Max has spent the better part of 20 years in the sports of Weightlifting and Powerlifting. He draws his training methodology and knowledge from the many great coaches whom he has personally worked with including; Steve Gough (USA), Ivan Abadjiev (BUL), Boris Sheiko (RUS). A severe wrist injury ended Max’s weightlifting career but he has since gone on to an impressive powerlifting career including a 335kg/738# squat at 100kg/220# bodyweight. In today’s episode you will learn in the trenches training and coaching advice from a twenty year vet, why Max’s coaching philosophy is “do it perfectly or do whatever it takes” and the importance of planning your training around a phasic structure.

In a fitness industry that is overflowing with charlatans, one size fits all diet plans, and social media "fitness gurus", Jason Phillips stands apart by virtue of his commitment to personal service, accountability to his clients and truly individualized coaching. He's a true Hero in every sense of the word. He assimilated and innovated his approach to coaching and business through his mentor and personal friend Gary Vaynerchuk (yes - THAT Gary V). Jason's approach to coaching is in stark contrast to what we're seeing across the fitness industry today. While most coaches are seeking ways to automate their business in order to lead the kick-back lifestyle and sip Margaritas on the beach, Jason is grinding out 30 coaching calls a day (including weekends) and is constantly barraged by text messages, requests and social media notifications from his clients. But, despite what some business experts claim is nearly impossible in today's day and age, Jason's business is thriving in the one on one coaching model. As he says in today's interview, "I work with a very high volume of clients, but if you ask any of them they'll tell you that they feel like they're my only client, and that's something I pride myself on." On top of working with hundreds of clients, Jason is the co-owner of Driven Performance Labs, a nutritional consulting and supplement company. He's worked with numerous Regional and Games competitors over the course of his career, most notably of which is Travis Mayer who is headed to Carson for his 3rd trip to the Games.

Have you ever wanted to learn the principles of effective periodization? Imagine if you could, with a few simple keystrokes on your laptop, create the ultimate program for your athletes regardless of their goals or current ability level. The truth is, that with all the resources available to you today, periodization can be an overwhelming subject to learn. How many sets and reps for hypertrophy? What about pure strength? How do I work in speed development? When does agility come into play? How do things change if my athletes are in-season? You do not need to read the Russian literature on periodization in order to understand and reap the benefits of proper program design. In fact, once you understand a couple key principles, you'll be on the fast track to writing world class training programs, and that's exactly what we're talking about today.