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Iron Sights
Iron Sights
Author: Iron Sights
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© 2026 Iron Sights
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Welcome to Iron Sights podcast hosted by Scott Howell. This podcast candidly seeks to create opportunities and deliver impact by sharing the experiences and wisdom of successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders who unapologetically aim to WIN in health, fitness, business, and life. Welcome to old school meets new school, tradition meets innovation, and imperfection meets excellence. Thanks for listening and enjoy the show.
451 Episodes
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In this episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I’m joined by my favorite nutrition coach, Steven Brenna, to break down the five most annoying—and avoidable—things that drive both nutrition coaches and clients crazy. If you’re currently in a nutrition coaching program, thinking about hiring a coach, or you are a coach yourself, this conversation will save you time and frustration. These are the mistakes we see over and over again because, as the saying goes, we know a few things because we’ve see...
In this After Dark episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I sit down with Raphael, a 17-year law enforcement veteran and range staff member at a major Bay Area agency. A Grand Master–level shooter, Raphael has been instrumental in helping move training at his agency in a better direction. We talk about his journey, what it takes to challenge outdated training systems from the inside, and the practical steps that have actually worked for him and his partners. If you’re law enforcement, a shooter,...
In this episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I’m back in the studio with Cece and Ryan breaking down nine practical tips to make your cardio training more effective—without turning it into a science lecture or chasing fitness rabbit holes. Most people approach cardio with the wrong focus. Today we help you reframe how you think about your cardio sessions, what actually matters, and how to stop wasting time while still improving endurance, efficiency, and recovery. We also touch on heart rate–b...
In this episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I sit down with Red Dot Fitness nutrition coach Steven Brenna to talk about essential amino acids (EAAs) and what role they actually play in muscle, performance, and long-term health. We break down what the research says, what it doesn’t, and how EAAs compare to BCAAs—without getting lost in the weeds. If you’re training hard, trying to maintain muscle, or just want to make smarter decisions about supplementation, this episode will give you some rea...
Today on the Iron Sights Podcast After Dark, I’m sitting down with Billy Barton — a Grand Master USPSA shooter, high-level competitor, and the owner of SpecTrain | Firearms Training. Billy has been on my short list for a long time, and after a few missed connections, we finally made it happen here in California. What makes Billy interesting is not a military or law enforcement background — it’s his process. He’s a shooter who went all-in, became highly competitive in a short period of time, a...
Training doesn’t always feel good. It doesn’t always feel motivating. And it definitely doesn’t always feel “fun.” In this episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I’m back in the studio with Ryan and CeCe to talk about what happens when your workouts stop giving you that sense of enjoyment or fulfillment. If you’ve been training long enough, you’ve probably hit this phase at least once. We talk honestly about where training fits into our lives, why workouts don’t have to be fun all the time...
In this episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I sit down with Stephen Brenna, our nutrition coach at Red Dot Fitness, for a raw, unfiltered conversation. We hit record and break down the five things we’d absolutely be doing if our goal was to not achieve our nutrition and fitness goals going into 2026. No trends. No shortcuts. Just honest insight into the habits and mistakes that quietly derail progress—and what to think about if you want real results. - 25% OFF! Red Dot Fitness Programs: rdfpr...
Welcome back to the Iron Sight Podcast. Today I’m in the studio with Cece and Ryan, and we’re digging into one of the most persistent myths in the fitness world: the repetition continuum. You’ve heard it before — heavy weights for strength, moderate reps for hypertrophy, and light loads for endurance. It’s simple, it’s clean… and it’s not really true. In this episode, we break down where that model came from, why it stuck around for so long, and what the current research actually says. We tal...
Today on the Iron Sites Podcast, I’m joined by Josh Burton — former Delta Force operator, entrepreneur, and founder of Elevated Operator. After a long career in the Global War on Terror, Josh has stepped into a new mission that’s just as demanding: fighting the global war on mental health. We get into his transition out of military service and the challenges operators, veterans, and first responders face when the uniform comes off. Josh speaks openly about the struggles, the blind spots, and ...
Intensity gets talked about a lot in the gym… but most people are using the word completely wrong. In strength and conditioning, intensity can mean different things depending on who you learned from, what sport you’re in, and what your training goals actually are. So in this episode, I’m back in the studio with the Red Dot Fitness crew to clear it all up. We break down what intensity really means, how we define it inside our programming, and how you should apply it so you’re training hard wit...
Today on the Iron Sights Podcast I’m joined by Dustin Mowery of Mowery Tactical Concepts — a 27–year law enforcement veteran, long-time SWAT operator, team leader, instructor, and one of the most detail-oriented shooters I’ve had the chance to train with. I first crossed paths with Dustin at the 2025 Combatives Summit in D’Iberville, Mississippi, where he and my good friend Mark Smith were tag-teaming a dry fire block for the students. I’d heard about Dustin for years, but seeing him te...
Welcome back to another After Dark episode here on the Iron Sights Podcast. My guest today is Cliff Byerly — former U.S. Marine, LAPD Gang & Narcotics Officer, and founder of Hill Country Combatives. Cliff has spent decades immersed in high-risk environments — both in law enforcement and in training — and he’s one of those guys who brings a raw, unfiltered honesty to everything he does. I met Cliff out at the Combatives Summit 2025 in D’Iberville, Mississippi, and after missing the chance...
Welcome back to another After Dark episode here on the Iron Sights Podcast. My guest today is Jerry Wetzel, founder of Red Zone Threat Management Systems. Jerry’s a lifelong martial artist, gym owner, and educator whose mission is simple — to provide real training for real people to survive real violence. We sat down right after the Combatives Summit 2025 in Mississippi and got into everything from his philosophy on violence and self-defense to his experiences as a coach, business owner, and ...
We’re back in the studio for another episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, and today we’re asking a question that every athlete and coach should think about: does form really matter? In this conversation, the crew digs into how our experiences as coaches shaped the way we look at movement, form, and performance. We talk about where our ideas came from, how they’ve evolved, and why what you think you know about perfect form might not tell the whole story. Some of what we cover might challenge wh...
Welcome back to another After Dark episode of the Iron Sights Podcast. My guest today is my good friend John Valentine, who officially holds the record for the most appearances on the After Dark series. John’s been part of the show since the early days — from his philosophy on combatives and coaching to his role in shaping the Combatives Summit into one of the most respected gatherings in the training community.In this conversation, we debrief the 2025 Combatives Summit, recorded just a day a...
Welcome back to another Iron Sights Podcast! I’m joined once again by the crew to dig into one of the most underrated tools in training — medleys. In this episode, we break down what medleys are, how to structure them, and the science behind why they’re so effective for building real-world strength and endurance. We’ll share practical examples for both gym and unconventional setups, plus tips to help you train smarter, not just harder. Whether you’re already using medleys or you’v...
Welcome back to another After Dark episode here on the Iron Sights Podcast. My guest today is Chris Urrutia from Vortex Optics and the Vortex Edge training team. Chris and I first met a few years back, and I’ll be honest—our time together on the range left a lasting impression. There was something about the way he approached his craft, his students, and his mindset that told me I had to get him on the show someday. In this episode, we dig into Chris’s story—his upbringing, his career in the m...
Welcome back to another episode of the Iron Sights Podcast. Today we’re diving deep into heart rate zone training based on your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR). In this episode, we’re bridging that gap so you can learn how to train smarter, recover better, and get more efficient results from your endurance and conditioning work. We pulled a lot of what we discuss today straight from our brand new Heart Rate Zone Training Guide, which you can download for free at rdfguides.com. Insid...
Welcome back to another After Dark episode here on the Iron Sights Podcast. My guest today is Justin Li, former law enforcement officer and co-founder of QORE Performance. QORE Performance builds thermoregulation solutions designed to enhance human performance, and today we’re digging into how it all started. Justin shares the story of how he and his partner, J.D. Wilcox, set out to solve a complex physiological problem with a surprisingly simple idea — helping people cool or heat their...
Welcome back to another episode of the Iron Sights Podcast with the crew from Red Dot Fitness. Today we’re diving into one of the most underutilized yet powerful training methods out there — cluster sets. Most lifters stick to straight sets like 3x10 or 5x5, but cluster sets can be a game changer when it comes to improving strength, power, and muscle growth without adding junk volume. We break down what they are, how to set them up, and when to use them depending on your specific goals....




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