The rebuilding runs on a process called remodeling: specialized cells called osteoclasts clear away old, damaged bone while osteoblasts lay down new tissue. Peak bone mass arrives in the late twenties to early thirties, and from there it's a slow decline — faster for anyone inactive, under-eating, or skipping resistance work. The most effective defense is loading bone on purpose. Strength training pulls on bone and signals it to densify, and it builds the balance and stability that prevent the falls that fracture weak bone in the first place. Plyometrics — jumping, hopping, the explosive movements most people skip — add the dynamic, high-impact load that bone responds to best, especially in the hips and lower body where osteoporotic fractures tend to happen. And these habits compound, so the work done in your twenties, thirties, and forties sets your fracture risk decades later.

Movement only pays off if the raw materials are there, and strong bone is a team effort. Calcium is the building mineral, but it needs vitamin D to be absorbed, magnesium to keep its balance, and vitamin K to direct it into bone rather than into blood vessels. Protein matters more than most people assume — bone isn't pure mineral, it's built on a protein matrix, largely collagen, that gives it flexibility and structure (and collagen isn't just for women). Chronic under-eating and crash dieting starve that whole system. Sitting on top of all of it are the hormones: estrogen slows bone breakdown in both sexes, which is why loss accelerates after menopause; testosterone supports bone-building; and chronically elevated cortisol — from stress, poor sleep, or long-term steroids — tips the balance toward loss.

That interconnection is what makes the GLP-1 question more complicated than the marketing suggests. The medications aren't villains — for the right person they're a genuine tool. But rapid weight loss strips muscle along with fat, and appetite suppression can drop protein and nutrient intake too low to maintain bone. Push the first domino — the number on the scale — and muscle, bone, and recovery fall behind it. Current research ties the bone concern more to that muscle loss and reduced loading than to any direct effect of the drug, and it points back to the same protections that build bone in the first place: enough protein, calcium, and vitamin D, plus resistance training. Which is the reassuring part — bones are more in your control than they feel. Ask for bone-density and hormone markers at the next blood draw, train with load and impact, eat enough protein, and start early, because this is a skeleton you build over decades, not weeks. No adamantium required.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Bones are living tissue, not a static frame. They constantly remodel — osteoclasts break down old bone, osteoblasts build new — and they respond to load just like muscle does.
• Use it or lose it. Peak bone mass arrives in your late twenties to early thirties; after that it declines, faster if you're inactive, under-eating, or skipping resistance training.
• Muscle and bone are directly linked. Building muscle pulls on bone and helps maintain density — so strength training does double duty.
• Plyometrics matter and get ignored. Jumping, hopping, and explosive movement load the hips and lower body where fractures happen. Start early; they get harder to begin later.
• Bone nutrition is a team. Calcium needs vitamin D to absorb, magnesium and vitamin K to be directed properly, and protein/collagen to maintain the bone's structural matrix. Collagen isn't just for women.
• Hormones set the balance. Estrogen (in both sexes), testosterone, and cortisol all influence whether you're building bone or losing it — which is why bone loss accelerates after menopause and with chronically high stress.
• GLP-1s deserve nuance. Useful for the right patient, but rapid weight loss can cost muscle and bone, especially if protein and training fall off. Current research links the concern to muscle loss and reduced loading more than to a direct drug effect — and resistance training plus adequate protein, calcium, and vitamin D are the recognized protections.
• It's a domino chain. People focus on the first domino (the number on the scale) and miss everything connected behind it. Looking skinnier isn't the same as getting healthier.

Links & Notes

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From there, Pete and Srdjan take apart the whole toolkit we've been handed. The bathroom scale tells you nothing about muscle, metabolism, or health — two people at the same weight can be worlds apart inside, which is how "skinny fat" happens. BMI is worse: Pete traces its strange pedigree from a Belgian astronomer named Adolphe Quetelet, who built it in the 1830s to describe the statistical "average man" and explicitly warned against using it on individuals, to physiologist Ancel Keys, who rebranded it as the Body Mass Index in 1972 after studying white European and American men. It stuck because insurance companies wanted to predict how likely you are to die. The conversation moves into what Srdjan does measure instead — muscle mass — and why the body fat percentages you see on social media are a temporary, miserable, peak-week illusion that even competitors can't hold onto year-round.

A genuinely healthy, strong person looks kind of normal. You'll know it by how you feel — energy, strength, good labs, the ability to get out of a chair unassisted at 80 — not by whether your abs show in July. And because a body that's causing you stress and anxiety isn't actually healthy, the real goal is feeling good physically and mentally, without the extremes. Build muscle, stop measuring the wrong things, and throw the scale away.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Healthy weight is a range, not a number. It's where your body functions well — balanced muscle and body fat, stable energy, good recovery, healthy labs.
• The scale measures the least useful thing. It can't see muscle, metabolism, or visceral fat. "Skinny fat" — thin on the outside, metabolically unhealthy on the inside — is the proof.
• BMI has a questionable pedigree. Built by an astronomer for population statistics, never meant for individuals, popularized by insurers tracking mortality. It can't tell muscle from fat, which is why Srdjan himself gets classified as "obese."
• Muscle mass is the number to watch. More muscle speeds metabolism, lowers body fat (including visceral fat), and regulates nearly everything. And it declines with age, so building it early matters.
• Focus on what you're gaining, not losing. Reframing from "I need to lose weight" to "I need to build muscle" is what actually produces fat loss — and it sticks.
• Single-digit body fat is a peak-week illusion. Those shredded photos are taken right after a competition; even competitors can't maintain it. Around 20% body fat can be perfectly healthy with good muscle mass.
• Health is psychological too. If a target weight or body fat is causing stress and anxiety, that's a sign it's the wrong target.
• The stuff that matters doesn't photograph. Joint health, mobility, getting out of a chair at 80 — none of it shows up in a Speedo shot, and all of it matters more.

Links & Notes

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Srdjan walks through the four components of total daily energy expenditure — your basal metabolic rate, the thermic effect of food, exercise itself, and NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis, a.k.a. the steps, fidgeting, and standing-up-from-your-desk that quietly run the show). The numbers are surprising. BMR alone accounts for sixty to seventy-five percent of what you burn in a day. Exercise? A modest five to fifteen percent. Which means the hour you spend grinding in the gym is genuinely valuable — and also not the lever you think it is.

The conversation moves into the supporting cast: sleep, stress, and hormones. Srdjan explains why under-sleeping cranks up ghrelin and tanks leptin, why chronic cortisol makes your body fight your goals, and why protein does double duty — it builds muscle and costs your body twenty to thirty percent of its own calories just to digest. Pete arrives at the radical conclusion that the most effective thing he could do for his metabolism right now is take a nap and eat a steak. Srdjan, to his credit, does not disagree.

The episode closes with a listener question about manual labor — does a physically demanding job count as training? — and a clear takeaway: focus on what you can control in those other twenty-three hours, and the gym becomes the multiplier, not the whole equation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Metabolism isn't one thing. It's four: BMR (60–75% of daily burn), thermic effect of food (digestion costs), exercise activity (a modest 5–15%), and NEAT (everything else you do all day).
• "Broken metabolism" is almost never the right diagnosis. Metabolism is highly adaptable and responds to sleep, stress, diet, movement, and muscle mass.
• Protein is the most metabolically expensive nutrient — your body burns 20–30% of those calories just digesting them. Carbs are 5–10%. Fat is around 3%.
• Muscle is metabolically active tissue. More muscle means a higher resting burn, which is why resistance training pays compounding dividends.
• Sleep is non-negotiable. Under-sleeping raises ghrelin (hunger), lowers leptin (fullness), worsens insulin sensitivity, and drives sugar cravings.
• Chronic stress sends the same signal to your body whether it's coming from work, relationships, money, or excessive dieting — and it sabotages recovery either way.
• The 23-hour rule: what you do outside the gym matters more than the hour inside it. Ten thousand steps, standing, walking, daily chores — that's where the real burn lives.
• Cardio and resistance training do different jobs. Cardio burns calories now. Resistance training protects the system that burns calories later.

Links & Notes

• Check out ELEV8 Fitness in Hillsboro! 
• Submit your questions to the show!

The conversation moves region by region. The thoracic spine stiffens. The diaphragm gets compressed and breathing goes shallow. The hip flexors tighten until the glutes — which are supposed to be one of the strongest muscles in your body — essentially clock out. Lower back pain gets blamed on the back, when the real problem is everything around it. And then Srdjan goes inside, where the sitting disease gets genuinely uncomfortable: glucose handling declines, insulin sensitivity drops, and within sixty to ninety minutes of sitting, an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase — the gatekeeper that pulls fats out of your bloodstream — falls off a cliff.

The payoff is practical. Stand up every hour. Take walking meetings. Get the steps in, not because anyone needs to see them but because your metabolism needs the movement. And when you do get to the gym, expect the work to be uncomfortable in the right way — split squats that finally stretch what's been flexed all day, exercises that activate muscles you forgot you had. The mindset shift here is the whole episode in one sentence: hurt is not broken. Hurt is on the mend. Movement isn't a workout you complete and check off. It's a feature of your day.

If you've ever wondered why you're doing everything right and still feeling stiff, sluggish, and slowly heavier — this episode is the answer, and the way out.

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Then we get into the comeback. Srdjan walked out of surgery with a six-week timeline for the bone to heal and three months before he could lift heavy. He's quietly trying to cut that to two, and he's running a one-man clinical experiment on his own arm to do it: red light therapy two to three times a day, weekly IV cocktails of B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, amino acids, and NAD, a hyperbaric oxygen chamber that nearly broke him at sixty feet of simulated depth, an electro-muscle-stimulation suit, and a strange-but-real protocol called the cross-education effect — training one arm to keep both strong. Pete walks Srdjan through what each of these actually does, what the evidence says, and what it feels like from the inside. (Spoiler: the chamber is a lot.)

But here's the part that matters whether or not you've ever broken a bone. Srdjan is recovering ahead of schedule, and the doctors and PTs are crediting muscle memory — the plate and screws stayed put, the bones snapped back into place, and the rehab is moving fast. Not because of any single therapy. Because there was something to come back to. This is the case for muscle as insurance made visible. If you've been waiting for a sign that strength training is worth the effort, watching your strength coach come back from a plated forearm surgery ahead of schedule is probably it.

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Here's the thing: Pete Wright co-wrote Unapologetically ADHD. He has spent years deep in the research on how ADHD brains actually work. He knows the neuroscience, the behavioral patterns, the strategies that help and the ones that don't. And he still could not make himself go to the gym consistently for most of his adult life — until Srdjan. This episode is Pete and Srdjan reverse-engineering why that changed: why standard gym advice is essentially designed to fail neurodiverse brains, why Srdjan's approach at ELEV8 is accidentally one of the most ADHD-compatible training environments around, and what a fitness practice looks like when it's built for how your brain actually works rather than how everyone assumes it does. There's real science here (exercise produces the same neurological effect as a low-dose stimulant, which is a sentence that deserves a minute to sit with), and there are practical tools for anyone who has been told their entire lives t

The numbers are uncomfortable but important. After 30, you start losing muscle. After 60, that loss accelerates and nearly doubles. That's not a prediction — that's sarcopenia, and it's already happening unless you're actively fighting it. Falls become the leading cause of injury-related death in adults over 65. The overhead bin you couldn't reach last Tuesday? That's not a bad day. That's a data point. The good news — and there genuinely is good news — is that resistance training is not just helpful at any age, it's more important at 70 than it was at 30. Your 70-year-old body can still build muscle. It just needs a reason to.

Of course, knowing that and walking through a gym door are two completely different things. There's the grief of being a former athlete in a body that won't cooperate. There's the terror of looking foolish. There's the very reasonable suspicion that whatever you do at 68 is a pale imitation of what you did at 28, and why bother. Pete and Srdjan address all of it — including the guy who tore his rotator cuff because he refused to accept that his 52-year-old shoulder had a different opinion than his 28-year-old ego. The goal, as Srdjan puts it, isn't to perform like you used to. It's to pick up your own groceries, catch yourself when you trip, and get off the floor without needing a spotter.

And here's the part that should make you sit up a little: clients are coming off medications. Memory is improving. Metabolic markers — blood pressure, cholesterol, inflammation — are moving in the right direction. Resistance training turns out to be doing things that no pill on the market does quite as well, and it's available to anyone willing to start slow and stay consistent. The science on aging well is not ambiguous. The only question is whether you're going to take it seriously before you have to, or after.

Links & Notes

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Srdjan clears up one of the most common sources of unnecessary anxiety in strength training: missing a week. Spoiler — one week off is not the catastrophe your brain says it is. Unless you were seriously ill or running on fumes, you probably just gave your body some extra recovery time. He also breaks down concurrent periodization — the practice of training different physical qualities at the same time, like strength for your lower body while chasing hypertrophy up top. It's not just something advanced athletes do. Srdjan does it himself, and the logic is straightforward once you understand it.

Then there's the big one: how do you know when you're ready to graduate from beginner linear programming? The honest answer is you'll feel it before you fully understand it — when the weight stops going up every session, when you stop getting sore, when the workouts feel too predictable. Srdjan walks through what that transition looks like and introduces the concept of "shocking the muscle" — which, as Pete discovers, has a lot less to do with adding weight and a lot more to do with changing angles, order, tempo, tools, and expectation. Gravity eventually wins if all you do is chase heavier.

Whether you're three months in or three years in, this episode is a useful gut-check on where you are in your training arc and what it means to keep making progress without just piling on plates.

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But beyond the conversation about each myth comes some hidden truths and misunderstandings, and what better information actually looks like in practice.

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This week, Pete and Srdjan get into what separates people who actually progress from people who have been "getting back into it" for the last four years. The answer is periodization — which sounds like the kind of word a personal trainer uses to justify charging more, but is actually just the radical idea that your workouts should have a plan. A real one. With phases. And a reason.

Srdjan walks through the three main approaches — linear periodization for beginners building their foundation, non-linear for intermediate lifters juggling real life, and block periodization for more advanced athletes chasing specific adaptations. He also explains the deload — the week where you go lighter on purpose, which feels like cheating but is actually the thing that lets you keep going.

They also get into the mechanics of how a real program is built: why you start with higher reps and lower weight before you ever touch anything heavy, what progressive overload actually looks like in practice, and — crucially — why loading your biceps the same way you'd load your back is how people end up hurt and confused.

Pete has questions. Reasonable ones. Like: does more sweat mean a better workout (no), do you have to change exercises constantly to keep making progress (also no), and does every set need to go to failure (please, no). Srdjan dismantles all of them with the patient authority of someone who has watched a lot of people make these mistakes in real time.

And at the end, Srdjan shares what actually makes him feel like the training is working — and it's not a personal best on an app. It's a stranger at a grocery store. Which turns out to be the most unexpectedly useful piece of advice in the whole episode.

Links & Notes

• Submit your questions to the show!
• Looking for a Trainer? Reach Out! 

From there, the conversation pivots to what’s worth tracking instead. Srdjan explains how he uses body composition testing (like InBody) to track trends over time—fat percentage, lean mass, visceral fat, muscle balance—without obsessing over single readings. They also get into the performance and “real life” markers that are often better indicators of progress: stronger lifts, smoother movement, better balance, faster recovery between sets, improved sleep and energy, fewer cravings, and the quiet wins like clothes fitting differently or feeling more solid when you move through the day.

They close by getting practical about minimum effective tracking. Progress photos, waist-to-hip ratio, and clothing fit can tell a clearer story than a fluctuating number, especially when you’re targeting body composition changes. And there’s a deceptively important mindset point Srdjan keeps coming back to: you’re usually going to feel progress before you see it. If you’re doing the work, don’t let one number erase the evidence.

Links & Notes

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A big thread here is pain literacy. Srdjan talks about learning to distinguish discomfort from danger—aching versus sharp pain, soreness versus joint pain—and how a good coach watches movement as much as they listen to words (because most of us underreport what we’re feeling). They also unpack the two classic traps: the underconfident “I can’t train until I’m pain-free” and the overconfident “It doesn’t hurt, so I’m fine,” and why both can get you into trouble. The throughline is slowing down, staying in control, and treating old injuries with ongoing respect even years later.

They also get practical: using the pool to reduce joint load while keeping muscles active, prioritizing stabilizers and unilateral work for asymmetries, and reframing “rest” as active recovery rather than full stop. And there’s a nice, slightly sneaky lesson for the rehab window: if your training options shrink, tighten up what you can control—protein, calories, and habits—so the setback is real but not catastrophic.

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You’ll come away with a simple framework: earn your range of motion, stop chasing load at the expense of control, and treat warm-ups and stabilizers like the main event—not an apology lap. Plus: why locking out under heavy weight can be a sneaky knee trap, why shoulders hate heavy rotation, and what to do when something hurts on a day you didn’t even train.

Links & Notes

• Submit your questions to the show!

Srdjan reframes the conversation around what actually drives progress: daily calories, adequate protein, sufficient fiber, and long-term consistency. Whether you eat two meals or six, the body cares far more about what you total up over the day than whether you sprint to a shaker bottle the second your workout ends. The much-feared 30-minute cutoff turns out to be less a hard deadline and more a misunderstanding of how long the body remains responsive after training. The conversation also digs into nuance that often gets lost online, including subtle differences in recovery and timing between men and women, how cortisol and glycogen play into post-workout meals, and why “fasted cardio” can make sense for some people and not others. Rather than rules, Srdjan emphasizes experimentation—learning how your own body responds to food timing, workout intensity, and energy availability.

The takeaway is refreshingly unglamorous: stop chasing perfect timing, start building repeatable habits. Eat in a way that fits your life, fuel your workouts, and trust that progress comes from showing up again tomorrow—not from beating a stopwatch to the fridge.

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In this episode, Pete and Srdjan break down what separates passive range of motion (flexibility) from active, controlled movement (mobility), and why you might need more of one than the other. They cover when to stretch (hint: it's not always before your workout), how yoga and Pilates fit into the picture, and why weightlifting without flexibility is like driving with the parking brake on.

Whether you're desk-bound and stiff or hypermobile but unstable, this episode will help you figure out what your body actually needs.

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Together, they explore why machines shut off the core, why instability is your best friend, and how breathing and bracing are as essential as the exercises themselves. Srdjan walks through the muscles you never hear about—multifidus, transverse abdominals, pelvic floor—and explains how they work together to protect your spine, improve form in big lifts, and reduce fall and injury risk as we age. They also tackle myths, overrated exercises, and the mistake of thinking the core’s job is to move you. Its real job? Resist movement.

Whether you’re new to strength training or trying to understand why your lifts feel stuck, this conversation redefines what it means to “train your core” and how to build a body that supports you for decades to come.

Links & Notes

• Submit your questions to the show!

From there, they get honest about mindset—why so many people avoid cardio, how to find the version that doesn’t make you miserable, and how to build a routine you’ll actually stick to. Srdjan explains how overdoing cardio can sabotage strength and muscle, why 15 minutes of real effort beats 60 minutes of coasting, and how interval-based training fits perfectly into a strength-focused program. They dig into weekly targets, training zones, the American Heart Association’s recommendations, and the surprising data hiding in your smartwatch—especially resting heart rate and sleep quality—as reliable markers of your cardio fitness.

If you’ve ever felt embarrassed walking up a flight of stairs, wondered whether cardio really matters if you lift, or just need a reason to stop sprinting for the parking lot before your trainer notices you skipping the rower, this conversation breaks it all open. Practical, actionable, myth-busting—classic Build for Health.

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Srdjan shares his experience coaching clients both in person and remotely, including how he adapts workouts to each client’s equipment, schedule, and goals. He digs into the pitfalls of cookie-cutter programs, the importance of proper form, and why accountability can be the missing link that derails progress. Along the way, the two unpack practical considerations like the real cost of home gym equipment, the minimum setup you’d need to make remote training effective, and what to look for if you’re considering one of the countless off-the-shelf challenges online.

The conversation also previews Srdjan’s upcoming 12-week training program, designed with progressive structure, exercise modifications, nutrition support, and built-in accountability—aiming to be more adaptable and sustainable than the one-size-fits-all options on the market. Whether you’re a self-starter who thrives with a little structure, someone craving direct feedback and motivation, or somewhere in between, this episode will help you weigh your options and start building the consistency that keeps you moving forward. 

Pete shares his own struggle as a goal-focused achiever who could hit milestones but often dropped the habit afterward—whether it was couch-to-5K or pull-ups. Srdjan offers practical strategies for bridging that gap: layering small wins on the way to bigger, long-term goals, and learning to fall in love with the process rather than just the outcome. Along the way, they talk about how fitness goals shape confidence, self-image, and stress reduction, and why sometimes the biggest benefit of a workout has nothing to do with the weight on the bar—it’s the clarity and calm it gives you afterward.

The conversation also takes listener questions: first, about the long-promised list of Srdjan’s favorite Instagram influencers (yes, it’s finally coming), and second, about why powerlifters can be stronger than bodybuilders despite their size. The answers shed light on how different training approaches create strength versus size, and why you can’t always judge strength by appearance.

Whether you’re trying to build momentum for the first time, reset after a layoff, or finally understand why some goals don’t stick, this episode is all about how to make fitness part of who you are—not just something you do.

We kick things off with a deceptively simple question: what’s the difference between lifting light for many reps and lifting heavy for a few? Srdjan breaks it down by goals—endurance, hypertrophy, or raw strength—and explains why he programs a blend for most of his clients. Next up: can you just copy other people at the gym until you get the hang of things? Short answer: no. Long answer: also no, but with good reasons involving injury prevention, YouTube charlatans, and how to find credible online educators.

Things get personal with a question from Patrick, who’s been lifting for a year but still feels clumsy. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Srdjan validates the ups and downs of gym progress and offers tools for checking your form without living in front of a camera. We also hear from Olga, who wonders if those “boring” post-surgery rehab exercises need to stay in the mix (spoiler: some of them should). That leads naturally into a fantastic discussion on form and whether there really is a “right way” to do an exercise—especially when CrossFit, bodybuilding, and powerlifting each seem to do it a little differently.

And finally, we close on the subject of ego lifting. Is it really that bad? Don’t you need to push into risky territory to get real gains? Srdjan gets honest about his own early mistakes and lays out the line between productive stress and just trying to impress. As always, it’s about targeting the right muscles, listening to your body, and training smarter—because progress without pain is possible when you leave your ego at the door.

If you have a question, we want to hear it. Use the anonymous link in the show notes and let’s keep building, together.

Links & Notes

• Submit your questions to the show!

Together, the three dig into the difference between “losing weight” and actually getting healthier, the critical role of preserving muscle mass, and why balanced nutrition is the only sustainable path. You’ll hear candid stories from the gym and the clinic, a frank take on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, and a rapid-fire round of myths busted—from supplement stacks to carbs to cleanses. At the heart of the conversation is a powerful message: health is built on small, sustainable steps, not drastic swings. If you’ve ever felt caught in the cycle of quick fixes, this episode will help you shift your mindset toward something that actually lasts.

Links & Notes

• Carpe Omni Med Spa
• Submit your questions to the show!

Along the way, you’ll hear about Srdjan’s own injuries and how they reshaped his training philosophy, why natural joint motion is the ultimate red flag test, and how long-term risk management is just as important as short-term gains. If you’ve ever wondered why your trainer skips a machine or cringes when you swing through a set, this episode will give you the inside story—and some practical guidelines to spot risky movements in your own workouts.

Links & Notes

• Submit your questions to the show!

Srdjan shares stories from the gym floor—clients who learned the hard way about ego lifting, his own recovery experiences, even surviving a car accident where years of training proved to be protective armor. Along the way, he explains why machines aren’t one-size-fits-all, how bad form eventually leads to pain or plateaus, and why he often favors “boring” exercises over the Instagram-friendly ones. Pete pushes on the questions everyday lifters struggle with: How do I know if my form is good without a trainer? What happens if I keep building muscle on bad form? Is isolation just for bodybuilders? The answers point toward a deeper truth: slowing down, learning your body, and building muscle memory may not be glamorous, but it’s the surest path to strength, resilience, and longevity.

If you’ve ever rushed through reps, fought with a machine that just doesn’t feel right, or wondered why your shoulders ache after chest day, this conversation will hit home. Form and isolation aren’t extras—they’re the engine of sustainable training.

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Brooke shares what it’s like to move from a commercial gym to independent coaching: behind-the-scenes sales pressures, “numbers” targets, and sticky contract renewals that can matter more to corporate than member outcomes. In her words, trainers and clients can feel like metrics to “higher ups,” which is precisely what she left to build a client-first practice.

Pete and Srdjan map the real trade-offs: the buzz of a packed floor versus the calm and focus of a quieter, owner-curated space; a sea of machines versus a layout chosen for flow and function; scale versus community. Srdjan describes designing ELEV8 around relationships—members and coaches who actually become friends—and picking equipment intentionally rather than “just packing the place.”

Brooke’s philosophy centers mindset and daily habits as much as sets and reps, including how she gauges when a client is truly ready for change. Then Srdjan breaks news: he’s stepping on a bodybuilding stage next year, outlining a nine-month plan—bulk for muscle, then a tough cut with coaching support on nutrition—and yes, the final weeks may be “two months of misery” the show will follow.

Links & Notes

• Submit your questions to the show!

From there, we get practical. What should a good consult sound like? Clear, specific explanations you can feel in your body—not canned answers you could Google. Srdjan also walks through how his own injuries shaped a post-rehab training style that prioritizes safer alternatives without sacrificing progress, and how that experience helps him quickly troubleshoot pain and modify movements.

Finally, the playbook: “shop your trainer.” Take multiple free sessions, compare approaches, and notice who supports you between workouts—texts about nutrition, label reads, and the kind of client-to-client encouragement that keeps you showing up. The goal is a relationship that’s personal, evidence-driven, and sustainable over years, not weeks.

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• Submit your questions to the show!

Srdjan breaks it down: true maintenance isn’t about stagnation, but consolidation—a strategic period where you reinforce habits, solidify gains, and let both your body and mind adapt to a new normal. They discuss the dangers of “finish line” thinking, how quickly you can lose hard-won muscle and strength if you slack off, and why older adults may need to work even harder just to maintain progress. Pete shares his own struggle with “goal-centered motivation” and the mental hurdles that come when apps and challenges end, while Srdjan explains how building “mature muscle” early makes everything easier down the road.

Whether you’re coming back from a break, dealing with an injury, or just wondering how to stay in shape for the long haul, you’ll learn why a good maintenance plan isn’t just smart—it’s essential. Plus: the importance of building habits, the realities of muscle memory, and how to make the comfort zone work for you without letting comfort become complacency.

Links & Notes

• Learn more about ELEV8 Fitness Hillsboro
• Submit Your Questions for Srdjan

Srdjan lays out his full stack of recovery techniques—from the basics like sleep, hydration, and nutrition, to the heavy hitters like cold plunges, sauna sessions, cupping, deep tissue massage, compression therapy, and even red light therapy. The catch? None of them work if you’re inconsistent.

You’ll also hear:

• Why sleep is more important than your workout
• How to start cold therapy without crying (too much)
• The science behind pairing heat and cold for max benefit
• What those weird cupping bruises actually mean
• How athletes use compression to flush out waste products
• The post-workout nutrition stack that fuels real growth
• Why “active recovery” is more than just a buzzword

And if you’ve ever been tempted to “recover” by collapsing on the couch with a bag of fries, this episode might gently (or not-so-gently) nudge you in a better direction.

In this episode of Build for Health, Pete sits down with Srdjan to investigate the psychology of starting—from scratch, from injury, from the long slope of middle age. Together, they unravel why so many of us wait until something breaks before seeking change. Why we overthink our way out of action. Why our minds give up before our bodies even try. And why the first month of change might not involve a gym at all.

This isn’t a list of exercises or a motivational shout. It’s a quiet, thoughtful guide to reimagining your relationship with effort. You’ll hear why minimum effective dose matters more than maximum enthusiasm, why perfection is the enemy of consistency, and why building strength is less about pain and more about permission—permission to believe your body is still capable of remarkable things.

Because the truth is, your body has not betrayed you. It’s just been waiting for you to ask.

In this episode of Build for Health, Pete Wright and Srdjan Injac open the supplement cabinet. With the quiet intensity of a forensic scientist and the cheer of your favorite gym buddy, Srdjan walks us through what belongs in your shaker bottle and what belongs in the trash. Protein? Yes—but only the right kind. Creatine? Mandatory for everyone over 30, and no, that’s not hyperbole. Pre-workouts? Maybe. But let’s talk about the caffeine arms race.

And don’t even get him started on Gatorade.

What emerges is a surprising theory: that our approach to supplements isn’t about optimization—it’s about compensation. We’re patching holes in lifestyles that are increasingly brittle. But if we understand the science, the sourcing, and—most importantly—ourselves, we can make better choices. Or at least add a little watermelon-flavored saltwater before leg day.

So before you shake, scoop, or stir, press play.

Links & Notes

• LMNT Electrolyte Drink
• Thentic Nutrition (available on Amazon)

Following last week’s case for muscle as medicine, this episode gets into what fuels that muscle. Spoiler: It’s not just about eating more protein—it’s about eating the right kind, in the right amounts, at the right times.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why protein is essential for far more than muscle growth—think brain health, hormone balance, and immune support.
• The difference between complete vs incomplete proteins, and why animal sources tend to be more efficient.
• Why most people dramatically undereat protein, and how to actually hit your daily target.
• How protein affects metabolism, insulin sensitivity, satiety, and body composition.
• The myth of “too much protein turns to fat,” busted.
• The importance of morning and nighttime protein intake—and why breakfast may be your most important meal of the day.
• Srdjan’s real-world advice for meal prep, portion tracking, and sustainable eating habits.

You’ll also hear about:

• Protein turnover and why the body uses 250–300g daily (even if you’re not eating that much)
• Tools for tracking your intake without obsessing
• What plant-based eaters need to know to build strength effectively
• Why protein bars and shakes should be supplements—not your main course

Whether you’re struggling to get your protein in or just want to understand what all the macros hype is about, this episode will give you the knowledge (and motivation) to make smarter choices that support your long-term health.

In this debut episode, Srdjan busts fitness myths, explains why muscle is your metabolic secret weapon, and shares real talk about the discipline, science, and everyday choices that make lasting change possible—no matter your age or starting point. Expect honest stories, surprising science (did you know “skinny fat” is a real thing?), and practical advice that doesn’t require giving up cupcakes forever. Plus, learn why your doctor probably isn’t talking to you about muscle—and why that needs to change. 

Subscribe, send in your questions, and join a community that’s building real strength for the long haul.