In this episode, Eric Helms interviews Dr. Joe Klemczewski on the past and present peaking practices of competitive natural bodybuilding. Dr. Joe Klemczewski was the first online bodybuilding coach to use, popularize, and succeed with a science-based approach to the sport. He was also the first coach to popularize modern peak week strategies and focus [...]
In today's episode, Andrea, Jeff, and Eric sit down to discuss the importance of, and how to set up, systems. The coaches begin their discussion by describing principle-based programming and the advantages of less rigid programming. The central theme of this episode is learning how to prioritize your life in the gym with your life [...]
In today's episode, Alberto, Jeff, and Brad examine the common characteristics of successful competitive bodybuilders. These characteristics include: consistency, punctuality, precision, flexibility, and experience. Along with discussing these characteristics, the coaches address a few very important questions related to contest prep. What should someone do if they binge? How important is good communication between the [...]
In this episode, Andrea, Eric, and Brad sit down for an in-depth discussion on overtraining and overreaching. The coaches' conversation is packed with valuable insights and information relevant to all strength and physique athletes, competitors and noncompetitors alike. What is the clinical definition of overtraining syndrome? What is the likelihood that a strength or physique [...]
In today's episode, Eric Helms takes the stage to discuss a variety of training concepts relevant to strength and physique athletes. Eric begins the episode by discussing progressive overload and how contrary to popular belief, simply adding weight to the bar doesn't necessarily mean one is inducing progressive overload. Eric then goes on to differentiate [...]
Welcome back to the 3DMJ Podcast! Today's episode marks the beginning of season 11 and what better way to kick off a new season than with a Q&A session. In this episode, Andrea, Jeff, and Alberto answer five questions sourced directly from the 3DMJ community. Topics include: the required number of training sessions per week [...]
The 3DMJ coaches are back with another Q&A session! In today's episode, Brad, Andrea, and Eric answer 10 questions in the areas of nutrition and training. Topics include: the effect of cryotherapy on recovery and long-term hypertrophy adaptations, the hedonic staircase and how this concept can be useful when cutting/bulking, scenarios when it can be [...]
Are you someone who likes to lift weights, enjoys training in a way that's designed to maximize muscular hypertrophy, but don't have any desire to step on stage? Would you like to know how you can take all of the information that's out there and apply it in a way that will help you reach [...]
In the past, the coaches have talked a lot about the importance of having a structured training program and adhering to it. This is for a good cause as program hopping is one of the most common explanations for wheel spinning in the bodybuilding community. However, just like nutritional flexibility is important, so is having [...]
In today's episode, Andrea sits down with Alberto one-on-one to ask him a variety of questions related to life, bodybuilding, YouTube, music, his hair, and many other topics. What does Alberto think powerlifters are doing right that a lot of bodybuilders have missed? What is the biggest lesson he has learned from each of the [...]
Contest prep is both fun and challenging, it pushes you mentally, physically, and emotionally. When done right, the process can teach you a lot about yourself and have a positive impact on your life. When done wrong, it can send someone into a downward spiral causing them to lose friends, their significant other, their job, [...]
Bodybuilding is hard. Building muscle, losing body fat, and hitting new PRs are all hard. Sure, things may start off easy, but as you continue to push the envelope and work towards fulfilling your genetic potential eventually it's going to get hard, and when it does how will you respond? In today's episode, Andrea, Alberto, [...]
What does the future look like for 3DMJ? Where do the coaches see themselves in the year 2020? In today's episode, Jeff, Andrea, and Eric sit down to discuss the past, present, and future of 3DMJ. The coaches start the episode by discussing the early days of 3DMJ nearly 8½ years ago. What did their [...]
In today's episode, Andrea, Eric, and Brad discuss one of the three variables which form the foundation of every training program, volume. The coaches have touched on volume before, but never have they gone into this level of detail about this critical component for muscular hypertrophy until now. Throughout the episode the coaches cover a [...]
How would you define a "hardgainer"? What are the distinguishable characteristics of someone in this category? In today's episode, Andrea, Alberto, and Jeff take the classification of "hardgainer" and break it down into three different subtypes: those who don't eat enough, those who are low responders to resistance training, and those who are near their [...]
The 3DMJ coaches are back with another Q&A session! In this episode, Andrea, Eric, and Alberto answer seven questions sourced directly from the 3DMJ community. Topics covered include: the mind-muscle connection and its relevance to muscular hypertrophy, getting ready for a photo shoot vs. getting ready for a bodybuilding competition, how to classify someone's lifting [...]
In this episode, Brad, Andrea, and Eric sit down to discuss the pros and cons of remote and in-person coaching. They start by describing their past in-person coaching experiences, then move to examining each type of coaching from both an athlete and coach's perspective. The coaches cover: which scenarios benefit more from remote coaching, which [...]
In today's episode, Eric, Andrea, and Alberto discuss who and what has influenced their athletic development. The coaches cover everything from their early days and who got them started, to where they are now and what their current sources of continuing education are. Along with providing tons of additional resources for the listeners, the coaches [...]
Many of us are fairly savvy when it comes to adjusting our nutrition in order to create change in our body weight. We know what it should "feel like" to be gaining or losing weight. However, when it comes to maintaining a particular body weight, many athletes aren't as familiar with the process. In today's [...]
In today's episode, Alberto, Andrea, and Brad discuss one of the biggest influences on your bodybuilding career, your genetics. Even though we may not like it, genetics play a significant role in our ultimate physical development. Throughout their conversation, the coaches highlight a few very important concepts, including: making the most out of what you [...]
Eighty-six. It took eighty-six episodes before the 3DMJ coaches felt the necessity to record a podcast on supplements. Hopefully this statement alone conveys the minor role supplements play in one's strength and physique goals. Rather than breaking down individual supplements and studies, Andrea, Eric, and Brad spend the majority of their time discussing big picture [...]
In today's episode, Andrea, Jeff, and Brad sit down to discuss one of the biggest influences on today's culture, social media. As an online business, 3DMJ capitalizes on the opportunities social platforms provide by using them to distribute content to their followers and market services to potential clients. As with most good things, there are [...]
When most people think of Alberto Nuñez, they think of pop-tarts, shredded glutes, and extreme vascularity. And while these may have become his hallmarks, they wouldn't be nearly as impactful if he didn't have the muscle mass to accompany them. In today's episode, Andrea sits down with Alberto one-on-one to discuss his off-season plans. They [...]
Quitting a contest-prep, is it really a bad thing? Not necessarily. In the moment, you may feel like a failure, however oftentimes looking back you see that stopping a prep was the best decision you could have made. Throughout the episode, Andrea, Jeff, and Alberto discuss their own experiences with unfinished contest-preps. These experiences include: [...]
In today's episode, Eric, Andrea, and Alberto discuss one of the most common bodybuilding pitfalls, loneliness. What can start off as a new and exciting journey, can quickly turn into a life of isolation, misunderstanding, and exiling of those closest to you, if you aren't careful. Throughout the episode, the coaches share their past and [...]
The 3DMJ coaches are back with another Q&A session! In this episode, Andrea and Eric answer over 17 questions directly related to physique and performance enhancement. Some of the topics addressed include: testosterone's effect on muscle-mass, planned vs. autoregulated deloads, exercise substitution frequency, how to maintain a leaner physique, correcting forward-lean during high-bar squatting, and [...]
Being a committed and serious athlete is a big deal. It's not just what you do in the gym that matters, but also the variables outside of the gym which affect your performance that matter as well. In today's episode, Andrea, Brad, and Alberto discuss their athletic lifestyles. The coaches talk about how they start [...]
Have you ever wondered how the bodybuilding lifestyle affects one's kids and family dynamic? In today's episode, the coaches discuss how living the lifestyle they do, training, dieting, posing, etc., affects their kids. Throughout the episode, the coaches cover topics such as the importance of instilling the notion that bodybuilding is a sport, how they [...]
Most of us who have been training for an extended period of time, know that lifting weights is more complex than haphazardly picking them up and putting them back down. There's a skill component to it. In today's episode, Brad, Eric, and Andrea discuss many of the factors that make performing complex movements, an art. [...]
In this episode, Eric, Jeff, and Andrea sit-down to discuss two major themes: How to become a better critical thinker, and the importance of learning to be more resourceful. Throughout the episode, the coaches expand on these two themes covering the concepts of: "black and white" vs. critical thinking, close-mindedness vs. open-mindedness, examining underlying assumptions, [...]
