Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project

Guest: Eric Cressey, MA, CSCS, President, Cressey Sports Performance - Palm Beach Gardens, FL and Hudson, MA

Director, Player Health and Performance - New York Yankees

Improving strength and gaining an appropriate muscle mass is critical for our overall health and function. And our strength and muscle mass are two of the greatest predictors of longevity. For those reasons, everyone is wondering, how do I get stronger and gain muscle in the most efficient and practical way?  Whether you are brand new to strength training or are a muscle-bound weightlifting maniac, this episode is for you. We are going to cut through the hype and misinformation to give you practical tips and knowledge, so you can become your strongest self. Our session is titled: “How to Build Muscle & Get Stronger: What Everyone Needs to Know and Do.”

Our expert guest is Eric Cressey, co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance and host of the “Elite Baseball Podcast”, and he is going to help us answer the following big questions:

1. What is meant by strength training and why is it so important?

2. Why do so many of us struggle to work out regular and gain muscle?

3. What are the core practices that everyone should incorporate to build muscle and get stronger?

To help you turn this knowledge into action, consider starting/joining a pod-club…

How to start a Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project “Pod-Club”:

Step 1: Find 2-30 friends who want to get better

Step 2: Choose your episodes (can be focused on specific themes or random)

Step 3: Listen to/watch the episodes

Step 4: Meet with your group to work through the provided discussion questions for each episode, and feel free to add your own!

Step 5: Celebrate the fact that you are turning passive knowledge into action!

Discussion Questions for this Episode:

1) What is your “why” or reason for wanting to get stronger? If you have more than one, rank them in order of priority.

2) In the past, what have been the biggest hurdles that prevented you from achieving your strength goals? Separate these out by factors that are directly in your control vs. those that are not. 

3) We mention the 4 factors that contribute to strength are genetics, nutrition, sleep, and training program. How has your nutrition and sleep positively or negatively influenced your strength goals? 

4) After listening to this episode, did you discover any new reasons as to why you haven’t seen the strength gains you seek?

5) Do you currently have any sort of accountability in your training program (writing down your workouts, working with a coach, having a training partner)? If so, how has that helped? If not, how could you practically implement some accountability? 

6) Are you willing to consistently commit to a program that appropriately challenges you for 6 months? If so, what benefits do you expect to see (think about benefits along the way as well as the end result). If not, what would it take to improve your motivation to do so?

7) What is one change you are going to make this week to get the first win in your quest to improve your strength? Make this very clear and concrete. 

Learn more about the Human Optimization Project at: https://ce.mayo.edu/optimize