Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic

Jason McCarthy of GORUCK discusses rucking, his Army service, & building community through voluntary hardship & shared suffering. He shares his story of how we went from US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) to founding and running a company that--similar to Barbell Logic--believe in voluntary hardship and building community. If you're interested in GORUCK or their gear, go to http://goruck.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=16&aff_id=2784 and check out their high-quality clothing & gear. Disclaimer: Barbell Logic is compensated for purchases made using this link. You can learn more about GORUCK here. Jason joined the Army after 9/11 because of 9/11. He enlisted and eventually completed the long, arduous Green Beret pipeline. In the Army, but especially the Green Berets, shared suffering strengthens teams and prepares these units for difficulties of combat. While civilian rucking does not, cannot, and does not aim to simulate Special Forces training, the community and choosing to push oneself beyond one's limits and the comforts of society helps provide purpose and build community, as GORUCK events are done in groups. You have to swim against the current these days. Lifting, rucking--you have to choose to follow these pursuits and maintain the practice to reap the benefits they provide. This will benefit you in life, as no one--even those who shirk form hardship and choose the comfortable, the convenient, the easy--would not say that life is easy. With any change, it's important to START--start small, start now or as soon as you can. Commit to beginning. Take your first step. Stop thinking, planning, considering: do. We celebrate these steps. We celebrate PRs. We celebrate improvement and betterment. They also discuss the benefits of being a novice and how pursuing new challenges helps prevent burnout with those long term pursuits and things we must do. Finally, the joy of completion comes up. If you've never experienced a ruck flop after a heavy, long ruck, you're missing out. It's the feeling of racking the bar after your last heavy rep, jumping in a pool after a hard workout, cracking open a beer after a long ruck. After shared suffering comes communal celebration. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Matt, Niki & Andrew answer your lifting & life questions. Topics include best pants, jeans, & shorts (for men & women lifters), forearm pain from lifting, what to do between sets, and best song to rally at a dance party. 0:00 Intro 1:20 What to Do if Can't Press Standard Bar? aluminum bars are worth it--can use it for accessory lifts 3:01 What Should I Do Between Sets? should I sit, stand, pace, clean up, etc.? timer can help good to not take your mind away from lifting (unless you're uniquely able to focus quickly) can also see (like Matt & his wife have recently) how short you can make the rests & the workout, in general 6:16 Good Jeans for People with Thick Thighs Michael Kohr's khaki (Andrew) American Eagle makes good jeans for guys (not slim cut) get jeans and then get them tailored Made Well for women (Niki) stress test: dance party? 11:09 Best Everyday Shorts (Non-Training) Benobo's have to be SHORT Bird Dog's plus, how do you FEEL after you eat food (not during, but after) plus, Krispy Kreme donuts what does a short do? show the difference between waist & butt, butt & hamstrings 17:33 Forearm Soreness? probably resisting the bar on your squats need to carry the weight on the back cue: point fingernails to the floor cue: carry the bar on your back really squeeze shoulder blades together to: relax your grip on the bar could be bending your elbows on the deadlift 18:54 Donnie Thompson's Bowtie for Shoulder Pain? would not recommend it for the bench press puts you in "good posture" would recommend not lifting in one don't want you to be yanked into position it's fine to put stuff on that makes you feel better some time (e.g. massage) ONLY for serious athlete 23:48 Dance Song for BLOC Party Dance Party? what would Matt, Andrew, & Niki pick toward the end of a dance party when they need to rally? GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Matt & Scott discuss fear of the lifts, especially heavy, PR attempts. Different people have different fears of different lifts based on history (repeated failure or past injury) and simply how they feel about the lift. Lots of people, for example, are afraid of heavy squats. There's something about a heavy bar on your back and that you're folded over in the bottom and--even with properly set safety pins--there's just no graceful way to fail a squat. Scott & Matt even share their unusual fears of what might happen when they squat. Having habits & rituals can help. This way, the lead up to the PR attempt is the same as all the sets that led up to this attempt. You can also practice "failing" a rep so that you know that the pins will take the bar and how that feels. Test your safety pins for the bench press as well. Injury history matters as well. Matt has torn both pecs on the bench press, so when the weight gets heavier for him, that fear is present on rep 1 and the later, grindier reps. There is also more irrational fear, which tends to come from misunderstanding just how low risk strength training is (even with bad form). For example, many people fear hurting their back on a heavy squat or deadlift. At the end of the day, we can mitigate fear, have rituals, and have safety equipment properly set up, but we have to simply get it done. We have to have a bias for action. The fear won't disappear. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Men's style coach Tanner Guzy joins the show to share some tips for improving your style and making sure you are highlighting the physical gains you've worked so hard to make in the gym. Tanner offers an online style course for men as well as one-on-one coaching (he even helped Matt frame his baby blues). You can also take a free quiz on his site to determine your style archetype. https://masculine-style.com Also be sure to pick up Tanner's book on the intersection of style, power, and masculinity, The Appearance of Power: How Masculinity Is Expressed Through Aesthetics. https://amzn.to/2HteNjH Any time you mention style around a group of men, there's an inevitable mixture of bemusement, eye rolling, and genuine interest. Many guys proclaim (or perhaps complain) that they dress "for comfort." They just want to be comfortable, they say, and aesthetic concerns are subordinate, even anathema. Tanner argues that style and comfort are in fact closely related, and men often mistakenly believe that you cannot have both. The foundational principle of style, he says, is context. Understand who you are, what you do, and where you do it. Your geography, culture, profession, body type, and personality all affect your individual style choices. While Daniel Craig may look dashing in a bespoke dinner jacket at the Casino Royale Montenegro, an IT professional from the American midwest would look ridiculous in the same. Where a mid-level corporate worker could elevate his style with a sport jacket or better fitting slacks, a freelance programmer would perhaps fit in better with a nice pair of chinos and chukka boots. Context matters, so the more you understand where you fit into your own society and culture, and what's realistic for your climate, the better your style choices will be. When coaching men, Tanner also takes personality into account. He divides style into three broad archetypes: rugged, refined, and rakish. Each describes the intersection between personality, cultural values, and profession. The refined man exudes effortless confidence with fine but subtle clothing choices, whereas the rakish man proudly displays his rebellious spirit with bold, fashionable clothing styles. Each can dress well, to be taken seriously, and in a way that enhances his individuality. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

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 & 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 & 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. 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. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

It is popular these days to laud discipline and the ability to endure suffering. The problem with this is that it ignores people's values and preferences. Some people can bear more hardships, but others are drawn to certain types of hardships. Some people--gasp--like running, and many lifters do not. Matt, for example, enjoys waking up early and getting things done. He's done this since he was young. It's not a challenge for him. Staying up late, however, to complete tasks is difficult. The path to productivity for Matt is to acknowledge this and exploit it and continue to wake up and get after it. This doesn't mean that discipline doesn't matter or won't be necessary, but we need to examine our feelings for habits we've failed to create or end. If we begin to pursue a hobby and can't seem to make time for it, despite having the time, maybe this doesn't align with our values or preferences. We either need to find the good, the enjoyment, the creativity--that thing that draws us in--or we need to potentially look for alternatives. Similarly, external motivation is a poor way to change behavior. While incentives matter, think about trying to change someone's opinion or getting someone else to lift or eat healthy or join you in something you enjoy. The other person has to come to the activity on their own terms, or they won't do it or will have resentment toward you. So, know your values & preferences. Look for the good in the things that take up your time. If you can't seem to find it, it might be time to try to change your activities. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

One of strength training's biggest benefits is CONFIDENCE. As people grow stronger, overcome difficult things, and build a more capable body, they tend to carry themselves differently and bring confidence to other areas of their lives. Increased capability lends itself to more confidence. You know your body and do more and meet physical challenges better than it did before. You know that you can do difficult things, repeatedly, and gain confidence from that. Finally, as you train you begin to build a capable, muscular body. All these contribute to confidence. Some may criticize this idea, as ultimately squatting and deadlifting aren't THAT hard compared to the myriad challenges humans can face. Maybe this is true--modern lives come with comforts and conveniences--but we can add difficulty with strength training, better ourselves, and prepare ourselves for unexpected, involuntary hardship. Gyms are notorious for tearing down confidence, not building it up, so as a lifter look for supportive gyms and coaches. If you're a coach, you have to know not only that you're not a drill sergeant but also that technique cues & programming aren't enough. To have to support your client. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

This is a throwback to the early days of the podcast. Matt and Scott discuss the concept of voluntary hardship: what is it and how does it refine us? Life will undoubtedly present difficulties. This is involuntary hardship. Choosing to go through something difficult, however, seems to provide benefits. Essentially, this is delayed gratification: do something hard now to delay the benefit to a future you. Working, working out, saving & investing money, growing food: these all require work now for future benefits. Think about what provides you value and what does not? If you're doing things that deprive you of value, reduce or eliminate these activities. One useful framework is using the concepts of urgent & important to create 4 categories of activities. Important activities provide value. Urgent things need to be completed soon. Not urgent, not important: provide no value-->reduce or eliminate Urgent, not important: these tend to take up lots of our time-->reduce the time these take up Not urgent, important: the hardest category to protect; find ways to spend more time doing these Urgent & important: worthy of your time, but don't ignore the important things that are not urgent As you can see, the important things that are not urgent are the hardest to get done. There is little to no pressure. Work seems to be something people have to do. It provides a creative outlet and helps prevent us from spending too much time with unimportant, nonurgent tasks (vices). You can also appreciate the beauty and good of human work. A well-cooked steak, good cheese, a beautiful painting or building. These required the dedication of the craftsman in pursuit of excellent, the everyday work on these skills. The fruits are sweet, though they require much work to come to fruition. Much modern work can be unsatisfactory. Some time spent on simple, hard things can be refining. Squatting, splitting wood, growing food: simple, hard, effective. Voluntary hardship goes against the grain. You have to pursue the important, nonurgent things because you value them and have the discipline to continue this work. Finally, this isn't simply work for work's sake or white knuckling discipline, though a bit of that may be necessary. It's about looking toward the future and cultivating a life spent doing more things that provide value, not pleasure in the here and now. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Life comes with difficulties, no matter what we do. Hardship comes voluntarily or involuntarily, but for any hardship our mindset before, during, and after matters: how we approach and process challenging events matter. Hardship--voluntary or involuntary--can refine us and improve our relationships, or it can beat us down and weaken social ties. Our relationship with the event--which we define with our mindset--helps determine the benefit to us. Why are you taking on the hardship? What are your thoughts about the hardship? If it's involuntary, what's your story about the difficulty? Think of military units or families who are subjected to hardships: deaths, challenging missions, divorce, tragedy. We know that not all military units or families come out better on the other end. Our stories about these events matter. If we consider the event a challenge, it should be a self-challenge about seeing how we can push ourselves, not about being better than others or being perceived as good. In line with this, Matt even argues that past hardships can benefit more today if you reprocess them and develop healthier stories about them. This ultimately comes down to your values and priorities. Having awkward conversations can prevent huge amounts of mental bandwidth going towards resentments and anger toward others, so it's probably better to have the awkward conversations. Niki shares her experience with cleaning out her house and ridding herself of unnecessary items. Ultimately, this came down to not holding onto things she doesn't value and don't improve her life. She added that if you don't see the objects in your desired life that you're pursuing, you probably should get rid of them. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Brett Bartholomew joins Matt & Niki to discuss the art of coaching: what is coaching and how to do it more effectively. Brett is the author of Conscious Coaching, and you can find out more about Brett & his work here. Consider experience versus exposure. Experience requires skin in the game. You might have exposure to lifting and ideas around coaching or business, but do you have experience doing it. An example might be the difference between criticizing podcasts versus doing a podcast yourself or coaching versus criticizing a coaching methodology. Brett works with professional athletes and has developed a knack & reputation for working with "difficult" athletes. He enjoyed the challenge and honing his communication and connection skills with these athletes. An important note, that applies to all coaches and really all professionals, showing your client how smart you are doesn't mean you're coaching them well: this doesn't lead to effectiveness or connection. You need to build buy-in and trust. While technique coaching and intelligent, personalized programming are great, they aren't enough. A point of discussion here is public versus private sector. Consider D1 athletes or military service members as opposed to people paying you to receive coaching. The former have to show up and work as part of their job. The latter can quit at any time, and only continue if they want to. This leads to Brett's ideas of commitment, compliance, or resistance. To create these categories, you need to consider the task and relationship in the situation. Is the relationship good or bad? Does the client appreciate or like the task or not? If both are bad, you get resistance. If both are good, you get commitment. If you relationship is good but they don't buy in with the task, you get compliance. Another factor as a coach is that one-size-fits-all doesn't work. There are different types of clients and athletes (and, again, there's variation within, but categorization aids understanding). There are also coaching types, so you have to know your preferences and tendencies. Most people learn how to coach through a combination of how they were coached and their perception of what is successful (what they observe). When coaching the world-class or professional, you have to consider the difference between behaviors and traits and how they apply to their domain of excellence. Behaviors can be situational (potentially in the case of a world class athlete). Traits stay consistent. If you are truly world class at something, you will be narcissistic in that domain, whereas if you have a narcissistic trait that remains consistent throughout your domains of life. Brett also discusses some struggles he went through when he was younger with overexercising & also finding a way to connect through Dr. Katie. He both wanted to avoid his home life and his friends who began doing hard drugs. He came to compulsively exercise, and was sent to an institution oriented toward people with eating disorders. The treatment was similar to prison, where he had no privacy and no choice. During this time, he felt no connection with the supposed experts and professionals who were supposed to help him. He was even told, as his parting, "You'll be back." Dr. Katie finally connected with him, showing him a way to help others and actually be effective in changing others' behaviors. They end by discussing marketing: how do you ethically self-promote? Well, first, differentiation is critical. What is your brand? How do you communicate your value? If you haven't thought about this, or think this is below you, you still have a brand and are still communicating your value, though not doing so consciously. This episode touches business and health, coaching and personal growth, and the personal and professional. Check it out. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Niki talks to Chewjitsu (aka Nick Albin), a competitive black belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practictioner to discuss BJJ, strength, sports-specific training, & balancing various physical attributes & life pursuits. You can find him here: https://www.youtube.com/user/chewybjj https://www.chewjitsu.net/ Chewie is a strength advocate within the BJJ community, a community that sometimes dismisses strength as sloppy or cheating or preventing good technique. While proper technique is important, these same people would likely not dismiss conditioning or flexibility or dedication as things that stand in the way of good jiu jitsu. Strength is important for life, and important for BJJ. Strength is really about building your machine. Add muscle, improve strength, build your injury resilience. Then apply this strength in your pursuit of BJJ. One error many BJJ novices make is they get hooked and then want to improve everything at once, which can cause burn out. Just like with strength, consistency is key, and understanding that we're in this for the long haul can help. If you lift and decide to pursue BJJ, you'll need to set priorities. Likely one will need to be prioritized over the other (though this can change). You may almost assign seasons throughout the year where you put one above the other. For BJJ, you may focus on it for months leading up to a competition. For strength, you may decide you want to hit some new PRs, so BJJ may need to become less important. When it comes to strength training for BJJ, it's really like training for anything else. Strength training gets you stronger, and you apply your strength in BJJ. Many will try to load a BJJ movement with the idea of "sports-specific training." This is really misguided for a couple reasons. First, if you find yourself moving through a particular movement repeatedly in your sport, it probably makes sense to emphasize a different or opposite movement in your training. Second, training is meant to get your body stronger. Apply this strength on the mat, but do the same movements anyone would who is building their strength. BJJ can be a fun, meaningful pursuit that definitely falls within the voluntary hardship realm. Coming to BJJ with your strength will help. This episode will help you consider how best to do that. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Matt & Niki and your lifting and life questions. Topics include coaching certifications oriented to coaching females, shoulder pain from presses & squats, adductor tears during squats, office strength groups, and power clean rack position. 0:00 Introduction & BLOC Party Overview 8:16 Programming During Weight Cuts Gained a bunch of weight during LP, having a USSF meet coming up: still want to hit big numbers, but want to lean down Performance doesn't have to suffer very much with small weight cut if done intelligently Top set with volumes can really be a nice combination of hitting enough volume and still hitting the intensity Lots of volume can help maintain muscle mass Drive up that top set as much as possible 15:21 Certification to Coach Females? Do you need to get a certification for coaching females? No Need to improve your coaching, in general Need to relate to your clients Permission to coach mindset: more variation within group than between 5x3 works well for lots of people with a deficiency of upper body muscle mass 23:32 Shoulder Pain play with squat grip: probably bring it in guess at what it is: proximal bicep tendinopathy if it persists, put squat at the end of the workout (as squat tends to make rest of workout worse) be very specific in where things hurt do more sets of lower reps with slower, perfect form lower the weight, slow down the lift keep pain below a 3 and look for it to reduce over time incline dumbbell press? work to get the intensity back up can also play around with frequency 30:14 Adductor Pain during Squats Where is the pain presenting itself? (middle or end of muscle) Is it at the tendon or in the muscle belly Did you bruise? Play with stance angle and ensure form is on point 35:25 Strength Office Activities Start a strength training for running & cycling groups, but it's really just strength Help coach 1/3 sessions they lift Cycling Power Development 38:27 Power Clean Rack Position wrist mobility or strength? have to think about strength & mobility and what they really are, first 43:00 Most Impactful Non-Strength Books Matt: Lonesome Dove, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Measure What Matters, The Bible Andrew: Endurance, Man's Search For Meaning Niki: Deep Work, Sparking Joy, Into Thin Air, Bone Clocks GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Gillian Ward joins Niki Sims to talk weight cuts and Niki's recent experience cutting weight, which Gillian helped her with. Why cut weight, and how do you cut weight if you decide to cut weight? Weight cuts aren't for beginners, and people need to really think about why they want to cut weight. This isn't about sustainable weight loss like we've discussed with Take Charge 10 and the Nutrition Series. It's probably better--especially around weight cuts for weight class events--to compete in a heavier weight class. Cutting weight adds a large amount of stress and can limit performance. Others may want to cut weight for their job (e.g. the military) or improve their appearance for specific event (wedding, reunion, beach). Finally, some people compete in physique competitions. This is the most advanced type of weight cut, as not only do you want to look better but looking better in a specific way at a designated time is the whole point of the competition. This requires more precise work and dedication, both long term leading up to the competition and in the days and hours before the competition. The amount of weight matters. Other factors to think about here, beyond the reason the weight cut, include: salt, carbohydrates, sweeteners--sugar & artificial, alcohol, fluid intake, and, for females, which part of the cycle the weigh in will occur during. Niki cut weight for a BJJ event and had planned to cut months in advance, so performance mattered. She has also worked with Gillian before, so Gillian had lots of information about Niki with how she and her body react to certain interventions. Niki also has high compliance, so not following Gillian's prescriptions wasn't a worry. Niki was able to be transparent with Gillian of all the relevant details leading up to the event. They knew the amount of time between the weight cut and the event, and Niki knew exactly why she wanted to cut weight. Niki manipulated carbs and liquids, and the suffering window was relatively short. She upped her liquid intake leading up to the event, then cut it immediately before the weigh-in. She also reduced carbohydrates immediately before the weigh-in. Niki & Gillian also had contingencies prepared if, on the morning of the weigh Niki's weight was not where it needed to be. Contingencies can include sauna time or other ways to induce sweating and fluid loss. Because these contingencies were not ideal, it's really important to follow the plan. The contingencies are contingencies for a reason. One hand trick Niki plans to keep is cucumber and lemon in water. Cutting weight is ultimately about manipulating fluid. Outside of manipulating fluids, manipulating salt, processed food, alcohol, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and carbohydrates can all be factors. Gillian's #1 rule is to keep the weight cut healthy: there is no reason to risk ending up in a hospital. Finally, Niki & Gillian discuss what many people can relate to: wanting to improve appearance for a specific event or period of time. Ultimately, this is NOT about scale weight but rather appearance, so fluid can be manipulated to prevent belly bloat. If the event is far off, sustainable weight loss approaches should be planned, and then the icing on the cake can be some fluid manipulation. A final note. Weight cuts can be exhausting, so, again, really think about why you want to do this. You're adding stress to the event, and it might not be worth the effort. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Rachel Reynolds joins Bekah & Anna Marie to bust some strong moms myths, including toning & tightening, burning belly fat, giving you energy, and confidence. 0:00 Introduction 2:57 Energy to Keep Up with Your Kids doesn't give you energy, but gives you strength & confidence & calmness it's a give and take because it also takes energy 6:31 Tightening & Toning Your Body nope lifting does probably does what you want "toning" to be & do visible muscles but not too many muscles can't promise what you're going to look like your body will change finding clothes can be more difficult, but more options exist these days 20:15 Burning Belly Fat lifting does use some energy and also helps skews calories toward building muscle you want to be a gas-guzzling body and eat all the calories, not a prius it does take hard work to look a certain way lift+nutrition=superpower & real body transformations just dropping body weight really won't do what you think it will do (you probably won't be happy with the result) you can eat more food 35:33 Body Transformation & Not Feeling Like Yourself can cut and get stronger if you start off bigger some people have a number they're unwilling to get heavier than, regardless of how they look important to have people in your corner (spouse, friends, family) 43:33 Strength Training Builds Confidence Yep choosing to struggle builds confidence sense of control as well 52:27 Why Train as a Busy Mom? try it how important is your long term health for you and your quality of life? find a coach you connect with you can do it! most people have this "I'm so glad I did that" feeling about training, getting stronger, and the overall process & change you won't regret trying it #strongmoms GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

How do you balance all your responsibilities and set a positive example for your kids? Bekah and Anna Marie discuss what they've found works for themselves and their clients. It can feel impossible to train while maintaining your other responsibilities. Despite this feeling, training can help bolster your ability to uphold your other responsibilities. Capable, strong moms who regularly subject themselves to difficulty can better weather difficult times. Training helps set an example for your children that choosing to struggle can help, shifting away the idea of body image and appearance to capability and strength, and you might hear your teenage son tell his friends "my mom can bench more than you." When you embrace voluntary hardship, you will likely find yourself gravitating toward others who act similarly. Beyond setting an example yourself, your children will see examples of your friends and acquaintances. Beyond benefiting your children, you will surround yourself with people who raise you up and make you want to be better. You'll see confidence and mental health benefits, as you realize you're tougher than you thought. You and your children will see the benefit of individual and short term failure and how pushing beyond these failures leads to long-term success. Making the mental shift to training can be difficult, so have awareness for what makes this easier and you can try some different strategies. Having a home gym helps tremendously, though you may find that you need to lift at a time when you know that your children won't be around. Plan around your family schedule, knowing when it will be the easiest for you to train, and this might mean breaking up your workouts into smaller parts throughout the day or getting in what you can during the week and then having a longer workout or workouts on the weekend. You may also want to reevaluate how you spend your time. You almost certainly are spending time on things that, if you think about them, matter less to you and provide less good than training to you and your family. Finally, you can think about your "done list." This is your to do list at the end of the day or week: what did you accomplish, and how will you feel looking at what you accomplished versus what you didn't? Would it be better that you completed what you did if you didn't train? Probably not. Return to training if you stop: you can always come back, but when you're training ensure you fit it in--even if the intensity or frequency or volume is lowered: do something. Lift. #strongmoms #donelist GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Bekah & Anna Marie take on the elephant in the room when it comes to females lifting: stress incontinence. They provide helpful tips and strategies whether you struggle with this yourself or you are a coach who has clients who struggle with this (whether they tell you or not). To be clear, we're discussing what happens if you pee when lifting, usually at heavier weights. Different types of incontinence exist, and they specifically discuss stress incontinence. Even when it comes to stress incontinence, different types exist and you may find that stress incontinence occurs along familiar patterns for different lifters. When it comes to stress incontinence, you typically two diametrically-opposed reactions: shroud of same or badge of honor. Lifters may feel ashamed that it occurs and not want to discuss and even consider not lifting anymore, or they celebrate it and see it as evidence of hard work, like some CrossFitters may feel or have felt about puking during an especially hard "met con." Some things tend to make this more likely. Below are some features or events that will likely make stress incontinence more likely to occur: being female having had kids, especially 2+ wearing a belt heavier weights during a particular portion of the monthly cycle Don't worry, though. There are ways to deal with this, beyond diapers or pads to absorb the issue at hand. Below are some important things and potential ways to address this: proper instruction on bracing incontinence RPE, where this issue limits intensity limiting rep ranges don't wear a belt adjust exercises: high bar don't drink caffeine before training on training days NOT emptying your bladder repeatedly between work sets adjust training during the portion of your cycle where this is more likely to occur think about this like a form error that you can address (and potentially a form error that you don't allow and adjust training if it occurs) prescribe tonnage goals Thinking about bearing down like you're going to the bathroom is definitely NOT helpful. Learning proper bracing and valsalva can help, and these muscles can actually be strengthened alongside your other muscles. You may find that these muscles lag behind your others, but you can still get seriously strong even if you limit stresses that tend to cause this to occur. It's more like clenching like someone is going to hit your stomach. Kegels and other exercises can help, but they simply aren't similar enough to holding a properly braced position for a hard set of squats or deadlifts. People tend to find that this occurs at a fatigue threshold or intensity threshold. Some women find that longer sets make it harder to prevent this, so lowering rep ranges and doing more sets can help. Other women may find that a certain intensity causes it. In this case, limiting intensity can help. If you find that it occurs during a certain time of the month, then you can adjust that portion of the month with lower weights or reps, no belt, tempo squats and supplemental squats that make it easier to control and lower the intensity. Another thing to note is that trying to empty your bladder before every work set likely only creates an expectation in your body that you need to pee when you train, so this is ultimately counterproductive. Bekah and Anna Marie have found that this often occurs alongside form breakdown (as, if you think about it, you tend to adjust your body in certain ways when you pee). Just like other form errors, you can learn to prevent them as much as possible and, of course, adjust training when they occur. There's the mental side to this. You may feel embarassed from this. You may get upset that your platform or clothes get urine on them. There's fear and apprehension, especially when you train in ways that tends to cause this to happen (higher reps or intensities). Finally, after hearing all this you might feel guilty or not normal if you're a woman and don't struggle with this. That's fine too! Different people struggle with different things in life and lifting, and you don't need to feel bad whether you struggle with this or not. We should be able to talk about this and help people alleviate and address this issue. This podcast is here to help. #strongmoms GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Anna Marie & Rebekah tackle pregnancy and lifting. There's lots of bad information and poor choices people can make in this arena. Recommendations generally used to be against any exercise during pregnancy. Luckily, it's much more common and acceptable to exercise while pregnant. Modifications and listening to your body will help. Anna Marie became pregnant after 4 years of consistent training. Anna Marie's personality is one where she'll push things too far and not back off when she should sometimes, whereas others may back off too much. She deadlifted and squatted up until the middle of her last week, and used RPE to modify intensity when needed. One important note for her is that she had trained for 4 years consistently and is a coach, so she was well conditioned and in shape and knew how to make intelligent modifications when needed. Some recommend against starting lifting when pregnant. While it depends on health, previous exercise and activity, and the stage of pregnancy, women can in fact begin training when pregnant, but things will need to be progressed more conservatively. The biggest thing for novices--and pregnant women in general--is managing stress. When it comes to managing stress, consider that every pregnancy is different, so you don't want to judge yourself against a previous pregnancy. You also don't want to judge yourself against other women and their pregnancy: it's ultimately about your body now. What are you capable of doing today? Different lifts may prevent pain and discomfort for different people. Some common modifications that you may use include the following: high bar squats, bodyweight squats, rack pulls, feet up on bench press, seated press, tempo squat. Modifying intensity will almost certainly be required. Some ideas for this are using RPE to modify the intensity if the lifts feel much harder than they should. Another is to prescribe tonnage. This keeps the total work and work capacity up, but allows the lifter to do more volume at lighter weights if needed as opposed to higher weights with less volume. Expect ups and downs. It's okay if you have to modify a lift or modify intensity or even skip or postpone a workout. This is definitely a place where having a coach helps, as people tend to either be too aggressive or too conservative with themselves. Consistency matters more than anything else. If you train consistently, even at light weights, you will be physically better prepared for the birth and get stronger. Following birth, don't rush into training too quickly. Though you may see others return to training or exercise almost immediately after birth, beginning before you are ready can cause injuries and complications and ultimately prevent you from serious training and returning to your previous strength levels as fast as you would have it you had had a bit more patience following the birth. Listen to your body. Getting back to training helps give many women a feeling of autonomy. Some women have feelings that--because they are supporting the fetus with their body--they lack bodily autonomy. Returning to training can help create a return to normality and bring this feeling of autonomy. Again, though, return conservatively, modify as necessary, and don't progress too quickly. There is a good hormonal environment to train post-pregnancy but, again, beginning too quickly and too aggressively can ultimately create problems that prevent progress. #strongmoms GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Rebekah Krieg and Anna Marie Oakes-Joudy discuss their journey to and with barbell training and share what strength has meant to them and to the moms they have trained. Meet your hosts, two strong people, great coaches, and wonderful moms. Anna Marie, like many, found barbells through CrossFit. She naturally gravitated toward strength workouts and looked to the CrossFitters who focused on strength training. She noticed the immediate benefits to her everyday activities, and loved how barbells helped her with body recomposition--not just gaining or losing weight, and how she felt with a stronger, more muscular body. Bekah also participated in CrossFit, but her first foray into exercise was soccer and sports. After a shoulder injury, she was told she really needed to add some muscle around her shoulder, and this helped push her toward simple, hard, effective training. Both had female athlete role models, but also felt weird in that they were attracted to strength and athleticism but it wasn't quite accepted. They find that with moms, a light bulb comes on as mothers adopt this mode of training and see the benefits in their body but also increased confidence. Strength training is part of self care as a mom, and taking care of yourself helps be a better person and mother. Strength training is empowering. Much of being a mother is about sacrifice and worrying about and taking care of others' needs. It can be hard to justify the time it takes to train and that you're spending time on yourself. Bekah says she struggles--and she finds many moms struggle with the thought: "I want this for my daughter, but I'm not sure I want this for me." Ultimately, strength training isn't for all women, but more women should try it and many would benefit from it who might misunderstand barbells and their benefits. Finally, a note to dudes and men and husbands: don't try to convince your wife to train. Be a positive role model, but pushing your wife to train will likely only push her away. She has to come to strength training on her own terms, and you have to understand and support that. #strongmoms GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Scott Hambrick & Karl Schudt of Online Great Books--Barbell Logic coaches too--discuss Yukio Mashima's Sun and Steel novel with Matt Reynolds. Go to onlinegreatbooks.com and click on Join Now to reserve your spot. Online Great Books can help you with the intellectual side of the voluntary hardship by exposing you to the Great Books of western civilization and discussing them with others in seminar. Sun and Steel follows the protagonist who begins his life focused on mental and intellectual pursuits. As he ages, he swings to the other side, obsessed with improving his body, martial arts, and physical improvement. Many modern people rarely if ever experience physical difficulty. Barbell Logic, of course, approaches this by voluntarily pursuing physical betterment through exposing yourself to lifting weights. We can go from screen to screen in temperature-controlled buildings. We are far removed from food production and war, so the need for the body to be strong and healthy seems superfluous. Mashima likely swings too far in the other direction, eschewing reading and writing, BUT he does point to some potential downsides for those who too often read and think but fail to act. You may have considered lifting or losing weight for a long time, but ultimately your success comes down to action. Furthermore, so many online arguments about coaching and lifting focus on the smallest aspects of what matters, and many can use these disagreements to shield themselves from the need to act. Consistency underpins success under the barbell and in the kitchen above any other factor. Consistency is about acting repeatedly toward your goal. You can probably use a bit of Mashima's mentality, though balancing the physical and intellectual matters. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Matt talks to Niki about a refinement of MED principles and how PRs play into the ultimate goal of improving people's quality of life and reaching & surpassing their goals. At Barbell Logic, we're really oriented toward the vast majority of people who want to improve their quality of life, and strength and the process of getting stronger can help them. This doesn't mean these people can't get seriously strong, but it means we're not focused on world records or mimicking methods of the world's strongest people. Because quality of life and reaching clients' goals are really our purpose, PRs have to connect to this purpose. It can't just be about 1RMs and the typical PRs. We need to tie together consistency, form, quality of life, and PRs. First, programming consistent progress & PRs matters for EVERYBODY. People who train consistently and don't have monkey wrenches of injury or exorbitant life stress should be progressing consistently, and they can progress every single workout. Part of this came from seeing different set & rep schemes graphed on the new BLOC App, which some BLOC clients are using and to which more will be transferred soon. Matt realized that clients who weren't facing extreme life stress & injury were making volume PRs EVERY SINGLE WORKOUT. PRs are an objective way to demonstrate progress. Even people who don't agree with Barbell Logic's philosophy or programming agree that stress needs to increase over time to continue to progress. PRs demonstrate objective, quantifiable demonstrations of progress, and expanding PRs beyond the 1RM helps show that it's not just improvement every couple or few months (especially for more advanced lifters) but that you're doing more consistently. It shows that stress has gone up and that you can handle more stress and that you're stronger. It's both about objectivity and a changed mindset. It's about not only seeing the progress, but about looking for it beyond the typical PRs that most people track (1RMs, 3RMs, 5RMs). So, what PRs can we track (remembering that it's about quality of life and reaching goals)? weight on the bar volume tonnage different equipment (straps, no straps, belt, no belt, different types of bars) consistency PRs (if you struggle with this) frequency PRs (squat slots in a week or month) post-X PRs (post weight loss PRs, post-40 PRs, post-injury PRs) metrics The little wins matter--find those little wins and point them out and celebrate them. Sometimes the everyday grind can obfuscate how far we've come and how much better we are than we were before. By expanding what a PR is, we can help maintain and even increase motivation and see and celebrate our progress toward improved quality of life. Another thing to mention, of course, is that some people can push this gamification too far and can get neurotic and unhealthy in a different direction. If this is you, you might need to modify PRs--maybe consistency PRs or other measures that don't drive a neurosis. The final point is that, of course, life happens. You'll get injured or sick, life stress happens, and during this time you may have to redefine what PRs are. Focusing on consistency may matter. Focusing on time spent with family may be something you track. Broaden the definition of PRs to ensure PRs demonstrate the clients' moving toward their goals. What we measure matters. Measuring and stressing the 1RM might not matter that much for all clients, but we can identify and measure PRs that DO matter for clients, and we can ultimately help drive progress for the things that these clients value. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Niki & Gillian review Take Charge 10, Barbell Logic's first ever nutrition challenge. What worked, what did people struggle with, and what did we learn from the process? First, Niki & Gillian would LOVE for you to fill out the survey that you should have received via email. This provides feedback on the challenge. If you started but didn't complete the challenge, WE STILL WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! We'd love to know what caused you to struggle, what worked, and what you might like to see in a future challenge. Many commented on the benefits of water in reducing inflammation and bloat, and also helping them realize that apparent feelings of hunger in the past were actually thirst. Water really provided unforeseen benefits to many people. Logging really challenged many people. This is why Gillian deliberately did not specify that people should hit calorie or macro goals. This may have caused some discouragement and ending the challenge early. The purpose of logging is to really hold yourself accountable and give yourself an honest account of the food and calories you consume. Many people consume foods & drinks that push them over what otherwise would be a healthy amount of calories. Journaling can be taking pictures, writing down what you eat, or it can be intensely tracking macros & calories. Relatedly, some found that tracking made cooking more difficult: it became easier to cook simple meals or use packaged items, where one can easily track macros and calories, as opposed to, for example, a complicated dish like a stew or casserole. Gillian acknowledges the difficultly, and ultimately discusses adding levels of difficulty and complexity with journaling as needed. If you just take pictures of everything you eat, you don't need to track every calorie and macro that goes into a recipe. Many people commented that reducing sugar and drinking water made food taste better by the end of the challenge. Eating better changed their palate, just as more sugar and flavored drinks that caused them to become desensitized to low amounts of sugar. Things like fruit will taste better. Finally, people expressed a huge amount of interest in recipes, and we heard you. Barbell Logic will begin to assemble and share more recipes to help you make cooking and eating healthy easier. We will take these lessons learned for future content and challenges. We're excited about things to come with nutrition, recipes, and nutrition coaching! GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected] boosts#toggleFormOnEscOrEnter" data-boosts-adding-class="boosts--adding" data-boosts-deleting-class="boost--deleting">

Matt & Niki are joined by Cameron Cox, BLOC Exclusive Coach and owner of Cox Sauce BBQ Sauce, delicious barbecue sauce (getchu some). They answer questions on bicep tears, lifting straps on the deadlift, shoulder pain on the bench press and squat, programming chin ups, getting your others to train more effectively, and a would you rather question. 0:00 Introduction & Cox Sauce BBQ Sauce Cameron Cox of Cox Sauce BBQ Sauce joins Matt & Niki. This came from a family recipe that was special and rare as a kid, as it was difficult to make. It doesn't exactly follow one style of BBQ sauce, but it's well balance and goes great on ANY meat. Check it out here. 9:47 Convincing Others to Improve Their Training You have to lead by example here & get jacked. Younger guys want to be jacked--so you have to show them the way. There is also some bad information here about talking to advanced bodybuilders & thinking that doing what Mr. Olympia does is what you should do. After years of consistent training, you can up the volume, but start with the basics. What the beginner needs to do is different than the person with years or decades of training. The other consideration is you can't really convince people to do things. Do the thing & be the example and have them come to you: your actions will convince them more than your words. 14:51 Dealing with High School Coaches Remember what the goal is for the child in high school. If it's just about fun & exercise, then you probably don't need to go crazy & optimize training. If you think your kid might have a legitimate chance at playing at the college or higher level, then getting him or her a coach might make sense. Also, remember, support the recovery & feed your kids. Do what you can to help your kid. Don't aim to convince the coach. 18:20 Shoulder Pain with Bench Press & Squats - No More Low Bar? You might try these movements every now and then and see if they still bother you, but you might not be able to have these be your primary lifts, and that's okay. Definitely don't give up on trying things, though. As you do an exercise, it should help make things feel better not worse. Finally, while we love the low bar squat, high bar & safety squat bars are super effective. Do your best to train the most muscle mass over the longest effective ROM. 22:34 Chin Up Programming If you're doing a 3-day/full body split, then you can have the pull up or chin up be on the light Wednesday. If you're on a 4-day split, then the chins go on the upper body day. This goes for barbell rows as well. Also, Coach Cam throws out a theory for the number of chin ups you can do being a gauge for whether you're too skinny or too fat. 27:18 Lifting Straps & Technique Often times, if you introduce a new piece of equipment, it's different enough that it's harder at first until you adjust to the equipment. Also, pulling the slack out of the bar really matters here & wrapping your straps tightly. 32:46 Excessive Layback on the Press First, of course, layback is okay, especially if your layback doesn't bother you. You also may want to train the press strict at least once a week: don't come to rely on the layback too much. Press is pretty complicated when you analyze it biomechanically & consider all the joints and all the potential press styles. Gaze is important on the lifts. It helps maintain balance and ground you, giving you a consistent point of reference. 40:35 Bicep Tears-When Most Likely Is a bicep tear more likely to occur at last rep of 5RM or during a 1RM? This occurs during SUPER HEAVY stuff during StrongMan events with stones & tires. In general, this is more likely to occur if you're SUPER STRONG, as your tendons & connective tissue are not as strong as your muscles. 44:29 Would You Rather? GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

In the last installment of the Professional Transition Series, Brandon Smith joins CJ to discuss his path to coaching. He began lifting because he grew interested in cheerleading in college. When college & cheerleading ending, so did lifting for awhile. He worked in hospitality services and restaurants, and though he enjoyed it he thought about continuing down this path into his 60s and ultimately knew he needed to make a change. He began to lift & coach. Brandon found that his hospitality experience and his ability to quickly connect to people made a huge impact on his coaching ability. This is something that has popped up again and again in the series, is that you bring the tools you have from your career and life experience. You have skills that can help you be a better coach: don't be afraid to use them. For those who have trouble striking up conversation, Brandon recommends talking about the things you're passionate about. If you're not passionate about discussing training and lifting, you might need to think twice about whether you want to be a coach. Another thing Brandon recommends is being honest. If you don't feel like an expert, just be honest. Say that you think you can help improve their deadlift or squat and have some humility and underpromise and overdeliver. It really takes a relatively low level of proficiency to be able to help most clients. Don't suck, and you can help. Use the teaching scripts, improve your eye, understand some basics and you can help someone quite a bit. When Brandon started coaching people, he programmed lots of bosu ball and other stuff, and began to see a pattern of clients not improving much beyond 6 months. He searched for answers as to why this was occurring, and came to simpler, harder, more effective training with barbells. Brandon loves learning & coaching & getting better, and thinks it's really all about getting a little better everyday. You're either getting better or getting worse. Getting 1% better every day can make a huge difference. Getting 1% worse every day, similarly, can make a big difference. Choose growth. Finally, CJ & Brandon discuss mentorship & getting a mentor. Brandon ultimately says, just ask someone who you would like to be your mentor. Most of the time, they'll be flattered and say yes. If they don't want to, it's probably because of time, and that's okay, so find someone else. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Eric Feigl jumps on the podcast with CJ Gotcher to discuss his evolution as a coach. Unlike many of the other coaches, Eric has been a long-time coach and personal trainer and even has his own podcast, the Fitness Candor podcast. His story is more one of adapting and evolving and improving his own coaching practice and business. Learn more here: https://ericfeigl.com Eric loves the IMPACT coaching makes on someone's everyday life. Ultimately every job HELPS people somehow, even accounting. Coaching however can really alter the quality of someone's life and how each moment feels, reducing pain, and increasing abilities. He was attracted to coaching because of this. One of the things CJ & Eric discuss is how in learning deeply about something you ultimately have to believe in that thing. For Eric, is what Arthur Jones intensity training. For CJ, it was CrossFit. Though neither believes deeply in these, they've learned the benefits and downsides despite beginning as devotees of these respective training methods. While Eric pursued a degree, he feels that most of what he learned does not help him be a better coach. You ultimately have to pursue those things that give you the tools to improve your coaching, and the Barbell Academy definitely provides many of those tools. When Eric found simple, hard, effective barbell training, he already had to have clients. This occurred during the lockdown, so when clients returned he had changed his training philosophy quite a bit. He introduced barbells. Some people were all in, some needed a more compromised solution, but ultimately using barbells was better than what they had been doing. Some clients needed to leave and go elsewhere, but Eric believed more in his new approach and it did not hurt his business. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

CJ talks to David Aguilera, head of an academy, Barbell Academy student, and strength coach who has worked to grow his coaching practice and, in doing so, found the balance between his life, primary career, and coaching that is healthy and good for him and his family. Learn more about David and Iron Eagle here: www.iestrength.com David began training because he felt the diminishing abilities of middle ages creeping up on him and knew he needed to combat this with exercise. Coaching became a natural thing to do for him as he found the benefits of lifting and training and feels that helping others is his mission, in both his primary career and now coaching. He loves seeing not just the physical benefits but the mental and physical changes that occur when someone subjects themselves to difficult things and grows. Training for him became a routine--a practice--that made a better day, a better week, a better life for him. One thing he found he could NOT do was coach too much or train and coach at the same time. If he coached and trained alongside his lifters, one or both suffered. Once he decided to become a coach, he knew receiving high-quality coaching would help him become a better coach, so he signed up for BLOC. He also had an experience that doesn't seem to be discussed as much with coaching but really is likely common, which is an anti-inspiration experience. He saw bad coaches and did not want to be one of those bad coaches. Another thing CJ & David discuss is getting paid & the importance of this. It really makes a difference when a client is paying you versus coaching your friend or family for free. It often makes BOTH you and your clients take it more seriously. One thing that helped David grow was social media. He began to post his coaching and lifting and acquaintances began to ask questions, and eventually some of them became clients. Also, his own transformation with lifting was important. This adds to the issue that early on he signed up for way too much coaching, and he found himself unable to train. He's learned a few lessons from this, including the importance of blocking off time for you as a coach to lift and train. He then applied this to more, and has blocked off times for coaching and lifting and other activities. It took trial and error and making mistakes and overcommitting, but he ultimately found the current set up where he has 4 clients and that's the perfect balance for him. He wouldn't want more, and is content with the current amount of time he spends with coaching. He also uses the earnings from coaching and invests them back in the business. He purchases equipment and to develop himself as a coach with things such as the Barbell Academy. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

If you're working a job where something doesn't feel quite right, this is likely the podcast for you. CJ Gotcher talks to Andrew Jackson about his path from planning to become a computer engineer to joining the Navy to climbing the corporate ladder to ultimately deciding to become a coach and pursue whole-ass coaching. People too often think about a career or course of action in black and white: coach or not coach, stick with your career or abandon it. There is a middle path, that for most people offers a better path than taking a plunge all at once. Andrew decided on computer engineering because of the initial salaries, but ultimately decided that he did not want to pursue a career in computer engineering. He ultimately decided to accelerate his life, so he joined the Navy and served as an officer in the Navy. After the Navy, he began a more traditional corporate job and began to climb the corporate ladder. He was making good money, but had this feeling that things did not feel right. No matter what he did: receive a promotion, change jobs, etc. Ultimately, Andrew concluded in retrospect that this feeling was a mismatch of culture, between the values Andrew had and the values the companies he worked for had. He wasn't motivated to take the steps to get to the next level. While he did well in his position, doing well was the bare minimum to move to the top positions within the company. When you're in the right culture, however, doing this extra work doesn't feel like suffering. If you have this feeling, try to identify why this feeling exists. If you can identify the problem, the solution may present itself. Job hopping and change for change sake won't fix the issue. Try to identify the actions you take that you feel good about. You might need to look at your hobbies or interests outside of your work. You may also look at which tasks or actions or aspects of work you most enjoy. One thing Andrew did that helped create his current position and success was that he put himself out there at a coaching conference when he still didn't plan to make this jump. While this can be thought of as networking and can have an "icky" feel, getting to know coworkers and other people in your industry makes sense. You don't have to pitch something to these people, but just introduce yourself and talk to others. Because he did this and put in work, what may seem like luck in terms of getting his job at Barbell Logic was really dependent on the work and networking he had already completed. This opportunity would likely not have presented itself if he had not done this. You can't really develop a 5 or 10 year plan, but you can identify your values, have an idea of where you want to head, work hard, put yourself out there, and opportunities will almost undoubtedly present themselves. Another thing that helped enable this jump (which came with a signficant decrease in pay) was that he had not had his lifestyle fill his income. Too many people begin to earn more money and their pursuits and house and lifestyle requires that money to maintain itself. Andrew stayed frugal, which meant that when he shifted jobs his lifestyle did not have to dramatically change. Andrew & CJ discuss intentionality and how you spend your time. Are you all in, and what DO you spend your time doing. You can't do everything all in, so as much as possible be all in on the things that align with your values. If you find yourself in a job or role that doesn't align with your values, develop a plan to get out of that position. That doesn't mean leave today, but make a plan. Also, you WILL feel like an imposter. That's inevitable and, if you don't, that might actually be a problem. Keep learning and improving and stay half a step ahead. Apply MED to your life. Course correct as you go. Set goals and crush them. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Lifting regularly and interested in learning more about lifting and coaching? Jesse shares his story of lifting, coaching, studying in the Barbell Academy, and ultimately deciding to not pursue coaching professionally and how the Barbell Academy helped him realize this. CJ Gotcher talks to Jesse Mecham, Founder of YNAB and Barbell Academy student, about his experience going through the academy. Jesse came to lifting in his teens, reading a special edition of Muscle and Fitness magazine that covered Arnold Scharzenegger. His first experience with coaching came from someone warning about hurting his back from deadlifting, which scared him away from simple, hard, effective training for a while. He continued to lift. Eventually, he found Barbell Logic and a more effective approach to strength training. Jesse, someone who applies himself at anything he does and wants to do anything he does well, built a garage gym and invited others to lift with him. His role evolved into somewhat of a coaching role, and as this occurred he signed up for the Barbell Academy to help deepen his knowledge of programming and coaching. As he completed the Academy, he learned a lot and was better able to program and cue his fellow lifters. He even arranged a Barbell Logic seminar at his gym, which not only helped improve his coaching but also helped the other lifters learn to better identify and fix their own errors. Despite this, he ultimately decided to NOT pursue becoming a professional barbell coach, with his other commitments of family and running a business. In addition to this, CJ & Jesse talk about productivity and setting up the first coaching arrangement so you don't grow resentful. Many coaches coach their first lifters for free, and this makes sense, but you have to ensure you set up the situation so you receive value as well. Experience is valuable, but see if you can get the lifters to provide testimonials or other means of providing you value as you grow as a coach--and potentially grow a business. Jesse & CJ also discuss balancing your natural tendencies as a coach. Some coaches tend to be too timid and need to work on assertiveness, confidence, and being loud. Others, however, may insert themselves readily and easily and need to not overcue. They finish talking about being relentless about what you care about: spend the time, effort, and money where you want to. This requires intentionality and planning. This means limiting and managing distractions, being honest about things that take up your time but don't provide value, blocking off times for deep work and self-improvement and preventing distractions during these blocks. This podcast will provide value wherever you are and show how the Barbell Academy can help, even if you never become a professional barbell coach. https://www.youneedabudget.com/ GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

The Barbell Academy provides an online learning environment for passionate lifters, novice coaches, and professional coaches. Whether you're simply interested in the "why"s behind strength training, considering coaching, starting to coach, or would like to deep dive & continue your coaching education, the Barbell Academy offers something for you. Furthermore, it has become the funnel & process to identify new coaches for Barbell Logic & earn your Professional Barbell Coach (PBC) certification. The Principles Course helps passionate lifters and new or potential coaches learn the basics--the principles--of anatomy & physiology, programming, biomechanics, and the 4 main lifts. It helps you understand why we do what we do. It will make you a better lifter and a better coach. Even if you don't plan to coach others, if you develop your own training, then you're acting as your own coach, so knowing the basics can help you improve your lifting. The new Barbell Academy allows you to learn at your pace on your schedule. The previous academy had required you to commit to a 2-hour time block weekly. It also tied you to one coach, and though that coach was a great coach and lifter, this new platform allows the expert in a particular subject to write & teach that portion of the curriculum. It has also freed up CJ & other coaches to have more time to engage the community as a whole, as opposed to calls with 6-10 people. CJ is regularly engaging the Academy students on topics they care about, on calls and on social media. One of the great benefits of the course is that it incorporates a variety of perspectives & learning strategies & reiterates the material through different methods (multi-modal learning). This ultimately helps you better learn and retain the material. Now, what are the steps or courses of the academy? First is the Principles Course, which is out now and is perfect for passionate lifters, new coaches, and coaches looking to brush up on knowledge. Second is the Advanced Course, which is coming soon. This takes a deep dive into important topics, and is aimed at lifters who REALLY love this material and want to understand it deeply, coaches looking to earn the PBC certification, and coaches serious about improving their coaching. The other crucial part about the Advanced Course is that we will develop more courses, so if you purchase the Advanced Course when it opens, you'll get further courses for no additional cost. Now, for the PBC Certification. This is now the standard to coach as a staff coach at Barbell Logic. What's the value of the PBC? The process of earning the PBC will make you a better lifter and coach. You'll become part of a community of coaches, dedicated to self-improvement who will also be there for you with their expertise & experience. You will also have the stamp of approval of Barbell Logic and be searchable on our coaching database, so if a coach in your area searches for a Barbell Logic coach, they can find you. The PBC is something you will be proud to earn and represents a high-level coach. Though all coaches at Barbell Logic will have a PBC, not all PBCs will work at Barbell Logic (though there is a great chance this will happen). Okay, so how do you earn your PBC? The 3 steps are: written exam, oral interview, and platform test ALL OF WHICH CAN BE COMPLETED ONLINE. The written exam & oral interview are currently occurring online, with the written exam being the first step. Next will be the oral interview. The final step, and what had heretofore been an in-person event, will be the platform evaluation. This is being beta-tested, but you are able to upload videos of your coaching & will receive feedback and a pass or fail for the PBC. If you have passed the other exams and are deemed likely to be a great fit for Barbell Logic, you stand a good chance to be invited to an apprenticeship process at Barbell Logic and coach as an associate coach. Ultimately, this is about making more great coaches. It's about providing Barbell Logic great coaches--without lowering the standard--and ultimately having more lifters receive great coaching. It's about making the process to becoming a great coach easier and creating a community. So, here it is, the Barbell Academy. It's for lifters, it's for coaches, Check it Out. 0:00 Introduction 2:09 The Barbell Academy & The Principles Course 8:25 Self-Paced Learning on YOUR Schedule 13:16 Principles Course Overview 17:27 Incorporates Multiple Learning Strategies 22:21 Steps & Courses 27:29 The Advanced Course: Who is it For/Who is it By? 34:13 The Value of the PBC Certification 41:15 PBC Process 48:43 Apprenticeship & Online Platform Test 55:37 Putting it All Together GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/

Join the Reynolds family to see how they finished the Take Charge 10 challenge, how they feel about it, and what changes they plan to keep. Day 8 you don't drink caffeine 6 hours before bed. This, again, helps reduce caloric beverages in the afternoon & dinner, but it also helps improve your sleep. Good sleep helps bolster healthy living. One way the Reynolds family was able to prepare for a gathering that normally might involve alcohol & food was they prepared the food and ensured it was healthy--but still tasty. They simply didn't drink alcohol for the gathering, and though it would have been nice they continued to feel good and it wasn't as big of a deal as they had expected. One thing Matt identified was that gamifying things--working to achieve macros & calories & sticking with goals using MyFitnessPal--really helped motivate him to stay on track. On day 9, you heed to balance your meals, so no all carbohydrate meals especially. For many, an all carbohydrate meal will lead to a big spike in insulin and they'll ultimately feel hangry soon thereafter and look for more food. Trying get a little bit of everything--fruit & nuts or cheese, for example--really helps. For the Reynolds, this wasn't a hard day but a day to really solidify those habits they had already developed. For the final day, you have to know everything you're eating and not eat outside the home. The Reynolds family partook in some Cox wings & BBQ sauce--Cox Sauce, get you some--and really enjoyed it. Overall, everyone was feeling better and though there were certain things they looked forward to, they largely wanted to continue the habits and success they created with the challenge. They also didn't feel deprived, so they didn't go and have a 3000 calorie meal, like they might have after a typical "diet" in the past, but rather went out to a diner and eat reasonably but some foods that they hadn't had over the past 10 days. Ultimately, this is about sustainable nutrition habits to achieve your health goals. If you follow a diet that you couldn't keep up with long-term, you need to think about why you're following that diet. While there are certain circumstances where this may make sense, most people can just follow the basics of nutrition, not feel so deprived, and reach their goals. For Rachel and their daughters, they mostly missed sugar. For Matt, he craved a bit more fat. They're glad they did it, and glad they did it together. They felt more conscious, more intentional about food, but without neuroticism or morality. Join us for the Take Charge 10 nutrition challenge. If you missed the kick off on March 22, no problem, you can do this anytime you want. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Take Charge 10 continues, with booze, veggies, and fiber. On day 5, you eliminate alcohol. For some people, this will be the easiest step of them all. For others, this may cause some anxiety and may be difficult, especially as this falls on Friday if you begin on a Monday. The first day didn't give Matt or the Reynolds family too much trouble. On day 6, you add more veggies. This was easy for the Reynolds, as they regularly eat vegetables. They worked to increase them. An approach Rachel has learned from homeschooling is "easy + 1," meaning that easy doesn't work - then you don't improve, but too hard doesn't work easy. It's really another way to say minimum effective dose--what's the least you can do to move toward your goals and be healthier? Day 7 you have at least 30g of fiber. This one will stump a lot of people. Planning for this day will help. First, increasing the veggies helps get you there. You may find that certain highly fibrous foods can really help here. Grape nuts & chia seeds can be added to yogurt or overnight oats. Legumes also provide large amounts of fiber. Fight for that fiber! Finally, the Reynolds really begin to notice the benefits from the challenge. People have commented on their appearance, they feel good, and skin looks better. They also feel like there's been cascading benefits in other areas--improving one aspect of your life seems to spill into others. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

The Reynolds family shares their experience--struggles, victories, stumbles--through the first 4 days of the Take Charge 10 nutrition challenge. Day 1 is drinking more water, and they crushed day 1! They also found that the increase in water intake naturally reduced calories, as they reduced caloric beverages. It also seemed to reduce hunger, which helped reduce calories, because they drank so much water. The second day presented a bigger challenge, largely because of a 16th birthday party. Dan 2 involves keeping added sugar at or below 50g. This really shows, beyond attempting to complete day 2's habit, that life happens, and we can STILL be intentional about eating healthy and reaching our goals. Part of the key for day 2 was to avoid added sugar for the rest of the day to enable them to eat cake for the party and still remain below 50g of added sugar. On day 3, you need to stop mindless snacking. This doesn't mean no snacks, it means increasing your mindfulness and intentionality about what you put in your mouth. It can be easy to take a bite of something here, munch on something while you're waiting for dinner, or try something. These calories count, and you need to be intentional about what you put in your mouth. You keep a food journal on day 4. It can be photographic, hand written, typed, on an app, or some combination thereof. Track what you're eating. If you already do this, try to improve what you do here--track calories or macros. Calorie counter apps can help. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Matt & Niki talk to Niki and Gillian about the Take Charge 10 nutrition challenge, which begins as a community on March 22 but you can complete anytime you want after March 22. Take Charge 10 is a 10 day challenge, and each day adds another habit. Each day, therefore, builds on the other, so on day 10 you should be trying your hardest to follow all 10 guidelines. ANYONE can do it at ANYTIME, though if you begin on March 22, you'll be doing it along with the BLOC community and many coaches and staff. If you're participating, you can let us and your followers know by adding #takecharge10 to your social media posts. It's a way to fast charge your nutrition and work on healthy nutrition habits with an online community and--hopefully--those close to you as well. It's a reset, where you spend 10 days spending more time and energy and focus on nutrition. It's a way to see how different habits and behavior changes affect your health and reflect on how you might incorporate or sustain some or all of these changes. What is it NOT? It's not 10 days to 6 pack abs. It's not 10 days of extreme dieting or restricting huge types of food. It's not a 10-day suffer fest. Below are the steps: Drink More Water (half your bodyweight in pounds in ounces of water) Reduce Added Sugars (50g max) Stop Mindless Snacking (eat purposely) Keep a Food Journal of Everything that Goes Into Your Mouth Eliminate Alcohol Consumption Eat Your Veggies (eat more, try more) Fill Up on Fiber (30g of fiber from food) Cut off Caffeine (6 hours before bed) Balance Your Snacks (don't eat a snack with just one macro, especially carbohydrates) Prepare all Meals at Home (know exactly what you eat) Gillian designed this nutrition challenge to be inclusive, not exclusive. It was also designed to be done to be something you can do with your family and friends. The 10 habits really form the foundation of any healthy nutrition approach - this doesn't require a specific diet and allows for many different types of diet. These really are the fundamentals and basics, and building this strong base can lead to a sustainable, healthy diet. A strong foundation leads to success, though you can certainly improve on these areas and take them further, based on your goals. Some habits are definitely things that are worth doing all the time, and others you might decide to only do occasionally. Many of the arguments and discussions on programming and nutrition too often focus on the least important aspects of diet. Most dietitians agree with most of these basics. Also, some of these you may already be doing or find extremely easy to do (if you don't drink, eliminating alcohol won't be a problem). Others may be a real challenge. If you're doing something well, you can always aim to push that area a bit further during a challenge. If you struggle with something, it's worth reflecting on why you struggle with it and how big of an impact changing that behavior could contribute to your health goals. Food isn't moral, it's ultimately functional. Are you eating in a way to move toward your goals? If you enjoy a food like chocolate or ice cream, there are ways to allow these foods with planning and adjusting your diet in other areas. The first day you add, not take away, something: you add water. This not only will help many people feel better, but it also helps--as a side effect--reduce caloric drinks. Be weary, however, of "gateway foods." These are foods that tend to cause a chain or more calorically dense foods. For Matt, for example, he struggles to eat tortilla chips without adding things to them and then drinking as well. Reducing added sugars helps you look at labels more closely, especially if you enjoy sweet foods regularly. You may find yourself finding ways to reduce added sugars during the day to enable a dessert in the evening, and that's completely fine! You will likely be surprised where sugar is hidden and in the amounts it is hidden. Stop mindless snacking is a way to prevent intaking calories that you're not eating mindfully. Too often, someone might pick at a food while preparing dinner or eat left over food off of a kid's plate. You can eat a snack, but it should be a deliberate snack. Keeping a food journal helps you track what you eat and can help you track total calories and macros. You can also include how you feel. You can see what you were eating when you felt good and what foods didn't make you feel good. You can also pre-load food into the App to see the calories and macros in those foods. So, for example, if you plan to go out with friends on Saturday evening, you can either look at the restaurant menu and pick some foods. You can also plan to have some lighter meals earlier in the day to offset the increase calories in the evening. Eliminating alcohol for many people helps you better understand and evaluate your relationship for alcohol. For some people, this will be incredibly easy. For others, it may be the most challenging step. Alcohol, however, ha

Actor Ethan Suplee joins Matt & Niki to discuss his journey from morbid obesity to sustainable health--with struggles & stumbles in between. Some of Ethan has acted in movies such as American History X, Remember the Titans, and the Wolf of Wall Street. He also played as Randy in My Name is Earl. Ethan can remember being put on a diet at the age of 5. Since then, he's always felt like he was trying to lose weight. Weighing over 500 pounds, everyday tasks were struggles: putting on shoes, going for a walk, sitting down. He avoided rushing to get somewhere, because rushing would exhaust him and plague the rest of his day. He had to wear multiple shirts and always brought a wash cloth to wipe away sweat. He had to sleep sitting up. The highest weight he every saw on the scale was 536 pounds--on an industrial shipping scale. The motivation to be able to complete seemingly simple activities--such as go to a museum, go hiking, and other things like this--pushed him to finally seek weight loss. Still, since that decision, it has been a long road to find a sustainable way to be healthy. For years, he went on different diets that heavily restricted food options. He also completed extreme amounts of exercise, which often lead to injuries, which led to weight gain while he could not exercise. While eliminating carbohydrates and other food items would lead to weight loss, he repeatedly ran into "walls" where--despite claims that calories don't matter--he could no longer lose weight. He found himself reducing food intake to continue the weight loss. He actually got down to 200 pounds at one point and was "thin," but he wasn't happy with that weight. He found a TedX talk with Mike Israetel, who discussed calories in and calories out and the importance of protein. He actually added calories and carbs--for the first time in years. His weight went up 3 days in a row, and he freaked out a bit, but his waist went down on day 4. He decided to commit to this new way of eating, and this helped lead to a sustainable way of eating. It supports his physical activity and exercise, while also not having him constantly obsess over food. He also--after finding CrossFit--found strength training. The combination of strength training and this new way of eating has led him to not just be thin, but be lean and ripped. He weighs more than he did at his lowest weight, but he looks and feels better. He is able to maintain weight for periods of time, and each time his maintenance weight is higher but he is leaner. Oh, and Tom Segura: the day is coming where Matt will sit with you drinking whiskey. Just wait! GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

What does the lifetime fitness arc of service member look like? How can the military shifts its physical readiness training to better prepare for the demands of combat? Matt explores these topics with Colin Slade. The first hurdle any service member must overcome is the basic requirements to enter: which include bodyweight & bodyfat, medical, and some basic physical fitness levels. Following entry, however, Colin discusses how the military really fails to develop its members fitness. Readiness is key. Readiness is preparedness for combat--however that looks for the different services and the different jobs and roles and ranks in each service, including the unexpected. Even for members who sit at a computer--who can do their job without leaving the United States--physical fitness enables these people to do their job better mentally and prevent injuries from limiting time on the job. So, how do we change the culture? Individual service members certainly need to take ownership of their own physical preparedness, those around them, and--for leaders--those under their leadership and potentially command. At a larger level, the military needs to acknowledge it does not have the subject matter expertise, that the expertise is found outside the military, and that experts--such as the coaches of Barbell Logic--can provide better programming to prepare for combat and improve military readiness. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the Department of Defense or the United States Government. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Matt talks to Marine Colonel Scott Conway about the physical demands of the United States Marine Corps and ground forces in general--those service members whose fight on land. The Marine Corps have a philosophy--and way of training Marines--that involves the idea that every Marine is a Rifleman. Every service has a similar concept--when things go wrong, everyone must be able to react competently, regardless of their primary job in the military and their particular branch of service. Strength decreases rates of injury and benefits other physical attributes. Clearly, Soldiers, Marines, Special Operations Forces, and all ground forces need conditioning. A greater emphasis on strength, however, paired with conditioning--being "fit and strong"--would most benefit ground forces, preparing them for the rigors of combat and improving their readiness. Some misconceptions about strength training and aerobic endurance persist, despite evidence to the contrary. Strength training can build camaraderie while also providing the appropriate amount of stress for each service member. If service members run together in formation, the pace can only be as fast as the slowest person can run. If, however, a group of service members train together they can adjust the weights while building esprit de corps through shared hardship. A key point of the podcast is when Matt asks Scott about what he would do differently for his physical readiness if he could go back to when he first started his career. Not only would he include strength training, he would have consulted a coach to help with form and programming. This, of course, comes from someone with a history of marathons and triathlons, who also dabbled in CrossFit. Strength training not only benefited his physical performance, but limited everyday aches and pains and helped reduce overuse injuries that had plagued him. Really, Colonel Conway's advice flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Strength training is healthy, not deleterious, to your joint. Strength training doesn't make you too big or bulky or lessen your athleticism, but--with proper nutrition and conditioning--facilitates improved conditioning and aerobic endurance performance. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the Department of Defense or the US government. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

We're on a boat! Niki Sims talks to CJ Gotcher and Andrew Jackson--Barbell Logic staff coaches, full-time employees, and Navy Veterans--about their experience with the Navy and the physical demands of the Navy, including how you squeeze through tight spaces. The Navy--and any organization that involves service on the water or out at sea, such as the Coast Guard--puts some unique demands and challenges for its service members. Sailors have to train while serving on a ship at sea and train while preparing for deployments on land. Living accommodations on a ship are jam-packed, and for many Sailors the challenges are not carrying heavy loads for long distances, but the combined stress of sleep deprivation, long periods of time standing, and navigating a ship. The initial tests to enter the Navy or Naval Academy include medical requirements, evaluated with a physical, and events that generally aren't tested again and bear little relation to everyday physical demands of a Sailor: duck walks, ball throws, and broad jumps. Things going wrong in the Navy looks a little different than it does for the Army or Marines. A major concern--the thing all Sailors must be able to quickly combat--is a fire on the ship and flooding of the ship, such as if a missile hit a ship. The physical culture in the Navy really different from ship to ship, and even on a ship the culture can change dramatically with a different commanding officer. Generally, however, it was expected that Sailors needed to not fail and not be borderline. Expectations for officers were higher. CJ, Andrew, and Niki discuss the point of the physical readiness test in the Navy--and really in the military at large. Ultimately, it's a screening tool. It serves to screen out Sailors and service members who are utterly unprepared for the physical demands of the job. One aspect they talk about that seemed to help with preparing for not just fitness but combat readiness and proficiency was thinking of the general purpose--combat readiness--versus loading tasks onto people. See the forest, not the trees, so to speak. CJ also let's out some pretty good ones: "let's not forget pilots" & "carriers are bougie," and "BLOC Busters." The views expressed do not necessarily represent the Department of Defense or the United States Government. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

What kind of training are we talking about? ARMY TRAINING, SIR! Niki talks to Nikki Burman, Barbell Logic's Director of Client Experience, and Jerett Burman, Military Police Major in the United States Army National Guard, about the physical demands of the Army and the challenges of staying fit--at home and while deployed throughout the world. Jobs in the Army--as with all services--put different physical demands on service members, but almost all Soldiers will have to pick things up and carry heavy loads, and, of course, all Soldiers must prepare for the realities of combat, including "putting things in certain places." Nikki & Jerett share the experience of seeing a cultural shift occur in fitness centers and gyms on Army posts. For a time, Jerett served in Kansas, and from the time he arrived to the time he left, both Jerett and Nikki saw more people training with barbells, as the realities of the new Army Combat Fitness Test, and the Army's new fitness program, changed how Soldiers had to prepare for not only the test but also how they improved combat readiness. One common they see is Soldiers misunderstanding programming, so--without guidance--many Soldiers go SUPER HEAVY immediately, leaving little to no room for progress. Furthermore, the spirit of competition creates an urge to immediately beat the person next to them, when the more intelligent method would be to add weight over time. Niki asks Nikki & Jerett how they would change Army PT, and they give their answer. They would incorporate the big compound lifts--the squat, deadlift, bench press, and press, along with some other supplemental and accessory lifts--and prioritize shorter sprints and intervals over longer, slower runs. The other consideration, however, is the need to perform event after event. To some degree this is endurance, but it may be better be called stamina. The need to go from event to event and perform, and then, potentially, perform a watch or a desk job while sleep deprived. It's not so much the same things as continuing to run during a marathon, but the ability to keep going despite the sleep deprivation, food deprivation, aches and pains, and other growing fatigue and exhaustion. Often times, Soldiers can train better and more consistently when they are deployed, though that is not the case in more expeditionary situations--where Soldiers and units cannot return to bases with gyms. "You're either getting better or getting worse, there is no staying the same." The views expressed do not necessarily represent the Department of Defense or the United States Government. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Niki talks to Colin Slade, Air Force Captain, about physical requirements, physical training, and physical fitness tests for the Air Force, Space Force, air crews, and pilots. The demands for Airmen and Guardians differ greatly between jobs and from day-to-day. While people tend to think of pilots when they think about the Air Force, pilots represent a relatively small percentage of people who serve in the Air Force. Pilots--especially fighter pilots--face extreme physical requirements from the speeds and demands of "pulling Gs." The Air Force has created technology to help pilots meet those demands, but physical readiness can help the service member meet the demands. There is a growing recognition that the "industrialized PT model" isn't working, and many services are bringing in license physical trainers to help plan and lead physical training programs. And, what is the 1 MED change Colin would make to the Air Force PT program? Listen to find out! The views expressed do not necessarily represent the Department of Defense or the United States Government. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Matt talks to Colonel Scott Conway--this time about leadership and resilience, and how strength training--and physical training in general--can make people better leaders, managers, and parents and help them better face difficult situations and events. Scott discusses his early experience through the Marine Corps' schools to screen and develop officers--Marines given the rank and position and authority to lead and command other Marines. He also discusses returning to some of these as a leader, evaluating and helping shape leaders. Officer and leader development pushes officer candidates to adapt in stressful, difficult situations. The candidates will fail and make mistakes. They ultimately have to prove up to the task of leadership in duress while falling short of making the "perfect" decisions. You have to learn, you have to keep pushing forward and take the burden and run with it. As an instructor--something that seems easier often--you must be constantly "on," because the candidates are looking to you as the example while also--despite their inexperience--being able to identify when the instructors are falling short of their espoused ideals--the Marine Corps' standards. Ultimately, as leaders, and employees, and managers, as parents--as human beings--we should become wiser as we experience more and reflect and learn from our experience--success and failures. Despite this, we can't rely on our past successes or our resume. In whatever position we find ourselves, we ultimately get evaluated by what we offer now. The experience of being a junior officer is in some senses both unique but also relatable to leaders in many situations. You're new to the military, yet entrusted with authority and rank. You have to make decisions and lead, but you also have to learn and rely on the experience and recommendations of those around you. You have to accept the responsibility of leadership put on you, but you can't let it go to your head. You likely feel like an imposter as your experience and authority seem at odds, but you can't be racked by doubt. Many people can relate to suddenly being thrust with power and responsibility and authority--parenting anyone--and not feeling up to the task. People experience being new to a job and feeling like they're not prepared, yet they have to ultimately go forward and do the job. Scott shares the experience of falling short of his own expectations for himself as a junior Marine officer. He did not fail the test, but he knew he could do better. He ran often and far to overcome this. Eventually, he found CrossFit, but CrossFit was painful. Finding strength--as a senior Marine--restoked the fire of fitness while lessening the pain and stress of running and CrossFit. Finally, Scott & Matt commiserate about their shared experience of being "exceptionally mediocre" and "painfully average" as athletes. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the Department of Defense or the US government. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Matt and Niki talk to Colonel Scott Conway, career Marine Officer, who shares his experiences of service, leadership, and combat. Scott wanted to serve since he was a kid, and ultimately decided to become a Marine and attend the Naval Academy. The Naval Academy emphasizes leadership, academics, athletics, and time management. It throws many big fish in little ponds into the ocean, so to speak, and produces many of the officers who end up serving in the US Navy and United States Marine Corps. Scott shares his experience going through the Naval Academy, some of his service in the Marine Corps, and the experience of going through an ambush--and the emotional dump afterwards. Scott ultimately turned to endurance during his career to bolster his fitness. He found benefits from this, but more recently combining strength and conditioning has led to a greater control than he's ever had. 30 years older than his students, he can lead by example and garner respect when he walks in a room by his image and presence. "If you stay ready, you ain't got to get ready." The views expressed do not necessarily represent the Department of Defense or the United States Government. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook [email protected]

Matt & Niki and your lifting and life questions. Topics include changing hands for mix grip deadlifts, recommended kitchen equipment for meal prep, lumbar flexion during heavy deadlifts, most important gym equipment to begin, and testicle pain after lifting. To get 50% off your first month of SteadyMD, go to steadymd.com/bloc by February 28th. SteadyMD is your personal doctor, online. It's telehealth done right. Email [email protected] to submit a question for future podcasts! 0:00 Introduction 4:34 Testicle Pain After Lifting What may be happening--and what should someone do--if they're experiencing testicle pain after lifting? 10:33 SteadyMD Log up at steadymd.com/bloc 15:56 Mixed Grip: Switch Supinated Hand? Should someone--when deadlifting with mixed grip--alternate supinated hands or just stick with one. 18:06 Coaching Feedback & Form Checking A great coach must help with form and improving form, but that cannot be ALL the coach offers. There must be a balance, and, ultimately, you need to make a good connection with clients. What does the client need right now and long term? 21:16 Recommended Nutrition Equipment What do Matt and Niki use all the time to cook and meal prep: Instapot or pressure cooker: cook stews, chicken, sweet potatoes, rice sous vide: thaw quickly or cook meat to internal temperature vacuum sealer: portion & freeze meat good knife: game changer 2+ cutting boards: to cut and prepare veggies, herbs, meats cleaned out fridge: let you see what you intend to eat clear, stackable tupper ware: see what you're going to eat consider: non-stick frying pan, high quality cast iron skillet, high quality stainless steel cookware 29:18 Flexion During Heavy Deadlifts Is it concerning if some lumbar flexion occurs during heavy deadlifts? If it happens when it's REALLY heavy & the weight it occurs at continues to increase, it's not concerning. If, however, someone rounds then pulls at lighter weights, then, yes, the lifter needs to learn how to set & maintain lumbar extension. Rack pulls, RDLs, floating deadlifts, 5 part deadlifts can help. 35:09 Gym Shenanigans What's the silliest or stupidest things you've seen in a gym? A few things: curling in a smith machine, bouncing on a bosu ball, tying an iPod to a barbell. 37:33 Prioritizing Gym Equipment If you're on a limited budget and starting from scratch, what are the most important things to purchase? The most important thing is to get a barbell and weights. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

0:00 USSF Meet Prep Update & Intro 7:12 RPE 11 Andrew 13:56 Causes & Anatomy 28:06 Cues to Correct 34:14 Supplemental Lifts 37:56 Touchpoint 40:42 Set Up & Conclusion Elbow flare is a common bench press error where the elbows flare out on the ascent. This error, much like a good morning squat, produces movement in the joints without moving the bar up. It decreases the ability of the pecs to contribute to the lift, though it reduces the horizontal moment of the bar from the glenohumeral joint. The first weapon in a lifter or coach's arsenal is corrective cues. Common cues include pinch something between your arm pits or pretend you're being tickled from behind, though these too often do not work. Some other cues are to pretend the bar is a rubber band or to shove the elbows out during the descent, for what lifters often do is find the tension where there is none. Elbow flare may be overcorrecting for lack of tension during the descent. Common supplemental lifts to help correct this error are spoto press (pause the bar 1-2 inches above the touch point; hold it; then press the bar up) or paused bench press. These emphasize tightness & control. The other things to examine are the touch point and set up for the bench press: ensure these are not only correct but optimal. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

Dr. David Puder and Brooke Haubenstricker return to discuss training with depression. How do we help those--or help ourselves--exercise and train and reap the benefits of exercise and training if they--or we--struggle to find the motivation to not just exercise but to get out of bed? Check out Dr. David Puder's podcast here: https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/ One hurdle is that many people are overwhelmed and don't know how to begin. They either haven't lifted or--if they have lifted--they've often done "bench and bis" or some other bodybuilding style regimen, or they've done what a coach told them to do for a sport. The methodology of training we're recommending involves full body, barbell exercises to improve strength. Another obstacle is that people too often compare themselves to people in the media or social media that have access to personal chefs, personal trainers, illegal substances, all the benefits of photography and editing, and the fact that they chose a specific time to take the photo--they're presenting they're best, edited self, with the benefits of resources we likely don't have access to. Another difficulty to overcome is that too many people focus on their body and body image. How much time do you want to think about how your body looks? Let's transition to a more functional idea: strength helps us accomplish things, beyond overcoming the weight of the barbell. It takes the focus off something that too often produces unhealthy thoughts and onto something that gives us agency. Finally, they need to be kind to themselves and not so critical. If they assess their selves, it needs to be with charity and patience and love. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

Peaking for an online meet provides more choices and thus greater room for strategy (and mistakes) for how lifters peak and complete their attempts. Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson explore how to peak for an online meet (or simply complete PR attempts). United States Strengthlifting is putting on an online event. Whereas in an in-person meet, all lifts need to be peaked on the same day and many factors are simply out of the coaches and lifters' control (rest between attempts, equipment, etc.) for this online meet, the lifters have two weeks and three submittals for the squat, bench press, and deadlift. This allows for more control and choice, but with greater choice comes, well, more choices to make. More choices to make means more ways to increase performance but also more ways to screw up. Some lifters may mimic a powerlifting meet and attempt all their attempts at their favorite gym with friends and other lifters present to cheer them on. Others may complete their lifts by themselves, in private, with total control over the atmosphere. Some lifters may take the entirety of the time to peak, making their attempts later on in the 2 weeks. Others may make safer attempts that first weak and then reattempt 1, 2, or 3 of the lifts that second week. Many of these decisions come down to personal preference. Some lifters care more about one lift than another. Some lifters may have a poor performance on one lift tank all their other attempts. Some lifters may want to get things done with, whereas others enjoy only having to go for one lift at a time. Some lifters may have an awesome gym with great lifters who they want to compete with, while others may want to not have to deal with other people. Regardless of how you compete, or whether you even sign up for an online meet, this podcast investigates the mental and physiological aspects of attempting PRs. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

COVID has disrupted our lives and led to isolation and fear for many people. There are the twin fears of getting sick and losing loved ones, and then the fear of losing one's job and other economic consequences. In difficult times, it often helps to read or observe the writings and experiences of those who have experienced harder times than you. Dr. Puder and Matt cover some of Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning and how Victor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Jewish person, survived the holocaust and ultimately worked to find meaning in the worst of times. Ultimately, the best way is to find ways to build order amidst the chaos--whether it be making your bed, doing your dishes, getting dressed despite staying home, and building habits and routines whether you're working or suddenly find yourself working from home. This podcast originally aired soon after many things shut down due to COVID, but it applies today as much as then. Check out Dr. David Puder's podcast here: https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/ GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

What is grit? How do we increase grit and why do we need it? Check out Dr. David Puder's podcast here: https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/ Just as we can increase our strength through barbell training, we can increase our mental toughness and grit through undergoing the challenges involved in barbell training. The grit we develop through this process helps us when life confronts us with obstacles, which it inevitably will. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

Matt, Scott, and Dr. Puder continue their discussion of red flags and green lights: things to avoid and things to look for in partners to build healthy relationships. Check out Dr. David Puder's podcast here: https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/ Here is the red flags list: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a0b24e0bff200118a898f2d/t/5d957e4af14cb6013b0823c5/1570078283487/Red+Flags+In+Dating+V002.pdf Many people didn't see healthy relationships as a child, and media too often only cover relationships still in the early, puppy love phase. Long-term healthy relationships involve getting past the puppy love phase, learning and then accepting the others' faults. Adults often find themselves mimicking the relationships they had or saw as children. Learn how to work on yourself, and your relationship, and better identify the warnings signs of unhealthy partners. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

Whereas Dr. Puder first addressed friendships, he now digs into romantic relationships, how to find and create healthy, enlivening relationships, and what to avoid when looking for a partner. Check out Dr. David Puder's podcast here: https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/ Here is his red flag list: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a0b24e0bff200118a898f2d/t/5d957e4af14cb6013b0823c5/1570078283487/Red+Flags+In+Dating+V002.pdf Often times, if you find yourself attracted to those people who have many of these attributes, the best way to address this is to work on yourself--seek therapy and other means to improve yourself. Also, have friends and others you can turn to to provide healthy, honest feedback on your dating choices. Ultimately, this is about thriving. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

What is depression? How do we recognize depression in ourselves and others? How can we help those with depression? How do we identify and help those who may have depression as strength coaches? Brooke Haubenstricker--BLOC Staff Coach & PBC--discuss this with Dr. David Puder. Check out Dr. David Puder's podcast here: https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/ Everyone experiences grief and sadness, but for some at certain points in their life, they become depressed. Though there are different causes of depression and different types, people will often display certain signs, such as increased or decreased appetite, suicidality, lethargy, trouble sleeping or increased sleep. A normal aspect of depression is a gap between reality and perception. People will not take compliments but will linger on critical feedback. Although coaches can take certain actions to help those with depression, it is important to remember that we are not mental health professionals though we can help. The importance of building good relationships and authentic connection is also revealed, as if we have built trust and an ability to communicate prior to depression, we are more likely to be able to not only identify the issue but also help. Dr. Puder and Brooke discuss practical ways to approach lifters, such as changing workouts to a total number of reps and ensuring communication is positive and encouraging. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook

What is connection and how do we improve connection. Explore this topic with Scott, Matt, and Dr. Puder. Check out Dr. David Puder's podcast here: https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/ Here are the components of connection--by improving these, we can improve our connections: empathy psychological safety: ability to be honest alliance (therapeutic or educational): similar goals/on the same page feedback: specificity They also discuss what it takes to develop a friendship and how to create friendships if you don't have any--or you want to improve them. Finally, they discuss increasing your awareness of your emotions and those around you. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans. No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial. https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC and our partners: https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ Connect with the hosts Matt on Instagram Niki on Instagram [email protected] Connect with the show Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook