TOPICS • Why Brian started TRYKA and what the hybrid space was missing • Dublin TRYKA race weekends and the Portugal finale • TRYKA 500, family divisions, and company participation • Free affiliates, supporting gym owners, and simple scoring • RAMs instead of wall balls and rotating workout plans • AI judging, split standards for pros vs open athletes • UK expansion and ticket-swap marketplace • Why TRYKA favors community over cash prizes • Samantha Faddis on HYROX, DEKA, Battle Bunker, and training as a parent • Where she can gain time in HYROX and how she approaches sleds and rowers • Hybrid garage training, parenting chaos, and Mom Life Rocks • Viral sled-turf reel, relatable content, and dealing with trolls • AI, backyards, and why the robots aren't ready yet

SUMMARY Brian Lee joins Matt to talk about TRYKA, an Irish hybrid fitness race built to feel welcoming, local, and accessible without watering the challenge down. They dig into the race-weekend structure in Dublin, the Portugal finale, shorter TRYKA 500 options, free affiliates, company divisions, and why RAMs replaced wall balls. Brian also breaks down ticket demand, AI squat-depth judging, standards for pros vs open athletes, UK expansion, and why TRYKA is leaning toward charity-based rewards instead of cash prizes.

In part two, Samantha "Smoose" Faddis comes on to discuss life as a hybrid athlete and parent. She talks HYROX Anaheim and Phoenix, whether DC is still in play, recovery challenges between races, and where she thinks she can still gain real time. Matt and Sam get into sled strategy, rower fatigue after burpees, home-garage training, and the day-to-day realities of raising two kids while trying to train seriously. They also cover the viral sled-turf reel that took off, how MomLifeRox came to life, and why relatable content beats perfect content. The episode closes with a quick detour into AI logos, backyard designs, and why the tech still isn't close to replacing real people.

Guest Links: Brian Lee | TRYKA | Mom Life Rox

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Dave clarifies a couple of items that came up during last night's call regarding the DEKA World Championships and judging.

Topics • When podiums should and should not change after the fact • Athlete responsibility to protest versus sport responsibility to enforce standards • Perception of favoritism toward "beloved elites" • Janelle's frustration with self-policing reps after the fact • Brooklyn's tank clip and the problem with "imaginary lines" in judging • Why DEKA needs a clearer tank rule: wheels to the tape versus bolts • Burpees, lunges, and movements that break judges • Cheryl's line: "the best way to kill a good idea is to underfund it" • Men's team mile penalty and why communication matters • Hunter's season debut in Melbourne • Cole Learn hype and the loaded women's field • Anaheim weekend plans

Summary Dave joins the show after winning the DEKA Strong Ruck 45 plus world championship and the group breaks down everything that happened at DEKA Worlds. The crew debates when podiums should ever change after the fact, how much responsibility belongs to athletes versus the sport, and whether judging inconsistency is pushing people out of the system. Janelle explains why she should not have to review her own reps on video, walks through the Brooklyn tank clip, and makes the case that the current rules are nearly impossible to enforce in real time. They also hit the men's team mile penalty, the updated mile layout, and whether DEKA has underfunded its own growth. The show wraps with a short HYROX Melbourne preview and plans for Anaheim.

Guest Links: Ugly Dave | Cheryl Snow | Janelle Teal

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LT Games has confirmed its return for April 25, 2026. This episode covers the updates to the format, the new digital rulebook, heat structure, judging standards, athlete staging, and how registration will be handled for Lifetime members versus the general public.

We also discuss what the organizers want to prove before expanding divisions or adding new formats.

Guest Links: Wes Robertson | Konner Fleming

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• HYROX Regionals format and Open feeding Worlds • New Elite 15 last chance qualifier and prize money • Puma's upcoming HYROX shoe • Deadly Dozen crossover week • Thanksgiving running misery • Dave's run together race story • DEKA China's production level • DEKA Worlds preview • Elite FIT field including Greyson, Kent, Ryker, Isaac, Aitor, and Cole Walkington • Women's field including Kat Fassbender, Brooklyn, and Lauren Griffith • Judging standards and what athletes should expect • Medals, shirts, and production hopes • Travel plans, who is racing what, and what the crew wants to see this weekend

Matt, Cheryl, and Ugly Dave jump into a full hybrid week. HYROX Regionals gets ripped apart for mixing Open weights with Worlds qualifiers, and everyone agrees it is messy and needs to be separate from Pro. Prize money for the new Elite 15 LCQ is confirmed, and the upcoming Puma HYROX shoe gets early reactions from the crew.

Thanksgiving running gets recapped, including Matt's brutal Atlanta hills, Cheryl's short but steep four miler, and Dave's classic run together move that ended with him sprinting away 500 meters in.

DEKA China looked unreal with smoke, lighting, a full stage finish, and huge production value. Now the focus shifts to Fort Lauderdale as Dave heads down Wednesday for DEKA Worlds. He is judging, he is racing multiple events, and everyone wants to see how the FIT fields stack up on a fully judged floor.

The show covers who is in form, what the judging will look like, what production pieces DEKA needs to nail, and why athletes should film their full race if they want clean evidence for disputes. Plenty of laughs, plenty of inside jokes, and a lot of excitement heading into one of the biggest weekends of the DEKA season.

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• Rates, value, and the tension around telling your spouse to raise their prices • Jamie's path from bodybuilding dot com live coverage to editor in chief of a Canadian muscle magazine • Building the "anxious lesbian" niche and why mental health has to be part of coaching • Eating disorders, control, and how strength training replaced calorie counting • Hybrid athletes, aging, and stacking habits for mental health • Subaru jokes, U Hauls, queer language, and why "lesbian" still matters • Cancel culture, old tweets, and why neither of you is afraid of getting canceled over silliness • How Matt actually uses ChatGPT as a business coach, therapist, and sparring partner

• Bianca's journey from Auburn to the Mexican national team and the NWSL • Playing in Norway and Iceland, pregnancy, ACL rehab, and the lack of postpartum support • Starting the Madre Movement in Monterrey to help moms return to sport • Discovering HYROX post-retirement and winning her first race in Mexico City • Breaking down her splits, sled technique, burpees, and why altitude smashed everyone • Plans for pro weights, triathlon, and finding a second competitive career

Summary: Matt sits down with two guests who rebuilt their athletic identities in completely different ways. First, coach and creator Jamie Filer talks about being an "anxious lesbian," the Subaru/U-Haul cultural clichés, and how she turned bodybuilding media work into a strength-focused coaching business with mental health at the center. Matt and Jamie get into cancel culture, pricing, marriage dynamics, and how ChatGPT unintentionally became part business advisor, part emotional support.

Then former pro footballer Bianca Sierra joins from Monterrey to tell her story: choosing Auburn over swimming, representing Mexico, grinding through the NWSL as a trialist, tearing her ACL on the morning she thought would be her last match before pregnancy, and navigating a postpartum comeback with almost no support. She explains how she started the Madre Movement for women, discovered HYROX through a gym invite, and ended up winning her first race overall at altitude in Mexico City. They talk about identity, retirement, training, and finding a new way to compete after leaving professional football.

Guest Links: Jamie Filer Bianca Sierra

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– What HYROX got right in Dallas – Why the bridge setup needs to be at every major race – Judging updates and wall ball enforcement – Sled carpets, mixed doubles volume, and course flow – Brendan King's race, volunteering, and big PR breakthrough – How adding track work changed his performance – Behind-the-scenes observations from the crew all weekend

Matt, Dave, Cheryl, and guests Matt Kemp and Brendan King break down the entire HYROX Dallas weekend. The group digs into the good, the bad, and the structural decisions that changed the flow of the race. Brendan talks about juggling racing and volunteering, what he saw inside the venue, and how he hit a huge PR after adding track work to his training. The crew also debates judging consistency, wall ball standards, mixed doubles volume, and why sled carpets continue to trip up athletes across events.

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We were at Chicago HYROX all weekend for three days of racing. Here are your complete pre and post race interviews.

Dustin Needham and Kim Stocklmeir Aaron Ordway and Sydney Hudson (Pre Race) Cassandra Gillis and Joe Martello Bailey Cook Aaron Ordway and Sydney Hudson (Post Race) Bethany Sachtleben Brooklyn Cole Gabi Nikora-Baker Michelle Navarro and Kelsey Hochleitner Lauren Weeks Katie Duke, Greyson Kilgore, Cole Learn Jack D. Fitness Colin Stiefer Paul Kaup

Today's show is sponsored by Amazfit. Amazfit gives you real data you can trust, without the $600 price tag. Clean zones, accurate tracking, and a watch built for hybrid athletes.

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Chicago HYROX course feel, bridge flow, rock zone, and whether it was "fast".

Movement standards, judging, and BBJ hand placement clarity.

Finish line photos, lighting, and why phones still win without perfect camera settings.

Doubles race strategy with Lauren, splitting stations, running by feel.

Drug testing at Chicago and how pro cards factor in.

DEKA's 2026 expansion to Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

CrossFit vs HYROX culture and why mass-participation wins spectators.

Row mechanics, breathing cues, and quick fixes that helped on race day.

Phoenix, Anaheim, and what to train next.

Summary Matt, Cheryl Snow, and Ugly Dave break down Chicago HYROX weekend from the floor and from the livestreams. Was the course quick or just well designed. What improved with movement standards. Why finish line lighting made the photos pop. Matt and Lauren talk through a PR in Doubles and how pacing by feel beat staring at a watch. We hit random testing in the U.S., DEKA's move into big-city venues, and the ongoing CrossFit vs HYROX conversation. Practical takeaways on rowing, sled work, and running steady when your brain wants to tap out.

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TOPICS: • Matt's CrossFit vs Hybrid rant • Why "CrossFit is dead" / "HYROX is better" clickbait is garbage • Mass-participation fitness trends vs forging elite fitness • Why hybrid races are winning right now • Flat Out UK: format, stations, judging, and accessibility • Matt's upcoming Amazfit coverage at HYROX Chicago

DESCRIPTION: Matt opens with a full rant on CrossFit, hybrid fitness, and why the internet keeps pushing fake "versus" narratives. He breaks down why CrossFit staying tied to "forging elite fitness" limits mainstream appeal, how HYROX and hybrid races exploded by meeting regular people where they are, and why the future of fitness is community-driven, social, and Accessible, not elite only movement standards.

He then shifts into his conversation with Patrick from Flat Out UK, covering their race format, every station, how judging works for open vs pro athletes, and why Flat Out is becoming a popular gateway into hybrid training across the UK. They talk accessibility, realistic expectations for first-timers, pacing strategies, and what separates fun community races from serious competition.

Guest Links: Flat Out Fitness Race Listen on Apple or Spotify Support us through The Cup Of Coffee Follow Hybrid Fitness Media on IG