Brian, Alberto, Jeff, and Brad discuss what they learned in 2025, how so many different approaches work for hypertrophy, and the things people commonly miss in their quest to be optimal that are making them suboptimal. Can cheat meals sometimes be an effective strategy to use during a fat-loss phase? How has Alberto been getting himself to eat more vegetables? How has the way Brian chooses exercises for his athletes changed over time? Are exercises that are more stable better for hypertrophy? What problems can happen when someone is doing too much volume when there is a high degree of tension in a lengthened position? The answers to these questions and many more are covered in this episode.

Timestamps

0:00- Introduction

2:15- You don’t have to be optimal to make progress

16:16- Cheat meals & How Alberto has been getting himself to eat more vegetables

22:05- The importance of community

37:17- Meet people at your gym

45:20- How the way Brian chooses exercises for his athletes has changed over time

52:41- How do we even know what optimal is?

1:02:18- How much do the small details actually matter?

1:07:47- What Brad learned in 2025

Selected Links From This Episode

Coaching By Team 3DMJ- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://3dmusclejourney.com/coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hypertrophy Programming For Bodybuilders Course- https://www.3dmusclejourney.com/hypertrophy

3DMJ Podcast Episode #275: Why You Should Gamify Your Gains-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY0aceDpeVE

WNBF Worlds Contest Prep Survey Results- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzomyA72U2U

Thanks for listening to The 3D Muscle Journey Podcast 💪

GET COACHING AND COURSES - ⁠⁠https://www.3dmusclejourney.com/⁠⁠

Watch our show on YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/team3dmj

#301: Our Biggest Bodybuilding Lessons of 2025