Barbell Life

Progressive overload isn’t just “add weight every week.” It’s the systematic increase of training stress across multiple levers—load, reps, sets (weekly volume), range of motion, frequency, and even targeted fatigue—so tissues keep adapting without tipping into non-functional fatigue.1) You can “overload” by load or reps—and both work A controlled trial comparing two strategies—adding load vs....

"Strong isn’t enough — here’s how to turn strength into POWER." Coach Travis Mash dives into the Power-3 Framework: Jumping, Acceleration, Change of Direction, and Rotation. What Physiological components help to improve each? How to test and monitor? Learn how Verkhoshansky’s principles, Physiological Components like Reactive Properties (Titin protein filament, muscle spindles, etc), and the...

Introduction:Today’s topic: What’s missing from athletic performance programs across the country (high school, private sector, and college).Goal: Build a systematic approach to help athletes maximize performance beyond just lifting weights.Reminder: Champions are made by mastering the little things — not just training hard.The 7-Part Framework:SleepIdeal sleep environment: 68°F, dark room, no...

In this meeting, I spoke with Coach Keith Shimon. We discussed various aspects of human physiology, injury recovery, and exercise training, with a focus on the nervous system's role in movement and perception. We explored the importance of personalized approaches to training and rehabilitation, emphasizing the need to understand individual physiology and psychology to develop effective exercise...

Keys to a Successful Program:The goal of this podcast is to give coaches some action items that are easily implemented.Some Testing to see where athletes are:ROM AssessmentsSpeed and JumpingPower and Athletic IndexesHow to implement the finding and keys to the success of that implementation: 1st Warm Ups Designed to Target Joints in a Specific Way ending with Speed Prep and Timing KPIs 2nd At...

On today’s episode of The Barbell Life Podcast I discuss the topic, “Does getting Stronger Make an Athlete Faster?” As always, the answer is ‘it depends’. You will need the program that I will be discussing:⇒ Program Changes Based on TestingFirst, we discuss the tests necessary to decide what kind of strength program is best suited for an athlete:Dynamic Strength Index click the link for the...

Today on The Barbell Life Podcast, we were joined by, Dr. Mike Lane, Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at Eastern Kentucky University. He can also deadlift 751 pounds, so he's not just smart. Today we discussed long term athletic development. We discussed the best way to set expectations:What's your goal?Where are you currently in relation to where you need to...

In this episode of The Barbell Life Podcast, we look to determine if the movements found within Olympic weightlifting are beneficial for improving athletic performance. To start with, we take a closer look at power explaining that power is the combination of speed and strength. We answer the question regarding "Is the expression of power, found when one performs a power clean, going to actually...

In this episode, I go over what to expect from future episodes of The Barbell Life Podcast including:Latest in Recovery, Sleep, and Nutrition-How to Stimulate your Desired Training Adaptation-Easy to Understand Reviews of the Latest Research -The Barbell of Course with Weightlifting, Powerlifting, and SuperTotal Information -Youth Development with the Barbell -Free Programming -The Latest in...

Hampton Morris and Olivia Reeves are the best American weightlifters of all-time. Hampton just won the Bronze Medal and Olivia the Gold Medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.I interviewed their coaches about a month ago: Coach Tripp Morris and Coach Steve Fauer. They had some similarities that I consider to be gold nuggets for all coaches, and they have some differences. You will learn about each in...