The Progress Theory

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. I am Dr Phil Price and in today's episode, we have ex SAS, and now the founder of the Modern Warrior project, Lindsay Bruce.

I’ve been desperate to know what separates those who make into the SAS compared to the rest of us. You hear on social media the importance of leadership, discipline, a fast learner, for example, all of which are important, but you can be a great disciplined leader and still fail SAS selection. Is it physical or all about having the right mindset. And also, can we learn these skills and apply them outside of the military?

As always, follow and subscribe for all of our content on Instagram and Youtube. So here is, Lindsey Bruce

In this episode, we discuss:

• 1:00 - Introduction
• 05:09 - How to apply for the SAS
• 09:09 - What do you need to complete SAS selection?
• 13:22 - Are you cut from a different cloth?
• 18:14 - The background of SAS soldiers vs Officers
• 24:05 - Developing mindset through exposure
• 28:37 - Is there anything where you’ve got it or you haven’t?
• 34:35 - The phases of selection
• 40:16 - The Physical determinants of SAS selection
• 49:27 - The Modern Warrior Project
• 1:05:26 - Signing up for the Modern Warrior Project

Key Findings

The Popularity of Special Forces and TV Shows: "Especially when you're linking that from TV to social media, and obviously recent years popularity with The TV shows that is just growing arms and legs, obviously, you know, which is, you know, going back to Before before all this happened, you had the odd thing that would maybe come out that would be, you know, popular in TV. But it didn't really go to that level of And I think social media has obviously helped catapult that into the, you know, another stratosphere really, which is which is got It's got positives and negatives along with that."

The Power of Grit and Determination: "But there is something about every man who gets through that if you just has an extra level of grit, Drive and determination than the next than the next guy."

The Drive to Success: "They've got a huge reason to, you know, that when you see a championship level boxer who comes from nothing and to to get to the top, he is the hungry wolf climbing the hill to get to the top."

The Importance of Health and Fitness in the Military: "There is so much you can do physically, then the rest of it is down to their mindset and how resilient they are, and what goes on upstairs."

The Evolution of Health and Fitness: "So if you look at the that that era and and how that era ended up moving on to later stages of life, a lot of them were like packs of broken biscuits physically later on in life because they don't look after themselves."

Finding Purpose in Life: "I went through this period where I just wasn't quite sure what I should be doing. So there was a lot of uncertainty as far as, you know, the question you ask yourself, am I really doing the right thing? You know, I kinda like what I'm doing. Some of the some of the things that I'm doing, I I enjoy, but really is it really serving me in my life to the point where I think that I'm in the right place, doing the right thing. And and the reality was that I wasn't."

Helping Men Similar to My Age: "So at the same time, I could see certain problems in the world, from a general perspective of men over a certain age. They were having these common challenges in life. And I thought there was a huge there was a huge calling for helping men similar to my age who I could really relate to and help."

Belonging to Something: "And everyone's different. There's a very diverse bunch of people come into the program, but they all have similar common challenges that can be dealt with. And not only that, it's about being part of something because people wanna belong to something, don't they? Human beings are social creatures, they want to belong to something."

The Importance of Optimizing Our Routines: "So strangely enough, everything that the guys need in the program that they come to me for, I need it I need also. Now I I'm I'm maybe a step ahead when they come on the program because I've been doing this stuff a long time, and, You know, I physically keep myself in shape, and all my habits, like, you'll be the same, you know, we come from the same sort of, yeah, thought processes, not the rest of it. You know, we look after ourselves, we eat the right foods, we we get off sleep, and we're very into our optimizing our our, Our our sort of our circadian rhythm and a lot, hence, you know, being part of the human 2014. You know, so it's we've got we've got that already, and we understand the benefits of that. So it's essentially guiding guiding men to the same process so they can optimize themselves. But when I think about everything that that I provide them with And what the rest of the community provides them with. I always see this as a you're not like like you said a minute ago. I'm not on this pedestal going, you know, I was in the special forces."

"The Power of Community: We stay for the community."

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• @theprogresstheory
• @drphilprice
• @thelindsaybruce
• The Modern Warrior Project

For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.

Thanks for listening!

All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025

Mentioned in this episode:

The Science of Hybrid Training

It was originally thought that you could not effectively train for both strength and endurance at the same time because they required different adaptations which were not compatible with each other. It was claimed that ‘an interference effect’, blunted the adaptations for strength if you simultaneously trained for endurance.

However, recent developments in sports which require both strength and endurance have really challenged this idea, with hybrid athletes producing impressive performances in both strength and endurance sports together. This had led scientists, coaches, and athletes to rethink what is humanly possible and suggests the interference effect is not as influential as originally thought.

But what is a hybrid athlete? What is the ‘interference effect’? And how can we maximize our training to improve at the same time our strength and endurance performance?

In this book, Dr Phil Price provides insight into the misconceptions surrounding strength and endurance training by distilling the past 50 years of research and drawing on the conversations he had with great scientists, coaches, and athletes on The Progress Theory podcast. This book is essential reading for hybrid athletes and coaches who are looking to understand the key training variables and their effect on the simultaneous development of strength and endurance performance.

Book

Progress Theory Newsletter

The Progress Theory newsletter. If you want the latest information and recommendations on how to optimise your physical and mental performance, then subscribe to the free Progress Theory newsletter on Substack today.

Click the link in the show notes and subscribe to get the best information on human performance sent straight to your email.

https://theprogresstheory.substack.com/

Sign up today.

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Hello and welcome to the progress theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance.

In this episode, we are joined by Hyrox athlete and the host of the Roxlyfe podcast, Greg Williams. Now, Hyrox is a functional fitness event which is gaining massively in popularity. It involves running and functional fitness stations and seems to be very popular with the hybrid, crossfit and running communities. Greg on his Roxlyfe podcast has interviewed many of the elite athletes, so I wanted to speak to him to find out exactly what it takes to reach the elite level of Hyrox.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 2:13 - The genesis of the RoxLyfe podcast
• 4:20 - What is Hyrox?
• 11:05 - How Greg Trains for Hyrox
• 13:18 - How much strength do you need?
• 14:27 - transitioning from being a sprinter to Hyrox
• 17:30 - What separates the elites from the rest
• 24:40 - Mindset & pressure is a privilege 
• 31:37 - Importance of structuring your year
• 37:50 - Where to start training for hyrox
• 42:58 - The future of Hyrox

Key Thoughts

• Elite Athlete Performance: "I think there's some people that just don't deal with that very well. And the elites of the sport do."
• Taking Risks in Sport: "You've got to take risks. And like you said, you can convince yourself you're pushing yourself hard, but not going quite as hard as you can."
• Overcoming Fear in sports: "I think it can be taught or practised. And I think some of it is just like not tying yourself or your happiness to the outcome or the final time or your position."
• Race data analysis: "Often it's the running, because that's essentially 50% of the race. That is a major factor."
• Elite Athletes' Season Structure: "I think there's a level of maturity in someone like Hunter and some of the other experienced athletes with how they structure their season."
• Elite Racing Strategies: "He knows he can probably run one race and qualify, whereas there's others that are trying to get a time in a regular race to qualify for those majors to then try and qualify for the world championships through those majors."
• Quote: "But certainly running is the critical element for most people in the race. Compromise running, I should say. So getting to a point where they're comfortable with that over that sort of time domain as well, is the most important thing."
• The Importance of Experience in Endurance Racing: "And there is a huge amount to be said for experience and pacing properly, all that sort of stuff. Most people vastly overestimate their ability in a race."
• The Global Expansion of Functional Fitness Events: "From a business perspective, it seemingly is continuing to grow rapidly, and I think that's deliberate. I don't know how they're doing profit wise, but I think they're really trying to make an imprint in as many countries as possible."
• Professionalising a Sport: "They want them to become professional, they want them to be able to get their own sponsorship, and they're facilitating that through a doing quite high quality, in theory, like broadcast and live streams of those elite races."

FOLLOW OUR PODCAST

Follow our Host / Guest

• @theprogresstheory
• @drphilprice
• @theroxlyfe
• Roxlyfe website
• Hyrox website

For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.

Thanks for listening!

All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025

Mentioned in this episode:

The Science of Hybrid Training

It was originally thought that you could not effectively train for both strength and endurance at the same time because they required different adaptations which were not compatible with each other. It was claimed that ‘an interference effect’, blunted the adaptations for strength if you simultaneously trained for endurance.

However, recent developments in sports which require both strength and endurance have really challenged this idea, with hybrid athletes producing impressive performances in both strength and endurance sports together. This had led scientists, coaches, and athletes to rethink what is humanly possible and suggests the interference effect is not as influential as originally thought.

But what is a hybrid athlete? What is the ‘interference effect’? And how can we maximize our training to improve at the same time our strength and endurance performance?

In this book, Dr Phil Price provides insight into the misconceptions surrounding strength and endurance training by distilling the past 50 years of research and drawing on the conversations he had with great scientists, coaches, and athletes on The Progress Theory podcast. This book is essential reading for hybrid athletes and coaches who are looking to understand the key training variables and their effect on the simultaneous development of strength and endurance performance.

Book

Progress Theory Newsletter

The Progress Theory newsletter. If you want the latest information and recommendations on how to optimise your physical and mental performance, then subscribe to the free Progress Theory newsletter on Substack today.

Click the link in the show notes and subscribe to get the best information on human performance sent straight to your email.

https://theprogresstheory.substack.com/

Sign up today.

Substack

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory, where we discuss scientific principles for optimising human performance. In this episode, we're joined by Celtman and Norseman champion Eilidh Prise. Now, extreme triathlons like the Celtman and The Norseman are getting more and more popular, so it's a real privilege to have on The Progress Theory someone that has won both. In this episode, Eilidh discusses how she's incorporated her training into a lifestyle that she absolutely loves and also discusses how she deals with that cold. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• 0:44 - Introduction 
• 1:57 - Getting into Extreme triathlons
• 08:10 - Changing sporting career
• 12:24 - Training for the Celtman
• 15:15 - Make training fun and part of your lifestyle
• 18:50 - Fitting training around work
• 21:25 - What is the celtman?
• 26:03 - Creativity breeds resilience
• 31:38 - Going for the Celtman for a 3rd time
• 33:30 - Qualifying for the Celtman
• 35:50 - What is the Norseman?
• 39:40 - Training for the Norsman
• 41:30 - Dealing with the cold
• 44:20 - How to qualify for the Norseman
• 46:51 - Make your sport your lifestyle

FOLLOW OUR PODCAST
Follow our Host / Guest

• @theprogresstheory
• @drphilprice
• @venture_with_ep
• @Xtri
• @celtman
• @norseman

For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.

Thanks for listening!

All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025

Mentioned in this episode:

Progress Theory Newsletter

The Progress Theory newsletter. If you want the latest information and recommendations on how to optimise your physical and mental performance, then subscribe to the free Progress Theory newsletter on Substack today.

Click the link in the show notes and subscribe to get the best information on human performance sent straight to your email.

https://theprogresstheory.substack.com/

Sign up today.

Substack

The Science of Hybrid Training

It was originally thought that you could not effectively train for both strength and endurance at the same time because they required different adaptations which were not compatible with each other. It was claimed that ‘an interference effect’, blunted the adaptations for strength if you simultaneously trained for endurance.

However, recent developments in sports which require both strength and endurance have really challenged this idea, with hybrid athletes producing impressive performances in both strength and endurance sports together. This had led scientists, coaches, and athletes to rethink what is humanly possible and suggests the interference effect is not as influential as originally thought.

But what is a hybrid athlete? What is the ‘interference effect’? And how can we maximize our training to improve at the same time our strength and endurance performance?

In this book, Dr Phil Price provides insight into the misconceptions surrounding strength and endurance training by distilling the past 50 years of research and drawing on the conversations he had with great scientists, coaches, and athletes on The Progress Theory podcast. This book is essential reading for hybrid athletes and coaches who are looking to understand the key training variables and their effect on the simultaneous development of strength and endurance performance.

Book

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory, where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. I am Dr Phil Price, and in today's episode, we have sports physiologist and coach Evan Peikon.

Evan is back on the podcast, and this time we're discussing his work with NNOXX, where he is a co-founder. NNOXX is a NIRS device that measures muscle oxygenation and saturation and is the first to ever measure nitric oxide non-invasively. In this episode, we discuss the physiological determinants of hybrid athlete performance and how we can use NNOXX to inform our hybrid training. 

As always, follow and like The Progress Theory on Instagram and YouTube. So here is Evan Peikon

In this episode, we discuss:

• 0:55 - Introduction
• 2:55 - The importance of writing for learning and creativity
• 11:23 - Evan’s Book ‘Paradigm Shift’.
• 14:01 - What is NNOXX?
• 19:46 - The physical determinants of a hybrid/tactical athlete
• 31:15 - Physiological limiters of elite Crossfit Performance 
• 38:02 - Using Data from NNOXX to improve training performance
• 45:15 - Keeping training simple.
• 49:29 - Using NNOXX to guide interval training
• 1:00:2 - The Importance of progressing slowly with Hybrid training
• 1:06:21 - Evan’s Training

FOLLOW OUR PODCASTFollow our Host / Guest

• @theprogresstheory
• @drphilprice
• @evanpeikon
• On human Performance
• NNOXX

For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.

Thanks for listening!

All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025

Mentioned in this episode:

Progress Theory Newsletter

The Progress Theory newsletter. If you want the latest information and recommendations on how to optimise your physical and mental performance, then subscribe to the free Progress Theory newsletter on Substack today.

Click the link in the show notes and subscribe to get the best information on human performance sent straight to your email.

https://theprogresstheory.substack.com/

Sign up today.

Substack

The Science of Hybrid Training

It was originally thought that you could not effectively train for both strength and endurance at the same time because they required different adaptations which were not compatible with each other. It was claimed that ‘an interference effect’, blunted the adaptations for strength if you simultaneously trained for endurance.

However, recent developments in sports which require both strength and endurance have really challenged this idea, with hybrid athletes producing impressive performances in both strength and endurance sports together. This had led scientists, coaches, and athletes to rethink what is humanly possible and suggests the interference effect is not as influential as originally thought.

But what is a hybrid athlete? What is the ‘interference effect’? And how can we maximize our training to improve at the same time our strength and endurance performance?

In this book, Dr Phil Price provides insight into the misconceptions surrounding strength and endurance training by distilling the past 50 years of research and drawing on the conversations he had with great scientists, coaches, and athletes on The Progress Theory podcast. This book is essential reading for hybrid athletes and coaches who are looking to understand the key training variables and their effect on the simultaneous development of strength and endurance performance.

Book

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. I am Dr Phil Price and in today's episode we have S&C coach and host of Upside Strength, Sean Seale.

I’ve always wanted to know what separates those who reach the podium of the Crossfit games vs the rest of the field or even those that only make the sanctional level. One of the areas that could be underdeveloped is their aerobic system, as this will directly influence their ability to recover and their ability to perform large volumes of training. Also, these athletes, without realising it, could be respiratoryly limited. Well, what does that mean, and how can we train our respiratory system?

As always, follow and subscribe to The Progress Theory on Instagram and Youtube, and check out all of our other episodes. So here is: Sean Seale

In this episode, we discuss:

• 1:00 - Introduction
• 07:00 - Developing sports science content
• 12:45 - Importance of saying no for creativity
• 17:10 - Content creation volume
• 21:10 - Where interest in aerobic conditioning came from
• 25:31 - Zone 2 training
• 31:18 - Zone 2 and crossfit
• 41:00 - Aerobic deficient Crossfit athlete
• 45:33 - Testing/Training for the aerobically deficient
• 55:44 - Crossfit for Youth athletes
• 1:02:35 - Respiratory training
• 
  

FOLLOW OUR PODCASTFollow our Host / Guest

• @theprogresstheory
• @drphilprice
• @upsidestrength
• Upside strength youtube
• Breathewaybetter
• Upside strength course

For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.

Thanks for listening!

All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025

Mentioned in this episode:

The Science of Hybrid Training

It was originally thought that you could not effectively train for both strength and endurance at the same time because they required different adaptations which were not compatible with each other. It was claimed that ‘an interference effect’, blunted the adaptations for strength if you simultaneously trained for endurance.

However, recent developments in sports which require both strength and endurance have really challenged this idea, with hybrid athletes producing impressive performances in both strength and endurance sports together. This had led scientists, coaches, and athletes to rethink what is humanly possible and suggests the interference effect is not as influential as originally thought.

But what is a hybrid athlete? What is the ‘interference effect’? And how can we maximize our training to improve at the same time our strength and endurance performance?

In this book, Dr Phil Price provides insight into the misconceptions surrounding strength and endurance training by distilling the past 50 years of research and drawing on the conversations he had with great scientists, coaches, and athletes on The Progress Theory podcast. This book is essential reading for hybrid athletes and coaches who are looking to understand the key training variables and their effect on the simultaneous development of strength and endurance performance.

Book

Progress Theory Newsletter

The Progress Theory newsletter. If you want the latest information and recommendations on how to optimise your physical and mental performance, then subscribe to the free Progress Theory newsletter on Substack today.

Click the link in the show notes and subscribe to get the best information on human performance sent straight to your email.

https://theprogresstheory.substack.com/

Sign up today.

Substack

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory!

I'm thrilled to announce that we're back with season six, and we have some incredible new episodes lined up for you.

Our first episode will be released on February 12, 2024, and I can't wait for you to hear it.

It's been an eventful year for me, becoming a father and experiencing lots of changes at my work at St. Mary's University. But now we're back and ready to bring you the best podcast episodes yet, featuring amazing guests, coaches, scientists, and athletes.

In season five, we focused on the theme of hybrid training, delving into some fascinating discussions and insights from our guests. This led to some fantastic opportunities, including speaking engagements and collaborations with Omnia Performance. I've also written a book, which is soon to be released, so keep an eye on our social media for updates.

One of the most rewarding moments from season five was meeting a listener at Hyrox, who expressed how much the podcast had helped with their training. Knowing that our discussions are making a positive impact is truly fulfilling.

Now, as we move into season six, we're exploring the concept of elite performance. What sets the top 1% of athletes and professionals apart from the rest? How do they push the boundaries of human performance? These are the questions we'll be exploring this season as we speak to elite individuals from various fields.

We already have ten amazing episodes recorded, covering topics such as elite CrossFit conditioning, extreme triathlons, ultramarathons, and hybrid training challenges. I'm incredibly excited to share these insightful conversations with you.

I also want to express my gratitude to our sponsors, HMN24, for their fantastic range of supplements that have personally helped me improve my sleep-wake cycle. And a big thank you to our production partner, Kult Media, for their support in making this season possible.

I can't wait for you to join us on this exciting journey of exploration and discovery. Make sure to subscribe to The Progress Theory wherever you get your podcasts, including YouTube. See you in the first episode!

For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.

Thanks for listening!

All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have S&C coach Sean Seale.

Sean is the host of Upside Strength, an amazing resource which includes a podcast, educational seminars and an awesome youtube channel. Through his podcast, he has investigated different physiological concepts and their application to endurance training and CrossFit, and it has been awesome to hear his journey of learning new ideas, putting them into practice and formulating his own approach to training, testing and monitoring. In this episode, we discuss his physiological approach to testing CrossFit athletes and determining training intensity zones and the importance of low-intensity training for aerobic adaptations.

But before we get to the show I want to thank our sponsors, who the show would not be possible without.

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to my production partner, KULT Media. 

KULT Media has been instrumental in the development & success of the progress theory. 

They have created brand guides, comprehensive podcast strategies, enhanced the podcast production, developed custom workflows for me and edited & mixed all of the video, audio and social media content. 

Their simple Coach, Create & Collaborate process has saved me 100’s hours in podcast production, resolved countless technical issues and consistently help me to improve my podcasting game. 

So if you want to establish and engage your audience, or are ready to launch your own podcast head to www.kult.media to learn more. 

Thank you to HMN24 – fuelling human potential and optimising everyday human performance and well-being. 

First of all – HMN24 is not a sports supplement company. I’ve seen sport supplements be used as a method to improve performance in the gym and at a certain sport. However, these supplements, like a pre-workout, are often used on top of a lifestyle which does not provide the foundation needed for optimal performance. There’s no point taking pre-workout supplements if your sleep, hydration, and nutrition is an unstructured mess. I’m convinced that a large percentage of injuries are often caused, not because training was poor, but because a poor lifestyle foundation increased the athlete’s susceptibility to injury. Sports supplements are often used to plaster the cracks in poor lifestyle habits, which only causes more future problems. 

And this is where HMN24 is different. The product range at HMN24 not only helps improve your foundation; it optimises it. The HMN24 products are designed to fit around your circadian rhythms, from the moment you wake up, to key moments in the day when you need optimal focus, to getting the best sleep at night, there’s a product to optimise each phase of the day.

I can’t recommend enough the “live on form’ pack, consisting of the products Rise, flow and pre-sleep. Rise is for the morning and is my absolute favourite. It tastes amazing. Rise contains caffeine for increased morning alertness (though not a huge amount of caffeine, which is sooo much better for avoiding gastro-intestinal distress), electrolytes from coconut and watermelon powder to increase hydration after the previous night’s sleep, and B-vitamins, to ensure you ready to win the morning. I’m not a fan of long-winded morning routines. I wake up, have my Rise with ice, and get straight to writing, and I’ve seen such an improvement in getting into deep work.

By the time 2pm comes around the effects of caffeine from Rise has worn off, but I don’t want to take more caffeine because that’s going to interrupt getting to sleep later on. This is where Flow is perfect. It’s a caffeine-free nootropic, perfect for improving alertness and concentration during that mid-afternoon slump. And finally, I take pre-sleep just before bed, which is a comprehensive night-time complex, formulated to help support well-being and fortify the body against the fatigue and stress that come with leading a performance-driven lifestyle. 

I can’t recommend these products enough they are a game changer for human performance. And also, while you’re at their website hmn24.com check out there plant protein, which is incredible for smoothies post-training, and their website includes articles and an awesome podcast for those wanting to learn more about human performance. You can even check out the episode I did with them, I thoroughly enjoyed that chat I had with Phi Learney, Co-founder of HMN24, and it has led to an awesome collaboration with HMN24 supporting The Progress Theory. If you want a 10% discount on all HMN24 products either head to their website via the links in the Instagram bios of @theProgresstheory or my personal Instagram @drphilprice or use the code PHILPRICE at checkout.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 1:09 - Introduction
• 02:45 - Upside Strength & introduction to Sean Seale
• 12:08 - The change to a physiological focus
• 15:04 - Physiological testing protocols
• 22:36 - Physiological changes from training
• 25:07 - Determining intensity zones using critical power and lactate threshold
• 31:03 - Testing with minimal equipment
• 37:28 - Maintaining power output during tests
• 40:10 - How best to find critical power
• 46:14 - The importance of low-intensity training for Crossfit
• 50:45 - Any differences between hybrid athletes and Crossfit athletes?
• 55:26 - Lactate and fat oxidation in Crossfitters
• 58:29 - Recommendations
• 
  

FOLLOW OUR PODCASTFollow our Host / Guest

@theprogresstheory

@thepricep

@upside_strength

Explore these Resources or Items Mentioned in the Show

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Upside Strength

Upside strength academy

Upside Strength Youtube

Crossfit

Moxy Monitor

VO2 master

Exphyslab.com

Concept2

Wattbike

Evan Peikon

Training think tank

Endure

For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.

Thanks for listening!

All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have Crossfit coach and head of DekaComp, Michele Letendre.

On paper, Crossfit should be a challenging sport to programme for. You need to be efficient in so many movements across a spectrum ranging from maximal strength to long-distance endurance. Add to this the fact that you don’t know what might come up in competition, which makes programming decision-making a challenge, but also can allow you to be creative in your approach. In this episode, Michele and I discuss her coaching company Dekacomp, her Crossfit programming ideas, and her different coaching approaches for different athletes.

But before we get to the show I want to thank our sponsors, who the show would not be possible without.

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to my production partner, KULT Media. 

KULT Media has been instrumental in the development & success of the progress theory. 

They have created brand guides, comprehensive podcast strategies, enhanced the podcast production, developed custom workflows for me and edited & mixed all of the video, audio and social media content. 

Their simple Coach, Create & Collaborate process has saved me 100’s hours in podcast production, resolved countless technical issues and consistently help me to improve my podcasting game. 

So if you want to establish and engage your audience, or are ready to launch your own podcast head to www.kult.media to learn more. 

Thank you to HMN24 – fuelling human potential and optimising everyday human performance and well-being. 

First of all – HMN24 is not a sports supplement company. I’ve seen sport supplements be used as a method to improve performance in the gym and at a certain sport. However, these supplements, like a pre-workout, are often used on top of a lifestyle which does not provide the foundation needed for optimal performance. There’s no point taking pre-workout supplements if your sleep, hydration, and nutrition is an unstructured mess. I’m convinced that a large percentage of injuries are often caused, not because training was poor, but because a poor lifestyle foundation increased the athlete’s susceptibility to injury. Sports supplements are often used to plaster the cracks in poor lifestyle habits, which only causes more future problems. 

And this is where HMN24 is different. The product range at HMN24 not only helps improve your foundation; it optimises it. The HMN24 products are designed to fit around your circadian rhythms, from the moment you wake up, to key moments in the day when you need optimal focus, to getting the best sleep at night, there’s a product to optimise each phase of the day.

I can’t recommend enough the “live on form’ pack, consisting of the products Rise, flow and pre-sleep. Rise is for the morning and is my absolute favourite. It tastes amazing. Rise contains caffeine for increased morning alertness (though not a huge amount of caffeine, which is sooo much better for avoiding gastro-intestinal distress), electrolytes from coconut and watermelon powder to increase hydration after the previous night’s sleep, and B-vitamins, to ensure you ready to win the morning. I’m not a fan of long-winded morning routines. I wake up, have my Rise with ice, and get straight to writing, and I’ve seen such an improvement in getting into deep work.

By the time 2pm comes around the effects of caffeine from Rise has worn off, but I don’t want to take more caffeine because that’s going to interrupt getting to sleep later on. This is where Flow is perfect. It’s a caffeine-free nootropic, perfect for improving alertness and concentration during that mid-afternoon slump. And finally, I take pre-sleep just before bed, which is a comprehensive night-time complex, formulated to help support well-being and fortify the body against the fatigue and stress that come with leading a performance-driven lifestyle. 

I can’t recommend these products enough they are a game changer for human performance. And also, while you’re at their website hmn24.com check out there plant protein, which is incredible for smoothies post-training, and their website includes articles and an awesome podcast for those wanting to learn more about human performance. You can even check out the episode I did with them, I thoroughly enjoyed that chat I had with Phi Learney, Co-founder of HMN24, and it has led to an awesome collaboration with HMN24 supporting The Progress Theory. If you want a 10% discount on all HMN24 products either head to their website via the links in the Instagram bios of @theProgresstheory or my personal Instagram @drphilprice or use the code PHILPRICE at checkout.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 1:06 - Introduction
• 5:42 - Dekacomp
• 12:06 - Taking lessons from being an athlete into your coaching
• 13:57 - Varying coaching approaches to different athletes
• 17:18 - Training for the stress of competition
• 21:49 - Dekacomp crossfit programming
• 25:26 - The problem with too much intensity, too often
• 27:36 - How much do competition tactics influence programming?
• 37:30 - The importance of adaptability in Crossfit
• 53:00 - Athlete mindset

As always, follow and subscribe to The Progress Theory on Instagram and Youtube, and check out all of our other episodes.

FOLLOW OUR PODCASTFollow our Host / Guest

@theprogresstheory

@thepricep

@dekacomp

@mich_letendre

Explore these Resources or Items Mentioned in the Show

In this episode, we mentioned the following resources:

Crossfit games

Dekacomp

@dekacomp

Athletes Michele has worked with

@pvellner

@freyamoosbrugger

@jamesnewbury

For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.

Thanks for listening!

All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have Crossfit coach and head of DekaComp, Michele Letendre.

On paper, Crossfit should be a challenging sport to programme for. You need to be efficient in so many movements across a spectrum ranging from maximal strength to long-distance endurance. Add to this the fact that you don’t know what might come up in competition, which makes programming decision-making a challenge, but also can allow you to be creative in your approach. In this episode, Michele and I discuss her coaching company Dekacomp, her Crossfit programming ideas, and her different coaching approaches for different athletes.

But before we get to the show I want to thank our sponsors, who the show would not be possible without.

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to my production partner, KULT Media.

KULT Media has been instrumental in the development and success of the progress theory.

They have created brand guides, comprehensive podcast strategies, enhanced the podcast production, developed custom workflows for me and edited and mixed all of the video, audio and social media content.

Their simple Coach, Create and Collaborate process has saved me 100’s hours in podcast production, resolved countless technical issues and consistently help me to improve my podcasting game.

So if you want to establish and engage your audience, or are ready to launch your own podcast head to http://www.kult.media (www.kult.media) to learn more.

Thank you to HMN24 – fuelling human potential and optimising everyday human performance and well-being.

First of all – HMN24 is not a sports supplement company. I’ve seen sport supplements be used as a method to improve performance in the gym and at a certain sport. However, these supplements, like a pre-workout, are often used on top of a lifestyle which does not provide the foundation needed for optimal performance. There’s no point taking pre-workout supplements if your sleep, hydration, and nutrition is an unstructured mess. I’m convinced that a large percentage of injuries are often caused, not because training was poor, but because a poor lifestyle foundation increased the athlete’s susceptibility to injury. Sports supplements are often used to plaster the cracks in poor lifestyle habits, which only causes more future problems.

And this is where HMN24 is different. The product range at HMN24 not only helps improve your foundation; it optimises it. The HMN24 products are designed to fit around your circadian rhythms, from the moment you wake up, to key moments in the day when you need optimal focus, to getting the best sleep at night, there’s a product to optimise each phase of the day.

I can’t recommend enough the “live on form’ pack, consisting of the products Rise, flow and pre-sleep. Rise is for the morning and is my absolute favourite. It tastes amazing. Rise contains caffeine for increased morning alertness (though not a huge amount of caffeine, which is sooo much better for avoiding gastro-intestinal distress), electrolytes from coconut and watermelon powder to increase hydration after the previous night’s sleep, and B-vitamins, to ensure you ready to win the morning. I’m not a fan of long-winded morning routines. I wake up, have my Rise with ice, and get straight to writing, and I’ve seen such an improvement in getting into deep work.

By the time 2pm comes around the effects of caffeine from Rise has worn off, but I don’t want to take more caffeine because that’s going to interrupt getting to sleep later on. This is where Flow is perfect. It’s a caffeine-free nootropic, perfect for improving alertness and concentration during that mid-afternoon slump. And finally, I take pre-sleep just before bed, which is a comprehensive night-time complex, formulated to...

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have Hybrid coach and athlete Alec Blenis.

It’s easier to understand programming for strength and endurance sports individually, but hybrid programming is more complex and that’s what makes it so exciting. But what are the best hybrid programming recommendations? In this episode, Alec discusses his journey into Hybrid training, his current goals and what he has learnt along the way. We also discuss key themes such as how to dissect your hybrid goals so you know what to programme and how to balance your strength and endurance training

But before we get to the show I want to thank our sponsors, who the show would not be possible without.

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to my production partner, KULT Media. 

KULT Media has been instrumental in the development & success of the progress theory. 

They have created brand guides, comprehensive podcast strategies, enhanced the podcast production, developed custom workflows for me and edited & mixed all of the video, audio and social media content. 

Their simple Coach, Create & Collaborate process has saved me 100’s hours in podcast production, resolved countless technical issues and consistently help me to improve my podcasting game. 

So if you want to establish and engage your audience, or are ready to launch your own podcast head to www.kult.media to learn more. 

Thank you to HMN24 – fuelling human potential and optimising everyday human performance and well-being. 

First of all – HMN24 is not a sports supplement company. I’ve seen sport supplements be used as a method to improve performance in the gym and at a certain sport. However, these supplements, like a pre-workout, are often used on top of a lifestyle which does not provide the foundation needed for optimal performance. There’s no point taking pre-workout supplements if your sleep, hydration, and nutrition is an unstructured mess. I’m convinced that a large percentage of injuries are often caused, not because training was poor, but because a poor lifestyle foundation increased the athlete’s susceptibility to injury. Sports supplements are often used to plaster the cracks in poor lifestyle habits, which only causes more future problems. 

And this is where HMN24 is different. The product range at HMN24 not only helps improve your foundation; it optimises it. The HMN24 products are designed to fit around your circadian rhythms, from the moment you wake up, to key moments in the day when you need optimal focus, to getting the best sleep at night, there’s a product to optimise each phase of the day.

I can’t recommend enough the “live on form’ pack, consisting of the products Rise, flow and pre-sleep. Rise is for the morning and is my absolute favourite. It tastes amazing. Rise contains caffeine for increased morning alertness (though not a huge amount of caffeine, which is sooo much better for avoiding gastro-intestinal distress), electrolytes from coconut and watermelon powder to increase hydration after the previous night’s sleep, and B-vitamins, to ensure you ready to win the morning. I’m not a fan of long-winded morning routines. I wake up, have my Rise with ice, and get straight to writing, and I’ve seen such an improvement in getting into deep work.

By the time 2pm comes around the effects of caffeine from Rise has worn off, but I don’t want to take more caffeine because that’s going to interrupt getting to sleep later on. This is where Flow is perfect. It’s a caffeine-free nootropic, perfect for improving alertness and concentration during that mid-afternoon slump. And finally, I take pre-sleep just before bed, which is a comprehensive night-time complex, formulated to help support well-being and fortify the body against the fatigue and stress that come with leading a performance-driven lifestyle. 

I can’t recommend these products enough they are a game changer for human performance. And also, while you’re at their website hmn24.com check out there plant protein, which is incredible for smoothies post-training, and their website includes articles and an awesome podcast for those wanting to learn more about human performance. You can even check out the episode I did with them, I thoroughly enjoyed that chat I had with Phi Learney, Co-founder of HMN24, and it has led to an awesome collaboration with HMN24 supporting The Progress Theory. If you want a 10% discount on all HMN24 products either head to their website via the links in the Instagram bios of @theProgresstheory or my personal Instagram @drphilprice or use the code PHILPRICE at checkout.

In this episode, we discuss:

• 1:00 - Introduction
• 2:36 - Training for Murph
• 9:18 - Partitioned vs unpartitioned Murph
• 15:03 - Getting into hybrid training
• 21:00 - How far can Hybrid performance go
• 24:58 - Common mistakes in hybrid training
• 28:30 - Long-term Hybrid programming
• 31:38 - Progressing slowly in a hybrid programme
• 33:29 - Use of RPE or RIR for both strength and endurance training
• 35:15 - Using objective and subjective data to monitor training
• 36:24 - Training goals after Murph
• 38:34 - The Crucible
• 39:16 - The effect of mass on running performance
• 44:00 - Advice for those new to Hybrid Training
• 
  

As always, follow and subscribe to The Progress Theory on Instagram and Youtube, and check out our other episodes.

FOLLOW OUR PODCASTFollow our Host / Guest

@theprogresstheory

@thepricep

@alecblenis

Explore these Resources or Items Mentioned in the Show

Complete human performance

The crucible - Enter here

Spartan Race

Crossfit

For all our other episodes and to get in touch, please visit www.theprogresstheory.com.

Thanks for listening!

All rights reserved. © The Progress Theory & KULT Media LTD 2025