Beyond The Muscle Podcast

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with fitness writer and coach Geoffrey Verity Schofield. Geoffrey puts out some great practical content on his YouTube channel that will almost certainly be of use to any natural athlete or aspiring competitor. He’s not afraid to say it like it is and this chat we had was a ton of fun! We discuss balancing cardio with resistance work, the rise of “opt...

It’s a solo one this time as I chat about the topic of reaching true stage condition. When shouldn’t you be aiming for elite condition? What does it take to reach this level of conditioning and what does it feel like. This was a fun topic to delve a bit deeper into. I’ve never really struggled with getting very lean but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy ride for me to get there! Hopefully this will p...

Dan Sutcliffe is back on the podcast, this time to chat leg training! Dan has some of the best legs in the game and I was keen to get him back on and delve deeper into the topic of leg training. We chat about Dan’s mindset when it comes to training lower body, how his leg training has evolved over the years, some mistakes he’s made and much more. We also do a q and at the end which was fun. Give B...

Utti Hietala is back for part 2 and I wanted to take a deeper dive into bodybuilding training specifically this time around. We chat about Utti’s specialisation training routine and how he utilises this to extract as much from his training as possible, his use of lengthened partials, rest periods and our differing takes on this and much more. It was a tremendously insightful chat and one I’m sure...

In this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with DFAC pro figure athlete, BNBF judge, NBW athlete and vet Dr Zena Al Kelaby. This was a really fun chat and there’s a ton to take away here. We chatted about some key insights from behind the judges table, how Zena manages to balance bodybuilding with a busy career and coaching business, how her training has changed over the years...

In this episode I sat down and chatted with natural bodybuilder Zack Moore. Zack is currently prepping for his first ever show and he’s quite the impact already this year! Not only does he have a crazy physique but he’s also a type 1 diabetic and has done a tremendous amount to raise awareness and help others in this area, both in the work he does as a counsellor and with type 1 charities. We chat...

It’s a short solo one this week as I discuss the topic of making progress into my 40’s. I’ve made some great progress later in my lifting career and in this episode I explore some of the areas which have helped me do so. If you’re enjoying the podcast give me a 5 star review on Spotify and make sure you’re following the channel! Thanks 🙏🏼

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with junior world champion Charlie Cuthbert. Charlie had a great second season in bodybuilding last year becoming junior World Champion with DFAC. We chat about his season, some valuable lessons he’s learned, how to approach the post show phase, having an effective off season and much more. If you enjoyed the episode give Beyond The Muscle a 5 star re...

In this episode I had a great chat with 3 x Finnish champ, INBA masters champion & IFBB classic Nordic champion Utti Hietala. Utti has been involved with bodybuilding since the early 2000’s and has a wealth of experience, both as an athlete and a coach. This one was very fun, we’ll definitely have to do another episode at some point and delve deeper into some more topics. In this episode we chat a...

This time I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with WNBF & PCA Pro natural bodybuilder James Melville. James had some great insights having competed in natural shows and as a natural in untested events and manages to excel in both arenas. In this episode we chat about James 2024 season, the interesting story of his first show, some of the differences between tested and untested, rates o...

In this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with WNBF Pro natural bodybuilder Oscar Moscat. Oscar has, without doubt one of the craziest natural physiques to ever grace a bodybuilding stage but beyond that, he’s a very deep thinker which is one of the reasons I was so keen to chat to him. This was a highly enjoyable conversation and I’m sure you’ll find it valuable. We chat abo...

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with pro lightweight World champion Dirk Emmerich. This was a very insightful chat. Dirk is not only a world class athlete, but also someone who thinks deeply about the process and I’m sure you’ll get a lot of value from this one. We chat about Dirk’s 24 season, some misconceptions of doing back to back seasons as a natural, his style of training and...

The latest episode of Beyond The Muscle is now up on YouTube & Spotify. It’s a chatting to myself episode this time! Easter holidays mean time is more limited for me to bring anyone on…I do however have some great guests lined up over the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled. In this episode I chat about my very first contest prep and some of the most valuable lessons I learned from it. It was...

I had a really fun chat with returning guest and coach, athlete and judge Joshua Conde. We had a little catch up as Josh chats about his season from a coach’s perspective, a bit of Mike Sommerfeld controversy and then we get into the real meat and potatoes of the conversation as we discuss and try to figure out who the greatest male natty bodybuilders of all time are. This was a great chat. Josh’s...

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with 3DMJ coach and pro natural bodybuilder Alberto Núñez. 3DMJ were responsible for teaching me about natural bodybuilding way back in 2013/14 so it was an honour to sit down and chat bodybuilding with one of the sports legends. On a side note, the muscle & strength and nutrition pyramids on Youtube are probably still the most valuable resource for a...

In this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with natural pro bodybuilder Theo Golaub. Theo had an incredible 2024, taking 2 pro cards and making his pro debut. We chat about Theo’s rise the top of natural bodybuilding, his 2024 season, mistakes he’s made, how his relaxed demeanour helps him on stage and much more. This was both fun and insightful and I’m sure you’ll get a lot o...

In the episode I had the pleasure of chatting with pro bodybuilder, bodybuilding researcher, contest prep coach, judge & my old posing coach, Dr. Andrew Chappell. Due to his background in bodybuilding research, Andy had some truly unique insights that I’m sure you’ll find incredibly valuable. It certainly made me look at things from a different perspective. In this episode we chat in depth abo...

In the episode I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting bodybuilding with 3 x champ Ru Khera. Ru had an incredible debut season in bodybuilding, dominating his first show then becoming British champion with the BNBF & WNBF. Ru had some very interesting insights and was very humble and reflective about his season. We chat about his 2024, winning everything straight away, his thoughts about w...

In this episode I sat down and chatted with rising star Julian Cheung. Julian was great and had a ton of useful insights to share, this was a very enjoyable chat! In this chat we discuss his 2024 season, his decision to stay natural, fake natty accusations, his crazy post show eating experience and much more! Newcomers and experienced bodybuilders alike will find this a very enjoyable watch/listen...

In this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with James Durham. James is a masters bodybuilder who I shared the stage with last season and he’s without doubt, one of the most conditioned bodybuilders I’ve seen in person! We chat about his season, how he balanced a contest prep with being a family man, his training and much more. This was a lot of fun and it was great to catch up...

In this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Steve Hall from Revive Stronger . Steve has a wealth of experience with training, competing and coaching and and it was an honour to chat bodybuilding with him. If I had to think of someone who has done everything to truly maximise their potential, Steve would be right at the top of that list! I’m this episode we chat about his t...

In this episode I sat down and chatted with Becky Starr . Becky had an incredible 2024 in women’s bodybuilding, becoming British Champion with 2 federations on her debut season! We chat about Becky’s first season, self belief and self doubt, her training, her favourite exercises and much more. I thoroughly enjoyed this chat and I’m sure you guys will too. Becky has some great insights and her intr...

In this episode I sat down and chatted all things bodybuilding with coach, athlete and 2 x classic bodybuilding champion Marc Willetts. I thoroughly enjoyed this chat with Marc. He’s been doing this whole bodybuilding thing a while and his years of experience translate into some fantastic insights and valuable takeaways! We discuss Marc’s 2024 season, classic bodybuilding and its popularity, posin...

In this episode I sit down and chat with athlete, contest prep coach and my old friend from when I last did this whole bodybuilding thing, AJ Morris. It’s been 9 years since we last did one of these and it’s been great to reconnect with AJ. AJ has a depth of wisdom far beyond his years which makes him such a valuable voice in the natural bodybuilding community. He’s been coaching since he was a te...

It was a pleasure to sit down and chat with Pro World Champion, p.t/coach and my old contest prep client Ben Lloyd. This episode felt very much like sitting down with an old friend! I knew Ben before he rose to the very top of natural bodybuilding and he’s as humble and down to earth now as he was then. It’s very refreshing to see. In this episode we chat about our time together as coach & client,...