Wits & Weights | Evidence-Based Fitness & Nutrition for Lifters Over 40
Philip Pape, Evidence-Based Nutrition Coach & Fat Loss Expert
Wits & Weights is a strength and nutrition podcast where in every episode I put a popular piece of fitness advice under the microscope, find the hidden reason it doesn't work, and give you the deceptively simple fix that does.For skeptics of the fitness industry who are tired of following the rules and still not seeing results. If you've been lifting weights, tracking macros, and doing "all the right things" but your body composition hasn't changed, you're probably overcomplicating it. This is the fitness podcast that shows you how to build muscle, lose fat, and achieve a real body recomp by focusing only on what the evidence actually supports.Evidence-based fat loss coach Philip Pape brings an engineer's approach to strength training, nutrition, and metabolism. Instead of another generic program or meal plan, you get specific, science-based strategies for optimizing body composition, whether you're focused on building muscle, losing fat, or both. The focus is on strength training over 40, hormone health, perimenopause and menopause, and longevity.You've seen the conflicting advice. One expert says cut carbs, the next says eat more. One says train six days a week, another says three is plenty. Building the body you want doesn't have to be this confusing or time-consuming. By using your wits (systems + identity-based behavior change) and lifting weights, you can build muscle definition, improve your physique, and maintain your results for life without rebound weight gain.You'll learn smart, efficient strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle, and mindset, such as:- Why fat loss matters more than weight loss for both your health and your physique- Why all the macros, including protein, fats, and yes even carbs, are critical to body composition- How just 3 hours a week of proper hypertrophy training can deliver better results than most people get in twice that time- Why building muscle is the single most powerful thing you can do for metabolic health, longevity, and aging well- Why perimenopause and menopause don't have to derail your progress when your training and nutrition are dialed in- How shifting the way you think about fitness can unlock more physical (and personal) growth than any program aloneIf you're ready to learn what actually works with evidence-based training and nutrition, hit "follow" and let's engineer your best physique ever!Popular Guests Include: Mike Matthews (author of Bigger Leaner Stronger), Greg Nuckols (Stronger by Science), Alan Aragon (nutrition researcher), Eric Helms (3D Muscle Journey), Dr. Spencer Nadolsky (Docs Who Lift), Bill Campbell (exercise science researcher), Jordan Feigenbaum (Barbell Medicine), Holly Baxter (evidence-based physique coach), Laurin Conlin (physique coach), Lauren Colenso-Semple (nutrition researcher), Karen Martel (hormone optimization expert), Steph Gaudreau (women's strength and nutrition), Bryan Boorstein (hypertrophy coach)Popular Topics Include: hormone health, metabolism optimization, hypertrophy training, longevity and healthy aging, nutrition tracking, best protein powder selection, strength training over 40, women's fitness, perimenopause, menopause, muscle building, body recomp, macros and nutrition tracking
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 4, 2022 • 1h 1min
Ep 27: Build Muscle and Perform Better Using Effective Training and Program Design with Eric D'Agati
Eric D’Agati joins me to talk about training.Eric has spent over 20 years in the fitness industry as a coach, trainer, and instructor. Each year, he travels around the world teaching and speaking to trainers, coaches, and therapists as a lead instructor for Functional Movement Systems and guest speaker for prestigious organizations including Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York University Medical, the Navy SEALS, The Mayo Clinic, and multiple major universities. Eric also appeared in the NY Times bestseller “The 4-Hour Body” by Tim Ferriss.His list of training clients includes an Olympic Gold Medalist, All-Americans, National Champions, World Series Champions, and Pro-Bowl athletes. He also works with many high-level sports teams from high school to professionals.Eric’s latest projects include “Diamond Revolution Training,” an online training platform for baseball and softball athletes, and the “Principles of Program Design”, an educational workshop series and coaching service for trainers and clinicians on the art and science of designing training programs.Topics discussed in this episode:The top priorities someone should focus on to improve their health, fitness, and performanceThe difference between a workout and a programCompetence, awareness, and application as success factors for improved healthAssessing your history, current state, and goals when working with a coach, trainer, or starting a new programInjury, mobility, and recoveryLearning how to develop movement and increase physical capacityImproving your body compositionObstacles that stop someone from performing their bestDeveloping athletic skill, capability, and capacityManaging volume and recoveryExercise selection, unilateral movements, and Eric’s favorite lift/exerciseRELATED LINKSEric's website at ericdagati.comEric on InstagramWatch the episode on video here💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Sep 20, 2022 • 46min
Ep 26: Ageless Running and Fat Loss Strategies for Sustainable Fitness with Louise Valentine
Today I am joined by Louise Valentine to talk about how to achieve sustainable fitness goals by doing less rather than more, how to work WITH our physiology and not against it, how to optimize health for women 35 and older, and actionable tips you can start applying right away to unlock your best health despite age, a busy life, or obstacles.Louise is a Physiologist, best-selling author, avid runner, and military spouse. She was named #1 Health Specialist in the U.S., has worked for the NFL, and published research on how to solve the root cause of health and fitness problems.She is now CEO of BreakingThroughWellness.com, where she offers one-on-one coaching, courses, and the groundbreaking Badass Breakthrough Academy for women runners and fitness lovers age 35 and beyond.Just some of the topics discussed in this episode:Overcoming health diagnoses at any ageThe root cause of health and fitness problemsDoing less, not more, for sustainable successStrategies for sleep, working from home, carbs, and moreWorking with our physiologyPitfalls to avoid when improving health and fitnessConsiderations for women over 35 when it comes to health and fitnessRunning for sport and for health: myth vs. reality when it comes to fat loss and body compositionRELATED LINKSBreakingThroughWellness.com - Louise offers 1:1 coaching, courses, and the groundbreaking Badass Breakthrough Academy for women runners and fitness lovers age 35 and beyond Breaking Through Wellness on FacebookLouise (breakingthroughwellness) on InstagramLouise on LinkedInWatch the episode on video here💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Sep 6, 2022 • 44min
Ep 25: Lose 30 Pounds (or More) the Right Way and Keep it Off
What if you have significant weight to lose—around 30 pounds or more?Most people have no problem losing weight . . . in the short term. What usually follows is a rebound, usually because calories or the diet itself were so restrictive that they were impossible to maintain for more than a few months.In this episode, we discuss a completely different approach. Instead of “weight loss,” we want to achieve FAT LOSS. We want to improve our body composition over time and actually become leaner.Our topic is how to lose 30 pounds or more the right way…and keep it off.Not how to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, or how to lose weight now and then…good luck!Those approaches to dieting are completely myopic. They’re short-term. Just cut calories and lose weight. Then you’ll be lean.The problem is, every time you lose weight this way, usually without enough protein or resistance training, you lose some muscle and then regain mostly fat. This bodyfat overshooting phenomenon causes your body fat percentage to rise over time, even if your weight stays in the same range, but most likely you gain even more weight each time you rebound.Does this sound familiar?Here’s the reality. Losing weight is the “easy” part. The challenge is the 95% of skills, behaviors, and metabolic recovery we need to address BEFORE losing weight.In this episode, we cover how to lose mostly fat, do it sustainably, and have the knowledge to do it whenever you want for the rest of your life. We’ll discuss what happens when you lose weight through chronic dieting, what I would do with a client who needs to lose significant weight, and step through the entire process to get successful, long-term results.RELATED LINKSJoin our Facebook community if you'd rather watch the video and to access the nutrition blueprint PDF for this episodeMacroFactor food logging app (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Aug 30, 2022 • 12min
Ep 24: How to Distribute Protein for More Muscle Mass
This is our first "Science Says" episode, where we break down a single recent article relevant to the fitness (lifting, nutrition, health) industry and strategies you can apply right away based on what the science says.Today's article is "Evenly distributed protein intake over 3 meals augments resistance exercise–induced muscle hypertrophy in healthy young men" by Yasuda, et al. (2020).The main question is, can we build more muscle mass by evenly distributing protein throughout the day (primarily by increasing protein at breakfast if it is low to begin with)? RELATED LINKSYasuda, J., Tomita, T., Arimitsu, T., & Fujita, S. (2020). Evenly distributed protein intake over 3 meals augments resistance exercise–induced muscle hypertrophy in healthy young men. The Journal of Nutrition, 150(7), 1845-1851.Body by Science (Bill Campbell, PhD)💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Aug 23, 2022 • 33min
Ep 23: How to Minimize Fat Gain and Get Lean with Cuts and Bulks
If you could be in a calorie surplus for three-quarters of the year and constantly get leaner, would that appeal to you?Today’s topic is something that ended my many, repeated unproductive cycles of crash dieting and changed my mindset to one of abundance, performance, improved body composition, a better relationship with food, and sustainable results.You’re going to learn how to periodize your nutrition with cut and bulk cycles to get leaner and leaner by minimizing fat gain while maximizing muscle gain.Why do we periodize our nutrition anyway? Why use so-called cut and bulk cyclesWhy not just lose a bunch of weight and then maintain? Or gain a bunch of muscle and maintain? Or gain muscle and lose fat at the same time (the holy grail known as body recomposition)?Because our biology has thrown us a curveball. When you lose weight, you DO lose fat but you ALSO lose some muscle. Conversely, when you gain weight, you do gain muscle but also gain some fat.Therefore, why don’t we focus intelligently on ONE GOAL AT A TIME and MAXIMIZE our results for that goal?That’s exactly what today’s discussion is about!Topics discussed in this episode:What happens when we lose and gain weightWhat is body fat overshooting?Using cuts and bulks for body compositionEating in a surplus while training to gain muscleNot spending long enough in a bulkIdentifying your start and end pointsIdentifying your goal weightand more!RELATED LINKSJoin our Facebook community if you'd rather watch the videoMacroFactor diet sidekick (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Aug 9, 2022 • 40min
Ep 22: How to FINALLY Achieve (and Keep) Your Fat Loss and Fitness Results
This episode is all about achieving LASTING results: finding that place where you no longer have to yo-yo diet, jump from one program to another, or feel like the only way to success is severe calorie restriction, excessive cardio, or short-term transformations.If what you’ve tried before just has NOT worked, maybe it’s time to engage the help of another person.Someone who can hold you accountable, give you some extrinsic motivation to help you build momentum and develop new, sustainable habits, so you can finally achieve the weight loss, muscle building, and body recomposition goals you desire and MAINTAIN them for the long term.Yes, I’m talking about working with a coach, especially one who understands nutrition.We are going to make the distinction between effective and not-so-effective coaching and why you might (or might NOT) actually need a coach for your particular situation.RELATED LINKSMacroFactor diet sidekick (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Jul 26, 2022 • 41min
Ep 21: 21 Ways to Measure Progress and Crush Your Fitness Goals
How do you know when you’ve reached your goal?If you’re trying to lose 20 pounds, do you just instinctively change your eating behaviors and eventually magically arrive at your target weight? If you’re trying to build muscle, do you go to the gym without a program and randomly hit up different weights and machines, rep ranges, rest periods, and muscle groups?Chances are, when you’re committed to a goal, you come up with a plan and then measure progress along the way. Otherwise, how do you “close the loop” between desire and outcome?In this episode, we dive into 21 specific ways to measure progress toward your health and fitness goals, categorized into six areas: biometrics, biofeedback, nutrition, physical activity, behaviors, and self-awareness. We want to select the right measures for the job so we have clear, objective feedback that tells us whether we’re on track.With these tools at your disposal, and strategies to use them that I’ll talk about, you can crush any fitness goal with the certainty that you know how and when to adjust course. TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro03:09 - Biometrics11:32 - Biofeedback22:23 - Nutrition29:18 - Physical activity34:37 - Behaviors37:19 - Self-awarenessRELATED LINKSMacroFactor diet sidekick (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Jul 12, 2022 • 24min
Ep 20: Hitting Your Fitness and Nutrition Goals While Traveling or Busy
In this episode, we’re talking about what to do with your carefully-honed, consistent, so-far-successful training and nutrition plans when you go on vacation!Summer’s here, and despite exorbitant gas prices and airfare, we can’t help but get away from it all, even for just a week or even a long weekend. Vacations are the perfect time to shut off those devices, relax with a drink in your hand, and enjoy that well-deserved leisure.But that raises the question, should I continue my current health and fitness behaviors when I’m off jetting about in faraway lands (or even a road trip to the next state over)? If so, to what extent?What do I do on vacation?!TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro04:13 - Establishing a routine and planning ahead05:25 - Nutrition while on vacation09:09 - Tracking macros while on vacation15:28 - Activity and training while on vacation19:32 - What I did on my recent vacationRELATED LINKSMacroFactor diet sidekick (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Jun 28, 2022 • 56min
Ep 19: Integrating Martial Arts for Functional Strength and Lifelong Fitness with Ken Caputo
Today we have another special interview guest!Ken Caputo is a lifelong athlete who eventually found his way to strength training in his late 30s—something he and I have in common!From an early age, he competed in swimming, track, cross country, and even pole vaulting and spring board diving at the University of Connecticut, eventually becoming an expert in martial arts.I invited Ken on today because of his passion for lifting and nutrition, and how they can keep someone healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally, as well as recover from injury.RELATED LINKSKen Caputo at ken@questersway.comKen Caputo's Linktree💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
Jun 14, 2022 • 24min
Ep 18: 25 Ways to Improve Sleep (The Missing Ingredient to Nutrition and Recovery)
Today’s topic may not seem exciting, but it could be the critical missing ingredient to your nutrition and recovery, whether everything else is dialed in or not.I’m talking about sleep: too little sleep, low quality sleep, irregular sleep, and poor sleep habits.Many people suffer from insomnia or a sleep disorder, and a lack of sleep can lead to terrible consequences like medical errors and car accidents. A lack of sleep can increase hunger, reduce your metabolism, impair memory, affect hormone balance, and even accelerate aging.Yet there is hope. In a paper published in 2019 by Vitale et al., called Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations, the authors reviewed the effects of sleep deprivation and extension on athletes to see how applying sleep hygiene methods could improve their performance.In this episode, I am shamelessly borrowing from their list of sleep hygiene recommendations. First, we talk about the tremendous benefits of improving your sleep, even just a little bit. Then, I review the list of 25 ways to improve sleep recommended by the authors, sharing some of my personal anecdotes and strategies along the way.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:56 - Benefits of sleep03:49 - Mindset (changing just one habit)06:02 - Top 10 ways to improve sleep hygiene13:41 - 15 more tips and tricks to improve sleepRELATED LINKSSleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.👥 Join our Facebook community - For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram
