Season 5 of Uncharted Performance is here! Let’s kick things off with an 8-time CrossFit Games athlete, 2008 winner, and owner of NCFit, Jason Khalipa. If you’re looking for inspiration, a dose of positivity as well as a no-BS perspective on life’s challenges, this is the interview for you! Jason explains how he is able to stay focused and avoid distractions in his many endeavors while staying true to his 3 macro priorities: family, fitness and business (hint: step #1 would be to determine those priorities and values). We discussed his successes and challenges, self-development lessons and how to reach whatever true potential means for each of us!

This week is a special treat: a bonus episode right in time for the Arnold Sports festival! Mark Cannella, head coach and president of Columbus Weightlifting and chairman of the Arnold Classic weightlifting competition, joins us for a look inside his coaching career, including mistakes, highlights and what keeps him coming back to it every day. We discussed the growth of the sport of weightlifting, in popularity as well as technique and coaching development, what separates good coaches from poor ones, and how Mark is able to find the metaphorical common language with athletes all across the globe in his seminars and classes. The Arnold Sports festival will be held on March 2nd through the 6th this year.

This week on Uncharted Performance we’re lucky to bring you another wonderful guest, Jud Logan. Jud is the head track and field coach at Ashland University, former 4-time Olympian, master’s athlete, and a treasure trove of stories and wisdom based on his varied athletic experience. He walks us through his early sports career, the “light giver”, how he found his calling and going to the Olympic Games four times to represent the United States. We also get a taste of his current coaching style, what methods and metrics he chooses and follows, and that certain something that he looks for in his athletes to succeed.

Episode 39 of Uncharted performance brings you Joel Woods, creator of CLE Muscle Lab. His approach to fixing bad movement patterns, strengthening weaknesses and simply helping people of all levels of fitness move better is called Muscle Activation Technique (MAT) and its pretty refreshing in the world of same old tired physical therapy routines. We’ll discuss how MAT works, in what order we should progress to avoid injury and develop optimal “fitness”, as well as how to keep your body physically resilient well into old age while still having fun and being active. Joel wants us all to stay strong and be able to exercise for life, not the other way around. Hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did!

This week on Uncharted Performance episode 38 we are joined by TJ Slomka, owner of Old School Iron Gym. As we mention in the podcast, OSI is one of those gyms that you have to visit (as some of our previous guests have) to see for yourself the array of every imaginable piece of equipment that one would need to develop strength, particularly for powerlifters or bodybuilders. Not to mention that TJ is simply a cool guy to hang out with. We'll cover some entrepreneurial topic such as working as a single owner or with a partner and how to keep clients and customers happy, engaged and becoming better. This advice will apply even if you don’t own a gym. So tune in and learn some things!

Thanks for joining us for episode 37(b) of Uncharted Performance! This is part II of our talk with Toby Jurging of SPC Strength and Conditioning. As promised, this one focuses on the more “technical” aspects of exercise and training so if you love math, this one is for you (just kidding, we won’t ask you to do any complicated calculations here)! What you will learn is how to be able to effectively critique any program or a given workout of the day to make sure it will be effective as well as safe. This episode is a bit more of a watch and learn but no worries, you’ll get all the concepts by listening too. So what’s Toby’s mantra? There is always a plan, it's progressive, and it accounts for a lot of “intricate things” that make up human movement. Enjoy!

Part I of episode 37 of Uncharted Performance features Toby Jurging of SPC Strength and Conditioning. In this first and shorter portion of the full interview, we focus on the “soft” aspects of exercise such as how to take care of yourself properly so you can keep rocking out at the gym and what should really count as success in your movement practice. Toby is a seasoned professional; so what’s his take on it? Some TLC on a regular basis will do you good! Keep your eyes peeled for part II where Toby really breaks down the more technical aspects of training, including a little lesson in repetition/set/rest analysis and how to critically review any program.

We’re going "beyond the back” in episode 36 of Uncharted Performance this week. Our guest is Chad Teague, doctor of chiropractic, and owner of CODE CHIRO. Dr. Teague is interested in all aspects of performance, from refining your squat technique to improving digestive and neurological health. This interview is peppered with good advice to correct imbalances in exercise so you can not only feel better but do better in your movement practice. A few things we found particularly interesting from our talk: to use or not to use a lifting belt, benefits of improving thoracic mobility as well as using your feet properly during a squat to maximize force. We also got proof that breathing is more difficult than you think if you do it correctly (because, honestly, how many times have you thought about breathing today?). Enjoy and see you next week!

Ready to become bulletproof? Today, in episode 35 of Uncharted Performance our guest is Matt Stevens, a physical therapist and owner of Pure Physio. Matt spills the beans on what leads to common injuries, how they happen and what we should do to fully recover.  The self-professed goal of his practice is to help patients and athletes become more bulletproof in any physical endeavor, not just exercise.  Matt’s main focus echoes what we’ve already discussed with other guests this season: you have to address weakness early on or it will grow into an impediment (We’re sensing a theme here!). But remember, knowledge is power so tune in to this week’s episode so you don’t miss out!

It’s a family affair this week on Episode 34 of Uncharted Performance!  We are talking with Beth Anne and Ralph Lazaro of RALABALA. This duo definitely brings energy and positivity, and are sharing their story of health and body image transformation through better nutrition, right approach to goals, and challenging their bodies physically and mentally on a daily basis. Beth Anne and Ralph are a true power couple who have figured out how to help each other succeed and are eager to share that advice with others. Beyond that, Ralph emphasized the importance of dreaming like we’re kids and Beth Anne believes in the strength of the community to help each of us grow and flourish