It seems everyone who trains seriously with weights knows you should deload. Most folks hate deloads and only begrudgingly do them. Others don’t deload at all because they either feel they don’t need them, or that they will lose their “gainz” if they do. I think this is mostly because people don’t know what deloads do and why they should be incorporated. My intent in this article is to set the record straight on how deloads work and the physiological reasons they are helpful. [Read more…]
Bodybuilding Periodization Made Simple
Brad the powerlifter has had to take a back seat as of late. A lingering rib issue in my right posterior rib cage sidelined me from doing my competition squat and deadlift for quite some time. As a result, I’ve had to revamp my training into what I feel is its simplest form. Being at this for 20+ years now, I know I cannot program a linear progression plan like I could 15 years ago. Progression has to be more “observed” and I have to pick my shots when programming. I also can’t train as heavy as I would like and need to build-in “fail safes” that allow me to mentally train lighter and to a definitive stopping point, so as to not dig a hole so deep I can’t get back out. The result is what I would call an “auto-regulated bodybuilding periodization with observed progression”. [Read more…]
Life Isn’t Always Fun; Commitment Makes It Better
com-mit-ted
feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity, or job; wholeheartedly dedicated.
mo-ti-vate
provide with a motive for doing something.
mo-ti-vated
past tense for mo-ti-vate
Is it common to use these terms interchangeably? All too common if you ask me. However, once you see the actual definition of these terms you can tell they are quite different. Especially when it comes to the application of these terms to our programs or heck, even our lives. [Read more…]
Grinding Into My 50’s: Seven Things I Do OUTSIDE the Gym
I will be 47 years YOUNG next month. Is it sad that I have to count out the years from my date of birth to figure that out? While my mind might be failing me at times, I don’t plan on having my body do the same. We love training, but it’s worth noting the things that I do outside of the gym are just as important to my success as what I do inside the gym. [Read more…]
My 15 Year Old Son Takes Creatine – Exciting Evidence That Creatine Helps Combat Concussions!
I’m sure some people who hear this are mortified. I remember having a debate with one of the football coaches last year regarding this subject. The conversation ranged from Creatine being unsafe to it being down right tainted. Each subject that was presented to me I debated with evidence. I have a host of reasons why I encourage my son to take Creatine. The most important being that I am 100% confident that the use of Creatine is safe for him [1].
Don’t Lose Your Head
Many of the e-mails and social media private messages that we get are regarding time off from training. Even many of our competition prep athletes write us during some level of panic, asking us what they should do for their training during a vacation, family emergency, injury, medical restricted period, hardship etc. etc. It’s as if the end of the world is coming and even so much as a hiccup in their training schedule will de-rail their gains, and they are only a week or two away from turning into terrible bodybuilder/athlete, or fat slobs with no muscle. It almost seems like they believe they will never be training or lifting weights again.
My 6 Favorite “Hacks” in the Gym
This fall will be my 20thyear in the Iron Game. In that 20 years I have tried at least 100 different “Hacks” in an effort to get my training completed when I didn’t have the ideal set up or machine. I remember in 1998 when the local gym, which ironically I ended up buying, had a brand new Smith Machine. At the time, I was newly diagnosed with my spondylolisthesis and was instructed by my neurologist not to squat until I had my CT Scan done and my results back. So I came up with the idea of using the Smith Bar as a leg press. I did so by laying on the floor, on my back, below the smith bar and putting my feet up on the bar. [Read more…]
Are the 3D’s in your DNA? – Personal Reflection
It’s fair to say that the 3Ds were part of who I was and what made me tick long before 3DMJ came to be. Dedication, Desire and Discipline ran through my veins long before I became a bodybuilder. I could be wrong, but I think this is true of many of us to some extent. However, when we discover something we are passionate about to pour that energy into, it can really bring out and further develop any amount of the 3Ds we have in us. [Read more…]
When Hard Work Doesn’t Pay Off! – Another Motivational Rant
In 2016 my son’s football team went undefeated! They were the Champions of their division. They busted their butts all year, were in great shape and most importantly, the team was in sync like a well-oiled machine. They were prepared for their Pacific Northwest Regional play-off game and were ready to kick butt. I remember the kick off for the first quarter like it was yesterday. With my eyes fixated on my son, I watched them rocket down the field in perfect formation. [Read more…]
This Old Dog Learns New Tricks! Football Programming Part 2
As I mentioned in part one of this blog, knowing the context in all aspects of an athletes’ life is important in order to succeed when training them. This is especially true when it comes to a sport that relies on multiple components of athleticism to achieve high performance, as it requires sufficiently complex training to address many aspects of physical fitness. With these athletes, weight training is only piece of the whole training pie. What better way to learn all the available context than to live with an athlete right? It just so happens this is the specific circumstance I have with my son Xander. [Read more…]
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