Bruce Babashan, former senior-level corporate executive turned professional boxing trainer, says, “Grit, to us, is time and pressure. Will you put in the time, will you completely devote yourself long enough to find out whether or not you can be successful at something.” Today, Yancy and Jarod talk with Bruce about finding your long range goal and embracing the pain and grit to reach what you see as excellence in your life. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Redefining what success looks like for ...
Mar 17, 2022•27 min•Ep. 820
She coaches Olympians and Fortune 100 Execs, what do they have in common? They all need this unique blend of advice. Athletes train 90% of the time and perform 10%, the rest of us reverse that. Multitasking will not yield the best performance Be the fastest at RECOVERING when you lose Admit your fear Focus on the process to gain confidence Feedback means someone believes you can improve Prioritize, use this concentration grid exercise to practice focus Dr. Haley Perlus https://drhaleyperlus.com/...
Mar 15, 2022•26 min•Ep. 819
Amanda Sullivan, Hannah Eden, and Marko Cheseto have experiences that will drive you to find strength and power from your life’s hardest moments. “So what do you do in this instance? To our point previously, when you know you’re going in a bad direction, do you keep going down that way or do you try and make that pivot, and go, “Shxt, I’ve got to do something positive here.” And be an example, I guess, to the rest of the world, and try and use something negative and turn it into something positi...
Mar 12, 2022•28 min•Ep. 818
Doug Lewis, Olympian and former World Cup alpine ski racer, says, “...And they were powder skiing. Like, I had powder skis, but they were poder skiing on race skis, which is a nightmare, on their day off. They are at the Olympics. They have trained 25-30 years for that week, and on a day off, where they could get hurt or whatever, they went powder skiing. And they were whooping and hollering, and they would fall, and we’d spray ‘em. And it was one of the best days ever, and I just think of that,...
Mar 10, 2022•24 min•Ep. 817
Alexander Kopacz won Olympic gold in the two-man bobsled in 2018. Was it grit, determination, stubbornness, or an inability to face losing? He joins Spartan Race founder and CEO Joe De Sena on the Spartan Up podcast to talk about the physical and mental challenges of competing at that level and what you can learn from his experiences. Thank you to our friend Jason Nacey from USANA for introducing us to Alex. Joe De Sena’s Parenting book “10 Rules for Mental Toughness for Families” https://amzn.t...
Mar 08, 2022•24 min•Ep. 816
Tom Bilyeu, Ray Ushikubo, and Brian Chontosh are here to tell us how we can build on being consistent. “What if I broadened our idea of what consistency was, to include taking advantage of opportunity when you have it. Meaning, I might not have an opportunity to work out today. Well, let’s not hold it against me because everytime I do have an opportunity, I take it,” says Brian Chontosh. In this episode, we talk about how to get consistent and keep your momentum with some great advice. In this e...
Mar 05, 2022•13 min•Ep. 815
Doug Lewis, Olympian and former World Cup alpine ski racer, says, “If I could stand in the starting gate, 3,000 vertical feet above that finish, knowing that I am going to risk my life. But, if I had the confidence to push myself out there, and attack the course, more than I know the course is going to attack me, I have the upper hand on that course. And I know I can do it.” Today, Yancy and Jarod talk with Doug about the mindset you must have to be the absolute best at whatever you’re trying to...
Mar 03, 2022•31 min•Ep. 814
Dina Kaytser, "Babushka," survived the holocaust by a twist of fate. Her family was sent to Stalin's camps in Siberia during World War II and it saved her life. How was it, she says not that bad. Today she offers two essential pieces of advice - Never Complain, and believe in LOVE. She and her granddaughter, Jessie Kanzer, join Joe De Sena, founder, and CEO of Spartan, on the podcast today to talk about Putin, Ukraine, Siberia, and most important - resilience. Dina Kanzer is the grandmother (Bab...
Mar 01, 2022•21 min•Ep. 813
Tim Ferris, Louisa Nicola, and Dr. Nada Milosavljevic are all experts who are here to help you get focused. Today we bring their best advice back from past episodes of the Spartan Up podcast. “Let’s say you want your brain to focus or concentrate, a great way to do that is to send a signal on every one of your sensory pathways. That means your sense of sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell. Your sensory system is your only connection to the outside world, and it’s pretty powerful” says Dr. Nada....
Feb 27, 2022•16 min•Ep. 812
“Find your inner beast, okay? Attack life. Punch fear in the face. It’s going to make you stronger. You know, be safe doing what you’re doing out there, we’re not talking about being reckless. But face your fears and punch through them. Man, the other side of it is such a beautiful place,” says Jarod Cogswell, co-host of the DEKA Series and Co-Creator of Spartan DEKA. Today Yancy and Jarod are talking about how we can find that animal inside of us that we don’t know exists until we go through to...
Feb 25, 2022•38 min•Ep. 811
The author of "Don't Just Sit There, DO NOTHING: Healing, Chilling, and Living with the Tao Te Ching" goes head to head with Spartan Race CEO and Founder Joe De Sena. Joe's answer to everything is do more, and do it sooner. Just get it done. Today he sits down with Jessie Kanzer to talk about the Tao Te Ching, her book and why she says sometimes it's best to do nothing. More about Jessie Kanzer Her website https://jessiekanzer.com/ Her book https://amzn.to/3v7PeOy Joe De Sena’s Parenting book “1...
Feb 22, 2022•34 min•Ep. 810
Chris Herren, Joe Polish, and Ray Morvan tell us their experiences and give us advice to help battle our own addictions. “You know, I have children, I have a 19 year old son, I have a 16 year old daughter, and a 10 year old. And you know, my thing is, go to parties. Be social. But why get drunk?” says Chris Herren. Joe asks, “Because they’re going to do it anyway aren’t they?” Chris says, “No, why? That’s my point. See, you’re one of the parents that have made the assumption and waved the flag t...
Feb 20, 2022•20 min•Ep. 809
Andrew Simpson says, “We can have both. We can have high success, we can have winners that do get the scholarship and that actually enjoy it along the way. We just need a new paradigm and some new strategies along the way.” Today, Yancy and Jarod talk with Andrew about how we can improve our mentoring and stop ourselves from being too hard so the youth can continue having fun. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Focusing on who a student athlete becomes, their happiness, health, and well-being inst...
Feb 18, 2022•36 min•Ep. 808
For Chris Duffin, balance means giving everything you have to everything that's important. Don't be limited by your own comprehension. In his conversation with Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena, Duffin explains why he named his brand Kabuki Strength, what three things are necessary for great achievements, and his unique and powerful take on balance. More about Chris Duffin Buy his book: https://amzn.to/3rKVuJP www.chrisduffin.com www.kabukistrength.com www.bearfoot.store www.buildfastformula.c...
Feb 15, 2022•34 min•Ep. 807
“Let's say my wife is fit and my kids are fit, and here I am, rolling into my fifties, and they want to go do something. I'll be damned if I-- if I have not respected myself. Through my 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, I'm going to be forced. My body is going to say no dumb a**. You can't do that anymore. That would crush me. And I know people, listen and I know you listen and viewers, you're thinking, that might be where I'm at right now. We're not saying it's too late. We'll start today,” says Yancy Cu...
Feb 12, 2022•33 min•Ep. 806
Beau Miles, the Backyard Adventurer, poly-jobist, Doctor of Philosophy, author, is back to tell us about how he fuels himself on his days-long journeys. “If it's days and days at a time, and the slower you're going, and you're doing that longer burn where your heart rate's ticking along at 130 the whole time, and you're not really stopping, you're always moving. I'm basically just eating normally, whatever way I can. That decides, you know, I'll have a sandwich, I'll have some licorice, I'll hav...
Feb 10, 2022•22 min•Ep. 805
Don't ask how long you'll live. Ask how long you'll be HEALTHY enough to enjoy life. What if you assessed your body by what it can DO rather than what it looks like or how long it will last? Is this the start of a newer, better fitness KPI? Joe De Sena, founder & CEO of Spartan, talks with friend, trainer, and wrestling coach Mike Palazzo about the state of fitness and basic steps anyone can take to make improvements. Including the 6x around the car, take every stair and put the groceries on...
Feb 09, 2022•32 min•Ep. 804
Beau Miles, the Backyard Adventurer, poly-jobist, Doctor of Philosophy, author, doer and self-described oddball, is an inspiration to those of us looking to discover adventure in our lives to turn our ordinary into extraordinary. Johnny Waite talks to him about the ways we can make our exercise fun without worrying about time or other unnecessary external factors. “Well everyone’s got a body metric, right? With, ‘How much I weigh, how much I run, how fast I do it, how good I feel, how much sleep...
Feb 05, 2022•30 min•Ep. 803
Brian Nunez, IDEA World Fitness Personal Trainer of the year in 2019, owner of FNS (Fitness Never Sleeps) Training Center, author, and coach, talks to us about the highest qualities we can find in coaches and tips we can use to coach each other. “And if we lead from the back, as a unified team, then we will leave nobody behind. And nobody can get past us, because we’re making sure that they’re safe along the way,” says Brian Nunez. Today, Yancy and Jarod talk with Brian about the reasons we need...
Feb 03, 2022•36 min•Ep. 802
“Stolen Focus - Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again,” by Johann Hari examines the internal and external causes of our shrinking ability to focus. He joins Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, to talk about his research. You’ll learn how your ability to focus is under attack and what you can do about it. Buy “Stolen Focus” https://amzn.to/3s8oYjU More about the book and research https://stolenfocusbook.com/ More about Johann Hari https://johannhari.com Joe De Sena’s Pare...
Feb 02, 2022•31 min•Ep. 801
Arianna Huffington, Andrew Huberman, and Dr. Nada Milosavljevic help us to get the rest we need. “So, the strongest zeitgeber is light. All the other stuff is important, but it pales in comparison, no pun intended to the fact that light is the dominant way that all your biological systems know how to behave properly,” says Andrew Huberman. In this episode, we go over how to get the proper rest that all of us need. In this episode you’ll learn about… How to prevent burnout How to get better at sl...
Jan 29, 2022•26 min•Ep. 800
Brian Nunez, IDEA World Fitness Personal Trainer of the year in 2019 and owner of FNS Training Center, talks to us about how your purpose drives you the hardest, not just your passion. “If people are having a tough time and struggling with it, ‘I hate social media, my engagement is down, this is set.’ It's like, because that's exposing the truth of what it's really about for you. It's about the applause. It's not about the cause. And it's a wakeup call for people,” says Brian Nunez, author, coac...
Jan 27, 2022•37 min•Ep. 799
West Point Performance Psychology Director Dr. Nate Zinnser talkies with Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena about tactics he uses with high performers and shares an easy daily self assessment tool you can use at home. Dr. ZInsser’s Book “The Confident Mind” https://amzn.to/3fX6FZi Joe De Sena’s Parenting book “10 Rules for Mental Toughness for Families” www.spartan.com/10Rules The Tough Bible - the best information from Spartan Up all in one place Spartan.com/toughbible Be ready for ANYTHING - ...
Jan 25, 2022•25 min•Ep. 798
Sarah Wilson and Josh Clemente break down the impact of sugar in our diet and how to reduce our dependence on it. “I don’t have the numbers off the top of my head, but it’s something like, we’re now eating 100 pounds of sugar per year, per person, and previously it was, I think, on the order of 1-3 pounds…it’s essentially two orders of magnitude higher now than it was 150 years ago,” says Josh Clemente, founder of Levels. In this episode, we talk about the benefits of cutting down, or even compl...
Jan 22, 2022•28 min•Ep. 797
Amy Culp, RD, CSSD, LD, CEDRD, tells us about getting the right nutrients in your day. “What are you hungry for? What’s going to scratch that satisfaction piece of nutrition, while we’re also scratching the nutrition side of filling your plate? So there’s nutrition, and then there’s satisfaction. And if you’re never thinking about the satisfaction, and you’re just eating chicken, broccoli, rice everyday because you think that’s healthy, that’s not going to sustain those habits long term, because...
Jan 20, 2022•37 min•Ep. 796
You’ve seen the iconic photo of the 1967 Boston Marathon race official attacking female registered racer Kathrine Switzer. She went on to become the first registered racer to complete the Boston Marathon and continues to believe in the power of running to change lives. She and Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan, find they have a lot in common. This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by SuperBeets Heart Chews. RIGHT NOW, you can get a free THIRTY DAY supply with your first purchase at w...
Jan 18, 2022•24 min•Ep. 795
Adam Alter, author of "Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked," Dr. Amishi Jha, author of "Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention," and Nir Eyal, author of "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" and "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life," help us put down our phones in this episode. Joe asks Adam Alter, “Do you think they recognize that this is unhealthy, but do it anyway?” “Yeah. We know that. We know tha...
Jan 15, 2022•28 min•Ep. 794
Amy Culp Performance Nutrition RD, CSSD, LD says “I always tell people, the weight will take care of itself when you focus on your healthy habits, you focus on your fitness. So many people focus too much on the weight and on the scale,” she is the President of the Collegiate & Professional Sports Dietetics Association, Director of Sports Performance Nutrition for the Texas Longhorns Athletic Department, Assistant AD for Performance Nutrition at University of Texas, and Yancy’s wife! Today Ya...
Jan 13, 2022•39 min•Ep. 793
Joe talks about a few of the big projects he and the team have been working on to spread the message of grit and resilience, drops in a superpowered sleep and focus tip from Andrew Huberman, and closes with a 2022 message to all of you. PLUS the first stories from behind the scenes of the new CNBC show “No Retreat” that premiere’s this February. This episode of Spartan Up is brought to you by JUNK, the official headband of Spartan pros. JUNK produces the best headband, guaranteed to work as hard...
Jan 11, 2022•15 min•Ep. 792
“I took notice to some of the other dads, and I saw that as soon as life, you know, quote unquote, life happens, they just stopped everything, aside from work and sitting down. Meaning they stopped being fit, they stopped trying to be strong. They stopped trying to develop themselves, not just physically, but mentally…They just let it go,” says Zach Even Esh, founder of The Underground Strength Gym. In this episode, the third and final part of our New Year Motivation series, we’re taking advice ...
Jan 08, 2022•19 min•Ep. 791
