Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic

Make women anabolic again.

Niki and Andrew talk to Monica Multani. Monica is Niki's client who turned to strength after the combination of a hand injury and bad diagnosis paired witnessing her mom get stronger with barbells.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Bad News

People often turn to healthy habits like strength training when they realize the negative effects of their current lifestyle.

For Monica Multani, she suffered a serious hand injury as a physician who relied on her hands. She was told that she would lose the use of one of her hands in 5-10 years, which would end her career.

She looked to eastern medicine and really anything she could to counter this. She found some pain reduction, but nothing really addressed the underlying reality.

At the same time, her mom had began to strength train and was seeing powerful results in her own life and a regaining of capabilities she never thought she would regain. Plus, her mom was stronger than her! Her mom had embraced "make women anabolic again."

Limitations & a Less Mentality

What Monica and her mom had confronted before strength training was an expectation of an increasing number of limitations. No solution was provided.

She also confronted a similar mentality among her friends, who in their pursuit of health always were looking for less: less food, less bodyweight, less of them.

It seems like whether pursuing health or confronting the loss of health, there was an expectation of losing things.

Make Women Anabolic Again - Embrace More

Monica - inspired by her mom and at a loss for other options - embraced strength training and adding muscle.

She's gained 30 pounds, but her waist is snatched (this is a good thing). She feels more sturdy and more healthy.

Her hand is more resilient. It is not without pain, but she bounces back more quickly.

She looks and feels better. That hourglass shape that people want - she got that, but going against the mainstream approach.

Make women anabolic again. Embrace more.

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]

Online coaching vs online programming - what's the difference, why does it matter, and how can you begin actually coaching online?

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).

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 the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Online Coaching vs Online Programming - the Difference

Most "online coaching" is online programming. Regardless of the level of personalization - whether it be selling templates or making an individual program for a client - this is online programming.

We don't program online, we coach online. You should too.

Online coaching includes technique coaching. Consistency and form matter far more than programming. Follow a mediocre program with good form, and you will progress.

Coaching online also builds a relationship. You get to know your clients and your clients to know you. At some point, the client has good technique and has some familiarity with programming and your past programs. The relationship, more than anything else, keeps clients for years.

Online Coaching vs Online Programming - the Importance

Why does this matter? For a couple reasons.

First, you provide your client more value with online coaching. This means, instead of placing the low price game selling dollar hamburgers, you're selling a high-value, higher price service.

Second, consistency and form matter more than the program, so help people where they need it with technique feedback and by encouraging consistency.

Third, AI can deliver good programs already and in about a year anyone will be able to create their own programs using AI. While no one knows exactly what AI means for society and the economy, you need to become more resistant to AI by providing not simply programming but technique feedback and connection.

You care about your training more than anyone else in the client's life. That's a big deal.

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]

Are you reliant on whey protein to get your daily protein. You can get adequate protein without whey - learn how!

This podcast really addresses how much protein you actually need a day and then how to best consume that protein.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

How Much Protein? - Show Me the Whey

How much protein should you consume daily, especially as a lifter looking to get stronger and add muscle?

The often repeated mantra is 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. This is certainly doable, but it's a lot and forces many to turn to whey & protein shakes to meet this threshold.

But is this really necessary?

Better data suggest 1g per pound of lean bodyweight is more than sufficient, and really 0.8g-1.2g per kg bodyweight is just fine.

Like many other things, use some common sense. Are you always sore or achy? You're probably not eating enough protein. Do you have lean protein options at most if not all of your meals? Then you're probably consuming enough.

Protein Without Whey Dependence

Admit it, whey protein isn't really satisfying. It doesn't lead to satiety and large amounts can cause gassiness or even worse digestive issues. If you can consume enough protein from your everyday meals, you should (and you can).

Focus on whole food options and think about each meal and snack. Are some of your go-to snacks or meals lacking protein - see if you can bump up that protein.

Andrew tries to prioritize protein in breakfast, lunch, and his snack so that he has more flexibility at dinner. This way, he's not worried about not having enough protein at dinner or feeling guilty.

Having convenient protein options on hand really helps. Greek yogurt is a great option. Eggs and egg whites are quick and easy to cook.

Prepping protein in large amounts so you can add that to some starchy carbs, veggies, or a salad helps remove the need to take the time to cook protein during busier days.

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]

Andrew Jackson discusses lean theory - a business approach that strives to better deliver value to consumers through reducing inefficiencies. He explores how he has taken these insights learn from industry and applied them to online coaching. 

Andrew Jackson gave a talk on the business value equation, which you can watch here and learn more about here.

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 the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Lean Theory

Lean manufacturing theory and seeking to improve efficiency comes with misunderstandings and misconceptions. Often, ideas of decrease customers service and employee satisfaction arise. 

These things may have occurred in the name of lean theory, but do not follow the true spirit of its origins.

Lean Theory originates from Toyota's manufacturing processes and how Toyota strove to constantly improve them. The idea is to improve value. In order to improve value, you have to understand what delivers value to customers - what the customers actually want to pay for. 

Lean six sigma has 5 principles:

1. Defining value
2. Mapping the value system
3. Creating flow
4. Using a pull system
5. Pursuing perfection

Many companies may have misconceptions about how things they do provide value. The amount of work or time spent does not necessarily equate to more value. Time and money spent on tasks that do not produce value need to be eliminated or reduced.  

Lean Theory - Application

You may be asking, what does this have to do with online coaching?

As discussed in recent Coaching Success episodes, you are providing value to your clients. You spend a certain amount of time and have processes around delivering that value, whether you have created these deliberately or by happenstance. 

If you're doing things that don't provide value, then you're wasting your time. This time could be spent providing more value to your clients, having more clients, or doing something else. 

In order to improve your processes, you need to observe them. This could be having a peer or superior observe you. For online coaching, you can observe yourself by recording yourself coaching. 

Also consider your pace. If you want to work an hour a day and have 19 reviews to do, each should take 3.15 minutes. If you take longer, than you have to consider if you want to reduce your client load, spend more time, or improve your efficiency. 

Similar to budgeting money, it can feel icky to discuss these things, but it shouldn't. Your goal isn't simply to spend less time on your clients, but to stop doing doing that does not provide them value. That increase time can allow you to provide more value. 

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]

Have you (or are you currently) following the way of the milky boys? Have you had a milky boy phase?

It's okay, many if not most of us have been a milky boy.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Milky Boys

Have you decide to forego concerns about bodyfat, weight, waist, digestive health, time spent on the toilet, and any other fitness goals to pursue with reckless abandon the sweet, sweet call of the milky boys?

It's okay - many of us have been there.

You push the milk to push your weight up to push the weight on the bar.

Bumping calories up a bit while ensuring you are consuming adequate protein and carbohydrates to support your goals? NAH - gallon of milk a day.

This episode is about body image, sustainable nutrition, and coming to terms with what you ACTUALLY want.

Skinny Boy to Milky Boy

Andrew shares his two opposing experiences of - in high school and college - drastically reducing calories to lose weight. He was underfed, weak, and not feeling great.

Spring forward, and it's time to squeeze every milk-fueled drop out of LP. He was overfed, strong, and not feeling great.

Maybe these oppose each other, but like cowardice and rashness. You find the virtue in the mean.

With the help of Gillian and Niki, when confronted with potential options for where to take his nutrition and training, Niki asked, "What would that feel like?"

Milky Boy to Muscle Boy

He thought about what that would actually look and feel like, and it was bad.

What if the best way to lose weight was more gradual? What if, instead of going from mountain dew and pizza to chicken and broccoli, you took small, incremental, MED steps that helped you build habits along the way.

For example, let's say for you alcohol is a non-negotiable and you find yourself averaging 35 drinks a week.

Instead of going to 0, what about going to 20 or 25? What about reducing the amount, seeing how that feels, seeing how you and your body react, and readdressing this change (and what you'd like to do) after you've processed it?

Scared of the Scale - Milky Boy Madness

The scale can be a problem.

You associate a picture, a time of your life, an image of your body, a level of performance with weight X. You want the body, the performance, the feeling. You need the habits to get you there. You don't actually care about the number that pops up each morning.

You have to have a sanity check. Measuring waist can help. Monitoring lifting belt hole, how clothes fit, how you fit - these matter.

Also consider how you've done with nutrition. If you look better, feel better, and have honestly been doing pretty well with nutrition, don't freak out about the scale.

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]

Pricing - it's a too often undiscussed, underexamined aspect of running a successful business and becoming a successful coach. Matt discusses how to set prices intelligently and intentionally.

Andrew Jackson gave a talk on the business value equation, which you can watch here and learn more about here.

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 the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Pricing in Your Market

Matt mentions the book Monetizing Innovation: How Smart Companies Design the Product Around Price, which helped Barbell Logic think about, test, set, and change prices for its services.

Price is crucial, but before there is a price there is someone who is paying that price (spending that amount of money) for the product or service. Who are those people are what problem of theirs are you solving? Who are your competitors in the market, already attempting to solve this product (if any)?

As a coach, you may initially grab clients with a big net (i.e. whoever walks in your gym doors) but over time you will likely and should find that you have a niche.

This niche may be a group you particularly like to coach, a demographic that for whatever reason seems drawn to your product or service, or one which you have an aptitude for. Own that niche, but be prepared to expand beyond it (while never forgetting it or continuing to serve it).

Consider also the total addressable market (TAM). This is the entirety of the market you're addressing. For example, TurnKey Coach's niche is burnt out coaches, though it can also greatly aid burgeoning coaches. It's TAM, however, is anyone who coaches to any degree online.

Pricing - Conceptualizing and Testing

Remember, you're running a business. Discussing money and price can make people uncomfortable, but it's important.

You need to provide more perceived value to your customers than the price. You need to dig down into the perceived value of your service and how people perceive the price. Your business needs to make money as well.

You will likely want to test your service and pricing with alpha or beta testers. This might initially mean your family.

Provide the service you plan to provide. Talk to these early clients about competitors they are or have used. Ask them the following questions (first about the competitor, then - once they've received your service - the same questions for your service).

• What price are they / did they pay for the service?
• What is an acceptable price?
• What is an expensive price?
• What is a prohibitively expensive price?

Then, ask them how likely they are to buy the product, on a scale from 1-5. Only about 30% of the 5s will buy the service. Only about 10% of the 4s. 3s and belows will almost certainly not buy the service.

Ask they why they would buy the service (or why not)? Ask the awkward conversations. You have likely charged these people nothing or a very low price, so just be honest that you're trying to improve your service and really want to hear what they valued (and what they did not).

Lastly, when it comes to pricing, 1-2 prices is probably too few and 5-6 is probably too many (so 3-4 is probably right).

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]

Invest in training and life to achieve your goals and find happiness and meaning.

Andrew & Niki explore how training - and other worthwhile pursuits - are investments and how you can conceptualize and weigh the worth of these investments.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

Conceptualizing in Investments

What is an investments? Without looking at a dictionary, it's an input or sacrifice of something where the investor expects a greater result than the input. The investor gives something up for a future result that provides more value.

We too often think only of money when it comes to investment.

You can earn more money but never gain more time. When you spend money on a professional, such as a coach or service that helps you learn a skill, you are spending money to save time.

If you train yourself you are coaching yourself. If you invest in the time to learn how to become a coach, that is an investment. If you fail to do this, you're probably a bad coach and will find you stall early.

When you think about investments, you need to think about your deep whys. You should be investing time and money in things that are actually important to you, that bring you value. Invest in training if health, toughness, and strength are important to you.

Andrew brings up 8 major elements of life in which you can invest:

1. things that help you become better at using your mind
2. physical health
3. emotional
4. relational
5. finances
6. professional
7. philosophy/religious/spiritual
8. artistic (subcreation)

A good investment is important to you and should positively affect all or as many of the above as possible (sleep is a good example).

Invest in Training and Life

To train, you must spend time, effort, and money.

You must set aside time to train. You must purchase equipment or a gym membership. If you decide to go ultra-rugged and not purchase any equipment, you need to spend some time finding heavy rocks and other creative ways to train productively using your bodyweight and what you can find.

Training comes with pain. You must undergo discomfort to progress. If you don't train, however, you will experience the pain that comes with inactivity (the idea of beast over burden really gets after this).

Investing in a coach is an investment of money that saves you time - both in terms of having to learn how to be a coach and likely following a more effective program and thus progressing faster toward your goals).

Invest in training. Invest in life.

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]

Matt describes how to build trust in your business value equation. This is a crucial aspect of running a successful business with clients who actually enjoy your product or service.

Andrew Jackson gave a talk on this, which you can watch here and learn more about here.

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 the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

What is Trust and How Do You Increase It?

Trust, in the business value equation, is the difference between the client's perceived value and the price. Increasing this difference - increasing trust - leads to happy customers who do not want to leave. This lays the foundation for creating a successful business.

How do you build trust as a coach (or really in any business)? Matt discusses three components.

1. ability
2. integrity
3. benevolence

Below, we define these and discuss how to boost each one, which ultimately grows trust.

How to Build Trust

Matt discusses useful short definitions of each of these that help you remember the difference.

• ability - you can
• integrity - you do
• benevolence - do you care

Your ability is your expertise, your skill, your knowledge. People hire you in part because of this. You have the expertise, which they lack, to solve their problem.

Of course, a friend or acquaintance may have recommended you. Your expertise played into this recommendation, but your integrity and benevolence did as well.

Integrity should increase over time. Do you do what you say you will. Do you show up on time.

You will make mistakes, so you must constantly build up your integrity account. A mistake is a withdrawal, so be intentional about building up this integrity after a mistake.

Lastly, benevolence is that you care. As someone's coach, you should care more about your clients' training besides themselves.

Benevolence also should increase over time.

Your clients' perceptions of these is what matters. You might think you're a highly-skilled coach which high integrity and benevolence. If your clients think otherwise, you might want to reevaluate what you're doing.

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]

I broke my back...spinal. Is life over? No. Learn the training, lifestyle, and mindset adjustments to deal with back injuries.

Check out the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

I Broke My Back...Oh No!

Back pain and back injuries happen.

Sometimes it's just the occasional tweak that goes away in a few days, or a short surprising sensation.

Other times, it's debilitating, life-altering, and seems to redefine your life.

Your back hurts when you do everyday activities like tying your shoes, going to the bathroom, or picking up your kid. Squatting and deadlifting are excruciating.

You're in a large company. If you're reading this, we hope you've spent time lifting, so that you're strong, and your back is strong. Let's discuss how to deal with serious back pain.

I Broke My Back...Lifting & Movement Changes

You'll have to come to terms with your programming changes over time.

Do you simply have to reduce intensity and volume? Do you have to do variants on the deadlift and squat? Or, are deadlifting and squatting off the table for awhile.

Whichever reality you find yourself in, it's okay.

Programming will change, but keep exercising, working out, and pursuing health and quality of life. Keep training, don't stop. Look to prioritize difficult sets and don't get tied to the weight on the bar.

Do what you can, acknowledging that movement almost always helps and gaining strength and muscle, insofar as you can, are good things.

I Broke My Back...Lifestyle & Mindset Changes

What will matter more than sets and reps is your mindset. This hurts your identity as a lifter. You identified yourself as the person who can deadlift 500 or squat 315. That might not be the case for awhile (or, even ever again).

Allow yourself to experience the emotions that come from the pain: fear, frustration, anger, sadness.

Look to spend more time pursuing physical activity outside the gym. If there are things like walking, hiking, swimming that don't bother your back and that get you moving, these are great to maintain health but also to keep you active and healthy.

Give yourself some leeway and time. If you go into the gym and it hurts so bad to do the planned workout, don't do the planned workout. You might call an audible. You might come back the next day and try again.

It's a process. Progress won't be linear. It won't last forever (but if it does, this isn't the end of your life).

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]

Matt describes your business value equation, its components, and how you can improve your business value equation.  This is an important concept for understanding your business conceptually and keeping the big picture in mind. 

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 the Barbell Logic podcast landing page.

What is the Business Value Equation?

Imagine 3 drinking straws that meet at the top. They're fanned out so one goes left in the bottom, one down in the middle, and the third to the right.  Let's look at these straws just as you would a graph, with things on the left having less and things on the right more.  The one on the left is the cost of running your business. The one in the middle is the price to the customer. The difference is profit. If the price is below the cost, then you're losing money.  Importantly, however, the one on the right is the perceived value of your service or product by the customer. While it seems obvious, your customers must perceive that you're they're receiving more value than the cost they're being charged.    Improve Your Business Value Equation   Remember that coaching is a luxury good. While we all know it can transform lives and greatly improve quality of life, it is not absolutely necessary like food. Because of this, you and your business must provide value to your customers (and work to increase that value).  There are 3 ways to provide value: 

1. Provide extreme value & high efficacy in support of client's goals
2. Building trust, showing excellence through the following: ability, integrity, benevolence
3. Obsess over efficiency & dollars per hour without sacrificing service

Setting prices is challenging and important, and Matt will discuss that in a future episode. That being said, what you want to do is fans these straws out more by moving cost to the left and perceived value to the right.  Lower your costs (time & money) by improving efficiency.  Improve the value of your service - get better, add something to the service that does not cost much, get a better idea of what your customers want.  Hopefully this helped you learn how to improve your business value equation. Matt will go more in depth on each part of this in future podcasts.    You can purchase Rebel Allocator here. 

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]