Mike Israetel

The algorithm will flag it and I'll put all COVID morning and it does have some- Do I have to cut this out? Unlikely. All right. Well, it's a medical podcast. If you can't talk about COVID, I have no idea where we are anymore. Okay.

So I was focusing on powerlifting up until I got into my master's program. And actually towards the end of undergrad, I did this thing where like I was in a grocery store and I picked up a magazine. It was a muscle magazine. It was the Flex magazine issue that had summarized the prior 2002 Mr. Olympia contest with all the pictures of the bodybuilders.

So I was focusing on powerlifting up until I got into my master's program. And actually towards the end of undergrad, I did this thing where like I was in a grocery store and I picked up a magazine. It was a muscle magazine. It was the Flex magazine issue that had summarized the prior 2002 Mr. Olympia contest with all the pictures of the bodybuilders.

Ronnie won again, though he- That was his fourth? Yeah, fifth or something like that. And he didn't look his best. Not enough people showed up to really take him down. Everyone had suspected Jay Cutler could have beat him if he showed up that year. Jay Cutler almost beat Ronnie in 2001. That's right. He sat out 2002. And so I just remember reading the magazine and looking at the pictures.

Ronnie won again, though he- That was his fourth? Yeah, fifth or something like that. And he didn't look his best. Not enough people showed up to really take him down. Everyone had suspected Jay Cutler could have beat him if he showed up that year. Jay Cutler almost beat Ronnie in 2001. That's right. He sat out 2002. And so I just remember reading the magazine and looking at the pictures.

Also, real quick, how adult does the humor on here go? Or are we trying to keep it semi-professional? Yeah. I'm gonna defer to you on that. That's a bad idea, Peter. Okay, so I'll just keep it semi-pro. It was enlightening because I realized that I had an eye for aesthetics. And by an eye for aesthetics, it doesn't mean I knew anything about what looks good or what looks not great on a human body.

Also, real quick, how adult does the humor on here go? Or are we trying to keep it semi-professional? Yeah. I'm gonna defer to you on that. That's a bad idea, Peter. Okay, so I'll just keep it semi-pro. It was enlightening because I realized that I had an eye for aesthetics. And by an eye for aesthetics, it doesn't mean I knew anything about what looks good or what looks not great on a human body.

But I did have a very distinct aesthetic preference. Some people will see muscular physiques and they kind of all look the same, like giant, veiny, overcooked hot dogs, which is not wrong. I looked at the physiques and I was really taken aback, especially by some of them. What probably normal people get when they look at very good art, that, whoa, I'm looking at something very special.

But I did have a very distinct aesthetic preference. Some people will see muscular physiques and they kind of all look the same, like giant, veiny, overcooked hot dogs, which is not wrong. I looked at the physiques and I was really taken aback, especially by some of them. What probably normal people get when they look at very good art, that, whoa, I'm looking at something very special.

I'm looking at something that's emotive. And I started to pursue my own hypertrophy training, muscle growth training.

I'm looking at something that's emotive. And I started to pursue my own hypertrophy training, muscle growth training.

I was roughly 190 pounds at 5'6", fairly lean, but not anything crazy. And so muscular, but if I had some clothes on, people would be like, oh, it's just a short person. But shirtless, I looked like clearly I had lifted weights for some time. I really also realized that while there's a huge passion for me, in lifting heavy.

I was roughly 190 pounds at 5'6", fairly lean, but not anything crazy. And so muscular, but if I had some clothes on, people would be like, oh, it's just a short person. But shirtless, I looked like clearly I had lifted weights for some time. I really also realized that while there's a huge passion for me, in lifting heavy.

I also had a passion for getting pumps and doing higher reps and doing lots of volume and seeing my body change visually. That was a huge trip. And it basically became this thing where I'm like, oh, I am an artist in muscle growth and fat loss. My canvas is my own body and I want to learn how to sculpt very well. Most selfishly, just so I could occupy a superhero looking body.

I also had a passion for getting pumps and doing higher reps and doing lots of volume and seeing my body change visually. That was a huge trip. And it basically became this thing where I'm like, oh, I am an artist in muscle growth and fat loss. My canvas is my own body and I want to learn how to sculpt very well. Most selfishly, just so I could occupy a superhero looking body.

I ended up looking more like a villain, but whatever. Balding will do that. List of bald superheroes includes bald supervillains. All of them may be a huge fraction in any case. but it was just a real personal journey for me at first and still is to a huge extent. And just by comparison, what do you weigh right now?

I ended up looking more like a villain, but whatever. Balding will do that. List of bald superheroes includes bald supervillains. All of them may be a huge fraction in any case. but it was just a real personal journey for me at first and still is to a huge extent. And just by comparison, what do you weigh right now?

I'm kind of at the top of where I'll be for a little bit, maybe up, but just very slowly. So this is roughly the fattest I'll get.

I'm kind of at the top of where I'll be for a little bit, maybe up, but just very slowly. So this is roughly the fattest I'll get.

maybe nine-ish. I still have some striations in my glutes. I have like one of the least aesthetic physiques imaginable, but thank you genetics for that one. And I did some things earlier in my career. I gained a ton of weight. It was muscle and fat, stretched my skin out, gave me massive love handles. When you lose that weight, the skin still sticking around.