We are joined a second time by NZ Strongest Man Jono Macfarlane to talk about Eddie Hall's deadlifting 500 kg. One of the hosts, Dave posted a horrific squat video and we discuss squat form and mechanics as well. 

Our sponsor is valleyvintageshop.com. 10% off all their awesome goods using the code "Gainzgrace".

Fitness is a fun hobby that becomes quite more important because it affects other aspects of life (ability to interact with kids, ability to live long without common medical issues that happen with a lack of fitness - diabeetus and obesity). So it is a fun hobby to be involved in but its different in the family setting, it can go from a hobby to be that thing that allows you to be a better parent/partner.

Some of the topics we discuss today are:

• What about a girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse that doesn’t exercise?
• How does that affect the relationship?
• Is that a big issue in the relationship?
• How can one get a spouse in the gym? What NOT to say…?
• Have you gotten him/her a treadmill as a gift yet (or gym membership?)? How to do that smart…
• Success stories? What would be considered “successful” in this situation?

Cardio - we do it, we see it, we hate it, we love it...but why and how? This is the topic we are discussing in today's episode?

Cardio - HIIT vs LISS

Cardio for weight loss

Cardio for strength training

Cardio for sports

Why do cardio at all?

The big three lifts are like the pb&j of lifts for strength gainz but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have a apple pie and ice cream to supplement a hearty carb filled lifting routine - enter the accessory lifts.

In today's episode we talk on these main points listed below"

• What role do accessory lifts play in bodybuilding vs powerlifting vs Crossfit vs Olympic Lifting?
• Two schools of thought: there’s the “break it down” and work accessories to shore up weaknesses and strengthen overall (this is the Westside approach)...and then there’s the “do more of the actual lift” view as seen in Wendler’s program known as the “big but boring” version of 5/3/1.
• Squat -
  
  • Leg Curls - works quads
  • Leg Ext - works hamstrings
  • Hack Squat - mimics back squat movement
  • Front Squat - works legs and core
  • Lunges - works legs, good for cardio as well
• Bench -
  • Pec Fly - works the hugging muscle
  • Incline Bench - works upper chest (big one for bbers)
  • Decline Bench - works lower chest and not as effective as dips
  • Reverse Grip Bench - a great way to get killed
  • Dips - best bench accessory movement ever, hits lower chest and triceps
  • Floor press - another great accessory, hits chest and triceps
• Deadlift -
  • Pendlay Rows - targets upper and middle back
  • Stiff Leg Deads - targets hamstrings and lower back
  • Hyperextensions - good lower back exercise
  • Chinups - targets lower and upper back
  • 1 arm dumbbell raises - hits upper back and some lower back
• So, how many accessory movements do you actually do?
• Are these to be used to 1) shore up weaknesses as you go, 2) break through a strength plateau, 3) just have a balanced musculature, 4) some other reason?

This is the Core episode - all about core and what it is and how it works. We have with us a bodybuilder, Jeff Ash, as well as a Crossfitter Toney Sauls to join us today to educate us on core.

What is the core comprised of? Our core has three-dimensional depth and functional movement in all three planes of motion. Many of the muscles are hidden beneath the exterior musculature people typically train. The deeper muscles include the transversus abdominis, multifidus, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and many other deeper muscles. (http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/do-you-know-what-your-core-really-is-and-what-it-does)

What does the core do? Our core most often acts as a stabilizer and force transfer center rather than a prime mover. Yet consistently people focus on training their core as a prime mover and in isolation. This would be doing crunches or back extensions versus functional movements like deadlifts, overhead squats, and pushups, among many other functional closed chain exercises.1 By training that way, not only are you missing out on a major function of the core, but also better strength gains, more efficient movement, and longevity of health.

Dave’s fav core exercises - Ab wheel, Atomic situps, captain's chair,

Everett’s fav core exercises - all variations of planks and front squats for targeting the core. Other variations of the big-3 can help, but more as they *rely* on the core secondarily.

Josh’s fav core exercises - Eating, pooing, sleeping.

Jeff’s fav core exercises - ball crunches, cable crunches, decline reverse crunch, cable oblique crunch, cable woodchoppers

Toney’s fav core exercises - ab wheel, one-leg bicycles, GHD situps

Any LEAST favorite core exercises?

• Pretty much everything that Jeff and Toney do. #fire

How do you work core into your current routine?

Why work core?

A weak core will negatively affect all your functional movements. In order to go up in strength with compound movements you needs to have a strong core. People with weak cores tend to avoid free weights and spend most of their time in the gym on machines that isolate body parts at the cost of undertraining the core. If you incorporate compound movements into your regular lifts your core will get stronger.

Ricky Heeb, Anthony Kroeker, and Amanda Kroeker join us today to talk about home gyms and why they built and use one. Some of the cool topics we discussed in this episode are:

What motivated you to get a home gym?

Pros/Cons of home gym vs conventional gym?

What are the common home gym pieces of equipment and what exercises can you only do at a conventional gym (if any) because of restriction due to equipment?

Biggest thing you miss about not lifting in a conventional gym?

How much you spent on your home gym? (time or money?)

What do you invest most of your money into when it comes to home gyms and why?

Biggest hurdle to overcome when it comes to lifting in a home gym

Funny home gym stories

Whose idea was it to get the home gym (wife, kids, husband)

Has your ability to meet your goals gone up or down with the purchase of a home gym? Why or why not?

What DIY gym equipment have you made?

Mormonism, you've heard about it, you might have met a missionary on his bike or two, now we are going to get into the weeds on what they believe and teach.

Mormonism -

1. God used to be a man on another world, (NOT A SPIRIT)
2. 1. “God was once was as we are now and sits enthroned in yonder heavens...I will tell you how god came to be god!” ~ Joseph Smith
3. who brought his wives to this world (goddess) and the god rules this world. There are millions of gods who were born like the god of mormonism.
4. The god and godess make spirit children like Jesus and Lucifer who are brothers. We are all brothers and sisters to Jesus and Lucifer and children to god and his wife.
   1. No drinking, no smoking, no coffee, no tea, 10% tithe, don’t question the leaders, temple work, no fornication, etc
5. In order to become gods, the physical spirit children (who are also missionaries or are apart of the church) have to keep a few rules

Lucifer rebelled and opposed god. Jesus was born, got married (this is not official church doctrine and only held by some early leaders and weird outsiders).

Secret rituals

• Baptism of the dead
• Celestial marriage
• Oaths of secrecy and commitment
• 4 secret handshakes

Random thoughts from DAVE:

• Mormonism started because the canon wasn’t closed according to Joseph Smith and there were future prophecies that didn’t need to be validated by Scripture…this should be a big warning to others who claim to get extra-biblical revelations, you could end up sending hundreds of thousands to hell for believing your false prophecies
• • What other religions were started (or churches) because “God told me….”
  • How is that different from 1 Cor 14? Could prophecy mean something else than a NEW thing in Scripture that needs to be added to the canon?
• How is the stuff that Joseph Smith got from the angels ANY different from the Bible? Isn’t it just different guy, different time, different place?
• • Would comparing historical claims be a good way to discredit mormonism or is that secondary to a presuppositional argument that is even more basic than comparing historical claims (example...some prophecies in the OT are not quite literal with their date claims...finger writing on the wall said that “that very night Belshazzer was slain” when historians claim differently
• Why did the people around Joseph Smith accept and believe his “prophecies”? Were they just stupid? Why is the church still a thing?
• • What is the historical context - isolated group of people who nearly die getting to Salt Lake City...another trend among cults is they usually breed well among small isolated groups (thinking about the movie “The Village”)
• What are the historical details that made Mormonism a thing -
• What makes Mormonism heretical?

https://carm.org/teachings-of-mormonism

The awkward question: why are evangelicals going soft on Mormonism?

Hey fam - we are coming up on our annual contracts for web and media hosting as well as the domain name and we need your help.

Our annual costs total 3 45 lb plates in dollars each year and we are a show that is sponsored by YOU.

The shirts we are selling for the fundraiser are priced at $25. The material is a tri-blend with a water based ink which will make the logo thinner on the shirt. It will be a red shirt with a weathered black logo and look really cool.

Please paypal your $25 with your shirt size and mailing address to [email protected] by June 15. If we don't get 30 pre-orders your money will be fully refunded.

The money will help us go for a second year as we continue to educate and entertain all about lifting and reformed theology.

Thanks! Gainz and Grace.

Building big shoulders is like...adding steeple to an already boring church….NOW IT’s AWESOME, and so we are talking all about the steeple to the body...the shoulders.

For increasing those numbers on your bench press, having strong solid shoulders is very important. Also if you are into olympic lifting all of the oly lifts will suffer if the shoulders aren’t getting a little TLC.

Dave - i can finally cut my shoulder pads out of my sports coats...yay (ladies sport coats are much cheaper than guys...fyi)

Why work shoulders

Josh - Shoulders exist.

Everett - For men, shoulders are a big deal. When you stand up, you notice the shoulders...you can puff your chest out as much as you want, but if you don’t have the shoulders to go along with it, it amounts to nothing. Bonus, big wide shoulders allow you to carry a bit more in the midsection without looking awful.

Dave -  my Dad always bugged me about my shoulders growing up. For some reason it haunts me still.

Josh’s fav shoulder exercises

• OHP
  Shrugs
  
  

Everett’s fav shoulder exercises

• Overhead Press is king.
• Raises
• Front barbell raise
• Farmers walks
• Wanna do dips (the squat of the upper body) but not with my shoulder injury.

Dave’s fav shoulder exercises

• Seated Arnold Presses
• Single arm side lateral raises
• Rear delt lateral raises (on cable machine)
• Finish with drop sets (running the rack) with seated military press

Dave’s least fav shoulder exercises

• Face pulls (I just don’t feel these like I do other exercises)
• Front lat raises (mehh…)

Dave’s notes on shoulder day - I’ve had a hard time feeling a burn or feeling worn out doing shoulders, you can either do the movement or you can’t. Shoulders are a fun day and I really feel the DOMs 48 hours later and washing my hair that night might not happen. I might squirt the shampoo on the wall and apply to my head that way.

Other notes - I have a lil vascularity in my shoulders which is very cool :D

Running, is best when there are zombies and we have our first legitimate long-term zombie survivor on the show, Matt Henslee.

Quote of this episode - You can never trust a fart after 4 miles.