AI, Coaching, and Accountability: What Fitness Pros Must Know (with Michelle Blakely) | Iron Radio

On this special Iron Radio episode, Dr. Lonnie Lowery hosts fitness professional and AI expert Michelle Blakely, an NSCA-CPT and former USA Weightlifting sports performance coach who recently began a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer program at the University of Chicago Booth. They discuss how AI is already impacting coaching, programming, nutrition planning, and education, emphasizing that while AI can rapidly generate meal plans and training drafts, coaches remain vital for accountability, community, and human connection.

Blakely advises using AI as a drafting and efficiency tool with a human-in-the-loop to review errors and hallucinations, recommends moving from free to paid AI models for privacy and tracking team use, and argues practitioners must “radically accept” rapid exponential change to avoid a near-term divide between AI-literate and AI-illiterate professionals. The episode also includes updates on Iron Radio’s new distribution channels and related resources.

00:00 Welcome to Iron Radio

00:36 Meet Michelle Blakely

02:09 AI Anxiety to Action

03:27 AI in Education and Coaching

06:03 Accountability Beats Algorithms

10:38 Paid Tools and Privacy

13:57 Governance and Human Oversight

15:24 Show Updates and Resources

18:42 Will AI Replace Humans

23:38 Exponential Change and Adaptation

27:45 Apps vs Real Community

33:23 Wrap Up and Contact Info

35:17 Disclaimer and Sign Off

Michelle Blakely -

• Here is Michelle Blakely's link to jump on a complimentary 15-minute call to discuss any AI questions as offered in the show: https://meetings.hubspot.com/info2033?uuid=64509963-36cf-4737-bd4c-516b5b00b210
• Here is the link to the "48 hours of no AI" article from the New York Times Michelle referenced: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/style/48-hours-without-ai.html

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: Popular Peptides in Strength Sports (Sermorelin, TB-500, PEG-MGF) + Show Updates

On Iron Radio, hosts Dr. Lonnie Lowery and Dr. Mike T. Nelson (with Coach Phil Stevens joining later) discuss what an AI scan identified as popular peptides in strength sports, focusing on sermorelin, TB-500, and PEG-MGF. They review purported mechanisms and typical injection use, emphasize limited human data and anti-doping restrictions, and share anecdotes about mixed results—especially for sermorelin and tissue-healing peptides often paired with BPC-157—while raising questions about GH/IGF-1 testing, pituitary responsiveness with age, and product quality from research chemical sources versus compounding pharmacies.

They also touch on movement and brain health, mention Dr. Tommy Wood’s book, note Iron Radio’s updated distribution/feed changes and Mike’s newsletter, and preview Phil’s upcoming meet as he manages knee pain while preparing his 10-year-old son to attempt national-record lifts.

00:00 Welcome to Iron Radio

00:49 Hosts and intros

01:13 Kiteboarding and GoPro

02:05 Movement for brain health

03:11 Treadmill vs real running

03:43 AI peptides overview

05:02 Sermorelin GH booster

12:37 TB-500 tissue repair

19:33 Oral peptides and collagen

22:36 Show updates and promos

25:34 PEG-MGF muscle growth

28:27 Peptide Site Injections

28:51 Phil Joins Peptide Talk

29:31 Tesamorelin Fat Loss Hype

30:28 Standalone Results and Sleep

31:58 Legal Access and GH Tradeoffs

34:22 Pituitary Limits and Testing

36:30 Hormone Spikes vs Real Gains

39:15 Peptide Wild West Risks

41:04 Sourcing and FDA Crackdowns

42:36 Meet Prep and Youth Records

44:53 Wrap Up and Disclaimer

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie

Iron Radio: Top 3 Reasons to Compete in Strength & Physique Sports

Hosts Coach Phil Stevens and Dr. Lonnie Lowery discuss their top three reasons to compete in strength and physique sports: competition provides direction and purpose that sharpens training and nutrition through a clear timeline and accountability; it forces honesty and adherence to strict standards under rules, exposing true performance and differentiating meet PRs from gym PRs; and it ends “someday” thinking by offering a tangible “receipt” of achievement via judged results and public performance. Lonnie adds that competing is also a courage test—overcoming fear and being evaluated in public—while both note the importance of using competition anxiety productively and focusing on personal progress. They also emphasize the value of team support and leading by example, especially when coaching and training with others, and encourage listeners to try competing rather than waiting for perfect conditions.

00:00 Iron Radio Intro

00:42 Leg Press Banter

01:20 Why Compete Today

02:01 Reason One Purpose

06:27 Reason Two Honest Rules

09:36 Reason One Courage Test

11:16 Using Fear on Stage

13:09 Crowd Wants You Win

14:00 Stop Waiting Sign Up

14:24 Meet Day Receipts

16:01 Iron Radio Updates

17:11 Newsletter And New Book

18:59 Compete For Yourself

21:58 Chasing Real Greatness

24:50 Team Effort And Coaching

26:51 Final Push To Compete

29:14 Disclaimer And Wrap Up

Donate to the show via PayPal HERE.

You can also join Dr Mike's Insider Newsletter for more info on how to add muscle, improve your performance and body comp - all without destroying your health, go to www.ironradiodrmike.com

Thank you!

Phil, Jerrell, Mike T, and Lonnie