Rapid City, South Dakota – The Massenomics Podcast, a strength community brand, gym, and media outlet rooted in South Dakota, marked a significant milestone last week by releasing its 500th episode at the iconic Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
The podcast, co-hosted by Tanner Baird located in Aberdeen and Tommy DeFea located in Sioux Falls, has published a new episode every single week since its debut in April 2016. What began as a local gym in Aberdeen has grown into a worldwide network for lifters and strength enthusiasts.
Normally recorded remotely from their homes, Baird explained the decision to choose the location.
“We wanted to do something that was special, unique, and had some Massenomics flare to it,” Baird said. “Our podcast might not necessarily be about South Dakota, but we’ve been recording here for almost 10 years, and it is a big piece of us. Our audience has become very familiar with our midwest/great plains pride, so recording at Mount Rushmore just felt right. We also had never seen it done before, so it seemed like a great opportunity to do something new.”
The show has cultivated a dedicated listenership over the years, with episodes commonly surpassing 10,000 listeners weekly and reaching audiences in over 175 countries. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia are the most listened-to countries.
The podcast focuses on lifting, home gyms, and the quirks of strength culture, delivering content with a “midwestern twist” and a commitment to not taking themselves too seriously. The show’s consistent output is a key factor in its success, especially considering that less than half of all podcasts do not make it past a third episode.
“One of the things we pride ourselves on is consistency,” Baird said. “Death, Taxes, and the Massenomics Podcast. Because so many podcasts drop off and fade away, we knew part of our secret sauce could just be to do the opposite.”
Baird credits finding their dedicated audience and maintaining shared goals with DeFea as the main drivers.
Massenomics has expanded beyond the podcast to include a Certified Training Facilities program, annual events like the Lift Hard Live Easy Classic, and a line of merchandise. They also produce original video content on YouTube, focusing on gym tours across the country.
When asked about reaching 1,000 episodes, Baird was optimistic. “It’s a great question. There’s so many factors to consider, but if I was a betting man I would say you’ll see us at episode 1,000 someday.”