Unleash Your Physical Freedom: Reclaim Your Body & Mind - #605
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
Release Date: 12/17/2024
Do You Really Need to Power Clean? Rethinking Explosive Lifts for Lifters Who Train for Life
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
Do you really need to power clean to be strong and explosive? For most lifters training for longevity, hypertrophy, and health—not competition—the answer might surprise you. In this episode of Beast Over Burden, part of the Rethinking the Big Lifts series, coaches Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson break down the real purpose of the power clean, who it's actually for, and why there are better options for developing explosive strength without the technical headaches or injury risks. If you’re lifting for life—not for sport—this one’s for you. ✅ What You’ll Learn Why the power clean...
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Is the Overhead Press Worth It? Rebuilding the Most Skipped Lift
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
Is the overhead press worth it for most lifters? In this episode of Beast Over Burden, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson take a hard look at the most skipped lift in strength training: the overhead press. They break down why it’s often abandoned, what makes it frustrating, and how to rebuild your pressing with smarter technique, variations, and programming for long-term strength and longevity. Whether you’re dealing with shoulder pain, struggling with progress, or questioning if it’s even worth your time, this episode gives you a clear, no-nonsense answer. ✅ What You’ll Learn Why the...
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Does the Deadlift Still Matter? How to Make It Work for Your Life
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
Does the deadlift still matter in your training? If you’ve ever felt beat up by barbell pulls or unsure how to keep deadlifting as your goals and body evolve, this episode is for you. Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson unpack how the deadlift should serve you—not wear you down. From trap bars to kettlebells, from smart programming to pain management, this is a no-nonsense guide to making the deadlift work for life—not just your PR sheet. 🎧 This is part of the Rethinking the Big Lifts series—where we challenge conventional thinking to build training that’s smarter, sustainable, and...
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Is the Bench Press Overrated? Rethinking Its Role in Your Training
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
Is the bench press overrated—or just misunderstood? In this episode of Beast Over Burden, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson challenge the default status of the bench press in most lifters’ routines. Whether you’re trying to get stronger, avoid pain, or train for the long haul, this conversation will help you rethink the bench’s role in your program—and whether it’s serving your goals. This is part of the Rethinking the Big Lifts series, where we explore how foundational barbell movements evolve over time and how to train smarter, not just harder. ✅ What You’ll Learn Why the bench...
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What is a Squat? How it Evolves with You for Life
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
What is a squat—really? In this first episode of our new Big Lifts series, strength coaches Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson ask the question many lifters overlook: what are you actually trying to get out of your squat? Whether you’re chasing PRs, trying to age with strength, or just want to move better, this conversation breaks down why your squat should evolve with your goals, your body, and your season of life. Let go of the dogma—and train for you. 💡 What You’ll Learn Why “the squat” isn’t one fixed movement How to define a squat based on your goals What matters more...
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You’re Training Hard, But Are You Progressing?: Why Doing Everything Might Be Slowing You Down
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
Are you training nearly every day—strength, cardio, HIIT—and still not seeing the results you want? In this episode of Beast Over Burden, strength coaches Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson tackle a common question: Are you progressing, or just working hard? They break down the sneaky signs of overtraining, the truth about cardio intensity, and how recovery—not more effort—is often the bottleneck to strength, muscle, and long-term health. 💡 Key Takeaways Training hard ≠ guaranteed progress Doing too much can stall strength and muscle gains Most “HIIT” is just moderate...
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The Perfect Program Won't Save You: Train Smarter, Not Harder
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
Still searching for the perfect program to fix your fitness? In this episode of Beast Over Burden, strength coaches Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson expose why the “one right plan” mindset is keeping lifters stuck. They break down how perfectionism, rigid programming, and unrealistic expectations sabotage long-term progress—and share smarter, more sustainable ways to train for strength, health, and life. Whether you’re burned out, frustrated, or just tired of starting over, this episode will help you trade pressure for progress. 💡 Key Takeaways (Bullets) The perfect program is a...
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Overcoming the 3 Big Training Pitfalls: Snacking, All-or-Nothing Thinking, & Weak Boundaries
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
This episode tackles overcoming the 3 big training pitfalls that silently sabotage lifters: mindless snacking, all-or-nothing thinking, and poor boundaries. Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson break it down with practical tips, real-life stories, and strategies that actually work for strength, longevity, and real-life training. 💡 Key Takeaways (Bullets for Engagement & Search) Identify and overcome the 3 big training pitfalls Why snacks you don’t count still count How “perfect or nothing” leads to burnout Real-world boundary-setting tips for parties, travel, and stress ...
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From Frustrated to Free: A Realistic Guide to Long-Term Strength
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
Struggling to stay consistent with strength training? Feel like you're always starting over? In this episode, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson deliver a realistic guide to long-term strength—not hype, not hacks—just what actually works for lasting progress, muscle, and freedom. 💡 Key Takeaways Physical freedom = the ability to adapt and train for life—not just 12-week spurts You don’t need 6 weeks—you need 18–24 months of structured training Muscle = your emergency fund for long-term independence A coach can accelerate your growth and cut years off your learning curve ...
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Training When Life Gets Messy
Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic
Life’s messy—but your strength doesn’t have to be. In this episode of Beast Over Burden, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson dive into how to stay strong when life throws curveballs. From missed workouts to surprise illnesses, chaotic travel, or just busy seasons, they reveal how to adapt your training, stay consistent, and keep building strength—without falling into the all-or-nothing trap. 💥 Topics Covered: Why perfection kills progress (and what mindset to replace it with) Programming hacks for crazy schedules, travel, and low-energy days Real-life coaching stories showing how to...
info_outlineUnleash your physical freedom. Reclaim your body and mind from bad habits, restrictive and narrow goals, and unrealistic expectations.
Physical Freedom: Financial Freedom as an Analogy
The concept of financial freedom - no longer stressing about finances and not having to trade your time for things you do not wish to do - helps derive useful lessons for health and fitness.
Attaining financial freedom requires discipline. One must define and follow through with hard decisions over a long period of time.
This, though, is the path to freedom. Don't look for shortcuts. And, even if you somehow find yourself with a sudden pile of money, you will only use that money well if you have developed the habits ahead of time.
Physical Freedom: Bash Bad Habits
The first and most obvious steps you must take is to remove bad habits. You have trouble saying no to highly processed sugary foods. You overeat.
Do you feel free when you make these decisions that do not align with your stated goals? Of course not!
Freedom requires some discipline to build virtues (e.g. the virtue of temperance so you can willingly say no to the donuts).
Physical Freedom: Remove Restrictive Goals
Many of our coaches and clients have followed overly restrictive goals that they bought into. For example, you follow the dictum that physical strength is the most important thing in life.
When you follow this, you will sacrifice your health and get fat to pursue this goal. You will avoid activities you enjoy, such as skiing, swimming, hiking, because this will remove weight on the bar in your next session.
Unless you have a hyper-specific goal or truly believe such a restrictive goal is true, ditch this counterproductive dogma.
Physical Freedom: Own Your Choices
Here is another example. You are so concerned with leanness, that your plan (even if you have not said this explicitly) requires you to never eat your grandma's pie again.
Is this really sustainable? Can you avoid every holiday food for every meal forever? Are you really going to eat chicken breast and broccoli every meal.
When you have physical freedom, you can choose in indulge when appropriate, knowing you will not go off the rails and that you can make another choice to get leaner after a vacation or holiday period.
PS - IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TAKING ONLINE COACHING FOR A TEST RUN, CHECK IT OUT HERE.