3D Muscle Journey

#291: Optimizing Your Off-Season

3D Muscle Journey

Show Notes

Brian, Jeff, Alberto, and Brad discuss how to set up your off-season plan so that you can have the most productive off-season possible. Is it normal to feel unmotivated to train after the end of a contest prep? What advice do the coaches have if you’re feeling this way? Should you increase, decrease, or keep your training volume the same immediately after the final show of your season? The more advanced you become, do you require larger surpluses, or do you benefit just as much if not more from a smaller surplus? How do the coaches recommend setting up your training split? How do you find your ideal off-season body weight? How do the coaches choose which exercises they are going to include in their program? The answers to these questions and many more are covered in this episode.

Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 1:48- Make sure you fully recover & Planning your off-season 11:53- The coaches’ advice if you’re feeling burned-out on training after the end of your contest prep 22:49- Identifying which body parts you need to work on & Building your training split 36:34- Managing your rate of gain & Finding your off-season body weight 49:53- If you’ve gained “too much” body fat, that is the best time to go to the gym 54:11- Programming strategies for bringing up weak body parts 1:03:07- How the coaches choose their exercises and how they help their athletes choose 1:12:53- Work hard

Selected Links From This Episode Coaching By Team 3DMJ- https://3dmusclejourney.com/coaching The Recovery Diet (Vault Course)- https://www.3dmjvault.com/courses/the-recovery-diet Bodybuilding Program Design (Vault Course)- https://www.3dmjvault.com/courses/bodybuilding-program-design

Thanks for listening to The 3D Muscle Journey Podcast 💪 SIGN UP FOR ONE-ON-ONE COACHING SERVICES - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://3dmusclejourney.com/coaching/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TAKE OUR VIDEO COURSES FOR SERIOUS LIFTERS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.3dmjvault.com/bundles/vip⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch our show on YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/team3dmj

More from 3D Muscle Journey

Oct 15, 2026

Jeff, Eric, and Brian share their perspectives on supplements, what they are currently taking, and advice for those who want to optimize all the variables in order to maximize progress. What were the coaches’ first experiences with supplements? What creates the placebo effect? What actually causes a pump? What is the “supplement treadmill”? Which supplements actually work? Why is it important to have realistic expectations for the supplements you choose to take? If you’re supplementing with creatine but you don’t feel it working, does that mean it’s not working? What are the risks that come with taking a lot of supplements? The answers to these questions and many more are covered in this episode.

Oct 1, 2026

Alberto and Brian discuss how athletes commonly feel after their bodybuilding season is over and what you can do to get back to feeling like yourself as soon as possible. What are some strategies to help minimize post-season blues? How normal is it to not feel like yourself physiologically after prep is over? What is the thing that most lets Brian know how recovered he is? Why do the coaches want their athletes to have other things going on while they’re prepping? What frequently stops people from gaining the weight they know they probably need to gain? Why don’t the coaches recommend reverse dieting at a slow pace after your season is over? The answers to these questions and many more are covered in this episode.

Sep 17, 2026

Alberto, Jeff, and Brad discuss what the mind-muscle connection is, how important it is for muscle growth, who can benefit the most from focusing on it, and what you can focus on instead. Does the speed of your reps matter? Why is Jeff intentional about maintaining control of the weight when he’s lifting? What are the coaches’ thoughts on stricter reps versus less-strict reps? What do the coaches think about when they’re training and the intensity of the burning sensation is building? What can you think about so that your sessions don’t feel like you’re just checking things off a list? What are some signs that an exercise is a good fit for you? The answers to these questions and many more are covered in this episode.

Sep 3, 2026

Brian, Alberto, and Brad discuss the benefits of maintenance phases, why they are sometimes superior to gaining phases, and what to consider when setting your rate-of-weight-gain goal. Why do the coaches program less intentional surpluses than they used to? What is the difference between weight maintenance and progress maintenance? Are DEXA scans helpful for programming? How do elite powerlifters put on muscle while minimizing fat gain? If you gain 30 lbs. and your dumbbell bench press goes up 15 lbs., is that progressive overload? Do the coaches ever have athletes do dreamer bulks anymore? In what situations do the coaches tend to program an intentional surplus instead of a maintenance phase? The answers to these questions and more are covered in this episode.

Aug 20, 2026

Jeff, Brian, and Brad discuss how a person’s identity as a bodybuilder can change across their training career, why it’s important to see yourself as more than just a bodybuilder, and how having a limited identity can ultimately hold you back. What was Jeff’s relationship with bodybuilding like when he was in his 20s and why does he consider it “ugly”? What did Brad’s life look like when he was too obsessed with bodybuilding? What advice would Brian give his 16-year-old self? How can a person’s identity interfere with them being able to tone things down and have a more balanced approach? How can being hardcore actually be a symptom of being insecure? Why is it important to not tie your identity to a particular type of training? The answers to these questions and more are covered in this episode.

See all episodes →