Episodes
Our annual fitness trends episode…with a twist!
Dec. 7, 2022
Every December for the past few years, we’ve chosen an article from mainstream media that attempts to predict the next year’s fitness trends. Then, we discuss which one’s actually have a chance of happening, and which are re…
The biggest animal you could take out by yourself?
Dec. 2, 2022
This week’s question came from Avi’s social media. It went a little off the rails, but we had fun with it. You can find Avi on Instagram @avi.lieu. ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One Good Question” ep…
The Liver King & The Public Persona Trap
Nov. 30, 2022
Riffing on the YouTube expose by More Plates More Dates (which can be found here -- and our own view of the industry -- we cover some of the reasons why we never bought “Liver King” Brian Johnson’s “natty” claims in the firs…
Planes, Trains, & Automobiles: The only Thanksgiving movie?
Nov. 23, 2022
We called our own 20-somethings, Sebastian and Avi, in to help us look at the most iconic Thanksgiving movie ever. Steve Martin and John Candy starred 1987’s Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The film was written and directed…
Glute activation warm ups for squat and deadlift? | One Good Question
Nov. 18, 2022
This week’s question from our Discord: SilentKilr asks “How important are glute activation warmups prior to squatting and/or deadlifting?” Do you need them? Is your ass really asleep? ____ Have a question for one…
Why does the holiday season suck?
Nov. 16, 2022
Some people really struggle at this time of year. Why is it so difficult, and what specific things do experts recommend to help make things a little more tolerable? If you’re gripped by depression and experience suicidal…
Tradeoffs when you trade in your 9-5? | One Good Question
Nov. 11, 2022
From 3SB Discord member msoli7: For Jim more so: As someone that pivoted from a traditional career into fitness/gym ownership/content creation what were the tradeoffs? Is there a best time in your life to do it or anythin…
Stan Efferding
Nov. 9, 2022
The Rhino himself, Stan Efferding, joins us to talk about weight training for kids, the simplicity of good diet, and the 10-year anniversary of the Backyard Meet of the Century. Was that meet the “ribbon cutting” on the age …
Converse Weapons, killer wasps, and morning planks on the toilet
Nov. 4, 2022
The audio for this episode is a bit rougher than normal. Check the opening note for explanation. We’re joined by Dean Saddoris and Kyle Castro to discuss…well…stuff. We review a high-top shoe commercial from 1986 and tal…
What little things make your day better? | One Good Question
Nov. 2, 2022
This week only, One Good Question and our main episode are switching places. A deep-ish question from our Discord: Keith Honeycutt asked, “What are some small things that make your day better?” Kyle Castro helped …
Would you rather lose your hearing or your sight? One Good Question
Oct. 28, 2022
A tough one from our Discord: JackFrost asked, “If you had to make a choice, would you rather be deaf or blind?” Avi Lieu and Kyle Castro jumped in on this one as well. You can find Avi on Instagram @avi.lieu and …
Is sumo actually HARDER than conventional?
Oct. 27, 2022
Our own Avi Lieu and Kyle Castro chop it up with us as ponder this and a few more questions. Is Ye smart, mentally ill, or both? Is using Melanotan worth having an orange dick? Does the Liver King have fake abs? Is being hum…
What’s the most important part of planning a business?
Oct. 21, 2022
This week’s question from Discord: Mikexbull asked “As someone who wants to open a gym eventually - what do you think is the most important part of the planning? A lot of people concentrate on all the wrong things. Wh…
What we got wrong
Oct. 19, 2022
We all make decisions based on the information we’re exposed to, the people around us, and what makes sense to us as individuals. In this episode, we discuss beliefs we’ve held during our time as lifters that have proven to …
What movie without a sequel deserves one? | One Good Question.
Oct. 14, 2022
This week’s One Good Question from our Discord crew: Nwojjj asked: “What's a movie/documentary that doesn't have a sequel but you think it should?” Is this a “careful what you wish for” question? Are all the streamers …
Kobe, Coach K, and the Redeem Team (Documentary Review)
Oct. 12, 2022
As the NBA prepares to take the courts for the 2022-23 season, we take a look a new Netflix documentary about the 2008 US Olympic basketball team, Redeem Team. How much do coaches affect winning? How did a team full of N…
Why does anybody drink garbage coffee? | One Good Question
Oct. 7, 2022
This week’s question from our Discord crew: Helios Grime asks, “How do you drink your coffee and why is your way the only correct way?” ____ Have a question for one of our Friday “One Good Question” episodes? Hit us…
Does music make you lift better?
Oct. 5, 2022
This is a bit of a shorter episode, due to Jim’s laryngitis. Does music, maybe even specific music really make you lift better? We talk about what motivates us, and how and when to use external motivators like music, amm…
Steroids: Why not? | One Good Question
Sept. 30, 2022
From our Discord, ArrogantFool asked, “Alan Thrall recently posted a video about why he doesn't do PEDs. What are your why's? Is there anything that would push you closer to doing PEDs?” Avi Lieu, a USAPL pro powerlifter…
Workout just once a week?
Sept. 28, 2022
There’s no dispute that working out once a week is better than not working out at all. But why does the media promote studies claiming that one workout a week is as effective multiple workouts a week? And how come these stor…
If you could only have three pieces of equipment for the rest of your life? | One Good Question
Sept. 23, 2022
Say you could only have a home gym, and that home gym could only have three pieces of gym equipment. What would they be? How would you choose? Your favorite ones? Or the most versatile ones? Avi Lieu, a USAPL pro powerl…
How do you know what you don’t know (but think you know)?
Sept. 21, 2022
For better or for worse, our brains let us believe a lot of things that aren’t true. One good example is the Mandela Effect – misremembering the facts around something in popular culture. We kick things off with a little qui…
Is the gym your church? The barbell your religion? | One Good Question
Sept. 16, 2022
This episode started as a part of our warmup conversation for Wednesday’s episode, and it ended up taking on a life of it’s own. Does organized religion install morality or is it already there? Which social structures actual…
About those new IPF bench press rules…
Sept. 14, 2022
Did anyone think that in 2022 that someone would need to coin the term “bench depth?” The International Powerlifting Federation has imposed new performance rules on the competition bench press. Are they really that big a dea…