- Chris Hinshaw is widely considered one of the top endurance coaches in the world. - He is a 10x Ironman Competitor who has coached 34 CrossFit Games Champions as well as 50+ CrossFit Games Podium Athletes. - Pat & Adrian talk with Chris about the benefits of running, why it works & various strategies to improve your performance. - Chris & Pat created the VNR 1.5 Run Program & discuss what makes it so special & how to use it.
Sep 05, 2023•59 min•Ep. 126
- A VNR listener wants to know if working out will correct poor posture? - This VNR listener says he has poor posture in his neck & shoulders. - He wants to know if he should fix his posture before he begins doing CrossFit? - Pat & Adrian discuss this topic.
Aug 29, 2023•30 min•Ep. 125
- Adrian Bozman was the lead programmer who created the events for the 2023 CrossFit Games. - In this episode Adrian walks through all of the events with Pat. - Adrian discusses his thought process & shares unique insights.
Aug 22, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 124
- A VNR listener wants to know if gymnastics grips & wrist wraps are necessary? - What purpose do they serve & who should use them? - Pat & Adrian discuss this topic.
Aug 15, 2023•25 min•Ep. 123
- A VNR listener is buying an existing gym. The current training staff seems to be “managing” the group classes well, but not actually “coaching” members. The new owner wants to elevate the staff to offer world class coaching. How can this be done? - Pat & Adrian discuss this topic.
Aug 08, 2023•27 min•Ep. 122
- A VNR listener asked if coaches should do the same workouts as members? - Pat & Adrian discuss this topic & offer their own perspective.
Aug 01, 2023•27 min•Ep. 121
- A VNR listener asked which workout schedule is better, six 30-minute sessions a week or three 1-hour sessions a week? - This person is a new parent trying to fit as much fitness as possible into their busy schedule. - Pat & Adrian discuss the pros & cons of these two options & offer a 3rd option to consider.
Jul 25, 2023•27 min•Ep. 120
- A VNR listener wrote in asking for an explanation of strict vs kipping movements for the average Joe. - Is one type better or more beneficial than the other? - Should one be given a higher priority than the other? - Do strict movements help kipping movements or is it the other way around? - Pat & Adrian to give their thoughts & opinions on this topic.
Jul 18, 2023•30 min•Ep. 119
- A VNR listener wrote in asking if any specific criteria need to be met in order to call yourself a “CrossFitter”? - Can you scale workouts & be a CrossFitter? - Can you avoid certain movements & still be a CrossFitter? - Pat & Adrian to give their thoughts & opinions on this topic.
Jul 11, 2023•25 min•Ep. 118
- A VNR listener (Eugune Y.) wrote in asking if he should schedule a “deload week” into his training? - He also wanted to know what the potential benefits would be. - Pat & Adrian to give their thoughts & opinions on this topic.
Jul 04, 2023•30 min•Ep. 117
- A VNR listener wrote in saying they believed things making Crossfit prohibitive to people is the price of attending a gym & having to take “on-ramp” classes. - Another VNR listener asked the question “Are CrossFitters athletes?” - Pat & Adrian to give their thoughts & opinions on these topics.
Jun 27, 2023•43 min•Ep. 116
- A VNR listener asked Pat & Adrian to give their thoughts & opinions on working out “For Time” versus “For Quality”. - Another VNR listener asked what to do when some gym members refuse to do certain movements due to philosophical reasons or a fear of injury.
Jun 20, 2023•33 min•Ep. 115
- A VNR listener who is a Police Officer wanted to know how to design a proper fitness test for 1st Responders. - Evaluating the requirements of the profession, programming considerations such as equipment, ease of judging, & much more are discussed.
Jun 13, 2023•30 min•Ep. 114
- A VNR listener wanted to know why some movement standards (like box jumps & wall ball target heights) seem to be based on gender instead of the individual athlete. - Pat & Adrian give their thoughts on this topic.
Jun 06, 2023•23 min•Ep. 113
- Working out & nutrition go hand in hand, but is one more important than the other? - Pat & Adrian give their thoughts on this topic.
May 30, 2023•25 min•Ep. 112
- Hannah, a listener of the VNR podcast, asked if it is possible to get “burned out” on CrossFit & what you can do to move past that feeling. - She has been doing CrossFit for 3 years, but now does not seem to be getting PRs or learning new skills. - She is also recovering from a torn meniscus & just wants to find a way to start enjoying the gym again. - Pat & Adrian give their thoughts on this topic.
May 23, 2023•25 min•Ep. 111
- Diane, a listener of the VNR podcast, asked if it is possible for members to learn & improve skills by only attending class, or is additional work outside of class required? - Pat & Adrian give their thoughts on this topic.
May 16, 2023•24 min•Ep. 110
- Jackie, a listener of the VNR podcast, plans on opening a gym. They want to know if they should post the upcoming workouts on their website or keep them a secret until the members show up for class? - Pat & Adrian give their thoughts on this topic. - Pat shares the opinions of Nicole Christensen (owner of CrossFit Roots) & Scott Panchik (owner of CrossFit Mentality) on this subject as well.
May 09, 2023•20 min•Ep. 109
- What should a coach do if a member is intentionally doing fewer reps to get a faster time on a workout? - Pat & Adrian give their thoughts on this topic. - Pat shares the opinions of Nicole Christensen (owner of CrossFit Roots) & Scott Panchik (owner of CrossFit Mentality) on this subject as well.
May 02, 2023•26 min•Ep. 108
- What was the original intent of the CrossFit methodology? - What occupations found CrossFit very useful? - What does preparing for the “unknown & unknowable” really mean? - Pat & Adrian take a walk down memory lane regarding how CrossFit began.
Apr 25, 2023•39 min•Ep. 107
- How many days a week should you work out & what should the schedule be? - Is 3 days working out & 1 day of rest better than 5 days on & 2 days off? - Pat & Adrian answer a question from a listener of the VNR podcast on this topic.
Apr 18, 2023•32 min•Ep. 106
- If a box jump is too high for an athlete should they keep the height & do step-overs or should they reduce the height & jump? - Pat & Adrian answer a question from a listener of the VNR podcast on this topic. - What are the benefits of box jumps & why should someone try to include them in their programming?
Apr 11, 2023•25 min•Ep. 105
- Pat & Adrian interview retired USMC Major Brian Chontosh, aka. “Tosh”. - Tosh talks about mental toughness, the benefits of challenges/adversity & the program he created to help veterans. - Tosh has completed in ultramarathons up to 238 miles in distance, mountain biked for 24 hours, he has done 9 expedition adventure races & rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. - During his time in the military he did several combat deployments & was awarded the Navy Cross.
Apr 04, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 104
- Haley Adams started CrossFit when she was only 14 years old. - Now, at 22 years old she has competed at the CrossFit Games 7 times. - Haley discusses how being one of the top competitors in the world was not all glory & success. - She openly shares with Pat & Adrian her struggles to deal with the pressure she put on herself as well as her battle with an eating disorder. - Haley explains the steps she is taking to put herself on a positive path mentally & physically moving forward....
Mar 28, 2023•57 min•Ep. 103
- Joe Pangallo is one of the owners of CrossFit Spring Hill. - Joe tells Pat & Adrian how he used episodes of Varied Not Random to help keep two members from quitting. - Pat, Adrian & Joe discuss these stories, but they also explore many other topics & challenges faced by affiliate owners.
Mar 21, 2023•52 min•Ep. 102
- Pat interviews Dale King, the owner of PSKC CrossFit. - Dale uses his gym as a way to help addicts during their road to recovery. - Pat & Dale discuss the opioid crisis & how CrossFit is making a positive impact in the lives of people trying to overcome substance abuse issues.
Mar 14, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 101
Adrian Bozman is the Director of the CrossFit Games and did the Open Test programming this year. Pat interviews Adrian about each of the 2023 CrossFit Open workouts & the programming process behind them.
Mar 07, 2023•55 min•Ep. 100
- A VNR listener asked, “Does CrossFit make you less athletic?” - The listener also asked how to program to get out of the up/down & forward/back planes we often train in. - Pat & Adrian explore these questions.
Feb 28, 2023•29 min•Ep. 99
- Should you pace a workout or just go full send? - Is one strategy “better” than the other? - Pat & Adrian dive into this question.
Feb 21, 2023•25 min•Ep. 98
- Laurence Shahlaei has competed 11 times at the World’s Strongest Man. - He won Europe’s Strongest Man in 2016, he was the Ultimate Strongman World Champion in 2016, he’s been Britain’s Strongest man twice & won UK’s Strongest Man in 2017. - Pat & Laurence bridge the gaps between Strongman & CrossFit to find common ground. - Laurence talks about training to be one of the strongest people on the planet & what it really takes. - Pat & Laurence also discuss his successful journ...
Feb 14, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 97
