Get a Grip

By Josh Bryant A strong grip and well-developed forearms do more than just twist stubborn lids off of pickle jars.  A strong grip will aid you in golf, cage fighting or any athletic endeavor in between; furthermore, frequently in strength training, the grip is the weakest link. The simplistic solution offered by Internet gurus is “ditch…

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Bro Science: Battle-Tested Strategies for the Elite Athlete

Coach Cletus In a dimly-lit West Texas barroom, I find myself in the presence of a man with a very powerful life force that commands attention. He’s a cowboy with a build that screams tactical hypertrophy – the perfect blend of strength and functionality. With a half-cocked grin, he walks up to the bar and…

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Strength Potential

by: Josh Bryant “Coach” was bonafide old head YMCA legend hailing from Whitehouse, Tennessee. Picture him with tight 1980s football coach bike shorts and built like a brick shithouse.  So, one day at the local kick n’ stab bar, some young buck bodybuilder starts talking pretty big for a one eyed fat man about his…

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Harnessing the Power of PAP—Practical Application

By: Josh Bryant and Joe Giandonato Fred Hatfield utilizing post activation potentiation (PAP) pre-deadlift If you want to take a good look at a T-bone steak, you can stick your head up a bull’s ass or take the butcher’s word. If option one is needed, please review last week’s newsletter. Otherwise, T-bones, anyone? Let’s get…

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The Crucial Demand for Phasic Training

Two men working out at a community park

by: Josh Bryant Periodization—My Theory and Application There I was, one night, curiosity running wild. I got lured by “Moonshine Paradise,” neon lights flickering in Cheatham County, due west of old man Chambers’ tobacco farm. Lo and behold, Brother Barrett himself, ruling at the pool table right in that notorious trailer park my mom warned…

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Harnessing the Power of PAP

by Josh Bryant and Joe Giandonato Peter Edgette executing isometric bench presses in part for a PAP effect. Ben Johnson squatted 600 pounds 10 minutes prior to running a 9.79-second 100-meter dash world-record in 1988! Was Johnson’s coach, Charlie Francis, outhouse rat crazy or drunker than Cooter Brown? Jeremy Hoornstra did a maximal isometric contraction…

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Genetic Engineering: Creating Your Genetic Destiny

by: Josh Bryant Nature gifts an athlete, and he is getting splinters in his ass from riding the pine. Another athlete, written off as subpar, is playing on Sundays and riding around in Bentley. Why? A trust fund baby now doesn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of and the…

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Mastering Nervous System Management for Strength

By: Josh Bryant Big Tom is always ready and Joe Rogan notices. Some people are so uptight, if you stuck a lump of coal up their ass, in two weeks, you’d have a diamond!  Think about the Karen that heads up the local HOA, thef powerlifter that takes a 1000 mgs of caffeine before a deload workout or the…

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Gas Station Ready Garage Gorillas

Being Gas Station Ready is about being prepared for the unexpected, the kind that lurks in dimly lit gas stations and the back alleys of life. As the fitness pioneer Charles Atlas taught us, when you look strong less people mess with you. Unfortunately, sometimes physical strength is not sufficient deterrence and someone will try…

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