Men’s Health: Built For Life

In this episode of the Men’s Health Built for Life podcast, Andrew Tracey sits down with exercise scientist, bodybuilder and one of the internet’s most recognisable fitness experts, Dr Mike Israetel, to cut through the noise surrounding training, nutrition and body composition.

Dr Mike explains why most men spend far too much time searching for the perfect exercise, diet or scientific ‘hack’ – and not enough time consistently applying the fundamentals that actually drive results. They discuss genetics, progressive overload, training intensity, high-volume versus high-intensity workouts, the importance of tracking your lifts and why ‘optimal’ is irrelevant when you’re struggling to make it to the gym.

They also break down what a realistic muscle-building diet looks like, why protein solves a surprising number of nutrition problems and how to stay on track when work, travel and real life inevitably disrupt your plans.

Expect brutally honest advice, questionable analogies and a simple message that many of us still don’t want to hear: slow, consistent effort works – but you have to keep doing it.

Dr Mike’s new book, The Aesthetic Revolution, is out now – a science-backed guide to building a leaner, more muscular body and embracing the fact that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look your best.

Men's Health UK: Built For Life Podcast

Hosted by Fitness Director Andrew Tracey and Ben Shephard.
Produced by Ruth Holroyd

Trusted guidance for men passionate about their health, fitness and mental wellbeing. With muscle-building advice, style hacks, nutrition tips and workouts to try, we’ve got all areas covered.

Want more from Men’s Health? Join the Men’s Health SQUAD for exclusive training plans, expert advice and tools to help you get stronger, faster – we’re with you every rep of the way. Click here: https://bit.ly/4eQkqIH

Men’s Health UK: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/
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Men’s Health UK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/menshealthuk
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Anxiety has never been more talked about – but has it ever been more misunderstood?

This week on the Men's Health Built for Life podcast, we sit down with psychotherapist and bestselling author Joshua Fletcher (better known to many as Anxiety Josh) to separate everyday worry from disordered anxiety, unpack why so many of us get trapped in cycles of panic, rumination and reassurance-seeking, and explore why the modern obsession with optimisation might actually be making our mental health worse.

Josh explains why trying to 'fix' anxiety often reinforces it, why you are the coping technique—not your breathing exercise, ice bath or latest wellness hack—and how learning to tolerate discomfort is the key to rewiring your brain's threat response.

We also dive into intrusive thoughts, OCD, health anxiety, the hidden ways anxiety shows up in men, and why shame – not weakness – is often what stops us asking for help.

Whether you've struggled with anxiety yourself, know someone who has, or simply want to understand your own mind a little better, this is a practical, compassionate conversation about living well alongside uncertainty.

Men's Health UK: Built For Life Podcast

Hosted by Fitness Director Andrew Tracey and Ben Shephard.
Produced by Ruth Holroyd

Trusted guidance for men passionate about their health, fitness and mental wellbeing. With muscle-building advice, style hacks, nutrition tips and workouts to try, we’ve got all areas covered.

Want more from Men’s Health? Join the Men’s Health SQUAD for exclusive training plans, expert advice and tools to help you get stronger, faster – we’re with you every rep of the way. Click here: https://bit.ly/4eQkqIH

Men’s Health UK: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/
Men’s Health UK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/menshealthuk/
Men’s Health UK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/menshealthuk
Men’s Health UK on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menshealthuk/
Men’s Health on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/menshealthuk/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Men’s Health Fitness Director Andrew Tracey sits down with coach, endurance athlete and content creator Kori Sampson to discuss the journey from bodybuilding and partying to sobriety, marathon running and 100-mile challenges.

Kori explains how he balances high-volume endurance training with building and maintaining muscle, why protein still matters for runners, how he fuels long races and what most people get wrong when trying to lose fat while improving performance.

The pair also discuss the pressure to appear ‘balanced’, why moderation simply doesn’t work for everyone, and how discipline can sometimes offer more freedom than constantly negotiating with yourself.

Plus, Kori reveals the gym movements he keeps in year-round, why runners should train more like bodybuilders, and how his approach to training, food and recovery has evolved as the challenges have become bigger.

Men's Health UK: Built For Life Podcast

Hosted by Fitness Director Andrew Tracey and Ben Shephard.
Produced by Ruth Holroyd

Trusted guidance for men passionate about their health, fitness and mental wellbeing. With muscle-building advice, style hacks, nutrition tips and workouts to try, we’ve got all areas covered.

Want more from Men’s Health? Join the Men’s Health SQUAD for exclusive training plans, expert advice and tools to help you get stronger, faster – we’re with you every rep of the way. Click here: https://bit.ly/4eQkqIH

Men’s Health UK: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/
Men’s Health UK on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/menshealthuk/
Men’s Health UK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/menshealthuk
Men’s Health UK on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menshealthuk/
Men’s Health on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/menshealthuk/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Men’s Health Built for Life podcast, Ben Shephard and Andrew Tracey are joined by physiologist and human-performance expert Oli Patrick to explore what really drives our energy – and why so many of us feel permanently exhausted.

Oli explains why sleep trackers and health data can sometimes create more anxiety than clarity, why we’re too quick to chase supplements and biohacks before fixing the basics, and why energy may be a more useful measure of wellbeing than any single biomarker.

The three discuss sleep, stress, nutrition, movement, recovery and the danger of ‘majoring in the minors’, before breaking down the foundational behaviours that can help us feel and perform better.

Oli also reveals why you should go to bed with a ‘clean mental inbox’, why there is rarely one magic fix, and the simple lesson he would airdrop into everyone’s brain: be kind to yourself.
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Can a diagnosis sometimes do more harm than good?

Claire Sanderson and Gemma Atkinson are joined by consultant neurologist and bestselling author Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan to explore why more people are receiving medical labels—and whether those labels always lead to better health.

Suzanne explains the important difference between misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis, and why finding an abnormality doesn’t necessarily mean it will ever make you ill. The conversation covers the rise in ADHD and autism diagnoses, the risks of medicating children too readily, health anxiety, wearables, full-body scans and the impact of constantly monitoring our bodies.

They also ask whether ordinary sadness and anxiety are becoming overmedicalised, and how we can raise awareness of menopause without making women fear it.

Suzanne’s views have attracted criticism, but her argument isn’t that people should ignore symptoms or avoid medical care. Instead, she wants us to ask: what will this diagnosis give me, what harm could it cause and will it meaningfully improve my life?

Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan’s latest book is The Age of Diagnosis.

This episode is for general information and discussion and should not replace personalised medical advice.

Want more from Women’s Health? Join the Women’s Health COLLECTIVE for workouts, exclusive events and expert advice to unlock your fittest self - Train smarter. Live better. Visit www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/wh-podcast
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