The Mind Muscle Connection

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In this episode, I catch up with Dr Eric Helms, a natural bodybuilder, coach with Team 3DMJ, and co-director of a sports research institute in New Zealand, to talk about How to Keep Making Progress During Busy SeasonsHe discussed his recent competitive season, his new leadership role, and how that has changed the way he trains. We get into auto-regulation at a deeper level, how to train effectively with a busy schedule, and what actually matters when progress starts to slow down. He also shares insights on recovery, volume, and how advanced lifters should think about long-term progress.If training has started to feel harder to manage with real life or progress feels slower than it used to, this is a must listen.Let’s talk about:IntroductionUpdate on Dr Eric HelmsRealization After Turning ProCo-Director at Sports Research Institute (AUT)Impact of Stress + Lifestyle on RecoveryADHD, Focus, and Mental LoadTraining Philosophy ShiftEfficient Training MethodsCurrent Volume + Set BreakdownAdvanced Training InsightWhy He Trains Smaller Muscle Groups More Now“Investment Portfolio” View of TrainingCurrent Training VolumeMaximizing Growth Under ConstraintsDr Eric’s Future PlanFollow me on Instagram for more information and education: @jeffhoehn_Body Recomp Checklist 2.0 HEREHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HERE

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In this episode, I’m breaking down How Long Should A Training Cycle Be For Muscle GrowthI go into how long a training cycle should last, why constantly changing exercises can hold you back, and how to balance consistency with keeping things fresh. I also cover deloads, when they make sense, and how to adjust your program without losing progress.If you’ve ever felt stuck in your training or unsure when to switch things up, this episode will give you a clearer way to approach it.Let’s talk about:IntroductionWhy Training Cycles MatterProblems With Changing Exercises Too OftenWhy Progressive Overload Needs StructurePsychological refreshBalancing Science vs MotivationOptimal length of a training cycleShorter phasesDeload vs No DeloadSigns It’s Time to Change Your ProgramHow Long to Keep ExercisesTakeawaysFollow me on Instagram for more information and education: @jeffhoehn_Body Recomp Checklist 2.0 HEREHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HERE

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In this episode, I’m joined by Laura Savino, founder of EPN Nutrition and The Practical Athlete, who brings a ton of real-world experience in both performance and body composition to talk about Managing Fat Loss During Performance Training, SIBO and moreWe get into what it actually looks like to balance fat loss while training for something demanding, and why that combination is harder than most people expect. Laura shares her current prep for a multi-day hike, how she’s fueling through a deficit, and what changed once gut issues like SIBO came into play. We also talk through digestion, carb strategies, and the trade-offs that come with pushing performance and body composition at the same time.If you’re trying to juggle fat loss with high levels of activity or performance goals, this is a must listen. It will help you understand what to prioritize, what to adjust, and where most people go wrong so you can make better decisions moving forward.Let’s talk about:Introduction to Lauren SavinoTraining for a multi-day hikeTraining your gut to handle carbsWhy fat loss + performance is trickyCommon digestion issuesLaura’s SIBO + gut issuesWhy scale weight is unreliable during high activityGiving gut a breakHunger management strategies in a deficitLauren’s Training structureSIBOHow to structure a performance deficitWhere to find LauraFollow me on Instagram for more information and education: @jeffhoehn_Body Recomp Checklist 2.0 HEREHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HERE

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In this solo episode, I break down the Fat Loss Plateau? Here Is The Decision I Use With Clients. If your weight has stalled and you are tempted to immediately cut calories, there are a few things I look at first before making that move.I walk through the exact decision tree I use with coaching clients when fat loss slows down. We cover how to confirm if it is a real plateau, the biggest adherence mistakes that stall progress, and the adjustments I prioritize before dropping calories. I also explain when increasing steps, holding calories steady, or even taking a break from fat loss can be the better move.If your progress has stalled or you want a smarter way to troubleshoot fat loss instead of guessing, this episode will give you a clear framework to follow.Let’s talk about:IntroductionFat loss plateauDetermine if it is actually a plateauWeighing & calorie deficitStress & recoveryMenstrual cycleMeasurementCheck adherenceChoosing an adjustmentsKeeping calories as high as possible during fat lossPros and cons of dropping caloriesTimeline for diet breaks or maintenance phasesFollow me on Instagram for more information and education: @jeffhoehn_Body Recomp Checklist 2.0 HEREHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HERE

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In this episode, I sit down with Brandon Cruz, a seasoned coach, fitness enthusiast, and host of the Chasing Clarity podcast, with over 20 years of experience in training, nutrition, and metabolic health to discuss about The Benefits of Eating At MaintenanceWe talk through why maintenance is often misunderstood and why spending time there can be one of the most powerful tools for improving body composition including the difference between maintenance calories and maintenance phases, the metabolic and physiological benefits of eating at maintenance, and how this phase can support long-term progress as well as for women.If you want a clearer understanding of how to use maintenance calories to improve performance, recovery, and long-term physique results, this episode is a must listen.Let’s talk about:IntroductionUpdate on Jeff’s trainingVolume cyclingImportance of experimentation in trainingConditioningTotal testosterone levelsHow SHBG affects testosterone availabilityThyroid markersSupplementsBrandon’s trainingEating at maintenanceHormonal and thyroid benefitsPerformance and recoveryUse of maintenance during fat loss phasesMaintenance for women and hormonal healthLevine studyFemale physiology and body fat regulationWhere to find Jeff and BrandonFollow me on Instagram for more information and education: @jeffhoehn_Body Recomp Checklist 2.0 HEREHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HERE

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In this episode, I break down Cardio For Lifters Over 30 (Benefits, Splits, Progressions)I go through the biggest mistakes lifters make with cardio and how to structure it so it actually improves your training. We talk about progressive overload for cardio, how to track progress, and the difference between interval and steady-state work. I also explain how to periodize cardio during building phases and fat loss phases.Cardio is one of the most underrated tools for lifters, especially after 30. If you’ve avoided it because you thought it would hurt muscle growth, this episode explains why cardio might actually be the thing improving your body composition, recovery, and performance.Let’s talk about:IntroductionWhy lifters over 30 should care about cardioPoor cardiovascular fitness impacts trainingStress resilienceWhy cardio mattersCommon mistakesMetrics to track cardio progressResting heart rate, HRV, and VO2 maxCardio splits for liftersPeriodizing cardio across a yearFollow me on Instagram for more information and education: @jeffhoehn_Body Recomp Checklist 2.0 HEREHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HERE

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In this solo episode, I deep dive What Causes Cravings + How To Manage Them.Cravings are something almost everyone struggles with, especially during fat loss phases so today I walk you through the three different types of hunger, how hormones like ghrelin and leptin play a role, and the biggest factors that increase cravings. We cover things like low protein intake, poor sleep, high stress load, inconsistent calorie intake, ultra-processed foods, meal timing, and even how dieting itself can increase cravings.If cravings feel like they’re constantly derailing your progress, this episode will help you understand what’s actually driving them.Let’s talk about:IntroductionWhy Cravings Are IndividualCravings VS Hunger3 Types of HungerDrivers of CravingsFix the Inputs to Fix CravingsFollow me on Instagram for more information and education: @jeffhoehn_Body Recomp Checklist 2.0 HEREHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HERE

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In this episode, I break down How Nutrition And Body Comp Add To Your Stress Load. I walk through how stress impacts body composition, recovery, and performance and why fat loss gets harder when total stress is too high.We go through the eight major stress buckets, with a deeper dive into dieting stress specifically. I cover chronic energy deficiency, poor meal structure, blood sugar volatility, low micronutrients, eating in a sympathetic state, caffeine, alcohol, and body fat extremes, including how each one can quietly slow progress.If you feel like you’re doing everything right but your body composition isn’t moving, this episode will help you figure out why.Let’s talk about:IntroductionStress LoadWhen Total Stress Gets Too High8 Common StressorsSigns Stress Load Is Too HighBiggest Sources of StressStress Is Context DependentFollow me on Instagram for more information and education:  jeffhoehn_FREE 30 Min Strategy Call: HEREBody Recomp Masterclass: HERENutrition Periodization Masterclass: HEREHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HEREBody Recomp Checklist 2.0: https://chipper-producer-6244.kit.com/26b5c9f94a

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In today’s episode, Dr. Peter Tierney joins me to talk about Resting Heart Rate, Alcohol and HRV/RHR, How to Speed Up Recovery. Dr Peter is a sports scientist and performance coach who has worked in elite rugby, football (soccer), and endurance sport, blending real-world coaching with applied data and research.We dig into recovery, stress load, resting heart rate, HRV, caffeine, alcohol, and what actually moves the needle. We talk about why you need to measure stress before you talk about recovery, how to use individual baselines instead of chasing perfect scores, and why not every “bad” wearable reading is actually a problem.If you want to recover smarter, perform better, and stop overthinking every metric, this is a must listen!Let’s talk about:IntroductionDr. Peter TierneyUse of GPS, Heart Rate, and Wearable Tech in Team SportsOver-Reliance on Data vs ExperienceLoad Monitoring + Stress vs RecoverySHIT Recovery FrameworkCircadian RhythmCaffeine & SleepBuilding Robustness to LoadResting Heart RateWearablesAlcohol’s Impact on RecoveryWhere to Find Dr. Peter TierneyFollow Dr. Peter Tierney: https://www.instagram.com/drpetertierney/?hl=enFollow me on Instagram for more information and education:  jeffhoehn_Body Recomp Checklist 2.0: https://chipper-producer-6244.kit.com/26b5c9f94aHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HERE

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!In this solo episode, I give you an Update On My Health/Fitness/BloodworkI break down how I structure my nutrition without obsessively tracking, what my current training split looks like, and what my labs revealed about stress, recovery, testosterone, thyroid markers, and overall health. I also explain how I interpret blood work patterns instead of fixating on single numbers, and how recovery, sleep, and fueling are playing a bigger role for me right now than simply adding more volume.If you care about long-term performance, body composition, and understanding what your numbers actually mean instead of guessing, this episode will give you a practical framework you can apply to your own training and health.Let’s talk about:IntroductionPerformance building phaseWeekly nutrition staplesSupplementsMuscle growthBlood workTotal testosterone vs free testosteroneSHBGReverse T3 + T3 stress patternRecovery strategiesSleepHS-CRP + creatinine nuanceTraining splitFollow me on Instagram for more information and education: @jeffhoehn_FREE 30 Min Strategy Call: HEREBody Recomp Checklist 2.0 HERENutrition Periodization Masterclass: HEREHow You Can Work With Me?: HERECoaching application: HERE