Lift Free And Diet Hard with Andrew Coates

Latest Episodes:

#509 Brad Dieter - Lack of Disease Doesn’t Mean You’re Healthy Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Brad Dieter, now CEO of FITTR, returns to the podcast to bring the perspective of his PhD in Exercise Physiology to a wide-ranging conversation about coaching, trust, health, alcohol research, GLP-1 medications, and the future of fitness.

We discuss:

• What the “commoditization of everything” means

• Why commoditization can hurt both coaches and consumers

• Where lower-cost standardized services can actually be beneficial

• Where commoditization starts sacrificing quality

• How the music industry offers a useful comparison for fitness coaching

• Why high-service coaching may become even more valuable

• The “tragedy of the commons” and why trust is a limited resource

• How short-term influencer incentives can erode trust across an entire industry

• Why real outreach and relationships still matter

• How consumers can evaluate coaches and services

• Wearables, health data, and information overload

• Why good coaching should give people more agency, not less

• Are we measuring health—or just measuring the absence of disease?

• Why “normal” lab values do not necessarily represent optimal health or function

• Functional health metrics and quality of life

• Why we may be tracking the wrong markers

• How observational research created the impression that light drinking was healthier than abstaining

• Why the alcohol “J-curve” became so influential

• Why panic around weight regain after stopping GLP-1 medications can miss the bigger picture

• And much more

Follow Brad:

@brad.dieter

CHAPTERS

01:49 Origins and Conferences

02:37 Commoditization Explained

06:02 The Music Industry Shift

09:21 The Future of Fitness Coaching

14:19 Grifters and High-Service Coaching

20:08 The Tragedy of the Commons

22:45 Rebuilding Through Real Outreach

25:22 Advice for Consumers

27:33 Wearables and Data Overload

30:29 Trust in Real Coaching

31:35 Giving People Agency

35:00 Rethinking Health Markers

36:57 Functional Health Metrics

40:11 Quality of Life Matters

43:18 Beyond “Normal” Labs

44:37 The Alcohol J-Curve Myth

49:26 The GLP-1 Rebound Conversation

54:57 Final Thoughts and Contact Info

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#508 Sam Miller - Revisiting the PCOS to PMOS Reclassification Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

Sam Miller returns to the podcast to discuss the transition from PCOS to PMOS, what the change actually means, and why the conversation seemed to disappear almost as quickly as it arrived.

We also get into women’s health messaging, sleep, training nutrition, endurance fueling, and the career setbacks that rarely make it onto social media.

We discuss:

• Why discussion around PCOS becoming PMOS died down after the initial attention

• What the new terminology means for patients and future care

• Why shifting attention toward actionable behaviours matters

• Problems with self-diagnosis and self-labelling

• The two extremes of women’s hormonal health messaging

• Dismissing symptoms versus convincing everyone they have a hormone deficiency

• Finding a useful middle ground

• Why eye masks and earplugs can improve the sleep environment

• Important caveats around mouth taping

• Building simple and repeatable sleep routines

• Light exposure and circadian health

• Why carbohydrates before training may improve performance

• Fueling HYROX and endurance-style events

• Intra-workout carbohydrates

• Sam’s professional failures and setbacks

• Why social media creates a distorted picture of professional success

• Writing, networking, and building a career

• And much more

Follow Sam:

@sammillerscience

CHAPTERS

00:51 PCOS Renamed PMOS

01:48 Why the Name Change Matters

04:54 Will Practice Actually Change?

07:02 Action Steps for PMOS

08:21 Assessing History and Labs

09:38 Tailoring Training and Nutrition

15:00 Self-Diagnosis Culture

17:27 Marketing and Mindset

18:58 Two Extremes in Women’s Health

22:24 Finding the Middle Ground

27:42 Sleep Routine Hacks

28:04 Eye Mask Evidence

29:49 Mouth Taping Caveats

33:06 Travel Sleep Rituals

34:14 Light Exposure and Metabolism

35:54 Keeping the Ritual Simple

36:34 Earplugs and Safety

38:35 Carbs Before Training

43:41 Fueling HYROX Events

44:30 Intra-Workout Carbs

47:41 Sharing Career Struggles

58:54 Social Media Fears

01:03:24 Writing and Networking

01:05:11 Where to Find Sam

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#507 Jonah Rosner - Endurance Sport Training and Nutrition Masterclass Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Jonah Rosner is a sport scientist specializing in strength and conditioning for endurance athletes.

Jonah joins me to break down the research behind endurance training, strength work, cardiovascular programming, injury risk, recovery, and race-day nutrition.

We discuss:

• Why distance runners should lift heavy without routinely training to failure

• How strength training can support running performance

• Why shorter-duration HIIT may sometimes be a more time-efficient cardiovascular stimulus than Zone 2

• When higher-intensity work makes sense and when to add more low-intensity volume

• Why elite marathoners accumulate dramatically more training volume, with most of the additional work performed at easier intensities

• Understanding allostatic load as a framework for managing total stress

• Why exercise-associated cramping is not explained by dehydration alone

• Muscle damage, fatigue, and cramping

• Running’s eccentric demands and the interference effect

• Using cycling and other modalities to build cardiovascular fitness while reducing impact

• Sudden increases in running volume and injury risk

• What endurance athletes actually need to fuel performance

• Why carbohydrate availability becomes especially important during endurance events

• Fueling before and during races

• Carb loading and race-day strategy

• Evidence from the Boston Marathon linking signs of under-fueling with poorer performance and greater medical-tent use

• Protein and fat in the broader endurance diet

• GI distress and training the gut

• And much more

Follow Jonah:

@rosnerperformance

CHAPTERS

00:55 Strength Training for Runners

03:55 Heavy Lifting Without Failure

08:06 HIIT Versus Zone 2

12:36 Why Elites Run Easy Miles

13:30 Recovery and Allostatic Load

15:25 Sponsor: Active Life Workshop

18:38 The Cramping and Dehydration Myth

21:14 Running, Eccentrics, and Interference

28:00 Cross-Training to Reduce Impact

29:27 TrainHeroic Trial Offer

30:44 Long-Run Injury Spikes

34:38 Running Injury Rates

39:22 Under-Fueling at Boston

41:29 RP Hypertrophy App

42:54 Marathon Fueling Basics

48:16 Carb Loading and Race Day

51:36 Protein, Fat, and Recovery

53:45 Program Enrollment

56:04 GI Distress and Gut Training

57:47 Where to Follow Jonah

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Choose between:

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Get full access to me with prompt responses.

Use code SEPTEMBER10 to save 10%.

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#506 Dan Garner - How to Improve Your Performance in Life and Fitness Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Dan Garner is one of the most sought-after performance coaches among professional athletes, MMA competitors, and celebrities, while also working in performance research.

Dan joins me to share lessons from coaching high performers and explain how the same principles apply to everyday people who want better results in fitness and life.

We discuss:

• Results-oriented vs. activity-oriented thinking
• Process goals, outcome goals, and momentum
• Identity, procrastination, and performance
• Why controlling your schedule matters
• Clarifying goals and building adherence
• Emotions, decision-making, and the amygdala
• Identifying the constraint holding you back
• Applying elite-performance principles to everyday people
• Adapting coaching to the individual
• Blood work and cluster analysis
• Low energy availability (LEA)
• LEA vs. Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S)
• Health and performance risks of chronic under-fueling
• How LEA differs from simply being in a calorie deficit
• Sports, disordered eating, and RED-S risk
• Post-workout recovery
• Peri-workout nutrition
• Dan’s four-phase fueling approach
• Caffeine and performance
• And much more

Follow Dan: @dangarnernutrition

CHAPTERS

02:02 Results Over Activity
04:50 Momentum and Early Wins
08:34 Identity and Procrastination
10:36 Control Your Schedule
12:54 Goals That Come From Within
14:53 Sponsor: MacrosFirst
16:38 Clarify Your Goals Three Times
19:19 Adherence and Small Swaps
22:03 Emotions and the Amygdala
26:04 Coaching Constraints Framework
26:40 Monkey Mind and Coaching Style
28:14 Blood Work and Constraints
28:49 Cluster Analysis
32:22 Low Energy Availability
34:39 RED-S and the Athlete Triad
37:21 Injury Risk Evidence
38:35 Sponsor: Just Bite Me Meals
39:40 Sports and Eating Disorders
42:47 Peri-Workout Nutrition
44:43 Four-Phase Fueling Plan
51:01 Sponsor: Group Strength Programs
52:37 Caffeine on Leg Days
57:44 Wrap-Up and Links

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PARTNERS AND RESOURCES

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Men’s and Women’s programs:

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• Full Body

Get full access to me with prompt responses.

Use code SEPTEMBER10 to save 10%:
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#505 Elizabeth Ward & Hillary Wright - Menopause Nutrition Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Elizabeth Ward and Hillary Wright are registered dietitians, authors of *The Menopause Diet Plan*, and together are known as The Menopause Dietitians.

They join me to cut through the noise around menopause nutrition and explain what actually changes, what gets exaggerated online, and which habits matter most.

We discuss:

• Whether metabolism actually slows during menopause

• Age, hormones, activity, and energy expenditure

• Why women may have less margin for gradual fat gain

• Hormones, appetite, sleep, and behaviour

• Estrogen and abdominal fat storage

• Stress, cortisol, and exercise

• Why alcohol can become more significant during menopause

• Fibre and practical ways to eat more of it

• Fibre fearmongering and “fibre maxing”

• Ultra-processed foods and nutrition nuance

• Menopause influencers and supplement misinformation

• How to judge credentials and health claims

• Practical nutrition strategies for menopause

• Why adding nutritious foods can work better than constant restriction

• Personalized fat-loss planning

• Easy nutrition wins like frozen vegetables

• And much more

Follow The Menopause Dietitians:

@menopausedietplan

CHAPTERS

00:54 Menopause and the Metabolism Myth

02:45 The Reality of Declining Activity

05:29 Aging, Pressure, and Grace

07:32 Health and Beauty From the Inside Out

11:51 What Hormones Actually Change

13:37 Estrogen and Abdominal Fat Storage

15:20 Alcohol and Smaller Calorie Margins

19:43 Stress, Cortisol, and Exercise

22:02 Menopause Influencers and Misinformation

24:43 Fibre Fearmongering

26:27 The “Fibre Maxing” Myth

27:13 Alcohol and Trigger Foods

27:38 Ultra-Processed Food Needs Nuance

29:09 Fast Food and the Speed Trap

30:57 The Menopause Supplement Grift

35:00 Credentials, Trust, and Health Information

40:52 Finding the Middle Ground

44:25 Practical Nutrition and Coaching Tips

50:33 Personalized Fat-Loss Planning

51:28 The Frozen-Vegetable Cheat Code

52:28 Final Thoughts and Resources

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PARTNERS AND RESOURCES

13-WEEK ONLINE GROUP STRENGTH PROGRAMS

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Choose:

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#504 Harley Pasternak - Diets and GLP-1 Use in Popular Culture Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

What happens when evidence-based nutrition collides with celebrity culture, fad diets, GLP-1 medications, and increasingly extreme body-image trends?

Harley Pasternak is an internationally renowned trainer, author, educator, and professor who has coached some of the most famous people in the world.

He joins me to discuss what fitness and nutrition actually look like behind the scenes—and how very different that can be from the stories presented online.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Harley navigates popular fad diets while staying evidence based

• Why extreme diets can become normalized through social media

• “A lot of today’s most popular diets look suspiciously like disordered eating”

• Harley’s experience coaching high-profile celebrities

• What celebrity fitness actually looks like behind the scenes

• Whether GLP-1 medications are as common in Hollywood as people think

• GLP-1s, weight loss, and changing body-image expectations

• Why cherry-picked photos of extremely thin celebrities can distort reality

• Media narratives around celebrity weight loss

• Harley’s thoughts on the 10,000-steps guideline

• Why daily walking and movement still matter

• What makes a great home gym

• What makes a great hotel gym

• Gym layout, equipment selection, and user experience

• Coaching people with extremely busy schedules

• Why sustainable habits still beat most fitness trends

• And much more

Follow Harley Pasternak on Instagram:

@harleypasternak

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If this episode helped you think differently about celebrity fitness, fad diets, GLP-1s, or daily movement:

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#503 Kevin Carr - How to Train for Independent Aging Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Kevin Carr is co-owner of several businesses and brands, including Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning and Certified Functional Strength Coach, and author of the new book Prescribing Movement as Medicine.

Kevin returns to share lessons from years of coaching athletes and everyday people, including how to train for performance today while preserving strength, capability, and independence for decades to come.

We discuss:

• How Kevin programs for elite athletes and general-population clients

• Why those programs may look more similar than expected

• Training for strength, muscle, stamina, bone health, power, and explosiveness

• Why older adults still benefit from speed and power training

• Modifying programs around available space and equipment

• Active warm-ups and pain-free training

• Why women are often stronger and more capable than they realize

• Kevin’s growing focus on longevity and healthy aging

• The “threshold of independence” and why staying above it matters

• How strength, power, and capacity decline when we stop training them

• Delaying the point where everyday tasks become physically demanding

• The gap between social-media fitness advice and what real people need

• Why the first 30 days of someone’s fitness experience matter

• Information overload, community, and simply getting people into the gym

• The gym as a “third space” outside work and home

• Managing parents and expectations in youth sports

• Strength and conditioning for keeping athletes healthy and “unbroken”

• Practical principles for reducing injury risk

• Parenthood and thinking differently about long-term health

• Why in-person coaching still matters

• The limitations of online coaching

• Semi-private and small-group training

• Real-world injury case studies

• Reverse-aging milestones and physical progress later in life

• And much more

Follow Kevin:
@coachkevincarr

CHAPTERS

01:16 Why Fitness Fails People
02:59 Information Overload
05:05 Just Get Them in the Door
08:00 Fitness Messaging for Everyone
10:38 Why the First 30 Days Matter
12:54 Teaching Clients Self-Advocacy
16:06 Community as a Feature
18:22 Post-COVID Gym Trends
21:03 The Gym as a Third Space
25:02 Managing Parents in Youth Sports
30:28 Strength and Conditioning for Athletes
31:55 Longevity and Long-Term Coaching
37:18 Recovery Plans for Professional Athletes
38:22 Does Exercise Form Really Matter?
40:07 Keeping Athletes Unbroken
41:06 Pain-Free Training Basics
42:05 Reducing Injury Risk
43:27 Fighting the Aging Slide
45:14 Independence and Disability Threshold
49:46 Parenthood and Long-Term Health
51:47 Why In-Person Coaching Still Matters
52:37 The Reality of Online Coaching
56:20 Real-World Injury Case Study
58:30 Reverse-Aging Milestones
01:01:10 Dunking, Risk, and Reward
01:04:07 Final Thoughts, Books, and Seminar

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#502 Luke Tulloch - How to Maximize Your Training When Time Constrained Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Luke Tulloch is one of my favourite communicators of evidence-based hypertrophy training.

Luke returns to talk about how becoming a parent forced him to rethink his training, remove low-value habits, and focus on what actually produces results.

We discuss:

• How parenthood changed Luke’s training for the better
• Why constraints can improve your program
• Cutting non-essential training and tracking
• How many sets it really takes to build muscle
• Low-volume training myths
• Diminishing returns from adding more volume
• Condensing workouts without sacrificing results
• Specialization phases and supersets
• Training effectively with a strict time limit
• Practical exercise selection
• Why machines can be ideal when setup time matters
• Reducing the mental load of training
• Whether there is actually a “best” training split
• What should determine your training split
• Flexible programming around real life
• How beliefs about genetic potential may influence outcomes
• Fearmongering around fatigue
• How to minimize the negative effects of alcohol
• Zero-percent beer and preserving the social ritual
• And much more

Follow Luke on Instagram:

@_luketulloch

CHAPTERS

00:54 Parenthood and Training Constraints
03:50 Luke’s Early Training Lessons
06:11 Low-Volume Training Myths
09:54 Cutting Low-ROI Tracking and Habits
14:26 How Many Sets Build Muscle?
17:13 Diminishing Returns Explained
20:34 How to Condense Your Workouts
22:55 Specialization Phases and Supersets
30:03 Training With a Hard Time Limit
30:59 Practical Exercise Selection
31:15 Why Machines Save Time
31:59 Treating the Gym Like an Equipment Playground
33:24 Reducing the Mental Load of Training
34:03 Why Training Splits Don’t Matter That Much
37:45 Practical Rules for Choosing a Split
39:01 Drag-and-Drop Programming
40:02 How Expectations Shape Performance
43:13 Fearmongering Around Fatigue
47:19 Alcohol Without Derailing Your Gains
51:50 Zero-Percent Beer and Keeping the Ritual
55:26 Fantasy Books and Luke’s Favourites
58:48 Where to Find Luke

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#501 Stan Efferding - Nutrition for Muscle Growth Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Stan Efferding is an icon of bodybuilding, powerlifting, and elite evidence-based coaching.

Stan returns with his unique ability to interpret cutting-edge research and combine it with decades of real-world experience coaching athletes at every level.

We discuss:

• Whether you actually need to be in a calorie surplus to build muscle

• How large a calorie surplus should be if the goal is maximizing muscle while minimizing fat gain

• Whether the traditional “dirty bulk” is finally dead

• Why gaining weight faster does not necessarily mean gaining muscle faster

• Which populations may still benefit from more traditional bulk-and-cut cycles

• How bodybuilding and fitness influencers have distorted expectations around realistic rates of muscle growth

• The impact of performance-enhancing drugs on what people believe is naturally achievable

• What is really happening with so-called “hardgainers”

• Why increases in NEAT can make gaining weight surprisingly difficult for some people

• Practical strategies for eating more when gaining weight is the goal

• Whether people starting at a higher body-fat percentage should get leaner before focusing on maximizing muscle growth

• Insulin resistance, body composition, and recomposition

• What matters more for muscle growth: nutrition or mechanical tension?

• Why training provides the signal and nutrition supports the adaptation

• Why simply consuming more protein cannot compensate for inadequate training

• Mechanical tension and what actually drives hypertrophy

• Effort and effective rep ranges

• Training volume and time efficiency

• Where diminishing returns begin with additional training volume

• Minimum effective volume versus maximizing muscle growth

• Why more exercise does not automatically produce more weight loss

• Common mistakes people make when using exercise for fat loss

• The role of cardio in weight management

• Why cardio calories are more complicated than simply reading the number on a machine

• How to reconcile step counts, structured cardio, and energy expenditure

• Why exercise needs to be enjoyable enough to sustain

• And much more

Follow Stan on Instagram:

@stanefferding

CHAPTERS

01:47 Do You Need a Calorie Surplus to Build Muscle?

05:41 Training Matters More Than the Surplus

09:24 PEDs and Unrealistic Muscle-Growth Expectations

14:36 Hardgainers, Appetite, and NEAT

18:02 Practical Strategies to Eat More

29:55 Training Beats Simply Eating More Protein

31:18 Mechanical Tension Explained

32:48 Effort and Effective Rep Ranges

33:22 Training Volume and Time Efficiency

36:35 Diminishing Returns From More Training

39:21 High-Volume Training Anecdotes

42:20 Minimum Effective Training Volume

44:34 Exercise and Weight-Loss Mistakes

52:43 Make Exercise Enjoyable

53:48 Reconciling Steps and Structured Cardio

55:57 Final Thoughts and Where to Find Stan

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#500 Dr. Layne Norton - You Will Not Outwork Me Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

I’m honoured to celebrate episode #500 with Dr. Layne Norton as my guest.

Layne is an icon of the fitness industry: a prolific educator, author, champion, world-record-holding powerlifter, and a major influence throughout my own career.

For this milestone, Layne joins me for a wide-ranging and personal conversation about work ethic, resilience, coaching, evidence, public battles, money, family, and the experiences that shaped who he is.

We discuss:

• What Layne means by “You will not outwork me”

• Where his work ethic came from and navigating ADHD

• PhD setbacks, major injuries, and rebuilding

• Business fallout, legal conflict, and career battles

• When relentless hustle stops being productive

• How Layne’s public persona developed

• Who he might be without years of battling industry grifters

• Why hearing “I believe in you” matters

• Great coaching beyond programming and nutrition

• Mentorship and Layne’s coaching tree

• Scrutinizing claims from people with impressive credentials

• Why credentials should never replace evaluating evidence

• Applying the same logic to claims you agree and disagree with

• Higher protein intake and mortality claims

• Saturated fat, seed oils, and nutrition narratives

• Why “the human body is not an algorithm” is misleading

• Calories in versus calories out and the financial-budget analogy

• Being frugal with possessions while prioritizing meaningful experiences

• Cars, homes, watches, heirlooms, and emotional value

• Layne’s proudest powerlifting moments

• And much more

I hope you enjoy this vulnerable peek behind the curtain of one of our industry’s most prominent authorities.

Thank you for being part of the journey to 500 episodes.

I’m far from done.

Follow Layne on Instagram: @biolayne

CHAPTERS

01:22 Layne Norton’s Origins

06:36 Work Ethic, ADHD, and Resilience

08:11 Injuries and the Comeback

09:36 PhD Setbacks and Building a System

12:14 Business Fallout and Legal Battles

19:33 When Hustle Starts to Hurt

24:32 Layne’s Public Persona and Fitness Grifters

27:19 The Pillars of Great Coaching

33:24 Mentorship and the Coaching Tree

34:14 Building a Coaching Legacy

36:12 Credentials Versus Evidence

38:19 Applying Logic Symmetrically

40:04 Protein Intake and the Longevity Debate

45:01 Saturated Fat, Seed Oils, and Nutrition Claims

47:22 Calories In, Calories Out

52:27 The Budget Analogy for Tracking Calories

54:02 Frugal Cars and Dream Homes

56:40 The Meaning Behind a Family Heirloom Watch

59:39 Spend Money on Experiences

01:02:46 Layne’s Greatest Powerlifting Moments

01:04:08 Final Thoughts and Episode #500 Wrap-Up

Save 20% on Dr. Layne Norton’s Biolayne and Certified Nutrition Coach certifications through Clean Health Institute, with extra savings when bundled:

https://cleanhealth.edu.au/sp/liftfree-layne/

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• Share the show and tag @andrewcoatesfitness

• Send this episode to someone who would appreciate Layne’s story

• Leave a rating or review

Thank you for helping this show reach 500 episodes.

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