Base Before Specializing 16:35 Overfeeding Studies and Lean Mass Partitioning 17:40 Developmental Windows and Early Training Exposure 18:40 Mental Fortitude Built at a Young Age 19:40 Training Age vs Biological Age 20:40 Phil's Son and the Puberty Question 21:40 How Norms Shape an Athlete's Expectations 22:45 Breaking Mental Barriers Like the Four-Minute Mile 23:45 Finding a Gym With Stronger Lifters 24:45 The Power of Witnessing Greatness in Person 25:50 Adam Glass and the Inch Dumbbell Story 26:50 AI Skepticism and the Value of Seeing It Live 27:50 Up Close With Elite Bodybuilders and NFL Athletes 28:50 Standing on the Shoulders of Previous Generations 29:50 Coaches as Accelerators of Progress 31:00 Newton, Einstein, and Building on What Came Before 33:00 Wrap and Sign-Off Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Enhanced Games Reality Check: Thor's Stack, FDA Restrictions, and the Supervised PED Debate Phil Stevens opens with a proud update on his 11-year-old son's powerlifting progress before pivoting to the week's main topic: the Enhanced Games' newly released Thor stack supplement (NAD+, testosterone, Cialis). Phil notes the irony that Thor admitted to using testosterone, deca, and halotestalone at the games, while the supplement product conspicuously omits those compounds. The hosts debate whether the FDA-approved-only drug restriction undermines the games' core premise — Dr. Mike T. Nelson and Dr. Lonnie Lowery explore how international athletes may have had to compete under tighter restrictions than they'd face at home, and the group agrees a better model would involve full informed consent and supervised blood monitoring. They also reflect on how prosecution of steroids has dropped sharply under the current administration, the rapid normalization of TRT and peptides in the general population, and how the reefer madness-style hysteria around anabolics has given way to open conversation. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:42 Phil's Son Breaks National Powerlifting Records 03:38 Enhanced Games Thor Stack News 06:34 Did the Enhanced Games Succeed or Fail? 08:44 The Case for Supervised PED Use 11:46 FDA-Only Rules and International Athletes 16:15 What Doses Did Enhanced Games Athletes Actually Use? 18:40 Thor's Actual Stack vs What They're Selling 20:04 Getting an Enhanced Games Insider on the Show 22:05 Enhanced Games Business Model 24:23 Rise of TRT and Peptides in the General Population 25:07 PED Prosecution Under the Current Administration 26:20 Reefer Madness Then and Now 27:40 Ethics of PEDs Forced Into the Light 28:39 Wrap 29:21 Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Myostatin Blocker Hype vs. Reality, and Should You Still Take Omega-3s? In this Fourth of July Iron Radio episode, Coach Phil Stevens introduces a newly publicized myostatin-blocking drug, Trevogrumab (Regeneron), which promises dose-dependent muscle gain by blocking the myostatin pathway. Phil flags a viral social media clip hyping the compound, while noting that buried in early trial data is a troubling adverse event: 5 of 45 subjects experienced death. Dr. Lonnie Lowery and Dr. Mike T. Nelson dig into the science — what we know about myostatin knockout in animals and a rare German double-null child, the question of whether resistance training is even necessary with such a drug, and the dangers of underground use without sterility or verified sourcing. In the second segment, Dr. Lonnie covers a "clickbait" Supply Side Journal article questioning Omega-3 value based on preclinical and conflicting observational data. Dr. Mike discusses his decade-plus practice of testing red blood cell Omega-3 levels with Dr. Dibbus, targeting 8–9% RBC levels, current dosing considerations, and why farmed salmon's changed feed now makes supplementation even more critical. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:27 Fourth of July News Episode Setup 01:46 Myostatin Blocker Trevogrumab Introduction 05:00 Trial Deaths and Safety Red Flags 07:53 Myostatin Science and Animal Models 10:27 Underground Use and Anecdotal Reports 13:00 Social Media Influence and Gen Pop Risk 16:07 Show Announcements and Promos 19:10 AI Check on Trevogrumab Side Effects 21:00 Golden Dilemma and Risk Acceptance 24:51 Omega-3 News: Clickbait or Real Science? 29:06 Phil on High-Dose Fish Oil History 30:21 Mike on Omega-3 Testing Protocol 34:00 Farmed Salmon and Supplement Rationale 35:48 Wrap and Happy Fourth of July Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Training, Recovery, and Staying Strong After 50 In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery tackle the growing number of lifters entering strength training at age 50 and beyond. Phil shares observations from an over-50 fitness forum and his own experience returning to a 700-pound squat at age 49 after training mostly in the 400–500 range. The hosts discuss research showing age-related decline follows a step function driven largely by injuries rather than a smooth linear drop, the importance of injury prevention as a primary training goal, soft tissue adaptations and “old man strength,” and the shift toward physique-based training with intensity techniques like forced reps, eccentrics, and drop sets. Recovery strategies include prioritizing sleep (Phil now goes to bed at 8:30), eating like an adult with higher protein-to-calorie ratios, collagen supplementation 40–60 minutes pre-training per the Shaw and Keith Baar protocol, hibiscus tea for micronutrition, and down-regulation tools like float tanks and the ShiftWave chair. They also discuss maintaining rate of force development safely using bands, chains, K-box flywheel training, and throwing events rather than high-impact plyometrics. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:19 Sleep Quality and Aging 02:20 Over-50 Fitness Forum Observations 03:35 Training Intensity Must Be Selective 05:44 Hormonal Changes and Central Body Fat 07:04 Age-Related Decline Data and Step Function 08:47 Injury Prevention as Priority 10:46 Phil’s 700-Pound Squat Return at 49 11:30 Soft Tissue Adaptation and Old Man Strength 12:50 Knowing Your Limits — Mentally vs Physically 15:21 Shifting Toward Physique-Based Training 16:46 Show Promos and Updates 19:46 Bodybuilding Variety and Intensity Techniques 22:28 Belt Squat, Hex Squat, and Equipment Alternatives 24:07 Recovery — Sleep, Nutrition, and Collagen 29:57 Hibiscus Tea and Micronutrition 31:13 Immobilization Risks and Minimizing Decline 33:33 Consistency Beats Entropy 35:26 Rate of Force Development — Safe Explosiveness 38:14 Summary and Farewell Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

ISSN Conference Rundown: Lactotripeptides, GLP-1 Support, Astaxanthin, Beta-Alanine, Urolithin A, and Wearables In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery recap highlights from the ISSN conference. They discuss sponsored research on casein lactotripeptides and their possible effects on blood flow, “pump,” and hypertrophy; a presentation on nutrition support for GLP-1 users and high dropout rates; and updates on astaxanthin as a carotenoid antioxidant with emerging dosing and metabolism data. They review a beta-alanine tutorial covering loading timelines, paresthesia, and dosing, and talk with Emily Werner about urolithin A, mixed evidence, cost, and sourcing concerns. Other topics include amino acids for tendon recovery, communication of sports nutrition in media, a practical sports nutrition lecture emphasizing field validity and “don’t assume—go look,” MSM for recovery, EAAs and cognition, and Mike’s wearable tech takeaways, including poor calorie-burn estimates and HRV/respiratory rate considerations. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:42 Conference Recap Setup 02:14 Milk Peptides and Pump 08:27 GLP-1 Nutrition Support 10:31 Astaxanthin Deep Dive 14:19 Beta Alanine Update 21:05 Urolithin A Buzz 22:04 Urolithin A Evidence 23:31 Personal Trials and Cost 25:12 Buying Legit Sources 27:14 Amino Acids for Tendons 29:02 Media Nutrition Messaging 31:01 Real World Sports Nutrition 34:11 MSM and Immune Stress 36:20 EAAs for Cognition 39:09 Wearables Accuracy Reality 43:42 Conference Wrap and Farewell Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Peptides, SARMs, and “No Free Lunch”: Why You Must Know the Side Effects In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss growing use of peptides, SARMs, and other drugs in gyms and the general public, emphasizing that many people take substances without understanding risks, side effects, dosing tradeoffs, or product quality. They compare older, better-studied compounds to newer agents with limited or no human data, and highlight dangers of injection practices, sterility issues, and mislabeled products. Mike shares a Journal of Nutrition study (Sato et al., industry-funded by Morinaga) on an oral whey hydrolysate tetrapeptide (leucine-aspartate-glutamine-tryptophan) in 181 overweight adults, reporting about a one-inch waist reduction and improved mood over 8–12 weeks. The conversation broadens to impatience, lifestyle disease, and the value of slow, informed, long-term progress in training, dieting, and health. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:17 Lonnie on Aging Lifts 02:14 Why People Ignore Risks 05:01 SARMs and New Peptides 06:01 Peptides Can Do Anything 09:52 Creatine Tweaks and Hype 11:30 Oral Peptide Study News 16:37 Impatience and Quick Fixes 17:35 Show Updates and Promos 20:34 Peptide Sellers and Injection Risks 23:15 Sketchy Peptide Supply 23:52 Sterility Horror Stories 25:04 Informed Consent Mindset 25:46 Commercials And Polypharmacy 28:51 Vanity Vs Aging Reality 30:43 Slow Habits Beat Shortcuts 32:46 Dose Response Not Linear 33:35 Crash Diet Stress Costs 36:00 Patience And Longevity 38:14 Parenting Goals And Odds 40:41 Pay Your Dues Closing 41:39 Podcast Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Enhanced Games Recap: PEDs, PRs, Recovery, and the $10M Usain Bolt Bounty | Iron Radio In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss the recent Enhanced Games, noting that unenhanced top-level competitors often beat enhanced entrants who were frequently retired for 5–14 years and had only about four months of prep, including roughly two months enhanced. They argue the results still showed meaningful effects, with many athletes—especially older ones—beating personal bests, and they highlight weightlifting as the sport with the most dramatic improvements, including an athlete opening 10 kg over his best and narrowly missing a world record at 30 kg over. They critique expectations of instant “Captain America” gains, discuss sport-specific tradeoffs (e.g., muscle mass and drag in swimming), mention strict FDA-approved protocols, heavy commercialization, major investors, prize payouts, Olympic bans, and a new $10M offer for breaking Usain Bolt’s 100m record, with plans toward 2027. 00:00 Show Intro and Hosts 00:46 Concert Banter and Updates 01:41 Enhanced Games Recap 03:29 Why Records Didn't Fall 04:44 Swimming vs Strength Sports 06:25 Strongman Drug Rules 08:12 Money Incentives and Olympics 11:22 Training Timeline and Oversight 12:51 Sponsors and TRT Clinics 17:18 Marketing and Mechanical Doping 20:10 Recovery Not Just Muscle 22:31 Ethics and Pro Sports Testing 24:24 Testing Is a Joke 25:00 Doping Culture by Sport 25:33 Olympics Arms Race 27:04 Genetics Skill and Reality 28:47 Bodybuilding Drug Debate 31:33 Capitalism and Sport Picks 32:32 Tech Suits and Gear Rules 34:17 Results PRs and Future 35:54 Timeframes and Supervision 37:51 Safety Monitoring Ethics 41:12 Wrap Up and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: Do Supplements Beat Food for Vitamin Status? Wearable Food-Tracking Glasses + HDL, Exercise & Depression On Iron Radio, hosts Dr. Lonnie Lowery, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Coach Phil Stevens discuss Nelson’s Flex Diet Certification and how supplementation topics are integrated due to time constraints, plus his creatine research PDF. They review a new NHANES-based paper (Sternberg et al., May 2026) suggesting supplement use explains more variability in vitamin biomarkers (R² ~3–21%) than reported dietary intake (~0.8–8.8%), while noting limitations like recall bias, low explained variance, and imperfect biomarkers. They then examine a 2021 AIM2 wearable device that detects eating episodes and captures food images with ~83% accuracy, debating research benefits versus privacy and data-broker concerns. Finally, they critique a 2026 cross-sectional study linking physical activity, HDL cholesterol, and lower depression odds, arguing the effect is associative and likely non-causal, and expand into broader concerns about interpreting lipids in athletic populations and medical risk models. 00:00 Show Intro and Hosts 01:05 Flex Diet Cert and Supplements 03:23 Brevity in Science Talks 05:34 Talk Tactics and Backup Slides 08:22 Supplements vs Food Biomarkers 14:04 Vitamin D and Biomarker Limits 15:21 Iron Radio Feed Update 16:32 Newsletter and Book Plug 18:21 Wearable Food Tracking Glasses 21:00 Privacy and Data Broker Fears 23:21 VR Ads and Escape 23:53 Food Illusions and Conditioning 24:27 Research Uses vs Privacy 26:20 Testing Dietary Recall Accuracy 27:39 HDL Exercise and Depression Study 30:29 Is HDL Really Causal 33:21 Selling Results in Titles 35:02 HDL Drugs and High HDL Debate 37:08 Statins Risk Models and Exercise 40:15 Athlete Labs and Wrap Up Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

When Should You Compete Again? Timing Meets, Momentum, and Realistic Goals in Strength & Physique Sports In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss how athletes decide what to do next after a meet or show and when to compete again. Phil explains how competition frequency often shifts from many meets per year early on to fewer events as lifters get stronger, older, and need more time to recover and make meaningful progress, sometimes using smaller meets as non-max “training day” run-throughs for clients. Mike describes prioritizing goals to avoid competitions that distract from main objectives, and notes the added challenges in physique sports where frequent shows can create a stressful 6–12 week “gray area” and lead to issues like water retention and inflammation, especially for natural athletes. They emphasize realistic expectations, honest coaching, and the value of outside perspective for planning and psychology. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:18 When to Compete Again 02:07 Phil on Meet Frequency 03:51 Clients and Progress Planning 06:13 Warmup Meets Strategy 07:49 Powerlifting vs Physique Peaks 08:50 Mike on Priorities and Goals 10:51 Physique Sports Gray Zone 16:40 Iron Radio Feed Update 17:52 Mike Nelson Newsletter 18:30 New Supplement Book 19:39 Levrone Transformation Talk 20:16 Setting Realistic PR Goals 21:26 Getting Athletes To Eat 24:03 Dreams Versus Reality 24:33 Choosing Your Strengths 27:50 Managing Warrior Mode 30:41 Why Coaches Matter 32:35 Wrap Up And Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: Why Lifters Need Variety, Play, and “Accidental Exercise” (for Longevity & Brain Health) In this Iron Radio episode, Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss why strength athletes should include variety and recreational movement beyond specialized lifting, especially with aging. Phil cites evidence that most pro athletes were multi-sport as kids and argues that changing activities and training emphases can reduce injury, burnout, and loss of explosiveness. Mike explains the neurological benefits of movement in different planes and chaotic environments (eyes, vestibular system, proprioception), shares the GOAT drill as a warm-up, and suggests options like skateboarding, surfing, tennis, pickleball, juggling, and kettlebell juggling. The hosts emphasize “play,” hiking on real trails, and keeping at least minimal aerobic work so the gap between doing nothing and something doesn’t widen, while also cautioning older trainees to restart old skills at low intensity to protect tissues. 00:00 Welcome and Hosts 01:11 Why Variety Matters 03:56 Purposeful Play Training 05:44 Neuro Coordination Drills 09:31 Show Updates and Feeds 10:42 Newsletter and Book Plug 12:29 Aging Injury Proofing 17:09 Learning New Skills 19:35 Start Slow Stay Safe 21:09 Sprinting Risks and Tissue 23:28 Rebuilding Skills Slowly 24:10 Hiking for Real Movement 25:34 Ground Work and Aging 27:07 Sports as Cardio 28:09 Accidental Exercise Mindset 29:38 Playful Training Tools 31:15 Avoiding Specialization Traps 32:17 Offseason and Aerobic Base 34:06 Minimum Effective Conditioning 37:13 Juggling Desk Breaks 38:22 Flow Trainers and Hacky Sack 39:44 Wrap Up and Disclaimers Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Caffeine vs Paraxanthine, Sleep Quality, and Common Lifter Maladies (Injuries, Blood Work, Apnea, Aging) On Iron Radio, hosts Coach Phil Stevens and Dr. Lonnie Lowery (with Dr. Mike Nelson traveling) discuss a 2026 JISSN study on caffeine and its main metabolite paraxanthine in 14 male university rowers, finding the caffeine+paraxanthine combo improved 2,000m rowing performance versus placebo while caffeine-containing conditions worsened subjective sleep; they note key limitations including small sample size, subjective sleep measures, and unequal dosing (200 mg caffeine + 200 mg paraxanthine vs 200 mg of either alone). They then shift to “lifter maladies,” focusing on orthopedic issues (Phil’s MCL tear and training through injury), blood work and cholesterol swings, and the role of athlete compliance and monitoring versus gen pop. They also cover sleep apnea prevalence in large lifters, mental standards and training psychology, aging-related risks (ASCVD, prostate enlargement), and compensatory benefits like higher bone density and pain tolerance. 00:00 Show Intro and Hosts 00:59 Paraxanthine vs Caffeine Study 03:18 Study Results and Dose Debate 07:05 Training Timing and Stimulants 07:56 Network Updates and Where to Listen 09:07 Mike Nelson Newsletter Plug 09:45 Lonnie Lowery Book Announcement 10:54 Lifters Maladies Kickoff 11:11 Injuries and Orthopedic Wear 15:16 Aging Athletes and Family Limits 16:43 Blood Work and Health Monitoring 21:15 Mindset and Body Image Standards 23:17 Low Frequency Training 24:42 Sleep Apnea In Lifters 29:02 Exercise Risk Offsets 32:58 Food Health Tradeoffs 35:36 Pain Tolerance Legacy 38:28 Age Chronic Conditions 40:37 Mental Grit Closing 41:42 Sign Off Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: When More Training Isn’t Better—Recovery, Identity, and Avoiding Burnout Hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss athletes who struggle to take breaks, emphasizing that high-level performers typically have a “release valve” and can relax outside their sport. They explain how training needs change from novice to advanced stages as heavier loads create greater recovery demands, making “less is more,” and note that aging and life stress can further reduce recovery capacity. The conversation covers signs of under-recovery (stale performance, persistently high RPE, reduced motivation, and appetite changes), the risks of overtraining, and strategies like reducing training frequency, coaching instead of doing more, adding hobbies and mindful recreation, proactive recovery practices, and using wearable data cautiously. They also highlight identity issues tied to the gym and the value of a third-party coach for perspective and accountability. 00:00 Welcome to Iron Radio 01:09 Why Athletes Need Breaks 03:05 When More Stops Working 05:10 Tracking Then Letting Go 06:18 Life Stress and Recovery 08:06 Recovery Tools and Hobbies 11:17 Identity Beyond the Gym 13:50 Mindful Play and Metrics 16:01 Show Updates and Links 19:32 Motivation as a Warning Sign 23:27 Discipline Versus Burnout 30:25 Capacity Building Long Term 32:47 Different Types of Recovery 33:40 Wrap Up and Disclaimer Donate to the show via PayPal HERE . You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com Thank you! Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie