The Kris Gethin Podcast

After decades of training hard, competing, coaching, and living inside a high-intensity routine, you start to understand that discipline evolves. There comes a point where doing more is no longer the smartest decision, even when you are fully capable of it. In this episode, I explain why I am temporarily stepping away from resistance training as part of a structured stem cell recovery protocol, and why following that protocol matters more than ego, habit, or momentum.
I talk about restraint as a form of discipline, how recovery phases challenge identity, and why so many driven people struggle when visible progress disappears. We unpack what happens when you negotiate recovery, why biology always wins, and how competing stressors slow healing and longevity. I also share how I am approaching movement, sleep, stress regulation, and recovery with intention during this phase.
This conversation goes beyond bodybuilding. It applies to anyone learning when to slow down so they can keep going for decades.
What's Discussed:
(00:02) Why I'm temporarily stepping away from resistance training
(01:11) How stem cell recovery protocols remove competing stressors
(02:31) Discipline through restraint and long-term thinking
(04:41) Why recovery phases challenge identity and confidence
(06:21) Why negotiating recovery protocols undermines healing
(08:10) How intentional movement supports recovery
(10:27) Detaching self-worth from gym performance
(16:23) Knowing when biology is asking for repair
Thank you to our sponsors: 
Unmatched Supps: Natural support for training performance, hydration, and recovery without stimulants or artificial load. Used as a tool to support output while respecting stress and recovery balance. Go to https://www.unmatchedsupps.com and use KGC10 for 10% OFF.
 
Resources Referenced in This Episode
CPI - Stem Cell Therapy (joints, spine, longevity support)
Link: https://www.cellularperformanceinstitute.com 

IV Therapy
Used to support longevity, DNA, telomeres, mitochondria, heart, kidneys, and liver

GlycanAge  
Biological age and inflammation tracking via glycans
Link: (code KRIS) https://glycanage.com



Peptide Ebook by Kris Gethin (coming soon) 

A completed peptides course and an upcoming foundational peptide guide, created to remove confusion, reduce misinformation, and give people a clear, practical understanding of how peptides work and when they make sense to use. It will be released soon. To be amongst the first to get this book, sign up for Kris's email list here: https://www.krisgethin.com/daily-gethin
 
Find more from Kris:
Website: https://www.krisgethin.com/  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krisgethin/ 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/krisgethin
2 Shred: https://www.unmatchedsupps.com/products/2shred

After years of bodybuilding, coaching, and pushing my body to extremes, you start to see patterns you can't unsee. People chase fat loss harder and harder, slash calories, live on stimulants, and follow rigid nutrition rules that promise control and discipline. It works for a while. Then energy drops. Recovery slows. Hormones take a hit. Inflammation creeps up. And the cycle starts all over again.
In this episode, I break down eight nutrition mistakes I see repeatedly sabotaging health and long-term progress. We talk about extreme calorie deficits, processed protein overload, missing micronutrients, cutting fats, binge eating disguised as cheat days, bro science diets, stimulant dependence, and removing food groups without understanding individual biology. I explain how these habits impact thyroid function, hormones, gut health, brain chemistry, sleep, and biological aging.
If your goal is strength, resilience, and a body that still performs decades from now, this episode will challenge how you think about nutrition, discipline, and sustainability.
What's Discussed:
(00:37) Why extreme calorie deficits damage metabolism and hormones
(03:56) The binge-restrict cycle and why the body starts expecting it
(07:13) How processed protein foods quietly drive inflammation
(09:02) Why ignoring micronutrients undermines gut and recovery health
(10:09) The risks of cutting entire food groups without understanding biology
(12:07) What I learned after testing vegan, keto, and restrictive diets
(15:28) Cheat days vs refeeds and how binge eating rewires the brain
(21:09) How stimulant dependence disrupts sleep and accelerates aging
Products Mentioned in This Episode:
Unmatched Supplements
Code: KGC10 for 10% off
Link: https://www.unmatchedsupps.com
Unmatched Outlier (pre-workout)
Code: KGC10 for 10% off
Link: https://www.unmatchedsupps.com
BH2K (Be Harder 2 Kill)
Code: KGC10 for 10% off
Link: https://www.unmatchedsupps.com
Biostack Labs Glucose Disposal Agent (GDA)
Affiliate relationship mentioned
Link: https://biostacklabs.com
Carbon 60 Olive Oil (ESS60 / My Vital C)
Code: GETHIN
Link: https://www.myvitalc.com/gethin/
Paraxanthine
Continuous Glucose Monitor
Electrolyte Drink
Ice Bath / Cold Exposure
Grass-Fed Whey Isolate
Protein Bars
Processed Deli Meats and Sausages
Virgin Olive Oil (general, high-quality source)
 
Find more from Kris:
Website: https://www.krisgethin.com/  
Instagram: @krisgethin 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/krisgethin
2 Shred: https://www.unmatchedsupps.com/products/2shred

After spending decades in bodybuilding, you start to notice patterns that are difficult to ignore. People who once looked indestructible begin to age faster than expected. Recovery slows. Energy drops. Joints ache. Hormones suffer. And yet the narrative persists that bodybuilding itself is the cause. From my experience, that conclusion misses the real issue.
In this episode, I explain why muscle, intensity, and hard training are not the problem. The real driver of accelerated aging is chronic stress without sufficient recovery. We look at how excessive volume, persistent inflammation, constant insulin stimulation, poor sleep, digestive strain, and psychological pressure quietly compound over time. I break down how the same training stimulus can be adaptive or degenerative depending on how well it is recovered from and integrated into life.
If you want strength, resilience, and longevity rather than short-term results, this episode will challenge how you think about effort, discipline, and recovery. 
What's Discussed:

(00:01) Why bodybuilding is often blamed for accelerated aging
(01:45) What decades in the industry reveal about long-term outcomes
(03:20) Why muscle and hard training are not the real problem
(05:10) How chronic stress shifts the body from growth to survival
(06:55) When inflammation stops being adaptive and starts aging you
(08:40) Why training volume without recovery breaks hormonal health
(10:25) How poor sleep and constant stimulation accelerate aging
(14:05) Why aligning bodybuilding with biology protects muscle for life
Find more from Kris:


Website: https://www.krisgethin.com/  
Instagram: @krisgethin 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/krisgethin
2 Shred: https://www.unmatchedsupps.com/products/2shred 
 
Products mentioned in this episode:
Red Light Therapy
Red Light Rising – https://redlightrising.co.uk/ – GETHIN5
Lumaflex (localized red light therapy) – https://www.lumaflex.com/KrisGethin?sca_ref=4602702.myGSQTPeAr – KRISGETHIN
Molecular Hydrogen (Hydrogen Rich Water)
Drink HRW – https://drinkhrw.com/pages/h2-in-sports – GETHIN
Carbon ESS60 (Carbon 60)
ESS60 My Vital C – https://www.myvitalc.com/gethin/ – GETHIN
Grounding / Earthing
Bahe Grounding Trainers – https://bahe.co – KRIS15
Glutathione
EBO2 Therapy
Stem Cell Therapy
Peptides

Injury has a way of exposing how people really think. For some, it becomes a reason to stop, spiral, and slowly detach from who they believe they are. For others, it becomes a moment of recalibration. After decades in this industry, I've learned that the injury itself is rarely the thing that derails progress. The mindset around it does far more damage than the tissue ever could.
In this episode, my wife Sunshine joins me to talk through this in real time, using her recent injury as the starting point for a much bigger conversation. We break down what actually matters when you're injured. How to separate pain from damage. Why movement, blood flow, and intelligent adaptation matter more than waiting for perfect conditions. We cover training around limitations, protecting muscle and joints while healing, why dieting during injury backfires, and how recovery becomes a systems problem that includes mindset, nutrition, circulation, and daily application.
If you're dealing with an injury now or know it's coming eventually, this episode is about learning how to adapt without losing momentum.
What's Discussed:
(00:45) Why injury becomes a mental problem long before it becomes a physical one
(04:10) How fear and catastrophizing slow healing more than tissue damage
(07:35) The difference between pain and damage and why most people confuse the two
(11:05) Why continuing to train around an injury accelerates recovery instead of delaying it
(14:40) How blood flow, heat, and daily movement support nerve and tissue healing
(18:20) Why dieting during injury backfires and what to prioritize instead
(22:05) How recovery tools fit into a long-term healing strategy without becoming crutches
(26:30) Reframing injury as a detour and building a problem-solver mindset for the long game


Find more from Kris Gethin:
Website: https://www.krisgethin.com/  
Instagram: @krisgethin 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/krisgethin
2 Shred: https://www.unmatchedsupps.com/products/2shred 
 
Find more from Sunshine Gethin:
Instagram: @visualchemistry 
 
Products mentioned in this episode:
✔ iLumaflex (localized red light therapy) – code KRISGETHIN (10% off)
✔ KPV (tripeptide) – Use code GETHIN at checkout for 20% off.
✔ GHK-Cu (copper peptide) – Use code GETHIN at checkout for 20% off.

PEG peptide
TENS unit
Neubie (DC electrical stimulation device)
Sauna
Steam room
Heat therapy
Ice / contrast therapy
Electrolytes
Magnesium
Amino acids
Glutamine
Hydrogen bath soak
Magnesium bath (transdermal use)
Hanging or decompression bar
Physiotherapy
Lymphatic massage
Swimming
Recumbent bike

Peptides are everywhere right now, but most people don't actually understand how they work or how to use them intelligently. That's why I wanted to sit down with Kyal Van Der Leest, founder of LVLUP Health, to cut through the noise and talk about what really matters if you care about performance, longevity, and staying sharp.
In this episode, we get into oral peptides and why some work while others never will, the truth about SLU-PP-332 and exercise mimetics, and how gut health quietly drives hormones, inflammation, and recovery. We also talk about fat loss without stimulants, brain performance without frying your nervous system, and how to mitigate real life stress like travel, alcohol, and poor sleep without blowing up your progress.
Kyal shares his background in nutrition and naturopathy, how peptides changed his approach to health, and why nuance always beats hype. If you want tools that actually move the needle, this episode will help you think more clearly about what you're using and why.
LVLUP: Head over to LVLUPHealth.com and use code GETHIN at checkout to get 15% off.
What's Discussed:
(00:00) Travel, stress, and why longevity starts with restraint
(07:10) How health crises push people into deeper performance work
(15:02) Gut inflammation, cortisol, and hormone performance
(24:18) Oral peptides explained and why size and stability matter
(34:05) Gut repair peptides, recovery, and sleep quality
(44:22) Fat loss compounds and exercise mimetics decoded
(56:40) Mitochondria, dosing mistakes, and metabolic burnout
(1:07:55) Brain performance tools and cognitive timing strategies
(1:18:30) The future of supplements, peptides, and regulation


Find more from Kris:


Website: https://www.krisgethin.com/  
Instagram: @krisgethin 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/krisgethin
2 Shred: https://www.unmatchedsupps.com/products/2shred 
 
Find more from Kyal Van Der Leest:
Website: https://lvluphealth.com/
Instagram: @lvluphealth