Today Andy shares his training and nutritional journey over the last 20-plus years. Enjoy!

Today we launch a new podcast called the Apex Predator Podcast. In this podcast, Andy Rose will share his new training program that includes online training and accountability. This program includes a diet, a training program, weekly meetings with Andy, and a brand-new fitness app. We hope you enjoy this episode.

In this episode, Richard and I dig deeper into the stark contrast between training and exercise. They each have their merits, but which is fundamentally the most conducive to success? 

One of these days we'll have the four of us together in this tiny room slamming coffee and shooting the shit. 

Please take a minute to check out everyone's social media, and connect with us:

Richard Saad (@saadstrengthllc)

Mitch Darnton (@tqn_training)

Brian Albrecht (@swollymammoth.llc)

Andy Rose (@vanguardbarbell)

Welcome back to the Vanguard Sessions...

Welcome to The Vanguard Barbell Collective...

I've teamed up with a few of my colleagues to resurrect the podcast and help usher it into the future. 

Richard Saad, Mitch Darnton, and Brian Albrecht are my partners in this new endeavor. 

In the first episode, Richard and Mitch joined me (Brian was busy doing dad things so he gets a pass this time...) and while we could have talked for hours without end, after some donuts and coffee we settled into a lengthy discussion of training versus working out. You get a good glimpse of our backgrounds as well as our approaches to the work we do with our clients on a daily basis. 

Grab a cup of gas station coffee, sit back, and check it out. 

Like it? Hate it? Let us know. We'd love your feedback. 

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Here's where you can find us on the 'gram:

Mitch Darnton: @tqn_training

Richard Saad: @saadstrengthllc

Brian Albrecht: @swollymammoth.llc

Andy Rose: @vanguardbarbell

I've often ranted about the prevalence of knuckleheads on social media, namely Instagram. In this episode, Adam Schafer and I discuss how social media has influenced his podcast, Mindpump, as well as the growth of his personal brand. We all grow and develop, and it is through these growing pains that we learn how to just start being ourselves, for no other reason than that's just who we are. The internet isn't real. We can make it just a little more "tangible" by being the exact peope we already are. There's no need to front, because at some point everyone will figure it out. 

This isn't a short episode, and even though there were a couple technical difficulties, we had a great discussion about our industry and what we can do to influence it in a positive manner. 

Sit back, relax, enjoy.

Allow me to introduce Adam Schafer of Mindpump, on the Vanguard Sessions Podcast. 

Josh Bowen was one of my first interviews when I started this podcast. I didn't know what I was doing at the time (and still don't, for that matter) and I didn't record the audio. I knew I had to get him back on for another round, though. He's got too much to share and he presents it in a way y'all need to hear. I've known JB since I was a trainer at Urban Active Fitness (that was back in the day...) and he has been a positive influence on my career ever since. 

We can all benefit from listening to our mentors from time to time. In our industry, not all that glitters is gold (I think that's what they say, right?) and Josh will be the first to share the truth. 

So, sit back and enjoy. While you're at it, check him out at @aspirefitnessky if you want to see how it's really supposed to be done. 

I think it's high time we unbury our heads from the sand. Drugs - the performance enhancing kind - are here and they're here to stay. What's not here, unfortunately, is the data needed to help keep us healthy and safe. Sure, we're all getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Are we dying quicker? Are we destroying our bodies faster than we're repairing them? Will we ever have the answers? Or will we keep fumbling around in the dark using anecdotal broscience from some forum our old gym buddy once read on his ex-cousin-in-law's phone?

This is a long episode, but I couldn't cut it short. There was way too much to be discussed. 

Enjoy. 

Most people have heard of Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell in some capacity. What most dont's realize, though, is that the Conjugate Method extends far beyond the walls of Westside Barbell in Columbus, Ohio. What strength coaches have been learning is that there is a better way than the old guard of linear periodization. 

Sure, you're going to get strong as f*ck using linear periodization, says Morris, but you're also going to get injured as f*ck too. 

Coach Morris works with athletes as young as elementary school up and through high school on a regular basis and his injury rate is 2%. Seriously. 2 out of every 100 athletes experiences an injury while training using conjugate periodization. 

There is clearly a better way of training athletes. Yet, many top strength coaches are hesitant to change their approach. Why? It's been documented with first-hand research that there is a way to make stronger athletes who are better prepared for the demands of their respective sport. 

This interview is not for the faint of heart. Coach Morris is highly opinionated, and for good reason. His opinions are born of fact and proven research. 

Enjoy. 

When I set out to start a podcast, I wrote down a list of everyone I valued and looked up to as a trainer, coach, mentor, or leader in the fitness industry. 

Dave Tate is, to me, one of the most influential strength coaches to date. As you'll hear in this episode, he spins an intricate web of analogies to describe what has transpired in the last 30 years in the training and coaching industry. 

Thanks to professionals like Dave, I can safely call personal training and coaching a legitimate career. If it weren't for those who came before us, and the seeds they planted, we would be doing something far removed from the lives we lead in the gym with our clients and athletes. 

Thank you, Mr. Tate, not only for the interview but for the effort to lay out a career path for so many of us. 

I'm excited for this podcast not because Chris is a brutally honest dude, but because he and I share some common ground. We were both born with a disability. Believe it or not, that doesn't f*cking matter. Everybody goes through sh*t. It's called life. 

Let's talk about reality for a minute. 

Chris Ruden has some great stories to share, as well as some unique insight into our industry. 

Take it all in. 

Tell your friends.