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There's a propensity for people to think that work

There's a propensity for people to think that workouts need to be complex affairs, with hybrid exercises, undulating rep patterns, tempo targets, multi-station giant sets, etc.

But there's miles of progress in "simple" too.

I think people are afraid of simple, as in, "How could that possibly work?"

Or perhaps they think there's "magic" in those complicated, drawn-out workouts. That, somehow, the author of "The Metabolic Superhero Hyperblast Workout" has either engineered (or stumbled upon) the EXACT sequence of movements, sets, and reps that unlocks unimaginable progress.

But they haven't.

* Every advanced technique has some merit and utility.
* Specialized programs can and do work.

But for all but the most advanced lifters—the basics work as well or better—saving you time in the gym and the mental gymnastics of working through an over-complicated routine.

Take tried and tested movements, arrange them logically around your schedule, train hard, with good form, and chase progress over time.

Is that all there is to it?

Not by a long shot.

But with a little experimentation and a LOT of consistency, it's closer to the truth than not.

– Coach Paul

#Prime40Muscle #MuscleSolvesProblems
#MasterTheFundamentals #KeepItSimple #ConsistencyIsKing

Eat for your goal. If you want to build muscle, y

Eat for your goal.

If you want to build muscle, you can lift all you want. But if you are not in an energy surplus, you will not grow.

If you are trying to get lean, you can lift and cardio 'til the cows come home. But if you are not in an energy deficit, you won't lose body fat.

Now, before you hurt yourself, diving into the comments to tell me, "I've heard you CAN build muscle and lose fat at the same time!"

Yes, there ARE exceptions to the above statements.

But they are VERY much edge cases and apply to a tiny percentage of the training population.

As a result, if you aren't putting as much energy (thought, planning, control, adherence) into your diet as you are training, you are 100% leaving progress on the table.

So whether your goal is to effortlessly slide into last year's dress, look like a podium finisher at the CrossFit Games, or fill out an XM tee and impress your mum, DIET is the gateway to success.

Now, if you're unsure what to target, you can get a rough starting point based on calories per pound of body weight:

* 10-12 kcal/lb for moderate weight loss
* 13-15 kcal/lb for maintaining
* 16-18 kcal/lb for moderate weight gain

Drive up your protein, aiming for at least 1g per pound of body weight—ideally spread evenly throughout the day. And consume a minimum of 0.3g of healthy fats per 1lb of body weight—things like avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish are ideal.

The balance should come from healthy, whole-food carbohydrates, with starches consumed around the training window.

After that, keep as many variables as consistent as possible, monitor the scale and tape, and adjust calories up or down as needed.

You got this!

– Coach Paul

#Prime40Muscle #MuscleSolvesProblems
#MaintenanceCalories #EatForYourGoals #FatLossTips #ItsBulkingSeason

Wanna build more muscle? Here are three things th

Wanna build more muscle?

Here are three things that can make a massive difference to your results:

1. Slow it down
2. Work a full range of motion
3. Intensity of effort

Whenever I work with clients in person or review videos of their form, one of the first opportunities I frequently see to improve results is slowing down the tempo of the exercise—especially the eccentric portion.

A slower eccentric (negative, lowering phase) will improve the mind-muscle connection, increase motor-unit recruitment, and significantly increase the total time under tension. All of which are fundamental to triggering a hypertrophic response from the body.

Couple a slower eccentric with the fullest possible range of motion, and you will dramatically increase the stimulus and rate of progress.

In the context of maximizing hypertrophy, it's widely supported by research that increasing muscle tension at LONG muscle lengths during the eccentric phase provides a significantly higher stimulus compared to the same loads moved through shorter ranges of motion.

Said differently, you're getting way more out of the bottom 90º of a biceps curl (eccentric AND concentric) than the last 45º through to peak contraction.

The final piece of the puzzle is taking both of the above—full range of motion with slow, controlled eccentrics—and applying MAXIMUM intensity of effort.

No, not an excess of screaming or snarling.

In fact, to the outside world, your demeanor may not even change that much.

But inside, you are FIGHTING like your very progress depended on it.

And not "at any expense;" form is clean, tempos are controlled, and the range of motion is consistent.

You're just fully present—mind in the muscle—giving everything you've got to complete one more rep, move one more pound, or improve the QUALITY of last session's numbers.

– Coach Paul.

#Prime40Muscle #MuscleSolvesProblems
#Hypertrophy #MindMuscleConnection #PersonalTraining #FlexFriday

Here's the thing about the mind-muscle connection.

Here's the thing about the mind-muscle connection.

To experience it, you often have to leave your ego at the door and reduce your loads—at least for a while.

'Cause throwing heavy weights around certainly isn't the smartest way to build muscle and will surely lead to injury.

But far too many of you have taken the whole mind-muscle connection to the other end of the spectrum, moving loads that are just way too light to (efficiently) create the stimulus needed for growth.

The mind-muscle connection is MORE than just "feeling the muscle contracting." All that means is you're putting the work where it should be.

What you're ultimately chasing is the feeling that you're (quite literally) tearing the muscle apart.

And for that, you need to be moving HEAVY loads, with good form and training VERY close to failure.

All the "ooh, that's a good contraction" type of work is fine while you're finding your feet with a new exercise—especially with muscles you've historically struggled to isolate.

But once that connection is established, you've got to get gnarly with it and DIG for progress. You really do NEED it to HURT—in a "good" way—as much as possible.

So yes, reduce your loads and make a good mind-muscle connection.

Then get to work and chase the pain.

Never lose sight of that.

– Coach Paul

#Prime40Muscle #MuscleSolvesProblems
#MindMuscleConnection #BuildMuscle #FitnessMotivation

So you want to get "fit?" First, you gotta get CL

So you want to get "fit?"

First, you gotta get CLEAR about what "fit" means to YOU.

'Cause most definitions of FIT are somewhat nebulous and won't do much to help guide your journey.

Perhaps it means improving one or more key health markers, like blood pressure, cholesterol, or triglycerides. Maybe even ultimately getting off of prescription medicines?

It could mean getting to the point where you can have a kickaround with your son without collapsing in a breathless heap halfway through.

Maybe you want to run your first marathon?

Deadlift twice your body weight?

Look sharp in a suit and "vigorously athletic" naked?

Whatever it is—it matters GREATLY.

Clarity of purpose will help feed the two things that matter most in training and nutrition:

* CONSISTENCY
* SPECIFICITY

First, a clear vision and an emotional connection to a goal will amplify the dopamine feedback loop that drives positive daily action.

Whenever you do something that moves you closer to your desired outcome, your brain will release dopamine as a reward—reinforcing the desirable behavior and helping keep you CONSISTENT.

Second, having a specific goal in focus will dictate much of your health and fitness programming—everything from dietary macros and workout splits to exercise selection and training tempo.

Someone who wants to run a faster mile and improve their vertical jump will need to train very differently from someone who wants to stretch that XM tee shirt with capped delts and cabled arms.

So, if "getting fit" is your goal, try digging deeper.

The more specific you can get, the better your results will be.

– Coach Paul

#Prime40Muscle #MuscleSolvesProblems
#HealthGoals #HealthAndWellness #FitnessMotivation

Make it hard! That's almost certainly what she sa

Make it hard!

That's almost certainly what she said.

But it should also be a fundamental tenet of your training.

Learning how to select, perform, and adapt exercises to maximize the stimulus on the target muscle separates someone who merely "lifts" from someone who TRAINS.

And the more stimulus you can create using lower loads generating less fatigue—local and systemic—the better your results will be.

Individual differences, including proprioception, biomechanical differences (lever lengths, tendon insertions, postural imbalances, etc.), and injury status mean that no two people will perform or experience a movement the same way.

Everything matters.

* Postural integrity.
* Where to place your hands or feet.
* Angles and lines of force.
* Range(s) of motion.
* Tempo.

Every movement. Every rep. Every time.

To your training!

– Coach Paul

#Prime40Muscle #MuscleSolvesProblems
#EverythingMatters #TrainWithPurpose #MakeItHard

No caption needed. #frequency #volume #effort #lo

No caption needed.

#frequency #volume #effort #load #exerciseselection #exerciseorder #tempo #restperiods #trainingsplit #periodization #specificity #effort #consistency #misplacedpriorities #prime40muscle

Do you NEED to do cardio? Of course not. But the

Do you NEED to do cardio?

Of course not.

But the better question is, why the hell wouldn't you?

...especially if you want to drop body fat, improve key blood markers, widen and deepen your aerobic base, and increase your VO2 max.

Strict ZONE 2 cardio is like increasing the size of your gas tank and improving your overall fuel efficiency. Which in practical terms means you can cover more miles more quickly using a lot less fuel.

Moreover, that "efficiency" comes from increases in the capillaries and mitochondria in your muscles, meaning that FAT—both circulating lipids and stored body fat—are preferentially and more easily converted to ATP to fuel your aerobic activity.

ZONE 5 work—often described as HIIT or simply "interval training"—is akin to slapping on a pair of Garrett turbochargers, giving you more performance across the board.

Much like ZONE 2 conditioning, interval training enhances muscle oxygenation and energy production through increased capiliary density and increases in the number and size of mithocondria.

It also increases cardiovascular efficiency by strengthening the heart muscle and stimulates the release of a hormone (EPO) to increase red blood cell count and the amount of oxygen supplied to your muscles.

Here's what a basic weekly prescription would look like for off-day training:

2 x 40-60 mins of ZONE 2

~80% Max Heart Rate
RPE 4-5 ("conversational pacing")
"Work as hard as you can, but you should still be able to hold a conversation—but you'd rather not."

1 x 40 mins ZONE 5 Intervals

A1. 10 mins ZONE 2 warm-up
B1. 1 min x ZONE 5 (100% max effort you can SUSTAIN for 1 FULL minute)
B2. 2 min x ZONE 2 (RPE 4, recovery)

Repeat 10 times.

Or just keep trying to add endless thousands of steps a day and get sucked (back) into the emerging pendulum-swing of "Get ripped with no cardio."

Like I say, you CAN... but why WOULD you?

– Coach Paul
CPT, CSCC

#Prime40Muscle #MuscleSolvesProblems
#cardio #cardioworkout #cardioday
#healthandfitness #healthspan

There are many different techniques you can use to

There are many different techniques you can use to increase both the intensity and efficiency of your workouts:

* Supersets
* Drop sets
* Rest pause or "clusters"
* Myo Rep sets

One that's often overlooked is Mechanical Advantage Compound Sets or MACS.

With MACS, you perform two (or more) exercises in sequence, starting with the hardest and progressing to the easiest. The idea is to push the targeted muscle group beyond failure by systematically switching to movements that provide a "mechanical advantage" as you fatigue.

The "hard" movements are often the ones that either a) require higher levels of technical proficiency and skill or b) put your body at some degree of mechanical disadvantage relative to the muscles being worked.

You can also get quite creative with the number of movements in the compound set to create a unique and challenging stimulus.

Here are two examples for biceps: One simple one and another that introduces finer degrees of mechanical advantage.

Simple MACS for Biceps:

A1. 45º Incline DB Curl
A2. Standing DB Curl

Complex MACS for Biceps:

A1. 45º Incline DB Curl
A2. Seated DB Curl
A3. Standing Alternating DB Curl
A4. Standing Alternating DB Hammer Curl.

As for sets and reps, you'll want to be careful to balance/manage your overall training volume in the context of both the individual workout and your total weekly volume.

Typically, I would program classic hypertrophy ranges for the opening movement, i.e. 6-12 repetitions, and then work to some degree of failure on the remaining movements.

So, refining that "simple" example above, you get:

A1. 45º Incline DB Curl, 6-12 reps, NO REST
A2. Standing DB Curl, FAILURE, 90-seconds rest

How many sets to program comes down to indivdual goals, overall placement within the workout, total weekly volume, and balancing intensity to ensure a good baseline of performance.

Generally speaking, 2-3 rounds is more than sufficient for a simple MACS pairing, and as little as 1 could suffice for a more complex, 4-movement MACS.

If you want help with your training, we have a limited number of coaching spots opening-up.

Reach out via DM of follow the 1:1 Coaching link at bryan.krahn

– Coach Paul

The pendulum swings on almost every health and fit

The pendulum swings on almost every health and fitness protocol.

Especially diet and training.

But just as it is with politics—there's nothing much to gain from living in the extremes.

You could go all in on one-set-to-failure training, but you're almost certainly going to get hurt or at least discover that you don't have the fortitude to train like that for more than a couple of sessions.

Dirty bulking seems like fun, and the scale sure does move quickly. But when key blood markers are in the shitter and putting on socks feels like cardio—all you've really done is "get fat" and create a VERY long diet phase.

The other end of the spectrum is not much better.

Trying to isolate the specific number of sets per body part for Minimum Effective and Maximum Recoverable Volume feels more like a science field trip than "for the joy of training."

And while you could try to lean-gain your way to 1lb of muscle per year, you'll need to A) be obsessed with anabolic lighting and stroking your abs on the 'Gram, and/or B) have the patience of a goddammed Saint.

With the "boring" middle ground, you can lean into a little bit of everything that moves the needle AND keeps you engaged in the process.

Some heavy work, some lighter work. Lower volumes, higher volumes. Lower carbs for a few weeks to improve your insulin sensitivity. Then ALL the carbs for skin-tight, vein-bulging pumps.

Remember, the stuff that works the best is the stuff you'll actually DO. Week in, week out.

The nutritionist's diet and elite training program won't do shit if you can't (or won't) stick to the plan for the long haul.

To YOUR "stuff!"

– Coach Paul

#prime40muscle #musclesolvesproblems

How to lose fat "the easy way." The simplest and

How to lose fat "the easy way."

The simplest and fastest way to lose weight is to reduce your daily calorie intake. That means eating smaller portions of what you already eat or introducing "restriction," like eliminating alcohol, snacks, or processed sugars.

Beyond that, you'll want to stay active and increase your total daily movement.

To shift nearly all your weight loss to FAT LOSS:

1. Increase protein intake to 1.5g/lb of body weight.
2. Hit a minimum of two HARD resistance training sessions a week.

If this sounds too simple—it's because it is.

Just don't confuse simple with EASY.

– Coach Paul.

#Prime40Muscle #MuscleSolvesProblems
#FatLossTips #DietAndExercise #WeightControl
#ItsNotComplicated #SimpleNotEasy

I'll never stop lifting weights—the gym is my ha

I'll never stop lifting weights—the gym is my happy place.

But in the last few years, I've become increasingly obsessed with two related dimensions of longevity:

* The metabolism and the benefits of muscle mass and aerobic conditioning.
* The critical role of sleep on our health and well-being.

This post is about the latter and shares four scary insights about sleep, emphasizing the importance of making it your #1 priority.

1) Sleep deprivation causes the quickest reduction in health, including cancer risk, CVD, metabolic syndrome, depression and suicidality.

For context, Felix Baumgartner went up 39,000M (24 MILES) in a hot air balloon into the outer reaches of Earth's stratosphere, jumped out and fell at over 1000 KMH—breaking the sound barrier—setting a World Record.

That was NOT banned by Guinness—but sleep deprivation IS.

2) Loss of REM sleep is ... DEADLY.

In experiments, loss of REM sleep will kill rats as quickly as if you deprived them of ALL sleep.

But here's the kicker—REM sleep is elevated in the LATER sleep cycles (i.e. the second half of the night). So cutting sleep from 8 hours to 6 hours may only reduce TOTAL sleep by 25%, but you could be losing as much as 70% of all your REM sleep.

3) More people die in car crashes from lack of sleep than from drugs and alcohol combined.

In fact, 4 or fewer hours of sleep a night leads to a 12x increased chance of a crash risk while driving, with "micro-naps" being the predominant threat.

When you are "drowsy" you can micro-nap. In this state, the eyelids close PARTIALLY, but you STOP REACTING COMPLETELY.

A drunk person might attempt to break or swerve (and fail to do so). But in the micro-nap state, you are essentially a deadly projectile, "asleep at the wheel."

At just 55 MPH your "missile" travels over 80 feet.

4) We are sleeping less than ever. And worse, the decline is not linear—it is actually accelerating.

In 1942, the average person slept just under 8 hours a night. Today, the average person sleeps 6 hours and 31 minutes.

And that's not accounting for any drop in sleep quality—just the time spent "in bed."

So when your coach says "sleep is foundational"—believe them.

– Coach Paul.

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