Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic

It's not the sexiest topic, but being safe around barbells is extremely important if you want to have a long and healthy lifting career. Like handling firearms, there are some basic rules for lifting barbells that will keep you safe. Here are the rules, tips, and tricks to keep you safe which doing each of the big lifts.

Coop from Garage Gym Reviews returns to the podcast to discuss the benefits of training in a home or garage gym. While many think a home gym is out of reach, either financially or logistically, the essentials don't have to cost a lot, especially if you track down some used equipment on Craigslist. Home gyms also have a great ROI when compared to gym memberships, as monthly dues continue to add up while home gyms continue to be useful for years, long after the sting of the initial capital expenditure.

Cooper, founder of Garage Gym Reviews -- an excellent resource for in-depth reviews of gym equipment -- joins Matt and Scott for a discussion about his personal strength journey, how he came to found the website, and some of his favorite equipment.

Matt and Scott discuss their experience dieting under the tutelage of Robert Santana, a SSC and the head nutrition coach at SSOC. Santana's basic approach is to coach his lifters to eat to support their strength, while maintaining high protein levels (which, of course, are necessary to support muscle growth). Matt also talks about the struggles of hitting macros and eating healthy while traveling.

SSOC intern Joel Rasmussen flew all the way from Adelaide, Australia to join the Barbell Logic podcast, en route to a Starting Strength seminar in Wichita Falls. While he was in town, Matt and Scott chatted with him about establishing a home gym out of his garage in Adelaide, his coaching experience as an intern with SSOC, and how he managed to rehab his "stuffed" back.

One of the most requested Barbell Logic topics has been reading recommendations, specifically for books on business and investing. Today Matt and Scott lay out their favorite business books, readings that helped shaped their values, operations, and interactions in their own businesses.

Matt and Scott close out the interviews recorded at StrengthCon I with returning guest Niki Sims. Niki is an SSC and a staff coach, as well as the Relationship Manager at Starting Strength Online Coaching. She joins the podcast today to talk about her unofficial title of Chin Up Queen and how to structure a successful chin up program for females.

Most people don't think about the emotional benefits of weight lifting, or how exercise can build confidence, when they step into a gym. Yet it is perhaps the most transformative benefit of strength training. Today Matt and Scott share stories of how strength training has transformed their own sense of self-confidence, as well as that of their clients.

Matt and Scott interview SSOC clients Amber and Taylor Bruseke. Taylor is a gynecologist specializing in pelvic floor issues. Amber is a former fitness instructor who discovered strength training after teaching fitness classes for years. After discovering Starting Strength, she got strong and developed the muscular yet feminine look she had been looking for. Similarly, Taylor transformed his body after medical school by gaining over 40 pounds of muscular bodyweight and getting MUCH stronger in the process.

Matt brings the programming lecture full circle by elaborating on why the Novice LP eventually must end, what factors are at play, and how to continue to drive progress in the intermediate stage and beyond.