If you’re failing early in LP, you have to ask yourself: are you working hard enough? Some symptoms of not working hard enough might be not uploading your failed sets to your coach &amp; failing reps early in LP (like the first 6 weeks). This often occurs with people who think a lot in their work. No thought will help you move from the bottom of a squat to the top of a squat besides a simple cue.&nbsp; As an example, consider the Bulgarian Method, a program of lifting where lifters train 6 days a week with heavy weights. We don’t recommend this, but the point is that you’re not working that hard in the weight room and though there are people out there who coaches will need to rein in, but you’re likely not one of those people.&nbsp; LP, especially, is simply not enough stress to overtrain you and the risk of injury is incredibly low. Not only does strength training have low risk, but you’re in the steep part of the adaptivity curve and you’re not moving heavy weights compared to your biological limit.&nbsp; Many of these people have done hard things in other areas of their lives. They might be professionals like lawyers, doctors, or engineers who solve complicated problems as part of their job, but in the case of heavy weights you need to turn your brain off a bit.&nbsp; If you’re a coach, you might see that they failed a rep and then didn’t send you the video. Or they failed the rep and then backed off. They often might have an idea or solution about what happened too. When it comes to shutting off your brain and just thinking about the cue, the lifts have different flavors. Bench press &amp; squat are similar in that they start in the top and a failed rep can be awkward. Press starts from the bottom, but people often use something to get the bar going on heavy reps. The deadlift, though, is just going to take some time to get off the floor on a heavy rep.&nbsp; So, are you working hard enough? GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans.&nbsp; No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial.&nbsp;  Special offers from BLOC and our partners:&nbsp;  Connect with the hosts     Connect with the show     &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Are You Working Hard Enough? - The Voluntary Hardship Series S15E6

Chris &amp; Matt Reynolds like to wake up early and GET AFTER IT. If you don’t, that’s okay, but you might try before you write this off and it’s super important to have a consistent sleep schedule regardless of when you go to bed and wake up. You can’t make up for lack of sleep on the weekend, and your body will learn and adjust to a regular sleep schedule and be better off for it, as opposed to inconsistency.&nbsp; If you want to try this, give it a try for 3 weeks. If after 3 weeks you hate waking up early and going to bed early, that’s okay: you’re probably an evening person. You might then want to work on being more consistent with your sleep and how you still make time for leisure and family.&nbsp; One benefit that early sleep and wake provides is that many people have social activities in the evening. If you’re an evening worker, you’ll have to compete with these and find ways to work around these. It also can give a natural break to work and family life, and you can complete your work for the day (barring a true emergency) and then give your full attention to your family when they arrive.&nbsp; GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans.&nbsp; No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial.&nbsp;  Special offers from BLOC and our partners:&nbsp;  Connect with the hosts     Connect with the show     &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Early to Bed, Early to Rise... Why You Should Wake Up Early-The Productivity Series S16E7

Pastor Brandon Lansdown preaches on The Full Armor of God - Ephesians 6:13-17 to the Coram Deo Reformed Baptist Church in Springfield, MO. BELIEF Coram Deo is a Reformed Baptist confessional church, seeking to corporately declare truths that unite us in doctrinal affirmation. The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith accurately expresses what we believe. PURPOSE Enjoy and exalt the glory of God in Jesus Christ to all people. MISSION Coram Deo Church exists to glorify the God of the Scriptures in promoting His worship, evangelizing sinners, and edifying saints. To this end we are committed to proclaiming God’s perfect law and His glorious gospel of grace in Jesus Christ throughout the world, and to defending the faith. Our mission field is every area of your life – where you are right now (family, friends, neighborhood, coworkers, frequent shops, etc). It’s all of Christ for all of life. Check Out the Church:&nbsp;   Support the Church:&nbsp; &nbsp;

The Full Armor of God - Ephesians 6:13-17

Have you (or are you currently) following the way of the milky boys? Have you had a milky boy phase? It's okay, many if not most of us have been a milky boy. Check out the . Milky Boys Have you decide to forego concerns about bodyfat, weight, waist, digestive health, time spent on the toilet, and any other fitness goals to pursue with reckless abandon the sweet, sweet call of the milky boys? It's okay - many of us have been there. You push the milk to push your weight up to push the weight on the bar. Bumping calories up a bit while ensuring you are consuming adequate protein and carbohydrates to support your goals? NAH - gallon of milk a day. This episode is about body image, , and coming to terms with what you ACTUALLY want. Skinny Boy to Milky Boy Andrew shares his two opposing experiences of - in high school and college - drastically reducing calories to lose weight. He was underfed, weak, and not feeling great. Spring forward, and it's time to squeeze every milk-fueled drop out of LP. He was overfed, strong, and not feeling great. Maybe these oppose each other, but like cowardice and rashness. You find the virtue in the mean. With the help of Gillian and Niki, when confronted with potential options for where to take his nutrition and training, Niki asked, "What would that feel like?" Milky Boy to Muscle Boy He thought about what that would actually look and feel like, and it was bad. What if the best way to lose weight was more gradual? What if, instead of going from mountain dew and pizza to chicken and broccoli, you took small, incremental, MED steps that helped you build habits along the way. For example, let's say for you alcohol is a non-negotiable and you find yourself averaging 35 drinks a week. Instead of going to 0, what about going to 20 or 25? What about reducing the amount, seeing how that feels, seeing how you and your body react, and readdressing this change (and what you'd like to do) after you've processed it? Scared of the Scale - Milky Boy Madness The scale can be a problem. You associate a picture, a time of your life, an image of your body, a level of performance with weight X. You want the body, the performance, the feeling. You need the habits to get you there. You don't actually care about the number that pops up each morning. You have to have a sanity check. Measuring waist can help. Monitoring lifting belt hole, how clothes fit, how you fit - these matter. Also consider how you've done with nutrition. If you look better, feel better, and have honestly been doing pretty well with nutrition, don't freak out about the scale. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. There's no contract and you can cancel anytime. Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp;&nbsp;  Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Milky Boys - Beast over Burden - #472

How can I look like Jake Gyllenhaal? If you've asked yourself or your coach this, we discuss what this looks like (really).  How Can I Look Like Jake Gyllenhaal? The Goal  A popular movie comes out with a young actor who takes his shirt off and shows his shredded mid-section. What comes next? The onslaught of requests and goals to look like him. Articles explaining his training routine, diet, and more. Shred your abs with this Roadhouse routine. Andrew and Niki explore what this process might look like (really). How Can I Look Like Jake Gyllenhaal? The Process  It's going to take a long time and, contrary to many people's expectations and desires, you will almost certainly have to gain weight before you cut. For many, they are unwilling to add weight. Second, the cut is going to be rough. It may begin easy enough, with sustainable nutrition practices, but you will end feeling (and being) weak and lethargic. Realize that Jake approached this like a bodybuilder for a show. This is the peaked, temporary appearance of someone who underwent a long process and was not walking around like this for a long period of time. It is inherently unsustainable. How Can I Look Like Jake Gyllenhaal? The Mindset Third, it will take a lot of consistent, hard training over a long period of time (some of which you will feel and be weak). Lastly, and not unimportantly, you will have to deal with the hunger and what comes next. You will have extremely low energy near the end, not want to train, not want to work, and think about food most of your day. You got shredded, took the picture, posted it to Instagram. Now what? It will be hard to not compare yourself unforgivingly against this temporary success. If you want to look like Jake Gyllenhaal, you need to envision the life around the body and be prepared to dedicate the sacrifice this will entail.    Check out the .  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

How Can I Look Like Jake Gyllenhaal? - Beast Over Burden - #539

We share our go to healthy recipes. These are tasty, healthy, and enjoyable and help you crush your goals (without suffering).  Go To Healthy Recipes: Consistency, High Protein, Veggies  Before we go on to discuss some of Andrew and Niki's go-to recipes, let's discuss some principles for how the find, make, or purchase these. Find ways to get as high protein as possible (from natural foods). 2:1 protein to fat is good. This tends to mean, looking for lean beef, chicken, eggs, or Greek yogurt (there are, of course, other options, but these are readily available high protein options). Seek ways to strip unnecessary fats out of your diet. Think about things that minimize suffering. Some examples include reducing cooking oils, removing or reducing cheese in salads, replacing high fat dairy with lower fat dairy, and using some egg whites with whole eggs. Eating the same foods consistently is helpful. These meals provide stability. You know how you will feel after them. Unless other big changes have occurred in life, you know how much to cook, it's easy to know your calories and macros, and you know how full you will feel and for how long. Go To Healthy Recipes  Andrew and Niki both like the . It cooks eggs well. Niki loves a high protein and veggie breakfast. She cooks some onions, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and bok choy. Add some salt (not until the end!) and then some Boar's Head pastrami turkey (about 50 grams). Cook some eggs and back, put all of it in a low carb tortilla and you have a healthy breakfast that is under 400 calories. Andrew will often go to Starbucks. When eating out, look for options that have high protein to calories ratios. Greek yogurt with fruit (fresh or frozen), sugar free jello, and maybe grape nuts is super tasty and high in protein. Whipped cottage cheese is similar. Andrew also has a chicken breast meal with potatoes. Cut the chicken breast in half (to make it thinner). Salt ahead of time (could even salt and leave in the fridge over night). Cook some baby potatoes in the oven (don't salt until the end)! Enjoy. Lastly, a rice hack. Forget about the rice button on your instapot. Rinse the rice, add your water or chicken stock, some salt, and (optional) pat of butter or oil. Cook it for 3 minutes, do NOT have the keep warm function come on afterwards, then immediately start dishing out. These are some of your go to healthy recipes. What are yours?    Check out the .  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Eat With Us! Our Go-To Healthy Recipes - Beast Over Burden - #545

We discuss recovery as the limiting factor. How addressing what you do outside the gym affects what you do in the gym and your movement toward your goals.  Recovery as the Limiting Factor (Toward Adaptation / Your Goals)  The stress-recovery-adaptation cycle underpins the process of training. You stress yourself (the workout), spend time not stressing yourself (recovery), and hopefully move toward your goal (adaptation). The stress you apply needs to be specific, based on the specific adaptation to imposed demand (SAID) principle. If you want to improve your run time, you should run, not follow a powerlifting routine. For many people, following the workout program is relatively easy. What often becomes harder is changing habits outside the gym, which can be developed over years and decades. How much protein are you eating? Are you willing to eat consistently in a caloric surplus? What does your sleep look like each night? These and other factors limit your adaptation, and so addressing them can help you move toward your goal. Failing to deal with them means you may fail to meet your goal. Recovery as the Limiting Factor: Maximizing Recovery  As you age, stressful events occur in your life (even if they're positive, like having a baby), and your priorities change, your recovery (and thus your adaptation) capacity changes. To move toward your goal and stay healthy, maximizing recovery may make sense. This area, though, often comes with harder-to-crack psychological underpinnings. On some level, you like to and are used to your habits (even if you are unhappy with where they have led you). Ensuring you get enough protein and consistently eat high quality foods matters. Prioritize sleep (which comes with a host of habits you can build around sleep). Limit alcohol. Don't pursue the unimportant and non-urgent in your life. A new approach to training, especially in more stressful times of life, may need to occur. Building in some autoregulation and not beating yourself up if you don't do what is programmed (the planned stress) matters. For example, Niki and her sister were on vacation. They went to the gym and Niki's sister did her last warm up and it was way heavier than expected. Niki decided to decrease the weight. The win was completing the workout, not beating themselves up about the weight on the bar, and not grinding out reps unnecessarily. Recovery as the limiting factor is an important topic that needs more serious consideration.    Check out the&nbsp;.  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Recovery as the Limiting Factor - Beast Over Burden - #547

We discuss why and how lifters should do cardio: what is most effective and why include it in your program at all? We answer these questions and more.  Why and How Lifters Should Do Cardio: What is Cardio?  Cardio is the term for those activities that raise your heart rate and stress your cardiovascular system. Another term - the term we prefer - is conditioning. Conditioning tends to come more with the idea of a purpose, like training versus exercise. Cardio is more something you should do to get out of breath and sweaty. There are three general reasons people do cardio.  Weight loss: Cardio is not a great way to lose weight or get leaner. Rather, focus on nutrition, lift to create a signal for muscle growth, and generally be active. Performance: Conditioning helps you perform your sport or activity. For most clients, this means not feeling so out of breath when they play with their kids, go for a hike, or perform other physical activities then enjoy. Health: You may perform cardio to be generally more healthy, especially your cardiovascular system.  Why and How Lifters Should Do Cardio: Energy Systems  Cardio encompasses three energy systems.  Aerobic: This is low-intensity, long duration. You are almost certainly primarily using your aerobic energy system now. This encompasses normal life along with low-intensity exercise, such as walking or an easy jog. You oxidize fat and carbohydrates. Glycolytic: Medium-intensity, medium duration (~10s - 2 minutes). You use this for things such as running intervals. You break down carbohydrates. Phosphagen: High-intensity, short duration (~10s or less time). You use this for short bursts, such as a 50m sprint, a jump, or a 1RM effort. This uses ATP readily available in your muscles.  Conditioning for lifters will typically stress the aerobic and glycolytic energy systems, as lifting stresses the phosphagen system (and the glycolytic as well). Why and How Lifters Should Do Cardio: Conditioning for Strength Athletes  Most lifters will want to incorporate some easy aerobic activity and then high-intensity interval training (HIIT). For the aerobic activity, things that simply get you active suffice. This can mean walks. If you enjoy other activities, such as swimming, running, or biking, by all means do those in Zone 2. To include intervals, you should perform low-impact, low-skill activities for relatively short durations repeatedly a few times a week. This can look like accessory circuits at the end of your workouts, hill sprints, prowler pushes, or some type of machine intervals (bike, rower, elliptical, etc.). Why and how lifters should do cardio depends, but there are some general principles and best practices that make sense for your performance and health.     Check out the .  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Why & How Lifters Should Do Cardio - Beast Over Burden - #549

Learn the similarities between building wealth and muscle and how we can learn principles from both to improve both.  Similarities Between Building Wealth and Muscle  Andrew and Niki have been reading , a book that, as its title suggests, delves into how we approach money based on the inner workings of our mind. They really realized, reading this book, how similar building muscle and building wealth are. So many principles of success (or paths to failure) overlap. Some of the ideas that overlap include:  Less ego, more wealth Humility when things are going well; compassion when going poorly Importance of planning and knowing personal preferences Avoid the extremes Don't worry about "optimum"  There is a lot more there, including maybe the obvious but important idea that there is no get rich or get jacked quick scheme. You have to build behaviors consistently over time to achieve strength or a muscular physique or wealth. Also, shout out to , which is a company we appreciate that can help you on your path to your financial goals. Look more into the similarities between building wealth and muscle.   Check out the .  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

What Building Wealth and Muscle Have in Common - Beast Over Burden - #555

Conceptualize marketing and acquiring clients as the flywheel not the funnel. This analogy has some benefits over the more traditional funnel concept. Get updates on Matt's forthcoming book .  The Flywheel Not the Funnel for Marketing Success   Matt discusses two different analogies when it comes to marketing and acquiring clients. The traditional paradigm is the funnel. This idea is not wrong, but fails to emphasize certain aspects of successful marketing. Generally, you create a funnel to capture as many leads as you can, they build trust over time with you and eventually become clients. The flywheel emphasizes certain aspects that this fails to capture. It takes awhile to get a flywheel going. Once it is going, however, it is much easier to maintain the movement. This highlights the need to continue to feed the flywheel. It points to the benefits of consistency and content over time. The Flywheel Not the Funnel: Consistency &amp; Content are King Consistently create high value content and put it out. 90-95% of it should simply bring value to your clients. Your CTAs should generally be ways to provide more value to your clients. Some examples are below:  subscribe to our weekly newsletter subscribe or follow a social media account get a free eBook by providing an email  This not only solidifies the growing trust but helps these leads receive more content from you if they have decided they want to receive more content from you automatically. You put content out through output media (your own website or newsletter), rent media (on other platforms such as social media sites), and earned media (appearances on others' channels). As you become more successful, and as the flywheel builds momentum, a couple things happen. First, your clients become promoters, helping bringing you more clients. Second, you should be invited to do more earned media, such as Matt's recent appearance on . Apply the flywheel not the funnel to your marketing concept by starting with people you have already provided value for and built trust with and expand from there.  This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going . Check out&nbsp;&nbsp;- the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper). Check out the&nbsp;  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

The Flywheel not the Funnel - Coaching Success - #556

It's time to conquer your limiting beliefs to finally achieve that goal you've had for years or decades.  Conquer Your Limiting Beliefs: What is Possible  One of the biggest limiting beliefs is failing to understand what is possible, especially over a longer period of time. People tend to overestimate how much change they can make in a short period of time but underestimate how much they can change over months and years. The short change bias is why so many diets fail and why many media outlets develop the "8 weeks to abs" and similar things. Seeing "normal" people perform things you think is impossible, though, is powerful. Watching people who don't look like Ronnie Coleman or Ed Coan deadlift 500 or bench press 315 makes a big impact. How did they achieve these goals? Through consistent training over years. Conquer Your Limiting Beliefs: Feeling Stuck  We love what Barbell Logic offers because Barbell Logic coaches help clients get unstuck. Barbell Logic clients tend to fall into this general boat: ready to change, ready to work to change, ready to pay some money to change, but unsure of what to do. Getting unstuck is possible. Achieving a physique or strength level you thought impossible is likely possible. It won't happen in eight weeks. It might happen in eight years. See what happens with consistent training over months and years. Experience strength with Barbell Logic. Conquer your limiting beliefs and crush your goals.    Check out the .  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Conquer Your Limiting Beliefs - Beast Over Burden - #557

The transition to TurnKey Coach means better efficiency for more time, so you can get more clients or spend more time doing other things besides coaching. Learn about this very recent experience from .   Transition to TurnKey Coach: In-Person to Online   Anthony Diehl is a highly successful coach, who provides both strength &amp; conditioning coaching as well as nutrition coaching for clients. As with most coaches, he began fully in-person and began to experiment with online coaching. Online coaching, however, comes with many frustrations and inefficiencies if done poorly. 2020 and the Covid lockdowns, however, forced him to take all his coaching online. He developed systems and improved his efficiencies, but still realized a limit of about 90 clients that he could not go beyond.  Transition to TurnKey Coach: Software Transition   Anthony recently transitioned to TKC. Despite the big change, and the fear and resistance change brings, he hammered out his programming and accomplished the transfer in two days. Initially, for both him and his clients, it was a little weird to relearn the process, but the App itself is extremely intuitive and very quickly he was saving two hours of work a day. Two hours of work a day, gone!  Transition to TurnKey Coach: More Time, More Clients, More Money   What could you do with two more hours a day? Well, now Anthony plans to take on more clients, which means more money. As Matt and Anthony discuss, he could also consider taking on more clients under his name and hire some coaches. Of course, if he were fine with his current income, he could have pursued a different side hustle or spent more time with him family. The point is, TKC frees you up to do more that is important to you. This could be acquiring more clients, working on your business, working on a different business, working on your hobbies, or doing something else that is important to you. Learn about the transition to TurnKey Coach from someone who went through it recently.  This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going&nbsp;. Check out&nbsp;&nbsp;- the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper). Check out the&nbsp;  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Transition to TurnKey Coach with Anthony Diehl - Coaching Success - #558

Gauging nutrition progress can be hard, as weight &amp; waist may fluctuate or not change quickly (or as quickly as we'd like). Learn how to better gauge progress on nutrition. Niki and Andrew discuss how you can better gauge nutrition progress and advance in the realm of nutrition. Gauging Nutrition Progress: Subjective Feelings  Tracking nutrition progress can be frustrating. The amount of work that goes into changing behaviors, even in a relatively short few day period, with no or little measurable change to metrics such as weight or waist, can cause people to quit. What can become important, not just in these first few days but in general to become someone who builds some mastery in the realm of self-control and nutrition, is observing the feelings associated with feeling bad and feeling good. How do you feel during training? Do you feel depleted, bloated, or energetic? Are you full, satisfied, or hungry? What do these actually feel like (e.g. how do you feel after eating an appropriately portioned healthy meal versus overeating versus undereating). Observing these sensations and associating them with behaviors that connect to certain outcomes can help you see that you are on the right track or need to make adjustments. Some of these feelings are longer-term feelings (e.g. tight pants, the seat belt test) others you can experience soon after a meal or after a day or a couple days of behavior changes. Really, what you are learning to do is trust in the process by knowing the sensations that come from behaviors that will lead you toward your goals. Gauging Nutrition Progress: Objective, Quantifiable Behaviors  Beyond this growing self-awareness, tracking behaviors that will lead you to your goals can be helpful. For example, tracking glasses of water, servings or grams of protein, servings or grams of fiber can help you track habits that will lead you toward your goal and, importantly, that you can control. This helps provide a quantifiable metric that comes before the weight, waist, and appearance progress and is much easier to observe than the subjective feelings. Gauging nutrition progress can be hard. Learn how to observe your subjective feelings associated with moving toward or away from your goals and create quantifiable metrics with healthy behaviors so you can better track your progress.    Check out the .  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Gauging Nutrition Progress - Beast Over Burden - #559

Learn how to write a book: tips and tricks, developing ideas, motivation, pitfalls, and more. Matt talks to .  How to Write a Book: Tips &amp; Tricks for the Process   Matt has been writing a book for Forbes with Nick as the editor. This process has worked especially well, as it has allowed Matt to do what he does best: verbally process ideas and tell stories. Nick has been able to use his strength, of writing and editing to ensure not just correctness of grammar, syntax, and language but clarity of thought. As a lawyer, he is good at identifying issues, organizing thoughts, and finding gaps in thoughts. Matt and Nick worked on an ugly but extremely functional outline. It is not pretty, but it has enough detail to actually help describe what will be written. Matt then records what he wants a chapter to be verbally. He might also share some old podcasts that also describe the issue. Nick was able to get the transcript from the audio using . AI has made transcriptions inexpensive, quick, and easy.  How to Write a Book: Developing an Idea   Not everyone should write a book, but likely some people who should never do. Matt had burning ideas that he had been developing for years and decades, and the opportunity arose and he seized it. Before this, remember, he had been writing articles, recording podcasts, and discussing things on YouTube for years if not decades. Start getting your idea out there. Talk about it, write about it, share it with people. Get feedback. Don't expect to go from idea to book. Some ideas should just be a podcast or article. Some ideas are books. Similar to how Matt would recommend starting a business, don't go from nothing to book, but start organically developing the idea. You may eventually publish or self-publish a book. Nick recommends this needing to be important to you and your values divorced from its success. You have to want to get this idea out there and see the benefit in developing the idea. Learn more about how to write a book.   This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going . Check out&nbsp;&nbsp;- the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper). Check out the&nbsp;  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

How to Write a Book - Coaching Success - #560

We have questions for Niki Sims (and she has answers)! Learn more about Niki, her thoughts on training and life, and her goals.  Questions for Niki Sims: Training, Success, &amp; Motivation  Andrew asks Niki an assortment of questions. What is a particularly memorable success story from one of your clients? A story that stands out (and there are more, but this one jump into her head) is a daughter of a client who started to lift. Her family lifts, and so she started to lift. Niki could tell something was off, but her client was not talkative. Finally, the client told Niki her back was hurting. Niki change the training and let her know training should not hurt or be something you don't look forward to. Now, she loves training, she is into it, and you can see the different in her videos. How do you stay motivated to train consistently and what advice do you give to those struggling with motivation to train?&nbsp; For Niki, this has become the favorite part of her day. She has tailored the time and space to what she wants. She has removed things she does not want. If a lift is painful, she takes it out. She has her own home gym she loves. This time is a time without work (except work against gravity). You should make this as fun and enjoyable and comfortable as you can - this includes the exercises you are doing but also the space, music, and more. Questions for Niki Sims: Goals, Mentors, &amp; the Future Niki and Andrew continue. What are your personal fitness goals and how are you working toward them?&nbsp; Niki is working on her chin-ups, both 1RM and AMRAP. Besides this, she wants to consistently train four days a week with fun training sessions to get more meat on her body. Additionally, she learning how to eat to support this. Who are some of your mentors in the fitness industry?&nbsp; Matt Reynolds has helped, but especially when it comes to learning about the business side of the industry. Niki las learned much from Andrew Jackson on how to organize work to be more effective and efficient. Gillian Ward, Niki's coach, has been a huge mentor, from whom Niki has learned a ton. Lastly, Niki loved to see how Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions infused passion into the everyday work of the team. Where do you see the industry heading in the next 5-10 years? Gyms will get better and better, especially in terms of equipment. AI programming will mean less manual input but more data. You will be able to go into a gym with your program and not have to enter anything manually. You will know exactly what is available in the gym in your App. These are questions for Niki Sims.   Check out the&nbsp;.  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Questions for Niki - Beast Over Burden - #561

Matt shares extreme gratitude for his team, family, church, and more and invites you to do the same for you life.  Extreme Gratitude   Matt goes through and thanks many of the people that have helped bring him and Barbell Logic to the point it is today. Having just submitted the book to Forbes, about to go on vacation, and halfway through the year, Matt takes time to thank the people who matter to him. He recommends doing this if you have not. We want to appreciate the pursuit, not the outcome, and taking time to be thankful is a great way to enjoy the pursuit. Opportunities have arisen that, whether you call it luck, fortune, fate, or grace, you did not deserve in any real way. You found friends and colleagues, co-workers and jobs that you did not expect but mattered. Take time to be grateful. Have extreme gratitude.  This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going . Check out&nbsp;&nbsp;- the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper). Check out the&nbsp;  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Extreme Gratitude - Coaching Success - #562

We investigate accessory lifts: what's the point? Why do auxiliary lifts and how should you think about incorporating them into your training?  Accessory Lifts: What's the Point?  It's that time of year, where people begin to go on vacation and either take breaks from lifting or ask to do hotel workouts (which they often do not do). What may cause, in part, the low compliance with hotel training is not understanding the point of the accessory lifts that, because of the limited equipment and weight, have to be used for these workouts. So, what purpose do these lifts serve? The provide additional volume for muscle groups that cannot be adequately stressed by solely using the main lifts. We love the main lifts, they are fantastic tools and over time they should go up. As you advance, though, you will almost certainly need to incorporate more of these auxiliary lifts that train muscle groups like the deltoids, triceps, biceps, hamstrings, calves, and more. Adding Accessory Lifts to Your Training  As always, you first need to know the why? We explained the general why, but the personal why - why do you as a lifter need them now? You have to consider your time, equipment, preference, goals, and desired muscle groups to target. The benefits of home gyms are huge, but this is one area where home gyms tend to be more limited. You may have to get creative or invest in things such as adjustable dumbbells or pulley attachments. These need to be performed strictly and for difficult sets. In fact, these can be more productively trained at higher RPEs than deadlifts and squats because they provide less systemic fatigue to the body. You want to bar speed to slow down for the last rep or two and for them to be challenging. Program them for reps below 20, typically, because you do not want to stop because "you're tired." Consider adding accessory lifts to your program if you want more training stress and hypertrophy.    Check out the .  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

Accessory Lifts: What's the Point? - Beast Over Burden - #563

When important becomes urgent, clear your plate, and address the important (because, by definition, it's important).  When Important Becomes Urgent: Faith, Family, Fitness   Those things that are important but not urgent, such as family, health, and religion, can become urgent when unattended to (or minimally attended to) long enough. You find yourself bickering with your spouse or family more than normal, clothes unable to fit and feeling physically and mentally worse, and falling short of the standard your faith holds you to. Now, your family, your fitness, and your faith are urgent (and, of course, still important). It is time to clear your schedule, pull the weeds, and take care of what is most important. Life is signaling to you that you need to spend more time and effort on these things. This might be scheduling a vacation. It could be a spiritual retreat. Maybe you clear off a time to train every day and start every single day (today) training.  This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going . Check out&nbsp;&nbsp;- the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper). Check out the&nbsp;  Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:&nbsp; Connect with the hosts      Connect with the show     Or email&nbsp;

When Important Becomes Urgent - Coaching Success - #564

Whiskey of the Week: Poor Man’s Pappy 60% Weller 12 and 40% Weller Antique 107 &nbsp; Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in Podcast  Rip’s Article,  “The First Three Questions” Micro Plates:    Iron Woody  Dan Miller (The best!)    Body tape and bodyfat Caliper  (James) Watson  Frances (Crick)   Steady MD &nbsp; Connect With Matt Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter &nbsp; Connect With Scott Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter &nbsp; Connect With the Show Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram  The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com &nbsp; Listen to the Podcast! (And don’t forget to leave us a review!)

#12 - Stop Lying to Yourself About Recovery

Hambrick and Reynolds describe and ILLUMINATE how to detune the Texas Method for older lifters and ladies.&nbsp; We do this by keeping the frequency and intensity of our lifts the same as in Texas Method, but reducing the volume. Whiskey of the Week: Woodford Reserve, Double Oaked Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in Podcast  US Strengthlifting Federation  Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram  The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook mailto:barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#17 - Old Man Texas Method EXPOSED!

Matt and Scott talk to WFAC wunderkind Chase Lindley. When he's not gracing Rip's videos on the Starting Strength youtube channel, Chase trains and coaches at Wichita Falls Athletic Club. Having just turned 20, Chase boasts a 600+ squat and deadlift, and a 330lb press. Chase shares his story today of joining WFAC as a shy 12 year old, and growing into a strong, confident, and promising lifter and coach. &nbsp; Chase recently published an article for the Training Log on Starting Strength website:&nbsp;https://startingstrength.com/training/kirk-grows-up &nbsp; You can find Chase on Instagram at @chaselindley &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#52 - Barbell Logic Extra: A Conversation with Chase Lindley

Simply known as "The Squat," the low bar back squat, as it is otherwise known, is undoubtedly the king of all exercises. Matt and Scott discuss why the Squat deserves this lofty title, and deliver a condensed portion of the Squat lecture presented at the Starting Strength seminar. As a bonus, Uncle Rip joins mid-conversation to add his own color commentary. &nbsp; Whiskey of the Week Black Maple Hill Purple Label - A good effort, but don't buy it. Not in the same league as the old Black Maple Hill. &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#59 - The Squat

Although we often refer to the Squat as the king of the lifts, and Deadlift perhaps the queen, it's undoubtedly the bench press which is most popular out in the world of commercial gyms. Chances are you aren't getting the most out of your bench press technique, however, so Scott and Matt are here to walk you through the nitty gritty details of capturing that last 10% of the lift. &nbsp; Whiskey of the week: 10yr Redemption High Rye Bourbon. Scott likes it - his face says it all. &nbsp; Shout out to our SSC of the week, , who can be found on the Instagrams here:&nbsp;https://www.instagram.com/alexb.strong/ &nbsp; Honorable mention to off-camera guest Nick Soleyn&nbsp;and Ness Oszast, who was mentioned late in the episode. &nbsp; &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com  &nbsp;

#63 - The Bench Press

Matt and Scott brave new territory on the podcast with their first book review, Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life. In part one of this two-part episode, they walk through three of these rules and how they've found them to be true -- or not -- in their own lives as coaches, as trainees, and as humans.&nbsp; &nbsp; Rule 1 - Stand up straight with your shoulders back Many of us who barbell train have experienced the literal benefits to our posture - the stronger us is able to stand up straighter, for longer, and walk confidently without stooping or hunching. But there are more profound benefits as well. We learn to carry ourselves in a room with more presence and cultivate gravitas, which is a simple byproduct of having taken difficult, meaningful steps toward self-improvement. &nbsp; Rule 6 - Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world This one is pretty self-explanatory, be careful before casting stones. &nbsp; Rule 7 - Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient) We see this lesson time and again in our training. We don't squat because it is easy, or fast, we squat because it is both hard and effective. The difficulty of the movement means it is not expedient, and the strength adaptations give it meaning. Extending this to our lives, can we say the same thing for the causes we support and the careers we pursue? Perhaps they are difficult, but are they meaningful? Is there value in doing hard things which are not meaningful? &nbsp; SSC of the Week - Emily Socolinsky Emily is the owner of&nbsp;Fivex3 Training, a Starting Strength Gym, wheres she and her husband Diego (also an SSC) train the people of Baltimore and beyond to get strong and healthy. Check her out here: http://www.fivex3.com Emily has also contributed some excellent articles to the Starting Strength website, which you can view here:  https://startingstrength.com/article/the-price-of-control-the-cost-of-discipline &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#64 - Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life: A Book Review Pt. 1

Matt and Scott sat down with Starting Strength Coach Steve Hill during StrengthCon to discuss barbells, physics, cycling, and strength training for endurance athletes. One of the things that makes Starting Strength unique is its application of physics to the barbell lifts. Starting Strength follows a moment model for the lifts, analyzing the force of gravity on the barbell and intelligently applying moment force on the largest muscle groups of the body to move the bar against gravity in the most efficient path (vertically). Steve helped us parse through some of the more confusing applications of physics in barbell training, and talked about his own career as an athlete, a lifter and now a coach. &nbsp; Steve has an athletic background as a national champion track cyclist and a short distance time trialist. He is now a commercial airline pilot and Starting Strength's resident physics guru. He specializes in training cyclists, starting with the standard novice linear progression during the off-season and gradually working sport-specific training back in as the next season approaches. The LP portion may only last for 4-6 weeks, however, as Steve prefers not to keep athletes away from their endurance training too long. This foreshortened approach to LP produces some strength gains while minimizing loss of aerobic capacity. &nbsp; Steve Hill does not have a website but you can find him via the Starting Strength Coaches directory. He is located in the Atlanta area. &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#73 - Enduring Gravity with Steve Hill

One common criticism of the Novice Linear Progression as detailed in Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition is the lack of volume for upper body work, especially for the Press. The press is usually the first of the lifts to stall out during NLP, partly because the primary movers in the press are relatively small muscles and partly because, being a relatively technical lift, there is less margin for error than, say, the Bench Press. We all know the benefits of building a big overhead press (not to mention it's probably the coolest Big Lift), so Matt and Scott tackle this problem and offer some tips to continue building your press after LP. &nbsp; The first thing to examine is form. Some trainees may elect to learn the Press 1.0 first, that is, a strict press with no hip rebound. The hip rebound relies on precise timing, and can be difficult to get right as a rank novice. So, if you are performing a strict 1.0 style press, learning the Press 2.0 technique can give you some additional room for gains. There's also the Press 1.5, a term coined by SSC Michael Wolf to describe a press in which the first rep is a 2.0 and subsequent reps are rebounded off the bottom position. The rebound out of the bottom position allows the lifter to take advantage of a stretch reflex in the triceps and lats which can help the lifter add a few pounds to their LP. &nbsp; Microloading can be useful, particularly for older trainees and female trainees. However, Matt typically doesn't like to use jumps less than 2.5lbs, except in these populations. &nbsp; At some point volume needs to change. Scott likes to slowly increase &nbsp;the total number of reps per workout by dropping the number of reps per set and increasing the number of sets. Thus, 3x5 (15 total reps) becomes 4x4 (16 reps), then 6x3 (18 reps), all while increasing load. Then Scott will have the lifter go back to 3x5 at the now-higher load. &nbsp; Eventually frequency needs to increase as well. Matt likes to utilize the four-day split framework with two upper body days: on one day the lifter will perform heavy bench and volume work on press, on the other they will do the opposite. This increases the amount of upper work generally, while providing instances of both volume and intensity each week for each lift. Scott will walk from LP to the four-day split by simply adding extra pressing sets on a bench day. This can be done as the lifter transitions from LP to a 4-day split method. &nbsp; Matt references his trainee Philip Midkiff who has continued to train while going through daily radiation therapy. Here's an excellent article on Philip's experience and how Matt and intern Joel Rasmussen have managed his training. &nbsp; We've posted these before, but you can never watch these awesome presses enough:  Ken Patera 485lbs clean and press in the gym Serge Reding 502lbs clean and press (look how strict the press is!)  &nbsp; Don't forget to subscribe to the Friday Fahve newsletter on the Barbell Logic website! Just go to the site, enter your name and email in the space provided and we'll start sending cool, unique content to your inbox. &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#93 - Build Your Press with Better Programming

Andy Baker, co-author of  Practical Programming 3rd Edition, returns to the podcast to talk about advanced programming. Practical Programming defines advanced trainees broadly as those having fully exhausted linear progression, no longer able to make workout to workout, or even week to week progress. Advanced trainees must make progress on longer scales, usually over months of training. &nbsp; Very few trainees ever become advanced, primarily because advanced trainees need some sort of goal to train toward. They are usually regular competitors in strength sports, or high level athletes in sports with a strength focus. Advanced training demands consistency over four- or even five-workout-per-week schedules, as well as the necessary recovery resources, which most adults with busy schedules cannot realistically achieve. Absent these goals, advanced training is just too difficult and too time consuming to pursue. Note that the goals themselves are usually more specific than "get stronger." Advanced trainees have specific goals such as increasing performance in a specific event or discipline (excepting powerlifting in which the main training lifts are also the contested lifts). &nbsp; Advanced training takes place on a long time scale. Andy likes to lay out programming in broad strokes over a year. He works with his lifters to identify times of the year when schedules are rough, such as holidays and vacations, and plans competitions around the known disruptions. From there, he can start programming the specific training blocks leading up the competitions. &nbsp; Andy likes the "two steps forward, one step back" approach to advanced programming. Assuming a four-week month, this model calls for two weeks of high volume, moderate intensity, followed by a deload or light week three, then a high intensity, low volume week four. Thus, the fourth week acts as a PR week, by which you gauge the progress made over the four week block. In this sense, the program is similar to the Texas Method, just spread over a month instead of a week. There is still a volume period, a light period, and then a heavy period. In fact, Andy often arranges the weeks within this model in a HLM format: heavy day, light day, medium day. &nbsp; For most advanced lifters, Andy finds that breaking up the heavy competition lifts (i.e. avoiding going heavy for squat, press, and deadlift in a single workout) between workouts helps manage stress. &nbsp; &nbsp;For non-competition lifts, accessory and supplemental lifts can be used to work on weak points of the lift. Weak points are highly individual, and one accessory lift that works for one athlete (say, a heavy rack pull) may not carry over to the competition lifts for another athlete. &nbsp; You can connect with Andy, get programming from him via the Baker Barbell Club, and more at&nbsp;http://www.andybaker.com &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#104 - Programming for the Advanced Lifter with Andy Baker

Andy Baker is back for another episode, and today he's tackling hypertrophy for the intermediate lifter. After walking through his preferred strategies for implementing a Heavy/Light/Medium (HLM) model during the intermediate phase, Andy explains the need for most intermediate lifters to gain muscle mass without necessarily a lot of excess bodyweight. This is particularly true for older lifters, he observes, and women, who cannot metabolize a lot of excess calories after the novice phase like younger males could. In order for these lifters to continue making strength gains, they need greater cross section of muscle to increase their force production. In other words, they need hypertrophy. &nbsp; You can connect with Andy, get programming from him via the Baker Barbell Club, and more at&nbsp;http://www.andybaker.com &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#106 - Hypertrophy and Strength Training for the Intermediate Lifter with Andy Baker

Our good friend Robert "Bob-tana" Santana, RD, SSC, is back on the podcast to talk more about nutrition and diet. Since joining Starting Strength Online Coaching as the head nutrition coach, Santana has evolved his approach to coaching clients to reach their body composition goals. Observing that the biggest hurdle for clients was their compliance with eating their prescribed macros, he now offers more guidance on meal planning with specific foods to show clients what compliance can look like on a day-to-day, meal-to-meal basis. The result is essentially an LP for nutrition, a step by step process for changing eating habits toward the ultimate goal of eating healthfully and sustainably for a strength training lifestyle. &nbsp; To help his clients, Santana revisited some of the strategies he has used in the past with his own bodyfat loss journey. One such strategy is the cheat meal, a designated, scheduled meal (or day) during which the client can eat whatever they want, keeping only gross calories in check (to avoid massive overeating). Santana describes how he programmed his cheat meals, going out to eat once per week. He would order whatever he wanted, however knowing that restaurants typically serve large portions and cook nearly everything in lots of added fat (oils, cream, and butter), he would only eat 1/3 to 1/2 of the meal. This approach gave him a psychological break from the sheer amount of decision making involved in sticking to a macro plan, without sending him off the rails. &nbsp; As mentioned in previous podcasts, fat is the enemy of recomposition goals. The reason is because dietary fat is comprised of triglycerides, and so are the body's fat cells - 75% triglycerides, in fact. Consequently the body needs to do very little chemistry to store excess fat calories as bodyfat. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, must be first metabolized into glucose, then glycogen, then - if they cannot be stored as glycogen in either the muscles or the liver - into triglycerides via a complex process. All this conversion is metabolically expensive (burns a lot of calories in the process, the so-called "thermic effect of food"), so the body prefers to use carbohydrates for energy instead. Studies support this understanding, demonstrating that test subjects on a low fat diet only begin to acquire adipose tissue when their carbohydrate levels get very high. This is common sense, too. Carbs have less than half the caloric density of fats (4kcal per gram vs 9kcal). So it follows that one would have to eat double the carbs to displace fats, gram for gram, without accounting for the thermic effect of food. &nbsp; So, what are some practical steps to improving your eating habits? Santana has a few basic steps you can follow to improve your eating incrementally. Incorporate one habit at a time; once you've complied with it for two weeks, incorporate the next habit.  Eat breakfast, and make sure you get plenty of protein. Eat carbs an hour before training. Drink enough water, at least 2L per day. Eat a protein source at least 3x per day. Have at least one fruit and one vegetable per day.  &nbsp; Over a period of a few months, the acquisition of these eating habits will lead to a meal plan incorporating the habits and some specific macro targets. &nbsp; Use the promo code "bobtana" to save 50% off your first month of SSOC Coaching + Nutrition! &nbsp; Connect with Robert  Robert on Instagram Robert at Starting Strength Online Coaching  &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#108 - Robert Santana: Building Better Eating Habits with Online Nutrition Coaching

One question received for the Q&amp;A episodes deserved it's own episode. A listener asked about Matt's experience with Westside Barbell, which he recounts in this episode. &nbsp; Long before his Starting Strength days, Matt was a skinny kid reading articles by Dave Tate and Louis Simmons on testosterone.net (now T-Nation). He read about Chuck Vogelpohl, Kenny Patterson, and others who inspired him to become a powerlifter himself. After totaling some respectable numbers, he embarked on a voyage to Westside Barbell to train with Louie and his heroes, alongside his friends Dave and Kyle Gulledge (who deadlifted an incredible 830lbs at age 19). There they experienced the intense training environment of Westside, which consisted of many brutally strong and morally questionable men (several of whom were felons, which, naturally, added to the hardcore aspect of the organization). Nevertheless they were absolutely focused on their goal: to become as strong as humanly possible. To that end, training revolved around very heavy training, usually around single lift, for as much volume as they could handle.&nbsp; &nbsp; Watch the&nbsp;Westside vs The World documentary trailer to get a glimpse of the gym, the culture, and some of the characters that made it tick. Apparently the documentary has been stuck in the post-production process and has not been released as the airing of this episode, but we hope it will see a proper release soon. &nbsp; Use the discount code LOGIC&nbsp;to save 10% off any order of Iron Joe. &nbsp; Save 5% off any order&nbsp;at Dominion Belts with the discount code fahveoff. &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#133 - Matt's Journey to Westside Barbell

We all know that some level of fitness, or aerobic conditioning, is necessary for life. Whether it's for sport, physical activities (like hiking, biking, or throwing the frisbee), or simply to minimize the risk of cardiac and metabolic disease, conditioning must play a role in our training program. &nbsp; Of course, as discussed in previous episodes barbell training satisfies the criteria for "conditioning," being a form of short, intense exercise similar to the high intensity interval training (HIIT) employed in circuit training, Crossfit, and the like. But why? Robert Santana and fellow Registered Dietician and PhD Christy Alexon join us today to explain. &nbsp; The body utilizes ATP, adenosine triphosphate, to do stuff like stand up, walk around, climb a tree, pick up a box, etc. ATP is readily available in our muscle cells but in small amounts -- enough for 10-15 seconds of strenuous activity, but no more. Obviously many physical tasks involve strenuous activity lasting much longer than 15 seconds, so why don't we keel over once the initial ATP is used up? The answer lies in bioenergetics, that is,&nbsp;the network of energy systems the body uses to deliver ATP to the muscle cells. &nbsp; There are three major types of energy systems:  "Anaerobic" or phosphocreatine -- ATP stored directly in the muscle cells; high energy output, very short duration Anaerobic glycolysis -- the breakdown of glycogen (a blob of glucose molecules, or carbohydrate, stored in the muscles and liver) into ATP; medium energy output, medium duration Aerobic (oxidative) glycolysis -- the use of oxygen as fuel to breakdown carbohydrate and fat into ATP; low energy output, long duration  These systems do not work independently, but rather concurrently; as you lift a heavy set of five, the phosphagen system dominates, but glucose is being broken down and the aerobic glycolytic cycle is upregulated in anticipation of more activity. Therefore, weight training provides a conditioning effect because it trains the aerobic energy systems, albeit indirectly. After all, that is what conditioning is: the capacity for sustained aerobic activity, typically measured by VO2 max in the lab. &nbsp; Many novices wonder whether they should be doing "conditioning work" in addition to the main barbell lifts. The answer, for a novice, is no (though exceptions may apply to morbidly obese trainees who require additional calorie burn for emergency weight loss). The barbell training alone constitutes enough conditioning work to satisfy general health needs, and any additional work would simply interfere with recovery... and as Barbell Logic has made the case repeatedly, getting stronger will make a bigger impact on performance and health than any other fitness attribute at this point. For intermediates and beyond, the answer varies. For general health, i.e. minimizing the risk of heart disease and metabolic disorders like diabetes, strength training combined with regular physical activity (walking, hiking, biking) is sufficient. Sports with an endurance component will require more conditioning, which may interfere with the acquisition of strength. It's rare to see a marathoner with a big squat. &nbsp; Christy has a PhD in Nutrition and Wellness and currently works as both a Registered Dietician for Rennaisance Periodization and as a&nbsp;Clinical Associate Professor of Nutrition at the Arizona State College of Health Solutions where she teaches macronutrient metabolism. &nbsp; Discounts  UNTIL JAN 15th, 2019 ONLY - Get your first month of SSOC online coaching for just $49! Or get online coaching AND nutrition for only $79 for the first month. No discount code required. Use the discount code LOGIC&nbsp;to save 10% off any order of Iron Joe.&nbsp; Save 5% off any order&nbsp;at Dominion Belts with the discount code fahveoff.  &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott ...

#140 - The Science of Conditioning: Energy Systems Explained with Santana and Christy Alexon, PhD

With the new year now upon us, many people are starting a training program for the first time, or coming back to one. There's no better place to start than the Starting Strength novice linear progression -- LP for short -- but as we have observed, it can be challenging for novices to do the program correctly. While simple at its core, the novice LP will not look the same for every lifter and requires a bit of finesse to tweak, especially as the lifter nears the end of LP. &nbsp; Perennial favorite guest Andy Baker returns to the podcast to walk us through his approach to the novice LP and how he handles the transition to advanced novice and beyond. &nbsp; As always you can find Andy at his website or his gym Kingwood Strength &amp; Conditioning. &nbsp; Discounts  Use the discount code LOGIC&nbsp;to save 10% off any order of Iron Joe.&nbsp; Save 5% off any order&nbsp;at Dominion Belts with the discount code fahveoff.  &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#141 - Novice LP: Revisited with Andy Baker

Fan favorite Andy Baker returns to the podcast... this time to talk about himself, not programming (though he manages to sneak some programming talk in anyway). Andy of course is the programming mastermind behind the Baker Barbell Club, and the co-author of  Practical Programming and  The Barbell Prescription. Today he shares his story of training as a kid in a sweltering attic in Houston, to learning from top lifters in college, to a career of military service... and explains how each of these experiences contributed to the master barbell coach we know today. &nbsp; Andy found an early mentor in powerlifter Bill Windschief (Deep Squatter has an interview with Bill here), a USPF Texas State Champion and top-3 finisher in the USAPL Nationals in the late 90’s. Bill taught Andy the value of simple, effective programming, and was a proponent of the three week, 8-5-2 rep scheme cycle that Andy still uses with his lifters today. Andy also points out that during the 90’s, with the internet still in its infancy, the gym served as the main source of information on lifting technique and programming. Lifters met face to face, talked between sets, and shared what was working and what was not… quite a different atmosphere from today, where lifters are more likely to spend their rest time checking Instagram or arguing on forums. Consequently, he learned to have an open mind and pull from many sources — powerlifters, bodybuilders, Olympic lifters, even strong recreational lifters — when designing his own training routines and thinking about fitness. &nbsp; In college Andy trained as a bodybuilder, though he never competed. He later shifted to powerlifting, while studying for a degree in Exercise Science. He found the curriculum disappointingly endurance-focused, however, and was frequently bored in class. Then September 11th happened, and he made the snap decision to sign up for the Marine Corp. While on tour in Iraq, he turned to the base gym for peace, and continued to work on his academics when possible. After completing his four year contract with the Marines, Andy opened his gym, Kingwood Strength &amp; Conditioning. He has operated the gym successfully now for over twelve years, which he credits to the personal attention, coaching expertise, and small, manageable overhead he has cultivated there. &nbsp; Check out the classic Lee Haney workout video that started it all for Andy:&nbsp;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_XeJKhO6M4 &nbsp; You can find Andy at&nbsp;http://www.andybaker.com,&nbsp;where he offers online and in-person coaching, custom programming design, and programming templates. &nbsp; Got a question for Matt and Scott? Email us at questions@barbell-logic.com&nbsp;and we'll answer your question on an upcoming Saturday Q&amp;A! &nbsp; Discounts Use the discount code LOGIC to save $79 off your first month of coaching at SSOC. &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#173 - The Chronicles of Andy Baker

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Q&amp;A, this time in a new weekly installment. These episodes will be short and sweet, about 15 minutes, addressing your questions. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com&nbsp;and we'll feature you on a future Q&amp;A episode! &nbsp; Discounts  SSOC has raised prices as of April 5, 2019, but Barbell Logic listeners can still save! Use the discount code&nbsp;logic to save $79 off your first month of coaching. Save 5% off any order&nbsp;at Dominion Belts with the discount code fahveoff.  &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#174 - Bonus Q&A Short #3

Matt and Scott discuss the nature of learning and how it applies to effective coaching and teaching. They emphasize that coaches and teachers serve as guides during the process of instruction, in our case, leading the lifter toward the correct movement pattern. However a coach can't actually perform the movement for the lifter, the lifter has to do it herself. Consequently, the actual learning takes place in the lifter's mind; in other words, they discover the correct movement. The coach merely reveals the path. &nbsp; Coaching and teaching are distinct endeavors, however. As Matt describes, coaching per the Starting Strength model involves getting the lifter to move the way you want them to move, according to a model. The coaching method (also referred to as the teaching method in Starting Strength, although we draw a distinction here) instructs the lifter to perform a movement correctly using a concise, easily digestable series of steps. The coach then reinforces the steps and corrects deviations from the model using cues. The objective in this process is simply to get the lifter to perform the lift correctly and ingrain the correct motor pattern. &nbsp; Teaching goes a step deeper, however, and involves the acquisition of knowledge about the subject. The rank novice, having just been coached, can now perform the lifts adequately, but has no knowledge about the mechanics of the model and why/how the instruction method works. Scott compares this stage of learning to the trivium a person acquires in early childhood. It's a collection of facts, without any context or deeper understanding of the time period, culture, or import of those facts. The point of trivium is not to learn about the subject of the facts, it's simply to acquire facts, and practice the skill of learning -- "learning how to learn." Dorothy Sayers refers to this stage as the "Poll-Parrot" stage in her essay The Lost Tools of Learning. &nbsp; The same can be said of the rank novice on the platform. Learning the lifts at this point is an exercise in collecting the motor patterns that make up a lift. Later, after the motor patterns have been absorbed, the real learning begins. The learning now becomes a process of discovery, as the lifters discovers why the motor patterns he has acquired result in a good lift that satisfies the Three Criteria. &nbsp; Clearly, learning -- not just teaching and coaching -- is an active process, one that can only be done by the lifter himself. Passively receiving instruction does not result in learning. The lifter actually has to search and discover correct movement on his own. &nbsp; Discounts  Save 5% off any order&nbsp;at Dominion Belts with the discount code fahveoff.  &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#154 - Searching for the A-ha Moment: Coaching vs Teaching

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&amp;A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com&nbsp;and we'll feature you on a future Q&amp;A episode! &nbsp; Discounts  Get 3 months of coaching at Starting Strength Online Coaching&nbsp;for just $500! Use SUMMERGAINZ&nbsp;at checkout. Use discount code LOGIC to save 10% off microplates, dumbbell microplates, and more at Microgainz Use discount code LOGIC to save $10 off belts and more at Dominion Strength  &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Starting Strength Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#186 - Saturday Q&A #7: When to Use Chalk, Training for the Blind, NLP for the Already Strong Lifter, and More!

Coaches often note that the bench press is one of the easiest lifts to teach, probably because most people have done a bench press if they've ever set foot in a gym. After teaching the proper arch position, and identifying the correct grip, the execution of the bench press mostly takes care of itself. Yet there is one key to big benches that eludes many lifters -- the all-important leg drive. On today's show Coach Matt and Scott discuss the importance of leg drive and how to maximize it during the movement. &nbsp; Check out the Barbell Logic YouTube channel to see staff coaches Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson demonstrate proper leg drive in the bench press. &nbsp; Got a question for Matt and Scott? Email us at questions@barbell-logic.com&nbsp;and we'll answer your question on an upcoming Saturday Q&amp;A! &nbsp; Discounts  Get club coaching from the skilled interns at&nbsp;Barbell Logic Online Coaching -- just $79 for your first month! Use the discount code&nbsp;TEAMCLUB&nbsp;at checkout. Limited to 30 spots so sign up now! Use discount code LOGIC to save 10% off microplates, dumbbell microplates, and more at Microgainz Use discount code LOGIC to save $10 off belts and more at Dominion Strength  &nbsp; Connect With Matt  Matt on Instagram Barbell Logic Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott  Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show  Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com

#196 - The Secret to a Bigger Bench? Leg Drive

In part 4 of the MED Masterclass, Matt discusses the various ways you can structure the volume and intensity days in the 4-Day Split, including sets, reps, exercise selection, and accessory work. While the 4-Day Split opens up many programming options, the goals for each day of the split are clear: intensity is about setting PR's (weight on the bar), while volume is about increasing stress via tonnage (sets x reps x weight). &nbsp; Discounts  Want to try online coaching for FREE? Email &nbsp;for a free trial of Barbell Logic Online Coaching. You'll get feedback on your technique and programming from a Barbell Logic coach, and see what the fuss is all about!  &nbsp; Connect With Matt      Connect With Scott      Connect With the Show

#271 - M.E.D. Masterclass #4: Options, Options... and the 4-Day Split

Ben Franklin knew what he was talking about. Waking up early, pouring a cup of coffee, and getting to work while your brain is fresh and the world is quiet is a simple joy that Matt and Chris share, and you should too. &nbsp; Want to try online coaching for FREE? Email &nbsp;for a free trial of Barbell Logic Online Coaching. You'll get feedback on your technique and programming from a Barbell Logic coach, and see what the fuss is all about! &nbsp; &nbsp; Connect With Matt      Connect With Scott      Connect With the Show

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