I’ve had what can only be described as a tsunami of requests to appear on various podcasts in recents weeks. I don’t mind it though:
1️⃣ It’s a welcome stroke to my ego to be in demand. KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!!
2️⃣ How could I possibly say no to a show titled Deadlifts, Dogs, & Dad Jokes?
…how baller of a name for a podcast is that?
The only way it would speak more toward my love language is if they replaced “dogs” with “Dagny” (my cat’s name) and also added & Gruyere Cheese at the end.2
This was a neat experience as podcasts go because while everyone involved is a fitness professional to some capacity, we spent very little time on traditional fitness talking points
There was no talk about deadlift set-up, I think we purposely avoided the fact I have a cat (haha), and, well, you’ll have to wait till the end to hear my dad joke.
In the meantime I think you’ll enjoy the refreshing chat amongst dudes talking family, how the pandemic has affected our respective businesses, as well as an EPIC rapid fire question palooza at the end.
Well, It’s Not Top 3 Hair Conditioners For Bald Dudes
As I noted above, Alexandra and I have been working together for 5+ years and in that time we’ve routinely touched on the topic that our respective careers have many parallels:
We both work in a service industry.
We both work with a vast array of different personalities.
We both run our own small business and operate and “manage” our own brands.
We both work with clientele interested in looking goooooooood.
To that end, in this episode of Alexandra’s show she and I discuss my adverse reaction to being labeled a “fitness celebrity, my goal to help women find empowerment with a barbell in their hand(s), and a litany of other shenanigans.
Alexandra is the shit. I hope you check out this episode and all the others she has available as well.
Outside of the three workshops I got to teach earlier this year in Europe before 2020 turned into a HAZMAT commercial, the PPSC was the first time I had the opportunity to sit in a (socially distanced) room with “my people” and marinate in topics such as squat assessment, scapular kinematics, and protein powder.
More importantly, it served as an opportunity to network and see friends/colleagues I hadn’t seen in a while.
During the lunch break on Day #2, David asked myself and AMP Fitness owner, Steve Bergeron, to sit down and have a chat for his soon-t0-be-released Pain-Free Performance Podcast
Episode 4: You’re Not Broken, Find Your Trainable Menu
I had the pleasure of being invited onto the brand spankin new Performance Hub Podcast hosted by Max Gedge and Coach Karl.
These two guys had the lovely timing of opening up a gym in Melbourne, Australia right as COVID-19 was turning all our lives into a raging dumpster fire.
But I have to say: They’ve kept a positive attitude and have done their best to turn lemons into lemonade. Case in point: They started this splendid podcast…
…and, as it happens, the release of this episode coincides with gyms opening back up in Melbourne!
In this episode we discuss a number of things. Everything from the soul-sucking sucktitude of gym ownership during COVID to the idea of the “trainable menu” to 90’s hip-hop to not my biceps.
Nope I’d never do that…;o)
You can give it a listen on iTunes HERE or on Spotify HERE.
My friend and colleague, Jason Leenaarts, was kind enough to invite me back onto his popular podcast recently (this time without my wife) to discuss the future of the fitness industry.
We talk about why studios like CORE should be considered different entities from box gyms and group exercise formats in light of the pandemic. We also discuss how all of my businesses: speaking engagements, travel, and online programs have been affected and how I plan to move forward.
There’s also a few insights into my recent Achilles injury and how I’m mapping my way around that.
Give it a listen here:
Or, if you’re an Apple snob you can download the episode on iTunes HERE.
I made it back home to Boston and it was lovely to hug my wife and see Julian for the first time in two weeks. I mean, is there anything better than walking into your kid’s Pre-K classroom, him recognizing you, and seeing him sprint towards you, arms wide open, with a massive smile on his face? 4
I’m still playing a bit of email catch-up today in addition to being smacked around a little bit with some entrepreneurial shenanigans. In light of that I wanted to share my most recent podcast appearance, which took place with my friend, David Tao, of BarBend.com
You can give it a listen HERE (there’s also a full transcription of the conversation in case you’d rather NOT listen to my silky, sexy voice).
For the Apple snobs in the crowd you can listen on iTunes HERE (September 16th episode).
Lisa and I had an amazing 1-day excursion into the Barossa Valley yesterday where we visited seven (yes, SEVEN) different wineries.
Needless to say Lisa was feeling, well, pretty damn good.
As I type these words we’re in the Adelaide airport awaiting our flight to Melbourne where we’ll meet up again with Dean Somerset so he and I can teach our (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint workshop.
After that Lisa and I have two full days to explore Melbourne.
Any suggestions?
In lieu of my travel plans I obviously haven’t placed any emphasis on writing any new content; vacation Tony doesn’t mess around. Nevertheless, I do have some content for you today: my latest podcast appearance on The Todd Nief Show.
Hip-Hop, Psychology of Being a Coach, and Shoulder Shenanigans
NOTE: Lisa and I will be at Todd’s gym, South Loop Strength & Conditioning in Chicago, IL on August, 18th to teach our Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop.
There’s only a little more than a week left to take advantage of the early bird rate (and CEUs will be available).
Todd Nief is the founder of South Loop Strength & Conditioning in Chicago and he and I had the opportunity to sit down and chat a few weeks ago about everything from common mistakes people make when trying to increase shoulder ROM and how to create “buy in” with potential clients to why the word “dysfunction” should be the LAST word you use as a coach and some of the psychological pitfalls many people fall prey to when it comes to training.
You can listen below here:
Or, if you prefer, you can download on iTunes HERE (you snob).
A few weeks ago the guys who host the popular Barbell Shrugged Podcast – Anders Varner & Doug Larson – reached out because they were going to be in Boston and were wondering if I had interest coming onto the show?
Anders and Doug showed up at CORE, set up their mics and laptops, handed me a pair of headphones and this is the result…..
None of us have pants on.
Kidding.
It was a treat to be invited onto the show and I think it came out really well. The three of us talk about everything from my start in the fitness industry to my early years writing for T-Nation (and meeting all the O.G’s of the strength & conditioning community) to Cressey Sports Performance to discussing a smorgasbord of coaching topics: training baseball players, adjusting technique to fit one’s anatomy, why most people don’t need to stretch to increase ROM, and how to implement warm-ups into programs.
I have been woefully delinquent – bordering negligent – on providing my own content on the site of late.6 I’d like to sit here and say it’s because of a noble cause like spending my time reading scripture to orphaned kittens or, I don’t know, writing a screenplay.
But all I can chalk it up to is entrepreneurial shenanigans. I’m actually flirting with the idea of finding a larger space for CORE here in Boston which is equal parts exciting and sphincter clenching. I’ve been prospecting a few potential locations in addition to going back and forth with my realtor and accountant to make sure I’m not being an asshole. So, yeah, that’s been taking up a lot of my time in the past few weeks.7
While I haven’t been doing much writing, I have, however, been making the rounds on several popular podcasts. My most recent cameo was this past Friday on the Chalk Strength Podcast with Simon Bungate.
Simon is actually hosting Dean Somerset and myself this July at his Sydney, Australia based gym, Clean Shred, for our (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
NOTE: Dean and I will also be in Melbourne, Australia (along with Dr. Lisa Lewis) the following weekend. Details for that are also in the link above.
I took a little time to discuss the workshop and what Dean and I will cover, but the bulk of mine and Simon’s conversation stemmed around business; Namely my time with Cressey Sports Performance, how there was a lot of “luck” on my end in terms of being involved with the it’s roots, and what spurned me leaving in 2015 to go off on my own.
We also riff on the fitness industry in general, which is always fun.
