Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic

What is the goal of long-term strength training or barbell training? Muscle is the motive. It's your health & capability 401k. Niki & Andrew explore their changing mindset and training. 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 e...

Andrew & Niki talk sleep strategies & fluff updates: how snapping back after the holidays improves sleep, health markers, appearance, how you feel, and more. 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...

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 & sw...

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 a...

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...

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 d...

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 y...

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 cl...

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 w...

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....

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. W...

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 r...

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. Strength for Golf: Longer Drive & Better Stability for Putting As Tiger Woods' career demonstrated, strength does not destroy one's swing or ruin one's golf game. It actually helps it. Too many unfounded claims or ideas like this...

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...

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...

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 Forc...

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 rigi...

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. Snapping Back to Your Goldilocks Zone - Falling Short What is th...

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 thin...

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 wor...

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 th...

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 . Gain Muscl...

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. Lose Weight and Gain Muscle - the Goal Just about everyone who comes to a fitness goal wants more muscle (maybe strength)...

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...

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 st...