Wits & Weights | Fat Loss, Nutrition, & Strength Training for Lifters
For skeptics of the fitness industry who want to work smarter and more efficiently to build muscle and lose fat. Wits & Weights cuts through the noise and deconstructs health and fitness with an engineering mindset to help you develop a strong, lean physique without wasting time. Nutrition coach Philip Pape explores EFFICIENT strength training, nutrition, and lifestyle strategies to optimize your body composition. Simple, science-based, and sustainable info from an engineer turned lifter (that's why they call him the Physique Engineer). From restrictive fad diets to ineffective workouts and hyped-up supplements, there's no shortage of confusing information out there. Getting in the best shape of your life doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming. By using your WITS (mindset and systems!) and lifting WEIGHTS (efficiently!), you can build muscle, lose stubborn fat, and achieve and maintain your dream physique. We bring you smart and efficient strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle, and mindset. You'll learn: - Why fat loss is more important than weight loss for health and physique - Why all the macros (protein, fats, and yes even carbs) are critical to body composition - Why you don't need to spend more than 3 hours in the gym each week to get incredible results - Why muscle (not weight loss) is the key to medicine, obesity, and longevity - Why age and hormones (even in menopause) don't matter with the right lifestyle - How the "hidden" psychology of your mind can unlock more personal (and physical) growth than you ever thought possible, and how to tap into that mindset If you're ready to separate fact from fiction, learn what actually works, and put in the intelligent work, hit that "follow" button and let's engineer your best physique ever!
Episodes
Ever wonder why you keep eating when you're not actually hungry?
The battle between emotions and rational decisions plays out most visibly in our eating habits, causing you to go "off track" (and sometimes way "off the rails"). Sound familiar?
Today's episode explores emotional eating through a completely different lens... using data and structure to identify patterns and solutions so you can stop flyin...
Get the other part of this conversation on Anna’s podcast “Get Strong and Healthy” where Philip breaks down how to train for aesthetics without sacrificing your health.
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Are you healthy just because you look the part? Strong from the outside but running on empty? Chasing steps, supplements, and skinny without feeling your best?
If you’ve been chasing surface-level goals, it might be time to rethink what true vitality looks like.
Book your FREE 15-minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment (not a sales pitch) and have me personally audit your training and nutrition approach or go to witsandweights.com and click "Free Nutrition Audit"
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Feeling stuck between competing fitness goals? Unsure whether to focus on fat loss, muscle building, or maintenance?
In this episode, I share a real live recording of a 15-minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment with Sam, who wasn&a...
Is fat loss really made in the kitchen (combined with strength training)?
Or do we have it backward?
This episode examines why building muscle must be your first priority for any successful physique transformation... even before worrying about calorie deficits or macros.
You'll discover how strength training creates the metabolic foundation that makes fat loss dramatically easier, why muscle tissue acts as your body's "...
→ Join Physique University: https://physique.witsandweights.com/
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The advice to "just put in the reps" sounds motivating, but does it always work?
Today I'm sharing something interesting, something sad, and calling some people out.
👩💻 Book a FREE 15-Minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment:
https://witsandweights.com/free-call
Get the other part of this conversation on Isaiah’s podcast “Fat Loss Forever” to hear Philip expose 10 more myths!
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Think fasting fixes everything? That carbs are the enemy? Or that intuitive eating is where everyone should start?
You’re not alone. You're being misled by an industry built on half-truths.
Today, Isaiah Mitchell, the owner of Relentless Pursuit Coaching and host of the "Fat Loss Forever" podcast, disman...
Join Wits & Weights Physique University and get 2 weeks free plus access to your first challenge. Transform your physique in a way that optimizes both health and aesthetics with a personalized nutrition plan and workout programs that align with your goals. Go to witsandweights.com/physique
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Feeling guilty about wanting to look good? To have visible abs, a perky butt, or bulging biceps?
It's time to shed that unnecessary bur...
Download your free Nutrition 101 for Body Composition guide at witsandweights.com/free to learn exactly how to set up your macros (including CARBS!), calories, and meal timing to support your metabolism.
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Your "healthy" low-carb diet might be secretly working against you by elevating your stress hormones and slowing your metabolism.
Beyond the immediate effects of energy crashes and stalled weight loss, emerging research r...
Get my free Ultimate Home Gym Guide with exact equipment recommendations, budget breakdowns, and sample layouts: https://www.witsandweights.com/free/ultimate-home-gym-guide
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Imagine waking up, throwing on your favorite workout clothes, and walking just a few steps to your fully-equipped personal training space.
No commute, no waiting for equipment, no membership fees—just you and the weights, ready when you are.
This is the reality...
Book a FREE 15-minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment, designed to fine-tune your strategy, identify your #1 roadblock, and give you a personalized 3-step action plan in a fast-paced 15 minutes.
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Is macro tracking hiding the real reason you're stuck? What if ditching calorie counting helped you lose more fat, without the burnout?
I’m joined by Christina McClurken (aka Your Healthy Bestie), a former physical therapist turned functiona...
Get the other part of this conversation on Jeff's podcast "The Mind Muscle Connection" to hear Philip discussing more aggressive approaches to body recomposition
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Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time, without gaining or losing weight, but instead by eating at maintenance calories to achieve the holy grail of body recomposition (aka "body recomp")?
Jeff Hoehn of The Mind Muscle Connection podcas...
Get your free 15-minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment to identify your biggest nutrition challenge and get a personalized action plan to optimize your approach, whether you're considering GLP-1s, currently using them, or transitioning off (or go to witsandweights.com and click "Free Nutrition Audit")
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Millions of people are experiencing dramatic weight loss results with GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounja...
Book a FREE 15-minute Rapid Nutrition Assessment, designed to fine-tune your strategy, identify your #1 roadblock, and give you a personalized 3-step action plan in a fast-paced 15 minutes.
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Are you putting in the work, but muscle growth feels impossible? Are you secretly blaming hormones, age, or your DNA? What if your struggle isn't about effort but about your approach?
I interview Holly Baxter, world cham...
Get your free 2-week trial of Physique University where I teach a complete system for transforming your body using evidence-based strategies and engineering principles. Go to witsandweights.com/physique
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You've tried following your calories and macros perfectly, the "perfect" fat loss plan, a meal plan, or a diet where you have to eat specific foods or eat at certain times (like keto, carnivore, or intermittent fasti...
Get your free Nutrition 101 for Body Composition guide to setup your diet, calories, macros, meal timing/frequency, and more for fat loss, muscle building, and maintenance or go to witsandweights.com/free
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Is your metabolism REALLY low?
If you've been doing everything right... strength training consistently, eating well, walking 8-10K steps daily, managing stress and sleep...
Yet your metabolism seems stubbornly slower than ever...
You’re tracking your macros, crushing your lifts, and doing everything right. So why aren’t you seeing results? What’s holding you back?
I bring on Adam Badger to dig deep into how stress can completely override even the best fitness strategies. We talk about strategies on how to break plateaus, uncover emotional patterns that sabotage progress, and build habits to manage stress.
Adam Badger is a fitness coach and founder of Badger S...
Get the other part of this conversation on Sarah's podcast "Don't Call Me Skinny" to hear Philip discussing the data/systems side of emotional eating
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Ever find yourself demolishing a pint of ice cream after a stressful day even though you weren't physically hungry?
Your problem isn't lack of willpower – it's invisible emotional triggers hijacking your eating decisions without your conscious awaren...
Join Wits & Weights Physique University with 2 weeks FREE + your first challenge free
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Discover whether your metabolism actually slows down with age and what's really causing those body composition changes you're experiencing.
Learn 8 evidence-based strategies to maintain or even boost your metabolism regardless of age.
Main Takeaways:
- The surprising truth about metabolism and aging that contradicts what most fitness...
Download my free Fat Loss & Muscle Gain Nutrition guide to setup your calories, macros, meal timing, and more to eliminate the guesswork and improve your physique and body composition.
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Feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or stuck in your head? What if the key to unlocking your mental resilience isn’t talk therapy but lifting weights?
I talk to Amanda Nigg, aka the FarmFit Momma, about how strength training helped her recover after l...
Submit your question and get featured on a future Q&A or dedicated episode or go to witsandweights.com/question
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It's our 300th episode, so we're doing an epic Q&A!
Like King Leonidas facing the Persian army, we're battling fitness misinformation with 30 razor-sharp answers to your most burning questions.
I'm tackling supplement efficacy, training myths, nutrition controversies, and the truth about buildi...
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