Berserker Strength Radio: The Strength and Anger Podcast

Berserker Strength Radio is a powerlifting show that sounds rooted in an actual gym, not a neutral studio. It comes out of 2XL Powerlifting in Lombard, Illinois, and keeps returning to the people, federations, meets, and arguments that shape the sport. The usual rhythm is loose. First come the loose ends, listener feedback, local updates, jokes about merch, or a family-life side road. Then the conversation snaps into the kind of detail only insiders bother carrying around. A topic like making powerlifting mainstream can turn into old full-page ads, Franz bench shirts, 1990 Illinois meet listings, reader letters, APF and WPC history, and deadlift numbers by bodyweight. The show treats those details as living evidence. They are not trivia for trivia's sake. They are how the sport remembers itself. Regular episodes cover Q&A, federation conflict, drug-tested versus untested divisions, USAPL and IPF disputes, and training resources such as 10/20/Life. The tone is blunt, fast, and often abrasive, but the affection for powerlifting is obvious. It can mock the sport and defend it in the same breath. Interview episodes open the room wider. Putt Houston brings stories from meets, equipped lifting, physical wear, and the rise of women in powerlifting. Jimmy Kolb brings the world of benching, travel, sponsors, prize money, attempt selection, and the pressure of chasing enormous numbers. The show gives guests space to tell long stories, then keeps them moving with short reactions and insider callbacks. It is especially strong when old lifters, old federations, and old arguments collide with the current scene. The result is not tidy analysis. It is a loud, name-heavy, memory-driven record of powerlifting culture. Newer lifters may need patience with the shorthand. Longtime strength-sport people will recognize the room immediately. Berserker Strength Radio works best for listeners who want the sport as it is talked about by people who have trained, competed, argued, and stayed around long enough to remember who did what before the internet flattened everything.