Brian and Eric address many common questions and misunderstandings around body fat set points. Is it possible to change your set point? Are your genetics really the thing holding you back? Along with answering these two questions, Brian and Eric discuss leptin, modifying your environment, metabolic adaptation, low energy availability, some really interesting research on the Amish, and a lot more. This episode is full of takeaways for both competitors and noncompetitors. Timestamps 0:00-...

Amanda, Alberto, and Eric discuss disordered eating, eating disorders, body-image concerns, and how they relate to both competitive physique athletes and noncompetitors. They talk about common issues they see and how they deal with them, the importance of framing, the influence of biology, research on tracking and physique checking, and a lot more. The same behaviors can be facilitative or debilitative depending upon how they are framed and what they result in in someone’s...

Brad, Jeff, and Brian discuss what the ultimate goal of a person’s training should be if their primary goal is muscular hypertrophy. The coaches talk about when to add volume and when to wait, slower reps versus faster reps, training volume across a training career, longevity, and caution against putting the numbers ahead of the stimulus. Progression should be dictated by the rate you’re adapting and not something that should be forced. ------------------------------ Timestamps 0:00-...

Eric, Alberto, and Brad discuss the things they feel every powerlifter who wants to be successful needs to understand. The coaches talk about how beneficial being intentional with your nutrition can be and a few simple nutritional strategies they recommend. Other topics discussed include, the best way to make weight for a meet, the coaches’ thoughts on cutting to make a weight class early in your powerlifting career, and the ideal situation to be in from a nutritional perspective as you’re...

Andrea, Brian, and Jeff conduct an audience-supplied Q and A session. Topics include maximizing muscle growth, how to track volume, what you can do if you’re afraid of gaining body fat after your competitive season, and a lot more. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 2:24- How to grow maximally versus slowly and how to tell the difference 13:07- How to balance lifting with other forms of physical activity like running, cycling, basketball, etc. 21:48- If you aren’t working with a coach, how...

In this eye-opening episode, Eric and Steve do a deep dive on the risks of testing new supplements, how you can help ensure the supplements you take are high-quality, and the supplements they use and recommend. Along with discussing the effectiveness of various supplements, the coaches go through the research showing just how common supplement [...]

Brad, Alberto, and Jeff discuss the weird and sometimes scary things that happen when we push our body to the extreme. The coaches share crazy things they have seen and had happen to them during prep. What happened to Jeff when he was vitamin K deficient during one of his preps? What is sleep eating [...]

Brian, Jeff, and Brad discuss how to be compliant with your plan so you can achieve your goals. How do the coaches navigate food prepared by family when they're prepping? Do the coaches find it easier to eat the foods they really enjoy in small amounts or completely cut them out when prepping? How did [...]

Jeff and Alberto discuss how they've helped and pushed each other, how they go about their bodybuilding differently, and how to get the most out of your bodybuilding journey. How long have the coaches been lifting? How does Jeff go about his bodybuilding? How does Alberto go about his bodybuilding? How do the coaches think [...]

Brian, Brad, and Alberto discuss why getting yourself in a good position to prep is so important, what a good starting position looks like, and what they are currently doing to prepare for their 2024 season. Why are the coaches planning and preparing for the stage a year out? What are Brad, Brian, and Alberto's [...]

Brad, Eric, and Alberto discuss how as a bodybuilder becomes more ingrained in the bodybuilding lifestyle, the structure of their contest preps and the structure of their offseasons start to become more and more similar. What did Eric and Alberto's offseasons look like 10+ years ago compared to what they look like now? How does [...]

Eric, Brian, and Nick have an in-depth discussion around purposefully altering range of motion to get bigger, stronger, and rehab an injury. Is more range of motion always better? How can one use isometric contractions to increase a joint's range of motion? What is neuromechanical matching? Do we need to get into the extreme end [...]

Jeff and Eric discuss what they have had to do to continue to improve their physiques as advanced athletes. The coaches also share strategies other advanced athletes can use to continue making progress as well. What percentage of gains do the coaches feel like a person reaches after 5 years of lifting? What did Eric [...]

Jeff and Alberto discuss common and unique scenarios they see when working with athletes. The coaches talk about how they work with athletes as well as motives and mindsets they like to see. Do the coaches normally add to someone's to-do list or take away from it? How is it beneficial to acknowledge that you [...]

Andrea, Brian, and Eric conduct an audience-supplied Q and A session. Question topics range from supplementation, to bulking, exercise technique, diet breaks, rest-period length, and more. Do you still get benefits from supplementing with creatine if you don't take it consistently? What is a good ratio of fat to muscle gained during a bulk? Does [...]

Jeff, Alberto, and Steve discuss the benefits of having a plan, how they put together their weekly eating plans, how they help their athletes/clients build their weekly eating plans, and recommendations to consider when you're building your plan. What is the difference between new-age meal plans and old-school meal plans? How do the coaches help [...]

Brad, Brian, and Eric discuss who should and shouldn't cut weight for a meet, how to plan out your fat-loss phase if you need to run one, and strategies you can use to lose the last bit of weight needed to make weight. In the coaches' opinion, should novices cut weight? Why do we often [...]

Brian, Jeff, and Alberto discuss the things competitive bodybuilders and recreational bodybuilders can learn from each other. How do the coaches treat their competitive bodybuilders versus their recreational bodybuilders? What are the benefits of bodybuilding recreationally? Why does starting off bodybuilding recreationally tend to work out well? How do the coaches coach recreational bodybuilders that [...]

Eric, Brad, and Amanda go over what post contest blues are, why they happen, and what you can do about them. Is it natural to have post contest blues after a show or after your season ends? When have Brad and Eric experienced post contest blues? What did they look and feel like for them? [...]

Alberto, Brad, and Brian discuss the things they think an athlete needs to know and have done before they do their first prep. Why is it important to have clarity on your motives and goals before you begin prep? What do the coaches like to educate their athletes on before they begin and as they [...]

Brian, Jeff, and Alberto discuss the end of one's competitive bodybuilding career, why someone might choose to continue competing after their peak, and life after competing. When might you *not* want to compare yourself against yourself? Why did Alberto start bodybuilding and why is he still competing? What is Jeff's definition of a bodybuilder? What [...]

Brad, Jeff and Nick discuss the benefits of making your training more efficient and how to do so. What strategies can you utilize to make your training more efficient? From a programming perspective, how can one incorporate a new strategy they are wanting to try? What gave Jeff a sense of security when it came [...]

Eric, Brian, and Alberto have the most thorough discussion on the principle of specificity and how it applies to powerlifting that has ever happened on the podcast or any other 3DMJ platform. Why does the barbell bench press result in better pec development for some than others? Why does the barbell back squat result in [...]

Jeff, Brad, and Alberto discuss everything you need to do and think about the day before and day of your show. What can you do to help keep your stress low the day before your show? How accurate are competition-day schedules? What tips do the coaches have regarding when and how to shave? What do [...]