Fit to Transform Podcast with Coach Nikias

In this episode, I’m interviewing online coach and business mentor Emma Storey-Gordon on menopause: What are its different stages? What symptoms can you experience? How can diet and exercise support you in this phase of life? And much more, including a lot of valuable mindset suggestions and some myth-busting around cortisol and supplements. Links and resources: “The Expectation Effect” by David R...

I’m going to discuss: Is protein powder overrated, underrated, or appropriately rated? The characteristics of the most common animal- and plant-based types of protein powder The importance of taste, protein quality, leucine content, and digestibility when choosing the right product for your needs and preferences Listen until the end for the titular fitness rant… Links and resources: Podcast episod...

In this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing online coach and physiotherapist Mike Challis on a variety of topics, including: The differences between physiotherapists, chiropractors, and personal trainers Is it safe to let your knees go over your toes when squatting and deadlifting with a rounded back? How to navigate pain when training How to deal with an injury from both a physical and m...

In this solo episode, I’m using myself as an example to illustrate how you can plan your day and set up your environment in order to hit your fitness and health goals. I’m going to cover: A typical training day for me as of September 2023 My daily habits regarding diet, steps, hydration, sleep, stress management, and training The evidence-based strategies I rely on to stay consistent with my targe...

In the second part of my conversation with Dr. Eric Helms, we covered another preprint paper, this time on the relationship between proximity to failure and hypertrophy. We discussed: Does training to failure build more muscle than keeping some reps in reserve? Is load more important than proximity to failure? What about volume and proximity to failure: which one matters more? … And more! Links: P...

Dr. Eric Helms returns to the podcast to discuss one his recent research papers on the relationship between the size of a caloric surplus, strength, and muscle growth. In this episode, we cover not only the study itself, but also how it fits within the wider scientific literature on muscle gain, and how you can apply these findings to optimise your gaining phases. Links and resources: Research pap...

In this solo episode, I’m going to answer the following questions: What are the differences in body composition between the sexes? Do the sexes respond differently to resistance training? How starting to train and change your diet before gender-affirming therapy will benefit your mental and physical health as well as your transition

Steph Smith is one of the coaches on the ETPHD Team, led by Dr. Emilia Thompson. Steph specialises in working with ADHDers and creatives, and she’s also an educator, delivering workshops about body image and relationship with food. In this episode, I got the opportunity to interview Steph on ADHD: what it is, how it is typically expressed in adults, and how you can harness nutrition and lifestyle...

In Part 2 of this Q&A, I’m covering three nutrition-related questions: Should you track food as cooked or raw? Should I go over my cals to hit my protein in a fat loss phase? Tips on how to eat all of your calories in a gaining phase Links and resources: Sign up for one on one coaching: https://www.fittotransformtraining.com/coaching.html Follow me on Instagram @nikias_fittotransform : http://...

What’s the deal with aspartame and artificial sweeteners in general? In this episode, Dr. Eric Trexler and Ken the Concerned Consumer discuss the available evidence, myths, and facts about this popular topic. Links and resources: WHO’s news release: “Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released” – https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2023-aspartame-hazard-and-risk-assessment-results-releas...

In Part 1 of this Q&A, I’m covering three training-related questions: Tips to progress when increment in weight is too much! Can curl 20+ reps with 10 but can’t get 12.5s up How to progress lower body movement when upper body strength limits (goblet squats) I’m struggling to develop a mind-muscle connection with my pecs Links and resources: Sign up for one on one coaching: https://www.fittotra...

My client Sam joins the podcast to reflect on their experience getting into their best shape and health condition possible for top surgery. We discussed: Their inconsistent approach to training and nutrition Their all-or-nothing mindset How coaching changed these two aspects, engineering their success Their body recomp phase leading up to surgery Reverse dieting and maintaining bodyweight before a...

So you’re done dieting. Now what? This is a comprehensive guide to what to do after a fat loss phase, including: Should you reverse diet or increase calories to theoretical maintenance? How to calculate your theoretical maintenance What to eat and when to eat as you increase your calories How to adjust your steps and/or cardio How to transition out of the “fat loss” mindset How to stop tracking ca...

You’ve been consistent with your diet and you’ve seen pretty good results for some time… until now. All of a sudden, you’re struggling to stick to your calories and macros, you keep giving into cravings, and training feels like a chore. You may have hit your personal diet fatigue threshold. In this episode, I’m going to cover what diet fatigue is, how to recognise it, and what to do about it. Link...

To celebrate a whole year of podcasting, this week I decided to reflect on how my views have changed on the following topics in the last four years of coaching: Dieting on 1200 calories or less The best number of exercises per session Whether extreme dieting and training methods can work How often to change a training program Hiring a coach for myself Links and resources: Follow me on Instagram @n...

Dasha Agoulnik joins me in this episode to discuss how training and dieting for either muscle gain or fat loss can impact your gut health, and what you can do to prevent, limit, or overcome these issues whilst still pursuing your physique and performance goals. Dasha is a Registered Dietician specialising in gut health and hormones for athletes. She also runs the online coaching business Core Perf...

While most people are telling you how to get “beach body ready”, I want to give you four tips, including: Should you try to diet while on holiday? How can you best prepare for it? How can you eat without tracking calories while you’re away? Should you diet before your holiday? Whether during past holidays you went full “YOLO mode” and regretted overeating, or whether you went full “deprivation mod...

In this episode, Accredited Sports Nutritionist, Fortitude Nutrition coach, and nutrition researcher Mackenzie Baker joins me to share practical tips on how to rescue and protect your resistance training performance during a fat loss diet. Mackenzie and I started with a bit of good ol’ myth-busting, covering what the true likelihood of muscle loss during a fat loss phase may be. We then discussed...

This solo episode is a comprehensive guide on how to create a regular meal timetable, build enjoyable, diverse meals that meet your nutritional targets with minimal fuss and cooking skills, and plan and prep them so that you’re always on top of your fitness goals, even when leading a busy life. Links and resources: Blog article: “4 Ways to Hit Your Calorie and Protein Targets” – https://www.fittot...

There’s no better person to discuss creatine, one of the most researched supplements in the fitness and health industry, than Dr. Scott Forbes, also known as Dr. Creatine, who joins me today to share everything you need to know if you’re considering this substance to support your fitness and health goals. A current associate professor at Brandon University in Canada, Scott Forbes has dedicated his...

To wrap up this two-episode mini-series, I’m going to cover key food choices to help you feel as satiated as realistically possible in a caloric deficit. Links and resources: Blog article: “A Comprehensive Guide to Feeling Fuller on Your Weight Loss Diet” – https://www.fittotransformtraining.com/blog/guide-to-hunger Follow me on Instagram @nikias_fittotransform http://instagram.com/nikias_fittotra...

In the first part of this two-episode mini-series, I’m going to discuss mindset strategies and daily habits to manage hunger effectively during a fat loss phase. Links and resources: Blog article: “A Comprehensive Guide to Feeling Fuller on Your Weight Loss Diet” – https://www.fittotransformtraining.com/blog/guide-to-hunger Follow me on Instagram @nikias_fittotransform http://instagram.com/nikias_...

Today I have the pleasure to interview Kasey Orvidas on how to develop a successful mindset to pursue your health and fitness goals. Kasey has a Ph. D. in Psychology, runs her own coaching business, and mentors other coaches in the areas of health behaviour change, mindset, motivational interviewing, and habit formation. Links and resources: Follow her @coachkaseyjo on IG: https://www.instagram.co...

In this solo episode, I discuss how to choose the right weight for a brand-new exercise, when to increase reps or load to progress a lift, and how to increase the load when the weight increments are too large to stay in your programmed rep range. Links and resources: Ep. 9: “How hard do you need to train for effective muscle growth?” – https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/vINoTjvBtzb   Ep. 41: “A...

Today I have my first repeat guest interview with none other than Steve Hall from Revive Stronger, who joins me to discuss: What mini-cuts are Who they’re best suited for How to set up your training and nutrition to mini cut effectively … And more! Links and resources: Follow Steve on Instagram @revivestronger https://www.instagram.com/revivestronger/ Check out the Mini Cut Movement: https://reviv...