Welcome to our new website!

Videos

Feb. 15, 2022

Our biggest fitness mistakes? | Topic Thunder mini-episode of 50% Facts

Hey-oh! Corrected video! Maybe the biggest fitness mistake is not committing to being fit, but what were the biggest mistakes we made once we made that commitment? Where did we waste our time/money/both? See if you did some of this stuff like we did. Dean Saddoris of Caffeine & Kilos…

View more
Feb. 9, 2022

Can we treat adaptive athletes as athletes first? | Guest Sam Schaefer | 50% Facts Podcast

Sam Schaefer is an adaptive and inclusive trainer, a fairly recent below-the-knee amputee – but and first and foremost, he’s an athlete. He shares the story of how he pushed himself forward through over nine years of constant, unrelieved pain, and how the decision to remove part of his leg…

View more
Jan. 28, 2022

50% Facts | Roadrunner Review

Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/jimmcdonald

View more
Jan. 21, 2022

Garrett Fear: Can powerlifting ever grab a mainstream audience? | 50% Facts

Can the next generation of powerlifters (and powerlifting promoters) finally bring the audiences (and sponsor money) the sport has dreamed of? Garrett Fear thinks so, and he gives us some insight into how it might work. We kick it off with talk of PC vs console gaming and standup comedy.…

View more
Jan. 19, 2022

Garrett Fear: Can powerlifting ever grab a mainstream audience? | 50% Facts Live Version

Can the next generation of powerlifters (and powerlifting promoters) finally bring the audiences (and sponsor money) the sport has dreamed of? Garrett Fear thinks so, and he gives us some insight into how it might work. We kick it off with talk of PC vs console gaming and standup comedy.…

View more
Jan. 5, 2022

Fit/Fat Shaming and Worst Fitness Gimmicks | Topic Thunder Sampler | 50% Facts

While the long-form version of the show is on a holiday break, we’ve a got two-episode sampler of our short-form panel show, Topic Thunder! The videos of this show regularly appear on Silent Mike’s channel, while the audio versions drop on Fridays in the main 50% Facts audio podcast feed.…

View more
Dec. 24, 2021

Winning lifters from our first meet at Third Street Barbell | Commentary

We ran our first meet at Third Street Barbell on Dec. 18, 2021. And this is the first commentary video on this channel in many years. The meet was an unsanctioned deadlift-only meet. For many of the lifters it was their first meet, but experienced lifters like Brittany Chown used…

View more
Dec. 22, 2021

What did we learn from running our first meet? | 50% Facts

We partnered with Caffeine & Kilos to hold an unsanctioned deadlift meet at our gym. What did we find out that we didn’t know before? We’ve participated in running meets in the past, but this was our first shot at making it happen by ourselves. Shout out to Barbell Brigade…

View more
Dec. 15, 2021

50% Facts | King Richard Review & React

We’re taking our first jump into scripted film territory. Will Smith stars as the father, and sometimes coach of, Venus and Serena Williams in this 2021 “definitely-not-a-documentary” biographical film. Does the film do justice to the amazing rise of the Williams sisters or is it mostly a Will Smith film…

View more
Dec. 8, 2021

50% Facts | Top Fitness Trends for 2022

Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/jimmcdonald

View more
Dec. 1, 2021

How do you keep your head together while you’re getting your gainz back? | Dec. Q & A | 50% Facts

After some period of time away from the gym, how do you deal with the mental impact of being WAY off your PRs? Are meal replacements worth or it or a good idea? What have we learned that we didn’t know while making this show? What would we tell our…

View more
Nov. 20, 2021

The Commissioner of Power | Documentary Review and Reaction | 50% Facts

It’s fitting that Rogue Fitness would decide to underwrite an expansive documentary on the life of Terry Todd -- a name known to many in the strength world for decades. As a lifter and coach, he was a formative presence in Olympic lifting, powerlifting, and strongman. In many ways, he…

View more
Nov. 17, 2021

Home gyms (revisited) | The North Pull | w/Caffeine & Kilos | 50% Facts

In a bit of a mashup between a regular 50% Facts and one our shorter Topic Thunder episodes, we sat down with our friends from Caffeine & Kilos to take another swing the advantages and disadvantages of home gyms. We also hit on “do not disturb” on smart phones, the…

View more
Nov. 10, 2021

The Tillman Story Documentary Review | friendly fire incident | 50% Facts Podcast

Pat Tillman, who walked away from NFL millions to join the Army and was later killed, is a legendary heroic figure. What was the real story of his death by friendly fire? This documentary reflects his family’s efforts to find the truth and get the military and the government to…

View more
Oct. 27, 2021

How do you escape from a scary religious cult? | The Way Down docu-series parts 2 and 3

In this episode, we discuss the final chapters of The Way Down. These episodes cover the impact on the lives and families of the cult surrounding the Remnant Fellowship and diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara. Many former members detail the extent to which the cult controlled their behavior and actions,…

View more
Oct. 26, 2021

Two physical therapists who powerlift explain why sometimes moving “wrong” is actually right

We’re lucky to have not one, but two physical therapy docs as members of our gym. We sat down with Emily Snee and Dominic Violi to discuss what it really takes to get back in the game, and the stuff that’s probably just a waste of time and money. It…

View more
Oct. 20, 2021

What happens when a diet guru launches a scary religious cult? | 50% Facts

The author of the bestselling diet book The Weigh Down, Gwen Shamblin, appeared on the national TV talk shows and sold her weight loss philosophy to people across America. Especially churchgoers. By 1999, she had essentially started her own Tennessee church (or cult depending on your point of view). Her…

View more
Oct. 13, 2021

Ba-dee-ya, Myers Briggs, and canceling Gruden? | 50% Facts

To what extent is “canceling” someone in 2021 just a way to take someone off the board? Does intent matter? And can people really be educated/rehabilitated? We take a look at the recent scandal around former Raiders’ head coach/GM John Gruden’s emails and his hurried resignation. We kick it off…

View more
Oct. 6, 2021

50% Facts | More Common Sayings People Don"t Understand

Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/jimmcdonald

View more
Sept. 29, 2021

How do you make your first meet a success? w/ Sebastian Brambila

Hey, powerlifting-specific content! We asked one of our gym members who had just competed in his first meet, the USAPL California State Championships, to talk about the experience. We also share our personal experiences and best practices. What should your last week of training look like? Do you need a…

View more
Sept. 15, 2021

The Drive of Transgender Athletes | 50% Facts

We spend a couple episodes talking about a couple of high profile (in their sports) transgender athletes through the lens of documentaries about their lives: “Transformer” about the life of powerlifter/bodybuilder Janae Kroczaleski, and “Untold: Caitlyn Jenner” about the 1976 US Olympic Decathlon gold medal winner. Most people did not…

View more
Sept. 9, 2021

50% Facts Modern Day Hero

Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/jimmcdonald

View more
Sept. 9, 2021

50% Facts September Q&A

Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/jimmcdonald

View more
Sept. 3, 2021

Anxiety self-help, carb cycling, conjugate versus progressive overload. | September Q&A | 50% Facts

Show starts at 1:57. Discussion about the book, "The Power of Now" and other approaches that help people with anxiety live in the moment. Viewer questions include our funnies gym moments, whether carb cycling is worthwhile, and making progress on the bench. We also talk about some of the nuances…

View more