Strength sports have many variables that can make or break an individual’s progression, reputation, and enjoyment of their sport. Some people believe that in strength sports it is only the individual who is responsible for the lift. They believe it is all about their mindset and that no one else can aid them in that. Personally,...Read More

I’m going on my belated honeymoon next week with my hubby and I couldn’t be more excited.. I’m so ready that I’ve literally been mentally checked out and in vacation mode all week. It’s all I can think about!!! Next week’s blog will hopefully be all the beach pictures but this week I wanted to...Read More

Whether you’re looking to break a PR or have a minor seizure, Fear Factory is the ideal band for both. Power shifter is one of my favorite songs because it combines the wide vocal musings of Burton Bell with the crisp double bass and chunky guitar riffs that makes industrial metal so freaking awesome. Favorite line...Read More

This is how my Saturday went!   http://www.elitefts.com/training-logs/ctp-cycle-4-2-day-1-loaded-stretches/Read More

Earlier this month we hosted the USS Midsouth Smash Strongman Competition which brought about 25 competitors and about 75 spectators out on a beautiful Saturday morning to lift some heavy things, eat pizza, and have fun.  I always love putting on strongman competitions because they are super fun to watch and the atmosphere is always...Read More

So as mentioned in one of our earlier episodes David started scaring people and it requires a skill. Sometimes no matter how random you are there are certain people who have been made one to many times and the owners wife “Dr. J Bean” is no exception. I tried my best to get her but...Read More

The shoulder is by far the most common extremity I deal with in sports and private practice and is a very prevalent problem in today’s fitness and general population. Most shoulder cases are not tears or dislocations that warrant surgical repair. Rather they are the result of biomechanical or neurological abnormalities in shoulder activation, mechanics,...Read More

This week wrapped up the first 16 week training cycle for our womens powerlifting team.  While we have long had women training at our gym, and a powerlifting team, it wasn’t until the past six months or so that we saw an interest in getting together and training towards something as a team.  This week,...Read More

I recently started coaching the morning conditioning group every week and boy do they get after it. I’ve played around with different workouts with them and experimented on what works for them and what doesn’t. There is a fine line between pushing it hard and causing good change and pushing it so much that it interferes...Read More

Here’s your second dose of Lamb of God playing one of my personal favorites off the album Resolution. This isn’t one of their well known singles but it’s hard and heavy and angry which makes it the perfect song for chalking your hands up, tearing your skin into iron and giving the big thumbs up...Read More

So we had a name change and instead of “Member Mashup” which may be confused with member of the month it will be called the “NBS Mixer”. First interview under the new name I introduce to you “tank”!   https://youtu.be/teqUb_0iqhoRead More

It’s been about a year now that I handed the wheel over to my coach, David Allen and had him start my nutrition programming. In addition to this, I have been training powerlifting for about a year and four months now. When I first started with him, it was a little challenging to make the necessary adjustments that...Read More

Today I wanted to step away from science for a bit and address a topic that some of us at the gym were talking about a few weeks ago: Gym atmosphere. As an athlete, I would consider myself very fortunate. In high school, I trained under a legitimate trainer. He was the main reason I...Read More

This week I want to touch on something that is super special and you won’t find in many gyms. Something that once you are a part of it, you don’t want to give it up. That something is the women we have at NBS. We have the best group of women you could ask for and...Read More

Do you like helping people look good and feel good about themselves? One way you can start helping people look good and feel good is by offering to cut people’s hair and giving them manicures. Oh…wait…never mind…sorry you actually can’t start doing that because it’s illegal. That’s right, it is illegal to to participate in...Read More

Have you ever gotten the pump so good you start seeing veins trying to flex and show off for you? Its a good feeling, it is like you are looking at a “road map” of gains to a particular body part. To me as a strength coach I greatly appreciate progress, it makes me love...Read More

Behavior, Attitude, or Technique (B.A.T.).  Which of these three elements of your life is letting you down and preventing you from reaching your goals?  This is a method that was introduced to me by my brother Shane.  He saw that I wasn’t reaching my goals like I wanted to and he informed me that I...Read More

Lamb of God is known for their aggressive guitar and drums and the vocal growls of Randy Blythe. What they are not known for is softer melodic music with some harmonic singing. Overlord shows the depth of the bands abilities while still keeping their original sound. Plus it’s got one hell of a breakdown about three...Read More

So I got a pretty cool opportunity this past Sunday to go see one of my favorite metal bands of all time, Disturbed! It was really fun to go out with a couple of friends from the gym and get our faces melted off! What I really enjoyed most about this show is that it...Read More

Louis is a former member of NBS member who moved to Texas and started working with me for online programming in December of 2014. Louis trains at a powerlifting and bodybuilding friendly gym and has access to most equipment. We have used many variations of different programs from percentage based to tier to some triphasic work...Read More

As I have continued to grow a beard for the better part of two years I have realized that there are really only 4 questions or comments that I ever hear and are always from the same demographic.  Oddly enough it’s the grown men that have the most to say or ask.  The following are...Read More

In my first article, I want to talk about a couple of reasons why it is important to be on some type of program. Not everyone can get a degree in Exercise Science, spend 10 years working with clients, and building experience but you can work with someone who has done just that. Not everyone...Read More

You know one of the things that makes NBS so great? The members! Each month we like to choose a Member of the Month and let them tell you about what NBS means to them and why they love it so much. For the month of April, I give you Tracy Curry! Here is what...Read More

So my Basketball Athlete has been making a ton of progress is bench press and deadlift, his squat is lacking and we are addressing these issues right now. I currently having him follow a “Tier System” style template to allow him to learn and be more comfortable with all the compound movements we like to...Read More

Ok so we have covered that strength coaches can sleep anywhere, this suggest’s that we are often tired, which is not necessarily a false statement but we have good reason to be. Usually we can blame being up early in the morning for clients / groups, going Hard As a Mother (HAM) during training, and...Read More

As one of the blog series I want to begin, I will be opening up a Q&A for the services I provide and the thoughts and reasoning behind them. To begin we will start off with some of the most common questions I am asked. I hope to spark conversation and look forward to answering each...Read More

http://www.elitefts.com/training-logs/ctp-training-cycle-2-day-4-2/Read More

Dropping a member mashup on Matt during warmups for his training session! Please say hello to Matt Fike: https://youtu.be/oyBbJGZWF8YRead More

This line in the song made me think about doing 2 hours of cardio getting ready for the bodybuilding competition: Through the suffering we fight, no end in sight Until we see the light, no end in sight Killswitch puts out some killer tunes and this one is no exception. I personally like the mix between...Read More

So April 30th is one of about 6 big days on the calendar for NBS fitness. If you have been keeping up to date with what the facility has going on you are aware we jus hosted our first strongman meet for the year that went off with a bang. That meet is shortly trailed by...Read More

     By most standards, 2015 was a losing year for me: I bombed out of a powerlifting meet for the first time in April.  I re-focused and set my sights on Strongman Nationals.  Despite months of preparation, I walked out with a disappointing third place.  I immediately switched gears and spent 15 weeks meticulously...Read More

Ok so as this video states, I have been asked a lot recently to handle lifters and wrap knees lately. Apparently a select few coaches and members have acquired a reputation for wrapping knees well, unfortunately, these people are either running the meet or already have committed to wrapping several competitors. I made this video...Read More

So I kicked off this new installment of, member mashup, with this brave teammate who decided to stat training with me. I dropped the interview on him directly after our last set (which was brutal). I introduce to you, Aaron Fleming:   https://youtu.be/9zeJa9omjLkRead More

So here we are at about 3 and a half to four weeks out from our King of Spring powerlifting competition here at NBS. It’s that special time where everyone is slipping into something a little more comfortable, like singlets and the dreaded knee wraps. It’s this time of the training cycle that really captured me...Read More

http://www.elitefts.com/training-logs/ctp-training-cycle-2-day-2-intro-to-occlusions-f-that/        Read More

So we currently have a member of the month that goes on, but many of you may not realize we are past 250 members. This mashup will be me randomly dropping in on members and doing an on the spot interview asking a few questions allowing others to get to know the rest of the...Read More

I’m sure every 16-25 year old meathead on the planet just read that title and immediately rolled their eyes and called me the “P” word. I admit, my 18 year old self would probably think the same thing. Luckily I’m not 18 anymore and since that time I’ve gained some perspective through being around older lifters,...Read More

A little over a year ago I decided I wanted to commit to doing my first Figure show. I decided on the Memphis Dexter Classic in October and worked with my nutrition coach, David, almost the whole year to get ready for it. I began to train more like a bodybuilder, diet harder, take posing...Read More

There is A common theme / story among most strength coaches if you ask them about their development period getting to where they are today. In the strength and conditioning world that story is grinding with little pay (if any during an internship) and working some messed up hours. There is an amazing special ability...Read More

In my second installment of metal song of week I bring you Reign Supreme by Walls of Jericho. Any band that has a tatted up female lead singer and makes music videos with her working out is badass in my book. What better work out motivation music than a music video with deadlifts, tire flips,...Read More

Are you a beginner? I bet you don’t think you are but you are. See, being a beginner has nothing to do with how long you’ve been training and I’d even argue that it doesn’t have as much to do with your abilities and performance either. Instead I believe it has everything to do with...Read More