The Mind Muscle Connection

Muscle, Maintenance, and Metabolism: Smarter Recomp Strategies with Philip Pape | Ep 584

Jeff Hoehn

Link to my episode on Philips pod: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1870546/episodes/16824060

Welcome to the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast!

In this episode, I had the pleasure of bringing on Philip Pape, certified nutrition coach, high-performance physique engineer, and host of the Wits & Weights Podcast, for a collab conversation on all things body recomposition. This was part two of our collaboration—Philip interviewed me for his podcast about how maintenance can be a powerful tool for body recomposition (check that out too—linked in the show notes).

For my show, I flipped the script and asked him about his approach to:

  • How he defines body recomp (it’s more than just "lose fat, build muscle at the same time")
  • When he uses small deficits vs. small surpluses with clients
  • How he sets up fat loss phases without crashing biofeedback
  • The benefits of "aggressive maintenance" and small surpluses for lean gains
  • Why we need to stop obsessing over weight and body fat % and focus on what we’re actually building

We also talked about who should be in a surplus (and who shouldn’t), how to monitor progress beyond the scale, and why low-carb/keto diets often underdeliver in muscle-building phases.

Whether you’re a coach or someone trying to build muscle, lose fat, or both—this episode is packed with nuance, client experience, and practical takeaways. 

Where to find Philip: 

Podcast: https://podcast.witsandweights.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/witsandweights/

Follow me on Instagram for more information and education:  @jeffhoehn_

FREE 30 Min Strategy Call: HERE
Body Recomp Checklist 2.0 HERE
Nutrition Periodization Masterclass: HERE
How You Can Work With Me?: HERE
Coaching application: HERE

Body Recomp Checklist 2.0: https://chipper-producer-6244.kit.com/26b5c9f94a