This week's episode is all about becoming a meal prep wizard.

Coaches Varun and Prashanti talk about the basics of preparing for a good week’s nutrition.

They discuss:

(1) Why relying on willpower is NOT the best idea

(2) How to grocery shop for success

(3) The basics of meal prep and one-pot cooking

(4) Why freezing and reheating your food is ok.

Today's episode is all about unleashing your inner athlete.

Ever felt like you lack a certain something when you have to go and play a sport? Maybe you gas out quickly, or you pick up annoying niggles, or you just feel ‘slow’.

Coaches Varun and Nivedhan break down what it means to be athletic and how to think about your training:

(00:30) Our athletic ‘credentials’ - they’re very extensive!

(02:50) What is athleticism?

(05:00) Strength: the base of all athleticism

(10:55) Our basic strength standards

(12:10) Cardiovascular ability - just what is it?

(15:20) How to tell if your cardio is good enough?

(17:00) Jumps: the first skill of athleticism

(21:50) Throws: ‘linking’ the upper and lower body

(25:50) Sprints: can you run?

In this episode, coaches Varun and Nivedhan answer YOUR questions from Instagram. They talk about:

(1) Differences in quality of dietary protein and how it matters for muscle gain (01:00)

(2) Should you do cardio before or after lifting? (03:20)

(3) How to breathe and brace for heavy lifts (06:40)

(4) How to gain mass as a vegetarian + why plant-based diets are not the greatest idea? (11:00)

(5) How to handle nutrition as a 'skinny-fat' person: should you bulk or cut? (17:40)

(6) How to deal with muscle imbalances (20:45)

We catch up with coaches Raj and Arvind from The Quad, and talk shop! We discuss:

1. Their origin stories - how did they get into fitness in the first place?

2. How and why did they decide specifically on outdoor, kettlebell-based group fitness?

3. Bonus question: how did they even find kettlebells back then?

4. How they use social media to continue to educate and motivate

We catch up with coaches Chris Morris and Hayley Madigan, and talk about:

- Their journey in the fitness industry, and how they came to Chennai

- How and why they preach a message of moderation when it comes to fitness

- Hayley's advice for women struggling with PCOS

- And much more!

Coach Sandeep is our podcast host for the week and interviews two recent graduates from our internship programme: Pratyusha and Kishore.

They discuss:

* How they got into fitness and why they decided to take the plunge into the internship.

* How they simultaneously managed their regular day jobs and the internships.

* Their biggest takeaways from the internship.

* Their future plans in the fitness industry!

Coaches Varun and Sandeep sit down to talk about:

1. Why they first got into coaching and their outlook on it now

2. What are the common characteristics of a good coach

3. What a coach should NOT do for you

4. Their experiences of being coached

5. How to find the right coach for you

In this episode, coaches Varun and Sandeep do Strength System’s 2nd Q&A! They discuss:

- The difference between injury and soreness

- Ways to increase your squat and build your quads

- Intermittent fasting

- Body recomposition

- The importance of blood work

- Basic training approaches people overlook

- The minimalist approach to fitness

- A bonus question - where one can score HGH

In this episode, we switch places, with Prashanti hosting and interviewing Varun, Chirag, and Nivedhan.

We discuss:

1. Our stories behind how we got into coaching

2. What a typical day looks like for us (no, we don't have a 'real' day job)

3. What coaching really encompasses: it's not just about teaching exercises, but a lot more

4. One tip from each of us for potential entrants to the fitness industry

Coach Shaun Cairns is back for another special podcast episode! Coach Shaun is a Master instructor with StrongFirst (StrongFirst is a global provider of strength education). He was in Chennai recently to conduct the StrongFirst Barbell Course. He was kind enough to sit down with us and talk training!

Among other things, we discuss:

1. What StrongFirst is all about

2. Different training modalities - bodyweight, kettlebell and barbells, etc and how we can incorporate them

3. Why strength is important and why we must earn the right to do specialised training

4. The importance of key training principles such as consistency and specificity

5. The value of having a coach or mentor to guide oneself through the training process

6. How Coach Shaun likes to train and what his current training is like