Uncategorized
October 26, 2021
The following is the foreword to my book, M.A.X. Muscle Plan 2.0, written by John Meadows. John epitomized what it is to be a fitness pro. Always curious, always learning, always striving to improve himself and those around him. There was no one better at bridging the gap between science and practice from a bodybuilding standpoint. He passed far to soon, but made a huge impact on all those he touched. I consider myself truly fortunate to have known John personally; he will be forever missed. RIP.
2012 was one of my best yet most scary years ever. It was then that I ventured out of the comfortable corporate world at JP Morgan Chase and dove full time into the health and fitness industry. I had grown up a bodybuilder and loved to help others, so this transition was exciting, but scary, as now it was either sink or swim. I was also keenly interested in the science of what makes things happen to our bodies so now I would have more time to devote to learning. I decided to start my own website and figured that interviewing experts would be a great place to start. With a little fear behind me, I decided I had better knock my interviews out of the park so I wouldn’t have to crawl back to Bank and ask for my old job back.
I had been hearing about a guy in New York named Brad Schoenfeld. In fact, I was studying everything he said. I found myself nodding my head as I read his work. It made sense. Much of what I had done had worked in the bodybuilding and nutrition realms, but the truth is, it was more of a gut feeling based on experience then a deep knowledge of the details of why things happen. Brad seemed to be filling in the blanks for me. Oh, this is why this works, this is why this doesn’t work etc. I reached out to him hoping he would have time for a quick interview, and he responded with a quick yes. I was ecstatic. We ended up doing 2 parts because, well honestly, I just wanted to learn more myself, but the side effect was my website followers got some very advanced knowledge dropped on them.
After the interview Brad and I kept in touch and I had begun carrying his “mechanisms of muscular hypertrophy” paper around with me like a bible. I read it over, and over, and over. I wasn’t the only one. Many bodybuilders I knew started referencing his work. If you know the bodybuilding community, you know we can be a bit of a meathead bunch when it comes to accepting “science” or evidence outside of our own personal experience. Somehow Brad was bridging this gap. I kept noticing more and more of my colleagues popping in and asking Brad questions or sharing his work. It helped that Brad has competed as a bodybuilder himself, but what really helped the most, was Brad acknowledging a lot of the good things bodybuilders had done, and when challenging long held beliefs, he did it with class and an obvious good intention in his heart. You can search the bodybuilding community high and low and you won’t find a single successful person that doesn’t respect Brad’s work. This is quite remarkable.
Brad eventually asked me to guest lecture to his class, which was absolutely amazing for me, as having the respect of someone in his league, really meant a great deal. Eventually Brad visited and trained together made videos for my YouTube channel that were wildly popular. I am looking forward to doing more of this in the future with him!
You are in for a treat reading this book. Brad is going to teach you how to think about exercise at a high level, and at a more detailed level. Simply put, you are going to have the information you need, to allow you to build the best program for YOU, and how to reach your ultimate potential!
Thank you Brad for all you do for the community!
John Meadows, CSCS, CISSN, IFBB Pro Bodybuilder
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Entries (RSS)
