Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic

Feeling tired, foggy, bloated, or weak in the gym usually has a cause. The trick is knowing how far back to look. In this episode of the "Acting Like You Care About Your Body" series, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson explain the short-, medium-, and long-term signals your body sends, and how to use them to make better decisions. In this episode: Within 24 hours: hydration, caffeine, salty meals, skipp...

Barbell Logic founder Matt Reynolds has cut body fat for nine straight months with no cardio. He shares how walking, lifting, quitting alcohol, and simple meals did the work. You can lose fat without cardio. Barbell Logic founder Matt Reynolds has cut his body fat for nine straight months without any dedicated cardio. In this episode, Andrew Jackson and Matt walk through exactly what he does each...

Andrew Conrad has plenty of reasons not to train. He was born with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB, a rare skin disorder that makes his skin extremely fragile. Friction and pressure can cause blisters, wounds, and scar tissue. Even normal activities can require extra care. But Andrew has spent his life finding ways to stay active. He grew up playing baseball and competitive ten...

Sleep affects your mood, focus, training, recovery, and almost everything else you do. But getting better sleep does not require a perfect nighttime routine or an endless list of sleep hacks. Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson talk about practical ways to improve sleep while accepting that real life will never be perfectly optimized. They discuss consistent bedtimes and wake times, evening routines, mea...

What happens when you remember being athletic, strong, and in shape—but that version of yourself feels decades away? For former athletes and people who used to train, getting back in shape can come with a unique kind of frustration. You remember what you used to be able to do, but your life, schedule, recovery, and body are different now. That comparison can leave you stuck: either you decide ther...

Pain can make it feel like the safest option is to stop training completely. But for many common aches and pains, doing nothing may actually make it harder to get back to moving, lifting, and feeling capable. Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson continue the Act Like You Care About Your Body series by talking about how to approach back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, and other nagging issues without falli...

You're busy. You have work, family, chores, responsibilities, and a dozen screens competing for your attention. So when someone tells you to exercise more, the obvious response might be: "When am I supposed to find the time?" In this episode of Beast Over Burden, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson continue the "Act Like You Care About Your Body" series by tackling one of the most common obstacles to con...

Most people know they should exercise, eat better, move more, and take better care of themselves. The problem is turning that knowledge into consistent action. A meaningful quest can give your training a reason beyond simply checking off another workout. It might be getting stronger, losing weight, improving your health, preparing for a physical challenge, or simply becoming someone who is proud o...

"I can't afford it" is one of the most common reasons people give for not hiring a coach, joining a gym, or investing in their health. Sometimes that's completely true. But sometimes what we really mean is, "I'm choosing to spend my money somewhere else." Niki and Andrew talk about the relationship between money, time, value, and priorities—and why thinking of coaching as just another monthly expe...

Training feels too complicated. You don't have enough time. You're tired, busy, and you keep telling yourself you'll get back to it when everything lines up. In this episode of Beast Over Burden, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson talk about why the answer may not be more discipline, more optimization, or a harder program. Sometimes you need to do less. They discuss how unrealistic expectations can crea...

"I need to get in shape before I start working out." It sounds reasonable, but it gets the process backwards. Training is how you build strength, confidence, work capacity, and the ability to do more. Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson discuss why people feel they need to lose weight, improve their fitness, or look like they belong in the gym before they begin. They also explore the deeper issue behind...

You know training matters. You may even want to train. But work, family, travel, fatigue, and everything else competing for your attention keep pushing it out of the week. In this episode of Beast Over Burden, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson examine one of the most common reasons people stop exercising: "I don't have time." Sometimes life really does make training difficult. But often, being too busy...

After two knee replacements, a hip replacement, and years of chronic pain, Beth is getting strong again at 72. A lifelong athlete, coach, and gym owner, Beth has spent decades swimming, running, competing in triathlons, playing racquetball, coaching others, and finding new ways to stay active. But aging, osteoarthritis, major surgeries, and long periods away from consistent strength training force...

What home gym equipment is actually worth buying after the basics? In this Beast Over Burden legacy episode, Niki Sims and Matt Reynolds talk through strength training gear that solves real problems in a home gym, garage gym, or serious training setup. They discuss useful equipment beyond the barbell, rack, bench, plates, belt, and shoes, including monolift attachments, deadlift jacks, adjustable...

Dr. Dan Rossi joins Beast Over Burden to talk about strength training, aging, injury, confidence, and why muscle mass matters beyond the gym. As a hospitalist and internal medicine doctor, Dan sees older patients at some of the hardest points in life. That perspective has changed how he thinks about training. Strength is not just about chasing numbers, looking athletic, or reliving old football PR...

Training through back pain does not mean forcing your old numbers or pretending nothing hurts. In this Beast Over Burden episode, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson discuss Niki's long process of training through and around back pain. Niki shares how her mindset shifted from trying to get back to heavy barbell lifting as fast as possible to focusing on training consistently, building muscle, and finding...

Strength training after 40 should help you do more than lift weights in the gym. It should help you stay capable, active, and strong for the life you actually want to live. Beau Baggett joins Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson to talk about building strength for backcountry hunting, family life, and long-term health. After years of running marathons and focusing on endurance, Beau realized he had the ca...

Melissa McGregor's strength training journey began years after suffering a stroke while 10 weeks pregnant. In this Beast Over Burden episode, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson are joined by Barbell Logic coach Joel Rasmussen and client Melissa McGregor to talk about stroke recovery, adaptive strength training, coaching, and rebuilding physical confidence. Melissa shares what it was like to regain the a...

Michael Gaudet joins Beast Over Burden to share his remarkable story of powerlifting after a heart attack, living with type 1 diabetes for 50 years, and becoming a world champion at 62. Michael has lived many athletic lives: wrestler, competitive cyclist, sports car racer, mountaineering instructor, and competitive powerlifter. After surviving a 100% LAD "widowmaker" blockage in 2023, he returned...

Physical freedom does not come from constantly starting over. In this Beast Over Burden episode, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson discuss what it really takes to build physical freedom through strength training. They explain why freedom in training is not just doing whatever you want in the gym. It comes from building muscle, developing skill, gaining training experience, and learning how to adjust wh...

Eric Dahl joins Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson on Beast Over Burden to share how he continues getting stronger with age, setting major PRs in his mid-40s while balancing work, family, coaching, and recovery. Eric has been part of the Barbell Logic family since 2017 and has built an impressive strength resume, including a 507-pound bench press and a 628-pound deadlift at 46 years old. But this conver...

Feeling off after the holidays does not mean you need to panic, crash diet, or punish yourself with extra cardio. In this Beast over Burden legacy episode, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson talk about how lifters can reset their nutrition after the holidays while still supporting strength training, muscle, and long-term progress. They discuss the post-holiday tipping point: feeling bloated, fluffy, tir...

Strength training after 70 is not about pretending age does not matter. It is about adapting, staying consistent, and refusing to quit. In this episode of Beast Over Burden, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson talk with Barbell Logic client Michael Taylor, a 73-year-old lifter who started strength training at 60 and has continued training through arthritis, joint pain, exercise modifications, and the nor...

Training while traveling does not have to be perfect to be useful. In this Beast over Burden legacy episode, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson discuss how to keep training while traveling for work, vacation, or any trip that disrupts your normal routine. They explain why doing something is often better than doing nothing, especially when you want to maintain strength, muscle, momentum, and consistency....

Strength training in your 40s often starts with limitations—nagging injuries, inconsistent training, and the feeling that your best years are behind you. But what if this is actually the decade where you build your strongest, most resilient body? In this episode of Beast Over Burden, Niki Sims talks with Barbell Logic client Dalton Stanage about his journey from chronic back pain to deadlifting ov...