Fit Dad Fitness Podcast

I welcome Joe Brancato to the show this week to discuss, among other things, how he created his garage gym and began working out at home out of necessity once the pandemic hit.   Joe didn't wait around to create the perfect circumstances, he just used what he had, he made it work, and over time, he built up his resources.   Joe and I also get into how important it is to have a support system in place, and how not everyone will fully understand or even support your commitment to health and fitness — and you have to be OK with that.   Connect with Joe on Instagram at https://instagram.com/joevid19_gym. 

Todd Durkin is an internationally recognized strength, speed, and conditioning coach, having worked with and trained some of the top athletes in the world. He is the founder of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA.   In this week's episode, Todd and I discuss what it's like working with athletes at the top of their game, and how he's reprioritizing and rethinking the work that he does as his message and his ideas resonate more outside the fitness space.   Check out Todd's work, including his podcast, at https://todddurkin.com/   Huge thanks to Tonal for sponsoring this week's episode. Check out how Tonal is revolutionizing at-home strength training by trying Tonal risk-free for 30 days at www.Tonal.com. Use the code FITDAD21 for $100 off the smart accessories.   Check out Matis Miller's book, The Uncontrollable Child.

I continue to be super interested and amazed by the stories of resiliency and creativity on the part of gym owners over the last 18 months or so as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the industry.   This week's guest, Kyle Tiringer, discusses the steps he took to keep his CrossFit box, Port CrossFit, alive and thriving despite all of the challenges.   We also dive into Kyle's background and how he became a gym owner in the first place, and how business changed once he became a father.   Connect with Kyle at https://instagram.com/ktiringer.

This week, I chat with Justin Cain, a member of my Fit Dad Forum on Facebook who went through a pretty awesome fitness transformation when he decided he wanted to "look like he actually lifted weights."   This renewed dedication to his fitness was spurred on by upping the intensity of his workouts, and it led to some pretty awesome results.   Connect with Justin on Instagram.   Join the Fit Dad Forum.

Former pro soccer player Marc Zimmerman joins the Fit Dad Fitness Podcast this week to talk life after pro sports, why moving everyday is so much a part of his message, and how being a father affects his fitness habits and routines.   It was so much fun to chat with Marc about his journey to playing soccer professionally and the influence his father had, and how he came to realize his calling to help others with their fitness and health after he hung up his cleats — at least professionally.   Also, I answer four amazing questions from listeners, including:   What are the benefits and drawbacks of in-person coaching vs. online coaching? What do I do when I have those days where I don't feel like doing much? What are my tips for getting back into a fitness routine after time away? What does a typical day of eating look like for me?   Connect with Marc at https://www.completethechallenge.com and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marcfitpro.   Be sure to check out and support this week's episode sponsor

I'm trying out a new format for the show this week, as moving forward, I'll spend time during each episode answering listener questions before jumping into the guest interview.   This week, my guest is Joe Albin, a father, a 15-year veteran of the fitness industry, and the owner of Prototype Fitness.   Joe and I discuss the highs and lows of being a gym owner, especially over the last year, and how he came to connect with fitness after so much of his identity growing up was in sports.   You can connect with Joe at https://www.prototype-fitness.com and at https://www.instagram.com/joealbin13.    If you want to ask a question to be included in the Q&A segment of the show, email me at michael@fitdadfitness.com, or join the Fit Dad Forum at https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitdadforum.

I go solo this week with some thoughts on perhaps a different way to think about dissecting your approach to health and fitness.   Check out www.Tonal.com and use the code FITDAD21 for $100 off the smart accessories.

This week I catch up with the always incredible Sean Garner to get the lowdown on his life in the 4 years since he was on the show way back in episode 15!   Sean and I talk a lot about his move out of personal training and into consulting and helping fitness professionals build their online businesses.   Sean caps the episode with some crazy good advice that you don't want to miss, so be sure to listen all the way to the end.   Connect with Sean on Instagram at https://instagram.com/seangarner and check out EntreFit Coaching at https://entrefitcoaching.com. 

After a decade of playing offensive line in the NFL, which included a Pro Bowl season in 2006, injuries brought Nick Hardwick's playing days to a close in 2014.   Upon deciding to hang up his cleats, Nick was tired, energy-less, & weighed around 300 pounds. Not to mention that without football, Nick felt a little rudderless in his life.   But that's not where his story ends. As you'll hear in this conversation, Nick found a spark, and within five months he dropped 100 pounds. And now, he's helping others do the same with his Lose Like a Lineman program.   Check out Nick's work at https://hardwick.life, and follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nickhardwick. 

May 11 was International Foam Rolling Day, so what better time to bring on a guest to talk about the ins and outs of foam rolling?   Michael Cummings is a father, a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, and a Certified Fitness, Performance and Rehab Specialist. He is also the Director of Education for Implus Fitness Brands, the parent company of TriggerPoint, which designs and develops massage therapy tools.   Michael and I talk about foam rolling, what it is and what it isn’t, and how we can best incorporate it into our routines. The science of foam rolling has changed pretty dramatically since I first went through my personal training certification nearly five years ago, and Michael does a fantastic job of bringing me — and you — up to speed.   Connect with Michael at https://www.instagram.com/michaelthetrainer, and check out TriggerPoint at https://triggerpoint.implus.com.   Become a Fit Dad Fitness insider, support the show, and get special access to exclusive content at https://www.buymeacoff

My guest this week is Nick Shaw, Founder and CEO of Renaissance Periodization, a nutrition and fitness company dedicated to helping people achieve their health, athletic performance, and physique goals.   Nick is a father, and he and his wife, Lori, also co-host the RP Strength Podcast.   Himself a former competitive powerlifter and bodybuilder, Nick has personally coached numerous world-class athletes, including CrossFit Games Champions, international medalists, Olympians, UFC fighters, professional athletes, and Navy SEALs.   In our conversation, Nick and I discuss ways that everyday people can reach new levels of performance by adopting tried-and-true methods that the top performers in the world use.   Learn more about Renaissance Periodization at https://renaissanceperiodization.com, and follow Nick on Instagram at https://instagram.com/nick.shaw.rp.   Thanks to Tonal for its support of the show. Visit www.Tonal.com to try it for 30 days risk-free, and use the code FITDAD21 for $100 off the smart accessor

Tim Lebbon is a professional writer with more than 40 novels and a couple of Hollywood movies to his name. But the focus of our conversation this week is his latest work, a self-published book titled Run Walk Crawl: Getting Fit In My Forties.   At age 41, Tim was overweight and unfit. By the time he turned 50, Tim was 35 pounds lighter, having spent his fifth decade of life training for and racing in multiple Ironmans, marathons, and other crazy adventures.   Tim's story starts like so many men — for years he yo-yoed between fitness motivation highs and settling into unproductive habits. Tim's story is a fun, honest, and hopefully inspirational account of how he finally found a fitness lifestyle that worked for him.   Connect with Tim at https://www.timlebbon.net.

Dr. Erik Korem is on a mission to help people perform at their best — professionally, personally, and in any domain. Erik's approach is to help people prepare for stress — even embrace it — by have a plan for rest and recovery.   Erik has worked in the NFL and with major college and Olympic athletes to get them to perform at their peak without burning out or stressing out.   In our conversation, Erik and I discuss some misconceptions about stress, and we dive deep into how we can get better sleep. Getting good sleep eludes so many of us, but there are behaviors we can change and habits we can adjust to optimize our sleep.   Be sure to check out Erik's podcast, The BluePrint, at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-blueprint/id1519528171. 

Chad Zueck is the creator of Be A New Man (http://beanewman.com) and the host of the New Kind of Man podcast.   In our conversation this week, Chad recalls the path he took from a wayward young father to where he is now, helping other men grasp the true meaning of masculinity and what it means to be a man.   Chad's zeal for continuous improvement and learning, as well as his love of the outdoors and keeping himself fit and active, make him the perfect guest for this show, and I'm sure you'll be inspired.   Check out Chad's podcast at http://beanewman.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

This is a special episode for me, as I welcome a personal training client of mine to the show for the very first time.   In the middle of the pandemic in 2020, Jay Mays came to me looking for a coach to help him recalibrate his fitness regimen. Like so many of us, Jay found that 2020 threw a wrench in a lot of his plans, and how he trained his body was no different.   You'll hear from Jay what it was like to work with me as his coach, how we rehabbed a nagging shoulder injury, what he learned about proper nutrition, and ultimately, what his experience was like with online coaching.   To learn more about my coaching program, go to https://www.fitdadfitness.com.    Thanks to Tonal for sponsoring this week's episode. Go to https://www.tonal.com and use the code fitdad at checkout for $100 off the smart accessories.

Father of eight — that's right, 8! — children, Josh Martin, joins the show this week to share his story.   What I thought would be a conversation about the highs and lows of parenting a large family turned into a deep and insightful conversation about patience, marriage, keeping things simple, and of course, fitting fitness into life with eight kids.   Such a powerful conversation with a great dude!   Help support the Fit Dad Fitness Podcast and snag yourself a discount on some awesome gear made specifically for those of us who workout by going to https://barbellapparel.com and using the code MASH15 for 15% off your order.

My guest this week is Kareem Brinson — a dad, a husband, a DJ, a gym owner, and a coach. He's a busy guy who is passionate about a lot of things like family, music, and helping people out.   In this conversation, Kareem and I discuss what being a DJ and entertainer has been like over the last 12 months during a pandemic, and then we dive into how he came to wind up as a competitor on The Rock's TV show, The Titan Games.   I love Kareem's energy and enthusiasm for fitness, and I truly enjoyed this conversation.

Jeremy Clark and his wife have adopted four children from the country of Bulgaria, but what's more, all four boys have special needs.   In this conversation, Jeremy details the decisions he and his wife made to grow their family through the adoption of special needs children, and how they were keenly qualified to take on such a wonderful challenge.   We also discuss how through it all, Jeremy manages to stay fit and healthy, as he realizes the value of exercise has in helping him show up as the best husband and father he possibly can be.   Follow Jeremy on Instagram at https://instagram.com/bucketofbulgarians.   Get 10% off your subscription to BrainFM by using the code fitdad10 at https://brain.fm.

At his heaviest, Jarrod Rino weighed 320 pounds.   He'd done the back-and-forth of trying to exercise and eat right many times before, without much success.   Then, a freak accident changed everything. And in this week's episode, Jarrod describes the entire journey. Listen to hear the amazing story!   Check out Tonal at https://www.tonal.com and give their amazing system a try for 30 days risk-free! Use the code fitdad at checkout for $100 off the smart accessories.   To join the Fit Dad Forum, visit Fit Dad Fitness on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fitdadfitnesspage and submit to join.

For the 350th episode of the Fit Dad Fitness Podcast (!!!), I welcome Nick Shucet onto the show.   Nick's passion for health and helping others got its roots in 2007when he moved to an Organic Community Supported agriculture. Nick spent his free time in the gym and researching the connection between diseases and nutrition, and the more he learned, the more he realized he enjoyed helping others with their issues that could be solved through making healthy lifestyle choices.   Nick and I discuss the entire backstory, as well as how he lost 30 pounds without hitting the gym last year (thanks COVID) and with a newborn child.   Connect with Nick at https://canetichealth.com or on Instagram at https://instagram.com/canetic_health.    As I mention in the intro, check out Mark Turnipseed's new book, My Suicide Race, at https://www.amazon.com/My-Suicide-Race-Addiction-Recovery/dp/1736021907/ref=sr_1_1, and listen to his appearance on this show from episode 127 at https://www.fitdadfitness.com/blog/2019/11/13/ep-127-su