Each year, I like to reflect on my accomplishments. I worked so damn hard in 2013 that I don’t know how I’ll match my performance in 2014. Here’s what I got done in 2013:
- Composed 214 blogposts
- Wrote 8 TNation articles
- Filmed 72 YouTube videos
- Published 7 peer-reviewed journal articles (5 with my colleague Brad Schoenfeld)
- Released 2 books (Strong Curves and Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy)(in fairness, these were written the previous year)
- Released 1 invention (Hip Thruster)
- Spoke at 4 conferences
- Competed in my 1st powerlifting contest
- Reviewed nearly 600 journal articles with my colleague Chris Beardsley
- Trained some amazing clients, and
- Outfitted 1 glute lab.
It was bitter-sweet, as some unfortunate incidents occurred:
- My stepfather passed away unexpectedly due to cardiac arrest
- My friend Dan passed away due to cancer
But my proudest accomplishments of the year by far are the following:
- Got engaged to 1 beautiful woman, and
- Visited Thailand and Hawaii with this beautiful woman
My beautiful fiancee Diana
Diana imitating Little Mermaid in Thailand (Maya Beach in Ko Phi Phi)
Diana relaxing on the hammock in Hawaii (North Shore, Oahu)
Beach in Hawaii (North Shore, Oahu)
Beach in Hawaii (North Shore, Oahu)
Hawaii (North Shore, Oahu)
Hawaii (Napali Coast, Kauai)
Hawaii (Hanalei)
Hawaii (Twin Falls, Kauai)
Hawaii (Napali Coast, Kauai)
Hawaii (Twin Falls, Kauai)
This is where I popped the question! (Sacred Falls, Oahu)
Me on my tiny moped – don’t I look badass? (Phuket, Thailand)
Thailand (Railay Beach, Krabi)
Thailand (Railay Beach, Krabi)
Floating market in Thailand (Bangkok)
Hawaii (Queen’s Pond, Kauai)
Thailand (Railay Beach, Krabi)
Thailand (Bangkok)
Hawaii (Oahu)
Silverback Gorilla (San Diego Zoo)
Lion (Phoenix Zoo)
With Alan Aragon and Cassandra Forsythe (Kansas City)
With Nathalia Melo
Teaching hip thrusts at a local seminar
Clients Erin & Sammie
Fitness Summit with Lou Schuler and Eric Cressey
Finally Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy is published
Twin brother Joel and niece Gabrielle…13 years later
With Layne Norton in Las Vegas
With Nick Tumminello and Brad Schoenfeld in Las Vegas
Teaching glute science in Columbia, SC
Testing with Stu McGill in Canada (Waterloo)
Happy New Year to all of my readers! I wish you a safe New Year’s Eve and a kickass 2014!
An impressive year, Bret. Well, except for the ill-advised scooter ride. So many man-points lost for a single moment of indiscretion.
Thanks for everything you do for all of us. Looking forward to a great 2014!
Hahaha! I know – my testosterone levels reached an all-time low at that moment. I hope you can get past this 😉
Happy New year! I was wondering…in Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy, are you supposed to train to reach certain rate of percieved exertion and autoregulate, possibly change an exercise when you already doo too many reps, or should you still monitor training using charts to ensure progression? In other words…does it work without writing things down? Great book by the way.
Thanks Andy! I’m always a fan of writing things down and trying to beat records. Obviously not each workout, but over the course of each year you should get markedly stronger. But if you have a good memory, you might not need a journal. And if you just mix things up and train hard based on instinct, you can surely see great results. But not quite as good of results as if you took a systematic approach IMO.
Keep up the good work. All that information you publish is appreciated!
Happy New Year, Bret! Thanks for your great blog posts, fb posts and podcasts!
Excellent quality through the year , I have stopped following some people because of lack of consistency or interest. Never an issue with you. Keep on Truckin
Great blog and your list of accomplishments is enough to make the most motivated, entrepreneurial, time manager jealous. The pic below your first Na Pali shot is Hanalei, Kauai (labeled Oahu – no big deal), just down the street from me. If I knew you were here I would have had to bother you for an assessment on my hip issues. I’ve been reading your stuff on T-Nation for years but just discovered your blog last month and it’s awesome, keep it up.
Doh! Thanks Dan, I fixed it. Best of luck with your hip problems 🙁
Awesome accomplishments Bret, enjoyed all of your work over the year.
Congrats on the engagement, she’s beautiful! Here’s to another great year for you!
Thanks for all of your hard work Bret. Both of your books will be great resources for me for years to come.
Congratulations on an awesome year! And on your engagement to that beautiful lady! Getting married is the best thing I’ve ever done, so excited for you guys!
Awesome pics Bret. And thank you so much for providing such great articles throughout the past year. I’ve spent many many hours reading here and links to colleagues and research. It’s been seriously educational.
May 2014 provide more of the same and be an all round awesome year.
Happy 2014 Bret! I just want to mention the great job you have done in moving fitness forward. So many of us have adopted ways of doing things that are traditionally passed on without question. You have raised so many questions that have challenged my unconscious dogma. Over the years I have adopted the very common fitness beliefs, “this is what you do to develop x muscle, or avoid this move or this is what you do to lose weight”. You have really challenged those traditions and beliefs and I now try so many new routines, moves, rep and set formats, free weights and machines and body weight and sport drills in all combinations. I want to feel my muscles working and I have an arsenal of moves to choose from. Thank you!
Additionally, I want to share a quick testimonial to the benefit of having strong glutes. I read somewhere that you think about glutes all the time once they are active and strong. Well, I went ice skating for the third time in my life and I skated SO much better! I attribute this to the power in my glutes. I was totally wobbly at the start, but I never fell and I could literally feel my glute muscles holding me up from so many different angles! I also noticed an increase in falls all around me after the ice was all scraped up and fatigue set in. High volume glute work definitely provides a strong foundation for balance and endurance!
Congrats on all your achievements! I’m so glad I found your blog this year because I’ve been obsessed since I was around 15 with having a great backside (though I’ve never had one) and I am finally sure I have found the right way to achieve one! Just bought Strong Curves and I’m so excited to FINALLY have found a gluteus-centered workout. I look forward to finally having the behind I’ve always wanted. Though the pics make me feel like crap sometimes, your blog is also highly motivating. Thank you for your RESULTS and hard work. Thanks to your clients for sharing their stories. I believe 2014 will be my year to gain some assets!
Thank you so much for sharing so generously throughout the year. I consistently benefit from your posts. Also, thanks for sharing the pictures and personal stuff. I’m so happy for you and hope you continue to grow in gluteal strength, prosperity, health and happiness.
Congratulations on your engagement Bret. From following your blog over the years, I recall it was very hard when you moved to NZ. Kudos for following your passion, and kudos for realising that which was more important to you.
Also, it is nice to see your human side. Sometimes it’s hard not to think of you as some cybernetic hip thrusting organism fueled by research 😉