Beer N Biceps Podcast

England has recently made it the law that any restaurant or pub chain that employs over 250 people must place calories on menus. This has been welcomed by some and derided by others. After reading several articles online I thought that it would be a good idea to take a look at what the science says, and give my own opinion. Calories on Menus This podcast was incredibly tough to plan, as people justifiably have strong periods for and against calories on menus. When making any decision that can benefit one group of people and negatively affect another, you are going to inevitably piss people off. And I didn't want to do that for the sake of a podcast. I'm linking to the three studies that I mentioned here in case you want to read more on the subject. Perhaps you think that I came to the wrong conclusions? Beer This is the first podcast where I didn't drink a beer during recording. One of the things that I've found is that drinking alcohol during a podcast can make me more reckless with how I communicate. This is not a discussion that would benefit from alcohol in my opinion, so I avoided it. To be honest, it was a lot easier to do the podcast this way! But perhaps the chaos of beer-influenced talk is what people listen out for? Who knows. Calories on Menus: Quick Note As I said, I have tried to make this podcast as respectful as possible. I am no expert on eating disorders, but I am responding to the criticism of other non-experts, and I have been as objective as possible. My initial reaction to the news was much less nuanced than what you will hear on the podcast, which I hope goes to show that bias hasn't affected my opinion. But if I have got something catastrophically wrong, I'm sorry. P.S. If you liked this type of podcast, then why not check out some of my articles? I try to throw science at commonly held nutritional beliefs, to varying degrees of success. References [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5378635/ [2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23760909/ [3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22918176/

In today's podcast, I talk about five fitness influencers to follow, the importance of forming simple habits when embarking on a new diet or workout regime, and I drink Tangle Foot beer by Badger brewery in Dorset. Five Fitness Influencers to Follow This podcast's original point was to talk exclusively about five fitness influencers to follow, and nothing else. But while planning it out I realised that this topic would only last five minutes. In fact it lasts 10 minutes! But still, I decided to add in another topic (Habits) to help flesh out the podcast. The five fitness influencers I have picked represent the scientific side of fitness and nutrition (Brad Schoenfeld) and the more social media savvy influencer side (James Smith and Lucy Mountain). Layne Norton and Sohee Lee represent the middle ground. All five fitness influencers are unique in what they offer. Brad Schoenfeld gives you amazing scientific advice. Layne Norton combines practical knowledge (he has been a natural bodybuilder and a competitive powerlifter). Sohee Lee is wonderful at balancing scientific knowledge with humour and entertainment. James Smith has good knowledge and has a superb way of ranting about topics (absolute marmite personality, but I like it). Lucy Mountain is hilarious but really good at empowering young women to train hard and eat well. Using Habits to Master Your Lifestyle I won't go into this much here because you can just listen to the podcast. My coaching style has changed a lot since becoming certified with Precision Nutrition. I now fully subscribe to the idea that you should make small changes gradually rather than turning your life upside down all at once. This has made a huge difference to my clients, and I really love how effective it is. Tangle Foot Beer The beer I am drinking in this podcast is Tangle Foot golden ale from Hall & Woodhouse (who run Badger brewery). I've had Badger beer before on this podcast, and I absolutely love it.

In this week's podcast episode, I attempt to answer the question "are abs made in the kitchen?". After last week's heavily researched podcast episode, I decided to have a more laid back approach to this one. The podcast is more of a collection of thoughts and anecdotes I've had around weight loss and body image in the fitness world, particularly for men. Not that women don't have that same issue, but 1) I am not as qualified to talk about it, and 2) I feel that this topic is pretty well covered by women. Are Abs Made in the Kitchen? It's an annoyingly smug statement, but it's also incorrect. Well, actually it's difficult to answer properly. Your abs are muscles, and muscles are built in the gym. However, you need to eat to build your muscles, so technically all muscles are made in the kitchen. This isn't what the statement is supposed to mean though. What they are saying is that you need to create a calorie deficit through diet to burn the fat necessary to see your abs. But obviously, that's a mouthful. It's pretty harmless as statements go, but I always dislike it when complex and much-debated topics are boiled down into handy catchphrases. Having a six-pack is all about diet and exercise, it's not really an either/or situation. The Heart Pale Ale Brewed by the Hop Nation Brewing Company in Melbourne, Australia. The Heart is a really well brewed pale ale, similar to a golden ale in taste and appearance. This is a subtly flavoured pale ale, and the description on Beer52s website says that it has a floral taste. Which I absolutely agree with. Though as I point out in the podcast, tell me that something tastes floral and I will then find it to be true. I was very tempted to drink a pint of Shelby IPA by Thornbridge brewery. I have it set up with my PerfectDraft at the moment, and it is wonderful. However, I already did a podcast episode while drinking the bottled version, and I don't want to repeat myself.

We've all heard of dieting documentaries such as "What the Health" and "Supersize me", but I'm going to ask you to do something for me. Stop watching dieting documentaries! They are absolutely terrible, completely unscientific, and a plague upon mankind. As you can imagine, this podcast is going to involve a high degree of ranting. Stop Watching Dieting Documentaries I actually did quite a bit of research for this podcast. During the podcast, I talk about the importance of citing sources and discussing where you are getting your information from. So here are several websites and one YouTube video that I used. Harriet Hall wrote an amazing deconstruction of "What the Health" for Science-Based Medicine. Check it out here. Julia Belluz wrote an excellent piece for Vox on What the Health. Check it out here. There is also a great piece in Time Magazine by Alexandra Siffelin. Check it out here. For those of you who don't want to read, there's a really good YouTube summary by Dr Zubin Damania You might also want to check out my podcast on vegan dieting, where I talk about some drawbacks, and why a plant-based diet is different (and potentially better) to a vegan diet. Splice of Heaven by Moon Dog Brewery This beer was described as a Pine-Lime ice cream IPA, which is rather terrifying. Apparently, pine-lime means pineapple and lime, and ice cream just means vanilla flavouring. During the podcast, I said that I couldn't really taste the pineapple or lime, or vanilla for that matter. But afterwards, me and the Mrs continued to taste it, and I feel that I could taste the pineapple, and perhaps the lime. The vanilla taste completely escaped me though. My Mrs said she tasted mango, but I'm not 100% sure I've ever seen her eat a mango or a pineapple, so I have taken her input with a pinch of salt. Moon Dog Brewery is an Australian brewery based in Melbourne. I couldn't find too much information about them, their website doesn't seem to have an about section. So I can't say when they started or what their plans are for the future. They definitely seem to have a quirky sense of humour though, and they brew the best pine-lime ice cream IPA I've ever had. Dog Stopped Play Finally, I think I should offer an explanation as to why I finished this week's podcast on such an abrupt note. My dog Bailey was beginning to whine, and in my experience that gives me a 20-second window to open the door before he progresses to full-on barking. There is nothing worse on earth than random barking in a podcast, and I don't know how to edit, so I decided a tactical retreat was the best option. After the podcast I gave him the requisite 30 strokes and 10 "good boys" and he decided that barking was unnecessary. To be honest, I'm surprised he didn't interrupt me earlier, and am massively thankful! Have a great week guys. This is Bailey in a rare moment between barks

In today's episode, I tackle six ridiculous fitness myths that have somehow entered the public subconscious. I chose this title a while back because I thought it would be an easy podcast to research. How incredibly wrong I was! Finding fitness myths that hadn't been disproven 500 times already was really difficult. Six Ridiculous Fitness Myths I won't name all six ridiculous fitness myths here, as they are all in the podcast. But I have to say, I'm starting to believe that the tide is turning against a lot of these myths. Google has got its act together and is ensuring that only good knowledge is shared (for the most part). Also, there are so many good fitness influencers out there, who have worked hard to combat these myths. People who are interested in fitness and nutrition now have hundreds of excellent role models to learn from. On the other hand, there are more and more charlatans out there, particularly on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The biggest issue is, and always will be, the fact that so little is known about fitness and nutrition in the scientific community. There are lots of theories and some damn good guesses. But I feel like every article I research has at least 2 different arguments and a whole heap of unproven theories. It's an absolute maze! Elsie Mo by Castle Rock Brewery It's about time that I showcased a beer from my new home (Nottingham). Castle Rock brewery is the big brewery in the City, and has some superb beers. Their Harvest Pale is one of the best beers in Britain. Elsie Mo is a golden ale with a troubled past. For years it was adorned with a huge-titted cartoon woman. In 2007 the breasts were enlarged further before common sense decided that a beer label with a cartoon woman sticking her tits out was probably not going to stay under the radar of Twitter for too long, and they sensibly changed it. Check out this article to learn more (and to see the original artwork). All of that distracted from the fact that the beer is excellent. Really enjoyable. Could it make my top 10 beers for series 3? We'll have to find out. Here's my top 10 beers of season 2 if you need to refresh your memory.

In this podcast, I teach you how to fix your bench press. This will involve leaving your ego at the door. Lowering the weight, working on your grip, learning how to set up properly. It will also involve a few training tips that can make huge differences over time. How to Fix Your Bench Press Considering that the bench press is probably the most important and iconic gym exercise for men (and increasingly for women). It surprises me just how many people perform it terribly. Even men who warm up with weights that I couldn't even lift still make crucial rookie mistakes that have an easy fix. Problem is, those men will NEVER LISTEN. So I have two options. Somehow outlift them, and then offer them a hand Do a podcast where nobody will ever know how much I actually bench press. I went with option #2. What is so infuriating is that the common mistakes people make could be fixed in just 20 seconds. Either by lowering the weights and being disciplined or by learning a couple of tricks that take seconds to learn. Pulling your shoulder blades together helps push your chest out, reducing the ROM and allowing you to utilise your chest more. A win/win situation. Keeping your feet on the ground rather than lifting them in the air takes no effort at all, and will allow you much more power during a heavy lift. Anyway, listen to the podcast if you want to learn how to fix your bench press! Bombardier Beer I've written about this beer before, check out the article here if you want to learn the strength, calories, and beers that are similar. I absolutely love this beer, a great choice in the pub, and a lovely choice for a bottle of beer to drink at home. A perfect example of an English ale. Bombardier used to be brewed by Charles Wells, but is now brewed by Wychwood who are owned by Marstons. What an incredibly confusing situation that English beer has found itself in.

I'm a fence-sitter, I like to think that most people in the fitness industry should be. Fence sitting should be your default move in an industry as young as this. This is why I tend to be sceptical (cynical?) about any part of the fitness industry that reduces the world into black and white. Does the anti diet movement do this? That's what this podcast looks to uncover. The Anti Diet Movement Another name for the anti diet movement would be the body acceptance movement. If you listen to the podcast you will find that there is a LOT that I agree with/like about this movement. But there is also a lot that I struggle with, or flat out disagree with. The idea that calorie counting is inherently wrong, or that you can't talk about weight loss. My main issue is the lack of scientific support for some of the beliefs espoused by anti diet movement adherents. The idea that you can be obese yet still fit and healthy is an idea that I can't say I agree with (as much as I'd like to). 60% of women and 67% of men in the UK are overweight or obese. We are the fattest nation in Europe. We also had/have the highest excess mortality rates in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Could this be a coincidence? Possibly, but experts appear to think otherwise. I don't like being the bad guy, I would never want to make an overweight or obese person feel bad about themselves, nor do most people in the fitness industry. Self-esteem and self-worth are crucial, and I will always try and focus on building that up (provided it is within my scope of practice to do so). But I will not lie to my clients if they ask me for my opinion/recommendation. Anyway, listen to the podcast to discover the many positives that the anti diet movement offers and some other negatives. Ultimately, I believe that the anti diet movement is a force for good, and the people within this group are kind and doing their best to help. But I'm still going to call them out on their issues. Wanderlust IPA by Allendale Brewing Wanderlust is defined as "a strong desire to travel", which after basically 5 months of sitting in my house I can certainly sympathise with! It's from Allendale brewery based in Hexham. The beer is a west coast style IPA, which explains the high alcohol (6.5% abv) and the extreme bitterness of the beer. I am not usually a fan of this beer style, but one of two things has clearly happened: My tastes have changed Wanderlust is so good that I enjoy it even though it isn't my favourite beer style I suspect that it is a combination of the two. If you're interested in the different IPA styles, check out my article on XPAs. A form of IPA that is growing in popularity.

In the final episode of the series, I will take a look at the best beers of season two. Naming my personal top ten out of the twenty beers I've tried. I also look back on the season and talk about how much it differs from season one and my initial plans for it. The Best Beers of Season Two I'm not going to mention all ten beers here, got to keep something for the podcast! But picking my ten favourite beers was quite fun. I've tried to have a varied selection of beers and I think I managed that. With stouts, craft lagers, a Berliner Weisse, IPAs, English IPAs, Trappist ales, and porters featuring in the twenty episodes. One of the surprisingly annoying things I've found about doing podcasts without Todd (other than the crushing loneliness) is that I find it hard to actually drink the beer while recording. The problem being that while I drink there is just silence. Or the unhelpful squeak of my chair. Whereas older podcasts involved me finishing my beer halfway through and grabbing a second, my current podcasts involve me only having a sip or two, then drinking the rest afterwards. Something that kind of affects the spirit of the podcast. But it can't be helped, and nobody is going to listen to a podcast that is filled with long pauses while the podcaster gets progressively trashed! So I have had to adapt. What to Look Forward to in Season Three Season three should be a lot of fun, I've got a good mix of subjects. Some episodes will centre around specific exercise or nutritional advice (how to improve your bench press), while others will be focused on broader topics. Next week's episode is all about anti-diet culture and whether it is a good thing or not. I'm also hoping to get Todd back for a couple of episodes. Either I'll try to persuade him to come up to visit me in Nottingham, or I may even attempt to reach deepest, darkest Watford and see him. Or we'll do it over the phone again. Marston's Pedigree While performing this week's podcast, I was drinking Marston's Pedigree, an excellent amber ale from the Marston's brewery. I enjoyed it a lot, though it is fairly boring compared to some of the beers from Season 2. That being said, I really enjoy boring beers and am happy to continue drinking them indefinitely.

In today's podcast, I talk about the worst exercises to perform in the gym. It's more a look at exercises or workouts that you shouldn't perform in a busy gym. Either because the exercises themselves are bad, or because doing so can be disruptive to your fellow members. Worst Exercises to Perform in the Gym The worst exercises to perform in the gym in my opinion are: Adductor/Abductor machine - pointless, works the muscles in isolation when they work best when performed in compound movements Wrist Curls - pointless, complete waste of time for 90% of gym-goers. Kettlebell Deadlifts into Upright Rows - Just a horrible combination of exercises that could cause injury and has no real benefits Walking Lunges - Great exercise, one of my favourites, but not suitable for busy gyms Ladders - A form of training where you start off with a very heavy weight and keep performing reps until exhaustion, then you use a lower weight, and keep lowering the weight until you reach the lowest weight. Fun to do, but uses up way too many weights and takes up too much space. Circuits - Can be okay, but too often they take up too much space, use too much equipment, and are often badly programmed. Usually too difficult to do properly. Midnight Maverick by Siren Brewery The beer I drank during the podcast is called Midnight Maverick by Siren brewery, and it was a nitro oatmeal stout. Now, I do love a good stout and have had several really good ones over the years. But this was just a little too sweet for me. I loved the texture, incredibly smooth thanks to the nitro. But not my cup of tea. If you like sweet stouts then you will really enjoy this one though. I may not be ranking this in my top ten beers of season 2, but I know enough about beer to say that it is still really good. Definitely worth trying so that you can make your own mind up about it.

In this podcast episode, I look at the real reason behind the obesity epidemic, and I also attempt to dispel many of the incorrect theories out there. Now, while I am fairly confident that my theory is the right one, there is no single reason for the obesity epidemic, but more a collection of reasons. The Real Reason Behind the Obesity Epidemic Whilst researching an article for work, I stumbled across a study from 2002 that looked into how portion sizes have increased over the years. The study found that in the 1970s portion sizes increased substantially, and that in the 80s portion sizes increased massively. Ever since, portion sizes have continued to grow and grow. Today, what we would think of as a regular-sized portion would seem absolutely massive to someone from the 1950s. Think about it. There are people born in the 80s today who are in their 30s and 40s, who have never seen a 1960s sized portion. As a society, our entire perception of a normal meal size is warped. There were several reasons as to why this happened. Sure, there was probably a bit of profiteering from food companies, but the price of food dropping made a huge difference. While house prices seem to do nothing but go up, the cost of meat and grains is at an all time low. I don't want to get into a meat vs vegan argument here, but meat is an excellent example of how our perception of portion sizes has changed. Anyway, tune into the podcast to learn more. Shake Salted Caramel Milkshake IPA I was not a massive fan of this beer, but I do not believe that it is a bad beer, just not to my taste. I don't really like milkshake IPAs nor do I like Ice Cream IPAs, I think that the worlds of IPA beers and desserts should be kept separate. Though I do enjoy dessert flavoured stouts (I never stop talking about some of them).

If you've been reading my blog, you'll probably know about the downsides of steroids, and many of the benefits. But what is my actual opinion on them? Should steroids be legal? By which I mean, should they be legal to buy without a prescription? Or should the status quo remain? Should Steroids be Legal? My opinion on the legality and benefits of steroid use has lurched from one extreme to another over the years, and it has taken 15 years to establish my current belief. This is that steroid use should not be legalised without a prescription. Not because steroids are particularly worse than most other non-prescription drugs, but due to the nature of the men taking them. Taking testosterone so that you are just maintaining healthy levels of testosterone has hundreds of benefits, and very few (if any) downsides. But steroid abuse (which is what professional bodybuilders do) can have many downsides. My issue is that most men if given the option to take small dosages would quickly abuse the drug. "If taking one pill of testosterone has given me all these benefits, then why not take four pills?". You get the idea. One thing I am certain of though, there needs to be more debate around this issue. At the moment there are two camps. There are people who are staunchly pro steroids, who don't really believe that anything bad will happen to them. Then there are the people who are just as staunchly anti-steroid. These are the type of people who think creatine monohydrate should be banned! Education is vital here. I'd also be happy if doctors were more likely to prescribe testosterone to older men, as many men can have testosterone levels that are lower than healthy. Food for thought at least. Stormtrooper Galactic Pale Ale This was a pretty decent English pale ale, though not as good as my usual favourites (Speckled Hen, Greene King, Hobgoblin, Doom Bar). You don't often see craft pale ales, and when you do they are almost always American Pale Ales, which is slightly different. Still, very cool can design, and it meant that I could use my Stormtrooper pint glass, which is a glass that I don't get to use very often. So no complaints from me. Interestingly, the Stormtrooper line of beers is all brewed by Vocation brewery! One of my favourite craft breweries.

Most diets fail. They either fail immediately, within a couple of weeks or after a number of weeks. Sometimes they can appear to succeed, but after a year, you're back to square one. Which if you think about it is a fairly common result. In this podcast, I give five reasons why your diet is failing. Why Your Diet is Failing I won't go into each specific point, that's what the podcast is here for. But the main reason for a failing diet is not taking it seriously enough during planning. What is your goal? How are you going to achieve it? How long is this diet going to last? What is your current situation? Answer these questions and you will be well on your way to creating a successful diet that achieves exactly what you set out for it to achieve. Sadly, what usually happens is that you wake up after a particularly calorific meal or a night out and vow to go on a diet. You throw out all the junk food in your house and then purchase a new diet book and a tonne of "healthy" meals. You give up everything you love, and after a few weeks, you have a complete meltdown and gorge yourself. Does that sound familiar? It certainly does to me. Not only have I seen hundreds of clients do it (before signing up with me), I've been there myself. At University, I gained a load of weight, and tried carb-free diets, for a good 2 weeks before I ate an entire loaf of bread in one sitting. During the podcast, I promised to link you to some articles on goal setting, nutrition, and exercise. Check them out here: How to be your own personal trainer part 1 How to be your own personal trainer part 2 How to be your own personal trainer part 3 Twisted Knots American IPA Today's beer came courtesy of Lidl, and it should be mentioned that it came at a very low price point. Twisted Knots IPA is a very dark beer, almost red in colour. It had a decent head, that mostly disappeared while I tried to get a photo of it. The taste was a little too bitter for my liking, but not too bad at all. This is a beer that I would not exactly search out, but wouldn't turn down if offered it. Considering the price, it is not a bad beer, but I prefer Lidl's other IPA, which tastes a lot better in my opinion.

The inspiration for this podcast came from an article I wrote a few months back, it was looking at the potential health benefits of drinking beer, and weighing them up against the downsides. The article was fairly interesting to write, and I thought that it might suit podcasting even better. So, is beer healthy? Let's find out. Is Beer Healthy? There is a lot of evidence that light to moderate beer drinking can provide some health benefits, but heavy drinking is guaranteed to cause health issues down the line. In the podcast, I conclude that while beer may well provide some health benefits, it isn't good practice to think of it as healthy. Think of it as a nice treat, something to savour and enjoy, but not something to overindulge in. In the same way that having a nice steak every once in a while can provide some excellent health benefits, but that too much steak can lead to weight gain, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease! Spaten Oktoberfest Bier For a bit of a change, I decided to have a beer from my Perfect Draft machine during this podcast. A Spaten Oktoberfest beer. I've had the Perfect Draft machine for a few months now, and have been really impressed by it. I love German lagers and pilsners, and Oktoberfest beers are a personal favourite. Though I have learned not to attempt to drink a stein's worth of it too often. At over 6% abv, it's just too strong for little old me! A nice half-pint or two every now and again is a really nice luxury. But after talking about the benefits of light drinking rather than heavy drinking, it seems mad to be getting through a keg of 6% German beer too quickly! The kegs last for 30 days, so I've been spreading it out and taking my time.

In this podcast, I talk about the seven mistakes I made as a personal trainer. This was not the most enjoyable thing for me to do! But it led to a pretty damn good podcast (in my opinion). Much better than if I'd named my seven greatest successes or my best features. The Top Seven Mistakes I made as a Personal Trainer Analysing my mistakes as a trainer helped me improve, and now that I've got some perspective on my time as a PT, it's really helping me to plan for the future. I'm not going to list the mistakes here, you can hear them on the podcast. But there is a common theme for most of them, which is: Treating my clients like athletes Not having enough confidence in myself The second one is a bit of an odd one because in many ways I had too much confidence in myself! When you are a trainer, you have to act like the best trainer in the world, and in some ways, you start to believe your own hype. But when dealing with my clients, I erred on the side of safety too often. Particularly when it came to diet. I've learned from that now, and as I say in the podcast. Caring about your clients so much that you end up being overly-cautious, is not the worst trait to have as a trainer. Shelby 5% IPA by Thornbridge Brewery What a lovely surprise this beer was. In two different ways. My Mrs came back from the Co-op with a gift box of two bottles of Shelby and a beer mug, all for £5. While I'm fairly indifferent to the Peaky Blinders tv show (have only watched one episode to be fair), the mug is fantastic. The beer was gorgeous too. I guessed that it was an English IPA rather than an American IPA, and this seems to be the case. The main hop used is Fuggles which is an English hop variety, and there is a distinct lack of American hops. It also uses a combination of English and German malts. It's an excellent English IPA, and I am definitely looking forward to drinking the other one as soon as I finish writing this! Check out my article on English beers to see some similar varieties.

I've been planning on writing an article that answers the question "can bodybuilding be considered a sport?", but decided to do a podcast first. I'll write the article at some point and may come out with a completely different answer! Can Bodybuilding Be Considered a Sport? In the podcast, I first discuss my relationship with bodybuilding. Anyone who has met me in person will NOT be surprised to know that I have never had any interest in being a bodybuilder. But after 60+ articles on bodybuilding history, famous bodybuilders through the years, and several articles on the more recent Mr Olympia competitions, I now have a greater knowledge of bodybuilding and an appreciation for it. That does not mean that I think it is a sport though. Though you'll have to listen to my podcast to find out my exact thoughts, and why it is such a difficult question to answer. Peanut Riot Porter by Fierce Brewery On the podcast, as is now customary, I make a big fuss about the pointless distinction between stouts and porters (they're the same thing). But don't let that distract you from how much I enjoyed this beer! Peanut Riot had me wary as my first impression was that it was going to be too sweet. It smelled like a Snickers bar, with that chemical aftertaste you sometimes get with sweet porters and stouts. I am not a massive fan of sweet porters and stouts, I find that they can get rather sickly after a while. But Peanut Riot surprised me. The taste was less sweet, you could definitely taste the peanut, and it was very smooth. An excellent beer all in all. Fierce brewery is based in Aberdeen, and that means that there is ANOTHER amazing Scottish craft brewery! Seriously, Scotland is absolutely smashing it when it comes to craft beer these days. I may have to write a follow up to my Celtic Craft Beer article.

I talk about creatine a lot, I've written hundreds of articles online about its benefits, drawbacks, and supplements that contain it. I've been a freelance fitness and nutrition writer for 6 years now, and clients are always asking for articles about it. This podcast talks about five surprising benefits of creatine. What are the Five Surprising Benefits of Creatine? I am not about to ruin the surprise for my podcast listeners here, that would be pointless. If you want to find out the hundreds of scientifically proven benefits of creatine then go onto the examine.com website and find out for yourself. Creatine is known for its ability to improve athletic performance. Allowing you to train harder, and to see gains in strength, speed, and power. But it has many benefits, particularly for the elderly and for vegetarians/vegans. For some reason, creatine got a bad reputation among the general public, based on misinformation. Creatine is NOT a steroid, is NOT illegal, and is NOT dangerous. Our bodies produce it naturally, and it is found in meat and fish. Supplementation has many benefits for old and young alike. Passionfruit Pale Ale by Innis & Gunn Innis & Gunn produced one of the first craft beers I ever had. Their bourbon-barrel-aged Scotch ale was a revelation. At least it was to all my friends, I wasn't a massive fan. Then again, I'm not a big fan of bourbon, so perhaps this was not surprising. That being said, I am well aware that their original beer is well-loved, and it's not that I dislike it. I'm just not going to order it. Their passionfruit pale ale on the other hand, is very decent, and I'd consider a second or even a third if offered. I wrote an article on Celtic Craft beer, and completely neglected to mention Innis & Gunn, so hopefully, this podcast will rectify the situation somewhat. They deserve to be mentioned alongside Brewdog, and I can't think of higher praise!

In the past, I've written articles for other websites that have argued for and against the paleo diet. This may sound hypocritical, how can I write one article while having an opposing opinion? Well firstly, I got bills to pay y'all. Secondly, I am not for or against the paleo diet. So I can write positive and negative articles while staying true to my beliefs. So, what is wrong with the paleo diet? What is Wrong With the Paleo Diet? In the podcast, I talk a lot about some of the illogical aspects of the paleo diet. The appeal to nature, the condensing of 2.5 million years of diet into a quick recipe book for paleo cookies, and how the diet does not represent the nature of palaeolithic people. If a palaeolithic person saw a Big Mac and chips they would not turn their noses up at it because it contained bread. They would eat it, because that's what the constant threat of famine does to a person! But just because I don't like the theories behind the diet, does not mean that I think the diet is a bad one. It is overly-complicated, unnecessarily restrictive, and irritating. But it also encourages you to eat more fruit and veg, and reduce your intake of processed and red meat in favour of leaner meats such as game and poultry. These are not bad things and provided you enjoy following it, I won't judge anyone who genuinely enjoys it. Just don't pretend like it is in any way superior to a normal diet! Efes Draft Beer My Mrs (would be my wife if Covid hadn't cancelled our wedding) made me a beer advent calendar. The day of recording was Dec 1st - yes, this podcast is being scheduled WAY in advance. Efes draft beer (canned) was the number 1 beer on this calendar. I really enjoyed drinking this beer. It had a strong honey aroma which I really liked. I'll be honest, I've read a few tasting notes for this beer and absolutely nobody else has mentioned honey, but I was/am certain that this is what it tasted and smelled of. I've talked about Turkish beer before, and it is a fascinating story. The mixture of secularism and religion in Turkish politics has had a marked effect on beer, leading to total domination of the domestic market by Efes. But for all that, it is an excellent lager. Worth a try.

Today's podcast is all about discovering why personal trainers hate cardio. Obviously, not all personal trainers hate it, but there are enough PTs spouting off about their hate for traditional cardio for it to be worth looking at. Do they have a point? This episode explores the truth. Why Personal Trainers Hate Cardio The podcast looks at the legitimate reasons why personal trainers don't often add cardio into their sessions. High injury rate, practical issues, coaching issues, and risk/benefit analysis. It also looks at the lesser-known reasons why personal trainers may not want to add cardio into their workouts. At the end of the day, there is a time and a place for cardio, but I can understand why a PT would not feel it necessary. If you aren't training with a PT then adding some cardio into your life will provide many benefits, and the purpose of this podcast is not to discourage you from that. TrioJ 26 NEIPA by Lost + Found The beer I was drinking during this podcast was a New England IPA (NEIPA) from Lost + Found brewery called TrioJ 26. An absolutely shocking name for a beer! I've talked about NEIPAs before, and they aren't exactly my favourite style. But this was by no means a bad beer. It was not as bitter as I had expected a NEIPA to be, and bitterness is one of the main reasons why I usually avoid NEIPAs. But at 6% it is stronger than I like my IPAs to be. My ideal IPA is a session IPA, one I can drink a few cans of without feeling absolutely trashed. Yep, I'm a volume kinda guy! If you enjoy your beer hoppy, fruity, and not overly bitter, then this beer is a real find. Excellent as a one-off, but not something I could see myself drinking five of.

Can You Lose Weight While Drinking Beer? That is the type of question that Beer n Biceps was created to answer! In fact, I've already written an article about it, check it out here. But not everyone has time to waste reading words on a page, so I decided to do a podcast on the subject too. Can You Lose Weight While Drinking Beer? Looking at the question in the most simplistic way, yes of course you can lose weight while drinking beer. If you stopped eating for 20 days and only drank one can of Guinness for sustenance, do you really believe you wouldn't lose weight? You absolutely would. But that wouldn't be a healthy way to do it, nor would it be enjoyable. But it is important to point out the fact that you can do so. Weight loss is all about calories in vs calories out over a period of time. If you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose body fat, as your body will dip into your stored fat to make up the energy difference. Sort of like dipping into your saving after a month of your outgoings being higher than your income. You can fit beer into your diet, and still maintain a calorie deficit. You just have to be realistic about how much beer you can have per week, while staying within the deficit. 10 pints? Unlikely. 5 pints? Perfectly possible. Guinness What is there to say about Guinness that I haven't already covered in my Guinness fact file or article on beer in Ireland? Not much. I was very impressed with the canned version, tasted as nice as any pint I've had in a pub, and a decent price too. Poured beautifully, and allowed for a decent head. Instagram is full of craft stouts, imperial stouts, and crazy porters, but a can of Guinness beats all of them in my opinion!

I try not to lean too heavily on one side or the other when it comes to fitness arguments. Partly because I hate conflict (unless I'm drunk) but mostly because I think that having strong views on scientific subjects should only come once you have mastered your field. The truth about keto diets is that they can work for some people, but are not ideal for most people. That isn't a particularly controversial stance though, and it won't get me hundreds of followers or hundreds of enemies. But it's a balanced opinion that is not influenced by anything other than the facts as I understand them. The Truth About Keto Diets Ketogenic diets were developed in the early 20th century and used to treat epileptic seizures in children. While there is now an effective anti-seizure medication that can be used instead, the keto diet is still recommended to some people. So whether you like it or not, you have to admit that in some instances, the keto diet can be effective, potentially even life-saving. Whether it is an effective diet for non-epileptics remains to be seen. It is needlessly complicated and restrictive in my opinion. With no real benefits compared to other, easier, diets. But some people will enjoy those restrictions, having a simple framework to base their diet around may help them to stick to it better. Rules, however arbitrary can help create a structure for some people, and that can lead to excellent results. My main problem with the keto diet is not the diet itself, it is the people who promote it as some incredible diet with all these benefits attached. People who say that it is amazing for fat loss (it's nothing special). Or that it can improve your physical or mental performance. It can't. Classic Lager by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company The beer I was drinking while yelling into my microphone was Classic lager by the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. I had not been too excited for this beer, as it sounded pretty boring. I was pleasantly surprised. This was an excellent lager, with shades of some Belgian beers I've had. Perhaps they used Belgian malt?* Either way, the beer was excellent. Did everything a lager should (tasted nice) and I'm surprised at the low ratings it has got on Untappd.com. Actually, I'm not that surprised, because the type of people who rate beers on Untappd are exactly the type of people I'd expect to turn their nose up at a well-brewed lager. Just kidding! *After checking this article, I found out that they used Dutch malt. Close enough that I can avoid humiliation, but different enough to mention here.  

This podcast was recorded in October, but due to severe procrastination I have only just got around to publishing it. In fact, I have a backlog of SIX podcasts that still need to be uploaded. I guess it's just a lot more enjoyable to drink beer and moan about the world than it is to upload podcasts! Today's podcast is about the biggest dieting mistake people make. The Biggest Dieting Mistake People Make The answer isn't exactly a massive secret. In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes that people make is confirmation bias. I know, it's not quite as sexy an answer as you'd hope for. But honestly, I believe that confirmation bias is one of the biggest issues affecting people today (other than hunger, famine, war etc). It affects politics, sports, religion, and most of all science. But its effect on diet is very frustrating to see. Leading to people endorsing keto diets, paleo diets, and other crazy diets without critically analyzing whether it is the right choice for them or not. If you've heard about echo chambers, then you probably have a good idea of what I'm driving at. Anyway, listen to the podcast for more information about how it affects diet, and how to avoid it. James Beer by Evil Twin Brewing What an absolutely SUPERB beer to kick things off with. I fell in love with this Berliner Weisse beer immediately, a style of beer that I've not tried before. But this American/Danish copy of it was incredible. A fruity, sour beer which was not overpowering in the slightest, and surprisingly refreshing. Evil Twin Brewing seems like a great brewery, and I'll look out for their beers in future. Check out my article on beers in Germany, if you want to learn more about beers like Berliner Weisse.

Finally! After several tear-fuelled phone calls and an ill-advised trip to Watford with a boombox in hand. I have managed to secure the podcasting services of Mr Todd Davies. In this week's podcast we discuss beers we'd love to drink but can't. The sound quality is not amazing. This is thanks to the social distancing requirements of holding a podcast (Todd was on the phone). But it was definitely worth it. Having two people on a podcast definitely improves it (in my opinion). Going forward, I will still be publishing my solo-podcasts. And I will try and grab hold of Todd for the occasional collaboration. We've decided that our podcasts together will be solely beer-related. While my individual podcasts will be mostly fitness-related. Beers We'd Love to Drink But Can't The idea for this podcast came to me while I was reading an article on North Korean beer (as you do). The article was pretty interesting, and was not beer specific, though they mentioned having one. Of course, I immediately went to Wikipedia to search for North Korean beer and found this article entry. The thought that there was a beer out there that it was unlikely/impossible for me to try was sort of sad but also fascinating. I immediately started thinking of other beers that would be impossible to try and floated the idea to Todd. Tynt Meadow One beer that I immediately thought of was Tynt Meadow, the English Trappist Ale that came out in 2018. For a long time after it came out, it was impossible to buy as demand far outstripped supply. But of course, it is now very easy to find. I actually walked down to my local pub who was selling it as part of their takeaway service. The beer is one of the highest-rated beers around, and I can definitely see why! A gorgeous taste, great consistency, and it poured really nicely into my Duvel glass (I don't have a Tynt Meadow glass ... yet). It was very different to Belgian Trappist Ales that I've tried, and it is also different from Abbey beers such as Affligem.

My website is named Beer n Biceps, and that is the name of the podcast that I run. The idea behind the podcast/website was to teach people how to drink good beer while leading a healthy life and losing weight. So, I feel uniquely placed to answer the question "Why are pubs opening before gyms?". It is an emotive subject and one that has generated a lot of hurt over the last few weeks. It has also created quite a lively debate. My personal opinion is that pubs should be opened before gyms. But that the two businesses should not be compared in the first place. In the podcast, I go into why I think that is. Why are Pubs Opening Before Gyms? The problem is, that my opinion doesn't really matter that much. We are talking about people's livelihoods here, and I feel obligated to support my many friends within the industry. A lot of personal trainers and fitness instructors will be worrying about their jobs and how they are going to pay their rent. They certainly don't want to listen to me lecture them about the health and safety capabilities of a gym vs a pub! Still, I have tried my best to answer the question as best as I can, using a combination of science, economics, and my own opinion. I may be completely wrong. Luckily, it doesn't appear that this will ever be proven either way. Gyms are scheduled to open within the next couple weeks, and I for one cannot wait to get back! Chairs have begun to squeak ominously when I sit in them, which is always a sign that the gym is needed. Siren Lumina I did not really go into much detail about the beer in this week's podcast. Which is a shame, because it was really good. The problem was that unlike many of my podcasts, I just jumped straight in and grabbed a beer randomly from the fridge. So there was no time to research it, and for that I can only apologise. Lumina is a session IPA from Siren Craft Brew. It is 4.2% abv, and uses a combination of American and German hops. Siren Craft Brew was founded in 2013 and is situated in Wokingham which is near Reading. I've had their beers before, and they are always a treat. Definitely worth checking out their website, or picking up a can or two when you next see them in the shops.

As a qualified personal trainer and qualified Boxercise coach (don't laugh, it's a real qualification) I feel perfectly placed to discuss whether personal training and boxing is a good mix or not. Which is why I have dedicated a podcast to that very subject. Personal Training and Boxing Boxercise is a very underrated qualification in my opinion. It is held back by the ridiculous name. A more accurate name for the course would be "Teach boxing to clients safely", but I guess that doesn't have the same ring to it. I got my qualification in 2010. I actually got it a couple of months before I got my personal trainer qualification! So technically, I was a Boxercise personal trainer for longer than I was a regular personal trainer. For the first few years of my career, I specialised in this field. I taught many clients how to punch, how to move, and some basic combinations. The lessons were fun to do (for both myself and the client), and once the client knew enough, the lessons could be excellent calorie burners. In the podcast I discuss why I phased out boxing from my sessions, and why I am not certain that boxing training is good value for personal training clients. Market Porter by Thornbridge The beer I'm drinking is a porter by Thornbridge brewery. Considering the fact that I used to hate porters, this was a very decent beer. Thornbridge is best known for their award-winning Jaipur beer, but they do a lot of stouts and porters too. Check out my article on Beer in London to learn more about the origin of stouts and porter. Their brewery has been in operation since 2005, and they are based in Derbyshire. Which, now that I live in Nottingham, is not a million miles away. I'd better book myself a brewery tour once this pandemic has ended. Well, that should be enough information to build some anticipation. Check out the podcast, and have a great week!

In this podcast, I attempt to answer the question "are meal replacement shakes a good idea?". It's quite a controversial topic and one that often leads to arguments. So, of course, I immediately decided to hump in with both feet. Are Meal Replacement Shakes a Good Idea? Yes, meal replacement shakes can be a good idea in specific circumstances. But there are often better alternatives out there. Herbalife is often seen as the face of meal replacement shakes, but there are better products out there such as Huel. The podcast was inspired by a funny thing that has happened to Google's algorithm. An article I wrote titled "No, I won't be buying your Herbalife products" went to the top of page 1 on Google. Meaning that my tiny website started to get a LOT of traffic to that page. Relatively speaking of course. Three years after it was written, I still get comments on it, and a lot of hate from Herbalife sellers. But I wasn't actually that harsh in the article. I thought that a podcast would be a good place to explain myself better. Belgium's Number One Beer If you have been reading my articles or listening to my podcast, then you may be aware that I am a huge fan of Belgian beers. Check out my love letter to Affligem beer here. There are so many good Belgian beers to choose from; Orval, Duvel, Affligem, Kwak, Delerium, Hoegaarden, Vedett. Even Stella Artois. So you might be surprised to learn that Belgium's number one beer (and it is not even close) is a fairly boring Pilsner called Jupiler. Okay, it might not be that surprising as there is a large photo of a Jupiler bottle at the top of the article. Jupiler is not a bad beer, I've had many worse pilsners. But it is nothing special, it is easily beaten by Stella Artois. Not to mention the hundreds of amazing Belgian beers out there. But perhaps that's not too surprising. While I love Belgian beers, they are not the sort of beer I'd grab while watching the football, or sitting outside on a sunny day. You can't grab a six-pack of Orval and expect to function afterwards! Is Jupiler a beer worth drinking? Sort of. I wouldn't' turn it down if offered one, and would happily drink it again. But there are better pilsners out there, and I'd be happier with one of the many fantastic alternatives that this great beer nation has created.  

Is a vegan diet healthier than a regular diet? This is a question that I've really struggled with over the years. On the surface, it seems quite straightforward. Vegan dieters are shown to live longer, have fewer health issues, and are generally fitter and leaner than people who follow regular diets. But does that mean that a vegan diet is actually healthier than a regular diet? Or is it just that people who are healthier and more conscious of their fitness are more likely to be drawn to a vegan lifestyle? Episode two of Beer n Biceps' second series tackles this exact question. Is a Vegan Diet Healthier Than a Regular Diet? It depends on how you define a regular diet. It is difficult to define a "regular diet". If you live in the Mediterranean, then your idea of a regular diet is going to be a lot different to someone living beside a KFC in Texas. The problem is that the vegan diet is often compared to a BAD omnivore diet. Of course, it is going to be healthier! But what if you compared it to the ideal omnivore diet? The results would be different. Vegan diets are naturally low in l-carnitine, creatine, and B-vitamins. While the ideal omnivore diet is going to be packed with them. The most healthy diet is often cited as being the Mediterranean diet. But it is really the Mediterranean lifestyle that is truly healthy. You could eat the healthiest diet imaginable. But if you are breathing in pollution, not exercising at all, and you live a very stressful life then you are NOT healthy. I go into a lot more detail about this in the podcast. My opinion is that vegan diets can be healthy, particularly compared with a bad omnivore diet. But a good omnivore diet is healthier than a good vegan diet because there is more variety. Matters of Perspective IPA by Buxton Brewery I've written about Buxton Brewery before, in my article on the Yellow Belly Saga. It is well worth a read if you enjoy petty arguments and beer-related drama. What that article does not really convey is how much I love their beer. Matters of Perspective is a 6.6% IPA that is very hoppy. Perhaps too hoppy for my taste, but a seriously good IPA nonetheless. I'd say that it reminds me of an American IPA, perhaps a West Coast style? Check out my article on XPA beer or on NEIPA if you want a more detailed look at the differing pale ale styles. What Else to Look For in the Podcast I also talk about what makes a good deadlift warm-up and give my honest opinion on squat shoes (they work, but not for everyone). So give it a listen, and let me know what you think. Also, if you have any questions that you want answered on the show then please comment below. Or call me a bellend. You do you.

This is the first podcast that I've done alone. Just Matt, no Todd. The reason? In September 2018 I moved from London (technically Watford) to Nottingham. After several tear-fuelled discussions with our respective partners, Todd was not allowed to come with me and live in my shed. So until I work out a way to record podcasts over the phone (not gonna happen) I'm going to try and go it alone. This first episode is titled "Why I Quit Personal Training". Why I Quit Personal Training In High School I picked Sports Science as a subject, and got a "B" in it. I then took Sports Science at college where I gained a BTEC National Diploma. I then studied Sports Science at London Metropolitan University (stop laughing). While getting my degree, I took my level 2 and level 3 personal trainer qualifications, and became a fitness instructor. After a year of fitness instructing I finally became a personal trainer. I stayed in that profession for seven years. The decision to quit personal training was not one I took lightly, but it was a calculated risk. Looking back, I'd say it has paid off. But it is still hard to judge. I am currently setting up my online coaching program, so I am not fully out of the industry. But my days of getting up at 5am to go to the gym are over (not that I did many 6am starts when I was a PT). Hopefully, this podcast episode will shine a light on why I made that decision. Deep Fake by Yeastie Boys When I was doing the podcast with Todd, we spent half the time talking about beer and half the time talking about biceps. Hence the name. I still enjoy drinking beer and talking, but I'm not 100% sure what the structure of these new podcasts is going to be like. I certainly didn't talk about this beer for half the episode. Deep Fake is a Vienna lager from New Zealand Brewery Yeastie Boys. I've mentioned Vienna style lagers before, specifically in my blog post on Beer in Mexico (which you really should check out). I went to New Zealand in 2012, and their craft beer scene was already kicking off. I remember going to a converted church that now sold a selection of craft beers and awesome food. It was so different from the NZ bars I had seen before. Yeastie Boys have a big following in New Zealand, and a growing audience here in the UK. Worth checking out. Podcasting Alone It was weird doing the podcast alone, I still found it difficult to stay on topic! At least that hasn't changed. I'll see how the podcast goes. I still enjoyed doing it (even if I had to record it twice). Let me know what you think, and remember: Direct all complaints about Todd's absence to Todd. Tell him why abandoning his friends and family for beer n biceps is a smart move.

In the second episode of our new-look podcast, we are discussing perfect warm-ups and drinking Badger beer. Well, we call it badger beer, but actually, the brewery is called Hall & Woodhouse brewery. We really enjoyed ourselves during this podcast, mostly thanks to the excellent beers! We're loving this 30-minute format, it's easier to listen to, and more importantly - it is a LOT quicker to perform. Perfect Warm-Ups I've changed my mind a lot about warm-ups over the years, when I started training myself I thought that they were very important. Always getting onto that Cross-trainer before a session could truly begin. After a while, I grew bored of spending 5-10 minutes per session mindlessly pedalling and started entering the gym "cold". This was fine, I was young, wasn't lifting heavy, and had no previous injuries. These days I walk briskly to the gym before performing multiple practice sets for a great warm-up. A practice set is where you perform the exercise you were planning on doing (a bench press for example) with a weight that is significantly lighter. Think about it, you are working the correct muscles required for the exercise, practising the movements, and getting a feel for the equipment. But there are a couple of exercises that I do add in as a warm-up, which aren't practice set exercises. For upper body, I perform face-pulls, a great exercise using a cable machine. For the lower body, I will perform some dumbbell goblet squats. They are light, easy to do, and they warm you up great before performing barbell squats, or deadlifts. They are crucial for perfect warm-ups. Badger Beers: Hall & Woodhouse Brewery The beers we drank in this podcast all came from the Hall & Woodhouse brewery in Dorset. The brewery was originally opened in 1777 in the village of Ansty. It was moved to Blandford St Mary in 1899 and has stayed there ever since. The beers that we tried were Golden Champion and Fursty Ferret. They also sell Furkin Fox and Golden Glory. This brewery has always been a favourite of mine, and the beers were a perfect choice for our Best of England Beers. Next Time So a nice and quick podcast on perfect warm-ups and English beer, Badger Beers are a great rival for last week's Newcastle Brown Ales. In our next episode, we will be drinking beer from Oakham Ales and discussing rest periods.

On the 4th of June 2017, Todd and I got drunk, very drunk. The kind of drunk where you stand up after a while on shaky legs, walk outside the pub and decide to create a podcast about beer n biceps. You've probably done exactly that yourself right? What were our qualifications to do so? I knew quite a bit about fitness and nutrition after a degree in Sports Science and 7 years as a personal trainer. Todd had been my most successful client ever. Neither of us knew anything about beer except that we loved it and couldn't imagine doing a podcast without it. We started our brand new beer n biceps podcast with absolutely no idea what we were letting ourselves in for. Was it a success? Well yes and no. We managed to get a LOT of listeners, far more than the 20 people we had expected. But nowhere near what the big boys were hitting. Our show could be funny at times, and we like to think it was interesting, but fucking hell was it amateur. Todd and I would plan it out 10 minutes before the start, randomly buy a beer on the way and then google all we could about that beer just before the show started. We made promises we didn't keep. We fucked up our live show, we fucked up our podcast in a beer shop, and some episodes we just completely forgot to promote. So we're doing it again, we're restarting the podcast, it's a reboot. We'll cover similar themes but in a better way. We'll be more focused, better organised, and ... Okay, I'll level with you. It took us two weeks to record our new episode 1 and already we're fucking things up. But in a charming way right? Brand New Beer N Biceps Podcast So what is different about our new podcast format? Well instead of randomly picking beers we're following a plan. This series (8 episodes) will focus on the best of English beers. We'll be looking at Newcastle Brown ale in this episode and then Badger beers in the second. Series Two will look at the Celtic nations (Wales, Scotland, Ireland), and in the future, we'll look at Belgian, German, American etc ... The episodes will also be much shorter, instead of 60 minutes + we'll be trying to limit each episode to just 30 minutes. This will prevent us from waffling on too much and will help keep us more relevant. So that's what you're getting with our brand new beer n biceps podcast, so let's get cracking with episode 1. Training 101 As this is a January based episode (though it'll be almost February by the time this goes live). We thought that it would be the perfect time to plan out what you are going to do WHEN you sign up for the gym. If you want success in life you've got to work for it. Avoiding difficult seeming tasks like signing up to a gym will only slow you down. We're definitely of the opinion that getting out there, putting your money where your mouth is, and removing yourself from your comfort zone is the only ways to be successful. Beer of the Episode: Newcastle Brown Ale What an excellent beer to start (or re-start) our journey with, Newcastle Brown Ale is a superb ale. It tastes great when chilled, where it is a proper session beer (you can drink loads of it) but it takes on a whole new flavour when served at almost room temperature. In Michael Jackson's Great Beer Guide, Newcastle Brown Ale is described as "the most popular bottled ale in Britain". We're not sure how accurate that is anymore. But the beer has definitely had a resurgence in popularity over the last few years. The beer has been around since 1927 and up until 2017 has always been brewed in Newcastle. Last year Newcastle Brown Ale was purchased by Heineken and production was moved to the Netherlands. I'm not usually too fussed by bigger beer companies taking over smaller ones. But it is definitely a shame that a brewery that has been around for 90 years and is famously made in England is now going to be made in a completely different country. Makes you feel that a little bit of history has floated away. Let Us Know Your Thoughts

Our last Beer N Biceps episode of the year is a xmas special where we drink Elf Juice by Bad Company and talk about the ways in which you can maintain your weight, prevent weight gain, or even lose weight over the Christmas holiday. This is not something that you need to do, and Todd and I are quite honest about why we're not going to be following the rules too strictly ourselves. But if you decide that this is the year when you don't gain weight over the holidays, then this podcast can really help you. Xmas Special This episode is quite a bit shorter than our usual ones, at a brisk 30 minutes. This was for 2 reasons: 1) We had a shorter message to share this episode, and 2) We have decided to try and keep our podcasts a little bit shorter in the future. An hour is a lot of time to perform and to ask our listeners to pay attention for that long is tough! So we have used this xmas special to try out the shorter format. Let us know whether you prefer it this way, or you enjoyed the longer episodes more. Xmas Special Beers We were drinking Elf Juice during this podcast, a beer from the Bad Company Brewery which is situated in North Yorkshire. While looking up this particular brewery (that has been operating for just 3 years) we found that Yorkshire really does seem to be becoming a hotbed for newish quality beers. You've got Saltaire Brewery which opened near Bradford in 2005, Black Sheep near Harrogate which was opened in 1992, York Brewery (1996), and Vocation Brewery in Hebdon Bridge, which we reviewed in episode six. While Elf Juice was surprisingly nice, it doesn't have too much competition in our opinion. Xmas special beers tend to be very overpowering, too high in alcohol, and basically a bit gimmicky (a bit like xmas special podcasts I guess). Elf Juice is guilty of all of these issues, but it seems to work in spite of this. It's too strong tasting, filled with flavours that you'd find in mulled wine, and it's a very dark looking beer. But we still enjoyed it a lot. Well that's about all we are going to talk about in this episode. Have a great Christmas, have a decent New Year, and we'll see you in 2018 with a brand new training program, a new-look podcast, and a whole host of awesome things planned.

This episode is the last of series one, when we started out there was no plan to split the episodes up into short series (which is why series one ended up with 18 episodes). Looking back on what we have achieved so far is the focus of this episode. We'll be looking at our favourite beers over the course of the series, and what we'll be offering in series 2. Looking Back to the Start It was a Sunday afternoon and I was meeting Todd in the Duck in the Pond pub in Harrow. It's a pretty decent pub owned by a company called Ember Inns, their beer selection is fairly up and down. Sometimes they'll have some amazing beers on tap, while other times there's almost nothing. We hadn't seen each other in around 2-3 months, which was quite unusual for us. When we were in our early 20s we'd usually see each other about 6-8 times per month. But if growing old has taught me one thing, it's that socialising is a difficult thing to do. Friends move away, your social circle becomes fractured, and you lose touch with people. There are falling outs, and break ups that can split a group, there are an endless number of things that can affect how often you see people. As relationships grow, family becomes more of a commitment. You aren't living with your parents any more, so now you spend weekends going to visit them. Then your partner also wants to visit their parents, suddenly 15-20 of your precious 52 weekends per year are taken up. But there's one thing that you can say about Todd, that guy never turns down a beer if he can help it! We sat down and went through their entire beer collection in methodical fashion. At one point the bar staff themselves congratulated us on our collection of bottles and glasses. Well at least I think they were congratulating us, they definitely said "That's a lot of bottles you've got their guys, and there's only two of you?". This sounds like a compliment to me.   While we drank we set the world to rights, well the sporting world anyway. But we also talked about beer, we made each other laugh, and we reminisced about the time Todd got in crazy shape for a personal training competition that I had entered. We also got exceedingly drunk. As we were heading off, Todd to the loving embrace of his family, me to a girlfriend who was just SUPER happy that I was 2 hours later than I had said I would be, I asked Todd something that I had asked only one person before. Whether he'd like to do a podcast with me. I didn't even mention the subject that I had in mind, because I was scared of rejection. But he seemed pretty excited. I casually mentioned beer, which he readily agreed with, and then I mentioned doing it on fitness. I held my breath (okay I probably didn't but allow me some artistic licence here) and he said the following, incredible words "Yeah sure, whatever the fuck you want to do it on mate sounds good to me". One day I want those words engraved on a marble statue of Todd. Our First Episode Usually, when I have a really good idea it falls flat almost immediately. I've started 3 bootcamps in my life, all of them have fallen apart in fairly spectacular fashion. The first was in Regents Park, me and a couple personal trainers decided that it would be a great way to make some extra cash. I booked a spot in the park, printed t-shirts, created flyers, and even got some media interest (two journalists and a photographer came for a photoshoot and interview). Traditional English Ale (TEA) by Hogs Back Brewery - Tongham, UK I offered the class for free to around 20 people, and turned up to session one with one of my PT buddies (the other had already quit) at 6:30am. Nobody showed up. We waited 20 minutes, then went to a Walkabout pub in Shepherds Bush to watch some Rugby League and have a beer (yes the pub was open at 8am and was filled with Aussies drinking). I have failed in projects like this more often than I care to say, and a lot of the time it has been due to a burst of enthusiasm on my p...

After last episode's adventures in Beer Asylum we decided to record this week's episode in the relative quietness of my flat (which worked for me as I'm incredibly lazy). We will probably record another episode at that fantastic shop in the future, but at a quieter time. This week we talked about quick fix diet tricks that you can do to lose weight, we looked at West Sixth Brewing (a Kentucky brewery), and we rank our favourite IPAs from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. The Beer Shrine in my flat (with some embarrassing Strongbow that we don't speak of beside it) Quick Fix Diet Tricks What makes quick fix diet tricks so satisfying? Their effectiveness or their ease? Probably a combination of both, this is not something exclusive to diet either, people love hacks, tricks, and shortcuts, that can instantly make a difficult task easier. It is important that I make this clear first, quick fix diet tricks are only effective when you have the big building blocks of diet and exercise in check. These quick fix diet tricks can help you to hit your targets a little easier, but they won't work alone. But now that we've got that out of the way we can get started. So here we go: Swap Cooking Oil for Cooking Spray (saves 120 calories) Drain beef mince while cooking can reduce fat by up to 50% (135 calories per 100g) Swapping fancy bread such as tiger bread for kingsmill (11 calories saved, but this can add up) Stop buying junk food and snacks during your weekly shop - Out of sight, out of mind Swap coke for diet coke (34 calories in coke, 0 calories in diet) Swap JD and coke for Gin and Diet tonic (200 calories saved) Learn 5-6 healthy meals and batch cook them before freezing Avoid beer on Monday to Friday (unless you are doing a podcast obviously) Beer of the Week: West Sixth Brewing This week we actually looked at three different beers from a Kentucky brewery called West Sixth Brewing  which was founded in 2012. We were experiencing these beers for the first time, and had bought them from a beer delivery service called Beer52. The three beers that we tried were: an IPA, a porter, and a wheat beer. The porter is called "Pay it Forward Cocoa Porter" and while I enjoyed it immensely, Todd was not a fan. Not because it was a bad porter, but because he dislikes porters in general. I know what he means, they are a very unpopular beer, and a surprising choice for a Kentucky based brewery. But this porter tasted excellent and is well worth a look, strong cocoa flavours along with the standard coffee taste, not particularly thick or thin, and while I wouldn't order 2 in a row, I'd be pleased with a pint of this. The IPA was decent, but a bit strong (7%) and rather bitter tasting. It reminded us both of an English Pale Ale rather than the lighter American hops that make American IPAs so delicious. This was not a bad IPA but it certainly wasn't our favourite. The final beer (which we actually drank first) was the Lemongrass American Wheat. Which was nothing like any wheat beer we'd ever had before! A look at the website has shown that it is a "non-traditional" wheat beer, and I would describe it best as a lager-like beer that has a strong lemongrass taste. It was nice, but when you buy a wheat beer you expect a wheat beer! So I was a little disappointed by that. Of the three, the beer that surprised me the most (in a good way) was the Porter, the Wheat beer was nice but not as good as the German or Japanese wheat beers we've had in the past (or even an American wheat beer like Blue Moon). The IPA was a little disappointing, but still a perfectly decent beer. I enjoyed West Sixth Brewings offerings and hope to see some more of them in the future. The Best IPAs of Britain & Ireland Obviously this list is subjective, and maybe you've got your own favourites but Todd and I were looking for our favourite IPA from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

This week was a bit experimental, we attempted to record our podcast episode in a beer shop/bar called Beer Asylum in Pinner. While the bar itself was incredible, we made the (naive) decision to record it at 7:30pm on a Friday night. Consequently the bar was heaving, considering we were recording off my iPhone we were reduced to shouting into it! But luckily we're still able to be heard, and you can listen to us discuss the question "is the media failing fitness?". Beer Asylum, Pinner Photo from Beer Asylum website I discovered this place on a Thursday morning a couple weeks ago, I had a meeting in the bank booked for 11am. Lucy (my ever patient partner) had agreed that we should check it out when it opened. I pointed out that it didn't open until 12pm and there's no chance that we'd be that long in the bank ... At 12:15 we exited Halifax and walked in. It was stunning. Everything you could want in a shop. There were 5 beers on draught, hundreds of German, Belgian, American, and English beers, and an incredibly knowledgeable owner called Jason who talked to me for a good 30 minutes about beer. I arranged with Jason for myself and Todd to come round and record a podcast episode here. Jason was even kind enough to throw one of his staff members under the bus by subjecting him to an hour of our podcast. I left that shop with 100 bottle caps (my crazy girlfriend collects them), and 5 beers. The Sweet Stout from Japanese Brewery Hitachino Nest was particularly good. What an incredible sight Yes that's right we had a guest this week, Leandros was an incredibly interesting and entertaining guest, who knows his beer (though both Todd and I blame him for our subsequent hangovers the next day). We'll definitely try and get him on another episode, hopefully at a quieter time! If you're in London then please give this place a visit, it is a truly unique, friendly, and entertaining place to while away a few hours. Check out their website here Is the media failing fitness? Not a week goes by where I don't sit at my desk, dumbfounded by a ridiculous headline from the media. In the episode we covered quite a few of my favourites, including: "EATING STEAK CAN INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF DYING FROM NINE MAJOR DISEASES" from the Daily Mail. The titles are sensationalist, inaccurate, exaggerated, and too focused on the short term (without looking at the bigger picture). Perhaps you are thinking that bad articles are to be expected from the Daily Mail, but you wouldn't see such shoddy journalism from the Guardian. Well, in my opinion they are worse. I am aware that they have many different writers, and that not everyone is going to have the same opinion ... but let's compare two headlines from the same newspaper. "'IT'S INTOXICATING - I BECAME OBSESSED': HAS FITNESS GONE TOO FAR?" "EXTREME FITNESS: ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH?" So which is it Guardian, are you going to rail against the machismo culture in the gyms? Or are you going to encourage it? Of course, the first title is ridiculous. While there are definitely some people who have got carried away, there is no way that fitness has negatively affected the lives of more than 1% of the population. It's like worrying that we're reading too much, or having too many holidays. Fitness has 1000x more positives than it has negatives, and the problem is that too many people are not being encouraged to pursue it. In the podcast I had a drunken pop at Joe Wicks, and now in my sober state I regret that. He seems like a really decent bloke, and he's worked damn hard to get where he has. But here is a serious question, why is Joe Wicks the face of UK fitness? Is it for his knowledge? No, because both his fitness and dietary advice are sub-par. It's because he's bubbly, energetic, handsome, and he knows how to market himself and his product. Before him Jaime Oliver was the face of British nutrition, and Davina McCall was the face of fitness.

This week we are discussing the famous German Beer festival known as Oktoberfest, we drink Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier, and we discuss how to fix the UK. No we haven't gone all political, we're just looking at what we would do if we were in power to combat the UK's serious obesity crisis. The discussion was a lot of fun, and hopefully we raised some interesting points. Oktoberfest 2017 In September, my dad and I finally completed the trip we had been talking about for years. We went to Munich for Oktoberfest. Despite having talked about wanting to do it for a long time, we didn't really know too much about it. I'd been to Germany in 2016 for the Christmas Market in Cologne, and had been struck by how much I loved German culture. It really is similar to England, they work hard, they eat a lot of meat, and they drink a lot of beer. What's not to love? My trip was soured slightly, by the terrorist attack on the Berlin Christmas Market a day after I had returned. To be honest, I was a little worried travelling to Munich as I imagined Oktoberfest to be a high level target. Luckily it was perfectly safe. Spaten Beer Tent Oktoberfest 2017 The first thing that you notice when you enter the fairground (yeah Oktoberfest is a giant carnival with beer tents) is the organisation. There were loads of security measures but they were 1) sensible (no full body scanners) and 2) efficient. You were basically through security in 30 seconds and as such the crowds travelled through quite fast. The second thing that struck me was that entrance to Oktoberfest was completely free. In the UK this event would probably cost £20 entry. But you could walk in to the festival, enter as many beer tents, and even sit down (if you were lucky enough to find a seat) without paying a penny (or cent). Another thing that really surprised me was the seriousness over Lederhosen. I always assumed that they were worn by tourists and people who wore them ironically. But actually the outfits were really impressive, and were just worn like you'd wear a suit to the wedding. I actually felt a little self-conscious for not wearing them! During the day the place was quite busy, but at night it really was a different story. My dad and I had got a seat when we had arrived at 12pm on day 1, but on day 2 we arrived at 4pm and the place was packed. The atmosphere was electric, serving men and women would wade through crowds of drinkers carrying massive boards over their heads, women would walk to tables carrying 6-10 steins at a time, and an Oompah band played music at deafening volumes. It was an incredible experience. The History of Oktoberfest Oktoberfest started as a celebration of the marriage of King Ludwig I in 1810, it has been situated at the same fairground ever since. By 1819 it was an annual event, and the carnival elements were now part of it. Not until 1892 were the traditional glass steins used to drink beer from though, and by the 100th anniversary in 1910, the festival was all about the beer. Over the years, Oktoberfest has had to be cancelled for numerous reasons (mostly war). In 1811 Bavaria was fighting in the Napoleonic wars (on both sides at different points in time), the festival was interrupted again during the Franco-Prussian war, and Austro-Prussian war, and due to several Cholera outbreaks. During the World Wars the festival was also cancelled. Spaten Beer Tent Oktoberfest 2017 Since 2005 the festival has attempted to go back to its roots, with music being quietened before 6pm, I definitely noticed the difference between the day and the evening, and enjoyed both times for different reasons. Today it is one of the biggest events in Europe and absolutely needs to be on the list of every beer lover. Guide to Oktoberfest This guide is based on my own experiences, and is therefore the opinions of a rank amateur! Therefore please use this opportunity to find a better guide .... okay I guess you couldn't be bothered to do that? Excellent.

Todd and I have been a little slow in bringing out new episodes recently, and I hope you can forgive us. In the last three weeks we've had Todd going on holiday to France, me going to Germany, my mum's 60th birthday, my 30th birthday, and we've both moved (or are in the process of moving) flat. Trying to fit in podcasts to that insane schedule has been challenging. But we're back this week with an episode on creating the perfect training program. The Perfect Training Program I've talked before about the importance of not focusing on perfection, and instead focusing on getting the work done. But it should also be said that I have created 5,000+ training session plans in my life (complete estimate) and have gotten rather good at it. No two people are exactly alike, and as such no one training program can suit everyone. So this training program is going to be aimed at my most common client: Male, looking to build some muscle and lose weight who has been training for a few months but isn't getting anywhere. To start off with, we're going to add in some of the basic lifts: Deadlifts, Barbell Squats, Bench Press, Lat Pulldown, Bent Over Row, Romanian Deadlift, Push Press, and Lunges. These are the big exercise building blocks that you create your program around. Next you would add smaller exercises, isolation work that targets single muscle groups. These would include: Bicep curls, tricep extensions, hamstring curls, leg extensions, rear delt flyes, face pulls, and abdominal crunches. As we are aiming to lose weight and build muscle (something borderline impossible for experienced lifters) we are going to use a slightly higher rep range than you would for a strength training program. The only exception to this will be the deadlifts, as this exercise only suits low reps. We will split the training sessions into an upper/lower split, which works well if you train 4 times per week. If you only train 1-3 times per week, then a full body program works best. Rest periods should be around 60-90 seconds per set, and 3 minutes for the deadlifts. But you should definitely listen to your body at first. If you aren't particularly fit then you will need a little more recovery time. Make sure that you are properly hydrated throughout, and that you have an emergency banana/isotonic drink (in case of emergencies). Anyway, the session looks like this: Session One Hamstring Curls 3 x 12 Deadlifts 3 x 4-6 Leg Press 3 x 12-15 Lunges 4 x 10 Session Two Bench Press 3 x 12 Lat Pulldown 3 x 12 Seated Row 3 x 15 Push Press 3 x 8-12 Abdominal Crunches 3 x 20 Session Three Barbell Squats 3 x 8-12 Romanian Deadlifts 3 x 12 Glute Bridges 3 x 8-12 Leg Extensions 3 x 12 Session Four Face Pulls 3 x 15-20 Incline Bench Press 3 x 12-15 Close Grip Lat Pulldown 3 x 12 Rear Delt Flyes 3 x 12 Bicep Curls 3 x 12 Tricep Pressdowns 3 x 12 So there you go, my version of a perfect training program. If you follow this exactly you should get some seriously good results. Of course, as always if you have any questions please contact me and I can help you sort it out. Beer Of The Week: Spaten Oktoberfestbier This week's beer was a special Oktoberfest beer from Spaten. It is specially brewed in Spring to be ready for the Oktoberfest in September/October (which I attended this year). The beer is really decent, and is quite strong (5.9%). The bottled beer tends to taste quite a bit stronger than the draught beer, but both are excellent. We will be going a lot more in depth on Oktoberfest in our next podcast. We also discussed the various differences between bottled, canned, and draught beers, and some examples of beers that we preferred in each form.

Hello again, it's time for another beer n biceps podcast episode. This time we are taking a look back on what we have achieved, and looking forward to the future of our podcast. Apologies for the delay between episodes. We were interrupted by Todd going on holiday to France, then work/flat search scheduling conflicts, and finally me travelling up to my parents'. As I am off to Munich for Oktoberfest I can see potential for another slight delay, but hopefully after that we will be back on schedule. I am uploading/writing this now as fast as I can in the brief period of time I have available before I head off again. A Look Into The Future Todd is very soon going to have fully moved to Watford, and if all goes to plan I will have stalked/followed him to a flat in Bushey that I am currently in the process of moving in to (after enough drama from shite landlords to fill a Hollyoaks Omnibus). So we are not realistically going to be able to exercise together in the gym as often as we would have hoped. In fact this is not too much of an issue because we have been lazy buggers over the last 6 weeks. Something we need to address. But that is not going to be a problem. I am an experienced online coach and therefore have a plan to set. I will create a training program that he can follow, check in with him weekly, schedule sessions, sort out his diet, and allow you to see what we are achieving. Should be fun. From a business point of view, we will carry on as normal. While we will both be out of Harrow, we should still be pretty close to each other and podcasting will hopefully be unaffected. But we will be looking to get someone to join our team within the next month or so. This is to help us build on our listener base, and take advantage of our terrible social media team (me). We will also be resetting goals, and looking back on what has worked, and what has not worked. This is something that anyone who uses goal setting needs to do occasionally. Beer of the week: Sierra Nevada In this podcast we drank two different beers from the Sierra Nevada brewery, we tried a Tropical Torpedo, and Hop Hunter IPA. They were both fantastic, though as we mentioned in the podcast it was difficult to drink them together as the Hop Hunter IPA tended to overpower the Tropical Torpedo. In the future it would make sense to separate these two. But they really were excellent. As I told Todd, I first tried Sierra Nevada around the age of 16-19 and was initially not a fan. But that was during a time when I liked Ales and Lagers. More recently I had their most common drink, the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and I loved it. If you enjoy IPAs then Sierra Nevada is a great shout. You can check out their website here. Top 7 Holiday Beers This list we created is a bit of a funny one, in fact you could say that about most of our beer lists. We created a list of beers that we had fond memories of from holiday. Sounds good so far, but as we did this list we realised that actually the beers were nearly all terrible! This is fine with us, many beer memories are based on nostalgia, the setting, the people you were with, and what you were doing. For example my favourite beer memory from visiting Cardiff in 2013 was drinking Guinness in an Australian Themed bar. None of that makes sense, but it was still an excellent memory. So here is our list (listen to the podcast for the full explanation). Estrella/Cruz Campo - Spain (M&T) Pelforth - France (M&T) Wangelbrau - Italy (T) Zagorka - Bulgaria (M&T) Keo - Cyprus (M&T) Bud Light - USA (T) Michelob - USA (M) M = Matt, T = Todd, M&T = Matt & Todd It's difficult to justify any of these beers, except Keo which is a perfectly acceptable beer. But we had great memories associated with them, and would love to hear your favourite holiday beers (no matter how terrible). Well that's enough for this week, apologies for the shortened blog post, but I was in a massive hurry!

This was a momentous week for Beer N Biceps, our humble little podcast received its 1,000th download (we're currently at 1,031) and we have had over 700 unique listeners. These numbers are NOT that impressive, but considering the completely amateurish approach we have demonstrated, and our very low goals, we are both extremely happy. Thanks to everyone who has listened. This week we discuss the benefits of sleep, review a Cherry beer by Bacchus, and talk about our top 5 most overrated beers. The Benefits of Sleep You're probably aware of some of the many benefits of sleep, particularly if you only managed to sleep a few hours last night. If that happened then you have probably been feeling grumpy, tired, low energy, and hungry. What's that? You weren't aware that a lack of sleep could increase hunger? Well it can. Benefits of Sleep & Appetite After a bad night's sleep your body tends to increase a hormone called Ghrelin which is responsible for stimulating appetite. This increase can lead to you feeling more hungry than usual, and feeling hungry more often than usual. Your body also reduces the amount of Leptin that you produce, this is a hormone that is responsible for satiety (just like Peptide YY which we talked about in our decaffeinated coffee article). Lowered Leptin can result in you requiring more food to feel full. Which obviously will lead to overeating (unless you are very careful). This theory was confirmed in a study by Taheri et al in 2004 [1]. Another study, by Hanlon et al in 2016 found that a lack of sleep can produce a similar affect on diet as smoking canabis [2]. It found that after a few nights of severely restricted sleep, participants tended to reach for snacks that had twice as many calories as they did when fully rested. They also looked for foods that were higher in fat and in carbohydrates (the bodies preferred fuel source). It's not just that the symptoms of lack of sleep and smoking weed have the same effects, they actually activate the same receptors as marijuana which leads to "hedonic eating". Grab yourself a big bag of "I didn't get any sleep last night" So if a bad night's sleep can lead to overeating, then it would be fair to say that one of the benefits of sleep would be appetite regulation. When you sleep well you are less likely to eat junk food, or overeat during your main meals. Benefits of Sleep & Mood Sleeping badly makes you cranky, that's not just an opinion - it's a scientific fact. A study by Mah et al (2007) on Collegiate athletes found that the more sleep you have the better your mood is [3]. On a similar subject, good sleep can also improve cognitive function (how well you think). This means that you can make decisions quicker and more decisively, your short and long term memory will be better, and your puzzle solving abilities will be greatly enhanced. This can help you at school/uni, at work, or in the gym. It can also obviously have massive effects on the sports field, which is why the big Premiership teams have all installed state of the art sleep pods. Benefits of Sleep & Performance As we touched on in the last point, sleep can massively improve performance in the gym and in sports. Another study by Mah (2011) looked at the effects of extended sleep on basketball performance in Collegiate players [4]. The study found that when players slept longer than usual they played better, had improved reaction time, increased endurance, increased power, reduced fatigue, and a whole host of other benefits of sleep. Benefits of Sleep & Testosterone While sleeping more won't increase your testosterone levels, it will prevent them from dropping. A study on Asian men found that those who slept less tended to have significantly lower testosterone levels than their well rested peers [5]. As increased testosterone levels can lead to improved body composition, improved mood, increased libido, reduced body fat, increased strength and hypertrophy,

Hello again, and welcome to our 11th episode of Beer N Biceps. I really can't believe that we are about to hit 1,000 downloads! A pretty big achievement in my opinion (we really expected to get about 200 so this is crazy). Thanks to everyone who has downloaded and listened to us talk rubbish and get drunk. In this episode we discuss NEAT otherwise known as non exercise activity thermogenesis. The topic is very interesting, and I believe that it can have a huge effect on body composition. We also discuss our top five desert island beers, an idea that I had before the show, which turned out to be a lot more difficult to implement. For two reasons 1) We hadn't chosen any before going live (because we live by the YOLO philosophy), and 2) There were two of us who have very different opinions on beer (kind of the reason why we have such fun discussing beer in the first place). But it was still fun and we did end up with a top 5 of sorts .... which we will probably change about a million times. But such is life. A Really NEAT idea I've mentioned NEAT in the past, and it really is a fascinating subject. If you have ever spent any time trying to gain/lose weight you've probably heard about your metabolism and whether it is a fast metabolism or a slow one. Whether this is the case or not has always been unimportant, your metabolism is the grand total of all of the chemical processes in your body. So having a high metabolism is a reflection on your activity levels as a person. Obviously it's a little more complicated than that, but the takeaway message here is that you have the power to affect your metabolism. NEAT is one of those ways, it represents all the small (and large) actions that you do during the day that you wouldn't class as exercise. Walking ten steps to the kitchen will still burn calories, even if it's only 3. Doing the washing up will also burn calories, as will standing up, typing on a computer, and climbing a flight of stairs. No matter how small the movement, it still costs energy, and it still affects your metabolism. Disagree? Well pick the lowest calorie activity that you can think of (that's not sitting down or sleeping), and perform it for 10 hours straight. Even if it is just swiping right on Tinder, you'll still burn calories. NEAT is the total of all of these small activities added together, and you might be surprised by how many calories this can add up to. If you've ever had that friend who never goes to the gym, eats what they like, and never gains weight, check out their daily activity. They probably have a super high NEAT. In fact your overweight friend may also be able to shift some of the responsibility to their NEAT levels too. A study in 1999 by Levine, Eberhardt, & Jensen found that as people overeat their NEAT levels drop [1]. Leading to a vicious cycle where people gain weight due to overeating which slows their activity/metabolism, leading to more weight gain. If you want take control over NEAT, it can be a difficult task. Remember that NEAT is mostly an unconscious process, people who fidget when they sit down, or tend to clean the house thoroughly because they can't stand mess, aren't thinking about it. They aren't doing four sets of washing up, they are just doing the washing up! Luckily there is one aspect of NEAT that you can have control over, your step count. A study in 2006 found that sedentary and overweight adults who started walking 10,000 steps per day lost significant amounts of weight [2]. Purchasing a step counting app on your phone, or buying a fitbit can really help you to increase NEAT massively. Hitting 10,000 steps may seem impossible at first, but over time your step count will rise and rise until you're easily managing it. This will really help boost your metabolism, and provided you stay within a calorie deficit (by using myfitnesspal.com or other calorie counting app) you will lose weight. Beer of the Week: Hoegaarden Wit Blanche

Hello again, welcome to our 10th episode of Beer N Biceps - coming to you a little later than usual due to our incredibly busy schedules (I was tidying the flat so had to reschedule from Monday to Thursday, exciting!). In this episode we talk about the Great British Beer Festival that we attended on the 11th August, we also talk about a grapefruit infused beer called Elvis Juice from Brewdog - a Scottish Brewery that really helped put British Craft Beer on the map. We also discussed some frequently asked questions that I have encountered as a personal trainer - and answer them ... obviously. The Great British Beer Festival 2017 Great British Beer Festival 2017 I have a long history with this beer festival, it was the first one that I attended. I went with my dad and his friend, I mainly remember drinking beer from Badger Brewery (or Hall & Woodhouse as they are apparently named), eating a pork pie, and going for a Chinese meal afterwards. Okay so maybe I have boring memories, but they're still good ones. I went back on several occasions and have always enjoyed myself. Beer N Biceps Members (4 hours in) This year was no exception, Todd and I managed to bring quite a large group from our Beer N Biceps page (plus my dad) and we all had an amazing time. We'll definitely be looking to bring even more people next year! There were some really good beers on offer, Tiny Rebel Brewery's Stay Puft Marshmallow Porter was probably the best we tried but other excellent beers include Bunny Hop Pale Ale by Purity brewery, Pale Rider by Hooded Ram Brewing Company, Reverend James by Brains Brewery, Misty Law from the Kelburn Brewing Company and Moonshine from Abbeydale Brewery . Bunny Hop by Purity Brewery Frequently Asked Questions As I mentioned before, being a personal trainer for 7 years has led to me being asked a LOT of questions, most of them concern the same subject (how fast can I lose weight doing the minimum amount of work). I can't judge these questions, in a lot of ways my job is to find out the answer, and if I did I would make approximately ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD. But I thought that answering some of the more common questions would be a great use of this podcast, so here are five frequently asked questions that concern fitness and nutrition. What is the best exercise for losing weight from my (insert body part here)? Whether it is a young lady asking how she can lose her bingo wings, to a 20 year old guy who wants to lose fat from his upper thighs, a lot of people have asked me about losing fat from specific parts of their body. Sadly this is not possible. You have no real control about where your body loses fat, but if you are looking to get lean and healthy you will eventually lose excess fat from all over your body (including the area that is causing you grief). Which means that you will eventually hit your goal, no matter what specific exercises you follow (provided you are in a calorie deficit). This is actually a GOOD THING, because it means that instead of spending time on body specific training, you can use exercises that burn the most calories: Deadlifts, squats, lunges, presses, bent over rows, pull ups, even burpees for crying out loud! What is the Best Diet? As I explain in the podcast, this question is usually a bit longer, it goes along the lines of "What is the best diet if I want to lose 3 stone before my holiday in 2 weeks?". Truth is that most diets are poor when it comes to long term results. If you really only care about getting in shape for your holiday - and don't care about anything else then the answer is simple. Cut calories drastically, exercise a lot, sleep lots, and keep protein as high as possible.  Long term, the best diet is the one that works for you! Everyone is different, and as such no diet will work the same for two people. But there are some things that all good diets should include: Lots of protein Lots of fruit and vegetables Lots of fibre

Another podcast episode complete, and this time we also recorded a full-length video! At the time of writing it is taking around 10 hours to upload due to 1) it being 1 hour long, and 2) my wifi having dropped down to tortoise-like speeds over the last couple days. In this episode Todd and I focused mainly on why protein is king among the macronutrients. We also talked about weights and cardio, reps and sets, the right amount of beer required for optimal pub game skills, and we drank some Norwegian craft beers. Why Protein is King As we've mentioned before, there are three main macronutrients: Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrates. Of the three, protein is probably the most beneficial (though no diet would work without healthy doses of all three). But when you are looking to lose weight or build muscle you need lots of protein. Most people tend to wildly overestimate how much protein that they are actually consuming, with breakfast, lunch, and snacks usually containing little to no protein whatsoever. A study by Pennings et al in 2012 found that most people tended to eat almost all of their protein at dinner, so supplementing with whey protein at breakfast and lunch would be beneficial [1]. Protein can help you lose weight by increasing satiety and thermogenesis [2], protecting muscle whilst dieting [3], and helping you to build and repair muscles after a workout through protein synthesis [4]. To get the right amount for your body there is a simple way to work this out: Firstly work out what your body weight is in kg, then you want to get an estimate of your body fat percentage. I tend to recommend using picture comparison charts (such as the one on this website) but it really is difficult to get an accurate measurement without dissection! Anyway let's assume that you are 100kg in weight and 25% body fat. To estimate the correct amount of protein you would first need to work out your lean body mass, this is your total body weight WITHOUT your body fat. So 100kg minus 25% body fat, which equals 75kg. This is your lean body mass (LBM). According to Helms et al (2013) the correct amount of protein for a natural bodybuilder would be anywhere between 2.1 and 3.1g per kg of LBM [5]. As you are probably not a bodybuilder it would make sense to stay on the lower end of that, so let's say you were to consume 2x your 75kg LBM in protein grams. This would be 150g. As you can see there are many benefits and it is clear why protein is king when it comes to both dieting and when it comes to building muscle. Reps & Weights We actually received 3 questions from George in this podcast (my Sister's fiance), the first of which was regarding whether high reps and low weights were preferable to low reps and heavy weights, or vice versa. This is a really good question, and the short answer is that it depends what your goals are. If you are training for hypertrophy (bigger muscles) then you can use a mix of rep ranges with weights to match. If you are training to get stronger then you would want to use low reps and heavy weights (but could throw in some back off sets using high reps too), and if you are training for fat loss, then medium to high reps with lighter weights is best. Cardio & Weights George's second question was regarding whether you should train weights first followed by cardio, cardio first and then weights, or whether it mattered at all. Just like the first question the answer relies on what your goals are. If you are training for muscle strength or hypertrophy then my advice would be to steer clear of combining the two completely, you'll end up getting poor results. But if you are training for fat loss (which most people are) then combining both is a great idea. Whether you train weights first or cardio is down to personal preference, but if it were me I'd do cardio last. For two reasons 1) I want to get the best results in my lifts so would always prioritise them, and 2) I don't want to sweat all over the bench press af...

Hi guys and welcome to another episode of beer and biceps. This is episode 8 and in it we give you a complete myfitnesspal guide. We also discuss fat burners, Kirin Ichiban beer, and our favourite beer memories. Now I am not going to spend the rest of this article giving you an in-depth guide to using myfitnesspal, mainly because I have already completed a myfitnesspal pdf guide which you can download here: Getting to grips with My Fitness Pal Myfitnesspal Guide Check out the pdf above if you have no idea how to use it (or read my article on calorie counting), in this section we will look at how to get the most out of it. When you sign up for the website they give you the option of putting in all your information. Now for the first two weeks I wouldn't even bother with that. Just log your daily calories and look at what your average is. Once you have done that you can use either this website or this website to discover what your calorie target should be (dependent on what your goals are - weight loss, maintenance, or gain). You can then work out what your macronutrient count should be (use this article to work it out), then you should manually put this information into myfitnesspal (check that pdf out for exactly how to do this). Once you have your targets just consistently log in all your food for the next few weeks. Try to create some control. In the podcast I recommend eating the same breakfast each day (and adding a protein shake to it). This is 1) easier to manage 2) easier to log, and 3) means you can be more creative with other meals. Fat Burners One of the more controversial debates in the fitness industry is over the use of fat burners. Seen by some as a miracle pill, and by others as a useless pill sold by snake oil salesmen. I as ever sit firmly on the fence on this subject. I acknowledge that there are a lot of scams, and garbage pills sold to the public. While also accepting that some fat burners can work, if used correctly. Ingredients such as caffeine, yohimbine, green tea extract, and capsaicin, can have a limited effect on your metabolism - and this can help to aid fat loss. You just need to be following a calorie controlled diet (see above) and exercising regularly. Fail to do either of these things, and your fat burner will have been a waste of money. Our Favourite Beer Memories There's not much point writing down our three memories, as the podcast covers them thoroughly. Instead I just wanted to talk about why this was such a great question. For many years while I was growing up beer was seen as fuel for a crazy night out, lad culture had made 12 pints of Stella seem like the right way to go for a drink. I loved this culture, and as a result I have many stories that I still cherish. Most of them being embarrassing as hell, but funny too. I'm not sure whether the industry changed, or I changed (but I suspect both). But now going to the pub feels almost like a cultural experience. You purchase beers based on their interesting taste, your knowledge of the brewery, and perhaps based on the name/design of the packaging (this has led to some truly spectacular failures for me in the past - but I still do it occasionally). I know that this isn't the case for everyone. I also know that my dad's generation also had this culture to some extent. Beer festivals, The Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA), Micheal Jackson's guide to beer (no not that Michael Jackson), were all popular in the 80s and 90s but you have to admit that the rise of craft beer has definitely changed the beer drinking scene. Matt's Memory Now my memories of beer are based on where I was, the company I was with, the beer itself, and the history behind it. My memory was of going to Belgium and drinking a Blonde ale which was from a 200 year old recipe. We weree on the site of the Battle of Waterloo. If you had asked me my favourite beer memory 3 years ago, I might have talked about when myself and my mate Marc drank 17 pints in one day.

Hello again, another episode in our Beer N Biceps podcast, it's amazing that we've got this far - we'll soon be approaching our 500th download! As we have constantly pointed out, before we started this we'd have been happy with 100 (Hell, we threw a party when we did hit 100). We want to hit 1,000 before September, so you could say that we're becoming ambitious. This episode is mainly focused on diet. We also discuss over training, and we talk about the Tring Brewery (which we visited on Saturday 22nd). All About The Diet The main focus of this podcast was to help you separate a good diet from a bad one. A bad diet is focused on the short term, needlessly complicated, and overly restrictive. A good diet is realistic, inclusive, easy to follow, centred around protein, and utilises calorie counting, and a calorie deficit. In the podcast we identify 5 take home points, which are: Walk more Sign Up to MyFitnessPal Control a single meal each day Add one more portion of fruit and veg Increase Protein We also talked about the importance of weighing yourself, but I'm not going to ruin this 5 point plan by adding it in, so Todd put it in as point number 1.1. As ever, any questions regarding diet please get in contact with us. We love responding to people's queries, and we are going into a lot of detail here so you should have many questions! Over Training Question "Can you over train?" Was a question we received from one listener (also called Matt, because clearly his parents have amazing taste in names), and it's a belter. Over training is definitely a real thing, and can affect people who train very regularly at a high level of intensity. If you are one of those people who lives in the gym, and has been training for months on end without rest, then you are likely to suffer from it. Over training can cause bad sleep, depression, poor recovery, and a dip in form. But how likely is it that a regular gym goer will suffer from it? Very unlikely would be my response. You just aren't training at a high enough intensity, you're getting more than enough rest, and you aren't training regularly enough to worry about it. If you are suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned above, then the most likely scenario is that your recovery is poor - rather than you are suffering from over training. Get some more sleep, eat some more protein, and take a day off from the gym. See how you feel. Is Breakfast The Most Important Meal? Another listener, Mark asked whether Breakfast was the most important meal of the day or not. Another great question, with a fascinating answer. Try not to think of this as a conspiracy theory - because it is well documented, but the phrase "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" was brought about by Edward Bernays trying to help sell bacon! In the podcast I wrongly attribute this to John Harvey Kellogg - but according to this article by the Guardian, he was the catalyst for making breakfast the way it is today. Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day, and many people have managed to live their lives without suffering any consequences from never having eaten it as part of their diet. I subscribe to the belief that overall calorie intake is much more important than meal timing, in the same way that overall protein intake is more important than protein timing. On the other hand, it does seem to be marginally better to spread your protein out throughout the day rather than consume it all at once. A study by Mamerow et al (2014) found that spreading out your protein across three meals was more effective than having most of your protein at dinner (which is common) [1]. If you have always had breakfast then look for ways to improve it. Add some fruit or vegetables to it, add some form of protein, and as we discussed earlier, get some control over this meal. Keep it to the same 2-3 meals on rotation, rather than constantly changing what you have for breakfast.

Another episode of Beer N Biceps is up, and this time we're talking about Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - otherwise known as DOMS. This is the awful pain that you feel the day after a workout, we will be discussing what it is, why it is there, and what you can do to alleviate the symptoms. We also answer some fitness questions on Carbohydrates and Dr Doom (long story), and review a beer called Life & Death from Vocation Brewery. What Are DOMS? I think the best description that I have seen for DOMS is: It's like a hangover for your muscles. You train on a Monday, feel fine afterwards - maybe a bit tired, but then the next day your muscles are so painful that walking becomes a challenge. You can't sit down or stand up properly, you can't put a coat on ... You get the idea. It can be very painful, and a major discomfort, but you'll get through it, and once you have been training a couple weeks you'll barely get any. What DOMS is, is inflammation of the muscles. When you work out you are breaking down muscle fibres, and doing so can cause muscle damage. This sounds bad but it's actually necessary for rebuilding muscle fibres so you can be stronger or have bigger muscles. DOMS is just your body reacting to the shock you've put it through. Contrary to what you've heard, there aren't really any ways to get rid of DOMS, but you can alleviate the symptoms slightly. The first "cure" that people mention are foam rollers, but in reality they don't seem to have any effect on it. However, they have been shown to slightly reduce fatigue in the muscles after a workout [1] so you can see where people get confused. Foam rolling will not prevent DOMS but may remove some fatigue, so worth giving it a go. Drinking caffeine regularly for the 4-6 days after an intense workout seems to reduce pain and stiffness in the muscles, though this will probably only work for people who don't habitually consume coffee (and therefore have a lower tolerance) [2]. You could also give Yoga a try, a light form of exercise that will help send blood and nutrients to the muscles, while also relaxing you. If your DOMS are particularly bad then this might be quite difficult to manage though. Then there's the usual advice of get more sleep, eat more protein, and try walking some more. DOMS is a necessary part of fitness, but you should only have to deal with it for a couple of weeks. If you are getting it after every session and you've been training a while then you're either training too hard (yes that is possible), or your recovery strategies are in need of improvement. Fitness Q & A: Carbs and Dr Doom The first question we got was regarding carbohydrates, and whether you should remove them completely from your diet if you want to lose weight. As you can probably guess, no extreme dieting technique ever works long term. My advice would be to analyse your diet using a calorie/macro tracking app such as myfitnesspal, see what your carb total per day actually is, for some people it is very possible that their carb intake is too high, in which case lowering carbs would be a great idea. But don't think of carbohydrates as some demon food that leads to weight gain, a gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories, while a gram of fat is 9 calories, so it's not even the most calorie dense macronutrient! This topic is basically an entire article (probably two or three) on its own, so I'll leave it there and move onto question number two which was "Would you ever trust a man who's name was Dr Victor Von Doom?". A great question and one that divided Todd and myself immediately. I am of the opinion that no man should be judged by his name, and that doing so is against the law, whereas Todd seems to be of the opinion that in the case of someone literally named "Dr Doom" exceptions should be made. I've had a quick look up on wikipedia and it may be possible that Todd was right here. Boy is my face red! Beer Review: Life & Death by Vocation Brewery

Welcome back to another episode of Beer N Biceps, this week Todd and I spent time performing a training review, a look back at what we had done so far, and how it was going. We also answered some interesting questions regarding sleep, kale, abdominal exercises, and broccoli water. We reviewed a Kenyan beer called Tusker Beer, and did our first ever bar review: Munich Cricket Club in Victoria. Our Training Review So we are now 2 weeks into training, which you might think is a little too soon to be doing a training review ... and we won't argue with you! But fuck it, we're doing one anyway. The overall goal of this training program is to create a sustainable lifestyle change. There's no point in creating a program that you can't follow, so we're concentrating on easing ourselves into it, you might note that this is different to what most people do when they sign up. They go hell for leather, and have burned out by the 4 week mark. This strategy might work for many of you (going hell for leather, not the burned out part), but I know myself and I know Todd - It would not work for us. We have managed 3 sessions in 2 weeks and we're going for our fourth tonight (Tuesday 11th July). The session is a full body training program using high reps, based on the "Max Muscle Plan" by Brad Schoenfeld. We'll be following it for the next few weeks, before lowering the reps slightly and increasing the weights. We have already started to adapt to the training program, and have increased the weight for almost every exercise. The only downside we've found is that the workout is taking way too long. We were there for nearly 2 hours in the last session, and that needs to drop for this program to be sustainable. We're gonna try and shorten the workout tonight, which we decided as a direct result of performing a training review. Perhaps this is something that we should do more often? The Q & A Session After our training review we covered some questions that we've been getting from our listeners (thanks to every single person who has messaged us by the way). The first question we covered was the importance of sleep, something that I could talk all day about. Simply put, getting 8+ hours will help regulate appetite, increase testosterone and growth hormone levels, help you recover from exercise, and improve your mood and stress levels. If you are training hard the next day, then increasing sleep to 9-10 hours could be even more beneficial. It is for this reason that many professional sports teams have specially built sleeping rooms for their athletes. Then we covered kale, which some see as a "super food" and others see as overrated. Personally I think that kale has a lot of benefits, it can block aromatase, it is very low calorie, and it is quite diverse as a food, it can be roasted, boiled, steamed, fried, and grilled. It's also pretty damn cheap too! The next question concerned broccoli water, apparently people are saying that this is the latest health tonic. Like kale, broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable - meaning that it can block aromatase (keeping testosterone high, and lowering oestrogen). So I'm sure there are some health benefits to drinking the water. BUT you'd get more benefits from eating the broccoli, and drinking the water sounds fucking disgusting! My advice would be use it as stock to make gravy, and then freeze it. Face it, we all need more gravy in our lives. Our final question was from someone who was feeling pain in their lower back when they performed bicycle crunches, my advice was the same advice I always give in this situation - go see a physio. This is not passing the buck on my part, it's admitting that pain is not my speciality. Physios are fully capable of assessing your issue and correcting it. A good one can usually do so within 1-2 sessions (depending on the nature of the issue obviously). The exercise itself is fine, and I personally believe that ab crunches are also perfectly safe.

Hello and welcome to episode 4 of the beer n biceps podcast, Todd and I recorded this episode on Monday night - where we managed to fuck up our facebook live, fuck up our video recording, and fuck up our initial podcast recording! It was a bit of a nightmare. But, the true professionals that we are - managed to record the episode one more time. So you are really getting 200% effort for the same amount of content. In this episode we look at creating your perfect training plan, we answer a couple of questions from Craving Results' Sam Griffin, and we review the Erdinger Weissbier. Also, as an extra treat for you guys - we have created a small supplementary YouTube video to accompany our podcast.   Creating your perfect training plan One thing that we discussed in the podcast was how to go about creating your perfect training plan, and whether chasing perfection was even worth it. The truth is that a well researched and perfectly designed training plan is going to deliver better, faster results than a poorly thought out training plan. It will also give much better results than no training program at all! However, to be successful you need to enter the gym. One issue that seems to affect a lot of people is paralysis - not a physical paralysis, but a mental one. Where they spend so long trying to create the perfect training program that they actually don't accomplish anything. It is always better to get started straight away when it comes to training and nutrition, even if your training plan isn't perfect yet. Just take a look at this very podcast, Todd and I decided to create one, and within 3 days we had already recorded our first episode. It was only once we had started out that we put the effort into making a great plan to follow. We're still learning now. Diet Vs Exercise One of the questions that was put to us by Sam was whether diet or exercise was more important, I think that this is a really interesting question. In my opinion if you are talking about health then a calorie controlled diet that gets all the correct nutrients, and macros is superior to exercise. But in terms of body composition then exercise is marginally superior to diet. The fallacy that you can't out train a bad diet has been continually disproved in gym across the country. There are many things that can affect your body composition - and diet is definitely one of them. But if you were to exercise to extreme levels then your diet would become less of an issue. The true answer to this question is that you need a combination of both to achieve either full health or excellent body comp. Why put pressure on one aspect of training by ignoring the other? I'd also add that sleep could potentially trump both! The importance of hitting each macro Now I've gone over what macronutrients are and what they do before so there's not much point in me going into that all over again. But I can answer the question of how important it is to hit each macro. To manage this you need to have a calorie target, and I would put hitting your calorie target as much more important than hitting each individual macronutrient target. But then I would say that you should always try to hit protein, while fat should be kept within reason. Use carbohydrates as the macro that you can play around with to ensure you are hitting that calorie target. Beer Review: Hefe-Weizen by Erdinger This week it was my turn to pick a beer, and I went for one of my favourite, a wheat beer by Erdinger. It has been brewed by the Bavarian company since 1886 and has been run by the same family since 1949. When I first experienced this beer my initial reaction was one of pure loathing. I was too young for it really, and it joined the list of beers that I hated for years before finally loving (Sierra Nevada, Brewdog, Belgian Beers, most Craft beers), my taste buds matured, and my range of beers increased massively. One issue that I have always had with this beer is pouring,

Hello again! Welcome to episode 3 of Beer N Biceps. In this week's podcast Todd and I talk about choosing a gym. We briefly mention Todd's new goals, and we discuss measurements. For about 45 seconds at the end of the podcast because we completely forgot! We also discuss our beer of the week. And have an unscheduled talk on our whiskey of the week (after Todd's dad dropped off a whiskey mid-podcast). Choosing a Gym When we had planned out the week's podcast we had agreed that we should talk about why choosing a gym is an important step in your fitness journey. Without planning anything out I went into describing what you should and shouldn't look for in your new gym. Before I realised that I was basically describing most gyms! Gyms should be expensive but not too expensive, they should be near your work or near your home, or somewhere between the two. They should have decent equipment, but not be too fancy. A good gym should have a young demographic, but an old demographic can also be good. You get the idea .... Just pick a fucking gym! I guess my complete uselessness at choosing a gym is centred around the fact that I have worked in 4 completely different gyms, and had a good experience in all of them. To get good results all you really need is friendly staff, access to some good weights, and your own motivation. Nothing else really matters. Finding a Gym Partner This was a really interesting discussion point, because I have actually had many training partners in the past, some of them had trained with me for months on end, while others had trained with me for as little as one session. As with anything, the right gym partner for you will be different from the right gym partner for me. But from personal experience I can say that the worst gym partners have been The reluctant gym partner - someone who will cancel at the drop of a hat, is always late, and would much rather be talking than lifting. The Bro gym partner - Gives you completely unqualified advice, has no idea what they're doing, works at 200% intensity The Drill Sergeant - Keeps yelling "Just one more" even when your form has diminished to a caricature of what a bench press should look like The Girlfriend - Spends  5 minutes on a leg curl then asks if we can go home and get some chips. Still love her though Todd's New Running Shoes We also had a brief look at Todd's needs for some new running shoes. In it I talked about the similarities in terms of benefits that most trainers offer. Whether it is a £400 set of Nikes or a £25 set of trainers from Sports Direct. So long as the shoes are comfortable you will run well in them. I mentioned a study by the US Army that found similarities in regular shoes and more fancy ones, which you can check out here. Todd is a true Beer N Bicep Legend Beer Review: Longboard Island Lager - Kona Brewing Co. After my controversial dislike of last week's beers, it was refreshing to discover some new beer that I actually really liked. Longboard Island Lager is a smooth lager that reminded me of a french lager. It was a little plain tasting, but still very nice. The brewery itself is situated in Hawaii and is called Kona Brewery. After the podcast we tried their Golden Ale called "Big Wave" and it was gorgeous, a real high quality beer. Both beers are perfect for drinking outside, and it was nice to finally have a taste of a beer that my friends have been raving about for quite a while. The whisky we tried afterwards was a Welsh whisky from a company called Penderyn, neither of us are massive whisky fans but this was something special. Quite sweet and not too harsh. Reminded me a bit of a couple Irish whiskeys that I've had. But as I am even less of a whisky expert than I am a beer one, I'll try to avoid comparisons. In case people give me a horrified look and say that it tastes nothing like an Irish whiskey.   Next Week This is where things get interesting.

Hello again guys! Welcome to our second beer n biceps podcast, this week Todd and I looked at goal setting and how to use it effectively for your fitness and nutrition needs. We also briefly talked about the recent hot weather and how it can positively or negatively affect your diet and energy expenditure. We also review our beer of the week, which is Stone IPA (from the Stone Brewing microbrewery). We were also joined by guest podcaster Rodney, who suffers the disadvantage of being an adorable dog but didn't let this get in the way of him interrupting our podcast and being generally cute throughout. Goal Setting During the podcast we decided to help Todd create both short and long term goals for himself, his long term goal is to look good in a suit at his wedding (hopefully some time in 2018). This is an admirable goal but over the coming weeks we will need to make it a bit more clear. So we will have to take measurements, scale weights, and look at estimating current body fat percentage. This way our long term goal will be a lot more specific. We then looked at his short term goal, which is to sign up to a gym and to perform one session in it. This may seem quite unambitious but the reality is that when you're approaching 30 years old you can't just jump into a weights session after 3 years of inactivity and expect this to be consequence free. Instead you will be suffering from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness for around 5-7 days! Or at least that's what I suffered from after only taking 2 months off. Hot Weather At the time of recording our second podcast Britain was in the midst of record June temperatures, so the glorious sunshine may have influenced our podcast discussion. Todd talked about how hot weather had helped to influence his diet, making healthier choices seem more appetising. While I agreed with him completely that this can be the case, I feel that this is dependant on the person's individual mindset. If at the back of your mind you feel that you want to lose weight, then you will find it easier to eat healthier. If you don't care then you may find the hot weather as a good excuse to eat more ice cream, or go crazy at multiple barbecues. Hot weather can also influence your daily activity levels, again dependant on your mindset. Someone looking to lose weight may be more likely to go outside and play basketball, or go for a run. While someone who is uninterested in getting in shape would probably find themselves slumped in front of a fan doing absolutely bugger all (guilty). Beer Review: Stone IPA - Stone Brewing Microbrewery Now that we have got all that goal setting information out of the way we can finally concentrate on what is important ... beer! Firstly I would like to make a small correction, in the podcast I say that Stone Brewing is a German company. It is in fact from San Diego, US. It was opened in 1996 and has since expanded to Richmond, Virginia and Berlin, Germany - so I wasn't completely wrong! The fact is that I did not enjoy this beer, while Todd thought that it was okay. As I said in the podcast in terms of taste I didn't enjoy the initial taste, I didn't enjoy the taste while drinking it, and I didn't enjoy the aftertaste! This is down to personal preference, and should not be seen as a criticism of Stone IPA. It's a strong tasting and high alcohol (6.9%) beer, that people who love highly hopped and citrus flavoured beers, should enjoy. It's not like I have a particular problem with strong beers, I particularly enjoy Belgian beers and they all seem to start at 5% or more! But taste is such an important part of beer, and usually strong alcohol beers are also very strong tasting. Which is the case here. After the podcast we also tried a couple of beers from the LAM  brewery in Kennington, check out the website if you're interested in a very unusual set of beers. Again, these beers were not to my personal preference but Todd's dad said the Pale Ale and wheat beers were ex...

This is the first ever beer n biceps podcast created by myself and my good friend (and ex-client) Todd. Hopefully this will be the first of many weekly podcasts between the two of us, walking you through how we both approach training and leading a healthy lifestyle. You can listen to it here: Who Are We? Matt: I'm a fitness and nutrition freelance writer, you can read my work here, here, and here. I mostly do ghostwriting jobs though, so am largely un-credited (means I get to pay rent though so I'm happy). I have a degree in Sports Science from London Metropolitan University, and have been a personal trainer for 7 years (until I quit in February to focus on my budding writing career). Myself and Todd run the Beer N Biceps facebook group, and train clients online through my online coaching program. I also LOVE beer and have written about it on many occasions. I once trained Todd for a Men's Health Transformation Competition (we didn't win) and that is why I started the Beer N Biceps Podcast with him. Todd's before and after photos from a 12 week transformation   Todd: Works in Finance and is getting married (at some point in the future) to the beautiful Charlotte. He has no background in fitness, however he was the subject of a pretty incredible 12 week transformation that we did together in 2012. During this process he went from a 25%+ body fat level, to around 15% (these are complete guesses based on memory), he also learned how to deadlift, squat, bench press, and many other exercises. He completely changed his diet, and as a result looked terrific. Since then he has slowly returned to his former size - due to one of the mistakes in my training which we will be discussing throughout this podcast. Over the next few weeks we will be putting Todd through his paces and allowing you to follow him as he improves his fitness and drops some body fat. Todd is also a huge lover of beer, and the goal of the Beer N Biceps podcast is to show you that it is possible to live a healthy and fit life while still drinking good beer and leading a normal life.   What are the goals of the Beer N Biceps Podcast? There are a couple of reasons why we wanted to do this podcast, mostly vain ones (obviously). We feel that there are a lot of fitness podcasts out there that are produced by fitness experts (or at least people who believe themselves to be experts), and quite a few podcasts/ blogs/ YouTube vlogs that are created by amateurs. But how many of these things combine both fitness professionals and the man on the street? Hopefully none! We want to promote the middle ground between those who don't bother with fitness or nutrition, and those who feel that anything less than a six pack is a failure. There must be people out there who would like to look good, wear 30 inch waist jeans, and enjoy a bottle of beer or three on a Friday night? Beer Review: Traditional English Ale (TEA) - Hogs Back Brewery Our final goal is an odd one for a nominally fitness-based podcast, we want to celebrate beer. We'll be drinking a different beer each podcast, and promoting the lesser-known beers available. For instance this week we were drinking TEA by Hogs Back Brewery. The brewery is based in Surrey (Tongham) and has been around since 1992. TEA (Traditional English Ale) was their first ever beer and they now have a range of 4-5 beers available. Todd picked this week's beer, and was clearly a fan. He talks about his trip to the brewery, and mentions how good the tour is. Personally I found it a decent hoppy bitter, pretty decent. Could have been colder but that was our issue rather than anything to do with the beer itself. Incidentally, while we would say we know quite a bit about beers, don't expect any serious tasting notes from us. We will rate our beers "good" or "shit", and it is completely based on our own preferences. It's all about showcasing each other (and our listeners) beers that we enjoy*.