Bulk Boys 19: David Auge and Justin Johnson
Bulk Boys 19: David Auge and Justin Johnson
Way back in July, I sat down with David Auge (@davidm.auge) and his coach Justin Johnson (@holy_quadfather) after David’s 4th-place finish at N.C.’s Strongest. David and Justin are both powerlifters and competitive strongmen, and Justin is the founder of Brovidence Performance. Together they host the Bacon, Bibles, and Barbells podcast. In this LONG-LOST episode we talk powerlifting, strongman, AirBnB disasters, and family legacies.
Intro/outro music: "Let it Burn" (Buck Tow Truck)
TIMESTAMPS:
00:15 North Carolina strongman scene
01:00 The horrors of driving on I-40
02:00 David’s home gym
03:20 The Holy Quadfather manifests in his physical form
03:45 Programming camping trips during a peak
04:20 Using your child to train throws
05:00 David and Justin are veteran podcasters: Bacon, Bibles, and Barbells
06:00 Podcasting budgets
06:45 Official introduction where I immediately mess up David’s last name, but correctly pronounce Brovidence Performance (trademarked, by the way)
8:45 How David got into lifting: attic gyms and bodybuilding disillusionment
10:00 Powerlifting
11:00 David tore his bicep in his first strongman competition
12:30 Powerlifting turns into golf after squats
14:30 How and why Dave started working with Justin
16:00 Cultivating a productive coach-athlete dynamic
18:30 Emotional support trainers
21:00 Justin’s perspective on coaching Dave
23:30 Dave’s nonconsensual water cut
25:00 Dave’s recap of North Carolina’s Strongest Man
28:00 Dave surprised himself on log press
30:30 The struggle of eating on competition day
32:30 Puking in front of your children
34:30 Justin programmed skill work on log cleans at the beginning of Dave’s prep
36:00 Dave’s log cues
37:40 Event 2: timber frame carry
38:20 ONE WEIRD TRICK to hold onto the frame
39:30 Justin’s thoughts on Dave’s performance with the frame carry
40:45 Justin knew that Dave was going to smash the deadlift, but apparently nobody at the commercial gym where Dave trains did
43:00 Event 3: hummer tire deadlift
46:00 Event 4: sandbag steeplechase
47:30 :Token bicep tear
49:00 Dave was in third place going into the Husafell carry
51:30 Dave was kinda winging it
53:30 Takeaways from Dave’s first regional-level show
55:10 Justin’s thoughts on Dave’s next competition
56:00 Programming around old injuries
59:30 Coach-athlete communication
1:00:20 “Dueling CPAP machines”
1:02:55 “The rocket science isn’t programming, it’s communication”
1:06:00 Justin’s origin story: Bodybuilding.com and inconsistent creatine
1:08:30 A rebirth with Rippetoe
1:10:00 Lockdown prolonged Justin’s USPA record
1:10:30 “Bench is stupid, I’m just gonna press”
1:11:30 Getting YUGE during lockdown
1:12:30 Justin’s first strongman show
1:13:30 23-pound water cuts are not Brovidence-approved
1:14:30 When your portable sauna malfunctions, it’s time to buy trash bags
1:17:30 Sometimes an 860 frame deadlift will make your knee pop
1:19:00 Justin’s experience competing at the Rainier Classic
1:19:30 “We’re all collectively sucking at something”
1:19:45 Another AirBnB disaster story
1:22:00 Justin’s current powerlifting meet prep
1:22:30 The origins of Brovidence Performance
1:25:00 “Coaches only get paid when they help people”
1:29:00 Just fill out the spreadsheet
1:31:00 Leaving a legacy beyond the sport
1:33:20 Dave is introducing his children to lifting
1:35:40 Lifting is also a family activity in Justin’s household
1:36:30 Shout out to father-son strongman duo, Matt and Justin Scott
1:38:15 Justin’s sons are ready to compete
1:38:30 The habit of being present with loved ones
1:40:00 The empowerment of purpose
1:41:45 Growing up doing triathlons with my dad
1:43:30 The personal development is worth more than the physical improvement
1:44:00 Justin’s wife wants him to drop a weight class
1:44:30 PSA to the all bachelors out there
1:45:30 Justin shares the trauma of being cat-called for his beautiful beard
1:46:00 Now that I’m engaged I can get away with moving up a weight class
1:47:30 the grassfed beef is always tastier on the other side of the cut
1:48:30 Jeremy Hoornstra’s legendary Golden Corral story
1:50:00 Justin basically hates food right now