Happy New Year! To kick off 2024, Dr. Santana and Coach Trent discuss the biggest ingredient to success in achieiving your fitness goals -- consistency. All the talk about programming and training splits and macros is futile if you aren't taking action consistently to meet your goals. Many people struggle with consistency, however, so they dive deep into the factors that influence consistent action: environment, motivation, and discipline. Dr. Santana points out that every trainee has modifiable...
Feb 10, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 68
Dr. Santana and Coach Trent share some of the lessons they've learend about training, health, nutrition, and human behavior in 2023. Happy New Year! Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com...
Feb 10, 2024•54 min•Ep. 67
A meandering chat about dog training turned into an interesting idea for strength training. Trainees are not so different from dogs -- they have different personalities, different motivations, and different "drives" -- and therefore they will respond best to a program that most closely matches their individual traits. An enthusiastic endurance athlete who regularly runs marathons or cycles long distances, for instance, would likely struggle mightilty on a program that calls for them to frequentl...
Feb 10, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 66
One idea in the fitness community that just won't die is that you need to do high rep sets (10's, 15's, 20's) when the goal is to build muscle. What so many people miss in this conversation, however, is that the context matters . To start with, the lift matters! Squats for sets of 10 or 15 are probably not a productive use or your time, because the fatigue generated from heavy compound lifts usually causes technique breakdown as you approach failure. Lying triceps extensions, on the other hand, ...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 65
Mark Rippetoe and Marty Gallagher Interview (3 Parts): Part 1: https://youtu.be/siaDQdpQPRQ?si=jBBEqMFP6drd1mKm Part 2: https://youtu.be/TxjibbKJ8UE?si=YilgpD6MG6bxAGZG Part 3: https://youtu.be/RIe_7ODKycQ?si=6t5M2L88a0J7DvGV Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com...
Nov 05, 2023•59 min•Ep. 64
When people hire Dr. Santana looking to lose a significant amount of weight, it's almost certain this isn't their first attempt at dieting. In fact, what Dr. Santana typically finds with overweight and obese weight loss clients is that they have been dieting for years. They are essentially always in weight loss mode. The problem is, they haven't lost the weight, which indicates that their compliance is spotty at best. Dr. Santana also points out that even if compliance is low and they haven't lo...
Oct 20, 2023•54 min•Ep. 63
Pain and "tweaks" are an inevitable part of training. If you live an active life, both in and out of the gym, then you will eventually tweak something and experience pain. You might even (heaven forbid!) get injured, and require rehab. So learning how to deal with pain while continuing to train and get strong is a very important part of the training process. Pain is a complex experience, as much psychological and emotional as it is physical. Through their combined nearly four decades in the gym,...
Sep 29, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 62
There's something about the vibe of the old school, black iron gym. Whether it's a powerlifting dungeon straight out of the 80's, a bodybuilding gym packed full of machines and dumbbells, or a weightlifting hall with rows and rows of platforms, the single-purpose gym dedicated to training (not merely exercise) is a special place. A place where shit gets done, where hard effort and consistency are the primary currency. These gyms are hard to find, but you know them when you walk in the door. The ...
Sep 16, 2023•36 min•Ep. 61
A common frustration for intermediate lifters in their first couple years of training is an inability to maintain their peak strength. Whether it's a 1RM, a 5RM, or even a PR for sets across, for the vast majority of people something will interrupt their strength training progression and knock them off track, and they'll miss lifts they have previously hit. On top of that, attempting new PR's will become more unpredictable, and even if they did everything right, the weight sometimes just won't m...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 60
Dr. Robert Santana and Trent Jones address the topic of eating to gain muscle mass for women. While the physiology of bulking, as described in episodes 57-58, is no different for women than it is for men, the degree to which women need to eat for muscle mass and the total amount of muscle gain possible is different. In general, women are not able to convert surplus calories into muscle mass as efficiently as men, so Robert and Trent advocate for a slower rate of gain for women trying to build mu...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 59
Dr. Robert Santana and Starting Strength Coach Trent Jones continue their discussion on bulking, including favorite foods for amassing calories, how fast you should gain weight, and why the weight on the bar should be the main metric of progress. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com...
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 58
It's a common debate in the Starting Strength world and the world of lifting and aesthetics in general -- do you have to get fat to build muscle? Dr. Robert Santana and his co-host Trent Jones, SSC tackle this question and explain why, if you're a male looking to improve your physique, you probably need to bulk to gain muscle, drive your barbell lifts up, and later, cut body weight to lose the fat. So, to answer the question more directly: do you have to get fat? No, but you're gonna gain more f...
Jul 23, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 57
We know it's summer, and your busy. Kids are home from school, you're going on vacation, having cookouts... and we hope you enjoy these things! However, as a diet coach, Dr. Santana has observed a few common problems people have when trying to lose weight. One of those is snacking. Inevitably, people who keep a lot of snacks in their pantry end up overeating them and gaining weight when they're trying to lose. There's an easy solution to this, however. Throw them out! If you want to change your ...
Jul 10, 2023•44 min•Ep. 56
It has become popular in the last few years for coaches in the strength and fitness world to question the concept of "technique," that is, that technique matters when it comes to getting stronger, building muscle, and injury risk reduction. One claim is that certain standardized technique hallmarks such as squat depth definied as the "hip crease below top of patella" are arbitrary, and that one could strong squatting deeper or higher than that. Others claim that certain techniques such as liftin...
Jun 20, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 55
There's nothing more elusive and coveted in modern fitness and aesthetics than visible abs, the "six pack." For many, it's the holy grail of aesthetics. Many people, however, fail to achieve a six pack even after shedding a lot of body fat. How do you get them, then? Is it even possible for most people? Dr. Robert Santana and Coach Trent break down the mystery of "abs," discuss the relevant anatomy, anatomical variation in the population, and why most people need to worry about building muscle m...
Jun 02, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 54
Dr. Robert and Coach Trent recently met up in Wichita Falls, TX, the home of the Starting Strength organization, for a strengthlifting meet at Wichita Falls Athletic Club. While they were there they sat down with the man himself, Mark Rippetoe, author of Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training 3rd Edition and many other books and articles, to chat about how much the food landscape has changed in his liftetime. They also touch on the obsession with leanness in modern popular media, and how the ...
May 19, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 53
For people new to barbell training, it's not uncommon to hear the process of strength training referred to as "powerlifting," or even "weightlifting." And while yes, we are lifting weights, that is not the same thing as weightlifting -- which is the sport of Olympic weightlifting, a barbell sport involving the snatch and clean and jerk. Likewise, while strength training involves the squat, bench press, and deadlift (and press), powerlifting is actually a sport in which the squat, bench, and dead...
May 06, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 52
Supplements are a huge industry, and showing no signs of slowing down. The idea that a pill, or a powder, or a drink can transform your fitness and body composition is irresistible, it seems, as people continue to pour billions of dollars into the supplement industry. Do any of them actually work though? And if so, which ones? Dr. Robert Santana and Coach Trent Jones wade through the most popular performance enhancing supplements, and offer an opinion which runs counter to what most will tell yo...
Apr 21, 2023•56 min•Ep. 51
Coach Robert and Coach Trent discuss some recent developments in their own training, which prompts a discussion on how stressors affect the SRA cycle, and why advanced barbell training can be deceptively simple. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 50
RPE is a commonly used tool for programming, and has continued to grow in popularity with the rise of barbell training, barbell sports such as powerlifting, and the online coaching industry. It's a novel tool which uses the lifters' perception of their effort (RPE stands for rate of perceived exertion) on a given set, on any given day, to influence programming decisions. It's an innovative way to approach programming, and certainly convenient for online coaches that don't have the benefit of wat...
Mar 24, 2023•58 min•Ep. 49
Robert invites one of his clients, Olivia Miller, onto the show to discuss her training program for a 50k race she ran in February. Liv is a former D1 soccer player now working in the healthcare field. She turned to running after graduation as a way to keep herself physically challenged, and to stave off some of the boredom and stress of the COVID lockdowns in 2020. A natural competitor, Liv excelled in running and began training for longer and longer races, with her recent 50k being the longest...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 48
An impromptu training discussion leads to a whole episode about why strength is limiting factor for the vast majority of people trying to get bigger and look more muscular. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com...
Feb 17, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 47
Rounding out the January series on improving strength, muscle mass, and physique for the skinny fat novice, Coach Robert and Trent lay out what the early intermediate phase tends to look like in terms of programming and body composition. After building a solid base of strength in a well-executed novice LP, the formerly skinny fat lifter has most likely gained an appreciable amount of muscle mass. An average sized male, 5'7" to 5'10", will weigh roughly 200lbs at this point, and should be squatti...
Feb 03, 2023•48 min•Ep. 46
On today's show Robert and Trent welcome guest coach Andy Baker, Starting Strength Coach and co-author of Practical Programming for Strength Training, 3rd Edition and The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40 . Andy is a master coach with a wide range of expertise and interests. He coaches high level competitive powerlifters, bodybuilders, high school and collegiate sport athletes, and regular folks just looking to become generally fit and strong. Along the way he's learned a...
Jan 20, 2023•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 45
It's the new year, and a time when many people resolve to work eat, eat better, and improve their body composition. Some guys aim to lose weight, others to gain it, but what about the in-betweener, the guy who is of normal bodyweight, normal BMI, but still appears unathletic -- low muscle tone, no visible definition, and maybe even excess fat around the pectorals (man boobs) and waist line. This condition is often referred to as "skinny-fat," and skinny fat people often mistakenly think that the...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 44
Coach Santana (now officially Dr. Santana!) and Coach Trent discuss their approach to setting goals for training, health, and life. It's easy to buy into the idea of resolutions and setting lofty results -oriented goals, and it feels good to do it! I'm going to squat 500 next year! I'm going to get down to 15% body fat next year! I'm going to lose 30lbs! These results or number oriented goals sound good, and setting them gets you thinking about what kind of person you'll be in the future, having...
Dec 23, 2022•49 min•Ep. 43
If you are into lifting and spend any time on social media at all, you've probably heard of, or at least seen, the Liver King. Coach Trent and Coach Santana discuss the recent "controversy" around the Liver King's steroid use, why nearly everything you see on the internet is fake, and what we actually know works when it comes to getting strong and building muscle. Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream htt...
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 42
Coach Robert and Coach Trent discuss a misunderstanding that sometimes comes up in a coaching relationship -- the idea that coaching is just a program, or a template, or a set of information that will get you to your fitness goals. The reality is that information is cheap, often free, and there's not a whole lot of information that a good coach can provide that you can't find on the internet these days. Information is rarely the road block for trainees struggling to make progress, however. What ...
Nov 14, 2022•55 min•Ep. 40
It's that time of year again. The holiday season looms with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, and the inevitable work deadlines and travel stresses that go along with that. When time is short and stress is high, it's easy to make bad food decisions because -- let's face it -- most of the food available to us in the world is high in calories and low in nutrients. With a few basic strategies, however, you can avoid hitting the fried chicken sandwich for lunch and instead eat (mostly) fres...
Oct 29, 2022•47 min•Ep. 39
The so-called "skinny fat" novice may have the toughest road to body recomposition of all trainees beginning their strength training journey. A skinny-fat person is a person of normal BMI and "normal" bodyweight for their height, but a high body fat percentage . This person usually looks normal in a t-shirt, but with their shirt off appears soft and undefined. Male skinny fat novices may complain of having man boobs, or a smooth stomach, with no visibl separation in the arm muscles. The skinny f...
Oct 15, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 38
