Uncharted Performance

For episode 89 our guest is the immensely popular and outgoing, Dr. Teddy Willsey of Strength Coach Therapy and Healthy Baller. Many of you might be familiar with Teddy from his Instagram account and other social media on which he shares very valuable content that we can apply in our training, pre-hab, warm-ups, active recovery and coming back from injury. We discuss his growth in popularity and his
always increasing following, how it happened, at the benefits it provides, along with its downsides. We nail down what sets Teddy apart from others in his field, his philosophy, how he is bridging the gap between strength and conditioning and physical therapy, and his evolution as a professional. We also dive into practices that set Teddy off a bit, movements and exercises we would benefit from incorporating more often into our training, the purpose of active recovery and what it should look like, his passion for the outdoors, and surviving DC metro traffic.

For episode 87 of Uncharted Performance, we are joined by none other than James Fitzgerald of OPEX. James has lived fitness and training for a better part of his life, he absolutely loves it. It is that love that has enabled him to compete at the highest level and transition to arguably being one of the top coaches on the planet. We cover his genesis from athlete and coach, and the characteristics which have allowed him to continually develop and ascend to the top of the sport for over 20 years. We explore the world of OPEX including their unique approach to athlete assessment and progression, the concept of Maximal Aerobic Power (MAP for short) along with its implications and application to training, the use to technology, as well as James’ definition of success and his ultimate purpose.

For episode 87 we are joined by Ben Dziwulski of WODPrep. During this part of the year, many of us are competing in CrossFit Open, which is a terrific way to identifying your strengths and areas of improvement. Ben and I review share our thoughts on this year’s event and what we can expect in the remainder of the workouts. Then based on actual data, we breakdown the most common movements and with Ben’s help, what we can do in our training to get better at them. Whatever your level, if you are competing in the Open or not, Ben shares some absolute gems on how to develop a sound foundation and build on it with appropriate progressions. Enjoy our conversation, reflect on your performance, and evaluate how you can adjust and improve those skills along with increasing capacity at performing them at high volume. Enjoy!

Prady Tewarie by most standards is a very successful entrepreneur as well as a very accomplished bodybuilder, however he comes from very very humble beginnings. He is the son of working class immigrants and struggled throughout much of his childhood in school but that didn’t stop him. He was bitten very early on by both he iron and business bugs. We explore his journey and growth in Bodybuilding, uncovering along the way the many indirect benefits of immersing yourself in the sport. We dive into how he took underperforming assets and developed methods to turn them around, we bust myths about what it takes to succeed and how we can achieve our lofties of goals, drawing parallels between bodybuilding and entrepreneurship, how one feeds of the other, and the most important investments you can make.

This week’s guest is Dr. Lindsey Mathews of BIRTHFIT and Deuce Gym and every coach, CrossFit, Strength Training, or otherwise needs to hear this conversation and learn more from Lindsey. We cover a number of topics starting with our primal movement patters and how they relate to our social development. We then explore the training approach, a functional progression, during the different phases of the motherhood transition for preconception, during, and postpartum including importance of embracing load, planes of motion and energy systems. Additionally, touch on the value of mindset, how to view obstacles in a different manner, with closing on how BIRTHFIT is providing the proper support and coaching for a grossly underserved population for both women and their partners experiencing the motherhood transition.

This week’s guest on Uncharted Performance is Dr. Cara Miller. She is the coach to the elite and leaders across diverse fields, ranging from finance to fitness. Her resume is extensive. She is a professor, executive developmental coach, organizational design and change consultant in the fields of leadership, organizational development, adult development, and spiritual formation. Our conversation evolves from the self to the organization. We begin by discussing questions that dig to the root of personal recognition, growth and development.
Our dialogue evolves to the importance of organizations and leadership within them as it relates to the disruption, growth and development of any industry but specifically in this context of CrossFit, Strength Training, and other Fitness facilities.

In this episode we go inside our heads and explore how we think and how we talk impacts and determines how we act and how we perform. Our guest this week is Mark England from Procabulary. As of our discussion he has delivered over 425 presentations, including his immensely popular TEDx talk, and coached countless others on how to lead more powerful, more fulfilled lives using the power of better words and stories. The crux of the episode centers on the ongoing and fluid process of identity, and the question of who are you? And how we interpret our experience. We identify key concepts and how we can go about changing the conversations we have with ourselves with Mark as the prime example. We hope that with Mark’s help you can start being more mindful of the spells you cast and the stories you tell yourself and how they impact you, your relationships, and your performance.

We are very honored and grateful to be joined by Matt Stevens, Tracy Beck, Joel Woods, and Chad Teague. The intention of this gathering is to diagnose, expose, explain, intervene and provide guidance on one of the most debilitating issues many of us experience on a daily basis. According to acatoday.com 31 million Americans experience low-back pain at any given time. Low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the Global Burden of Disease 2010. And Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work. What to do, who can we turn to? We got them right here for you. This is a very difficult topic to address head on as the causes and symptoms of low back pain are many, and individualized. However our panel does a tremendous job of dissecting the issue and connecting it to training, performance, and lifestyle.

Swim, bike, run with a generous offering of CrossFit are on the agenda for this episode of Uncharted Performance. We are joined by the super energetic and awesome Morgan Neal of Team USA who reminds us to never forget and never give up on our passion. This past year, in 2017, Morgan finished in the top 40 in the world in her age division but getting here was definitely not a straight line. We go back to college for a little bit then lose our way for a few years before getting back to into the sport she loves, as well as how that introduced her to the competitive world of triathlons. Morgan describes the process it takes to qualify for Team USA and her experience competing at the world stage. The episode would not be complete without dissecting her training, what she has benefitted from the most, as well as both the challenges and opportunities that living in Cleveland provides a seasoned triathlete.

"If I am to be drunk let it be on blood and conquest. If I am to be stimulated let it be through trial and ordeal. Let me find intoxication in glory and honor. Let my ecstasy come from rituals of strength and communion with nature. My body is a chariot for the smokeless fire. When I fuel it, let it be to achieve my destiny, to become stronger, to be pure and free of poisons. Let me crucify my past self on the altar of Iron and Blood, so that I may obtain the hidden flame." - Paul Wagner. The prequel to our eight season, we are honored and grateful for another collaboration with Mark Valenti of Refined Savage and Blind Dog as we discuss training, travel, and life's treasures.