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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 -...

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!   Discounts Save $79 off your first month of coaching at Barbell Logic Online Coaching with the discount code LOGIC .   Also, A7 Strongwear has officially launched their new product line! They're known for thei...

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 Hann...

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...

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!   Discounts Save $79 off your first month of coaching at Barbell Logic Online Coaching with the discount code LOGIC .   Also, A7 Strongwear has officially launched their new product line! They're known for thei...

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law enforcement officer, and Barbell Logic coaching intern Nick Koldewey joins the podcast to talk about the military's outdated PT philosophy and it's shortcomings in meeting the demands of the modern soldier.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,...

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 any...

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!   Discounts Save $79 off your first month of coaching at Barbell Logic Online Coaching with the discount code LOGIC .   Also keep your eyes on A7 Strongwear's upcoming product launch on August 9th. A7 is known...

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!    Discounts Save $79 off your first month of coac...

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 e...

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...

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...

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 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!   Discounts Use discount code LOGIC  to save 10% off microplates, dumbbell microplates, and more at Microgainz . Use discount code LOGIC  to save $10 off belts and more at Dominion Strength .   Connect With Mat...

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 techni...

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, 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!   Discounts Save 50% off your first month of online coaching at Barbell Logic Online Coaching using the code TEAMBLOC Use discount code LOGIC  to save 10% off microplates, dumbbell microplates, and more at Micr...

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!    Discounts Save 50% off your first month of online coaching...

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. T...

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!   Discounts Online Great Books is open...

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: Whe...

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.   D...

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!   Discounts Online Great Books is opening enrollment on July 8th. Spots are limited, so visit  https://onlinegreatbooks.com/barbell-logic/  to sign up for the VIP waiting list. When enrollment opens, if you sig...

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 ext...

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 "fighti...