Baker Barbell Podcast Andy Baker

In today's episode Coach Andy Baker discusses the most common injuries he sees in barbell training and his strategies for reducing the likelihood of their occurence. The key word in the title is "mitigating" injuries, not preventing them! If you train hard for years, chances are you will deal with an injury at one point or another. While barbell training is a very safe activity, injuries do happen, regardless of how good your technique, programming, and recovery are. That said, with some preparation and attention to detail, you can reduce your chance of injury during trainign and maintain longer, sustained periods of productive training.
 
Andy focuses on a few key areas of injury mitigaton: technique, programming, and recovery. Technique is important, and Andy breaks down the most common technique errors he sees that can potentially lead to injury. Many injuries can't be traced to a technique issue, however, and are more likely the result of poor programming -- accmulating too much fatigue for too long with no strategies for adjusting the exercise selection, load, and volume during high stress times. Likewise, recovery can play a huge role in the time it takes to recover from heavy bouts of training, and inattention to quality food, sleep, and outside stressors can increase the chance for injury.
 
No one likes to talk about injuries, but they are a reality for people engaged in hard physical training. Armed with a little knowledge, however, you can minimize your chances for injuries, and down-time, significantly.
 
Andy Baker
Web: www.AndyBaker.com
IG: @bakerbarbell
Owner of Kingwood Strength & Conditioning
Co-author of Practical Programming for Strength Training
Co-author of The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40

At some point in a lifter's career, typically after the novice or early intermediate phase, the most reliable way to get stronger is to become more muscular, i.e. build muscle mass. To that end, the term "powerbuilding" has emerged to describe a hybrid approach of training the main barbell lifts (like a powerlifter) alongside a selection of supplemental lifts done for higher reps aimed at increasing muscular size (like a bodybuilder). While some people knock powerbuilding as a merely a clever marketing term, but a suboptimal way to train, the fact is that many of the strongest powerlifters of all time have trained with this approach: Ed Coan, Dan Green, Kirk Karwoski, and many others. In today's episode, Andy lays out his "KSC Method for Powerbuilding" using an 8/5/2 scheme for progressing the main lifts in the context of a five day body part split.
 
KSC Method for Powerbuilding Program:
https://www.andybaker.com/product/the-ksc-method-for-power-building/
 
Kirk Karwoski squats 600x8 (beltless!)
https://youtu.be/-hd8mN765KQ?si=kITPibMEylwqZAvE
 
Louie Simmons podcast with Dan Green:
https://youtu.be/4e7LxkyR010?si=42N135_VFSiemGFi
 
Andy Baker
Web: www.AndyBaker.com
IG: @bakerbarbell
Owner of Kingwood Strength & Conditioning
Co-author of Practical Programming for Strength Training
Co-author of The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40

In today's episide, show producer Trent Jones chats with Andy about his wide array of coaching and programming services. If it wasn't obvious from the variety of topics on the podcast thus far, Andy has a wide range of interests in fitness and he draws from a deep well of knowledge and practical experience when writing his programs. Whether you are looking for general strength and fitness, chasing numbers on the big barbell lifts, or building the best physique you can, Andy has a program for you, and a service level to fit your needs:
Detailed training templates, with everything you need to build a program Affordable online group coaching (only $27/mo), with access to three training tracks and access to Andy through a private Facebook group and forum.  Basic Barbell Track, for pure strength development with minimal gym equipment (all you need is a rack and a barbell) Conjugate Training Track, based on the Westisde principles of max effort and dynamic effort days Bodybuilding/Phyisque Track, a comprehensive body part split designed to maximize muscular development with short, intense, and easy to recover from workouts Intensive 1-on-1 online coaching, where Andy delivers tailored programming to you weekly and you have unlimited access to ask questions  
You can find details of all the training options on Andy's website: https://www.andybaker.com
 
Andy Baker
Web: www.AndyBaker.com
IG: @bakerbarbell
Owner of Kingwood Strength & Conditioning
Co-author of Practical Programming for Strength Training
Co-author of The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40

As the pendulum swings in the fitness world, the body part split or "bro split" has gone through it's ups and downs. For many years it was accepted as a classic way to train for physique, with many notable golden-era bodybuilders splitting up their weekly workload into various body part specific days. Then as evidence-based training came into vogue, the idea came under attack, with proponents going back and forth on whether the bro split was effective or a suboptimal waste of time. Various alternate ideas were proposed such as timing your workouts around the muscle protein synthesis window, spread loading stress on body parts, high frequency full body training, and so on, but over time as the research evolved the bro split has regained its status in the evidence based world. Many questions about it remain, however, and Andy wades through the controversy in today's episode.
 
Andy Baker
Web: www.AndyBaker.com
IG: @bakerbarbell
Owner of Kingwood Strength & Conditioning
Co-author of Practical Programming for Strength Training
Co-author of The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40

The pendulum swings on in the fitness industry, and right now "hypertrophy" is the hot topic (or as Andy likes to call it, bodybulding with a small "b"). Many people who got into powerlifting over the last decade and half, and subsequently retired from competition, have started looking for ways to train hard beyond the squat, bench, and deadlift, and bodybuilding is a natural progression. Influencers on YouTube and social media have jumped in, detailing their transition from powerlifting and basic strength training programs to more advacned bodybuilding routines. While these routines may be a good fit for the developed strength athlete, the constant shift in attention from the leading fitness influencers has left many newer trainees confused.
 
So what's the big deal about hypertrophy? Andy outlines three main factors that drive strength development. One of those is hypertrophy. Once a trainee has acquired sufficeint technique and inter/intramuscular coordination, adding more muscle mass is the most reliable way to get stronger. As Andy notes, many of the successful powerlifters today are the most muscular ones. Not necessarily the heaviest, but the most muscular (for their height and weight class).
 
Andy explains how he evaluates new trainees by identifying their biggest gaps and weaknesses, and working on that. Many youth athletes spend a lot of time practicing, and therefore display high levels of cooridination and skill in their sport, but they are small and light. For these athletes, strength and size are a clear weakness, and they need to devote a lot of time to getting big and strong. A college level sprinter, on the other hand, weighing 185-215lbs and squatting in the 400-500's, probably needs to devote the most time toward technique, not driving his squat up.
 
Before you choose your next program, think about where your own weaknesses lie. Answering that question makes programming decisions a lot clearer, and will give you a faster path to progress.
 
 
Andy Baker
Web: www.AndyBaker.com
IG: @bakerbarbell
Owner of Kingwood Strength & Conditioning
Co-author of Practical Programming for Strength Training
Co-author of The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40
 

Continuing the discussion from last week, Andy interviews Starting Strength Coach and nutrititonist Robert Santana about the effect of low carb diets on training and fat loss. They also discuss the role of insulin sensitivity in training, particularly for endormorphic body types, and how carb intake can be manipulated to keep energy in the gym while producing weight loss for "hard losers."
 
Weights & Plates Podcast
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weights-and-plates-podcast/id1557830248
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ChDOVS5Hmm9Uu0hOiEp3i?si=350bb32050e443b4
 
Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com
Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana
Articles and Videos for Starting Strength: https://startingstrength.com/author/robert-santana
 
 
Join the Baker Barbell Club Online for just $27/mo:
https://www.andybaker.com/landing-page/
 
Andy Baker
Blog: www.AndyBaker.com
IG: @bakerbarbell
Owner of Kingwood Strength & Conditioning