Barbell Logic

Pick your battles for tranquility, happiness, peace, & prosperity. Assume the best in others, and work toward goal accomplishment.

Pick Your Battles: Cool, Calm, Collected

Someone in the All In conference Matt, Niki, Andrew, & Josh recently attended said "that's below my line."

What does this mean? It means certain things should be below "your line" that stirs up your anger.

Of course, anger is an emotion, and emotions arise sometimes whether you want them to or not. That being said, you should avoid outrage culture, and if you find yourself dominated by...

Why participate in barbell competition, and if you decide to compete how do you approach it. Learn about this and the exciting new International Barbell Federation (IBF).

Andrew interviews Jordan Stanton, owner of Next Level Barbell and the Strength Union, both in or around Portland, OR, as well as former owner of the United States Strengthlifting Federation (USSF). As a gym owner, in-person coach, online coach, lifting federation owner, and competitive lifter, he has experienced barbell competition in all its aspects.

Why compete?

Competition focuses lifters' training, organizing it around...

Learn how many go from client to coach, crushing the client life cycle. This is Micaela Bickel's story.

Client to Coach: Fitness to Strength

Barbell Logic has identified a somewhat typical progression among a cohort of its clientele. These folks go from fan to strength client to Academy client to coach using TurnKey Coach.

Micaela Bickel followed this path.

She began more in the fitness space, programming circuits and endurance. Barbells were sprinkled in.

Despite her skepticism and fears, training with barbells produced the results she wanted and not...

When you know you have a good product, service, or solution, you have unshakeable confidence. How do you develop this? Learn what this is and how you develop it!

Unshakeable Confidence: Is It Possible & What Is It?

Andrew saw a video of someone handing out bags of money and reacting to people accepting or not accepting it.

Seems pretty crazy, to turn a bag of money, right!?

Now, in a big city, we can acknowledge that people might not fully understand what is going on, might be skeptical, and other reasons...

Learn how to avoid, identify, and get out of occupational burnout. Like overtraining, this is better to avoid then dig yourself out of.

Burnout: Definition & Identification

This is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. It comes from doing too much for too long, especially too many urgent things. Some people have performed some great feats of endurance in their lives, but they often focus on the important, not the urgent.

You will experience a lack of desire to work, even with things that used to motivated and excited you. It will...

Stronger means harder to kill, more able to fulfill your work and domestic obligations, and more useful overall.

Listen to Matt's talk to the Tactical Response alumni. This group of people cares about being prepared, protecting themselves and their loved ones, and more capable overall. If they are weak, however, they have a gap, and they need to be stronger. This applies to you too.

Stronger Means Harder to Kill

Would you like to be harder to kill, more resilient, healthier, and more useful overall or softer, easier to kill, more susceptible to...

Learn when to break the rules and when to follow them. Generally, you follow the rules, but not always.

When to Break the Rules: Increase Speed & Decrease Costs

In many industries and organizations, there are general guidelines, rules, or ways of doing things. You may learn, early on, that generally, for example, employees should have one manager only or that you should never divide your forces in the face of a larger force.

Great victories and advantages, however, lie in consciously not following these rules.

For start up companies, your advantages...

2024 Olympics Wrap-Up: the Impressive & the Controversial

You have to admit it, Olympians' performances are impressive.

The amount of work over years and decades is immense. Genetic gifts abound, but so do mindset and work ethic abilities.

Olympians' RPE 10 is not the same as our RPE 10.

We value voluntary hardship and appreciate what the human body can do. We stand in awe of the excellence on display in the Olympics, but rather than demotivate us...

Learn about the ultimate time efficiency hack - the pomodoro. This ultimate productivity is a game changer those those urgent & important tasks you don't really want to do. Get them done faster, so you have more time for those important tasks you want to do.

Time Efficiency Hack: The Pomodoro

You have tasks you need to do but you do not want to do. It might be something on the computer for work. It might be a manual labor task, such as fixing the lawn mower.

We can find ways to sabotage our...

Back pain for lifters can be scary & frustrating & varies in severity. Learn the causes, treatments, approaches, & red flags as a lifter and coach.

Rebekah Krieg, Exclusive Coach & former long-time physical therapist, discusses back pain, how to approach it as a lifter and coach, and red flags contraindicate training.

Back pain happens.

Whether an MRI of your back would look "normal" or "bad," back pain seems to be part of the human experience for those who exercise and train and those who do not.

Leverage education to identify your constraints. Put things you learn into action, and build trust as a business owner with content that leads to conversions.

You almost certainly consume content in some form. Free or cheap content abounds: podcasts, social media, YouTube, reels, articles, books, audiobooks.

You should be consuming and encountering meaningful, challenging, useful content. You should constantly be learning.

That being said, too many people do not put lessons learn into action. Don't be one of these people. Then, your education...

Take action and train because time & strength wait for no one. Get the most out of your training, & don't spend any more time without barbell training.

Take Action and Train: Time & Strength Waits for No One

Time is our most valuable asset because we can never earn more of it. We can make changes to make more money. We cannot make changes to earn more time (though we can make changes to spend our time in more valuable ways).

You do not want to spend another year, month, week, or even day without...

Matt talks to Greg Hess, who is implementing simple, hard, effective strength training at West Point.

Strength Training at West Point: Simple, Hard, Effective

Greg Hess is an instructor and athletic trainer at West Point. In this role, he has a host of responsibilities, including immediate treatment of injuries, overseeing mandatory physical training of all cadets during their cadet basic training, and leading an elective course on compound barbell lifts.

Really, what he is doing, in his roles, is trying to spread the benefits of simple, hard, effective training.

During basic...

Tackling Tweaks: Don't Catastrophize

You're lifting, all is going well, then suddenly you feel pain.

What do you do? How do you handle this? Why me, why now!?

It can be easy to catastrophize, to immediately assume the worst.

The reality is, your workout may be over, it may not be, you may be able to do something. You want to do what you can do, and most tweaks may affect...

Not all metrics are created equal. Learn about the hierarchy of metrics, including targets to improve (TTIs) & key performance indicators (KPIs) and ensure you are measuring what matters.

Two main categories of metrics exist to help measure progress toward strategic goals and gauge the health of the company: targets to improve (TTIs) and key performance indicators (KPIs).

TTIs are your top set of metrics, which have to directly impact your strategic priorities. Your strategic priorities need to align with your tenets and core values.

If...

Consistency: Lynchpin for Success

Repeated action brings you toward your goal. Obviously, if you want to learn Latin, you need to study Latin regularly - studying Mandarin Chinese will not help.

That being said, a mediocre plan that you consistently follow is better than the "perfect" plan followed sporadically.

Fitness influencers like to argue about the perfect program, the best exercises, the proper technique, and many other things. None of these things matter...

Are you struggling to identify your core values? Use this bottom-up hack to identify your core values.

Struggling to Identify Your Core Values!?

Matt has heard that, despite his discuss on developing and defining your core values, and its importance, many are still struggling on how to actually get this done.

Matt was working with leadership at Barbell Logic years back on a business trip, and he and the team identified that they needed to work to identify 5-year strategic priorities.

They had extremely limited time, but using some simple techniques...

Minimum Effective Action: Where is the Progress?

PRs have stopped, you're not feeling as good as you had been, you'll not looking forward to your time in the gym like you had been.

Sometimes it takes longer to realize than you would think, but suddenly you realize things are not going as you would like them to go (and as they had been before). What do you do?

...

Learn how to prioritize thinking. Take time to improve your approach to those most important pursuits and aspects of your life.

Prioritize Thinking: The Importance of Thinking

Taking time out to think matters. Why?

As Matt has discussed in recent podcasts, and his his upcoming book Undoing Urgency, we need to set up habits and systems in our life that help us actually spend time with the most important things in our life.

How do we spend time with these most important things?

Thinking helps ideas arise, whether they...

Get Beyond the Sticking Points: Frustration, Failure, & Quitting

There is a time around 6 weeks into an attempted habit implementation, new diet, or workout routine, where people tend to quit.

The early, easy gains end; the long-term changes the person wants have not really been seen; and the path forward remains unclear.

This is when most people quit. They build a habit of quitting, not knowing how to get...

Learn when to embrace urgency. Typically, you want to undo urgency, but, on occasion, embrace the galvanizing energy of urgency.

Check out Matt's recent interview on Right About Now with Ryan Alford:

When to Embrace Urgency: The Occasional, Short-Term Galvanizing Power of Urgency

Woah, I thought we were about Undoing Urgency!?

Well, typically, yes. This is one of those rules that serves you well most of the time. You want to avoid useless or counterproductive urgency. If you fail to get out of the knife fight of the...

Uncomfortable Truths: Coming to Terms with Your Shortcomings

You set a goal. Inherent is this is that you do not like what you are doing now. Something must change.

You have probably intertwined your identity with the actions that you need to change.

The potential pitfall is wallowing in negativity and neuroticism. You may adopt a victim mentality. Clear this hurdle.

Uncomfortable Truths: Move Toward Your Goals

Niki and Andrew...

When important becomes urgent, clear your plate, and address the important (because, by definition, it's important).

When Important Becomes Urgent: Faith, Family, Fitness

Those things that are important but not urgent, such as family, health, and religion, can become urgent when unattended to (or minimally attended to) long enough.

You find yourself bickering with your spouse or family more than normal, clothes unable to fit and feeling physically and mentally worse, and falling short of the standard your faith holds you to.

Now, your family, your fitness, and your faith are...

Accessory Lifts: What's the Point?

It's that time of year, where people begin to go on vacation and either take breaks from lifting or ask to do hotel workouts (which they often do not do).

What may cause, in part, the low compliance with hotel training is not understanding the point of the accessory lifts that, because of the limited equipment and weight, have to be used for these workouts.

So...

Matt shares extreme gratitude for his team, family, church, and more and invites you to do the same for you life.

Extreme Gratitude

Matt goes through and thanks many of the people that have helped bring him and Barbell Logic to the point it is today.

Having just submitted the book to Forbes, about to go on vacation, and halfway through the year, Matt takes time to thank the people who matter to him.

He recommends doing this if you have not. We want to appreciate the pursuit, not the outcome...

Andrew asks Niki an assortment of questions.

What is a particularly memorable success story from one of your clients?

A story that stands out (and there are more, but this one jump into her head) is a daughter of a client who started to lift. Her family lifts, and so she started to lift.

Niki could tell something was off, but her client...

Learn how to write a book: tips and tricks, developing ideas, motivation, pitfalls, and more. Matt talks to Nick Soleyn, coach and Editor-in-Chief at Barbell Logic.

Matt has been writing a book for Forbes with Nick as the editor. This process has worked especially well, as it has allowed Matt to do what he does best: verbally process ideas and tell stories.

Nick has been able to use his strength, of writing and editing to ensure not just correctness of grammar, syntax, and language but...

Gauging nutrition progress can be hard, as weight & waist may fluctuate or not change quickly (or as quickly as we'd like). Learn how to better gauge progress on nutrition.

Niki and Andrew discuss how you can better gauge nutrition progress and advance in the realm of nutrition.

Gauging Nutrition Progress: Subjective Feelings

Tracking nutrition progress can be frustrating. The amount of work that goes into changing behaviors, even in a relatively short few day period, with no or little measurable change to metrics such as weight or waist, can cause people to quit.<...

The transition to TurnKey Coach means better efficiency for more time, so you can get more clients or spend more time doing other things besides coaching. Learn about this very recent experience from Anthony Diehl. https://www.instagram.com/meatheadprofessor/?hl=en

Anthony Diehl is a highly successful coach, who provides both strength & conditioning coaching as well as nutrition coaching for clients.

As with most coaches, he began fully in-person and began to experiment with online coaching. Online coaching, however, comes with many frustrations and inefficiencies if done...

Conquer Your Limiting Beliefs: What is Possible

One of the biggest limiting beliefs is failing to understand what is possible, especially over a longer period of time.

People tend to overestimate how much change they can make in a short period of time but underestimate how much they can change over months and years.

The short change bias is why so many diets fail and why many media outlets develop the "8 weeks to abs" and...

Conceptualize marketing and acquiring clients as the flywheel not the funnel. This analogy has some benefits over the more traditional funnel concept.

Get updates on Matt's forthcoming book Undoing Urgency here.

Matt discusses two different analogies when it comes to marketing and acquiring clients.

The traditional paradigm is the funnel. This idea is not wrong, but fails to emphasize certain aspects of successful marketing. Generally, you create a funnel to capture as many leads as you can, they build trust over time with you and...

Similarities Between Building Wealth and Muscle

Andrew and Niki have been reading The Psychology of Money, a book that, as its title suggests, delves into how we approach money based on the inner workings of our mind.

They really realized, reading this book, how similar building muscle and building wealth are.

So many principles of success (or paths to failure) overlap.

Some of the ideas that overlap include:

Learn about a road trip analogy that relates to goal achievement and GAMEplans. It's ultimately about moving closer toward your desired end state.

Road Trip Analogy

Matt shares an analogy he picked up from Niki Sims regarding how long-term goal achievement is like a road trip.

Your destination is the desired end state. You envision where you want to go first. Before you set out or plan your route, you must know where you are going.

You next decide on your route. Maybe you want to get there as quickly as...

Home Gym for Peace of Mind - Reliability

In 2020 we learned that access to gyms and restaurants (and toilet paper) was not guaranteed.

For those who had home gyms, however, it may have been one of the best stretches of training they had ever had.

Commercial gym goers, however, had to use what they had at home and try to buy equipment as...

Matt reads the introduction to Undoing Urgency, his book that is available for pre-sale on Amazon in August 2024.

Introduction to Undoing Urgency

Ryan Matt Reynolds reads the introduction to his forthcoming book Undoing Urgency, which will be available for pre-sale on Amazon in August 2024. Forbes is publishing this book.

Nick Soleyn, Barbell Logic's editor-in-chief, has been critical to the writing and editing of this book, making Matt's ideas and thoughts more clear and beautiful on the written page.

Undoing Urgency is, like the title suggests, about getting out from under the...

Lifting for quality of life is a habit that can last for years and decade. We hope you lift as long as you can.

We've discussed the benefits of strength and voluntary hardship, and how accumulating hard sets and building muscle contributes to health and longevity.

This is why it matters. You can't lift in your 20s and expect to benefit in your 50s and 60s. You need to...

Do the work. A bad to do list executed aggressively is better than the "perfect" to do list you never finish. Be a doer.

Do the Work: Don't Procrastinate

Don't identify as a coach, spend time creating the "perfect" to do list or checking off easy, non-important to dos.

Do that thing that makes you nervous. Do the work you know is the most important thing to bring you closer to your goal.

For many, it is getting your first paying client.

Go and do, stop planning, preparing, or...

Cardio is the term for those activities that raise your heart rate and stress your cardiovascular system. Another term - the term we prefer - is conditioning.

Conditioning tends to come more with the idea of a purpose, like training versus exercise. Cardio is more something you should do to get out of breath and sweaty.

There...

Learn when to hire out to free up time from urgent, non-important tasks so you can focus on what truly matters.

When to Hire Out: The Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix groups tasks into 4 categories:

Urgency deals with a close due date. These tend to be someone else's priority (bills, taxes, work tasks, household chores).

Important tasks are important to you.

Tasks can overlap in terms of urgency and importance, but often important non-urgent tasks...

Recovery as the Limiting Factor (Toward Adaptation / Your Goals)

The stress-recovery-adaptation cycle underpins the process of training. You stress yourself (the workout), spend time not stressing yourself (recovery), and hopefully move toward your goal (adaptation).

The stress you apply needs to be specific, based on the specific adaptation to imposed demand (SAID) principle. If you want to improve your run time, you should run, not follow a...

Take a sabbath. Take a day of rest, where you refresh. This doesn't necessarily mean you do nothing, but you rest and recharge.

Take a Sabbath! Rest, Recharge, Refresh

If you are like Matt, someone who works long days, enjoys work, and can tend to overdo work and grind yourself away, you need to take a day off.

This does not necessarily mean you do nothing. If your job involves mental work, you might do some manual labor and turn off your phone. If you read, you might read fiction.

If...

Before we go on to discuss some of Andrew and Niki's go-to recipes, let's discuss some principles for how the find, make, or purchase these.

Find ways to get as high protein as possible (from natural foods). 2:1 protein to fat is good. This tends to mean, looking for lean beef, chicken, eggs, or Greek yogurt (there are, of course, other options, but these are readily available high protein...

Swing for the fences! Don't leave anything on the table, give it your best shot, and go full bore ahead.

Swing for the Fences! - Aggressively Pursue the Urgent & Important

A single decision or event can change the course of your life. Regardless of life, philosophy, or religion, this is true.

When presented with a big opportunity, you need to swing for the fences. Hyperfocus your life and efforts on this.

This is when urgent and important overlap. This is when you put your sleep, family life, and other things on...

Are More Sets Better? Evidence-Based & Nuanced

We're talking about muscles and hypertrophy today.

Outside Magazine recently featured an article that discussed adding more sets for building muscle, which argued that you should add more sets to build muscle.

Andrew and Niki are here to be your funnel of truth.

Are More Sets Better? Let's Dig Deeper

When we look at scientific studies, it's important to avoid the seemingly easy route of reading a...

Enjoy the pursuit not the outcome. We are refine by the pursuit, by the difficult process, not the outcome or achievement.

Enjoy the Pursuit Not the Outcome

We find joy in the pursuit of hard things. The process of doing hard things refines us, not the outcomes.

Jasen Huang shares how he would not do it again if he could do it again. He did not know how hard it would be but often asks, "How hard can it be?"

Andrew Schulz discusses with Joe Rogan how Joe enjoys hard things.<...

The Gospel of Hard: Voluntary Hardship

We at Barbell Logic have been spreading the good news of voluntary hardship for years.

Truly, if you expose yourself to hard things, intelligently, consistently, good things will happen.

Truth be told, even if you do this somewhat poorly, the persistent hard work often produces results.

Hard does not feel good, especially at first. But if you repeatedly expose yourself to hard things and overcome them...

You have to undergo uniquely hard efforts for uniquely successful outcomes. Expect (and demand) nothing less from yourself.

Uniquely Hard, Uniquely Successful

If you set challenging goals, expect (and demand) hard efforts.

Alex Hormozi said on the Modern Wisdom podcast, the following:

When things get hard, this is where most people stop. And this is why they don't win. And hard feels shitty. This is what hard feels like. And this is why most people can't do it.

People who succeed work hard. And, guess what, in those rare...

How Can I Look Like Jake Gyllenhaal? The Goal

A popular movie comes out with a young actor who takes his shirt off and shows his shredded mid-section. What comes next?

The onslaught of requests and goals to look like him. Articles explaining his training routine, diet, and more.

Shred your abs with this Roadhouse routine.

Andrew and Niki explore what this process might look like (really).

...

We discuss applying MED to coaching beyond programming. MED principles underlie an effective, successful approach to online coaching.

Applying MED to Coaching Beyond Programming (Some Principles)

Matt and Scott developed the principles of MED programming, which approached programming by keeping as many variables constant as possible. Change as little as possible.

This does not mean easy. Simple and hard is wildly ineffective.

The approach focuses on intelligent resource allocation. For example, if you can get stronger and add muscle with 1x5 deadlift, why do 3x5 or 5x5?

Keep things...

The Evolution of Training Expectations: Managing Your Mindset

PRs measure progress, encourage buy-in and consistency, and help make training fun for novice, intermediate, and early-advanced lifters.

This slows or ends. You want to keep training for the rest of your life, though.

The driving force for keeping you training cannot be PRs. You cannot expect to drive up weight on the bar consistently...

When should I leave my "safe" job?

Jesse Mecham, founder and CEO of YNAB and author of the book You Need a Budget, joins Matt to discuss when you should leave the supposed safe job to make your side gig your main job.

When Should I Leave My "Safe" Job? - There Is No Safe Job

Totally safe, secure jobs do not exist.

If you're an employee, whether it be at a small or big company, you could lose your job for countless reasons outside your control.

If you...

Tips for Training While Traveling: Whys

Why train while traveling?

While, in part, it depends on how often you travel, your goals, the length of travel, and how consistent you are outside of travel. For those who are extremely consistent and rarely travel, it might make sense to take the week off.

If you travel for business, you need to train.

You will feel better if you train. The workout might not feel good, especially to start, but you will feel better afterwards. You might even feel better during the workout...

Hear a motivating online coaching success story with Adam Skillin, a BLOC coach, who works full time at BLOC.

Online Coaching Success Story: Before Coaching

Adam Skillin worked various jobs, including banking, but always knew he did not want to go down the typical 9-5 path.

Adam lives and grew up in New Jersey. He worked in the banking industry and also did various jobs including bartending. More than once he picked a job that did not align with good macroeconomic timing.

He became interested in BJJ and MMA, and thought...

Menopause: Causes & Expectations

Menopause is about a 10-year period of life for women where estrogen decreases, causing other changes to a woman's biology.

Some changes include the end of the menstrual cycle, decrease in energy levels and trouble sleeping, increased difficulty trying to retain muscle mass, hot flashes, and sex drive changes.

Let's face it, it does not sound all that fun.

But it happens, so it makes sense to understand i...

Reliability costs nothing but changes everything. Show up on time every time and say what you are going to do.

Reliability Costs Nothing - Integrity over Time

Andrew Jackson shared his value equation a couple years ago, which includes ability, integrity, and benevolence.

Reliability is essentially integrity over time. Do you show up each time, on time, and do the thing you said you would do.

This costs no money. It takes time and effort. It means you will show up when you're sick, tired, and for whatever reason do not...

Better Your Bench with Good Equipment

For anyone who has tried to bench heavy in a commercial gym, they typically find that the experience is frustrating. Weights are harder than expected and may even come with missed reps.

Bad equipment is often to blame.

Whether it is slippery bars with nearly no knurl to those bench-rack combinations that have the bar far too low or too...

We talk about defining your core values. These underpin your goals & actions, help you make decisions, & reflect your personality and aspirations.

Defining Your Core Values: Brainstorming & Reflecting

Matt discusses how to identify and list your core values. These should reflect your personality but also be aspirational.

For example, for Matt, quite reflection would not be a core value. He verbally processes ideas, and he would be working against his natural tendencies.

Rather, lean into your personality, though work on addressing your weaknesses and bolstering your strengths.

Notice what attracts...

Programming Difficulties for New Dads

Having a newborn changes your life, and training has to change as well.

For a dad, the change is different than for a mom. For the mom, she undergoes physical changes for 9-10 months leading up to the birth, so her training has to change prior to birth.

For fathers, however, their changing (mostly) does not change before the birth. At birth it changes drastically.

This is an especially busy time for fathers, and part of it is the lack of predictability. When will the baby...

When one teaches two learn. Matt shares his teaching approach - from interest to refined speech or presentation. Teaching and coaching with pressure are critical to mastering anything.

When One Teach Two Learn: Importance of Teaching

In order to become an expert coach, or to master any subject, you have to coach, or teach, when it matters.

You may have found at some point that you had read or consumed a lot of material on a subject. When you tried to explain it to someone else, the apparent coherent thoughts were not there.<...

Healing Through Strength Training: Perseverance & Experimentation

Melissa saw her husband benefit from strength training and decided to give it a try herself. Joel, her coach, tried many creative ways to help her focus on what she could do.

They experimented and pushed into the pain. Pain was feedback that, in her...

Matt talks to Dave Tate about building EliteFTS. What were the struggles, successes, and untold stories that created EliteFTS?

Dave Tate & EliteFTS had a huge impact on Matt Reynolds & Barbell Logic, whether it be from introducing him to the Russian programming literature, to programming tips and principles, to recommending the e-Myth.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to co...

Professionalism: Competence, Integrity, Benevolence

Andrew has delivered, through podcast and in-person talks, a deep dive on how competence, integrity, and benevolence make up a professionalism value equation.

Matt also has also delved into this here.

This framework or model to conceptualizing your coaching or business really helps you think more intelligently about where to improve.

Professionalism Sets You Apart

When you have built yourself some expertise and are above...

Matt discusses that, whether in life or business, you should chase value not status. This leads to a successful business and happier life.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Chase Value not Status

In a social media world, it can be easy to pursue status. In the world we inhabit, it can always be easy to chase money.

Pursue something else. Chase value.

Deliver value to your customers. When entrepreneurs t...

Joyful Self-Improvement: Struggling & Floundering

People really struggle to make important changes in their lives (that they at least ostensibly want) such as to lose weight or gain more muscle.

Reasons abound for the difficulty.

People hear and see conflicting, extreme solutions or short-term, impossible solutions (e.g. 6 weeks to six-pack).

Furthermore, every person is different. People have different goals, preferences, body types, and reactions to training stimulus (e.g. you cannot become faster than Usain...

Mitchell Baldridge, CPA, CFP, talks to Matt about how to find the perfect accountant, something a growing business will have to do at some point.

He owns Baldridge Financial and Better Book Keeping.

Check out the Stupid Tax podcast, with Scott Hambrick and Mitchell Baldridge.

How to Find the Perfect Account - First, Don't

If you're starting a business, you first need to find clients and jobs. Start making money.

When it comes to tracking and handling money, start a business bank account or use a different bank account...

The Motive is Muscle - Shifting the Goal

The measurement that is most correlated with force production (strength) is the cross sectional area of muscle mass.

Basically, more muscle means you're stronger. Strength equates to more capability.

At some point, though, if you only value force production, whether it be because of gyms closing or an injury or getting older, your PRs are behind you.<...

We at Barbell Logic value voluntary hardship. Simple, hard, effective training brings you toward your goals. Voluntary hardship is refining, whereas involuntary hardship may or may not refine someone who experience the difficulty.

As we grow and encounter growing challenges, common pitfalls or excuses arise, where people can sabotage themselves, their goals, or their businesses.

You may have all or some of these to...

Sleep Strategies & Fluff Updates

It's January, post-Holiday period, and time to snap back. Andrew & Niki share their fluff updates and tips and tricks for improving sleep.

Niki has had a 19-day period thus far, which has included weighing and measuring, no alcohol, and reduced sugar. She is not trying to lose tons of weight, as she wants to support training. She wants to look good for an upcoming television appearance and feel...

Do you own a job or a business? Does owning a business make sense for you? Either way, you need to approach this intelligently, thinking about the business you're in and the job you have.

Check out the Stupid Tax podcast, with Scott Hambrick and Mitchell Baldridge.

Not everyone should own a business. Probably, most people should not own a business.

It's not an insult: it's reality. Owning a business is too much risk and stress for some people.

You still may...

Despite starting the podcast saying they'd look to 2024, they ran out of time (stay tuned for the next podcast).

This podcast is Matt, Niki, and Andrew reflecting on more of their best and favorite of 2023.

Below are some of the highlights.

Best Experience

BLOC Wrapped - Coaches & Clients

Our clients and coaches are amazing. We've got the stats to prove it.

Matt joins Andrew & Niki to discuss clients who lifted the most tonnage, hit the biggest lifts, and more.

They also discuss which coaches has the best on-time feedback and which lifts were the most programmed.

We love celebrating our clients and coaches. What these stats reflect is a dedication and work...

New Year's resolutions have really been dismissed in recent decades, likely because of the high failure rate they have (especially when you consider fitness or health goals).

It's true, New Year's resolutions can be done poorly. If this is the only time of year you make big, bold goals and you find yourself never having achieved them, you may need to...

What the Fluff!?

It's January 2nd (or maybe later). You pull the belt across you on the plane, you get into your pants, you look in the mirror...what the fluff!?

You may have eaten normally for most of the holiday period. For many people who find themselves gaining weight, it doesn't come from the decisions they're making for lunch on Wednesday, it's the "abnormal" days.

...

Do hard things. Valuable pursuits are difficult - embrace these challenges to grow, improve, and crush your goals.

Do Hard Things - Valuable Pursuits are Difficult

Nothing worthwhile is easy. Maybe we'll be surprised by how easy it is (maybe we built up a certain pursuit or task that we have inflated its difficulty).

Building habits of sustainable nutrition is difficult. Creating a training plan you stick too is challenging. Pursuing anything with regularity - which is what is required to achieve excellent or even competence in any area - is hard.

Know who you are & take advantage of the holiday season to pause, reflect, and write down your core values and mission statement.

You don't need to have a mission statement, business plan, or core values to begin coaching or even start a business. Get customers now.

As your business grows, you should sit down and knock these out. And there really is no better time to complete these then over the holiday season, when work tends to lesson and you look back on this past year and forward to the next...

Niki & Andrew answer common beginner questions. Whether you're curious about equipment or protein, cardio or warming up, or wondering how long LP lasts, we give you the answers.

You can't lift weights without weight to lift, and you need to wear appropriate clothes. Even running, while it seems the simplest of activities, comes with appropriate footwear and clothing (don't run in a 3-piece suit and oxfords).

The first thing you should buy is shoes. Look for something around 0.58" heel with a solid sole. 1" is too high.

Next, you...

Learn about managing morbidity - staying active, vigorous, and capable to have as much of a human life as possible for as long as you can. You need to dance with your granddaughter, care for your chickens, and farm your fields.

We all die, and as lifters this means we all complete our last PRs. There is a day, and you may have reached it or may reach it soon (you will reach it at some point) when you won't hit any more PRs.

This is okay. This is part of...

It's time to be ALL IN! Go for that goal or project or task you've been putting off, swing for the fences, and get it done.

All In!

It's time to be all in. It's time to execute. It's time to complete that task or project or goal or dream or aspiration that you've been putting off.

No more.

Of course, you should complete a GAMEplan so you can define your goals, the actions you take to achieve them, and the metrics you use to determine if you've succeeded in meeting...

We share holiday training strategies so you don't lose all your gains. Learn the tips and tricks to keep training & gaining during the holidays.

Holiday Training Strategies - Expectations & Mindset

When it comes to holiday training, expectations need to match reality. For many people, they confront more variability which does not lend itself to normal consistency of training in more regular times.

Travel, changes in gyms and equipment, different food and alcohol, time off work, time with family - these variables mean that our normal recovery capacities won't be there for us.

This is a replay from Strong Life with Zach Evan Esh podcast where Matt & Zach discuss coaching, online coaching, & business.

Strong Life with Zach Evan Esh Replay

Matt and Zach have interacted before, passing along business advice and Matt coaching Zach when he ran into some issues. Matt jumped on the Strong Life podcast to discuss why online coaching is better than in-person coaching.

For many gym owners, they feel tied to the gym, without the ability to leave and get paid. A hybrid model of online coaching and in-person coaching can help.<...

Managing nutrition through the holidays can be tough. Follow these (or develop your own) simple, effective strategies for sustainable holiday nutrition.

Managing Nutrition Through the Holidays - Big Picture

It's Thanksgiving week, which for many begins the longer holiday period where they find themselves standing on a scale come January unhappy with the changes to their body over the past weeks.

Where would you like to be standing come January? What's realistic? What does a holiday period look like where you step onto the scale in January content with where you are?

Learn how to structure holiday promotions, from timing (Black Friday, pre-Christmas, and post-New Year's), types of incentives and discounts you might offer, and the cyclical nature of the fitness business.

The lead up to Thanksgiving and Christmas is a time people spend more money. Because you believe in your product or service, and in the case of fitness your service is clearly helping improve your clients' quality of life, it is better they spend money on your service than something they don't truly need.

This is a...

Deadlifts: Eat Your Spine. Is this the perfect cue or the reality of a dangerous lift? Andrew & Niki delve into the depths of the deadlift.

Do Deadlifts Eat Your Spine!?

Do deadlifts, in fact, eat your spine? It certainly feels like it sometimes.

Deadlifts train the muscles of the hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors, abs, spinal erectors, lats, and more. Because the weight of the bar is trying to round your back, you strengthen the muscles of the back by maintaining a rigid spine despite the urgings of gravity.

The deadlift, as Andrew...

Mac McGregor and Niel Marr join Niki and Andrew to discuss strength for golf. Niel is a golf instructor, and shares how strength has improved his life and his golf game.

Learn the business economics - the metrics that matter - for your business. Matt Reynolds dives into macroeconomics and microeconomic or unit statistics, healthy rates, and how to calculate these statistics. You don't know the health of your business if you don't know these metrics.

You cannot go off how you feel about your business to know if your business is doing well. The reality is real, and if you fail to know the economic realities of your business, the economic realities will confront you when abject failure slaps...

We discuss 3 lifter pathways: competing, just training (thriving), and recovering. How do these looks, who might find themselves in one of these pathways (and why)? Andrew & Niki explore this.

3 Lifter Pathways - Competing

This pathway involves a state of life where life can support training. For these lifters, training is a high priority.

Nutrition supports training, lifters likely give up other pursuits to support training.

Obviously, life needs to cooperate (and sometimes it does not), but insofar as you can prioritize training you do.

6 months out from the competition...

You need excellent customer service for online coaching, not just in-person coaching. Set your online coaching apart from the crowd, provide your clients more value, get more clients, and make more money.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper).

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Excellent Cust...

Metrics aren't your master. Don't sacrifice important pursuits to the altar of strength (unless you're specializing).

Metrics Aren't Your Master - What Matters to You?

Want to get strong, add some muscle, become more capable, and improve your quality of life and general health and fitness? This is where many of our clients live.

Want to get fat, give up all other physical pursuits, and become less healthy so you can squat more? If so, that's awesome - seriously, some people seek the single-minded pursuit of excellence, such as elite powerlifting.

...

Why you should take a vacation: to get into the important, get out from under the tyranny of the urgent, and reset (for work & what is important to you).

Why You Should Take a Vacation - Reset & Relax

Life naturally contains cycles.

You stress yourself in the gym, then you rest to allow recovery and adaptation to occur. Without the rest, there is no adaptation. Without the stress, there is no adaptation. Both contribute to the goal: improvement toward your goal.

After day comes night. Following the cold of winter, comes...

People build strong families through strength training. We're, of course, not simply talking about physical strength, but emotionally and spiritually strong families, who witness each other overcome hard things and help each other out through life's difficulties.

Strong Families through Strength Training

Mac started his fitness journey as a young lad preparing for the hurdles of the Royal Air Force. He deployed multiple times, and felt lucky to be able to complete certain extremely challenging training.

He means lucky.

What he noticed, looking back on this training, is people succumbed to...

Automated metrics are awesome - measure & celebrate progress toward your or your clients' goals AUTOMATICALLY. Awesome.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper).

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Automated Metrics Are Awesome - PRs Matter

PRs matter because PRs measure progress toward your or...

Lots of squat thoughts & new cues. Andrew & Niki discuss what cues they've found useful on squats and how they've improved their squats and squat coaching.

Lots of Thoughts on Squats

Andrew & Niki discuss some squat thoughts - things they've been noodling over, observing, and applying in their lifting and coaching.

They both have been thinking more about what it means to effect and maintain a rigid torso (as opposed to just extending your back). Too often, the focus here can be only on the back, to the detriment of your front side.

Be a person of integrity, every day, always. If you screw up, own it. This leads to business success (and it's the right thing to do).

Person of Integrity: Be One, Always

Integrity underpins business success. Yes, you may think of business that have seemingly grown despite scummy business practices.

Don't worry about them. Life is not fair. Still, you will create loyal customers, have great reviews, and gain word-of-mouth marketing if you show up and do what you say you're going to do and the price you quoted. Be a person of...

Snapping back to your Goldilocks zone after you fall short of the actions you know will lead to your goals is a must. Whether this occurs after a vacation, a holiday, a weekend with friends or family, or simply a slow slipping of standards, this is an important skill for sustainable nutrition. Learn how to do it without overreacting.

What is the Goldilocks zone? This is that golden mean where you're eating and training enough but not too much. You're looking, feeling, and performing good and are moving...

Stop being cheap! Consider the value of your time and invest in things that make you money and provide you value.

Stop Being Cheap: Value per Unit Time

Too many in the fitness industry value their time too little.

Comparing options for online coaching platforms, you see one option is $1 cheaper per client per month.

The other option prioritizes efficiency, helping you coach more clients in less time.

Which to you go with?

Too many go with the first option.

Start thinking about the value...

Is it time to change programs when your frustrated and want to blow up your current program? Niki & Andrew how to approach this logically when reason is the furthest thing from your mind.

I Want Something Different - NOW!

You miss a PR, tweak your back, or can't fit into your favorite jeans. You're ready to blow up your program.

But is it time to change programs?

Maybe, but it's first time to think about things.

Don't react in emotion and make your life harder. Wait before you send...

When it comes to pricing, less is more. Fewer options means less hassle for you and less decision fatigue for your customers. When it comes to pricing, fewer options is better for your business.

Pricing: Fewer Options is Better

It's easy, especially as a small business, to bend over backwards for each customer. You develop a different price for each customer, and before you know it every customer is paying a different price.

Knock this off.

Don't have a scarcity mindset. Develop few pricing options for your customers. This forces your...

What keeps you training after the easy PRs, injuries, years or decades of workouts. Why do you keep exercising? Niki and Andrew discuss training motivation over the long haul.

What Keeps You Training?

Why continue to lift, run, track macros after you've hit your goal? How do Andrew and Niki find motivation after decades training?

It different from person to person, but over time the process of working out and doing hard things becomes a habit and something you derive joy from.

This doesn't mean you're feeling pleasure every second of...

Customer service is king, especially in a post-COVID world. If you want to run a successful business, have great customer service and you will stand out.

Customer Service is King in a Post-COVID World

Customer service standards have fallen since 2020 and COVID-19.

You notice it at nice restaurants and hotels, at airlines and in public bathrooms.

Employees seem bothered to help customers. Companies don't answer phone calls or respond to texts or emails.

The expectation to tip has spread to everything, with a reduced level of service and an...

Too busy to train!? Not any more! Learn ways to get more done in less time so you can continue to remain consistent & work toward your goals.

Too Busy to Train!? - How it Happens

How does someone get so busy that they can no longer train?

This happens for different reasons for different people. Some may come from new life challenges, but sometimes this arises from reasons within the gym.

Toward the end of LP or during advanced training, lifters may creep the time between reps, intentionally or otherwise.

PRs measure progress toward your clients' goals - so you need to track & celebrate your clients' PRs, because PRs matter.

PRs Measure Progress Toward Your Clients' Goals

PRs matter.

Consistency underlies success. PRs pave the road to your clients accomplishing their goals.

Why?

They provide dopamine hits that encourage continued work toward building habits that move lifters toward their goals.

Early on, PRs tend to be easy - easy to track, celebrate, and establish.

The lifter's squat increases, the athlete can do more push-ups, the...

I want to gain muscle and lose weight. Is this a realistic goal? How does this look, if it is?

It is possible to do this, over time, sustainably, by building healthy habits.

Check out the first part of this 2-part series.

Andrew & Niki explore the journeys of different "typical" Barbell Logic clients and what these processes look like.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

This type of client tends to be a busy, middle-aged professional and dad...

Online coaching is the best coaching for coaches and clients. Coaches gain wider access to clients, more flexibility of time and location to coach, and more dollar-per-hour. Clients can access great coaches across the globe, train during travel or vacation when it works for them, and pay less than in-person coaching. Plus, online coaching builds consistency which leads to more gains.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed t...

I want to lose weight and gain muscle - don't we all!

What is possible and what does this process look like over time? We explore this in a 2-part podcast series.

Andrew & Niki explore the journeys of different "typical" Barbell Logic clients and what these processes look like.

Just about everyone who comes to a fitness goal wants more muscle (maybe strength) and less bodyfat. Almost no one wants to get stronger at any cost.

How do we conceptualize this and help...

Prioritize the important for a more meaningful & productive life by getting unstuck from the tyranny of the urgent.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper).

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

When conceptualizing and prioritizing tasks, use the Eisenhower Matrix. This is...

Make women anabolic again.

Niki and Andrew talk to Monica Multani. Monica is Niki's client who turned to strength after the combination of a hand injury and bad diagnosis paired witnessing her mom get stronger with barbells.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Bad News

People often turn to healthy habits like strength training when they realize the negative effects of their current lifestyle.

For Monica Multani, she suffered a serious hand injury as a physician who relied on her hands. She was told that she would l...

Online coaching vs online programming - what's the difference, why does it matter, and how can you begin actually coaching online?

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper).

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Online Coaching vs Online Programming - the Difference

Most "online co...

Are you reliant on whey protein to get your daily protein. You can get adequate protein without whey - learn how!

This podcast really addresses how much protein you actually need a day and then how to best consume that protein.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

How Much Protein? - Show Me the Whey

How much protein should you consume daily, especially as a lifter looking to get stronger and add muscle?

The often repeated mantra is 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. This is c...

Andrew Jackson discusses lean theory - a business approach that strives to better deliver value to consumers through reducing inefficiencies. He explores how he has taken these insights learn from industry and applied them to online coaching. 

Andrew Jackson gave a talk on the business value equation, which you can watch here and learn more about here.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Lean...

Have you (or are you currently) following the way of the milky boys? Have you had a milky boy phase?

It's okay, many if not most of us have been a milky boy.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Have you decide to forego concerns about bodyfat, weight, waist, digestive health, time spent on the toilet, and any other fitness goals to pursue with reckless abandon the sweet, sweet call of the milky boys?

It's okay - many of us have been there.

You push...

Pricing - it's a too often undiscussed, underexamined aspect of running a successful business and becoming a successful coach. Matt discusses how to set prices intelligently and intentionally.

Andrew Jackson gave a talk on the business value equation, which you can watch here and learn more about here.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Matt mentions the book Monetizing Innovation...

Invest in training and life to achieve your goals and find happiness and meaning.

Andrew & Niki explore how training - and other worthwhile pursuits - are investments and how you can conceptualize and weigh the worth of these investments.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Conceptualizing in Investments

What is an investments? Without looking at a dictionary, it's an input or sacrifice of something where the investor expects a greater result than the input. The investor gives something up for a future result that provides more value.

...

Matt describes how to build trust in your business value equation. This is a crucial aspect of running a successful business with clients who actually enjoy your product or service.

Andrew Jackson gave a talk on this, which you can watch here and learn more about here.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

What is Trust and How Do You Increase It?

...

I broke my back...spinal. Is life over? No. Learn the training, lifestyle, and mindset adjustments to deal with back injuries.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

I Broke My Back...Oh No!

Back pain and back injuries happen.

Sometimes it's just the occasional tweak that goes away in a few days, or a short surprising sensation.

Other times, it's debilitating, life-altering, and seems to redefine your life.

Your back hurts when you do everyday activities like tying your shoes, going to the bathroom, or p...

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

What is the Business Value Equation?

Hypertrophy: life after 5s.

Is it real? Can we really pursue muscle growth over weight on the bar. How does programming change? Why do people make this shift? Will you have to change your wardrobe?

Andrew & Niki answer these and many more questions.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Hypertrophy: Life After 5s

For many, after some time (often a couple years) of pursuing strength above all other adaptations, grinding away on heavy weights in the 1-5 rep range, the sweet call of hypertrophy whispers softly on...

Matt explains, in detail, how to start your own business. Seriously, you can be a business owner today following these steps.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Here is Matt's presentation on how to officially start a business.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

This applies to starting a business in the United States. If you're in another country, the specific details differ. That being...

Sustainable over optimal - keep this in mind with your fitness, nutrition, and other self-improvement plans. Sustainability is more important than optimization.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Sustainable over Optimal

Too much ink has been spilled over the perfect weightlifting program, best powerlifting programming, optimal bodybuilding program.

What most people find, with rare exception, is that the optimal program does not work with the realities of their life and goals.

They may, for awhile, grind away at these programs and hit PRs, but they find they're...

Be a person of action. Act now, begin that idea today, so that your big idea doesn't stay stuck in your head - this is the key to success.

Matt Reynolds kicks off the first Coaching Success podcast. This podcast will primarily address topics relating to things that lead to you being a successful coach, businessperson, and person.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

...

Is your training fun!?

Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson discuss why they entitled this podcast "Beast over Burden," feedback they've seen from listeners, and how they've come to think more about training for life.

Is Your Training Fun!?

Some people seem to enjoy training more than others - Matt and Scott have discussed so-called "medicine takers."

Acknowledging this, however, you should not dread every single workout. As your training session looms, your blood pressure should not increase. Training should not suck the joy out of you.

Andrew & Niki have...

Listen to the Barbell Logic podcast return. Matt Reynolds, Niki Sims, and Andrew Jackson discuss the two podcasts that will come out weekly, the different audiences they address, and the weekly schedule.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Barbell Logic Podcast Return - Beast over Burnout

We're back, with two podcasts for your listening pleasure.

Andrew and Niki host the Beast over Burnout podcasts, which comes out on Tuesdays.

This covers lifting and lifestyle topics, especially with the kind of life we strive for through training and...

Listen for a barbell logic podcast update. We're taking a temporary pause to pursue some exciting opportunities and will return soon with more great podcasts.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page to give us feedback on the podcast during the temporary pause.

Barbell Logic Podcast Update

The podcast has been an unexpected success for Matt, Barbell Logic, and all the hosts since its beginning in 2017.

When Scott and Matt started recording those first podcasts, they didn't realize it would be continuing into 2023, have garnered all the support and audience...

Learn about the voluntary hardship mindset that allows you to crush your goals, makes life better, and underpins happiness and success.

Dr. Jonathon Sullivan and Noah Hayden continue their Barbell Health podcast series, this time discussing recovery for seniors. Jaime Collins joins them, discussing psychology and her journey.

You can check out more of Sully's work on the Greysteel YouTube channel.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page for free resources, recent offers, & more.

Voluntary Hardship Mindset

If you want to achieve lofty goals, you'll have to do...

We discuss recovery for masters athletes, focusing on sleep and nutrition. Improve your sleep and nutrition, recover better, be stronger and healthier.

Dr. Jonathon Sullivan and Noah Hayden continue their Barbell Health podcast series, this time discussing recovery for seniors. Ann Buszard joins them, discussing her journey and how she has approached recovery.

You can check out more of Sully's work on the Greysteel YouTube channel.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page for free resources, recent offers, & more.

It's often said, but less often followed...

We need more female masters strength athletes! Learn about the benefits, and myths of strength training for women seniors. What's different about strength training for female senior athletes - almost nothing.

Dr. Jonathon Sullivan and Noah Hayden continue their Barbell Health podcast series, this time discussing strength training for women masters athletes. Debbie Wrotslavsky joins them, discussing her journey and the positive changes she's seen since beginning barbell training.

You can check out more of Sully's work on the Greysteel YouTube channel.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page for free resources...

Dr. Jonathon Sullivan and Noah Hayden continue their Barbell Health podcast series, this time discussing programming masters athletes.

They discuss the similarities and differences with programming younger lifters. Additionally, they cover common pitfalls, increased risks, and important considerations.

Laura Welcher joins them, sharing her strength journey and how her programming has changed over time.

You can check out more of Sully's work on the Greysteel YouTube channel.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page for free resources, recent offers, & more.

Programming Considerations for Seniors

Programming is...

Dr. Jonathon Sullivan and Noah Hayden continue their Barbell Health podcast series, this time discussing exercise modification for seniors. John Claassen, their 93-year old client, shares his inspiring story.

You can check out more of Sully's work on the Greysteel YouTube channel.

Exercise Modification for Seniors

Seniors, athletes of aging, masters athletes - whatever you you call them - can and should strength train. Coaches may need to modify exercises to meet their ability.

Modifications may be as simple as lighter weights or broom sticks. Lifters may need to deadlift kettlebells...

Dr. Jonathon Sullivan and Noah Hayden continue their Barbell Health podcast series, this time discussing in-depth the strength prescription for the sick aging phenotype.

This episode laid out Noah's thoughts on exercise & programming criteria, and an important discussion into the role the criteria play for the coach.

You can check out more of Sully's work on the Greysteel YouTube channel.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page for free resources, recent offers, & more.

Strength Prescription

In the last podcast, Sully & Noah discussed the problems with conventional medicine and...

Dr. Jonathon Sullivan and Noah Hayden are joined by RN Ann Buszard. They discuss how typical or conventional medicine today fails to address the root causes of most issues, including the Sick Aging Phenotype. They talk about how exercise medicine, specifically strength training with barbells, is the cure.

You can check out more of Sully's work on the Greysteel YouTube channel.

Bad Medicine and the Sick Aging Phenotype

Too much medicine fails to address root causes. While modern trauma care can save life and limb, more and more reasons that people end up...

Niki talks to Brittany Snyder, a Professional Barbell Coach, nutrition coach, and the Director of Nutrition at Barbell Logic. Brittany shares her journey of how she ditched all or nothing nutrition, shoved shame to the side, gave the fundamentals a chance, and finally created a sense of control with her nutrition.

Avoid fat. Carbs are evil. Only eat meat. No, avoid all meat and meat products. You should be fasting. You should be eating small meals throughout the day.

Cut it out. If any of the aforementioned...

Online strength coaching provides the most value, flexibility, effectiveness, and personalization of any coaching method. It enhances the quality of life of coaches and clients.

This is a rebroadcast of episode 408. 

Online coaching allows someone seeking high-quality coaching to find the coach that's right for them - not the coach or personal trainer that's simply close.

It allows clients to continue when they vacation or travel, and it allows coaches to continue to coach their clients when they vacation or travel.

Online coaching allows lifters t...

Walking seems so simple and easy, so mundane and pedestrian (literally) that it couldn't constitute an important part of your overall health and fitness plan, right?

Wrong. Walking provides innumerable health and wellness benefits. These benefits include physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. Don't pooh pooh walking. Whether you're tracking your steps, hiking, or going for short walks throughout the day, consider adding walking to your routine.

The wonders of walking abound. Get out there and walk!

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page for free resources, recent offers, & more.

Strength and endurance - can you do both!? Yes, in fact, you can.

While the adaptations and strength and endurance conflict, you can reach high levels in both.

CJ shares his story of ruck marching, voluntary hardship, lifting, and joy. He describes how he balanced life, lifting, and rucking and realized he needed aerobic endurance events to be part of his life.

He also shares how you could add endurance training to your program if you miss it (or want to try it out).

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing...

What does conditioning for lifters look like? Do you need to do "cardio"? We examine conditioning & cardio for strength athletes. This is a re-release of episode 396.

Conditioning vs Cardio

"Cardio" is a nebulous and negative term, like diet.

I need to go do some "cardio." What's the best "cardio" for fat loss?

The term "cardio" comes from the word cardiovascular as in the cardiovascular system of the heart, lunges, and blood vessels that pumps oxygen and nutrients to your organs.

Conditioning for lifters comes with the implication of a...

HIIT is the best way to improve your conditioning and health and help with fat loss. Consider high intensity interval training for your conditioning.

HIIT's benefits come from how it uses and benefits the body's energy systems. Let's quickly investigate the body's energy systems.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the energy currency of the body. ATP breaks down into adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and a phosphate group. This reaction produces energy that the body uses.

For low intensity, long duration efforts your body pulls energy from its aerobic energy system. This is...

Wearables for health abound. They can track lots of different metrics for health and can help gamify the pursuit of your goals. Matt & Niki explore why you might consider wearing wearables & how they use them.

Wearables for Health

What are wearables?

Wearables are devices that you wear (duh) that can track various data.

Some of the things they can track include: calories burned, steps walked, heart rate, body temperature, and sleep quality.

Wearables for health have grown more accurate in their measuring, but the primary reason for wearables is...

Matt and Rachel Reynolds bring you this special edition of the Barbell Logic podcast, holiday edition. Matt & Rachel share their 2022 holiday message of gratitude, joy, anticipation, and reflection. Thank you for being fans & clients, coaches & clients!

This time of year is a time of reflection and joy, gratitude and anticipation. Families and friends gather, erect decorations and lights, and break bread together.

Matt, Rachel, and all of us at Barbell Logic thank you. We are grateful for all of you.

Barbell Logic turns 6 years this December and remains committed to its core values...

Sully joins Niki & CJ to discuss health metrics that matter. Sully's biggest question is why do you think you need the test or data point? How will this information change your behavior?

Check out the Grey Steel YouTube channel here.

They refer to a red flag article a few times in the podcast. Read that article here.

Drowning in Data - Helpful Health Markers

It's easy to drown in data. One can wear wearables and get up-to-date health markers. We bombarded with inputs, news, sensory data, videos, podcasts, pings, updates, notifications.<...

We share our coaching lessons learned - professionalism over mastery, personability and personalization over optimal programming, flexibility over rigidity, long-term good over short-term gains, and more.

If you're not growing, not learning, not improving, then you're getting worse - that's the nature of this existence. Entropy comes with the deal.

That's why, coming near the end of this year and during a time when we reflect on what we've learned, what we'd like to improve on going forward, and what we're thankful for, some BLOC coaches share their coaching lessons learned.

Jordan Stanton returns to answer your questions on velocity based autoregulation. Why is this not for novices? What guidance would you give to lifters when the device tells you you should have a big PR? Who is a good candidate for velocity based training?

Form is not stable, and this is a requirement, especially for velocity based autoregulation.

Novices, in addition to needing to improve technique and develop consistent form, beginners need to experience higher RPE sets.

More advanced lifters cannot recover from RPE 9+ sets like beginners, can, but novices...

Injury and recovery are no fun and not why we train. They're a part of life, and come with training, especially if you push yourself over a long period of time. How do you adjust programming and mindset to keep training and keep improving.

Niki Sims shares her story of an injury that altered her training, identity, and pursuits, which ultimately caused her to not only alter reps and sets and exercise selection, but her approach and mindset regarding training and physical activity.

GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH...

The underlying concept is fairly simple: adjust the work sets to the lifter's performance during the workout.

During novice linear progression, a lifter adds typically 5 pounds each week. The lifter adapts quickly while also lacking the ability to stress himself with a heavy work set like an advanced lifter can.

If the lifter misses a rep or set, a programming change probably needs to occur. If the lifter has a bad...

Velocity based training & autoregulation for strength sounds complex, but it's really simple - learn the secrets of this training method.

We like simplicity - our tagline is simple, hard, effective - so why add a seemingly complicated piece of equipment and method of autoregulation to your coaching or training?

First, this is not for novices. Novices need to add weight simply and linearly, improve technique, and experience the range of difficulties (the many flavors of heavy but doable).

Often, a lifter will finally achieve something that equates to...

Stay sane while coaching family, friends, & co-workers. Successfully juggle dual relationships while getting good coaching experience.

Why Coach Family?

Before we talk about how, we must always consider why. Why would you consider coaching family, friends, and colleagues, and is it worth the risk?

For new or aspiring coaches, one major hurdles is acquiring experience and your first clients. New coaches typically get both experience and clients by coaching family, friends, and co-workers for free.

Too many aspiring coaches spend too much time considering coaching or thinking about coaching and maybe...

Accommodating resistance means lifting with bands or chains for more resistance near the top of the lift. Learn how & why to use this advanced, fun training method, including practical tips for setting up the bands or chains by lift.

Accommodating resistance is a training method that uses bands or chains to increase the resistance as the concentric portion of the lift progresses.

How does this happen?

Let's start with chains. The chain begins on the floor or on a similar surface (e.g. a box) and as the lifter...

Non-Expert Coaching: Identifying the Client's Why

How do you approach a client who has a goal or endeavor that lies outside your expertise?

Similar to any change in goals for a client, even if it remains well within your wheelhouse, you should learn, and maybe even help your client identify, why she wants this new goal.

What may have happened, and what CJ discusses, is how a deep...

Seek Beauty in Your Style

Beauty is good.

We know this, because we enjoy the transformations that occur with our body as we train and eat better.

Wearing good-fitting, appropriate clothing presents a better, more beautiful aesthetic. It helps you build confidence and presents a better version of yourself to the world.

Masculine Style - Some Specifics

Style doesn't necessarily mean buying expensive clothing and chasing the newest fashions.

Matt and Scott continue their discussion from part 1 over a range of topics, including theology, business, softball, and more. This is a wide-ranging podcast that deviates from our normal content.

We hope you enjoy!

Matt and Scott chat over a range of topics, including theology, business, softball, and more. This is a wide-ranging podcast that deviates from our normal content.

We hope you enjoy!

The Future of Coaching

Technology has redefined coaching and will continue to do so. You might be reading this on your phone, whereas decades ago similar articles would be only in physical magazines. Similarly, Barbell Logic offers an online learning environment for barbell enthusiasts and current and future coaches, along with an online app and service to provide strength and conditioning...

What is the future of coaching? Niki Sims & CJ Gotcher discuss current trends that will likely define the future of coaching and how you can improve your coaching practice to be better positioned now & in the future.

The Future of Coaching

Technology has redefined coaching and will continue to do so. You might be reading this on your phone, whereas decades ago similar articles would be only in physical magazines. Similarly, Barbell Logic offers an online learning environment for barbell enthusiasts and current and future coaches, along with an online app and service to provide...

Staying sane on social media: seems impossible, right? CJ Gotcher explains how you can train the algorithm and train yourself to intentionally use social media for your purposes.

We're probably beyond the naïve understanding some people had about social media a decade ago, that it's a free way to connect with others and promote your ends.

Social media wants you to spend money and time on its platform. It engages you to stay on to serve its ends.

Staying sane on social media is challenging, as casual use w...

Matt, Niki, and CJ discuss introducing new exercises: why & how, different categories of exercises, determining your main exercises, and more.

Novices need to get generally stronger. The process of doing this is simple, though hard & effective, of course. Add weight to certain compound barbell movements in a set and rep range that elicits a strength and hypertrophy adaptation, while the lifter also improves technique and confidence.

The first exercise type of exercise that tends to get introduced may tell us something about at least one or a couple reasons why we...

What is pain, how does it work, and why do we experience pain (what value does it provide us)? Jayson Ball explains all.

Pain in the Flesh

The process of pain begins in the flesh through sensory transduction. Information from the environment turns into an electric impulse in the nervous system, that eventually makes its way to the brain.

Proteins exist in sensory tissue to help this process occur. For example, there are touch & heat receptors. Genes determine these proteins.

This is why certain animals can experience a wider array of th...

Enjoy the rest of Matt catching up with Scott for this 2-part episode. Matt & Scott discuss some of what Scott has been doing on his homestead, and just chat about things. 

Listen to Scott's podcasts: Online Great Books, Music & Ideas, or Growing Resilience.

Learn how Scott's reading the book the Restoration of Christian Culture caused Scott to move his family out to the country and start a homestead operation, growing food, planting trees, raising chickens, and living more simply (simple, hard, effective?).

Training has changed for him, because he performs much more physical labor...

Enjoy the return of Scott for this 2-part episode, where Matt & Scott catch up, discuss some of what Scott has been doing on his homestead, and just chat about things. 

Listen to Scott's podcasts: Online Great Books, Music & Ideas, or Growing Resilience.

Learn how Scott's reading the book the Restoration of Christian Culture caused Scott to move his family out to the country and start a homestead operation, growing food, planting trees, raising chickens, and living more simply (simple, hard, effective?).

Training has changed for him, because he performs much more physical labor i...

Niki & CJ discuss what makes a bad strength coach and how to avoid the pitfalls of bad coaching. Being not bad, a very good place to start. 

Bad Strength Coaching

Professionalism, Integrity, Competence

You...

Matt & Niki explore tactile cues: different types, how & when to use them for in-person and online coaching.

Oh, and how do you pronounce tactile? Is it like "tactical?"

Tactile Cues vs Verbal & Visual Cues

Tactile cues, as you may have guessed, involve you as the coach or an object touching the lifter.

The coaching transition can be hard, as you have to budget time, money, or both with a steep learning curve & avoid potential pitfalls. Niki & CJ help you learn how to make the coaching transition to become a good coach.

Also, learn the correct pronunciation of CJ's last name!

So, you want to be a coach!? Awesome. You'll have to move from your current non-coaching state & bring coaching into actuality.

Of course, there's the leap of faith method, where you quit everything, metaphorically burn all your ships, and decide...

Today, Matt & Niki delve into verbal communication - our primary means of communication as a coach, both in-person & online. While this may seem straightforward, many steps occur to correctly communicate to our clients & get them to move correctly.

This begins & 3-part series of sorts where Matt & Niki will explore communication, beginning with verbal & touching on tactile & visual (and the differences between in-person and online).

No video this week for YouTube viewers. We tried a new recording platform & lost the video. Bear with us while we try to improve our logistical & technological systems. Thanks!

Nerd out on pain science, what it's like doing scientific research, getting papers published, and what we understand about pain interventions for humans. Jayson Ball, staff coach & PhD student, rejoins the podcast with CJ Gotcher.

The Pain of Scientific Research

What does science look like from the trenches of laboratories, where experiments are designed and executed, papers are submitted and defended, and knowledge is furthered?

Jayson is mid-way through a PhD program. He has transitioned from spending most time in the classroom to now spending more time in the laboratory.

Research...

How do you end your cooking rut? What do you do when your go-to foods bore you? Niki Sims & Nikki Burman have tips & tricks to re-energize your cooking & meal preparation, so you don't turn to unhealthy, convenience foods that take you away from your goals.

It’s easy to grow sick of the same meals, get burnt out by cooking, meal preparation, grocery shopping, and all the other steps (including eating) that go into healthy, sustainable nutrition.

Tackle this thorny issue from both sides: remember your goals & enliven the steps to cr...

Are there too many coaches!? Learn how to stand out, find clients & provide value as a coach in a seemingly flooded coaching market.

Are there too many coaches!? Learn how to stand out, find clients & provide value as a coach in a seemingly flooded coaching market. With social media & the internet, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the quantity of personal trainers, content creators, and coaches trying to find a piece of the fitness market. Niki & CJ can help.

Think about your Values, Identities, & Priorities (VIP) & consider the market. Ideally, these...

Since Barbell Logic began providing online coaching, we have offered it almost apologetically, only as a backup if you lacked in-person access to a great professional barbell coach. We have changed are thinking on online coaching's value.

Online coaching is better than in-person coaching for most people most of the time.

Online coaching provides greater flexibility, personalization, consistency, and effectiveness for coaches and clients.

We still love...

Burnout can occur in any pursuit or career path, but can be particularly noxious for careers coming from passion. Coaching fits that bill certainly, as no one comes to coaching to make billions. So, acknowledging that burnout exists and can happen, how do we avoid it (or stop it if we find ourselves burnt out).

Burnout isn't being tired. Maybe the analogy in training is that it's not the soreness or exhaustion that one hard workout can create, but rather the buildup of stress unrecovered from (overtraining).

Coaching burnout will feel...

Niki & CJ discuss overcoming imposter syndrome as a coach. The address what it is, why it's normal, when you may be beyond your abilities, and practical tips to deal with it. Learn more about overcoming imposter syndrome as a coach.

Doubt, fear, and anxiety is normal. With coaching, or really any venture, you will likely experience internal self-doubt but may also have a fear of being discovered or exposed as a fraud or imposter.

This appears and persists despite evidence to the contrary. Regardless of accomplishments, success, credentials, you still have a feeling of not...

Lots of people execute novice programming repeatedly, and even in advanced programming a lift is being increased through novice programming. So, how do we think about novice programming, returning to it, and how it really differs from true advanced programming?

Following MED programming principles, we follow a simple yet hard program because it is effective. The simplest program is the manipulation of one training variable. For a strength novice, typically, this means increasing intensity in a linear fashion while keeping other variables constant (volume, exercise selection, frequency). 

At the point at which you can no l...

Choosing a coach can be daunting, but we can help guide you with what to look for and avoid when you're choosing a coach (and how to evaluate a coach once you're being coached). 

Andrew provides some helpful frameworks that may be more familiar to listeners: hiring an employee or choosing a contractor or company. 

We're essentially outsourcing a part of our life to someone who should be able to help us move toward our goals. Whether we don't have the time, bandwidth, expertise, or detachment to coach and program for ourselves, a coach can en...

Cardio, conditioning, energy systems training: what are these, are these the same, and why would you do them? In this episode, we come to terms with cardio. Let's first consider your training and exercise background. This often affects how you think about this. Some come from a more purse powerlifting or bodybuilding background, where the goal is building muscle or improving strength.  A different background may be a cardio-centric, where you ran, did cardio classes, or CrossFit, where conditioning was a regular, dominant part of your program.  Neither extreme--cardio as the be-all, end-all, upon which you attempt to lose we...

Matt Reynolds, founder & CEO of Barbell Logic, takes a minute to reflect on not only what he is thankful this Thanksgiving but--as Barbell Logic turns 5 years old--he reflects & lays out Barbell Logic's core values and his commitment to them. 

Scott & Matt discuss recovery and how you can improve your recovery, because though most people don’t give themselves enough stress others may go too far in the other direction and now recover enough, which ultimately holds them back from the gains they desire.

Recovery is the opposite or absence of stress. The top two sources of recovery are rest and food. Let’s discuss these.

A huge area of rest that people often fall short of ideal is sleep. Here are some sleep tips:

Dr. Jonathan Sullivan joins Matt & Scott to discuss what we know about how strength training benefits the joins and how it affects joint health. You can find Sully’s YouTube channel here and his Greysteel’s website here. 

Running actually puts more force on the knee joint than squatting below depth, so the idea that squatting below depth is bad for children (whereas people have no opposition to a child running) does not make sense. 

He also discusses the idea of arthritis as a “wear & tear” disease not only being wrong but this concept leading to bad, co...

Scott & Matt discuss their training and nutrition at a specific point of time. Scott is adjusting to having sold Data Storage, and training and nutrition are in flux. Scott has lost some weight from his highest weight ever, but training is not his top priority.

Matt has been intermittent fasting in the morning, which he has found complementary to his daily schedule at this point in time. 

Both Matt & Scott HATE squatting. Matt has bad hips, and Scott has to bend over until his back is darn-near parallel to the ground because of his anthropometry. 

In this re-release, Matt & Scott discuss strategies for programing your press--practical tips as well as the underlying principles.

The press typically stalls before the other lifts. Fewer muscles contribute to the press and the smallest deviations from an ideal bar path will cause missing reps. Unlike the other lifts, we also have more choices here in terms of form--strict, hip movement, arm movement, Olympic press, etc. Because the press stalls first, MED changes are used first.

Here are the typical MED changes for the press.

Matt & Scott discuss the myth of maintenance and how this doesn’t really apply for people, despite what people often claim.

Sometimes life prevents strength training from being a high priority, so you do your best. Work, injuries, vacation, etc. can prevent improvement in the gym. When these things are not preventing improvements in the gym, then do your best to improve in the gym.

The day will come when you won’t hit any more PRs and you will train to stave off strength and for your health. 

People tend to think that...

Matt & Scott discuss how to behave properly in a gym, because to many don’t respect the equipment or the people around them. Don’t be that guy (or gal).

Take care of the equipment and put it back where you got it. Treat the equipment with the respect it’s due.

Wipe down your bench and similar equipment. Put the weights away properly (right location, and lips out on the weight tree). 

If you’re in a big box gym, don’t give others unsolicited advice. If they ask for advice, give it--if you’...

Matt and Scott discuss how you can save time in the gym, because we know (with rare exception) you lift to live not live to lift.

LP workouts shouldn’t take that long. Early workouts should realistically take about 45 minutes. This will increase to 60 minutes as you rest more and the weights go up. They should NOT take more than 90 minutes. 

If you’re in a hurry, warm up for your next exercise between work sets. Also, start with short rest periods (2 minutes). This can increase, but upper body exercises require less rest and lower requi...

Matt and Scott discuss why we warm up and how to properly warm up.

Warm ups--like much with lifting--can come with lots of confusion and misinformation. First, why do we warm up?

We warm up to warm up the tissues, so this is the general purpose of warm up. We also warm up to practice the movement and prepare our neuromuscular system for the work sets, including the fact that as we add weight the center of mass shifts closer to the barbell, so the correct performance of the lift actually qualitatively changes.

...

Matt and Scott discuss the master cue, a cue developed based on a basic understanding of biomechanics that can be used for many lifters.

You cannot perform a squat correctly if the center of mass of the barbell-lifter system is not directly over the center of balance (your midfoot). The midfoot really means, however, that weight is balanced between the balls of your feet and your heels. 

Because it can be hard for people to think about keeping the bar over the midfoot, we tend to draw the attention to the foot. As a coach, t...

Matt and Scott discuss whether you should get hyped for a lift. They tend to say no, unless you’ve practiced getting hype and your form is good.

If your form isn’t locked in, don’t hype. 

Also, there is an importance for regularity before lifts. Because of this, you shouldn’t act completely differently for PR attempts than lighter attempts. Do the same thing. 

If you’re an advanced lifter, you might have a pre-PR attempt rituatual that is slightly different than a normal attempt. For Matt, this doesn’t bring hype but rathe...

Matt and Scott discuss how to train older clients. 

Barbell Logic’s age demographics tend to skew older, so the company and its coaches have lots of experience coaching older clients. 

Depending on the age, almost everyone can deadlift. Many can squat, bench press, and press. Some lifts may have to be modified, but an exercise similar to the lifts can be executed for most older clients. 

Older people can and should train hard. For older people, this means intensity. Intensity is what older clients are missing from their life. Grabbing the groceries, for e...

Dr. Jonathan Sullivan joins Matt and Scott to discuss the merits and drawbacks of including the power clean in someone’s program. Who should perform it, and how do we evaluate if someone should or should not perform the power clean?

Sully has 3 criteria for assessing whether someone should perform the power clean:

For those who meet the above criteria, it can be beneficial. 

Sully believes the power clean develops and trains power. It is an accessory pulling exercise. It also introduces the lif...

Scott and Matt discuss what is a cue and why good coaches give cues.

You should only have to teach a lifter a lift once, but you will have to correct that person’s execution of the lift. Because we can’t as coaches lift the weight for the lifter, we have to deliver information to the lifter as they lift to get them lifting more in line with the model. We do this with a cue.

Cues can be visual, tactile, or verbal. 

Verbal cues need to be loud, clear, and short. The l...

Matt and Scott discuss common pitfalls that novices make as they begin their strength journey. 

First and foremost, many people lift with horrific form. You need to get your form right or pretty close. This either requires a coach or your needing to spend the time educating yourself and filming, watching, and analyzing your own lifts.

Many people don’t get shoes, and proper shoes make a huge difference, especially on the squat and press. 

Too many people don’t eat properly. This may be food quality (whole foods). This may be not eating...

Scott & Matt discuss what you have to have, what you should have, and what is nice to have in the world of strength training.

First--it’s nice to have a home gym. It provides flexibility and convenience, though it admittedly takes an initial investment of money to get a functional gym. If you’re working to create a home gym, this is what you should have:

Get a 20kg or 45lb bar of relatively high quality--you can get a used one. They discuss all the details here. 

Get 500+ pounds of weight, including 8x45lb, 2...

What is marketing and why does it matter? If you feel you can provide a valuable service or product to others, how do you not only get that message out but demonstrate to your potential audience & customers that what you are selling is right for them? Josh Veach, CIO at Barbell Logic, joins Niki & Matt, to discuss marketing.

Josh also runs a non-profit--Go Shout Love--that designs and sells t-shirts, with the funds going to help families pay medical bills for their children with rare diseases. You can follow Go Shout Love on Instagram here. 

Matt a...

This is the NEW interview with Dominion Strength Training. Niki talks to Blake & Katie about their journey as entrepeneurs as their business has grown and they’ve expanded the products they offer. You can follow Dominion Strength Training on Instagram.

Niki actually met Blake & Katie before Dominion Strength Training started, as they came to Atlanta Barbell to receive coaching. They were CrossFitters but learned to love strength training, and as they turned to purchase their belt they realized there was no high-quality belt they could get quickly.

Initially, they received equipment from overseas, but production an...

This is a new interview with Mike Reed from MicroGainz . Mike & Matt really focus on entrepreneurship and creating a successful business. Also, Mike and his wife recently attended the 2021 BLOC Party, had a blast, was able to meet many of the coaches and clients, and brought gear to sell (without shipping). 

You can follow MicroGainz on Instagram here. MicroGainz offers fractional plates (now up to 10 lbs), dumbbell fractional plates, gym pins for machines, and now Barbell Logic engraved micro plates. The equipment is made in Pennsylvania, USA. You can always use cold “LOGIC” to get 10% off.

Mik...

This is the episode Matt & Mike recorded the day before Thanksgiving 2020 and aired that Black Friday. Matt & Mike discuss MicroGainz and the opportunities and challenges that COVID created for their businesses. 

You can follow MicroGainz on Instagram here. MicroGainz offers fractional plates (now up to 10 lbs), dumbbell fractional plates, gym pins for machines, and now Barbell Logic engraved micro plates. The equipment is made in Pennsylvania, USA. You can always use cold “LOGIC” to get 10% off.

2020 has been a hard year for many people, though good professionally and personally for Matt (and he’s thankful for tha...

Jordan Stanton, owner of Next Level Barbell, joins Matt & Scott to discuss his story of frugality, risk taking, and self-determination. 

He went to college to become a nurse, but realized this was not a career he wanted to stick with long term. He began to train lifters and came to a point where he had to decide if he was going to really pursue it or not, and he ultimately did. 

He paid off his bad debt with frugality and even though his initial gym was in a garage, he provided a clean space with hi...

This is the original Dominion Strength Training interview. Blake & Katie join Matt & Scott to discuss the creation of Dominion Strength Training. You can find their website here and follow them on Instagram here. 

Blake identified the possibility for creating a belt company when--as a novice lifter--he saw a gap between poorly made, cheap belts that you could get quickly and expensive, high-quality belts that took months to get to you. He realized that lifters needed a high-quality belt they could receive quickly. 

They initially sourced from Pakistan, but ran into quality issues and were forced to...

Matt & Scott share their business books that have provided them value and insight as business owners themselves. 

The E Myth Revisited (Matt)

This book discusses business systems. There are owners, managers, and technicians in every business. If you’re a great technician, you might not be a great manager or owner (e.g. if you’re a great coach, it doesn’t meat you’d be great at running a gym). 

Scott’s Initial Recommendations

He recommended reading the Wall Street Journal daily for a few years--stick to the business stuff. The Harvard...

Enjoy the panel Q&A that ended the 2021 BLOC Party. Listen to Dr. Puder, Matt Reynolds, Gillian Ward, Niki Sims, Andrew Jackson, & CJ Gotcher answer questions from the BLOC Party attendees.

Topics include nutrition post-vacation, finding clients in a new location, training to looked more jacked, and countering the effects of sitting.

0:00 Introduction

2:20 Finding Clients in New Location Deliberately seek out communities and meet people. Go to the same places and talk to people and get to know them well. Build relationships. Talk to your barber or stylist and have them help spread...

John Welbourn joins Scott & Matt to discuss his journey from skinny kid to NFL athlete to fitness figure trying to share the benefits of strength & fitness. 

John Welbourn enjoyed a long career in the NFL, in part because of his dedication in the gym and in the kitchen. He ate healthy foods, being an early adopter of the paleo diet, and saw the benefits on the field from getting strong in the gym. He also got a degree in rhetoric, of all things, certainly flying in the face of the typical big, strong guy stereotype. 

As...

Jordan Stanton, the President of the United States Strengthlifting Federation (USSF) joins Matt & Scott to discuss the differences between USSF & other federations.

3 things stand out with USSF: weigh-outs vs weigh-ins, press not bench press, and no judging commands. 

Immediately following your third deadlift attempt, you are escorted by someone of the same-sex to a private room where they take your weight. You are not allowed to use the bathroom until after the weight is recorded. This prevents huge weight drops (Jordan discuss dropping nearly 50 pounds for one of his meets), both making the meets safer a...

We understand that some people don’t train strength just for general health or quality of life, but to improve their performance in a sport or physical activity. How do you both train strength and improve sports performance?

Right now, hyper-specific training is in fashion. For example, throwing an extra heavy shot or doing half squats with a narrow stance because it mimicks the football player’s stance. 

This type of training neither offers productive training nor productive practice. 

Training prepares the athletes physically for the sport. This can be structural or metabolic (basica...

Despite the fact that meets are fun and help give more purpose to our training, they can be a long, stressful day, and we recommend having a coach or handler who can worry about the administrative and logistical things (when are you up, get you food and drinks, etc.).

There are many common pitfalls that people tend to do their first meet.

Don’t stay amped the whole day. Relax when it’s time to relax. Don’t get amped up until you’re going for the final attempts, and, really, you shouldn’t get really amp...

You signed up for your first meet: what do you do now? Scott & Matt discuss what to do now.

A huge part of preparing for a meet is realizing the purpose of the meet. The purpose of the meet is to set PRs, give your training a purpose, have some fun, meet some people, and leave feeling encouraged about lifting. Nobody cares who wins.

You should change as little as possible leading up to the meet if it’s your first meet. If you’re a novice, just keep doing LP. Maybe you can practice some...

Time is your most valuable resource, and you don’t know how much of it you have on this earth. Because of this, protecting time, being efficient, and knowing when to trade money for time is important. Its importance heightens if you find yourself in a situation where you make enough money that you can make more money on your work than completing a menial task, such as mowing the lawn or cleaning the house. You might actually make more money paying someone else to do this.

This isn’t the case for everyone, and there are time...

Chris & Matt Reynolds like to wake up early and GET AFTER IT. If you don’t, that’s okay, but you might try before you write this off and it’s super important to have a consistent sleep schedule regardless of when you go to bed and wake up.

You can’t make up for lack of sleep on the weekend, and your body will learn and adjust to a regular sleep schedule and be better off for it, as opposed to inconsistency. 

If you want to try this, give it a try for 3 weeks. If after...

Let’s talk about focus. This is something people don’t do well these days. Focus has atrophied due to smartphones, social media, the internet, TV, etc. Focus, however, is critical to productivity, success, happiness, and getting done deep work. 

Something that can help both improve focus but show you how hard it is to focus and how easily you get distracted is meditation. The practice of bringing your focus back to your breath or a mantra helps build the muscle of focus and helps you see your thoughts. 

Also, you can’t multitask. You may move...

Matt & Chris share a technique they use all the time, called the Pomodoro Technique. This technique is perfect for both knocking out urgent tasks or carving out time to dedicate to deeper, important work. 

The original approach is to dedicated 25 minutes to totally uninterrupted work followed by a 5 minute break. You can string together multiple blocks as you get better at this. Also, if you string together multiple blocks, you often need a longer break every so often.

25 minutes isn’t set in stone. You may need to do longer or even shorter blocks. The pri...

We all have things we think are important, we want to get done, but we continue to put off. This occurs because of the difference between urgent tasks and important tasks and the 4 different types of actions that occur (as an action can be urgent & important, neither urgent nor important, urgent but not important, or not urgent but important).

We tend to put off the important but not urgent things. If they’re never urgent, there’s never pressure to complete them. Ultimately, we need to put pressure on ourselves to complete them. 

This doesn’t mean...

As advocates of strength training, we encourage people to add strength training as a habit. Many of the most important things we need to do to live a more fulfilling, productive life, however, involve breaking bad habits. 

Bad habits don’t have to be bad in a moral sense. They ultimately don’t provide us value and bring us closer to our goals. They might waste time or money. They might prevent us from building positive habits. They might make us less healthy or happy.

Stopping these habits can be difficult. The win of not doing...

Scott & Matt share some of their productivity tips: what to do, what to not do, and what equipment or apps help them.

When it comes to equipment and apps, both of them find having one huge monitor, 2 monitors, or 3 monitors helps, as one monitor simply adds time to tasks on the computer.

Scott has also found value in having a scanner to digitize documents. He puts these on Evernote and finds this saves time, helps keep these organized, and saves space. 

Both Scott and Matt value a quality backpack and headphones, which can h...

We have a model for the proper performance of the lifts and we understand programming principles and how to drive progress over time, but we have to acknowledge that for lots of people lots of the time, they can’t train optimally. And, honestly, at some point everyone--every single person--will be unable to train optimally. In these cases, we have to do the best we can.

Life comes up and presents obstacles to consistent training: vacation, work, family, holidays, and injuries. Furthermore, some people can’t perform the lifts as we tend to coach them. We have to d...

Matt & Niki discuss their pre-workout routines, from when they train, how they plan for training on the road, food, water, clothes: everything about how to properly prepare for training--physically & mentally.

Rituals both help prepare us for training specifically (e.g. laying out our clothes the night before or making some overnight oats ensures our outfit or pre-workout nutrition are ready). Beyond this, however, doing something repeatedly before the same event primes our body & brain for the event. 

Training--and habits around training--also help provide a feeling of control during chaotic, challenging times in our lives. 

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...

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 Appear...

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...

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...

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 ide...

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 yo...

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 mi...

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

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

6:31 Tightening & Toning Your Body

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 stre...

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...

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 t...

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. 

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...

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...

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 o...

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 momen...

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 t...

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...

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 h...

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...

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 "ea...

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...

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...

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 g...

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...

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, inc...

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 physi...

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 fa...

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...

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 squ...

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 t...

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 disco...

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...

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 i...

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...

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:

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...

Matt, Scott, and Dr. Puder discuss low testosterone, testosterone replacement therapy, and building friendships.  

Check out Dr. David Puder’s podcast here:  https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/ 

Many men develop low levels of testosterone as they age.  They often feel reduced sexual desire and activity, decreased energy and motivation, and decreased confidence.  They often don’t feel themselves, and too often write off how they feel as just a normal aspect of aging.  

When men undergo testosterone replacement therapy, they often feel a returned vigor--a return to normality of when they were younger.  

They discuss...

Gillian and Sarah Shanahan, Barbell Logic’s Registered Dietician, join Niki to discuss how to build healthy relationships and mindsets around food, training, ourselves, and others to ultimately overcome negativity.  

Check out Dr. David Puder’s podcast here:  https://www.psychiatrypodcast.com/ 

Too often people succumb to black and white thinking and negative, spiraling thoughts--e.g. this food is bad and I’m bad for eating it.  We find ourselves overcome with negative thoughts and focused on past failures and mistakes.  

We’ve got to build structure and routines and habits to ensure we move toward...

Many people who come to barbell training have exercised before but haven't necessarily trained.  How do you make the switch from exercise to training.  Matt, Niki, and Andrew help you make the jump to training.  

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

Bringing it all together, how do we stay grounded with body image; gaining & losing weight; fueling training; staying excited for months, years, and decades of training.  Niki & Gillian share their thoughts.  

We need to develop and maintain realistic expectations and remain grateful for what we have and can do.  We need to define success for ourselves and not base it off others.  We have to ignore the noise and remember why we’re doing what we’re doing.  Sometimes, we need to really think about what motivates us and keeps us going..  

They discuss social media and fi...

The gym, powerlifting meets, locker rooms:  these all have specific sensory mosaics specific to themselves.  Niki & Gillian talk about all the many senses you experience in the different strength settings--the sights, scents, tastes, noises, and textures).  They then delve into how these can affect your performance and how we often get comfortable with our typical environment, so we should both control what we can (bring plates, sleeves, chalk, etc.) but also potentially prepare for other environments if we must (we’re preparing for a meet).  

Many things can change our settings and how we interact with them: sicknes...

Failure arrives unexpectedly on the longer road to greatness and self-improvement.  Any meaningful pursuit will come with low points and mistakes.  Niki & Gillian discuss approaching and dealing with failure, injuries, low points, and mistakes.  

We need to enjoy our pursuits--even if we don’t enjoy every minute of them.  If PRs are the only thing keeping us in the gym, we’ll reach a point when we’re not hitting PRs.  During these times, we need to enjoy what we’re doing, maintain the habit, and learn from the difficulties.  Also, be thankful that you can lift in the first pl...

How do we define success? How do we evaluate if we’ve succeeded, regardless of our level of experience or talent--novice or advanced, amateur or elite?  Niki and Gillian explore this important question and related topics.

Gillian discusses how she felt more pride when she lost certain events but less pride when she won but knew she left something on the table.  

She also explores learning what you’re good at and enjoy and balancing your pursuits with the other important things in your lifes, such as your relationships, which can often suffer in the pursuit...

Matt interviews Jordan Gross, a BLOC client and veteran All-American NFL Lineman.  They discuss Jordan's experience with football, transitioning out of the NFL, training for strength and health, farming, and the benefits of voluntary hardship.  

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 takes a look back at 2020 and gives a sneak peek into new happenings with Barbell Logic for the new year in this short but sweet Christmas special. Things to look forward to from Barbell Logic include more lifting camps and seminars in the New Year, new books, and a brand new Barbell Academy Principles Course. 

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from our family at Barbell Logic to yours. 

GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE!

Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition co...

Thanks to the crew at the Music and Ideas Podcast for helping us continue a Holiday tradition. Scott Hambrick is back with co-hosts Karl Schudt and Trent Jones for another holiday jazz music special. This year the guys discuss the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi.

Sharing their musical insights and a healthy dose of nostalgia for the holidays, the hosts will make you appreciate the classic Christmas special in new ways, starting with the thematic, melancholy centerpiece “Christmastime is Here.”

Check out the Music and Ideas podcast for more...

Matt, Niki, and Andrew answer your burning holiday questions submitted through Instagram.  

This podcast address both fun and helpful topics related to Christmas and winter, to include favorite holiday traditions, lifting outside, adding protein or alcohol to egg nog, best stocking stuffers for lifters, and more.  

Enjoy the holiday spirit with Barbell Logic!

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 offer...

The holiday season is coming up, and for many of us this is a time where we gain weight:  whether we justify an unexpectedly large bulk or simply seem unable to avoid our weight inching up despite our best intentions.  Learn some practical methods to achieving your goals and preventing or limiting holiday weight gain (or even enabling holiday weight loss).  

The holidays present unique challenges:  huge meals, home-baked desserts, calorically-dense food items, peer & family pressure, fond memories.  We can enjoy the holidays while still moving toward our goals.  

First, leave room in your food & training...

You understand the basics and understand the importance of preparation:  how does this look in real life?  How does a potential meal, day, or week look?  Gillian & Niki delve into how to approach nutrition plans practically.  

Looking at the week and the day helps.  When you look at a week, think about when you go grocery shopping, which meals will be eaten outside the house, how much food you need and how many meals you need to prepare.  What staples do you always keep in the house, regardless of meals?  What meals or snacks do you have on hand...

Reaching our goals through nutrition comes with common pitfalls.  Help us arm you with tips to overcome these common obstacles.  

First and foremost, as with training, we apply a minimum effective dose framework, whether you want to primarily gain muscle or lose body fat.  This means, we don’t cut calories to 1200 or double your calories.  We first observe so we can understand your habits, metabolism, and intake.  We then can recommend small, realistic changes to begin progressing you toward your goals.  This cannot and should not be rushed.  We don’t want to play all of our cards an...

Nutrition is a complicated topic, which comes with more emotional baggage and controversy than training.  We have to eat, whereas we don’t have to train or exercise.  Difficulties abound, including trigger foods, grocery shopping, mindless eating, misunderstanding and underestimating calories, certain times of the year, alcohol, family, food preferences, dietary restrictions, and much, much more.

Gillian does not have “a way” or “a diet” when it comes to nutrition coaching.  The person or client must adopt consistent, sustainable behaviors.  Dieting too often implies a limited time period, but what happens after that?  

Ultimately, you have to create a...

We are excited to introduce the Barbell Academy.  It reflects years of refining our material and coaching methodology.  It's designed for not only those who seek a career as a professional barbell coach but for those passionate to learn more and grow as a lifter and person.    

The Barbell Academy will be self-paced, allowing for you to complete the course and future courses whenever you can--just like online coaching.  

Finally, learn about the experiences and educations of the people behind the Barbell Academy, how they came to lifting and coaching and what they've learned from teachi...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a bonus episode for you all on Black Friday:  a Thanksgiving message from Matt Reynolds and an update from Mike at MicroGainz.

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/

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Programming is, in large part, managing stress.  Life stress and your stress from all other aspects of your life besides the barbell counts to your total stress.  You can only recover from so much stress.  If you’re beyond LP, you may have to reduce training stress.  Training in the gym may have to be fun, as it’s important to maintain the habit and get something done.  You likely won’t be able to chase numbers during these times.  

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No contract with us, just commitment to yourself...

In order to adapt, we have to recover.  If we’re missing reps, our form is good, and we train consistently, we have to check to see if we’re resting enough between sets.  We have to ensure we’re getting adequate protein, calories, and sleep.  We must ensure there’s no additional physical stress.  We have a few ways to manage recovery, if we’ve taken care of the above.

The 4-day split is one of the best moves we can make in our MED toolbox.  If delivers a reduced stress per session, but also allows for accessory w...

We add stress during LP by adding intensity to a set volume.  Exercise selection, for the most part, stays the same.  After LP, however, how do we add stress?  We have volume, intensity, and exercise selection to play with.

We essentially divide the volume and intensity stressors.  One session emphasizes volume, often 4x5 or 5x5.  The other emphasizes intensity, a top set of 5 or 2x3 or 3x2 or 5x1 or a top triple, double, or single with back off sets.  

We hold off on changing exercise selection until later, although supplemental lifts can be thought of as m...

Block or conjugate programming is an advanced program that MED programming leads to naturally if a trainee lifts consistently over a long enough period of time.  It is essentially a 3 phase or block program, divided by deloads, where the primary stress is initially volume, then both, then intensity.  

During the initial accumulation block, the lifter complete completes a high amount of volume at a relatively low intensity.  Supplemental lifts tend to emphasize greater time under tension or longer range of motion.  This is followed by a deload week, with an only limited decrease in intensity or no decre...

Few lifters reach advanced programming, because it requires consistency over a long period of time.  Life too often interferes, whether it be injury, illness, vacation, or significant stressors.  

The road to advanced programming requires putting the work in as a novice and intermediate, adding weight first every 48-72 hours and slowly the SRA cycle lengthens and complexity goes up.  This is accomplished through MED changes to continue to progress strength adaptations.  

Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE!
No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.b...

RPE--rate of perceived exertion--is a subjective way to assess the difficulty of a set.  The set is rated with a number that roughly aligns with the number of reps in reserve--the number of reps the lifter believes he could complete if he went to failure.  

RPE is great as a descriptive tool and can be used to cap or increase the intensity of a set based on how the lifter is performing on a particular day.  It first should be used descriptively, as lifters learn to appreciate the true difficulty of a set--especially with the help of a co...

Accessory lifts are lifts that are not variants of the main lifts but train similar or different muscle groups.  They may train antagonists of the muscle groups used in the main lifts.  We primarily use accessory lifts for the upper body.

Common accessory lifts include chins up or pull ups, dips, lying tricep extensions, curls, and glute ham raises.  

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We have two primary variables to manipulate to keep driving up stress and progress:  intensity and volume.  Frequency and exercise selection are secondary, as frequency is ultimately a function of volume.  Supplemental exercises are also a function of volume and intensity, as they either decrease or increase time under tension or the range of motion.  

We have to build fatigue to increase performance, and we’re most concerned with strength.  At times--especially as an advanced lifter--we have to build up fatigue and temporarily decrease performance to deliver enough stress and then continue to train, allow fatigue to dissipat...

Another model for performance allows us to better understand how we progress strength, especially when we move beyond the novice linear progression.

The fitness fatigue model divides the positive and negative reactions into fitness and fatigue respectively.  The sum of these two is performance.  After a stress event, fatigue peaks before fitness, allowing the adaptation that we understand from the SRA cycle.  

For advanced training, however, as opposed to trying to figure out what the stress event is as we elongate the entire cycle, it helps to think of overreaching as building up fatigue and then...

Why does LP end?  Is the lifter not recovering from the stress (too much fatigue) or is the lifter not delivering enough stress to disrupt homeostasis and recover?  It turns out, it’s a little bit of both (though it differs for the different lifts) so we adjust training accordingly to continue progress.  

During LP, the stress recovery adaptation cycle is clean--the workout is the stress, the lifter recovers in 48-72 hours, and the lifter adapts and is ready to lift more the next time.  To continue to progress, the lifter will have to deliver more stress (e.g. 4x...

What do you do when LP stops working and why would you make those changes?  In this episode, Matt delivers a lecture to college students about the reason underpinning his programming methodology.

Programming theory comes from the stress, recovery, adaptation cycle, in which a lifter disrupts homeostasis with a stress, recovers, and then adapts to be able to prepare for a greater amount of that stress.  Programming also relies on specificity--training for a marathon does not help you train for a powerlifting meet.  

When it comes to stress and recovery, total stress matters.  This means stres...

We prioritize intensity over volume, simplicity over complexity, and economy--in time and stress.  Let’s stick with simple as long as it works.  If you stick with training long enough, it will get complex, and volume will get high, and programs will take 8 or 12 or 16 weeks.  Enjoy the rapid, simple progress of novice and early post-novice training while it lasts.  

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Matt and Scott first discuss the idea of minimum effective dose programming, explaining why and how they modify programming to continue to drive strength adaptations for their clients.  

What are the main cards we have to play to continue progress after LP?  They are intensity, volume, frequency, and exercise selection.  We drive intensity for intermediate lifters.  They have primarily done 5s, so the weight goes up and they move form 5 to 3 to 2 to 1.  They both realize their previously-developed strength and develop the ability to produce maximal force--physically and mentally.  

Moving to increase volume is less fun, req...

Lifters typically complete LP on a 3-day-a-week total body program.  At some point, it makes sense for most lifters to move to a 4-day-a-week program, with one day emphasizing the primarily lower body lifts (squat and deadlift) and the other day emphasizing the primarily upper body lifts (bench and press).  

The 4-day split increases the frequency of the upper body lifts from an average of 1.5 times weekly to twice weekly.  It decreases the frequency of the lower body lifts from 3 times weekly to twice weekly, removing the light Wednesday slot.  The 4-day split also decreases the length of ea...

Old Man Texas Method serves as a post-novice program.  It differs from the typical Texas Method in that the volume is decreased, usually to 3 or 5 sets of 5 as opposed to the stereotypical 5 sets of 5.  

Matt and Scott also discuss driving up the volume stress and intensity stress and how those two stresses differ.  Finally, they discuss not advancing too quickly--use one tool at a time, enjoy the fast progress, and don’t jump to an unnecessarily advanced program.  It is better to use one tool at a time to continue progressing.  

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Matt and Scott talk with Andy Baker about a variety of topics including HLM, why LP ends, the relationship between volume and intensity, and more.  Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation.  

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Wendler 5/3/1 is one of the most popular strength programs around, with dozens if not hundreds of variants.  In this episode, Scott and Matt discuss Matt’s variation on it, which increases the volume and uses supplemental lifts.  

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A common question lifters ask is, “Do I need a deload.”  The answer is usually, “No,” but when and why should you deload, and what is a deload?

A deload is a programmed decrease in stress--usually lasting a week--that allows fatigue to dissipate without detraining.  Potential indicators that a deload is warranted include a decrease in libido, bar speed, or desire to train.

Without a coach, people often deload too frequently and too much (decreasing the stress during the deload to the point where the lifter detrains).  For the most part, lifters don’t need to deload unt...

Matt and Scott talk all things supplemental lifts:  how do they differ from accessory lifts, what are their favorites for the big 4 lifts, when to use them, and different types.

Supplemental lifts are variations on the big 4 lifts.  They generally increase the intensity by decreasing the range of motion or increase the time under tension and decrease the intensity.  They are more specific to the big 4 lifts than accessory lifts.  

Supplemental lifts should generally only be used by post-novices, as novices still need to improve form and need to gain the easy progress from simply addin...

For many people, the biggest change during LP is not physical but mental.  Overcoming truly heavy weights improves mental toughness and builds confidence.  Once the initial novelty wears off and the weights grow heavy and move slowly, people often quit on doable lifts.  To complete PRs, to learn what you are capable of, and to undergo the refining process of voluntary hardship, you need to embrace the grind.  For hard reps, this means grinding against them for no less than 5 seconds.

By saying this, we don’t mean that everyone should grind every set or even most sets. ...

Some say that linear progression (LP) only works for lifters who have never trained before.  Others think that they’ll only do LP once, but this isn’t the case.  

Intermediate and advanced clients who have never completed LP find that an abbreviated LP leads to PRs, as the simplicity and intensity of adding weight each session drives rapid progress.  

Following an injury, a break from training, or peaking for a meet, clients often train using linear progression once again.  They almost always end with heavier weights than their first LP.  

Linear progression is the faste...

To increase our strength, we follow the stress recovery adaptation cycle.  If you complete your programmed training, you receive stress.  As LP gets harder, how do you maximize recovery?  

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Why study biomechanics?  Biomechanics allows us to understand what constrains our lifting (gravity, center of mass, center of balance, limb lengths) and helps offer solutions.  It explains why lifters with different anthropometries will have different back angles for the same lift and why a lifter might be better at the squat than the deadlift.  It helps explain why certain errors might occur and how we might solve these errors.  It explains why we might recommend lifting a certain way.  Finally, it's fun and interesting.  

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Matt and Dr. David Puder discuss how barbell training can improve mental health and assist those combating depression and other psychological struggles.

Rebroadcast from Dr. Puder's podcast Psychiatry and Psychotherapy.

Guest hosts:  Jonathan Sullivan and Noah Hayden with Jaime Collins

You’re an athlete.  You’re not a victim.  You’re not a patient.  You’re training.  You’re changing your habits, you’re owning your health and fitness, you’re putting in work and getting better.  You know why you’re training.  You’re an athlete, and you have an athlete’s mindset and approach.  

Beyond the athletic mindset, there is a confidence that comes from lifting rituals:  number of breaths, which leg you step forward with, unracking and racking the bar.  Take decision-making and your brain out of it--beyon...

Guest hosts:  Jonathan Sullivan and Noah Hayden with Ann Buszard

Dr. Sullivan, Noah, and Ann discuss the most-undervalued step of the stress-recovery-adapation process:  recovery.  The further examine sleep, the often underexamined contributor to recovery.  They discuss recommended sleep hygiene habits to get asleep quickly, stay asleep, and get quality sleep.  They also examine nutrition, with a focus on practicality and common sense.  

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Guest hosts:  Jonathan Sullivan and Noah Hayden with Debbie Wrotslavsky

Dr. Sullivan, Noah, and Debbie discuss how she came to Greysteel and how it differed from her previous fitness experiences.  Her friends noticed her improved posture and she felt better throughout the day.  

They discuss, first and foremost, how training females and males is mostly the same.  Certain patterns and choices seem to work better--on average--for females over males.  Females tend to respond better to triples than fives, whereas fives seem to work better for males, especially on lower body lifts.  Despite fears from some that li...

Guest hosts:  Jonathan Sullivan and Noah Hayden with Laura Welcher

Dr. Sullivan, Noah, and Laura discuss both the underlying programming principles and then some of the specifics of programming for masters athletes.  Laura discusses her programming and experience with coaching at Greysteel and through Barbell Logic.  They discuss some of the specific rep ranges and programming methods that have worked well recently, especially for intermediate and advanced athletes. 

One of the most important considerations with athletes is not overstressing them--the Minimum part of MED is truly critical, as they cannot afford an injury or setback like...

Guest hosts:  Jonathan Sullivan and Noah Hayden with John Claassen

An expectation exists in many people that as we age we lose capabilities.  This message gets promulgated by much of the medical community.  “You have a bad knee” or “you have a bad back” and you can have surgery or take medication to manage it, but that is all you can do.  John Claassen--a 93-year old athlete of aging--is an example of why this paradigm is wrong.  He shows the possibilities of life and vitality and how one can fight the sick aging phenotype.  

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Guest Hosts:  Jonathan Sullivan and Noah Hayden

Dr. Sullivan and Noah discuss the importance and uniqueness of strength compared to other physical attributes.  They address how older clients know the importance of strength and understand it allows them to function in everyday life and combat the sick aging phenotype.  

They discuss the exercise selection criteria and the exercise medicine criteria.  We choose exercises that train the most muscle mass over the longest effective range of motion with the most weight.  The medicine prescription criteria include:

Guest hosts:  Jonathan Sullivan and Noah Hayden with Ann Buszard

Dr. Sullivan and Nurse Ann Buszard discuss their medical careers, observations of the “sick aging phenotype,” and the failures of the medical industry to confront the underlying causes of this cluster of sicknesses and symptoms.  They discuss how strength training directly addresses the causes of the sick aging phenotype.  They talk about their first-hand knowledge as first lifters then coaches of how this benefits people physically and mentally and how community helps make the experience more enjoyable and help people stick with training. 

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How do we program the Olympic lifts if we want to add Olympic lifting or potentially compete in an Weightlifting meet?  Andrew, Matt, and Niki discuss how to add Olympic lifting to a more traditional program with a focus on the Big 4 lifts.  

Andrew recommends adding the power variants first--usually the power clean.  The cleans can replace the volume deadlift slot and move to the first exercise of that day--before the intensity squat.  For the deadlift intensity slot, pull some of the volume from the volume slot into back off sets.  

As a lifter progresses and s...

Matt and Scott talk to Professor Paul at two different points in his cancer struggle —while he was receiving cancer and following his successful defeat of cancer. They discuss not only how strength training helped him during his fight against cancer but how building a base of strength and muscle mass helps in the case of a future diagnosis. Life throws curveballs, and unexpected obstacles arise. You cannot control this. You can control your training, however, and your diet and mental attitude toward these obstacles. 

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Everyone faces difficulties in life and must confront how and if to overcome them. Some —for whatever reason—have to overcome larger difficulties. 

Learn the story of Miles “Smiles” Taylor, the man whose inspiring story has garnered the attention of Arnold Schwarzenegger and others. Hear about his hard work, perseverance, and determination to not accept false limitations.

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Scott, Matt, and David discuss practical legal experiences —good and bad —and how people and business owners should approach legal matters and protect themselves. Whether you’re considering a small business, are an inspiring strength coach, or simply want to better understand the law through some entertaining yet educational stories, this is the podcast for you.

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What creates elite performance? Learn about the story of Gillian Ward—a truly world class athlete. From an early age, she demonstrated a proclivity for physical activity. Through drive and dedication, she crushed local records and eventually moved onto world records in many different sports. 

Discover the humanity, tenacity, and experiences behind the athlete and person, Gillian Ward. Whether you’re a novice, a weekend warrior, or simply lifting for life, everyone can learn from her mental approach, preparation, and dedication. 

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Our relationships and experiences help make us who we are. How do we learn the values we exhibit? How does one’s upbringing affect the rest of one’s life? What leads to success and contentment? Scott, Matt, and Frog discuss stories and experiences that touch on these timeless questions.

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Matt, Scott, and Grandpa Reynolds reminisce about memories and growing up. They discuss the values they learned and lived from their upbringings. 

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Matt and Scott talk with John Wilson about fighting against and training through cancer and cancer treatments. John’s diagnosis of stage 4 cancer shocked him, but he regrouped and decided to tackle cancer head on. He continued to train and has inspired people in the strength community through his example. 

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Sybil, Scott, and Matt discuss Sybil beginning strength training at the age of 79 and continuing to train into her 80s. She describes how gaining strength has improved her quality of life by enabling her to accomplish everyday tasks. Beyond the topics discussed, you get some appreciation for Sybil’s vivacity and tenacity.

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Matt and Brett discuss the process behind programming and exercise selection, starting with the excitement and motivation that novice linear progression training brings, as a lifter sets a PR every workout. They move through the progression of MED changes taking a lifter from LP to intermediate training and beyond. They cover how different supplemental and accessory changes change the main lifts. 

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Brett reflects on his strength journey, including success and stumbles at meets and how the process has changed him. Brett discusses why and how he began the Art of Manliness, which transforms into a discussion on authenticity and meaning. The episode ends with Brett answering questions from an audience.

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Scott, Matt, and Brett discuss Brett’s initial foray into strength and some of the progress he made, including weight gain and weight loss. They cover the physical and mental benefits of strength training and voluntary hardship. They also discuss how welcoming and supportive the strength community is despite how things may appear on the covers of fitness magazines or social media posts.

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The press often challenges lifters and coaches as the lifter advances.  

The press uses less muscle mass and less weight than the other lifts and is less forgiving of bar path deviations.  Because of this, the press doesn't stress the body as much as the deadlift, squat, or even the bench press.  Heavy singles and missed reps don't wreck lifters like a heavy deadlift single or a missed squat.  The press benefits from practice, with lots of triples, doubles, and singles.  Heavy singles especially help the lifter practice for PR attempts and competitions.  

Niki and Matt d...

MED offers a useful framework to modify lifters' programming, taking a lifter from the novice linear progression to and through advanced, longer, more complicated programs.  Small changes not only increase stress, lengthen the stress recovery-adaptation-cycle, and bring continued PRs but allow the coach and lifter to tweak a program that has brought success, experiment with which small changes tend to enable more progress, and tailor effective templates to the lifter.

Despite MED's utility, small changes may stop being effective because of lifters' changed goals or boredom.  

If lifters' goals change, coaches can modify programming to be...

Barbell training is a safe, effective way to get stronger and improve one’s health.  That being said, some basic precautions can increase safety and prevent needless injuries--and even fatalities.  Proper spotting and correct placement of safety pins or spotter arms in a power rack or on a squat rack make the squat and bench press safer.  Different lifts, however, require different safety considerations.

For the squat, if possible, squat in a power rack.  Put the safety pins just beneath where the bar is at the bottom of the squat.  This allows the lifter to lower the bar dow...

You have diligently executed the first four steps of the deadlift set up.  You are tight--and uncomfortable--and ready to get the bar off the ground.  What now?

For many, no cue works better to get the deadlift moving correctly off the ground than some variant of “push the floor away.”  In a correctly performed deadlift, the bar moves up off the ground in a straight line with the knees first extending and then the hips extending.  At the top, the knees and hips simultaneously finish their extensions.  

Common errors to initiate the first part of the deadli...

The deadlift tests raw strength possibly better than any other lift.  It differs from the other main lifts because it starts in the bottom position, without the benefit of a stretch reflex provided by an eccentric--lowering--portion prior to the concentric--up--portion.  Luckily, we have a simple 5-step process to help you get in the correct position each time.

5 Step Set Up

Explore the finer details of each step so you can deadlift co...

Though the bench press’s importance may be overvalued, it cannot be denied that this lift is unparalleled in building upper body strength.  Because of the stability provided by the bench, no other lift contributes to force production for the upper body like the bench press.  The bench press and press provide the foundation for lifters’ long term strength progression.  

Because this lift is performed so often in gyms and garages throughout the world, many should pay greater attention to proper form and safety.  Learn more about the over-performed but under examined bench press.  

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Heavy presses--more than any other of the big four lifts--do not forgive form errors.  Certain cues help novices begin pressing competently and, if you are a coach, must be cued early and often to your lifters.  

The combined cues “close grip, elbows forward, wrists straight” help the lifter get into the correct bottom position, which contributes to a mechanically efficient bar path.  For the press, this means a bar path that stays close to the lifter’s face and moves in a straight line from the bottom to the top position.

Learn the most important cues that...

Though its prominence has increased due largely to the increased popularity of CrossFit and StrongMan, the press remains an undervalued and underperformed lift.  

If you haven’t included presses in your program--or if you want to improve your press--learn about the importance of the press to a well-rounded strength program and how to correctly perform the press.

How much do you press?  

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A more horizontal back angle characterizes the low bar squat compared to other squat variants.  The back angle throughout the squat provides important information about whether the squat is being performed correctly or not.

During the descent, the back angle should set somewhere before halfway down the squat.  Once the back angle sets, the back angle should stay nearly constant during the rest of the descent and coming up out of the bottom.  

Two common errors occur on the ascent of the squat.  Both involve an excessive change in back angle out of the bottom--the back...

Certain form issues pop up regularly with lifters.  Common cues arise to address these issues.  “Knees out” remains a staple cue for coaches looking to fix errors in the squat, including knee cave and knee slide.

As a lifter descends in a correctly performed squat, the muscles lengthen under load, and the lifter should feel an increased tightness as she approaches the bottom.  This provides a stretch reflex that assists the successful completion of the lift.  Knees caving in and knees sliding forward alleviate the tightness in the bottom, increasing the comfort in the bottom but decreasing the mech...

The squat builds strength, adds muscle, and increases mental toughness.  The squat begins each training session at the beginning of a lifter’s linear progression and often requires the most work from the coach and lifter to correct form issues.  The squat deserves its nickname, “the king of the lifts.”

Learn how to squat, which cues help lifters get in the correct position, and why we advocate for a low bar squat.  Whether you’re a lifter or coach, this episode will help you begin squatting or get your client squatting correctly.

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Figures in the fitness industry debate issues such as using RPE, including power cleans in linear progression, programming for older people, and prioritizing intensity or volume.  Some argue whether a certain program provides better results than another program.  While coaches may enjoy debating the finer points of programming, form and consistency--more than programming--determine how fast you progress toward your goals.  

Improved, consistent form allows lifters to lift weights more efficiently.  Consistent form also allows lifters to focus on driving the bar up.  Novice lifters learning the lifts spend much mental energy working to improve their form.

Much...

Coach Matt and Coach Niki outline three different deadlift programming "tracks" for lifters, based on their sex, age, size, level of training advancement, and long-term goals as a lifter. Over time, Matt and Niki have observed that, depending on these factors, most lifters will thrive in one of three tracks, or programming models.

Track 1 tends to work best fo...

Recently Matt and Niki have been dealing with a prominent issue among their late intermediate and advanced lifters (some of them very strong too!). These lifters will descend beautifully into the hole on a squat, then while driving up allow their knees to shoot back, causing their hip angle to close and their backs to become more horizontal as more of their body mass travels behind the midline. This is a phenomenon they have experienced primarily with more experienced lifters, who perhaps have internalized the chest down/lean over/hips back/hip drive cues TOO well.

Coach Matt and Niki explore a common issue with the bench press -- losing tightness at the bottom of the eccentric portion of the lift. This error presents in a number of ways, such as the elbows flaring out or "chicken winging" on the way up, the chest and/or sternum sinking during the eccentric portion, or the bar visibly bouncing or rebounding off the chest.

Matt and Niki first attempt to fix this problem by having the lifter slow down the eccentric or lowering part of the movement, bringing attention to where exactly the l...

In separate interviews, Matt and Scott sat down with Blake and Katie, the founders of Dominion Strength, and Mike Reed, the founder of Microgainz, both successful small businesses that filled a niche in the strength community with innovative, high quality products and excellent customer service. In two interviews, Blake, Katie, and Mike talk about how they came up with the idea for their businesses and how they have grown them from humble beginnings into flourishing businesses.

Discounts on Dominion and Microgainz!

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In this episode, Matt and Scott present their favorite whiskeys (or whatever happens to be in front of them at the time of recording) from the first episodes of Barbell Logic.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Logic Online Coaching, training equipment from the show sponsors, and more!

Want to try online coaching for FREE? Email experience@barbell-logic.com for a free trial of Barbell Logic Online Coaching. You'll get feedback on your technique and programming from a Barbell Logic coac...

In the first official season of Barbell Logic, we are revisiting the earliest episodes of the show in which Matt and Scott first put the "logic" into barbells. In the Best of the Beginnings season, we will discuss why you should train for strength above all other physical attributes, how you build strength via stress, recovery, and adaptation, the equipment you'll need to start, and some strategies for getting the most progress out of your barbell training program.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Lo...

In the first official season of Barbell Logic, we are revisiting the earliest episodes of the show in which Matt and Scott first put the "logic" into barbells. In the Best of the Beginnings season, we will discuss why you should train for strength above all other physical attributes, how you build strength via stress, recovery, and adaptation, the equipment you'll need to start, and some strategies for getting the most progress out of your barbell training program.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Lo...

In the first official season of Barbell Logic, we are revisiting the earliest episodes of the show in which Matt and Scott first put the "logic" into barbells. In the Best of the Beginnings season, we will discuss why you should train for strength above all other physical attributes, how you build strength via stress, recovery, and adaptation, the equipment you'll need to start, and some strategies for getting the most progress out of your barbell training program.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Lo...

In the first official season of Barbell Logic, we are revisiting the earliest episodes of the show in which Matt and Scott first put the "logic" into barbells. In the Best of the Beginnings season, we will discuss why you should train for strength above all other physical attributes, how you build strength via stress, recovery, and adaptation, the equipment you'll need to start, and some strategies for getting the most progress out of your barbell training program.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Lo...

In the first official season of Barbell Logic, we are revisiting the earliest episodes of the show in which Matt and Scott first put the "logic" into barbells. In the Best of the Beginnings season, we will discuss why you should train for strength above all other physical attributes, how you build strength via stress, recovery, and adaptation, the equipment you'll need to start, and some strategies for getting the most progress out of your barbell training program.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Lo...

In the first official season of Barbell Logic, we are revisiting the earliest episodes of the show in which Matt and Scott first put the "logic" into barbells. In the Best of the Beginnings season, we will discuss why you should train for strength above all other physical attributes, how you build strength via stress, recovery, and adaptation, the equipment you'll need to start, and some strategies for getting the most progress out of your barbell training program.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Lo...

In the first official season of Barbell Logic, we are revisiting the earliest episodes of the show in which Matt and Scott first put the "logic" into barbells. In the Best of the Beginnings season, we will discuss why you should train for strength above all other physical attributes, how you build strength via stress, recovery, and adaptation, the equipment you'll need to start, and some strategies for getting the most progress out of your barbell training program.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Lo...

In the first official season of Barbell Logic, we are revisiting the earliest episodes of the show in which Matt and Scott first put the "logic" into barbells. In the Best of the Beginnings season, we will discuss why you should train for strength above all other physical attributes, how you build strength via stress, recovery, and adaptation, the equipment you'll need to start, and some strategies for getting the most progress out of your barbell training program.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Lo...

In the first official season of Barbell Logic, we are revisiting the earliest episodes of the show in which Matt and Scott first put the "logic" into barbells. In the Best of the Beginnings season, we will discuss why you should train for strength above all other physical attributes, how you build strength via stress, recovery, and adaptation, the equipment you'll need to start, and some strategies for getting the most progress out of your barbell training program.

Visit https://barbell-logic.com/offers/ to find the latest deals on strength and nutrition coaching at Barbell Lo...

As we frequently preach at Barbell Logic, consistency is the key to getting stronger, leaner, and healthier. And that means that, in the course of your training life, a lot of workouts will be a blue collar, punch-the-clock affair, and that can be a drag sometimes. What do you do to rediscover the training spark? Andrew and Niki share their experiences over years of lifting, and how they stay motivated to train so consistently.

Want to try online coaching for FREE? Email experience@barbell-logic.com for a free trial of Barbell Logic Online Coaching. You'll get...

Matt and Niki discuss the fun stuff today, the "bonus" equipment that you can start to think about getting after you have the basics like a rack, plates, barbell, and platform. Most of this equipment will be appropriate for the intermediate and advanced lifter, where supplemental lifts and accessory work play a significant role in the training program.

Matt and Niki's equipment picks can be broadly broken into personal attire (like straps and sleeves) and gym equipment (speciality barbells, attachments, etc).

Personal Attire

Ben Franklin knew what he was talking about. Waking up early, pouring a cup of coffee, and getting to work while your brain is fresh and the world is quiet is a simple joy that Matt and Chris share, and you should too.

Want to try online coaching for FREE? Email experience@barbell-logic.com for a free trial of Barbell Logic Online Coaching. You'll get feedback on your technique and programming from a Barbell Logic coach, and see what the fuss is all about!

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BLOC Coaches Matt Reynolds and Niki Sims discuss how they've been cueing their clients over the last couple years, in particular how their cues tend to change during the course of a set.

Many lifters performing a heavy set of five will struggle with technique on the fourth and fifth reps, due to weakness in certain parts of the movement, physical and mental fatigue, or both. The fourth and fifth reps are often the most mentally taxing, meaning lifters have very limited ability to process cues at the very moment they need cues the most!

Now, more than ever, the ability to deescalate tense situations and bring reconciliation and understanding to hostile parties is a valuable skill. Some people are natural peacemakers, having learned from a young age how to maneuver volatile interactions between family members, while others of a more disagreeable nature struggle in conflict. Matt and Chris discuss how they have each occupied these differing roles during childhood, and how they have learned to deescalate interactions as adults.

Want to try online coaching for FREE? Email experience@barbell-logic.com for a free trial of Barbell Logic Online Coaching. Yo...

When it's time to get jacked, and feel "da pump," there are a handful of exercises that Matt and Niki continually go back to for their simplicity and effectiveness. Throughout their years of coaching, they have also started to break with the traditional bodybuilding approach of high reps = hypertrophy, preferring instead to accumulate volume and time under tension via increased frequency (performing accessory lifts more often throughout the training week) and lower rep sets.

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Matt and Chris discuss the value of hard work, specifically hard physical labor. For the technology-addled knowledge worker of the 21st century, there is something particularly rewarding about taxing physical labor, beyond the result of the labor. As Matt says, there is value in the work itself.

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BLOC coach and Physical Therapist Bekah Krieg returns to the podcast to discuss the Barbell Logic Anatomy Masterclass and how she has developed the curriculum for aspiring coaches and busy professionals alike.

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In honor of Father's Day, Matt and Chris reminisce about childhood memories with their Dad and the important lessons he taught them along the way.

To all the dads in the Barbell Logic family, Happy Father's Day! 

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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BLOC coach and pit master (he claims he's more of a staff sergeant than pit master) Cameron Cox joins the show to talk about one of his favorite subjects, cookouts. Cameron is a native South Carolianian and avid cook, having spent several years cooking professionally before becoming a barbell coach. Cameron shares a few of his favorite recipes, his grilling and smoking weapons of choice, and educates on the distinct regional flavors of Carolina barbecue.

Cameron also makes his own delicious barbecue sauce called, simply, Cox Sauce.

You can find Cameron at...

Matt and Chris have talked at length about good habits and how to acquire them, but what about bad habits? Today they discuss some bad habits they have struggled with over the years, and how they have successfully broken them.

Books mentioned in the show:

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055PGUYU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Atomic Habits by James Clear

https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-James-Clear-audiobook/dp/B07RFSSYBH/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=atomic+habits&qid=1592096296&sr=8-2<...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Matt, Andrew, and Niki continue their roundtable discussions in Matt's library and whiskey sanctuary (or is it a whiskey sanctuary with a library?), today addressing the concept of percentage-based programs.

The majority of templates and books about programming, if not all, describe programs in terms of percentages -- percentages of a 1RM, a 5RM, or perhaps a previous working load. From an author's standpoint, you almost have to write about programming in this manner. You can't use real weight on the bar, because the application of a program for a 600lbs squatter will look much d...

Niki, Andrew, and Matt return to the podcast roundtable to talk about their shared passion, coaching, and the important lessons they've learned about setting boundaries, both to preserve their sanity and to keep the fire lit for their passion and profession.

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One rule? Nah, more like "one-rules." Andrew and Niki return to the podcast to chat about something more lighthearted -- their secret tricks to picking shoes, ordering better drinks at the bar, finding the best pizza, and much more.

What one-rules do YOU have? It could be about anything. Email us at questions@barbell-logic.com!

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Matt's on holiday celebrating his 20th anniversary, so Barbell Logic staff coaches Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson met via Zoom to talk about the role coaching has played in their development as both lifters and coaches.

Both Andew and Niki have lifted for years now, and are advanced lifters, yet they still see value in regular coaching. While they may not need daily form reviews for each of their lifts, they appreciate the accountability that regular check-ins with a coach offers, as well as the unbiased third-party perspective on their programming. When attempting to program f...

Chris discusses how we might begin to acquire wisdom by asking questions of ourselves and of the world around us, reading books to acquire more understanding, and regularly applying what we learn to the problems we confront. As great thinkers like Charlie Munger and others have observed, the accumulation of wisdom comes slowly and patently, by refusing to accept the first conclusion you draw, and refusing to allow others thoughts to intercept and cloud your own.

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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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.

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 m...

Matt and Chris discuss the reasons for living a life driven by a set of values which you can clearly identify and define. They discuss their own value systems, how they developed them, and how their life has been shaped by them.

As always, Matt urges listeners to write down a list of their own life values, and identify the things that bring your value and the things that rob you of value.

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Matt invites former STRONG Gym coach and now owner of GP Athletics in Springfield, MO, Spencer Graham, to the podcast to discuss how lifters can get started training in the sport of strongman.

Strongman is probably the most entertaining sport in the world of strength and power. Athletes regularly perform feats of strength with brutally heavy objects, some spectacular (like pulling a fire engine, or a plane) and others mundane (like throwing barrels or flipping tires). Yet it's the juxtaposition of amazing feats of strength with commonplace objects that gives strongman it's fun, wild, and u...

Matt and Chris discuss the value of making mistakes, owning up to them, and learning from them. Many people grow up afraid of making mistakes, and reluctant to own up to them when they do make them. Chris argues that this stunts our growth and creativity as humans, because mistakes are essential to the process of discovering new things.

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Matt talks with Sam Pogue, VP of Brand at TrueCoach, about his journey building Barbell Logic into an online coaching powerhouse, and how he utilized the TrueCoach software platform to make it happen.

This interview originally aired on TrueCoach TV -- link below:

https://truecoach.co/thinking-remotely/5-steps-the-founder-of-barbell-logic-took-to-create-a-thriving-online-business/

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After taking the "Understand Myself" personality test based on the Big Five aspects, Matt and Chris take the Myers-Briggs and Enneagram to get a more comprehensive look at their personality types.

As Matt says, the results of the personality test shouldn't be too much of a surprise, but if they are, perhaps that points to some areas you can work on in your relationships and daily interactions. Chris points out that, having taken many personality tests as part of his business with private equity groups, the results of the test can tell you what roles y...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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BLOC coach CJ Gotcher returns to the podcast to share how the Barbell Logic Coaching Academy has evolved and improved since he has taken over management of the curriculum.

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Following up from Episode #302, the tenth episode in the Principles series, Matt and Chris discuss the results of their personality test from "Understand Myself," an online test based on the Big Five Aspects of personality and developed by Dr. Colin DeYoung, Dr. Lena Quilty, and Dr. Jordan B Peterson in Dr. Peterson's lab.

Understand Myself Personality Test

https://www.understandmyself.com

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Matt and Scott discuss several ways to modify linear progression for senior trainees. Seniors have many challenges to overcome when they first start training with barbells: low muscle and bone mass, low testosterone levels, obesity (others have very low bodyweight), lack of mobility in their joints, and a general state of deconditioning. Consequently, seniors often get the best results by modifying the typical approach to linear progression.

To start, Matt and Scott recommend senior lifters acquire a 15lbs  barbell. While some lifters will be able to start squatting and deadlifting with a standard 45lbs bar, man...

Matt takes a moment to reflect on the things that are most important to him, and encourages you to do the same. For many life is moving at a slower pace right now (involuntary or not), and that means it's a good time to take inventory of the things that bring value and joy to your life, and the things that rob from your life.

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Matt and Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon, Director of Curriculum at Precision Nutrition, discuss a challenge many are facing right now -- practicing good nutrition habits in this time of crisis. With families locked down and cutoff from their normal eating and exercise schedules, some have struggled to make healthy food choices. Dr. Scott-Dixon offers some advice for staying grounded, nutritionally and mentally, while on coronavirus lockdown.

Krista’s tips:

Matt and Chris Reynolds discuss how self-honesty can be the key to personal and professional growth. Recognizing and acknowledging where you are weak can help you to find more fulfilling work, foster better family relationships, and help you find friends and mentors that are strong where you are weak.

Personality tests mentioned in the episode:

Enneagram: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com

Myers-Briggs: https://www.myersbriggs.org/home.htm?bhcp=1

Understand Myself: https://www.understandmyself.com

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Productivity expert and YouTuber Thomas Frank joins the podcast to discuss strategies for working at home without sacrificing efficiency and productivity. Since many listeners are currently stuck at home during the lockdown, unable to work at their normal office, Matt invited Thomas to help us all make the most out of our "new normal."

The first thing Thomas recommends is creating separation and isolation for your workspace.

David Puder, psychiatrist and host of the Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast, returns to the podcast to address the fear, anxiety, and chaos that many are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Puder explains how cognitive distortions can skew our perception of the world and influence our emotions, and offers some ways you can "put your thoughts on trial" and ground yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Some practical tips from Dr. Puder:

Matt and Chris discuss the simple yet surprisingly difficult concept of paying attention during work, and developing the disciple to ignore distractions. A commonality amongst many successful people is the ability to focus and get things done, even in the face of endless distractions. Matt and Chris discuss some techniques and concepts for those that struggle with focus.

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Bert Sorin of Sorinex Exercise Equipment joins the podcast to discuss how Sorinex is helping in the battle against COVID-19. Sorinex has a long reputation as a top of the line equipment manufacturer, and you can find their equipment in serious strength gyms around the world -- professional sports team gym, college facilities, and high end commercial gyms.

But as millions of people sit at home under lockdown due to the pandemic, Bert saw the need for helping people outfit home gyms, especially as many of the leading home gym manufacturers are currently sold out o...

Matt and his brother Chris Reynolds discuss how reading is a cumulative endeavor, so one's goal in reading should be to read well, to read for understanding, and with patience, knowing that the contents of one book will inform many others down the line.

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BLOC master coach Michael Wolf returns to the podcast to talk about the many ways you can turn a relatively spartan training environment into productive training. Like many people across the world, Wolf has been stuck in his apartment under lockdown due to COVID-19, with only a couple kettlebells and some loadable dumbbells to train with.

So, Wolf has put together a series of progressively challenging kettlebell workouts you can do at home. You don't necessarily need kettlebells either! Wolf focuses on replicating the barbell lifts as closely as possible (after all, the big barbell l...

Matt and Scott reflect on the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and how it impacts everyday activities, including training.

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Matt talks with his friend Eric Bandholz, CEO of Beard Brand, about the value of freedom and how it has shaped Eric's life and his company.

https://www.beardbrand.com

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Barbell Logic Coach and VP of Coaching Excellence, Andrew Jackson presented a lecture to students at the March 2020 Professional Barbell Coach (PBC) Seminar on what being a professional barbell coach means. Many aspiring coaches get caught up in the nuts and bolts of training, programming, teaching, and cueing, while neglecting the business side of their coaching -- finding a market, setting profitable price points, and identifying good customers. Andrew's lecture touches on all these points, and how the PBC certification helps prepare coaches for success on the platform and in the marketplace.

You can download t...

Continuing from Episode #285, Scott expands on how he uses the MED Toolbox to troubleshoot problems that arise when programming in the MED (Minimum Effectives Dose) style. The episode begins by revisiting the SRA model and Zatsiorski's two-factor fitness/fatigue model. Then Scott discusses the most common presentation of programming problems in intermediate and advanced athletes, and how to deal with them.

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Matt and Chris Reynolds discuss what they are doing with their families to stay healthy in both mind and body during the coronavirus quarantine.

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Matt and Scott check in while uncertainty and fear grip the world in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. 

After contracting COVID-19 during a heavy travel schedule, Matt is back at home and recovering well, though under quarantine from the rest of his family.

We wish everyone at Barbell Logic and beyond the best as they endure these difficult times.

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BLOC Coach Dan Flanick returns to the show to discuss the Youth Barbell Club, a program he has developed to help young teens get strong and develop both their athleticism and confidence using the barbell. Dan is joined by Gabe Dean, a wrestling coach for Cornell and 2x NCAA National Champion. Gabe co-hosts the Youth Barbell Club Radio Podcast with Dan.

The Youth Barbell Club is open for sign-ups! The first group will launch in April, so sign up now to reserve a slot.

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BLOC coach Dan Flanick returns to the podcast to discuss the importance of developing confidence and self-esteem, and how barbell training has helped him in his own growth and development.

Dan has recently launched the Youth Barbell Club at Barbell Logic, a program designed specifically to help teenagers get strong and develop confidence under the bar. Sign-ups are open now!

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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In a bonus round of the MED (Minimum Effective Dose) Masterclass series, Scott lays out a practical method for troubleshooting programming problems for any level of trainee.

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Matt and Chris Reynolds discuss the value of cultivating empathy and compassion in relationships, whether it's with family, friends, or coaches and trainees.

Matt refers to a BLOC article in the podcast about compassion in coaching: https://barbell-logic.com/empathetic-coaching-for-client-breakthroughs/

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Coach Matt wraps up the eight and final installment of the MED (Minimum Effective Dose) Masterclass on programming with a discussion on incorporating accessory lifts into any program.

In general, accessories allow a lifter to get extra volume, extra "work," which can drive hypertrophy gains and thus support strength gains in the long term. However, unlike the main barbell lifts and supplemental lifts, accessories cannot be done at high intensities, so they are best chosen when the lifter needs more volume and hypertrophy without stressing their joints and connective tissue. Accessories are rarely, if ever, m...

Matt and Chris Reynolds discuss their "secret weapon" for getting more done in a fast, efficient manner. The Pomodoro Technique, which Matt wrote about for the Barbell Logic newsletter, involves setting a timer to 25 minutes and working without interruption on a single task during that time. No bathroom breaks, no cell phone use, no getting up for a drink. 100% focused work. After the 25 minutes are up, take a 5 minute break. This 30 minute block of time constitutes a single "Pomodoro," and everyone can do at least two in a row before needing a longer break.

Using t...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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In the seventh installment of the MED (Minimum Effective Dose) Masterclass series, Professor Matt discusses how to approach tapering and peaking for a meet or athletic performance using MED principles.

In Matt's view, how you peak depends on what training approach you used leading up to the meet. A lifter training in a conjugate or DUP (daily undulating periodization) program will naturally have a longer peak as he must transition from the accumulation and transmutation phases to more specific, lower volume training closer to what he will do the day of the meet. On the o...

Matt and Chris Reynolds discuss the concept of the urgent versus the important, and the four quadrants into which you can divide all work and chores:

Most people spend their time in the first three quadrants of the urgency/importance spectrum, leaving little or no time to address the things in life which are not urgent, but important -- things like reading books, cultivating meaningful relationships, and physical fitness. Matt and Chris discuss some ways to overthrow the tyranny of the u...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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In the sixth installment of the MED (Minimum Effective Dose) Masterclass series, Matt takes a deep dive into supplemental lifts, why you should do them, when to incorporate them, and which variations are best for developing continued strength adaptation.

Matt considers supplemental lifts to be exercises which look like the main lifts, but differ in range of motion, intensity/load, amount and type of musculature trained, or some other aspect of the lift. This is in contrast to accessory lifts, which may train similar muscle groups but are significantly different. For example, a box squat w...

Principles is a new series in which Matt and a rotating group of co-hosts reflect on the ideas, values, and habits that define their lives.  Each episode will be short and focus on a single idea or habit.

In the first installment, Matt and his brother Chris Reynolds discuss  their thirst for knowledge, and why it's so important to continue learning as they age and move through different seasons of life.

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The American Dream is not dead yet, and Chris Reynolds is living proof. In the first of a new series called Principles, Matt interviews his brother Chris about his founding of BriteCore, a company that builds cloud-based systems for managing insurance operations, which allowed him to retire at the age of 38. Things didn't always go so well, and Chris tirelessly worked his way up from humble beginnings, with a few lucky breaks and key help from friends and mentors.

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Pressing on with installment #5 of the Minimum Effective Dose (MED) Masterclass, Matt explains how volume and intensity work in the 3-Week mesocycle introduced in the previous class. While most lifters can continue to PR both their intensity sets (using backoff sets) and their volume sets (by increasing tonnage), eventually they run into a practical dilemma. When is enough volume... enough?

Logically, a lifter could continue to make progress in the 3-week model by adding more volume. But at some point doing 6x5, 7x5, 8x5, etc. becomes both daunting and logistically impractical for the vast majority o...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

Robin Olds -- aviator, American war hero, sweet mustache: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Olds

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In part 4 of the MED Masterclass, Matt discusses the various ways you can structure the volume and intensity days in the 4-Day Split, including sets, reps, exercise selection, and accessory work. While the 4-Day Split opens up many programming options, the goals for each day of the split are clear: intensity is about setting PR's (weight on the bar), while volume is about increasing stress via tonnage (sets x reps x weight).

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

The Lightphone 2: https://www.thelightphone.com

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In part 3 of the MED Masterclass series, Matt walks through the transition from an HLM or Texas Method style program to his favorite program, the four-day split.

In the four-day split, a lifter trains four days instead of three, and performs an intensity and volume workout for each of the main lifts. Typically, the four-day split is setup as an upper body / lower body split, with squats and deadlifts on one day and press and bench press on another. This is probably the biggest MED change a lifter will make to his program, but it's a...

Every man dies, but not every man really lives. Count Professor Paul among the living. After a long, difficult battle with cancer in his neck, Paul Markel has emerged victorious and we are happy to welcome him back to the podcast.

We often talk about strength training as a sort of physical 401(k),  an investment in our body that we may need to draw on in the future. This was especially true for Paul, who lost over 40lbs during treatment. Fortunately, he was a strong, conditioned lifter before his cancer diagnosis, squatting and deadlifting in the...

In the second masterclass on Minimum Effective Dose (MED) programming, Matt discusses the three principles or "rules" of MED, and offers specific examples of post-novice programming for the squat, deadlift, bench and press.

Timestamps:

Squat - 16:05

Deadlift - *38:45 (after the midroll break)

Bench & Press - *52:15

*exact time will vary depending on length of the midroll break

In the MED masterclass, you'll get to sit in the coach's seat and learn how to think more deeply about programming, identify problems, and formulate sol...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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In 2019 Coach Matt delivered a series of lectures to the Barbell Logic staff on Minimum Effective Dose (MED) programming. MED is all about simplicity, identifying the smallest change you can make to a lifter's programming to keep him or her progressing.

Of course, MED is not a new concept for Barbell Logic. Matt and Scott have discussed it as far back as Episode #53, and the idea underpins all of the programming episodes we've done since then.

Despite this, there is still much confusion around what to do after the novice linear pr...

Longtime strength coach and now PhD Neuroscience student Jayson Ball joins the show today to talk about his work in the world of pain neuroscience. Pain is a perplexing thing. While many people understand it as a strictly mechanical phenomenon (you slam your fingers in a door and say "ouch!"), pain also has a complex emotional and neurological component that cannot be ignored.

A massive pain management industry, including opiate and opioid drugs, has grown to meet the demand of pain sufferers, but with little to show for making long-term impact on pain symptoms. So it's an...

Barbell Logic coach Niki Sims returns to the podcast to discuss her experience balancing strength training with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Niki has been strength training for about 10 years, and started training BJJ about two years ago, seeking a new hobby.

During that time she has kept strength a priority, pulling 430lbs at a meet in 2019. BJJ is a stressful sport that demands a lot of recovery resources, however, so Niki has learned to balance her rolling with strength training.

BJJ is a metabolically intense sport, similar to HIIT style conditioning, but it...

It has become something of a tradition at Barbell Logic for Hambrick to share some of his favorite jazz tunes to celebrate the Christmas season and the passing of the old year. In this third annual Christmas special, Scott plays selections including classic big band swing from Benny Goodman, Joao Gilberto, the father of Bossa Nova, hard bop from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, and more.

You can listen to the complete versions of these songs, as well as the music from previous Christmas specials, on the Barbell Logic Jazz Selections Spotify playlist:

h...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Super athlete, barbell coach, and BLOC nutrition coach Gillian Ward returns to the podcast to discuss how to rethink your approach to nutrition in the final installment (maybe) of the Getting Started series.

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Q&A starts at 19:45 mark, following the interview with the good folks from A7.

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Matt and Scott are joined by Darin Deaton, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Starting Strength Coach at Fort Worth Strength, to discuss special populations including Masters (over 40) lifters, post-injury trainees, and people with other medical issues. Darin has 30 years of experience in the clinic and the gym, and has found that barbells are the most effective tool for making all populations stronger, healthier, and more useful human beings. 

You can find Darin at his gym Fort Worth Strength & Conditioning, in his clinic Riata Therapy Specialists, or occasionally posting about his ranch on Instagram @drdeaton. Darin als...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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You've heard it before. A good training program is simple, hard, and effective. But what does hard mean exactly?

Most novices have never done anything physically hard in their life -- especially physical tasks that require maximal amounts of force production. So they must learn what hard means, in the context of strength training. The first encounter with hard often comes as a shock. With practice, determination, and encouragement from a good coach or training partner, however, a novice lifter can learn to overcome, set PRs, and become a lifter for life.

Di...

Happy Thanksgiving folks!

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a fut...

A wise man once said: you don't get strong from lifting weights, you get strong recovering from lifting weights. In today's episode Coach Matt and Scott discuss the most important things you need to know about recovery so that you get the most out of your strength training.

Many factors affect your ability to recover from the work you do in the weight room -- nutrition, sleep, job stress, children, taxes, your mortgage. Some of these we can control, and some we can't. Of the factors we can control, we really care about two:

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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In the sixth installment of the Getting Started series, Coach Matt and Scott explain why the simplest way of training is, in fact, the best way to train for strength.

Linear progression refers to a program which increases the weight of the lifts every single workout. The increments are small -- 5-10lbs at first, 5lbs thereafter, perhaps 2.5lbs or less for women -- and the weight increases constantly. The lifter's progress on this program would be represented on a graph as a straight line with a positive slope, steadily climbing upwards. The  exercises, sets an...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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If you've listened to the first four episodes of the Getting Started series, you've got all the knowledge you need to start a productive strength training program and get stronger than you've ever been. Now it's time to put that knowledge into action and do it!

In your first workout, your goal is to find a starting weight for each of the lifts: squat, press, and deadlift. You will perform the bench press on your next workout, since the press and bench press alternate each workout. Matt sometimes coaches all four lifts on day one, b...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Once you've made the decision and started training instead of exercising, it doesn't take long to realize the average commercial "globo gym" is woefully inadequate for productive barbell training. Waiting to use the squat rack while someone finishes their high-rep curl set, poor quality barbells, dodecagonal plates, not being allowed to use chalk -- these are just a few of the reasons that most trainees at Barbell Logic choose to build a home gym.

With a modest outlay, you can equip a home gym with high quality equipment that will allow you to continue getting s...

Scott's Pumpkin Pie recipe: https://barbell-logic.com/pie/

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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In Getting Started #2, Matt and Scott discussed the big picture of getting strong, which occurs by lifting progressively heavier weights over time. Since this is Barbell Logic, you guessed it... we accomplish this progressive method of strength training using barbells.

Though there are thousands of different exercises we could do in the gym, barbell training comprises just four exercises, the so-called "Big Lifts." These compound movements -- the squat, press, deadlift, and bench press -- should make up 90% of any athlete's strength program, regardless of their level of advancement.

Matt and Sc...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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So you heard us out in Getting Started #1 and you've decided it's time to get strong. How do actually do that? For that matter, how do you improve any physical attribute?

Before we get into specific exercises, sets, and reps, it's important to understand the distinction between exercise and training. Exercise is what most people do when they join the local globo gym or decide to jog around the block. It's randomly selected activity for an unspecified duration or intensity, with no real plan for progression over time. The goal of exercise is simply to ge...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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You've decided. It's time to get started. It's time to get in shape. But... how? Do you start jogging around the block? Join the local YMCA and hit the elliptical machine? Do a couple circuits on the shiny weight machines? There is a vast library of exercises you could do, and endless amounts of conflicting information on the best way to exercise. Judging by the physical condition of the average American, none of these approaches seem to work very well.

At Barbell Logic we argue that strength is what you should train for. Strength is, s...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Starting this month, we will be moving to a twice per week release schedule -- one content episode, one Q&A.

Have a question you'd like to Matt and Scott to answer on the podcast? Send it to questions@barbell-logic.com and your question will be featured on an upcoming Q&A! 

Matt and Scott continue their demystification of popular Westside Barbell training methods by breaking down the "Dynamic Effort Day," which calls for relatively light weights moved very quickly. This sort of "speed work" can be used to train power in athletes (to a limited extent, as discussed in previous episodes regarding the power clean), as well as improve conditioning in the phosphocreatine energy system.

For most lifters, speed work also serves as a tool for developing better technique. After months of moving very heavy weights slowly, incorporating dynamic effort lifts can teach lifters to move f...

Brett McKay's article on rehabbing adductor tendonitis on Barbell Logic: https://barbell-logic.com/adductor-tendonitis-treatment/

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Our favorite psychiatrist Dr. David Puder returns to the show to continue the discussion on relationship "red flags," that is, questions you should ask yourself about your potential partner in a new relationship.

You can view the complete list of dating red flags on Dr. Puder's website: https://bit.ly/2oIPR0A. While you're there, check out his podcast Psychiatry & Psychotherapy!

You can also follow Dr. Puder on Instagram @dr.davidpuder.

Have a question about training? Send a question to Matt and Scott! Email us at questions@barbe...

Barbell Logic Coach and mastermind behind the Coaching Academy, Bill Hannon returns to the podcast to celebrate the 1-Year anniversary of the academy and discuss how it has developed and grown since it's inception. What began as a way to codify and systematize the process of becoming a barbell coach -- heretofore often thought of as a lengthy, trial by error process -- has grown into a thriving academy where excellent students become intern coaches for Barbell Logic and, ultimately, earn their Professional Barbell Coach certification and join the staff coaches at Barbell Logic.

The A...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Matt and Scott discuss the commonly misunderstood concepts of "conjugate" and "concurrent" training, which come from the efforts of Soviet coaches like Verkoshanksy, Siff, Bondarchuck, and others in trying to understand how to best prepare athletes for competition (and beating the West, of course).

Concurrent training refers to training multiple skills and attributes at the same time. Crossfit is perhaps the ultimate sport with concurrent demands (although interestingly high level Crossfit athletes don't necessarily train concurrently). The Crossfit training practiced in most gyms is concurrent in nature, with any given workout incorporating a mix of w...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Today we revisit the most downloaded show in Barbell Logic history thus far, episode #71 with Andy Baker (also Andy's first appearance on the show). Andy is a master strength coach and full of insight into programming theory as well as practical solutions to the issues lifters face in their day-to-day training.

In this episode, Andy debunks the idea of a "perfect program," and outlines practical ways to set yourself up for success on any program you try. He also discusses the importance of intensity in post-novice programming specifically, and why the weight on the bar i...

Matt and Scott discuss a recent programming revelation from one of Scott's clients, a 40 year old lifter he has been working with for about a year.

Scott has his lifter working on a 3-week mesocycle with typical 5x5 volume days for squats and presses. After observing that the lifter's barspeed was quite fast during multiple consecutive intensity day lifts, Scott took it as a sign that the volume day work was sufficiently driving progress and decided to hold the weight on the bar steady for future volume day workouts. Interestingly, the lifter has continued to h...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

Check out Scott's personal website www.scotthambrick.com to read about "The Problem with Problematicism" and more of his musings.

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Today we revisit our roots with one of the Top 10 most downloaded shows at Barbell Logic. We often say that good training has three qualities: it's simple, it's hard, and it's effective. The "hard" part is where the grind comes into play. Every novice has to go through a period where every set feels like a Herculean effort, every rep a bone on bone grinder. It's tough, and those who can make it through this phase of training become tougher people.

During this process -- and even at later, more advanced stages of training -- i...

Matt and Scott chat with John Welbourn, a 10-year NFL veteran (Eagles, Chiefs, Patriots) and an excellent strength and coaching coach as well. John's football career ended almost as soon as it started when he sustained a severe knee injury in the first game of his rookie season. Failing to find good training and rehab advice from the traditional medical and PT routes, John took his rehab into his own hands and sought advice from a number of progressively minded doctors and strength coaches.

One particular coach, Charlie Francis, encouraged him to start aggressive electro-stimulation t...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

As a reminder, the first certification weekends for the Professional Barbell Coach (PBC) certification will take place in November, and spots will go on sale on September 8th at https://barbell-logic.com. There are a very limited number of slots for the first weekend, so be ready when the sale begins!

Have a question about the...

Today we revisit our roots with one of the Top 10 most downloaded shows at Barbell Logic. The TRUTH about linear progression is that it's a simple, hard, yet effective way to get anyone strong. While we like to nerd out about programming theory, it's important to remember that their are millions of untrained novices out in the world, whose lives could be significantly improved with this simple training paradigm.

As a reminder, the first certification weekends for the Professional Barbell Coach (PBC) certification will take place in November, and spots will go on sale on S...

Bill Hannon, VP of Coaching Development at Barbell Logic, returns to the podcast to discuss the announcement of Barbell Logic's own coaching certification -- the PBC or Professional Barbell Coach. Matt and Bill discuss the rationale and goals behind creating a new certification as well as how the testing process will work. Certification will take place via dedicated test weekends during which participants can test their platform skills and academic knowledge. Importantly, the grading rubric and testing standards will be communicated thoroughly to participants so that they understand where the bar is set for prospective Professional Barbell Coaches.

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Also, A7 Strongwear has officially launched their new product line! They're known for their bar grip shirt which keeps the bar essentially glued to your back during squats, but have expanded their line to include shirts, shorts, leg...

Matt and Scott are back with another BIG Q&A to answer your questions and work through the backlog in the Barbell Logic inbox. Thank you for submitting your questions and sharing your thoughts and experiences with the show -- and keep the questions coming!

As always you can send your questions to questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll answer your question on an upcoming Q&A episode!

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Matt and Scott have discussed the primary programming variables of volume and intensity many times, but there's a persistent idea that "volume" and "intensity" happen in discrete workouts, at separate times. This idea probably stems from popular early intermediate programs like the Texas Method, which prescribes dedicated volume (5x5) and intensity (1x5) days for each lift. Indeed, this approach -- as well as more moderate approaches like HLM -- works well for a long time, but eventually the advancing lifter faces a problem.

The loads on intensity day can only increase for so long before t...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Also, A7 Strongwear has officially launched their new product line! They're known for their bar grip shirt which keeps the bar essentially glued to your back during squats, but have expanded their line to include shirts, shorts, leg...

Barbell Logic started life as a people-focused company, bringing exceptional online coaching to people without local access to coaching. The company has grown dramatically since then, branching into written and audio/visual content, establishing the Barbell Coaching Academy, and hosting coaching masterclasses on a variety of topics. The train keeps moving, too, and today Matt, Scott, and Bill Hannon (VP of Coaching Development and returning guest) discuss some exciting new developments and service offerings in the works for Barbell Logic.

Have a question about training? Send a question to Matt and Scott! Email us at q...

One of the most frequent questions we hear from new lifters -- or people considering strength training but not yet sold on it -- is will it make me bulky? It's a pervasive myth, and one of the most common concerns among women, but it has little basis in reality. The fact is, there ARE "bulky" women out there, that is, strong women with muscle mass. Generally these women work very hard for years to build that much muscle, and have a genetic predisposition to accumulate muscle. Most women who begin strength training, however, find themselves looking strong, capable...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Also, A7 Strongwear has officially launched their new product line! They're known for their bar grip shirt which keeps the bar essentially glued to your back during squats, but have expanded their line to include shirts, shorts, leg...

Former Army Ranger, law enforcement officer, and Barbell Logic coaching intern Nick Koldewey joins the podcast to talk about the military's outdated PT philosophy and it's shortcomings in meeting the demands of the modern soldier. Nick's experience in the field and as a platoon leader provided him the skills to handle a variety of combat scenarios, but when tasked with scheduling PT for his unit, his training (pardon the pun) fell short.

As a leader, Nick was responsible for scheduling and programming workouts for his team. There was little guidance in how to do this, s...

Matt and Scott don the 20/20 glasses of hindsight to examine their training, coaching, and business careers and determine what they would have done differently, knowing what they know now. Matt shares a hard business lesson learned at STRONG Gym, and Scott shares a miserable early experience managing a construction company on an ill-fated project.

When it comes to training, Scott wouldn't do anything differently. We are "the sum of our experiences," as he says, and any desire to change our past suggests we wish to be different people than who we are. It would be n...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Also keep your eyes on A7 Strongwear's upcoming product launch on August 9th. A7 is known for their unique, durable squat shirt, which has a grippy surface on the upper back to help the barbell stick in pos...

Matt and Scott wrap up Part 2 of their discussion of Zatsiorsky's two factor theory of programming and it's relevance to the basic SRA model that drives our programming decisions.

Have a question about training? Send a question to Matt and Scott! Email us at questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll answer your question on an upcoming Saturday Q&A! 

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Also keep your eyes on A7 Strongwear's upcoming product launch on Augus...

In part one of a two-part series, Matt and Scott discuss the history of programming theory in the context of Zatsiorsky's dual-factor or two-factor theory (as described in Science and Practice of Strength Training) which proposes that a training bout causes both fitness gain and fitness fatigue simultaneously. The management of stress to produce net fitness gains -- obviously without producing excessive fatigue which would tip the balance in the wrong direction -- under this theory helps us describe the phenomena we observe in everyday programming.

Have a question about training? Send a question to Ma...

Matt shares a new whiskey (almost, but not quite a bourbon) that's captured his attention -- Heaven Hill's Mellow Corn. It's big on flavor but light on the wallet. Scott shares an essay from the perpetually antebellum Walker Percy on the aesthetics of bourbon drinking, and eventually the two get around to answering a few questions about training too.

Walker Percy's hilarious and poignant essay entitled Bourbon, Neat is a short read, well worth reading.

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to as...

Matt and Scott discuss the thinking -- or lack thereof -- behind the many questions they receive each week asking them their opinion on someone else's line of thinking: "I've heard that..." or "So and so says..." While theses low-effort questions seem innocuous, they reveal a lack of critical thinking, which the Barbell Logic podcast has a mission to dispel. After all, "logic" is in the name, and the foundation of this show is a systematic analysis of strength training and life.

Scott references the Art of Manliness show #527: Father Wounds, Spirituality, and the Journey t...

Barbell Logic has long attracted thinkers, strivers, and a fair number of Type A personalities. "Logic" is in the name, of course, and barbell training in particular demands a sort of consistency and attention to detail that is well-suited to the driven person. Yet these same people often struggle with another problem -- the problem of perfectionism -- which the barbell community doesn't exactly help.

We're barbell nerds. We love physics, programming, and the sundry little details of technique that help us optimize our training. These are the stepping stones on the path to strength, b...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Monday's episode covered programming fundamentals for the ever-popular question: what do I do after the novice LP? Today Matt and Scott expand on the topic by walking through specific examples and discussing their thought process troubleshooting each scenario.

Most people begin to fail on LP for just a couple reasons. As mentioned in episode #55 - Programming Is Secondary, consistency and technique make the biggest impact on progress in the gym. But let's assume that you consistently make your workouts, and your technique is good. The reasons you will fail on LP are:

Matt and Scott discuss the eternal programming question: what do you do when novice linear progression stops working? While they have discussed this topic in great detail in past episodes, programming is not easy to grok for some people. And that's OK! This episode covers the basic theory and practical examples you need to transition out of LP and into the wide world of intermediate programming, with minimal fussing.

Got a question for Matt and Scott? Email us at questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll answer your question on an upcoming Saturday Q&A! 

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Matt and Scott discuss how their passion for training has waxed and waned over the years, how they currently feel about training, and the two types of attitude most clients approach the barbell with.

Got a question for Matt and Scott? Email us at questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll answer your question on an upcoming Saturday Q&A! 

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Matt and Scott return to the MED toolbox to discuss the importance of PR's in measuring the success of a program. Of course, PR's are inherent in the novice linear progression, during which the athlete hits PR's for 3x5 every workout, or every other workout as an advanced novice.

The PR then becomes a weekly occurrence for the early intermediate, then perhaps biweekly for the mid-intermediate. Texas Method, for instance, calls for a 1x5 PR each week on "intensity day." For athletes more advanced than this, where we begin to enter theoretical programming territory (because, a...

It's no secret by now that Matt and Scott are men of passion. Occasionally these passions evoke such entertaining tirades, fulminations, and fervent orations during the podcast that they must be shared. This is one such occasion.

If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Today Matt and Scott welcome back Dr. David Puder, psychiatrist and host of the Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast, to discuss one of Hambrick's rules -- don't date someone you wouldn't marry. Dr. Puder shares some of his "red flags" of dating and offers some practical tips for evaluating potential mates for those currently navigating the dating market.

Some of Dr. Puder's red flags include:

After 200 episodes and counting, we've heard from a lot of new listeners, some of whom are beginning their barbell journey for the first time. While we encourage everyone to go back to the first 20 or so episodes, in particular #15 - How to Kill It In Your First Starting Strength Session, this episode is an overview of what to expect when you start training, including common pitfalls to avoid.

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Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Two years and two days ago, Matt and Scott officially launched the Barbell Logic podcast with Episode #1 - Why Strength? The idea was simply to make a logical case for barbell training and how it should be done, an audio diary of Matt's coaching experience, so to speak. Since then, the show has expanded into all aspects of life -- business, finance, marriage, children, music -- as it became an extension of Matt and Scott's eclectic personalities.

Simply put, it's hard to believe we've made it to 200 episodes. A show only makes it to 200 because o...

In August 2018 Paul and Jarrad Markel of Student of the Gun joined us to talk about their experience strength training and how it made them more resilient, acute marksmen (Episode #97 - Fighting STRONG with Student of the Gun). A few months ago, Matt received news that "Professor Paul" had been diagnosed with cancer in his neck. Today Paul returns to the podcast to discuss his mindset that "fighting solves everything" and how the strength he has built under the bar is helping him battle cancer.

Paul has had to uproot his household and move to Sa...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Coach Matt and Scott explore the fitness fatigue model on today's show. They have discussed the SRA model at length on the show -- go check out episode #144: Rethinking SRA and Post-Novice Programming -- and one thing is clear: to continue getting stronger, stress has to go up. We've got plenty of templates and models to organize programming in such a way to make this happen for the intermediate lifter, but as the lifter advances there is a practical hurdle to overcome, the management of fatigue.

In 1995 former Soviet Vladimir Zatsiorsky published Science and Practice o...

Coaches often note that the bench press is one of the easiest lifts to teach, probably because most people have done a bench press if they've ever set foot in a gym. After teaching the proper arch position, and identifying the correct grip, the execution of the bench press mostly takes care of itself. Yet there is one key to big benches that eludes many lifters -- the all-important leg drive. On today's show Coach Matt and Scott discuss the importance of leg drive and how to maximize it during the movement.

Check out the B...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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To quote Rip, "it's common to want what we cannot have." And let's be real, we all want abs. Or at least a flatter stomach. Yet many of us approach the barbell as novices with a little (or a lot) extra body fat, leaving us with seemingly conflicting goals: get stronger, or lose weight? It is in fact possible to get stronger and reduce your waistline at the same time, however it takes proper nutrition, intelligent programming, and a realistic mindset about the length of time it takes to make lasting change.

Got a question f...

For those that have walked the path and become strong, there are times when the weights go from challenging, to soul-searching, to world-endingly heavy, yet, stress must continue to increase in the quest for more strength. That's where the deload comes in -- a strategic, drastic reduction in load and volume to allow fatigue to dissipate and provide a much-needed psychologic break from heavy training. Whether it's following a meet, an advanced training block, or simply a phase of heavy training mixed with a large amount of life stress, deloads are an important part of an intermediate and advanced...

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Saturday Q&A. If you'd like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

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Matt and Scott talk with lifter and coach (and, recently, social media superstars) Miles "Smiles" Taylor and "Uncle" Nic Myers about Miles' incredible journey to the strengthlifting platform. Miles has cerebral palsy, a motor disability affecting his ability to control his body. Consequently, prior to discovering training he was very weak physically, but not mentally. Clearly Miles was determined to make the most of his body, and push himself to achieve more than others thought possible.

Fortune favors the bold, an the old Latin proverb says, and Miles reconnected with an old school friend Nic M...