Strength Chat By Kabuki Strength

Today's guest on Strength Chat is Ben Esgro, founder of DeNovo Nutrition and an expert in all things supplementation, nutrition, and the science behind it all. He is a Registered Dietitian and did his graduate studies in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Sports Nutrition.  In today's show we discuss Ben's philosophy behind supplementation and his approach to starting a different type of supplement company in an industry often seen as tainted (literally) by fallacious claims, misunderstood science, and unethical business practices.  Ben and the hosts talk about the current state of the industry and the problems/consequences seen as a result of its rapid growth and loose (often non-existent) regulations. He makes recommendations for athletes on how to approach supplementation, what to look for in a brand, and how to research ingredients, effective dosages, and the pharmacology behind the chemicals we put into our bodies. This is an excellent episode for those interested in supplements and understanding more about wh

You may have noticed that we have a minor obsession with feet and the human-to-ground interface here at Kabuki Strength, and today's guest is an expert in the field! Dr. Ray McClanahan is a Podiatric Physician and Surgeon, who today runs his own practice - NW Foot and Ankle - right here in our hometown Portland, Oregon. For those not familiar, podiatry is the branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of the foot, ankle, and related structure of the leg. The good doctor is also the inventor of Correct Toes, which are anatomical toe spacers designed to be worn either barefoot or inside footwear - and here's the important part - while being active. Dr. Ray has loads of clinical experience dealing with foot/ankle issues and provides us with valuable insight into his views on barefoot training, the foot-to-ground connection, rooting during loaded movement, issues with footwear, and other nuanced topics of the sort. Our hosts had a great time bouncing concepts/ideas off the mind of an incre

Today's guest is a well-known figure in the strength world, having been a writer, coach, and educator for a number of years and was voted Powerlifting Coach of the Year in 2016.  Swede is the creator of the popular 5th Set methodology and owns Keyhole Barbell. He has published numerous popular articles on various topics and is a man of many talents and depth of expression.  On today's episode Swede discusses his time in prison, how 5th Set came to be out of that darkness, and where it is today. He provides a very interesting, and thought-provoking perspective on working around training limitations when it comes to equipment and time - based on his experiences behind bars.  Today, Swede coaches athletes, writes regularly as a contributor to EliteFTS. You can learn more about him on his website, via Instagram, or read his published works on EliteFTS.

Today's host may be familiar to many of you - Dr. Craig Liebenson has been a long-time friend of Kabuki Strength and has previously been a guest on the show - all the way back on Ep. 34. We're glad to have him on again today and this is one of those episodes that you don't want to miss.  In today's discussion you'll hear our hosts and Dr. Liebenson discuss: How to manage your passions with your responsibilities Failure, Progress, and why you'll never be Perfect The Silo: On the dangers of too much data/information The "Fix It" mentality  Earning your recovery "The Tyranny of the Clinic", and why I kicked a doctor out of my clinic and into the gym Online Coaching: Technology, personalization and data collection to improve outcomes The Spine Fusion Disaster This list doesn't begin to cover the depth of content covered in this episode. Hope you enjoy!   Dr. LIebenson's groundbreaking work with Dr. Karl Levit and Dr. Pavel Kolar have heavily influenced our core understanding of spinal health and performance, an

Mike McCastle is a living legend - having performed feats of strength and endurance that will have you saying "...he did WHAT?". Like doing 5,804 pull-ups in 24 hours while wearing a 30lb pack. The first time he tried that, he ended up in the hospital for 4 days with torn biceps, forearms, and rhabdo. Mike has flipped a 250lb truck tire for 13 miles, he even spent 10 hours climbing a 20 foot rope 1450 times, which is the height of Mt. Everest. Perhaps the most fascinating and best part about Mike is his deep conviction and passion for doing good in the world. All these insane accomplishments fall under The 12 Labors Project, Mike's personal philanthropic endeavor to raise money and awareness for important causes via feats of endurance and strength. In this episode you'll hear lots of laughs and funny stories, but also moments of self-reflection from Mike on what drives him to do this and what his "why" is. Our hosts and Mike also discuss details regarding his training, nutrition, and recovery modalities use

Today's guests share an incredible story of tragedy, trauma, survival, perseverance, and ultimate victory. We are honored to have Ben Toderico and his wife Denise Gorondy-Toderico on the show today! Three years ago Denise - a veterinarian from Virginia - was on her usual run on the same route she had run 3-4 times a week for over a decade. After about a mile, she was hit from behind by an SUV traveling around 60mph, and knocked about 50 yards into a ditch.  The driver left and left her for dead in a ditch for over an hour until someone saw her and called for help.  Refusing to live in fear and accept her injuries, Denise, with help from her husband Ben has worked relentlessly to recover from this incident and regain her quality of life and passion for training and health. Tune in as our Ben and Denise share their story and talk post-trauma and post-rehab training.  Ben, Denise...thank you for sharing your story with us and our listeners. Your relentless drive to not only survive - but thrive in the face of ex

Today's guest is PNW-native and an industry leader/pioneer in the Strength & Conditioning field. Joel Jamieson is the man who introduced HRV [Heart Rate Variability] training to the masses and continues to break new ground with his recovery platform Morpheus and online education platform 8WeeksOut.  Joel is known for his work as a coach in the combat sports arena, having trained world champions since 2004 and worked with athletes in nearly all professional and collegiate sports, not to mention Navy Seals and other elite groups. Today, Joel works with thousands of coaches, trainers, and athletes around the world through 8WeeksOut, an authoritative platform and certification for recovery-driven conditioning and performance.  In this episode, Joel breaks down the early history of HRV, how it works, and application to strength and conditioning. He and the hosts talk recovery, data, inflammation, and practical application. They also discuss some upcoming collaborative content between 8WeeksOut and Kabuki Educa

We are honored to have a legend in the fitness world joining us today! Jeff is an educator, coach, and the man behind the world-renowned and wildly-popular Athlean-X fitness program. Athlean-X has over 7 million subscribers on YouTube and millions more on other social media platforms!  He has previously worked as the Head Physical Therapist and Assistant Strength Coach for the New York Mets, a role in which he coached some of the game's most accomplished athletes and future hall-of-famers.  He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and has a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy and Bachelor of Science in Physioneurobiology / Premedicine from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT (one of the top 5 universities in the country in physical therapy and sports medicine). Jeff is a highly sought after speaker and lecturer, presenting on topics of injury prevention in baseball and sport-specific conditioning and his writings have been featured in numerous print and web publications. Our hosts discuss

Today's guest on Strength Chat is natural bodybuilder and coach Julian Smith! Julian is also known as "the Quad Guy" and has one of the most aesthetic physiques in the sport! His unique, extremely-effective, and detailed training style is wildly popular and he has amassed a very engaged following of over 1 million people on social media: @smith.julian Julian is a PNW-native and trains out of his private facility Arms Race Gym in Hillsboro, Oregon. He owns the hugely-successful training site The Daily Pump, as well as Clifford Lenox, a fitness lifestyle and clothing brand. Our hosts spend time chatting with Julian about his unique training philosophy, the fitness industry, building a brand, the effects of social media, and other topics. As always, we hope you enjoy the show and share it with others!

Today's guest on Strength Chat is the Bryce Lewis, an elite-level drug-free powerlifter and world-renowned strength coach. Bryce is the founder of The Strength Athlete, more commonly known as TSA, whose team of coaches works with and educates beginner-to-elite level powerlifters all across the world.  Bryce holds records in the USAPL and IPF, and works to promote the sport of powerlifting globally as an ambassador using his platform. His educational background is in philosophy, and he is a passionate advocate for the application and love of the sciences, evidence-based philosophies, and skepticism of pseudoscience. Tune in and hear Bryce talk with our hosts about the latest in sports psychology, applications to strength sports, and other related topics!   

Introducing today's guest in one or two paragraphs would hardly break the surface of her incredible career and accomplishments. She was the first female Head Trainer in US professional sports history - working with the LA Dodgers for 6 years. She has also served as Head of Athletic Training/Performance for the US Men's National Soccer Team, and has presented at state, national and international level conferences in areas focusing on pillar strength, integration of physical therapy and performance training, and comprehensive kinetic chain assessment and rehabilitation. Sue sits on the advisory boards for over a half-dozen highly respected organizations in the S&C and Physical Therapy space, and has numerous professional certifications as well as a graduate education in human movement science from UNC Chapel Hill.  Today, Sue runs S&F (Structure and Function), a consulting and education business for healthcare clinicians, as well as a consulting company for the athlete. Today's discussion touches on a w

Bud Jeffries is an incredible human being, and one of the strongest men in the world. Bud is a minister, massage therapist, professional performing strongman, motivational speaker, author and business owner. You may know him from his many videos and pictures of feats of other-worldly strength he regularly performs. Among them: 1000lb Raw Anderson Squat (start at the bottom) Backlift a 15,000lb trailer Walk a mile in a 300lb weight vest Carrying a 600lb stone Among his raw strength, bud is extremely agile and flexible - able to combine and apply strength in awkward and traditionally-weak positions (like doing the splits while bending nails or pressing a stone overhead). In this podcast we discuss his unique training philosophy and how he prepares and structures training for his goals. Bud's mantra is "An Unconventional Life: Living it Agile, Strong, Passionate, Wise, and Well" and this is visible in everything he does and in his mission to help people through Noah's Army. Bud's son Noah Jeffries passed away

Today's guest is Chris Peil, a veteran of the fitness industry who has been a trainer, coach, and educator for over 15 years. Chris started The Move Well Project - helping athletes improve their movement, then programme appropriately within their limitations and manage risk levels and rehabilitate injuries. Chris has worked with some of the strongest men in the world - including Zydrunas Savickas and Eddie Hall, both winners of the World's Strongest Man contest. On today's show our hosts discuss long term development, managing load, and other ways to minimize injury risk in high-performance athletes.  Enjoy the show!

We are honored to have Victoria Felkar as today's guest on Strength Chat. She is an explorer, a renegade, and an advocate pushing the boundaries of performance and health through research, coaching, and teaching.  Victoria is currently completing her doctoral studies at University of British Columbia, specializing in physical culture, medical and criminological knowledge, performance enhancement, and the muscular body. Her doctoral research explores women's health and female hormone manipulation within sport and medicine. Tune in as the Mad Scientist, Dr. Rudolph, and the Wizard of Training discuss some of what Victoria has been working on lately.  A great episode you won't want to miss! 

Today's Strength Chat guest is John Fawkes, an up-and-coming evidence based trainer and coach out of San Francisco. John works with athletes and lifters in all populations to help them develop the systems, psychology and game plan they need to get their minds and bodies into peak condition.  In this podcast our hosts discuss the importance of properly reading and interpreting research and its application to practical and real-world uses. Research is one of the foundations for pushing our industry (and athletes) forward; and it is the job of the evidence-based coach to effectively apply research to produce real-world results.  A great discussion was had, and we hope you enjoy it! 

Those of you professionals in the clinical and strength words are sure to know about SWIS, shorthand for the "Society of Weight-Training Injury Specialists". Our guest today is the man behind SWIS and the annual SWIS Symposium, Dr. Ken Kinakin. Kabuki Strength is no stranger to SWIS, with host Chris Duffin having spoken multiple times at SWIS and will again be presenting this year along with our Director of Coaching and Performance aka The Wizard of Training - Brandon Senn.  Tune in to learn more about the mission of SWIS from Dr. Kinakin himself, as well as some sneak peeks of what is going down at this year's symposium. The mission of SWIS is to bring therapeutic professionals and professional weight lifting trainers together. The goal is to create a win-win-win relationship between the doctor/therapist, the trainer, and the client. SWIS is focused on creating a “bridge” for the doctors/therapists and the gym trainers. This allows each profession to do the best work they can. SWIS is dedicated to bringing t

Today's guest is a true pioneer and legend in the strength and fitness worlds, and we are honored to have her on Strength Chat. She is the co-founder and leader of a movement that has empowered hundreds of thousands of women around the world reach their health and fitness goals. Molly Galbraith is an extraordinary person, full of compassion and contagious willpower that touches and inspires those around her. She has dedicated her life's work to helping women "discover all the possibilities for their lives and their bodies and providing evidence-based and body-positive tools to help them reach their goals, all while falling in love with themselves and their bodies in the process."  Tune in and listen as Molly shares her story with our hosts and discusses Girls Gone Strong's mission and vision for the future. Girls Gone Strong is a global movement empowering women by providing body-positive, evidence-based, sane, and sustainable nutrition, training, and self-care information. Learn more at girlsgonestrong.com a

Welcome to another episode of Strength Chat! Today's guest is longtime Kabuki Strength friend and coaching client Chris Karmin! As the co-owner of Mt. Vernon Barbell Club in New York City and an elite-level strength athlete, Chris lives and breathes powerlifting when he's not building skyscrapers in Manhattan! Cool fact: Chris was one of the steelworkers who built the Freedom Tower!  Chris, Brandon, and Brady (Dr. Rudolph was out today) talk to Chris about his training, working with Kabuki Strength Coaching, and other strength-related topics.  Hope you enjoy! As always, please leave us a review and tell all your friends about Strength Chat :)     

Today our hosts sit down with Joe Szymanek, an accomplished coach, athlete, and most recently author! Although he has many credentials to his name, and has competed in a high-level in both CrossFit and weightlifting - it's clear immediately that Joe is just as passionate about introducing little ones to movement, strength, and health from an early age. Joe recently authored the book "Luci Meets a Powerlifter" and says... "I developed Luci Meets a Powerlifter with the hope of cultivating an early strength interest in young children and expose them to a fringe sport that could save their life. Strength is for everyone! It also comes in many forms. Read along with Luci as she learns these lessons for herself. Along the way Luci also practices new exercises, discovers a new sport, and makes a new friend." Tune in as our hosts talk to Joe about his career, his passion for helping parents and kids lead healthier and better lives, his new book, and other important topics. Enjoy!

Stan "The Rhino" Efferding, AKA The World's Strongest Bodybuilder - is one of the most respected and well known names and faces in the strength and fitness world. Stan is no stranger to us, he is a local Portland native and even trained at Kabuki Strength before it was called Kabuki Strength! In today's episode our hosts talk to Stan about his latest ventures and dig deep into some nutritional and science topics that are sure to pique the curiosities of our readers. This episode was also filmed and is available as a videocast on YouTube! Tune in, subscribe, share, and as always; stay strong friends!