Becoming Ronin

Overview: We're are honored to bring one of the most genuine coaches in the Industry into the Ronin Community. Ben Anderson is the owner of Breakthrough Strength and Conditioning and specializes in training youth athletes. Ben takes his experience as an ex-professional basketball player along with his mastery in the CPPS curriculum, and combines it with his authenticity and empathy to change the l...

Overview: In our second installment of "Quick Fix" Smitty and OB take to the listener submitted questions.   OB and Smitty start by talking about what leadership means to them. Tips from their experience running businesses, and their top resources to learn more about learning leadership qualities. Secondly the guys tackle an all too common reality: Man Boobs (MOOBS). Their answer ranges from hormo...

Overview: In today's episode, we are honored to have Josh Lange on the show. Josh is a business owner, former MMA fighter,   jiu jitsu black belt, and a modern philosopher. This episode touches on what Jiu Jitsu means and how it leads to self-mastery, but dives way deeper as Josh does a fantastic job at "zooming out" to see the big picture. Emotional control, fitness, connectedness, and finding ba...

Overview: Episode 38 marks the very first segment of "Quick Fix." Due to the influx of listener questions on Instagram, Smitty and OB will be adding a separate episode each week in addition to the normal episode, that will be dedicated to answering your questions in a semi-rapid fire style. If you're someone that doesn't have time to listen to a full hour episode or have an extremely short attenti...

OVERVIEW In our third segment of "Everything You Need to Know" Smitty and OB dive into an often overlooked aspect of training; the warm up. Even those that do take the time to warm up are often neglect a true format and end up wasting time. In this episode Smitty and OB cover everything from SMR, breathing, corrective exercise, the central nervous system, assessment and more. Smitty even lays out...

OVERVIEW Today's episode is another round of OB and Smitty thinking through listener submitted questions. They start by talking about breathing, bracing, and CO2 tolerance. Then they dive into some nitty gritty training questions about injures, imbalances, form breakdowns, and even analyze a listeners squat video submission. A question about grip training sparks the memory of a classic Smitty trai...

OVERVIEW In the second series of Everything You Need to Know, Smitty and OB have decided to take a deep dive into a highly requested subject: productivity. Telling people to prioritize, plan, and execute it much like telling a sports team to just score more points than the other team. Much of the information is oversimplified to the point where it doesn't work. In this episode, Smitty and OB outli...

OVERVIEW Smitty and OB are honored to bring Chris McGowans exercise to Becoming Ronin listeners. Chris is an IFBB pro bodybuilder, transformation specialist, and nutrition expert.   In today's episode Chris outlines how he caters nutrition plans for his client, some of the biggest myths when it comes to dieting, and a few big pitfalls people fall into when focusing on nutrition. TIMESTAMPS [0:00]...

First things first! If you're a coach, trainer, physical therapist, a parent, or just someone who loves fitness, this is your chance to join us in October for the best training certification in the industry! The CPPS Level 1 certification will be held on October 27 at EliteFTS in Ohio. Check out the details in the show note links! Todays episode is born from listener feedback. The listeners have r...

Today we're joined by our good friend, Josh Comitale. Josh is a 14-year veteran of the Troy, NY Police Department. Smitty and OB inquire about Josh's experience in law enforcement and his early career. Josh then covers in gripping detail, his role in the 2015 officer-involved shooting, what it was like mentally, and the road to recovery. As usual, lots of lessons to be learned so don't miss a seco...

Today, Smitty and OB are honored to be joined by Infinity Coach, Cory Comitale. Cory is brining the Ronin community his guidelines for how he creates his perfect morning routine. The Ronin listeners are no strangers to the connection between owning your morning and self-mastery. Secondly, Smitty gets OB's and Cory's thoughts on his rules for longevity . The guys talk through all the things Smitty...

Today's show is all about you, the listener! First, Smitty announces the launch of the new app "Team Forever Strong" - a new training app that will deliver customized "DeFranco/Diesel" programming, right to your phone (52-weeks/year round). Then Smitty and OB ask each other questions from this week's Instagram Q&A and cover everything from shoulder mobility, sled work, back training, and even a co...

This week's episode kicks off with a Smitty and OB answering listener submitted Q&A's. Smitty and OB exchange questions from Instagram and give their thoughts sled dragging, reverse hypers, how to build muscle, and much more.   Lastly, Smitty dives into one of his favorite stories that closely represents his journey in overcoming resentment. He tells the story of Wayne Dyer's, 'My Greatest Teacher...

Smitty and OB are extremely excited and honored to bring Becoming Ronin listeners, strength coach, entrepreneur, and nutrition pioneer, Mike Dolce. Mike is a breath of fresh air in an industry full of untruths and misconceptions. Mike's brass tax approach is nothing but empowering and honest. In this episode the guys briefly discuss Mike's humble beginnings, then dive deep on high level coaching,...

In today's episode, we are honored to talk shop with Tony Gentilcore. Tony starts out discussing his beginnings as a Co-Founder of Cressey Sports Performance . He lets us in on some of the differences between training professional athletes and gen. pop clients, as well as, his unique 'collective' business model. He also gives some sage advice on how to avoid burnout and lean into your hobbies. Fin...

In today's episode Smitty and OB get real by diving into some touchy subjects. They start out with a listener question about avoiding an uncomfortable situation which sparks a conversation about always seeking the truth. Second, Smitty asks OB's opinion on a recent experience he had with a complete stranger. This turns into a dialogue on what it means to be offended and if you should take a chance...

In today's episode Smitty and OB give a couple of important updates, then dive straight into three listener questions.   The first question sparks some hilarious stories about a legendary monster that Smitty and OB used to train with - along with some sessions that didn't end well. This rolls right into the guys finally unveiling two iconic challenges known as the Man Maker and Widow Maker. They f...

In today's epsiode, the Ronin community is extremely fortunate to spend an hour discussing business, growth, and mindset with one of the fitness industry leaders, Luka Hocevar. Luka is the owner of Vigor Ground Fitness  in Renton, WA, as well as, maintains an impressive portfolio in a diverse range of entrepreneurial ventures. In true Ronin fashion, we go well beyond fitness and discuss some of th...

In today's episode Smitty and OB are excited to announce their first sponsor, The Cold Plunge . They are offering listeners of Becoming Ronin $150 off their first Cold Plunge purchase. The discount link: https://plunge.pxf.io/qnXvLN Smitty then dives into a story that he's never talked about in regard to being unhappy and the lightbulb moment that snapped him out of it. The guys talk about, 'The L...

In today's must-listen episode Smitty and OB quickly recap the Ronin Handbook and give updates on their own journey and progression through each principle. Smitty and OB blooper their way through reading an iTunes review. (Hilarious) Finally, a listener question about material possessions sparks an amazing analysis of a profound Alan Watts teaching that is one of Smitty's favorites.  *For a full l...

In today's episode, we're honored to be joined by the infamous NYC Trainer, Kenny Santucci. The guys start off the episode in typical Ronin fashion with some rapid fire life questions. Kenny fields questions about what it was like being a realty TV show star and how he was able to successfully transition out of that lifestyle. Smitty and OB then dive into one of Kenny's signature events, Strong Ne...

In today's episode, Smitty and OB kick off the podcast by chatting about this past weekend's CPPS certification and the life lessons that can be learned by committing to real world education. The next topic is how social media can affect, not only your physical and mental health, but also the quality and effectiveness of your training programs. Keeping with the theme of the Ronin Book Club , Smitt...

In today's episode, we are truly honored to be joined by Strength and Conditioning Legend and the ORIGINAL biohacker, Steve Maxwell. Steve Maxwell is the first American to receive a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt from the world-renowned Gracie Family. Beyond having over 50 years of "in the trenches" experience, Steve has traveled the world and trained in all corners of the globe. With the unique experiences...

In today's episode, we are honored and excited to be joined by Director of Strength and Conditioning at Fordham University, Joe Gilfedder.   Joe Gilfedder is one of the most well read S&C coaches in the industry and has an amazing depth of knowledge on every facet of human performance. Today, be sure to grab a notepad and pen, because Coach Gilfedder lays down some serious knowledge with programmi...

In today's episode, we're honored to interview Physical Therapist and Author, Tim Reynolds. Tim is an Anatomy and Physiology Professor at Ithaca College, Co-Author of "Movers and Mentors," an inventor/entrepreneur, and a practicing physical therapist. In this episode, we dig into Tim's guidelines for recognizing when you need to seek out physical therapy, how to choose a good PT, and some amazing...