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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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Ep 394 - Common Movement Questions
Iron Culture co-hosts Eric Trexler and Eric Helms answer four common questions about movement and lifting. Topics include anterior pelvic tilt, tibial torsion and asymmetry, butt wink, and Smith machine squats. They explain why recommendati
Ep 393 - When Science Isn't Ready for "Prime Time"
Trexler and Helms step back from training specifics to talk about how science gets interpreted, communicated, and applied. Trexler opens with two anecdotes that exposed a blind spot in his own communication — a one-minute clip of a talk on
Ep 392 - Training Frequency for Hypertrophy
Trexler and Helms dig into training frequency and hypertrophy, prompted by a wave of recent discussion and two new papers: a new original study comparing three weekly sessions of three sets against one session of nine, and a new preprint fr
BONUS: The Missing Dimension to Optimum Sports Nutrition? - Eric Helms & Steve Hall
In this episode, Eric Helms and Steve Hall explore the nature of aging, the importance of self-awareness, and practical insights into nutrition and training for bodybuilders. They share personal stories, scientific perspectives, and coachin
Ep 391 - What Can You REALLY Learn From Pre-Steroid Era Bodybuilders? (with Dr. Conor Heffernan)
This episode looks at bodybuilding before steroids became widespread, arguing that the era is far more useful (and more complicated) than the usual "pure, simple, natty golden age" story. Drs Eric Helms and Conor Heffernan break down how st
Ep 390 - Is Muscle Loss Really a Big Deal?
Bodybuilders are laser-focused on retaining as much muscle as possible while dieting, and for very good reason. In that context, the smallest details matter. But what about everybody else? This episode explores a hot take on weight loss, le
Ep 389 - What the Erics Actually Do
In this episode, Eric Helms and Eric Trexler share their current approaches to diet, training, and supplementation, emphasizing pragmatic strategies, individualization, and the importance of evidence-based practice. They discuss how constra
BONUS - Drop Sets & Myo-Reps: The Best Way to Use Them (w/ Eric Helms & Steve Hall)
In this episode, Eric Helms and Steve Hall discuss training strategies, auto-regulation, the role of cardio in bodybuilding, and practical techniques for efficient training. They share insights from their recent training camps and personal
Ep 388 - What Most Bodybuilders and Their Coaches Miss (ft. Richard Collins)
In this episode, Eric Helms and Richard Collins explore the art and science of coaching, emphasizing the importance of motivation, rapport, and tailored strategies in achieving long-term success in fitness and bodybuilding. In this episode,
Ep 387 - Energy Cost of Building Muscle
In this episode, Eric Trexler and Eric Helms explore the energetic cost of building human skeletal muscle, discussing recent research, practical implications, and misconceptions about muscle growth and energy expenditure. Relevant papers: h
Ep 386 - Sleep, Hypertrophy, and Creatine
Trexler and Helms dig into sleep and how it intersects with body composition and supplementation. They open on the sleep-and-lifting landscape, then work through the frequently cited 2010 study on insufficient sleep and fat loss, laying out
Ep 385 - Do Studies on Untrained Lifters Apply to Trained Lifters?
Trexler and Helms dig into Helms's new MASS article, "Are studies on untrained lifters irrelevant to trained lifters?" It's built around a new umbrella review by Andy Fry and colleagues. The recurring internet claim is that most exercise re
BONUS: Bulking Is Dead - Eric Helms & Steve Hall
In this episode, Eric Helms and Steve Hall explore the nuances of body recomposition, optimal bulking and cutting strategies, and the science behind muscle gain and fat loss. They discuss recent research, practical insights, and debunk comm
Ep 384 - Is Ultrasound Lying About Your Gains?
A methods-focused episode about how muscle and body-composition measurements can mislead you when reading the research. The main event is a new Balshaw and colleagues paper concluding that ultrasound muscle thickness is a poor index of MRI-
Ep 383 - Q&A: Imbalances, Fatigue, & REDs
In today's Q&A episode, the Erics work through a few listener questions. First they tackle upper/lower body imbalance — why lagging body parts usually call for improving training quality before adding volume, and why standout muscle groups
Ep 382 - The Science of Building Bone (ft. Dr.Lora Giangregorio)
The Erics sit down with bone health expert Dr. Lora Giangregorio, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, to unpack what's actually known about how bone adapts to resistance training. The conversation covers why bone chang
BONUS: Are Fitness Trackers Worth It? - Eric Helms & Steve Hall
In this episode, Steve Hall and Eric Helms explore the nuances of training, recovery, and the use of technology in bodybuilding. They share insights on managing recovery, the limitations of fitness trackers, and the importance of personaliz
Ep 381 - Q&A: GLP-1s, Tendon Training, & Rep Ranges
Trexler and Helms open with an overview of the new MASS issue (body recomposition, a protein consensus paper, reverse dieting) and a powerlifting World Championships recap before diving into a rapid-fire listener Q&A. Along the way they tac
Ep 380 - Bulking, Cutting, and Recomping
In this Q&A episode, Eric Trexler and Eric Helms open with a recap of their trip to Norway and announce a new MASS partnership with AFPT International. They then work through a string of listener questions that end up forming a surprisingly
Ep 379 - Behind the Scenes (Iron Culture Documentary) ft. Omar Isuf
In a monumental moment for the Iron Cult, OMAR RETURNS for a guest appearance. In this episode, Omar Isuf and Eric Helms discuss the journey of creating the ambitious Iron Culture documentary, highlighting behind-the-scenes challenges, pers
BONUS: Revive Stronger - Fatigue, Progress & The Psychology of Bodybuilding (ft. Steve Hall)
Eric Helms and Steve Hall discuss training strategies, deloads, body image, and the cultural aspects of bodybuilding, sharing insights from their experiences and recent projects like the bodybuilding documentary. Chapters 00:00 Introduction
Ep 378 - Social Media Protein Debates
Eric Trexler and Eric Helms recently found themselves in the middle of a debate about optimal protein intakes, all initiated by a social media post from Stu Phillips (a leading researcher in the area). In this episode, they dive into how th
Ep 377 – MRV/MAV, Diet Breaks & Refeeds
Back in episode 375, Helms and Trex briefly mentioned a few "evidence-based fitness" topics for which their views have evolved over the years. In hindsight, they didn't give a few of those topics the time, attention, and explanation they de
Ep 376 - Weight Loss Resistance
Join us for a rare Iron Culture episode with co-hosts who are not only on the same continent, but actually in the same ROOM. Helms and Trexler are in Australia for the Sports Nutrition Association Annual Conference, so they got together to
Ep 375 - Humility in Science
Join Drs Eric Helms and Eric Trexler as they discuss the importance of humility in science, and a few key areas where their perspectives have changed over the years. If you're in the market for some new (ultra-high-quality) gym gear or appa
BONUS: Stronger Culture - The Protein Ceiling: Real or Not a Needle Mover? (ft Eric Helms & Steve Hall)
Join Steve Hall and Eric Helms as they explore the nuances of bodybuilding, nutrition, and training strategies. From caffeine timing and body composition tracking to posing techniques and mental models, this conversation offers practical in
Ep 374 - Processing, Palatability, and Bingeing
This episode begins with a slightly defensive rant by Eric Trexler, followed by a very defensive rant by Eric Helms. After that, they dive into new research uncovering the complexities of ultraprocessed foods, their impact on obesity, binge
Ep 373 - Does Bone Predict Hypertrophy?
This episode begins with a discussion about the importance of scientific rigor in fitness research and science communication. After that, hosts Eric Trexler and Eric Helms discuss the relationship between skeletal structure and muscle growt
Ep 372 - New ACSM Lifting Guidelines
In this episode, Eric Trexler and Eric Helms discuss the latest updates in resistance training research, the evolution of training principles since 2009, and practical applications for trainers and athletes. They explore key points from the
Stronger Culture - The Mental Side of Bodybuilding Nobody Talks About
Join us for an in-depth discussion with Steve Hall & Eric Helms on supplement testing, polygraph use in bodybuilding, sleep optimization, and the power of acceptance in training and life. This episode offers practical insights for natural b
