Many people (most?) get into fitness because they want to look better. At least, that's a primary reason. It's a worthwhile goal -- looking better is a gateway drug to performing better after all, becuase your performance (i.e. your strength and conditioning) drives your body composition. There is a big breakdown in what many people perceive as the ideal or even just good body composition, however, and what is realistically achievable for the average person without PEDs. Social media and pop culture has warped people's idea of what a good physique looks like, and what healthy body fat percentages look like on strong, muscular men and women.

In today's episode, Dr. Santana and Coach Trent attempt to rebalance the scales of body composition, and point out that strong, functional men and women don't have to be (and shouldn't be) lean and ripped to be healthy.

Online Diet Coaching and Strength Training with Dr. Robert Santana

https://weightsandplates.com/online-coaching/

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Coach Trent

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]

It's that time of the year again, the uniquely American feast that is Thanksgiving. It's a time of feasting and festivities, but for a lot of people the feasting doesn't end when the holiday is over... it extends over the next five weeks until the end of the year. As Dr. Santana points out, there is some research that shows people tend to gain a few pounds over the holidays, then go back to eating at maintenance in the new year. They end up a few pounds heavier, however, and don't lose it, then repeat the process again the next year, and the next. This checks out with practical experience. Most people get fat fairly slowly, over time.

If you don't want to be a statistic, Dr. Santana and Coach Trent offer a few strategies for planning your eating during Thanksgiving and holiday season. Having a basic plan can help you enjoy the holiday without blowing up your goals.

And for you skinny, underweight lifters out there... this can be a great time of the year to kickstart your gains! Put on 5-10lbs, and watch your lifts take off.

Online Diet Coaching and Strength Training with Dr. Robert Santana

https://weightsandplates.com/online-coaching/

Follow Weights & Plates 

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Web: https://weightsandplates.com

Coach Trent

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]

In today's episode, Dr. Santana and Coach Trent discuss a common mistake lifters make before they begin a set -- the unrack. As Coach Trent says, the set doesn't begin when you descend into your first rep, the set begins when you step on the platform. Getting your mindset right, visualizing a successful set, and unracking the bar with authority and controlled aggression is oftentimes the difference between a successful set and missed reps, especially when attempting a limit set or new PR.

Online Diet Coaching and Strength Training with Dr. Robert Santana

https://weightsandplates.com/online-coaching/

Follow Weights & Plates 

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-

Instagram: @the_robert_santana

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Web: https://weightsandplates.com

Coach Trent

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]

Many people who start barbell training say something to the effect of "I just don't want to get hurt" when asked about their fitness goals. It's understandable -- no one wants to get hurt -- but the statement displays some ignorance about the reality of aches, pains, and sometimes injuries that occur during hard physical training. When we train with barbells, we are pushing our bodies to the limit to grow muscle, get stronger, and become more resilient. Even if we aren't great athletes squatting and deadlifting several hundred pounds, improvement requires pushing the limit, and pushing the limit increases the risk of aches, pains, and injuries. Moreover, as Coach Trent points out, life itself is non-zero risk, and many people get hurt without ever touching a barbell. So, the idea that you can control "not getting hurt" is false. You can bend the curve in your favor to reduce the likelihood of tweaks and injuries, but life happens. The best you can do is be strong and resilient so that you can bounce back from tweaks and injuries faster, and develop the mental fortitude to deal with the setbacks they cause.

Online Diet Coaching and Strength Training with Dr. Robert Santana

https://weightsandplates.com/online-coaching/

Weights & Plates on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]

One of the interesting consequences of the success of the Starting Strength methodology, and the growth in popularity of strength training in general,  is that genetically average people are lifting weights and sticking with their program for multiple years. No longer are only gym rats and serious athletes dedicating themselves to years of sustained progress in the weight room -- now there are 55 year old moms with 5+ years of barbell training experience under their belts. Most of these people are advanced lifters, even though they aren't competitive athletes. And advanced lifters have different programming needs than novices and early intermediates, especially when they aren't athletically gifted or possessed of a high training drive.

It's important, therefore, to understand what advanced training looks like, not just for very strong, competitive lifters, but for average folks with more pedestrian numbers but similar long recovery windows.

Online Diet Coaching and Strength Training with Dr. Robert Santana

https://weightsandplates.com/online-coaching/

Weights & Plates on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]

It's almost a cliche now, that a novice trainee running the novice linear progression should "do GOMAD" (drink a gallon of milk a day). This advice is one of the most misunderstood bits of nutrition in the Starting Strength method, but it highlights an important fact -- to gain muscle, most people will need to put on bodyweight while increasing their lifts (a small percentage of very overweight or obese people already have enough excess energy on hand in the form of fat stores to run the program without gaining weight). Muscle doesn't just grow from nothing, their needs to be surplus calories on hand to build new muscle mass and connective tissue while the weight on the bar goes up. 

Like anything in life, however, gaining weight is not without risk. For the most part it's very safe, especially since you will be building strength and adding muscle mass which will improve your both your health metrics, function, and your quality of life. There are a few potential problems some people will encounter with increasing body weight that need to be addressed, however. In today's episode Dr. Santana and Coach Trent discuss those problems, including cardiometabolic health and blood glucose levels, and how to mitigate them during your training journey.

Hint: stop skipping your conditioning!

Online Diet Coaching and Strength Training with Dr. Robert Santana

https://weightsandplates.com/online-coaching/

Weights & Plates on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]

Testosterone is one of the hottest topics in the health and fitness world these, specifically testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). While there are legitimate medical reasons for TRT, it is also abused by those looking for an edge in improving their strength and physique, and some low T clinics are happy to oblige. Dr. Robert Santana and Coach Trent Jones share their thoughts on the recent popularity surge of TRT, and when it's appropriate for trainees.

Online Diet Coaching and Strength Training with Dr. Robert Santana

https://weightsandplates.com/online-coaching/

Weights & Plates on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]

We've talked about how an overweight trainee should approach strength training with an eye toward "recomping," that is, changing their body composition with more muscle and less fat. But what about very overweight or obese trainees? Dr. Santana and Coach Trent discuss their experiences training obese people wanting to lose weight and get strong in their novice phase of training.

Online Diet Coaching and Strength Training with Dr. Robert Santana

https://weightsandplates.com/online-coaching/

Weights & Plates on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]

When the upper body lifts stall, the typical programming answer is "add volume." Some do this by increasing frequency -- the number of times you perform the lift each week -- and some do it by adding more sets during each upper body session. Others do both! It's not bad advice for a lot of people coming off of novice upper body programming. Many of these lifters have low press and bench press numbers relative to thier squat and deadlift, so adding a few extra sets during the week, whether it's via introducing a fourth pressing slot or by increasing the number of sets per workout, doesn't add that much systemic fatigue to the workout.

For more advanced lifters, however, especially those with high upper body numbers relative to their bodyweight (pressing at or above bodyweight for multiple reps, and benching well above bodweight), it is less clear that high volume training is necessary to drive strength gains. Maybe what you need at this point is less volume.

Dr. Santana and Coach Trent bust the myth that high volume training is necessary for growing the upper body, and discuss how stress and fatigue play a significant role in upper body programming -- this is not just a squat and deadlift problem!

Online Diet Coaching and Strength Training with Dr. Robert Santana

https://weightsandplates.com/online-coaching/

Weights & Plates on YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]

Burnout is a common complaint, whether it's from work, family, extracurricular activities, or all of the above. It happens in training too. Train long enough and you'll notice people in the community who were once avid lifters fall off the map. Some quit for good, or only sporadically train, others find different sports and activities to pursue, and those who remain tend to be lifers. Some people who quit barbell training cite burnout as the cause. For whatever reason, training no longer served their needs or fit into their life. Usually, burnout happens because there is a misalignment between lifestyle and goals, and lifters find themselves doing a lot of work they really don't want to do, in order to generate marginal gains that no longer seem to matter much. In short, the goals of the training no longer align with their values and desires.

Dr. Santana and Coach Trent discuss the ways burnout happens, how to realign priorities when it happens, and get back in touch with the reasons you wanted to train in the first place.

Weights & Plates is now on YouTube!

https://youtube.com/@weights_and_plates?si=ebAS8sRtzsPmFQf-

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

Email: [email protected]