There's nothing more elusive and coveted in modern fitness and aesthetics than visible abs, the "six pack." For many, it's the holy grail of aesthetics. Many people, however, fail to achieve a six pack even after shedding a lot of body fat. How do you get them, then? Is it even possible for most people?   Dr. Robert Santana and Coach Trent break down the mystery of "abs," discuss the relevant anatomy, anatomical variation in the population, and why most people need to worry about building muscle mass, not losing body fat.   Tendinous Inscriptions of the Rectus Abdominis (check out the cool pics!): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6173272/     Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana   Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

#54 - All About Abs, and Why You Don't Have Them

Starting Strength Coach and Registered Dietitian Robert Santana shares his knowledge of all things diet, training, barbells, and more.

Nutrition

Fitness

Health & Fitness

Strength training demands a lot from a trainee, especially after the honeymoon wears off (i.e. the novice linear progression starts to get hard). It's hard work, short but intense, and involves facing fear on a regular basis. As you advance into intermediate territory, the time between PR's increases, and requires patience and persistance. The stronger you get, the more you have to pay attention to your recovery factors -- food, sleep, and stress -- to properly recover from workout to workout. Strength training is a weed out process, you might say, for those looking for the easy way out. There are many looking for an easy way out that quit when things get hard.   For those who persist, however, strength training offers many benefits beyond the physical adaptations. Strength training teaches patience and perserverance. It teaches you how to face fear by exposing you to gradually more difficult tasks (adding weight to the bar in small, regular increments). If you stick with this process, you can aquire a tough, resilient mindset, and leave behind the quitter's mindset.   Weights & Plates is now on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-   Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana   Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream Email: jonesbarbellclub@gmail.com  

#76 - Leaving Behind the Quitter's Mindset

There's seemingly no end to the "evidence based" coaches out there nowadays making all sorts of claims about you should train, backed up by scientific data. Have you actually read any of the papers they cite to back up their claims? It turns out, there are numerous problems with the field of scientific research, from the actual design of the experiments to the reporting of data, the publishing process and peer review, and, last but not least, skewed incentives for the people carrying out research at every level. Dr. Bradford, who earned a PhD in Pharmacology and Molecular Cancer Biology from Duke University in 2004, walks through the problems with the modern scientific process, and why professional research is the not the same as science.   Weights & Plates is now on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-   Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana   Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream Email: jonesbarbellclub@gmail.com  

#75 - Science Is Fake with Stef Bradford, PhD

To quote Mark Rippetoe, "women are not a special population, they are half the population." In other words, women fundamentally train for strength the same way that men do -- the same principles of progressive overload, using compound barbell lifts that target the whole body, and nutritional principles apply. There are a few exceptions, however, and that's what Dr. Santana and Coach Trent address in today's episode.   How Birth Control Can Inhibit Strength and Performance by Lea Genders:  https://www.leagendersfitness.com/news/how-hormonal-birth-control-can-inhibit-strength-and-muscle-development   Weights & Plates is now on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-   Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana   Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream Email: jonesbarbellclub@gmail.com  

#74 - Training and Diet for Women

Dr. Santana and Coach Trent wrap up their mini series on post-novice programming with an important discussion on understanding why you missed reps. The novice linear progression cannot last forevever (or else we'd all be squatting 1,000lbs!), and as the saying goes, all good things come to an end. This means that at some point, you'll miss reps. What do you do then? Some people have the impression that missing reps means it's time to change the program, and that's not necessarily true. Often there are recovery issues at play that can be addressed, allowing the lifter to extend progress on the novice linear progression with a few simple tweaks. In today's episode, Dr. Santana and Coach Trent walk through the The First Three Questions outlined in the Starting Strength method, and a fourth question, related to the stress/recovery/adaptation model.   In the Starting Strength article The First Three Questions, Rip identifies three important questions to ask yourself when progress stalls:  How long are you resting between sets? How big are your jumps in weight between workouts? How much are you eating and sleeping?    The demands of heavy barbell training are high, and many trainees miss the mark on one or more of these questions, especially a few months into a novice linear progression when every lift has become hard. Coach Trent adds a fourth question to the mix: what other stressors are going on in your life? Psychological stress affects physical perormance, especially when it becomes chronic stress. Especially for busy adults with lots of responsibilities outside the gym, you have to account for life stressors in your recovery and programming.   Weights & Plates is now on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-   Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana   Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream Email: jonesbarbellclub@gmail.com  

#73 - Why You Missed a Rep: Four Questions to Ask

Dr. Robert Santana and Coach Trent explore the Stress/Recovery/Adapation cycle (adapted from Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome) and how it serves as a guiding model for programming decisions in the intermediate phase of training.   Weights & Plates is now on YouTube! https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-   Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana   Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream Email: jonesbarbellclub@gmail.com  

#54 - All About Abs, and Why You Don't Have Them

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