So You Want To Stop Chasing Perfect Nutrition
Black Iron Radio
Perfectionism with nutrition is one of the fastest ways to make sure nothing sticks. Ryann, Jess Gordon, and Joyce get into where the pressure to be perfect actually comes from, why restriction works about as well as holding a beach ball underwater, and what balanced nutrition looks like when you're a real person with birthday parties, vacations, and a life. They talk about the on track/off track language that signals a spiral is coming, why the story you tell yourself after the Oreo matters more than the Oreo, and how flexibility gets you to your goals faster than rigidity ever will. Plus a...
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Experience vs. Education: What Makes a Great Coach?
Black Iron Radio
Lots of great coaches have a formal education, lots do not. The point is that a degree isn't necessarily the thing that makes them so good. Krissy, Dr. Chris, and Ryann come at this from completely different backgrounds. They get into what makes a great coach, why formal education is often overkill for most goals, when you genuinely do need someone with a specialized credential, and the red flags that should make you think twice when looking for a coach. Plus a conversation about why communication is the entire job, why zero certifications after years in the industry is a warning sign, and why...
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So You Want To Involve Your Kids in Health Habits
Black Iron Radio
The goal isn't just to raise healthy kids, but to raise adults who can walk into a room full of food choices and trust themselves. Morgan, Joyce, and Jess Saxon get into how the way you talk about food and movement in front of your kids shapes their relationship with both for the rest of their lives. They talk about the food rules they grew up with, why restriction almost always backfires, how to give kids buy-in instead of just telling them to eat their broccoli, and why working with your kid's temperament beats forcing them into a box. Plus a real conversation about parent...
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How to Truly Listen to Your Body (Recovery Edition)
Black Iron Radio
Most athletes do not have a recovery problem, they have a listening problem... Morgan, Amanda, and Brooke get into how to listen to what your body is telling you without needing a Garmin, Oura, or WHOOP to tell you first. They break down the difference between productive discomfort and pain that is a genuine red flag, why the "more is better" culture teaches athletes to override the exact signals they should be paying attention to, and why not finishing your programming is usually not a discipline issue. Plus the difference between fatigue, overreaching, and injury, why you should stop...
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Strength vs. Endurance as We Age: Your Athletic Prime Might Last Longer Than You Think
Black Iron Radio
Everyone talks about your athletic prime like it is a cliff you fall off at 30. It is not. Amanda, Nic, and Jess Gordon get into how different athletic qualities age at completely different rates, why sprint and power sports peak young while endurance keeps rewarding you into your 40s and 50s, and why women often hold onto endurance performance exceptionally well. They break down when people actually peak across strength, power, and endurance, why so much of the early decline people blame on age is really about lifestyle and training habits, and why the ultra distance podium is basically the...
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Embracing the Heat: How Summer Training Makes You Faster
Black Iron Radio
If your pace fell off a cliff the second it got hot out, you're not losing fitness. You're adapting! Amanda, Chelsea, and Dr. Chris break down the summer slowdown, the very real reason your easy runs suddenly feel brutal and your heart rate spikes for no obvious reason. They get into what is actually happening in your body when you train in the heat, why it is diverting resources just to keep you alive, and why pushing through it is one of the most effective things you can do for your fall race season. Plasma volume expansion, improved sweat response, glycogen sparing, and why heat training...
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So You Want To Stop Falling for Nutrition & Fitness Misinformation
Black Iron Radio
We have more health information available to us than ever before, and somehow people are more confused than they have ever been. Amanda, Chris (PhD exercise science), and Jess Gordon get into why nutrition and fitness misinformation spreads so easily, what makes it so believable, and how to build a better filter without getting an advanced degree. They cover why "doing your own research" on PubMed can actually give you a false sense of confidence, why simplicity almost always beats truth online, how fear and urgency get used to sell you things, and the specific red flags that should turn...
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Cutting Back on Alcohol: What to Know and What to Try
Black Iron Radio
Alcohol consumption in the US just hit its lowest point in nearly 90 years, and the conversation around drinking has gotten a lot more nuanced. Ryann, Sabrina, and Nic get into why people are drinking less, what is actually driving the change, and what the growing market of alcohol alternatives looks like for people who still want something in their hand at a social event. They cover the real impacts of alcohol on sleep, recovery, performance, and mental health, how to think about it if you have a complicated family history with it, and why there is a meaningful difference between not...
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So You Want to Improve Your Body Comp Without Sacrificing Performance
Black Iron Radio
Wanting to change your body composition as an athlete is common. Knowing how to do it without tanking your performance is a different story. Krissy, Kelly, and Kelsey get into what body recomposition means for performance, why being your leanest is almost never the same as performing your best, and why the slower and less dramatic the process is, the better. They cover how to periodize your nutrition around your training season, what a realistic body recomp timeline actually looks like, why performance does not improve infinitely as body fat decreases, and why the athlete you are comparing...
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Deep Dive on Sleep Hygiene: Past Tips & New Hacks
Black Iron Radio
You already know you should be sleeping more. This episode is about actually making it happen. Morgan, Ryann, and Nic get into both the fundamentals you need to have in place and the newer research most people have not heard yet. They cover why poor sleep does more damage to your nutrition progress than a bad diet day, what your circadian rhythm actually is and why wrecking it on weekends is basically giving yourself jet lag on purpose, and the surprising research on hot showers before bed. Plus mouth taping, temperature regulation, why the little standby light on your TV might be ruining...
info_outlineBack pain has a way of making you terrified of the exact movements that would actually fix it. And at some point, a lot of people develop a complicated relationship with their back because of this.
Morgan sits down with Whitney, doctor of physical therapy, and Jess G. to talk about why back pain is so pervasive, what is actually causing it in most cases, and why avoiding the movements you are scared of is often making things worse. They get into the nervous system's role in pain perception, what the green light yellow light red light system looks like in practice, when to actually be alarmed versus when discomfort is just part of getting stronger, and what to do when a provider tells you to never do something again.
Plus a breakdown of bulging discs, how to build a strong low back, exercises to do after six hours at a computer, and why the way you talk about your body matters more than you think.
This one is dense, and it is worth every minute.