Emily Werner, PhD, RD, CSSD, IFNCP is Team Dietitian for the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), and Nutrition Affairs Sport Lead at Timeline.

Dr. Emily joins Dr. Mike to unpack postbiotics, urolithin A, and why mitochondrial health matters for pro athletes and everyday people alike, digging into the real research behind Timeline's Mitopure and why chasing $200K gadgets rarely beats getting the fundamentals right.

Expect to learn what a postbiotic actually is and how urolithin A differs from other supplements, why old-school and new-school sports dietitians disagree on peptides and supplement fads, how chronic undereating quietly undermines performance in women's sports, what the current human performance research on urolithin A actually shows, how Mitopure is dosed and why urolithin A can't be reliably food-sourced, and why product quality and manufacturing integrity matter more than marketing claims, and much more.

Connect with Emily:

• Website: https://www.eateliteperform.com/
• Instagram: @emilywerner34
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-n-werner-phd-rd-cssd-ifncp-4a820a97/

Episodes you'll enjoy next:

• #377 — Methylene Blue for Mitochondria & Performance: Benefits, Dosing & Risks with Dr. Scott Sherr: Listen here
• #382 — Creatine for Muscle, Bone, Brain & Longevity (Plus Caffeine, Dosing, and Safety) with Dr. Darren Candow: Listen here

Episode Timestamps:

2:21 Welcome & introductions
6:09 What is a postbiotic? Pre-, pro-, and postbiotics explained
7:09 Urolithin A: the postbiotic behind Mitopure
8:19 How Emily started consulting for Timeline
10:11 Old-school vs. new-school sports dietitians on supplements
13:53 Peptides, anecdata, and why athletes ignore the data
20:05 The hardest lesson: letting go when clients won't listen
21:15 Money, ego, and athletes chasing $200K wellness gadgets
24:53 Chronic undereating in women's sports
30:48 Nutrition's real job: keeping athletes available to play
33:19 Inside Mitopure: Timeline's flagship urolithin A product
35:06 Mitochondria, mitophagy, and why they matter as we age
38:16 Diet, fasting, and exercise as natural mitophagy triggers
43:36 What the performance research on urolithin A actually shows
53:19 Aging, aerobic capacity, and Emily's 101-year-old grandma
55:40 Mitopure dosing: how much urolithin A and when to take it
57:14 Why urolithin A can't be food-sourced (and can't be faked)
1:03:19 Why product quality and integrity matter in supplements

Get the Daily Fitness Insider newsletter (free): https://www.miketnelson.com/newsletter

Zach Moore is a nutrition and exercise coach based in southern Indiana, coaching clients online and in person.

Zach cuts through the noise of complicated programming and diet protocols to get back to what actually works — minimalist strength training, honest macro-setting, and paying attention to gut health and micronutrient status before chasing anything fancier.

Expect to learn how to build serious strength with far less training volume than you think, why chasing perfect programming conditions is often a waste of energy, how Zach sets carbohydrate and macro targets for real-world clients, when (and when not) to bother with micronutrient or gut testing, and why micronutrients matter even on restrictive or elimination diets, and much more.

Connect with Zach:
Website: zmoore.com
Instagram: @ZachMFitness

Episodes you'll enjoy next:

• #388 — What Vinegar & Lifting Really Do To Your Gut: Listen here
• #397 — Why Getting Better Never Gets Easier with Cliff Wilson: Listen here

Episode Timestamps:

• 02:37 Training in a garage gym during a heat wave
• 03:53 Grip strength, sweat & cold water immersion
• 06:32 Overthinking training & lessons from old-time strongmen
• 09:54 Minimalist strength training & the trap bar deadlift
• 15:13 Go-to lifts & why you must add muscle for body comp
• 17:42 Progressive overload & long-term strength gains
• 19:56 How too much program variety kills progress
• 27:06 Individualizing & dialing in training volume
• 30:42 Favorite upper & lower body exercises
• 35:46 Nutrition foundations: informed eating
• 38:10 Eating enough to fuel training & recomp
• 44:06 Determining carb needs & setting client macros
• 48:13 The insulin myth: do carbs turn into fat?
• 52:40 Meal balance, fat timing & digestion
• 55:34 Tracking micronutrients with Cronometer
• 58:13 Gut testing, carnivore & elimination diets
• 1:02:25 Sleep tips: circadian rhythm, light & temperature
• 1:04:39 The Shiftwave chair for stress downregulation & sleep

Get the Daily Fitness Insider newsletter (free): https://www.miketnelson.com/newsletter

Cliff Wilson is a physique coach with over 16 years of experience working with bodybuilders and physique athletes of every level, including 24 world champions and the current natural bodybuilding world champion.

Getting better doesn’t make hard things feel easier—it makes you capable of doing more. Cliff Wilson explains the mental skills behind elite physiques, why context beats internet absolutes, and how great coaches turn research, experience, and failure into better decisions.

Expect to learn why impulse control makes up 20–50% of physique coaching, why you have to learn to dribble before you try to dunk, why practitioners and social media commentators are not the same thing, why getting fitter never makes a true max effort feel easier, how context (not absolutes) explains wildly different carb intakes between world-class physique athletes, why most advanced bodybuilders eventually land back on a bro split, and what separates “collectors” of credentials from coaches who can actually integrate and apply what they know—and much more.

Connect with Cliff:
teamwilsonbb.com (book: Becoming Unrivaled)
Instagram: @cwteamwilson
Raw Intensity app (mentioned in the episode)

Episodes you'll enjoy next:
#323 — Natural vs. Enhanced Bodybuilding: An In-Depth Chat with Aaron Straker: https://flex-diet-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-323-natural-vs-enhanced-bodybuilding-an-in-depth-chat-with-aaron-straker
#167 — The Physiologic and Psychologic Benefit of Doing Hard Things: Akshay Nanavati of Fearvana: https://flex-diet-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-167-the-physiologic-and-psychologic-benefit-of-doing-hard-things-akshay-nanavati-of-fearvana-with-dr-mike-t-nelson

Episode Timestamps:

• 02:15 — The edited interview begins and Mike explains the unusual opening
• 02:49 — Why 20–50% of physique coaching is impulse control
• 05:19 — Skill levels: learn to dribble before trying to dunk
• 07:37 — Practitioners vs. social media commentators
• 10:45 — Why you cannot sidestep the hard parts of fat loss
• 12:44 — Getting fitter does not make a true max effort feel easier
• 14:04 — Context beats absolutes: 700 grams vs. 50 grams of carbs
• 19:26 — Slow thinking, pondering, and turning information into insight
• 21:57 — Giving clients autonomy dramatically improved results
• 25:18 — Range, cross-domain learning, and better problem-solving
• 27:03 — Using OODA loops to make better coaching decisions
• 28:24 — Why most advanced bodybuilders return to a bro split
• 31:42 — Low-volume training, outliers, and small-sample traps
• 44:01 — A surprising DNA result and the role of elite genetics
• 48:31 — Michael Phelps, elite rituals, and competitive mindset
• 50:43 — Why bodybuilding coaching skill may have declined
• 53:11 — Objectivity, Austin Stout, and the traits of great coaches
• 01:03:14 — Collectors vs. integrators: credentials are not application
• 01:08:07 — Cliff's Raw Intensity app and upcoming book Becoming Unrivaled

Get the Daily Fitness Insider newsletter (free): https://www.miketnelson.com/newsletter