Beer N Biceps Podcast

England has recently made it the law that any restaurant or pub chain that employs over 250 people must place calories on menus. This has been welcomed by some and derided by others. After reading several articles online I thought that it would be a good idea to take a look at what the science says, and give my own opinion. Calories on Menus This podcast was incredibly tough to plan, as people justifiably have strong periods for and against calories on menus. When making any decision that can benefit one group of people and negatively affect another, you are going to inevitably piss people off. And I didn't want to do that for the sake of a podcast. I'm linking to the three studies that I mentioned here in case you want to read more on the subject. Perhaps you think that I came to the wrong conclusions? Beer This is the first podcast where I didn't drink a beer during recording. One of the things that I've found is that drinking alcohol during a podcast can make me more reckless with how I communicate. This is not a discussion that would benefit from alcohol in my opinion, so I avoided it. To be honest, it was a lot easier to do the podcast this way! But perhaps the chaos of beer-influenced talk is what people listen out for? Who knows. Calories on Menus: Quick Note As I said, I have tried to make this podcast as respectful as possible. I am no expert on eating disorders, but I am responding to the criticism of other non-experts, and I have been as objective as possible. My initial reaction to the news was much less nuanced than what you will hear on the podcast, which I hope goes to show that bias hasn't affected my opinion. But if I have got something catastrophically wrong, I'm sorry. P.S. If you liked this type of podcast, then why not check out some of my articles? I try to throw science at commonly held nutritional beliefs, to varying degrees of success. References [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5378635/ [2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23760909/ [3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22918176/

In today's podcast, I talk about five fitness influencers to follow, the importance of forming simple habits when embarking on a new diet or workout regime, and I drink Tangle Foot beer by Badger brewery in Dorset. Five Fitness Influencers to Follow This podcast's original point was to talk exclusively about five fitness influencers to follow, and nothing else. But while planning it out I realised that this topic would only last five minutes. In fact it lasts 10 minutes! But still, I decided to add in another topic (Habits) to help flesh out the podcast. The five fitness influencers I have picked represent the scientific side of fitness and nutrition (Brad Schoenfeld) and the more social media savvy influencer side (James Smith and Lucy Mountain). Layne Norton and Sohee Lee represent the middle ground. All five fitness influencers are unique in what they offer. Brad Schoenfeld gives you amazing scientific advice. Layne Norton combines practical knowledge (he has been a natural bodybuilder and a competitive powerlifter). Sohee Lee is wonderful at balancing scientific knowledge with humour and entertainment. James Smith has good knowledge and has a superb way of ranting about topics (absolute marmite personality, but I like it). Lucy Mountain is hilarious but really good at empowering young women to train hard and eat well. Using Habits to Master Your Lifestyle I won't go into this much here because you can just listen to the podcast. My coaching style has changed a lot since becoming certified with Precision Nutrition. I now fully subscribe to the idea that you should make small changes gradually rather than turning your life upside down all at once. This has made a huge difference to my clients, and I really love how effective it is. Tangle Foot Beer The beer I am drinking in this podcast is Tangle Foot golden ale from Hall & Woodhouse (who run Badger brewery). I've had Badger beer before on this podcast, and I absolutely love it.

In this week's podcast episode, I attempt to answer the question "are abs made in the kitchen?". After last week's heavily researched podcast episode, I decided to have a more laid back approach to this one. The podcast is more of a collection of thoughts and anecdotes I've had around weight loss and body image in the fitness world, particularly for men. Not that women don't have that same issue, but 1) I am not as qualified to talk about it, and 2) I feel that this topic is pretty well covered by women. Are Abs Made in the Kitchen? It's an annoyingly smug statement, but it's also incorrect. Well, actually it's difficult to answer properly. Your abs are muscles, and muscles are built in the gym. However, you need to eat to build your muscles, so technically all muscles are made in the kitchen. This isn't what the statement is supposed to mean though. What they are saying is that you need to create a calorie deficit through diet to burn the fat necessary to see your abs. But obviously, that's a mouthful. It's pretty harmless as statements go, but I always dislike it when complex and much-debated topics are boiled down into handy catchphrases. Having a six-pack is all about diet and exercise, it's not really an either/or situation. The Heart Pale Ale Brewed by the Hop Nation Brewing Company in Melbourne, Australia. The Heart is a really well brewed pale ale, similar to a golden ale in taste and appearance. This is a subtly flavoured pale ale, and the description on Beer52s website says that it has a floral taste. Which I absolutely agree with. Though as I point out in the podcast, tell me that something tastes floral and I will then find it to be true. I was very tempted to drink a pint of Shelby IPA by Thornbridge brewery. I have it set up with my PerfectDraft at the moment, and it is wonderful. However, I already did a podcast episode while drinking the bottled version, and I don't want to repeat myself.

We've all heard of dieting documentaries such as "What the Health" and "Supersize me", but I'm going to ask you to do something for me. Stop watching dieting documentaries! They are absolutely terrible, completely unscientific, and a plague upon mankind. As you can imagine, this podcast is going to involve a high degree of ranting. Stop Watching Dieting Documentaries I actually did quite a bit of research for this podcast. During the podcast, I talk about the importance of citing sources and discussing where you are getting your information from. So here are several websites and one YouTube video that I used. Harriet Hall wrote an amazing deconstruction of "What the Health" for Science-Based Medicine. Check it out here. Julia Belluz wrote an excellent piece for Vox on What the Health. Check it out here. There is also a great piece in Time Magazine by Alexandra Siffelin. Check it out here. For those of you who don't want to read, there's a really good YouTube summary by Dr Zubin Damania You might also want to check out my podcast on vegan dieting, where I talk about some drawbacks, and why a plant-based diet is different (and potentially better) to a vegan diet. Splice of Heaven by Moon Dog Brewery This beer was described as a Pine-Lime ice cream IPA, which is rather terrifying. Apparently, pine-lime means pineapple and lime, and ice cream just means vanilla flavouring. During the podcast, I said that I couldn't really taste the pineapple or lime, or vanilla for that matter. But afterwards, me and the Mrs continued to taste it, and I feel that I could taste the pineapple, and perhaps the lime. The vanilla taste completely escaped me though. My Mrs said she tasted mango, but I'm not 100% sure I've ever seen her eat a mango or a pineapple, so I have taken her input with a pinch of salt. Moon Dog Brewery is an Australian brewery based in Melbourne. I couldn't find too much information about them, their website doesn't seem to have an about section. So I can't say when they started or what their plans are for the future. They definitely seem to have a quirky sense of humour though, and they brew the best pine-lime ice cream IPA I've ever had. Dog Stopped Play Finally, I think I should offer an explanation as to why I finished this week's podcast on such an abrupt note. My dog Bailey was beginning to whine, and in my experience that gives me a 20-second window to open the door before he progresses to full-on barking. There is nothing worse on earth than random barking in a podcast, and I don't know how to edit, so I decided a tactical retreat was the best option. After the podcast I gave him the requisite 30 strokes and 10 "good boys" and he decided that barking was unnecessary. To be honest, I'm surprised he didn't interrupt me earlier, and am massively thankful! Have a great week guys. This is Bailey in a rare moment between barks

In today's episode, I tackle six ridiculous fitness myths that have somehow entered the public subconscious. I chose this title a while back because I thought it would be an easy podcast to research. How incredibly wrong I was! Finding fitness myths that hadn't been disproven 500 times already was really difficult. Six Ridiculous Fitness Myths I won't name all six ridiculous fitness myths here, as they are all in the podcast. But I have to say, I'm starting to believe that the tide is turning against a lot of these myths. Google has got its act together and is ensuring that only good knowledge is shared (for the most part). Also, there are so many good fitness influencers out there, who have worked hard to combat these myths. People who are interested in fitness and nutrition now have hundreds of excellent role models to learn from. On the other hand, there are more and more charlatans out there, particularly on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The biggest issue is, and always will be, the fact that so little is known about fitness and nutrition in the scientific community. There are lots of theories and some damn good guesses. But I feel like every article I research has at least 2 different arguments and a whole heap of unproven theories. It's an absolute maze! Elsie Mo by Castle Rock Brewery It's about time that I showcased a beer from my new home (Nottingham). Castle Rock brewery is the big brewery in the City, and has some superb beers. Their Harvest Pale is one of the best beers in Britain. Elsie Mo is a golden ale with a troubled past. For years it was adorned with a huge-titted cartoon woman. In 2007 the breasts were enlarged further before common sense decided that a beer label with a cartoon woman sticking her chest out was probably not going to stay under the radar of Twitter for too long, and they sensibly changed it. Check out this article to learn more (and to see the original artwork). All of that distracted from the fact that the beer is excellent. Really enjoyable. Could it make my top 10 beers for series 3? We'll have to find out. Here's my top 10 beers of season 2 if you need to refresh your memory.

In this podcast, I teach you how to fix your bench press. This will involve leaving your ego at the door. Lowering the weight, working on your grip, learning how to set up properly. It will also involve a few training tips that can make huge differences over time. How to Fix Your Bench Press Considering that the bench press is probably the most important and iconic gym exercise for men (and increasingly for women). It surprises me just how many people perform it terribly. Even men who warm up with weights that I couldn't even lift still make crucial rookie mistakes that have an easy fix. Problem is, those men will NEVER LISTEN. So I have two options. Somehow outlift them, and then offer them a hand Do a podcast where nobody will ever know how much I actually bench press. I went with option #2. What is so infuriating is that the common mistakes people make could be fixed in just 20 seconds. Either by lowering the weights and being disciplined or by learning a couple of tricks that take seconds to learn. Pulling your shoulder blades together helps push your chest out, reducing the ROM and allowing you to utilise your chest more. A win/win situation. Keeping your feet on the ground rather than lifting them in the air takes no effort at all, and will allow you much more power during a heavy lift. Anyway, listen to the podcast if you want to learn how to fix your bench press! Bombardier Beer I've written about this beer before, check out the article here if you want to learn the strength, calories, and beers that are similar. I absolutely love this beer, a great choice in the pub, and a lovely choice for a bottle of beer to drink at home. A perfect example of an English ale. Bombardier used to be brewed by Charles Wells, but is now brewed by Wychwood who are owned by Marstons. What an incredibly confusing situation that English beer has found itself in.

I'm a fence-sitter, I like to think that most people in the fitness industry should be. Fence sitting should be your default move in an industry as young as this. This is why I tend to be sceptical (cynical?) about any part of the fitness industry that reduces the world into black and white. Does the anti diet movement do this? That's what this podcast looks to uncover. The Anti Diet Movement Another name for the anti diet movement would be the body acceptance movement. If you listen to the podcast you will find that there is a LOT that I agree with/like about this movement. But there is also a lot that I struggle with, or flat out disagree with. The idea that calorie counting is inherently wrong, or that you can't talk about weight loss. My main issue is the lack of scientific support for some of the beliefs espoused by anti diet movement adherents. The idea that you can be obese yet still fit and healthy is an idea that I can't say I agree with (as much as I'd like to). 60% of women and 67% of men in the UK are overweight or obese. We are the fattest nation in Europe. We also had/have the highest excess mortality rates in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Could this be a coincidence? Possibly, but experts appear to think otherwise. I don't like being the bad guy, I would never want to make an overweight or obese person feel bad about themselves, nor do most people in the fitness industry. Self-esteem and self-worth are crucial, and I will always try and focus on building that up (provided it is within my scope of practice to do so). But I will not lie to my clients if they ask me for my opinion/recommendation. Anyway, listen to the podcast to discover the many positives that the anti diet movement offers and some other negatives. Ultimately, I believe that the anti diet movement is a force for good, and the people within this group are kind and doing their best to help. But I'm still going to call them out on their issues. Wanderlust IPA by Allendale Brewing Wanderlust is defined as "a strong desire to travel", which after basically 5 months of sitting in my house I can certainly sympathise with! It's from Allendale brewery based in Hexham. The beer is a west coast style IPA, which explains the high alcohol (6.5% abv) and the extreme bitterness of the beer. I am not usually a fan of this beer style, but one of two things has clearly happened: My tastes have changed Wanderlust is so good that I enjoy it even though it isn't my favourite beer style I suspect that it is a combination of the two. If you're interested in the different IPA styles, check out my article on XPAs. A form of IPA that is growing in popularity.

In the final episode of the series, I will take a look at the best beers of season two. Naming my personal top ten out of the twenty beers I've tried. I also look back on the season and talk about how much it differs from season one and my initial plans for it. The Best Beers of Season Two I'm not going to mention all ten beers here, got to keep something for the podcast! But picking my ten favourite beers was quite fun. I've tried to have a varied selection of beers and I think I managed that. With stouts, craft lagers, a Berliner Weisse, IPAs, English IPAs, Trappist ales, and porters featuring in the twenty episodes. One of the surprisingly annoying things I've found about doing podcasts without Todd (other than the crushing loneliness) is that I find it hard to actually drink the beer while recording. The problem being that while I drink there is just silence. Or the unhelpful squeak of my chair. Whereas older podcasts involved me finishing my beer halfway through and grabbing a second, my current podcasts involve me only having a sip or two, then drinking the rest afterwards. Something that kind of affects the spirit of the podcast. But it can't be helped, and nobody is going to listen to a podcast that is filled with long pauses while the podcaster gets progressively trashed! So I have had to adapt. What to Look Forward to in Season Three Season three should be a lot of fun, I've got a good mix of subjects. Some episodes will centre around specific exercise or nutritional advice (how to improve your bench press), while others will be focused on broader topics. Next week's episode is all about anti-diet culture and whether it is a good thing or not. I'm also hoping to get Todd back for a couple of episodes. Either I'll try to persuade him to come up to visit me in Nottingham, or I may even attempt to reach deepest, darkest Watford and see him. Or we'll do it over the phone again. Marston's Pedigree While performing this week's podcast, I was drinking Marston's Pedigree, an excellent amber ale from the Marston's brewery. I enjoyed it a lot, though it is fairly boring compared to some of the beers from Season 2. That being said, I really enjoy boring beers and am happy to continue drinking them indefinitely.

In today's podcast, I talk about the worst exercises to perform in the gym. It's more a look at exercises or workouts that you shouldn't perform in a busy gym. Either because the exercises themselves are bad, or because doing so can be disruptive to your fellow members. Worst Exercises to Perform in the Gym The worst exercises to perform in the gym in my opinion are: Adductor/Abductor machine - pointless, works the muscles in isolation when they work best when performed in compound movements Wrist Curls - pointless, complete waste of time for 90% of gym-goers. Kettlebell Deadlifts into Upright Rows - Just a horrible combination of exercises that could cause injury and has no real benefits Walking Lunges - Great exercise, one of my favourites, but not suitable for busy gyms Ladders - A form of training where you start off with a very heavy weight and keep performing reps until exhaustion, then you use a lower weight, and keep lowering the weight until you reach the lowest weight. Fun to do, but uses up way too many weights and takes up too much space. Circuits - Can be okay, but too often they take up too much space, use too much equipment, and are often badly programmed. Usually too difficult to do properly. Midnight Maverick by Siren Brewery The beer I drank during the podcast is called Midnight Maverick by Siren brewery, and it was a nitro oatmeal stout. Now, I do love a good stout and have had several really good ones over the years. But this was just a little too sweet for me. I loved the texture, incredibly smooth thanks to the nitro. But not my cup of tea. If you like sweet stouts then you will really enjoy this one though. I may not be ranking this in my top ten beers of season 2, but I know enough about beer to say that it is still really good. Definitely worth trying so that you can make your own mind up about it.

In this podcast episode, I look at the real reason behind the obesity epidemic, and I also attempt to dispel many of the incorrect theories out there. Now, while I am fairly confident that my theory is the right one, there is no single reason for the obesity epidemic, but more a collection of reasons. The Real Reason Behind the Obesity Epidemic Whilst researching an article for work, I stumbled across a study from 2002 that looked into how portion sizes have increased over the years. The study found that in the 1970s portion sizes increased substantially, and that in the 80s portion sizes increased massively. Ever since, portion sizes have continued to grow and grow. Today, what we would think of as a regular-sized portion would seem absolutely massive to someone from the 1950s. Think about it. There are people born in the 80s today who are in their 30s and 40s, who have never seen a 1960s sized portion. As a society, our entire perception of a normal meal size is warped. There were several reasons as to why this happened. Sure, there was probably a bit of profiteering from food companies, but the price of food dropping made a huge difference. While house prices seem to do nothing but go up, the cost of meat and grains is at an all time low. I don't want to get into a meat vs vegan argument here, but meat is an excellent example of how our perception of portion sizes has changed. Anyway, tune into the podcast to learn more. Shake Salted Caramel Milkshake IPA I was not a massive fan of this beer, but I do not believe that it is a bad beer, just not to my taste. I don't really like milkshake IPAs nor do I like Ice Cream IPAs, I think that the worlds of IPA beers and desserts should be kept separate. Though I do enjoy dessert flavoured stouts (I never stop talking about some of them).

If you've been reading my blog, you'll probably know about the downsides of steroids, and many of the benefits. But what is my actual opinion on them? Should steroids be legal? By which I mean, should they be legal to buy without a prescription? Or should the status quo remain? Should Steroids be Legal? My opinion on the legality and benefits of steroid use has lurched from one extreme to another over the years, and it has taken 15 years to establish my current belief. This is that steroid use should not be legalised without a prescription. Not because steroids are particularly worse than most other non-prescription drugs, but due to the nature of the men taking them. Taking testosterone so that you are just maintaining healthy levels of testosterone has hundreds of benefits, and very few (if any) downsides. But steroid abuse (which is what professional bodybuilders do) can have many downsides. My issue is that most men if given the option to take small dosages would quickly abuse the drug. "If taking one pill of testosterone has given me all these benefits, then why not take four pills?". You get the idea. One thing I am certain of though, there needs to be more debate around this issue. At the moment there are two camps. There are people who are staunchly pro steroids, who don't really believe that anything bad will happen to them. Then there are the people who are just as staunchly anti-steroid. These are the type of people who think creatine monohydrate should be banned! Education is vital here. I'd also be happy if doctors were more likely to prescribe testosterone to older men, as many men can have testosterone levels that are lower than healthy. Food for thought at least. Stormtrooper Galactic Pale Ale This was a pretty decent English pale ale, though not as good as my usual favourites (Speckled Hen, Greene King, Hobgoblin, Doom Bar). You don't often see craft pale ales, and when you do they are almost always American Pale Ales, which is slightly different. Still, very cool can design, and it meant that I could use my Stormtrooper pint glass, which is a glass that I don't get to use very often. So no complaints from me. Interestingly, the Stormtrooper line of beers is all brewed by Vocation brewery! One of my favourite craft breweries.

Most diets fail. They either fail immediately, within a couple of weeks or after a number of weeks. Sometimes they can appear to succeed, but after a year, you're back to square one. Which if you think about it is a fairly common result. In this podcast, I give five reasons why your diet is failing. Why Your Diet is Failing I won't go into each specific point, that's what the podcast is here for. But the main reason for a failing diet is not taking it seriously enough during planning. What is your goal? How are you going to achieve it? How long is this diet going to last? What is your current situation? Answer these questions and you will be well on your way to creating a successful diet that achieves exactly what you set out for it to achieve. Sadly, what usually happens is that you wake up after a particularly calorific meal or a night out and vow to go on a diet. You throw out all the junk food in your house and then purchase a new diet book and a tonne of "healthy" meals. You give up everything you love, and after a few weeks, you have a complete meltdown and gorge yourself. Does that sound familiar? It certainly does to me. Not only have I seen hundreds of clients do it (before signing up with me), I've been there myself. At University, I gained a load of weight, and tried carb-free diets, for a good 2 weeks before I ate an entire loaf of bread in one sitting. During the podcast, I promised to link you to some articles on goal setting, nutrition, and exercise. Check them out here: How to be your own personal trainer part 1 How to be your own personal trainer part 2 How to be your own personal trainer part 3 Twisted Knots American IPA Today's beer came courtesy of Lidl, and it should be mentioned that it came at a very low price point. Twisted Knots IPA is a very dark beer, almost red in colour. It had a decent head, that mostly disappeared while I tried to get a photo of it. The taste was a little too bitter for my liking, but not too bad at all. This is a beer that I would not exactly search out, but wouldn't turn down if offered it. Considering the price, it is not a bad beer, but I prefer Lidl's other IPA, which tastes a lot better in my opinion.

The inspiration for this podcast came from an article I wrote a few months back, it was looking at the potential health benefits of drinking beer, and weighing them up against the downsides. The article was fairly interesting to write, and I thought that it might suit podcasting even better. So, is beer healthy? Let's find out. Is Beer Healthy? There is a lot of evidence that light to moderate beer drinking can provide some health benefits, but heavy drinking is guaranteed to cause health issues down the line. In the podcast, I conclude that while beer may well provide some health benefits, it isn't good practice to think of it as healthy. Think of it as a nice treat, something to savour and enjoy, but not something to overindulge in. In the same way that having a nice steak every once in a while can provide some excellent health benefits, but that too much steak can lead to weight gain, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease! Spaten Oktoberfest Bier For a bit of a change, I decided to have a beer from my Perfect Draft machine during this podcast. A Spaten Oktoberfest beer. I've had the Perfect Draft machine for a few months now, and have been really impressed by it. I love German lagers and pilsners, and Oktoberfest beers are a personal favourite. Though I have learned not to attempt to drink a stein's worth of it too often. At over 6% abv, it's just too strong for little old me! A nice half-pint or two every now and again is a really nice luxury. But after talking about the benefits of light drinking rather than heavy drinking, it seems mad to be getting through a keg of 6% German beer too quickly! The kegs last for 30 days, so I've been spreading it out and taking my time.

In this podcast, I talk about the seven mistakes I made as a personal trainer. This was not the most enjoyable thing for me to do! But it led to a pretty damn good podcast (in my opinion). Much better than if I'd named my seven greatest successes or my best features. The Top Seven Mistakes I made as a Personal Trainer Analysing my mistakes as a trainer helped me improve, and now that I've got some perspective on my time as a PT, it's really helping me to plan for the future. I'm not going to list the mistakes here, you can hear them on the podcast. But there is a common theme for most of them, which is: Treating my clients like athletes Not having enough confidence in myself The second one is a bit of an odd one because in many ways I had too much confidence in myself! When you are a trainer, you have to act like the best trainer in the world, and in some ways, you start to believe your own hype. But when dealing with my clients, I erred on the side of safety too often. Particularly when it came to diet. I've learned from that now, and as I say in the podcast. Caring about your clients so much that you end up being overly-cautious, is not the worst trait to have as a trainer. Shelby 5% IPA by Thornbridge Brewery What a lovely surprise this beer was. In two different ways. My Mrs came back from the Co-op with a gift box of two bottles of Shelby and a beer mug, all for £5. While I'm fairly indifferent to the Peaky Blinders tv show (have only watched one episode to be fair), the mug is fantastic. The beer was gorgeous too. I guessed that it was an English IPA rather than an American IPA, and this seems to be the case. The main hop used is Fuggles which is an English hop variety, and there is a distinct lack of American hops. It also uses a combination of English and German malts. It's an excellent English IPA, and I am definitely looking forward to drinking the other one as soon as I finish writing this! Check out my article on English beers to see some similar varieties.

I've been planning on writing an article that answers the question "can bodybuilding be considered a sport?", but decided to do a podcast first. I'll write the article at some point and may come out with a completely different answer! Can Bodybuilding Be Considered a Sport? In the podcast, I first discuss my relationship with bodybuilding. Anyone who has met me in person will NOT be surprised to know that I have never had any interest in being a bodybuilder. But after 60+ articles on bodybuilding history, famous bodybuilders through the years, and several articles on the more recent Mr Olympia competitions, I now have a greater knowledge of bodybuilding and an appreciation for it. That does not mean that I think it is a sport though. Though you'll have to listen to my podcast to find out my exact thoughts, and why it is such a difficult question to answer. Peanut Riot Porter by Fierce Brewery On the podcast, as is now customary, I make a big fuss about the pointless distinction between stouts and porters (they're the same thing). But don't let that distract you from how much I enjoyed this beer! Peanut Riot had me wary as my first impression was that it was going to be too sweet. It smelled like a Snickers bar, with that chemical aftertaste you sometimes get with sweet porters and stouts. I am not a massive fan of sweet porters and stouts, I find that they can get rather sickly after a while. But Peanut Riot surprised me. The taste was less sweet, you could definitely taste the peanut, and it was very smooth. An excellent beer all in all. Fierce brewery is based in Aberdeen, and that means that there is ANOTHER amazing Scottish craft brewery! Seriously, Scotland is absolutely smashing it when it comes to craft beer these days. I may have to write a follow up to my Celtic Craft Beer article.

I talk about creatine a lot, I've written hundreds of articles online about its benefits, drawbacks, and supplements that contain it. I've been a freelance fitness and nutrition writer for 6 years now, and clients are always asking for articles about it. This podcast talks about five surprising benefits of creatine. What are the Five Surprising Benefits of Creatine? I am not about to ruin the surprise for my podcast listeners here, that would be pointless. If you want to find out the hundreds of scientifically proven benefits of creatine then go onto the examine.com website and find out for yourself. Creatine is known for its ability to improve athletic performance. Allowing you to train harder, and to see gains in strength, speed, and power. But it has many benefits, particularly for the elderly and for vegetarians/vegans. For some reason, creatine got a bad reputation among the general public, based on misinformation. Creatine is NOT a steroid, is NOT illegal, and is NOT dangerous. Our bodies produce it naturally, and it is found in meat and fish. Supplementation has many benefits for old and young alike. Passionfruit Pale Ale by Innis & Gunn Innis & Gunn produced one of the first craft beers I ever had. Their bourbon-barrel-aged Scotch ale was a revelation. At least it was to all my friends, I wasn't a massive fan. Then again, I'm not a big fan of bourbon, so perhaps this was not surprising. That being said, I am well aware that their original beer is well-loved, and it's not that I dislike it. I'm just not going to order it. Their passionfruit pale ale on the other hand, is very decent, and I'd consider a second or even a third if offered. I wrote an article on Celtic Craft beer, and completely neglected to mention Innis & Gunn, so hopefully, this podcast will rectify the situation somewhat. They deserve to be mentioned alongside Brewdog, and I can't think of higher praise!

In the past, I've written articles for other websites that have argued for and against the paleo diet. This may sound hypocritical, how can I write one article while having an opposing opinion? Well firstly, I got bills to pay y'all. Secondly, I am not for or against the paleo diet. So I can write positive and negative articles while staying true to my beliefs. So, what is wrong with the paleo diet? What is Wrong With the Paleo Diet? In the podcast, I talk a lot about some of the illogical aspects of the paleo diet. The appeal to nature, the condensing of 2.5 million years of diet into a quick recipe book for paleo cookies, and how the diet does not represent the nature of palaeolithic people. If a palaeolithic person saw a Big Mac and chips they would not turn their noses up at it because it contained bread. They would eat it, because that's what the constant threat of famine does to a person! But just because I don't like the theories behind the diet, does not mean that I think the diet is a bad one. It is overly-complicated, unnecessarily restrictive, and irritating. But it also encourages you to eat more fruit and veg, and reduce your intake of processed and red meat in favour of leaner meats such as game and poultry. These are not bad things and provided you enjoy following it, I won't judge anyone who genuinely enjoys it. Just don't pretend like it is in any way superior to a normal diet! Efes Draft Beer My Mrs (would be my wife if Covid hadn't cancelled our wedding) made me a beer advent calendar. The day of recording was Dec 1st - yes, this podcast is being scheduled WAY in advance. Efes draft beer (canned) was the number 1 beer on this calendar. I really enjoyed drinking this beer. It had a strong honey aroma which I really liked. I'll be honest, I've read a few tasting notes for this beer and absolutely nobody else has mentioned honey, but I was/am certain that this is what it tasted and smelled of. I've talked about Turkish beer before, and it is a fascinating story. The mixture of secularism and religion in Turkish politics has had a marked effect on beer, leading to total domination of the domestic market by Efes. But for all that, it is an excellent lager. Worth a try.

Today's podcast is all about discovering why personal trainers hate cardio. Obviously, not all personal trainers hate it, but there are enough PTs spouting off about their hate for traditional cardio for it to be worth looking at. Do they have a point? This episode explores the truth. Why Personal Trainers Hate Cardio The podcast looks at the legitimate reasons why personal trainers don't often add cardio into their sessions. High injury rate, practical issues, coaching issues, and risk/benefit analysis. It also looks at the lesser-known reasons why personal trainers may not want to add cardio into their workouts. At the end of the day, there is a time and a place for cardio, but I can understand why a PT would not feel it necessary. If you aren't training with a PT then adding some cardio into your life will provide many benefits, and the purpose of this podcast is not to discourage you from that. TrioJ 26 NEIPA by Lost + Found The beer I was drinking during this podcast was a New England IPA (NEIPA) from Lost + Found brewery called TrioJ 26. An absolutely shocking name for a beer! I've talked about NEIPAs before, and they aren't exactly my favourite style. But this was by no means a bad beer. It was not as bitter as I had expected a NEIPA to be, and bitterness is one of the main reasons why I usually avoid NEIPAs. But at 6% it is stronger than I like my IPAs to be. My ideal IPA is a session IPA, one I can drink a few cans of without feeling absolutely trashed. Yep, I'm a volume kinda guy! If you enjoy your beer hoppy, fruity, and not overly bitter, then this beer is a real find. Excellent as a one-off, but not something I could see myself drinking five of.

Can You Lose Weight While Drinking Beer? That is the type of question that Beer n Biceps was created to answer! In fact, I've already written an article about it, check it out here. But not everyone has time to waste reading words on a page, so I decided to do a podcast on the subject too. Can You Lose Weight While Drinking Beer? Looking at the question in the most simplistic way, yes of course you can lose weight while drinking beer. If you stopped eating for 20 days and only drank one can of Guinness for sustenance, do you really believe you wouldn't lose weight? You absolutely would. But that wouldn't be a healthy way to do it, nor would it be enjoyable. But it is important to point out the fact that you can do so. Weight loss is all about calories in vs calories out over a period of time. If you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose body fat, as your body will dip into your stored fat to make up the energy difference. Sort of like dipping into your saving after a month of your outgoings being higher than your income. You can fit beer into your diet, and still maintain a calorie deficit. You just have to be realistic about how much beer you can have per week, while staying within the deficit. 10 pints? Unlikely. 5 pints? Perfectly possible. Guinness What is there to say about Guinness that I haven't already covered in my Guinness fact file or article on beer in Ireland? Not much. I was very impressed with the canned version, tasted as nice as any pint I've had in a pub, and a decent price too. Poured beautifully, and allowed for a decent head. Instagram is full of craft stouts, imperial stouts, and crazy porters, but a can of Guinness beats all of them in my opinion!

I try not to lean too heavily on one side or the other when it comes to fitness arguments. Partly because I hate conflict (unless I'm drunk) but mostly because I think that having strong views on scientific subjects should only come once you have mastered your field. The truth about keto diets is that they can work for some people, but are not ideal for most people. That isn't a particularly controversial stance though, and it won't get me hundreds of followers or hundreds of enemies. But it's a balanced opinion that is not influenced by anything other than the facts as I understand them. The Truth About Keto Diets Ketogenic diets were developed in the early 20th century and used to treat epileptic seizures in children. While there is now an effective anti-seizure medication that can be used instead, the keto diet is still recommended to some people. So whether you like it or not, you have to admit that in some instances, the keto diet can be effective, potentially even life-saving. Whether it is an effective diet for non-epileptics remains to be seen. It is needlessly complicated and restrictive in my opinion. With no real benefits compared to other, easier, diets. But some people will enjoy those restrictions, having a simple framework to base their diet around may help them to stick to it better. Rules, however arbitrary can help create a structure for some people, and that can lead to excellent results. My main problem with the keto diet is not the diet itself, it is the people who promote it as some incredible diet with all these benefits attached. People who say that it is amazing for fat loss (it's nothing special). Or that it can improve your physical or mental performance. It can't. Classic Lager by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company The beer I was drinking while yelling into my microphone was Classic lager by the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. I had not been too excited for this beer, as it sounded pretty boring. I was pleasantly surprised. This was an excellent lager, with shades of some Belgian beers I've had. Perhaps they used Belgian malt?* Either way, the beer was excellent. Did everything a lager should (tasted nice) and I'm surprised at the low ratings it has got on Untappd.com. Actually, I'm not that surprised, because the type of people who rate beers on Untappd are exactly the type of people I'd expect to turn their nose up at a well-brewed lager. Just kidding! *After checking this article, I found out that they used Dutch malt. Close enough that I can avoid humiliation, but different enough to mention here.