Ep 306 - Mental Health, Physique Sports, and Fitness Coaching (ft. Laurin Conlin)

In this crossover episode of Iron Culture, co-hosts Danny Lennon and Eric Trexler are joined by fitness professional and fellow Sports Nutrition Association (SNA) advisory board member Laurin Conlin. Together, they dive into the complex relationship between mental health, physique sports, and fitness coaching. Laurin shares her personal experiences and insights on how disordered eating and body image issues often arise in competitive physique sports, and how these behaviors can permeate into the broader fitness space. The conversation highlights strategies for recognizing and reducing harmful behaviors, the importance of revisiting problematic terminology in the industry, and the value of maintaining a holistic perspective in coaching. Practical advice for fitness practitioners is grounded in evidence-based approaches like motivational interviewing, helping coaches better support clients navigating these challenges. The episode concludes with resources for learning more about the SNA and its initiatives in advancing sports nutrition practice. Time stamps: 00:00 Introducing Laurin to this SNA crossover episode 06:05 What got Laurin into the mental health space and where does physique sport cross into disordered eating/body image disorder? 15:02 Recognising and reducing harmful behaviours and cognitions associated with competing in physique sport  28:20 Laurin’s personal experiences and physique sport behaviours permeating into general health and fitness  35:51 Problematic terminology and looking at the bigger picture 45:51 Advice for health practitioners to help clients in this area Clifford & Curtis (2016) Motivational interviewing in nutrition and fitness. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-33705-000 58:22 Closing out and where to find more information on the Sport Nutrition Association Website https://sportsnutritionassociation.com/ Board Members https://sportsnutritionassociation.com/advisory-board/

Om Podcasten

Iron Culture was started by Eric Helms and Omar Isuf, now currently hosted by Eric Helms and Eric Trexler with Omar as a returning guest, as a means of exploring the world of physical culture and attempting to distill a unified philosophy of lifting and to help listeners find greater meaning from the iron. The lifting community has become fractured over the last ~70 years and this Podcast will attempt to explore the fundamental threads that unite these different tribes. The Podcast focuses on dispensing practical, useful information to the listener, bouncing from history, to philosophy, to contemporary lifting culture issues, to science. This can range from teaching the audience about lifting, programming, nutrition, supplements/PEDs and the history of lifting culture. The format includes casual conversations between the two hosts on a variety of topics, discussions with a panel of experts and interviews with authoritative figures in the lifting community.