Strong and Sleek

Coach Santana (now officially Dr. Santana!) and Coach Trent discuss their approach to setting goals for training, health, and life. It's easy to buy into the idea of resolutions and setting lofty results-oriented goals, and it feels good to do it! I'm going to squat 500 next year! I'm going to get down to 15% body fat next year! I'm going to lose 30lbs! These results or number oriented goals sound good, and setting them gets you thinking about what kind of person you'll be in the future, having achieved the goal. In fact, you often get a little dopamine hit just imagining yourself at the finish line, victorious.

 

Therein lies the trap. Focusing too much on the end result gives you a little piece of the satisfaction of obtaining the goal, without doing anything to help you toward that goal! Instead, Coach Robert and Trent like to focus on process-oriented goals, changes you can make to your daily habits and behaviors that will lead to progress in the right direction. Process oriented goals also acknowledge the fact that many of the variables that play into how much weight you can lose, how much muscle you can gain, or how much more you can lift -- whatever your goal is -- we don't have much control over. Life stuff happens, and often has a big effect on our ability to hit certain numbers and how long that process will take. However, by comitting to a process rather than a number, you can set yourself up for positive progress, and not feel guilty about falling short of some arbitrary target.

 

Thanks so much for listening this year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you are into lifting and spend any time on social media at all, you've probably heard of, or at least seen, the Liver King. Coach Trent and Coach Santana discuss the recent "controversy" around the Liver King's steroid use, why nearly everything you see on the internet is fake, and what we actually know works when it comes to getting strong and building muscle.

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To all the folks in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving! Once again we have entered into the holiday season, which for many people involves eating...a LOT of eating! Some amount of overindulgence is kinda the point of feast days like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, as part of the celebration of things for which we are thankful. However, for too many people these holidays turn into multiple days or weeks of overindulgence that inevitably lead to weight gain. In fact, as Santana points out, there is scientific literature documenting the phenomenon that people tend to gain several pounds over the holidays, then resume their normal, maintenance level eating habits in January. The net effect is people slowly get fatter, year over year.

 

So, this episode is a PSA, that Thanksgiving, and Christmas and New Years, are holidays... not seasons, at least when it comes to eating. Enjoy the abundance of these days, enjoy the time you have with friends and family, but when they're over, get right back to your normal eating habits. A little bit of restraint can help you avoid digging a big hole that you have to get out of in January, just to get back to where you were before the holidays started.

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

Coach Robert and Coach Trent discuss a misunderstanding that sometimes comes up in a coaching relationship -- the idea that coaching is just a program, or a template, or a set of information that will get you to your fitness goals. The reality is that information is cheap, often free, and there's not a whole lot of information that a good coach can provide that you can't find on the internet these days. Information is rarely the road block for trainees struggling to make progress, however. What trainees often lack is a proper evaluation of where they are: how good their technique is, how far along the adapatation curve they are, what dietary habits they need to change, etc. And this is where a good coach comes into play.

 

A good coach can evaluate a trainee, determine technique issues that need to be cleaned up, assess recovery factors outside the gym, and make programming changes if needed. It's really hard -- even if you know what to look for! -- to self-evaluate and make accurate assessments of where you're going wrong, and what to do to fix them. But, if you are interested in truly taking your fitness to the next level, and getting results you can't get on your own, a good coach is an invaluable asset to to your training life.

 

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's that time of year again. The holiday season looms with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, and the inevitable work deadlines and travel stresses that go along with that. When time is short and stress is high, it's easy to make bad food decisions because -- let's face it -- most of the food available to us in the world is high in calories and low in nutrients. With a few basic strategies, however, you can avoid hitting the fried chicken sandwich for lunch and instead eat (mostly) fresh, nutritious, and unprocessed food.

 

Robert explains how he seeks out food while traveling or working in fast-paced, stressful environments, including the food "slots" he tries to fill each day, the compromises he's willing to make, and why grocery stores and gas stations are actually better than you think if you know where to look.

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The so-called "skinny fat" novice may have the toughest road to body recomposition of all trainees beginning their strength training journey. A skinny-fat person is a person of normal BMI and "normal" bodyweight for their height, but a high body fat percentage. This person usually looks normal in a t-shirt, but with their shirt off appears soft and undefined. Male skinny fat novices may complain of having man boobs, or a smooth stomach, with no visibl separation in the arm muscles.

 

The skinny fat novice often believes that they need to lose body fat to appear more muscular and look like they train. This is incorrect. Their problem is they are undermuscled, and need to build a significant amount of muscle mass to give shape to their body, spread their existing fat mass over a larger surface area, and lower their body fat percentage. Remember, body fat percentage is a ratio! If you drive lean mass up, without gaining body fat or only gaining a small amount of fat, then the percentage of fat goes down.

 

Here's the rub, though. Skinny fat novices aren't genetically predisposed to be lean and muscular -- otherwise they wouldn't be skinny fat at baseline. So, they need to do whatever they can to build muscle. The most efficient way to do this is by committing to a novice linear progression and driving their lifts up as high as possible in the first couple years of training. Increasing the lifts involves eating enough to support the training, which means, for most skinny fat novices, they'll have to gain weight too. And with any amount of weight gain, there will be some fat gain. The goal of barbell training is to make the muscle gain outpace the fat gain.

 

It's a long process, but it works. After 2-3 years of hard strength training, even the skinny fat novice will see big changes in the way they look -- bigger, more muscular, with a more athletic looking V-shaped frame. The arms, shoulders, and chest will fill out, making a smooth but flat stomach appear more trim and athletic.

 

At this point, some folks may need to do a dedicated cut to bring down their body fat percentage more. Other folks may decide they are happy with their body composition and continue getting stronger and building more muscle. Either way, it takes commitment and trust in the process to dedicate the 2-3 years necessary to make big body composition changes.

 

Gains come to the patient and the dedicated!

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Yoked, stacked, swole, diced... who doesn't want to get jacked? While the basic barbell compound movements -- the Squat, press, bench press, and deadlift -- are the backbone of any good muscle building program, sometimes certain body parts need more help to grow. Coach Santana and Coach Trent offer up their favorite accessory lifts for hard-to-grow muscles after a lifter has exhausted their novice gains on a quality barbell program. They also dispel some myths about "hypertrophy," particularly the idea that you need tons of sets and reps to grow muscles.

 

Just like any good strength program, a good hypertrophy program involves putting more weight on the bar on a regular basis. You don't need a ton of sets and reps, or a ton of different movements. The most important thing is progressive overload, and a high level of effort on every set. Sandbagging your chins and bicep curls because you're tired from squatting and pressing will not make your arms grow!

 

Tom Platz Muscle Camp "Legs": https://youtu.be/8fulA0RGzDU

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alcohol is fun. We don't need to tell you that. It also tastes good! We all know the reasons for drinking it, but what about not drinking it? Is it possible to drink alcohol and be strong and lean? Coach Santana and Coach Trent tackle this question in today's show.

 

The biggest takeaway is planning. Just like you should plan the rest of your day of eating around going out to eat, you should plan your eating (and training) around your alcohol consumption. If you know you're going to the bar with some friends to knock back a few cold ones, then go a little lighter on your calories for breakfast and lunch. Don't plan a heavy workout the day after you hit the bar, either!

 

CT Fletcher "I Command You to Grow:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHiKDa4ip_Q

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a detour to discuss the merits of halting deadlifts, Coach Robert and Trent explain the basics of hydration and fluid intake and why it matters for lifters in the gym specifically.

 

If you're an early morning trainee, there's a good chance you are rolling into the gym not hydrated as well as you could be, and possibly with low blood sugar too. If this is you, it's important to understand that hydration isn't just a function of water intake, it's also dependent on sufficient electrolytes and sufficent glucose, which both help with water intake into your tissues. Moreover, trying to train with low blood sugar will negatively impact your training, affecting your balance and ability to get through hard sets. 

 

Likewise, alcohol can impact your training and particularly your ability to control your technique, since alcohol is a stressor on the nervous system.

 

Coach Robert and Coach Trent explain some simple ways you can stay on top of your hydration, improve your morning workouts with a dextrose protein shake, and avoid technique problems by planning your alcohol intake around training.

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coach Robert and Coach Trent interview the woman behind the curtain at the Aasgaard Company, publisher of Stating Strength: Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition (and the popular training method by the same name), Practical Programming, several other books, and thousands of articles about barbell training, programming, nutrition, the sport of weightlifting and powerlifting, and much more. Stef Bradford holds a PhD in Pharmacology and decades of strength training and competitive weightlifting experience under her belt. 

 

Stef joins the podcast today to discuss the mental and philosophical side of training and why the term "easy doesn't work" encapsulates the career of a lifter. As she says, "easy doesn't work" is a catchy phrase but the idea is really "comfort doesn't work." The Stress/Recovery/Adaptation principle demands that we continually push out of our comfort zone or cease growing/adapting. Moreover, we have to continually attempt to grow to counter the entropy that is inherent to our universe.

 

Starting Strength website

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Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.