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Flex Diet Podcast

Dr. Mike T Nelson

Dr. Mike T Nelson gets geeky with the latest research and scientific findings in the fitness world. Visit www.flexdiet.com to get Flex Diet Certified and www.miketnelson.com for more geeky goodness.

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21 episodes
weekly
Avg 1 hr 9 min
English

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#401
Monday · 1 hr 14 min
Psychedelics, Neuroplasticity and the Military-to-Spiritual Journey with Rick Alexander — #401
Rick Alexander was a Special Operations combat medic until a single psychedelic experience shattered his worldview and sent him back to school to study psychedelic spiritual care. He and Dr. Mike dig into neuroplasticity windows, why "good trip/bad trip" is the wrong question, and what may really be happening in DMT space.
#400
August 17 · 1 hr 19 min
Build Aerobic Fitness Before Mitochondrial Peptides: AMPK, VO2 Max & Recovery — Dr. Dwayne Jackson — #400
Mitochondrial peptides may be promising, but they cannot replace the aerobic base that makes their effects measurable. Dr. Dwayne Jackson explains AMPK and mitochondrial signaling, what MOTS-c and SS-31 can and cannot tell us, and why fitness data, training, and recovery come before any experimental compound.
#399
August 10 · 1 hr 9 min
Episode 399: Urolithin A, Mitochondrial Health, and Nutrition for Pro Athletes — Dr. Emily Werner
Dr. Emily Werner — team dietitian for the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), and Nutrition Affairs Sport Lead at Timeline — joins Dr. Mike to unpack postbiotics, urolithin A, and why mitochondrial health matters for pro athletes and everyday people alike. They dig into the real research behind Timeline's Mitopure, how Emily navigates athlete psychology and supplement fads, and why chasing $200K gadgets rarely beats getting the fundamentals right.
#398
August 4 · 1 hr 16 min
Getting Back to Nutrition Basics: Gut Health, Micronutrients & Training with Zach Moore
Nutrition and exercise coach Zach Moore joins Dr. Mike to strip fitness back to fundamentals — why most lifters overthink programming, how to build strength with minimal volume, and why gut health and micronutrient status quietly determine whether your diet actually works. If you've been chasing complicated protocols instead of the basics, this conversation is your reset.
#397
July 27 · 1 hr 15 min
How elite bodybuilders think about problem-solving, business and nutrition with Coach Cliff Wilson
Getting better doesn't make hard things feel easier—it makes you capable of doing more. Cliff Wilson explains the mental skills behind elite physiques, why context beats internet absolutes, and how great coaches turn research, experience, and failure into better decisions.
#396
July 22 · 1 hr 8 min
Are Your Peptides Illegal? — Rick Collins — #396
Peptides are everywhere right now, but most of what's sold online as BPC-157 or TB-500 is illegal — and the FDA is about to decide what happens next. Attorney Rick Collins, a leading defense lawyer in this space, breaks down the science, the gray market, and why the military's new testosterone screening policy matters too.
#395
July 20 · 1 hr 14 min
What Coaching Air Force Pilots Taught Me About Real Performance — Sam Brown — #395
Sam Brown spends his days training Air Force pilots and aircrew who run on nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol — and almost never turn off their nervous system. He reveals why the toughest operators need recovery just as much as intensity, how he sneaks down-regulation into workouts disguised as hard training, and what years of coaching in Altus, Oklahoma taught him about real performance under extreme cognitive load.
#394
July 13 · 1 hr 29 min
The Counseling Skills Nutrition Coaches Are Missing — Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon — #394
Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon reveals the counseling techniques that most nutrition coaches have never learned — and why mastering them matters more than any protocol. She explains why over-optimized clients are often the most fragile, how AI is eroding the critical thinking skills coaches rely on, and what her 700-page textbook Applied Nutrition Coaching and Counseling teaches coaches to do when clients say the unexpected.
#393
July 6 · 1 hr 20 min
From Powerlifter to Trail Runner — Paul Oneid & Cody Miller — #393
Paul Oneid tore both quads and rebuilt himself from powerlifter to trail runner, with coach Cody Miller guiding the transition. They break down the emergent training approach, VO2 max and cardiac adaptations, and the mental side of suffering across strength sports and endurance.
#392
June 29 · 1 hr 40 min
How to Harness Leucine and EAA for Bigger Muscles and More — Daniel A. Traylor, Ph.D. — #392
Can you really build more muscle just by rethinking how you dose leucine and essential amino acids? Dr. Daniel A. Traylor, Ph.D. — co-founder and principal scientist of LEUVATE™ — reveals the science behind protein quality, muscle protein synthesis, and why older adults may need twice the protein dose to get the same results as younger people.
#391
June 22 · 12 min
Flex Diet Cert Closes at Midnight Mon 6/22/2026 and Coaching Leverage — #391
Dr. Mike T. Nelson explains why sleep—despite being a massive physiological lever—ranks last among the eight interventions in the Flex Diet Certification. The key concept: coaching leverage (physiology × psychology). Sleep scores high on physiology but rock-bottom on a client's ability to change, while protein scores high on both, making it the #1 starting point.
#390
June 19 · 1 hr 10 min
Antibiotics, Gut Microbiome, and the Exercise Connection — Dr. Sara Campbell — #390
Dr. Sara Campbell returns to discuss her lab's cutting-edge research on the bidirectional relationship between exercise and the gut microbiome — including why consumer gut tests oversimplify a complex ecosystem, how antibiotics devastate exercise capacity in animal models, and why single-microbe probiotics miss the bigger picture of functional guilds. She also shares new findings on short-chain fatty acids, amino acid metabolomics after antibiotic treatment, and the emerging neuromuscular juncti
#389
June 16 · 17 min
The Flex Diet Cert is OPEN and AI vs Coaching Solocast — #389
Dr. Mike T. Nelson discusses how AI is shaping the coaching industry — where it falls short, where it shines, and why human coaches still matter. Plus: the Flex Diet Certification is open for one week only.
#388
June 8 · 1 hr 18 min
What Vinegar & Lifting Really Do To Your Gut — Dr. Emily Dow — #388
Dr. Emily Dow, PhD, RD, researches where nutrition, resistance training, and gut health actually meet — and where the science gets oversold. We get into what her 12-week vinegar-and-lifting study really showed, why most direct-to-consumer microbiome tests aren't worth your money, and why peptides deserve far more skepticism than hype.
#387
June 2 · 1 hr 33 min
Episode 387: Nathan T. Jenkins on Metabolic Flexibility, Aerobic Base, and First Principles
In this episode of the Flex Diet Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Nathan Jenkins to discuss how to improve performance, body composition, and long-term health through the lens of aerobic development and metabolic flexibility. Nathan shares his journey from exercise physiology and coaching CrossFit athletes to his new role teaching physiology at the University of Georgia School of Medicine. We discuss why metabolic flexibility is such a powerful framework for understanding everything from biochemistr
#386
May 27 · 1 hr 53 min
Episode 386: Nervous System Regulation, Somatics, and Stress Resilience with Tracy Holemeyer
In this episode of the Flex Diet Podcast, I sit down with my friend Tracy Holemeyer (Uncontrollably Me, host of the Other Way to See It podcast) to talk about healing and performance through nervous system flexibility, somatics, and self-awareness, especially with how much stress people are carrying right now. We dig into practical tools like orienting, grounding, the “starfish” drill, pendulation, and Tracy’s “core four” (soft eyes, relaxing the tongue, breath pacing for coherence, and soft k
#385
May 18 · 1 hr 33 min
Episode 385: Rob Wilson on BJJ Performance Frameworks, Grip Training, Recovery Tech & The Check Engine Light Book
In this episode of the Flex Diet Podcast, I sit down with human performance specialist and coach Rob Wilson for a wide-ranging conversation that spans music, coach education, and what it really means to train for performance longevity. We dig into Rob’s new book, The Check Engine Light: Tune In Your Body and Mind to Achieve Performance Longevity, and his work educating coaches through ALTIS and with special operations communities. Rob also shares why jiu-jitsu strength and conditioning still la
#384
May 11 · 1 hr 14 min
Episode 384: Building Strength & Muscle After 50 (Without Getting Hurt) with Chad Landers
In this episode of the Flex Diet Podcast, I talk with my good buddy Chad Landers, veteran trainer, strength coach, and author of Building Strength and Muscle After 50, about how to keep gaining strength and muscle as you get older without falling off the “injury cliff.” We dig into why consistency matters most, how progress often drops in steps after injuries, and why smart modifications beat worshipping any single lift. Chad shares lessons from coaching clients for decades, including balancin
#383
May 5 · 55 min
Episode 383: Body Composition, Strength Training, and Sustainable Habits with Martin Silva
In this episode of the Flex Diet Podcast, I’m on the road and sit down with strength coach Martin Silva to talk about how to improve body composition, performance, and long-term health, especially for high-achieving clients in the 35–60 range. We get into unlearning a lot of the nutrition beliefs people bring in, why I still like keeping nutrition simple, higher protein, fewer ultra-processed foods, and how short-term tracking can build awareness without becoming a crutch. Martin also walks th
#382
April 29 · 52 min
Episode 382: Creatine for Muscle, Bone, Brain & Longevity (Plus Caffeine, Dosing, and Safety) with Dr. Darren Candow
In this episode of the Flex Diet Podcast, I sit down with creatine researcher Dr. Darren Candow from the University of Regina to break down what the research actually says about creatine for muscle, performance, and body composition—plus the newer interest in brain health, aging, and longevity. We dig into practical dosing (including higher-dose ideas for bone and brain), why timing probably doesn’t matter much, and what the data shows on safety, side effects, and common myths like hair loss. W

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