Exercising is better than doing nothing at all. But why leave so much potential on the table? Why not be be strong and exercise? How about strength be your base not exercise? If you make strength be your base, you will be better at exercising, but it doesn't work the other way around. Getting stronger makes you better at exercising but doing more exercising doesn't make you any stronger. Getting stronger increases bone density, bigger muscles, stronger ligaments and tendons. Exercising does none of the above.

In order to understand how to get stronger, I think it's helpful to to start by defining strength. Strength is the ability to produce force against an external resistance. Simply, strength is force production. The person that can produce the most force is the most strong. Someone who has enough force production to squat 150 pounds is stronger than someone who can only squat 100 pounds. Someone who has enough force production to bench press 200 pounds is stronger than someone who can only bench press 135 pounds. It's black and white. If you want to get stronger, you can't just be exercising at a gym. You have to be constantly increasing force production. It doesn't matter how many lunges you are doing or leg extensions. Yes, you may get hot and sweaty and feel sore the next day but if you are not increasing force production then you are not getting stronger. You are just exercising. If you want to get stronger, force production must be increasing.

Know thy limits. There are times when I turn clients down because I'm aware of the value I bring to the table. For example if you are into bodybuilding, I'm the wrong guy to hire. Although many smart body builders will build up a base strength first then sculpt and shape it through bodybuilding. If you are professional power lifter or olympic lifter then I'm not the guy to hire. If you like doing cardio with light weights (90% of the people I see at the gym are doing this), then I'm not your guy to hire. What I am though is a professional barbell strength coach. And if you want to double your strength in less than 3 months or triple your strength in less than 6 months, then I can help.

So excited for my client JoAnn. She is 59 and an active pickle ball player. She just did 135lbs in the squat for the first time. We call this getting your first plate because she finally go to use the big 45lb plate on each side. JoAnn has been training with me for about 3 months. When she started her squat she was at 60 pounds. She has more than doubled her strength in a very short amount of time. All we did was add 5 pounds to her squat each workout. After just 3 months of training she said she feels stronger than she was in her 20s. She said strength training is about the only thing she has ever found that is truly like drinking from the fountain of youth. She also has a higher confidence in her pickle ball game that allows her to play more aggressive. She knows that doubling her strength has also gave her denser bones, stronger ligaments and tendons. While many of her friends that are in the same age are getting injured, she feels there's nothing better to prevent injuries than being stronger. #getstrong #strengthtraining #barbellcoach #liftheavy #strength #pickleball #squat #strengthcoach

I don't do contracts because I'm confident in my ability to deliver results. You can cancel at any time for any reason. If I wasn't confident, I would probably look to lock my clients up in a 6 month to year contract.

Would you rather be old beat up and weak or old beat up and strong? You can't prevent old and beat up but you can decide if you want to be weak or strong. By the way the photo is from the cover of The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40 book written by Dr. Jonathan Sullivan and Andy Baker. Fantastic book going into detail how barbell strength training is one of the best things you can do for your health as you age.

Are you stuck on a current lift? Need some programming advice? Do you want some technical feedback of your lift? My DMs are open.

Curious how strong your are in natural human movement patterns? Get under a barbell and see how much you can squat for 5 reps. See how much you can bench press for 5 reps See how much you can deadlift for 5 reps The numbers on the barbell don't lie.

In my novice program I'm able to add 5lbs to my clients lifts 3 x per week. They are getting stronger by 15lbs per week with each lift. How do I get a way with this? Stress Recovery Adaptation Stress/Recovery/Adaptation framework is based on Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). Selye is the creator of the model for stress events. According to GAS theory, organisms respond to stress in stages: alarm or shock, followed by resistance as they attempt to adapt to the stress. This adaptation aims to render the organism capable of withstanding similar stresses in the future. With the appropriate prescribed amount of stress, the lifter can recover within 48 hours and adapt to the new stress. Then we repeat the process and stress it more by increasing the weight 5 more pounds. Depending on the age and genetics of the client we can do this for a couple of months to 5 months. Take advantage of this biological process. If you do, you can get very strong in a short amount of time.

Does the human body move in isolation or as a whole system? When you move around in your daily life whether that's doing chores, playing sports, or just taking a walk, you body is working as a whole system not in isolation. That's why I focus on getting people stronger in big compound movements that mimic natural human movement patterns like the squat, deadlift, bench press and overhead press. When you are getting stronger in these lifts you are getting the whole system stronger. Compound lifts are movements that engage multiple joints simultaneously, typically necessitating the use of multiple limbs to complete a single repetition. Take the squat, for instance, which demands coordinated involvement of the ankles, knees, hips, and back to execute a proper full squat. And look at all the muscle groups that get strengthened in a squat. It focuses on the front of your thighs (quadriceps), the back of your thighs (hamstrings), and your buttocks (gluteus maximus). It also involves the inner thighs (adductors) and the calf muscles. The muscles along your spine (erector spinae) help you stand up straight during the squat, making your back stronger. Plus, your core muscles, like your abs and obliques, get a good workout too, making the low bar squat great for overall lower body strength and stability. These compound movements are essential for building a strong foundation and promoting overall strength and muscle development. Incorporating these exercises into your weight training routine can help you achieve your fitness goals more effectively. #barbellcoach #compoundmovements #getstrong #squat #deadlift #liftheavy #strengthcoach #strengthtraining #pickleball