This week my actual dream came true. That's right.
It's not perfect or as imagined. Realized dream's never are. But it is real, and it's mine, and in my hands now, it means far more than I ever dreamed it could.
I hope my story gives you a few ideas for your own. Enjoy the show.
Cheers,
Chris

About my dream come true

Julien doesn't need much of an introduction. 
Just let him start talking and I guarantee, you'll be hooked. You'll quickly get why I like hanging out with this guy so much. And of course, why I've turned my training over to him. 
It feels very good to be a student again. Thanks, Julien. 
Chris

Chat with Top Strength Coach, Julien Pineau - Episode #100

Time for Saturday night Sangha. I’d like to teach and share a bit, if that’s alright with you. 
This time around…
1.“What the hell is #BarbellShrugged up to?” I will tell you clearly, but you must listen! We’ve got cool shit cooking, but you’ve only seen a small bit. 
2.I’ve lost something like 40 pounds since coming to Cali. I’ll share what I did, or do, every morning to trigger that. 
3.“Chris, what would you tell your childhood self now?” Great question, I’ll answer it! 
4.“What book should you read to transform your life?” …Well, let me teach again about looking too closely at pointing fingers. 
I hope you enjoy the show.
Cheers, :)Chris

Under Pressure

I wanted to take a moment and share my 2016 resolutions. I think you'll dig it. 
Happy Holidays, friend. 
Chris

Time for Resolution

Down the Rabbit Hole with Mike Bledsoe

What habits increase your chances of success the most? There's training, great conversation, and reading is great. But also, there's the power of writing.  
This episode is all about the written word, and how you can harness it for greater effect.  
Enjoy :)
Chris

Gratuity included

I attended a Tony Robbins event two months or so ago. Yes, it's true. And tonight I finally have something to say about it. 
Also, I've had two cups of coffee and one very strong margarita. So, I'm certain not to bore you. :) 
Cheers,
Chris

Tony Robbins Mind Bang/Picking up on pattern

This week let's talk about the frustrations of not getting the effect you want from your training - and from your life - and what to do about that. 
I hope you enjoy the show,
Cheers, 
Chris

Undivided Intention

Morning ritual, the rememdy to self-doubt, and a quick football story to make you laugh. I hope you enjoy the show :)
Chris

Back to the Garden

The key to reaching your full potential is great coaching.
On this episode of Get Change, we'll chat about the real power of coaching, how you can find mentorship in absolutely everything you read and do, and why it's YOUR responsibility to maximize the number of intereactions you have with impactful minds.
I hope you dig the show,
Chris 
 
 

Everyday mentor

Big strength from small moves

The vodka and grapefruit is poured. Let's do this.
Chris

Coming full circle

It's been a while since the last episode of Get Change. What can I say, it’s been a wild spring. I’ve only now felt the urge to ramble on a bit.
In between episodes, my family and I have managed to complete a wild cross-country move from our hometown in Memphis, Tennessee to Encinitas, California, the brand new HQ of Barbell Shrugged. I think you’ll get a kick out of the story.
After catching up, I thought we’d talk a bit about inspiration, creativity, and how to make shit that you’re proud of. That’s all anyone is after, right? My story is pretty cliche at this point. I’ve come out to California for the same reason any writer/loud-mouth would - To find a big spark, a new muse, and a shot at changing the world in some tiny Chris-shaped way. That wasn’t going to happen by swimming around in the same comfortable, small ponds, feeling the same feelings, thinking and expressing the same perspective.
As Tolstoy wrote, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.” If you want to say something new, start by finding brand new ways to think and feel. Go out and gather new experiences from within some new, more spacious lake. Build new routines and daily rhythms. And instead hurrying yourself, why not focus on doing just one small, cool, obviously good thing today instead?
There's all that and more on this week's show. We'll chat again next week. Until then, if you have questions or comments, just leave them in the thread below. I'd love to hear what you have to say.
Cheers,
Chris

Off on the good foot

This is the story of how the greatest episode of Barbell Shrugged ever ALMOST happened. 
No, seriously, we were 5-minutes and 10-feet from bringing you an exclusive interview with the Governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenneger...Like, for real. That almost happened, and as surreal as the event was, the lessons we took from the experience are priceless. That's what this story is about.
I hope you dig the show. 
Chris
P.S. I have a brand new plan to get Arnold on Barbell Shrugged this year. This one's even better than before, because it might just buy us an extended interview on his home turf. Do you hear that, Governor, Sir? Make it easy on yourself and just come on the show already.
We don't ever give up, so it's only a matter of time. Let's get this out of the way now. It will be fun, I promise you. 
If it helps at all, I can bring plenty of beer and legit pretzels. I know how important it is to serve a proper pretzel. 
Mach's gut, 

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Staredown

This week I thought I would do something different. 
It's storytime again, but this week I'm reading an easter egg from my book, Get Change. It's actually the very first story I ever wrote for the blog...The Debauchery Diary. I hope you dig it.
I recommed a few red grapefruit margaritas with this, it only makes the show that much better. 
Cheers,
Chris

The Debauchery Diary

This week on Get Change we start with the best thing you can do – Learning to knock over the big dominos.
Tim Ferriss discussed this idea on episode 162 of Barbell Shrugged. If you want to maximize your effectiveness in the gym, your career, in life, then you have to get better and better at doing the right things.
You don’t need to be perfect, not even close. So that’s a relief. Actually, you don’t need to be anything at all…other than yourself. The only trick is learning where to focus your limited efforts.
Don’t work harder and harder for incremental reward, that’s not sustainable. The immediate payoff is OK, but that kind of thinking will only limit your ability to grow and prosper down the road. We’re not after OK, are we?
The much wiser effort is to focus everything on knocking over the most important domino first – your highest value opportunity. Avoid the trappings of immediate reward and gratification. Don’t over think the plan, you don’t have to have everything figured out up front.
Maybe just remind yourself…
Don’t do as you’re told, your lifespan is far too short for such shenanigans. And do not get distracted by the intentions and plans of other people. Instead, focus 100% on what’s best for you, the actions you just MUST take. That’s more than enough to point you in the right direction.

The very best thing you could do

This week on Get Change we talk training. Specifically, I want to help you get as strong as possible. So, I thought I would share how I approach strength work. 
First, you need to understand that tension is very important. When we manipulate sets, reps, load, all that, what we’re really doing is adjusting the dose of tension. We increase the load to raise the tension, and we add reps or sets or sessions so that we can extend the amount of time we spend under tension.
This is a great way to get strong, but it’s not the only way. When you a struggling to make progress in the gym, try adjusting tension in other ways. Try simple moving the barbell faster, for example. Make the movement much harder by just increasing the range of motion, or you can add a pause to the lift to increase the time under load. 
These are effective strategies. But still, it’s not the only thing that matters in the gym. You can also get much stronger simply by spending some time on smaller accessory exercises. Pistols, rows, presses, sled dragging, you name it. These movements are not as important as squats and snatches, but they are great for building work capacity, identifying and correcting weaknesses, and maintaining balance in programming. 

Max strength for the common man

This week on Get Change we have a special show for you. 
 
The Barbell Shrugged team just finished their first Spartan Race in Temecula, California. On this episode, Chris, Mike and Doug share their race day experience, which you’re sure to enjoy. Plus, we are joined by professional Spartan Racer, Isaiah Vidal, who was kind enough to run with us and share some coaching tips. 
 
Trust me, you don’t want to miss his story. It’s incredible. 
 
Here’s all you need to know about these races - If you’ve ever thought about doing an obstacle course event, you really should. Yes, it’s a very hard thing to do. There’s no point in denying it. Your limbs will largely be reduced to sore hamburger meat. Of course you’ll be relieved when it’s all over. However, we can guarantee that you’ll be smiling when you cross that finish line. 
 
Once you’ve finished a race like this you know that you’re capable of much more. Just prove it to yourself and see. This is an experience that could change your life for the better. 
 
I know we’re all better off for having done it. 

Spartan Race afterparty with the Barbell Shrugged crew

This week I tell a story about a high school experiment in strongman training, and why that made a huge impact on the rest of my training and coaching career. I think you'll dig it. 
Also, some of your training questions answered...

The best way to learn the basics of human physiology and nutrition.
Thoughts on strongman training methods.
How to train for strength if you work crazy shifts. Firemen and police officers can relate. 
How do you know when you're ready for more advanced programming?
My best advice for aspiring writers.
My favorite squat program.
How to gain weight for weightlifting 
How can you isolate and strengthen the thoracic spine?
If I could go back, how I would train different and why.
What to do if your lower back get's super pumped and uncomfortable during training, etc. 

I hope you enjoy the show. Cheers!
Chris

Tequila fueled stories of strength

How are your resoutions going so far? ...I hope well. 
Maybe you're kicking ass, or maybe you're freaking out. In any case, it's super helpful to keep the limits of your own vision in mind. 
Everyone faces a long series of challenges in life - your career, the gym, your relationships or otherwise. That's most all there is, so, it's critically important for you to get better and better at facing challenges. Be composed. Be confident as fuck! Before you start, believe that the thing is possible. 
Attitude is everything, afterall. 
Ultimately you have to find a solution that make sense and works for you. Do not copy what others do. Do not lose sight of the daily rhythym of chopping wood and carrying water, that's how the work of progress get's done. And most importantly, load your edges hard!
If you are not willing to invision and fight hard for the progress you want then you will never have it. 
Keep going. 

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