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This is a series of interviews with some of the leading minds and thought leaders working in the industry today. I am your host, Tom MacCormick, a personal trainer and online coach. A few things make these podcasts unique and I hope they are fun and inspiring: I try to curate the world's greatest hypertrophy experts. I think we got off to a good start with the experts listed below.
Second, I constantly work with clients in the gym and online, people who face challenges that are unique to them, but all have the common goal of being fit and healthy and showing these results in their bodies. So I have a lot of questions and experiences about the conversations in these podcasts.
All of these podcasts, individually or collectively, represent the latest in human performance and hypertrophy training. It is based on solid research, extensive expertise and knowledge gained through real training practices.
Nerding Out on Muscle Growth, Strength, and Repeat Schemes
Greg Nuckols is a record-breaking powerlifter, fitness author, podcaster and all-round training nerd owner of Stronger by Science. He wants to help lifters and trainers train smarter.
In this episode we discuss:
- The predictors of muscle potential
- Training guidelines for hypertrophy
- The role of strength in hypertrophy
- Why he doesn't drink the effective repetitions of Kool-Aid
Muscle dysmorphism and building a first-class leg set
Adam Bisek is a trainer who is at home both personally and online. He describes his job as an opportunity to change lives. To this end, he also believes that personal training should be exactly as described, personally.
In this episode we discuss:
- How muscular dysmorphism shaped Adam's fitness trip
- How he got perspective and realized that his struggles were indeed a blessing in disguise
- The importance of intent if you want to succeed
- How to build a premium leg set
The reason that keeps you from building muscle
Luke Leaman is a trainer, fitness trainer and founder of Muscle Nerds, the company he founded after getting angry about the industry and the lack of empathy and science in it.
In this episode we discuss:
- The reason that keeps people from building muscle
- How to measure your overall health and stress status with three simple metrics
- Why Leas mode is a secret to unlock your beast mode and much more
Get bigger, get stronger, get smarter
Daniel DeBrocke is a strength and conditioning trainer who mainly works with power lifts and an educator who works hard to share his knowledge without asking for anything. As a competitive powerlifter, it holds a total of £ 1,700. DeBrocke also wrote: Is lifting heavy weight important for building muscle? among other great articles about Breaking Muscle.
In this episode we discuss:
- How he took himself from 165 to 286 pounds
- How beginners can build muscles most efficiently
- How advanced lifters should sort their training for optimal progress
- Pivot blocks, strategic variations, labor capacity development and more
Control the chaos of training in CrossFit
James Fitzgerald has more than 20 years of experience as a strength trainer. He was also the CrossFit game champion in 2007 and is the founder of OPEX, the educational provider for coaches looking for career success, longevity and fulfillment.
In this episode we discuss:
- Control the training chaos for CrossFit
- Why you shouldn't let energy systems work if you want to build muscle
- The importance of the intestine for muscle and strength gains
- Why a cyclical approach makes sense for your trade and diet
The role of cardio in hypertrophy and why CrossFitter are so jacked up
Kyle Hunt started his fitness journey as a £ 85 child who wanted to wrestle and is now running an online strength and fitness consultancy. He prides himself on helping people achieve their goals as time efficiently as possible.
In this episode we discuss:
- The role of cardio in hypertrophy
- Why CrossFitter are so jacked up
- How to program cardio if you want muscle mass without getting out of breath and tying your shoelaces
- How to periodize both your workout and your diet for maximum results
- The forgotten training phase that so many people miss
Exercise frequency and stubborn muscle groups
Juma Iraki is the founder of Iraki Nutrition, a Norwegian company made up of sports scientists, athletes, nutritionists and researchers who provide training and nutrition, education and advice services to companies and athletes.
In this episode we discuss:
- Training frequency for size and why it is a variable. Many people get wrong phases of specialization for stubborn muscle groups
- How many calories do you need to build muscle?
- How fast you should gain weight when bulking
- The two additions that work and the other two that might work
Three simple changes for strength and growth
Wolfgang Unsoeld from Your Personal Strength Institute is a Stuttgart-based trainer who has worked with top athletes from 20 different sports. However, the vast majority of his business spends working with customers from the general population with whom he has built a reputation as the world's leading provider of body transformations.
In this episode we discuss:
- The similarities and differences between gene pop and elite athletes
- The most important measuring instruments with which he tracks progress
- The three simple changes he makes to his clients' training, eating and living habits
- And a popular new fashion trend that is little more than an illusion designed to sell programs
Keystone habits of a slim body
Our guest for this episode is Abel Csabai. Abel went into the nutrition and training game as part of his quest for personal growth. He started the podcast "Sustainable self-development". Hundreds of hours of podcasting and his own fitness journey gave Abel the opportunity to be looked after and educated by some of the best in the business, which allowed him to put all of these philosophies together to create his unique view of things.
In this episode we discuss:
- The hard lessons he learned when trying to get big and torn
- The basic habits for maintaining a slim body
- The power of mindfulness
- And realistic body fat proportions for cutting and bloating
Building muscle whether you have elite genetics or not
Our guest for this episode is Menno Henselmans. Menno is an online body trainer, scientific researcher and fitness educator who traded his company car for his passion for fitness.
In this episode, consider the following in detail:
- When there are really tough winners
- How to predict your genetic potential for muscle growth
- Realistic muscle growth rates
- How to determine your ideal training volumes and frequencies
- The fact that Menno has stopped counting in how many countries he lived at 50! Yes, 50!
Put your head in the muscle building game
Our guest for this episode is Valentin Tambosi. Valentin is a Natural Pro bodybuilder, prep coach and educator as part of the Intelligent Strength Coach program.
His passion for training shows up in this episode and you can really feel that he enjoys helping people achieve their fitness goals.
In this episode, we delve into the following:
- The mindset required to build muscle
- The intensity of the effort required
- Creation of the ideal training environment
- The power of visualization
- And we go into the basics of programming training in detail to maximize growth. In particular, the identification of the 3 most important pillars of muscle building
We round off the show with some important training strategies for chest, biceps and back.
Maximize your return on investment in the gym
Borge Fagerli's background as an engineer and later as an entrepreneur and CEO has enabled him to integrate his methods into a step-by-step system that can change your health, appearance and performance both mentally and physically.
Borge has been in the industry for over 20 years and develops “Myo-reps” – one of the most time-efficient and effective training strategies for building muscle.
As a 45-year-old father and business owner, Borge is an expert in how busy men can achieve exceptional results without having to give up their lifestyle.
In this episode, we delve into the following:
- What causes muscles to grow?
- Effective repetitions
- Junk volume
- Maximize your return on investment through training
- Myo-reps
And a shocking revelation about him!
Stay open, but skeptical to achieve elite performance
Our guest for this episode is Dr. Andy Galpin. Andy is a professor at the Center for Sports Performance at CSU Fullerton. He is a pioneer in the field of human performance education and has his finger on the pulse of all innovative modalities with which you can improve your sporting activities.
In this episode we deal intensively with muscle building. Andy channels both his inner brother and inner nerd to give you a variety of golden nuggets to take and use to improve your results.
The number 1 factor that determines whether you build muscle, strength and strength
Dr. John Rusin is a leading expert in the fitness and sports performance industry for the painless performance training model that combines the world of strength and conditioning with clinical exercise-based diagnostic medicine to provide the ultimate result-based methods.
In this episode we discuss red flags that may be holding you back, the 6 basic movement patterns, and how to develop strength in them, how to make your body bulletproof, and why strength is never a weakness.
The difference between discipline and motivation at JC Deen
Our guest for this episode is JC Deen. JC has been in athletics for over a decade and is now working as a fitness consultant for fitness enthusiasts and athletes around the world.
It gets people in shape and helps them learn how fitness can complement their lives instead of governing them.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of having a mentor. The psychology to achieve your goals. The lessons he learned were torn apart for the first time. How to develop positive habits and rituals, a surprising fact about your past and much more.
Increase the ROI of your diet and training with Eric Bach
Eric Bach describes himself as a bacon, bourbon, coffee connoisseur and overly invested sports fan. He has been helping high school, college and professional athletes for a decade. Helps boys build confident, strong and athletic bodies. Works both in person and online.
Eric has tried all of the BS gimmicks in the industry. Discovered that they didn't work and reduced his training to the following motto: "Success lies in the tireless pursuit of the basics."
Below we discuss the basics of building an athletic and aesthetic body, the most important muscle building habits you need to know, common mistakes most lifters make, how fast you can build muscles realistically, and much more.
The thin advantage with Brad Borland
Brad Borland started out as a skinny 125-pound child weighing six feet and two inches. He started strength training at the tender age of fourteen, and a few years later became a competitive, drug-free, natural bodybuilder weighing 220 pounds. Now, armed with knowledge and muscles, he has helped countless people at home and abroad.
Brad is also a university lecturer with a master's degree in kinesiology and a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
We discuss a wide range of topics, including why people use genetics as an excuse, realistic win rates for a natural lifter, how to filter the information overload that bombarded the modern lifter, and Brad's preferred way of exercising when you want to build muscle as quickly as possible.
Strategies that can lead you from good to great in the gym
Our guest for this episode is Dr. Joel Seedman. With over 15 years of experience in personnel and team training, strength training and nutritional advice, Joel works with a large number of customers.
To maximize performance and health, Joel focuses on improving his clients' muscle function and movement mechanics. In this way, all characteristics of performance, fitness and health improve – regardless of the athlete or training goal.
In this episode, we delve into the causes of muscle growth, the role of genetics in muscle and strength gains, the benefits of eccentric isometry, factors that could hamper your progress, and Joel is the most interesting man on the planet.
Reignite the passion – lessons from a world champion
Our guest for this episode is Damian Lees. Damian is a personal trainer, online prep coach and WNBF Pro Natural Bodybuilder. At the World Championships, he took second place. In the interview we go into detail about how you can apply the principles and strategies he has learned from years as a competitive natural bodybuilder at the highest level to your own training. These tips will help you maximize your results.
We discuss the mistakes he has made in the past on how to reconcile family, work and social life with elite performance, which prevents people from making the progress they are capable of doing at home equip and much more!
How to be ruthlessly efficient in the gym
Our guest for this episode is Michael Goulden. Michael is a personal trainer and founded his training facility Integra in 1997. Since then, he has integrated movement mechanics into neuromuscular preparation to develop a uniquely sustainable approach to health, fitness and performance. He has also become one of the UK's leading fitness educators.
In this episode, we delve deeply into all aspects of exercise mechanics. In conversation we discuss:
- The importance of exercise mechanics for training efficiency
- Considerations for individualizing the process
- Active V passive
- Align exercises and programs with goals
- And a complete challenge for the contractile reach of the muscles
Feedback welcome
If you liked these podcasts and you cared about them, rate and rate them so that we can spread the word and motivate and inspire others to take their performance to the next level.
If you are interested in working with me or learning more about my approach, follow me on Instagram @tommaccormick or visit my website tommaccormick.com.