Squats and Espresso

The origins of Chandler Strength, the creation of a Weight Lifter, the relationship between Athlete and Coach, Making “Pro-You Decisions”, Dudes in spandex, PEDs, Female lifting on a predominantly male team, how apologizing for looking at someone’s ass is WAY creepier than just looking, the nuances and rituals of weightlifting, why the notion of a level playing field in international competition is a lie, kids in weight lifting, platform etiquette, the shared hatred of Nu-Metal and why EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP DROPPING EMPTY BARS!

Who’s sick of running? If you’re hand isn’t up, so stand in the corner and think long and hard about the choices you’ve made. This week we talk with Former SEAL, CrossFit Athlete and EPIC SERIES GM, Travis Fishburn. We’ll discuss what the EPIC Series is all about, the public shift from endurance to power athletics and why paying to get electrocuted isn’t at the top of everyone’s list.

The EPIC Series is possibly the first of it’s kind, a race open to all skill levels, where the focus is on the obstacles, object movement and strength events rather than running for 13 FRAKKING MILES! We’re really fired up about this event, but as a bonus Travis was goddamn delightful. We talked about his history of extreme fitness challenges, his time as a forward operator, how he managed to dislocated BOTH shoulders and training for your weaknesses.

Learn More at: epicseries.co

ITS THE BIG DAMN PODCAST!

We talked to the founder of Lift Big Eat Big: Brandon Morrison. This one of the most fun podcasts we’ve had. Brandon was a delight and really gave us some new insights into the sport of STRONGMAN, building real strength and how CrossFit and specialization don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

We COULD give a quick synopsis, but we frankly talk about too much damn stuff, so here’s a bullet list.

• Why Brandon Morrison doesn’t like being called “Bro”.
• What he really means when he calls you “Chief”.
• How Derek watches “Biggest Loser” for all the wrong reason.
• Why we all hate running and why it’s bad news for power athletes.
• Why a strict Paleo or Low-Carb diet may not be your path to ultimate fitness.
• Brandon and I disagreeing about the existence of zombies.
• The difference between training for STRONGMAN and training for CrossFit with Strongman events.
• The joy of being called “obese” and “skinny” in the same day.
• Why protein shakes ata  competition are pointless.
• The psychology of being destroyed by your workouts. (and why it may be ruining your progress)
• Discussions about why “The Hound” would make a good drinking buddy, but you should be training to be “The Mountain”.
• Why the spartans were assholes. (and slave-owners and kid-touchers)
• Are “Hybrid” and “Light weight” strongman events expanding or diluting the sport?
• Overcoming the “good ol’ boys” mentality of fringe sports and getting past the “back in the old days” bullshit.
• Creating an entry point for smaller athletes, because not all of us can lift 400lbs on our first day in the gym.
• The way the sport of fitness changes as you get heavier.
• What it means to be the “Little Buddy Helper” in the gym.
• The openness of CrossFitters and why that can be their greatest strength and greatest weakness.
• A series of dares or physical challenges are not the same as programming.
• The official end of bacon and leg day jokes.
• Eating 52 eggs and White Russians as a hangover cure.
• Eating until you fall asleep.
• Why the rounded-back dead lift may actually save your spine.
• Stupid people on comment threads (so, MOST of them).
• Shaking the tree of your own community to see how many idiots fall out.
• and… Not pooping.

http://www.liftbigeatbig.com

http://shopliftbigeatbig.com/

http://www.startingstrongman.com

http://www.truenutrition.com/

This week the booth is packed! We talk with Analisa Marquez, Seth Darst and Coach August Schmidt fresh off their return from the CrossFit Games. We’ll talk about the cultivation of a games-ready team, the reality of bringing big personalities together, stupid questions by athletes that should know better and ESPN’s coverage of the games. What were the biggest challenges at the games? What does it take to get to Regionals? Who’s afraid of jellyfish? Listen in to find out.

*NOTE: We crammed 5 people into the booth, so there are some audio problems. Sorry we tried our best, but one of the mics were not cooperating.

This week we talk to the Sadistic Coach himself, Founder of CrossFit Harlem, Creator of the AfroBrutality Brand and disruptor extraordinaire Syn Martinez. Syn talked with us about his journey from fat to fierce-as-fuck, the origin story of CrossFit Harlem, what it’s like building your own personal team of X-men and so much more! That’s not a cheesy marketing phrase, we talked about A LOT OF STUFF, this clocks in at our longest podcast to date and was so full of info we almost broke it into two episodes.  But “to be continued” episodes have always been lame so we crammed in every last minute (we’re talking to you PUNKY BREWSTER). We talked about why abs are bullshit, the good and bad of Paleo, big weight versus endurance, the value of gymnastics in early life, creating a brand while building a community and being who you are. Learn why AfroBrutality has such impact on it’s fans and why trying to please everyone is a weak option. Why pissing some people off can be a good thing. And why if you’re true to your voice, your audience will find you.

I sit down with Nick Wakin from Chandler Strength Weightlifting Club and we talk about… EVERYTHING. Olympic Lifting, CrossFit, STRONGMAN, The NPFL (now the NPGL), Bodybuilding, Micro-Dosing, Coaching, ARRRRRNOLD!, Genetic Destination and most importantly WHY PIE IS ALWAYS SUPERIOR TO CAKE. It was honestly one of the best conversations we’ve had on the show. We might have to keep this fella around for a while.

http://chandlerstrength.com/

This podcast we talk with the absolutely delightful Kendra Bailey (http://crossroadsalliance.org/). What do we talk about? Frozen, Dinosaurs, Straight to DVD Disney movies, GALAXY QUEST and Sigorney Weaver’s deal with the devil. OH YA we also talk a little bit about being a badass adaptive athlete all day long, how a trip to ACE hardware can beat a $1000 prosthetic and the A-Team style mentality of designing adaptation devices for power-athletes.

This was one of the MOST FUN podcasts we’ve done so far. Kendra taught us more than we could have hoped about the nuts and bolts of designing gear and adapting training to fit the needs of the individual. Be the most badass version of yourself and if you don’t have the tool, build them through effort, determination or a trip to the hardware store. Concerned you’re not ready to compete or take on that next challenge? Chew on this piece of advice.

“Its not about being the best person there, I just wanna hang out with my friends and doing cool shit.”

-Kendra Bailey

P.S. - BONUS CONTENT AT THE END OF EPISODE

Dr. Theresa Larson tortured the living shit out of me for eight hours and then we had a very pleasant conversation over espresso and sangria. Aside from being one of MobilityWOD.com’s movement mercenaries (BOOM! Alliteration suckas!), she’s been a Marine officer, a professional softball player and a Body-For-Life Champion, so  you know… she’s busy. She’s crazy smart, super nice and totally seemed like she could punch a hole in my face. All in all a complete delight!

We discuss the performance benefits to tissue change, the pros and cons of traditional medical practices, personal responsibility in therapy and recovery, 

adaptive athletics and how sometimes even doctors get into turf wars. 

Learn more about Dr. Larson at: 

http://www.movement-rx.com/dr-theresa-larson-dpt/

This week we talk with the delightful and insightful Diane Fu (FuBarbell). We’ll discuss her intro to CrossFit with Adrian Bozman, her early days at “The Sports Palace” and the joys of EATING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. We also discussed her upcoming book on the Art of Weightlifting and The "Cody App" training program ( https://www.codyapp.com/dianefu ) as well as the importance of social media in our fitness community. Learn more at http://fubarbell.com/ 

This week we talk with Jenn Null from HYLETE. Will talk about new gear and the thought process behind designing clothes for the hybrid athlete. We’ll also discuss our personal fitness journeys, rugby, girl-butts and what the creation of the NPFL (National Pro Fitness League) might mean for CrossFit HQ.