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Build Strength That Lasts—New Program Just Dropped
Labor Day is about doing the work that builds something that lasts. Right now, strength is in crisis—big numbers that only exist under perfect lighting and a spray of posing oil. They disappear when chaos, fatigue, or real life shows up. Sound familiar? That’s why Tom Haviland and I built Physically Fortified Powerbuilding—a brand new…
Rename. Reframe. Dominate.
by-Josh Bryant Your mind isn’t some southern frat boy in a pastel polo and Crimson Tide blazer, loafers dangling off a country club barstool, sipping vodka tonics or some weak spritzer, bragging about daddy’s boat. That’s passenger-seat energy. Your mind belongs in the arena—on the field of play. It’s the fullback on 4th-and-1, elbows and…
The 225 Bench Test Blueprint: Build Strength, Boost Reps, Break Records
by Josh Bryant and Joe Giandonato Bench Press More with Josh’s Program In part one, we put the 225 bench test under the microscope and called it like it is—where it proves something, where it’s smoke and mirrors, and how it stacks up when you strip it down to validity, reliability, and objectivity. Coaches and…
225 for Reps: Chump Pump, Chest Thump, or Real Performance Predictor?
Cade Collenback—the best long snapper in college football—just smoked 37 reps at 225 under Josh’s watch. by Josh Bryant and Joe Giandonato Summer’s winding down—beach towels turning into gym towels, poolside tans fading like a broke influencer. But don’t get sentimental—football’s back. Pads are poppin’, grills are lit, and the weekend’s once again reserved for…
Mitochondrial Efficiency: A Strength Athlete’s Missing Link
by Joseph Giandonato, PhD, MBA, CSCS Analogous to the four seasons and FBS program coaching regimes, fitness trends come and go. Around a decade ago, legions of upper middle-class suburbanites, many of whom Gen-Xers and older millennials exiting their prime with musculoskeletal integrity akin to the eroding undercarriage of a twenty-year-old Chevy Silverado that’s endured harsh…
Resilience: Not Fairy Dust, Just Reps
by: Josh Bryant Josh building resilience through rucking. Most folks talk about “resilience” like it’s some fairy dust sprinkled on you at birth.Here’s the truth:Resilience isn’t magic—it’s reps.You don’t need a pep talk. You need neuroplasticity. I kept seeing these influencers post about the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC)—so I checked in. Turns out it’s the…
Grease the Groove, Build Real Strength
Josh and Paul in 2005 One of the first times I rolled into Metroflex with Paul Leonard, we spotted this semi big-name pro bodybuilder we’d only ever seen greased up on glossy magazine covers. Never saw him before or since. He strutted in with a bikini gal on his arm, more focused on getting lucky…
Strength Mindset: From Weak Like Near Beer to Potent Like Moonshine
by- Josh Bryant Tom Haviland forging a way! Forget motivational posters, overpriced supplements, or that influencer spewing clichés between sips of sparkling water. This isn’t about showing off your new pump in the Allsup’s parking lot or doing three sets of curls before morning chow at Waffle House. This is strength like West by God…
Between the Floor and the Fantasy: The Block Pull
There was this gym I sometimes trained at as a teenager in Oxnard, CA. It claimed it was hardcore—graffiti on the walls, Slayer on the speakers, a chalk bucket collecting more dust than use. But it wasn’t Metroflex. It was Midlife Crisis Headquarters. Not a temple of strength. More like a last stand for guys…
Grip That’ll Make a Crescent Wrench Tap Out
Josh on why grip training is non-negotiable. A strong grip isn’t just for twistin’ off jar lids or showin’ off at the family reunion arm-wrestling table.It’s the silent foundation behind deadlifts, carries, the field of play and fighting’ off a rabid raccoon with a garden hoe. Problem is—grip usually gives out first. Then comes Lester…