Today we have one from our archives, one of the most popular episodes in BarBend Podcast history: PGA Tour Pro Scott Stallings. Scott joins us to talk about how discovering CrossFit and functional fitness impacted his golf game. Scott has trained with some of the fitness world’s biggest stars, and he’s got stories you simply don’t want to miss. First, a quick word from today’s sponsor. Organifi is a line of organic superfood blends that offers plant-based nutrition made with high-quality ingredi...
Jul 12, 2022•34 min
Today I’m talking to trainer, writer, and podcast Tom MacCormick. A writer for sites like Breaking Muscle and BarBend — but hey, I’m biased — Tom is a veteran of the strength and conditioning industry. But one thing he’s best known for online is helping people harness the power of mini cuts — targeted, specific periods of concentrated fat loss — that Tom says can actually help long-term muscle-building and strength goals. Tom joins us to explain how mini-cuts can be adapted to almost any trainin...
Jul 05, 2022•34 min
Today I’m talking to legendary fitness researcher and bodybuilding Dr. Jim Stoppani. When it comes to influencers in the space, Dr. Stoppani’s resume is almost unparalleled. He’s an active research scientist who has also spent decades in fitness publishing. And he’s a straight shooter, not afraid to separate fact from fiction and to admit when the research is still coming up short on topics in strength. Stoppani joins us to talk about everything from training myths to protein requirements as we ...
Jun 28, 2022•31 min
Today I’m talking to multi-time CrossFit Games athlete Emma McQuaid, who just qualified for the 2022 Games. The Irish athlete has a length background in sports but didn’t find CrossFit until she was 24 years old. Now in her 30s, McQuaid talks about her background in quad bike racing — ATV racing in American slang — how it both helped and hurt her career in elite fitness competition. Before we get into that, I want to give a quick shoutout to today’s episode sponsor, Colter Dillon. Do you struggl...
Jun 21, 2022•23 min
Today I’m talking to Canadian strongman phenom Mitchell Hooper. After just a few short years of elite strongman competition, Hooper burst into the conversation by qualifying for the World’s Strongest Man final in his first year at that competition — a meteoric rise in the sport. Now, he has his sights set on more, including world record deadlifts. Mitchell joints the podcast to talk about his broader professional and wellness goes, and he also explains how we made the progression from marathon r...
Jun 14, 2022•27 min
Today I’m talking to Lucy Campbell, a CrossFit athlete who just became the second British Woman in history to qualify as an Elite Individual for the CrossFit Games. A former gymnast and swimmer, Lucy rose to the highest level of CrossFit competition after barely five years in the sport. What about that athletic background helped her progress so quickly? And as a former gymnast, why were things like handstand push-ups still so challenging? I hope you enjoy my conversation with a rising star in th...
Jun 07, 2022•24 min
Today I’m talking to BarBend News Editor Phil Blechman. Phil is covering the 2022 World’s Strongest Man contest live on the ground in Sacramento, California. We’re recording this podcast on the Friday before the World’s Strongest Man final, so while we know the 10 finalists, we don’t know how the podium will shake out. Phil gives insights into the top stories and surprises from this year, including a firsthand look at how weather and event conditions impact the competitors. Do you struggle findi...
May 31, 2022•30 min
Today I'm talking to accountant, stats guru, and CrossFitter Tyler Watkins. He's on a mission to help identify where competitive CrossFit — which is still a very, very young sport — can level the playing field to be a more holistic, consistent, and fair test of fitness. Beyond Tia-Clair Toomey winning every year, how can organizers and programmers really set out to find the fittest athletes? Tyler takes a numbers-based approach, and his learnings are relevant to any fan of strength sports — Cros...
May 24, 2022•26 min
Here's a great one from the archives: Weightlifter, coach, and YouTuber Zack Telander joins us to talk about transitioning back and forth between CrossFit and weightlifting. Zack also talks about setting realistic goals for weightlifting athletes, along with changing the paradigm of which sports are “worth it” in American culture. Zack also gives his thoughts on dealing with weightlifting data and the most underrated coach in American weightlifting.
May 16, 2022•33 min
Today I'm talking to CrossFit athlete Khan Porter, an Australian native who's competed in the CrossFit Games as both an individual and on a team. One of the sport's most durable stars, Khan had a choice for the 2022 season: Find a new training environment to make yet another run at Individual competition, or form a team in Australia. But on Christmas 2021, a third path opened up: legendary athlete Annie Thorisdottir invited Khan to live and train with her team in Iceland. Now part of CrossFit's ...
May 10, 2022•28 min
Today I’m talking to a friend I’ve had the pleasure of working with for years. JP Nicoletta is USA Weightlifting’s Coaching Education Manager, and he’s perhaps even better known internationally as being one of the sport’s most accomplished color commentators. JP has pushed the boundaries of what weightlifting broadcasts can do to inform and make the sport more accessible for viewers. He’s also called some of history’s most impactful lifts and world records. We chat about what good commentary can...
May 03, 2022•29 min
Today I'm talking to Andrew Gutman, BarBend's Editor-in-Chief, a veteran of numerous fitness publications. We're giving you tips and tricks on how to network your way into this industry, whether you want to contribute as a writer, editor, videographer, designer, you name it. We cover some of our best insights into how to get involved with outlets like BarBend (and maybe even some of our esteemed competitors in the fitness journalism space).
Apr 26, 2022•31 min
If you’ve heard breaking news out of the strongman world in the past couple of years, chances are it came from one of two sources: BarBend.com, or someone named Matt Rhodes. Matt has the inside track to the highest levels of strongman competition and often gets news about athletes and events before, well, almost anyone else. We talk about how a love of strongman turned into a growing media footprint that includes interviews with champions, breaking news, and frank discussions a lot of interviewe...
Apr 19, 2022•25 min
Today we're talking to Griffin and Jarika Shaffer, the husband/wife duo behind fitness meme (mostly CrossFit meme) producer Chalk Llamas . We chat about not taking fitness or lifting too seriously, sourcing ideas for memes in the dustiest corners of the most mysterious gyms, and how Griffin turned a love of digital humor into a full-time gig making memes for CrossFit Inc. It's the strength meme story just crazy enough to be true....
Apr 12, 2022•31 min
One from our archives: Kevin Oak has held multiple all-time powerlifting world records throughout his career. Currently, he holds the 242 lb raw all-time world record for the squat with his recent 860 lb lift. Outside of powerlifting, Kevin also owns his own apparel business, Barbell Commission. In today’s episode we chat with Kevin about a variety of topics including his pre world record mindset, what his next epics feats of strength will be, and much more.
Apr 04, 2022•41 min
Our guest today needs almost no introduction. Mat Fraser is a 5-time CrossFit Games Champion. He has a lengthy background in strength sports as a youth weightlifter, all the way through to the fittest man in history. I've known Mat for years, before he was a CrossFit Games Champion, and it's awesome to finally get him on this podcast. We talk about everything from nutrition to his eating habits as a weightlifter and goals in the sport, transitioning to CrossFit, training without knowing what was...
Mar 29, 2022•29 min
Today we're joined (for the second time) by pro strongman Gabe Peña. Gabe has come a long way since we last chatted. In his World's Strongest Man debut as an alternate, Gabe had to withdraw due to an irregular heartbeat. Now, after an unexpected but very manageable medical diagnosis, Gabe is heading back to WSM, but as a full-fledged competitor. He's also an accomplished event organizer and recently put on South Texas' first-ever Pro-Am Strongman Contest.
Mar 21, 2022•29 min
Today we're talking to Doctor of Physical Therapy and trainer Dr. Bo Babenko. Bo has worn many hats in fitness over the past decade: physical therapist, triathlete, CrossFit Regionals competitor, and more. Our conversation focuses heavily on what’s changed about physical therapy and recovery during Bo’s career so far, along with the most common myths and misconceptions when it comes to injury recovery. We’ll get right to it, because this is one episode that can be useful to just about anyone who...
Mar 14, 2022•30 min
Today I’m talking to chef, entrepreneur, and athlete Dan Churchill. Dan has been featured on MasterChef Australia, Good Morning America, the Food Network, and more. He’s also the mastermind behind the restaurant Charley Street in NYC. He also has a masters in exercise science. Dan exists at an interesting nexus between fitness and nutrition, and today, he joins us to talk about fueling for performance based on your lifestyle and goals.
Mar 07, 2022•29 min
Today I’m talking to legendary rapper, songwriter, and actor Ice-T. Since his origins in the underground rap scene of the 1980s to his long-term stint on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ice-T has been a cultural force in America for as long as many of us have been alive. But one thing a lot of people might not know is his passion for fitness. In his youth, Ice-T was a competitive gymnast and fan of physical culture, and now in his 60s, he’s exercising often twice per day....
Feb 28, 2022•15 min
Today I’m talking to Adam Sedlack, CEO of UFC Gym. Adam has had an amazing rise through the ranks of gyms. He started as an entry-level employee at a brick and mortar gym, then became a trainer, and from there he spent years working his way to management as he learned every in and out of the gym business. Now, he’s CEO of a gym conglomerate with over 150 locations worldwide — and they’re still growing! Adam joins us to talk about how the fitness industry has changed, separating fad from lasting ...
Feb 22, 2022•28 min
Today I’m talking to a repeat guest on the BarBend Podcast, Fergus Crawley. Fergus is a multi-discipline endurance and strength athlete known for combining the two into unique physical challenges. His latest was “600Sixty” — a 600-kilogram raw powerlifting total followed by a sub-six-hour 60-kilometer ultramarathon. We catch up with Fergus to talk about what it takes to train for both elite strength and endurance, including how his protocols have shifted in the past two years to balance the vari...
Feb 15, 2022•31 min
Today I’m talking to Dr. Dena Garner, professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, the Director of Undergraduate Research and the Assistant Provost for Research and Policy at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Garner is best known in some fitness circles for her work with performance mouthpieces, including helping to develop the technology behind the AIRWAAV mouthpiece. In today’s episode, Dr. Garner joins us to talk about the complex — and in my opinion, truly fascin...
Feb 08, 2022•29 min
Today I’m talking to Sammy Moniz, an athlete, chef, and now cookbook author perhaps best known as the mastermind behind Feeding the Frasers. Sammy joins us to talk about her path in nutrition, developing recipes, and cooking to fuel performance with her long-term partner and 5-time Fittest Man on Earth Mat Fraser.
Feb 01, 2022•27 min
Bodybuilder Kevin Malone joins us to talk about finding competition later in life and how his bodybuilding career took off around his mid-40s. We talk about Kevin's focus on compound movements and heavy weights for hypertrophy, and how consistency is ultimately key to success in aesthetic sports. Kevin is proof that a long-term outlook paired with a competition-centric mindset may promote the best results!
Jan 25, 2022•26 min
Today I'm talking to strongman (and 90kg World's Strongest Man) Nicolai Myers. Nicolai is also the winner of America's Strongest Veteran. We discuss being a strongman in a sport more often associated with giants, and how he capitalizes on his strengths to win competitions that might include some of his weaker individual events. We also talk about Nicolai's training, sport-specific movements for strongman, and a lot more.
Jan 18, 2022•27 min
Today I'm catching up with American weightlifter Mary Theisen-Lappen. A former collegiate thrower (track & field), Mary found weightlifting about four years ago through a USA Weightlifting recruitment program. Since then, she's made astounding progress in the sport and is now one of the top lifters in the country. She's also a Pan American Champion breathing down the neck of the American women's record clean & jerk. We talk about her rapid progress in the sport, "thrower cleans," and why...
Jan 10, 2022•21 min
Today I'm chatting with a repeat guest on the BarBend Podcast: Powerlifter turned (now professional) bodybuilding competitor Amanda Kohatsu. Amanda originally made a name for herself in strength through her powerlifting accomplishments. But about a year and a half ago, she decided to take a break from competitive squat, bench, and deadlift to enter a new athletic arena: Figure and physique competition. Barely 18 months into her bodybuilding journey, Amanda earned victories and pro cards in BOTH ...
Jan 03, 2022•27 min
Margaux Alvarez is a 7-time CrossFit Games athlete, long drive competitor, coach, and wine entrepreneur. She's one of the most multi-talented personalities in fitness, and her future in CrossFit — and beyond — is something we had to learn more about. We sit down with Margaux to talk about training across multiple sports, strength training for golf long drive competitions, her future in athletics, balancing wine with recovery, and more.
Dec 27, 2021•34 min
Today I'm chatting with strongman Rob Kearney, who joins the BarBend Podcast for a second time. Rob has been through a lot in the past two years, including a tricep rupture on an American Log Press record attempt, as well as a testicular cancer diagnosis. Rob joins the podcast to talk about his injury, illness, and road to recovery, including returning to the competition floor at the 2021 Rogue Invitational.
Dec 20, 2021•30 min
