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When should I leave my "safe" job?

Jesse Mecham, founder and CEO of YNAB and author of the book You Need a Budget, joins Matt to discuss when you should leave the supposed safe job to make your side gig your main job.

When Should I Leave My "Safe" Job? - There Is No Safe Job

Totally safe, secure jobs do not exist.

If you're an employee, whether it be at a small or big company, you could lose your job for countless reasons outside your control.

If you work in the government, a shutdown or change in law could spell the end of your job.

Furthermore, even if you have a job that has a lower chance of loss, what is it costing you? Do you find satisfaction with it? Do you get to spend time with your family?

If you own a company, it is true, it is all on your shoulders. But, in reality, things are on your shoulders any way. If you like the idea of being your own boss and have the temperament and ability to do so, this is worth considering.

First, you need a side gig.

When Should I Leave My "Safe" Job? - Go For It, Prudently

If you have a side gig that is making good money and want to make it your main job, you should probably go for it if you've met the following conditions.

• You have paid off all debt (excepting the mortgage)
• You have saved up enough money to pay for at least 3 months of bills
• Your spouse (if applicable) supports you

One critical note here is that before you come to this point, you need to ensure that you do not raise your living standards to the income from both jobs. Save the side gig money, do not raise your monthly expenses to your temporary monthly income.

When should I leave my "safe" job? If you are ready, you should probably leave it.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper).

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

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Tips for Training While Traveling: Whys

Why train while traveling?

While, in part, it depends on how often you travel, your goals, the length of travel, and how consistent you are outside of travel. For those who are extremely consistent and rarely travel, it might make sense to take the week off.

If you travel for business, you need to train.

You will feel better if you train. The workout might not feel good, especially to start, but you will feel better afterwards. You might even feel better during the workout (e.g. initial warm ups feel terrible, then the heavier warm ups and work sets move well and feel good).

It also helps provide structure to your days, which on vacation can often lack structure. Additionally, it gives you some short amount of you time, and, importantly, healthy you time.

Tips for Training While Traveling: Hows

Incorporate your gym seeking into your travel planning. Checkout the hotel gym and nearby gyms. You can often find a serviceable gym that has a guest policy. You might need to call the gym to check the visitor policy.

Pack and prioritize some equipment. Belts and other bulky items are not needed. Having a pair of shoes that you can both lift and do cardio with makes sense. You might pack some small things like liquid chalk, straps, or knee sleeves.

Plan your workout ahead of time. Intend to do at least something hard - get into that "worth it" zone.

Depending on the number of times you will train and decide whether you will do full body and a split. Fewer times means full body makes more sense.

Besides that, Niki and Andrew have some general tips and approaches they take:

• Mentally let go of the weight on the bar
• AMRAPs
• supersets (antagonistic or similar)
• burn out sets
• drop sets
• hard exercises that don't require tons of weight (e.g. bulgarian split squats)
• bend these joints: knees, shoulders, elbows, hips

Try out these tips for training while traveling.

A couple links for helping you train while traveling can be found here & here.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page. Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

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Hear a motivating online coaching success story with Adam Skillin, a BLOC coach, who works full time at BLOC.

Online Coaching Success Story: Before Coaching

Adam Skillin worked various jobs, including banking, but always knew he did not want to go down the typical 9-5 path.

Adam lives and grew up in New Jersey. He worked in the banking industry and also did various jobs including bartending. More than once he picked a job that did not align with good macroeconomic timing.

He became interested in BJJ and MMA, and thought that this would become his side hustle. He planned to open up a gym and tried to get a professional fight.

In 2010 he saw someone in his weight class (he was 5'6" and weighed 130 pounds) deadlift 405 pounds and did not think that was possible. Further, he immediately saw that getting stronger would provide benefits to his strength.

He began training, got stronger, it improved his BJJ game, and others grew interested. Suddenly, he was coaching other people.

Online Coaching Success Story: Quality of Life

Adam saw that this could become his side hustle. He got stronger, got certified, and as he started to coach people in his free time outside his 9-5 job, online coaching became a thing. He immediately saw the benefits.

A few months later, Matt offered him a job at BLOC to start coaching online.

Adam now coaches over 50 clients making 6 figures a year and works an average of 75-100 minutes a day. He has 100% on-time feedback and extremely high retention.

This is his online coaching success story.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper).

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

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• Niki on Instagram
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We really need to talk about menopause. What to expect, how you make changes to lifting, nutrition, expectations, and more. Menopause: Causes & Expectations

Menopause is about a 10-year period of life for women where estrogen decreases, causing other changes to a woman's biology.

Some changes include the end of the menstrual cycle, decrease in energy levels and trouble sleeping, increased difficulty trying to retain muscle mass, hot flashes, and sex drive changes.

Let's face it, it does not sound all that fun.

But it happens, so it makes sense to understand it, prepare for it, and undergo it in a way that matches our goals and values.

Menopause: Approaching & Undergoing It Intentionally

Really, what you do in the weight room and kitchen do not change. You need to eat protein and lift heavy weights. That does not change.

Managing expectations is important. Adaptations cannot occur as quickly. You will not be able to handle as big of a dose of stress, and you will take longer to recover.

This is why Niki recommends, for those who are in a position to do so, to put on the muscle mass while it's easier to do so before menopause.

Building the habit now and understanding how to enjoy training, over years and decades, is important. This may not be the most fun time to train, but it is important to continue to train.

We really need to talk about menopause.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page. Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

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Reliability costs nothing but changes everything. Show up on time every time and say what you are going to do.

Reliability Costs Nothing - Integrity over Time

Andrew Jackson shared his value equation a couple years ago, which includes ability, integrity, and benevolence.

Reliability is essentially integrity over time. Do you show up each time, on time, and do the thing you said you would do.

This costs no money. It takes time and effort. It means you will show up when you're sick, tired, and for whatever reason do not feel like it.

Reliability Costs Nothing but Changes Everything

Reliability brings tons of value to those you interact with.

You likely have been in a situation, as a parent, supervisor, or friend, where you know whom you can rely on with a difficult task and whom you cannot.

As a manager, it is wonderful to know that you have an employee (or multiple employees) you can rely on to get the job done each time.

You can fake benevolence for a short period time. You can probably fake integrity for a short period of time. Over months and years, however, your character reveals whether you are reliable or not.

Decide to be reliable today. Consider if you are reliable. Think about how others (your spouse, friends, supervisor, etc.) perceive you. Would they say you're one of the most reliable people they know? How can you become more reliable?

Reliability costs nothing but changes everything.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper).

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

• Matt on Instagram
• Niki on Instagram
• Andrew on Instagram

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• Or email [email protected]

Learn how to better your bench with proper technique and good equipment. Improper gear and form means less weight on the bar. Bench more. Learn the way. Better Your Bench with Good Equipment

For anyone who has tried to bench heavy in a commercial gym, they typically find that the experience is frustrating. Weights are harder than expected and may even come with missed reps.

Bad equipment is often to blame.

Whether it is slippery bars with nearly no knurl to those bench-rack combinations that have the bar far too low or too high to slick benches that prevent you from digging into the bench and freezing your scapulae, these gear problems abound in commercial gyms.

You can, typically, make a bad situation worse. You can better your bench.

Wearing a bar grip shirt helps your shoulder blades stick better to the bench. You may want to bench in a squat rack, which typically has smaller jumps between holes, then in those bench-rack combos. Having a spotter so you don't have to shrug the bar 4 inches off the j-hooks can help.

You may need to put plates underneath your feet so you can get a better arch.

At home, getting a monolift is a good investment, especially if you tend to experience shoulder pain.

Also, you may need to lower expectations. This can be a good situation for autoregulation.

Better Your Bench with Correct Technique

Technique matters too.

You want to have the maximum amount of stability for the longest duration possible.

You should not be wiggling after the bar is unracked. Don't do it!

Build tension as you set up. Your legs should drive up the bench into your shoulders into an arch. You should use the weight of the bar to help pin your shoulders down into the bench. You should squeeze the bar hard.

Another consideration is breathing. If you can do it efficiently, complete 2-3 reps on one breath. If not, focus on maintaining scapula position between breaths.

Better your bench with proper equipment and good technique.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page. Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

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We talk about defining your core values. These underpin your goals & actions, help you make decisions, & reflect your personality and aspirations.

Defining Your Core Values: Brainstorming & Reflecting

Matt discusses how to identify and list your core values. These should reflect your personality but also be aspirational.

For example, for Matt, quite reflection would not be a core value. He verbally processes ideas, and he would be working against his natural tendencies.

Rather, lean into your personality, though work on addressing your weaknesses and bolstering your strengths.

Notice what attracts you on social media, literature, podcasts, movies. Which characters and actions attract you (and which repulse you)? What are your natural tendencies and preference that you have no problem with?

Start listing these out, thinking about them, and you can move on to refining your list.

Defining Your Core Values: Refining & Defining

As you create your list, think about different aspects of your life, such as family/relationship/interpersonal, business/professional, religious/spiritual, etc.

Once you feel you've taken some time and reflected, identify the top 5 core values.

These help underpin your goals and actions and all your decisions.

They help avoid chasing shiny objects and help you avoid the lesser, easier, more comfortable paths that clash with your values.

Defining your values is useful, whether for just yourself or your business.

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper).

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

• Matt on Instagram
• Niki on Instagram
• Andrew on Instagram

Connect with the show

• Barbell Logic on Instagram
• Podcast Webpage
• Barbell Logic on Facebook
• Or email [email protected]

Programming Difficulties for New Dads

Having a newborn changes your life, and training has to change as well.

For a dad, the change is different than for a mom. For the mom, she undergoes physical changes for 9-10 months leading up to the birth, so her training has to change prior to birth.

For fathers, however, their changing (mostly) does not change before the birth. At birth it changes drastically.

This is an especially busy time for fathers, and part of it is the lack of predictability. When will the baby sleep (when will mom sleep). You might think you were going to train and then mom falls asleep and you're watching the kid.

Flexibility is required in your training for these programming difficulties for new dads.

Programming Solutions for New Dads

If you have a coach, it's important to talk to your coach prior to the birth about what is likely realistic (this will change). Lower your expectations for how long training will be. You might also have to cut training sessions short.

Both Andrew and Niki have seen many clients train with their babies in the gym. This is fine.

Something like a one life a day program is probably what is called for. It helps if you have a home gym or at least some equipment at home.

If you don't have a home gym, you need to make your gym as convenient as possible. Something that is on the way to work and open early so you can workout early is likely ideal.

Working out before bed affects sleep.

Overcoming programming difficulties for new dads also tends to involve more autoregulation and lifter control. The client might decrease the weight and volume a bit if they're exhausted. If they're feeling good, they might go for extra reps or an extra set.

Aim for at least 3 workouts a week. Think about getting in a training session over a series of workouts, as opposed to one longer workout.

Mindset Shift for New Dads

How you define training and training sessions and how you identify that will have to change. 4 sessions of 90 minutes a week is probably over. Uninterrupted training sessions and full body training sessions are probably on hold for a bit.

Productive, useful training, however, does not have to look like that. Planning, preparing, and completing something each week is massively better than taking weeks or months off.

Here are some thoughts on overcoming programming difficulties for new dads.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page. Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

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When one teaches two learn. Matt shares his teaching approach - from interest to refined speech or presentation. Teaching and coaching with pressure are critical to mastering anything.

When One Teach Two Learn: Importance of Teaching

In order to become an expert coach, or to master any subject, you have to coach, or teach, when it matters.

You may have found at some point that you had read or consumed a lot of material on a subject. When you tried to explain it to someone else, the apparent coherent thoughts were not there.

Technique coaching in person is important to mastering technique coaching (you can simulate that, to some degree, online). This goes for teaching as well.

Taking your ideas and trying to turn them into an article, podcast, or speech helps the knowledge not only deepen but also cohere. Many times, you have unordered ideas in your head - you need to order them.

When One Teach Two Learn: Matt's Teaching Process

Matt has a process he has followed to go from interest to refined speech, presentation, sermon, etc.

1. Dive deep into a topic of interest
2. Organize major thoughts
3. Speak it or write it

Before the first action, you have to find something that interests you. It could come from a book, podcast, YouTube channel, thoughts - whatever. Something peaks your interest and you want to learn more.

Matt starts at a general place, such as Wikipedia, and goes from there. Look to the sources from those initial places, dig deeper, and learn as much as you can. As you do so, take notes.

As you take notes, you'll start to see certain patterns and major points or thoughts. Consider these major bullet points and how they related to each other. Try to put them in a coherent order.

Next, speak it (or write it) and share with someone else. For example, if you have to talk in front of a group of 20, first talk to your spouse or a friend. This rehearsal helps you better organize your thoughts and refine your speech. It is, however, a critical step.

When one teach two learn. Go learn (and teach).

This podcast is brought to you by TurnKey Coach. Enhance your coaching effectiveness and efficiency with TurnKey Coach. You can learn more by going HERE.

Check out Coaching 101 - the new Academy course designed to cover the basics of coaching. It's leaner and tighter than our other offerings (and cheaper).

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

• Matt on Instagram
• Niki on Instagram
• Andrew on Instagram

Connect with the show

• Barbell Logic on Instagram
• Podcast Webpage
• Barbell Logic on Facebook
• Or email [email protected]

Niki and Andrew interview Melissa MacGregor, wife of BLOC coach Mac and BLOC client, and her coach Joel Rasmussen. Melissa suffered a stroke but, with patience, perseverance, and strength training, was able to return to physical activities she never thought she could do again. Healing Through Strength Training: Perseverance & Experimentation

Melissa saw her husband benefit from strength training and decided to give it a try herself. Joel, her coach, tried many creative ways to help her focus on what she could do.

They experimented and pushed into the pain. Pain was feedback that, in her case, was positive because it was a sensation.

Joel also had to get creative for new ways to feel her body during lifting, as she did not have the normal sensations and proprioception that others have.

Over time, with patience and hard work, she has regained not only the ability to complete certain lifts "normally," but has also been able to return to activities such as biking and skiing, that she never thought she would be able to do again.

Listen to this heartwarming and motivating story of patience, perseverance, grit, and healing through strength training.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page. Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now: https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Connect with the hosts

• Matt on Instagram
• Niki on Instagram
• Andrew on Instagram

Connect with the show

• Barbell Logic on Instagram
• Podcast Webpage
• Barbell Logic on Facebook
• Or email [email protected]