The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

Private Equity is about building great teams to evaluate talent and in turn risk.  Mike McMullan is a private equity investor, and formerly was a 4x All American for wrestling at Northwestern and a college wrestling coach for the University of Pennsylvania.  Spartan Up Combat series host Ryan Warner talks to Mike about the key ingredients for building a successful team.     In this episode you'll...

Fitness is the fountain of youth! Joe Decker - former Guinness World's Fittest Man and Death Race legend - talks with Spartan Up Endurance series host Johnny Waite about how to accomplish your fitness goals when you're 50 or older. In this episode you'll learn:   How to approach training when you're out of your prime How to pivot your training. If you are beat-up from a life of running, try paddli...

What works to optimize your biology? Alisa Vitti, hormone expert, has made it her life's work to find out. In her conversation with Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena, she explains how and why women need to plan differently for intermittent fasting and hit workouts, how men can maximize testosterone and performance using their circadian rhythms, and hormonal power women can unlock by understandin...

What does a 4x La Ruta endurance mountain bike race champion eat during a race? Louise "La Ruta Lou" Kobin shares tips on diet for performance with our Spartan Up La Ruta series host Roy Wallack.   In this episode you'll learn:  -What Louise eats and drinks during a race -How often she's consuming calories while on the bike -What to eat and drink during that all important 30-minute window after a...

If your life was a movie, would you change the channel? That's the question Hunter McIntyre wants you to ask yourself every day. Hunter McIntyre is a professional athlete and fitness trainer who has established himself as a dominant force in the world of obstacle course racing. He was named one of the top 50 fittest athletes by Sports Illustrated and is the undefeated champion of CMT's reality TV...

Dr. Gil Blander, the founder of InsideTracker, has created a system to unlock the information hidden in your blood. Today on Spartan Up Podcast he tells Joe De Sena about his process and the surprising patterns he's discovered.  For example, many health-conscious people are overdoing it with supplements. For his studies, Blander considers blood "validated calibrated liquid gold." LINKS: https://ww...

"The moment I had the courage to be completely honest with myself"….that's when things started to change for Sarah Hildebrandt, our guest today on Spartan Combat.  Sarah is a 3x member of Team USA and currently the #1 ranked wrestler in the country in her weight class.    Host Ryan Warner and Sarah talk about the all important moment of turning PRO. You don't have to be a professional athlete to b...

At age 27, Joe Decker was out of shape and out of hope.  He was an alcoholic and drug addict who had just hit rock bottom. Three years later, Joe broke the Guinness Record for World's Fittest Man. He got there - from out of hope to Fittest Man - by mastering the goal setting process, and that's the focus for today's conversation. Host Johnny Waite talks to Joe about:    -Joe's starting point. As w...

Fit Men Cook founder Kevin Curry joins Joe De Sena (Spartan Race founder & CEO) to talk about how Kevin changed his relationship with food.   This episode of Spartan Up! Is brought to you by GONEROGUESNACKS.COM - use code SPARTAN25 for a discount    FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod   CREDIT...

If you want to make a change, start with a single person. In an age of more is better - more likes, downloads or views - Todd Durkin talks with hosts Jarog Cogswell and Yancy Culp on how to 'light up the planet' by starting with a single person.   In case you missed the first episode, Todd Durkin (@ToddDurkin) is an internationally recognized strength, speed, and conditioning coach, as well as an...

Runners, when you hit the wall, Meghan Hicks suggests these two tips to push through. She would know, she's run over 60 trail races and ultras, won and won the Marathon des Sables. She's is the managing editor for IRunFar.com. She's also the author of Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running. Today she tells Spartan Trail host Mauri Pagliacci about her experience at Nolan's 14 where she's set...

Hooked on Sugar? How about "diet" sodas? Kara Goldin, founder of hint water and author of the new book Undaunted, fell for the advertising. For years she believed that something called "diet" must be good for you. One day she stopped and read the ingredients label and her journey to better health for herself and others began. Kara set the diet sodas aside and drank only water.  The benefits to her...

Biochemical Engineer and Complex Problem Solving Specialist Ivor Cummins talks about the conclusions he's come to based on Covid data. At Spartan, we do the hard things. Today that means tackling a difficult conversation. Joe De Sena invited Ivor to share his information with you. Please, listen all the way through, give it some thought, and then let us know what he got right, and what he got wron...

Ben Friberg, extreme endurance paddler talks with Johnny Waite, of Spartan Up Podcast, about how to prepare for the really big, self-supported, expedition-style adventures where you will be truly on your own. An example is Ben's dream crossing - the Bering Strait from Siberia to Alaska, alone on a stand-up paddleboard. Ben Stresses the importance of preparation - doing your research, knowing your...

Pain is easy to forget, says Louise Kobin, 4x La Ruta race winner.  In this episode, our first in the La Ruta series, Louise and Spartan Up La Ruta series host Roy Wallach introduce you to the 3-day, cross-country mountain bike race known as La Ruta.  In this episode, you'll learn about Louise's first La Ruta race, specifically...   -A deep dive of the 3-day race and the challenges presented throu...

James Nestor, author of the hugely popular book "Breath" explains his deep research. Should you be breathing through your nose?  The answer is YES!  Today on the Spartan Up podcast,   He tells Spartan Founder & CEO Joe De Sena how breathing affects your performance. He also explains the history, the science, and some simple steps you can take to improve your breathing. As Nestor says "If you stick...

Spartan Combat athlete Gabe Dean (@DabeGean) discusses his comeback to the mat, and how the passing of a family member helped motivate his return.   Gabe Dean is an assistant wrestling coach at Cornell - one of the top wrestling programs in the country - and was a 2x NCAA Champion for the Big Red.  Gabe recently returned to competition, and that's the focus of our conversation today. Please Enjoy!...

Adapting to drastic life changes Ryan Kent Ryan Kent (instagram: dr0p_the_hammer) was a full-time, professional athlete until Covid hit.  Now, he's a full time worker with a pro athlete's training load. Tune-in to learn how Ryan is adapting to the new normal, while still maintaining his fitness.   SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up! is brought to you by TrueForm Runner.  Save 10% with the code 'Sp...

Evolution has left you with two basic drives - to survive and to procreate, but evolutionary biologist Rebecca Heiss, Ph. D. tells Joe De Sena how understanding those drives can lead us to overcome fears and achieve success. Fear, says Heiss, is an ancient signal meant to keep us alive, but most things we fear today are not life-threatening.  In this interview, she shares tactics to replace you A....

How do you find the motivation to start your first trail race? Tune-in to hear professional, ultra-racer Mike Wardian (@mikewardian) tackle this question.  Mike has set world records for the fastest time for 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days, and has also completed some of the most difficult races in the world like the Badwater Ultra.    SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up! is brought to you by...

What goes into success in an expedition or adventure race? One huge element is your support crew. Spartan Up endurance host Johnny Waite talks to Ben Friberg, who has paddled from Cuba to the US and completed numerous ultra-paddle events, about what makes a solid crew.  The main lessons in this podcast are:  1 - Planning is Everything  2 - Work with optimists  3 - The importance of preparation    ...

How many hours a day do you need to use your feet to get to your phone? One? Two? zero? Adam Alter, author of "Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked," has made a study of the outsized influence addictive technology has had on us and some basic steps to count eract it. An associate professor at NYU's Stern School of Business, his research focuses on ju...

Kat Shai is a 6x Team USA member for women's wrestling,  She's competing at the national tournament this weekend, aiming to make the 2021 Olympic team. In this episode, Kat talks self-doubt, her experience with it after the 2016 Olympic team trials, and how to overcome it.     Find out more at https://spartancombat.com/   SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.l...

Welcome to the DEKA series here on the SpartanUp podcast. Professional trainer Todd Durkin talks about that all important moment when you don't 'feel' like doing what needs to be done, and how to persevere. About Todd - Todd Durkin is an internationally recognized strength, speed and conditioning coach, body-worker, author and motivational speaker. He is the founder of Fitness Quest 10 in San Dieg...

Cindy Eckert has seen incredible success in the pharmaceutical industry challenging the boys club with the "little pink pill." She and Joe De Sena talk about the crossovers between overall health, diet, and good sex, about challenging the status quo, and her advice for female entrepreneurs going against the odds.  Cindy says " I think that good sex is the trifecta of wellness. We talk about physic...