“Coach each other. You may not have a certification, but put that coaching hat on. Like, ‘Hey, you want to go to class today with me?’ My wife went to a cycle class this morning at 5:00 AM. She had a friend, she asked her, ‘Do you want to go with me?’ And it’s really, really hard to say no to that,” says Yancy Culp, co-host of the DEKA Series and Co-Creator of Spartan DEKA. Today Yancy and Jarod are talking about 5 tactical ways that are going to help you weaponize your fitness to conquer 2022 a...
Jan 07, 2022•28 min•Ep. 790
Joe’s Best podcast Lessons of 2021 Joe De Sena discusses 5 lessons from the 2021 Spartan Up season. You can ALWAYS come back from failure, friends who stand by you but tell you the hard truth really help. Human connection is critical, and shared struggle is the fastest way to build it. Save the fun for later, play the LONG game. Freedom is complicated. Give some thought to what it means to you. Make sure you develop your own personal code of conduct, what is acceptable in your family, in your ow...
Jan 04, 2022•28 min•Ep. 789
Joe - “You woke up one day and you were like, ‘I’m done, I’m not going to the bar?’” Anders Varner - “Yeah, it was, like, pretty much exactly like that.” In this episode, we look back to some classic episodes to help you figure out your mission going into the new year and letting go of your negative lifestyle. In this episode you’ll learn… Understand why you’re doing what you’re doing and that you have to love it Figure out your mission and your “Grand Vision” Importance of breaking up with your...
Jan 01, 2022•19 min•Ep. 788
“The thing I think that's true, no matter where you live or who you are, most people in the fitness community are going to cheer for you and push you to be better because they're pushing themselves to be better,” says April Lauren, who is on a journey to lose 200 lbs, and to live each day a little brighter than the day before. Today Yancy and Jarod talk with April Lauren about some advice she has for people to stay on your mission and how to help the people around you succeed in their goals. In ...
Dec 30, 2021•29 min•Ep. 787
Nutritional Psychiatry. Dr. Uma Naidoo, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, Professional Chef, and trained Nutrition Specialist, offers simple tips to help you stay on track. She's the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and wrote the best seller "This Is Your Brain on Food." She joins Joe De Sena, founder & CEO of Spartan, on today's episode of the Spartan Up podcast. “This is Your Brain on Food” https://amzn.to/3pnXXc9 Dr.Uma Naidoo https://umanai...
Dec 28, 2021•27 min•Ep. 786
“The thing about negative thoughts, though, is that they can become barriers to us moving forward and achieving the things that we want, when we listen to them. Negative thoughts are a bit, a little bit like seeds, right? We plant them in our brain. But if we attend to them, right? And if we water them through that attention, they will grow and they will spread. So we actually want to work on some different skills, where we take the negative thoughts and we shift them, or transform them, or we m...
Dec 25, 2021•17 min•Ep. 785
“The trajectory of everything, everything that was going on in the world, my emotional state, that if I didn’t put my foot down, that I was going to be someone on TV…someone on TV where they’re so heavy that they’re completely immobile. And I did not want that,” says April Lauren, who is on a journey to lose 200 lbs, and to live each day a little brighter than the day before. Today Yancy and Jarod talk with April Lauren about how she’s changing the picture for people who don’t know how or where ...
Dec 24, 2021•29 min•Ep. 784
You can build your capacity for attention and focus, just like you build your muscles. Today's guest Dr. Amishi Jha is a professor of psychology at the University of Miami and is the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, which she co-founded in 2010. Her work has been featured at NATO, the World Economic Forum, and The Pentagon. She joins Joe De Sena, founder & CEO of Spartan, to explain how you can use simple focus exercises, like push ...
Dec 21, 2021•28 min•Ep. 783
“Start grading yourself Sunday night. But know, your grade’s going to be shxtty, a lot, if you set yourself up for failure,” says Yancy Culp, co-host of the DEKA Series. Today Yancy and Jarod are going to tell you how to get back to your old regimen or begin completely fresh before the new year. In this episode, you’ll learn: - How to overcome the slump you may already be in or that you may get into - You can strive for perfection, but you have to stop to celebrate your progress - Start small an...
Dec 18, 2021•26 min•Ep. 782
The Food Babe, Vani Hari, lived on soda, fast food, and processed food (the typical American diet.) It landed her in a hospital. That's when the research on food ingredients, additives, and chemicals that became "the Food Babe" began. Vani and Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, share a passion for clean food, even when it has become socially difficult. At the end of the interview, Vani shares a surprising tip for a better diet - turn of the TV! More About Vani The Food Babe http://foodbabe...
Dec 16, 2021•43 min•Ep. 781
Sleep is the platform that all good health sits upon, says Dr. Kirk Parsley. A Navy SEAL who became an MD "Doc Parsley" found that almost all the high-performing patients he worked with had sleep issues. The more he studied it, the more he found out about the importance of sleep for resilience and performance. Today he talks with Joe De Sena, Spartan founder, and CEO, who has always said "I'll sleep when I'm dead." Dr. Parsley lectures worldwide on sleep, wellness, and hormonal optimization and ...
Dec 14, 2021•31 min•Ep. 780
“The nervous system in the body is very intelligent, and is based off of survival. Which means, it is going to find a way,” says Dr. Emily Splichal, Functional Podiatrist & Human Movement Specialist. Spartan Up Endurance Series host, Johnny Waite, talks with Dr. Emily Splichal about how your feet can be the foundation of opportunity and how to keep them in top condition. In this episode you’ll learn about… - How important your form is, and how to correct yourself before getting injured - The...
Dec 11, 2021•32 min•Ep. 779
“You don’t want it to just be challenging for the most capable person in your formation, because then you’re going to crush everybody below them and they’re gonna feel awful. And you don’t want to just make it challenging for the less capable folks in your formation, because then you’re not going to challenge the folks up high. You have to consistently work to identify how you can make the experience one that elevates everyone, hopefully simultaneously,” says Chandler Smith, former Army Captain,...
Dec 10, 2021•25 min•Ep. 778
“But then after these events that you see as only having negative outcomes occur, after they happen, you can, oftentimes, look back and be like, 'Alright well that actually ended up being something that forced me to think about things in a completely different way, that challenged me and made me a lot better.' And that's how I view that now. Like, without the finger thing happening, I definitely don't make the Crossfit Games in 2019 and probably don't end up figuring out the rest of my Army care...
Dec 04, 2021•31 min•Ep. 777
Joe - "What if your neighbor's kid started to see what--" "Then so be it. Right? I was cool with it. I mean, again, I wasn't chasing dollars, I was not trying to become famous, I was not trying to take over the world. I really just wanted to make a great product and share it with the world. And again, if it was one bottle or one million bottles, to me there is no difference, it was just doing something great," says GT Dave. In this episode we talk to Peter Jackson, CEO of Bluescape, and GT Dave,...
Dec 03, 2021•30 min•Ep. 776
Greek scientist Apostolos Atsalakis, founder of PNOE, and athlete Alex Wisch join Joe De Sena, founder of Spartan, to talk about metabolism, zone workouts, and VO2 max. Apo is the co-founder of PNOĒ which adapts a breath analysis test that was known for over a century, to allow the mass adoption of metabolic analysis (RMR and VO2Max testing). He graduated from the University of Cambridge, joined Y Combinator with PNOĒ in 2019, and has joined the Fortune 40 under 40 Greek list. He loves windsurfi...
Dec 01, 2021•18 min•Ep. 775
“You can’t run a race if you’re not thinking about the type of food, the fuel you’re putting in your body. And if you’re a kid growing up in New York City, and you’re going to school, you can’t think about math if the stuff you’re being fed is not good fuel,” says Jeffrey Zurofsky, chef and entrepreneur. This week’s classic episode is about the benefits of eating well for your social, mental, and physical health. In this episode you’ll learn… It’s okay to eat what you want, as long as you don’t ...
Nov 27, 2021•34 min•Ep. 774
“There’s some brutal optics, and you see the crappy things going on out there, and every now and then we’re reminded that there’s way way more good than there is bad,” says Yancy Culp, co-host of the DEKA Series. Today, Jarod, Yancy and Johnny Waite all get together to talk about what it means to be grateful and how caring for others will impact your life. In this episode, you’ll learn: Importance of giving and being grateful Be thankful for your journey and the opportunities and people you meet...
Nov 25, 2021•23 min•Ep. 773
“Someone took the hand you’re complaining about and won with it” said John Henry. A Dominican-American entrepreneur and investor. Henry has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc 30 Under 30, Adweek Creative 100, The Root 100, and Ebony Power 100 lists. John Henry, Cofounder and Co-CEO of Loop, and Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, talk about what makes a win. The hand? The player? The game? All three? John Henry on Twitter https://twitter.com/JohnHenryStyle John Henry on Discord disco...
Nov 24, 2021•24 min•Ep. 772
“It’s that important. It’s like, basically you approach recovery as if it’s like your most important workout of the week, but you do it everyday, probably,” says Nicole Mericle. Spartan Up Endurance Series host, Johnny Waite, talks with Nicole Mericle about her recovery from tearing her ACL, and how we can find the mindset to recover and come back better than before. In this episode you’ll learn about… Focusing on what you can control yourself during each step of recovery Approaching recovery th...
Nov 20, 2021•38 min•Ep. 771
“If you’re not so confident or you’re not where you want to be, there are skills that we can develop to get there, so, don’t worry,” says Craig Siegel, Founder of Cultivate Lasting Symphony and The Host of The CLS Experience. Today we talk with Craig Siegel about how you can develop skills and tools to replace limitations with possibilities and opportunities. In this episode, you’ll learn: Confidence is a skill you can develop Inspiration is temporary, work on your future through your lifestyle ...
Nov 18, 2021•30 min•Ep. 770
Are you doing future you any favors? Dorie Clark, author of "The Long Game" talks with Joe De Sena, founder & CEO of Spartan, about the value of thinking long term and taking time to think strategically. Dorie Clark has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She is a keynote speaker and teaches executive education at Duke University. She is also the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You and Stand Out,...
Nov 16, 2021•30 min•Ep. 769
“...To know that it’s okay to fail, basically. Because if you don’t fail...it’s okay to not always succeed, because if you succeeded all the time, then you’d have no reason to try harder,” says Matt Segal, professional climber. This week’s classic episode will help you find the advantages in failure in all aspects of life. We look to Howard Chang and Matt Segal to give us their knowledge. In this episode you’ll learn… Seeking discomfort to make other aspects of life easier, like dealing with hum...
Nov 13, 2021•28 min•Ep. 768
“The work should not be on the individual to figure out how to be healthy. We should show up for them to show them, in all ways, how to be healthy. Whether it’s movement, whether it’s eating, whether it’s sleeping, whether it’s-- you know, if you’ve got to see a doctor, then why should you have to see four different specialists? And then, have to like, navigate this very difficult system to get all of this coordinated care,” says Marcus Filly, 6x CrossFit Games athlete, expert fitness coach, and...
Nov 11, 2021•29 min•Ep. 767
Success through Failure - that’s the name of Jim Harshaw Jr’s podcast, he and Joe De Sena (founder & CEO of Spartan) examine attitudes toward failure and the power it can have in your life. Jim also shares his 4 part framework - a framework he discovered was in place in all of the most successful periods in his life. The episode ends with a candid discussion between Joe and Jim about how they each choose to apply these principles. Jim Harshaw Jr. is an NCAA Division I All American wrestler, ...
Nov 09, 2021•35 min•Ep. 766
“He said, ‘No, no. Not to my boss.’ I heard him say it. I said, ‘Hassib? Is that you?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Can you help me?’ He said, ‘What I can do to help you?’ So, I gave him three names, let them look, because nobody knew I was there. Two hours later, they told me that I was lucky they didn’t find anything on me, they have orders to release me,” says Karim Jaude, who escaped Lebanon in 1976 during the Palestinian insurgency, went to Iran until he was forced to leave in 1979 because of t...
Nov 06, 2021•36 min•Ep. 765
“I had done enough to know, like, okay, there's nothing to prove here. I either push forward because I love this, and this is what I am meant to do, or I stop. There was nobody that was going to be like, ‘Yeah he couldn’t cut it as a doctor,’” says Marcus Filly, 6x CrossFit Games athlete, expert fitness coach, and founder of Functional Bodybuilding. Today, with Marcus Filly, we look into the preparation and what it takes to live like an athlete at the level where he made six CrossFit Games and a...
Nov 04, 2021•32 min•Ep. 764
What can Spartans learn about high performance from professional baseball? Brandon Guyer spent seven years as a Major League Baseball outfielder, now he coaches athletes and he's trying his hand at Spartan Races. In the Spartan Up podcast interview, he tells Joe De Sena (founder and CEO of Spartan) how he got to that elite level and his advice for you. Guyer spent seven years as an elite professional athlete. He's extremely competitive and driven, and when he decides to commit to something, he g...
Nov 02, 2021•29 min•Ep. 763
“It’s a snowstorm and they had already run 10 miles in the morning, they had skied all day, black double diamonds. And they were going out, it was dark, freezing cold, and they were going out for another 10 mile run! And Prefontaine was like, ‘Ah, Frank, maybe we should just do 5,’ and Frank’s comment was, ‘No one in the world is training harder than us right now,’” says Mike Sandrock, author of Running Tough and Running With Legends. This week’s classic episode dives into what creates the tough...
Oct 30, 2021•27 min•Ep. 762
“That’s a culture that not everyone’s cut out for, and that’s okay, right? So that happens in organizations. Not everyone’s cut out to be, necessarily, in this particular culture. But let's talk about it honestly and you know just keep everyone's dignity intact along the way,” says Ralph Rajs, COO of Forma Gym, and long-time friend and business partner of JC. We’re back with part 2 of our interview with Ralph. Today he talks about the lessons he’s learned and the legacy he wants to leave. In thi...
Oct 28, 2021•21 min•Ep. 761
