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Iron Culture presented by MASS

Iron Culture presented by MASS

Written by: Eric Helms & Eric Trexler
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About this listen

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.(c) 2024 Eric Helms Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • Ep 367 - Q&A
    Feb 27 2026

    In this episode, hosts Eric Trexler and Eric Helms explore a wide range of topics including the culture of bodybuilding, the impact of step counts on health, protein intake nuances, and the effects of various performance-enhancing drugs. They also address common misconceptions and recent research findings, providing practical insights for fitness enthusiasts and professionals alike.

    Be sure to support us (and our friends!) by using code "MRR10" for 10% off your order at elitefts.com

    Chapters
    00:00 Intro
    05:26 Who can claim to be a "Bodybuilder"
    14:35 Protein Intake and Muscle Protein Synthesis
    25:39 Soy Intake and Its Effects on Hormones
    31:10 Step count "limits"
    39:44 Clarification related to soy intake
    44:32 Trex research updates & Constrained Energy Expenditure Model
    56:50 Exercise energy compensation: natural vs enhanced lifters
    01:04:52 Hypertrophy and Proximity to Failure: Insights from Meta-Analysis

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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Ep 366 - New Studies: Long Muscle Lengths & Muscle Swelling
    Feb 18 2026

    In this episode of Iron Culture, Eric Trexler and Eric Helms discuss perpetually hot topics in the fitness and bodybuilding community, focusing on recent research findings related to training at long muscle lengths and the implications of muscle swelling on hypertrophy reserach. They explore the nuances of lengthened bias training, the importance of sampling variance in research, and the impact of muscle swelling on hypertrophy measurements.

    If you're in the market for some new lifting gear or apparel, be sure to use discount code "MRR10" for a 10% discount at elitefts.com

    Chapters
    00:00 Intro
    04:39 Research Roundup: Lengthened Bias Training
    07:20 Study Findings and Interpretations
    10:24 Contextualizing Research in Fitness
    13:53 Incremental Improvements in Research
    17:10 Understanding Muscle Mechanics and Training Equipment
    23:23 Sampling Variance and Its Impact on Research Interpretation
    37:33 The Debate on Lengthened vs. Shortened Training
    49:20 New Insights on Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy
    58:46 Understanding Muscle Performance and Recovery
    01:03:39 The Debate on Training Volume and Hypertrophy
    01:12:09 Wrapping up

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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Ep 365 - The Science Behind Toxic Online Fitness Culture
    Feb 12 2026

    Have you noticed that real life fitness culture is awesome, but online fitness culture sucks?

    Yeah, us too.

    In this episode, the Erics discuss why toxic online fitness culture is the way it is, leaning on actual scientific research on which personality types are dictating discourse and driving engagement. The conversation ends with practical tips for strategically cultivating a better experience on social media platforms.

    By the way - are you in the market for some fitness gear or apparel? If so, head over to elitefts.com to support our friends and use code "MRR10" for a 10% discount.

    Chapters
    00:00 Intro
    6:58 IRL fitness versus online fitness
    17:33 Personality traits and states; types of narcissism
    21:51 Traits of influencers
    32:00 Traits of frequent posters/users
    35:44 How being on social media (transiently) changes personality states
    44:45 Skepticism versus cynicism
    54:51 Practical tips for strategically cultivating a better experience

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    1 hr and 8 mins
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