The Truth About Creatine, Belly Fat, and Getting Shredded! Jeff Cavaliere (The Muscle Expert)
He created YouTube’s first-ever fitness channel and spent decades training pro athletes, now Jeff Cavaliere reveals the truth about creatine, fat loss, and real muscle growth.
Jeff Cavaliere is a renowned physical therapist, strength coach, and founder of ATHLEAN-X, one of the world’s most trusted fitness brands blending science-based training with real-world results. He is also the author of books such as, ‘AthleanX's Train Like an Athlete: Intelligent Training to Build the Ultimate Body’.
He discusses:
The science behind creatine and how it really supports muscle growth and recovery.
Why you’re struggling to lose belly fat, and the simple fixes that actually work.
The most harmful fitness myths that keep people weak, tired, and injured.
Small but powerful changes that help burn fat and preserve lean muscle mass.
Why grip strength predicts overall health and how to train it effectively.
How “nerd neck” and poor posture can destroy your gains, and how to fix it fast.
00:00 Intro
02:16 Jeff's Mission
05:43 Training the World's Best Athletes
06:30 Motivation vs. Discipline
07:57 Advice for People Struggling to Get Started
10:27 What Motivates Jeff's Audience?
14:29 The Impact of Doing Hard Things
17:23 Are There Exercises Jeff Avoids?
18:11 Deepest Motivators for Fitness
21:43 Surface-Level Motivators for Fitness
23:20 How to Look Good Physically
25:07 How to Lose Body Fat and Get Leaner
25:57 Less Obvious Nutrition Offenders
27:40 What to Look for on Food Labels
29:06 What Jeff Eats in a Day
33:50 Getting Rid of Stubborn Belly Fat
38:43 Misconceptions About Abs
40:47 Long-Term Consequences of Steroid and Growth Hormone Use
44:38 Training for Longevity
50:17 Top 3 Overlooked Elements of Training
52:16 Improving Flexibility and Mobility
54:07 Workout Demo: 5 Key Exercises for Longevity
59:24 Ads
01:00:24 Why These 5 Exercises Matter for Longevity
01:03:11 Most Important Functional Movement: Thoracic Spine Rotation
01:11:21 Exercises to Prevent Hunching with Age
01:14:36 Train Longer or Harder?
01:16:32 Importance of Proper Form
01:19:35 What Is Nerd Neck?
01:21:20 Common and Avoidable Gym Injuries
01:24:15 How to Do Less and Achieve More
01:26:54 7-Day Comprehensive Workout Plan
01:30:48 Sets and Reps for These Workouts
01:32:07 Growing Biceps
01:33:57 Grip Strength and Its Link to Longevity
01:39:26 Women's Average Grip Strength
01:41:58 Can Grip Strength Be Trained Individually?
01:42:30 How to Avoid or Improve Back Pain
01:47:58 Jeff's Opinion on Standing Desks
01:52:20 Jeff's Advice on Supplements
01:53:49 Creatine Benefits and Misconceptions
02:01:20 Are Some Protein Powders Better Than Others?
02:02:51 Foods Jeff Would Never Eat
02:03:33 Jeff's View on Melatonin
02:04:29 Is There an Optimal Way to Sleep?
You can follow Jeff, here:
YouTube - https://bit.ly/4mfLt1B
Instagram - https://bit.ly/3YKF58s
Athlean-X - https://bit.ly/4dnOU2k
You can purchase Jeff’s book, ‘AthleanX's Train Like an Athlete: Intelligent Training to Build the Ultimate Body’, here: https://amzn.to/4j6g6Up
100 CEOs: Ready to think like a CEO? Gain access to the 100 CEOs newsletter here: https://bit.ly/100-ceos-megaphone
The 1% Diary is back - limited time only:
https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt
The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition):
https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
Get email updates: https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt
Follow Steven: https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Research document: https://stevenbartlett.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DOAC-Jeff-Cavaliere-Independent-Research-further-reading.pdf
Sponsors:
Vivobarefoot - https://vivobarefoot.com/DOAC with code DIARY20 for 20% offShopify - https://shopify.com/bartlett
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett is a podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett, the CEO of the social media management company, Social Chain. The podcast features Bartlett's reflections on his experiences as a CEO, as well as interviews with other business leaders and entrepreneurs. The show provides insights into the challenges and opportunities of running a successful business, as well as the personal journeys of its guests. The Diary of a CEO is known for its honest and candid discussions on the realities of being a CEO, and is aimed at helping listeners understand the inner workings of successful businesses.
Irish PodcastsI was a broke, university dropout, at 18 I built an industry leading social media marketing company, and at 27 I resigned as CEO. At 28 I co-founded Flight Story – a marketing and communications company, and thirdweb - a software platform, making it easy to build web3 applications. I then launched private equity fund, Flight Fund, to accelerate the next generation of European unicorns. During this time I decided to launch 'The Diary Of A CEO' podcast with the simple mission of providing an unfiltered journey into the remarkable stories and untold dimensions of the world’s most influential people, experts and thinkers.
If you enjoy the show, please hit the follow button! That's a small way you can help us carry on doing this, thank you for listening.
My New Book: https://g2ul0.app.link/DOAC
IG: https://www.instagram.com/steven
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenbartlett-123
- No. of episodes: 678
- Latest episode: 2025-05-30
- Business Society & Culture
Where can you listen?
