Best 3D Muscle Journey Podcasts (2025)

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#282: The Importance Of Mind Muscle Connection 1:41:00

13d ago1:41:00

1:41:00

Eric, Jeff, and Brian discuss the intersection between effort, mind muscle connection, and biomechanics to give you more flexibility in your technique, exercise selection, and programming. How important is having a good mind muscle connection when performing an exercise? Does rep speed matter as long as you’re hitting the appropriate proximity to f…

1
#281: You Need Better Progress Pics 1:02:53

27d ago1:02:53

1:02:53

Brian, Alberto, and Brad discuss the importance of progress pictures, how to take them, how often to take them, and explain the difference between social media friendly progress pictures and progress pictures that are actually going to help you get better. How do the coaches like their athletes to take their progress pictures? What lighting do they…

1
#280: Q&A Session 28 1:21:21

1M ago1:21:21

1:21:21

Brian and Jeff answer audience-supplied questions about recovery, refeeds, periodization, food focus, exercise selection, posing, and more. Is it okay to train through some soreness or should you wait until the soreness is gone to train? What are the coaches’ thoughts on cheat meals and cheat days? When is the best time to have a refeed? If someone…

1
#279: Post Competition Assessments 1:30:49

2M ago1:30:49

1:30:49

Eric, Alberto, and Jeff discuss how they review an athlete’s season with the athlete to help them process their emotions, see their achievements, develop a perspective that is going to help them, and determine what they need to work on in the offseason to have a better physique and prep next time they compete. What can you do to help you process a …

1
#278: The Art Of Fatigue Management 1:31:25

2M ago1:31:25

1:31:25

Brad, Jeff, and Brian discuss the unavoidable side effect of generating fatigue, the current fear of doing too much that is causing some athletes to miss out on productive stretches of training, and many different strategies for managing fatigue and improving performance. What are the coaches’ thoughts on decreasing your calorie intake on rest days…

1
#277: Stretching For Hypertrophy & Performance 1:33:10

3M ago1:33:10

1:33:10

The big question…Is long-duration static stretching redundant if someone is already resistance training or does it provide complementary effects? Nick, Eric, and Brad discuss this and many other stretching-related questions. Does static stretching before exercise help prevent injury? Can stretching cause muscular hypertrophy? How could someone use …

1
#276: How To Travel & Keep Your Gains 1:01:58

3M ago1:01:58

1:01:58

Jeff, Alberto, and Brian share how they eat and train when traveling, both during prep and in the offseason. The coaches also go over the importance of becoming a resilient bodybuilder. How has Jeff gotten more comfortable traveling during prep? How do the coaches decide on what to eat when they’re at a restaurant? What is the one food Alberto alwa…

1
#275: Why You Should Gamify Your Gains 1:05:09

4M ago1:05:09

1:05:09

Brian, Alberto, and Brad discuss the benefits of making your training fun and a bunch of different things they do to keep themselves and their athletes excited about their training. What do many people overlook on their quest for “optimal”? What can you do during a set to help keep you engaged and help you push yourself? How can getting your emotio…

1
#274: Gut Health & Fat Loss 1:10:53

4M ago1:10:53

1:10:53

Eric and Steve discuss how our food choices affect our weight, digestive system, and how we feel. They also go through dietary changes you can make to help optimize the functioning of your digestive system. Why is it important to give your body time to adapt to the dietary changes you make? What are some dietary adjustments you can try if you’re st…

1
#273: Are You Progressing? 1:19:21

5M ago1:19:21

1:19:21

Alberto, Eric, and Jeff discuss how to know if you are progressing at a good rate for your genetics and where you are at in your lifting career, what to do if you aren’t, and the importance of having realistic expectations about how quickly you can progress. What is the difference between progressive overload and progression? Do you want to be more…

1
#272: Tackling The Mental Isolation of Bodybuilding 1:19:17

5M ago1:19:17

1:19:17

Brad, Jeff, and Brian talk about times they felt and still feel isolated and misunderstood during their bodybuilding journeys. Along with sharing stories from their past, the coaches give advice to those who feel isolated and misunderstood. What is the coaches’ advice to those who have friends and family who don’t understand why they compete in bod…

1
#271: How We Train Arms & Delts 1:08:06

6M ago1:08:06

1:08:06

Brian, Nick, and Brad discuss how to grow your arms and delts while keeping your joints pain-free and healthy. How have the coaches’ views changed when it comes to programming direct arm and delt volume? What tips does the team’s physical therapist have for training your delts if you’re dealing with shoulder pain? If you can’t train a muscle in its…

1
#270: Q&A Session 27 1:19:15

6M ago1:19:15

1:19:15

Andrea, Brian, and Alberto host an audience-supplied Q&A session. Topics range from programming, to lifting equipment, dietary strategies when trying to put on muscle, shifting your mindset towards recovery post prep, and more. With non barbell exercises, why would you do high reps if you can reach failure in a lower rep range easier and faster? Ho…

1
#269: Train & Diet For Your Competitive Division 1:00:08

7M ago1:00:08

1:00:08

Brian and Alberto share their thoughts on and benefits of the newer divisions that have come into the sport of bodybuilding in recent years. The coaches give tips on how to choose which division to compete in and how to customize your training to best support your success in that division. How much can a natural athlete customize their physique to …

1
#268: Rest Periods, Rest Days, and Double Days 1:28:38

7M ago1:28:38

1:28:38

Brad, Eric, and Jeff discuss different strategies you can use to help you find the sweet spot between time efficiency and stimulus efficiency for your situation. How long should you rest between sets? Is resting longer between reps to extend the length of a set a good strategy? What are antagonist paired sets and why would someone use them? How to …

1
#267: Cardio Programming For Physique Sport 1:12:28

7M ago1:12:28

1:12:28

Brad, Jeff, and Brian discuss when, how, and why they program cardio for themselves and their athletes. How do the coaches view and prescribe cardio during a fat-loss phase? What are the coaches’ thoughts on doing additional cardiovascular exercise for overall health? What is the benefit of having a step goal over a calories-burned goal? What is th…

1
#266: How Much Does Genetics Matter? 1:10:30

8M ago1:10:30

1:10:30

Brad and Jeff discuss the physical and mental characteristics of a successful bodybuilder, how to maximize *your* potential, and the amazing things that happen when you let yourself be free of worrying about your genetics. How can you know if you’re going to be good at bodybuilding? How do you know if a certain recommendation applies to you? What i…

1
#265: How & When To Adjust Your Diet 1:05:53

8M ago1:05:53

1:05:53

Brian, Steve, and Alberto discuss when and what criteria need to be met to make a dietary adjustment. When do the coaches adjust an athlete/client’s plan and when do they have them hold steady? What types of adjustments to the coaches typically make? What can you focus on and how can you stay motivated when your weight/the scale is not a good indic…

1
#264: The Best Male Bodybuilder Of All Time? 1:31:50

9M ago1:31:50

1:31:50

Alberto, Brian, and Eric have a spirited debate about who they each think are the top 5 natural male bodybuilders of all time. The coaches talk about the early years of Kai Greene’s career when he was natural, the criteria they think is required for someone to be the GOAT (greatest of all time), who they think is the GOAT and why, honorable mention…

1
#263: Why Is Gaining So Hard? 1:05:09

9M ago1:05:09

1:05:09

Alberto, Jeff, and Nick discuss the struggles with gaining weight in the offseason, finding your ideal rate of gain, identifying what your current rate of adaptation is, and advice to help you stay patient when you’re doing all you can do. Who should bulk? What can happen when you get too fixated on gaining weight at a certain rate or weighing a ce…

1
#262: Is Powerbuilding A Compromise? 1:23:45

10M ago1:23:45

1:23:45

Eric, Brad, and Brian discuss methods dual athletes can use to maximize their competitiveness in both bodybuilding and powerlifting. These same methods can also be used by noncompetitors who want to get big *and* strong. Why do the coaches program more bodybuilding work for their powerlifting athletes than they used to? Do the benefits of specifici…

1
#261: How To Act Right During Prep 58:49

10M ago58:49

58:49

Brad and Alberto go into detail about what to expect when prepping for a bodybuilding competition, the importance of having people you trust to give you honest feedback on how you're acting, and some of their top tips for a successful prep. How does prep help you learn more about yourself and become a better version of yourself? Should you chase fe…

1
#260: Q&A Session 26 1:25:47

11M ago1:25:47

1:25:47

Andrea, Brad, and Brian host an audience-supplied Q and A session covering a wide range of interesting topics. Deep in prep, do the coaches ever have athletes experience serious medical issues? When training for hypertrophy, how many reps should you leave in reserve when doing compound exercises? What about isolation exercises? What is the differen…

1
#259: How Our Hypertrophy Programming Has Changed 1:38:39

11M ago1:38:39

1:38:39

Eric, Jeff, and Alberto discuss how they program their own and their athletes’ training differently than they used to. The coaches talk about how to apply new training techniques and understandings, the benefits of being open-minded, exercise selection, managing fatigue, range of motion, and a lot more. If you’ve been wanting to learn more about tr…

1
#258: Dads Who Lift 1:24:06

12M ago1:24:06

1:24:06

Nick, Jeff, Brian, and Alberto discuss how to manage your athletic and lifting goals while still being present for your children and partner. The guys talk about how they stay highly-competitive bodybuilders with kids, how they’ve learned to be flexible, how they’ve gotten good at getting the most out of the limited amount of time they sometimes ha…

1
#257: You Could Be Tracking The Wrong Nutrition Data 1:22:50

12M ago1:22:50

1:22:50

Eric, Steve, and Brad have a unique conversation about tracking and bringing mindfulness to a behavior. The coaches discuss the distinction between tracking to learn more about what you’re currently doing versus tracking to change a behavior. Sometimes just tracking a behavior is enough to get the desired outcome and sometimes *not* tracking someth…

1
#256: Is Using RPE Worth It? 1:19:22

1y ago1:19:22

1:19:22

Jeff, Brian, and Brad discuss training to failure, RPE-based programming, and percentage-based programming. What is RPE and RIR? Should you use RPE-based programming? If so, when and how should you use it? How do the coaches help their athletes get better at rating a set’s RPE? What approaches do the coaches use for prescribing proximity to failure…

1
#255: How To Leg Day 1:08:37

1y ago1:08:37

1:08:37

Nick, Alberto, and Brad discuss the necessity (or lack of) of specific exercises for maximizing the development of your lower body. Are there fundamental movements everyone should do? Does squatting and deadlifting make your muscles more dense? What are the group’s thoughts on hip thrusts, glute bridges, and RDLs? What are some fun exercise modific…

1
#254: Is Your Body Fat Set Point Holding You Back? 1:21:01

1y ago1:21:01

1:21:01

Brian and Eric address many common questions and misunderstandings around body fat set points. Is it possible to change your set point? Are your genetics really the thing holding you back? Along with answering these two questions, Brian and Eric discuss leptin, modifying your environment, metabolic adaptation, low energy availability, some really i…

1
#253: Is Bodybuilding An Eating Disorder? 1:25:01

1y ago1:25:01

1:25:01

Amanda, Alberto, and Eric discuss disordered eating, eating disorders, body-image concerns, and how they relate to both competitive physique athletes and noncompetitors. They talk about common issues they see and how they deal with them, the importance of framing, the influence of biology, research on tracking and physique checking, and a lot more.…

1
#252: The Big Volume Debate 1:04:06

1y ago1:04:06

1:04:06

Brad, Jeff, and Brian discuss what the ultimate goal of a person’s training should be if their primary goal is muscular hypertrophy. The coaches talk about when to add volume and when to wait, slower reps versus faster reps, training volume across a training career, longevity, and caution against putting the numbers ahead of the stimulus. Progressi…

1
#251: Modern Powerlifting Nutrition 1:20:44

1y ago1:20:44

1:20:44

Eric, Alberto, and Brad discuss the things they feel every powerlifter who wants to be successful needs to understand. The coaches talk about how beneficial being intentional with your nutrition can be and a few simple nutritional strategies they recommend. Other topics discussed include, the best way to make weight for a meet, the coaches’ thought…

1
#250: Q&A Session 25 1:09:19

1+ y ago1:09:19

1:09:19

Andrea, Brian, and Jeff conduct an audience-supplied Q and A session. Topics include maximizing muscle growth, how to track volume, what you can do if you’re afraid of gaining body fat after your competitive season, and a lot more. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 2:24- How to grow maximally versus slowly and how to tell the difference 13:07- How to b…

1
#249: The Hidden Risks of Supplements 1:07:28

1+ y ago1:07:28

1:07:28

In this eye-opening episode, Eric and Steve do a deep dive on the risks of testing new supplements, how you can help ensure the supplements you take are high-quality, and the supplements they use and recommend. Along with discussing the effectiveness of various supplements, the coaches go through the research showing just how common supplement cont…

1
#248: The Extreme Side Effects of Contest Prep 1:02:01

1+ y ago1:02:01

1:02:01

Brad, Alberto, and Jeff discuss the weird and sometimes scary things that happen when we push our bodies to the extreme. The coaches share crazy things they have seen and had happen to them during prep. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 2:30- What happened when Jeff was vitamin K deficient during one of his preps 19:55- A time when Jeff’s dedication an…

1
#247: Why Do I Keep Cheating On My Plan? 1:16:52

1+ y ago1:16:52

1:16:52

Brian, Jeff, and Brad discuss how to be compliant with your plan so you can achieve your goals. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 1:53- How to navigate food prepared by family when prepping 8:46- The importance of a good setup 20:41- Have the coaches ever been perfectly compliant with their plan for an entire prep? 38:59- Things the coaches have seen t…

1
#246: What You Actually Need From Bodybuilding 47:00

1+ y ago47:00

47:00

Jeff and Alberto discuss how they’ve helped and pushed each other, how they go about their bodybuilding differently, and how to get the most out of your bodybuilding journey. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 8:55- The more intrinsically rewarding you keep your bodybuilding the more likely you are to stick around 26:21- The things bodybuilding helped t…

1
#245: 3 Pro Bodybuilders: 1 Year Out 1:03:14

1+ y ago1:03:14

1:03:14

Brian, Brad, and Alberto discuss why getting yourself in a good position to prep is so important, what a good starting position looks like, and what they are currently doing to prepare for their 2024 season. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 3:28- What Brad is doing to prepare for his 2024 season 8:42- Brian’s plan for his 2024 season 12:08- Alberto’s …

1
#244: Your Default Diet 1:05:39

1+ y ago1:05:39

1:05:39

Brad, Eric, and Alberto discuss how as a bodybuilder becomes more ingrained in the bodybuilding lifestyle, the structure of their contest preps and the structure of their offseasons start to become more and more similar. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 2:51- Where is a good place to start when building your default diet? 6:17- What Eric and Alberto’s…

1
#243: All About Range Of Motion 1:31:17

1+ y ago1:31:17

1:31:17

Eric, Brian, and Nick have an in-depth discussion about purposefully altering range of motion to get bigger, stronger, and rehab an injury. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 2:22- Is more range of motion always better? Does increasing range of motion guarantee a reduction in joint pain? 11:23- Modifying range of motion for powerlifting 23:25- Modifying…

1
#242: Improving As An Advanced Athlete 1:20:50

1+ y ago1:20:50

1:20:50

Jeff and Eric discuss what they have had to do to continue to improve their physiques as advanced athletes. The coaches also share strategies other advanced athletes can use to continue making progress as well. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 6:40- Eric had to wait 3.5 years to see if what he was doing was working 13:08- What Eric did between his las…

1
#241: What’s Our Coaching Style? 48:40

1+ y ago48:40

48:40

Jeff and Alberto discuss common and unique scenarios they see when working with athletes. The coaches talk about how they work with athletes as well as the motives and mindsets they like to see. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 11:10- Taking things off people’s to-do list 14:10- Helping people work on the things they aren’t good at 20:38- The hardest …

1
#240: Q&A Session 24 1:16:37

1+ y ago1:16:37

1:16:37

Andrea, Brian, and Eric conduct an audience-supplied Q and A session. Question topics range from supplementation, to bulking, exercise technique, diet breaks, rest-period length, and more. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 2:32- Do you still get benefits from supplementing with creatine if you don’t take it consistently? How much of a difference does s…

1
#239: How To Build Your Meal Plan 47:03

1+ y ago47:03

47:03

Jeff, Alberto, and Steve discuss the benefits of having a plan, how they put together their weekly eating plans, how they help their athletes/clients build their weekly eating plans, and recommendations to consider when you’re building your plan. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 2:43- How Jeff and Steve build their weekly eating plans 24:52- The balan…

1
#238: Cutting Weight For Powerlifting 1:31:28

1+ y ago1:31:28

1:31:28

Brad, Brian, and Eric discuss who should and shouldn't cut weight for a meet, how to plan out your fat-loss phase if you need to run one, and strategies you can use to lose the last bit of weight needed to make weight. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 1:40- In the coaches’ opinion, who should and shouldn’t cut weight 14:16- Why we often lose strength …

1
#237: What Competitors Can Learn From Non-Competitors 55:52

2y ago55:52

55:52

Brian, Jeff, and Alberto discuss the things competitive bodybuilders and recreational bodybuilders can learn from each other. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 2:25- How the coaches treat their competitive bodybuilders versus their recreational bodybuilders 13:22- Letting recreational bodybuilding naturally turn into competitive bodybuilding 29:13- Coa…

1
#236: Post Contest Blues 1:09:46

2y ago1:09:46

1:09:46

Eric, Brad, and Amanda go over what post-contest blues are, why they happen, and what you can do about them. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 1:41- When the coaches have personally experienced post-contest blues and when they’ve seen their athletes experience them 18:07- What post-contest blues look and feel like for Brad and Eric 33:21- How the coach…

1
#235: Do This Before You Prep 1:12:01

2y ago1:12:01

1:12:01

Alberto, Brad, and Brian discuss the things they think an athlete needs to know and have done before they do their first prep. Timestamps 0:00- What the coaches feel like an athlete needs to know and have done before they do their first prep 33:01- Make sure you know yourself 40:04- When you don’t have access to the foods you normally eat and eatin…

1
#234: When Is Your Bodybuilding Career Over? 54:17

2y ago54:17

54:17

Brian, Jeff, and Alberto discuss the end of one's competitive bodybuilding career, why someone might choose to continue competing after their peak, and life after competing. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 2:03- Your “why” for competing changes over time 13:53- The skill of focusing on the present 24:52- You won’t have regrets if you know you reached…

1
#233: Is Inefficient Training Holding You Back? 1:21:08

2y ago1:21:08

1:21:08

Brad, Jeff, and Nick discuss the benefits of making your training more efficient and how to do so. Timestamps 0:00- The coaches’ thoughts on efficiency 18:06- High-quality sets, thinking long-term, and more is not always better 27:47- The benefits of being efficient with your training 36:49- Efficiency does not equal minimalism 40:14- How to get mo…

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3D Muscle Journey Podcasts

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