In this episode of The Powerbuilding Podcast, Chris Marzarella goes from finishing all five seasons of The Chosen straight into watching The Batman — and the contrast hits hard.

What does real strength actually look like?

On one side, Jesus portrayed with quiet authority, restraint, and composure — power under control. On the other, a visually stunning Gotham soaked in rain and brooding intensity, where vengeance is whispered but never quite embodied.

Chris breaks down the difference between composed strength, embodied strength, and mood-driven toughness — and asks whether a mythical vigilante should actually look and move like someone who trained for the role.

Beautifully shot film. Questionable menace.

A hard look at Olympic athletes mixing politics with national representation. This isn’t about silencing speech. It’s about role clarity, timing, and respect for the symbol you’re standing under. The country isn’t the administration. Debate policy all you want. But when you step onto the Olympic stage under the American flag, represent it fully.

The DOJ just dumped millions of Epstein-related files, and once again we’re told to “trust the process” while no one is charged and the media plays implication games. In this episode, I break down what was actually released, what it does and doesn’t prove, why gaslighting from the mainstream media destroys trust, and why facts, standards, and accountability must apply to everyone, including President Donald Trump if real evidence ever exists.

Now we turn the knobs. In Mass Phase Part 2, we move from setup to execution and how to push volume, load, and calories without running yourself into the ground.

We dig into progression strategies, managing fatigue, adjusting food as bodyweight climbs, and knowing when to push versus when to hold the line. This is where most lifters screw it up by doing too much, too soon.

If Part 1 is the blueprint, Part 2 is the build. Do them in order.

Muscle gain doesn’t start with eating more or piling on junk volume. In Mass Phase: Part 1, I lay out the groundwork that determines whether a mass phase actually works or turns into fat gain and stalled lifts.

We cover training structure, volume landmarks, recovery priorities, and how to set nutrition before pushing calories. This episode is about building the framework so the next phase produces real size, real strength, and minimal backtracking.

This is the planning phase—skip it, and you pay for it later.

Most people don’t fail dieting. They fail maintenance.

This episode breaks down why holding your weight is harder than losing it, why boredom and scale noise wreck otherwise smart lifters, and why maintenance is something you practice, not wait through. Cookies are allowed. Screwing up is allowed. Panicking is not. If you’ve ever felt lost without a goal or tempted to tinker when nothing is wrong, this one’s for you.

Recomposition isn’t broken. Your expectations are.

This episode explains why eating at or near maintenance while trying to lose fat and keep muscle feels mentally harder than a bulk or a cut. We break down why the feedback sucks, why the scale messes with your head, and why most people panic-adjust their way out of progress. If recomp has ever made you feel like nothing is happening, this episode explains exactly why.

Most lifters think recovery means shutting off. That works… until it doesn’t.

In this episode, Chris breaks down why precision, not inactivity, calms the nervous system, improves recovery, and even builds more muscle. From video games to the shooting range to mind–muscle connection research, this episode explains why focused engagement works better than doing nothing.

If you train hard, compete, and live under real stress, this one matters.