Myostatin Blocker Hype vs. Reality, and Should You Still Take Omega-3s?

In this Fourth of July Iron Radio episode, Coach Phil Stevens introduces a newly publicized myostatin-blocking drug, Trevogrumab (Regeneron), which promises dose-dependent muscle gain by blocking the myostatin pathway. Phil flags a viral social media clip hyping the compound, while noting that buried in early trial data is a troubling adverse event: 5 of 45 subjects experienced death. Dr. Lonnie Lowery and Dr. Mike T. Nelson dig into the science — what we know about myostatin knockout in animals and a rare German double-null child, the question of whether resistance training is even necessary with such a drug, and the dangers of underground use without sterility or verified sourcing. In the second segment, Dr. Lonnie covers a "clickbait" Supply Side Journal article questioning Omega-3 value based on preclinical and conflicting observational data. Dr. Mike discusses his decade-plus practice of testing red blood cell Omega-3 levels with Dr. Dibbus, targeting 8–9% RBC levels, current dosing considerations, and why farmed salmon's changed feed now makes supplementation even more critical.

00:00 Welcome and Hosts

01:27 Fourth of July News Episode Setup

01:46 Myostatin Blocker Trevogrumab Introduction

05:00 Trial Deaths and Safety Red Flags

07:53 Myostatin Science and Animal Models

10:27 Underground Use and Anecdotal Reports

13:00 Social Media Influence and Gen Pop Risk

16:07 Show Announcements and Promos

19:10 AI Check on Trevogrumab Side Effects

21:00 Golden Dilemma and Risk Acceptance

24:51 Omega-3 News: Clickbait or Real Science?

29:06 Phil on High-Dose Fish Oil History

30:21 Mike on Omega-3 Testing Protocol

34:00 Farmed Salmon and Supplement Rationale

35:48 Wrap and Happy Fourth of July

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Training, Recovery, and Staying Strong After 50

In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery tackle the growing number of lifters entering strength training at age 50 and beyond. Phil shares observations from an over-50 fitness forum and his own experience returning to a 700-pound squat at age 49 after training mostly in the 400–500 range. The hosts discuss research showing age-related decline follows a step function driven largely by injuries rather than a smooth linear drop, the importance of injury prevention as a primary training goal, soft tissue adaptations and “old man strength,” and the shift toward physique-based training with intensity techniques like forced reps, eccentrics, and drop sets. Recovery strategies include prioritizing sleep (Phil now goes to bed at 8:30), eating like an adult with higher protein-to-calorie ratios, collagen supplementation 40–60 minutes pre-training per the Shaw and Keith Baar protocol, hibiscus tea for micronutrition, and down-regulation tools like float tanks and the ShiftWave chair. They also discuss maintaining rate of force development safely using bands, chains, K-box flywheel training, and throwing events rather than high-impact plyometrics.

00:00 Welcome and Hosts

01:19 Sleep Quality and Aging

02:20 Over-50 Fitness Forum Observations

03:35 Training Intensity Must Be Selective

05:44 Hormonal Changes and Central Body Fat

07:04 Age-Related Decline Data and Step Function

08:47 Injury Prevention as Priority

10:46 Phil’s 700-Pound Squat Return at 49

11:30 Soft Tissue Adaptation and Old Man Strength

12:50 Knowing Your Limits — Mentally vs Physically

15:21 Shifting Toward Physique-Based Training

16:46 Show Promos and Updates

19:46 Bodybuilding Variety and Intensity Techniques

22:28 Belt Squat, Hex Squat, and Equipment Alternatives

24:07 Recovery — Sleep, Nutrition, and Collagen

29:57 Hibiscus Tea and Micronutrition

31:13 Immobilization Risks and Minimizing Decline

33:33 Consistency Beats Entropy

35:26 Rate of Force Development — Safe Explosiveness

38:14 Summary and Farewell

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

ISSN Conference Rundown: Lactotripeptides, GLP-1 Support, Astaxanthin, Beta-Alanine, Urolithin A, and Wearables

In this Iron Radio episode, hosts Coach Phil Stevens, Dr. Mike T. Nelson, and Dr. Lonnie Lowery recap highlights from the ISSN conference. They discuss sponsored research on casein lactotripeptides and their possible effects on blood flow, “pump,” and hypertrophy; a presentation on nutrition support for GLP-1 users and high dropout rates; and updates on astaxanthin as a carotenoid antioxidant with emerging dosing and metabolism data. They review a beta-alanine tutorial covering loading timelines, paresthesia, and dosing, and talk with Emily Werner about urolithin A, mixed evidence, cost, and sourcing concerns. Other topics include amino acids for tendon recovery, communication of sports nutrition in media, a practical sports nutrition lecture emphasizing field validity and “don’t assume—go look,” MSM for recovery, EAAs and cognition, and Mike’s wearable tech takeaways, including poor calorie-burn estimates and HRV/respiratory rate considerations.

00:00 Welcome and Hosts

01:42 Conference Recap Setup

02:14 Milk Peptides and Pump

08:27 GLP-1 Nutrition Support

10:31 Astaxanthin Deep Dive

14:19 Beta Alanine Update

21:05 Urolithin A Buzz

22:04 Urolithin A Evidence

23:31 Personal Trials and Cost

25:12 Buying Legit Sources

27:14 Amino Acids for Tendons

29:02 Media Nutrition Messaging

31:01 Real World Sports Nutrition

34:11 MSM and Immune Stress

36:20 EAAs for Cognition

39:09 Wearables Accuracy Reality

43:42 Conference Wrap and Farewell

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie