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Meet Tom. On the surface what you see is down about 20 pounds and looking pretty jacked. But there’s so much more than that.

Meet Nick. Nick is a father to 3 young boys, a husband, a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy, and a lifelong athlete. It’s safe to say that Nick has a lot on his plate.

From underslept, overtrained, and underfed to boss sleep, leanAF, and feeling like a new man!

This week I had the pleasure of being back on the Barbell Shrugged podcast for Episode 576 alongside Dr. Andy Galpin.

The answer to this depends on your definition of "ok." From a safety standpoint, I don't think it is unsafe. However, keep reading for why you probably don't want to.

Two weeks ago I completed a goal I set last year. One year of 100% cold showers. Here are my thoughts.⁣

Something that I’m seeing more and more commonly is men who simply aren’t consistently eating enough. It becomes an issue because you’re making it harder on yourself to build muscle, drop fat, and ultimately get in shape.

Our aim for this project is to provide you tangible advice about strength and hypertrophy training, objective nutrition, and how to incorporate these into your lifestyle for achieving prosperity in these endeavors.

If you're reading this you should probably be lifting weights. Nothing will have as profound an impact on your physique, body fat levels, and overall health as resistance training (besides nutrition of course!)

Beyond Fit with Jake Parker Episode 153: Aaron Straker on Objective Eating, Mindset for Nutrition, and Cheat Codes.

A better way to manage nutrition goal progress. Simple progress assessment, reporting and check-in snapshots. macros, weigh-ins, averages, progress photos and reporting all in one feature rich template.

Satiety, and hunger/fullness cues are often too tightly coupled solely with caloric representation. While total caloric availability is a driver of satiety it is not the only driver. Intelligent food selection can make a break a dieting period.

How should your training change when you're in a dedicated calorie deficit? The first mistake I see is reducing the amount of lifting and increasing cardio to an unnecessary amount. Adding 3-4 HIIT sessions, going on runs when you never would run before, and adding purposeless movement for the thought of burning more calories.

Why is it so hard to take sleep seriously? Because we don't want to believe how impactful it is on us. The thought is "why sleep for 8 hours when I can operate on 6?"

Why would I eat something I don't like? Because I'm invested in the outcome of what kimchi will provide. See kimchi contains a rich world of microbes particularly beneficial for gut flora and intestinal wellbeing. All of which I am particularly interested in.

Who decided Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner was the standard anyway? If B/L/D doesn't work for you, then don't follow it. There are no hard rules for 3 meals as long as what you're doing fits your needs for your lifestyle/activity/training demands.

Having 2-4 go-to food spots where you can still get really high quality, efficient meals while on the go is all part of turning this style of eating into a lifestyle.

This week I had the opportunity to be a guest on the Metflex & Chill podcast hosted by Rachel Gregory. In this episode, we talk about Objective Eating, the efficacy of tracking data, and setting realistic expectations to match your lifestyle.

Brussels Sprouts are a great "change-of-pace" vegetable to break out of the monotonous trio of broccoli, green beans, carrots. The typical downside is they take forever to really cook through, and by far taste the best when they're crispy. Which usually would require a combination of cooking in a pan AND the oven which is time consuming and kind of a pain in the ass.

More than Macros: The Metabolic Performance Protocol and Why You Need a Nutrition Coach with Aaron Straker - Barbell Shrugged - #474

Brandon was looking to get back into the gym, add lean muscle, and prioritize his nutrition in living a healthier lifestyle. Brandon was one of the very first guys to complete the Metabolic Performance Protocol and created massive results for himself.

Mike came to me with a solid foundation of habits. Already training consistently doing a mix of CrossFit / Hypertrophy training / Olympic Weightlifting, and paying attention to the types of food he put in his body.

Here we have my homemade burgers recipe that are not only high in protein and super lean (low fat), but also mega simple, and we even sneak some vegetables in there as well for texture, flavor, and #health. I’m even showing you exactly how to pull accurate macros out these burgers using this approach.

I've been on a hardcore vegetable kick lately. Unsurprisingly, I've also been feeling really supreme.⁣ I wanted to eat a wider range of vegetables instead of just the standard broccoli, green beans, or peppers that covered the bases, this is what I came up with.

A bone simple approach to producing, crisp garlic green beans that retain a nice crunch when you eat them and you can easily cook them in bulk for your next food prep in 5 minutes. This approach also keeps them fresher longer so they retain that crisp texture. further into your food prep week.

When you order a steak at a restaurant and the menu provides the weight of the steak, for example a 225 gram sirloin (or approximately 8 oz.), when you want to enter that meal to track it you need to remember that provided weight is for 250 grams RAW.⁣

Estimating your portions goes a long way and the more consistently you weigh and measure your food the better you get at eyeballing what ~150 grams of rice and ~200 grams of chicken looks like. This becomes super beneficial when you don't have the opportunity to weigh your food or if you don't want to be that person who brings their food scale into the restaurant.

Individual variability in where you choose to prioritize your nutrition and strength training in your life directly influences the rate of your progression. When evaluating your own rate of progress you have to include existing external commitments that may currently be a higher priority.

It's a great idea to look out for future you who will inadvertently end up in a situation where you're out of food and need a quick macro friendly meal on a "rainy" day (both literally and figuratively.)

Most of us establish a slowly diminishing baseline of "normalcy" that just gets worse over time, although our perception of the baseline remains more or less the same.

This past Wednesday I had the opportunity to do my first ever LIVE cooking show with the Barbell Shrugged Podcast over a Zoom call from my kitchen.

Standard Western style diets are very high in pro-inflammatory omega-6's yet low in anti-inflammatory omega-3's - sometimes in upwards of a 20:1 ratio.

From the perspective of macronutrient distribution (especially protein) most yogurt kinda sucks...but not when you do this!

Stop running out of prepped meat by Wednesday at lunch!⁣ All it takes is a little planning and some quick math to figure out exactly how much you should buy.

Willpower is largely overrated. Knowledge is your key to success. With this knowledge you can understand how strategic implementation of "unhealthy" or "flexible" foods as I prefer to call them bolster overall adherence ultimately paving the path to your goals.

Here is a sweet little graphic I put together consisting the most common foods I choose to eat semi-regularly (provided I can find them.) I even included my preferred plant based primary protein source.

Asian stir fry is universally delicious and everyone should have a reliable, efficient way to cook this up on the reg.

Who doesn’t love homemade Mexican style bowls. Lots of vegetables and easy and efficient to make. Plus almost 12 grams of fiber. 👊

This is seriously one of the best tasting bowls you can make. The fresh lemon on the chicken and kale really puts this over the top.

There is no magic amount of daily calories you should be eating to be "X" weight or the best macronutrient ratio for accomplishing "X".

7 Simple Habits for having success and getting the most out of your nutrition and lifestyle during quarantine.

Just a little seafood twist on one the most classic of all staple healthy meals.

Bust out the seared ahi tuna steaks when you want to impress somebody. Little do they know they are actually the simplest thing to cook. Paired with complex carbs of mixed potatoes and some fancy broccolini you’ll be able to trick any potential dating prospect into thinking you can actually cook. Straker Nutrition Co. has your back!

Once you perfect this recipe and cooking these steaks just how you like them ordering a steak at a restaurant will never be the same.

This became a staple meal after moving to Vietnam with fewer available options and no cast iron. Simple and efficient!

This bowl is perfect as either a pre or post workout meal as it is higher in carbohydrate and really low in fat so it will digest quickly. Quick and easy as only the vegetables have to be cooked.

A quality complex carbohydrate source that is very easy to make in bulk quantities and requires medium effort. Very low in fat, and also lower in carbohydrates per the actual volume of food you get.

Simple breakfast option that’s lower in carbs, higher in quality fats and simple to make.

Very basic Simple Bachelor Food Prep bowl with some extra added variety in vegetables. 

What the hell is proatmeal? It’s basically oatmeal on steroids and you’ll never feel the same about plain old oats ever again. Pair it with this egg scramble for a big ass breakfast.

Another simple bowl this time with black rice!

These Seared Tuna Steaks in the Cast Iron pan are absolutely delicious and so simple to make! The total prep and cook time is under 6 minutes.

Food prepping shouldn't be thought about like a chore. Instead ask yourself this...How can I make this fun? When something is fun, it no longer feel like a boring chore. Today I've got some tips for you to help change your thoughts about your weekly food prepping session(s).

What is Considered “Normal” I would argue that most probably have a backwards perception on what is most difficult when it comes to nutrition, training, and lifestyle.⁣ Perhaps you might as well?⁣Nutrition is easy.⁣ Training is easy (and fun!)⁣⁣However, committing to a lifestyle and nutrition habits outside the confines of what is considered socially “normal” […]

One of the best breakfast choices in terms of quality carbohydrate, and omega 3 fats. On the low end for protein so you would want to pair this with a protein focused side as well.

This chicken + soup combo is so MF good you’ll be praying for rain and gloomy days.

A great little meal that can be made with minimal equipment, time and effort

A staple meal that is extremely easy to not only make but to bulk prepare that follows the basic principle of one primary protein source, one starchy complex carbohydrate source, and one fibrous vegetable.

One of the best breakfast choices in terms of quality carbohydrate, and omega 3 fats. On the low end for protein so you would want to pair this with a protein focused side as well.

In the cast iron is one of the best ways to cook chicken. These tenderloins cook really fast and evenly with tons of flavor.

Specifically included for the “Fuck I don’t have any food” evening where you just find yourself unprepared on the way home from work and need something super fast you can grab from the G store, heat up, and fit within your targets.

A breakfast staple, with a few options for adjusting protein up and more or less spice.

This meal is funny because of the story behind the purple rice. I mixed with black forbidden rice with jasmine rice inside the rice cooker under the presumption it would turn out like homemade wild rice. Instead I received “purple” rice.

This is the ultimate Simple Bachelor Food Prep meal. It’s extremely simple and the only thing you really have to cook is the beef.

This bomb meal requires almost zero prep if you have your steak and broccolini bulked like you should. Chop a few vegetables, throw something in the micro and you’re good to go. Good for when you’re pretty hungry as it’s a larger meal.

A little twist and simple change up to one of the most commonly consumed vegetables of the western world.

This is seriously the ultimate post workout meal. Super low in fat, heavy in quality complex carbs and tasty as all hell.

In today's show we talk with nutrition power couple Jenny Blake and Aaron Straker who have devised a plan to exit corporate America and live nomadically.