Podcast appearances and mentions of kurtis frank

I've recorded hundreds of episodes of Muscle for Life on a huge variety of things related to health, fitness, and lifestyle, ranging from the basics of diet and exercise like energy and macronutrient balance and progressive overload and training frequency and volume to fads like the ketogenic and carnivore diet and collagen protein to more unfamiliar territories like body weight set point and fasted cardio. Some episodes resonate with my crowd more than others, but all of them contain at least a few key takeaways that just about anyone can benefit from (that's what I tell myself at least). And as cool as that is, it poses a problem for you, my dear listener: Ain't nobody got time for that. Well okay, some people do make the time to listen to most or even all of my podcasts, but my wizbang analytics tell me that while many listeners tune in on a regular basis, they don't catch every installment of Muscle for Life and thus miss out on insights that could help them get a little better inside and outside the gym. People have also been saying they'd like me to do more shorter, multi-topic episodes, like my Q&As. And so I got an idea: how about a “best of” series of podcasts that contains a few of the most practical and compelling ideas, tips, and moments from my most popular episodes? This way, people who are new to the show can quickly determine if it's for them or not, and those who enjoy what I'm doing but don't have the time or inclination to listen to all of my stuff can still benefit from the discussions and find new episodes to listen to. So, in this installment of The Best of Muscle for Life, you'll be hearing hand-picked morsels from three episodes: Kurtis Frank on the Best Functional Foods for Improving Health and Wellbeing (Originally published 2/9/2019) Are Compound Exercises Better Than Isolation Exercises? (Originally published 3/6/2019) Motivation Monday: What Got You Here (Probably) Won't Get You There (Originally published 11/5/2018) And we'll be starting with number one, Kurtis Frank on the Best Functional Foods for Improving Health and Wellbeing. Timestamps: 5:16 - Kurtis Frank on the Best Functional Foods for Improving Health and Wellbeing 14:45 - Are Compound Exercises Better Than Isolation Exercises? 20:40 - Motivation Monday: What Got You Here (Probably) Won't Get You There Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike

I’ve recorded hundreds of episodes of Muscle for Life on a huge variety of things related to health, fitness, and lifestyle, ranging from the basics of diet and exercise like energy and macronutrient balance and progressive overload and training frequency and volume to fads like the ketogenic and carnivore diet and collagen protein to more unfamiliar territories like body weight set point and fasted cardio. Some episodes resonate with my crowd more than others, but all of them contain at least a few key takeaways that just about anyone can benefit from (that’s what I tell myself at least). And as cool as that is, it poses a problem for you, my dear listener: Ain’t nobody got time for that. Well okay, some people do make the time to listen to most or even all of my podcasts, but my wizbang analytics tell me that while many listeners tune in on a regular basis, they don’t catch every installment of Muscle for Life and thus miss out on insights that could help them get a little better inside and outside the gym. People have also been saying they’d like me to do more shorter, multi-topic episodes, like my Q&As. And so I got an idea: how about a “best of” series of podcasts that contains a few of the most practical and compelling ideas, tips, and moments from my most popular episodes? This way, people who are new to the show can quickly determine if it’s for them or not, and those who enjoy what I’m doing but don’t have the time or inclination to listen to all of my stuff can still benefit from the discussions and find new episodes to listen to. So, in this installment of The Best of Muscle for Life, you’ll be hearing hand-picked morsels from three episodes: Kurtis Frank on the Science of Controlling Your Appetite (Originally published 10/24/2018) 6 Things You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Steroids (Originally published 9/28/2018) Book Club: The ONE Thing (Originally published 8/21/2017) And we’ll be starting with number one, Kurtis Frank on the Science of Controlling Your Appetite. Timestamps: 5:05 - Kurtis Frank on the Science of Controlling Your Appetite 13:59 - 6 Things You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Steroids 21:25 - Book Club: The ONE Thing Mentioned on the Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

I’ve recorded hundreds of episodes of Muscle for Life on a huge variety of things related to health, fitness, and lifestyle, ranging from the basics of diet and exercise like energy and macronutrient balance and progressive overload and training frequency and volume to fads like the ketogenic and carnivore diet and collagen protein to more unfamiliar territories like body weight set point and fasted cardio. Some episodes resonate with my crowd more than others, but all of them contain at least a few key takeaways that just about anyone can benefit from (that’s what I tell myself at least). And as cool as that is, it poses a problem for you, my dear listener: Ain’t nobody got time for that. Well okay, some people do make the time to listen to most or even all of my podcasts, but my wizbang analytics tell me that while many listeners tune in on a regular basis, they don’t catch every installment of Muscle for Life and thus miss out on insights that could help them get a little better inside and outside the gym. People have also been saying they’d like me to do more shorter, multi-topic episodes, like my Q&As. And so I got an idea: how about a “best of” series of podcasts that contains a few of the most practical and compelling ideas, tips, and moments from my most popular episodes? This way, people who are new to the show can quickly determine if it’s for them or not, and those who enjoy what I’m doing but don’t have the time or inclination to listen to all of my stuff can still benefit from the discussions and find new episodes to listen to. So, in this installment of The Best of Muscle for Life, you’ll be hearing hand-picked morsels from three episodes: Kurtis Frank on the Best Pre-Workout Supplements (Originally published 4/10/2019) Research Review: What’s the Best Rep Range for Building Muscle? (Originally published 6/27/2018) Book Club: My Top 5 Takeaways from Good to Great by Jim Collins (Originally published 11/12/2018) And we’ll be starting with number one, Kurtis Frank on the Best Pre-Workout Supplements. Timestamps: 5:48 - Kurtis Frank on the Best Pre-Workout Supplements 13:25 - Research Review: What’s the Best Rep Range for Building Muscle? 26:05 - Book Club: My Top 5 Takeaways from Good to Great by Jim Collins Mentioned on The Show: Best Pre-Workout Supplements: https://legionathletics.com/best-pre-workout-supplements-podcast/ Best Rep Range: https://legionathletics.com/rep-range-podcast/ Good to Great: https://legionathletics.com/good-to-great-podcast/ Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://buylegion.com/mike --- Want free workout and meal plans? Download my science-based diet and training templates for men and women: https://legionathletics.com/text-sign-up/

What does it take to make good supplements? How do you decide what types of products to make, what goes into them, and how much of each ingredient to include? While many supplement companies haphazardly pixie dust their products with minuscule amounts of mediocre ingredients and pad their ingredient lists with fancy herbs and compounds, there is a flip side of that coin. That is, if you want to be better than your run of the mill supplement company, there’s a true art and science to formulating good supplements. And that’s what I’m talking about with Kurtis Frank on this episode of the podcast. In case you’re not familiar with Kurtis, he’s the Director of Research for my sports nutrition company, Legion, which means he’s responsible for creating new products and improving existing formulations. And he knows what he’s talking about too--Kurtis is the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer of Examine.com, a ubiquitous supplement resource in the science-based fitness community. In this episode, Kurtis explains exactly how he goes about creating a supplement formulation for Legion, and he discusses . . . What it means to be “science-based” The importance of testing and trusting your manufacturer Patented forms of ingredients and why standardization matters Ingredient list length Manufacturing costs and “elite” formulations And more . . . So, if you’ve ever wondered what goes into the process of creating a supplement here at Legion, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. Press play and let me know what you think! Timestamps: 13:12 - What does it mean to be a science-based supplement company? 36:14 - What are your thoughts on companies that say they are a better company because they use patented ingredients compared to companies that don’t use patented ingredients? 41:11 - What does it mean if something is water extracted compared to oil extracted? 47:15 - What is standardization and why is it important? 52:37 - What are your thoughts on products with a long ingredients list? 59:27 - What about the kitchen sink approach for pre-workouts? --- Mentioned on The Show: Shop Legion Supplements Here: https://legionathletics.com/shop/ --- Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/

What if I told you that with one pill, you could boost your energy levels, supercharge your strength, and even melt away mental and physical pain and discomfort? And what if this pill could do those things naturally and safely? And what if I even told you that it’s just a sugar pill, but so long as you truly believe in its ability to work, it will? If that sounds like science fiction, I understand, but the underlying mechanism is actually science fact, and it’s called the placebo effect. Many people have heard of the placebo effect, but it’s much deeper than many people realize, filled with quite a few surprising and interesting aspects. That’s why I invited Kurtis Frank back onto the podcast to give us a little lesson on the placebo effect, including ... The most surprising effects of placebo and how it works How the placebo effect can improve your workouts How resilient is the placebo effect and does it wear off? Why it's important to have researchers blinded from the placebo in experiments Why you shouldn’t seek out the placebo effect How placebo relates to homeopathy, chiropractic, and acupuncture Oh and in case you’re not familiar with Kurtis, he’s the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer of Examine.com, as well as the Director of Research for my sports nutrition company, Legion, which means he’s responsible for improving existing formulations and creating new ones. So if you want a basic overview on what the placebo effect is and why it’s important, listen to this episode! 6:11 - What is the placebo effect? 6:46 - What are some examples of the placebo effect? 10:43 - What are examples of nocebo that are documented in literature? 18:58 - How does the placebo effect work if you are already aware of it? 21:40 - What are some other examples of the placebo effect that could help you with workouts? 26:08 - How durable is the placebo effect? 27:07 - Do you have any anecdotes for the placebo effect? 28:12 - What are your thoughts on medication and the placebo effect? 31:31 - Does not notifying the doctor of the placebo medication eliminate the chances of the placebo effect not working? 39:37 - Is homeopathy a placebo effect? 54:58 - How does placebo affect acupuncture? --- Mentioned on The Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/ --- Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/

There has been a lot of grumbling about genetically modified foods over the last decade or so, and many of the claims are alarming enough to scare your pucker shut. These foods are POISONOUS, some people say, and increase your risk of all kinds of disease and dysfunction. At some point, they prophesy, we'll look back on GMOs like we do fluoroscopes, lobotomies, and DDT. Hogwash, the other camp proclaims—GMOs are well studied and perfectly safe, and we should stop tilting at windmills and embrace this wonderful product of modern food science. Who's right? Well, that's what this podcast is all about. In it, Kurtis Frank and I break it all down, starting with what GMOs are and how they’re created, the difference between some GMO foods that are probably not a reason for concern and others that may be, why genetically modified plant and animal foods are different, and more. And in case you’re not familiar with Kurtis, he’s the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer of Examine.com, as well as the Director of Research for my sports nutrition company, Legion Athletics. Let’s get to the show! 6:24 - What is a basic definition of GMO’s? 8:43 - How do you cross breed plants? 14:41 - Are they modifying one gene or multiple genes? 15:27 - What is an example of a modification that might not be a good idea to change? 16:53 - How do GMO’s affect humans? 22:38 - Are there consequences when we modify animals? 25:57 - How does Monsanto fit into all of this? --- Mentioned on The Show: Click Here to Shop Legion Supplements --- Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/

One of the problems with rigidly following a restrictive or narrowly focused dietary protocol like low-carb or low-fat is when you go off-plan for whatever reason, you can get slapped. For instance, if you’re a high-carber and miss a meal, you might find your energy levels plummeting, or if you’re a low-carber and indulge in some cake at a party, you might find yourself craving—and eating—every carb in sight. Ideally, these things wouldn’t happen—our bodies would be able to adapt to varying dietary circumstances and maintain an even physiological keel. In other words, ideally our bodies would possess a fair amount of “metabolic flexibility.” If you haven’t heard of metabolic flexibility, that’s understandable because few people have, and in this episode, Kurtis Frank explains what it is and how to improve it so our bodies can better shift between different fuel types and thus be more adaptable to whatever situations we find ourselves in. In case you’re not familiar with Kurtis, he’s the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer of Examine.com and the current Director of Research and Development for my supplement company Legion Athletics,. Here’s a sneak peek of what we talk about in this interview. - Insulin resistance and carb sensitivity as you age. - The signs that you lack metabolic flexibility. - How to avoid sugar crashes or carb-triggered binges. - And more... 5:01 - What does metabolic flexibility mean? 6:36 - Do genetics play a role on whether the body will burn carbs or fats for energy? 7:45 - Are high carb diets still the go-to for endurance athletes? 9:31 - Does the body have an easier time processing carbs if you’re active? 15:44 - What are some signs that show lack of metabolic flexibility? 42:59 - Do certain exercises affect the way your body burns carbs? 58:48 - What’s new and interesting in the formulation front? Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.legionathletics.com/signup/

Ten years ago, pre-workout supplements were for the unhinged looking dudes in the gym who nobody made eye contact with. You know the type: steroids, stringers, water jugs, strutting and peacocking, and the like. Back then, the pre-workout space mostly consisted of products like Craze, Jack3d, and Detonate (all of which have been banned, by the way) that contained mega-doses of amphetamine-like stimulants and little else. Fortunately, times have changed, and now we have pre-workout supplements that contain lower levels of much safer stimulants plus clinically effective doses of safe, natural ingredients scientifically proven to enhance performance and muscle and strength gain. That’s why people who take their training seriously aren’t asking whether they should take a pre-workout supplement anymore but instead which they should choose and why. And that’s what Kurtis Frank and I talk about in today’s interview. In case you’re not familiar with Kurtis, he’s the director of Research and Development for my supplement company Legion Athletics as well as the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer for Examine.com, which is the premiere online resource for science-based information on supplementation. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll learn in this episode: - What a pre-workout is - Ingredients that do and don’t significantly improve performance - How much you need to take of these ingredients to see benefits - The pros and cons of including creatine in a pre-workout supplement - And more. 5:43 - Interview 7:00 - Definition of Pre Workout 11:40 - Power output 18:18 - Alpha - GPC 20:12 - Alpha GPC dose 23:01 - How long before the workout should you consume? 31:39 - Best time to take creatine 34:32 - anaerobic 38:31 - Effective dose and timing of Citrulline 46:47 - Beta - alanine dose and timing. 49:09- What is betaine 59:05 - Aerobic 1:01:57 -Bad pre workout supplements Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Typically, “functional foods” are those that can provide additional health benefits beyond fulfilling basic nutritional needs. For example, fatty, cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines contain omega-3 fats, which can positively impact your health and wellbeing in a number of ways. Colorful fruits and vegetables like broccoli, berries, and Brussels sprouts are another good example. They contain plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, but also other goodies like sulforaphane, anthocyanins, and carotenoids that can reduce the risk of disease, support brain, eye, and heart health, and more. And even much-maligned foods like beef, pork, and lamb contain a special type of fat, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), that’s associated with a reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer (and grass-finished/fed meat are particularly rich in CLA). All this is why food and supplement marketers have seized on these types of foods and molecules and spent who-knows-how-many millions of dollars over the last decades promoting their purported wonders. For example, several well-known wellness gurus are trying to make sulforaphane out to be the natural cure for cancer, when it’s far from a magic bullet. Omega-3 fats are important, but they can’t bulletproof you against heart disease as some people claim. And while CLA has some health properties, it’s hard to quantify how helpful it really is for the average healthy person. So, my point is while some foods are more nutritionally “special” than others and deserve consideration in your meal planning, most aren’t as helpful or vital as many self-styled diet experts would have you believe. And that’s why I wanted to get Kurtis Frank, the director of Research and Development for my supplement company Legion Athletics, onto the show to break down the real science of functional foods. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll learn in this episode: - What a “functional food” is and isn’t - The best functional foods you can eat - The most popular foods marketed as “functional” that really aren’t - And more. Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

  In this episode, I interview my buddy Kurtis Frank, who’s the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer of Examine.com and the current Direct of Research for my supplement company Legion Athletics. This time around, Kurtis and I dive deep into the science and physiology of appetite, including the body’s primary levers for controlling it, how appetite is influenced by different types of foods and diets, easy ways to reduce your appetite while cutting and increase it while lean bulking, and more. So, if you’d like to gain a deeper understanding of how your body’s appetite works and how to make it work more the way you’d like, you want to listen to this episode. 4:11 - What is appetite? 6:04 - What are some common factors that screw up natural appetite? 17:58 - How is appetite affected by different types of diets? 19:29 - What do you mean by handling carbohydrates well? 
 20:48 - What are some signs of insulin sensitivity? 22:41- How does a high fat diet affect appetite? 
 24:15 - Is it true that your body is better at sensing food volume than caloric density? 26:17 - Is a high fat low carb diet what it tends to be lower in fiber?
 29:07- If you could cut on 2500 calories per day, should you add more carbs?
 32:08 - How do you reduce appetite while cutting?
 32:40 - Is it true that having water with food increases the satiating effect? 34:04 How much water should you drink per day? 
 38:30 - What else can people do to reduce their appetite while cutting?
 37:47 - Does caffeine suppress appetite? 37:13 - Can you sense caffeine tolerance?
 40:12 - What are some tips when increasing appetite while bulking? 46:48- What does the endocannabinoid system affect?
 Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

In this episode, I interview the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer of Examine.com Kurtis Frank on the truth about branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).  For years now, BCAAs have been a staple supplement in the bodybuilding scene. If you’ve ever seen a muscleboy or girl in the gym lugging around a gallon jug of fluorescent liquid, chances are it’s water and BCAAs. BCAAs are extremely popular because they supposedly help us build muscle faster when we’re bulking and retain muscle better when we’re cutting. A number of studies are often cited to support such claims too, and if you take the research at face value, it all seems to add up. The problem is when you roll up your sleeves and take a closer look at the research and weight of the evidence on the whole, a very different picture emerges.  As you’ll discover in this podcast, BCAAs really don’t have much to offer beyond making your water more tasty, unless you’re an athlete—in that case, there is one legitimate use for BCAAs that might be relevant to you. 5:50 - What are BCAAs? Why are people using them? 9:32 - Why are they so popular? 14:26 - What does "branched" mean? How do BCAAs reduce fatigue? 18:10 - When do BCAAs work? 23:17 - Why do some people feel less hunger when they supplement with BCAAs? 25:49- Can BCAAs stunt muscle gain? 29:00 - Anything else we should touch on? Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

God I hate being sick. Truly. I would smoke a handful of Bill Clinton’s cigars if it meant never getting sick again. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever get an invite to the DC spirit cooking parties, so I’ll have to accept the fact that getting sick is just part of my abject existence as a lowly human. That doesn’t mean I can’t do things to help prevent sickness and reduce the duration and severity when it strikes, and that’s why I got the co-founder and former lead researcher and writer of Examine.com, as well as the Director of Research for my supplement company, Legion Athletics, Kurtis Frank to come on the show and talk immunity. As you’ll discover, this is a muddy topic with a lot of bad research and bad interpretations of research, but Kurtis has spent hundreds of hours reading through dozens and dozens of papers, and in this podcast, he breaks down his findings. So … if you’ve wondered what supplements do and don’t work for improving your immune function, and if changing your diet can really help you get sick less often or recover from illnesses faster, then you want to listen to this show. 5:19 - What is the immune system and how does it work? 6:35 - What are the jobs of the cells in the immune system? 8:51 - How do you improve your immunity? 9:25 - Does Vitamin C reduce the severity of sickness? 13:40 - What are your favorite immune system boosters? 19:10 - What is pelargonium? 21:18 - How does pelargonium work? 23:02 - What is akinesia and how does it work? 25:40 - Is garlic good for immunity? 27:30 - What are the benefits of having garlic every day? 28:03 - Is spirulina good for immunity? 29:42 - Are mushrooms good for immunity? 34:58 - What is kombucha? 38:14 - Are probiotics good for immunity? 44:35 - What is a gasotransmitter? 45:58 - What supplements should people take daily to keep a healthy immune system? 47:38 - What are the benefits of Vitamin C? 50:02- What type of mushrooms do you recommend to eat? 57:48 - What’s the easiest way to get potassium in your diet? Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Kurtis Frank is the Director of Research and Development for Legion Athletics who focuses on research behind herbal and traditional medicines but from a western perspective as well as nootropic and performance enhancing compounds. In this podcast, Kurtis and I discuss Adaptogens focusing mainly on Ashwangha. Some of the things we discuss are: Question 1 (06:08): What are adaptogens? Question 2 (10:35): One adaptogen that seem to be gaining popularity in recent time is Ashwagandgha. What is Ashwagandha? Question 3 (11:20): How was Aswagandha discovered and what is it traditionally used for? Question 4 (12:30): Is there a difference between ingesting Ashwandha in powder form compared to capsules? Question 5 (15:45): What are the claimed benefits of using Ashwagandha? Question 6 (21:40): What dosage seems to be effective and are there any potential side effects? Question 7 (28:45): How long does it take to start noticing an effect? Question 8 (29:45): What is the take home message?

You’ve probably heard that meditation can do many wonderful things for your body, like reduce stress and inflammation, help you live longer, think more clearly, and more. How true are these claims, though? Can something as simple as controlling your attention and focus for a few minutes every day have such profound benefits? And, if so, what are the best and most effective ways of doing this? Should you do “body focused” meditation, “open monitoring,” transcendental meditation, or something else?   Well, this is what we’re going to explore in today’s episode with Kurtis Frank, who is the co-founder of and former lead researcher and writer at Examine.com, as well as the Director of Research for my supplement company, Legion Athletics. Unfortunately, there isn’t a tremendous amount of research available on meditation, but Kurtis read everything relevant that he could get his hands on, and in this interview, he breaks down his findings. So...if you’ve wondered if carving out some time for daily meditation can actually make a difference in your life, then this episode is for you. 6:36 - What is meditation? 8:38 - What are the types of meditation? 12:00 - What is the difference of passive focus and active focus and what are some examples? 12:39 - Is reading a book more beneficial than listening to an audiobook? 15:02 - What are the benefits of focused based meditation? 15:25 - How can you tell if you have a problem with focusing? 17:53 - What are the benefits of open monitoring meditation? 20:09 - Which type of meditation is right for me? 21:30 - What are the downsides to meditation? 22:27 - Do brain training apps help your ability to focus? 25:10 - What are bullet hell games and are they beneficial? 28:16 - Is exercise a type of meditation? 28:48 - Is reading a type of meditation? 33:01 - What is the link between meditation and hallucinogens? Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Kurtis Frank graduated from the University of Guelph with a bachelor's degree in Applied Human Nutrition. During his undergraduate studies in human nutrition, he co-founded the website Examine.com to gather and present as much evidence-based information on dietary supplements as possible in as unbiased a manner as possible. To that end, Kurtis worked tirelessly for seven years to make Examine the premier resource on the Internet for learning about the science of supplementation. Today, it boasts guides on over 500 supplements containing over 41,000 scientific citations. Kurtis then became Director of Research for Legion Athletics, a company that produces evidence-based supplements. There, he takes an active role in managing the scientific advisory board, creating new and improving existing formulations, writing informative articles on our blog, and generally guiding the scientific direction of the company. In This Episode We Discuss What is an accurate way to think about the placebo effect? How the placebo effect and actual drug effect are not mutually exclusive Should coaches actively “placebo their clients”? The nocebo effect People using supplements to “reduce inflammation”: do they have a reason? What anti-inflammatory compounds actually work? Supplements for joint pain and joint health: what works and what doesn’t? Supplements that help with sleep quality and sleep onset

You’ve probably heard that herbs, spices, and essential oils can do many wonderful things for your body, like balance your hormones, reduce inflammation, improve your gut health, speed up fat loss, and more. How true are these claims, though? Can you really help “optimize your body” by sprinkling some goodies on your meals and huffing nice-smelling oils? Can the pigment in curry really improve your joint health? Does adding cinnamon to your oatmeal really help control your blood sugar? Is garlic the super antioxidant, immune-boosting, cancer-fighting wunder-spice that many people say it is? Well, this is what we’re going to explore in today’s episode with Kurtis Frank, who is the co-founder and was the lead researcher of Examine.com, as well as the Director of Research for my supplement company, Legion Athletics. Kurtis has researched spices, herbs, and essential oils extensively and has a lot of insight to share. As you’ll see, a lot of the marketing hype used to sell us on these things is unwarranted, but there definitely are a handful of winners that deserve some attention. So...if you’ve wondered if spices like turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, cocoa, and rosemary, and essential oils like lemon, rose, and lavender can actually improve your health and well-being, then this episode is for you. 6:47 - What are spices & herbs? 9:00 - What are the health benefits of Cinnamon? 10:12 - How much cinnamon do you need to consume to cause an effect? 11:14 - What are the health benefits of peppermint and saffron? 14:09 - What are the health benefits of turmeric and curcumin? 16:14 - What are the health benefits of garlic? 19:46 - What are the health benefits of rosemary? 22:59 - What are the health benefits of ginger? 25:46 - Do spices promote fat burning and boost metabolism? 29:34 - What are the health benefits of cocoa? 31:14 - Do essential oils have health benefits? 38:41 - What are the health benefits of rose, lavender, and lemon scented essential oils? Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

This week we have Kurtis Frank also known as SilverHydra on twitter. A lead researcher on supplements. Ben and Kurtis take a deep dive on nootropics, influencing your neurotransmitters, and what a safe and effective brain-boost stack looks like. 1:35- Dispelling the myths of nootropics. 5:45- Dopamine, acetylcholine the benefits and drawbacks. 8:30- The vitamin effect. Using nootropics that your body will use only as needed. 10:15- Neurotransmitters, the 10:2 ratio and emotion. 12:20- Kurtis’ insights on nootropics influencing the dopamine pathways. 13:45- How to influence acetylcholine and the resurgence of Alpha GPC. 16:10- Kurtis’ favorite nootropic. 17:50- Can methylated B vitamins influence your cognitive performance? 20:25- Caffeine as an enhancement aide and it’s insurmountable tolerance. 22:45- Nootropic side effects. Giving your body down time in between doses. 25:05- The Racetam family and the start of nootropics. How they work, legality and side effects. 29:00- Pulling it together. What a safe and effective brain-boost stack looks like.

In this episode I interview Kurtis Frank about one of his favorite topics, nootropics, or “brain boosters.” Chances are you don’t know of Kurtis, but you probably know of his work. He’s the co-founder of Examine.com, which is the premier resource on the Internet for learning about the science of supplementation. Today, it boasts guides on over 500 supplements containing over 41,000 scientific citations, and Kurtis was responsible for researching, compiling, and writing the vast majority of that body of work. Kurtis also just recently became the Director of Research for my supplement company Legion Athletics, and I’m really excited to have him on board because he’s simply one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met on the subject of supplementation, and in this interview, he’s going to share with us his insights on nootropics generally, as well as his favorite and least-favorite options and why. So whether you’re a die-hard noot fan, on the fence about them, or completely ignorant, I think you’re going to find this discussion interesting and helpful. Here’s a little sneak peek of what you’re going to learn in this episode… - The three most important functions that every good nootropic should perform. - The problems with many of the best-selling nootropics on the market, and what you can do to avoid them. - How your lifestyle habits affect brain grown, cognitive performance, and mental health. - The best three nootropics for supporting brain health long term. - The worst three nootropics for brain health (they’re some of the most popular). 6:00 - What are nootropic supplements and are they safe? 7:03 - How do nootropic supplements promote brain growth? 8:48 - What lifestyle factors affect brain growth? 12:20 - What are your favorite nootropic supplements? 12:41 - What is bacopa monnieri? 14:18 - What are the side effects of nootropic supplements? 15:57 - What is agmatine? 21:58 - What is fucoxanthin? 23:23 - What is spirulina? 25:10 - What is Gilbert’s syndrome? 27:55- Whatr is alpha GPC? 38:51 - What nootropic supplements do you dislike? 46:12 - What is dangerous about nootropic supplements? 47:56 - What is vinpocetine? 49:05 - What is huperzine a? 53:30 - Where can people find your work? Want to get my best advice on how to gain muscle and strength and lose fat faster? Sign up for my free newsletter! Click here: https://www.muscleforlife.com/signup/

Kurtis Frank of Examine.com joins me this week to discuss how they conduct their research, some not well know creatine benefits, how to make sure you are buying quality supplements, the benefits of garlic, supplement marketing and more

Podcast #24 w/Kurtis Frank of Examine.com by Ari Meisel - Less Doing ------- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message