Ironically, when many people talk about science-based approaches to bodybuilding and powerlifting, they often do so in black and white terms: something is either “evidence-based”, or not. I say this is ironic, because the actual studies these approaches are based on always report the probability that their findings are correct. Not only that, but different types of scientific studies themselves exist on a continuum; some publications carrying much more “evidential weight”, while others serve as very weak evidence in comparison, just as a function of their design. [Read more…]
Will Building – Part 3
This is Alberto’s 3rd installment of his ‘Will Building’ series, first read part 1, and 2
It’s funny… often times when you start writing these sort of articles, your own perspective grows. Originally, the idea for this series was initiated by a conservative old timer’s perspective. The conservative mindset was: “the good old days were good, and these days are not quite as good”. In reality, I remember that past times weren’t necessarily better. [Read more…]
It’s Time To FULLY Embrace Being A Coach: Acknowledging Behavior and Psychology
Most online nutrition coaches do not have formal degrees in dietetics.
Most online trainers do not have formal degrees in exercise physiology.
Many industry leaders have no problem giving advice or suggestions when it comes to the kitchen and the gym, despite having no credentials to show for it. Their athletes look good, and that seems to be enough for us to assume their competence in the realms of nutrition and training. [Read more…]
Will Building – Part 2
Looking back now of course I can see that I was perhaps a bit too strict in my ways, and that so much of energy and time was directed towards things that didn’t matter, or perhaps to the point that I was going way beyond the threshold of the effective dose. The two prime examples of this was the fact that I felt I needed to eat a minimum of 6-8 meals a day in order to be effective. I was of course wrong in regards to meal frequency, but even when I was focused on the right variables such as sleep I perhaps took it too far. [Read more…]
Will Building – Part 1
I still recall how simple things were as an aspiring bodybuilder (if I were to be totally honest, I was a “chest and arms builder”). I would make it to the gym 3 days a week, perform 12 hard sets for my chest, maybe 3 sets of direct biceps work, and of course, I would end with a set of 21’s to finish America’s favorite muscle off. These were the simplest of times. Outside of those 60 minutes in the gym, I would say that I was a pretty “normal guy”. Little by little things became a bit more complicated and I started to add more and more strategies in order to improve. [Read more…]
New Bodybuilding Coaches – 6 Things You Need to Know
As the latest addition to Team 3D Muscle Journey to come on board in late 2015, I’m still a relatively new kid on the bodybuilding coaching block.
While I can confidently say that I already had a lot of coaching experience under my belt from my years as a competitive gymnastics instructor and as a personal trainer, I still had some blind spots in terms of what it takes to do this whole thing online. [Read more…]
Do You Have A Scientific Attitude?
This is a blog post I originally wrote for our friends at DeNovo Nutrition for the Philosophy Element of their “Elements Education” series. It’s an absolute honor to help such a great group of people in their efforts to expand the knowledge and reasoning skills of the community. Not to blow my own horn, but I thought this article was some of my better work. [Read more…]
Is There Such a Thing as “Fast Tracking?”
Fast tracking is a buzz word that I’m sure you’re familiar with. “Change your life/your body/your path to success/ etc. with our Fast Track results package.” Really if you think about it, lives can and do change in a moment. Not only in the case of a car wreck or some tragic accident; rather, lives change the moment a decision is made and the follow through begins. [Read more…]
“Good Question!” – Path to Becoming a Coach
Welcome to our “Good Question!” series, where we answer the best questions from the 3DMJ community in blog format. Today, I’ll be answering the question “What path should someone take if they want to be a health and diet coach?”. A great question in and of itself, and for some additional context, the person also said the following: [Read more…]
Coaching Tip: Those Who Struggle With Comparison
“You vs. You.” “Beating the athlete in the mirror.” These sayings have become popularized in our world today. Likely, because we as humans are so hard on ourselves. I’m hardly an authority when it comes to human psychology, but I have found that comparing ourselves to others can be a very powerful source of motivation. [Read more…]