The Equipped with Strength Podcast

An interview with Steve Cotter, where we discuss fitness basics, the importance of fundamentals, and how cultural and economic factors can impact our health in ways we didn’t realize. Let’s get back to the basics of mind, body, and breath.  Steve Cotter is a master coach and founder of the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation. He is a pioneer in the world of kettlebell training and has instructed thousands of fitness professionals. Among his other accomplishments, Steve is on Men’s Health Magazines ‘The 100 Fittest Men of All Time’ listYou can check out and follow Steve here:Website - https://ikff.netYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/IKFFChannelInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/stevecotter_ikffWhat's discussed:0:00  Introduction1:27 Mind - Body Connection in Fitness 5:06 “The challenge is the industry itself”14:29 “When you can uplift someone, it is as if you can give something to yourself”19:00 “I am a true believer that the foundation and salvation is through physical fitness”25:24 “Mental wellbeing is crucial”28:08 “The foundation for all of it is the physical education”36:30 “I teach people the fundamentals of mind, body, breath”40:34 “As a general culture we feel broken and dysfunctional and the industry runs with that”48:40 Duality and Yin and Yang56:02 “I think the way forward is to take care of ourselves”1:01:27 “There is something even bigger than help, wellbeing”1:03:44 Some wisdom and tips for people who need inspiration1:09:59 Fight and Flight Responses1:15:46 Mobility and Kettle Bell Programing

In this episode we take a big picture look of fitness with Dan John. We talk about the norms of modern fitness and the reality of what it means to be fit. The rules of good health don’t need to be complicated. By looking at your health from a holistic, simple, and honest perspective you can get a clear view of your fitness priorities instead of focusing on unrealistic and destructive “Fantasy Fitness”. 0:00  Introduction3:04  How do you weed out a good coach7:47  Social Media and Fantasy Fitness16:30 How has your faith influenced training and coaching?22:36 What happens when you fail? Obstacle planning28:28 Reconciling chasing status goals with the vanity metric of being healthy33:43 What should you do if you have fallen off track? How to be well-rounded in 1-2 workouts a week. 37:11 There is no perfect workout program41:32 Life happens, keep going46:58 What is “fit”ness48:00 ConclusionDan John is a professional coach, trainer, and religious scholar who has written and co-written books like “Never Let Go”,  “Mass Made Simple and Easy Strength”, “Can You Go?”, and “Now What?”. He has a background as an athlete and holds the current American record for the Weight Pentathlon. Dan teaches people about weights and kettlebells on his training site Dan John University, and passes his knowledge through numerous workshops and publications worldwide. You can check out and follow Dan here:http://danjohn.net/https://www.danjohnuniversity.com/=================WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME, YOUR HOST:Join the Body Trust Movement: https://equippedwithstrength.comWorkout Membership: https://equippedwithstrength.com/enrollAll Programs and Coaching: https://equippedwithstrength.com/workout-programs/

In this episode, Antony Lo - aka The Physio Detective - talk about Avoiding The "Guru-Trap" in fitness, & Increasing Trust In Yourself. Basically, ways to approach "being an expert" or "seeking expertise" in a more grounded, lower pressure way. Fear of getting it wrong, or the pressure to get it all right are ruining fitness for both fitness trainers and fitness enthusiasts alike. Many of whom are trapped in black and white thinking, seeking "the right way" to do things, best way to move etc, which is often compounded by a top-down "doctor knows best" attitude from the fitness world. Let's stop it. Instead, use principles (and a big picture) to guide, not recipes and dogma to follow to the T. Enjoy.0:00 Introduction01:06 Tell us a little about your free series called Guru to Guide04:00 Pressure to have all the right answers09:23 How to help people stop fearing "not knowing"16:04 Language, and how it can be used to bolster body trust23:41 Another way to trust your body31:41 How far is too far (in the opposite direction) and what's a better way to think about coaching people47:56 The unrealistic expectations of Manual Handling training for nurses 52:07 Blaming the person for their injury *eye roll*53:17 How to be better "equipped" as a fitness trainer or fitness enthusiast and final words of wisdom from Antony=================WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME, YOUR HOST:Join the Body Trust Movement: https://equippedwithstrength.comWorkout Membership: https://equippedwithstrength.com/enrollAll Programs and Coaching: https://equippedwithstrength.com/workout-programs/

No Time (or energy) for Working Out?Pat Flynn is an expert in short, efficient and effective kettlebell workouts. In fact, he's a master at Kettlebell complexes. He's also a minimalist, generalist and dad to four, so he knows exactly how to get the most bang from his limited time.In this episode, Pat and I discuss all things related to how you can exercise when you're short for time, where people tend to get stuck, what the big rocks are, and hopefully a mindset of "something is better than nothing".Enjoy.What You Will Learn:0:00 Introduction03:51 What are Kettlebell Complexes?06:00 Workout efficiency & minimalism09:00 Getting your priorities straight with the Prisoner's Dilemma13:40 Where are people getting stuck?16:40 Engineering your own success 24:00 The most "enough" things you can do for your fitness26:08 Oooh, a fun complex idea27:50 Strong On, challenges, periodization, and pivot-points31:40 Two 16's, and wrapping up=================WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME, YOUR HOST:Join the Body Trust Movement: https://equippedwithstrength.comWorkout Membership: https://equippedwithstrength.com/enrollAll Programs and Coaching: https://equippedwithstrength.com/workout-programs/

This topic came from a Facebook group I'm in. In this group and others, it's not uncommon to see questions like this:"My doctor diagnosed me with arthritis in my knees today. And I'm only 34! He told me no more powerlifting or running, which are my two favorite activities. I'll be doing PT for the next month and getting a recumbent stationary bike. I feel like I'm losing part of my identity - I am a powerlifter. Any other women who LOVE lifting heavy things that cannot lift heavy anymore?"Do you think we should avoid certain activities just because we have osteoarthritis? Do certain exercises and heavy lifting, for example, make knee OA worse? Why is it called "wear and tear arthritis"? Are we wearing out our joints by moving them? One one hand, we get present with the idea that "motion is lotion", but on the other hand we get warned not to do certain things because THOSE will wear us down like we're machines. I invited expert physiotherapist and clinical educator, Greg Lehman on to the show to give his take on osteoarthritis, pain science, and movement optimism. We also talk about some of the dumb fitness/rehab rules out there and we leave you with some reassuring advice on how to help yourself stay healthy, strong, and resilient.What You Will Learn:0:00 Introduction01:29 Why is OA called "wear and tear"?03:59 Benefits vs Risk of Loading Osteoarthritis04:49 Is OA a disease process?05:33 Can children get OA?07:33 How can we increase body trust?10:25 The cool Messier (2021) paper13:01 Is it okay to poke into pain?14:08 How to speak to kids about pain16:31 Sensitivity vs damage18:53 Is the tide shifting toward optimism?21:43 The cup analogy23:46 Does having a high BMI wear out your joints faster?26:12 Dumb rules, too many rules30:55 To the person afraid to get started34:11 Most info is BS, but most people don't realize it35:35 More dumb stuff: bounding and hopping screening, and don't stretch tendons38:01 Coaches: what how you say stuff!40:58 Greg's course: Reconciling Biomechanics with Pain Science42:56 When does biomechanics matter?48:01 Parting wisdom: many roadsWHERE ELSE TO FIND ME, YOUR HOST:Join the Body Trust Movement: https://equippedwithstrength.comWorkout Membership: https://equippedwithstrength.com/enrollAll Programs and Coaching: https://equippedwithstrength.com/workout-programs/

This topic was one suggested by Get Glutes member Nadege, and it's one many postpartum women will resonate with. Whether you've just had a baby or are years down the line and only learning about this now."I recently discovered that I may have abdominal separation, reason why no matter what, I'm not having a flat belly (when I do get great result with all other muscles). Also, most exercises i was doing to build the muscles, actually make it worse. I'm so frustrated as it is a lot of waste time and energy."What Nadege is describing is a process called Diastasis Recti Abdominis, which is the thinning of the "six-pack" abs to accommodate a growing fetus. It can happen for other reasons, too, but this is how most women experience it.It's often blamed for the "mummy tummy" or "belly pooch" appearance many women have, and even still it's blamed for things like pain, weakness, pelvic floor dysfunctions like incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse (POP), pelvic girdle pain (PGP), and even other orthopedic pain and "bad posture". But are these things true? Or if they are true, how much should we *actually* worry about them.With all that in mind, it's no wonder I see so many women afraid of making it worse and desperate to "fix it". Not only does the presence of a non-flat stomach bother us (so much pressure to have a flat tummy), but with all these "problems" looming over us, there's a lot of fear and confusion about making it worse.Imagine how that affects your body trust. To be afraid of moving certain ways because you've been told it's going to make it worse. Or believing that having diastasis is somehow bad and you NEED to fix it.I invited Women's/Pelvic Health Physical Therapist of Entropy Physiotherapy & Wellness, and Assistant Professor at Rosalind Franklin University of Chicago, Sarah Haag, PT, DPT on to talk about this contentious topic.You may have heard many things about Diastasis Recti - or ab separation - and you may be wondering how to fix the diastasis, but is diastasis bad? Is it a dysfunction waiting to happen? WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME, YOUR HOST:Join the Body Trust Movement: https://equippedwithstrength.comWorkout Membership: https://equippedwithstrength.com/enroll

Do strong glutes fix back pain? Does having strong glutes prevent back pain? Do weak glutes cause back pain? You may have heard that glute amnesia or glute imbalances spell doom when it comes to your chances of getting back pain, but is it that clear-cut?That's what Jonathan Fass and I discuss in this episode. 0:00 Introducing the audience question01:50 The different variables and factors to be considered when performing a study on the link between glute strength and back pain.09:09 Predictors and the Boeing research 12: 30 Are we doing what we think we're doing?13:30 What seems to matter in patient satisfaction 14:44 How your brain predicts muscle safety and how pain is part of that. 21:21 How strong do you need to be anyway & best exercise for pain 27:17 Is preventing back pain realistic?33:19 What would you tell someone who wants to "bulletproof" their back? WHERE ELSE TO FIND ME:Join the Body Trust Movement: https://equippedwithstrength.comPodcast: https://equippedwithstrength.com/podcastWorkout Membership: https://equippedwithstrength.com/enrollMY PRODUCTS & SERVICES:MEMBERSHIP:Weekly Workout Community focusing on building in easy consistency so you feel strong and fit, and have more time and energy to enjoy life:  https://equippedwithstrength.comPROGRAMS:8-Week Glute Training: https://getglutes.com8-Week Back to Fitness Series: https://equippedwithstrength.com/back-to-fitness-home-kettlebell-workout-series/8-Week Feel-Good Home Workout Pack: https://equippedwithstrength.com/eight-week-home-workout-pack/Achieve your first unassisted pull-up: https://pullupacademy.com=======================Reach out if you've any questions here: marianne@equippedwithstrength.com

Have you ever been told to "squeeze the glutes to tuck the hips under" when you do squats, deadlifts, kettlebell swings? In today's show, we talk about how maybe you've been overexerting your glutes and pelvic muscles while lifting weights to activate the muscles. Like a lot of us have at one point or another, you've probably been trying too hard, because exercise is about what is a reasonable form in comfortable positions. In this episode, we have Dr. Jonathan Fass back to discuss an audience question. Cara asked:"Should we tuck the pelvic for maximum glute engagement?"Listen in to learn why you should move your muscles naturally without forcing them when lifting low weights. You will also learn the importance of listening to your body to assess exercise positions that feel comfortable for you. What You Will Learn:·        0:00 Intro and the question at hand. ·        1:08 Do the glutes need that much effort?·        2:24 Isn't it all relative?·        4:27 Should I tuck or should I extend?·        6:42 The importance of allowing yourself exercise variability to determine which one feels comfortable.·        11:24 Remembering the big rocks.·        12:47 Understanding that all exercises don’t look the same when done by different people. ·        15:46 About Jonathan. What he does, and the lens through which he answers.============GOT QUESTIONS?Email me at: Marianne@equippedwithstrength.comDID YOU SEE MY NEW PROGRAM?= https://getglutes.comJoin the Body-Trust Movement: = https://equippedwithstrength.com

Have you ever been cued to "squeeze the glutes to tuck the hips under" when you finish a squat, lunge, kettlebell swing?Well, maybe you've been overexerting your glutes and pelvic muscles while lifting weights to activate the muscles. Like a lot of us have at one point or another, you've probably been trying too hard, because exercise is about what is a reasonable form in comfortable positions. In this episode, we have Dr. Jonathan Fass, DPT back to discuss an audience question. Cara asked:"Should we tuck the pelvic for maximum glute engagement?"Listen in to learn why you should move your muscles naturally without forcing them when lifting low weights. You will also learn the importance of listening to your body to assess exercise positions that feel comfortable for you. What You Will Learn:·        [1:10] Jonathan describes the meaning of fellowship in orthopedic manual therapy as finetuning of the details and actions pertaining to orthopedic therapy.·        [4:11] He describes his role in treating CRPS and other neuro-orthopedic conditions with the primary issue of pain.·        [8:47] How to protect your pelvic area by experimenting with different positions to what feels better while lifting low weights. ·        [15:35] The importance of allowing yourself exercise variability to determine which one feels comfortable.·        [19:48] Understanding that all exercises don’t look the same when done by different people.  Would you like your question to be tackled next? EMAIL IT TO  => Marianne@EquippedwithStrength.com

Are you ready to abandon the all-or-nothing mentality and accept that knowing your worth is more valuable than weight loss? You see, once you gain self-worth and be in charge of your body, weight loss becomes secondary to health and wellness. In this episode, Marianne speaks with Jen Campbell! She’s the co-founder and nutrition coach at Balance365, where she helps meet women where they’re in their health and wellness journey. She’s passionate about helping women simplify nutrition and get out of their own way.Listen in to learn the importance of embracing your weight fluctuations as a life journey because you can’t stay the same forever. You will also learn how to balance the type of self-compassion you’re showing yourself. What You Will Learn:·        [0:36] Jen describes her health and fitness journey and why she specialized in nutrition coaching.·        [5:52] How Balance365 helps women find their balance and achieve sustainable weight loss. ·        [10:20] How to change your mindset to understand that your healthiest weight might not be what you’re imagining.  ·        [13:19] Why Jen and her business partner Annie started Balance365 to teach women about health at every size. ·        [20:26] Jen explains why she focuses on women discovering their inherent worth and not weight loss.·        [25:38] The business values and messaging of Balance365 that emphasizes not using before and after weight loss pictures.·        [29:42] How to accept and embrace weight fluctuations as a journey of life. ·        [32:28] The importance of showing yourself compassion and taking action in line with your values.·        [34:55] Jen explains why she wants people to feel that they’re in charge of their bodies. Relevant Links:·        Website: https://www.balance365life.com/ ·        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balance365life/

Did you know that showing up as your most authentic and vulnerable self attracts similar people to you? That’s right! You can learn how to detach yourself from external factors and make it a daily practice so you can show up authentically. In this episode, Marianne speaks with Molly Galbraith! She is the author of Strong Women Lift Each Other Up, and the co-founder of Girls Gone Strong, a worldwide health and fitness movement dedicated to helping women feel strong, confident, and empowered in their lives and their bodies. She has been in health and fitness for 17 years where she has experienced highs and lows in her personal journey before finding fulfillment.Listen in to learn how you can overcome your scarcity mindset by detaching yourself from external factors. You will also learn how to attract and impact people around you by showing up authentically in your health and fitness journey.What You Will Learn:·        [1:34] Molly describes her journey in health and fitness for the last 17 years plus her role in the Girls Gone Strong Movement.·        [4:27] How the Girls Gone Strong platform transformed from a community of helping women lose fat to strength training. ·        [8:55] Understanding where the scarcity mindset in women stems from and how it stops us from working together. ·        [13:50] Molly explains where the idea of writing her book ‘Strong Women Lift Each Other Up’ came from.·        [18:11] How to stop comparing yourself by detaching from external factors and making it a daily practice. ·        [27:39] How showing up authentically will attract similar people to you. ·        [32:10] The moment that transformed Molly’s life plus how her definition of lifting women up has changed with her personal growth. ·        [35:45] How to use your feelings of jealousy and comparison to push forward and work together with friends. ·        [40:06] Shift from negative to neutral- not allowing your insecurities to negatively impact your life. ·        [46:59] Molly describes some tools and resources you can use to help others on their fitness journey.·        [51:32] Tips on how to be gentle and less judgmental with your clients as a coach/ trainer. ·        [59:14] How social media negatively impacts your brain. Relevant Links for Molly:·        Website: https://www.mollygalbraith.com/·        Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themollygalbraith/ ·        Get the book: https://www.mollygalbraith.com/bookRelevant Links for Marianne (host):·        Website: https://myomyfitness.com·        8-Week Glute Growth Program: https://getglutes.com·        Kettlebell Workouts On-Demand: https://equippedwithstrength.com

The Difference Between Pain and InjuryDid you know that your mental and environmental issues can significantly affect your physical pain? We often don’t think of how the fear of moving our backs or knees in a certain way can cause or play into the very thing we’re trying to avoid. In this episode, Marianne speaks with Dr. Jonathan Fass, a doctor of physical therapy, board-certified orthopedics, and has recently completed his fellowship in orthopedics in manual physical therapy. He talks about the difference between pain and injury, plus what causes pain. Listen in to learn the importance of moving your body in individualized motions that feel good for you, even if they don’t fulfill everyone’s ideals. You will also learn about pain and why nonspecific pain isn’t always a threat. What You Will Learn:·        [1:38] Jonathan describes injury as tissue damage and pain as a signal of threat, and the difference between the two.·        [5:05] Understanding the origin of pain and how it acts as information to the system.·        [8:17] How to figure out knee pain during exercise which will help you understand its seriousness. ·        [11:05] How to do a perfect squat and movements that feel better for your body. ·        [15:58] Why exercising should be based on individual goals and not necessarily on ideas of what you should or shouldn’t do. ·        [20:04] Understanding the biopsychosocial model of pain- how your physical, psychological, and social aspects affect your pain perception.·        [26:47] Differentiating between the nonspecific back pain and when pain is caused by injuries. ·        [35:30] How to allow people to explore their body movements and move differently in what feels good to them as a trainer. ·        [39:58] The importance of incorporating adaptive movement variations when you understand the things your body can or cannot do. ·        [43:42] How your psychological and environmental threats can cause you significant physical pain. [52:37] Jonathan advises you to find movements that make you feel good and stay healthy, rather than to “avoid harm”. Get the transcript: https://myomyfitness.com/pain-and-injury/Leave a review on apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/equipped-with-strength-inside-out/id1535559964

If you've been in the fitness world for any length of time, you'll know there's been a shift in what goals are seen as more popular and other goals are seen as shallow, or even fat phobic. There's a lot of pressure to "find your why", but what I've realized is sometimes this really means "find a why that's acceptable to everyone" or "make sure your intentions are pure and virtuous"...It can create a whole new set of issues. This episode is my honest thoughts on this good-on-the-surface exercise, and you'll hopefully come away feeling a little happier about the various goals you might have for *your* body.Please subscribe to the show and leave a review . Much appreciated.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/equipped-with-strength-inside-out/id1535559964

I'm super excited to introduce you to the Merrymaker Sisters, Emma and Carla Papas, who run an online Yoga, Pilates and Meditation Studio (Merrybody). I invited them on to the show because of their perspective on the body, and how to find peace in your own skin through finding an anchor in self-acceptance, joy, gratitude, and enoughness. This is a very important fitness topic for anyone who struggles with feeling like you always need to do more, or you're comparing yourself to others, or always looking for something to fix yourself. I hope their message and passion for why they do what they do resonates with you as much as it does with me.If you'd like to watch this interview and download the PDF transcript, head over here: https://myomyfitness.com/episode-4-self-acceptance-joy-and-enoughness-with-the-merrymaker-sisters/

One of the problems I see in the fitness world is fear. Fear of doing things wrong and/or getting injured. This is evident in the questions people ask in online forums. Such as:How can I protect my knee joints?How can I stop my back rounding so I avoid injury?Why am I getting back pain when I do kettlebell swings?Are certain exercises more risky than others?Isn't that bad for your shoulders?Or comments from bystanders like:My back hurts just from watching thatYou shouldn't ____ or you'll get injuredThat is dangerous for your back/shoulders/kneesYou catch the drift. There is a lot of fear and alarm when we see exercises or feel things in our body that we've been conditioned to believe are risky or wrong.I asked Travis Pollen, PhD (in rehabilitation science) to come and chat with me about why most injuries happen, and why many of these questions and comments don't consider the whole picture. Please note: Travis and I are simply trying to steer the ship away from being so entrenched in the world of "it's ONLY your form that matters" to a more balanced perspective that says there are many factors at play, and form is ONLY ONE of them. Hope you enjoy the episode.

In this discussion, Josh Hillis and I touch on the deeper factors involved in emotional eating and fitness motivation (what is sustainable motivation), how to plan for failure, freedom and agency in your health and fitness journey, and the issue of wanting to lose body fat even when you feel social pressure to embrace your body at any size (how to own your fat loss goal).We also talk a little about what's wrong with the fitness industry, how people are seen as broken, and how to find what's enough for you.Here are some helpful timestamps:Internalized failure and one of many meta problems in the fitness world: 04:33A crazy parallel between the exercise world and diet/food world: 08:20Question 1 from my community (on exercise motivation, behavioral economics): 09:35Then how to help someone move toward sustainable motivation: 15:20When plans fail; how to make robust fitness and eating plans: 18:49Question 2 from community (is emotional eating and diet problems addiction): 23:20Freedom and agency: 31:07It's about frequency: 34:33Question 3 from community: fat adapted, keto, and what's beneficial: 37:00Discussion on wanting to lose fat but feeling conflicted because of fatphobia fears: 40:36Finding "your spot" (owning your goals and your journey): 45:07Enoughness: 53:32Parting wisdoms: 55:45

In this first episode of Equipped with Strength (EWS), I give a little "why" behind the show, and what prompted me to plug in my microphone and let my voice be heard.It's so important to listen to others, but it also important to listen to your heart. You know that quiet voice inside that might be nudging you toward something.Yes, this is a fitness show, but it doesn't compartmentalize your body into some kind of box to be ticked. You are a whole person, and it is my hope that more people will listen to their wholeness, rather than the "you're broken" messages in the fitness (and other) industries.As a podcasting rookie, I ask only for your patience as I grow and learn with this medium, fine tuning my style and my speaking skills <3