Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 22 hours ago
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- 3dmusclejourney.com/coaching
Hypertrophy Programming For Bodybuilders Course- 3dmusclejourney.com/hypertrophy
3DMJ Podcast Episode #275: Why You Should Gamify Your Gains- youtube.com/watch?v=bY0aceDpeVE
WNBF Worlds Contest Prep Survey Results- youtube.com/watch?v=kzomyA72U2U
Thanks for watching The 3D Muscle Journey Podcast 💪
SUBSCRIBE ON SPOTIFY: open.spotify.com/show/4E61iRCD1qSZUTRactySTj?si=kiONmQJqSaC3EWUncGgfsg
SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/3d-muscle-journey-podcast/id1115048476
**3DMJ COACHING & COURSES: 3dmusclejourney.com/coaching
**APPAREL & MERCH: redbubble.com/people/team3dmj/shop
**FULL WEBSITE & BLOG: 3dmusclejourney.com
**FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:
Team 3DMJ: instagram.com/team3dmj
Jeff Alberts - instagram.com/3dmj_godfather
Brad Loomis - instagram.com/3dmjcoach
Alberto Nuñez - instagram.com/nunez3dmj
Eric Helms - instagram.com/helms3dmj
Brian Minor - instagram.com/bdminor
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- 3dmusclejourney.com/coaching
Hypertrophy Programming For Bodybuilders Course- 3dmusclejourney.com/hypertrophy
3DMJ Podcast Episode #275: Why You Should Gamify Your Gains- youtube.com/watch?v=bY0aceDpeVE
WNBF Worlds Contest Prep Survey Results- youtube.com/watch?v=kzomyA72U2U
Thanks for watching The 3D Muscle Journey Podcast 💪
SUBSCRIBE ON SPOTIFY: open.spotify.com/show/4E61iRCD1qSZUTRactySTj?si=kiONmQJqSaC3EWUncGgfsg
SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/3d-muscle-journey-podcast/id1115048476
**3DMJ COACHING & COURSES: 3dmusclejourney.com/coaching
**APPAREL & MERCH: redbubble.com/people/team3dmj/shop
**FULL WEBSITE & BLOG: 3dmusclejourney.com
**FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:
Team 3DMJ: instagram.com/team3dmj
Jeff Alberts - instagram.com/3dmj_godfather
Brad Loomis - instagram.com/3dmjcoach
Alberto Nuñez - instagram.com/nunez3dmj
Eric Helms - instagram.com/helms3dmj
Brian Minor - instagram.com/bdminor
