The science of resistance training, building muscle, and anabolic steroid use in bodybuilding | Mike Israetel, Ph.D.

**Peter Attia** (0:11)
Hey everyone, welcome to the Drive podcast. I'm your host, Peter Attia. This podcast, my website and my weekly newsletter all focus on the goal of translating the science of longevity into something accessible for everyone. Our goal is to provide the best content in health and wellness, and we've established a great team of analysts to make this happen. It is extremely important to me to provide all of this content without relying on paid ads. To do this, our work is made entirely possible by our members, and in return, we offer exclusive member-only content and benefits above and beyond what is available for free. If you want to take your knowledge of this space to the next level, it's our goal to ensure members get back much more than the price of a subscription. If you want to learn more about the benefits of our premium membership, head over to peterattiamd.com/subscribe. My guest this week is Dr. Mike Israetel. Mike holds a PhD in Sports Physiology and is currently the head science consultant for Renaissance Periodization. He is a competitive bodybuilder and was formerly a professor of Exercise and Sports Science at the School of Public Health at Temple University in Philadelphia. As a co-founder of Renaissance Periodization, Mike has coached numerous athletes and busy professionals in both diet and weight training. Mike also has a very popular YouTube channel where he loves to do debunking videos that are both informative and endlessly amusing. In today's conversation, Mike shares his personal journey from his early experiences in powerlifting and bodybuilding to his academic training in exercise science. We discuss the core principles of resistance training including exercise selection, volume, intensity and frequency. Mike debunks the common fear that strength training will make people overly muscular without intention. He explains why this belief is unfounded and highlights the dedication required to build significant muscle mass. We outline what a resistance training routine could look like for someone new to the gym or transitioning from sports. For more experienced lifters, we explore how to optimize resistance training for muscle growth. Mike shares his personal experience with anabolic steroids, outlining their impact on muscle growth, mental health and performance. He discusses the pros and cons, including the significant physical changes and potential long-term health risks. It's really worth pointing out here that Mike is one of the most candid individuals I've ever met when it comes to discussing his use of anabolic steroids, growth hormones and things of that nature. What is remarkable to me, and you can see this in the podcast, is just how jaw-dropping the numbers are in terms of usage. When you're talking to an individual like me, who's prescribed testosterone for many patients under physiologic circumstances, it was impossible to fathom just the types of doses that bodybuilders are using. We discussed the role of genetics in muscle growth and strength, as well as the influence of age and other lifestyle factors. This conversation offers insights into the science of resistance training and practical advice for anyone looking to build muscle, while also exploring the experience of someone who has been in the bodybuilding world. So without further delay, please enjoy my conversation with Mike Israetel.
Mike, thank you very much for making the trip to Austin.

**Mike Israetel** (3:29)
Thank you so much for having me.

**Peter Attia** (3:30)
I saw something on social media. You were here a week ago. Have you been here the whole time or?

**Mike Israetel** (3:34)
Yes, week and a half long social media collaborative trip.

**Peter Attia** (3:37)
You weren't here for F1?

**Mike Israetel** (3:38)
No, loud noises scare me, so I would stay away from that sort of thing. I'm kidding. It sounds awesome. I've never actually been to a formula race in real life. And my videographer and business partner in YouTube, huge Formula One fan, he has the app and everything, livestreams all the races and stuff. Are you big into that sort of thing?

**Peter Attia** (3:56)
I not only have the app, I'm the premium subscriber.

**Mike Israetel** (3:58)
My God.

**Peter Attia** (3:58)
So I can listen to all the chatter of every moment between every car and their mechanic.

**Mike Israetel** (4:03)
And yes, of course. That's really cool, yeah. I make a lot of race car analogies when it comes to athletics and stuff. So if I make them here, you can correct me and say I'm using them wrong.

**Peter Attia** (4:13)
Well, Mike, there's gonna be some folks listening and watching us who are probably very familiar with your work and they've probably come to learn about you as I have through just endless years of being both amused and educated by your content on YouTube. But there's probably a group of people here just in my audience that aren't overlapping with yours. So I want to give folks a chance to kind of get to know you. I will have introduced you already in the introduction, but let's talk just a little bit about your background. Remind me, you came to the US from Russia when you were? Eight.