Weights and Plates Podcast

When people hire Dr. Santana looking to lose a significant amount of weight, it's almost certain this isn't their first attempt at dieting. In fact, what Dr. Santana typically finds with overweight and obese weight loss clients is that they have been dieting for years. They are essentially always in weight loss mode. The problem is, they haven't lost the weight, which indicates that their compliance is spotty at best. Dr. Santana also points out that even if compliance is low and they haven't lost weight, there is a psychological toll from constantly dieting. The solution? You need to take breaks from dieting if you want to lose weight and keep it off long term. A diet deload, if you will. Losing weight imposes stress on your body, both physiological and psychological stress, and the fatigue from that stress compounds the longer you stay in weight loss mode. In programming we take deloads to disappate fatigue when it has gotten too high and we risk overtraining, tweaks and form breakdown. The same concept works for dieting. Dr. Santana's recommendation is to limit your dieting to 12-16 weeks at a time, then take a break. During the break, raise your calories and eat at maintenance for several weeks. You'll likely gain some weight back -- at the very least from water weight due to the increased food -- but that's ok. You're disappating stress and fatigue, helping your body feel better, and improving your mental state before the next round of dieting, if you choose to continue. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Pain and "tweaks" are an inevitable part of training. If you live an active life, both in and out of the gym, then you will eventually tweak something and experience pain. You might even (heaven forbid!) get injured, and require rehab. So learning how to deal with pain while continuing to train and get strong is a very important part of the training process. Pain is a complex experience, as much psychological and emotional as it is physical. Through their combined nearly four decades in the gym, Dr. Santana and Coach Trent have learned how to train around tweaks and injuries, and rebuild confidence under the bar after they happen. One key is exposure without danger. Once you understand that you can still move and do something productive in the gym, even if you are experiencing pain, then you can start to find ways to train at a level that encourages healing without risking further aggravation or injury. And the accumulation of these experiences, of training just at the point of discomfort but not danger, helps you to rebuild trust in your body and train your brain that your body is capable of being strong and functional in and out of the gym. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

There's something about the vibe of the old school, black iron gym. Whether it's a powerlifting dungeon straight out of the 80's, a bodybuilding gym packed full of machines and dumbbells, or a weightlifting hall with rows and rows of platforms, the single-purpose gym dedicated to training (not merely exercise) is a special place. A place where shit gets done, where hard effort and consistency are the primary currency. These gyms are hard to find, but you know them when you walk in the door. The energy is palpable. In today's world of online coaching and affordable home gym setups, many trainees haven't experienced this sort of old school gym, and they probably should! If you're serious about your training, you owe it to yourself to train at a gym like this. Whether you're a novice struggling to squat 315 (or 200!) or a you've been at it for years and feeling burnt out, training at an old school gym -- even if it's just for a little while -- can ignite some fire and passion in your training program and set you up for success. Mark Rippetoe and Marty Gallagher Interview (3 Parts): Part 1: https://youtu.be/siaDQdpQPRQ?si=jBBEqMFP6drd1mKm Part 2: https://youtu.be/TxjibbKJ8UE?si=YilgpD6MG6bxAGZG Part 3: https://youtu.be/RIe_7ODKycQ?si=6t5M2L88a0J7DvGV Kirk Karwoski squat instructional video (he squats 600x8 beltless at the end!): https://youtu.be/-hd8mN765KQ?si=PktYt_b5x3Zxo3ac Karwoski 1,000lbs double: https://youtu.be/Oo1tU1YqPp0?si=xDLu_pO-5jfW0bQq Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

A common frustration for intermediate lifters in their first couple years of training is an inability to maintain their peak strength. Whether it's a 1RM, a 5RM, or even a PR for sets across, for the vast majority of people something will interrupt their strength training progression and knock them off track, and they'll miss lifts they have previously hit. On top of that, attempting new PR's will become more unpredictable, and even if they did everything right, the weight sometimes just won't move. Did they get weaker? Is all their previous work in vain? Of course not. What these trainees experience is the difference between building strength and expressing strength. Learning to manage your expectations over the long haul is an important part of training for life. You won't always be at your peak (after all that's what makes a peak, a peak), but if you pay attention to moving up your floor over time, then new, higher peaks will eventually come. In the meantime, learn to set reasonable expectations, understand what's happening when you stall out, and set yourself up for success by committing to the process, rather than hanging your enjoyment solely on PR's. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Dr. Robert Santana and Trent Jones address the topic of eating to gain muscle mass for women. While the physiology of bulking, as described in episodes 57-58, is no different for women than it is for men, the degree to which women need to eat for muscle mass and the total amount of muscle gain possible is different. In general, women are not able to convert surplus calories into muscle mass as efficiently as men, so Robert and Trent advocate for a slower rate of gain for women trying to build muscle and get stronger. Additionally, women are not able to take advantage of increased leverage from gaining weight as much as men can, due to different fat distribution patterns, therefore women won't typically gain as much total weight as men (when comparing men and women of equal height). Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Dr. Robert Santana and Starting Strength Coach Trent Jones continue their discussion on bulking, including favorite foods for amassing calories, how fast you should gain weight, and why the weight on the bar should be the main metric of progress. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

It's a common debate in the Starting Strength world and the world of lifting and aesthetics in general -- do you have to get fat to build muscle? Dr. Robert Santana and his co-host Trent Jones, SSC tackle this question and explain why, if you're a male looking to improve your physique, you probably need to bulk to gain muscle, drive your barbell lifts up, and later, cut body weight to lose the fat. So, to answer the question more directly: do you have to get fat? No, but you're gonna gain more fat than you want to, and there's going to be an uncomfortable period where you're fatter than you want to be. Just understand that's it's necessary to get strong, and getting strong is how you will eventually get the look that you want! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

We know it's summer, and your busy. Kids are home from school, you're going on vacation, having cookouts... and we hope you enjoy these things! However, as a diet coach, Dr. Santana has observed a few common problems people have when trying to lose weight. One of those is snacking. Inevitably, people who keep a lot of snacks in their pantry end up overeating them and gaining weight when they're trying to lose. There's an easy solution to this, however. Throw them out! If you want to change your food habits for the better, you have to change your food environment. Throw out the snacks, and only keep food that requires preparation to eat. If you make it harder to obtain snack foods -- as in, you have to go to the store to get them -- then you'll be less likely to eat them. It's those daily habits that add up over time toward the body composition you want or extra bodyfat you don't want. So, simply changing your food environment can stop the grazing and little bites that add up day after day. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

It has become popular in the last few years for coaches in the strength and fitness world to question the concept of "technique," that is, that technique matters when it comes to getting stronger, building muscle, and injury risk reduction. One claim is that certain standardized technique hallmarks such as squat depth definied as the "hip crease below top of patella" are arbitrary, and that one could strong squatting deeper or higher than that. Others claim that certain techniques such as lifting with a rounded back, while inefficient, do not increase the risk of injury during training. Dr. Santana and Coach Trent attempt to wade through the bullshit, find the nuggets of truth in the claims, and discuss whether technique really matters"when it comes to getting stronger and more muscular. They also offer tackle the misconception that lifters must have "perfect" technique before adding weight to their lifts, and where their personal line in the sand is for technique quality. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

There's nothing more elusive and coveted in modern fitness and aesthetics than visible abs, the "six pack." For many, it's the holy grail of aesthetics. Many people, however, fail to achieve a six pack even after shedding a lot of body fat. How do you get them, then? Is it even possible for most people? Dr. Robert Santana and Coach Trent break down the mystery of "abs," discuss the relevant anatomy, anatomical variation in the population, and why most people need to worry about building muscle mass, not losing body fat. Tendinous Inscriptions of the Rectus Abdominis (check out the cool pics!): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6173272/ Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Dr. Robert and Coach Trent recently met up in Wichita Falls, TX, the home of the Starting Strength organization, for a strengthlifting meet at Wichita Falls Athletic Club. While they were there they sat down with the man himself, Mark Rippetoe, author of Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition and many other books and articles, to chat about how much the food landscape has changed in his liftetime. They also touch on the obsession with leanness in modern popular media, and how the average individual can look much better in a t-shirt with proper strength training, but not random trips to the gym to catch a pump. You can find Rip and all his books, articles, videos, podcasts, and more at the mainsite for Starting Strength: https://startingstrength.com Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

For people new to barbell training, it's not uncommon to hear the process of strength training referred to as "powerlifting," or even "weightlifting." And while yes, we are lifting weights, that is not the same thing as weightlifting -- which is the sport of Olympic weightlifting, a barbell sport involving the snatch and clean and jerk. Likewise, while strength training involves the squat, bench press, and deadlift (and press), powerlifting is actually a sport in which the squat, bench, and deadlift are performed for a single rep under the rules and judgment of a federation. So, if you're unfamiliar with the strength sports of powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting, today's episode explains how these sports work, and why strength training is a very different thing from competition -- even if they look the same to casual bystander! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Supplements are a huge industry, and showing no signs of slowing down. The idea that a pill, or a powder, or a drink can transform your fitness and body composition is irresistible, it seems, as people continue to pour billions of dollars into the supplement industry. Do any of them actually work though? And if so, which ones? Dr. Robert Santana and Coach Trent Jones wade through the most popular performance enhancing supplements, and offer an opinion which runs counter to what most will tell you: most of them DON'T work, and if you aren't training hard and cultivating healthy daily habits, NONE of the will work! For those of you willing to do the hard work, however, there are a couple supplements which might help you gain a little edge in the gym. But you probably didn't need it anyway. Cycle for Pennies Condensed Article: http://doggcrapp.blogspot.com/2006/11/cycle-for-pennies-condensed.html?m=1 Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Coach Robert and Coach Trent discuss some recent developments in their own training, which prompts a discussion on how stressors affect the SRA cycle, and why advanced barbell training can be deceptively simple. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

RPE is a commonly used tool for programming, and has continued to grow in popularity with the rise of barbell training, barbell sports such as powerlifting, and the online coaching industry. It's a novel tool which uses the lifters' perception of their effort (RPE stands for rate of perceived exertion) on a given set, on any given day, to influence programming decisions. It's an innovative way to approach programming, and certainly convenient for online coaches that don't have the benefit of watching lifters perform in real time, but is it actually useful? Coach Robert and Coach Trent debate the merits of RPE, and discuss the related concept of autoregulation, in today's episode. Usually RPE is assigned to a set and rep scheme, such as "perform a single at RPE 8," and the lifter will choose the load depending on their perceived exertion level. If the lifter is feeling fresh and full of energy, they will go heavier; on the other hand if they go into the workout fatigued and low energy, they will go lighter. In both cases, the perceived exertion is the same. This is a form of autoregulation, an important aspect of programming for advanced trainees in which the programming must adapt to the fatigue level of the trainee from workout to workout. Performance becomes more unpredictable the more advanced a trainee becomes, and autoregulation is important to avoid injuries and overtraining during periods of high fatigue, as well as take advantage of good days when energy is high and the loads are moving fast. For a novice trainee, however, RPE and autoregulation can be a minefield. Novices by definition lack the experience to understand what their level of exertion is on any given set, relative to what their total capacity for exertion. The process of linear progression, in fact, retrains the mind about what is possible as the lifter continually tackles heavier and heavier weights, often well past the point they thought they could go. Even for intermediate trainees, using RPE prescriptively to determine working loads can result in undertraining, or trainees spinning their wheels, if their weight selection does not involve regular progressive overload. So... is RPE bullshit? Not quite. It can be a useful tool for the right lifter, but that lifter is probably fairly advanced and has accumulated a lot of time under heavy weights. For most people training in the gym, who are novices or perhaps early intermediates, it's not a great way to approach programming. At least Coach Robert and Coach Trent don't recommend it. RPE Chart -- Reactive Training Systems https://articles.reactivetrainingsystems.com/2017/12/05/how-to-use-rpe-in-your-training-correctly/ Mike Tuscherer Interview with Mark Rippetoe https://youtu.be/PTCFaEPBWJQ Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Robert invites one of his clients, Olivia Miller, onto the show to discuss her training program for a 50k race she ran in February. Liv is a former D1 soccer player now working in the healthcare field. She turned to running after graduation as a way to keep herself physically challenged, and to stave off some of the boredom and stress of the COVID lockdowns in 2020. A natural competitor, Liv excelled in running and began training for longer and longer races, with her recent 50k being the longest. Several months ago she sought out a coach through Rennaissance Periodization to help her improve her strength and nutrition. After a few months of dedicated strength work, in which she incorporated the basic barbell lifts -- squat, press, deadlift, and bench press -- into her program for the first time since college, she asked Robert to program her running as well. He did, gradually ramping up her mileage after the strength phase and maintaing her strength in the weightroom with an RPE based loading scheme. The approach worked, and Liv hit some PR's while feeling noticeably stronger and more resilient during the race, and with less aches and pains durign the training process as well. You can follow Liv's running on Instagram @livimillr Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

An impromptu training discussion leads to a whole episode about why strength is limiting factor for the vast majority of people trying to get bigger and look more muscular. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Rounding out the January series on improving strength, muscle mass, and physique for the skinny fat novice, Coach Robert and Trent lay out what the early intermediate phase tends to look like in terms of programming and body composition. After building a solid base of strength in a well-executed novice LP, the formerly skinny fat lifter has most likely gained an appreciable amount of muscle mass. An average sized male, 5'7" to 5'10", will weigh roughly 200lbs at this point, and should be squatting in the high 200's to mid 300's for a top set (perhaps even sets across), deadlifting the high 300's to low 400's, benching in the low 200's, and pressing over 135. Note those are rough numbers and genetics, anthropometry, and proficiency with technique can greatly influence those numbers up or down on any given lift. Despite these considerable gains, many lifters find that they aren't as lean and defined as they wish to be, because the process of putting on that muscle mass brought some fat mass as well. This is a good time to consider a moderate cut in bodyweight, perhaps 10-15lbs for a 200lbs male, to lose body fat and bring out some definition. By keeping protein intake high during the process, the lifter can minimize muscle loss during the cut. Depending on the lifter's goals, the early intermediate phase of training can be a good time to introduce variations of the main movements to address weak points in the musculature, and reduce systemic stress on the body during a cut. Exercises like the leg press, front squat, curls, tricep extensions, and dips can help a lifter bring up lagging parts of hte body that did not grow proportionately during the novice phase of training. As they are inherently less stressful than heavy compound lifts, particularly on the lower back, they are also good options to continue training when a caloric deficit causes fatigue. The key point to intermediate training is this: decide what your goal is, and organize your training and food intake around that. Without a clear goal, your training won't have a clear direction, and you're likely to end up spinning your wheels. This also means that you can't have everything at once! If your goal is to lean out, you probably won't continue to improve your top end strength on the main barbell lifts. Likewise, if you're goal is to continue improving your 1RM's, you probably won't lean out because continued strength gains will require lots of food to support training. It is possible to have both in the long run, but it's a multi-phase process, so pick one goal and get after it! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

On today's show Robert and Trent welcome guest coach Andy Baker, Starting Strength Coach and co-author of Practical Programming for Strength Training, 3rd Edition and The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40. Andy is a master coach with a wide range of expertise and interests. He coaches high level competitive powerlifters, bodybuilders, high school and collegiate sport athletes, and regular folks just looking to become generally fit and strong. Along the way he's learned a lot about packing on muscle, and has identified common mistakes guys make when struggling to add mass, especially to their upper body. In today's show Andy addresses the difference between strength training and hypertrophy training, a frequent point of contention amongst powerlifters, bodybuilders, and the "gym bro" crowd. As Andy puts it, both bodybuilding and powerlifting are performance based, whether you like it or not. The powerlifter obviously must perform on a platform where his or her best lifts will be judged on completion, while a bodybuilder is judged on more subjective criteria such as muscle size, symmetry, and separation. Both competitors are strength athletes; growing muscle requires regularly adding weight to the target lifts and progressively overloading them. Where they will differ is specificity. The powerlifter will need to train his skill and neuromuscular efficiency in producing 1RM's on meet day, while the bodybuilder needs to look a certain way. For the bodybuilder, then, the ideal rep ranges will be higher -- most likely 4 to 12 reps -- while the powerlifter will spend more time in the 5 and under rep range. Likewise, the bodybuilder will choose exercises which stimulate the most muscle group for their unique body type, anthropometry, and genetic predisposition, while the powerlifter will spend most of his time performing the competion lifts (squat, bench, deadlift). Thus, one of Andy's keys to growing muscle mass is understanding that the goals are different from general strength training and especially competitive strength sports. There are no required lifts for growing muscle. Instead, you want to focus on lifts which are highly stimulative to the muscles you're trying to grow, and these lifts will vary from person to person. Andy paraphrases one of his influences, bodybuilding coach Dante Trudell, when he says "pick a handful of movements that work for your body and get them as strong as possible in a medium rep range." Andy has written extensively about training for strength, mass, and sport on his website. He also offers in-person and online coaching, as well as programming templates for a variety of fitness goals: https://www.andybaker.com Andy also has a podcast, the Baker Barbell Podcast, available on all the usual streaming platforms. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/baker-barbell-podcast/id1607570442 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7K8Ue2u52o0GUalVEngPAE?si=15ab03f263a544e2 Weights & Plates: https://weightsand ...

It's the new year, and a time when many people resolve to work eat, eat better, and improve their body composition. Some guys aim to lose weight, others to gain it, but what about the in-betweener, the guy who is of normal bodyweight, normal BMI, but still appears unathletic -- low muscle tone, no visible definition, and maybe even excess fat around the pectorals (man boobs) and waist line. This condition is often referred to as "skinny-fat," and skinny fat people often mistakenly think that they need to lose fat to look leaner and more muscular Coach Santana and Coach Trent explain, however, that the skinny-fat person's problem is they are undertrained and undermuscled. And the answer to the skinny-fat dilemma is to get strong and gain muscular bodyweight in the process. That's right, gain weight! It may seem counter-intuitive at first, but gaining muscle results in more visible defintion by spreading existing fat mass over a larger surface area. It's just arithmetic too. If you gain weight that is mostly muscle, then the ratio of your muscle to body fat will go down, and therefore your body fat percentage will go down. In other words, gaining muscle makes you leaner! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Coach Santana (now officially Dr. Santana!) and Coach Trent discuss their approach to setting goals for training, health, and life. It's easy to buy into the idea of resolutions and setting lofty results-oriented goals, and it feels good to do it! I'm going to squat 500 next year! I'm going to get down to 15% body fat next year! I'm going to lose 30lbs! These results or number oriented goals sound good, and setting them gets you thinking about what kind of person you'll be in the future, having achieved the goal. In fact, you often get a little dopamine hit just imagining yourself at the finish line, victorious. Therein lies the trap. Focusing too much on the end result gives you a little piece of the satisfaction of obtaining the goal, without doing anything to help you toward that goal! Instead, Coach Robert and Trent like to focus on process-oriented goals, changes you can make to your daily habits and behaviors that will lead to progress in the right direction. Process oriented goals also acknowledge the fact that many of the variables that play into how much weight you can lose, how much muscle you can gain, or how much more you can lift -- whatever your goal is -- we don't have much control over. Life stuff happens, and often has a big effect on our ability to hit certain numbers and how long that process will take. However, by comitting to a process rather than a number, you can set yourself up for positive progress, and not feel guilty about falling short of some arbitrary target. Thanks so much for listening this year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

If you are into lifting and spend any time on social media at all, you've probably heard of, or at least seen, the Liver King. Coach Trent and Coach Santana discuss the recent "controversy" around the Liver King's steroid use, why nearly everything you see on the internet is fake, and what we actually know works when it comes to getting strong and building muscle. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Coach Robert and Coach Trent discuss a misunderstanding that sometimes comes up in a coaching relationship -- the idea that coaching is just a program, or a template, or a set of information that will get you to your fitness goals. The reality is that information is cheap, often free, and there's not a whole lot of information that a good coach can provide that you can't find on the internet these days. Information is rarely the road block for trainees struggling to make progress, however. What trainees often lack is a proper evaluation of where they are: how good their technique is, how far along the adapatation curve they are, what dietary habits they need to change, etc. And this is where a good coach comes into play. A good coach can evaluate a trainee, determine technique issues that need to be cleaned up, assess recovery factors outside the gym, and make programming changes if needed. It's really hard -- even if you know what to look for! -- to self-evaluate and make accurate assessments of where you're going wrong, and what to do to fix them. But, if you are interested in truly taking your fitness to the next level, and getting results you can't get on your own, a good coach is an invaluable asset to to your training life. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

It's that time of year again. The holiday season looms with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, and the inevitable work deadlines and travel stresses that go along with that. When time is short and stress is high, it's easy to make bad food decisions because -- let's face it -- most of the food available to us in the world is high in calories and low in nutrients. With a few basic strategies, however, you can avoid hitting the fried chicken sandwich for lunch and instead eat (mostly) fresh, nutritious, and unprocessed food. Robert explains how he seeks out food while traveling or working in fast-paced, stressful environments, including the food "slots" he tries to fill each day, the compromises he's willing to make, and why grocery stores and gas stations are actually better than you think if you know where to look. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

The so-called "skinny fat" novice may have the toughest road to body recomposition of all trainees beginning their strength training journey. A skinny-fat person is a person of normal BMI and "normal" bodyweight for their height, but a high body fat percentage. This person usually looks normal in a t-shirt, but with their shirt off appears soft and undefined. Male skinny fat novices may complain of having man boobs, or a smooth stomach, with no visibl separation in the arm muscles. The skinny fat novice often believes that they need to lose body fat to appear more muscular and look like they train. This is incorrect. Their problem is they are undermuscled, and need to build a significant amount of muscle mass to give shape to their body, spread their existing fat mass over a larger surface area, and lower their body fat percentage. Remember, body fat percentage is a ratio! If you drive lean mass up, without gaining body fat or only gaining a small amount of fat, then the percentage of fat goes down. Here's the rub, though. Skinny fat novices aren't genetically predisposed to be lean and muscular -- otherwise they wouldn't be skinny fat at baseline. So, they need to do whatever they can to build muscle. The most efficient way to do this is by committing to a novice linear progression and driving their lifts up as high as possible in the first couple years of training. Increasing the lifts involves eating enough to support the training, which means, for most skinny fat novices, they'll have to gain weight too. And with any amount of weight gain, there will be some fat gain. The goal of barbell training is to make the muscle gain outpace the fat gain. It's a long process, but it works. After 2-3 years of hard strength training, even the skinny fat novice will see big changes in the way they look -- bigger, more muscular, with a more athletic looking V-shaped frame. The arms, shoulders, and chest will fill out, making a smooth but flat stomach appear more trim and athletic. At this point, some folks may need to do a dedicated cut to bring down their body fat percentage more. Other folks may decide they are happy with their body composition and continue getting stronger and building more muscle. Either way, it takes commitment and trust in the process to dedicate the 2-3 years necessary to make big body composition changes. Gains come to the patient and the dedicated! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Yoked, stacked, swole, diced... who doesn't want to get jacked? While the basic barbell compound movements -- the Squat, press, bench press, and deadlift -- are the backbone of any good muscle building program, sometimes certain body parts need more help to grow. Coach Santana and Coach Trent offer up their favorite accessory lifts for hard-to-grow muscles after a lifter has exhausted their novice gains on a quality barbell program. They also dispel some myths about "hypertrophy," particularly the idea that you need tons of sets and reps to grow muscles. Just like any good strength program, a good hypertrophy program involves putting more weight on the bar on a regular basis. You don't need a ton of sets and reps, or a ton of different movements. The most important thing is progressive overload, and a high level of effort on every set. Sandbagging your chins and bicep curls because you're tired from squatting and pressing will not make your arms grow! Tom Platz Muscle Camp "Legs": https://youtu.be/8fulA0RGzDU Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Alcohol is fun. We don't need to tell you that. It also tastes good! We all know the reasons for drinking it, but what about not drinking it? Is it possible to drink alcohol and be strong and lean? Coach Santana and Coach Trent tackle this question in today's show. The biggest takeaway is planning. Just like you should plan the rest of your day of eating around going out to eat, you should plan your eating (and training) around your alcohol consumption. If you know you're going to the bar with some friends to knock back a few cold ones, then go a little lighter on your calories for breakfast and lunch. Don't plan a heavy workout the day after you hit the bar, either! CT Fletcher "I Command You to Grow:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHiKDa4ip_Q Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

After a detour to discuss the merits of halting deadlifts, Coach Robert and Trent explain the basics of hydration and fluid intake and why it matters for lifters in the gym specifically. If you're an early morning trainee, there's a good chance you are rolling into the gym not hydrated as well as you could be, and possibly with low blood sugar too. If this is you, it's important to understand that hydration isn't just a function of water intake, it's also dependent on sufficient electrolytes and sufficent glucose, which both help with water intake into your tissues. Moreover, trying to train with low blood sugar will negatively impact your training, affecting your balance and ability to get through hard sets. Likewise, alcohol can impact your training and particularly your ability to control your technique, since alcohol is a stressor on the nervous system. Coach Robert and Coach Trent explain some simple ways you can stay on top of your hydration, improve your morning workouts with a dextrose protein shake, and avoid technique problems by planning your alcohol intake around training. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Coach Robert and Coach Trent interview the woman behind the curtain at the Aasgaard Company, publisher of Stating Strength: Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition (and the popular training method by the same name), Practical Programming, several other books, and thousands of articles about barbell training, programming, nutrition, the sport of weightlifting and powerlifting, and much more. Stef Bradford holds a PhD in Pharmacology and decades of strength training and competitive weightlifting experience under her belt. Stef joins the podcast today to discuss the mental and philosophical side of training and why the term "easy doesn't work" encapsulates the career of a lifter. As she says, "easy doesn't work" is a catchy phrase but the idea is really "comfort doesn't work." The Stress/Recovery/Adaptation principle demands that we continually push out of our comfort zone or cease growing/adapting. Moreover, we have to continually attempt to grow to counter the entropy that is inherent to our universe. Starting Strength website https://startingstrength.com Find a Coach at the Starting Strength Coaches Directory https://coaching.startingstrength.com Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

A lot of templates and programming talk for the advanced lifter out there focuses on competitive lifters, or lifters seeking to become competitive, and competition comes with a few assumptions. One, that getting as strong as possible, and pushing for new 1RM's, is the most important thing in training. Having one clear goal (getting stronger on 1RM's) certainly makes programming easier to talk about, but is that really what the average lifter is concered about? If you're not a competitor, you probably don't need to use the same approach that competitors do to reach your strength and body composition goals. Practical experience has told us that you can achieve fairly high levels of strength and good body composition without using many of the features of advanced competitive training programs: high volume, high frequency, block periodization, etc. The process may take longer, and your overall results may not be quite as good, but you can manage fatigue, recovery, and lower your injury potential in the process -- as Coach Trent says, maintain "momentum" in your programming and keep training fun. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Coach Robert and Coach Trent discuss the value of conditioning in a strength program, and three ways to implement it based on your goals. While the idea that you can "condition" or exercise off excess calories persists (unfortuantely), though we know fat and weight loss are primarily driven by your diet, there is a role for conditioning in the life of a lifter and general purpose athlete. Regular exercise, such as walking, hiking, or riding a bike, increases metabolic rate and improves tissue quality, keeping your joints lubricated and your connective tissue pliable. Luckily, for the lifter, the type of exericse chosen doesn't have to be too specific -- just something that increases the heart rate for a period of time, whether it's a short, intense HIIT workout or a 45min walk at a brisk pace. Any of these conditioning modalities will fulfill the need for basic cardiovascular endurance and increased metabolic rate. For the sport athlete, or a powerlifter training for a meet, the conditioning should be chosen carefully based on the needs of the sport. A powerlifter can benefit from HIIT conditioning that will improve his ability to recover between sets of, say, 5x5 squats during an accumulation phase. On the other hand, that conditoning should be reduced and eventually phased out as he peaks for a meet, since the meet does not have any cardiovascular demands to speak of. Coach Robert and Coach Trent discuss three ways to add conditioning to your program. Two to four session each week, after your lifting, you can do: Low intensity steady-state cardio (LISS) for 30-45min, such as walking, hiking, or cycling, on natural trails or on the treadmill. High intensity interval training (HITT), such as prowler pushes, tabatas on the aerodyne bike, or EMOM sprints on a rower Circuit training, selecting 2-4 movements done for 4-6 rounds, with short rest between rounds or done consecutively, pausing only to rest as needed. These can be bodyweight movements, like air squats, lunges, pushups, chin-ups, or burpees, or they can be light loaded movemnts such as kettlebell swings, weighted pushups, dumbbell curls, etc. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com [email protected]

Dr. David Puder, a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, athlete, lifter, and fan of the Starting Strength model, joins the podcast to discuss the emotions and drives that underly eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and the subclinical dissatisfaction with food and body composition that we often encounter in the gym. In addition to seeing patients and doing therapy, Dr. Puder hosts a highly successful podcast about psychiatry, psychotherapy, and the broader world of mental health called Psychiatry and Psychotherapy: https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychiatry-psychotherapy-podcast/id1335892956 Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com [email protected]

The novice linear progression as detailed in Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition is attractive to novice lifters for a lot of reasons. It's simple, it's easy to track progress, and most importantly it works extremely well -- every novice has the capacity to add a lot of weight to their lifts in just a few months. Alas, all goods things come to an end, and novice LP is no exception. Many lifters struggle to determine what to do when their novice gains run out, so Coach Santana and Trent discuss the basic concepts of periodization and programming tweaks to keep momentum going after LP. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com [email protected]

It's been said many times on the show, compliance and actually executing your eating plan is the biggest factor in meeting your body composition goals. Many people fall short on meal prep, and tired and exhausted from a long day of work, parenting, and other obligations, end up hitting a restaurant instead of cooking healthy food at home. Some basic meal prep strategies can help you avoid the fast food and restaurants, however. To that end, Coach Trent's wife Jordan joins the show to discuss her tips for building a well-stocked pantry, planning simple and easy meals, and making things more flavorful with a few simple sauces and cooking techniques. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com [email protected]

Coach Santana and Trent discuss the many reasons the scale is a poor tool for measuring and tracking body composition changes, and can even lead to psychological issues: obsessing over a target body weight number, minor fluctuations in weight day to day. The better tools are measuring tapes, skinfold calipers if you have them, and, most importantly, the weight on the bar! So stop weighing yourself every day, and put your energy and focus into improving your performance in the gym. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com [email protected]

Coach Robert and Trent discuss the essence of the novice linear progression, and how this simple model of progressive overload can help a wide variety people with different goals. Whether you are looking to lose weight, gain weight, get leaner, improve your joint function, or become a powerlifter -- the novice linear progression is the best first step you can make and NEED to make in your fitness journey. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com [email protected]

Online coaching is a very popular choice these days, for good reason -- the internet allows people who otherwise would not have access to a qualified coach to get regular feedback on their technique, custom programming, and a sounding board for discussing their health and fitness. That said, there are a number of limitations to online coaching that you need to be aware of if you're going to do it. Robert and Trent break down what you need to know to find a competent online coach and how to get the most out of your time and money. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com Email: [email protected]

Today Robert and Trent welcome the first guest to Weights & Plates -- Chef Andrea Wild. Drea is a professional chef with a passion for bridging the knowledge gap between professional cooking and good nutrition. She explains the difference between how chefs in a commercial kitchen approach preparing and seasoning food and how the average person at home prepares meals. Turns out, the restaurant is a great place for having an incredibly flavorful experience but a terrible place to get good nutrition! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com Email: [email protected]

Admit it, you like to bro out! You know, catch a pump doing fifteen different types of curls, tricep pushdowns, face pulls... it's ok, we all love to do some curls for the girls. But, it's important we don't confuse fun exercises for productive strength training, which occurs with the big compound lifts: squats, presses, bench press, and deadlifts. That said, is there ever a time for accessory lifts in a strength training program? It turns out... yes! Accessory lifts can be used for a variety of reasons: targeted warmups, rehab, building proprioception and motor skills, and, for the advanced lifter, adding volume and hypertrophy stimulus to a program when the lifter cannot tolerate additional barbell work. If you have to ask about accessories, though... they probably aren't appropriate for you! 2022 Wichita Falls Strengthlifting Classic https://liftingcast.com/meets/meqotq65gjp0/registration Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

Time are... interesting these days, and food is getting more expensive and scarce every day. We all want to stay strong and healthy, but protein and supplements are becoming budget killers for many. So, how much do we really need to eat to sustain a reasonably high performance training program? Robert and Trent offer some ideas about macros, inexpensive foods, and important tools and cookware that can save you money in the long run. Items mentioned in this episode: Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker: https://www.zojirushi.com/app/product/nszcc Berkey water filter: https://www.berkeyfilters.com Cast Iron -- Lodge makes decent cast iron pots and pans, but old and unused stuff is even better! Clean it up, season it, and give it new life. 2022 Wichita Falls Strengthlifting Classic https://liftingcast.com/meets/meqotq65gjp0/registration Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

If you want to make a positive change in your bodyweight or body composition, it's hard to avoid tracking your macro intake. At some point you've got to understand what you are taking in day to day, to establish a baseline of nutrients from which you can then make changes. It's kinda like a budget -- before you start making changes to your spending habits, it really helps to know where your dollars are already going. That said, macro tracking has its pitfalls, too. The data you need to track macros is notoriously inaccurate and/or hard to measure, and it's possible to chase numbers without focusing on the day-to-day habits. Robert and Trent walk through some strategies for learning to track macros and avoid frustration along the way. As usual -- and this will be a reoccurring them -- restaurants are a trap! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

Robert and Trent nerd out about every lifter's favorite topic -- gym equipment! Bars, racks, plates, accessories... they discuss everything you need to build a simple but extremely flexible and useful home gym where you can make gains for years. As with any of this equipment of this nature, there are certain tips and tricks you learn over years of experience, and Robert and Trent share their thoughts on the best equipment configurations on the market today. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

It's another New Year, and another chance for millions of resolutioners to finally get fit and lose the weight. Many are destined to fail, as we all know (or may have experienced ourselves), and one of the biggest reasons for failure is part-time dieting. Changing habits to eat less food is difficult, and people often succeed during the week only to come undone on the weekends with restaurant food, alcohol, and various social engagements. Santana offers some strategies to avoid the pitfall of part-time dieting. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

Sugar has gotten a bad rap the over the last decade and counting, and it's still common to hear diet gurus excoriate the evils of sugar, particularly refined sugars found in processed food in the Western world. As Robert and Trent discuss, the role that sugar, and carbohydrates in general, play in the diet is often misunderstood. While it's common sense that one shouldn't drink a bunch of Cokes every day, many people laser focus on eliminating sugar from their diet, at the expense of missing the bigger macronutrient picture and the very important role that carbs play in athletic performance. Further reading: https://startingstrength.com/article/carbohydrates-and-barbell-training Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

We get it -- training is not always fun, and a big reason you might be training is to get better at your chosen sport or activity. Whether it's BJJ, running, mountain biking, or a team sport like football or baseball, getting stronger is essential to improving at your sport. But you have to practice skills and condition too. Many people make the mistake of trying to get better at everything at once, which never works, but with some basic principles and smart planning you can arrange your training blocks to increase your fitness AND your skills on the field.

It's probably the most talked about macronutrient, and almost anyone you ask in health and fitness would say you need a lot of it -- protein. Nevertheless, many myths around protein consumption, timing, amino acid profile, and more still abound. Robert and Trent break down what you need to know about protein, how much you should be eating, and, perhaps most importantly, what you don't need to worry about! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

There's a notion among gym goers that one can simply train themselves to a certain level and then simply keep doing the same thing, workout after workout, to maintain what they have. This flies in the face of the principles of progressive overload, the Stress/Recovery/Adaptation cycle, and training in general, and has caused some confusion among people trying to achieve fitter, leaner bodies. In today's episode, Robert and Trent clear the air about the myth of "maintenance" and discuss why it's going to take hard effort and dedicated training -- not exercise -- for most people to achieve their health and fitness goals. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

Starting Strength Coaches Robert Santana and Trent Jones discuss how to modify your programming during a cut. A cut implies that an athlete is in a caloric deficit to produce weight loss, and specifically body fat loss. Whenever you put yourself in a caloric deficit, you are essentially under-recovered, meaning that you have less ability to recover and adapt to intense training sessions in the gym. However, we still want to preserve muscle mass during the cut as much as possible. Consequently, most athletes will have to modify their programming to lower the intensity of their exercises while increasing the volume of the exercises. When and how much the program changes depends on the athlete and their level of training advancement. A novice lifter, for example, may not need to modify their programming at all, especially if they are already overweight. They essentially already have a surplus of resources they can draw from their fat stores, and as a novice, the relative intensity of their workouts is not that high yet. For an intermediate lifter, it depends on energy levels. As energy levels begin to drop, the program needs to shift toward lesser intensity and greater volume. Santana often shifts the compound lifts from sets of 3's or 5's to sets of 10, which produce a little more hypertrophy due to the longer time under tension during the set. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

Let's be real. Most people come to the gym so they can look better naked. For many people -- the so-called "skinny fat" demographic -- that's going to mean gaining muscle mass to improve their figure and lower their body fat percentage. For others that are legitimately overweight or obese, a BMI over 30, they need to also lose bodyweight to reduce their adipose tissue. Strength training is a great start for those folks, but it's not the end, and they need to make dietary changes as well. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com

Robert Santana and Trent Jones are no strangers to the DIY concept, and embrace the idea of learning and trying things for yourself. With any do-it-yourself endeavor, however, you're going to encounter a fair amount of mistakes and setbacks in the process of learning a new skill. Fitness is no exception, and while a few have successfully DIY'd themselves to a high level of fitness, most people fail to achieve their fitness goals, especially over a long period of time (how many people do you know that have lost a significant amount of weight, only to gain it back in a year?). This is where a coach comes in. Just like any master teacher or instructor, a coach has a solid grasp of a cohesive system or model of training. With this system a coach can effectively evaluate a person and determine their deficiencies, and devise with a plan to address them. A coach has both the knowledge and experience to evaluate an athlete and draw up a training program. So, if you want to take your fitness to the next level, or have been struggling for years to make progress and achieve your goals, hiring a coach -- even for a few workouts -- can help you figure out where you are going wrong, and what you need to do to correct your deficiencies. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.marmaladecream.com