Today, I’m speaking with Danny Lennon. Danny is the founder of Sigma Nutrition. He is the long-time host of the popular podcast Sigma Nutrition Radio, and a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardization of best practices in the sports nutrition profession. In this co…

Today, I’m speaking with Eric Trexler. Eric has a PhD, and is a pro bodybuilder, coach, co-owner of the MASS Research Review, and a metabolism researcher at Duke University. In this conversation, we talk about the physiological changes that happen when weight cycling (i.e. going through diet and bulk phases) and what this means for us when chasing …

Today I’m speaking with Sohee Carpenter. I first met Sohee back in 2012, and at the time, she was a Stanford student studying human biology. Then she completed a master’s in psychology and is now finishing up her Ph.D. in sports science under my co-author, Eric Helms. Sohee’s business is evidence-based training and nutrition coaching delivered with…

Today I'm speaking with Greg Nuckols, the co-founder of Mass Research Review, Stronger by Science, and MacroFactor. Greg also held three all-time world records in powerlifting and is one of the smartest people in the fitness industry. In this episode, Greg and I discuss all sorts of topics and lessons, including: 👉🏻 The concussions that forced Greg…

Today I'm speaking with Eric Helms, one of my co-authors of The Muscle and Strength Pyramids, and one of the brightest minds in the fitness industry. Eric is a Research Fellow at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand, a natural bodybuilder and powerlifter, co-founder of MASS Research Review, and the co-founder of 3D Muscle Journey, …

This season on the Ripped Body podcast, I’ve been speaking with readers who find themselves stuck, helping troubleshoot their progress and break through plateaus. For the next part of season 4, I’ll be sitting down with some of my fitness industry friends to discuss their backstories, mistakes they’ve made, and the lessons they’ve learned along the…

Today, I’m speaking with Hemang, who is a 50-year-old father of two who works in finance, and has a work-from-home arrangement. He does the carpool drop-off most days, is co-president of his son’s school PTA, and is a Scout volunteer. Hemang has been around the same weight for most of his life. He’s not what anyone would call fat, but not lean eith…

Today, I’m speaking with Gary, a 59-year-old consultant living in Scotland. Gary has been self-described skinny-fat all of his life. He lived in the United States for 15 years, where he gained a little too much weight. In the 10 years since his return to the UK, he’s managed to lose 50 lbs of fat and gain 10-15 lbs of muscle. He doesn’t feel as sel…

Welcome to our weekly Q&A series, where Ripped Body coaches Andy and Matt answer your questions. In this episode, we're answering the following questions: 1. "Can I eat as often as I want during the feeding window?" 2. “Are there separate programs for bulking vs. cutting?” If you'd like us to answer your questions, please send your questions to pod…

Today, I’m speaking with Tyler (@tyler.lavasseur), a 31-year-old minister living in Jackson, Florida, who has just become a dad. Tyler started training when he was 21. He was fed up with the skinny-fat guy that stared at him in the mirror. In the last 10 years, incredibly, he’s gone from 195 to 245 pounds, with most of that being muscle. He’s looki…

Welcome to our weekly Q&A series, where Ripped Body coaches Andy and Matt answer your questions. In this episode, we're answering the following questions: 1. "How much training volume is needed to maintain your physique?" 2. “Do we need to track macros to see progress, or can we use simpler portion control methods?” If you'd like us to answer your …

Today, I’m speaking with Donald, who is a 59-year-old, former accountant living in Florida. He’s been a runner all of his life, but only started lifting consistently at the start of this year. He’s dropped 25 lbs in the last six months, lost 8 inches off his waist, and has got considerably stronger. He’s now plateaued and is wondering where he shou…

Welcome to our weekly Q&A series, where Ripped Body coaches Andy and Matt answer your questions. In this episode, we're answering the following questions: 1. "Who in the fitness industry would you like to throw on the fire?" 2. “When I get busy, I can't stop snacking after I take one bite, and one slip-up leads to days of overeating. What should I …

Today, I’m speaking with Chris, who is a semi-retired food industry exec living in Arkansas. Chris has been dieting and training in some form for the last 30 years. He said he can remember being body shamed in 5th and 6th grade for being pudgy and unathletic, and even though he knows he is in better shape than most men his age, he needs help to cur…

Welcome to our weekly Q&A series, where Ripped Body coaches Andy and Matt answer your questions. In this episode, we're answering the following questions: 1. "Is it necessary to go through fat loss in phases? I have seen some coaches say that each fat loss phase should take 12-16 weeks, and then we should take a maintenance break that lasts the sam…

Today I’m speaking with Jonathan, a 57-year-old entrepreneur whose main business is providing insurance for companies operating in high-risk markets, mainly in the security, mining, and oil & gas sectors. He’s a well-built guy who has yo-yo’d with his weight over the years, running marathons, competing in Ironman events, and last year he hit a goal…

Welcome to our weekly Q&A series, where Ripped Body coaches Andy and Matt answer your questions. In this episode, we're answering the following questions: 1. "Do you think body composition goals can be reached while still allowing alcohol to be a part of the formula? 2. "I was training 4x/week on a deficit, but I recently got injured and will be ou…

Today, I’m speaking with Mark, who is a 49-year-old father of two daughters, working a high-stress job with the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A few years ago, Mark lost 60 lbs, but as he didn’t strength train, he felt a little skinny. Since he started strength training, he’s gained around 40 lbs, a lot of that muscle, and before COVID he was hit…

Welcome to our weekly Q&A series, where Ripped Body coaches Andy and Matt answer your questions. In this episode, we're answering the following questions: 1. “I’m four weeks into a cut. I lost 6 pounds in my first week, but I’ve been hovering around the same weight since. What am I doing wrong?” 2. “Is a front squat a good exercise for a beginner, …

Today, I’m speaking with Cybersecurity expert Nick, who specializes in offensive hacking. Nick is not a tall guy, and he used to weigh close to 300 pounds. One day, he reached a breaking point and decided to do something about it, and he lost 180 pounds. He kept the weight off for a few years, but then got married, had kids, and he’s back up to 190…

Today, I’m speaking with Stephen, who is a Chief Administration Officer for a major non-profit in the US. Stephen used to be overweight. He got into cycling because he wanted to do something healthy with his kids, and this turned into a passion for triathlons. He lost 30 pounds, plateaued, then started weight lifting and lost another 30 pounds. He’…

Today, I had a fantastic conversation with Greg, who is a comedy writer and actor living in LA. As you’ll hear, Greg is at a bit of a loss for motivation, after struggling to bulk successfully in the past, and he’s wondering what he should do from here. Let’s see if we can help him. ABOUT THIS POD 🎙 At RippedBody.com, we are known for our no-nonsen…

Today’s guest is Ben Carpenter. I’ve invited him back on the show to answer some reader questions that we didn’t get a chance to cover on the previous episode. We cover: Don’t people just need more willpower? Can fruit make you gain weight due to the sugar content? Why is it so hard to maintain weight loss over the long term? What can we do about i…

Today’s guest is Ben Carpenter. Ben is a personal trainer who makes the best videos debunking nutrition myths that I’ve seen. He has a heart of gold, and I feel honored to be able to call him a friend. Ben has just released his first book, Everything Fat Loss. It reads very much like sitting down for a cup of tea one afternoon with one of the world…

In this episode, I’ve invited my good friend and fellow podcaster, Jordan Harbinger, to share his weight loss story. Jordan's been a Ripped Body client for the past year, first working with Coach Reid, and then Coach Matt. In that time, he's lost 40 pounds of body fat while adding 10 pounds of lean muscle. Before working with us, Jordan believed he…