Dr. Mike T. Nelson is one of the most knowledgeable people in human performance, and he's got the resume to prove it. Dr. Nelson joins us to talk about metabolic flexibility and how to determine whether your body is more tuned to utilize fat or carbohydrates for fuel. He also discusses the most ignored metabolic pathway for top athletes and tells us what many aspiring CrossFit Games competitors are still getting wrong.
Dec 30, 2019•45 min
Josh Bridges is a multi-time CrossFit Games athlete and podium finisher who's also had a remarkable career as a Navy SEAL. (And before Josh's CrossFit Games days, Dave Castro was actually one of his military instructors.) Josh joins us to talk about his time in the SEALs, comparing mental toughness in the military to CrossFit, his favorite athletes to train with, and the massive changes in the CrossFit Games structure and season. We also discuss Josh's recovery from injuries and his competition ...
Dec 23, 2019•40 min
Rob Kearney is a multi-time World's Strongest Man competitor and the 2019 Arnold Australia Strongman champion. He's one of the rising stars in the sport, even while weighing up to 150 pounds less than other top competitors in his division. In addition, Rob is one of the most visible openly gay strength athletes in America. Rob joins us to discuss his training, career goals, and the impact he hopes his success can have on breaking stereotypes and increasing acceptance across sports. Our conversat...
Dec 19, 2019•36 min
Eric Helms, PhD, double masters holder, CSCS, and the current Chief Science Officer of 3DMJ is an incredible source of knowledge in the world of fitness and training. He’s published multiple peer reviewed studies on exercise and nutrition and plays a role in MASS, a monthly research review for strength and physique athletes. In addition to his impressive research background, Eric has coached hundreds of athletes and has dabbled in nearly every strength sport himself. In today’s episode, we talk ...
Dec 16, 2019•1 hr 17 min
Mike Matthews is the CEO of Legion Athletics and bestselling writer of numerous fitness books. He's also a no-BS kind of guy who isn't afraid to call out what he thinks are shortcomings in the supplement industry. Mike joins us for a candid conversation that touches on beginner gains, marketing falsehoods, and the limits of natural performance.
Dec 12, 2019•50 min
Kenny Santucci is a coach, actor, and athlete who first gained fame in the world of reality TV. Now, through the Strong New York event series, he's bringing together top minds from around the strength world to present and share knowledge under one roof. The Strong New York founder joins us to talk about building fitness experiences, the athletes who inspire us the most, and how we can turn learning into a lifelong pursuit.
Dec 09, 2019•35 min
James FitzGerald was the first-ever men's CrossFit Games Champion, winning the inaugural competition in 2007. He's also the founder of OPEX and one of the world's most in-demand experts on coaching mindset and training. We talk about the early days of CrossFit competition, "waking up" the coaching industry, and the origins of James' famous "OPT" moniker.
Dec 05, 2019•38 min
Jordan Syatt is a record-setting powerlifter and content producer who's best known to many as Gary Vaynerchuk's personal trainer. We sit down to talk about sacrificing everything to reach lifting goals, the psychological components of fitness, and the number one thing everyone in fitness can do to improve their communication skills. Jordan also shares a personal story of how Westside Barbell kept him from dropping out of college.
Dec 02, 2019•42 min
According to Dr. Jordan Shallow, the way we warm up — and the way most people think about movement — is fundamentally broken. The chiropractor, internationally competitive powerlifter, and presenter joins us to talk about the root cause of injuries, how we can prep our bodies to move better, and why the human body wants to operate "like lightning."
Nov 25, 2019•34 min
Chad Wesley Smith has squatted over 900 pounds, started one of the world's most respected strength centers, and built an AI-powered system for training programs. Now, the Juggernaut Training Systems founder reflects on a decade of growth and talks about how artificial intelligence is helping his team train more athletes with greater precision.
Nov 21, 2019•42 min
Jordan Feigenbaum is an accomplished powerlifter and strength coach and the founder of Barbell Medicine. In 2016, Feigenbaum received his doctorate of medicine from the Eastern Virginia Medical School and has grown Barbell Medicine to accommodate multiple athletes from all walks of life across the globe. In today's episode, we cover how Barbell Medicine is bridging the gap between resistance training and medicine, what the public often gets wrong about pain, where Jordan's favorite "coffice" is,...
Nov 18, 2019•58 min
Sarah Furman is a figure competitor turned strongman athlete who has witnessed firsthand the sport's massive growth in the United States. We talk training for looks versus performance, the factors attracting more women to strongman competition, and what event organizers need to do to keep competitions fresh and spectator-friendly.
Nov 14, 2019•33 min
Powerlifter Russel Orhii is rewriting the record books and making us rethink what's possible in his sport. And it's all happened in a few short years. Find out what makes Russel tick, where he thinks the sport is headed next, and his goals — including specific numbers, like an 800 pound deadlift — for the next few years of competition.
Nov 11, 2019•35 min
Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author, former Fitness Editor for Men's Health, and advisor to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Today, he spends much of his time as the Chief of Nutrition for Ladder, a supplement company founded by Arnold and Lebron James. We dive deep on issues in the supplement industry, how Adam approaches formulation, and the toughest part about making products tested by Lebron James.
Nov 07, 2019•38 min
What fuels athletes like Rich Froning, Annie Thorisdottir, and Mattie Rogers? Hint: It's nutrition, backed by science. In under five years, Nick Shaw built Renaissance Periodization from an upstart seller of diet templates into a nutrition empire. He joins us to talk nutrition myths, information fatigue, and the truth about carbs.
Nov 04, 2019•34 min
For nearly a decade, Heber Cannon directed films for CrossFit HQ and brought the CrossFit Games and culture to a worldwide audience. Today, he's one half of The Buttery Bros, a dynamic duo that travels the world making videos with their favorite athletes. Heber joins us to talk filmmaking, CrossFit HQ layoffs (of which Heber was a part), and the future of CrossFit Games documentaries.
Oct 31, 2019•35 min
Craig Lindell set out to help people move better; building a global following of more than 500,000 followers almost happened by accident. As one third of "The Prehab Guys," Craig has become one of the world's most followed physical therapists, but it's not always easy creating content that can actually scale to help so many people. Can Craig leverage that visibility to change his industry for the better? In this episode, we talk about the limits of physical therapy, managing expectations, and wh...
Oct 28, 2019•33 min
As BarBend's Fitness Editor, Jake Boly has written literally thousands of articles helping people train smarter. But there's a buzzy term in strength he thinks deserves a closer look: powerbuilding. (Yep, that's "powerlifting" and "bodybuilding" mashed up into one term.) We discuss the methodology and logic behind powerbuilding, specific training elements to keep in mind for maximum impact, and why some folks can have the best of both worlds. This episode is brought to you by Gravitus, an intera...
Oct 24, 2019•34 min
Phil Andrews has been CEO of USA Weightlifting since early 2016. Under his leadership, America has broken long Olympic and World Championship medal droughts, established itself as an international weightlifting contender, and grown its staff with names like Pyrros Dimas. Of course, it takes a village, and Phil joins us to talk about the different leaders, athletes, and programs behind USAW's journey to the Tokyo Olympics. We also chat anti-doping measures, hosting international competitions, and...
Oct 21, 2019•37 min
Silent Mike broke new ground in the world of fitness content. From the early days putting his life and training online with Mark Bell and Super Training Gym to a successful podcasting career, Mike — real name Mike Farr — wrote the playbook we see so many fitness influencers emulate today. Silent Mike joins us to talk about his personal evolution, what social media did to strength, and some shoutouts he almost never discusses online.
Oct 17, 2019•35 min
Sean Waxman is one of America's most accomplished — and outspoken — weightlifting coaches. The USA Weightlifting Board Member and Waxman's Gym founder talks about his career and approach to coaching. He also explains the most pressing issue in American weightlifting and shares the story of how he discovered CrossFit, which is one of the most incredible tales we've ever heard on the podcast.
Oct 14, 2019•33 min
Cole Sager is a CrossFit Games veteran and Spirit of the Games Award Winner. He's a full-time athlete who spends an incredible amount of energy trying to reach people outside the sport. Find out why Cole is so focused on showcasing his life outside the gym, and learn where this former D1 football player (and one-time CrossFit critic) thinks the sport will take him. We also discuss Cole's weightlifting hero and thoughts on the cuts at the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.
Oct 10, 2019•40 min
Steve Cotter didn't invent kettlebells, but it's impossible to talk about their popularity in the Western world without mentioning his name. Since the early 2000s, he's given over 600 seminars and presentations on kettlebell training, in addition to authoring books and producing countless videos for everyone from beginners to competitive athletes. We talk with the coach and IKFF founder about the rise of kettlebells and what so many of us miss about the mental aspect of training.
Oct 07, 2019•40 min
Tom Boyden is one half of the dynamic duo Juji & Tom. Find out how he partnered with Jujimufu and cracked the code on the way to building one of YouTube's craziest and most successful video channels.
Oct 03, 2019•37 min
Greg Nuckols, world record setting powerlifter and founder of Stronger By Science, walks us through his unorthodox career, the coolest strength sports, and bridging the gap between studies and what's actually useful in the gym.
Sep 30, 2019•41 min
Emily Abbate is a veteran fitness journalist who walks the walk (okay, more like runs). She's best known as the creator and host of Hurdle, one of the most popular fitness podcasts in the world. Emily has interviewed fitness icons like Tia-Clair Toomey, spent a day in the life of Rich Froning, and asked tough questions of sports celebrities like Alex Morgan. And she's only getting started. But her fitness cred goes beyond the podcast space. A contributor to Women's Health, Men's Health, GQ, SELF...
Sep 26, 2019•36 min
Brandon Heavey's story is epic: He's a former NASA engineer who, after a personal fitness revelation, decided to change careers and become a fitness trainer. Heavey swapped Mars rovers for squat cycles and never looked back. Now nearly a decade into his second career, he's one half of the husband/wife duo behind Evidence Based Athlete, using his scientific mind to help optimize results for elite athletes and reformed couch potatoes alike. We talk about his transition from the world of space expl...
Sep 23, 2019•35 min
James Newbury is the 5th Fittest Man on Earth, a 4-time Australia's Fittest Man, and one of the most cerebral athletes we've ever spoken with. Learn about the changes to training, nutrition, and recovery that catapulted him to his best-ever CrossFit Games result in 2019 — and where James thinks he has even more room to improve. He also gives his thoughts on format changes for the CrossFit Games, including the cut structure that quickly narrowed the field in 2019. Since starting CrossFit in 2011,...
Sep 19, 2019•32 min
If you've ever read about fitness and strength training online, chances are you have Tony Gentilcore to thank, at least in part. Tony is a trainer and author who was one of the first to take his thoughts online, creating an early bridge between in-gym experience and the web's fitness community. Back around 2010, there weren’t a ton of places to turn to when it came to learning about the ins and outs of strength training online. But Tony’s name was one that popped up everywhere, a testament to hi...
Sep 16, 2019•38 min
There are few people in fitness — much less fitness entrepreneurs — who keep it honest and real like Aaron Hinde. He's an open book, someone who's just as eager to explain the bad as he is to celebrate the good. The Co-Founder and President of LIFEAID Beverage Company — makers of FITAID — Aaron is a constant presence at the CrossFit Games, where his company is one of the sport's most visible sponsors. He counts top athletes and coaches among his friends. But that success didn't come without majo...
Sep 12, 2019•33 min
