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How Do Smaller Athletes Get Started in Strongman Competitions?
One of the most common questions in strongman comes from athletes who don’t see themselves as naturally built for the sport. They might be 5’6″ or 5’7″, 160 pounds, coming from powerlifting, bodybuilding, or general strength training. They look at event videos, see the size of the implements, and wonder how they’re supposed to compete…
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Pre-Workout Nutrition for Powerlifting: Eating Before You Lift Heavy
What you eat before a heavy session shows up in the quality of your work. I have seen lifters blame their program for a bad day when the real problem was they walked in under-fueled or stuffed full ten minutes before squats. Pre-workout nutrition is simple once you understand what you are actually trying to…
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Comparing Popular Periodization Models to Hypertrophy-Centric Cyclical Training (HCCT)
Periodization models have been used for decades to structure training programs for hypertrophy, strength, and power development. While traditional periodization approaches offer structured progression, they often fail to account for long-term adaptability. Hypertrophy Centric Cyclical Training (HCCT) bridges the gap between rigid structure and necessary flexibility, making it a superior choice for lifters seeking both…
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Healthy Fats for Powerlifters: Hormones, Joints, and Staying Strong
Carbs fuel the session and protein rebuilds the muscle, but fat is the one people cut first and miss the most. For a powerlifter, dietary fat is not just calories. It is the raw material your body uses to run its hormones and protect the joints you are loading with heavy iron. Why Fat Matters…
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HCCT Strength Phase: Prioritizing Neural Adaptations While Sustaining Hypertrophy
The Strength Phase in the Hypertrophy-Centric Cyclical Training (HCCT) Model focuses on maximizing neural adaptations, enhancing motor unit recruitment, intramuscular coordination, and force production, while ensuring that muscle hypertrophy is sustained through strategic assistance work and complementary hypertrophy-driven strategies. Key Objectives of the Strength Phase Hypertrophy-Driven Strategies Complementing the Strength Phase Since the primary goal…
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Carbohydrates for Powerlifting: Fueling Heavy Training
Protein rebuilds you, but carbohydrates are what let you do the work in the first place. I have seen plenty of strong lifters cut carbs too hard, chase a leaner look, and watch their bar speed and their grind disappear at the same time. If you want to move heavy weight session after session, you…
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What I Learned From Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell, and How I Used It to Build Muscle
When I first started hearing about Westside Barbell, I wasn’t interested in secondhand information. That’s never been how I’ve operated. If I want to understand something, I go to the source. At the time, I had a unique opportunity. I was hosting a radio show, before podcasting was really even a thing, and that gave…
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Getting Started with Strongman Competitions in San Diego
Entering a strongman competition starts long before you ever step on the platform. Most people begin by learning the events, building a base of foundational strength, and training in an environment that actually prepares them for the structure and demands of a contest. From there, you move into novice competitions and keep developing inside the…
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Protein for Powerlifters: How Much You Need and Where to Get It
In thirty-plus years of coaching strength, I have watched protein quietly decide who keeps adding weight to the bar and who stalls out. It is not the flashy part of a powerlifting diet. It is the part that turns hard training into actual muscle and strength instead of just soreness. Here is the honest truth.…
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The Culture That Matters
When you train at Gegns Gym, you step into an environment built on four things: We expect guests to treat the facility and the community accordingly. This is not a hard ask. It is the standard that makes the room what it is. If you respect the space, you will be welcomed. Recommended Reading Gegns…
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Why People Visit Gegns Gym
Many lifters make it a point to schedule extended visits specifically to train at Gegns Gym. The reason is simple. This is not a commercial gym. When you train here, you have access to: In addition, guests often coordinate visits around: For some, it is a stop on vacation. For others, it is a planned…
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The Role of Coaching and Training in Strongman Competition Success
Strongman doesn’t just reward the strongest guy in the room. It rewards the one who prepared right. In over thirty years around this stuff I’ve watched genuinely strong lifters show up to a contest and come apart, and less-gifted ones clean up, because raw strength is only the raw material. What you do with it…
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