Mid Life Athlete

Greg and Jason sat down with Dr Thomas Dekkers, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist at Cork University Hospital to talk all things back pain. Thomas is a Spinal Specialist Physiotherapist; a researcher in Back Pain and Educator on 'The Rehabilitation of Back Pain' course. 

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Why does the pain go away before you're actually fixed? In the final part of our pain series, Greg and I get into what rehab really looks like once the diagnosis is right — from why "this exercise works your glutes" is nonsense (your brain runs tasks, not muscles) to how to tell a technique problem from a genuine tissue one. We bust the usual myths — knees over toes, weak cores, tight hamstrings — and land on the one thing that actually matters: progression, not perfection.

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In this deeply personal and moving episode of the Midlife Athlete Podcast, host Greg Ryan sits down with his regular co-host, Jason Smith, who steps into the guest seat to share the motivation behind his upcoming endurance challenge. They are joined by Dr Rupali Kulshreshtha, lead clinical psychologist at the London Clinic, to explore the intersection of physical health, trauma, and the psychological landscape of grief.

The conversation centers on Jason’s "321 Challenge"—a grueling road bike journey spanning three countries in two days around one mountain (Mont Blanc)—undertaken in memory of his close friend, Dave, who recently passed away from cancer. Together, they discuss why we turn to extreme physical feats in the wake of loss and how athletes can navigate their own mortality.

The Challenge: https://ride321.cc/

You can donate here: https://www.thelondonclinic.co.uk/321-cycle-challenge?utm_source=referrer-website

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Jason taps into Greg's expertise and chats about pain and injury. In this part 2 goes deeper into why injuries happen to one side, one tissue, one person — and what that means for recovery. Together they reframe how a midlife athlete thinks about pain.

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Jason taps into Greg's expertise to discuss all things pain and injury. Part 1 covers what pain actually is and how the body responds to injury.

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In this episode, Jason and Greg sit down with Dr. Sandra Kaufman, a renowned physician, anesthesiologist, and longevity researcher. Dr. Kaufman explains her "Kaufman Protocol," a scientific framework that breaks down the complex process of aging into seven distinct cellular tenets. We dive deep into how midlife athletes can move beyond standard fitness routines to optimize their cellular health, manage "inflammaging," and potentially extend their "healthspan" well into their hundreds.

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Jason (& Greg when he joins) chat to Sarah Webster, a 46-year-old veterinary surgeon, mum, and the women's 24-hour world record holder. She ran 278km — 173 miles — around a track in Albi, France, and it was only her second attempt at the distance. She didn't run her first ultra until she was 43.

In this episode, we sit down with Sarah to unpack how a self-described "not particularly talented" junior runner returned to the sport in her mid-30s, built patiently for a decade, and ended up rewriting the record books — all while holding down a full-time job and raising a family.

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Greg and Jason pick up from the creatine episode and explain why creatine is so important to mitochondria, our bodies energy cells. We also explore a classic case of social media mis-selling - 'lymphatic reset'. Something that social media excels at - taking a kernel of real physiology and inflating it into something barely recognisable. And we talk miles vs kilometres. Which camp are you in?

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Greg and Jason are joined by Steve Jennings, otherwise known as the 'Creatine OG'. Steve was a former professional cyclist turned entrepreneur and innovator who’s spent over 30 years building and launching nutrition brands around the world. In this episode he tells the amazing story of how he brought creatine to the market at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

His entrepreneurial journey has enabled him to work with some of the biggest names in business, PepsiCo, Nike, LEGO, Unilever, and more.

Steve’s now leading Jenerise, developing new business models, technologies and solutions designed to help people of all ages experience the health, wellbeing and therapeutic benefits of creatine.

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It's been a while....almost 2 years. Greg and Jason are back kicking off season 5. 

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