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Bitta legs ft. The best man made machine
@phdstrength 

9 plates x 13reps
10 plates incoming 

@onestrength_wollongong 
@lyledavis94
16
IFBB Nationals Season C 2026. Stage pics are finally in and I’m still proud of the package I brought.

None of this happens alone. Huge thank you to my coach @allenmao90 for everything behind the scenes. The hotel room check ins, the random calls just to see how I was going, and that unshakable confidence in me. That energy was felt, and I gave it straight back on stage.
And of course my beautiful red haired loml @lifewith.haylee best thing since sliced bread. Honestly your care and your love was felt this entire journey and I can’t wait to support you just as much as you have for me. I love you 🫶 

Now it’s time for a long few years of growing. The body, the business and the family 👀
10
First show of the season done and dusted for James at NABBA.

This prep was all about staying conservative and keeping him fresh, and it paid off. Even more impressive, this phenom has added 7kg of lean tissue since his last show just 6 months ago.

Show 1 of 2 results

Bodybuilding True Novice 🥉
Bodybuilding Novice 🥈
Open Class 3 🥉

Nailed the peak and brought a package he worked damn hard for. Had a blast working with such a beautiful soul, man, and couldn’t be prouder.

Onto Elite in 3 weeks 👊
18
How to: PHD Hip Press
@phdstrength
44
If you're spotting someone in the gym, ask yourself this:

"Am I helping them, or am I taking away from the stimulus for muscle growth?"

Most people make one of two mistakes when spotting, usually because they don't understand what actually drives hypertrophy.

To build muscle, a lifter needs to train close to muscular failure. As you train closer to failure, reps slow down unintentionally and the body is forced to recruit more high-threshold motor units to keep producing force. This increases tension across a greater number of muscle fibres, which is one of the key drivers of muscle growth.

With that in mind, here are the two biggest spotting mistakes:

1. Helping too early
The moment you start lifting the bar for them, you're taking tension away from the muscles doing the work.

Less tension = less muscular effort.

If the lifter can still complete the rep on their own, let them work. Your job is to be ready, not to turn their set into a team exercise.
2. Turning every set into forced reps
Once a lifter has reached failure or is very close to it, forcing out extra reps with significant assistance doesn't automatically mean more growth.

In many cases it just creates more fatigue, more muscle damage, more soreness, and can negatively impact performance on the rest of the session or even the next training day.

The stimulus has already been achieved by training close to failure. More fatigue doesn't always mean more results.

So how should you spot?

Stay close enough that you can intervene if needed.

Keep your hands hovering over the bar or, as I like to say, give it a "baby's touch".

Only assist when the lifter is genuinely failing and the rep is moving backwards. Your role is to keep them safe, not make the set easier or accumulate more 'junk volume'.

It's the same reason good powerlifting spotters don't touch the bar unless they absolutely have to. The lifter earns the rep themselves.

Next time you're spotting someone, remember:
The goal isn't to help them lift the weight. The goal is to help them get the stimulus they're chasing with certainty they wont hurt themselfs.

#hypertrophy #musclegrowth #bodybuilding #gymtips #strengthtraining
12
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