So, being an avid weightlifter and (aspiring) bodybuilder myself, I've been binge-watching Mike Israetel's videos on lifting for a while and actually discovered that video last week after listening to his recent podcast with the other, more famous Dr. Mike:
Essentially from what I've gleamed, he's like one of those guys whose well-read but never grew out of their "college Libertarian" phase.
He's an avowed libertarian, which explains why he chose to wear a Thomas Sowell shirt for the podcast, but the big irony is that Sowell himself-- as well as the other Dr. Mike tried to assert to him during the episode -- would claim that
CULTURE/SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, is the key determinant to one's success, not mostly genetic as Israetel claims.
I noticed that although he initially seemed reluctant to discuss his opinion on genetics vs social environment with the other Dr. Mike, he eventually became comfortable, I HIGHLY suspect this is because both he and the other Dr. Mike are Ashkenazi Jews whose parents are immigrants.
And, coincidentally, Ashkenazi Jews score the highest worldwide on IQ tests, so there may be an ego factor at play.
He spent a lot of the podcast blaming genetics on poverty and claimed that nepotism has less of role on one's life than their intellectual capacity.
He always shows respect to Black bodybuilders and generally shyts on the workouts that athletes and celebrities do
Without a doubt, I would brand him as a "genetic determinist".
So far, I see him as a "highly suspected" racist.
Sidenote: He admits that his years of steroid use has decreased his intelligence, so