Rugged Athlete Podcast

In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast Austin breaks down the changes and improvements we made to our off-season training program offerings. We've been spending the last several months building out our new and improved "Rugged Athlete Training System" which includes previous offerings like our Pro Membership and our 1:1 Coaching, as well as our brand new Group Training Program. Check out th...

In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast I sit down with Ryan Dowdy, founder and CEO of READYBAR. Ryan is a former NASA food scientist who lead performance nutrition innovation for fueling astronauts on the International Space Station. He later turned that experience and expertise into his own product with READYBAR. In this episode we dive into the details behind Ryan's company, the nutrition...

In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast I go through all 50 pages of the proposed Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act. This bill addresses many important topics such as respiratory protection, cancer screening and prevention, behavioral health support, research priorities, and funding allocations to the tune of $305 million between FY 2027 and 2032. In the episode I mentioned several...

In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast we visit with guest Brandon Schrom who is an expert on fitness wearables such as Garmin, Whoop, Oura Ring, Apple Health Kit, and Fitbit. Brandon is a research physiologist for the US Navy where he specialized in wearable technology in Warfighter Human Performance. He also helps lead the Type 1 Readiness Program for Hotshot Wellness. Before working with...

In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast Austin and Justin discuss the Type 1 Fitness Test - a fitness test we created to better assessment occupational performance for type 1 resources, and to attempt to enhance the fitness culture in the profession. We breakdown the details of this fitness test including the why behind the exact specs of the test, as well as the scoring standards and expect...

In today's episode Austin and Justin answer the question, do we need to reassess the pack test? We dive into the history of the pack test, including how it became the universal fitness assessment back in the mid 1990's, as well as the fitness test that preceeded it: the 5 minute step test. We also give our personal opinions on the pack test - what's good about it and what it's flaws are. This epis...

In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast Austin shares his professional strength and conditioning journey. From college baseball, to professional baseball, to fighting wildfires, and ultimately starting Rugged Athlete - Austin details his unique career path. Huge shoutout to the sponsor of today's episode: READYBAR Check out READYBAR here: https://getreadybar.com/

In today's episode Austin and Justin answer viewer questions including: What advice do you have for firefighters going into their first season? What nutrition tips do you have for at fire camp and on the fireline How do you train for uphill hiking if you live somewhere where there are no hills Do you do female specific training/research? How do you incorporate it into your training plans? Do you p...

In today's episode Austin shares his presentation from the 2026 Wildland Firefighter Human Performance Summit. This virtual summit is 100% free and is delivered through the Rugged Athlete App. Tap here to register for the summit Tap here to get a free trial of our Pro Membership on the app Tap here to download our Physical Preventative Maintenance Course

In this episode Austin and Justin provide the complete blueprint to improving your hiking performance. Topics of discussion include work capacity development, biomechanical efficiency during hiking, how to pace and breathe correctly, the metabolic demands of hiking, and training principles to abide by to crush your next hike. Several hiking related resource were mentioned in the show which you can...

In this episode Austin Womack and Justin DeMoss breakdown what human performance is, the difference between human performance and wellness, and share predictions on what the future of human performance in the wildland firefighter profession will look like.

This episode features our two nutrition coaches, Heidi Brackebusch and JJ Shelley. Listen to them share their stories about how they both transitioned from wildland firefighters to nutrition professionals, how they coach Rugged Athlete 1:1 clients through nutritional assessments and goals, and other topics such as food tracking.

Welcome to the Rugged Athlete Podcast! In this pilot episode we'll introduce ourselves, share the story behind why Rugged Athlete was created, and explain what our vision is for this podcast. This is where we'll have the longer form conversations that social media platforms aren't built for.