Layne Norton, PhD is one of the strength world’s most respected minds when it comes to the science behind building muscle and strength. He’s also competed in both bodybuilding and powerlifting at elite levels. Layne joins us to talk about what the bodybuilding and powerlifting worlds can learn from each other, along with sifting through the “bro science” to determine what’s actually optimal for building muscle.
In this episode of the BarBend Podcast, David Thomas Tao talks to Layne Norton about:
- Living the double life of being a meathead/nerd (2:24)
- Layne’s origins in strength sports and early interest in muscle building (4:00)
- Layne’s research into nutritional interventions that can improve muscle gain: How different sources of protein create better anabolic responses to a meal (6:00)
- Early days of Layne’s bodybuilding career, and how it intersected with his research (8:30)
- Transitioning from bodybuilding to powerlifting (10:30)
- What bodybuilders can learn from powerlifters and vice versa (16:50)
- Layne’s unpopular opinion about bodybuilding and bodybuilders (17:16)
- It is possible to perform well and be lean (20:00)
- Why crash dieting isn’t optimal for weight loss in powerlifting (22:30)
- What currently interests Layne most about strength and performance (25:30)
- Most bodybuilders compete way too often (29:20)
Relevant links and further reading:
