This week I was joined once again by Jason Tremblay, Founder of The Strength Guys and someone who’s made a huge impact on how I approach coaching and programming.
Jason has now been on the podcast five times, and for good reason. His insight into strength training, athlete development, and data-driven programming is world class.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about higher volume training as a way to build stronger lifters. But for Jason and The Strength Guys, this isn’t a new concept. It’s something they’ve been refining for years, producing national and international champions in the process.
In this episode, with a few tangents thrown in, we covered:
💪 Why the conversation around higher volume is back again
🔁 How to create a repeatable system for success
📊 Managing lifter fatigue and performance
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The last time I chatted with this guest, way back in the popular Episode 163, it struck a chord with a lot of listeners.
It was great then to be joined once again this week by William Wayland, a sports performance consultant and strength & conditioning coach.
In a world where everyone’s chasing “more”, whether that be more training, more results, more grind, William challenges that mindset with a simple question: What would happen if we slowed things down?
We talked about:
🐢 What the Athletic Slow Life principles are
🤝 How to get athletes to buy in to slowing down
🎯 How this approach can change goal setting and progress
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This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Nat Galloway, a British Army veteran, strength coach, and competitive powerlifter. 💪
I’ve followed Nat’s articles for Master Athletic Performance for a while now, so it was awesome to finally sit down and go deeper into some of those ideas around training, mindset, and building consistency.
Because let’s be honest, motivation comes and goes. What keeps you progressing is the system you build and the environment you create.
We discussed:
⚙️ How to build a system so you can train even when motivation dips
🏋️♂️ How your environment affects consistency and results
🧠 How to manage anxiety and overwhelm in the gym
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This week I sat down with Dr. Adam Sawyers, a strength coach, gym owner, powerlifter, and doctor who’s on a mission to bring people back to what really works: the basics.
With so much information and noise out there, it’s easy to overcomplicate training. But when you look at the results Adam gets with his clients, it’s clear that doing the fundamentals really well beats chasing the next trend every time.
We chatted about:
🏋️♂️ What doing the basics better actually looks like
🧠 Why so many people struggle with the fundamentals
💪 How to become a healthy powerlifter
…plus a few tangents along the way 😅Connect with Adam:
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This week’s Strength Chat was a special one. I was joined by two international powerlifters and an absolute athlete–coach dream team: Carole O’Neil and Pia Marangoni.
With Pia a performance nutritionist and Carole an athlete pushing to level up, this really was a perfect match. Carole balances work, travel, and training, yet still finds a way to perform on the platform thanks to a smart, tailored approach from Pia.
This wasn’t just about setting macros or handing over a meal plan. It was about creating a strategy that fits real life and drives real results.
We covered:
🤝 The athlete–coach relationship between Carole & Pia
🥗 The challenges of building a sustainable nutrition plan
⚡ How nutrition has positively impacted Carole’s performance on the platform
…plus a few fun tangents along the way 😅
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This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Andy McCloy — Owner & Founder of BCI Sports Performance & Fitness, where he’s coached thousands of athletes, with hundreds reaching the elite level in their sport.
When Andy speaks, you listen. His results and track record speak for themselves.
In a world where many coaches want quick results and shortcuts, Andy reminds us that the art of coaching, experience, patience, and raising standards, is what truly makes the difference.
We dug into:
🎯 The art of coaching beyond programming
🧠 How to build real experience as a coach
🏋️ Creating a coaching-first mindset as a gym owner
…plus a few Strength Chat tangents along the way 😅
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This week I was joined by Pauric O’Rourke, strength coach with KILO Strength Society and someone who knows how to cut through the fluff to focus on what actually works.
There’s no shortage of fads and gimmicks in fitness. But when you strip it all back, the goal is simple: help clients get stronger, healthier, and more consistent.
That’s exactly what we dove into in this chat.
We covered:
✅ The real difference between coaching beginners vs advanced clients
❓ If we know what works, why do fads & gimmicks keep coming back?
🎯 The pros and cons of specificity in programming
…plus a few classic Strength Chat tangents 😅
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This week’s episode was a special one as it was my first in-person Strength Chat recorded here in Thailand!
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jack Thomas, Founder & CEO of BASE, Co-Founder of The Fit Guide, and host of the Fitness Business Asia Podcast & Five-Star Fitness podcast.
From the start, it was clear how passionate Jack is about raising the standard in fitness when it comes to service, systems, and scalability.
If you’re a coach, gym owner, or just someone interested in what makes the best gyms in the world stand out, this episode is for you.
We covered:
🏆 What separates gold-standard gyms from the rest
🛠️ Why systems are essential for long-term success
📈 How to scale your business without losing quality
…plus a few fun tangents along the way 😅
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This week I was joined by Veronica Zuccala — strength & conditioning coach and educator with Pre-Script.
You don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from training like one. The principles that make athletes strong, fast, and resilient also apply to everyday gym goers. And when you apply them the right way, progress skyrockets.
We got into:
✅ Why “athlete-style” training works for the general population
🎮 The role of games in athletic development (yes, fun matters!)
🔥 Why effort is the ultimate non-negotiable
This one’s a mix of education, insight, and a couple of fun tangents along the way 😅Connect with Veronica:
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This week I had the pleasure of chatting with James Thayer — educator, coach, and host of his own podcast, Paint the Edges.
From the start, it was clear we share the same philosophy: every exercise in a program should have a purpose. It’s not just about filling space on the page — it’s about building something that actually works, and fits into the bigger picture.
If you’ve ever wondered how top coaches make smart programming decisions, or how to cut through the latest training “hacks” and fads, this one’s for you.
We covered:
✅ The thought process behind exercise selection
✅ When (and why) to swap out an exercise
✅ How to handle trends & fads without losing sight of the basics
…plus a few tangents to keep things fun 😅
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This week, I was joined by a returning guest — award-winning coach Reiss Silva, who’s worked with world champions and even Guinness World Record holders.
The last time Reiss was on (Ep. 195 back in December 2021), the episode was packed with insights. This time? He’s bringing even more experience, knowledge, and success to the table — and the conversation didn’t disappoint.
If you’re a coach, athlete, or just curious about what it takes to perform and lead at the very top, you’ll get a lot from this one.
We covered:
✅ How to deal with pressure as a coach in elite sport
🧠 Helping athletes develop an unshakable mindset
💻 The challenges & benefits of moving into online coaching
…plus a few classic Strength Chat tangents 😄
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This week I was joined by Joe Hoye — founder of Hoye Fit, creator of the Detox Method, and the man behind the Midlife Makeover, the largest summit for women over 40.
You’ve probably heard it before:
👉 “Once you hit a certain age, it’s harder to lose weight or get strong.”
But is that actually true?
Joe’s results (and approach) say otherwise.
He’s helped thousands of clients get strong, feel confident, and take control of their health — without crash diets, 6-hour gym sessions, or nonsense ‘quick fixes.’
In this episode, we chat about:
✅ The real challenges of fat loss as we age (and how to overcome them)
✅ What we can control as we get older — and what we can’t
✅ Why “secret tips to success” might not be so secret after all
…plus a few tangents, of course 😄
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If you’re a coach, athlete, or just serious about training, this one’s worth a listen.
This week on Strength Chat, I was joined by Angelo Gingerelli – strength & conditioning coach at Seton Hall University, published author, and someone who’s helped thousands of student athletes reach elite levels of performance.
With so many variables that can influence success or failure, Angelo has created a repeatable blueprint for developing athletes who thrive — not just in college, but long after.
We got into:
✅ What it actually takes to build a successful student athlete
🏋️♂️ How to create a consistent, winning environment
🎓 What happens after the college days end
…plus a few classic Strength Chat tangents 😅
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📲 @mr5thround
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This one’s a banger.
I sat down with Jordan Jiunta – chiropractor, CrossFit Games regional athlete, national-level weightlifter, and Co-Founder of Pre-Script – for a deep dive into coaching, training, and how to keep getting better.
I’ve been following Jordan and Pre-Script for a while, and their work has levelled up my coaching big time. Whether you’re a coach, athlete, or just love lifting, there’s gold in this episode for you.
We covered:
✅ How to communicate better as a coach
✅ The best assessment you can use with clients (and when to use it)
✅ How to choose the right path for your training or your clients
…and some top-tier tangents 😅
Hit the link in my bio and enjoy the chat 💬
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🆕NEW BLOG 👉 How to Eat What You Want When You Want
This week on Strength Chat I was joined by online coach, speaker and podcaster, Jared Hamilton.
Most people at one point or another will have used the phrase, I know what to do, it’s just doing it, when it comes to nutrition. However, it’s not always just about the food you eat. To really nail your nutrition and have long lasting results, you need to look beyond the food you’re eating and look at your thoughts, beliefs and habits around food. That’s what Jared does a great job of doing with the clients he works with and the content he puts out there.
In this chat, as well as a lot more topics and tangents, we covered:
How people's thoughts, feelings and beliefs around food are formed
Do these change as we get older
How to change your mindset around food
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👉 https://hamiltontrained.com/
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For this week's Strength Chat episode, it was great to be joined by the Co-Founder or MADabolic, Brandon Cullen.
With so many different fitness plans, fads and voices vying for people's attention, it can be hard not to stick to your guns and becoming the best at what you do. Brandon, however, has done exactly this by creating MADabolic, The Strength Gym.
In this chat, as well as a lot more topics and tangents, we covered:
The MADabolic system and why it works
Shifting the mindset in the fitness industry to knowing why strength is important
Maintaining coaching standards on the gym floor
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In this week's episode it was awesome to be joined by Sheffield 2025 champion, Kjell Bakkelund.
In powerlifting, Kjell has been there and done it across both Raw and Equipped lifting having won World and European titles. With all this experience and success, it was great to chat with Kjell about competing at Sheffield for the first time and putting on such a dominant display to win, as well as his build up to Sheffield.
In this chat, as well as a lot more topics and tangents, we covered:
His experience at Sheffield
How he has had such long-term success in both equipped and raw lifting
His goals for the future
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For this week's Strength Chat it was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to speak with a strength and conditioning coach with over 20 years' experience, spending the last 10 years as the lead strength and conditioning coach with England Rugby Union, Tom Tombleson.
It was great to chat with Tom who has spent so much time at the elite level of sport and get a great insight on what happens off the pitch to make the athlete he works with perform the very best they can. An awesome chat and some great content and information up and coming coaches can learn from.
In this chat, as well as a lot more topics and tangents, we covered:
The difference between club and international level
Creating a successful environment
How manage athletes on tour and throughout a tournament.
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It was awesome to have a returning guest for this week's Strength Chat, your 2025 Sheffield and back-to-back champion, Agata Sitko.
It’s safe to say that Agata has delivered some pretty epic performances on the platform and has cemented her place in history being the first person to win back-to-back Sheffield's. This was made all the more interesting as post competition she wasn’t 100% happy with her win, but what she intends to do going forward sounds very cool!
In this chat, as well as a lot more topics and tangents, we covered:
Agatas review of Sheffield 2025
Chasing optimal
Agatas plans for the future
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It was awesome to be joined in this week's episode by strength coach and Chiropractor, Dr. Brandon Parker.
Even though the benefits of exercise and training are well known, there is still a fear of lifting heavier, getting injured or returning from an injury. From speaking with Brandon, it was great to see how he’s trying to reduce this fear and help his clients become more confident and have more trust with their bodies.
In this chat, as well as a lot more topics and tangents, we covered:
Where does the fear of strength training come from
What’s the cost of not performing strength training
Communicating with clients around injuries
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