Wits & Weights | Evidence-Based Fitness & Nutrition for Lifters Over 40

Wits & Weights is a strength and nutrition podcast where in every episode I put a popular piece of fitness advice under the microscope, find the hidden reason it doesn't work, and give you the deceptively simple fix that does.

For skeptics of the fitness industry who are tired of following the rules and still not seeing results. If you've been lifting weights, tracking macros, and doing "all the right things" but your body composition hasn't changed, you're probably overcomplicating it. This is the fitness podcast that shows you how to build muscle, lose fat, and achieve a real body recomp by focusing only on what the evidence actually supports.

Evidence-based fat loss coach Philip Pape brings an engineer's approach to strength training, nutrition, and metabolism. Instead of another generic program or meal plan, you get specific, science-based strategies for optimizing body composition, whether you're focused on building muscle, losing fat, or both. The focus is on strength training over 40, hormone health, perimenopause and menopause, and longevity.

You've seen the conflicting advice. One expert says cut carbs, the next says eat more. One says train six days a week, another says three is plenty. Building the body you want doesn't have to be this confusing or time-consuming. By using your wits (systems + identity-based behavior change) and lifting weights, you can build muscle definition, improve your physique, and maintain your results for life without rebound weight gain.

You'll learn smart, efficient strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle, and mindset, such as:

- Why fat loss matters more than weight loss for both your health and your physique
- Why all the macros, including protein, fats, and yes even carbs, are critical to body composition
- How just 3 hours a week of proper hypertrophy training can deliver better results than most people get in twice that time
- Why building muscle is the single most powerful thing you can do for metabolic health, longevity, and aging well
- Why perimenopause and menopause don't have to derail your progress when your training and nutrition are dialed in
- How shifting the way you think about fitness can unlock more physical (and personal) growth than any program alone

If you're ready to learn what actually works with evidence-based training and nutrition, hit "follow" and let's engineer your best physique ever!

Popular Guests Include: Mike Matthews (author of Bigger Leaner Stronger), Greg Nuckols (Stronger by Science), Alan Aragon (nutrition researcher), Eric Helms (3D Muscle Journey), Dr. Spencer Nadolsky (Docs Who Lift), Bill Campbell (exercise science researcher), Jordan Feigenbaum (Barbell Medicine), Holly Baxter (evidence-based physique coach), Laurin Conlin (physique coach), Lauren Colenso-Semple (nutrition researcher), Karen Martel (hormone optimization expert), Steph Gaudreau (women's strength and nutrition), Bryan Boorstein (hypertrophy coach)

Popular Topics Include: hormone health, metabolism optimization, hypertrophy training, longevity and healthy aging, nutrition tracking, best protein powder selection, strength training over 40, women's fitness, perimenopause, menopause, muscle building, body recomp, macros and nutrition tracking

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Wits & Weights | Evidence-Based Fitness & Nutrition for Lifters Over 40

Something BIG is Coming...

November 09, 2025 • Philip Pape, Evidence-Based Nutrition Coach & Fat Loss Expert

0:00 | 3:16

I've been building something for the few months. Something that's going to change how you approach building muscle and losing fat after 40.

I'm not telling you what it is yet.

But if you want the first preview tomorrow, join my email list at https://witsandweights.com/email

More coming this week.

📱 Get Fitness Lab (now 20% off) - Science-based coaching app for fat loss, muscle building, and strength training over 40. It adapts to your nutrition, recovery, and training to improve body composition without the stress.

🎓 Join Physique University - Evidence-based nutrition coaching and strength training to help you lose fat, build muscle, and master your metabolism with support + accountability (FREE custom nutrition plan with code FREEPLAN).

👥 Join our Facebook community - Free fat loss, muscle building, and body recomposition strategies for adults over 40 who want practical, science-backed fitness guidance.

👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram

Philip Pape: 0:00

Hey wits and weights family. Quick one today. I have been working on something for the past few months, something that I'm really excited about, something that I think is going to change how a lot of you approach building muscle and losing fat in today's age of technology. I'm not going to tell you exactly what it is yet. You might have some ideas, but I do want to give you a heads up that it's coming. And over the next week and a half, I'm going to be sharing more about it. You know that I talk to people every single day, every single week who are doing all the things right on paper. They understand progressive overload. They listen to the podcast. They know their protein targets. They're tracking things like their scale weight and macros and body composition metrics and things like that. They're following the evidence-based principles, but they're still guessing in a lot of areas. Is this workout hard enough? Should I add weight or reps? Am I recovering properly? What do I do when this or that, when the scale hasn't moved, when I'm plateauing? Is my nutrition dialed in? Am I missing something? And information is everywhere. It's blasted everywhere. You've listened to probably close to, if not all, 400 episodes of this podcast. You've read articles, I'm sure. You understand the science. But what's missing is that interpretation layer, the thing that takes your specific situation and data, your weight trends, your training feedback, your day-to-day biofeedback and recovery, and tells you exactly what to do next. Not just generic templated advice, not what works for a 20-year-old influencer, what works for you in your 40s, 50s, beyond, with your recovery capacity, your hormonal situation, your schedule, your life. So I've spent the past several months building something that's scalable, that allows me to spread and impact, you know, more people with something beyond just what coaching can provide to solve that exact problem. And over the next week and a half, I'm going to show you exactly what it is, how it works, how you can use it to finally stop guessing and be as empowered as you could possibly imagine to start making that systemic progress you're going for. So starting Monday tomorrow, you're going to get an email from me with the first preview. And then throughout the next week, I'll be releasing more content that walks you through the whole thing. And then on November 18th, Tuesday, November 18th, it launches. So if you're not on my email list, now's the time to join because tomorrow's email is going to give you the first look at what this is. And between now and launch on November 18th, email subscribers are going to get the most detailed information, plus a bonus that I'm not going to be sharing anywhere else. Just go to witsandweights.com slash email and sign up if you're not on my list already. It takes 30 seconds. Again, go to witsandweights.com slash email. Link is also in the show notes. Tomorrow you'll get the first preview in your inbox. If you're listening to this episode a few days later, I'm happy to resend that to you. And then next week we're going to go deeper. I am so, so excited about this. You don't understand. I just think you're going to love it. The initial feedback is already incredibly amazed at how this thing works. And I'm just excited. I'll talk to you soon.