Today’s guest is Dr. Eric Helms, coach, athlete, and trainer. He became a personal trainer after being bitten by the iron bug in 2004. Within three years, Eric competed as a natural bodybuilder and powerlifter. Not long after, he partnered with fellow natural bodybuilders to create 3D Muscle Journey. It was at this point where he transitioned from coaching exclusively to focusing heavily on content creation, making it his personal mission to “serve the drug-free strength and physique community by providing evidence-based information, community support, recognition to natural competitors, and holistic coaching to help athletes fulfill their true potential in all facets of life.”
“Philosophy,” says Eric, “is what underpins science.” By understanding that science is an ever-evolving discipline, you are able to navigate the sea of voices offering different viewpoints with varying degrees of certainty. Adopting a mindset of humility and openness helps one to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism and thoroughness as new research comes out and conversations between thought leaders take place. In addition, Eric recommends looking to these industry experts as anchors of sound methodology as you take steps to apply science to your practice.
Listen in as Eric shares how to read a research paper, the difference between strength and progressive overload, using hypertrophy as a basis for measuring athletic performance, the best book he has read so far on rational skepticism, and the evolution of his thoughts on pre-workout supplements.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- [05:05] Eric’s philosophy towards scientific investigation while navigating misinformation and bias
- [18:12] Fundamental principles regarding strength and hypertrophy
- [24:00] Performance proxies for hypertrophy
- [32:42] The best way to test muscular endurance
- [38:57] Eric’s favorite recent read
- [43:37] Eric’s first pre-workout supplement
Reach Out to Eric Helms at:
Links:
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