Strength Chat

Transformations aren’t just before and after photos.  This week I welcomed back to Strength Chat, Gareth Sapstead, strength and performance coach, published author, and someone pushing for a smarter approach to results.  If you coach or train, this episode will change how you think about progress.  We cover:  📸 Why progress photos aren’t the full story  🧠 Managing client expectations  ⏳ Buildin...

He’s back!  This week I was joined again by Jerome Scherrer, one of the few coaches in the North of England to have worked with NFL, MLB, and NCAA Division I athletes.  But this episode isn’t just about experience. It’s about what you do with what you learn, because knowledge alone doesn’t achieve results. Implementation does.  In this episode we break down:  🌎Jerome’s experience interning in the...

“Hybrid training” is the buzzword at the minute, but most people either misunderstand it or implement it badly.  This week I was joined again by Dan Reeve, a coach who’s been there, done it, and actually knows what works in the real world.  Our last episode was an awesome chat, and this one didn’t disappoint either.  If you’ve ever tried to combine strength and conditioning without burning out or...

This week it was an absolute pleasure to chat with Stu Locke, an elite powerlifting coach and owner of Kodiak Barbell.  Listening to Stu’s story, it’s not just about strength, but about resilience.  From serious injuries to a near-death experience, what he’s been through and how he’s responded, will change how you think about setbacks.  If you’ve ever been injured, stuck, or frustrated with progre...

Just because something has always been done a certain way, doesn’t mean it’s the best way.  This week I chatted with Sophia Nimphius, a Professor of Human Performance with 20+ years in elite sport.  Sophia challenges outdated thinking and wants to push strength & conditioning forward, not by guessing, but by asking better questions.  If you coach, train, or care about performance this episode will...

Getting older doesn’t mean slowing down. It means training smarter.  This week I was joined by Susan Niebergall, personal trainer and strength coach who lives what she teaches.  She’s proof that strength training isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about quality of life, confidence, and longevity.  And more importantly, the results you think are “for other people”, aren’t.    In this episode we brea...

What does it actually take to last 10+ years in professional rugby?  This week I sat down with Ross Harrison, former Sale Sharks prop with 300+ professional appearances.  After a decade playing at the top level, Ross is now transitioning into coaching while balancing family life which gave us a great chance to reflect on what really drives success both on and off the pitch.  If you’re an athlete,...

If you’re a rugby player trying to get stronger, faster, and more dominant on the pitch, this episode is for you!  This week I sat down with Joel Harries, a strength & conditioning coach whose knowledge comes from real success and real mistakes during his rugby career.  Now he’s helping players avoid the common mistakes that once held him back.    In this episode we break down:  🏉 The most co...

This week I was joined by Stephane Cazeault, Founder of KILO Education. If you care about programming, this episode is absolute gold. Stephane brings serious depth when it comes to detail, structure, and delivering a high standard of service. No guesswork. No flashy trends. Just systems that hold up over time. And that’s exactly what we unpacked. In this episode we break down: 📊 What periodisatio...

This week I had the opportunity to sit down with Ross Leppala, Reactive Training Systems coach and 2x Masters Powerlifting World Champion. As lifters get stronger physically, what often holds them back isn’t their body, it’s their mind. The good news is that, just like strength, mindset can be trained. And that’s exactly what we unpacked in this episode. In this conversation, we break down: 🧠 Are...

This week I was joined by Kyle McKee, strength & powerlifting coach and Pre-Script Level 3 coach.  There’s no shortage of “quick fixes” in training. Tweaks. Hacks. Adjustments. Shortcuts. Promises of faster results.  But most of them don’t last.  In this conversation, Kyle and I talk about something far more powerful:  How to make success inevitable, without constantly changing your programme....

This week I was joined by Julia Hlaing, a pelvic health physio with experience competing in bodybuilding, weightlifting, CrossFit and powerlifting.  When it comes to training before, during, and after pregnancy, there’s a huge amount of misinformation that creates fear, confusion, and unnecessary limitations.  Julia is doing the opposite, breaking myths, sharing evidence-based practice, and helpin...

This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brandon Schultze, a strength coach, Pre-Script educator, and someone who’s worked across both general population and professional sport. What stands out most about Brandon isn’t just what he knows, it’s how curious he’s been willing to stay. That curiosity has led him to: • seek more knowledge • sharpen his coaching language • and produce real resu...

We’re back for the first episode of 2026 and we kicked off this week with Dr. Matt Casturo, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and Founder of The Movement System. Matt has a great skill of: 👉 taking complex performance topics 👉 stripping away the fluff 👉 and making them clear, practical and usable for coaches and athletes. If you’ve ever asked “Am I act...

This week I was joined once again by Josh Bryant, strength coach, author and Co-Founder of Jailhouse Strong.  Every time Josh is on, you walk away with something you can actually use in your training. With so much knowledge and experience helping lifters and athletes get brutally strong, this chat was packed with gold.  We dug into:  🔥 What is “the zone” and how to get there  🧠 How mindset drive...

This week I was joined once again by Tom Sheppard, strength coach, author, educator and every time he’s on, you can guarantee you’ll learn something new.  Our last episode was one of the most popular I’ve shared and this one dives even deeper. We tackled a topic that sits at the core of every great training program, the one thing that can make or break progress: effort and intent. It’s not just ab...

He’s back for the hat trick!   This week I was joined once again by Sean McInroy after two very popular previous episodes.   Every time Sean joins Strength Chat, the episodes have been awesome. Why? Because everything he shares is immediately actionable . You walk away with ideas you can apply in your next training session.  This chat was no different.  We got into:  🏋️‍♂️ Beyond the bar, what els...

It was awesome this week to be joined by Eric Bugera, a strength coach, Pre-Script educator, and fitness writer with over 11 years of experience in the game.   In the world of fitness and strength and conditioning, there’s this idea that if something isn’t “optimal,” it must be wrong. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Eric and I dove into what actually works when coaching real people,...

In this week's Strength Chat, I was joined by Tom Swales, physiotherapist, strength coach, and founder of COMPHYSIO+ Performance Wellness, as well as the creator of the Advanced Movement Therapist Certification.  Human movement can easily get overcomplicated, especially when pain, injuries, or mobility issues are involved. But Tom is changing that.  He’s built a repeatable system that strips a...

This week I was joined by Nick Ridpath, performance coach and educator, for a deep dive into something every coach thinks about, exercise selection.   Anyone can add exercises to a program. But choosing the right ones that support progress, reveal weaknesses, and actually move the needle? That’s an entirely different level of coaching.  We covered:  🗺️ How to create a roadmap with exercise selecti...

This week I was joined once again by Jason Tremblay, Founder of The Strength Guys and someone who’s made a huge impact on how I approach coaching and programming.  Jason has now been on the podcast five times, and for good reason. His insight into strength training, athlete development, and data-driven programming is world class.  There’s been a lot of talk lately about higher volume training as a...

The last time I chatted with this guest, way back in the popular Episode 163, it struck a chord with a lot of listeners.   It was great then to be joined once again this week by William Wayland, a sports performance consultant and strength & conditioning coach.  In a world where everyone’s chasing “more”, whether that be more training, more results, more grind, William challenges that mindset...

This week I had the pleasure of chatting with Nat Galloway, a British Army veteran, strength coach, and competitive powerlifter. 💪 I’ve followed Nat’s articles for Master Athletic Performance for a while now, so it was awesome to finally sit down and go deeper into some of those ideas around training, mindset, and building consistency. Because let’s be honest, motivation comes and goes. What keep...

This week I sat down with Dr. Adam Sawyers, a strength coach, gym owner, powerlifter, and doctor who’s on a mission to bring people back to what really works: the basics. With so much information and noise out there, it’s easy to overcomplicate training. But when you look at the results Adam gets with his clients, it’s clear that doing the fundamentals really well beats chasing the next trend ever...

This week’s Strength Chat was a special one. I was joined by two international powerlifters and an absolute athlete–coach dream team: Carole O’Neil and Pia Marangoni . With Pia a performance nutritionist and Carole an athlete pushing to level up, this really was a perfect match. Carole balances work, travel, and training, yet still finds a way to perform on the platform thanks to a smart, tailored...