Escapist Corner

AI can write you a perfect training programme in thirty seconds. It will not make you fit. This episode is about why most people are using AI to delay getting started — and the three moves that actually work instead. Ingvar Kamprad built IKEA on one principle: remove every unnecessary step so the essential thing can happen. That is exactly how AI should be applied to your health. Not to replace th...

Everyone has 168 hours a week. The billionaire, the lawyer, the parent of three, the business owner — same budget, different allocation. The average person spends nine times more time on screens than moving their body. Real social connection has dropped 40% in a decade. 67% of gym memberships worldwide go unused. People are already paying for fitness. They just are not going. This week is a coachi...

Silver medalists are measurably less happy than bronze medalists. Third place, happier than second. The Cornell research on this is uncomfortable and completely clarifying — and it is the starting point for this week's episode. Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole in 1911 and came home with something far more valuable than a flag in the ice. We launched The Zoo this week — a Hyrox simulation...

There is the fitness that looks good on Instagram. And then there is the other version — the one nobody sees. The 6am session when you are tired. The hotel gym at 40% energy. The decision made alone with nobody counting. This week: Franz Kafka writing in the dark between midnight and 3am for years while working as an insurance clerk, telling almost nobody. A bicycle accident in Berlin where a doct...

Running a business is lonely in a way that is hard to explain to people who haven’t done it. Not obviously lonely. Quietly lonely. You carry things because you don’t want to bring them home every time something goes sideways. This week I am recording from Chicago, at the TwoBrain Business Summit, inside a room with some of the best gym operators in the world. Yesterday we had sixty seconds to writ...

A 2025 European meta-analysis of 270,000 children across 17 countries found that fitness levels have still not recovered from the pandemic. In Germany specifically, children are moving 25% less than before. Even kids at sports schools are declining. This episode covers what that data actually means, what Hippocrates argued 2,400 years ago about movement and medicine, what I witnessed inside a Hyro...

Does your life hand you some curve balls? Never right?! Honestly, it happens all the time and some of us get emotionally exhausted, but others seems to be just fine. Why? It comes down to expectations. And that is in this week’s Never Start Over Again episode. Sam Harris shared a story that genuinely changed the way I think about problems. He described sitting in a café overwhelmed by chaos, stres...

This week: the data on what sitting all day is actually doing to your body and why your morning workout alone won't save you. Plus why most people are taking the wrong form of magnesium and what switching it changes. A personal thread on what fifteen years of consistent fitness made possible. And the one question that reveals where you're using comfort as a ceiling. Theme: Stability. One a...

J.R.R. Tolkien spent seventeen years building a world nobody asked for. His colleagues had a label for him. It was technically correct and completely wrong. This week: why the people around you can't categorize what you're building — and why that's not a problem to solve. Plus a principle from game theory that explains why some people never need to restart, and one honest observation a...

Warum hören so viele Menschen nach ein paar Monaten wieder mit Training auf? In dieser Episode von Escapist Corner sprechen wir über ein Problem, das fast niemand anspricht: die meisten Fitnessziele sind zu vage, zu oberflächlich oder einfach nicht ehrlich. „Ein bisschen fitter werden“ oder „ein paar Kilo abnehmen“ reicht meistens nicht aus, um langfristig dran zu bleiben. Rickard Long, Gründer vo...

Ärzte kümmern sich jeden Tag um die Gesundheit anderer Menschen. Sie stellen Diagnosen, erstellen Therapiepläne und verschreiben Interventionen – Medikamente, Physiotherapie oder Lebensstiländerungen. Doch eine Frage wird selten gestellt: Wer verschreibt eigentlich dem Arzt selbst etwas? In dieser Episode von Escapist Corner spreche ich über ein Paradox, das mir in über zehn Jahren Coaching immer...

Escapist hat als Gym aufgehört. In dieser Episode spreche ich darüber, warum klassische Fitnessstudios oft nur Workouts verkaufen aber keine langfristigen Lösungen. Warum Motivation überschätzt wird. Warum Momentum alles verändert. Warum Fitness kein Hobby ist, sondern Prävention. Und warum Struktur wichtiger ist als Disziplin. Wenn du dich schon einmal gefragt hast, warum so viele Menschen immer...

Most Germans already pay around €250 per week for their health. They just don’t get healthier from it. Every working person in Germany pays into the health system. Roughly €800–1,000 per month. Whether you are healthy or sick. Now here’s the uncomfortable part. Most people still get sicker over time. At the same time: • Millions have a gym membership • The average gym is used only a handful of tim...

Over the years Escapist has evolved and innovated itself over and over again. In this episode we walk thought some of the innovations in the last year of Escapist and even beyond. http://www.escapistcrossfit.com

In this episode, Rickard breaks down what’s happening at Escapist in the next 8 weeks and why it matters more than ever to stay consistent. You’ll get a complete walkthrough of our new  8-week strength cycle, “Mayhem Overdrive,”  including the movements, the structure, and what kind of results you can expect with measurable progress, not just a “feeling.” Rickard also explains why  Focus Talks  ar...

In this freestyle episode, Rickard shares reflections from a recent interview about the future of fitness — and why most people still think of it as “just a hobby.” We dive into: • Why the mindset around “sport” vs. “fitness” is broken • How preventive care could change everything — even healthcare costs • What the Momentum Method really is (and how it helps members build unbreakable consistency)...

Consistency is the real flex. In this episode of Escapist Corner , we explore the Momentum Method, our proven system for helping people build sustainable fitness habits and long-term results. You’ll learn: Why momentum is more powerful than motivation How we help members make fitness a lifestyle (not just a phase) What’s coming next week in our workouts (Aug 19–25) A breakdown of the new 8-week st...

If you’re a busy professional or parent juggling work, family, and fitness, this episode is for you. Rickard Long (founder of Escapist CrossFit in Berlin) dives into a crucial insight: the key to long-term results isn’t just training harder, it’s training smarter. And that starts with knowing your data. In this episode: • Why exercising isn’t the same as training • The biggest mistake most gyms (a...

Back pain affects 80% of people at some point in their lives — and yet most people handle it wrong. In this episode of Escapist Corner, Rickard Long dives deep into: • Why most back pain isn’t structural and why movement is the real medicine • What world-renowned spine expert Dr. Stuart McGill says about healing your back • How strength training (done right) can protect and heal your spine • The w...

In Part 3 of our 4 Pillars of Health series, we tackle the most underrated pillar of all:  sleep . Start with a quick self-check: 🕒 How many hours did you sleep last night? 📆 How many nights this week did you get 7+ hours? If the answer isn’t great , this episode is for you. We’ll bust the most common myths about sleep and dive into what the science really says: ✅ Why 6 hours is  not enough , a...

In Part 2 of our 4 Pillars of Health series, we dive into  Nutrition, but not the way most people talk about it. Your body is a  biological nightclub , and your hormones are the bouncers. What you eat affects  who gets let in, and how your body responds. In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ Why calories are just one part of the story ✅ How food triggers hormonal responses that impact fat loss, energ...

Welcome to the first episode of our brand-new series:  The 4 Pillars of Health , the foundation we use at Escapist CrossFit to build real, lasting results. In this episode, we focus on  Pillar 1: Training  — and why it’s more than just exercise. ✅ The science behind why training improves mood, brain function & lifespan ✅ What counts as “real training” vs. just being active ✅ How Escapist Cr...

Histidine is one of the least talked about amino acids but don’t underestimate it. This essential nutrient plays a major role in: ✅ Producing  histamine , which supports your immune system and digestion ✅ Protecting  nerve cells  by maintaining the myelin sheath ✅ Buffering  acid in muscles  (via carnosine) and reducing fatigue ✅ Supporting  antioxidant defenses  and tissue repair In this fina...

Welcome to the 8th part of the Essential Amino Acids Series

Get our free protein guide here: https://bit.ly/4cg8E7t Our Homepage: http://www.escapistcrossfit.com In Part 7 of our Essential Amino Acids Series, we reveal one of the most underrated building blocks of your brain and mood: Phenylalanine. Did you know that without enough phenylalanine, your body can’t produce dopamine, norepinephrine, or thyroid hormones? In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ How ph...