"Life is a Thanksgiving meal. Some things are on boil, some things are simmering on the back burner, and this changes all night long." - Anthony D'Orazio or Gandalf, depending on who you ask Join Anthony D'Orazio, Justin Jones, and Mike Thompson as they discuss what it's like to encounter a busy period in your life. How to quantify "busy," how to select training priorities and use available time and recovery to the best effect, and how to stay mentally engaged when your brain is stretched thinne...
Jul 23, 2025•57 min
Join Director of Coaching Ariana Scalfo as she chats with new CHP coaches Mike Thompson and Justin Jones about men's mental health and how it plays out in lifestyle, health, and ability/motivation to train. Mike and Justin are relatively new fathers, and they discuss with Ariana (a new mother) the loneliness and pressure that comes with fatherhood, and the dangers of depression, and lack of clearly defined paternal support during that time. [tw: discussion about depression, anxiety, mentions of ...
Mar 22, 2025•1 hr 24 min
Clay Foster has been a part of Complete Human Performance for years, and has been doing the hybrid thing for even longer. He won The Crucible Pro Men's Division in 2024, he's competed in the Hybricon Games (2023), and is registered for Rally in the Valley 2025 to name a few things. A coach himself, Clay's training has run the gamut from bodybuilding to CrossFit to 100-milers, and he's excited to spend 2025 enjoying his hard-earned fitness. Listen in and follow Clay on Instagram at @clayfostfitne...
Feb 06, 2025•55 min
Pete Nelson is the founder of SISU Lifestyle, a Northeast-Ohio company specializing in handcrafted saunas and contrast bath technology. He joins us on the CHP Podcast as a long-time user of our Strength + 50k and Marathon templates (most notably, winning the inaugural Antarctica 50k) and brings with him boatloads of wisdom. Too much to summarize, dive in with Pete and learn about what keeps him focused, how he prioritizes as a father of 2 young children and devoted husband, and what he's most ex...
Feb 04, 2025•55 min•Ep. 72
Ariana, Alex, and Trevor try to work out how they'd rate the relative importance of 20 training priorities, from 1-20 (1=most important, 20=least important). In this hour they manage to discuss roughly 10, so expect a second episode for sure. The theme of today is "It Depends." The 20 "Commonly Discussed Priorities" are as follows (and in no particular order, trust me): Individualised coaching, NEAT, Structured training, General nutrition, Intra workout nutrition, Sleep, Training periodization, ...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Join Ariana as she chats with Matt Stevens, race director of Rally in the Valley, an incredibly fun and exciting hybrid competition held in Hurricane, WV every year since 2023. Matt is also the Head Judge at Hybricon Games, held at the end of October, and brings his rich military experience and experience as an athlete and gym owner (ShotFire Fitness) to the table for each event he's involved in. Learn about what it takes to host a multi-day hybrid competition (a lot), how many people it takes t...
Sep 11, 2024•43 min
With the safeties off. Ariana and Alex discuss what he meant by "hybrid" the first time, how it's evolved (for better or for worse), what they think it means and who it refers to (and doesn't), which hybrid athletes they believe embody the spirit of hybrid the most, and why hybrid events are still heavily endurance (but getting better). @completehumanperformance @alex.viada
Aug 29, 2024•51 min
Join Ariana Scalfo and Alex Viada as they do their first ever (???!! but first of many) podcasts of them just talking to each other about stuff they're doing, planning, building, and why they're excited about all of it. How did an offhand idea about deep-diving into Space Marines/metahuman supersoldiers train turn into a 100+ page protocol? And why are we turning it into a group training program? What does that look like? Largely just gabbing about what "hybrid" is, what it means to them, and wh...
Aug 08, 2024•46 min
Coach Trevor Tartaglia takes the reigns of the CHP Podcast to chat with Alex Viada about the utility of TSS Scores (TrainingPeaks) and other "fatigue/stress" tracking algorithms for hybrid athletes. How they work, the pros, the cons, and how coaches can fully utilize these metrics (or similar) all included, as well as coaching insights from them both. Discussed: What workouts are Trevor and Alex doing, and enjoying lately? How can athletes use TSS for strength workouts, if at all? What metrics c...
Jul 31, 2024•56 min
Join Ariana as she chats with Tyler Koch about his time working as a Subject Matter Expert for the United States Air Force, overseeing Human Performance within the F-35 fighter pilot community. He was also integral in founding the first ever Human Performance Initiative within Undergraduate Pilot Training. He has an M.S. in Exercise Science from George Washington University and prior to his role in the Air Force, he owned a gym, worked with professional athletes, and thoroughly explored the priv...
Jun 26, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Ariana and Trevor sit down and chat about the V3 template changes, what's next for CHP templates, and why they chose to push hard in this direction (app development aside). Plus, it's a general introduction into who Trevor is and how he ended up a military yoga teacher who also did CrossFit (it's true). New to CHP: Strength + 5k Strength + 10k Trail + Distance Strength + Half Marathon Follow Trevor at @trevor.tartaglia
Apr 14, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Susan Lopez MS, RDN, CSSD, LD, TSAC*F is a Registered Dietitian working for a Special Operations unit, and boy does she have some fascinating insight for hybrid and tactical athletes. Susan outlines the different strategies she uses for the two most common athlete archetypes she encounters in Special Operations, including approaching protein intake, total calories, supplementation, and working around their difficult and unpredictable lifestyles. Learn how she provides for her team by protecting ...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 71
Meet Jack Driscoll, self-proclaimed "overall fitness enjoyer," firefighter, coach, and phenomenal hybrid athlete. A guy who enjoys launching himself at a wide variety of fitness events, Jack burst into the competitive scene by winning Rally in the Valley, around the same time that he was tackling Hybricon Regionals, followed by a bodybuilding competition, and then an Ironman. Back to back to back. There may have been a powerlifting meet in there, too. Jack discusses how he trained for a sub-3 ho...
Jan 31, 2024•57 min•Ep. 71
Vera Stepina is a lifestyle and nutrition coach, a hybrid athlete who was doing hybrid stuff before it was hybrid, a client of Alex Viada's, and a woman with 3 children who is rediscovering her potential after at least a year of considering it "dead in the water." Listen to Vera and Ariana discuss the mindset required for massive lifestyle overhauls and shifts, the common roadblocks people experience (including themselves), the trials and tribulations of Kettlebell Long Cycles, and how Vera surp...
Jan 01, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 70
Kaleb is a tenured Spartan pro athlete, HYROX racer, DEKA athlete, and hybrid competitor - listen to him discuss how he arrived at this competitive level, what appeals to him about hybrid sport, and the pros and cons of being a "larger" competitor (6'3, 210+ lbs). On top of that, Kaleb is an upstanding gent and brilliant sportsman, bringing a ferocity and amicability to the start line that few people balance just right. Kaleb discusses how he gets into the right mindset for competition, how that...
Dec 12, 2023•58 min•Ep. 69
Sit down (although I'm pretty sure he stood the whole time) with Phillip Muscarella, the champion of the 2023 Hybricon Games. Dealing with competition anxiety, and operating from a place of gratitude and joy Coming into "hybrid" from a CrossFit background Differences and improvements from last year at the Hybricon Games Creating a balanced hybrid competition ("you can't call this a strength event if there's running in it") and seeing "creator bias" in event selection Bettering yourself and findi...
Nov 15, 2023•46 min•Ep. 68
Meet Dr Sam Spinelli. Doctor of Physical Therapy, gym owner, powerlifter, strongman, Olympic weightlifter, ultrarunner, Spartan obstacle course racer, father, and 2022's Crucible Pro Champ, Sam goes all-in on everything he does with the same kind of self-awareness, mild craziness, and uninhibited zeal found in high-level Hybrids. Listen in as Sam discusses how he found the idea of "hybrid," and what compelled him to take the leap into lifting and running. Sam discusses with Ariana how he had to ...
Oct 02, 2023•52 min•Ep. 67
Ariana chats with her friend Matt B Davis, who created and runs Obstacle Racing Media and Hybrid Fitness Media, two of the only forms of media purely covering Obstacle Course Racing and Hybrid Fitness Events. They discuss how they've seen hybrid events develop and grow, the industry and community, and the events that have popped up with increasing regularity year after year. The two "big events" are Hyrox and Deka, but with Hybricon Games, Rally in the Valley, Go Ruck Games, 3KO, Grit Games, etc...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Join Director of Coaching Ariana Scalfo as she chats with her friend (and hero) Lauren Weeks. Lauren is a 3x Hyrox World Champion, CrossFit competitor, DekaFit solid, 2x GoRuck Games competitor, Spartan Games Champion, Spartan Race winner, and Battle Bunker finalist 2022/contender 2023. After her explosion into hybrid athletics thanks to Deka's unstoppable Yancy Culp, Lauren has dominated every sport she touches. She's also a mother of a 1 year old daughter, and has competed in nearly all of the...
Aug 01, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 65
CHP Director of Coaching Ariana Scalfo sits down with Laura Gordon, who is both a PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology and an extraordinarily talented hybrid athlete. Recently at Battle Bunker Regionals in Texas, Laura uses her career to educate her fitness and coaching practice, while simultaneously using her fitness and coaching practice to assist her in her career. Areas of interest for Laura include: trauma informed weight lifting, ocean therapy, recreational therapy, and breath work. Laura'...
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 64
A 60min primer with Director of Coaching Ariana Scalfo on how to think about approaching nutrition as a hybrid athlete, including common mistakes, the best way to approach recomposition as a hybrid athlete, and answers to some more specific questions like: Some hybrid/endurance athletes are using BCAAs during long runs/events - do you recommend? Is the spacing of macronutrients throughout the day important, other than protein? Training events and race nutrition - always train with race day nutri...
Jun 02, 2023•51 min•Ep. 63
Dr. Quinn, a member of the primary care team for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) joins host Anthony D'Orazio for a discussion on what her life on tour is like. How does her team interact with the professional athletes of the tour? What are they looking for when they evaluate athletes? What can you learn from her experience working with these high level athletes? Listen in to find out. Follow Dr. Quinn on IG @drquinnmedwmn Follow Anthony on IG @dorazioanthony Follow CHP on IG @completehumanp...
May 16, 2023•55 min
Ariana sits down with longtime CHP coach and Omnia Owner/Operator Jonny Pain, to discuss his goals this year and step 1 of his 4 part worldwide ultramarathon series. Listen to Jonny chat about the mental process of arriving at this ambitious goal after years of injury and no formal racing, the benefits of handing over the numbers to a coach (Alex Viada), and the wild ride that was the Ice Ultra. Hosted by Beyond the Ultimate , the Ice Ultra is 230km of unsupported racing through the Swedish Lapl...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 61
Join Ariana as she co-hosts Episode 60 with CHP Founder and Owner, Alex Viada. Together, they chat with their friends Marc Howe and Lauren Rantala, who spearhead the Hyrox America affiliate program and the Hyrox Academy. Lauren and Marc discuss what brought them to Hyrox, one of Marc and Lauren's first dates that involved an infamous deadlift and beer chugging video, and the brilliance that is community-driven, easily accessible, fitness events. What is Hyrox? Marc and Lauren's journey through a...
Apr 15, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 60
Join CHP Director of Coaching Ariana Scalfo as she chats with Sam Hartman, longtime CHP client and collaborator, about a wide variety of topics that all circle back around to the importance of community in fitness. Hear what drew the two of them to CHP in the first place as clients, and how their personal goals have changed over the years; why CHP has so many military/LEO clients; tackling the complex question of how to get people moving; what CrossFit did right, and what it gets wrong; the posi...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 59
Host Ariana Scalfo welcomes CHP coach Nickademus de la Rosa to discuss Nick’s participation in the World’s Toughest Mudder run this past November. What was Nick’s training and race experience like for this, his second 100 mile race after heart surgery? How did a race of that distance with obstacles feel? What are some general endurance lessons to take from his and his clients’ experiences at this race? Find out when you listen in. Have a question, need to contact the show, or are interested in t...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr
Host Anthony D’Orazio welcomes Christian and Julia Anto to discuss young athlete development. What do they recommend young athletes do for athletic development? What types of sports participation and traveling leagues should they engage in? What issues do these two currently see with the current system and how young athletes are developed and showcased? All these questions and more are answered in this episode. Have a question, need to contact the show, or are interested in training with Complet...
Jan 02, 2023•55 min
Host Ariana Scalfo welcomes CHP coach Alec Blenis to discuss Alec’s participation in the Battle Bunker competition. How was the set-up? How did the event go? What was Alec’s approach to the event? Find out by listening in. Have a question, need to contact the show, or are interested in training with Complete Human Performance? You can email Ariana at: ariana@hybrid-academy.com You can email Anthony at: anthony@hybrid-academy.com Follow Alec on IG @alecblenis Follow Ariana on IG @running_peaches ...
Dec 16, 2022•47 min
Host Anthony D’Orazio welcomes on co-owner of Troponin Nutrition, fixer of ouchies (she is a great PT), deadlifter of lots of weight, and IFBB Women’s Physique Pro Dr. Dani LaMartina to discuss her approach to helping address the injuries she finds in high level strength athletes. What are some commonalities in approach has she seen in these athletes? What rehab approaches does she use? Why do so many top end athletes fail with traditional PT? How do her approaches differ from what you may find ...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr
Host Anthony D’Orazio discusses athlete improvements in year two of the Crucible. How much did performances improve over last year on average? Find out in the first segment. He then covers the recent Washington Post report on abuse of power, and sexual exploitation of female athletes in the IFBB and NPC. Listen to what he cautions athletes to look out for in a coach to protect themselves and their health. Lastly, Anthony goes over his experience at the EliteFTS SWIS Symposium that was in Columbu...
Nov 03, 2022•50 min
