Red circles. Bruised backs. Scraping marks that look like you’ve lost a fight.

Cupping and muscle scraping have become some of the most recognisable recovery treatments in sport, but do they actually work?

In this episode, Bobby and Steffan dive into the science behind cupping therapy and Gua Sha (muscle scraping) after seeing both treatments widely used in hospitals and clinics during a tour of China.

Together they explore:

• What cupping actually does to your body
• Why athletes and performers swear by it
• The role of placebo in recovery
• Whether muscle scraping improves recovery or performance
• What the research currently says
• Why elite athletes continue to use treatments with limited evidence
• The difference between feeling better and performing better
• Where your recovery budget is best spent

They also discuss the power of placebo, performance culture in elite sport, recovery trends that refuse to die, and why visible treatments often become the most popular ones.

Plus, Stefan shares some bizarre discoveries from China, Bobby falls down another skincare rabbit hole, and you finally learn the truth about the MGM lion’s famous roar.

If you’ve ever wondered whether cupping, scraping, massage guns, recovery boots or the latest viral recovery trend are actually worth your time and money, this episode is for you.

🎭 Fit2Perform helps performers build stronger, healthier and more resilient bodies for life on stage.

🌐 Website: https://fit-2.co.uk

📚 Free Resources (The Vault):
https://fit-2.co.uk

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#cupping #guasha #recovery #sportsrecovery #performerfitness #musicaltheatre #westend #fit2perform #sportsscience #physiotherapy #injuryprevention #athleterecovery #healthandfitness #fitnesspodcast #performance

Today’s guest is the brilliant Millie Hood, a versatile musical theatre performer, dance captain and choreographer whose career has taken her across international tours, UK theatre, and major stage productions.

With standout credits including Dirty Dancing, Berlin Berlin, and Half a Sixpence, Millie has built a reputation for precision, athleticism, and incredible musicality. Alongside performing, she’s also worked creatively behind the scenes as a choreographer on both stage and commercial projects, giving her a unique perspective on what it takes to build a sustainable career in theatre.

In this episode, we talk about:
🎭 The realities of being a dance captain
💃 The physical demands of high energy shows like Dirty Dancing
🩼 Her recovery journey after a serious injury
🧠 The mental resilience needed to return to performance
🎬 Moving between performing and choreography
✨ What makes a great performer stand out in the rehearsal room

Millie speaks openly and honestly about the challenges of rebuilding confidence after injury, navigating setbacks, and finding her way back to doing what she loves.

Whether you’re a dancer, performer, choreographer, or simply love hearing how great shows come together, this episode is packed with insight, honesty, and inspiration.

🎧 Subscribe to The Fit2 Perform Podcast for weekly conversations with leading voices in performance
📩 Got a question? Email [email protected]
📱 Follow @fit2performwestend for more clips and behind the scenes content

Comparison is everywhere in the performing arts.

Audition rooms. Rehearsal studios. Social media. The gym.

In this episode, Bobby and Stefan unpack why comparing yourself to other people is one of the fastest ways to sabotage your confidence, your training, and your progress.

They discuss the latest viral “boring diet” trend, why so many performers feel intimidated in the gym, and the reality that the person you’re comparing yourself to probably has a completely different goal, background, history, and set of circumstances than you.

Along the way, they explore:

• Why the viral “chicken, potato and broccoli” diet isn’t exactly revolutionary
• Gym intimidation and how to overcome it
• Why someone else’s workout tells you almost nothing about what you should be doing
• The problem with comparing strength, body shape, and performance
• How to focus on your own progress instead of everyone else’s
• Why context matters more than numbers

Plus, Bobby discovers £7 AirPods in China, Stefan goes down a fitness tracker rabbit hole, and Barry the tarantula makes an unexpected appearance.

If you’ve ever felt behind, not good enough, or tempted to compare your journey to somebody else’s, this episode is for you.

Want support with your training, nutrition and performance?

Visit www.fit-2.co.uk and check out our free resources in The Vault.

Follow us on Instagram: @Fit2PerformWestEnd

Listen to more episodes of The Fit2Perform Podcast and discover practical, evidence-based advice designed specifically for performers.

If we had to start our performer fitness journey again from scratch tomorrow… what would we actually do differently?

After years in the industry, hundreds of clients coached, countless mistakes made, and more than enough overtraining, burnout, and chaos, we sat down to answer one big question:

What actually matters?

In this episode, we break down the real training, nutrition, and mindset advice we wish someone had given us when we first started performing professionally.

We cover:
• Why consistency beats intensity every single time
• The truth about training 5–6 days a week
• Why performers should prioritise energy management, not just time management
• The biggest nutrition mistakes performers make
• Why protein and structure matter more than perfection
• How social media fitness trends keep performers stuck
• Why longevity and performance matter more than chasing aesthetics
• The “boring basics” that actually transform your body and career

We also chat about:
• Last One Laughing Season 2
• The new Steve Carell comedy Rooster!
• Why simple training works better than fancy workouts
• Infinite chess
• And why “Bustin’ Makes Me Feel Good” might now become a warm-up playlist staple…

This episode is packed with practical advice for performers who want to feel stronger, healthier, more resilient, and less overwhelmed by the noise of the fitness industry.

If you’re tired of overcomplicating health and fitness, this one’s for you.

🎭 Fit2Perform Free Resources & The Vault
Fit2Perform Website

📲 Follow us on Instagram
@fit2performwestend

Does what you eat really matter, or is it just about how much you eat?

In this episode of The Fit2 Perform Podcast, Bobby and Steffan break down one of the most common nutrition questions performers ask: do calories matter more than food quality?

The answer, as always, is… it depends.

We talk about why energy intake comes first, why eating too much or too little can pull you away from your goals, and why food quality still plays a massive role in how you feel, recover, and perform.

We also cover:

• Why “just hit your calories” is too simplistic
• The difference between eating for weight change and eating for performance
• Why whole foods make achieving your goals easier
• How to avoid overcomplicating nutrition
• Why accountability matters when you already know what to do

Plus, we answer a listener question about whether sweating means you’re working hard enough, spoiler: it doesn’t.

Because yes, how much you eat matters.

But what you eat still matters too.

👉 Grab our free resources: www.fit-2.co.uk
👉 Follow us on Instagram: @fit2performwestend
👉 Got a question? DM us, we’d love to hear from you.

Episode 300. Madness.

What started as a conversation in Soho House with a goal of simply making it past episode 21 has somehow turned into 300 episodes, thousands of listeners, and a podcast that’s become part of our lives.  

In this episode, we take a step back and reflect on the journey so far.

The wins, the challenges, the lessons, and everything we’ve learned from balancing performance, training, business, and life.

We talk about:

• What it actually takes to stay consistent over time

• Training on tour and why it’s simpler than people think

• The reality of injuries in performing and why prevention matters

• Why most people overcomplicate fitness

• How priorities shape your results more than motivation ever will

Plus a proper catch-up on life, work, and everything happening behind the scenes.

No heavy theory. No overcomplication.

Just a real conversation about showing up, doing the basics well, and building something that lasts.

If you’ve ever struggled with consistency, balance, or just keeping things going when life gets busy, this one’s for you.

If you enjoyed this episode, we’d massively appreciate a quick review, it genuinely helps more performers find the podcast.

Want to take things further?

👉 Grab our free resources: www.fit-to.co.uk

👉 Follow us on Instagram: @fit2performwestend

👉 Got a question? DM us or reach out, we’d love to hear from you

And as always… keep showing up.

In this episode of The Fit2 Perform Podcast, we’re joined by the brilliant Alex Bellamy, a musical director and orchestrator whose work spans West End tours, major pantomimes, youth theatre, and leading training institutions.

With credits including multiple productions at the Cheltenham Everyman, extensive work with NYMT, and collaborations with Mountview, Alex has built a reputation for exceptional musicianship, calm leadership, and the ability to bring large scale productions together with clarity and precision.

From classic musical theatre to brand new writing, UK premieres and national tours, Alex’s career offers a unique insight into the creative engine behind the shows we see on stage.

In this episode, we talk about:

🎶 What it really means to be a musical director

🎭 Leading large casts, bands, and creative teams

🎼 The process of orchestrating and shaping a show’s sound

🧠 Managing pressure and responsibility behind the scenes

🎓 Working with emerging talent and training the next generation

If you’ve ever wondered what happens in the rehearsal room before the curtain goes up, this episode is a must listen.

🎧 Subscribe to The Fit2 Perform Podcast for weekly conversations with leading voices in performance

📩 Got a question? Email [email protected]

📱 Follow @fit2performwestend for more clips and behind the scenes content

“You know what to do… so why aren’t you doing it?”

In this episode of The Fit2 Perform Podcast, Bobby and Steffan break down one of the simplest but most powerful tools you can use to stop procrastinating, build momentum, and actually follow through on the things you keep putting off.  

Because the problem isn’t that you don’t know what to do.

It’s that tiny gap between thinking about doing it… and actually taking action.

And in that gap?

Your brain steps in with excuses, hesitation, and self-doubt.

💡 What We Cover

🧠 Why you hesitate (and why it’s not your fault)

Your brain is wired to protect you, even from things that are actually good for you

⏱️ The 5 Second Rule explained

How counting down can interrupt hesitation and force action

🤝 Breaking trust with yourself

Why every time you say you’ll do something and don’t, you weaken your own confidence

🔥 A more powerful version: “making a deal” with yourself

How committing properly changes everything

📱 Real-life examples

From going to the gym… to putting your phone down at night

🎭 The performer angle

How overthinking and hesitation show up in training, auditions, and daily habits

✅ Key Takeaways

• Action beats overthinking, every single time

• The gap between thought and action is where progress is lost

• Use countdowns or commitments to interrupt hesitation

• Don’t break trust with yourself, it compounds quickly

• If you decide not to act, own it, don’t pretend

Because confidence doesn’t come from thinking about doing things…

It comes from actually doing them.

“No pain, no gain”… sounds hardcore. Sounds motivating. Sounds like what you should be doing.

But for performers trying to train alongside rehearsals, shows, and real life… it might be the exact thing holding you back.

In this episode of The Fit2 Perform Podcast, Bobby and Steffan break down what pain in training actually means, what to pay attention to, and how to train hard without wrecking your body or your performance.

Because pushing through the wrong kind of pain doesn’t make you better… it just makes you injured.

💡 What We Cover

🔥 Where “no pain, no gain” came from

And why it’s been misunderstood for years

🧠 The different types of pain in training

Muscle burn, soreness, fatigue… vs sharp, joint, or nerve pain

⚠️ Red flags you should never ignore

What pain actually signals something is wrong

🏋️ Why more pain ≠ more progress

The real drivers of results: consistency, load, and recovery

🎭 The performer reality

Training on top of rehearsals and shows means your recovery is already under pressure

🔁 How to train hard AND smart

Finding that sweet spot where you’re progressing without breaking yourself

✅ Key Takeaways

• Not all pain is equal, learn the difference

• Muscle fatigue and soreness can be normal, sharp or joint pain is not

• Progress comes from progressive overload and consistency, not punishment

• Recovery is part of training, not separate from it

• If pain is changing how you move, it’s a problem

Because the goal isn’t to survive your training…

It’s to get better from it.

Our guest is the incredibly versatile Reuben Greeph, an actor musician, musical director and multi instrumentalist whose career spans the West End, touring productions and screen work.

Trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts as an actor musician, Reuben has performed in Cabaret in the West End and covered in SIX, alongside credits including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Treasure Island, David Copperfield, The Ballad of Rudy, Goldilocks, Cinderella and Wind in the Willows. On screen, he’s appeared in Crooked House and Breaking the Band as Art Garfunkel.

Alongside performing, Reuben is also a musical director and composer, and a highly skilled multi instrumentalist, playing everything from piano and accordion to saxophone, bass and guitar. He brings a unique blend of musicianship, physical theatre and storytelling to every project, and even finds time to fly planes as a licensed pilot.

In this episode, we talk about:

🎭 What it really means to be an actor musician

🎶 Balancing performing with musical direction

🧠 Thriving in high pressure creative environments

🎹 The skillset needed to stand out in modern theatre

✈️ And how flying planes compares to performing on stage

Reuben brings a grounded, collaborative and creative perspective to the industry that performers at every level can learn from.

🎧 Subscribe to The Fit2 Perform Podcast for weekly conversations with leading voices in performance

📩 Got a question? Email [email protected]

📱 Follow @fit2performwestend for more clips and behind the scenes content