Iron Culture presented by MASS
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.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 93 minutes
- Episodes
- 347
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
Ep 325 - Plant-Based Bodybuilding With a World Champ (ft. Maddie McConnell)
In this episode of Iron Culture, hosts Eric Helms and Michael Zourdos reconnect and reflect on their experiences at the 2025 Sports Nutrition Association annual conference. Joined by guests Dr. Nick …
Ep 324 - WORLD PREMIERE: Front Page Fitness
This is a very special episode of Iron Culture because it's the WORLD PREMIERE of "Front Page Fitness," a new podcast hosted by Drs Eric Trexler and Lauren Colenso-Semple. If you're part of the Iron …
Ep 323 - MASS Makes History
The MASS Research Review started in 2017 and has provided cutting-edge evidence-based fitness content - every single month - ever since. Nearly 1500 articles and videos later, the MASS Crew is all in…
Ep 322- The Science of "Junk Volume" (ft. Jake Remmert)
In this episode of Iron Culture, host Eric Trexler and guest Jake Remmert discuss a new meta regression paper focusing on per session set volume and its impact on hypertrophy and strength. They explo…
Ep 321 - Are You Really As Hydrated As You Think?
In this episode of Iron Culture, hosts Eric Trexler and Eric Helms discuss various topics related to fitness, nutrition, and hydration. They delve into the importance of hydration, the potential for …
Ep 320 - Myths Versus Theories in Exercise Science (ft. James Steele)
In this episode of Iron Culture, hosts Eric Helms and Eric Trexler engage in a lively discussion with Dr. James Steele about the evolving landscape of sports science, particularly focusing on the cri…
Ep 319 - Bodybuilding Mortality Across the Eras (ft. Drs Conor Heffernan and Juan Carlos Cassano)
In this episode of Iron Culture, Eric Helms and guests Conor Heffernan and Dr. Juan Carlos Casano delve into the intricate relationship between bodybuilding, performance-enhancing drugs, and athlete …
Ep 318 - Resistance Training as a Fat Loss Tool (ft. Dr. Mike Ormsbee)
In this episode of Iron Culture, hosts Eric Helms and Michael Zourdos engage in a deep discussion with Dr. Mike Ormsbee about the role of resistance training in fat oxidation and body composition. Th…
Ep 317 - Training Volume: How Much Is Enough? (ft. Dr. Eduardo De Souza)
In this episode, Drs Trexler and Helms are joined by Dr. Eduardo De Souza to discuss the complexities and misconceptions surrounding high volume training in the context of hypertrophy research. He sh…
Ep 316 - Lengthened Biased Training: Time To Cut Bait?
In tonight’s episode of Iron Culture, Eric Trexler and Eric Helms discuss various topics related to fitness, training, and research. They share personal updates, including the toll that Helms' intens…
Ep 315 - Training Hard Versus Training Smart
Iron Culture is officially part of the 3-plate club. In this episode of Iron Culture, hosts Eric Trexler and Eric Helms celebrate their milestone 315th episode while diving into various topics includ…
Ep 314 - Science Is Broken (But Fixable)
This episode of Iron Culture begins with a rant/story by Dr. Trexler that highlights some issues with scientific publishing. He describes a study on apple cider vinegar, his MASS article criticizing …
Ep 313 - Is More (and More, and More) Protein Better for Muscle Retention?
In this episode of Iron Culture, hosts Dr. Eric Helms and Dr. Eric Trexler are joined by Dr. Martin Refalo to discuss their recent meta-regression study on protein intake and its effects on muscle hy…
Ep 312 - Muscle Soreness: What Does It Mean? (ft. Dr. Mike Zourdos)
In today's episode of Iron Culture, co-hosts Eric Helms and Eric Trexler are joined by MASS colleague Dr. Mike Zourdos. After a brief chat about bodybuilding, powerlifting, and college football news,…
Ep 311 - The Truth About Hormone Replacement Therapy
In Episode 311 of Iron Culture, hosts Dr. Eric Trexler, Dr. Eric Helms, and Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple deliver a comprehensive exploration of hormones, health, and performance optimization. The episod…
Ep 310 - Are People Getting "Metabolic Stress" Wrong?
In today's episode, Drs Trexler and Helms discuss a wide range of fitness topics including metabolic stress, "the pump," targeting the different heads of the biceps, individualising diets and supplem…
Ep 309 - Finding the Volume “Sweet Spot” During Plateaus
In this episode of Iron Culture, Eric Helms and Trex discuss a variety of evidence-based fitness topics. In this conversation, Dr. Trexler and Dr. Helms delve into the complexities of muscle gain, re…
Ep 308 - The Future of Natural Bodybuilding (w/ WNBF Pros Alberto Nuñez and Steff Noble)
In this episode, Eric Helms is joined by returning guest, his fellow 3DMJ coach and WNBF Pro bodybuilder, Alberto Nuñez, who is also the male WNBF athlete rep. In addition, they are joined by first …
Ep 307 - Are Lengthened Partials Overrated?
In this episode of Iron Culture presented by MASS, Dr. Eric Trexler and Dr. Eric Helms explore the science and debate surrounding lengthened partials, a training technique often celebrated for its hy…
Ep 306 - Mental Health, Physique Sports, and Fitness Coaching (ft. Laurin Conlin)
In this crossover episode of Iron Culture, co-hosts Danny Lennon and Eric Trexler are joined by fitness professional and fellow Sports Nutrition Association (SNA) advisory board member Laurin Conlin.…