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Latest Episodes:

139: AlgaeCal's Calcium Claims: Science or Salesmanship? Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Sarah Court and Laurel Beversdorf investigate the bone supplement company AlgaeCal and ask whether its marketing claims are supported by good evidence. They unpack the company's promotion of algae-derived calcium, its use of strontium supplements to claim increases in bone density, and why improvements on a DEXA scan don't necessarily mean stronger bones. Along the way, they explain how appeals to nature, authority, and fear are used to sell expensive supplements to women worried about osteoporosis.

The conversation also examines the growing "doctor-to-brand pipeline," using Dr. Vonda Wright as a case study in how medical authority can become intertwined with supplement marketing. Sarah and Laurel discuss why they declined an invitation to collaborate with AlgaeCal, why exercise remains the cornerstone of bone health, and how consumers can recognize misleading health claims before spending hundreds of dollars on products that may not deliver meaningful benefits.

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92: Make Dr. Loren Fishman Make Sense

91: LIFTMOR, Not Less: An Interview with Belinda Beck

93: Should You Avoid Spinal Flexion with Osteoporosis?

113: Debunking Menopause Grifters: Mary Claire Haver and Vonda Wright

Doctor vs Brand Instagram Post

138: Lift for Longevity: The DEXA Results Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

SIGN UP Lift for Longevity. Enrollment closes Sunday, September 20th. Classes begin September 28th.
In this episode, we talk with Lift for Longevity participant Julie Wright about beginning strength training in her mid-sixties after an osteoporosis diagnosis. Julie had never touched a barbell before joining the course. After completing Lift for Longevity three times, she has progressed from deadlifting 28 pounds to 100 pounds for reps, increased her bench press from 20 to 53 pounds, built visible muscle, returned to jumping in ballet, and become more hopeful about aging, traveling, and continuing to dance.

We also examine Julie’s follow-up DEXA, which initially appeared to show a dramatic improvement from osteoporosis to osteopenia at nearly every measured site. We explain why scans performed at different facilities can’t provide a clean comparison and how raw bone-mineral-density values, machine calibration, arthritis, and strontium complicated the results. Julie’s story shows why DEXA matters—but also why strength, muscle, power, confidence, and the ability to keep doing what you love might matter more.

SIGN UP Lift for Longevity. Enrollment closes Sunday, September 20th. Classes begin September 28th.

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RESOURCES

Lift for Longevity

Julie's website

Listen to Dr. Lora Giangregorio on the Movement Logic Podcast

137: A Lifting Evolution: From Chair Pose to Barbell Back Squats Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we look back at how our thinking about exercise has changed over the years, from our beginnings in yoga and physical therapy to strength training, bone density, power, fall prevention, and longevity. We talk about the ideas we stopped believing, the evidence that changed our minds, why “lift heavy shit” was an important corrective but ultimately an incomplete message, and how all of this has shaped the newest version of Lift for Longevity.

We also get into what we’ve learned from teaching the course four times, why we’re removing exercises that create unnecessary friction, why AMRAPs are becoming a much bigger part of the program, and how we’re incorporating more power, balance challenges, and structured impact training.

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RESOURCES

107: Does It Have To Be Heavy?

49: You Don’t Know How Strong You Are, Says Research

36: Somatic Dominance

Loren Fishman et al.: Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss paper

LIFTMOR Trial

Kistler-Fischbacher Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

91: LIFTMOR, Not Less: An Interview with Professor Belinda Beck

Dr. Lora Giangregorio on the Movement Logic Podcast

Dr. Stuart Phillips on the Movement Logic Podcast

Stu Phillips post

Korpelainen paper

136: Beyond "Just Lift Heavy": The Science behind Osteoporosis, Falls & Fracture Prevention with Dr. Lora Giangregorio, PhD Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we talk with bone health researcher Dr. Lora Giangregorio about what the evidence really says about resistance training, impact exercise, menopause, fracture prevention, balance, and falls. We also get into claims from OsteoStrong, why not all published research deserves equal weight, and why confident claims about the “best” way to build bone often outrun the evidence.

We discuss why bone loss around menopause can’t simply be blamed on inactivity, what we do and don’t know about heavy versus moderate versus light resistance training, why strength and impact are so difficult to separate in bone research, and why improving bone density is only one part of reducing fracture risk.

Dr. Giangregorio also explains why getting better at standing on one leg isn’t necessarily the same thing as becoming less likely to fall, why yoga wouldn’t be her first choice for fall prevention, how to progress impact training without jumping straight into high-force exercises, and why real-world exercise programs need to adapt to the person rather than force everyone into the same supposedly “optimal” program.

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RESOURCES

Dr. Lora Giangregorio’s website and Instagram

Bones Lab YouTube channel

Her approach to starting and progressing impact training

Her summary of different aspects of balance

Blog post on impact training

135: Make Louisa Nicola Make Sense, Part 2 Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

In part two of their deep dive into Louisa Nicola's claims about Alzheimer's prevention, Sarah and Laurel continue examining the scientific evidence behind some of her most widely shared social media posts, podcast appearances, and paid programs. Building on the foundation laid in part one, they fact-check claims about menopause, hormone therapy, Zone 5 training, heavy resistance training, creatine, and other interventions that Nicola presents as essential for protecting the brain. Throughout the episode, they compare her messaging with the available research, including randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and major clinical guidelines, highlighting where mechanistic theories are presented as established clinical facts and where evidence is overstated or misrepresented.

The conversation then shifts from individual scientific claims to the broader marketing strategy behind Nicola's business. Sarah and Laurel analyze her paid products, including Brain Code and the $5,000 Decode Panel, discussing how fear-based messaging, appeals to authority, and selective use of research can drive consumers toward expensive products and testing. They contrast these approaches with the evidence-based recommendations from organizations like The Lancet Commission and the Alzheimer's Association, emphasizing that meaningful risk reduction is built on well-established lifestyle factors rather than highly specific protocols or premium wellness services. They close by discussing why influencers like Nicola resonate with audiences, where they see similar patterns among other health personalities, and why careful interpretation of evidence matters when communicating about diseases as frightening as Alzheimer's.

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RESOURCES

134 Make Louisa Nicola Make Sense, Part 1

113 Debunking Menopause Grifters Mary Claire Haver and Vonda Wright

92 Make Dr. Loren Fishman Make Sense

Alzheimer's Association 2025 factsheet

The Lancet Commission

Mosconi et al. (2021)

Correction: In this episode, Laurel cites a study erroneously as being from the Lancet. It's not from the Lancet, it's the Generation 100 study. PMID: 34878637

Resistance training and brain aging study

Creatine Monohydrate Pilot in Alzheimer's

The Menopause Society

Pauline Maki

Diary of a CEO episode with Louisa Nicola

134: Make Louisa Nicola Make Sense, Part 1 Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Sarah Court and Laurel Beversdorf begin a two-part investigation into Louisa Nicola and the rapidly growing industry built around Alzheimer's prevention, brain optimization, and women's brain health. They examine how legitimate scientific concerns about dementia become transformed into highly marketable narratives, and explain the difference between what current evidence supports and what many online health personalities confidently claim.

Sarah and Laurel break down the strongest evidence on dementia prevention, including findings from the 2024 Lancet Commission, and discuss what is known about exercise, vascular health, hearing, vision, education, social connection, and other modifiable risk factors. They also introduce concepts they call mechanism theater, evidence cosplay, and the fear-to-action marketing pipeline, showing how preliminary research is often stretched into certainty to sell protocols, supplements, and personal brands. Along the way, they critically examine several of Nicola's most common claims—including that Alzheimer's starts in your 30s, that women face six times the risk, and that heavy resistance training is uniquely protective—and compare those claims with the available evidence.

Part 2 of this series will continue the investigation into Louisa Nicola's recommendations, products, and marketing strategies.

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RESOURCES

113: Debunking Menopause Grifters: Dr Mary Claire Haver and Dr. Vonda Wright

111: Make Stacy Sims Make Sense

Correction: In this episode, Laurel cites a study erroneously as being from the Lancet. It's not from the Lancet, it's the Generation 100 study. PMID: 34878637

The Lancet Commission: Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care: 2024 Report

Alzheimer's Association 2025 Fact Sheet

Neuro Athletics

Narrative review on resistance training and Alzheimer's disease (co-authored by Louisa Nicola)

Dr. Vonda Wright podcast featuring Louisa Nicola

The Diary of a CEO podcast featuring Louisa Nicola

APOE4 and Alzheimer's disease research

New England Journal of Medicine (2024) biomarker study on preclinical Alzheimer's disease

133: Dr Stu Phillips Part 2: Power, Protein, And The Science We Get Wrong Jul 08, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Sarah Court and Laurel Beversdorf continue their conversation with Dr. Stu Phillips, one of the world's leading protein researchers. They dig into the latest ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training, unpacking what it actually says about strength, hypertrophy, power, progressive overload, and why many of the debates happening online are driven more by certainty than by evidence.

They also explore why protein has "jumped the shark," how marketing has outpaced the science, whether menopausal women really need dramatically more protein, and why consistency—not optimization—is still the most powerful exercise strategy. Throughout the conversation, Stu explains why scientific nuance often gets lost on social media and why changing your mind when new evidence emerges is a strength, not a weakness.

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RESOURCES

ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training
ACSM Health & Fitness Journal special issue on power training
Stu Phillips — Protein Jumped the Shark (2025 article)

132: Dr. Stu Phillips Part 1: Bone Density and Scientific Nuance Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Sarah and Laurel sit down with Dr. Stu Phillips, one of the world's most influential researchers in muscle physiology, protein metabolism, and resistance training. Together they discuss why Stu publicly challenged the idea that heavy lifting is required for bone density, what the evidence actually says about load and osteogenesis, and how newer research has changed the conversation around both muscle growth and bone health.

Stu explains why many long-held training beliefs—including the need for heavy weights for hypertrophy—have not held up under scrutiny, why good scientists must be willing to change their minds, and how concepts like effort and "progressive stimulus" may matter more than specific loading prescriptions.

The conversation also explores what researchers know (and still don't know) about bone adaptation, site-specific bone responses, impact training, mechanical loading, and the challenges of translating animal research into human recommendations. Finally, Stu shares his thoughts on protein obsession, exercise guidelines, weight loss stigma, and the importance of following the evidence wherever it leads.

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Barbell Mini Course from Movement Logic

RESOURCES

Kistler-Fischbacher et al. (2021) Exercise and Bone Density

Watson et al (2018) LIFTMOR Trial

Currier et al (2026) ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training and Muscle Hypertrophy

131: Basic Bitches Talk About Balance Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

What is balance, really? In this episode of the Movement Logic Podcast, Laurel and Sarah unpack why “balance” is much more than standing on one foot, not falling, or having a strong core.

Using the motor control concept of postural control, they explore balance as a dynamic, emergent process shaped by sensory input, motor responses, cognition, confidence, fear, environment, prior experience, and social context. They discuss center of mass, base of support, stability, perturbations, sensory reweighting, and why balance is deeply context specific.

You’ll learn why steady-state, reactive, and anticipatory balance are different biological problems, why yoga may train some balance skills better than others, why strength and power matter for fall recovery, and why no single “balance exercise” prepares you for every balance challenge life throws at you.

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RESOURCES

BOOK: Motor Control: Translating Research into Clinical Practice by Anne Shumway-Cook and Marjorie Woollacott

EPISODES

128: Does 'Balance Training' Prevent Falls, or Just Improve Balance?

129: Sarcopenia Redefined: Loss of Strength and Power Matter More Than Muscle Mass

On motor learning - 29: The Cues We Use Pt. 1, 31: The Cues We Use Pt. 2, 34: The Cues We Use Pt. 3

Our interview on the Capable and Worthy Podcast

130: Why We Created Power Play and What's Inside the Course May 27, 2026

Show notes

POWER PLAY is on sale now for $99. The price goes up after May 31st.

Power training is not just for athletes. It's also not just box jumps, Olympic lifts, or kettlebell swings. Power is for everyone and it shows up all day, everyday in our daily activities. It's the ability to produce force quickly. You use power when you stand up from a chair, climb stairs, get off the floor, or react fast enough to prevent a fall.

This week on the Movement Logic podcast, Laurel and Sarah explain why they created their new course, Power Play. They discuss why power declines faster than strength as we age, why that matters for fall prevention and independence, and why so many people mistakenly conclude “my knees can’t handle that anymore” or “I’m too old for that” after being exposed to way too much impact or explosive movement too soon. They break down how power exercises can be scaled and progressed, why most group fitness classes fail to individualize this type of training, and how Power Play teaches people to start at the very beginning rather than assuming the hardest version is the entry point. They also discuss pelvic floor concerns, type 2 muscle fibers, balance, aging, reactive movement, and why just a few minutes of power training per week can make a meaningful difference in long-term physical function.

ABOUT Power Play

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