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Strength Matters

Strength Mattersstrengthmatters.com

The Strength Matters podcast is a weekly show for health and fitness professionals who want the systems, tools, and resources to grow and scale a successful fitness business. Hosted by Head Coach Josh Kennedy and Strength Matters founder, James Breese. 

Join the world’s leading experts in helping personal trainers and coaches uncover cutting-edge training solutions and share them with you.

Strength Matters is a system of training and education for fit pros and experienced enthusiasts who want to optimize performance and enhance their health span.

The central question that drives our work is, “How can we train smarter?” To answer that question, we like to talk about science-based ways, made simple, to solve practical health and fitness problems.

However, science doesn’t always have the answers. That’s why our work combines both science and practical real-world experience. What works in a textbook, doesn’t always work in real life. 

This is why we like to talk about and share our client results with you… the good, and the bad, so that we can all learn from them, move forward to live, and perform better.

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Episodes

Ep 38: In Memory Of Bread: A Memoir With Paul Graham

Your diet is an important part of your overall health, and bread and other products containing gluten are staples in most diets in our society. So what happens to your diet – and your health – when you’re diagnosed with a disease that requires eliminating bread and other gluten-containing products from your diet entirely?Today’s guest is an authority on that topic, and he’s written a book about it. Paul Graham is an English professor and author who loved beer and bread before he was diagnosed wi...

Jul 18, 201859 minSeason 1Ep. 38

Ep 37: How Jogging In Burundi Became An Act Of War With Peter Frick-Wright

Outdoor athletics are about more than just getting in shape. They’re about having adventures, taking risks, and seeing what you can learn along the way.Today’s guest is Peter Frick-Wright, a writer, radio-maker, and host of the Outside Podcast. Peter studied at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and has reported from a range of diverse locations like Bosnia, Burma, Burundi, and Bolivia. Peter’s taste for adventure and journalistic instincts have helped him accumulate some fascinating sto...

Apr 26, 20181 hrSeason 1Ep. 37

Ep 36: Surviving Aconcagua: Scaling The Highest Mountain In S.America With Matt Shore

It’s easy to think of personal training as something that takes place in a gym, but many of the best physical challenges take place in the great outdoors. That means that great personal trainers can be found outdoors as well.Today’s guest is Matt Shore, found of Train Strong personal training, and an expert with 18 years in the fitness field. Matt conducts outdoor training classes and boot camps, and he’s also not afraid of taking on some tough physical challenges himself. Listen to the episode ...

Apr 18, 201854 minSeason 1Ep. 36

Ep 35: The Secret To A Strong And Healthy Mindset With Simon Lovell

If you’re a personal trainer or someone who wants to run their own fitness business, you know that things like physical fitness and nutrition are important. But do you also know that having the right mindset is just as important?In today’s episode, I’ll talk to Simon Lovell, an author, speaker, and CEO of Fitpreneurs. Throughout Simon’s interesting career, which involves personal training, turning an ebook into a bestseller, and becoming a pro at business and marketing, he’s learned the value of...

Apr 10, 201855 minSeason 1Ep. 35

Ep 34: How To Track Muscle Health Through Ultrasound With Andy Jackson

In order to get more physically fit and improve your athletic abilities, it’s important to be able to assess your current physical condition and track how it changes over time. Assessing the health and condition of your muscles is particularly important, and today’s guest is an expert on that subject.Andy Jackson is the President and CEO of MuscleSound. Andy has a long track record in the industry, including 20 years working in product development, sales, and marketing for FitPro Group and as th...

Apr 05, 201858 minSeason 1Ep. 34

Ep 33: The Secret To Alleviating Pain With Missy Bunch And Ryan Steenrod

Missy Bunch and Ryan Steenrod are co-founders of the company Death of the Desk, a company that’s committed to combating the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle.Missy was a professional dancer who became interested in movement, health, and fitness after a knee injury that left her struggling to fund a way to relieve the pain. Ryan’s experience with working a desk job inspired him to find a healthier profession and lifestyle and encourage others to break out of the sedentary routine. Listen ...

Mar 26, 20181 hr 1 minSeason 1Ep. 33

Ep 32: Why Individual Data Is Critical To Program Design With Matt Berenc

Matt Berenc is the Director of Educations for the Equinox Fitness Training Institute’s In-house education department. He’s also a writer for Equinox’s online magazine, Furthermore.Matt has been passionate about fitness since childhood and started lifting weights at the age of ten. That passion led Matt to study fitness in college, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences. From there, Matt began his career as a personal trainer and strength coach. While on the path from the beginning...

Mar 23, 20181 hr 9 minSeason 1Ep. 32

Ep 31: How To Hydrate 3x Faster And More Efficiently With Brandin Cohen

Brandin Cohen is the CEO and co-founder of Liquid I.V. an electrolyte product that improves the hydration capability of water when added to it. Brandin started out as a collegiate golfer who was interested in entrepreneurship. After college, he began working for the Arizona Diamondbacks and noticed that the players were drinking Pedialyte. The question of why professional baseball players would be drinking a product created for babies stuck in his mind.Brandin was intrigued by the science of hyd...

Mar 16, 201841 minSeason 1Ep. 31

Ep 30: Gift Of Injury: The Strength Athlete’s Guide To Recovering From Back Injury With Dr Stuart McGill

Dr. Stuart McGill is the man who restores very difficult backs. He is a professor emeritus, University of Waterloo, where he was a professor for 32 years. He conducted laboratory and experimental research into the causal mechanisms that cause back pain. His work has resulted in books, products, courses, over 240 peer-reviewed scientific journal papers, textbooks, and the answers to fixing back problems and pain. He has mentored graduate students and taught thousands of clinicians and practitione...

Mar 05, 20181 hr 15 minSeason 1Ep. 30

Ep 29: The Essential Skills You Need To Stay Healthy And Lean With Georgie Fear

Georgie Fear RD CSSD is the Chief Science Officer of One By One Nutrition. She is also a coach, a lover of helping people, and the author of Lean Habits For Lifelong Weight Loss: Mastering 4 Core Eating Behaviors to Stay Slim Forever. One By One Nutrition helps people achieve and maintain healthy weight, and Georgie has the scientific knowledge to back up her teachings.They offer courses and an entire system backed up by research to achieve the healthy wins most people want. They use a skill bas...

Feb 26, 20181 hr 9 minSeason 1Ep. 29

Ep 28: Unconventional Fitness With John Wolf

John Wolf is an unconventional athlete who uses kettlebell, steel club, suspension training and other fun and unconventional training methods. He can deadlift more than 500 pounds. He is the Chief Fitness Officer of Onnit a supplement company and fitness academy that offers recipes, training, certifications, a podcast, and more. He is the founder of John Wolf Fitness.We talk about John’s deadlift, and how martial arts were an essential part of his early training and part of his life. He also tal...

Feb 19, 201859 minSeason 1Ep. 25

EP 24: The Everyday Athlete’s Guide To Barefoot Running With Julia Chi Taylor

Julia Chi Taylor is a runner, world traveler, coach, author, and blogger who runs and trains all over the world. She is a huge proponent of barefoot running and travels and blogs with her husband as she traverses our globe with her bare feet. She has an incredible story including how she overcame an eating disorder and how she leads a totally barefoot lifestyle.Julia has been running all her life from running barefoot in the grass to competing at top levels and running marathons. She is a mentor...

Oct 23, 20171 hr 8 minSeason 1Ep. 23

EP 22: The Spirit Of The Everyday Athlete With James Breese

On today’s show, I speak with the founder of Strength Matters James Breese. We talk about the journey and changes we have gone through over the last six to eight months, and how the concept of the everyday athlete grew after a lifestyle change for James. We talk about training, the future of Strength Matters, and a lot more.Strength Matters started out as a kettlebell company called Kettlebell Fever, but it is now transitioning into a fitness company for everyday athletes. The concept of the eve...

Oct 09, 201752 minSeason 1Ep. 22

Ep 21: The Benefits Of Doing 100 Push-Ups A Day With Neal Snyder

Today, I am speaking with Neal Snyder the presenter of the What’s New Coach podcast. He is a trainer and manager with over 10 years experience in the business. In this episode, he tells us about his 100 press ups or push ups a day challenge. Along with the inspiration behind it and the results he has gained from doing the challenge. We also talk about how to survive in the business as a new personal trainer, and the lessons Neal has learned both as a client and a coach.Neal has helped manage hun...

Oct 02, 20171 hrSeason 1Ep. 20

EA 19: How To Finally Make Fitness A Habit With Harold Gibbons Of Mark Fisher Fitness

Today, I am talking with Harold Gibbons a strength coach and program design manager at Mark Fisher Fitness. He has created personal exercise programs and group training classes for over 800 of New York’s most ridiculous humans. At an early age Harold discovered that he loved lifting weights and going to the gym was an escape. He went on to study and teach physical education, and is now a coach who wants to help his clients build the best life possible.On today’s show, we discuss how Harold start...

Sep 18, 20171 hr 11 minSeason 1Ep. 19

EA 18: How To Hold Your Breath For 8 Minutes & Eliminate Fear To Improve Performance

Today, I speak to Ant Williams a highly experienced keynote speaker and psychologist who has worked with athletes from Olympians to motocross riders. While working with athletes who were involved in dangerous sports, Ant realized that in order to help them he really needed to understand what it was like to compete in a dangerous sport, so he took up freediving.Ant found the importance that the mental state plays in athletic performance fascinating as he studied sports psychology. He started stud...

Sep 11, 201754 minSeason 1Ep. 18

EA 17: [Case Study] How To Train An Everyday Athlete Who Struggles With Cardiovascular Performance

On today’s bite sized podcast, I have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Debbie Bright and Phil McDougall. We are talking about how Phil used the Everyday Athlete principles that we have talked about to train Dr. Debbie and help her get more fit than ever before. Debbie is a trainer, but she still wanted to train with Phil to up her game. Even though, she looked fit because of her nutrition plan she wasn’t prioritizing movement.Phil has a theory when it comes to the fitness differences between Ame...

Sep 04, 201734 minSeason 1Ep. 17

EA 16: Self Management Strategies For A Happy And Healthy Life With Nick Sutherland

I think that today’s topic is a really important subject that isn’t talked about enough in today’s society. This topic really resonates with me because of my own family experience with some of these issues. In this show, I am talking with Nick Sutherland a psychotherapist who helps men who have reached rock bottom. Nick is passionate about breaking down the stigma regarding mental health. He also has a goal of helping 373 males between the ages of 35 and 45 get off rock bottom. This is the numbe...

Aug 28, 20171 hr 7 minSeason 1Ep. 16

EA 15: The Everyday Athlete’s Guide To Gut Health With Dr. Debbie Bright

Today’s guest is Dr. Debbie Bright. She is a Chiropractic Physician with a degree in Exercise Science and a Masters in Nutrition and Human Performance. She is also a kettlebell ninja who is SMK Level One qualified. She has also written a couple of great articles for the Strength Matters Magazine. Plus, she is the woman behind the Look Good Naked program which she has developed.We talk about her Look Good Naked program and what exactly is functional medicine. Then we discuss toxins and myths abou...

Aug 21, 20171 hr 1 minSeason 1Ep. 15

EA 14: How To Assess Gaps In Your Training Using The Dan John Matrix

Today’s guest is the amazing, awesome and wonderful Dan John. He is a prolific writer, blogger, and author. Along with being a strength and conditioning legend, and he is also an awesome guest to have at your wedding. Dan is the author of several books including his latest book Now What?: The Ongoing Pursuit of Improved Performance. He is a prolific writer and blogger, and you will find his articles all over the Internet including on Breaking Muscle and Men’s Fitness. He is also featured in seve...

Aug 14, 20171 hr 7 minSeason 1Ep. 13

EA 12 : The Everyday Athlete’s Guide To Injury Recovery With Scott Olsen

Welcome to episode 12 of the Everyday Athlete. I am your host, Josh Kennedy. Today, I am talking to Scott Olsen from Beyond The Muscle. Scott is a regular presenter on our whiteboard Wednesdays along with Phil Mcdougal. Today we talk about the fascia and its importance in the body. We also talk about Chinese therapy, injury recovery, performance, rehab, correctives, and more. He even helps me with my dodgy Achilles.Scott specializes in injury recovery. He became involved in body work through his...

Jul 30, 201754 minSeason 1Ep. 12

EA 11: Biomechanics, Pain Science & Running Resilience With Dr Greg Lehman

Today, I am talking with Dr. Greg Lehman who is a physiotherapist, chiropractor, and coach who specializes in treating musculoskeletal disorders. He teaches a course called Reconciling Biomechanics with Pain Science. He has worked alongside back specialist Dr. Stuart McGill, and he sometimes disagrees with him. I’ll let you decide how controversial that is. Dr. Greg Lehman is a clinician, but prior to that, he was a strength and conditioning coach.He loves research, but he also wanted to work wi...

Jul 24, 201759 minSeason 1Ep. 11

EA 10: Obstacle Course Racing, Epic Bucket Lists & Developing Mental Resilience With Kate Solovieva

Kate Solovieva is a blogger, nutritionist, motivational speaker, endurance race runner, lifestyle coach, and an all around amazing athlete. Today, I am lucky enough to have a conversation with her about training, online business, nutrition, racing, her epic bucket list and more. Kate was born in Siberia and immigrated to Canada when she was a teenager. She has an undergraduate and graduate degree in psychology. She has been a student, a professor, a yoga instructor, a Bootcamp instructor and she...

Jul 17, 201753 minSeason 1Ep. 10

EA 09: How To Get Rid Of Back Pain With Dr. Stuart McGill

Welcome to Everyday Athlete the podcast for the everyday athlete who wants to train smarter and live to be 100 years old. I am your host, Josh Kennedy. Today, I am talking to Dr. Stuart Mcgill, a world renowned back specialist and Professor of Spine Biomechanics at the University of Waterloo. He has a laboratory and clinic that explores lower back mechanics, injury mechanisms, rehabilitation protocols, and performance enhancement.He is the author of numerous journals and papers, and his work has...

Jul 10, 20171 hr 15 minSeason 1Ep. 9

EA 08: Better Health & Movement Through Sprinting With Franz Snideman

Welcome to Everyday Athlete the podcast for the everyday athlete who wants to train smarter and live to be 100 years old. I am your host, Josh Kennedy. Today, I am talking to Franz Snideman, co-owner of Revolution Fitness in La Jolla, California. Franz is a Senior Strong First Instructor, Primal Move National Instructor, a former collegiate sprinter, a trainer, coach, speaker, and author. Franz is known as the sprinting ninja, and he has dreams of being a superhero.Franz has been in the fitness ...

Jul 03, 20171 hr 6 minSeason 1Ep. 8

EA 07: Why The Everyday Athlete Should Run With Andrew Read

Welcome to Everyday Athlete the podcast for the everyday athlete who wants to train smarter and live to be 100 years old. I am your host, Josh Kennedy. Today, I am talking to Andrew Read. We talk about Ironman, his 1000 kilometer charity ride, his book Run Strong, his time on SealFit, and all about running, running technique, and how to get started running. Today’s guest is in the 1% of trainers with over 15 years in the fitness industry. You would be hard pressed to know if he is happy or sad. ...

Jun 26, 20171 hr 12 minSeason 1Ep. 7

EA 06: The Everyday Athlete & Lower Back Pain – Why No Two Spines Are The Same

Today, I am talking to Joel Proskewitz the Founder of PerformanceRx in London. Joel is a fantastic coach who has been in the business for about 24 years. He has been hiding in the background slowly building his reputation. This is the first podcast he has ever done, but I doubt it will be his last.Joel has been a trainer and strength coach for the last 24 years. He was one of the strength and conditioning coaches for the South African Olympic Heavyweight Rowing Team who happened to take the Bron...

Jun 20, 201758 minSeason 1Ep. 6

EA 05: How To Actually Use Fitness Trackers To Get Fit With Nudge Coach

Welcome to Everyday Athlete the podcast for the everyday athlete who wants to train smarter and live to be 100 years old. I am your host, Josh Kennedy. Today, I am talking to Phil Beene, from Nudge Coach. This is a fantastic new app that can be used by trainers, clients, and everyday athletes.Phil Beene has a degree in Economics from Wofford College. He is the Co-founder and President of Nudge, an online coaching platform. The company has been featured in Techcrunch, Digital Trends, and several ...

Jun 14, 201748 minSeason 1Ep. 5

EA 04: How To Get Out Of Pain & Avoid Injuries With Perry Nickelston (Part 2)

Welcome to the Everyday Athlete Podcast, I’m your host Josh Kennedy.Today, I’m talking with my friend Dr. Perry Nickelston. This is part 2 of my epic interview with Perry. If you missed part 1 of the interview please go back and listen to episode 2 of the podcast.Perry has been working with Strength Matters for the last several years, and he is a huge proponent of functional movement. He is the author of Stop Chasing the Pain and runs the website of the same name. He is a chiropractic physician ...

May 27, 201742 minSeason 1Ep. 4

EA 03: Why The Everyday Athlete Should Row With Cameron Nichol

Welcome to the Everyday Athlete podcast. In today’s episode, I speak with former Olympic rower Cameron Nichol, from Rowing WOD. We talk about the wonderful health and fitness benefits of rowing, how it might just be the missing link from people’s training regimens. How beginners and experienced athletes can benefit from rowing and integrate it into their training. Cameron believes that every human is an athlete and that every athlete should row.Cameron Nichol started rowing in medical school. He...

May 20, 201756 minSeason 1Ep. 3
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