Docs Who Lift

Drs. Spencer and Karl Nadolsky talk about nutrition, medicine, and fitness through the lens of two physicians who lift weights. Both doctors are former NCAA division 1 wrestlers who have gone into medicine. Dr. Spencer Nadolsky is a board certified family physician specialized in obesity medicine and lipidology. Dr. Karl Nadolsky is a board certified endocrinologist also specialized in obesity medicine.

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21 episodes
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English

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#158
August 30 · 48 min
Does Metabolically Healthy Obesity Even Exist?
Dr. Christian Rodriguez unpacks his review on metabolically healthy obesity, showing why the concept is mostly a temporary phase rather than a stable protective state. He and the hosts compare the new Lancet Commission obesity criteria against the ACE staging system, then debate GLP-1 stigma and the ethics of treating obesity before it turns severe.
#157
August 3 · 39 min
Is Your Obesity Genetic? Food Noise and Bardet-Biedl Syndrome Explained
Is severe, insatiable hunger a failure of willpower or hardcoded into your biology? In this episode of Docs Who Lift, Dr. Spencer and Dr. Karl Nadolsky speak with obesity specialist Dr. Jesse Richards to uncover Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS), the updated 2024 diagnostic criteria, and how targeted therapies offer hope when standard GLP-1s and willpower aren't enough.
#156
July 7 · 36 min
PCOS Renamed to PMOS? Here's Why and What Changes for You
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky and Karl sit down with Dr. Susan Brian to break down one of the most significant proposed changes in women's health in decades, the potential renaming and reclassification of polycystic ovarian syndrome to anovulatory androgen excess, and what that shift means for the millions of women who have been diagnosed, misdiagnosed, or dismissed under the current framework.
#155
June 17 · 57 min
Are Peptides the New Snake Oil? What the Actual Science Says With Barbell Medicine
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky and Karl bring on Dr. Austin Baraki and Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum from Barbell Medicine to cut through the peptide hype and explain why most of the research peptides people are currently injecting have no randomized controlled trial data in humans, were abandoned by pharmaceutical companies because they failed or showed harm signals, and may not even contain what is on the label. The core message is simple: calling something a short chain amino acids does not make it safe, natur
#154
June 8 · 45 min
Retatrutide Phase 3 Results: What the Data Actually Means
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky and Karl sit down with David W, a nurse practitioner who was actually enrolled in the Triumph 1 retatrutide phase 3 trial, to break down data just presented at the American Diabetes Association conference showing average weight loss of up to 30 percent and cardiometabolic benefits that go well beyond anything tirzepatide or semaglutide produce on their own. David went from 240 pounds to 167 in the trial and walks through exactly what the experience felt like from the inside
#153
May 25 · 39 min
GLP-1 Maintenance: What Happens When You Lower Your Dose, Switch Medications, or Stop Entirely
2:26 PMClaude responded: Dr.Dr. Spencer Nadolsky and Karl break down two brand new randomized controlled trials, Surmount-Maintain and Attain-Maintain, that put hard numbers on what actually happens to patients when they try to lower their tirzepatide dose, switch to oral orforglipron, or come off GLP-1 medicines entirely after significant weight loss. The data confirms what they have been seeing clinically for years: obesity biology fights hard to pull weight back up, only about 17 percent of p
#152
May 18 · 31 min
Are GLP-1 Medicines Shredding Your Bones? Here Is What the Actual Evidence Says With Dr. Susan Brian
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky and Karl sit down with Dr. Susan Brian, a Yale-trained endocrinologist and certified menopause provider who runs a bone fragility fracture clinic, to break down whether GLP-1 medicines are actually causing bone loss or whether the viral panic around this topic is getting ahead of the evidence. The short answer is that the medicines themselves do not appear to be the problem, the weight loss is, and there is a clear and well-established playbook for protecting your bones whil
#151
May 5 · 52 min
Heavy Metal Toxicity: Separating Real Risks From Influencer Scams | Dr. Eryn Russo
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky and Karl sit down with Dr. Eryn Russo, a board-certified occupational and environmental medicine physician with nearly 20 years of experience treating real toxic metal exposures, to break down exactly why the heavy metal detox industry is built on tests that are not supported by any medical standard and treatments that can cause genuine harm. If an influencer has ever made you wonder whether lead, mercury, or cadmium is behind your symptoms, this is the episode that puts tha
#150
April 21 · 24 min
GLP-1 Genetics: Predicting Weight Loss and Side Effects With 23andMe's Dr. Adam Auton
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky and Karl sit down with Dr. Adam Auton, geneticist at 23andMe, to break down a brand new paper using data from over 27,000 people that identified specific genetic variants in the GLP-1 receptor and GIP receptor that predict both how much weight someone loses on these medications and how likely they are to experience side effects. This is one of the first studies to show that precision medicine for GLP-1 drugs may already be closer than most people think.
#149
April 14 · 36 min
Do GLP-1 Medicines Actually Cause Muscle Loss? New Research With Dr. Henning Langer
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky and Karl sit down with Dr. Henning Langer, a PhD researcher at the Charité in Berlin, to break down his newly published paper combining rodent and human data to look directly at what GLP-1 medicines actually do to skeletal muscle beyond what a DEXA scan can tell you. From mice running to exhaustion on semaglutide to maximum voluntary contraction data in humans, this is the most granular conversation yet on whether these drugs are doing something to muscle that nobody fully u
#148
April 2 · 51 min
How Often Should You Really Lift Weights? Feat. Dr. Stuart Phillips
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky and Karl sit down with Dr. Stuart Phillips, senior author on the newly updated American College of Sports Medicine position stand on resistance training, to break down what 137 systematic reviews and over 30,000 participants actually tell us about building muscle, getting stronger, and improving function across the lifespan. From rep ranges and training frequency to power development, eccentric loading, and why periodization may matter less than you think, this is the eviden
#147
March 23 · 38 min
Bimagrumab and Semaglutide: The BELIEVE Trial Results With Dr. Steven Heymsfield
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, Karl, and chief science officer Dr. Grant Tinsley sit down with Dr. Steven Heymsfield, physician at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and lead author on the BELIEVE trial, to break down what happens when you combine bimagrumab with semaglutide and why over 90 percent of weight lost in the combination group was pure fat.
#146
March 13 · 49 min
Menopause, Muscle, and the Myths | Dr. Alyssa Olenick
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky sits down with exercise physiologist and menopause researcher Dr. Alyssa Olenick to cut through the pseudoscience targeting women in the fitness space and break down what actually happens to body composition during the menopausal transition. From rep ranges to cortisol myths to why women should train more like men, this is the conversation most coaches are too busy selling pink packets to have.
#145
March 6 · 35 min
The Truth About Creatine (Doctors Discuss)
In this episode of the Docs Who Lift podcast, Dr. Spencer and Dr. Karl welcome exercise physiologist Dr. Lauren to discuss the science behind creatine supplementation. They explore its benefits for high-intensity exercise, debunk common myths, and emphasize the importance of combining creatine with a solid workout regimen for optimal results.
#144
February 23 · 48 min
Top Sleep Doctor: Stop Taking Melatonin Like This
Most "sleep advice" on social media is generic filler. In this deep dive, we break down the difference between sleep hygiene and clinical CBT-I, the truth about how alcohol and caffeine actually metabolize, and why your sleep tracker might be your worst enemy. If you’ve struggled with "busy brain" or middle-of-the-night wakefulness, this is the manual you’ve been looking for.
#143
February 12 · 54 min
GLP-1s and Fertility What to Know Before Trying to Conceive
Dr. Spencer and Dr. Karl sit down with reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Lucky Sekhon to break down what’s actually evidence based in fertility care, how to avoid myths and predatory “add ons,” and what most people misunderstand about PCOS, insulin resistance, and IVF. They also discuss her new book The Lucky Egg, a practical, science backed fertility guide designed to cut through misinformation and help patients make smarter decisions on their path to pregnancy.
#142
January 30 · 45 min
Reclaiming Excellence: A Conversation with Brad Stulberg
Brad Stulberg breaks down how real excellence is not biohacker style optimization or perfectionism, but consistent focus on fundamentals and a worthwhile pursuit that aligns with your values. He explains that progress eventually plateaus, so sustainable success comes from shifting motivation from external scoreboards to intrinsic purpose, curiosity, community, and a broader identity.
#141
January 20 · 25 min
Oral GLP-1 (Wegovy) Is Here: Dosing, Switching, and What to Expect
Oral GLP 1 Wegovy is finally here, so Spencer and Dr. Karl break down how it actually works, how to dose it, and how they are switching people from injections like Wegovy and Zepbound in real clinic settings. They also walk through new SURMOUNT 4 data on what happens when people stop tirzepatide, including who maintains, who regains, and why a personalized plan matters.
#140
January 12 · 29 min
Breaking Down the New Food Pyramid (Great or Confusing)
The new U.S. Dietary Guidelines just dropped, and the internet is freaking out over the updated food pyramid. In this episode, we break down what the guidelines actually say, who they’re really written for (hint: mostly policymakers, not everyday people), and why the pyramid graphic can be more confusing than helpful. We also dig into the biggest inconsistencies like the push for more protein and “natural fats,” the mixed messaging on saturated fat, and the messy “processed foods” debate withou
#139
January 7 · 1 hr 3 min
Cortisol Myths vs Reality: What Your Adrenals Actually Do
We hear “high cortisol” blamed for everything, but your adrenal glands are supposed to make cortisol in a daily rhythm that helps you wake up, fuel exercise, and handle illness. In this episode, we break down what cortisol actually does, how real adrenal disorders like Cushing’s are diagnosed, and why random at home cortisol tests and “adrenal fatigue” claims are usually misleading.

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