In this episode I talk with my good friend Doug Tice. Doug is a veteran of the US Navy, unapologetic vegan, and competitive powerlifter. Doug competes in the 198lb division and in competition his best lifts are 672lbs in the squat, 451lbs in the bench press, and 535lbs in the deadlift. Being vegan has not affected Doug's strength as prior to a recent neck surgery he was working with 600lbs in the bench press in training.

Please note - Doug's language is as strong as his lifts so if you are easily offended this episode is not for you!

Show notes:

If you would like to learn more about Doug, follow him on Instagram @doug.the.angry.vegan

If you have any suggestions for future show topics or guests please email me at [email protected].

Mike Mahler is a vegan strength enthusiast and hormone optimization researcher. A renowned kettlebell training instructor, author, and co-host of the Live Life Aggressively Podcast,  Mike currently works full time on his Aggressive Strength supplement line in addition to providing health and fitness related content through his website, newsletter, and social media. 

To learn more about Mike's supplement line, sign up for his newsletter, check out his products and articles, and link to his social media visit his website at https://mikemahler.com/.

Show Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this episode and if you have any suggestions for future topics and show guests please email me at [email protected].

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

In this episode I share some of my thoughts on documentary that recently broke the internet,  The Game Changers. The Game Changers is a documentary that for the most part highlights the accomplishments of elite athletes who are following a plant-based diet. It does talk about some of the environmental and health issues associated with plant-based diets, but the primary focus of the movie is on the athletes and their performance. Many people have been "debunking" this film via podcasts, articles, and YouTube videos and this has resulted in a lot of back and forth with responses being directed toward these "debunking" efforts. Personally it amazes me how worked up people get over plants, but it has definitely made for some great reading and watching online. If you haven't seen the documentary yet, you can stream it on Netflix and get more information about the documentary and the science they used to back of their claims here: https://gamechangersmovie.com/the-film/#

Here is an article I wrote that corresponds to the film and some critiques of it as well as my thoughts on vegan athletes: https://strength-and-health.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-vegan-athlete-myth.html

Show Notes:

In this episode I talk with Andy Lally. Andy is a professional race car driver, unapologetic vegan, skateboarding and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu enthusiast, and recently received his brown belt from his BJJ professor Paul Creighton. Andy and I talk about his background, how he got started in racing, how long he's been driving professionally, why he gave up eating animals and switched to a plant-based vegan diet, and where skateboarding and jiu jitsu came into the mix. Andy is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and I hope you enjoy our interview. It was certainly a great way to wrap up an hour or so of mat time with him at Nucleus Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!

If you would like to learn more about Andy follow him on Instagram at @andylallyracing and if you are interested in going plant-based check out his other Instagram page @veganshoppingtips to learn how to veganize your trip to any grocery store!

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future show topics please email me at [email protected].

In this episode I follow up on a recent social media post I made concerning the topic of training frequency.

Here is the post for reference:

On the topic of training frequency, most people tend to believe more is better, but that is not the case.

You can only improve when you are able to fully recover from the training session. All forms of stress affect our ability to recover and all must be taken into consideration when developing the training plan.

If you are working a hectic, high stress job, travelling regularly, not getting high quality sleep (7-8 hours with consistent sleep/wake times), skimping on calories and not eating a nutrient dense diet, then on top of this pulverizing your body in the gym, the only thing you will progress toward is overtraining and most likely injury.

Lately when reviewing some top athlete's training plans I've noticed that many of the best train less frequently than most would imagine. In his book Power to the People Professional, Pavel Tsatsouline states that the great deadlifter, Konstantīns Konstantinovs only deadlifted twice every 9-12 days. In a podcast with Dave Tate, the great bencher J.M. Blakely commented that at the end of his career he was benching once every 10 days. Marty Gallagher provides many examples of minimalist plans in his book The Purposeful Primitive. One that stands out was the great Mark Challait whose training week consisted of squatting and benching to a single on Monday and deadlifting to a single on Thursday with no assistance work.

Recovery is incredibly important and often overlooked. This becomes even more important for the sports athlete. For a strength athlete lifting often is their sport, whereas athletes competing in other sports utilize strength training as a means of physical preparation. The sport practice must be calculated into the athlete's training volume.

This is why recovery/restoration methods must be utilized. Do not overlook the value of stretching/mobility, good nutrition, massage, hot/cold therapy, meditation/breathing exercises, and most importantly-sleep. Often this, not more training, is the key to greater progress.

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Show Notes:

-My thoughts on Mike Mentzer's "high intensity" program

-Training Frequency

-Factors that affect training frequency

-Creating an environment that promotes recovery and restoration

-How I structure my weekly training to promote recovery

If you have any questions or suggestions for future show topics please email me at [email protected] and follow me online at www.eptsgym.com. You can also follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/eptsgym, twitter @sshetler, and Instagram @eptsatl.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

In this episode I talk with my colleague and good friend Michael Croghan, owner of Periodized Performance. 

Show Notes:

-Michael's background

-Getting started in the fitness / strength and conditioning industry

-The pros and cons of social media

-The science of strength training

-Is higher education important?

-Training and conditioning for BJJ and combative sports

-Principles of training vs. training programs

-What Michael's reading now

-Advice for those wanting to get started in this industry

If you would like to learn more about Michael and his business Periodized Performance you can visit his website at www.periodized.com. 

If you would have any questions or suggestions for future show topics please email me at [email protected].

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

In this episode I discuss how to manage the volume and intensity of a martial artist's strength and conditioning program. 

Show notes:

If you have any questions or comments about this episode, or have suggestions for future show topics, please email me at [email protected].

Stay Strong and Healthy!

-Scott

In this episode I recap my visit this past weekend to Columbus, Ohio for the 30th Arnold Sports Festival.

Show Notes:

-My first visits to the Arnold since 1998

-Participating in the first-ever Arnold Kettlebell Sport Competition in 2009

-Visiting Westside Barbell

-Seeing the strongman Hussafel Stone event

-How the fitness expo has evolved over the years

-The growth of kettlebell sport at the Arnold

-Catching up with old friends and my old coach

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future show topics email me at [email protected] and be sure to follow me online at www.eptsgym.com. Follow me on my social media to check out pics from the event - Instagram and Facebook.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

This episode is in response to a question I received recently on one of my YouTube videos. The question asked when the best time of the day was to do strength training. This was in regard to a video I posted on a strength training exercise for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu players, but I made this podcast a little more general going over a few different scenarios.

Show notes:

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episode topics please email me at [email protected] and be sure to follow me online at www.eptsgym.com.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott

In this episode I talk about the importance of sets, reps and monitoring the total volume of your training sessions based on your strength goals.

Show Notes:

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for future episode topics email me at [email protected] and follow me online at www.eptsgym.com.

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

-Scott