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. 285 - Are Most Omega-3 Supplements Misformulated? (Feat Ryan Anthony)
PhD candidate Ryan Anthony joins the Erics on Iron Culture to discuss the fishy business of Omega-3 supplementation. Ryan is in the final years of his PhD research at the University of Wollongong in …
Ep. 284 - How to Keep Progressing in Powerlifting (feat. Walter Cariazo)
Walter Cariazo joins Omar and Eric Helms on Iron Culture to discuss his decade-long journey in powerlifting. He’s won the 93kg National Championship twice and the 105kg National Championship once in …
Ep. 283 - Jared Maynard: Rebuilding Stronger
A long lifting career comes with plenty of ups and downs, so we’re accustomed to hearing stories about setbacks, comebacks, and perseverance from our favorite lifters. These setbacks can take many fo…
Ep. 282 - Pain Don’t Hurt Much
The most dynamic Iron Culture duo is back in action. In this episode, Omar and Dr. Trexler talk all about pain, injury, and factors that impact the relationship between them. Back in the day, most li…
Ep. 281 - Is Saturated Fat Inherently Fattening?
The trio is back, and this time to discuss the science of saturated fat. For decades, saturated fat was widely blamed for a dramatic rise in rates of obesity and heart disease. In recent years, that …
Ep. 280 - What Makes a Good Coach?
When people think of “good coaching” in the evidence-based community their first thoughts are often related to whether or not the coach is up to date with the science and whether they use pseudoscien…
Ep. 279 - Does Drinking Water Help Weight Loss?
One of the most common recommendations a personal trainer or dietitian might make to someone embarking on a weight loss journey, is to drink more water. It’s a basic behavioural recommendation, like …
Ep. 278 - Is Arched Bench Press Cheating?
Powerlifters use techniques to milk every last kilo out of their bench press, including wide grips, tightly wound wrist wraps, leg drive, and – the most hated technique in the comment section – an ar…
Ep. 277 - Menstrual Cycle Training Roundtable (w/Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple & Dr. Kim SantaBarbara)
Fresh off of their successful doctoral defenses, Lauren and Kim join Iron Culture to discuss all things menstrual-cycle related for lifters! Dr. Helms had the pleasure of mentoring Kim, who recently …
Ep. 276 - Beyond Pain Science: When Injuries Don’t Resolve
We’re back with another trio episode, and in this one, the hosts dig deeper into the Trex-lore. Eric Trexler has been training since his early youth, but only recently has he struggled with his fitne…
Ep. 275 - Biomechanics for Bodybuilding (with Kassem Hanson)
To complement the recent appearance of Dr. Wes Goodman, we now have the founder of N1 Education, Coach Kassem Hanson to join us on iron culture to discuss applied biomechanics and anatomy for bodybui…
Ep. 274 - Do Hardgainers Need More Volume?
Since the beginning of the iron game, different methods have been promoted as the best approach to train for “hardgainers.” Likewise, in the scientific literature, the variability in individual respo…
Ep. 273 - Biomechanics for Powerlifting feat Dr. Wes Goodman
Wes Goodman recently completed his PhD in Exercise and Nutrition Science with an emphasis in Biomechanics and Motor Control at Montana State University under Dr. David Graham with our very own Dr. He…
Ep. 272 - Mike Tuchscherer: Peaking After 20 Years of Powerlifting
The man, the myth, the legend, Mike T is back! Fresh off a 900kg total, an 800lbs deadlift, and placing just off the podium at Powerlifting America National by bodyweight, Mike T is showing how much …
Ep. 271 - Powerlifting, Natural Bodybuilding & Science (Eric Trexler’s Journey)
Trextopia, this is your episode. We peel back the layers of pro natural bodybuilder, exercise science researcher & co-host of Iron Culture, Eric Trexler.
Learn how he got into lifting, what low bar s…
Ep. 270 - Scientific Retractions Aren’t Working
We here at Iron Culture have been on a mission to better inform you, dear listener, as to the inner workings of science. From what goes on in the lab itself, to the publication process, to disseminat…
Ep. 269 - Are Social Media PhDs Ruining Fitness? (feat Dr. Milo Wolf, Max Coleman & Dr. Pak)
Whitney Houston said it best: “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.” Here at Iron Culture, we’re old, irrelevant and out of touch. But, we believe in plat…
Ep. 268 - Science Communication, Gatekeeping & The Fitness Industry (feat Dr. Pak)
Dr. Pak is back on Iron Culture for his third appearance! This time, he sat down with Omar and Dr. Helms for a meta-discussion on the challenges of science communication. How do you maintain credibil…
Ep. 267 - Addressing Data Fraud in Nutrition Science
The holy trinity is back and holy smokes do we have a Holy Ghost of an episode! First, to kick things off the crew discusses the recent “March madness” of powerlifting that just finished: IPF Europea…
Ep. 266 - Are Plant-based Proteins Actually Superior?
After their recent reconciliation, the Erics got together for this duo episode to bond over their mutual love of protein. But, dear listener, this might not be the home-cooked high-protein meal you h…