Build for Health with Srdjan Injac

Here's something that should be obvious but apparently isn't: ADHD and the gym should be a natural fit. The gym produces dopamine. ADHD is a dopamine regulation disorder. That math seems like it should close cleanly. And yet if you have ADHD — or suspect you might — the gym is probably also the place where you've set personal records for giving up. You signed up with great intentions. You went for two weeks. You lost the routine, felt terrible about it, and quietly concluded you're just not a gym person. The problem is that's wrong, and the fitness industry is largely to blame.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

Here's a thing that happens to almost everyone: somewhere around middle age, you quietly renegotiate your relationship with your body. You stop expecting it to perform and start expecting it to complain. You chalk up the stiffness, the slowdowns, the loss of grip strength to "just getting older" — as if decline were a scheduling appointment you simply had to keep. The problem is, most of what we call "aging" is actually just inactivity wearing a disguise. And this week, Srdjan is here to pull the mask off.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 & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

You had questions after our Programming 101 episode, and Pete and Srdjan are back to answer them. This week it's Programming 102 — a listener-driven deep dive into the mechanics of building a training program that actually adapts as you do. If you've ever missed a week and panicked, wondered whether you can train your upper and lower body on totally different systems, or felt vaguely like you should be doing something "more advanced" by now without knowing what that actually means, this episode is for you.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.Links & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

There's a remarkable amount of misinformation floating around the fitness world — and the frustrating part is that most of it isn't malicious. It's just wrong, and it gets repeated so often that it starts to feel like received wisdom. This week on Build for Health, Pete and Srdjan take on some of the most persistent myths in strength training and fitness, the kind that keep people out of the gym, stuck in the wrong routine, or convinced that getting stronger just isn't for them.But beyond the conversation about each myth comes some hidden truths and misunderstandings, and what better information actually looks like in practice.Links & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

Here's the uncomfortable truth about most people's fitness routine: it's not a routine. It's a vibe. A loosely organized collection of exercises they kind of remember, performed at an intensity that feels appropriately unpleasant, repeated until boredom or injury ends the whole experiment. That's not training. That's just being tired on purpose.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 & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!Looking for a Trainer? Reach Out! 

If you’ve ever had a great week in the gym and then let a bathroom scale talk you into thinking nothing’s working, this episode is for you. Pete and Srdjan unpack why body weight is such a noisy, unreliable metric on its own—because it can swing for reasons that have nothing to do with fat loss or fitness progress. They talk through what’s actually in that number (water, sodium, stress, sleep, inflammation, hormones, meal timing), and why daily weigh-ins can turn a normal fluctuation into an emotional roller coaster.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 & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

This one is about the part of training nobody romanticizes: coming back after injury or surgery without letting impatience take the wheel. We start with a real-world case—Pete’s business partner Andy facing back-to-back knee replacements—and uses that as a proxy for anyone staring down rehab, physical therapy, and the uneasy question of “When am I actually ready to train again?” Srdjan lays out what he wants to know first (medical notes, PT progress, movement limits), and why the handoff from PT to strength work matters: PT gets you functional, but strength training is where you rebuild the stability and muscle support that keeps you from getting hurt again.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.Links & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

Knees and shoulders might be the two most over-policed joints in the gym—by people who mean well, by people who absolutely don’t, and by that one guy who taught you to fear squats in 2004. Pete and Srdjan break down what actually makes these joints cranky, which “rules” are myths, and how to tell the difference between real injury pain and the normal discomfort of undertrained tissue waking up. 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 & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

The question sounds simple, but it carries a lot of baggage: if you don’t eat right after a workout, are you undoing all your hard work? In this episode, Pete Wright and Srdjan Injac take a calm  walk through one of fitness culture’s most persistent anxieties—the so-called anabolic window—and explain why it’s been overstated.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.Links & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

You've probably heard the terms flexibility and mobility used interchangeably. Turns out, they're not the same thing—and understanding the difference could completely change how you train, move, and age.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.Links & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

In this episode of Build for Health, Pete and trainer Srdjan Injac dig into what the “core” really is—and why it’s far more than the six-pack we’ve all been taught to chase. Srdjan breaks down the core as a 360-degree muscular system, not a single muscle group, and explains why abs alone represent only about 20% of what truly keeps us upright, stable, and injury-resistant. From the way sitting at a desk weakens deep stabilizers, to why most back pain comes from core fatigue rather than structural damage, Srdjan reframes core training as the foundation of long-term strength and mobility.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 & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

Cardio gets a bad rap—and to be fair, most of us have earned that bias the hard way. But in this episode of Build for Health, Pete and trainer Srdjan Injac get practical about what cardio actually does for your health, your strength, and your long-term quality of life. It’s not punishment. It’s not penance. And it’s definitely not the hour-long treadmill slog you remember from the ’90s. Instead, Srdjan breaks down why cardiovascular training is as essential as lifting: stronger heart and lungs, better recovery, improved metabolism, deeper sleep, and sustainable longevity.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.Links & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

When you’re ready to get serious about fitness, the first big question is: how do you actually learn what to do—and stick with it? In this week’s episode, Pete and Srdjan break down three of the most common training approaches: working with an in-person trainer, hiring a coach online, or following a program on your own. Each option comes with its own strengths, limitations, and accountability challenges, and choosing the right one can make the difference between a routine that fizzles out and one that becomes a lasting part of your life.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. 

When it comes to fitness, most of us think in terms of outcomes: “I want to lose 20 pounds,” or “I want to bench 225.” But what if the secret to lasting change isn’t about hitting a target—it’s about becoming the kind of person who never skips a workout in the first place? In this episode, Pete and coach Srdjan dig into the science and stories behind outcome-based versus identity-based goals. They explore research showing that people who frame themselves as “someone who exercises” are more likely to stick with it over time, and they bring in plenty of real-world examples from clients who’ve experienced the shift firsthand.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.

Welcome back to Build for Health, where we take your questions seriously—even when you’re not quite sure how to ask them. This week, Pete Wright and Coach Srdjan Injac tackle a full slate of listener-submitted questions covering everything from high-rep vs. low-rep training to the dangers of ego lifting and the long tail of physical therapy.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 & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

Fad diets promise quick fixes—but at what cost? This week on Build for Health, Pete Wright and Coach Srdjan Injac are joined by family nurse practitioner and medical weight loss expert Misty Lohn to cut through the noise around crash diets, cleanses, and shortcuts. Misty brings her deep medical training and frontline patient experience to explain why so many trendy plans—keto, extreme calorie restriction, one-meal-a-day, detox cleanses—set people up for disappointment and even long-term harm.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 & NotesCarpe Omni Med SpaSubmit your questions to the show!

Some moves might be popular gym staples, but that doesn’t mean they belong in your workout. This week on Build for Health, Pete Wright and Coach Srdjan Injac dig into what they call “The Forbidden Exercises”—those movements and machines that look like they should make you stronger but actually carry a higher risk than reward. From upright rows that wreck shoulders, to behind-the-neck pulldowns that twist the spine unnaturally, to that infamous ab-crunch contraption that never quite fits right, Srdjan explains why certain exercises are off his list—and what safer alternatives you can do instead.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 & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

This week on Build for Health, Pete Wright and coach Srdjan Injac get down to the nuts and bolts of training with a focus on two fundamentals: form and isolation. While flashy new exercises and ever-heavier weights can grab attention, Srdjan reminds us that real progress comes from precision. Form isn’t about looking sharp in the mirror; it’s about safety, efficiency, and making every rep matter. Isolation, meanwhile, helps identify and strengthen weak links, correct imbalances, and build the control that pays dividends in big lifts and everyday life.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.Links & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

What’s the real difference between training at a big national gym and a private studio? New trainer Brooke Passey joins Pete and Srdjan to unpack incentives, atmosphere, and coaching—and Srdjan drops news about his own bodybuilding prep.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 & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

This week, we zoom in on the moment you decide to get help—how to choose a trainer (and a gym) that won’t waste your time or your joints. Srdjan contrasts the incentives inside big-box facilities—where volume and sales often dominate—with the owner-led standards, community, and results focus he’s seen in private gyms. The gist: when reputation’s on the line, care gets personal and outcomes matter. 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. Links & NotesSubmit your questions to the show!

This week on Build for Health, Pete Wright sits down with trainer Srdjan Injac to take on one of the most misunderstood stages in any fitness journey: maintenance. Why do so many people hit their goals and immediately fall off the wagon? Is maintenance just an excuse for taking your foot off the gas, or is it a legitimate skill that deserves as much attention as any muscle-building or fat-loss phase?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 & NotesLearn more about ELEV8 Fitness HillsboroSubmit Your Questions for Srdjan

We treat recovery like flossing: we say we do it, but mostly we don’t. This week, Pete and Srdjan break down the myth of rest-as-recovery and walk us through what your body actually needs to come back stronger.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 workoutHow to start cold therapy without crying (too much)The science behind pairing heat and cold for max benefitWhat those weird cupping bruises actually meanHow athletes use compression to flush out waste productsThe post-workout nutrition stack that fuels real growthWhy “active recovery” is more than just a buzzwordAnd 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.

There is a moment—quiet, unassuming, easily missed—that defines everything that comes after. It’s not a personal record. It’s not a transformation photo. It’s not even the first workout. It’s the decision to begin. And what’s remarkable about that moment is not how grand it feels, but how small and personal it really is.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.

Every era has its elixirs. The ancients had tinctures of mercury. The Victorians had cocaine cough drops. We, the modern wellness wanderers, have supplements—powders and pills, scoops and sachets, promises wrapped in slick branding. But what happens when you start asking: does any of it actually do anything?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 & NotesLMNT Electrolyte DrinkThentic Nutrition (available on Amazon)

In Episode 2 of Build for Health, Pete Wright and ELEV8 Fitness founder Srdjan Injac take on the misunderstood superstar of the nutritional world: protein.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 obsessingWhat plant-based eaters need to know to build strength effectivelyWhy protein bars and shakes should be supplements—not your main courseWhether 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.

Welcome to Build for Health, where we flip the script on what strength really means. Hosts Pete Wright and coach Srdjan Injac invite you to leave the “get shredded fast” mindset at the door and discover how building muscle is the ultimate investment in your long-term health, sharp mind, and resilient life. 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.