Health Oddity Podcast

We are rejoined by Mark Tonner (previously a guest on episodes 272 & 174) to Review the recent 'Lift for Life' Charity Deadlift Challenge & discuss some big plans for 2026. 2025 was the most successful event to date breaking records in terms of kg lifted, number of participants AND money raised for Suicide Prevention through Andy's Man Club & if you've listened to previous episodes with Mark you'l...

We last spoke to Paddy Haynes back in February 2025 (Episode 237) when he was very much 'The Dark Horse' of UK & International Strongman having narrowly missed out on a podium place at Britain's Strongest Man. Since then, it's fair to say he's had a pretty special year. In this catch up episode with Paddy we go through his biggest achievements of the year in terms of contest finishes & records bro...

In our first podcast of 2026 we are joined all the way from Southern Maryland, USA by the very aptly named Levi Strong. Levi is a 6ft 8, 375lb giant of a man who recently WON the Magnus Classic out in Iceland in November beating a world class line-up. We discuss Levi's hard working blue collar background, working in ice storms & extreme conditions, his experience in Iceland, his training & aspirat...

In the second of our two Christmas Specials we are joined from Scotland by Chris Beetham - 2024 Scotlands Strongest Man & 2025 UK Strongest Man runner up (by 1.5 points!) Chris is a full time Structural Engineer, father of two, owner of Dodge City Strength Gym, youth Rugby coach, coach to 35 strength athletes AND a Pro Strongman himself! We learn about Chris' rugby background, how he fell in love...

In the first of two Christmas Specials we are joined from Belfast, Northern Ireland by Emma Brennan.  Owner of Iron Wolf Gym, Iron Wolf Gymwear, Qualified Personal Trainer, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Sports Therapist, competitive Powerlifter & mother of two. This is a wide ranging conversation covering Emma's unconventional route into the fitness industry, her experience in the education & tra...

We are joined for the 3rd time by our good friend from Prague - Pavel Macek. Pavel is a Strongfirst Master Certified Instructor who lists his areas of interest & expertise as; Strength, Combatives, Stoicism, Tea, Cats (and the TV series LOST). He is a calm, wise & fascinating man & in this conversation we focus on RESILIENCE, both mental & physical, meditation, his upcoming visit to the UK (next M...

We are joined by Caroline Southgate, founder of Doris Jones Ltd for a timely & incredibly important conversation about ageing, longevity, the gap between health-span & life-span & staying well in later life. Ageing affects us all both directly (as ourselves) & indirectly (when caring for older friends & family) & as a society as well. Caroline's business Doris Jones provides physio-led home care,...

We are joined by Shane Nugent MSc to discuss all things nutrition & lifestyle management. Shane shares his nutrition principles which broadly apply to everyone & then discusses how these principles can be added to when specific variation is required due to athletic goals or personal preference. Shane is pragmatic, sensible & clear in his approach & believes getting nutrition 'right' for the indivi...

Following 4 weeks of guests on the podcast Pete & James take the time to catch up & discuss what they've taken from recent episodes & what's going on in their own training & businesses. Topics up for discussion include the upcoming Lift for Life Charity competition, the recent Dawn of the Deadlift challenge at Unique Results & how to manage overwhelm when embarking on a new fitness/lifestyle progr...

We are joined by Mark Tonner for the 2nd time. Mark's last episode with us was 174 (Boxing Day 2023) & we were talking about his upcoming 24hr Deadlift Challenge for Suicide prevention. This year will be the 4th time Mark has organised the 'Lift for Life' Challenge & this year it's bigger & better than ever & raising money for Andy's Man Club in the UK & Suicide Prevention charities in the other c...

We are joined by Mel Anderson from @my.bodyfits a Personal Trainer, Kettlebell Coach, Meno Strength Coach & Nutrition Coach. Mel talks openly & honestly about the challenges she experienced herself both with post natal depression & menopause & how big hormonal shifts can impact both mental & physical wellbeing. It was these experiences that led Mel to want to empower & support women going through...

We are joined by Theo Newton from 'Ultra Wellness' to discuss all things optimal health & advanced recovery from his state of the art wellness clinic based in Chelmsford, Essex, England. Theo is a Personal Trainer turned Wellness business owner who shares the benefits of Cryotherapy, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Red Light & Near Infra-Red Therapy, Compression Therapy & the LED Cryo-Mask. We talk per...

We are joined from Cambridgeshire by Hannah Fitzgerald, Personal Trainer, Coach & competitive Strength Athlete. Hannah is the 2024 Under 57kg Strongwoman World Champion AND the 2024 Under 59kg Masters British Weightlifting Champion. She teaches Pilates, Yoga, Barre, Bootcamps as well as other community based classes. She has 2 young children, 1 husband, 1 dog, 2 cats & 3 chickens AND she still som...

After 3 weeks of back to back guests Peter & James catch up, discuss recent thoughts & conversations & what they're working on at the moment. The conversation shifts to Longevity & a quiz James has been working on. They discuss areas of life that can have a big impact but are often overlooked or undervalued & how looking to the future can inform your current decisions. As Peter often says "What do...

We are joined for a record breaking 12th visit by the fountain of knowledge AND seemingly discoverer of the fountain of youth, Dan John, all the way from Murray, Utah, USA. We discuss Dan's recent travels to Australia, his latest book - The Art of Coaching & the concept of 'Game-changers' in coaching & life. What is a coach? What are some simple 'coaching truths' that Dan has uncovered after over...

We are joined by a big friendly giant - Icelander turned Londoner, Jón Valgeir Williams. Jon is the founder of 'Valgeir Strength Trips', a Personal Trainer & Strongman Coach based in London & the father to a very strong 18 year old son - Erik. Jon was a competitor at the Worlds Strongest Man competition in 2002 & 2003 & was also the mentee & training partner of 4 x WSM & former Health Oddity guest...

We are joined by pound for pound probably the strongest stone lifter on the planet. Andy Crawford lives in far North East Scotland & is making waves around the globe from his home garage gym. We learn about Andy's athletic background, including running a near 5 min mile, 18 min 5km & throwing before getting into barbell training, going 'all in' on stone & sandbag lifting & niching down even furthe...

After 5 weeks of fantastic guests & the summer break Pete & James reconvene to discuss what they've taken from recent guest conversations & events such as The Donald Dinnie Day & Chloe Brennan workshop at Unique Results. They also discuss the upcoming Walking Solves retreat, Britains Disabled Strongman & Strongwoman Competition & how to mentally deal with niggling injuries that get in the way of t...

We are joined from Barton Under Needwood, Staffordshire by Steve Gardner to discuss his 50 years in the Iron Game & Strength Sports. We met Steve when he was M.C at the recent Donald Dinnie Day in Scotland & spent a couple of evenings with him where we started to hear about his experiences over the last 50 years. In this podcast we discuss Weightlifting, Strongman, Highland Games, Tug of War, Arm...

We are joined from Aberdeenshire, Scotland by Jeanette (61) & Roger (65) Dunridge. A couple who are defying the stereotypes of ageing by leading an incredible active lifestyle & still challenging themselves through high level competition. Janette is a competitive Natural Bodybuilder & Roger is an extreme endurance runner (& they both walk their dogs twice every day in the rugged Scottish landscape...

We are rejoined by David Amerland (last with us on Episode 243) for a wide reaching conversation including what is required to live to 100 (according to the most recent science), Building our mental resilience, coping with everyday stress & a simple way to gain control of our day from the moment we wake.

We are delighted to be re-joined on our 5th Birthday episode by recent popular guest, UK NHS GP of 25 years - Dr Nancy Allen. Dr Nancy answers listener (& host) questions on all things health related including; cholesterol, statins, training with Kidney Failure, the importance of tracking & personal responsibility & what to look for when getting a blood test done privately. We also learn how the N...

We are joined from Woodbridge, Suffolk by Andrea Thompson; 2018 Worlds Strongest Woman, 2023 Worlds Strongest Masters & 4 x Britains Strongest Woman (2016-2019). Andrea is also one of the stars of the documentary 'A Strong Woman - The truth behind the world's strongest women' alongside former Health Oddity guests Lucy Underdown & Chloe Brennan. We discuss Andrea's life, training, being one of the...

In this breather episode Pete & James reflect on the last 6 weeks of guests & debrief after the Unique Results Walking Weekend in Bath, Somerset joined forces with Walk Bath & Walking Solves. We discuss walking & the simple but profound difference it can make in people's lives (& how it 'fixed' James' plantar fasciitis!) UK's Strongest Man finals are also discussed & the wisdom & lessons we have t...

We are joined all the way from The Sunny Coast, Australia by Sam Stow a movement specialist focused on technique, efficiency & injury-free running. We discuss Sam's approach to helping everyday people find joy & ease in running including 'The Functional Step' & 'POP! Running'. We talk about the importance of training (& using) the GO muscles rather than the SHOW muscles, drills to help you find yo...