LogSmarter™ Podcast

Summary: In the inaugural episode of the LogSmarter podcast, we invited Dr. Brandon Roberts on to talk about the basics of nutrition/macro tracking and where to begin when you’re just getting started. This episode covers a ton of information that is relevant to anyone who currently takes or wants to take a periodized approach to their nutrition. Guest Bio & Social Medias: Brandon Roberts is a scientist, wordsmith, and natural bodybuilder. He completed a Ph.D. in muscle biology at the University of Florida then a postdoctoral fellowship in exercise medicine and sports nutrition at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is currently the CSO of LogSmarter™ and Tailored Coaching Method while also contributing to Weightology Research Review and Examine.com. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brob_21/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brob21/ ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brandon_Roberts5 Host Bio & Social Medias: Ryan Lefebvre is the founder of LogSmarter™, a full stack software developer and someone who is obsessed with finding ways to get better every day. Ever since Ryan started lifting weights to get bigger and stronger for football and lacrosse, he has been passionate about developing simple ways that people can optimize their training and nutrition. When Ryan's not busy working on LogSmarter™, you can find him drinking unbelievable amounts of coffee, hiking with his friends, or lifting weights. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlefeb33/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-lefebvre/ GitHub: https://github.com/RyanLefebvre Support LogSmarter™: Website: https://www.logsmarter.net LinkTree: https://www.logsmarter.net/TREE Time Stamps: 0:00:00- Ryan introduces the show and has the guest give their bio in their own words. 0:01:47- Brandon explains what he is up to lately and his recent research on NSAIDS. 0:03:20- LogSmarter origin story from Brandon’s perspective and how him and Ryan met. 0:08:00- Where to begin if you want to track your nutrition and macros but don’t know where to start? 0:12:33- Brandon talks about his personal preferred macro split and what he would recommend as a starting macro split to the average person just getting started with tracking their nutrition. 0:16:10- Is there ever a justification for going over calories to hit macros? 0:17:50- Brandon begins his explanation of nutritional periodization but gets interrupted by his thirsty puppy after explaining maintenance phases. 0:19:13- The explanation of nutritional periodization continues and Brandon covers bulking, cutting and the importance of taking a periodized approach to nutrition. 0:22:30- Ryan brings up one of the hardest to answer but most frequently asked questions by bros at the gym which is how someone should know whether to bulk or cut? 0:26:05- Working example of determining calorie surplus when someone is bulking. 0:28:46- Bulking and cutting is simple enough to understand, but when and why should people be taking maintenance phases? 0:33:04- What’s the deal with mini cutting? Are mini-cuts worth it for most people? Brandon explains how mini cuts may be better for resetting your mindset than for losing a lot of fat. 0:35:36- Ryan explains his input/output mindset for his nutrition and asks Brandon his recommendations for tracking body weight and analyzing body weight data. 0:37:50- Can tracking calories and weighing yourself everyday be psychologically damaging? 0:40:15- Simplifying your tracking makes things much easier, but do a significant amount of gains get left on the table when taking a minimalistic approach to tracking. 0:42:43- If Brandon had unlimited funding, what type of research project would he pursue? 0:46:01- Ryan wraps up the show and has Brandon tell everyone where they can find him.