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Can You Smell What BLOC Is Cooking? - Beast Over Burden - #517 Jan 16, 2024

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Looking to 2024, we predict, hope, and share our thoughts on what you can expect from BLOC and what we are looking forward to. Looking to 2024 - Smell What BLOC is Cooking Matt, Niki, and Andrew share their predictions and goals for 2024 - fitness, fashion, and more. Fashion Predictions

Matt: traditional, classic forms of clothing (feminine dresses & masculine suits and outfits)
Niki: onesies & swapping of normal gender styles
Andrew: 2000s are coming back, with belly buttons

Goals

Matt shared his here
Niki: journaling every day; and being able to quickly return to the body she wants (after periods of more relaxed food & drink)
Andrew: being more present & intentional (while acknowledging that these terms have become common, but that doesn't mean they're not admirable things to strive for)

Business Predictions

Matt: First $2M quarter
Niki: strength for life catching on and bolstering BLOC & TKC
Andrew: another step-function increase in the organization of Barbell Logic

Looking to 2024? We share out thoughts, predictions, and hopes. Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page. Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

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BLOC Wrapped - the BLOCies - Beast Over Burden - #515 Jan 09, 2024

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Enjoy us look back on 2023 with BLOC Wrapped - the BLOCies. We share the best of our coaches & clients, fitness trends, & more. 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 that is reflected in the progress.

The process creates the progress.

BLOC Wrapped - Fitness Trends & Lifts

Matt, Andrew, & Niki share their favorite and least favorite lifts and favorite and least favorite fitness trends of 2023.

Niki loved the pendulum leg press (though they are incredibly rare). Matt enjoyed both the incline dumbbell press or Bulgarian split squat, and Andrew agreed about incline pressing.

Matt's least favorite exercise was the incline barbell press (seems to cause shoulder issues for some people). Andrew wasn't crazy about the overhead press. Niki has avoided deficit deadlifts because of her observation that they seemed correlated with injury (personally and for clients).

Matt sung the praises of GLP1 drugs, which have helped him lose weight. Andrew has enjoyed the shift in the fitness and nutrition sector of focusing on quality of life, as opposed to suffering and restricting. Niki loves all the women strength training in the gyms.

Stanley water cups (that don't even fit in cup holders) tick Matt off. Andrew is not crazy about broccoli hair and red plaid pajama pants. Niki can't stand fitness influencers using photoshop.

That is BLOC wrapped.

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What the Fluff!? Strategies - Beast Over Burden - #513 Jan 02, 2024

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What the fluff!? What do you do when you suddenly realize you feel bad, aren't happy with you look, and want to get rid of the fluff? 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.

Many who fail to lose fat do well on the week days but then overeat far too much on the weekends, negating any caloric deficit they may have created during the week.

During the holiday periods or similar times like vacations, "abnormal" days increase, further increasing the caloric surplus.

What can you do? Snap back to health by resetting your baseline.

What the Fluff!? Snap Back Strategies

Before you begin addressing the problem, consider your approach. Don't catastrophize.

This may be a long habit of unhealthy decisions that you've decided to stop, or you may generally feel pretty good about your nutrition habits and just need a quick course correction. Either way, don't expect to fix this in a couple days.

For big changes, you need to think about 6 to 12 months.

When it comes to metrics, know yourself. For some, recording your weight each day will drive you crazy. For others, it's useful information that helps inform their decisions without causing overreactions.

In terms of approaches, starving yourself is not a good approach. It may be useful, however, to have a short period where you're strict with no alcohol, no added sugar, and focus on having as many single-ingredient foods as possible.

This resets your baseline and will, actually, have you feeling better after a couple days. You'll find that the bloat is gone and you come to begin appreciating healthier foods.

Weighing and measuring for a period of time may also help. Why? Because it helps prevent a slide into hidden calories ("that's close enough"). It also, if you have not done it, helps inform you of just how many calories peanut butter, whiskey, and cooking oils have.

Filling your plate with more veggies really helps too.

What the fluff!? Don't freak out, snap back to health with these strategies.

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Q&A: BJJ, Nutrition, And Blown Out Pants - Beast Over Burden - #511 Dec 26, 2023

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Niki and Andrew answer your lifting and lifestyle questions on BJJ, nutrition, blown-out pants, and more! Approaching BJJ as You Age Don't train as if you have to prove yourself or go RPE 10 each time. Rather, focus on picking up the basics, because that foundation of basics will result in deep, impressive skill as you potentially move to your purple, brown, and black belts. Pay attention to the details in the basics. Don't try to skip ahead, but understand the small, subtle details of basic moves. When it comes to competition, these details and foundation will cause you to be able to follow your intuitions, and you may surprise yourself when it matters. Nutrition Strategies for Truck Drivers Truck driving presents the combined challenges of limited food options and lots of time being completely sedentary (and the incentive to not stop too often, so not drinking too many liquids). You do not need to count macros, necessarily, but you need a strategy to consume adequate protein and limit calories (unless you're focusing, for some amount of time, on gaining strength and getting bigger). If you're focused on getting bigger, it's a bit easier, but simply ensure you're getting adequate protein. If you want to maintain or get leaner, preparation is key. Andrew recommends either packing heated pre-made meals in Thermoses (so you can eat hot, high-quality food for your first couple meals). Alternatively, bring a cooler with some healthy options. When looking at food options in a truck stop or gas station, Andrew has the following macronutrient general guidelines:

at least 20-30g protein
40-60g carbohydrates
no more than 10-20g fat

You don't have to count calories, but these are good numbers to aim for when selecting a snack or meal when you can read the labels. Blowing Out Your Pants Andrew has a history of blowing out his pants. He says he has blown out at least twelve. He shares two stories. First, he blew out some pants at a wedding when he was dancing (he goes hard on the dance floor). The next day, when looking at the pants with the blown-out crotch, he discovered that he had been sweating so hard that there was encrusted salt on the black pants. Second, when he was a 280-pound lifter in a corporate setting, with the other executives being endurance athletes, he had just eaten a whole rotisserie chicken and, sitting in a chair, both broke the chair and fell over (and blew out his pants). The things we do for strength sometimes. Training & Marketing without Dogmas Niki's training objective is to gain as much muscle mass without injuring herself. Andrew's training is boring but consistent. Niki shares the difficulty in marketing her approach or the BLOC approach after she and BLOC has really moved away from dogmas. While we coach with principles, coaching is more applied to the clients' individual circumstances. Talking to others businesses, it's hard to be heard if you're not beating a dogmatic drum. Effective Communication & Storytelling (Emotions) Andrew shares that he has really learned the importance of emotions in communication (especially with disagreements or arguments). The details or what was said does not matter so much, but how the person was or is feeling. It is important to acknowledge those emotions. It actually relates to how Matt tells stories. He says, essentially, that he shares how he felt, what he did, and then how he felt after he did the thing. We relate to the emotion. As a coach, it is important to pay attention to your client's emotions. Not doing so can erode trust. Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page. Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

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Do the Hard Things - Beast Over Burden - #509 Dec 19, 2023

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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.

You have to make decisions every day that move you closer to that goal. You have to get in the gym or study the flashcards or write the words when you don't want to.

Additionally, you'll have to stop doing something, as if you have decided to spend more time doing something, that time will have to come from other activities you engage in.

Doing hard things feels good, if not in the moment, and leads to true happiness.

Do Hard Things - The Value of a Coach

We all have blind spots. These are patterns of behavior that we are unaware of for whatever reason that are producing the undesired outcomes we are trying to overcome.

It is challenging to be objective with ourself. This is the value of a coach.

A good coach can see things you cannot (or wish not) to see. A good coach can also help implement practical, realistic, sustainable solutions. This is necessary because a common pitfall comes from going too hard and then yo-yoing between too hard and not enough.

Progress toward your goal comes from sustainable habits every day.

Do the hard things, which require vulnerability, time, and effort. The hard things bring value and happiness.

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

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Common Beginner Questions - Beast Over Burden - #507 Dec 12, 2023

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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.

Common Beginner Questions - Equipment

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 need a belt. If they were to recommend one beginner belt, it would be a 3", single prong, leather belt at 10mm thickness. 4" is better for taller people (especially if you have a longer torso). We especially love Dominion.

Chalk is also a must for the deadlift, though both Andrew & Niki recommend straps for more and more clients, because they are not interested in competing. You still need to work your grip, but straps for work sets is just fine. Niki & Andrew move on to other common beginner questions, looking at nice-to-have-but-not-necessary equipment.

Lastly, you need 1.25lb plates. They're not expensive, and we love MicroGainz.

Many people love knee sleeves, especially if they lift in a cold area. Wrist wraps also help keep the wrists extended on pressing movements. Lastly, a deadlift jack of some type makes loading and unloading weight for the deadlift and other lifts off the floor much easier.

Common Beginner Questions - Protein & Programming

Niki & Andrew now address other common questions, regarding nutrition and cardio.

Can beginner lifters continue to do cardio if they already have a cardio practice?

Yes, novice linear progression, while important, is not worth sacrificing conditioning and other healthy habits for. It may be a time you prioritize strength, but not eliminate all other physical practices.

Andrew recommends 1g per pound of bodyweight for beginner lifters, mostly because it is easy to remember. If you weigh more or are more advanced, this can go down closer to 0.7g per pound.

While most people don't eat enough protein, people can push protein too far, sacrificing fibrous veggies and workout-fueling carbohydrates to consume more than 1g per pound of bodyweight.

Other common beginner questions include how to warm up and how long LP lasts.

Warming up depends on which lift it is in the workout and whether you're in a warm or cold environment, but generally 5 warm up sets is enough. It depends, though. You should feel prepared to work. You should NEVER just load up the work set weight without warming up.

Just as with protein, you can overdo it.

Lastly, how long does LP last?

It depends, but generally at least 2 months. Someone who eats more, is younger, stays consistent, is willing to grind on weights, and has more testosterone can definitely push this longer.

We hope these answers to common beginner questions helps you and your lifting.

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Managing Morbidity & Maintaining Vigor - Beast Over Burden - #506 Dec 05, 2023

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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.

Managing Morbidity: Memento Mori

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 the deal.

At some point, the strength curves bends and then comes down.

For Karl, he still thought he might be able to hit some PRs. He moved to a more rural location, felt the heaviness of his 258 pounds, but he still thought maybe if he hit a good stretch of training he could hit another PR.

Then he had a stroke.

He had a transient ischemic attack (TIA). The word transient is key - he hasn't experience long-term, permanent effects from the stroke. The stroke occurred due a congenital issue - patent foramen ovale (PFO) - an open oval hole in the wall of the heart. Migraines are common for people with this issue.

He confronted the reality that he will never hit another PR again. Managing Morbidity: Staying Active & Vigorous

We don't strength train, though, to just stave off death or sickness or even compress morbidity into the smallest possible portion of our lives. We train FOR something (or multiple things).

We train for health. We train to dance with out granddaughter. We train to take care of our chickens. Some train for glory, others to take their medicine, others to compete.

It's really a remarkable thing, to walk into a gym multiple times a week, year-after-year-, and fight against iron and gravity.

While Karl, now walking around 50 pounds lighter, misses looking like he lifts when he walks around. But everyday activities are easier. Certain things open up to him - such as getting clothes that fit easily or may even - gasp - going for a run.

Managing Morbidity: Training as an Athlete of Aging

Okay, PRs are behind you. What do you do now?

Sully and Noah had a great podcast series discussing this in greater detail.

Right now, Karl is completing LP and seeing where that ends. He might spend some time pursuing hypertrophy. He might go for a run. He'll definitely attend to his field to grow food and tend his chickens.

You need to accumulate hard sets. That's what strength training boils down to. It's not that the reps, sets, technique, or exercise selection don't matter. It's just that, at the end of the day, you need to accumulate hard sets consistently over time.

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Holiday Training Strategies - Beast Over Burden - #504 Nov 28, 2023

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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.

Understand that weights that you may have missed reps or harder-than-expected reps. Plan and prepare to have flexibility built into your workouts.

When it comes to mindset, don't lose heart because of lower performance. Andrew also recommends training curious. This means that you should probably try the planned work weight, barring some extremely challenging or missed warm ups. You may also find that you can hit an unexpected PR during this time.

Look to enjoy training and keep up the habit. Plan and prepare to train, but be ready to adjust.

Holiday Training Strategies - Expectations & Mindset

Before you even get to the gym, you need to find the gym. Where are you going to train? What equipment do they have? What equipment can you pack (shoe, belt, wrist wraps, chalk, etc.)?

Andrew straps his shoes to his carry-on backpack. Niki has her case the perimeter of the suitcase (as opposed to the belt cinnamon roll).

Make training a part of your holiday plans before the holidays begin.

Holiday Training Strategies - Training Adjustments

Matt, Andrew, Niki, Scott, and CJ have discussed ways to adjust training to reality over the years, and the holidays are similar to any other times where training likely takes a backseat but needs to remain as part of the plan.

Here are some strategies that may apply to your holiday situation:

shorter workouts
longer, less frequent workouts
change the exercise (e.g. RDLs not deadlifts)
autoregulation
train curious

The bottom line is, you need to prioritize training, but prioritizing training during the holiday probably doesn't look like a 5-day-a-week super advanced plan, but rather finding a gym, scheduling lifts on days that make sense, packing necessary equipment, training with curiosity, flexibility, & long-term progress in mind.

We hope these holiday training strategies help!

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Managing Nutrition Through the Holidays - Beast Over Burden - #502 Nov 21, 2023

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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?

Consider this. If you maintain your weight for the remainder of the year but increase your weight during the holiday period, that spells over years and decades a higher weight and increasing waist line.

This time period is meant to be enjoyed, so realistic goals probably do not look like losing a significant amount of weight during this period. Effective strategies likely do not look like only eating turkey breast and greens on Thanksgiving day with water.

Managing Nutrition Through the Holidays - Effective Strategies

Developing strategies to limit calories during this important is important. This might look like only allowing yourself one plate of food. It could look like waiting 15 minutes to see if you're still actually hungry before going for seconds. Maybe you cap the alcoholic drinks or the calories from alcohol. This means you're aiming for somewhere in between your most aggressive nutrition periods and reckless abandon.

Niki and Andrew recommend against fasting for most people. For some, this may work, but a better strategy is likely eating an extremely high-quality meal the morning of Thanksgiving. Focus on protein and fibrous vegetables.

For many, alcohol is an important area to address. Alcohol comes with many calories, it negatively affects sleep, it does not lead to satiety, and it affects your decision-making abilities.

Managing nutrition through the holidays is possible and important. Hope is not a strategy. We encourage you to set some realistic goals and intelligent strategies as part of your overall sustainable nutrition approach.

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Deadlifts: Eat Your Spine - Beast Over Burden - #500 Nov 14, 2023

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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 points out, is the only one of the main barbell lifts where the center of mass changes during the lift. At first, it's only the lifter's body. Then, as the weight of the barbell and plates moves up off the ground, the weight of the bar gradually (it might take less than a second) gets added to the COM equation.

Unlike the other lifts, the bar starts from a dead stop and that's part of the point. The press is somewhat similar, but lifters often add a dip or hip whip to get the bar moving on rep 1.

Deadlifts: Eat Your Spine

Instead of describing what the deadlift does to your spine, this "eat your spine" is a cue to conceptualize what happens in the setting of the back in the bottom of the deadlift.

Typical cues involve "lifting the chest" or "arching the back" or something similar. Too often, this results in overextension. You don't want overextension but simple, normal anatomical extension. You won't be able to maintain overextension.

Andrew's cue brings to mind that the spine is not only controlled by muscles of the back but is surround by muscle (including on the anterior side).

Wrap the spine with muscle or eat your spine.

Another important component of the deadlift is feeling the weight in your whole foot. The weight should be felt evenly on the balls of your feet and heels.

One other aspect they discuss is the difficulties for those with long torsos and short arms (we're sorry - enjoy the squat!). For these lifters, they may need a lower hip position than is often considered correct.

Deadlifts: eat your spine. This is the cue you didn't realize you needed.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

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

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