StrongCast Radio presented by Bootstrap Barbell |

Andrew Shtulman is an associate professor of psychology and cognitive science at Occidental College, where he directs the Thinking Lab. He holds degrees in psychology from Princeton and Harvard and has published several dozen scholarly articles on conceptual development and conceptual change. We talk about why maths isn't so scary after all, how it applies to everyday life, infinity, and lots of more fun stuff. We talk about the most common fallacies of intuition he comes across in his practice, how to form a practice of more accurately coming to conclusions, and lots more fun stuff. SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: You can find his new book  Scienceblind: Why Our Intuitive Theories About the World Are So Often Wrong on Amazon (or likely wherever you like to get your books as well).      

Ian Nicholas Stewart is a British mathematician and popular-science and science-fiction writer. He is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, England.  We talk about why maths isn't so scary after all, how it applies to everyday life, infinity, and lots of more fun stuff. SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT: You can find his new book Infinity: A very short introduction on Amazon (or likely wherever you like to get your books as well).

Tony Gentilcore is one of the co-founders of Cressey Sports Performance. He's no longer coaching there, but still trains top-level athletes and clients in Boston, MA, and contributes to the top fitness magazines and websites around.   The Question Of The Day: Which is the better gangster movie: Goodfellas or Donnie Brasco?   Don't forget to subscribe on: Youtube iTunes Stitcher   Connect with Tony on: His site Youtube Instagram   Connect with Vidura on: Twitter Instagram Snapchat

Coach, content creator, lifter, and someone whom I consider to be one of the most thoughtful voices in the strength and nutrition community at-large, Ian McCarthy joins us this week to discuss topics ranging from his personal battle with clinical depression, to the right way to apply science to your training, and much more.    The Question Of The Day: Has it become apparent to you that you've been fooling yourself in any way, with particular regard to your goals, ambitions, and work ethic? Time stamps: A little intro to Ian, what he does, and what he's all about - 2:20 What the early years of his training looked like - 8:45 A discussion on Ian's personal experiences battling clinical depression and anorexia - 11:00 Why everything doesn't have to be "maximal" all the time - 20:20 The practice and importance of critical thinking - 30:40 A discussion on the pros and cons of taking the word of "thought leaders", without taking the time to form your own opinions based on the evidence - 36:40 The dangers of dogmatic thinking - 47:30 Don't forget to subscribe on: Youtube iTunes Stitcher   Connect with Ian on: Facebook Instagram Youtube   Connect with Vidura on: Twitter Instagram Snapchat

Paul Carter is a lifelong lifter, strength coach, author, and founder over at Lift-Run-Bang. In our conversation, we get into everything from his comical introduction to training, our shared criticisms about dogmatic approaches to training and nutrition, and explore some more involved topics related to relationships and life in general. The Question Of The Day: What do you feel like is the one thing you can improve upon the most in the next 12 months that could make your life better? Time stamps: A little bit about Paul, his writing, and what he's all about - 2:40 Internal vs external motivation - 18:00 The differences he felt transitioning from powerlifting to bodybuilding - 29:40 Mistakes people make when applying scientific practice to training and nutrition - 36:50 The most common mistakes Paul sees new lifters making - 49:40 How and why Paul started Lift-Run-Bang, and a little bit of discussion on his process and style - 57:20 The "quick questions" begin - 1:05:00 Don't forget to subscribe on: Youtube iTunes Stitcher   Connect with Paul on: Facebook Lift-Run-Bang Check out some of his books   Connect with Vidura on: Twitter Instagram Snapchat

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is your competitive advantage(in whatever it is that you do)?   DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE ON... Youtube iTunes Stitcher   CONNECT WITH DANNY ON: Instagram Norcal Crossfit

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What has been the one moment that has influenced you the most regarding your current philosophy on training or nutrition? Time Stamps: A quick intro into who Danny is, and what he does at Sigma Nutrition - 2:40 What his learning process looked like, from the perspective of somewhat with a strong academic background on the subject of nutrition - 8:30 A discussion on the importance of things like context, individual variation, and "real life" circumstances when planning training and nutrition recommendations - 13:35 A discussion on the general subject of "critical thinking" - 19:40 The importance of keeping the conversation open - 24:20 How Danny handles the psychological aspects of coaching athletes remotely - 33:10 The nuances of coaching high-level combat athletes - 41:50 Danny's approach to clientele with body-composition related goals - 51:00 A little bit about how Sigma Nutrition Radio started, and any future plans Danny has for it going forward - 59:00 Danny's specific approach to nutrition for combat athletes - 1:13:30 The "Quick Questions" begin - 1:26:20 DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE ON... Youtube iTunes Stitcher   CONNECT WITH Danny ON: iTunes The Sigma Nutrition Website The European Powerlifting Conference 

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is your favorite of the three powerlifts (squat, bench, deadlift) to WATCH, and why? DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE ON... Youtube iTunes Stitcher   CONNECT WITH BLAINE ON: Instagram His Website

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Why do you train? What do you get out of it? DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE ON... Youtube iTunes Stitcher TIME STAMPS: A little bit about Alan, Untamed Strength, and the how and why behind his start on Youtube - 3:00 How Alan got into the gym into the first place - 4:05 What his training looked like in the very beginning - 10:20 Alan's history in Strongman and what his training looks like at the moment - 16:00 The story of Untamed Strength, starting from Alan's time in the military - 28:25 How Youtube changed the trajectory of Untamed Strength, and his plans for it in the future - 45:35 The "Quick Questions" begin - 59:30 CONNECT WITH JORDAN ON: Instagram Youtube Facebook

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Harry Potter vs Narnia!? DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE ON... Youtube iTunes Stitcher TIME STAMPS: A little intro into who Jordan is and what he's about, along with how he first got into training - 3:00 The trajectory of his career as a personal trainer - 7:43 Jordan's reflections on his time at Westside Barbell, along with his opinions on their training methodologies - 9:50 How he first got into coaching - 17:20 His experience coaching Gary Vaynerchuk full-time - 25:10 The intricacies of coaching for those who simply take part in physical activity as a complement to their life, rather than an integral part of it  - 28:15 Some quick advice on the most common mobility and movement limitations Jordan sees in his older clients, along with practical tips on how to get around them - 32:20 Jordan's unique approach to presenting high-quality scientifically sound information in a format which is both educational and entertaining - 42:10 How he goes about implementing rapid fat loss protocols - 50:00 The "Quick Questions" begin - 1:03:00 CONNECT WITH JORDAN ON: Instagram Youtube Facebook  

Not only is Brendan incredibly strong and jacked in his own right, but is also a coach who has experience helping countless folks reach their goals. And in addition to all that, he's had the opportunity to train under some of the strongest people in the strength community, including Mike Tuchscherer, Bryce Lewis, and Alberto Nunez. In this episode, we take the opportunity to go really deep into the subject of programming for powerlifting and bodybuilding, covering everything from the planning of an effective year of training, to considerations to take within each individual training session. You can think of this almost as a lecture or masterclass of sorts, with just enough tangents and bits of random conversation to keep things fun. QUESTION OF THE DAY: What's your favorite way to attain/consume information? DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE ON... Youtube iTunes Stitcher TIME STAMPS: A quick intro to who Brandon is, what he's about, and the sort of stuff you can find on his Youtube Channel - 3:30 What his own training looked like early on, under the tutelage of Alberto Nunez - 5:30 A rough breakdown of Brendan's approach to training for both physique and performance related goals - 10:20 A discussion on the possible use cases for autoregulation/RPE-based training, along with some of the associated benefits and drawbacks  - 14:50 "What is periodization?" - 21:25 General differences in training based on experience (beginner vs. intermediate vs. advanced) - 30:00 Beginning to get into some real depth on programming, starting the mesocycles - 33:30 Brendan's approach to conceptualizing Work Capacity  - 1:06:50 On the subject on chronic injuries: warning signs, along with advice for prevention and treatment - 1:09:40 A little aside on some of the things to watch out for when developing a movement/mobility practice - 1:12:20 Moving into an in-depth analysis of planning for microcycles  - 1:28:40 Awesome conversation on broader concepts within the realm of periodization, progression, and education in the "fitness" space  - 1:35:40 On the intricacies of movement selection, work capacity, and rep-ranges - 1:51:30 The "Quick Questions" begin  - 2:15:55   CONNECT WITH BRENDAN ON: Brendan's Youtube Channel Aesthetic Strength Instagram  

This week, Highland Games World Champ, content creator, and all-around awesome guy Matt Vincent joins the show. This one was incredibly fun and covered everything from the usual talk on training (with some great insights from Matt about tailoring training for different contexts), slightly more abstract stuff like the relationship between self-loathing and self-motivation and the problem with needless negativity. QUESTION OF THE DAY: What's your favorite batman movie? DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE ON... Youtube iTunes Stitcher TIME STAMPS: An intro to who Matt is, and what he does - 3:15 A little aside on the differences in training for non-strength sports such as football or throwing - 9:30 A discussion on the reality and practicality of "professional" strength sports  - 15:50 The considerations that need to be made for field sport athletes (such as Highland Games throwers such as Matt) - 26:40 Matt's perspective on the opportunities afforded to him by his pursuits in strength, and what fulfills and motivates him to keep going  - 31:00 What "HVIII" means, and the reasoning behind the message that Matt carries through everything from his business, to his training, to his life as a whole  - 32:20 How he got into creating content for Youtube, and his thoughts on making high-quality content which he truly cares about  - 37:10 His experience building HVIII Brand to what it is today, along with plans going forward - 43:30 A discussion about Matt's recent knee surgery, including the causes behind it and the recovery modalities he has found to be most effective anecdotally - 47:00 The "Quick Questions" begin ( P.S. - SOME REALLY GOOD CONVERSATION OVER HERE) - 51:40 LINKS FROM THE SHOW: HVII Brand Goods CONNECT WITH MATT ON: Youtube Instagram

Dave is one of the most experienced and decorated powerlifters and strength coaches you will ever have the fortune to come across. And that's just the start of it. Through his work at EliteFts, he has over the years educated and outfitted countless lifters, and been of true value to the strength community. In our conversation, we discuss everything from his biggest lessons learned from his time at Westside, the qualities of a great coaching and training environment, and the hurdles he had to overcome to grow EliteFts into what it is now. QUESTION OF THE DAY: What changes would you like to see in the strength industry? DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE ON... Youtube iTunes Stitcher TIME STAMPS: A little intro of who Dave is, and what his work at EliteFts involves - 3:00 How he got into training in the first place  - 3:50 What it looked like in the early days, and how he got into geared powerlifting  - 5:45 The mistakes he feels he made early on in his training - 7:50 What made Dave move to Westside, and some awesome anecdotes from his time there  - 15:00 A discussion on the intricacies of Concurrent programming - 22:50 The biggest misconceptions people seem to have about Westside - 34:30 The importance of enjoying training, even at the expense of optimality  - 48:00 Dave's current practices to avoid and treat injuries  - 51:40 What it was like in the early days of EliteFts - 1:00:00 The biggest mistakes he's made along the way with regards to business - 1:09:30 How he got through the tough times early on in his career - 1:14:00 A discussion on the having the say "no" to things in the interest of staying true to your values  - 1:16:00 The Quick Questions begin  - 1:18:00 Awesome little back-and-forth on various subjects ranging from the disadvantages of online coaching, to a little background on my own story - 1:29:00 LINKS FROM THE SHOW: EliteFts CONNECT WITH DAVE ON: EliteFts Twitter Youtube

From high school basketball coach, to personal trainer, to becoming one of the first members of the Slingshot team, Mike has been hustling since Day 1. More recently, he's taken on the challenge of building an audience of his own, and is doing a darn good job to boot. In this super fun conversation we get into his reasons for his recent step away from working with Slingshot, his plans for the future, and the details of how he goes about coaching his athletes. Question of the day: What's your definition of success? Time Stamps: How Mike first got into training - 3:00 What his first few years of training looked like - 5:15 What made him make the change from training in a commercial gym to the legendary Supertraining gym in Sacramento - 11:30 The biggest difference between training at Supertraining as opposed to a "normal" gym - 16:45 The most important lesson's Mike has learned from being at Supertraining all these years - 22:50 What initially made Mike want to start building an audience of his own - 24:40 The biggest struggles he faced early on when trying to grow his audience - 27:20 On the negative aspects of becoming a "public figure" - 31:00 Mike's strategies for training high-level athletes - 37:20 Settling any misunderstandings folks might have about the relationship between Mike and Mark Bell (spoiler alert: there's no drama) - 40:00 The Quick Questions begin - 48:30 Links from the show: - Slingshot - The Periodization Bible - 3DMJ Connect with Mike on: Youtube Instagram Kizen Training

On this week’s episode we’ve got olympic weightlifter and master strength coach Max Aita. For those of you that haven’t heard, Max is a lifelong student of the sport of weightlifting and currently coaches the JTS weightlifting team. In our conversation, we get into how he got into weightlifting in the first place, the steps he’s taken over the years to become a better coach, and the future of Olympic Weightlifting in the United States. THE QUESTION OF THE DAY As an athelte or a coach, what do you view as the benchmark for success? DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE ON... Youtube iTunes Stitcher TIME STAMPS: How Max first got into weightlifting in the first place - 2:15 His opinion on the Bulgarian method, and its benefits and drawbacks in specific circumstances - 7:00 His personal experiences with the Bulgarian method, and if he regrets his years training under that format - 14:00 Max's coping process when injuries necessitated him to stop competing in Weightlifting - 18:00 How he went about educating himself in his first years as a coach, and how he continues to do so now - 26:00 The effects of Weightlifting becoming slowly more commercialized, both positive and negative - 38:40 How Max would go about teaching technique to an absolute beginner to Weightlifting - 43:45 His advice for a "self-coached" athlete - 51:40 How to set up a phasic structure of training for Weightlifting, or any sport for that matter - 55:20 His opinion on where he sees the sport of Weightlifting going in the coming years, particularly in the US - 1:08:00 The long-term plans for the JTS weightlifting team - 1:10:00 What qualities does Mike look for in "successful" athletes - 1:24:20  How to structure a yearly training plan for a Powerlifter and Weightlifter - 1:28:30 The most useful Olympic lift variations for beginners - 1:32:20 The "Quick Questions" begin  - 1:35:25 LINKS FROM THE SHOW: Juggernaut Training Systems CONNECT WITH MAX ON: Instagram JTS

For those unaware, Layne has been a part of both the bodybuilding and powerlifting community since the very beginning. Being both a professional-level competitor in both sports, he was also one of the first to start coaching athletes online and in the process has produced many champions of his own. In this episode, we get into a little debate of sorts on the semantics surrounding Flexible Dieting, Layne's recent injury and the steps he has taken to overcome it, and what he's trying to do with his newest project, Avatar Nutrition, and why he thinks it has the potential to truly change the world.   THE QUESTION OF THE DAY What can Layne do to better his practice in providing information and education to you guys? TIME STAMPS The reasons Layne got into lifting in the first place - 3:00 What exactly his training looked like in those early years  - 6:20 How he learned about the science of training and nutrition back in the early days of the internet  - 8:20 His go-to resources to find the answers to the questions he had early on - 11:00 A little debate of sorts on the semantics and common misunderstanding surrounding the subject of Flexible Dieting - 15:30 How Layne has modified his training in light of his recent injury, and other measures he has taken to remedy the issue  - 27:00 The impetus behind wanting to start Avatar Nutrition, and what it looked like in the beginning - 31:00 The adaptations he's had to make, mistakes he's made, and lessons he's learned in the process of building Avatar - 36:00 The "Quick Questions" begin - 47:45 LINKS FROM THE SHOW Avatar Nutrition CONNECT WITH ANDY ON Biolayne Instagram Youtube CONNECT WITH BOOTSTRAP BARBELL ON Instagram Facebook My personal Instagram and Snapchat

Nutrition coach, author, and proprietor of one of the most useful sources of fitness information on the internet rippedbody.com, Andy Morgan has an absolute wealth of knowledge on the fine art of getting people lean. And more importantly, doing so in a way that is not only pragmatic, but sustainable in the long-run. In our conversation, we get into the specifics of Andy's approach to getting his clients results, the process of building RippedBody to what it is today, and his experience overcoming non-fitness related struggles as well.   THE QUESTION OF THE DAY What's the one thing you wish was on the RippedBody site that isnt (yet)? TIME STAMPS A little bit about the work Andy does at RippedBody - 2:30 How he originally got into evidence-based fitness in the first place - 5:00 Andy going over the reasons why "hardgainers" have trouble gaining weight, and strategies to get around them - 15:30 A little aside on the reason behind Andy's leaving from the UK to Japan - 25:30 The importance of sustainability over optimization - 30:00 Andy's strategies for modifying dieting protocols as a cut progresses - 42:00 His experience overcoming some personal challenges in the past year or so and advice for anyone that might be going through something similar - 53:30 LINKS FROM THE SHOW Muscle and Strength Pyramids The Last Shred CONNECT WITH ANDY ON RippedBody Twitter CONNECT WITH BOOTSTRAP BARBELL ON Instagram Facebook My personal Instagram and Snapchat

Nutrition coach, author, and proprietor of one of the most useful sources of fitness information on the internet rippedbody.com, Andy Morgan has an absolute wealth of knowledge on the fine art of getting people lean. And more importantly, doing so in a way that is not only pragmatic, but sustainable in the long-run. In our conversation, we get into the specifics of Andy's approach to getting his clients results, the process of building RippedBody to what it is today, and his experience overcoming non-fitness related struggles as well. THE QUESTION OF THE DAY What's the one thing you wish was on the RippedBody site that isnt (yet)? TIME STAMPS A little bit about the work Andy does at RippedBody - 2:30 How he originally got into evidence-based fitness in the first place - 5:00 Andy going over the reasons why "hardgainers" have trouble gaining weight, and strategies to get around them - 15:30 A little aside on the reason behind Andy's leaving from the UK to Japan - 25:30 The importance of sustainability over optimization - 30:00 Andy's strategies for modifying dieting protocols as a cut progresses - 42:00 His experience overcoming some personal challenges in the past year or so and advice for anyone that might be going through something similar - 53:30 LINKS FROM THE SHOW Muscle and Strength Pyramids The Last Shred CONNECT WITH ANDY ON RippedBody Twitter CONNECT WITH BOOTSTRAP BARBELL ON Instagram Facebook My personal Instagram and Snapchat

Nutrition coach, author, and proprietor of one of the most useful sources of fitness information on the internet rippedbody.com, Andy Morgan has an absolute wealth of knowledge on the fine art of getting people lean. And more importantly, doing so in a way that is not only pragmatic, but sustainable in the long-run. In our conversation, we get into the specifics of Andy's approach to getting his clients results, the process of building RippedBody to what it is today, and his experience overcoming non-fitness related struggles as well. THE QUESTION OF THE DAY What's the one thing you wish was on the RippedBody site that isnt (yet)? TIME STAMPS A little bit about the work Andy does at RippedBody - 2:30 How he originally got into evidence-based fitness in the first place - 5:00 Andy going over the reasons why "hardgainers" have trouble gaining weight, and strategies to get around them - 15:30 A little aside on the reason behind Andy's leaving from the UK to Japan - 25:30 The importance of sustainability over optimization - 30:00 Andy's strategies for modifying dieting protocols as a cut progresses - 42:00 His experience overcoming some personal challenges in the past year or so and advice for anyone that might be going through something similar - 53:30 LINKS FROM THE SHOW Muscle and Strength Pyramids The Last Shred CONNECT WITH ANDY ON RippedBody Twitter CONNECT WITH BOOTSTRAP BARBELL ON Instagram Facebook My personal Instagram and Snapchat

Andrea is not only a coach of many physique and strength athletes over at 3DMJ, but is one of the few people you will ever hear of that has true experience competing in physique, strength, and fitness sports (GridLeague in the case of the latter). And on top of all that awesomeness, she has wonderfully strong opinions on real sh$t that just might change the way a few of you think about the decisions you make. TIME STAMPS How Andrea got into the gym in the first place - 4:10 What competing in gymnastics was like, and how it's affected her even up till now - 8:10 What her first few years lifting looked like - 17:00 Her biggest risk she took in order to pursue a career in fitness - 22:00 An explanation of the mistakes Andrea made during her first bodybuilding prep, and the lessons learned as a result - 27:50 How her second competitive season differed from the first - 34:40 Why she didn't particularly "click" with powerlifting - 37:20 An explanation of what GridLeague is, and what drew Andrea to it - 43:40 The adaptations she's needed to make to her training and nutrition to compensate for drastically different goals than earlier - 57:20 On the disconnect between mainstream Crossfit and real competitive Crossfit - 1:09:00 The "Quick Questions" begin - 1:40:00 LINKS FROM THE SHOW The Champion's Mind book Grit book Power Monkey Fitness Gymnastics Bodies 3DMJ blog Catalyst athletics CONNECT WITH ANDREA ON Athlete Instagram Coach Instagram Youtube CONNECT WITH BOOTSTRAP BARBELL ON Instagram Facebook My personal Instagram and Snapchat