ISSN Conference Rundown: Lactotripeptides, GLP-1 Support, Astaxanthin, Beta-Alanine, Urolithin A, and Wearables

In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery recap highlights from the ISSN conference. They discuss sponsored research on casein lactotripeptides and their possible effects on blood flow, “pump,” and hypertrophy; a presentation on nutrition support for GLP-1 users and high dropout rates; and updates on astaxanthin as a carotenoid antioxidant with emerging dosing and metabolism data. They review a beta-alanine tutorial covering loading timelines, paresthesia, and dosing, and talk with Emily Werner about urolithin A, mixed evidence, cost, and sourcing concerns. Other topics include amino acids for tendon recovery, communication of sports nutrition in media, a practical sports nutrition lecture emphasizing field validity and “don’t assume—go look,” MSM for recovery, EAAs and cognition, and Mike’s wearable tech takeaways, including poor calorie-burn estimates and HRV/respiratory rate considerations.

00:00 Welcome and Hosts

01:42 Conference Recap Setup

02:14 Milk Peptides and Pump

08:27 GLP-1 Nutrition Support

10:31 Astaxanthin Deep Dive

14:19 Beta Alanine Update

21:05 Urolithin A Buzz

22:04 Urolithin A Evidence

23:31 Personal Trials and Cost

25:12 Buying Legit Sources

27:14 Amino Acids for Tendons

29:02 Media Nutrition Messaging

31:01 Real World Sports Nutrition

34:11 MSM and Immune Stress

36:20 EAAs for Cognition

39:09 Wearables Accuracy Reality

43:42 Conference Wrap and Farewell

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Peptides, SARMs, and “No Free Lunch”: Why You Must Know the Side Effects

In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss growing use of peptides, SARMs, and other drugs in gyms and the general public, emphasizing that many people take substances without understanding risks, side effects, dosing tradeoffs, or product quality. They compare older, better-studied compounds to newer agents with limited or no human data, and highlight dangers of injection practices, sterility issues, and mislabeled products. Mike shares a Journal of Nutrition study (Sato et al., industry-funded by Morinaga) on an oral whey hydrolysate tetrapeptide (leucine-aspartate-glutamine-tryptophan) in 181 overweight adults, reporting about a one-inch waist reduction and improved mood over 8–12 weeks. The conversation broadens to impatience, lifestyle disease, and the value of slow, informed, long-term progress in training, dieting, and health.

00:00 Welcome and Hosts

01:17 Lonnie on Aging Lifts

02:14 Why People Ignore Risks

05:01 SARMs and New Peptides

06:01 Peptides Can Do Anything

09:52 Creatine Tweaks and Hype

11:30 Oral Peptide Study News

16:37 Impatience and Quick Fixes

17:35 Show Updates and Promos

20:34 Peptide Sellers and Injection Risks

23:15 Sketchy Peptide Supply

23:52 Sterility Horror Stories

25:04 Informed Consent Mindset

25:46 Commercials And Polypharmacy

28:51 Vanity Vs Aging Reality

30:43 Slow Habits Beat Shortcuts

32:46 Dose Response Not Linear

33:35 Crash Diet Stress Costs

36:00 Patience And Longevity

38:14 Parenting Goals And Odds

40:41 Pay Your Dues Closing

41:39 Podcast Disclaimer

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Enhanced Games Recap: PEDs, PRs, Recovery, and the $10M Usain Bolt Bounty | Iron Radio

In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss the recent Enhanced Games, noting that unenhanced top-level competitors often beat enhanced entrants who were frequently retired for 5–14 years and had only about four months of prep, including roughly two months enhanced. They argue the results still showed meaningful effects, with many athletes—especially older ones—beating personal bests, and they highlight weightlifting as the sport with the most dramatic improvements, including an athlete opening 10 kg over his best and narrowly missing a world record at 30 kg over. They critique expectations of instant “Captain America” gains, discuss sport-specific tradeoffs (e.g., muscle mass and drag in swimming), mention strict FDA-approved protocols, heavy commercialization, major investors, prize payouts, Olympic bans, and a new $10M offer for breaking Usain Bolt’s 100m record, with plans toward 2027.

00:00 Show Intro and Hosts

00:46 Concert Banter and Updates

01:41 Enhanced Games Recap

03:29 Why Records Didn't Fall

04:44 Swimming vs Strength Sports

06:25 Strongman Drug Rules

08:12 Money Incentives and Olympics

11:22 Training Timeline and Oversight

12:51 Sponsors and TRT Clinics

17:18 Marketing and Mechanical Doping

20:10 Recovery Not Just Muscle

22:31 Ethics and Pro Sports Testing

24:24 Testing Is a Joke

25:00 Doping Culture by Sport

25:33 Olympics Arms Race

27:04 Genetics Skill and Reality

28:47 Bodybuilding Drug Debate

31:33 Capitalism and Sport Picks

32:32 Tech Suits and Gear Rules

34:17 Results PRs and Future

35:54 Timeframes and Supervision

37:51 Safety Monitoring Ethics

41:12 Wrap Up and Disclaimer

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: Do Supplements Beat Food for Vitamin Status? Wearable Food-Tracking Glasses + HDL, Exercise & Depression

On Iron Radio, hosts Dr. Lonnie Lowery, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Coach Phil Stevens discuss Nelson’s Flex Diet Certification and how supplementation topics are integrated due to time constraints, plus his creatine research PDF. They review a new NHANES-based paper (Sternberg et al., May 2026) suggesting supplement use explains more variability in vitamin biomarkers (R² ~3–21%) than reported dietary intake (~0.8–8.8%), while noting limitations like recall bias, low explained variance, and imperfect biomarkers. They then examine a 2021 AIM2 wearable device that detects eating episodes and captures food images with ~83% accuracy, debating research benefits versus privacy and data-broker concerns. Finally, they critique a 2026 cross-sectional study linking physical activity, HDL cholesterol, and lower depression odds, arguing the effect is associative and likely non-causal, and expand into broader concerns about interpreting lipids in athletic populations and medical risk models.

00:00 Show Intro and Hosts

01:05 Flex Diet Cert and Supplements

03:23 Brevity in Science Talks

05:34 Talk Tactics and Backup Slides

08:22 Supplements vs Food Biomarkers

14:04 Vitamin D and Biomarker Limits

15:21 Iron Radio Feed Update

16:32 Newsletter and Book Plug

18:21 Wearable Food Tracking Glasses

21:00 Privacy and Data Broker Fears

23:21 VR Ads and Escape

23:53 Food Illusions and Conditioning

24:27 Research Uses vs Privacy

26:20 Testing Dietary Recall Accuracy

27:39 HDL Exercise and Depression Study

30:29 Is HDL Really Causal

33:21 Selling Results in Titles

35:02 HDL Drugs and High HDL Debate

37:08 Statins Risk Models and Exercise

40:15 Athlete Labs and Wrap Up

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

When Should You Compete Again? Timing Meets, Momentum, and Realistic Goals in Strength & Physique Sports

In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss how athletes decide what to do next after a meet or show and when to compete again. Phil explains how competition frequency often shifts from many meets per year early on to fewer events as lifters get stronger, older, and need more time to recover and make meaningful progress, sometimes using smaller meets as non-max “training day” run-throughs for clients. Mike describes prioritizing goals to avoid competitions that distract from main objectives, and notes the added challenges in physique sports where frequent shows can create a stressful 6–12 week “gray area” and lead to issues like water retention and inflammation, especially for natural athletes. They emphasize realistic expectations, honest coaching, and the value of outside perspective for planning and psychology.

00:00 Welcome and Hosts

01:18 When to Compete Again

02:07 Phil on Meet Frequency

03:51 Clients and Progress Planning

06:13 Warmup Meets Strategy

07:49 Powerlifting vs Physique Peaks

08:50 Mike on Priorities and Goals

10:51 Physique Sports Gray Zone

16:40 Iron Radio Feed Update

17:52 Mike Nelson Newsletter

18:30 New Supplement Book

19:39 Levrone Transformation Talk

20:16 Setting Realistic PR Goals

21:26 Getting Athletes To Eat

24:03 Dreams Versus Reality

24:33 Choosing Your Strengths

27:50 Managing Warrior Mode

30:41 Why Coaches Matter

32:35 Wrap Up And Disclaimer

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: Why Lifters Need Variety, Play, and “Accidental Exercise” (for Longevity & Brain Health)

In this Iron Radio episode, Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss why strength athletes should include variety and recreational movement beyond specialized lifting, especially with aging. Phil cites evidence that most pro athletes were multi-sport as kids and argues that changing activities and training emphases can reduce injury, burnout, and loss of explosiveness. Mike explains the neurological benefits of movement in different planes and chaotic environments (eyes, vestibular system, proprioception), shares the GOAT drill as a warm-up, and suggests options like skateboarding, surfing, tennis, pickleball, juggling, and kettlebell juggling. The hosts emphasize “play,” hiking on real trails, and keeping at least minimal aerobic work so the gap between doing nothing and something doesn’t widen, while also cautioning older trainees to restart old skills at low intensity to protect tissues.

00:00 Welcome and Hosts

01:11 Why Variety Matters

03:56 Purposeful Play Training

05:44 Neuro Coordination Drills

09:31 Show Updates and Feeds

10:42 Newsletter and Book Plug

12:29 Aging Injury Proofing

17:09 Learning New Skills

19:35 Start Slow Stay Safe

21:09 Sprinting Risks and Tissue

23:28 Rebuilding Skills Slowly

24:10 Hiking for Real Movement

25:34 Ground Work and Aging

27:07 Sports as Cardio

28:09 Accidental Exercise Mindset

29:38 Playful Training Tools

31:15 Avoiding Specialization Traps

32:17 Offseason and Aerobic Base

34:06 Minimum Effective Conditioning

37:13 Juggling Desk Breaks

38:22 Flow Trainers and Hacky Sack

39:44 Wrap Up and Disclaimers

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Caffeine vs Paraxanthine, Sleep Quality, and Common Lifter Maladies (Injuries, Blood Work, Apnea, Aging)

On Iron Radio, hosts Coach Phil Stevens and Dr. Lonnie Lowery (with Dr. Mike Nelson traveling) discuss a 2026 JISSN study on caffeine and its main metabolite paraxanthine in 14 male university rowers, finding the caffeine+paraxanthine combo improved 2,000m rowing performance versus placebo while caffeine-containing conditions worsened subjective sleep; they note key limitations including small sample size, subjective sleep measures, and unequal dosing (200 mg caffeine + 200 mg paraxanthine vs 200 mg of either alone). They then shift to “lifter maladies,” focusing on orthopedic issues (Phil’s MCL tear and training through injury), blood work and cholesterol swings, and the role of athlete compliance and monitoring versus gen pop. They also cover sleep apnea prevalence in large lifters, mental standards and training psychology, aging-related risks (ASCVD, prostate enlargement), and compensatory benefits like higher bone density and pain tolerance.

00:00 Show Intro and Hosts

00:59 Paraxanthine vs Caffeine Study

03:18 Study Results and Dose Debate

07:05 Training Timing and Stimulants

07:56 Network Updates and Where to Listen

09:07 Mike Nelson Newsletter Plug

09:45 Lonnie Lowery Book Announcement

10:54 Lifters Maladies Kickoff

11:11 Injuries and Orthopedic Wear

15:16 Aging Athletes and Family Limits

16:43 Blood Work and Health Monitoring

21:15 Mindset and Body Image Standards

23:17 Low Frequency Training

24:42 Sleep Apnea In Lifters

29:02 Exercise Risk Offsets

32:58 Food Health Tradeoffs

35:36 Pain Tolerance Legacy

38:28 Age Chronic Conditions

40:37 Mental Grit Closing

41:42 Sign Off Disclaimer

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: When More Training Isn’t Better—Recovery, Identity, and Avoiding Burnout

Hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss athletes who struggle to take breaks, emphasizing that high-level performers typically have a “release valve” and can relax outside their sport. They explain how training needs change from novice to advanced stages as heavier loads create greater recovery demands, making “less is more,” and note that aging and life stress can further reduce recovery capacity. The conversation covers signs of under-recovery (stale performance, persistently high RPE, reduced motivation, and appetite changes), the risks of overtraining, and strategies like reducing training frequency, coaching instead of doing more, adding hobbies and mindful recreation, proactive recovery practices, and using wearable data cautiously. They also highlight identity issues tied to the gym and the value of a third-party coach for perspective and accountability.

00:00 Welcome to Iron Radio

01:09 Why Athletes Need Breaks

03:05 When More Stops Working

05:10 Tracking Then Letting Go

06:18 Life Stress and Recovery

08:06 Recovery Tools and Hobbies

11:17 Identity Beyond the Gym

13:50 Mindful Play and Metrics

16:01 Show Updates and Links

19:32 Motivation as a Warning Sign

23:27 Discipline Versus Burnout

30:25 Capacity Building Long Term

32:47 Different Types of Recovery

33:40 Wrap Up and Disclaimer

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie