In this week's Hump Day Q'n'A I go on a bit of a rant about one of my training pet peeves, people using Plyometric variations for their HiiT and MetCons.
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In the Episode I discuss:
- Why you shouldn't be using Plyometrics for HiiT and MetCons.
- What Plyometrics should be used for.
- Why Plyometrics, especially the landing part, can put you at risk of injury.
- What are the better and safer options you can use for your HiiT and MetCons and the considerations you need to make when selecting the best exercise(s) to maximise your session.

This week my guest is Marcus Smith. Marcus is an extreme Endurance Athlete, Coach and Motivational Speaker.

In this episode we discuss:
- Marcus' back story, focusing on the impact 2018 had on him due to an accident where he was hit by a truck in February suffering multiple broken bones and a punctured lung to then running a marathon a day for 30 days in November.
- How Marcus' accident and running a marathon a day for 30 days has impact him as a Coach and Athlete when it comes to human potential and the power of the mind.
- The value and importance of building an Aerobic Base for Endurance Athletes and General Population and the best approaches to achieve it.
- Why running technique is so important and shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to injury prevention, running efficiency and power output.
- The programming considerations and assessments Marcus makes with new clients and his programming approach when it comes to endurance goals like a half marathon or marathon.
- How to calculate running pace to maximise your endurance training.
- Why Marcus is such a big proponent of deload weeks, when he schedules them and how he monitors training stress.

Happy New Year Folks.

With 2019 just starting lots of you will be setting New Year's Resolutions or Training Goals so it seemed like a great time to revisit the question, Do you always need to have a specific Goal?

I discuss:

When to follow a specific goal and how to know if it's a goal that really means something to you and is worth pursuing.

Whether a goal is specific or non-specific having a plan of action and striving for progression is key and why ensuring expectations on realistic progression are addressed is vital.

The difference between time-bound goals and open-ended goals and why open-ended goals can actually help create more sustainable, longterm focus and habits.

Why jumping from one goal to the next upon completion isn't necessarily a good idea and how going into a goal maintenance or transition phase between goals is fine and is often the better thing for us to do.

If you're looking for guidance on goal setting or are unsure of where to go after achieving a goal this episode is for you.

This Week's episode is a repeat of the most popular episode from 2018 and boy, what an episode it was. 

My favourite Bad-Ass Rockstar Vagina Doctor, Dr. Anita Mitra is back for a third episode of the Podcast to talk in-depth on the topic of Exercise-Induced Amenorrhea. In the Episode Anita discusses: - The stages of the Menstrual Cycle, what amenorrhea is and why it occurs. - Is exercise-induced amenorrhea actually a symptom of too much exercise or is too much stress in general the real culprit? - The fallacies of the current research on exercise-induced amenorrhea and its relevance and reliability in regards to how it applies to the general population. - When pursuing certain "extreme" goals the menstrual cycle is often lost and seen as normal or acceptable. But is it really acceptable and what are the risks that come with amenorrhea. - How the menstrual cycle effects training both positively and negatively and the importance of tracking your cycle. - How to manipulate your training strategically to maximise your progress by actually working with the positive and negative effects of your cycle.

This Podcast is my way to give something back to the Industry I love but without you guys listening it would just be me talking to myself, and lets face it, that would be weird.

With 2019 just a few days away I wanted to say a HUGE Thank you to you all properly by giving a free month of Training away for January. If you want to start 2019 off on the right foot the podcast will tell you all you need to know about the FREE Training Program and more importantly how to sign up for it.

Have a great end to 2018 each and every one of you.

This week's guest is Amy Darch. Amy is a Coach at W10 in London, an Obstacle Course Race (OCR) competitor and she has competed at OCR World Championships the past 2 years.

In this episode Amy and I discuss:
- How she ended up doing her first OCR event, what about OCR events has become so addictive for her and why she decided to compete in them.
- How Amy's training has evolved from her first OCR event to this year and preparing for the World Championships.
- The importance of technical mastery and movement efficiency for OCR competitors.
- What the key Training areas are for an OCR event, what areas are commonly forgotten and what an example training week might look like for those looking to undertake an OCR.
- The importance of a proper training structure and realising you can't train everything all the time, you must prioritise and program for specific outcomes.
- The importance of having a competitors mindset when it comes to competing and overcoming adversity and injuries.

In this week's Hump Day Q'n'A I discuss how to maximise your training during the busy January period when the gym is full of new and returning members plus the usual year in year out characters.

In the episode I discuss:
- How you're only hurting your own progress and goals by getting frustrated and annoyed at the gym being busy in January.
- How you already have all the tools you need to survive the January Gym boom and what they are.
- My 3 key strategies to help you plan ahead so that your training doesn't miss a beat come January and you can maximise your progress.

A busy gym in January will only hurt your goals if you let it. Plan ahead and have strategies in place to maximise your results during that time.

My guest this week is the authentically awesome Sheli McCoy an elite level Crossfit competitor and owner of Complete Phyzique.

In this episode Sheli and I discuss:
- How Sheli got into Crossfit and eventually ended up competing in Crossfit competitions.
- The importance of finding a form of exercise that not only fits your physical goals and needs but also fits you psychologically and socially as well.
- How Crossfit is empowering Women's training by shifting the focus away from purely physical appearance to focus on performance, especially strength, and how it has impacted Sheli and others.
- How Crossfit has created some very positive Female role models, if Sheli sees herself as a role model to others and the impact she'd like to have on the Fitness Industry.
- The importance of authenticity in life and the Fitness Industry.
- Why some people seek punishment from exercise and the areas of focus required to potentially manage the situation.

Plus a load of other awesome gems from Sheli

In this week's Hump Day Q'n'A I discuss how and when to build variety into your training.

In this episode you'll find out:
- Why we need to keep the body challenged and how variety can help us do it.
- Why variety doesn't mean doing random sh*t and changing everything in your program all the time.
- Ways to build variety in your programming week to week and phase to phase.
- Where in your training session is the best place for variety and what areas you should minimise variety in.
- Why achieving training transfer phase to phase is still important even when utilising variety.
- Why variety can be hugely impactful when it comes to an emotional response to train and can be key for some when it comes to exercise adherence and consistency.

In this week's Episode I'm joined by the incredible Kellie Davis. Kellie is the founder of Fit Thrive Women's Fitness. She Co-created 'Glutes, Core and Pelvic Floor' 12 Week workout and Education system with Meghan Callaway and Dr. Sarah Duvall. Kellie's focus is on inspiring women to create positive change in all aspects of their life by getting them strong.

In this episode we discuss:
- Kellie's 'Thoughts on your Body' Blog post in which she openly discussed having to get over a lack of body confidence after her 2nd pregnancy to return to exercise and the negative impact self-limiting and self-shaming thoughts had. https://www.fitthriveworkouts.com/blog/thoughts-on-your-body

- Why body shaming is so destructive and how to change it.

- How to manage an over-exercising addiction.

- The importance of training in a way that empowers you, builds confidence and allows you to show up in life differently.

- Why Kellie focuses so much on decreasing stress and increasing play in her's and her clients Training.

- How visualising your "Heaven and Hell" can help manage stress and anxiety.

- Why daily habit building, rituals and gratitude are so impactful and the approaches Kellie utilises with herself and her clients.

Plus so much more. 

Kellie shared so much valuable knowledge and experience during the podcast from not only her work with clients, but also from her own journey.

Kellie's Website: https://www.fitthriveworkouts.com/