Explore every episode of the podcast Anabolic Analysis
Dive into the complete episode list for Anabolic Analysis. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
Why Your Fat Loss Stalled: Calorie Deficits, Refeeds, & Plateaus Ep. 5 - Dr. Tony Boutagy
06 Sep 2026
00:52:44
In this episode of Anabolic Analysis, I sit down with Dr. Tony Boutagy, a sports scientist and strength coach with 30+ years of experience and over 70,000 coaching sessions. We break down what actually drives fat loss, why calorie deficits stall, and how to adjust your diet without immediately slashing calories or adding more cardio.
We also dive into diet breaks and refeeds, low-carb vs. high-carb dieting, hidden calories, intra-workout carbs, fat loss supplements, GLP-1 medications, blood work, supplementation, scale weight fluctuations, and how training should change during a calorie deficit. Tony explains why harder training can sometimes make fat loss more difficult, when to increase activity instead of cutting food, and how to build a physique you can maintain for decades.
Topics covered:
Why fat loss plateaus happen The hidden calories that erase your deficit Diet breaks, refeeds, and nonlinear dieting Can you diet fewer days and lose the same amount of fat? Low-carb vs. high-carb diets for fat loss Carbohydrates, glycogen, and muscle retention Orange juice and intra-workout carbohydrates Carbohydrate and caffeine mouth rinsing How low dietary fat can realistically go When low-carb diets actually make sense Using blood work to guide supplementation Omega-3s, magnesium, vitamin D, and multivitamins Why most fat loss supplements do very little Fat burning vs. actual fat loss Fasted cardio and calorie compensation Fiber and resistant starch for appetite control Semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide Who should consider GLP-1 medications? Why scale weight fluctuates so much How to stop obsessing over daily weigh-ins When to cut calories vs. increase steps or cardio How training should change during a calorie deficit Why Zone 1 and Zone 2 cardio are useful for fat loss How to build your best physique over the next five years
00:00 - Introduction 00:23 - Tony’s background and 30+ years of coaching 01:05 - The worst fat loss advice that refuses to die 01:49 - Why people are still afraid of carbs 03:02 - Best intra-workout carb sources 05:11 - Carb mouth rinsing and performance 06:32 - How to diagnose a fat loss plateau 07:45 - Hidden calories that erase your deficit 09:50 - Cheat meals, free meals, and off-plan meals 10:12 - Diet breaks and refeeds 12:18 - Dieting 21 fewer days with the same fat loss 13:15 - Refeeds and metabolic adaptation 18:09 - Why low-carb diets may respond differently to refeeds 19:23 - Low-carb vs. low-fat dieting 22:22 - When low-carb diets make sense 24:39 - Omega-3s and blood testing 25:46 - Why blood work should guide supplements 26:51 - Supplements Tony commonly recommends 30:03 - Saffron and curcumin 32:02 - Do fat loss supplements actually work? 33:19 - Fat burning vs. fat loss 34:05 - Fasted cardio and resistant starch 36:33 - GLP-1 medications for fat loss 37:40 - Retatrutide and potential health effects 39:43 - Who should use GLP-1 medications? 40:26 - How to stop obsessing over the scale 43:56 - Water moves fast, fat moves slow 46:40 - Why harder workouts can backfire during a diet 47:40 - Cut calories or increase cardio? 49:23 - Building your best physique over five years 50:07 - Why lifters should stop ignoring cardio 51:29 - Where to find Dr. Tony Boutagy
Supplements, Surpluses & Carbs: What the Research Really Says Ep. 4 -Scientific Snitch
30 Aug 2026
01:16:07
In this episode of Anabolic Analysis, I sit down with Ella, aka Scientific Snitch. We break down how to actually interpret research without getting misled by abstracts, weak correlations, poor study design, or overconfident meta-analyses. From there, we dive into some of the biggest debates in evidence-based nutrition, including calorie surpluses, carbohydrate intake, intra-workout carbs, electrolytes, resistant starch, supplements, dietary fat, protein quality, and training intensity.
We also discuss why more supplements are not always better, how blood work can help guide supplementation, underrated foods for dieting, and why training hard may matter far more than obsessing over small nutritional details.
The biggest mistakes people make when interpreting research
Why methods and statistics matter more than the abstract
How to judge correlations, sample sizes, and meta-analyses
Whether a calorie surplus is actually necessary for muscle growth
Why carbohydrate research is still surprisingly limited
Pre-workout and intra-workout carbohydrate timing
Glucose, fructose, and carbohydrate mouth rinsing
When electrolytes are actually useful
Problems with the modern supplement industry
Heavy metals, peptides, and poorly regulated supplements
Which supplements may actually be worth taking
Why blood work should guide supplementation
Asian-market foods that make dieting easier
Resistant starch and cooking, cooling, and reheating carbs
Underrated high-protein foods for dieting
Plant vs. animal protein for hypertrophy
How low can dietary fat realistically go?
Omega-3s, omega-6s, and testosterone
Why training intensity may matter more than almost everything else
00:00 - Do you actually need a calorie surplus? 00:17 - Introduction 00:42 - Ella’s research background 01:46 - Common mistakes when interpreting research 03:05 - Why understanding statistics matters 05:09 - The problem with blindly trusting meta-analyses 07:29 - How to judge the quality of a study 10:14 - Is a calorie surplus necessary for muscle growth? 11:50 - What nutrition research desperately needs 13:30 - Fasted vs. fed resistance training 14:22 - Are intra-workout carbs worth using? 16:39 - Carbohydrate mouth rinsing and CNS fatigue 19:10 - Glucose vs. fructose intra-workout 22:13 - Ella’s intra-workout setup 22:28 - Do you need electrolytes during training? 26:03 - Supplements that are overhyped 27:41 - Peptides, contamination, and third-party testing 28:49 - Supplements Ella actually uses 29:39 - Increasing vitamin D in mushrooms 30:57 - Why Asian markets are a dieting cheat code 32:10 - Kelp noodles, shirataki noodles, and bok choy 34:47 - Resistant starch explained 37:31 - How cooling and reheating rice changes resistant starch 39:27 - Underrated diet foods 40:10 - Why pork tenderloin is so underrated 42:13 - Plant vs. animal protein 44:07 - Iron intake and supplementation 46:08 - Why blindly supplementing can backfire 48:00 - Vitamin A, liver, and fat-soluble vitamins 51:30 - Which supplements are actually worth taking? 52:18 - Creatine dosing and cognitive benefits 54:09 - Vitamin D and magnesium 56:39 - Omega-3s and fish oil 57:55 - Do low-fat diets lower testosterone? 01:01:23 - Calories, dietary fat, and testosterone 01:04:06 - How low should fat intake go? 01:07:01 - How to build your best physique over five years 01:09:50 - Why training intensity is underrated 01:10:58 - Training to failure and reps in reserve 01:13:39 - What Ella is currently experimenting with 01:14:25 - Cardio before lifting 01:15:20 - Where to find Ella
Ep. 3: Building The Perfect Program - Volume, Frequency & Exercise Selection - Scientifically Jacked
23 Aug 2026
01:22:04
In this episode of Anabolic Analysis, I sit down with Jackson, aka Scientifically Jacked, to break down the variables that actually drive hypertrophy and where the science-based lifting community may be overcomplicating things.
We discuss training frequency, volume, intensity, exercise selection, biomechanics, lengthened training, neuromechanical matching, full-body training, exercise order, injury risk, and why copying the programs of elite bodybuilders rarely makes sense for the average lifter.
We also get into the limitations of using mechanisms to dictate training, why individual anatomy matters when choosing exercises, whether you need a calorie surplus to build muscle, and why simply staying consistent for five years will put you ahead of almost everyone.
Topics Covered
How much volume you actually need to build muscle
Why frequency may matter more than adding more sets
Building an effective program from scratch
Whether traps and rear delts need direct isolation
How to choose the best exercises for your anatomy
Stability, resistance profiles, and exercise selection
Neuromechanical matching vs. length-tension relationships
Lengthened partials vs. full-range training
Exercise order, injury risk, and long-term progression
00:00 - Introduction 01:19 - Jackson’s current full-body training split 03:16 - Do different muscles need different frequencies? 04:53 - Frequency, intensity, and volume for hypertrophy 06:38 - Why one hard set can be incredibly effective 08:07 - How little training can you get away with? 09:55 - Genetics, steroids, and unrealistic expectations 13:20 - Why steroids cause so much muscle growth 16:48 - Building a beginner hypertrophy program 19:40 - Do you need to isolate traps and rear delts? 22:23 - Individualizing training around your physique 24:55 - Why you shouldn’t copy a bodybuilder’s program 27:28 - How to choose the best exercise for a muscle 32:10 - Why machines don’t fit everyone 34:53 - The problem with “best” and “worst” exercises 37:29 - A practical framework for exercise selection 39:29 - Do resistance profiles actually matter? 40:35 - Is neuromechanical matching dead? 46:12 - Length-tension relationships and exercise selection 49:59 - Why long-muscle-length training may work 53:55 - Lengthened partials vs. full range of motion 58:10 - Strict form, cheat reps, and tracking progression 01:02:25 - Should compounds or isolations come first? 01:08:11 - When anecdotes are actually useful 01:11:13 - What Jackson has changed his mind about 01:13:03 - Do you need to bulk to build muscle? 01:15:15 - Jackson’s hottest take 01:17:49 - How to build your best physique over five years
Ep. 2: Protein, Calorie Surpluses, & How to Maximize Gains - Alan Aragon
15 Aug 2026
01:20:37
In this episode of Anabolic Analysis, I sit down with author of the ISSN position stand on dieting, and pioneer of the evidence-based fitness movement, Alan Aragon to break down some of the biggest debates in training and sports nutrition.
We discuss Alan's current training, training to failure versus leaving reps in reserve, how many carbs and fats you need for hypertrophy, and why the commonly cited 1.6 g/kg protein target probably is not the ceiling for maximizing muscle growth.
We also dive deep into the calorie surplus debate. Do you actually need to bulk to maximize muscle growth? If so, how large should the surplus be, and can you minimize fat gain while still maximizing progress?
Finally, Alan shares several things he has changed his mind about, his best advice for building your physique over the next five years, and what he is currently experimenting with in his own training.
Topics Covered
Training to failure vs. reps in reserve
How many carbs you need for hypertrophy
Minimum dietary fat intake
Why 1.6 g/kg of protein may not maximize gains
Protein vs. carbs for additional calories
Limitations of hypertrophy research
Whether you need a calorie surplus to maximize muscle growth
How large a muscle-building surplus should be
Realistic rates of natural muscle growth
Alan's thoughts on rep ranges, drop sets, and cluster sets
00:00 - Is 1.6 g/kg of protein enough? 00:35 - Who is Alan Aragon? 03:18 - Alan's current training 06:50 - Training to failure 10:22 - How accurate is RIR? 20:33 - Carbs for maximizing hypertrophy 24:49 - How much fat do you need? 30:49 - The protein ceiling debate 32:04 - Benefits above 1.6 g/kg 36:09 - DEXA, glycogen, and lean mass 40:18 - Problems with hypertrophy research 45:26 - Protein vs. carbs 46:15 - Is 1 g/lb the better protein target? 48:26 - What Alan has changed his mind about 49:45 - The real hypertrophy rep range 55:36 - Alan's best advice for building muscle 57:05 - Drop sets and cluster sets 59:27 - Do you need a calorie surplus? 1:02:03 - Small vs. large surpluses 1:05:37 - Hard gainers and larger surpluses 1:08:31 - Who can gain muscle without bulking? 1:09:48 - How big should your surplus be? 1:13:55 - How long does muscle growth take? 1:19:28 - Where to find Alan
Ep. 1: Why You Don’t Need a Huge Surplus to Build Muscle - King Deltoids
09 Aug 2026
00:55:34
In this episode, Kolt speaks with King Deltoids, aka Braden, an exercise science student and bodybuilding content creator, about what actually matters in contest prep, muscle gain, and physique development. They cover high protein dieting in a steep deficit, whether you can build muscle while cutting, and the long running debate over needing a surplus to maximize hypertrophy. Along the way, they also dig into fatigue, failure, body fat levels, and why so much fitness advice breaks down once people try to apply it outside the lab.
Key topics
Braden’s current prep setup
How he structures full body training
Protein intake during a deficit
Fat intake stays at a minimum
Why higher protein may matter more in harder deficits
00:00 - Guest introduction and what King Deltoids studies and posts about 01:12 - Why full body every other day is working in a hard contest-prep deficit 02:28 - Prep timeline and how Braden sets calories on training and rest days 03:31 - Protein targets in the cut and why he aims around 1 gram per pound 04:11 - Why fats stay around 40 grams and the hormone-related minimum 05:22 - Research on protein retention in trained lifters during deficits 07:39 - Why enhanced lifters and natural lifters cannot use the same nutrition logic 09:12 - Why severe deficits create a different physiological problem than normal cuts 10:13 - Satiety, thermic effect of food, and why protein is not always magically more filling 12:24 - Why protein is inefficient to store as fat 13:46 - High-protein overfeeding studies and what they suggest mechanistically 15:17 - Practical protein advice for naturals in a deficit 17:32 - Setting up the bulking and maintenance debate 19:00 - Why “main gaining” is mostly a body-fat management question 21:09 - Where recomp stops being realistic for different individuals 22:51 - Why population-level body-fat data and BMI create confusion 25:11 - Why gaining body fat is not the same thing as maximizing muscle gain 26:52 - Can you maximize hypertrophy in a deficit? 28:35 - Why lean body mass loss in studies does not always mean contractile tissue loss 29:43 - Practical deficit ranges for people who want to gain muscle while cutting 32:40 - Why higher body fat lets you use a bigger deficit without losing growth potential 34:28 - When the goal shifts from recomposition to faster fat loss 35:55 - Why surplus arguments often confuse fat gain with muscle gain 39:30 - New hypertrophy meta-analysis and what diminishing returns look like over time 43:54 - Why very large surpluses are usually unnecessary 46:23 - Time-restricted eating in a surplus and what happened to body weight 50:14 - Why more calories did not automatically mean more muscle 55:49 - Hormone changes, IGF-1, and why small fluctuations do not prove much 59:41 - What Braden has changed his mind about over time 63:02 - His hottest take on failure and why he thinks the brain is the limiter 68:19 - Best advice for building a physique over the next five years 71:32 - What Braden is currently experimenting with in training and dieting