Competitive Breed

Improve what you’re currently doing, before just doing “more”!

How can you get the MOST out of each rep… each set… each session?
Start there!

It might look like improving your set-up/execution (this way you can maximize the tension where you want it!)
It may be improving your ability to “TRAIN HARD”. Controlling the load, staying poised when the set gets harder and harder, and pushing yourself to/clos(er) to concentric failure.
It may involve swapping out an exercise for something that’s a “better fit” - BUT, most people should spend more time learning how to get the most of out X exercise and progressing w it, before searching for the next shiny object (Y exercise swap)

For those focused on maximizing muscle growth, aimlessly moving weight from point A to point B isn’t going to be “good enough” after a certain point.
Skill, mind-muscle connection, intent/control need to improve over time.

Before doing MORE working sets for a particular exercise, or a particular session, you need to evaluate how your distributing your total volume across the entire week/microcycle.

You can also consider how you’re organizing this current training block, and your next one …
If you want to bring up a “weak point”, and all the former considerations are in a good spot, you can absolutely implement a specialization phase, where you DO, DO MORE total work across the week/ training cycle for that muscle … but, you likely bring DOWN volume/total work on a different muscle group (eg strong points).

When looking at the literature, it’s pretty clear that you CANT talk about volume, without considering:
Exercise selection / variation
Intensity of effort / prox to failure
Training density
Intra session frequency & weekly distribution of volume

If you need help getting the most out of your efforts in & out of the gym, my team and I are here to help 💪

9 Years 🤗 9 Winners 🥳💪

To celebrate 9 years with the best, all-natural Sports Supplement company, I’m going to select NINE winners to receive any product of their choice from their extensive line.

To Enter & Win:
- follow &
- Tag a friend or training partner below 💪
- Bonus Entry: share to story

I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of Legion since May of 2017, originally as an athlete, and later as part of their Scientific Review Board.

This company is doing everything right behind the scenes and in the spotlight, in an industry where this is far from the norm, they’re the exception who raises the standards. From sourcing the highest quality ingredients, always using full-clinical effective dosing & transparent labels, good manufacturing procedures, and so much more, they are also honest with their customers, stating “you do NOT NEED supplements, but the right ones can help.” For those reasons, and many others, I’ve been proud to represent & be a part of this brand for the past 9 years.

If you haven’t tried Legion yet, or are part of the legion fam, now is a great time to check them out, take advantage of their MDW sale (up to BOGO 75% off), & ask any questions below.
(You can always use code CB20 for additional savings 💪)

It’s been amazing to see this brand grow over the years. What started off as primarily performance/ body composition focused supplements, has evolved to a more comprehensive and holistic line that I absolutely love.

What supplement has turned into a staple for you?
What do you want to try the most? 👇

Our Sport is Subjective & Judging gives you valuable perspective!

I’ll be heading back to Houston later this summer to judge the again - judging is truly an honor and privilege.

My first time ever judging was 13 years after my first ever competition & despite my experience as a coach & competitor to that point, judging challenges your biases & highlights the differences between your personal preferences vs the objective differences between physiques & how it aligns with the criteria of each category.

I remember sitting next to my big bro and NOT being on the same page in some scenarios between 1st & 2nd place … hence the importance of an entire judging panel! This surprised me a bit bc I assumed him & I may have some of the same preferences and/or value certain aspects more than others.

Sometimes the judging is super straight forward and clear as day, other times in very competitive lineups, your splitting hairs and essentially searching for flaws / weak points.

One of the first conversations I recall about the subjectivity of the sport dates back to 2011, when I was in the locker room of .bevsgym and & were talking about judges having a difficult job, often times comparing apples to oranges and being forced to lean towards their preferences. Zack used the example of two females, both being a 10/10, but one being a blond and one being a brunette.

To everyone who competes, of course we compete to win, but remember that getting to the stage and seeing your contest prep through is a huge victory in itself, and the best part of bodybuilding is the self progression it yields and the relationships you build over time. You can’t control who shows up on stage with you, so do your best throughout the process, and the chips will fall where they may.

I also always tell my athletes, I’d rather place 3-5 in a stacked class with many competitors, than walking away with first place in a small class without competitors pushing you to be better!

Present your best and enjoy the time under those lights - you never know if you’ll have the opportunity to do it again!

Sometimes the best thing to do is no-thing, at all. Be still.

One thing I love about yoga (and bodybuilding) is how the practice(s) give you the opportunity to sharpen your discipline, to be less reactive, and to connect with your mind, body, & spirit.

How can you remain calm in the chaos? There is so much to be gained from those moments, especially when it’s applied to other areas of our life.

For those of you who have (and perhaps regularly) done a modern yoga class, you have likely heard the instructor say something along the lines of “final savasana (co**se pose)” is the “most important” posture of the practice. At face value, many people are quick to dismiss or undervalue this sentiment from the teacher. How/why is it so important to just lay on your back, and do, “nothing”.

It’s an opportunity to observe how the last 60-90 minutes of work in a 102+° room has affected your internal environment, and how long it takes for your body to get back to baseline.
The work, the sequence of postures, the heat, the shortening and lengthening of agonist/antagonist muscle groups, impacted your physiology.
The significant increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration rate is palpable.
This palpability gets you to connect with your mind, body, & spirit on a deeper level than any other time of the day. This is so beneficial beyond the physical.

You can feel your body start to “recover” and shift from the sympathetically aroused state, to a parasympathetic, relaxed state. … (if you let it).
Too often, so many people are in a rush, they feel like they have something to tend to, and, they simply want the “discomfort” to END - they want to get out of the heat, get in the AC’d lobby, drink their fluids and go. BUT, this is the moment that truly is for you to reconcile how the work and practice has benefited (and changed) you.

This helps me remain calm in the chaos, even when it feels like my internal world/personal life is in flames, or when the stimulation & consumption of the external world news (literally being on fire) is a lot to process and navigate.

I hope you have practice(s) that serve you in this way. If not, all are welcome 🤗💪🧘‍♂️

Don’t forget your micros 🌈🥦🐟🍠🍳🍎
As your caloric demands increase, whether from training, recovery, or building muscle over time, your micronutrient requirements rise too.
Just like macros, optimal micronutrient intake is highly individual, and these MVPs (minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients) are often overlooked.

Improving your MVPs & addressing any insufficient intakes should be done through your food intake first, and supplements, second. (Unfortunately, even our unprocessed Whole Foods aren’t as nutrient dense as they used to be. Data suggest many vegetables contain ~80%+ less minerals than they did a century ago).

Generally, we recommend:
🥦 3+ servings of vegetables/day
🍎 2+ servings of fruit/day
This goes a long way for micronutrients, fiber, gut health, and overall function.
But even with a solid diet, gaps can still exist.

Modern food systems don’t make this easier:
• soil depletion
• long transport/storage times
• reduced nutrient density
This is one reason we often utilize frozen produce—it’s convenient, cost-effective, and helps preserve nutrient content.
Some of our staples:
🥦 broccoli, asparagus (“stir fry veggies”)
🫐 blueberries
🍍 pineapple
🥭 mango
🍒 dark cherries

For those looking to optimize (not just avoid deficiency), a quality multivitamin can help fill predictable gaps.

A 2026 Nature Medicine study (COSMOS trial) found:
• Daily multivitamin use modestly influenced biological aging markers
• Delayed cognitive aging by ~2 years across multiple substudies
Not a magic solution.
But a piece of the puzzle 🧩

Some of my daily supplements include:
• Multivitamin (Triumph)
• Omega-3s (Triton)
• Vitamin D + K • Mg

Important context:
• RDAs are set to prevent deficiency—not optimize performance
• Optimal intake depends on YOUR training, lifestyle, and goals

Spring Health Sale is live:
💰BOGO 50% off
And my code CB20 stacks on top for additional savings!

If you’ve been looking to dial in some of these variables, now is a great time.
Comment “HEALTH” and I’ll send you the link + what I personally use & if you have any questions, I’m happy to help.

Bridging the Gap between Research & Real-World Application

This June, .desouzaeo and I will be hosting a 2-day in-person seminar at the University of Tampa.

One major goal of this seminar is to clarify the science (from our perspective), help you understand the strengths and limitations of the current literature, and provide practical guidance with the time and context needed to do it right.

Over two days inside the Human Performance Lab, we’ll explore both the science and real-world application of physique optimization.

What you’ll experience:

• Hands-on body composition assessments
Attendees will experience and perform measurements using DXA, ultrasound, BIA/BIS, and skinfold calipers

• Hypertrophy & resistance training science
Understanding the research behind muscle growth and training variables

• Nutrition strategies for body composition optimization

• Practical programming discussions
Off-season vs contest prep applications

• Case studies, discussion, and in-depth Q&A

This seminar is designed for students, coaches, physique athletes, researchers, and exercise science enthusiasts who want to better understand how research is conducted and how to apply it in the real world.

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Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

This seminar is officially approved for continuing education through:

NASM
NSCA

Attendees will receive 14 contact hours (1.4 CEUs).

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Event Details

📍 University of Tampa
📅 June 13–14, 2026

Seats are limited to 24 attendees to maintain an interactive learning environment.

Early Bird Pricing:
$579 (first 12 students)

Standard Price:
$697

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As much as we value online education, nothing replaces being in the same room with curious people asking great questions and pushing ideas forward together.

If you’re serious about deepening your understanding of body composition, hypertrophy, and evidence-based application, we’d love to have you there.

Comment SEMINAR and we’ll DM you a link to secure your spot!