Philosophy of Strength

0:00 Intro 2:45 Content creation and social media 6:45 The problem with perfectionism 12:00 Why you need goals 19:40 The power of having a why 22:40 Strength training is not complicated 39:15 We have too many options 46:15 Embrace the bad days

Alec Blenis is a hybrid athlete, coach, science nerd, and movement optimist. In this episode, we have a chat about how Alec got started with training and coaching, his thoughts on hybrid training mistakes and misconceptions, social media, and movement optimism.

Strength training requires lifting progressively heavier weights. However we also need to be able to train for long periods of time without stopping or getting hurt. Here's where to strike the balance with an example of a client of mine who hit a recent squat PR 30kg above his training weights.

Fitness products/services can be broadly categorised as cheap and fast, good and cheap, or good and fast. Each combination has its downsides, as it sacrifices the 3rd thing. I give examples of how this works in real life, and what might be the best option for you.

Are bicep curls functional? How many days per week to increase your fitness? Where should your feet go on bench?

In this episode I examine some of the arguments for and against the contentious topic of allowing cameras and video recording in gyms.

When I was 15 I hurt my shoulder in rugby, and went through years of terrible medical advice. Now I can do heavy dips, bench press, behind the neck press. Here's how I did it, and what I do to keep mine and clients shoulders happy and healthy.

An overview of what hypertrophy is, why you would want to gain muscle mass, how to train for it, and food and sleep considerations to optimise your results.

Fallen off training and in a rut? Listen to this.

I talk with client Andy O'Callaghan about the progress he's made since we started working together. Andy has changed the way he looks, fixed chronic joint pain, and achieved his goal of a muscle up. Listen to get his perspective on what was required to get to this point.

1:17 Can you gain strength in a calorie deficit 3:40 Main value of hiring a coach 6:00 How to start running when you're heavy 09:56 Deadlifting in squat shoes 11:25 Dumbbell flyes from the floor 13:20 Improving shoulder mobility for overhead press 15:15 Getting older and hitting final PRs 19:20 My goals 20:05 Fascia training and 'glute dominant' athletes 23:30 Is strength training enou...

Training in busy January gyms, how severe injuries happen, training with partials, advice on becoming a PT, and more.

A look back on the main changes in the industry, my training, and coaching business in 2023.

A longer Q&A than usual

So you're not hitting PRs as easy as you did when you started training? Here are the most likely reasons and how to get your lifts moving again.

Worst fitness trends, why you need to train with others, balance/proprioception training, and more.

In this episode I sit down with Iron Ian of the Iron Mindset podcast. Ian talks about how he first got into training through working in the upstart Irish pro wrestling scene, how he later transitioned into powerlifting and coaching, and other general chit chat about the fitness industry.

My take on some 'essential' albums I found disappointing, versus the ones I think are often overlooked compared to the rest of that band's catalogue.

Progressive overload is a very important principle for good training, yet trainees often misunderstand what it is and how to use it.

Hurt your back? Congratulations, diagnosis: human. The good news is it's probably not serious and you'll be able to get back to lifting much sooner than you think.

1:07 Evidence for 'explosive' reps? 05:37 My current training split 08:23 How to get a muscle-up 13:02 Breaking a running plateau 17:01 Barbell press a bad option for hypertrophy? 23:15 Why wear a belt? 25:00 How much weight loss impacted my bench 27:46 Tips for golfer's elbow 30:05 Back pain on RDL 33:19 Submax slow eccentrics vs supramax 35:50 Advice for S&C coach moving into PT

Functional training has become an industry buzzword. But rarely has its dubious claims about 'good' and 'bad' movement ever been challenged in the mainstream. Conveniently, functional training tends to be more entertaining and easier than traditional resistance training, making it a huge hit on social media. In this episode, I dismantle the common arguments used to defend this gian...

0:00 Intro 1:31 My thoughts on the internal rotation craze 06:00 Periodisation of training for fat loss 11:40 The last thing I changed my opinion on 16:55 Squat U's gains 18:30 Is the smith machine for pussies? 23:35 Do I ever wish I had a different job? 28:24 Popping noises in joints 32:00 Easiest way to break a bench plateau 35:30 What RPEs do I prescribe for gaining strength?

0:00 Intro 05:25 Honourable mentions 20:25 Secret of Monkey Island 24:57 Super Mario World 28:07 Halo 31:36 Pokemon Red/Blue 37:30 Oblivion 45:19 The best game of all time

00:50 What are my favourite arm exercises? 02:00 Is the back raise safe for back rehab? 03:53 What bench grip width to use for hypertrophy? 06:10 A thank you message 07:11 What's my take on barefoot training? 10:13 What's wrong with optimising? 16:10 What's the most fun thing about being a coach? 18:17 How do you deal with the BS in the industry? 23:06 Back pain on dynamic effort deadl...