Can being fit protect you from alcohol's damage? Should you double your creatine dose? Do women need to program training around their cycle? In this research review, Cody McBroom breaks down four new studies: what they found, where they fall short, and exactly how to apply them. No hype, no shortcuts. Just the data.

IN THIS EPISODE:

→ Alcohol vs. Fitness (The HUNT Study): 24,853 adults tracked for 16+ years. Changes in fitness predicted mortality more strongly than changes in drinking. The most dangerous pattern in the entire study wasn't heavy drinking. It was losing fitness. (But fitness is a buffer, not an eraser.)

→ High-Dose Creatine: Where the muscle saturation ceiling really is, when bigger lifters need 6–8g, and why 10–20g/day may matter for your brain during sleep deprivation, mental fatigue, and high-stress training blocks. Plus how to avoid the GI issues.

→ Menstrual Cycle & Strength Training: 28 trained women, 4 cycles, hormone-verified phases, and bar-speed data from real training sessions. Cycle phase barely moved performance. Motivation and pain did, and pain hit deadlifts and bench press in opposite directions.

→ Irisin & Fat Loss: A 50-trial meta-analysis on the "fat-browning" myokine. Resistance training posted the biggest increase, but here's why a blood marker doesn't beat energy balance, and why the irisin research carries a real measurement controversy.

————

🤝 16+ Years Coaching. 3,000+ Real Clients.

📩 Apply for 1:1 Coaching: https://tailoredcoachingmethod.com

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ALWAYS FULFILLED, NEVER SATISFIED.©

CHOOSE HARD.©

————

STUDIES REFERENCED:

- Munteanu et al. (2026). The Effect of Menstrual Cycle Phase, Symptoms, Motivation, and Readiness to Perform on Resistance Training Performance. Sports Medicine.

- Nauman et al. (2025). Running from Death: Can Fitness Outpace Alcohol's Harm? Sports Medicine.

- Hejazi et al. (2026). Effects of Different Training Modalities on Circulating Irisin Levels in Overweight and Obesity Adults. Sports Medicine.

- Hultman et al. (1996); Candow et al. (2023); McMorris et al. (2006); Gordji-Nejad et al. (2024) – creatine dosing & brain bioenergetics

After 4 years running Tailored Coaching Method out of a physical HQ, I'm closing it down — and building a new studio from scratch on my own property. In this episode, I break down the real numbers behind the decision: $10K a month in rent, $11K all-in once you factor in the energy bill and other costs — and why walking away from that saves us $120K this year alone. I also get into the more nuanced number: $99K in net savings even while we're simultaneously funding and building the new facility, which is the number that actually matters once construction starts.

I get into the parts most entrepreneurs don't talk about — the actual build cost of a detached garage studio, how the rental agreement between TCM and my wife and I works, and why paying yourself rent can build personal wealth while cutting business overhead. I also talk about what it's like building this with my family (my wife designing it, my father-in-law and brother-in-law building it), moving back home after 7 years away, and the boundaries I'm setting so work doesn't swallow family life.

If you're a coach or entrepreneur who thinks a bigger office is the end-game metric of success, or you're staring down a pivot that feels risky on paper, this episode is the unfiltered walkthrough of how I made the call — and what I'd tell you if you're facing one of your own.

Topics covered: why we're closing HQ at 7 figures, the true cost of leasing vs. building, tax strategy for renting property to your own business, managing team culture through a remote transition, building a studio with family, and reframing "stepping backward" as strategic growth.

————

🤝 16+ Years Coaching. 3,000+ Real Clients.

📩 Apply for 1:1 Coaching: https://tailoredcoachingmethod.com

🎓 Mentorship for Coaches – https://tailoredcoachingmentorship.com/

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CodyMcBroom1

📖 Free Guides: https://tailoredcoachingmethod.com/guides

📝 Free Articles: https://tailoredcoachingmethod.com/blog

🎙️ Choose Hard Podcast: https://choosehardpodcast.com/

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📧 Inquiries: info@tailoredcoachingmethod.com

⭐ Enjoyed this one? A rating/review on Apple Podcasts helps more than you'd think — takes 15 seconds and puts the show in front of someone who needs it.

ALWAYS FULFILLED, NEVER SATISFIED.©

CHOOSE HARD.©

Most people have been chasing the wrong signals in the gym for years — the burn, the pump, the soreness. They feel like proof the workout worked. According to the research, they're mostly just byproducts. In this episode of the Choose Hard Podcast, Cody McBroom breaks down the actual science of muscle hypertrophy — what drives it, what's a myth, and what you need to change in your training right now.

This isn't a deep-dive research lecture. It's the science, simplified — the way Cody breaks it down for the 2,000+ clients he's coached over his career.

What's covered in this episode:

→The #1 driver of muscle growth — and it's not what most people chase

→ The truth about "non-responders" and hard gainers

→ What actually makes someone a hyperresponder

→ Stretch-induced hypertrophy and lengthened partials

→ Training volume — the sweet spot the research actually supports

→ Concurrent training and the interference effect

→ Building muscle after 55

Whether you're brand new to training or you've been lifting for years and feel like you've plateaued, this episode gives you the research-backed framework to actually understand what's happening in your body — and what to do about it.

—

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Luka Hocevar, Elite Coach and Gym Owner!

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⇨ www.tailoredcoachingmethod.com/online-coaching {1-On-1 Fitness & Nutrition Coaching}

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What does it actually take to coach elite athletes AND show up as a present father and partner? In this episode, Cody McBroom sits down with Luka Hocevar, founder of Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance, to unpack the "ultimate trifecta" of balancing partner, father, and business owner roles — and why struggling with it is normal, not a red flag.

They dig into why constraints (not freedom) drive real innovation, how the best strength coaches build programs "bottom-up" around an athlete's actual schedule and fatigue instead of a rigid paper plan, and why dropping ego and leading with curiosity separates elite coaches from the rest. Luka also shares how intentionally practicing life transitions — like shifting from "business owner" to "dad" the moment he walks in the door — keeps him present, and why peer community (not just mentors) is one of the most underrated tools for men carrying heavy responsibility.

Topics covered: expectation management, life transitions, high challenge + high support mentoring, general physical preparation (GPP) coaching principles, constraints and creativity, and building a peer support circle.

Follow Luka on instagram @lukahocevar

📌 Follow Choose Hard on instagram @choosehardpodcast and grab Choose Hard Merch at www.choose-hard.com

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Why does chronic pain persist even after rest, ice, and painkillers? Dr. Sean Pastuch — founder and CEO of Active Life and author of Live More. Hurt Less. — joins the show to explain why pain itself isn't the real problem. The problem is the compromises pain forces you to make.

Grab Dr. Sean’s new book, Live More. Hurt Less. — https://amzn.to/46xsskl

In this episode:

- The 4 Rules for deciding whether to push through pain or stop

- The difference between Insult, Irritation, Pain, and Injury — and why most people confuse them

- Why tendinitis treatment (ice, rest, anti-inflammatories) often makes tendinosis worse

- The "Cage of Hypervigilance" and how shrinking your life to avoid pain backfires

- Why "when you feel 100%, you're only 30-50% ready" to return to activity

- His take on fixing a broken medical system without blaming doctors

If you're stuck in pain, told to "just rest," or ready to stop compromising — this conversation will change how you think about recovery.

GET 20% OFF ALL CHOOSE-HARD MERCH, USING CODE PODCAST20 AT CHECKOUT: https://choose-hard.shop/

📌 Follow Choose Hard on instagram @choosehardpodcast and grab Choose Hard Merch at www.choose-hard.com

❓ASK YOUR QUESTION FOR THE NEXT Q&A EPISODE: question.choosehardpodcast.com

ℹ️ LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ONLINE COACHING PROGRAMS:

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INQUIRIES – ⁠info@tailoredcoachingmethod.com

Ryan Hawk — host of The Learning Leader Show and USA Today bestselling author of The Price of Becoming — joins the Choose Hard Podcast to break down why high performance isn't a destination, it's a compounding daily practice.

Ryan lost the starting QB job at Miami University to a future Hall of Famer, and that failure became the foundation for everything he now teaches about growth. In this episode, we unpack his three-part framework — Learn, Work, Lead — and why comfort and growth can never coexist.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why "contemplate, copy, create" is the fastest path to finding your authentic voice

• How to identify your personal "100 shots a day" — the unglamorous reps that build real mastery

• Why writing and selling are fundamentally the same skill

• How to lead without waiting for permission or a title

• Why passive-aggressive leadership is the fastest way to destroy a culture

If you've ever felt like growth should have an endpoint, this conversation will change how you think about the price you're willing to pay to keep becoming.

Check out Ryan’s latest book, here: https://learningleader.com/

GET 20% OFF ALL CHOOSE-HARD MERCH, USING CODE PODCAST20 AT CHECKOUT: https://choose-hard.shop/

📌 Follow Choose Hard on instagram @choosehardpodcast and grab Choose Hard Merch at www.choose-hard.com

❓ASK YOUR QUESTION FOR THE NEXT Q&A EPISODE:

⇨ question.choosehardpodcast.com

ℹ️ LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ONLINE COACHING PROGRAMS:

⇨ www.fatlosstransformation.com {1-On-1 Coaching}

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INQUIRIES – ⁠info@tailoredcoachingmethod.com

In this episode, I turn 34 and share 34 real, unscripted life lessons I journaled over the past year — as a husband, father, coach, and entrepreneur building Tailored Coaching Method.

No interview. No guest. Just me, my journal, and 34 insights I wrote down in real time — on ownership, boundaries, faith, discipline, relationships, and what it actually means to choose hard.

What you'll learn in this episode:

- Why "balance" is a myth — and what to pursue instead

- Why boundaries create freedom, not restriction

- Why high-agency people win, and how to build agency

- Why complaints are just misreads of reality

- Why elimination often leads to multiplication in business and life

- Why respect matters more than being liked

- Why your standards are only as real as your worst day

This is my most personal episode yet — a birthday tradition of reflection, ownership, and faith. If you're a coach, entrepreneur, parent, or just someone trying to grow through hard seasons, this one's for you.

🎙️ Choose Hard Podcast — new episodes weekly on leadership, fitness business, and becoming who you're meant to be.

#ChooseHard #LeadByExample #NoShortcuts

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📌 Follow Choose Hard on instagram @choosehardpodcast and grab Choose Hard Merch at www.choose-hard.com

❓ASK YOUR QUESTION FOR THE NEXT Q&A EPISODE:

⇨ question.choosehardpodcast.com

ℹ️ LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ONLINE COACHING PROGRAMS:

⇨ www.fatlosstransformation.com {1-On-1 Coaching}

⇨ https://tailoredcoachingmentorship.com/ {Mentorship w/ Cody}

📲 DOWNLOAD MY APP & START A TRAINING PLAN, FOR FREE:

⇨ www.thetailoredtrainer.com

🛒 PURCHASE YOUR CHOOSE HARD HAT & JOURNAL:

⇨https://www.tailoredcoachingmethod.shop/collections/all

💊 JOCKOFUEL SUPPLEMENTS (Code CHOOSEHARD for 20% Off):

https://jockofuel.com/discount/CHOOSEHARD

🎙️CLIENT CASE STUDIES & TRANSFORMATION STORIES:

- SPOTIFY: ⁠https://bit.ly/tlrd-transformations-spotify⁠

- APPLE PODCASTS:⁠https://apple.co/3GPlDxG⁠

GET MORE FREE CONTENT AT THE LINKS BELOW:

📖 FREE ARTICLES: ⁠https://tailoredcoachingmethod.com/blog⁠

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IG -⁠https://www.instagram.com/codymcbroom⁠

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INQUIRIES – ⁠info@tailoredcoachingmethod.com