Gyms are once again shutdown in many parts of the world and it's affected the mental health of many individuals. Darien & Hayden begin the conversation by touching on the shutdowns, making references to the movies Terminator and I, Robot (2:00). They reflect back to the first shutdown that happened in March, when this was all still new to us, and how the Instagram Push-Up Challenge became so popular (9:50). After the initial burst of motivation from something being new, Hayden answers some questions about his experience. What are the mental differences between the process of going to the gym vs. working out in your own gym (13:00)? How does being "forced" to stay home vs. "choosing" to stay home differ in terms of your outlook on being at home as a whole (21:00)? Darien then talks about his commute when he worked an office job and how he was able to use that time to better himself, utilizing the time you have to make the most out of every situation (29:10). Hayden talks about the importance of time management and how scheduling certain things into your day can actually make your life less-stressful (34:10). The fear of the unknown is what initially stops people from scheduling in certain things; if you aren't sure how to do something then you may feel anxious to the thought of the build-up of that task. Darien talks about ways to overcome this feeling and how to initially find motivation to start a home workout routine (39:10). Hayden adds onto this topic by ensuring his clients prioritize their workout time in their own schedule so that it's not a surprise, they always know what they're doing and when they're doing it (45:00). Darien tops if off by talking about his "pre-workout ritual" and what he does to get himself in the zone to mentally change his laundry room into his workout space (48:20). They end the episode by summarizing the importance of taking your body through certain ranges of motions a couple of times a week. Exercising doesn't necessarily mean that you have to use a lot of weight so long as you are maintaining a healthy body (joints, muscles, lungs, etc) (55:00). Instagram @darienmatt and @eade96

This episode takes a bit of a shift away from the physical aspects of fitness and begins to look at the mental aspects of fitness. They talk about the importance of building sustainable long-term habits and where / how to start building these habits (2:30). It's difficult to build a habit without any reasoning behind it because you'll eventually end up at a point where you say "but why?" and "what's the point?". Defining a reason that aligns closely with your own thoughts / opinions is a crucial step in the process of building a sustainable habit. Darien goes on to talk about his own experience behind learning how to ride a bike and the reasoning behind why he decided to do so (10:00). Hayden then talks about his experience of how he got himself into the gym each day and the habit that he built for himself in order to do so (16:00). They take that analogy and transition into how you can incorporate that into building a habit of getting yourself into the gym. For instance, having a gym buddy is great, but is it sustainable (19:00)? What about if your initial goal is weight-loss, can you build a sustainable habit around that (25:00)? The "honeymoon phase" of building a habit can be great. It gets you super motivated and excited to get started because it's something new to your life. It's important to remember that the goal is long-term sustainability and you should go into that new thing with that in mind so that you do not burn yourself out and end up disliking something before really having the opportunity to start (32:30). Hayden recalls a motivational quote and then talks about his experience with calorie-tracking during COVID-19. (37:50). They both touch on their own experiences with tracking calories in the past and relate it back to how they either built or are currently building that habit around food. They end off the episode talking about the importance behind patience; why you should start small, celebrate those small wins, then build upon that base as time goes on to allow yourself not to become overwhelmed (47:30). Instagram @darienmatt and @eade96

With so much information out there regarding fitness that is available to everyone it can easily become overwhelming and confusing! Especially when you are just starting, there are a lot of different things that you can do, but does that mean that you should be doing them as a beginner? In this episode, Darien and Hayden break down what they believe to be the easiest and most straight-forward approach to fitness that can be applied to anyone at any age. They begin by talking about their own experiences when they started out and the resources that they had available to them (3:30). From there, they immediately dive-into the first key point: compound exercises vs. accessory / isolation exercises and what you should prioritize (6:25). They note that you want to begin by building a solid base and creating adaptations by focusing on your form and overall control of the movement before progressing in movement. Soreness is another factor that is very apparent in beginners and may or may not hinder progress, depending on the situation and overall stimulus applied during a single session (16:30). Primal / Functional movements are the next tier breakdown after looking at compound movements as a whole and should be mastered as a beginner (20:00). When it comes to progressing as a beginner, it's important to focus first on finding an exercise that is comfortable for you, progressing the movement pattern first and then progressing the weight / load second (40:00). Most importantly, don't ego lift! Your ego should be left at the door the moment you step foot in the gym. There is no point comparing yourself to others as everyone has different bodies, different goals, etc (46:00). Instagram @darienmatt and @eade96

In this first introductory episode of the Podcast, Darien and Hayden begin by sharing their personal journeys into the fitness world and talk about how they've become molded into the two highly educated trainers that they are today (2:00). They talk about a few of their inspirations that initially got them interested in fitness (although Darien forgot to mention Christian Guzman and Alphalete which was one of his main influences) which coincidentally originated from YouTuber's such as Mike O'Hearn, Steve Cook, Lex Griffin, Furious Pete, Chris Jones, and many more (10:00). They briefly talk about their main powerlifting lift numbers (squat, bench, and deadlift) to give some context of where they are at, realizing that both have a much more hybrid approach to lifting and enjoy incorporating both powerlifting and bodybuilding into their workouts (17:00). Hayden then gets Darien to dive a bit too deep into a rabbit hole, asking him a question about why he got into fitness and decided to become a Personal Trainer as his career as Hayden already mentioned his reasoning prior in the episode (25:00). The episode ends with Darien and Hayden talking about how they first met, their initial impressions of each other, and how they grew that relationship into what it has become today (31:30). Instagram @darienmatt and @eade96