Wits & Weights | Fat Loss, Nutrition, & Strength Training for Lifters
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© 2025 Philip Pape
Description
For skeptics of the fitness industry who want to work smarter and more efficiently to build muscle and lose fat. Wits & Weights cuts through the noise and deconstructs health and fitness with an engineering mindset to help you develop a strong, lean physique without wasting time.
Nutrition coach Philip Pape explores EFFICIENT strength training, nutrition, and lifestyle strategies to optimize your body composition. Simple, science-based, and sustainable info from an engineer turned lifter (that's why they call him the Physique Engineer).
From restrictive fad diets to ineffective workouts and hyped-up supplements, there's no shortage of confusing information out there.
Getting in the best shape of your life doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming. By using your WITS (mindset and systems!) and lifting WEIGHTS (efficiently!), you can build muscle, lose stubborn fat, and achieve and maintain your dream physique.
We bring you smart and efficient strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle, and mindset. You'll learn:
- Why fat loss is more important than weight loss for health and physique
- Why all the macros (protein, fats, and yes even carbs) are critical to body composition
- Why you don't need to spend more than 3 hours in the gym each week to get incredible results
- Why muscle (not weight loss) is the key to medicine, obesity, and longevity
- Why age and hormones (even in menopause) don't matter with the right lifestyle
- How the "hidden" psychology of your mind can unlock more personal (and physical) growth than you ever thought possible, and how to tap into that mindset
If you're ready to separate fact from fiction, learn what actually works, and put in the intelligent work, hit that "follow" button and let's engineer your best physique ever!
519 Episodes
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Want to build muscle, lose fat, and train smarter? Join the new Physique University for just $27/month and get a FREE custom nutrition plan using this special link. — Lost weight only to gain it back? Tired of quick-fix diets that leave you weaker, not stronger? What if real success has nothing to do with the scale? Dr. Mikki Williden, a registered nutritionist, researcher, and host of the Mikkipedia Podcast, joins me, and we break down why most people are chasing the wrong metrics. We...
Join Wits & Weights Physique University for unlimited access to evidence-based training templates, our "Lifting Lessons" course, and a free custom nutrition plan when you use this special link: https://bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan -- Are you sore after workouts... and does this even matter? Learn why DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is actually a terrible indicator of workout effectiveness, what it really tells you about your training, and the performance metrics you should track instead to ...
Download my favorite nutrition app (use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for a FREE 2 week trial): https://bit.ly/philipmacrofactor -- Food logging doesn't have to be tedious or time-consuming when you use the right tools and strategies. I'm revealing 7 of my favorite hacks to transform tracking from a daily struggle into a seamless 3-minute habit (cutting your time by 80%) while making your nutrition data more useful for reaching your goals. Episode Resources: Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWE...
🔥 Try our new (free) 2-minute Metabolic Quiz to find out what's stalling your metabolism... and get a personalized roadmap to sustainable fat loss -- What comes to mind when you hear the word "physique"? Six-pack abs? Bulging muscles? The perfect Instagram body? That's only scratching the surface of what your physique truly represents. Your physique isn't just how you look. It's the embodiment of your strength, function, health, and identity. When you train for these, you create a physique th...
Register for the Live Q&A with Zora on September 23, only in Physique U. Use this special link to join and get a free 6-month transformation plan: https://bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan -- Could menopause be closer than you think? What if it’s already starting in your 30s without you knowing? I bring on gerontologist and biohacker Zora Benhamou, host of Hack My Age, to reveal the hidden hormonal shifts most women miss. Zora shares why progesterone quietly dips in your mid-30s, how strength and mob...
Get your free Progressive Overload Guide to apply these principles to improve your training: witsandweights.com/free -- Ed Cohn, nicknamed the "Mozart of Strength," set 71 world records in powerlifting and became the lightest man to total over 2,400 pounds through his mastery of progressive overload and passion-driven consistency. His approach contrasts sharply with today's overcomplicated fitness culture, proving that simplicity and fundamentals still build champions. Ed is still considered ...
Join Physique University to get a personalized nutrition plan to look and feel better and stop guessing about your calorie needs: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan -- Why do some people thrive on far fewer calories than others (who might be miserable eating at that level)? When we talk about whether 800 calories a day is "unsafe," we're asking the wrong question. After all, your size, training, activity level, and energy needs are unique to you and can vary widely among the population. Learn why there's ...
Want to learn more about starting, managing, or transitioning off GLP-1 medications? Join Physique U to attend this Tuesday's live Q&A with GLP-1 expert Justin Silver (and get the replay plus a free custom nutrition plan): bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan -- Are GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro stealing your hard-earned muscle? The short answer is no, but the reality is more nuanced than many realize. Learn why people experience muscle loss while taking weight loss medications. ...
Want to build muscle, lose fat, and train smarter? Join the new Physique University for just $27/month and get your custom nutrition plan FREE (limited time). — Can your smartphone really rival a $100,000 DEXA scan? What if the same device you use to scroll Instagram could also reveal your body fat percentage, fat distribution, and even your HRV? I sit down with Jason Moore, founder and CEO of Spren, a company turning your phone into a precision biometric tool. We talk about how Spren c...
Get your FFMI calculated automatically with the Physique & Biofeedback Tracker in Physique University to track your actual muscle development over time and understand exactly what phase of training you should focus on next. This special link also gets you a FREE custom nutrition plan: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan -- Is your strength training actually building muscle? Scale weight fluctuates, body fat measurements are inconsistent, and progress photos depend on lighting and angles. There's one me...
Build muscle and lose fat (no dieting or bulking) with the 90-Day Body Recomp Workshop replay + bonuses (90-day week-by-week plan, custom nutrition plan, and training programs for 3, 4, and 5 days per week): live.witsandweights.com -- You've been told that belly fat gain during midlife is inevitable... just part of aging and declining hormones that you have to accept. Recent research from the landmark SWAN study that followed 308 women for 12 years reveals the truth: "menopause belly" isn't r...
This week in my Instagram feed, I shared 2 critical principles that determine if your nutrition plan will actually work for fat loss and muscle building in real life, such as: When life is at its messiest, not just when everything is perfectDealing with social events, travel, and celebrations (birthday cake!)Eating more but not eating more caloriesMaking fat loss easier and more sustainableFollow me on Instagram @witsandweights to read more pithy, nerdy, out-of-the-blue, but ultimately helpfu...
Join Physique University (free for 2 weeks) to engineer your best physique using our science-based fat loss and muscle-building blueprint — Why can two people follow the same diet and training plan but get completely different results? Could your DNA explain why fat loss feels harder, or why recovery takes longer? And is genetic testing the breakthrough it claims to be or just another fitness gimmick? With me is Joe Cohen, founder and CEO of SelfDecode, to separate the science from the scams....
Get your free Nutrition 101 for Body Composition Guide to learn the fundamentals of energy balance, macros, and meal timing for building muscle and losing fat: witsandweights.com/free Get Chef's Foundry P600 Ceramic Cookware - 50% off at witsandweights.com/chefsfoundry -- Stop letting inaccurate metabolism estimates sabotage your nutrition goals. The fitness industry has convinced us that estimating metabolism requires expensive tests, fancy gadgets, or complex formulas, but there's one...
Join the 90-Day Body Recomp Workshop tomorrow (Tuesday, August 19) at 12 PM Eastern for only $27 (replay included). Get Philip's complete system for simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain, plus a custom nutrition plan. Register at live.witsandweights.com -- Think you need a calorie deficit to lose fat? Or months of bulking followed by months of cutting to reshape your physique? Think again. Body recomp (the simultaneous loss of fat and gain of muscle) isn't just possible... it's achievable for...
Register for the 90-Day Body Recomp Workshop this Tuesday, August 19th at 12pm Eastern (replay included) at live.witsandweights.com -- Tired of cutting and bulking (or just don't want to)? Frustrated with approaches that leave you either feeling too fluffy or too depleted? Is there a middle ground that works instead? Yes, it's called body recomposition or "body recomp" where you build muscle and lose fat at the same time. Most people get stuck in the cut-bulk cycle, never feeling satisfied wi...
Want to build muscle, lose fat, and train smarter? Join the new Physique University for just $27/month and get your custom nutrition plan FREE (limited time): bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan — Were women in the past weaker than men, or have we been sold a lie? What if prehistoric women could outlift most modern athletes? And how does understanding this history change the way you train today? I’m joined by Anne Marie Chaker, author of Lift: How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform...
Get your free Nutrition 101 for Body Composition guide to understand the fundamentals of nutrition and personalize your calories/macros: witsandweights.com/free -- Diet culture emerged in the 1920s, when calorie counting was invented, cigarettes were marketed as weight loss aids, and thinness became associated with moral virtue for the first time in American history. Discover how the birth of modern diet culture 100 years ago created patterns we're still repeating today. Main Takeaways: Dr. L...
Get Chef's Foundry P600 ceramic cookware at 50% off plus a complete guide on cookware materials and safety at: witsandweights.com/chefsfoundry -- Do you cook with nonstick pans, microwave with plastic containers, or wonder about materials you drink out of? Learn about the science behind 3 major categories of chemical exposure from cookware and food packaging: microplastics, PFAS ("forever chemicals"), and plasticizers like BPA. While avoiding fear-mongering, we discuss legitimate concerns abo...
Get 10% off SymptoGuard to manage GLP‑1 side effects and stay consistent with your eating and training. — Are GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic secretly stalling your progress? Why are so many users quitting despite major weight loss? I talk with Justin Silver, founder of SymptoGuard, who watched his father battle severe Ozempic side effects that nearly took his life. Justin shares the real reasons users struggle on GLP-1s and how these can derail your fitness and muscle goals even while losing weigh...
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I want to like this podcast, he seems like he knows his stuff, but he's one of those Americans who uses his voice in such a way that he sounds like he's shouting. Constantly. I guess it's meant to be 'peppy' or something, but unfortunately for me it makes him un-listenable. Mr Pape, you know the benefit of coaching, talk to a voice coach, they can really help you sound and be more relaxed in your vocalisations. Suspect it will greatly help your podcast numbers, especially outside the US. Cheers.