Andrea, Brian, and Jeff conduct an audience-supplied Q and A session. Topics include maximizing muscle growth, how to track volume, what you can do if you're afraid of gaining body fat after your competitive season, and a lot more. Is there a way to tell if you're maximizing the rate you can build muscle or if you're putting on muscle slower than you could? How should you count volume from compound exercises? How should you count volume from myo-rep sets? Does one set of myo-reps equal one traditional set? Why might your weekly volume (in terms of sets per week) actually go *down* over your li ..read more

In this eye-opening episode, Eric and Steve do a deep dive on the risks of testing new supplements, how you can help ensure the supplements you take are high-quality, and the supplements they use and recommend. Along with discussing the effectiveness of various supplements, the coaches go through the research showing just how common supplement contamination really is. How beneficial are supplements? Why is there a risk of harm when testing new supplements? How are supplements regulated by the FDA? What is third-party testing? Is all third-party testing legit? How has Eric's mindset around supp ..read more

Brad, Alberto, and Jeff discuss the weird and sometimes scary things that happen when we push our body to the extreme. The coaches share crazy things they have seen and had happen to them during prep. What happened to Jeff when he was vitamin K deficient during one of his preps? What is sleep eating and what are the potential causes? How did being too extreme lead to Jeff’s heart skipping beats and him having to take a month off of lifting and work? What else besides mysterious rashes and skin aches after refeeds have the coaches seen or heard about from athletes during prep? What are Brad's f ..read more

Brian, Jeff, and Brad discuss how to be compliant with your plan so you can achieve your goals. How do the coaches navigate food prepared by family when they're prepping? Do the coaches find it easier to eat the foods they really enjoy in small amounts or completely cut them out when prepping? How did Brad's perfect preps almost lead to him never competing again? How can you view hunger as a positive thing? What advice do the coaches have for those who want to compete, but are afraid to because conditions aren't perfect? The answers to these questions and many more are covered in this episode ..read more

Jeff and Alberto discuss how they've helped and pushed each other, how they go about their bodybuilding differently, and how to get the most out of your bodybuilding journey. How long have the coaches been lifting? How does Jeff go about his bodybuilding? How does Alberto go about his bodybuilding? How do the coaches think they could benefit from the other's approach? Why might Alberto follow a meal plan during his next prep? Why is making sure your bodybuilding is internally rewarding so important? What else can bodybuilding do for you besides give you a good physique? The answers to these qu ..read more

Brian, Brad, and Alberto discuss why getting yourself in a good position to prep is so important, what a good starting position looks like, and what they are currently doing to prepare for their 2024 season. Why are the coaches planning and preparing for the stage a year out? What are Brad, Brian, and Alberto's plans for their 2024 season? How far above stage weight do the coaches recommend starting prep? Ideally, as you get closer to the stage, should you be losing more or less weight per week compared to when you were further away? Is it possible to spread a season out too far? What new stra ..read more

Brad, Eric, and Alberto discuss how as a bodybuilder becomes more ingrained in the bodybuilding lifestyle, the structure of their contest preps and the structure of their offseasons start to become more and more similar. What did Eric and Alberto's offseasons look like 10+ years ago compared to what they look like now? How does understanding macros work synergistically with having a meal plan? How can you tell if you have a solid structure and if it's working? Where is a good place to start when setting up your default diet? How might variations and amounts of foods change depending on what ki ..read more

Eric, Brian, and Nick have an in-depth discussion around purposefully altering range of motion to get bigger, stronger, and rehab an injury. Is more range of motion always better? How can one use isometric contractions to increase a joint's range of motion? What is neuromechanical matching? Do we need to get into the extreme end range of motion to get any benefit from training at longer muscle lengths? What strategies does Nick use to get injured powerlifters back on the platform? When and why might one modify their range of motion on the big three to enhance their performance? The answers to ..read more

Jeff and Eric discuss what they have had to do to continue to improve their physiques as advanced athletes. The coaches also share strategies other advanced athletes can use to continue making progress as well. What percentage of gains do the coaches feel like a person reaches after 5 years of lifting? What did Eric do between his last bodybuilding season and the one he is currently in to improve his delts? How much more progress does Eric think he can make now that he's 40? How did Jeff make the biggest changes in his physique as an advanced athlete? Why is the *majority* of Eric's training a ..read more

Jeff and Alberto discuss common and unique scenarios they see when working with athletes. The coaches talk about how they work with athletes as well as motives and mindsets they like to see. Do the coaches normally add to someone's to-do list or take away from it? How is it beneficial to acknowledge that you have a breaking point? What is Alberto's mission with all of the athletes he works with? What are some of the negative consequences the coaches have seen when someone pushes themself too hard? Can a contest prep permanently change someone? What common mistake did Jeff make that significant ..read more