In this episode, Matt Roberts and Matt Chinn explore how to plan the year ahead with clarity, patience, and intention when it comes to OCR racing and training.

They discuss the importance of honest self-assessment, understanding your current level of conditioning, and setting realistic goals that align with where you are right now, not just where you want to be. The conversation breaks down how to categorise races into A, B, and C types, and why this structure is essential for long-term progression, performance, and injury prevention.

They also highlight why consistency beats intensity, why patience is a competitive advantage, and how adapting training based on individual circumstances, recovery, and life stress is key to staying in the game year after year.

This episode is about zooming out, thinking long-term, and building the athlete and human you are becoming, not just chasing the next race.

• Planning the year ahead is crucial for long-term success
• Understanding A, B, and C races allows for smarter, more effective training
• Self-assessment is essential for knowing your current conditioning
• Long-term goals provide direction and clarity in the training process
• C races should be used as training opportunities, not validation events
• Leave the ego at the door during training and racing
• Consistency over time leads to sustainable improvement
• Rushing the process increases the risk of setbacks and injury
• Focus on the minimal effective dose to maximise training returns
• Prioritise recovery and self-care to maintain progress and longevity

00:00 Planning for the Year Ahead
02:55 Understanding A, B, and C Races
05:49 Self-Assessment and Realistic Goal Setting
08:47 The Importance of Recovery and Conditioning
11:59 Long-Term Vision and Goal Structuring
15:00 Defining A, B, and C Races
17:54 Ego and Performance in C Races
21:04 Lessons from the DEKA Mile Experience
27:45 Internal Dialogues and Race Strategy
32:24 Planning and Mapping Out Race Seasons
35:16 Managing Training and Recovery
39:10 Assessing Current Fitness Levels
45:18 Maximizing Performance and Consistency
50:49 Prioritizing Key Training Sessions

🎧 Listen on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/2IdzZ1oB7Y8P1c6g6Xh0ZB

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/obstacle-dominator/id1559372730

📺 Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@ObstacleDominator

📞 Book a Game Plan Call
https://calendly.com/primalfitness/game-plan-call

🏃‍♂️ Join OCR School (Skool Community)
https://www.skool.com/ocr-school

💪 Obstacle Dominator Program
https://www.primalfitness.co.uk/obstacle-dominator

🔥 OCR Skool 21-Day Program
https://www.skool.com/ocr-school/about

✅ Key Takeaways⏱️ Chapters🔗 Links & Resources

Episode 72 dives into The Winter Code — how to stay consistent, energised, motivated, and aligned through the darker, colder months. In this conversation, Matt Roberts and Mitch explore winter as a season of growth, identity shifts, and physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual alignment.

Most people fall apart during winter.
But winter is actually the forge — the place where discipline, resilience, and long-term performance are created.

This episode blends training, mindset, nature, and personal development into one powerful blueprint for thriving when energy is low and life becomes more challenging.

Inside Episode 72:

• Identity, Discomfort & Growth
How identity evolves through life, why discomfort is essential, and how winter acts as a mirror for who you're becoming.

• Motivation in Darker Months
How intrinsic and extrinsic motivation work together to maintain consistency when sunlight, energy, and routine are disrupted.

• Energy Builders vs Energy Drainers
How winter affects hormones, circadian rhythm, mood, grounding, and stimulation — and how to work with the season, not against it.

• Immunity & Seasonal Health
Breathwork, cold exposure, grounding, sunlight, hydration, movement, sleep, and elemental practices to stay strong.

• MED Training (Minimum Effective Dose)
How to stay on track with short, targeted sessions when time or energy is limited.

• Mindset & Reframing
How to shift perspective, create antifragility, and use constructive thinking to overcome winter challenges.

• Nutrition, Stress & Nervous System
How nutrition and stress directly impact energy, recovery, and performance during colder months.

• Community, Nature & Reflection
Why community accelerates growth, how nature realigns your energy, and why winter is perfect for reflection, intention, and recalibration.

Summary:
Matt and Mitch explore the themes of identity, discomfort, motivation, and seasonal alignment. They discuss consistency, community, stress, nutrition, and the importance of nature and reflection. The core message: embrace the season, honour the cycles, and evolve through winter with clarity and resilience.

Takeaways:

• Embrace discomfort

• Identity evolves

• Mindset shapes outcomes

• Consistency compounds

• Community supports growth

• Nature restores wellbeing

• Nutrition matters

• Stress management builds longevity

• Reflection empowers transformation

Chapters:
00:00 Identity & Appearance
02:49 Discomfort & Shifts
05:54 Seasonal Growth
08:47 Reframing Mindset
11:32 Consistency & Progress
14:16 Long-Term Commitment
17:26 Training–Life Balance
20:17 MED Training
23:05 Antifragility
25:48 Lifestyle Balance
32:38 Nervous System & Stress
37:04 Lifestyle Optimisation
43:52 Seasonal Impact
47:13 Immunity & Resilience
53:15 Personal Growth & Habits

🎧 Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/0y4nKMh3QdRkXPZ9zYt3H0?si=2a1f62733d5c43ee
🎧 Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140
🎥 YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@Mattlivingprimal

🌍 Game Plan Call — https://my-ocr-coach.com/game-plan-call118428
🏁 OCR School — https://www.skool.com/obstacle-course-dominators-4113/about
📘 Obstacle Dominator Coaching — https://www.livingprimal.co.uk/obstacle-dominator-program

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED

In today’s episode, Matt Roberts sits down with Jimmy Napolitano, a long-standing member of the Primal Fitness community whose journey began with the 21-Day Program — where he experienced significant change in a remarkably short time.

Since then, Jimmy has gone on to run ultra distances, stand on Savage Race and Spartan podiums, and continue developing as a business owner, leader, father, and man dedicated to living in alignment.

This conversation builds upon a previous episode we recorded together two years ago — one that many listeners called “the best episode yet.” Now, we revisit his evolution and dive even deeper into what it means to embody strength, presence, and balance as a modern man.

We discuss:

• Leadership of self — the foundation for everything else

• Fatherhood, relationships, and love through the lens of awareness

• Masculinity, embodiment, and discipline in today’s world

• How to stay grounded, balanced, and purpose-driven amidst life’s pressures

This episode is a raw and insightful reflection on masculine growth, brotherhood, and the lifelong journey of becoming a well-rounded, balanced man.

Links Mentioned

🎧 Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/0y4nKMh3QdRkXPZ9zYt3H0?si=2a1f62733d5c43ee
🎧 Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140
🎥 YouTube (Matt Roberts) — https://www.youtube.com/@Mattlivingprimal
🌍 Game Plan Call — https://my-ocr-coach.com/game-plan-call118428
🏁 OCR School (Skool) — https://www.skool.com/obstacle-course-dominators-4113/about
📘 Obstacle Dominator Program — https://www.livingprimal.co.uk/obstacle-dominator-program

Join The OCR Skool for the 21 day program -

https://www.skool.com/ocr-skool/about

If you found value in this episode
Please leave us a like, drop a star rating, write a review, and subscribe on YouTube — it helps us reach and help more people just like you.

Thanks for listening.

In today’s episode Matt Roberts sits down with Shawn Stephens to reflect on a huge year of growth — both on and off the course. Over the past 12 months Shawn has faced and overcome a series of obstacles in his personal life, while simultaneously levelling up his athletic performance inside the Primal Fitness / Obstacle Dominator community.

We discuss:

• The challenges and breakthroughs of the past year

• Improvements in running times, conditioning, and body composition

• The mindset shifts that come with staying the course

• Moving from Open Heat into competitive Age Group racing

• And the bigger goals now on the horizon — including stepping into larger, harder and more prestigious events

This is a conversation about progression, ownership, and using every experience — even the difficult ones — as fuel for what comes next. Shawn is actively in the climb, not at the finish line, and this episode captures that transitional moment before the leap to the next level.

Links Mentioned

🎧 Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/0y4nKMh3QdRkXPZ9zYt3H0?si=2a1f62733d5c43ee
🎧 Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140
🎥 YouTube (Matt Roberts) — https://www.youtube.com/@Mattlivingprimal
🌍 Game Plan Call — https://my-ocr-coach.com/game-plan-call118428
🏁 OCR School (Skool) — https://www.skool.com/obstacle-course-dominators-4113/about
📘 Obstacle Dominator Program — https://www.livingprimal.co.uk/obstacle-dominator-program

If you found value in this episode
Please leave us a like, drop a star rating, write a review, and subscribe on YouTube — it helps us reach and help more people just like you.

Thanks for listening.

In this episode, Matt Roberts and Liam Mitchell dive into how to pace yourself like an elite athlete in OCR. They break down the perfect balance between effort, control, and execution, so you don’t blow up early or finish with too much left in the tank.You’ll learn: • 🧠 The mindset of pacing like an elite • 🫁 How to control breathing, effort, and intensity • 🏃 How to transition in and out of obstacles without wasting energy • 🏋️ When to push and when to hold back • 🥇 How to bring this pacing strategy into training AND competitionThis episode blends theory and practical race execution — body and mind — so you can perform your absolute best when it matters.⸻🎧 Listen to Episode 70 — Pacing Like an Elite on all platforms: • Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/0y4nKMh3QdRkXPZ9zYt3H0 • Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140 • YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@UC_QkXQiugt-UmSXhpNXyhOA ⸻Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast 🙌If this episode helped you, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

In today’s episode we sit down with Jake Clark, who in the past two years has undergone multiple major surgeries on his legs. But unlike most people who treat injury as a full stop, Jake made a deliberate choice — to grow in every other area of his life while his lower body recovered.

He could have collapsed into circumstance, but instead he explored his options and chose agency. While unable to train his legs, he doubled down on what he could control: upper body training, nutrition, lifestyle, recovery, mindset, his environment, and his relationships. As a result, this “setback period” became a season of internal reinforcement — not decline.

This conversation dives into:

• The power of choice under pressure

• Using injury without wasting the season

• How identity is rebuilt when performance is limited

• Taking ownership instead of waiting for conditions to improve

• How working on oneself first ripple-effects into everything else

Jake is not returning from zero — he is returning with depth, discipline, and a stronger internal base than before.

Links Mentioned

🎧 Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/0y4nKMh3QdRkXPZ9zYt3H0?si=2a1f62733d5c43ee
🎧 Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140
🎥 YouTube (Matt Roberts) — https://www.youtube.com/@Mattlivingprimal
🌍 Game Plan Call — https://my-ocr-coach.com/game-plan-call118428
🏁 OCR School (Skool) — https://www.skool.com/obstacle-course-dominators-4113/about
📘 Obstacle Dominator Program — https://www.livingprimal.co.uk/obstacle-dominator-program

If you found value in this episode
Please leave us a like, drop a star rating, write a review, and subscribe on YouTube — it helps us reach and help more people just like you.

Thanks for listening.

In today’s episode we are speaking to Greg Downham. Greg has been part of the Primal Fitness Obstacle Dominator community for around five months, and this conversation captures the beginning of his transformation.

When Greg first joined he was in a challenging season of life, but through conversation, commitment, and fully immersing himself in the work — he has come out the other side bigger, better, and stronger. These first few months have been pivotal for him physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

This year alone he:

• Entered and completed his first ever OCR season

• Competed in multiple UK Spartan events

• Travelled to West Virginia to race the Trifecta World Championships alongside myself and Coach Mitch

• Built strong community connections with both UK and overseas athletes

• Transformed his body and mindset

• Is now preparing to launch his own business in November

Greg is only at the beginning. The off-season ahead is going to be critical for his athletic development — and 2026 is set to be a huge year for him both in OCR and in life.

This is the story of a man who decided to change direction — and actually did it. Enjoy.

Links Mentioned

🎧 Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/0y4nKMh3QdRkXPZ9zYt3H0?si=2a1f62733d5c43ee
🎧 Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140
🎥 YouTube (Matt Roberts) — https://www.youtube.com/@Mattlivingprimal
🌍 Game Plan Call — https://my-ocr-coach.com/game-plan-call118428
🏁 OCR School (Skool) — https://www.skool.com/obstacle-course-dominators-4113/about
📘 Obstacle Dominator Program — https://www.livingprimal.co.uk/obstacle-dominator-program

If you found value in this episode
Please leave us a like, drop a star rating, write a review, and subscribe on YouTube — it helps us reach and help more people just like you.

Thanks for listening.

In today’s episode Matt Roberts sits down with co-host Matt Chinn to talk about one of the most overlooked but most important parts of the racing year — the off-season.

We break down the logic and the purpose behind taking a planned period fully off training for physical restoration, nervous system reset, and mental decompression. From there we discuss running baseline assessments to gauge where you truly are post-season and how those data points inform the months to follow.

This isn’t about doing less, it is about setting the foundation for a season of success. We explore how to structure the off-season in a way that keeps training fun, invigorating and consistent — so when the competitive season returns you don’t just show up, you show up primed, motivated, and ready to attack your goals with intention and precision.

This is an episode about optimization, longevity, and intelligent periodisation for OCR athletes who want to win over the long game — not burn out in the short one.

Links Mentioned

🎧 Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/0y4nKMh3QdRkXPZ9zYt3H0?si=2a1f62733d5c43ee
🎧 Apple Podcasts — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140
🎥 YouTube (Matt Roberts) — https://www.youtube.com/@Mattlivingprimal
🌍 Game Plan Call — https://my-ocr-coach.com/game-plan-call118428
🏁 OCR School (Skool) — https://www.skool.com/obstacle-course-dominators-4113/about
📘 Obstacle Dominator Program — https://www.livingprimal.co.uk/obstacle-dominator-program

If you found value in this episode
Please leave us a like, drop a star rating, write a quick review, and subscribe over on YouTube — it helps us reach and help more people just like you.

In this essential episode of the Obstacle Dominator podcast, Matt Roberts and Liam Mitchell sit down to share their personal rest and recovery strategies—hard-earned through years of trial, error, and experience in the trenches.

We explore how to:

• Balance recovery with real-life demands—work, travel, family, and training

• Avoid the trap of overtraining while still progressing toward your goals

• Think long-term: why sustainable performance beats short-term hustle every time

• Recover smarter, not slower, to stay consistent and avoid breakdown

• Apply mindset shifts to embrace rest as a performance enhancer, not a setback

• Learn from past mistakes to elevate yourself without setbacks or unnecessary delays

Whether you're an elite OCR athlete or just starting your fitness journey, this conversation will reframe your approach to training and recovery. It's about playing the long game—thinking in terms of years, not weeks—so you can achieve lasting success without sacrificing your body, time, or progress.

🎧 Listen now:
Apple Podcasts 👇🏼
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140

Spotify 👇🏼
https://open.spotify.com/show/0y4nKMh3QdRkXPZ9zYt3H0?si=1997522f8b6e40ec

📞 Book a game plan call with Matt:
https://my-ocr-coach.com/game-plan-call571058

💻 Explore the Obstacle Dominator Programs:
https://www.livingprimal.co.uk/obstacle-dominator-program

In this episode of the Obstacle Dominator podcast, the Primal Fitness coaching team—Matt Roberts, Liam Mitchell, and Matt Chinn—pull back the curtain on what it really takes to train for obstacle course racing… and do it the right way.

We dive deep into:

• The foundations of base training and why it's the backbone of long-term success

• The most common pitfalls people fall into with OCR training—overtraining, skipping the basics, and chasing intensity without structure

• Real-life experiences from years of coaching OCR athletes at all levels

• Personal stories from the coaches on training wins, setbacks, and breakthroughs

• Strategies to help you avoid injury, burnout, and stagnation

• And how to structure your approach to win in life and competition

This conversation is packed with golden insight for anyone looking to train smarter, get faster, and stay strong for the long haul. Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned racer, this episode will help you level up while avoiding the mistakes most athletes make.

🎧 Listen now:
Apple Podcasts 👇🏼
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140

Spotify 👇🏼
https://open.spotify.com/show/0y4nKMh3QdRkXPZ9zYt3H0?si=1997522f8b6e40ec

📞 Book a game plan call with Matt:
https://my-ocr-coach.com/game-plan-call571058

💻 Explore the Obstacle Dominator Programs:
https://www.livingprimal.co.uk/obstacle-dominator-program