Beast over Burden powered by Barbell Logic

Training Through Back Pain: How to Keep Going Without Forcing It

Training through back pain does not mean forcing your old numbers or pretending nothing hurts. In this Beast Over Burden episode, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson discuss Niki's long process of training through and around back pain. Niki shares how her mindset shifted from trying to get back to heavy barbell lifting as fast as possible to focusing on training consistently, building muscle, and finding movements that felt productive. That shift changed everything. Instead of measuring progress only by old PRs, Niki learned to use more exercises, modify movements, manage recovery, and train hard without constantly aggravating her back. Niki and Andrew also talk about the role of machines, belt squats, leg presses, controlled training, recovery, travel, jiu-jitsu, and patience during a long injury process. This episode is a realistic conversation about pain, progress, training identity, and learning how to keep going when your body does not cooperate the way you want. PS - IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TAKING ONLINE COACHING FOR A TEST RUN, CHECK IT OUT HERE. [https://barbell-logic.com/experience] Connect with the hosts * Niki on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/niki.in.the.gym/] * Andrew on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andrewbarbender/?hl=en] Connect with the show * Barbell Logic on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/barbell_logic/] * Podcast Webpage [https://barbell-logic.com/podcast/] * Barbell Logic on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/barbelllogiccoaching] * Or email podcast@barbell-logic.com [podcast@barbell-logic.com]

Strength Training After 40: Hunting, Family & Getting Stronger with Beau Baggett

Strength training after 40 should help you do more than lift weights in the gym. It should help you stay capable, active, and strong for the life you actually want to live. Beau Baggett joins Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson to talk about building strength for backcountry hunting, family life, and long-term health. After years of running marathons and focusing on endurance, Beau realized he had the cardiovascular fitness to move through the mountains but not the strength to pack out heavy loads during hunting trips. That realization led him to Barbell Logic, where his training evolved from linear progression into a more goal-driven, conjugate-style approach. Beau explains how rotating heavy singles, specialty lifts, single-leg work, reverse hypers, belt squats, and smart accessory work have helped him keep training hard while managing recovery in his 40s. The conversation also covers early morning training, parenting young kids, protecting sleep, building a home gym, training for annual hunts, and why consistency matters more than intensity. Beau shares how his father's continued activity into his 70s inspires him to train for the long haul and how he hopes to pass that same active lifestyle on to his own kids. Strength training after 40 is not about slowing down. It is about training with purpose, adapting intelligently, and building strength you can actually use. PS - IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TAKING ONLINE COACHING FOR A TEST RUN, CHECK IT OUT HERE. [https://barbell-logic.com/experience] Connect with the hosts * Niki on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/niki.in.the.gym/] * Andrew on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andrewbarbender/?hl=en] Connect with the show * Barbell Logic on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/barbell_logic/] * Podcast Webpage [https://barbell-logic.com/podcast/] * Barbell Logic on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/barbelllogiccoaching] * Or email podcast@barbell-logic.com [podcast@barbell-logic.com]

Strength Training After a Stroke: Melissa's Story

Melissa McGregor's strength training journey began years after suffering a stroke while 10 weeks pregnant. In this Beast Over Burden episode, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson are joined by Barbell Logic coach Joel Rasmussen and client Melissa McGregor to talk about stroke recovery, adaptive strength training, coaching, and rebuilding physical confidence. Melissa shares what it was like to regain the ability to move, lift, cycle, ski, and do the physical things that mattered to her and her family. Joel explains how he coached her through proprioception challenges, drop foot, balance issues, neurological fatigue, modified lifts, pain signals, and the long process of rebuilding movement. They also discuss the importance of trust between coach and client, why pain does not always mean something is broken, and how consistent training can help people keep moving forward after serious injury or neurological setbacks. This is a powerful conversation about strength, recovery, family, resilience, and refusing to give up on your body. PS - IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TAKING ONLINE COACHING FOR A TEST RUN, CHECK IT OUT HERE. [https://barbell-logic.com/experience] Connect with the hosts * Niki on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/niki.in.the.gym/] * Andrew on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andrewbarbender/?hl=en] Connect with the show * Barbell Logic on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/barbell_logic/] * Podcast Webpage [https://barbell-logic.com/podcast/] * Barbell Logic on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/barbelllogiccoaching] * Or email podcast@barbell-logic.com [podcast@barbell-logic.com]

Powerlifting After a Heart Attack: Michael Gaudet's World Championship Comeback

Michael Gaudet joins Beast Over Burden to share his remarkable story of powerlifting after a heart attack, living with type 1 diabetes for 50 years, and becoming a world champion at 62. Michael has lived many athletic lives: wrestler, competitive cyclist, sports car racer, mountaineering instructor, and competitive powerlifter. After surviving a 100% LAD "widowmaker" blockage in 2023, he returned to heavy training, competed at World Cup Masters, earned a spot on the U.S. team, and won a world championship in Seoul. Niki, Andrew, and Michael discuss strength training after 60, training with type 1 diabetes, rebuilding after a heart attack, the value of coaching, why consistency matters more than complexity, and how strength supports a life full of adventure. PS - IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TAKING ONLINE COACHING FOR A TEST RUN, CHECK IT OUT HERE. [https://barbell-logic.com/experience] Connect with the hosts * Niki on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/niki.in.the.gym/] * Andrew on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andrewbarbender/?hl=en] Connect with the show * Barbell Logic on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/barbell_logic/] * Podcast Webpage [https://barbell-logic.com/podcast/] * Barbell Logic on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/barbelllogiccoaching] * Or email podcast@barbell-logic.com [podcast@barbell-logic.com]

How to Build Physical Freedom Through Strength Training

Physical freedom does not come from constantly starting over. In this Beast Over Burden episode, Niki Sims and Andrew Jackson discuss what it really takes to build physical freedom through strength training. They explain why freedom in training is not just doing whatever you want in the gym. It comes from building muscle, developing skill, gaining training experience, and learning how to adjust when life gets messy. Niki and Andrew talk about why the first 18–24 months of structured strength training are so important. During that time, lifters build muscle, learn the basic lifts, create sustainable routines, work through setbacks, and begin to understand how training fits into real life. They also discuss why coaching can accelerate this process, why many lifters plateau or keep starting over, and how long-term training helps you build confidence, independence, and peace around your physical life. PS - IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TAKING ONLINE COACHING FOR A TEST RUN, CHECK IT OUT HERE. [https://barbell-logic.com/experience] Connect with the hosts * Niki on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/niki.in.the.gym/] * Andrew on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/andrewbarbender/?hl=en] Connect with the show * Barbell Logic on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/barbell_logic/] * Podcast Webpage [https://barbell-logic.com/podcast/] * Barbell Logic on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/barbelllogiccoaching] * Or email podcast@barbell-logic.com [podcast@barbell-logic.com]