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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…
Brutal. Effective. Fun. The Case for Strongman Training
by- Josh Bryant Tom Haviland, Josh’s long-time client. As my late mentor Dr. Fred Hatfield said, “There’s good, better, and best. And strongman training is the best.” That wasn’t motivational fluff. That came from a man who held world records, coached champions across multiple sports, and backed every word with data, sweat, and blood. Strongman…
🔥Flow State or Flatline🔥
Josh, 14 years old, getting ready to do the Mexican Two-Step. The year was 1995. Coolio was king, CK One was cloudin’ every mall hallway, and I was about to earn a Ph.D. in “flow”—taught by Professor Gilbert. Half Puerto Rican, half Okie, and half outta his damn mind. He claimed to do construction in…
Hypertrophy: The Engine Behind Strength (“Ask Josh” – Part 1)
Hey Josh, is hypertrophy training really necessary for strength? My powerlifting coach says it’s just for weak-sauce mirror monkey Matildas? IFBB Pro Joe Mackey pulls 910—with Josh’s coaching in his corner. When we talk about hypertrophy around here, we’re talking about strength potential. Performance. Moving real weight—not shaking it on stage like some Chippendales reject…