3D Muscle Journey

This is our second of five one-on-one team interviews, featuring Brad Loomis. As it is now December 2016, we d like to close out the year with some state of the coach addresses, if you will. Basically, we re asking the same questions to each 3D coach to see where they stand through this annual change, and it s something we plan on doing every year. In this second episode with Brad, we will discuss our lives as athletes and professionals in this industry. We talk about what a typical day looks like for each coach, where they stand in their athletic journey, what they diet and training looks like right now, and if there are any major lessons learned in 2016 along the way. We also ask Brad about some of his coaching milestones this past year, and what other professional endeavors he plans to chase in 2017. We ll then end the interviews on a personal note, discussing any other resolutions, hobbies, favorite things, and ambitions for the year ahead. As mentioned, this will carry on each week with every coach getting their own time in the spotlight. Because we started our podcast the individual 3DMJ origins episode that were so well-received, it s really cool to hear how much we ve changed in just the past few months. More importantly, these episodes will carry a lot of value for the listeners in that they display how incredibly different the 5 of us are as athletes and individuals. We have different routines, we eat differently, and we train differently, all while carrying the same core values of discipline, dedication, and desire which keep us united as family. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

Here in this episode, we are starting our second series of 1-on-1 team interviews, beginning with Eric Helms. As it is now December 2016, we d like to close out the year with some state of the coach addresses, if you will. Basically, we re asking the same questions to each 3D coach to see where they stand through this annual change, and it s something we plan on doing every year. Beginning with Eric, we will discuss our lives as athletes and professionals in this industry. We talk about what a typical day looks like for each coach, where they stand in their athletic journey, what they diet and training looks like right now, and if there are any major lessons learned in 2016 along the way. We also ask Eric about some of his coaching milestones this past year, and what other professional endeavors he plans to chase in 2017. We ll then end the interviews on a personal note, discussing any other resolutions, hobbies, favorite things, and ambitions for the year ahead. As mentioned, this will carry on each week with every coach getting their own time in the spotlight. Because we started our podcast the individual 3DMJ origins episode that were so well-received, it s really cool to hear how much we ve changed in just the past few months. More importantly, these episodes will carry a lot of value for the listeners in that they display how incredibly different the 5 of us are as athletes and individuals. We have different routines, we eat differently, and we train differently, all while carrying the same core values of discipline, dedication, and desire which keep us united as family. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

Team 3DMJ welcomes their second guest ever, Dr. Mike Zourdos. He joins Eric Helms and Andrea Valdez to discuss the recent past and distant future of strength training research. Dr. Mike is an assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University, where he leads the Muscle Physiology Lab in Boca Raton. This discussion starts by covering quite a bit of ground in regards to academic and career paths within strength and conditioning realm. The trio then dives into some of Dr. Mike s previous research findings in regards to programming and periodization, followed by a glimpse into the future studies and methods that his lab aims to test over the next few years. You ll find out how Dr. Mike coaches his athletes, some of his personal insight in regards to his own training, and why Eric has been living in Florida for the past few weeks collecting data in the FAU labs for his own PhD thesis. While this episode might sound a bit nerdier than some of the team's other shows, the coaches still dive into the practical applications of all this research. They don t just talk about studies, but also about what that data means and how it can be useful for anyone interested in building strength training programs for themselves or the athletes they coach. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

In this episode, Brad Loomis, Alberto Nunez, and Andrea Valdez talk about how to deal with lagging body parts. Whether these be true weakness or perceived weaknesses, it can be difficult to navigate through the endless recommendations on how to deal with them. In this episode the coaches talk about what qualifies a body part as lagging, when to address this in your program, and how to manipulate volume in attempts to even out a physique for improved symmetry for the stage. So if you have some areas you d like to bring up, or have some areas who seem to over-power others, this episode should give you some insight on where to go from here. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

In this episode, Jeff Alberts, Eric Helms, and Andrea Valdez talk about how to eat intuitively as a strength or physique athlete. They discuss their own current eating habits, both in and out of season, and go over some typical ways they have coached people out of strict fat loss diets and into some of these more maintainable off-season structures. You ll hear about 3DMJ's tiered system of dietary adherence, and some of the mental and physical tactics they use to move through those steps while still keeping their athlete's long term goals in check. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

In this episode, Jeff Alberts, Eric Helms, and Andrea Valdez talk about when to quit as a physique or strength athlete. While most content on the internet is about how to get motivated or how to commit yourself in the long-term, this week s episode focuses on the flip side of that. Nothing is forever, but some things can definitely be cut short or taken too far if you re not paying attention to the right things. Eric, Jeff, and Andrea go over the common "make it or break it points of the many athletes that they ve dealt with over the years. Jeff discusses his multiple retirements as a bodybuilder, all 3 coaches discuss the times that each of them have quit our own competition seasons early, and why they think some people are able to maintain lifetime careers as athletes, while many others cannot. If you ve ever wondered how much longer you can last, or even whether or not this whole getting on stage thing is for you, you ll really get a lot of valuable decision-making ammunition from this episode. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

In this episode, Alberto Nunez, Eric Helms, and Andrea Valdez deliver some experience and insight on how to make it in the fitness industry. As a team, 3DMJ gets a lot of of request and inquiries about this topic. Usually it s about becoming a coach, sometimes it s about becoming some other type of internet entrepreneur, but collectively it seems that many of our listeners would appreciate some of 3DMJ's input and advice on how to make it as a fitness professional. The three coaches start by talking about the one job they all had in common as personal trainers at some point, then venture into many other professional endeavors and contributing factors that have lead them to where they are today. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

In this episode, Alberto Nunez, Brad Loomis, sit down with Bryce Lewis USAPL Raw Nationals to discuss what it s like to compete on a national powerlifting stage. Bryce is actually a long time 3DMJ athlete and elite powerlifter. He is also the founder of The Strength Athlete, an online powerlifting coaching service who creates real, customized approaches unique to the athletes who need them. Both Brad Loomis and Bryce Lewis are coached by Eric Helms, and they compare and contrast their athletic experiences in this episode. They also discuss their individual meet prep practices and what it s like to compete on a national stage. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

In this episode, Alberto Nunez, Brad Loomis, and Andrea Valdez talk about auto regulation, RPE, and training by feel. Basically, how should training feel, and how do we use these "feels" to navigate through our programming in attempts to increase our fitness while managing fatigue. The coaches hit on quite a few misconceptions about auto-regulated training, and discuss many of the tools that can help us keep track of our progress over time, even when your 1RM isn t going up. This episode will be EXTREMELY useful for athletes and coaches who would like to learn more about how to use their body s feedback as a tool for continued growth. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

In this episode, Alberto Nunez, Brad Loomis, and Andrea Valdez talk about how to invest in a proper natural bodybuilding off-season. Many people find it quite easy to determine how to get someone shredded, right? You do the best you can to lose body fat while maintaining muscle. Pretty straightforward. But what to do afterwards or between those dieting seasons is what people really struggle with. How do you make sure to get the most out of your hard work? What are some strategies and practices that you can use to ensure that all of your food and training are being accounted for? How do you INVEST in your off-season rather than SPENDING your time spinning your wheels? The coaches talk about ways you can keep yourself from either gaining too much fat or keeping calories so limited that you are unable to actually make any measurable progress. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj. For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com.

In this episode, Eric Helms, Jeff Alberts, and Andrea Valdez talk about the post-contest recovery diet phase. In particular, the coaches discuss the various effects of the sport that begin to occur immediately after you get off of a bodybuilding stage, all the way through the weeks, months, and sometimes years following the competition season. (For the general prescription of what the 3DMJ coaches do with their athletes during their recovery diet, click here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDKhDjuPfbU ) Within this episode, the coaches dive further into their personal post-contest season phases and many of the ways they ve continued to get better at it over the years. They also cover the following topics as it pertains to the end of a bodybuilding season: - Body fat distribution - Libido for men and women - Healing the athlete s relationships with food - Psychological distractions from weight gain - The amount of body fat one should expect to put on - How your reason for competing effects the way you recover - How the coaches judge when someone is fully recovered and ready to begin their extended off-season Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj . For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

In this episode, Brad Loomis, Jeff Alberts, and Andrea Valdez talk about competition day stresses and how to deal with them. Sure, getting an ultra lean physique is definitely the hardest part of natural bodybuilding. But for first time competitors or those who lose their cool pretty easily, getting on stage can be quite a traumatic experience. Throughout this episode, we discuss our personal show-day blunders both logistically and emotionally. We also go into some of the stupid things we did in terms of our nutritional ignorance, improper planning skills, lack of research, and negative perspectives. We also go into the different mindsets associated with contest prep, and how we separate the grind of the gym from the celebration of our work. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj . For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

Alberto Nunez, Eric Helms, and Andrea Valdez talk about embracing the suck and sacrificing to win. Bodybuilding is an extreme sport. And although recent generations have found more efficient and practical ways to go about it, we can t forget that the shit gets difficult. At some point, it will hurt a lot. The coaches discuss some terrible times, some pleasant times, and some of the times that they suffered unnecessarily. They also go into strategies on how to deal with hunger, when to eat out, and when it s time to make drastic changes in your life in order to reach your bodybuilding goals. If you ve ever wondered what it takes to be a competitor, this episode is definitely for you. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj . For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

Alberto Nunez, Brad Loomis, and Andrea Valdez discuss all about bodybuilding INJURIES. This particular episode definitely did not end up how the coaches thought it would, but it took an unexpected turn for the better. Brad, Berto, and Andrea start with the physical injuries. They dive into prevention, warm-up, and all the other normal stuff you d expect on an episode about injuries. But somewhere in the middle, they actually dive into mental, psychological, or behavioral injuries that can come in various forms, as these are what often-times wind up being the reason people do not complete a contest prep. And of course, the coaches discuss their own current aches and pains, how they ve learned to deal with them, and why they expect they will never fully go away. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj . For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com

Jeff Alberts, Brad Loomis, and Andrea Valdez discuss how to be a more selfish athlete Now although selfish usually has a negative connotation within our society, throughout this podcast we talk about both sides of the coin. Yes, we actually think that being selfish can be a good thing, and is sometimes absolutely necessary in order to achieve goals and live a fulfilled life. But how selfish is too selfish? How do the three of these coaches differ in their own definitions of self care? And how does that affect them as athletes, family members, significant others and friends? These are just a few of the ways we look at this topic, and the coaches also touch on the ways that they have seen certain selfish behaviors make or break some of the athletes they have coached over the years as well. Join the conversation by leaving comments, reviews, and insights throughout any and all social media outlets using the handle @team3dmj . For the full video interview, show notes, and links discussed throughout in this episode, visit our site at 3DMuscleJourney.com