Review the podcast by October 15 for a chance to win 3 months free in Physique University Mastery Track ($261 value). Leave a review at Apple Podcasts... EVERYONE who leaves a review will get a gift from me :)

Get 20% off Cozy Earth temperature-cooling sheets (with code WITSANDWEIGHTS) at witsandweights.com/cozyearth

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Confused about which fitness and recovery tools actually work?

Ice baths, red light therapy, massage guns, collagen supplements, and more! The marketing makes them all sound like you NEED THEM NOW.

Learn about 13 overhyped tools ranked from least to most overhyped based on what the science actually says, when they might help in specific situations, and how to avoid wasting money on gadgets that don't move the needle.

1 recovery tool that DOES actually work:

• Cozy Earth temperature-cooling sheets. Go to witsandweights.com/cozyearth and use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for 20% off

Timestamps:

0:01 - Are these fitness tools worth it?
2:47 - Review giveaway!
5:55 - How I'm ranking these fitness and recovery tools
7:15 - #13: Ice baths
8:22 - #12: Cryotherapy
9:02 - #11: Compression garments
9:48 - #10: Massage therapy and foam rolling
11:43 - #9: Percussion guns
13:11 - #8: Tart cherry juice
14:26 - #7: Heat therapy and sauna
17:42 - #6: Dry needling
18:49 - #5: Red light therapy
20:00 - #4: BCAAs and EAAs
21:51 - #3: Collagen supplements
23:11 - #2: Electrical stimulation (TENS and EMS)
24:20 - #1: Glutamine/supplements
25:28 - What these tools have in common and 3 questions to ask

Support the show

🔥 Take our 2-minute Metabolic Quiz for a free, personalized fat loss blueprint with training and nutrition recommendations

🩸 Book a Performance Bloodwork Analysis to find out what's slowing your metabolism, fat loss, & muscle gain (20% off with VITALITY20)

🎓 Lose fat + build muscle in Physique University (use code FREEPLAN for a free custom nutrition plan)

👥 Join our Facebook community for fitness support

👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram

📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition and macros app)

We challenge the myth of a “broken metabolism” and show how results improve when your plan matches your current physiology, lifestyle, and recovery.

Take the 2-minute quiz that identifies whether you’re facing metabolic adaptation, lower insulin sensitivity, or a recovery mismatch along with a 15-page personalized fat loss blueprint with macros, movement, and recipe recommendations: witsandweights.com/quiz

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Tired of blaming a “slow metabolism” for stalled fat loss or flat training?

Let’s fix the real issue: the mismatch between your plan and where your body stands today.

Learn about the most common roadblocks to fat loss and how to turn each into a clear path forward.

Go to witsandweights.com/quiz to take the free 2-minute metabolism quiz

Support the show

🔥 Take our 2-minute Metabolic Quiz for a free, personalized fat loss blueprint with training and nutrition recommendations

🩸 Book a Performance Bloodwork Analysis to find out what's slowing your metabolism, fat loss, & muscle gain (20% off with VITALITY20)

🎓 Lose fat + build muscle in Physique University (use code FREEPLAN for a free custom nutrition plan)

👥 Join our Facebook community for fitness support

👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram

📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition and macros app)

Register for the Live Q&A with Karen Martel on Tuesday October 14, only in Physique University (replay included). Use code FREEPLAN to get a free custom nutrition plan when you join ($97 value) at physique.witsandweights.com

Get hormone creams and oils without a prescription at witsandweights.com/karenmartel (use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for 10% off)

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What if waiting too long for hormone therapy meant more than hot flashes? What if it set you up for stubborn weight gain, bone loss, and low energy?

I talk with hormone specialist Karen Martel about why timing matters for HRT, how hormone shifts impact metabolism, muscle, and mood, and why lifestyle alone isn’t always enough. We cover genetics, trauma, and the latest tools, from HRT to GLP-1s—that can help women reclaim vitality in midlife and beyond.

Karen Martel is the host of The Hormone Solution Podcast, where she helps women thrive through perimenopause and menopause with practical, science-backed solutions.

Today, you’ll learn all about:

6:35 – How hormones trigger a metabolic storm
12:56 – The rise of belly fat and insulin resistance
19:11 – Muscle, bone, and recovery challenges
23:51 – Life without hormone therapy
28:55 – Key tests to watch in your 40s
44:12 – GLP-1s as a new tool
59:17 – A positive future for women’s health

Episode resources:

• Karen’s Bioidentical Hormone Products (Creams & Oils) - use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for 10% off
• Karen’s group hormone coaching

Support the show

🔥 Take our 2-minute Metabolic Quiz to find out what's stalling your metabolism... and get a personal fat loss roadmap

🩸 Book a Performance Bloodwork Analysis to find out what's slowing your metabolism, fat loss, and muscle gain - 20% off with VITALITY20

🎓 Lose fat + build muscle in Physique University, now just $27/mo (use code FREEPLAN for a custom nutrition plan when you join)

👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support

👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram

📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

Take our free 2-minute Metabolic Quiz and get a 15-page assessment and body recomposition road map

Book your Performance Bloodwork Analysis at witsandweights.com/bloodwork to identify your biggest constraints and get a personalized plan based on your hormone levels and metabolic markers. Podcast listeners get 20% off with code VITALITY20.

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We've been conditioned to think that spending money directly on coaching, guidance, accountability, and taking ownership of our own healthcare is indulgent, while spending on products, equipment, and supplements feels responsible.

The average American spends $13,000 annually treating preventable conditions, while personalizing your health might cost $2,000.

Learn how an engineering tool called the Fishbone Diagram helps you prioritize where your resources (time, money, effort) should best be spent.

Investing in your health isn't selfish. When you have more energy, you show up better for your family. When you're strong and confident, you're more effective at work. When you feel good in your body, you're more present in relationships. Taking care of yourself doesn't take away from others, it's what allows you to give more.

Main Takeaways:

• 5 high-ROI interventions that actually move the needle for personalized health
• How to separate evidence-based health optimization from expensive wellness theater
• Investing in your health isn't selfish, it's foundational for showing up for others

Episode Mentioned:

• How Performance Bloodwork Reveals What's Really Blocking Your Fat Loss (Constraint Theory)

Timestamps:

0:00 - The personal spending paradox
5:13 - The privilege narrative
8:03 - Wellness "theater" vs. what works
11:50 - What personalized health actually means
17:23 - The real cost of prevention vs. treatment
22:22 - Permission to invest in yourself
23:37 - What is the Fishbone Diagram?
28:34 - 5 high-ROI health interventions
41:03 - Addressing the "selfish investment" mindset
44:29 - Accessibility doesn't mean compromise

Support the show

🔥 Take our 2-minute Metabolic Quiz to find out what's stalling your metabolism... and get a personalized roadmap to sustainable fat loss

🩸 Book a Performance Bloodwork Analysis to find out what's slowing your metabolism, fat loss, and muscle gain - 20% off with VITALITY20

🎓 Lose fat + build muscle in Physique University, now just $27/mo (use code FREEPLAN for a custom nutrition plan when you join)

👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support

👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram

📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

Book your Performance Bloodwork Analysis at witsandweights.com/bloodwork to identify your biggest constraints and get a personalized plan based on your hormone levels and metabolic markers. Podcast listeners get 20% off with code VITALITY20.

Get 20% off Cozy Earth temperature-cooling sheets (with code WITSANDWEIGHTS) at witsandweights.com/cozyearth

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Are you gaining belly fat with age and frustrated that restricting calories and ab exercises aren't working any more (if they ever did)?

Discover the 7 root causes of midlife belly fat, most having nothing to do with what you're eating or how you're training.

Understanding these physiological mechanisms helps create targeted solutions that address the real reasons fat is being stored around your midsection rather than simply doing more of the same.

Main Takeaways:

• Root cause #1 tells your body to store fat centrally, even in a calorie deficit
• Root cause #2 disrupts hunger hormones and directly raises insulin resistance
• Root cause #3 shifts fat distribution to the abdomen with age
• Root cause #4 promotes belly fat storage, especially liver and visceral fat
• Root cause #5 suppresses fat-burning enzymes independent of exercise
• Root cause #6 slows metabolism and favors central fat storage
• Root cause #7 suppresses fat oxidation while raising cortisol and lowering testosterone

Episode Resources:

• Get 20% off Cozy Earth bamboo-derived sheets (use code WITSANDWEIGHTS) at witsandweights.com/cozyearth
• Get 20% off a Performance Bloodwork Analysis (use code VITALITY20) at witsandweights.com/bloodwork

Timestamps:

0:00 - Why you gain more belly fat with age
5:06 - The 7 root causes
41:13 - Why belly fat responds fastest when you fix the right things
42:17 - How to get deeper answers about the 7 root causes

Support the show

🔥 Take our 2-minute Metabolic Quiz to find out what's stalling your metabolism... and get a personalized roadmap to sustainable fat loss

🩸 Book a Performance Bloodwork Analysis to find out what's slowing your metabolism, fat loss, and muscle gain - 20% off with VITALITY20

🎓 Lose fat + build muscle in Physique University, now just $27/mo (use code FREEPLAN for a custom nutrition plan when you join)

👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support

👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram

📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

Want to build muscle, lose fat, balance hormones, and enjoy life? ⁠⁠⁠Join Physique University and get a FREE custom nutrition plan using code FREEPLAN. Go to witsandweights.com/physique

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Think you’re too old to transform your body? Brian Kopka proves otherwise.

At 46, Brian, a medical professional and former athlete, was stuck in the low-carb trap, feeling drained and frustrated. Six months later, he’s stronger, leaner, and more energized than ever.

Brian joins me today to share how reintroducing carbs supercharged his workouts, why logging every rep reignited progress, and how coaching gave him the push he didn’t know he needed. We also talk openly about the struggles men rarely admit: scale obsession, restrictive eating, and the mental toll of chasing fitness alone.

Today, you’ll learn all about:

3:07 - Why Brian hired a coach
6:09 - Tracking workouts and progressive overload
8:08 - How carbs transformed performance
15:12 - Using data to cut through fitness myths
18:43 - The truth about aging and decline
25:00 - Coaching as an accelerator for growth

Episode resources:

• Brian’s email: mdkicker17 [at] yahoo.com

Support the show

🔥 Take our 2-minute Metabolic Quiz to find out what's stalling your metabolism... and get a personalized roadmap to sustainable fat loss

🩸 Book a Performance Bloodwork Analysis to find out what's slowing your metabolism, fat loss, and muscle gain - 20% off with VITALITY20

🎓 Lose fat + build muscle in Physique University, now just $27/mo (use code FREEPLAN for a custom nutrition plan when you join)

👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support

👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram

📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

Get your Performance Bloodwork Analysis - Use code VITALITY20 for 20% off and discover what's really constraining your progress at witsandweights.com/bloodwork

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Stop guessing what's holding back your metabolism, fat loss, or muscle gains.

Learn how to use performance bloodwork analysis to identify your body's biggest constraint and fix it using the engineering principle of Constraint Theory.

Main Takeaways:

• Your body is an engineering system limited by its weakest link
• Performance bloodwork uses optimal ranges (not just "normal" disease-prevention ranges) to identify constraints
• Pattern recognition reveals hidden issues that standard bloodwork misses (like being both inflamed and dehydrated)
• Max impact interventions can improve 5-7 biomarkers at once instead of chasing individual symptoms
• The most efficient improvement comes from using a feedback loop to identify your constraints

Episode Resources:

• Performance Bloodwork Analysis - Code VITALITY20 for 20% off at witsandweights.com/bloodwork

Timestamps:

0:00 - The hidden constraint blocking your progress
2:08 - Introduction to Performance Bloodwork Analysis
2:55 - Your body as an engineering system (Constraint Theory)
7:25 - Performance vs. "normal" lab ranges
11:06 - Pattern recognition and hidden constraints missed by standard bloodwork
13:25 - How Performance Bloodwork Analysis works
16:53 - Max impact interventions and the engineering feedback loop
20:31 - Real-world application examples (fat loss, muscle growth, recovery)
29:06 - Why most people chase symptoms in circles
31:42 - Your body is a system to be optimized, not a mystery

Support the show

🔥 Take our 2-minute Metabolic Quiz to find out what's stalling your metabolism... and get a personalized roadmap to sustainable fat loss

🩸 Book a Performance Bloodwork Analysis to find out what's slowing your metabolism, fat loss, and muscle gain - 20% off with VITALITY20

🎓 Join Physique University for just $27 + get a FREE 6-month nutrition plan: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan

👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support

👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram

📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

Get Cozy Earth temperature-cooling sheets and use code WITSANDWEIGHTS for 20% off: witsandweights.com/cozyearth

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Tracking every calorie, hitting your workouts consistently, staying in that deficit... but the scale isn't budging? Your energy is tanking and you're obsessing about food despite all your effort?

This ONE thing is the often-overlooked catalyst that determines whether you can lose fat efficiently with good energy and minimal cravings, or find yourself stuck in a miserable cycle of extremely low calories and poor results.

It's... recovery!

Rest and recovery acts as your body's operating system, controlling whether you can lose fat eating plenty of calories with good energy, or get stuck at very low calories feeling miserable with terrible biofeedback.

Main Takeaways:

• Recovery determines how much you can eat while still losing fat consistently by supporting higher energy expenditure
• Sleep restriction can reduce fat loss by 55% compared to adequate sleep in the same caloric deficit
• Chronic stress elevates cortisol, promoting visceral fat storage and water retention that masks progress
• Poor recovery creates a downward spiral: decreased performance → lower calorie burn → harsher deficits → worse recovery
• Strategic recovery practices support higher NEAT, better training performance, and optimal metabolic function

Episode Resources:

• Adaptive Cardio Workshop Replay at live.witsandweights.com/replay
• Submit a question for the podcast (and get a personal reply plus a shoutout). Just go to witsandweights.com/question

Timestamps:

0:00 - Why your deficit isn't working
3:29 - Why traditional weight loss approaches fail
7:41 - The master controller of fat loss efficiency
11:53 - The #1 saboteur of fat loss even in a reasonable deficit
16:04 - Recovery-performance feedback loop
19:33 - Autonomic nervous system and measurable recovery markers
22:29 - Metabolic adaptation and why recovery acts as a buffer
23:45 - How recovery creates an upward spiral
26:42 - Recovery is NOT the opposite of intensity

Support the show

🔥 Take our 2-minute Metabolic Quiz for a free, personalized fat loss blueprint with training and nutrition recommendations

🩸 Book a Performance Bloodwork Analysis to find out what's slowing your metabolism, fat loss, & muscle gain (20% off with VITALITY20)

🎓 Lose fat + build muscle in Physique University (use code FREEPLAN for a free custom nutrition plan)

👥 Join our Facebook community for fitness support

👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram

📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition and macros app)