The Catalyst

Nearly half of all adults now own a fitness tracker. Most are using it to make real decisions — when to push, when to rest, whether to even show up today. The problem: some of the most important numbers on that screen are significantly less accurate than the device lets on. In this episode, Coach Chris gives an honest breakdown of what wearables actually measure well — and where they quietly misle...

When you first start exercising, the competition is you versus you. The heaviest weight you'll ever move is the front door. But after about a year of consistent training, something shifts. You feel better. You're more confident. And it becomes dangerously easy to get complacent — right around the point where habits quietly start sliding backward. In this episode, Coach Chris makes the case for sig...

If you're a man over 35, you've probably seen the ads. Tired all the time? Brain fog? Low drive? Struggling to keep muscle? The ad has an answer — it's your testosterone — and a clinic ready to fix it with an online quiz and a prescription. Testosterone prescriptions in the US jumped from 7.3 million in 2019 to over 11 million by 2024. In this episode, Coach Chris breaks down what's actually drivi...

Seed oils are toxic. They cause inflammation. They're driving the obesity epidemic. One prominent voice called them "worse than glyphosate, herbicides, and pesticides combined." In response, fast food chains switched to beef tallow, food companies started reformulating, and people across North America threw out their canola oil. But is any of this based on evidence? In this episode, Coach Chris Co...

This is our "deep dive" into Catalyst programming for June 22-28, 2026.

This is our "deep dive" into Catalyst programming for June 15-21, 2026.

Have you ever watched someone cross a triathlon finish line and thought — I wonder if I could do that? Most people talk themselves out of it before they ever start. Not fit enough. Not a strong swimmer. Not a real athlete. This episode is for everyone who's had that thought and then let that voice win. Coach Chris announces Catalyst's 5 Weeks to Tri program — a structured, coached program designed...

This is a deep dive into Catalyst programming for June 8-14, 2026.

Peptides are everywhere right now — in fitness ads, longevity podcasts, and your gym buddy's supplement stack. But what actually are they, and do they work? In this episode, Coach Chris Cooper breaks down the science behind peptides: what they are (short chains of amino acids your body already makes), why they've exploded in popularity, and whether the fitness-focused ones are actually worth your...

This is our weekly "deep dive" into the Catalyst methodology for June 1-7, 2026.

You're eating reasonably well. You're trying to move more. But the weight keeps showing up around your middle and won't budge. It might not be your diet. It might be your cortisol. In this episode, Coach Chris breaks down exactly what chronic stress does to your body — and why it works directly against every health goal you have. Cortisol is your primary stress hormone. In short bursts it's essent...

Most people quit their fitness routine between weeks three and six. That's almost always right before the results actually show up. In this episode, Coach Chris breaks down exactly when fitness results happen — and in what order. Because results don't all arrive at once, and if you're only watching the mirror, you'll miss most of what's happening for the first six to eight weeks. The research is c...

Hybrid racing is exploding in popularity—and for good reason. It's accessible, challenging, and gives you a clear goal to train toward. In this episode, Chris breaks down what hybrid racing actually is, starting with Hyrox: the fitness race that combines running with functional workout stations like rowing, sled pushes, burpees, and wall balls. Hyrox events sell out in minutes, which is why gyms w...

If you're walking regularly and wondering whether it's enough — this episode is for you. The short answer: walking is genuinely good for you. A 2025 global review of 57 studies found that 7,000 steps a day cuts the risk of early death by nearly half. The research on walking is real and worth taking seriously. But walking has gaps — and most people don't discover them until their 40s or 50s. In thi...

Is it safe for your kid to lift weights? You've probably heard the warning your whole life: weight training stunts a child's growth. It's so widely repeated that most parents accept it without ever asking where it came from. In this episode of The Catalyst, Coach Chris Cooper traces the myth back to its actual source — an 1842 report from England's Children's Employment Commission about coal-minin...

What does it mean to be fit? It sounds like a simple question — until you try to answer it. Back in 2002, CrossFit founder Greg Glassman tackled this question head-on and argued that the fitness world had no agreed-upon definition of fitness — so he wrote his own. He defined ten physical skills that make up true fitness, and introduced the concept of the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum: a spec...

What do you actually get when you train at a coaching gym — as opposed to just having a gym membership? It's a fair question. Coaching costs more. It requires commitment. And if you've never experienced it, it can be hard to understand what you're paying for. In this episode of the Catalyst Fitness Quickcast, Coach Chris breaks down the three things every Catalyst member gets that a standard gym m...

Waiting to feel motivated before you go to the gym? That's not a strategy — that's a trap. Motivation is a feeling. It shows up on Monday when you're fired up and disappears by Wednesday when work is hard and the couch is right there. If your entire fitness plan depends on feeling ready, you're going to spend more time restarting than you are getting results. In this episode of the Catalyst Fitnes...

Speed is not a talent. It's the output of a chain — and strength is where that chain begins. In this episode, Coach Chris makes the case that whether you're an athlete chasing a faster first step or just someone who wants to stop feeling slow and beat-up, strength is the foundation everything else is built on. You can't apply force you don't have. That's not motivation — that's physics. But here's...

Spring is here — and if you've been thinking about signing up for a 5K, this is your episode. Coach Chris Cooper breaks down exactly how complete beginners can go from the couch to crossing a 5K finish line this summer, using a proven method that works — without injury, burnout, or the crushing failure of Day 1 going too hard. The mistake almost every new runner makes? Lacing up and trying to run...

You're showing up. You're putting in the work. So why aren't you seeing results? The problem usually isn't effort — it's a mismatch between your problem and your prescription. The wrong fix, no matter how hard you work it, won't get you where you want to go. In this episode of the Catalyst Fitness Quickcast, Coach Chris goes rapid-fire through 11 of the most common "working out but stuck" scenario...

Are you already teaching your kids about food? Whether or not you realize it — yes, you are. Every meal, every snack, every habit they see you model is a lesson. The question is whether it's the lesson you want to pass on. In this episode, Coach Chris Cooper walks through four simple principles every kid should understand about food and nutrition — the things the Canada Food Guide won't teach them...

How do you talk to your kids about working out — without pushing them away? If your kid has started showing interest in fitness, or if you wish they would, this episode is for you. Coach Chris breaks down the #1 thing parents get wrong (hint: it has nothing to do with what you say), why early specialization backfires, and how to introduce fitness to kids without creating pressure or fear. You'll l...

Motivation isn't something you find — it's something you build. And if you're waiting to feel motivated before you start, you've already made the most common mistake in fitness. In this episode of the Catalyst Fitness Quickcast, Coach Chris breaks down why motivation feels so unreliable (especially in the dark, cold back half of a Northern Ontario winter), and what to do instead. You'll learn a th...

Is your kid playing hockey year-round? In the Soo, it's almost a rite of passage. But what if that level of specialization is actually working against them? In this episode of the Catalyst Fitness Quickcast, Coach Chris breaks down the science of early sport specialization — and the findings might surprise you. Research across dozens of studies is clear: early sport specialization (year-round, sin...