HeyJaredWits & Weights | Evidence-Based Fitness & Nutrition for Lifters Over 40
Wits & Weights is a strength and nutrition podcast where in every episode I put a popular piece of fitness advice under the microscope, find the hidden reason it doesn't work, and give you the deceptively simple fix that does.For skeptics of the fitness industry who are tired…
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 22
- Latest publication
- Sep 17, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 6, 2026
Latest episodes
5 Rep Ranges You MUST Know for Hypertrophy After 40 (Andy Baker) (opens the original)
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If 5 to 30 reps can all build muscle, why do some rep ranges clearly work better than others? After 40, could the “science-based” advice you’re following be the exact reason your progress has stalled? I brought strength coach Andy Baker back to challenge one of the most oversimplified ideas in evidence-based fitness: that rep ranges are basically interchangeable. We break down the five rep ranges you need to understand, from heavy 1 to 4 rep strength work through 20 to 30 rep sets, and...
Do Diet Breaks Actually Work for Metabolism Recovery and Fat Loss? (opens the original)
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A diet break won't give you more fat loss. Two weeks at maintenance won't "reset" or "restore" your metabolism either. But I still use diet breaks with almost every client over 40, but for totally different (but beneficial) reasons. We lay out a simple framework for using maintenance breaks to reduce diet fatigue, improve adherence, and avoid panicking when the scale jumps, including: Where diet break claims come from, including metabolic adaptation and the MATADOR trial designWhat meta...
You Don't Need a Calorie Surplus to Build Muscle Over 40 (opens the original)
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You don't need a calorie surplus to build muscle after 40. The common surplus numbers are shakier than most people realize. I break down the real energy cost of muscle, what the research says about maintenance versus surplus, and how to tell whether body recomposition is the right approach for you. I'm breaking down the real energy cost of building a pound of muscle and the 3 conditions that decide whether body recomposition works for you. You'll also hear where the anti-surplus crowd oversel...
Perimenopause Doesn't Cause Weight Gain (Your Metabolism Is Fine) (opens the original)
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Perimenopause doesn't cause weight gain. But if you ARE gaining weight over 40 (or struggling to lose weight), then what's actually going on? Menopause changes body composition in ways the scale can hide, but it does not suspend the basic rules of energy balance. You'll learn: Medical consensus vs. social media claims about menopause weight gain SWAN DEXA findings on steady scale weight and shifting fat and lean mass Visceral belly fat and trunk fat increases during menopauseW...
5 Beliefs I Got Wrong About Strength Training Over 40 | Ep 500 (opens the original)
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Are you still following outdated advice for strength training over 40 when it comes to building muscle and losing fat? After 500 episodes of Wits & Weights, I’m revisiting 5 pieces of strength training and nutrition advice I used to give and explaining what changed my mind. Learn why starting at maintenance calories can still make sense, just not for “metabolic repair,” why total daily protein matters far more than perfect meal timing, and why cardio probably isn’t stealing your muscle ...
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