The High Performance Gym

I told a sports science graduate to go stack shelves in a supermarket. He thought I was crazy. He's now living his dream life in Australia. This is the blueprint for turning any job into a stepping stone to the life you actually want. Keir Wotherspoon is a health and performance coach and founder of Lift Performance Academy. He's spent over a decade helping young people find their direction when t...

Every morning, millions of parents race against the clock — stressed, shouting, and throwing kids into cars just to make a bell. But what if the obsession with being on time is actually setting your children up to fail? In this episode, host Keir Wotherspoon shares the controversial parenting decision that divided the internet, the science behind why your child's morning routine could be damaging...

Do you ever feel like your brain is like a million browser tabs open at once? You start a task, get distracted and then set it aside to start a new project.  Only later do you realise you have a ton of unfinished projects. And nothing actually finished. You might think this is a motivation problem, a lack of willpower or that you’re just a lazy bugger who can’t finish what you started. ...

If you’re busy all day, shattered by 6pm, and still feel like you’ve achieved nothing, this episode is for you. I break down why time management doesn’t work in real life for busy dads, business owners and men who work hard all day. And why time management actually leaves you drained, frustrated and stuck on the sofa at night. This episode isn’t about productivity hacks, colour-coded calendars, or...

If you’re waking up tired, hitting a wall by mid-afternoon, and wondering why life feels harder than it used to… this episode is for you. A few years ago, after burning out while running a gym and raising a young family, I realised something important: Energy isn’t something you push for, it’s something you build systematically. In this episode, I break down 7 simple habits that quietly restored m...

Most guys will set goals in 2026. Most will abandon them within weeks. Not because they’re weak, but because the brain isn’t designed to handle the way we're told to set goals. In this episode, Keir breaks down what actually happens in the brain when you aim too high, move too fast, or try to change everything at once. The result isn’t ambition. It’s shutdown. You’ll learn: Why big goals create fe...

At what point did we stop being capable? When did running upstairs start feeling like a sprint? When did climbing a tree with our kids become a risk instead of a reflex? In this episode, Keir Wotherspoon , performance coach and founder of LIFT Performance Academy , breaks down what it really means to stay athletic for life — not “fit,” not “in shape,” but truly ready for anything. Keir shares the...

At 38, I was 30lbs overweight, constantly exhausted, and completely lost my zest for life. Between kids, work, stress, and trying to keep everything together, my health quietly slipped to the bottom of the list — and it caught up with me fast. If you’re working hard, providing for your family, carrying pressure nobody else sees, and wondering why your energy has crashed, your drive has vanished, a...

Still icing injuries? Stop. The doctor who invented R.I.C.E. says it doesn’t work. In this episode, Keir explains why ice delays recovery, what actually heals the body, and how movement speeds up the process — physically and mentally. Follow Keir & LIFT Performance Academy on social - Instagram (Keir) Instagram (LIFT Performance Academy) Download our FREE Strength Training Guide for Girls in S...

Hey parents, The risk for teenage girls is real. Overtraining and under-fuelling are more common than most people think. Those at highest risk are sports that value aesthetics, weight, or endurance... things like running, gymnastics, martial arts, boxing, rowing, swimming, and dance. But with football now demanding year-round training, multiple matches, and high fitness expectations , we’re seeing...

Most men don’t realise it’s happening until it’s already gone. The energy. The focus. The drive. One day you’re on fire, and the next you’re wondering where that man went. In this episode, we uncover: The real reason men over 40 feel tired, flat, and “not themselves” Why testosterone is your “factory of drive” and how modern life shuts it down The truth about TRT: when it’s essential and when it’s...

Is stress killing you or powering you? In this episode, Dr. Bernadette Dancy reveals why everything you’ve been told about stress is wrong, how cortisol really works, and why burnout shows up differently in neurodivergent brains. Dr. Dancy spent 15 years lecturing in sports science and health & exercise psychology , before dedicating the last 8 years to coaching people through chronic stress,...

For six months, I disappeared. Not because I didn’t care, but because I was trapped in my own head. In this raw episode of The High Performance Gym , I confess the truth about why I stopped podcasting: overthinking, procrastination, burnout, and losing my identity as a dad, coach, and business owner. But this isn’t just my story—it’s yours too. Because whether you’re a parent juggling family and w...

Right now, thousands of teenagers are sitting at kitchen tables, highlighters in hand, staring at revision notes—wondering if they’re doing enough. The pressure to perform in GCSEs is intense. Parents want the best for their kids. Schools push for results. And students feel like their future is riding on a single exam paper. But what if that pressure is doing more harm than good? And what if there...

What if your fatigue, brain fog, and struggles with weight gain isn’t just in your head, but a missing message from your hormones? And more importantly, what if your daughter is on the same path… before it even begins? In this episode of The High Performance Gym , I’m joined by Dr. Nicky Keay—endocrinologist, medical doctor, and global expert on female health and performance—to unpack The Female H...

Do you feel stuck in the ‘crash and burn’ cycle of dieting? It’s not your fault. For years, women have been told to shrink. To starve. To be smaller. For generations, the diet industry has preyed on that. In this episode, I’m pulling the whole thing apart. You’ll hear how the system was rigged from the start — from Victorian myths about wombs falling out… to the rise of Ozempic… and why the very w...

She lost 2 litres of blood during her C-section. Her postnatal care? A six-week phone call asking if she wanted contraception. No rehab. No recovery plan. No support. This isn’t a one-off story. This is happening to women across the UK and beyond—every single day. In this episode, I sit down with Katie Angeloni , a women’s health physiotherapist and mother of two, to expose the truth about postnat...

Dads, is your testosterone really low—or have you just been running on empty for years? You’re juggling work, family, and fitness (when you can squeeze it in). You’re constantly exhausted, struggling with belly fat, brain fog, and that feeling that you’ve lost your edge. And everywhere you look, you’re being told that low testosterone is to blame. TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) is being so...

You’re training, eating clean, and doing everything ‘right’—so why do you feel exhausted, weak, and stuck? Why is your strength not improving? Why are your injuries not healing? Why are you gaining weight despite training harder? The truth is, pushing through isn’t the answer—and today, we’re uncovering why. In this episode, we dive deep into the biggest mistakes active women make that sabotage st...

Struggling with self-doubt? Feeling like a fraud? You're not alone. Imposter syndrome keeps people stuck, second-guessing their abilities, and playing small. In this episode, we break down: The real difference between self-doubt and imposter syndrome Why high-achievers still feel like frauds (and how to stop it) How cold exposure affects mental resilience (and why ice baths won’t fix your confiden...

You're training, you're eating right, and you're doing everything they say you should—so why do you still feel exhausted? Why do your workouts feel harder, your body feel weaker, and your progress seem slower? What if the problem isn’t your metabolism? What if the solution isn’t more cardio, stricter dieting, or doubling down on what worked in your 20s and 30s? In this episode, Keir Wotherspoon cr...

You’ve been lied to about stress. Everyone tells you it’s the enemy—wrecking your business, slowing down fat loss, and stopping you from perfoming at your best. But what if stress is actually the key to your success? In this episode of The High Performance Gym Podcast, Keir Wotherspoon takes a deep dive into the science of stress, why cortisol isn’t the villain, and how you can turn stress into a...

Your brain is not fixed—it’s constantly adapting, rewiring, and forming new pathways based on how you train it. That’s neuroplasticity , and in this episode of The High Performance Gym podcast, we break down how you can use it to your advantage. Whether you’re: 🔹 Stuck in a weight loss plateau and frustrated with your progress 🔹 Struggling to perform in your sport or hit new personal bests 🔹 Fi...

Welcome Back to The High Performance Gym Podcast! I’m Keir Wotherspoon, and after years of coaching athletes, professionals, and everyday warriors, I’ve seen one thing time and time again—performance isn’t just about training or working harder. It’s about rewiring how you move, think, and recover so you can take back control of your energy and own your life —not just push through it. This podcast...

To be successful in business (or any high performance endeavour) requires a high level of creativeness, productivity and focus. There's a secret you probably know about, it's all the rage... and that is a morning routine. People have made millions on selling their morning routine concepts. But there's something even more powerful than a morning routine (it's just not as sexy). An evening routine....