From 2009 to 2020, The Biggest Loser was a phenomenon. A huge cultural moment. What it wasn’t, however, was a show about healthy lifestyles and healthy weight loss. Netflix’s Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser examines what it was like for some contestants on the show and…
Our gym, Third Street Barbell, is blessed to have three physical therapy providers as members at the moment. Ammar and Moe work together in a clinic that treats patients covered by workers comp insurance. Are the metrics of physical therapy success different when return to work is the goal? You…
Our gym, Third Street Barbell, is blessed to have three physical therapy providers as members at the moment. Ammar and Moe work together in a clinic that treats patients covered by workers comp insurance. Are the metrics of physical therapy success different when return to work is the goal? You…
Some things definitely diminish with age, but the need for strength is not among them. After being introduced to designing fitness training for others in the Coast Guard and a career in the California Highway Patrol, Ralph Caggiano turned to helping clients get stronger as they age. While he does…
Unlike some powerlifters who turn to bodybuilding, Riley always knew it was something he wanted to do. Other goals and priorities simply got in the way. When the opportunity came to leave construction work and retail management for personal training, he jumped in with both feet. Riley is our head…
Powerlifter and Registered Dietitian Dan Feldman guests this episode to break down some nutrition strategies for competitive powerlifters. Is a crazy amount of protein necessary? Are carbs around workouts good or bad? You can find Dan on Instagram @powerlifterdietitian https://www.instagram.com/powerlifterdietitian/. Shoot him a follow. Join our Discord for free at…
The former International Powerlifting Federation affiliate representing the United States, the USAPL, took to instagram recently to criticize the integrity of its drug testing program. This is significant because a disagreement over the frequency of testing the USAPL losing its affiliation (it wanted to test more frequently, among other issues).…
Justin Wright is a sales executive who found himself in a position that’s all too common for executives: overweight and out of shape. Work stress, the demands of travel and entertaining, inconsistent diet, family responsibilities, etc., had taken control. He felt that he had to take it back. So, he…
Toby Ralph spent a decade as a first responder -- with all the stress and hazards those careers entail. Then, he left it all behind to marry a woman with a military career. Military families are used to not having control of a lot of the conditions of their lives,…
Just a couple of days past the official Men’s Mental Health Month, we take a look at a short, but powerful documentary available on YouTube, “The Voices of Men.” It was produced in the UK and is driven by men telling their personal stories of struggle with mental health conditions…
On episode #478 of 50% Facts, we review Untold: The Fall of Favre from Netflix. Is this doc balanced or is it by necessity unbalanced? Catch the full audio and video at 50percentfacts.com
Some athletes are made for super stardom on the field of play, but truly fumble in their personal lives. Brett Favre is one of them. From dick pic scandals to alleged fraud, Farve tarnished his legacy with a series of seemingly boneheaded moves. This Netflix documentary series takes a sharply…
At Third Street Barbell, we’re lucky enough to have three physical therapists as members. Jim’s been working with Patrick Bell on a shoulder injury and has been very impressed with his knowledge and how he structures and communicates his rehab exercise selections. Since Patrick’s clients are mainly online, we thought…
Jacob Ross joins Jim to take on the question, “Why do so many lifters resist training in groups in the current age of powerlifting?” We also cover Jacob’s time working with the South Sudanese Olympic Basketball team in Paris for the Olympics last year. We also share stories of gym…
Mike is out of town, so Jim brought in one of Third Street Barbell’s most consistent and inspirational members, Josh Hajar. Josh is an emergency department nurse who faced a harrowing fight with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and then suffered an injury that set back his recovery and fitness goals. When he…
Psychedelics in psychotherapy. That’s the theme of this four-part documentary from Netflix. Can psychedelics break damaging thought patterns and allow people to heal from depression and trauma? This doc series would like to prove that they at least hold promise to do that. We cover episodes #1 (LSD) and #3…
Netflix’s Untold documentary series takes a look at the phenomenon of The Liver King. Purportedly already a multi-millionaire, Brian Johnson launched a muscular social media and YouTube presence as a “primal” influencer who used raw organ meats, including testicles, rather than steroids to build his crazy physique. He amassed a…
Under pressure from…well, pretty much everyone…it appears the IPF will allow stiff knee sleeves through the end of 2026. World’s Strongest Man is back in Sacramento this week, just about a mile from our gym. We take a look at the history of WSM and take an online trivia quiz.…
Nick and his training style remind me of my old teammates and the video I started shooting about 20 years ago. Couldn't resist grabbing my camera for this set. Generic music because of copyright stuff.
We’re taking a closer look at a topic that we’ve touched on briefly before: Media covering the effects and inner workings of cults. The HBO documentary Going Clear is one of the most recognizable documentaries about the Church of Scientology. Celebrities like Tom Cruise have deep ties to this cult…
A couple of episodes ago, we talked about a dramatic change in leadership at the International Powerlifting Federation. The latest wrinkle is that the federation has recently notified the manufacturers of “stiff” knee sleeves that their products are banned from use in competition – immediately. Is the IPF being fair…
A stroll back 13 years in time takes us to a very “well-reviewed” nutrition documentary that ultimately only delivers a laundry list of fear appeals, misinformation, and pro-vegan propaganda. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a vegan, but getting there because you’ve been told that every other way of…
We take a stab at which jobs AI might eliminate (do you want your drive-through order taken by a bot?). Plus, the long-time IPF president resigned suddenly a few weeks ago. Is there any situation where a quick exit from a top position like that doesn’t mean really bad things…
