The Family Barbell

Trent Jones

A weekly dose of black iron and holistic health talk from Starting Strength Coach Trent Jones and his better half, Jordan Jones. Come get strong with us!

  1. Sep 30

    #13 - Why "Listen to Your Body" Is Bad Advice (for Novices)

    It's ubiquitous advice in fitness circles, that whatever exercise you attempt or programming you follow, you should always "listen to your body." But what does that even mean? The implication is that if something feels painful, or uncomfortable, or wrong in any way, you should modify or avoid the movement. And, to be fair, this is not bad advice. The problem is that novices are often disembodied, and don't have a good understanding of what signals their body is sending them. They often confuse discomfort with pain, and are uncomfortable or even frightened by the sensations of their body when it begins to change from training. They also lack the experience under the barbell to interpret how "bad" a bad feeling is, and whether they should listen to that feeling and modify their session accordingly, or continue training as normal and -- as often happens -- feel fine or even better than they started afterward.   So, while it sounds like good advice, listen to your body is nebulous at best, harmful at worst. We've seen trainees who give too much attention to how they feel during and after training and end up modifying nearly every workout, to the point where they stop adding weight to the bar, even go backwards taking weight off the bar, and eventually avoid movements altogether. At that point you're not training!   You are better off training, and continuing to train, even when things don't feel great. Most of the time -- the vast majority of the time -- you'll feel better than you think after training! And over the course of time, you'll gain experience and understanding of what sensations are important to listen to and modify training accordingly, and which ones are false signals.   Resources mentioned in this episode: Practical Programming for Strength Training, 3rd Ed   Connect With Us Email: jonesbarbellclub@gmail.com Trent IG: @marmalade_cream Jordan IG: @babayaga_sews

  2. Aug 27

    #11 - Unstick Your Squat (and Deadlift): Post-Novice Programming

    We talked about unsticking your press, let's get that squat and deadlift moving again too! In today's episode, Coach Trent and Jordan discuss programming modifications to move from the novice linear progression into the advanced novice phase and then into early intermediate programming. As always, careful attention to technique and recovery are crucial, so go back and listen to episode #8 if you need a refresher.   The basic concept with modifying the squat and deadlift is to create space for more recovery in your week as the loads climb. The squat and deadlift are much more fatiguing, both to the back (which works hard isometrically in both lifts) and the posterior chain as well as the nervous system in general (systemic fatigue), and thus require more time to recover as a trainee  gets stronger and moves heavier weights. Therefore, the first programming moves we make to transition into the advanced novice phase are designed to give your back a break between heavy bouts of training -- a midweek light day on the squat, alternating heavy and light days on the deadlift, top sets and backoffs, etc. Coach Trent also describes how you can use rep cycling to extend the late stages of the novice progression as well as make sustained progress on a simple heavy, light, medium (HLM) program.   Resources mentioned in this episode: Ray Williams astounding 490kg (1,080lbs) WR squat   Connect With Us Email: jonesbarbellclub@gmail.com Trent IG: @marmalade_cream Jordan IG: @babayaga_sews

  3. Aug 18

    #10 - Sew Your Own Clothes: A Beginner's Guide with Jessica Jaco

    Today's episode is a departure from training, but a topic we're passionate about on The Family Barbell -- building practical skills for the home and family. Jordan invites her friend and fellow garment sewer Jessica Jaco to talk about their love of garment sewing, how they got started, and how you can get started sewing your own clothes.   Jordan is a self-taught sewist who has spent almost a decade making clothes, with a special interest in working with linen, fine cotton prints, and knits. Jessica has been sewing her whole life, and works professionally sewing upholstery, cushions, pillows, slipcovers, and other items for the home. Jessica also has a strong interest in sewing clothes, and regularly posts her creations on Instagram.   Sewing clothes is a wonderful practical skill, but it's also act of expression. Jordan and Jessica discuss how they grew to dislike shopping for clothes off the rack, dealing with poor fit, subpar materials, and clothes that never felt right. Sewing taught them not only how to make clothes that fit well, but gave them an avenue to express their personality, taste, and role in life through the style of clothes they choose to make. Both of them are mothers of young children, so their clothing needs to wear a lot of hats, so to speak. It needs to be breathable (to handle the hot weather of east Tennesee and Oklahoma), durable, flexible and mobile enough to chase around and pick up children all day. It needs to be flattering and stylish, but in a way that's appropriate for mothers in their late 30's. It's a lot to ask for clothes off the rack! But the beauty of making your own clothes is that you can learn to make exactly what you want, with exactly the materials and prints that you like.   Jordan and Jessica put together a list of resources you can use to get started sewing.   Beginner Friendly Pattern Companies https://helensclosetpatterns.com/ https://grainlinestudio.com/ https://closetcorepatterns.com/ https://esmadebyme.com/collections/digital-sewing-patterns   Trusted Fabric Stores https://corefabricstore.com/ https://www.blackbirdfabrics.com/en-us https://lyricalfabrics.com/ https://surgefabricshop.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoofqDZmkPTfPCwcQTTV-CeqLlGtqdzE72IC5zWDYbkr8j1fkTp2   Sewing Supplies https://www.wawak.com/   Beginner Friendly Patterns Helen's Closet Ashton Top https://helensclosetpatterns.com/collections/tops/products/ashton-top Grainline Willow Tank https://grainlinestudio.com/products/willow-tank-dress Elizabeth Suzann Georgia Tshirt https://esmadebyme.com/collections/digital-sewing-patterns/products/georgia-series-digital-sewing-pattern Anna Allen Pomona Pants https://annaallenclothing.com/collections/all-products/products/pomona-pants-shorts Paradise Patterns Blomma Tank https://paradisepatterns.com/products/blomma-tank-pdf-sewing-pattern-sizes-a-l-bust-30-60-athletic-style-top-b-cup-and-d-cup-options Closet Core Ebony Shirt and Dress https://closetcorepatterns.com/collections/sewing-patterns-all/products/ebony-t-shirt-knit-dress-pattern?_pos=21&_fid=f39ca026e&_ss=c&variant=39419156299910   Follow Jessica on Instagram @jessicamariejaco   Connect With Us Email: jonesbarbellclub@gmail.com Trent IG: @marmalade_cream Jordan IG: @babayaga_sews

  4. Aug 1

    #9 - How We Eat: A Diet A Decade in the Making

    Coach Trent and Jordan discuss a sample day of their diet, and the thought process and years of refinement that have gone into their food choices. For the Jones family, there are five simple rules (really three rules, plus some addendums) that drive food choices: No seed oils No food dye We prioritize whole foods We grow/raise as much of our food as we can We cook what we eat   The seed oil and food dye rule is stated half-jokingly, but only half. While seed oils and food dye have very noticeable negative effects on their own, what cutting them out does is eliminate most of the processed food you could buy at the supermarket. Naturally, this leads to rule three, which is prioritizing whole foods. Real foods. Single ingredients. Mostly meats, greens, dairy, eggs, rice, and other whole grains. Very little comes from a package, preprepared.   Trent and Jordan point out that eating this way not only satisfies the macronutrient density required to live an active, heavy lifting lifestyle, it's also in harmony with the place they live in and the people they come from. Their food is, at its core, Southern soul food, with a few practical additions like tuna and salmon, maple syrup, etc. They are of northern European stock, and thrive on dairy and whole grains. Folks from other ethnic backgrounds may struggle on the same diet.   This episode, therefore, is an analysis of what Trent and Jordan eat, and why, not necessarily what you should eat. That said, this diet is over a decade in the making, and is the result of constant refinement, learning, and intuition.   Resources mentioned in this episode: How Canola Oil Is Made Azure Standard   Connect With Us Email: jonesbarbellclub@gmail.com Trent IG: @marmalade_cream Jordan IG: @babayaga_sews

Ratings & Reviews

5
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2 Ratings

About

A weekly dose of black iron and holistic health talk from Starting Strength Coach Trent Jones and his better half, Jordan Jones. Come get strong with us!