3D Muscle Journey

#299: How to Fast-Track Fat Loss

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, Brian, and Brad share their opinions on and the times and places for aggressive fat-loss phases. If someone has a lot of fat to lose, can they b...

#298: What Does “Evidence-Based” Even Mean?

25 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Alberto, Jeff, and Brian discuss different types of evidence, where to get them, how to use them, and the problem with relying too much on one t...

#297: Verbal and Mental Cues for Lifting

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Brad, Brian, and Jeff discuss their all-time favorite lifting cues, how and why they prioritize getting a good stimulus over beating the logb...

#296: How Much Consistency Is Required for Progress?

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, Brian, Alberto, and Brad discuss the underrated and underleveraged role of consistency in the achievement of one’s strength and physique goals...

#295: Why Do You Stay Natural?

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Jeff, and Brian share why they have chosen to stay natural, why they are glad they have, and give advice to younger lifters who are consideri...

#294: The Biggest Mistakes Among Intermediate Bodybuilders

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, Alberto, Brian, and Brad share their wisdom, experiences, traps they’ve fallen for, and common present-day obstacles to help you get the most ...

#293: When to Bulk, Cut, or Maintain

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Jeff, Brad, and Brian go through a variety of scenarios discussing what they recommend doing in each one. How beneficial are aggressive bulks...

#292: Competition Day Coaching

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Jeff, and Brad discuss what to do the night before and day of your bodybuilding competition to help ensure you look and feel your best onstage....

#291: Optimizing Your Off-Season

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Jeff, Alberto, and Brad discuss how to set up your off-season plan so that you can have the most productive off-season possible. Is it normal t...

#290: Q&A Session 29

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Brad, and Brian answer audience-supplied questions about using straps vs. a mixed grip, starting a diet more aggressively vs. more conservati...

#289: How to Beat Cravings, Hunger, and Lethargy

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Jeff, Alberto, and Brian discuss how to successfully manage your appetite during prep, strategies to lower hunger, how to prevent binges, and wh...

#288: Bodybuilding With a Social Life

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The happier you are, the better off your bodybuilding is going to be. Brian, Brad, Jeff, and Alberto discuss how to balance bodybuilding with the rest...

#287: Intuitively Tracking Your Training

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Brian, Brad, and Jeff discuss why it’s important to track your training, who should track their training, and what details to track based o...

#286: The Ideal Pace for Fat Loss

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Alberto, Jeff, and Brad discuss how fast someone should be losing weight based on their goals. Why is it important to pay attention to how you ...

#285: The True Cost of Contest Prep

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Jeff, Brad, and Brian discuss all the costs (financial, time, health, etc.) to consider when planning a contest prep. What are the financial ...

#284: How To Build Your Back

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Brad, and Alberto discuss programming and exercise technique strategies to make your back training more effective. Why does training your back r...

#283: Is Your Obsession With Clean Eating Holding You Back?

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Steve, and Brian discuss what orthorexic behaviors can look like in bodybuilders and how these behaviors can lead to suboptimal progress and ...

#282: The Importance Of Mind Muscle Connection

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Jeff, and Brian discuss the intersection between effort, mind muscle connection, and biomechanics to give you more flexibility in your technique...

#281: You Need Better Progress Pics

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Alberto, and Brad discuss the importance of progress pictures, how to take them, how often to take them, and explain the difference between soc...

#280: Q&A Session 28

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brian and Jeff answer audience-supplied questions about recovery, refeeds, periodization, food focus, exercise selection, posing, and more. Is it okay...

#279: Post Competition Assessments

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Alberto, and Jeff discuss how they review an athlete’s season with the athlete to help them process their emotions, see their achievements, de...

#278: The Art Of Fatigue Management

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Jeff, and Brian discuss the unavoidable side effect of generating fatigue, the current fear of doing too much that is causing some athletes to m...

#277: Stretching For Hypertrophy & Performance

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The big question…Is long-duration static stretching redundant if someone is already resistance training or does it provide complementary effects? Ni...

#276: How To Travel & Keep Your Gains

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, Alberto, and Brian share how they eat and train when traveling, both during prep and in the offseason. The coaches also go over the importance o...

#275: Why You Should Gamify Your Gains

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Alberto, and Brad discuss the benefits of making your training fun and a bunch of different things they do to keep themselves and their athlete...

#274: Gut Health & Fat Loss

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eric and Steve discuss how our food choices affect our weight, digestive system, and how we feel. They also go through dietary changes you can make to...

#273: Are You Progressing?

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Eric, and Jeff discuss how to know if you are progressing at a good rate for your genetics and where you are at in your lifting career, what ...

#272: Tackling The Mental Isolation of Bodybuilding

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Jeff, and Brian talk about times they felt and still feel isolated and misunderstood during their bodybuilding journeys. Along with sharing stor...

#271: How We Train Arms & Delts

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Nick, and Brad discuss how to grow your arms and delts while keeping your joints pain-free and healthy. How have the coaches’ views changed w...

#270: Q&A Session 27

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea, Brian, and Alberto host an audience-supplied Q&A session. Topics range from programming, to lifting equipment, dietary strategies when try...

#269: Train & Diet For Your Competitive Division

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brian and Alberto share their thoughts on and benefits of the newer divisions that have come into the sport of bodybuilding in recent years. The coach...

#268: Rest Periods, Rest Days, and Double Days

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Eric, and Jeff discuss different strategies you can use to help you find the sweet spot between time efficiency and stimulus efficiency for your...

#267: Cardio Programming For Physique Sport

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Jeff, and Brian discuss when, how, and why they program cardio for themselves and their athletes. How do the coaches view and prescribe cardio d...

#266: How Much Does Genetics Matter?

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad and Jeff discuss the physical and mental characteristics of a successful bodybuilder, how to maximize *your* potential, and the amazing things th...

#265: How & When To Adjust Your Diet

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Steve, and Alberto discuss when and what criteria need to be met to make a dietary adjustment. When do the coaches adjust an athlete/client’s...

#264: The Best Male Bodybuilder Of All Time?

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Brian, and Eric have a spirited debate about who they each think are the top 5 natural male bodybuilders of all time. The coaches talk about ...

#263: Why Is Gaining So Hard?

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Jeff, and Nick discuss the struggles with gaining weight in the offseason, finding your ideal rate of gain, identifying what your current rat...

#262: Is Powerbuilding A Compromise?

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Brad, and Brian discuss methods dual athletes can use to maximize their competitiveness in both bodybuilding and powerlifting. These same method...

#261: How To Act Right During Prep

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad and Alberto go into detail about what to expect when prepping for a bodybuilding competition, the importance of having people you trust to give y...

#260: Q&A Session 26

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea, Brad, and Brian host an audience-supplied Q and A session covering a wide range of interesting topics. Deep in prep, do the coaches ever have ...

#259: How Our Hypertrophy Programming Has Changed

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Jeff, and Alberto discuss how they program their own and their athletes’ training differently than they used to. The coaches talk about how to...

#258: Dads Who Lift

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nick, Jeff, Brian, and Alberto discuss how to manage your athletic and lifting goals while still being present for your children and partner. The guys...

#257: You Could Be Tracking The Wrong Nutrition Data

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Steve, and Brad have a unique conversation about tracking and bringing mindfulness to a behavior. The coaches discuss the distinction between tr...

#256: Is Using RPE Worth It?

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, Brian, and Brad discuss training to failure, RPE-based programming, and percentage-based programming. What is RPE and RIR? Should you use RPE-ba...

#255: How To Leg Day

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nick, Alberto, and Brad discuss the necessity (or lack of) of specific exercises for maximizing the development of your lower body. Are there fundamen...

#254: Is Your Body Fat Set Point Holding You Back?

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brian and Eric address many common questions and misunderstandings around body fat set points. Is it possible to change your set point? Are your genet...

#253: Is Bodybuilding An Eating Disorder?

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda, Alberto, and Eric discuss disordered eating, eating disorders, body-image concerns, and how they relate to both competitive physique athletes ...

#252: The Big Volume Debate

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Jeff, and Brian discuss what the ultimate goal of a person’s training should be if their primary goal is muscular hypertrophy. The coaches tal...

#251: Modern Powerlifting Nutrition

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Alberto, and Brad discuss the things they feel every powerlifter who wants to be successful needs to understand. The coaches talk about how bene...

#250: Q&A Session 25

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea, Brian, and Jeff conduct an audience-supplied Q and A session. Topics include maximizing muscle growth, how to track volume, what you can do if...

#249: The Hidden Risks of Supplements

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this eye-opening episode, Eric and Steve do a deep dive on the risks of testing new supplements, how you can help ensure the supplements you take a...

#248: The Extreme Side Effects of Contest Prep

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Alberto, and Jeff discuss the weird and sometimes scary things that happen when we push our bodies to the extreme. The coaches share crazy thing...

#247: Why Do I Keep Cheating On My Plan?

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Jeff, and Brad discuss how to be compliant with your plan so you can achieve your goals. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction1:53- How to navigate ...

#246: What You Actually Need From Bodybuilding

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Alberto discuss how they’ve helped and pushed each other, how they go about their bodybuilding differently, and how to get the most out of ...

#245: 3 Pro Bodybuilders: 1 Year Out

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Brad, and Alberto discuss why getting yourself in a good position to prep is so important, what a good starting position looks like, and what t...

#244: Your Default Diet

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Eric, and Alberto discuss how as a bodybuilder becomes more ingrained in the bodybuilding lifestyle, the structure of their contest preps and th...

#243: All About Range Of Motion

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Brian, and Nick have an in-depth discussion about purposefully altering range of motion to get bigger, stronger, and rehab an injury. Timestamp...

#242: Improving As An Advanced Athlete

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Eric discuss what they have had to do to continue to improve their physiques as advanced athletes. The coaches also share strategies other ad...

#241: What’s Our Coaching Style?

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Alberto discuss common and unique scenarios they see when working with athletes. The coaches talk about how they work with athletes as well a...

#240: Q&A Session 24

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea, Brian, and Eric conduct an audience-supplied Q and A session. Question topics range from supplementation, to bulking, exercise technique, diet...

#239: How To Build Your Meal Plan

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, Alberto, and Steve discuss the benefits of having a plan, how they put together their weekly eating plans, how they help their athletes/clients ...

#238: Cutting Weight For Powerlifting

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Brian, and Eric discuss who should and shouldn't cut weight for a meet, how to plan out your fat-loss phase if you need to run one, and stra...

#237: What Competitors Can Learn From Non-Competitors

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Jeff, and Alberto discuss the things competitive bodybuilders and recreational bodybuilders can learn from each other. Timestamps 0:00- Introd...

#236: Post Contest Blues

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Brad, and Amanda go over what post-contest blues are, why they happen, and what you can do about them. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction1:41- When...

#235: Do This Before You Prep

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Brad, and Brian discuss the things they think an athlete needs to know and have done before they do their first prep. Timestamps 0:00- What ...

#234: When Is Your Bodybuilding Career Over?

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Jeff, and Alberto discuss the end of one's competitive bodybuilding career, why someone might choose to continue competing after their peak...

#233: Is Inefficient Training Holding You Back?

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Jeff, and Nick discuss the benefits of making your training more efficient and how to do so. Timestamps 0:00- The coaches’ thoughts on effici...

#232: Powerlifting: Beyond The Big 3

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Brian, and Alberto have the most thorough discussion on the principle of specificity and how it applies to powerlifting that has ever happened o...

#231: Keeping Your Cool On Show Day

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, Brad, and Alberto discuss everything you need to do and think about the day before and day of your show. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction1:59- Sh...

#230: Q&A Session 23

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea, Brian, and Alberto host an audience-supplied Q and A session. Topics discussed include training, soreness, hypertrophy, cutting, bulking, prog...

#229: What To Do When You “Mess Up” Your Diet

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Steve, and Eric talk about what causes overeating, how you can help prevent it, and what to do when it happens. Timestamps 0:00- Introductio...

#228: Becoming A Self-Aware Competitor

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda, Brian, and Brad discuss the anxieties and stresses that go along with competing. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction11:45- Looping18:58- What to ...

#227: Should You Train At Long Muscle Lengths?

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Nick, and Eric discuss the current hot topic of choosing exercises that challenge your muscles in their most-lengthened positions. Timestamps...

#226: When To Suck It Up

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes you have to go there and sometimes it's smart not to. How do you know when to do what? That's what Jeff and Brad are here to discuss...

#225: Revisiting Rep Ranges

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brian and Eric have an in-depth discussion about rep ranges. They discuss what the research says, the importance of variety, and how they recommend ch...

#224: How To Avoid Coaching Plateaus

23 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto, Jeff, and Brad discuss how they have evolved as coaches. What they do differently than they used to, what they've let go of, and what the...

#223: What Matters More Than Macros?

09 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve, Eric, and Brian discuss the benefits of not having specific carbohydrate and fat targets, as well as components of your diet that are important...

#222: How To Run A Surplus

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Alberto, and Brian discuss the role of nutrition in building muscle. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction1:10- Which is more important for muscular h...

#221: Adjusting Training As You Advance

12 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nick, Brad, and Jeff discuss modifying your training to fit your life as it changes, as you age, and as you acquire more responsibilities. Timestamps ...

#220: Q&A Session 22

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea, Brian, and Eric conduct an audience-supplied Q&A session. 15 questions spanning everything from programming, to cutting, hydration, low-in...

#219: Are You Training Too Much?

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Brad, and Alberto discuss how they have adjusted their volume throughout their lifting careers and the benefits of lower-volume programs. About...

#218: Take the Plunge and Prep

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda, Brad, and Alberto discuss the benefits of competing and why sometimes you just have to go for it, even if you don't feel ready. How would some...

#217: 3DMJ Origins: Brian Minor

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode is all about 3DMJ's newest coach, Brian Minor. How did Brian get into lifting? How did he get into competitive bodybuilding? How did B...

#216: How To Eat Out

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Steve, Alberto, and Jeff discuss why they recommend *not* cutting out food from restaurants and other sources of food you didn't prepare from your die...

#215: Are Diet Breaks Worth It?

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Jeff, and Eric discuss the benefits of diet breaks, what the research says about diet breaks, and why they like to include them in their preps ...

#214: An Honest Examination of Genetics

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nick, Jeff, and Alberto discuss the role of genetics in recovery, fat loss, muscle growth, perseverance, and more. When did it first become obvious to...

#213: How I Wish I Would Have Started

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Alberto, and Jeff discuss what they did well and what they wish they'd done differently when they first got into bodybuilding. The coaches talk...

#212: Overcoming Information Overload

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Jeff, and Amanda discuss how to navigate the overwhelming amount of health and fitness related content floating around social media and on the i...

#211: Recalibration Throughout Your Athletic Career

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brian, Brad, Nick, and Steve go through a series of checkpoints and scenarios that help you reevaluate your current plan and practices, so you can mak...

#210: Q&A Session 21

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Jeff, and Steve conduct an audience-supplied Q&A session. Topics covered include: programming, building a home gym, setting up refeeds, mindsets...

#209: Overcoming Burnout and Motivation Plateaus

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Alberto, and 3D Muscle Journey's new coach, Brian Minor, discuss training burnout and what you can do during these times to help you enjoy lifti...

#208: Fat Storage, Fat Manipulation, Fat Holding Patterns

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, Steve, and Alberto discuss how people store fat in different places, how this affects the look they can sustain long-term, and what you can do i...

#207: Periodization for Hypertrophy

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nick and Eric discuss what the research says about periodization for hypertrophy, why it's misleading, and whether or not someone whose sole goal is m...

#206: Advanced Training Techniques

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Nick, and Alberto discuss super sets, drop sets, antagonist paired sets, blood flow restriction training, myo-reps, partial reps, and a lot more...

#205: Planning Predictable Peak Weeks

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Alberto, and Eric discuss how they set up athletes' peak-week protocols. The coaches talk about which variables they manipulate, how they test v...

#204: All About Nutrient Timing

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, Eric, and Jeff have an in-depth discussion about if and how the way we eat throughout the day affects fat loss, muscle growth, and lean body mas...

#203: The Unexpected Ways Bodybuilding Makes You Stronger

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alberto and Amanda have an intimate conversation about how bodybuilding has positively impacted their lives outside of their health and the way they l...

#202: Developing Your Deload Strategy

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, Brad, and Alberto have an in-depth conversation about deloading. They discuss the benefits of deloading and go through different ways you can se...

#201: Should You Take It To Failure?

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eric, Jeff, and Alberto discuss the research on as well as their experiences with training to failure. How is training to failure defined and studied ...

#200: Q&A Session 20

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea, Brad, and Eric conduct an audience-supplied Q&A session. Topics include: programming, competing, stress eating, training after menopause, velo...