Kinsei-Do Corner - the Functional Fitness podcast with Coach Jo

In this episode I sat down with returning guest Jemima of @jemsrockbox to talk about her most recent foray into the World of Fitness Racing. Jem, an accomplished runner and Indonesian CrossFit athlete, tells us her story about how she came across this new sporting event called Hyrox - aka the World Series of Fitness Racing - how she prepared for this grueling one hour plus contest of physical and mental strength and endurance, and how she crushed it in her first attempt at the Open division and qualified straight away for the World Championship event in Las Vegas!

This episode was recorded live during an Instagram Live session with Jem and her audience, and we had a blast talking about her prep and her experience racing not once, but twice, in the space of just two weeks and on two different continents.

If you love running and CrossFit or functional fitness, but are too heavy to be a good runner but not enough of a strength and power athlete to be a great CrossFitter, then Hyrox may be what you've been waiting for your whole life!

In this episode I sat down with an old friend of mine, Stephan, and we caught up about healthy habits and routines that have allowed him to stay in incredible shape for over 15 years of working in the highly stressful and demanding consulting industry.

Unlike all of the previous guests on this show, Stephan has no direct links to the health and functional fitness industry - he doesn't even have a gym membership - yet has devised a simple but effective system and life structure that allows him to go through life with sub 20% body fat and sixpack to show for it.

If you're a consultant, a manager or any other busy professional who wonders how on earth you can balance the demands of your hectic life with health supportive habits and routines, then you'll love this episode!

We talk about:

In this episode of Kinsei-Do Corner, I had the pleasure of sitting down and catching up with Jasmin Toegel, a fellow German and fellow @hintsaperformance coach (in training), and we talked about her 15 year journey as a fitness trainer and how her approach to working with clients has evolved over those years.

From her early days as a "normal" personal trainer who simply prescribes exercises to becoming a truly client-centered holistic coach, Jasmin's journey of self-discovery and growth is something all of us working in health and fitness can learn from.

We touch on:

Whether you work as a trainer or coach, or if you're interested in developing the mindset, routines and skills to pursue your own health and wellbeing goals, you'll find something of value in this episode.

Who is Jasmin Toegel?

A fitness trainer with over 15 years in Health and Fitness, Jasmin has worked with many different clients from kids to 90+ year olds. Coming from a commercial gym background, she now specializes in Corporate Fitness. She's a Fitness Trainer with SG Stern in Germany and currently works as the manager and Coach at the corporate gym for Mercedes-AMG.

In this episode of Kinsei-Do Corner, I sat down with fellow Hintsa Certified Performance Coach (in training), @semeijwoudt, and we talked about the endlessly fascinating world of youth coaching. Sem's a physical education teacher and lecturer at Fontys Sports College in the Netherlands, and also works with age group football players at Dutch first division club Willem II, as well as with up and coming motorsports talents. 

Whether you're a coach of kids, a teacher or simply a parent wanting to set your kids up for the best possible success (physically and mentally) and a happy and fulfilled life, then you'll appreciate Sem's insights and tips, so make sure to check this episode out!

In this episode of Kinsei-Do Corner, I sat down with Coach and Founder of Primal Mobility (@primal.mobility), Matt P (@matthew.j.phili), for an extremely interesting and wide ranging conversation about coaching, business, personal growth and, of course, mobility.

Matt's journey from online coach struggling to pay the bills to heading a mobility training company of 7 coaches and 200 clients, including several elite level CrossFit athletes like Emma Lawson and Emily Rolfe, is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

I first met Matt when I sought him out to help me with my own mobility struggles back in 2019, and while my range of motion is still far from perfect - damn you, ankle dorsiflexion! - I made huge gains through Primal's methods and have been a fan ever since.

In this episode, we cover what it's like working as a remote coach for athletes of the highest calibre as well as everyday weekend warriors and what YOU can (and should) do to optimally prepare you not only for your training, but for a long life of moving without pain. We also discuss the challenges and struggles of starting your own (coaching) business, the importance of mentors - big shoutout to @itscoachgoodman, a man who has greatly influenced us both (and was my guest on episode 23!) - and the nothing short of revolutionary next plans in the pipeline for Primal Mobility.

Whether you're a (CrossFit) coach, an athlete or just a person who has a body and likes to move, you'll find something of value in this episode!

Who is Matt P?

Matt started his journey into online coaching late into 2018. He knew he had a strong niche and determination to make it work but didn't realize just how far it would take him professionally and personally. 

Matt is the Founder and Head Coach of Primal Mobility, a strength based mobility coaching company. 

Matt shares his experience of working with crossfire games athletes as well as all things he's learned along the rocky path pf entrepreneurship.

In this episode of Kinsei-Do Corner, I sat down with Coach and Co-owner of VPT Strength Club (in Malang, Indonesia), Ryan Townson (@ryanjoshycf), to dive deep into his most recent CrossFit Games quarterfinals journey.

Ryan, in only his second ever season as a competitive CrossFit athlete, absolutely crushed the three Open workouts earlier this year and easily punched his ticket to the Quarterfinals, where he finished an incredible 169th on the Oceanic continent.

I've had some amazingly fit guests on this show to date, but Ryan plays in yet another league, and it was an absolute pleasure to get a first hand account of what it's like to compete (virtually) against some of the world's best and leave your own legacy!

This episode is long, but if you've ever participated in - or thought of doing so - in a CrossFit competition at any level, you won't want to miss Ryan's story!

Who is Ryan Townson?

As a National level Gymnast already by the age of 10, Ryan abandoned his sporting career after becoming mentally burned out and unable to sustain the demanding lifestyle of an elite Athlete. As a high school drop-out at 16 and troubled musician, Ryan was undoubtedly showing indicative signs of following the downwards path of alcohol and drug addiction in his teenage years, much like that of his parents.

At 17, he was asked by his Sister to accompany her to their local University Fitness Center as a Training Partner. Against his lack of motivation, Ryan followed along in hopes to help motivate his Sister. Only to find that his passion for Athleticism would be ignited once again.

By 18, Ryan had obtained both a Fitness and Nutrition Certification and has now been active in the industry for over a decade as a Trainer, Instructor, Gym Manager, Owner and as a Competitive Athlete.

After a successful Competitive journey taking multiple 1st Place victories in the Sport of Powerlifting. Ryan has set his sights on becoming an elite level CrossFit Athlete. After placing 94th out of almost 7000 Athletes in Australia in the 2022 CrossFit Open, Ryan hopes to advance even further in the next Season.

In this episode of Kinsei-Do Corner, I sat down with Head Coach and Co-owner of CrossFit Garuda (Indonesia), Anthony Sutono (@anthonysutono), and we talked about his incredible background story - Ant's been around the Indonesian CrossFit scene since practically day 1 - and the early days of CrossFit Garuda.

Crushing it at work, in the gym and in life in his late 20's, Ant shared the story of how everything came crumbling down in a single day four years ago, and how he - after going through the abyss for a couple of months - dug himself out of that hole and is now once again hitting it out of the park.

But this conversation is much more than just a recap of one man's personal success story, as much of what Ant did and does is founded in ancient wisdom and practices that have stood the test of time, from breath work to meditation and journaling, and YOU too can learn and apply these in your own life!

This episode is long, but trust me, it's worth it!

Who is Anthony Sutono?

Anthony started his career in the power sector in Indonesia where he gained first hand experience of all that could go wrong. In 2018 a tsunami & earthquake hit their power plant wiping it out completely and leaving the company in shambles. Besides his day job, Anthony is also a partner and head coach at CrossFit Garuda. Since the fateful day on September 28, 2018 and what he calls the "rock bottom" that followed, Anthony has dedicated his time to pursue the skills and knowledge in creating habits and frameworks that would allow for productivity and wellness despite the conditions in the external environment. He has since created a mobile app - HabitApp (thehabitatproject.net and @habitapp_ on Instagram) - that is now in beta testing with the goal to help people create good habits and be able to make the most out of each day regardless of the external environment.

Welcome back to Kinsei-Do Corner!

It's the final week of the annual festival of fitness (and usually, pain) that is the CrossFit Open!

In this third and last episode is of a three part special where I, Coach Jo (@coachjchun), sit down with expert coaches and badass athletes from the local CrossFit scene and dissect the freshly announced workout - in this case 22.3 - I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming back my former guests (and coaching mentors), Tim and Thiago!

We talk about:

If you're doing the Open, be it for the first time or the tenth time, you don't want to chalk up those hands and get cracking before you've listened to this episode!

Welcome back to Kinsei-Do Corner!

It's week 2 of the annual festival of fitness (and usually, pain) that is the CrossFit Open!

In this second episode is of a three part special where I, Coach Jo (@coachjchun), sit down with expert coaches and badass athletes from the local CrossFit scene and dissect the freshly announced workout - in this case 22.2 - I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming back to my two Australian super-hunks, Ryan and Lucas!

If you're doing the Open, be it for the first time or the tenth time, you don't want to chalk up those hands and get cracking before you've listened to this episode!

Welcome back to Kinsei-Do Corner!

It's that time of the year again, the special time for many functional fitness enthusiasts around the world: the time of the CrossFit Open!

This episode is the first of a three part special where I, Coach Jo (@coachjchun), sit down with expert coaches and badass athletes from the local CrossFit scene and dissect the freshly announced workout - in this case 22.1 - to give you their hot takes on:

In this first episode I'm honoured to have gym owner, SEA Today News anchor and self-proclaimed weekend warrior Dirza Prakoso sit down with me and share his insights and wealth of experience with all of us.

If you're doing the Open, be it for the first time or the tenth time, you don't want to chalk up those hands and get cracking before you've listened to this episode!