Reader,When Nathan came to me in early September, he was already a serious lifter but was stuck in the all too common rut of not knowing how to progress post novice programming.Now often when I onboard someone new, the reason they are stalled is due to atrocious form and them thinking they need more advanced programming. So we end up fixing the lifts and pulling their programming back to novice stage.But Nathan was already a pretty solid lifter — some minor form errors here and there, but...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Reader,Matt spent two years training his garage gym. He read Starting Strength cover to cover, watched all the form videos, and set up his phone at every angle trying to figure out what he was doing wrong. But his his squat was a mess. The bar position was wrong his wrists hurt constantly, his elbows flared up, and every rep felt awkward. And the worst part? His numbers were stuck. He'd add weight, miss reps, deload, grind back up, and hit the same wall again. Meanwhile his tendons were...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Reader, Quick question: Are you still logging sessions, filming sets, and pushing hard... but the bar just isn't moving like it used to? Resets feel like Groundhog Day, tweaks keep popping up, or life (work, kids, travel) keeps throwing curveballs that kill your momentum. You're not alone, I've seen this exact pattern in dozens of guys who've run NLP (or tried to) and hit the intermediate wall. Right now, I'm offering a free personalized audit to the first wave who respond. What you get:...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader Lifters should strive to push their strength higher than they think they need at least once in their life. Here’s why: it solves a real problem down the road. A lot of guys set their sights on what I call Standards 1.0: 135 lb Press 225 lb Bench 315 lb Squat 405 lb Deadlift That’s a solid base. Respect to anyone who hits those numbers. But life happens: sickness, injury, work demands, family stuff, or just a long break from training. Your strength can drop fast. Your “floor” can...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Good morning, Lifter, Yesterday on X I posted about the first time I deadlifted 500 pounds. I’d trained hard for it. In a dingy basement powerlifting gym you might know as Massenomics HQ, somewhere in the frozen plains of Western North East South Dakota, I finally pulled 500 off the floor. I was fired up. When I got home, I told my now-wife (who was my girlfriend at the time) what I’d done. She looked at me and said,“Wow… is that a lot?” And I had to answer honestly: “Yes. But no.” Side bar:...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Most deadlift problems happen before the bar ever leaves the floor. One of the biggest mistakes I see is trying to stay tight way too early in the setup, specifically the 5-Step Deadlift set up I teach. You walk up to the bar.Stance looks good.Bar is an inch from the shins. Then you bend down to take your grip trying to keep your back perfectly flat the entire time. That creates a ton of unnecessary tension in the hamstrings and hips.So you reach forward to grab the bar.The bar gets bumped...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Reader,I recently made a post on X that said "To become an effective lifter you must learn to ignore your feelings but also trust your feelings at the same time" Most people pick one: grind no matter what, or auto-regulate everything. But your progress relies heavily on both. Here’s what that looks like in the gym: When to ignore your feelings (grind):You are nearing the end of your Novice NLP. The bar feels heavy in warm-ups, legs are cooked from life and work. Everything in you says, “skip...
7 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, In case you missed them, I put together a free set of videos that walk you through my go-to training splits and how I build out various individual programs for real lifters Here’s everything in one place: 🎥 4-Part Individual Programming Breakdown How I think through stress, recovery, lift selection, and programming progression step-by-step. ➡️ Watch here 💪 Upper / Lower Split Template A simple, flexible setup that balances strength and physique work for intermediate lifters. ➡️...
7 months ago • 1 min read
Most lifters blow up their bench press by pushing too hard, too fast.They grind, miss, and end up practicing failure more than good reps. Here’s the smarter way: Run your 3x5 linear progression until it slows. Switch to smaller jumps. Move to a heavy top set with backoffs. Progress into a Texas Method style split with intensity and volume days. I recorded a full video walking through the exact progression from novice to intermediate bench training. 👉 If you want me to personally review your...
8 months ago • 1 min read