FoundMyFitness
#094 Dr. Layne Norton on Building Muscle – Insights on Diet, Training, and Supplements
22 Aug 2024
Get my exact protocols for boosting levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and enhancing cognition Discover my premium podcast, The Aliquot Dr. Layne Norton is a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences, a professional bodybuilder, and a champion powerlifter. We discuss why most people aren’t training too hard, when to go to failure, whether seed oils are “the” central cause of chronic disease, why having a slow metabolism isn’t a credible reason for being overweight (for most), and the sustaining power of good habits. We also get into controversies around the carnivore diet, diet sodas, artificial sweeteners, intermittent fasting, and much more. Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (04:48) Layne's coaching philosophy (14:39) Why to start tracking calories (for at least 3 days) (17:41) Why people lie to themselves about food intake (23:06) The profound benefits of small exercise doses (26:53) Why you should treat exercise like brushing your teeth (30:11) Benefits of resistance training for older individuals (33:51) Should you train to failure? (47:07) Why hard training & consistency trump exercise selection (56:46) Is lifting heavy necessary for building muscle? (57:54) Barbell vs. hack squats for preventing falls (1:00:10) Can lifting weights decrease low-back pain? (1:01:43) Injury prevention when resistance training (1:11:16) How exposure therapy can help you with injuries (1:15:04) Why pain doesn't always indicate tissue injury (1:18:17) Should you resistance train after a poor night of sleep? (1:21:57) Why menopause can cause weight gain (1:29:36) Why it's never too late to start lifting weights (1:32:05) Resistance training tips for older individuals with joint pain (1:36:18) Why total protein intake matters more than distribution (1:44:19) Layne's daily protein distribution (1:46:44) The shortcomings of nutrition studies (1:54:06) Is consuming more than 1.6 g/kg of protein beneficial? (1:55:33) Should you eat more protein in a calorie deficit? (1:56:43) Protein intake for endurance athletes (1:58:07) How much protein does Layne eat? (1:59:11) Are seed oils a predominant cause of chronic disease? (2:08:45) Does the carnivore diet increase heart disease risk? (2:14:16) Are heated seed oils more inflammatory? (2:20:33) Is there a "big food" industry conspiracy? (2:26:17) Are sugar-sweetened beverages uniquely deleterious? (2:30:17) Can diet soda help you lose weight? (2:34:20) Microbiome & cancer risks of diet soda (2:42:02) Is drinking 1 Diet Coke per day unhealthy? (2:44:24) Why Layne rarely takes a strong position on early science (2:49:04) Carnivore diet (3:01:52) Time-restricted eating (3:12:38) Layne's daily routine (3:16:55) Layne's diet and supplements (3:19:49) Creatine and hair loss (3:22:49) Rhodiola rosea & ashwagandha (3:25:54) Layne's tier 2 supplements Show notes are available by clicking here Watch this episode on YouTube
Full Episode
Most people don't have a slow metabolism and aren't even close to training too hard. They don't even know what failure feels like because intensity is uncomfortable. That's one of the many lessons in our episode today featuring Dr. Lane Norton, who is a PhD scientist, professional bodybuilder, and a champion powerlifter that deadlifts over 700 pounds. Dude's a beast.
Lane and I sat down to discuss when to push to failure, whether seed oils are the real culprit behind chronic disease, the sustaining power of good habits, and not being a perfectionist, not even when it comes to form, how he eats, trains, and his preferred supplement stack.
We also talk about recovering from training injury and then get into controversies such as those surrounding the carnivore diet, diet sodas, artificial sweeteners, intermittent fasting, and much more.
We also discuss why to start tracking calories for at least three days, how the antidepressant effects of exercise compare to SSRIs, how one year of resistance training has lasting benefits three years later, why everyone should train until failure at least once, Why hard training and consistency trump exercise selection. How lifting weights can actually decrease lower back pain.
Why proper form isn't that important for injury prevention. How exposure therapy can help you train through an injury. Why you should auto-regulate your training after a poor night's sleep. Why it's never too late to start lifting weights. Whether seed oils are the predominant cause of chronic disease or if it's just obesity.
whether the carnivore diet is an LDL cholesterol catastrophe, why high heat or repeated heating makes seed oils more damaging, why diet soda helps many people lose weight, and what are the microbiome risks.
whether aspartame from diet soda increases cancer risk, whether time-restricted eating has benefits independent of calorie intake, why everyone should supplement with creatine, why Lane is very bullish on ashwagandha, and so much more.
In this episode, Lane and I talk about the cognitive benefits of physical activity, and a major player in this process is thought to be brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. I've compiled scientifically plausible exercise and nutrition protocols that are incredibly likely to increase BDNF and enhance cognition. It is an easy to read guide called the Cognitive Enhancement Blueprint.
Make sure you get this free guide at bdnfprotocols.com. Once again, that's bdnfprotocols.com. Also during this episode, we reference several key studies. If you're looking for more context supporting references, our show notes are really awesome. We've recently revamped them and they're packed with valuable insights. They have graphs, charts, and more.
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