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Matt, Niki, & Andrew continuing looking back on 2023 with The BLOCies, BLOC Wrapped, part 2 - favorite books, biggest surprises, and more. The BLOCies - BLOC Wrapped, part 2

Despite starting the podcast saying they'd look to 2024, they ran out of time (stay tuned for the next podcast).

This podcast is Matt, Niki, and Andrew reflecting on more of their best and favorite of 2023.

Below are some of the highlights.

Best Experience

• Matt: Alaska trip with Rachel that included a helicopter flight; #blessed
• Niki: all-inclusive resort vacation to Mexico; the resort set the standard for customer experience, anticipating her needs better than she could
• Andrew: financial benefits of YNAB

Favorite Book

• Matt: Outlive by Peter Atia
• Niki: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, Susan Ericksen, et al.
• Andrew: Brain Audit by Sean D'Souza

Personal Growth

• Matt: Series A raise, involving pitching the business ~60 times, along with the Forbes book deal
• Niki: BLOC oversight role and all that comes with being THE leader
• Andrew: felt more like a product developer, alongside podcasting and working on those skills

Listen to the episode for more on the BLOCies. Stay tuned for a look forward to 2024.

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]

Enjoy us look back on 2023 with BLOC Wrapped - the BLOCies. We share the best of our coaches & clients, fitness trends, & more. BLOC Wrapped - Coaches & Clients

Our clients and coaches are amazing. We've got the stats to prove it.

Matt joins Andrew & Niki to discuss clients who lifted the most tonnage, hit the biggest lifts, and more.

They also discuss which coaches has the best on-time feedback and which lifts were the most programmed.

We love celebrating our clients and coaches. What these stats reflect is a dedication and work that is reflected in the progress.

The process creates the progress.

BLOC Wrapped - Fitness Trends & Lifts

Matt, Andrew, & Niki share their favorite and least favorite lifts and favorite and least favorite fitness trends of 2023.

Niki loved the pendulum leg press (though they are incredibly rare). Matt enjoyed both the incline dumbbell press or Bulgarian split squat, and Andrew agreed about incline pressing.

Matt's least favorite exercise was the incline barbell press (seems to cause shoulder issues for some people). Andrew wasn't crazy about the overhead press. Niki has avoided deficit deadlifts because of her observation that they seemed correlated with injury (personally and for clients).

Matt sung the praises of GLP1 drugs, which have helped him lose weight. Andrew has enjoyed the shift in the fitness and nutrition sector of focusing on quality of life, as opposed to suffering and restricting. Niki loves all the women strength training in the gyms.

Stanley water cups (that don't even fit in cup holders) tick Matt off. Andrew is not crazy about broccoli hair and red plaid pajama pants. Niki can't stand fitness influencers using photoshop.

That is BLOC wrapped.

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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• Andrew on Instagram

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New Year's resolutions get a bad rap, but, if done well, they're simply an opportunity to plan your goals for the upcoming year. Matt shares his 2024 New Year's resolutions with you. New Year's Resolutions Done Well

New Year's resolutions have really been dismissed in recent decades, likely because of the high failure rate they have (especially when you consider fitness or health goals).

It's true, New Year's resolutions can be done poorly. If this is the only time of year you make big, bold goals and you find yourself never having achieved them, you may need to reevaluate how you create and pursue goals.

If, however, your built more like Matt, it's simply a way to make goals for the upcoming year. It takes advantage of the down time during the Christmas and New Year's holidays.

It also makes sense because it simply follows the natural calendar year. You should have goals you're pursuing. You should be improving yourself. Having an annual time where you evaluate the past year and make goals for the upcoming year is not foolish.

Matt's New Year's Resolutions

Matt ultimately broke his goals up into 5 categories, with over 20 goals. His categories are listed below:

• physical
• business
• material
• spiritual
• family

You might have different or fewer categories. That's okay.

Some of Matt's physical goals include reaching a 225 pound bodyweight and 35-inch waist. He wants to complete 250 workouts in 2024 and track macros every day in 2024. Having at least 80% of meals be homecooked and reducing alcohol consumption by 90% are also included.

For business, there are some big projects he would like to include, such as a Series A funding round, a book deal with Forbes, and a couple TV shows.

In the realm of spiritual goals, he wants to hit 0 debt (including mortgage), make some home renovations, and go to Europe.

His spiritual goals include reading the entire Bible and preaching 10 times.

Lastly, his family goals include having a date night once per week with wife (barring travel) and have bi-monthly daddy-daughter dates with his youngest daughter.

Your New Year's Resolutions might be different. But, if you're someone who makes goals and accomplishes them, don't be afraid of New Year's Resolutions.

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
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• Or email [email protected]

What the fluff!? What do you do when you suddenly realize you feel bad, aren't happy with you look, and want to get rid of the fluff? What the Fluff!?

It's January 2nd (or maybe later). You pull the belt across you on the plane, you get into your pants, you look in the mirror...what the fluff!?

You may have eaten normally for most of the holiday period. For many people who find themselves gaining weight, it doesn't come from the decisions they're making for lunch on Wednesday, it's the "abnormal" days.

Many who fail to lose fat do well on the week days but then overeat far too much on the weekends, negating any caloric deficit they may have created during the week.

During the holiday periods or similar times like vacations, "abnormal" days increase, further increasing the caloric surplus.

What can you do? Snap back to health by resetting your baseline.

What the Fluff!? Snap Back Strategies

Before you begin addressing the problem, consider your approach. Don't catastrophize.

This may be a long habit of unhealthy decisions that you've decided to stop, or you may generally feel pretty good about your nutrition habits and just need a quick course correction. Either way, don't expect to fix this in a couple days.

For big changes, you need to think about 6 to 12 months.

When it comes to metrics, know yourself. For some, recording your weight each day will drive you crazy. For others, it's useful information that helps inform their decisions without causing overreactions.

In terms of approaches, starving yourself is not a good approach. It may be useful, however, to have a short period where you're strict with no alcohol, no added sugar, and focus on having as many single-ingredient foods as possible.

This resets your baseline and will, actually, have you feeling better after a couple days. You'll find that the bloat is gone and you come to begin appreciating healthier foods.

Weighing and measuring for a period of time may also help. Why? Because it helps prevent a slide into hidden calories ("that's close enough"). It also, if you have not done it, helps inform you of just how many calories peanut butter, whiskey, and cooking oils have.

Filling your plate with more veggies really helps too.

What the fluff!? Don't freak out, snap back to health with these strategies.

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
• Andrew on Instagram

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

Don't prioritize. De-prioritize. First identify and remove the things that provide you no value. Pull those weeds! Don't Prioritize. De-prioritize. Remove Things That Provide No Value If you're looking to create your GAMEplan, first remove those tasks and goals that do not provide you value. Remove the unimportant and non-urgent. One way Matt has identified these tasks is by how he creates his daily to-do list. He has a to-do list that populates on his tablet or phone every day. He simply renames it. When he notices the items that consistently don't get done, it's probably time to reconsider them (and likely remove them). Don't prioritize. De-prioritize. You can think about this with nutrition too. There are so many calories you can eat (or want to eat). What on your plate is not moving you closer toward your goals and does not matter to you? For nutrition, this can help you identify your non-negotiables - those foods or activities such as a small dessert in the evening, pizza on Fridays, etc. that provide you value and you desire to remain in any nutrition plan you follow. Don't prioritize. De-prioritize. 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 answer your lifting and lifestyle questions on BJJ, nutrition, blown-out pants, and more! Approaching BJJ as You Age Don't train as if you have to prove yourself or go RPE 10 each time. Rather, focus on picking up the basics, because that foundation of basics will result in deep, impressive skill as you potentially move to your purple, brown, and black belts. Pay attention to the details in the basics. Don't try to skip ahead, but understand the small, subtle details of basic moves. When it comes to competition, these details and foundation will cause you to be able to follow your intuitions, and you may surprise yourself when it matters. Nutrition Strategies for Truck Drivers Truck driving presents the combined challenges of limited food options and lots of time being completely sedentary (and the incentive to not stop too often, so not drinking too many liquids). You do not need to count macros, necessarily, but you need a strategy to consume adequate protein and limit calories (unless you're focusing, for some amount of time, on gaining strength and getting bigger). If you're focused on getting bigger, it's a bit easier, but simply ensure you're getting adequate protein. If you want to maintain or get leaner, preparation is key. Andrew recommends either packing heated pre-made meals in Thermoses (so you can eat hot, high-quality food for your first couple meals). Alternatively, bring a cooler with some healthy options. When looking at food options in a truck stop or gas station, Andrew has the following macronutrient general guidelines:

• at least 20-30g protein
• 40-60g carbohydrates
• no more than 10-20g fat

You don't have to count calories, but these are good numbers to aim for when selecting a snack or meal when you can read the labels. Blowing Out Your Pants Andrew has a history of blowing out his pants. He says he has blown out at least twelve. He shares two stories. First, he blew out some pants at a wedding when he was dancing (he goes hard on the dance floor). The next day, when looking at the pants with the blown-out crotch, he discovered that he had been sweating so hard that there was encrusted salt on the black pants. Second, when he was a 280-pound lifter in a corporate setting, with the other executives being endurance athletes, he had just eaten a whole rotisserie chicken and, sitting in a chair, both broke the chair and fell over (and blew out his pants). The things we do for strength sometimes. Training & Marketing without Dogmas Niki's training objective is to gain as much muscle mass without injuring herself. Andrew's training is boring but consistent. Niki shares the difficulty in marketing her approach or the BLOC approach after she and BLOC has really moved away from dogmas. While we coach with principles, coaching is more applied to the clients' individual circumstances. Talking to others businesses, it's hard to be heard if you're not beating a dogmatic drum. Effective Communication & Storytelling (Emotions) Andrew shares that he has really learned the importance of emotions in communication (especially with disagreements or arguments). The details or what was said does not matter so much, but how the person was or is feeling. It is important to acknowledge those emotions. It actually relates to how Matt tells stories. He says, essentially, that he shares how he felt, what he did, and then how he felt after he did the thing. We relate to the emotion. As a coach, it is important to pay attention to your client's emotions. Not doing so can erode trust. 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]

Coaching is secondary. Business is first. Learn how to be an owner, not just a technician or manager, for business success. Check out the E-Myth Revisited to read more on this subject. Coaching is Secondary for Business Success Consider this scenario. Someone becomes an expert in creating a certain craft or providing a certain service. Maybe this is butchery, baking, or candlestick making. Because friends and family love what this person does, their friends and family encourage this person to become a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker and start his own business. It fails. Why does it fail? Because the technical aspect is secondary. Business is first. If you decide to start your own business, you are a business owner, manager, and coach. Coaching is secondary to business success. You must spend time managing and owning the business. Coaching is Secondary: How to Be an Owner The E-Myth Revisited discusses the three different roles in a business: technician, manager, and owner. When you start your business, you must do all three (unless you happen to be rich and can hire people from day one). You cannot delegate any tasks. Over time, you can begin to delegate first the technician work and then the managerial work. If this bothers you - if this sounds like the opposite of why you signed up - you may want to reconsider starting a business. You may want to see if you can work for someone else. That's okay. Why? Because coaching is secondary, being a manager and owner is primary for business success. Learn how to be an owner. 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]

Do hard things. Valuable pursuits are difficult - embrace these challenges to grow, improve, and crush your goals.

Do Hard Things - Valuable Pursuits are Difficult

Nothing worthwhile is easy. Maybe we'll be surprised by how easy it is (maybe we built up a certain pursuit or task that we have inflated its difficulty).

Building habits of sustainable nutrition is difficult. Creating a training plan you stick too is challenging. Pursuing anything with regularity - which is what is required to achieve excellent or even competence in any area - is hard.

You have to make decisions every day that move you closer to that goal. You have to get in the gym or study the flashcards or write the words when you don't want to.

Additionally, you'll have to stop doing something, as if you have decided to spend more time doing something, that time will have to come from other activities you engage in.

Doing hard things feels good, if not in the moment, and leads to true happiness.

Do Hard Things - The Value of a Coach

We all have blind spots. These are patterns of behavior that we are unaware of for whatever reason that are producing the undesired outcomes we are trying to overcome.

It is challenging to be objective with ourself. This is the value of a coach.

A good coach can see things you cannot (or wish not) to see. A good coach can also help implement practical, realistic, sustainable solutions. This is necessary because a common pitfall comes from going too hard and then yo-yoing between too hard and not enough.

Progress toward your goal comes from sustainable habits every day.

Do the hard things, which require vulnerability, time, and effort. The hard things bring value and happiness.

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]

Know who you are & take advantage of the holiday season to pause, reflect, and write down your core values and mission statement.

Know Who You Are

You don't need to have a mission statement, business plan, or core values to begin coaching or even start a business. Get customers now.

As your business grows, you should sit down and knock these out. And there really is no better time to complete these then over the holiday season, when work tends to lesson and you look back on this past year and forward to the next year.

Spend a few days creating these. Once you have a draft, step away and think on them. You might show them to someone else you trust.

Below, we give some example that Barbell Logic has created. They may be a good starting point for you.

Know Who You Are

If you're going to spend some time knowing and defining who you are this holiday season, the below may help you as starting point or reference point for comparison.

Barbell Logic is redefining traditional personal training by delivering a superior experience of professional coaching through your smartphone to anyone, anywhere, any time, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional personal training.

Our Mission

We are professional strength & nutrition coaches giving the world access to personal coaching, educational resources, and opportunities to help other improve their quality of live through strength.

Core Tenets

Tenets are the underlying principles and beliefs that make us who we are.

1. Serve our clients & staff
2. Grow our company
3. Teach the community
4. Steward our resources

Our Vision

We create connections for the world to experience a life improved by strength.

Core Values

Growth: As individuals and as a company, we believe in growth through setting goals, tracking progress, and demonstrating success.

Connection: Coaching is a window into people's lives. We value authentic interactions and real relationships with everyone who trusts us enough to open it.

Consistency: Trust and consistency are the hart of our professionalism. Every interaction is an opportunity to build trust, and we hold ourselves accountable to the expectations we set.

Know who you are.

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 & Andrew answer common beginner questions. Whether you're curious about equipment or protein, cardio or warming up, or wondering how long LP lasts, we give you the answers.

Common Beginner Questions - Equipment

You can't lift weights without weight to lift, and you need to wear appropriate clothes. Even running, while it seems the simplest of activities, comes with appropriate footwear and clothing (don't run in a 3-piece suit and oxfords).

The first thing you should buy is shoes. Look for something around 0.58" heel with a solid sole. 1" is too high.

Next, you need a belt. If they were to recommend one beginner belt, it would be a 3", single prong, leather belt at 10mm thickness. 4" is better for taller people (especially if you have a longer torso). We especially love Dominion.

Chalk is also a must for the deadlift, though both Andrew & Niki recommend straps for more and more clients, because they are not interested in competing. You still need to work your grip, but straps for work sets is just fine. Niki & Andrew move on to other common beginner questions, looking at nice-to-have-but-not-necessary equipment.

Lastly, you need 1.25lb plates. They're not expensive, and we love MicroGainz.

Many people love knee sleeves, especially if they lift in a cold area. Wrist wraps also help keep the wrists extended on pressing movements. Lastly, a deadlift jack of some type makes loading and unloading weight for the deadlift and other lifts off the floor much easier.

Common Beginner Questions - Protein & Programming

Niki & Andrew now address other common questions, regarding nutrition and cardio.

Can beginner lifters continue to do cardio if they already have a cardio practice?

Yes, novice linear progression, while important, is not worth sacrificing conditioning and other healthy habits for. It may be a time you prioritize strength, but not eliminate all other physical practices.

Andrew recommends 1g per pound of bodyweight for beginner lifters, mostly because it is easy to remember. If you weigh more or are more advanced, this can go down closer to 0.7g per pound.

While most people don't eat enough protein, people can push protein too far, sacrificing fibrous veggies and workout-fueling carbohydrates to consume more than 1g per pound of bodyweight.

Other common beginner questions include how to warm up and how long LP lasts.

Warming up depends on which lift it is in the workout and whether you're in a warm or cold environment, but generally 5 warm up sets is enough. It depends, though. You should feel prepared to work. You should NEVER just load up the work set weight without warming up.

Just as with protein, you can overdo it.

Lastly, how long does LP last?

It depends, but generally at least 2 months. Someone who eats more, is younger, stays consistent, is willing to grind on weights, and has more testosterone can definitely push this longer.

We hope these answers to common beginner questions helps you and your lifting.

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]