The Odyssey Podcast

n this episode, Conor sits down with Dr. David Nolan to discuss his research on sex-based differences in athletic development, sports training and performance. The discussion of Dr. Nolan's work sets a baseline for a wide range of topics, including but not limited to: Removing barriers to participation in sport, validity of menstrual cycle timing and female reproductive hormone levels as a var...

In this episode, Adam and Conor take a look back on the IrishPF October Open. The last open competition of the year was one of the busiest for the team to date, managing new lifters competing for the first time, and seasoned pros looking to make a claim to the national stage. This weekend saw Conor return to the platform with the hopes of a big performance after his disappointing day on his last o...

In this Q&A episode, Adam and Conor chat answer your questions on EPF Sub-Junior/ Junior European championships, the impact of cutting weight on strength and performance, USAPL Ireland, Powerlifting America and their social media faux-pas, and much more. Be sure to share on socials, and leave a review!

In this episode, Adam and Conor discuss the consequences of the establishment of USAPL Ireland. USAPL Ireland is set to make a splash in the Irish powerlifting scene, providing lifters with a second avenue to raw, tested powerlifting. The guys debate the implication of this development and the future it will have on the sport in Ireland. Listen in and give us your thoughts and predictions as to wh...

In this episode, Adam and Conor look back on one of the best open competitions of the year in Phenom Gym, Cork. This was a huge day for the team with a lot of new lifters and the return of sesoned pros, least of all Adam himself. The guys pull apart the days that lead to the competition, and how Adam handled being in the hot seat and getting the most out of his lifting on the day. Also in this epi...

Adam and Conor sit down to discuss Conor's recent experiences coaching at Western Euros in Iceland. We touch on the performance of each Irish lifter, make some honorable mentions and discuss some of the Conor's wider experiences coaching at an international event.

Adam and Conor run through their thoughts on this year's Junior World Championships. Podium battles in each class, Irish lifters and some honorable mentions, with some incredibly stacked classes this years JR Worlds is sure to be one to watch!

In this episode, Adam and Conor go through the ins and outs of all things competing. From picking the right comp, structuring training and nutrition in the days, weeks, and months preceding, this is a crash course in getting the most out of your competition.

In this episode Adam and Conor discussed all things underrated or overrated in powerlifting. From stretching and coaching cues, social media to expensive kit, the guys break down what actually matters in what contexts, and where to focus your time and energy in the land of lifting.

In this episode we sat down and answered some questions posed to us in a recent Q&A. We addressed Conor's frequent no-scoping on Instagram at the outset and then delved into our thoughts on how younger athletes should approach the sport of powerlifting, the reality of sacrifices that could and/or should be made for success in powerlifting, at every age/ level, how can new lifters best prep...

In this episode, Conor sat down with Richeal Ria, a powerlifting coach and personal trainer with a fresh take on training. Richeal prides herself on a sustainable, individual based approach to health and fitness, and has a few hot takes on the current state of the fitness industry with regards to how coaches use and abuse their clients for clout and commercial gain. Richeal and Conor speak on this...

In this episode we sat down to answer the question: How should you choose a coach? We put the feelers out to instagram to get your thoughts, from which we pulled a lot of insight and great questions. We considered what you look for in a coach, your time and budget constraints, your experience and game day needs as a lifter.

In this episode Adam and Conor reviewed IPF worlds 2023 and what it meant for the future of classic powerlifting at home and abroad. The guys also answered some questions on labelling injuries, training the elderly, how their training is going, how to choose the right accessory work, and Conor's love for the Whoop watch.

In this episode Conor sat down with Milo Wolf, powerlifter/ natural bodybuilder, coach and PhD candidate with Solent University. Milo has special interest in the mechanisms behind muscle hypertrophy especially as it pertains to range of motion and hypertrophic outcomes. Milo's work challenges recent consensus in the field and raises important questions on science communication, scientific epis...

In this episode we sit down and do our very best to outline from core philosophies to exercise selection specifics, our complete process surrounding formulating training for our athletes. We hope this episode provides a flowchart for our listeners on employing some of the practices our coaching staff has developed surrounding programming, coaching and training in general over a combined 20+ years...

In this episode we sat down with Jayne Jones. Jayne studied dietetics in Trinity College and came into the healthcare field at the height of the pandemic, all while training to represent Ireland on the international stage. In this episode we talk about Jayne's experience working on the front lines of covid, as well as her powerlifting arc from a beginner in college, to national & internati...

Without much preparation and to our great suprise, Conor survived his adventure race. In this episode we break down Conor's race, the lessons learned during training and on the day itself. We also talk abouy the complex relationship between novelty and specificity, the relief of removing artificial constraints on your performance, and the benefits to feeding your training imagination by being...

Cormac is a powerlifting coach under Odyssey Strength and in this episode we chat to Cormac about his background in powerlifting, how he got into coaching and how it ties into his 9-5 as a secondary school teacher. We also discussed the recent Sheffield Championships and what it means for the sport going forward.

In this episode, we had the pleasure of sitting down with the incredible Dawn Steacy. Dawn is a seasoned international level lifter, a very experienced national level referee, and the 2023 52kg open national champion. We spoke about Dawn's relatively late introduction to the sport and her journey towards representing Ireland internationally on multiple occasions. We also spoke on Dawn's ex...

In this episode we discuss some highlights from Masters European Championships and the overall importance of promoting and encouraging masters lifting. A massive thank you to the IrishPF Masters lifters for being so enthusiastic, encouraging of each other and appreciative of the efforts of the coaching staff. Here's to another awesome year of Masters lifting!

In this episode we run through each session at this year's National Championships and outline some of our favourite moments and highlights from the event. Massive thanks you as always to all the volunteers involved, these competitions could not run without you.

We sat down with Alex and recorded a special live episode where we talked through Alex's background as a lifter, his transition into coaching on top of being a very successful lifter and delve into some of the most exciting classes in Nationals 2023.

In this episode we do our very best to unpack the biopsychosocial model of pain as it relates to your training and provide somewhat of a flowchart on what to do in the onset of training related aches or pains. This is a very difficult, multidimensional topic but we try our best to keep it pragmatic and useful. We would love to hear your thoughts. Article referenced: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm...

In this episode we discuss the ins and outs of Conor's performance at the IrishPF February Open 2023. We both agreed that there could be alot of value in this episode particularly for more novice lifters as we have an open and honest debrief on training leading up to the competition and some of the mistakes made on comp day. We talk about how to deal with disappointment in your training and outlin...

We took some questions and here are your answers! We discussed the utility and sometimes lack thereof in tracking training data, outline a beginner to intermediate series of advice(s) for coaches and discussed the nature of training plateaus and some tactics we typically use to overcome them.