Escape Your Limits & LIFTS

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is 'The King of Consistency', Danny Hester. From an early age, Danny used discipline to excel at an early age at school and in sport where he enjoyed wrestling, gymnastics and martial arts. A self-confessed 'lone wolf', he rates hard work and consistency as the key to success and prides himself on a competitive mindset which has f...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast , our guest is Pete Koch. Retired NFL player, actor, fitness model, YouTube host, public speaker and successful personal trainer, who has pioneered his own training system, in the field of 'fitness' there really isn't much that Pete 'Swede' Koch hasn't tackled and conquered. Pete spent an impressive 6 years playing in the NFL, then post reti...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is Dan Metcalfe. Known as "The Senior Champion' due to his refusal to let society's rules of aging limit the possibilities of those who truly want to live longer and better, Dan Metcalfe is recognized around the world as a leading balance and mobility expert. Having created, almost by accident, the complete 60uP Balance System inc...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, we headed to LA for Les Mills Live. The ultimate training festival returned jam-packed with epic music, off the scale energy and the debut of the newest innovations presented by the next generation of trainers. From the show floor we caught up with industry experts Dan Cohen, Program Director at Les Mills, Stuart Wells, VP Marketing & Conte...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast , our guest is Mohammed Iqbal, Founder and CEO of Sweatworks, a UK based fitness agency that provides innovative digital solutions. Passionate about fitness, Mohammed believes it to be the great equalizer - regardless of age, gender, race, culture or social status – anyone can improve their own personal fitness. Through Sweatworks, Mohammed'...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is Sophie Lawler, one of the most recognized CEO's in the fitness industry whose name is synonymous with the recent success of multisite brand, Total Fitness. Sophie joined Total Fitness as CEO in 2018 after gaining the bulk of her fitness management experience at multisite middle market operator, Fitness First. Having successfull...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast , our guest is Jarrod Saracco, an industry veteran who at the age of 17 gained his first accreditation as a PT and by 18, had established himself as the youngest medical exercise specialist in the United States, specializing in pre and post rehab. In 2020, Jarrod became COO of World Gym International, responsible for the commercial and opera...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is one of the fitness industry's most recognizable and influential contributors, David Stalker. As CEO of Myzone EMEA, president of EuropeActive and with a seat on the council for the World Active Forum, there are very few individuals serving the industry with a deeper understanding and experience of the global fitness market. For...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, we debate the shifting trends of gym design with industry experts Candace Pettit from Advantage Sport & Fitness, Edgars Bercis from G-Fitness, Gina Kerstye from AKI Fitness in Dubai, Yaw Mograbi from Watertree in Ghana and Mohammed Shammaa and Osama Aoun from Delta Fitness in Saudi Arabia. Discussing what each expert is noticing across thei...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast , our guest is Oliver Patrick, a leading lifestyle management expert and physiologist who is reengineering traditional health screening models into a contemporary lifestyle medicine approach.  Patrick has spent years developing and delivering advanced health assessments, firstly for Nuffield Hospitals where he led the largest team of applied...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast , our guest is Roy Simonson. Whilst he may not be a household name, there are few gym-users who would not have seen or trained on equipment he designed or inspired. Roy revolutionalized the fitness industry with his game-changing strength equipment innovations. Firstly, when in his early twenties, Roy sold his company, Eagle Fitness, to CYBE...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, our guest is David Mariani, a Strength & Conditioning Coach for ATG (Athletic Truth Group), who has trained thousands of people around the world, with his main purpose to help get them pain-free.    David currently trains athletes in the NBA, NFL and MLB as well as pro's around the world. He's worked with individuals from age 6 up to 86, as...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, our guest is David Minton, Founder of The Leisure Database Company, leading specialists in the leisure sector, offering key market intelligence and analysis across the fitness industry.  The annual State of the UK Fitness Industry Report that The Leisure Database Company creates, audits the fitness space to provide an insightful overview of...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, our guest is Billy Blanks, Inventor of Tae Bo, a martial arts-focused fitness programme that became one of the most successful home workout programmes in history.  Now taught worldwide, many Hollywood stars have utilised Tae Bo techniques at the Billy Blanks studio and Billy himself has starred in a number of films and TV shows, becoming a...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, our guest is Flex Lewis, nicknamed the 'Welsh Dragon' and an undeniable force to be reckoned with in the world of professional bodybuilding. From humble beginnings, he conquered the competitive landscape by creating a record-setting 7-time Olympia 212 Showdown Champion. His sculpted physique and undeniable charisma propelled him to the top,...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, our guest is known as the "real life hulk" due to his ability to go from a 6'6 310lb athlete to a 360lb mass monster.   At a young age, Martyn Ford started out as an emerging cricketer, but his professional athlete dream was cut short when he faced a devastating injury. Little did he know that this would be his steppingstone to a successful...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, Jerry Brainum is returning for his second interview by popular demand. He has a distinguished background as a competitive bodybuilder who trained alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger during the 70s. Beyond his achievements in bodybuilding, he boasts over 30 years of experience in researching and writing about all aspects of fitness. His remarkab...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, our guest has more than 20 years of experience directing the fitness provision for some of the best known, high end multi-site operators including Holmes Place, Virgin Active, David Lloyd Leisure, and Aspria. Rob Beale is currently the Fitness Director of Third Space, which is a collection of high-end, luxury health clubs in London. They st...

On this week's special midweek episode of the  Escape Your Limits Podcast , we were at the European Health & Fitness Forum where we caught up with people from the industry to get their thoughts on: The state of the fitness industry today What they think are the biggest challenges facing the industry And what their predictions for the future To name a few, we sat down with: IHRSA's CEO & President,...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, we sit down with a prolific bodybuilder, actor, and Internet star. Whether it's building his body or building a business, Kali Muscle is known for outworking everyone. Turning his life around after a prison sentence, he kicked his PT career off at 24 Hour Fitness before succeeding as a larger-than-life YouTube star. With his success in body...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, we continue our journey at FIBO by sitting down with prominent members of Europe Active at the European Health & Fitness Forum. We were able to pick apart the brains of: The Fitness Director of Armah Sports, Julio Papi,  The CEO of Exi, Grace McNamara The Vice President Global Enterprise of Sports Alliance GmbH, Jennifer Halsall-de Wit The...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, we hit off our journey at FIBO in Cologne, Germany by sitting down with prominent members of Europe Active at the European Health & Fitness Forum. EuropeActive is a 21 years old association that is ambitious to get more people, more active, more often. We were able to spend time with the following guests during this episode: Barrie Elvish,...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, we sat down with the man who has over 20 years of experience within the fitness industry. By diligently working hard and climbing up the ladder, he found himself as VP of 24 Hour Fitness, and worked in almost all major markets throughout the US. Now, Adam Sedlack is the CEO of gym conglomerate, UFC GYM. Under his leadership, UFC GYM has qui...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, we delve into the latest developments in the fitness industry at IHRSA 2023. BFS (Boutique Fitness Solutions) hosted a one-day track that was specifically designed for boutique fitness businesses at all stages of development. Through 8 impactful sessions, boutique business owners, industry leaders, suppliers, and investors came together to...

On this week's episode of the Escape Your Limits Podcast, Escape Fitness had the opportunity to attend IHRSA 2023. The convention offered brand new learning experiences with featured speakers from various industries, giving fitness professionals the chance to discover parallels and innovations across a wide spectrum of expertise. There, our co-hosts, Matthew Januszek & Emma Barry, walked the floor...