On today's show, Chris, Rudy, and Brady sit down and chat with a seasoned fitness veteran - and one of the industry's most renowned and influential trainers - Gunnar Peterson. Although best known for working with high-profile clients like Hollywood actors and professional athletes, Gunnar also works regularly with everyday people to help them reach their fitness and performance goals. Listen in as our hosts and guest discuss his experiences working with a wide variety of individuals, from a...

Today's guest is the legendary @tmacsinc, a retired SpecOps operator who is now one of the top instructors in tactical training, marksmanship, and performance-based physical training for the tactically-minded through his company @combatstrengthtraining.  Our hosts and Pat discuss general preparedness, fitness, proficiency, and the differences in preparing for dynamic, multi-plane human function as is necessary in a tactical environment. Pat draws from his experiences as a member of 1st...

You may remember today's guest from episode 68 a year or so back! Ryan Lockard is the founder and head trainer at Specialty Athletic Training, an incredible local organization devoted to helping special needs individuals train to get stronger and healthier.  As one parent put it... "There is a special place in heaven for you and each and every one of your staff."  In his own words - the mission of Specialty Athletic Training is "...to make fitness fun and encourage self-esteem building and...

Is the time you are spending rolling, smashing, stretching, and mobilizing an effective use of your time and resources? Do you know the underlying goal behind the work you are doing? Brad Cox - today’s guest - and our hosts discuss the importance of knowing the why behind the what, where, and when as it pertains to various recovery methodologies. In a fitness industry quickly being saturated by new techniques and tools, stepping back and putting your own needs/goals in context and...

A fascinating episode on the books today with Dr. Roy Page, a protege of Kabuki Board Member Dr. Craig Liebenson and head associate at world-renowned clinic LA Sport & Spine. Our hosts sit down with Dr. Roy to discuss his education and experience as a practitioner in both western and eastern schools when it comes to rehabilitation modalities. All of our hosts had a chance to experience some unique and novel techniques that Dr. Roy specializes in and utilizes with his patients,...

In possibly one of the darkest episodes of Strength Chat to date, we're excited to have back our very first host from our first episode ever all the way back in 2016. Whereas our previous conversation focused on entrepreneurship and the fitness industry, today's show features a conversation on a topic rarely touched: male mental health.  Jeff Halevy is a long-time friend of Kabuki, a former Today Show corespondent, host of internationally syndicated Workout from Within, and Inc 5000 winning...

We have a lot of incredible guests on this podcast, but today's conversation with Rachel Balkovec is truly a testimony of passion by an incredible woman with deep, raw introspection into her own life experiences and a hunger to live out her vision. Rachel is a powerhouse in the strength & conditioning world; and now in professional baseball as she just signed with the Yankees to become the first full-time female hitting coach hired by a major league organization! Rachel has previously...

Mike Robertson is one of the strength & conditioning industry's most respected coaches, working with athletes from all walks of life all the way up to the collegiate and professional levels. He is the founder and owner of i-FAST, named as one of the America's Top 10 Gyms by Men's Health magazine. He is the host of the Physical Preparation Podcast and writes numerous books and articles through his company, Robertson Training Systems. Our hosts spend time discussing the differences in...

Today's episode is a fascinating discussion with sleep expert Nick Lambe - The Online Sleep Coach. Sleep is a topic that is equally important to all humans, particularly performance and strength athletes. We all have different relationships with sleep, some positive and some negative.  Listen in as Nick discusses the physiological and psychological processes behind healthy sleep, how supplementation (stimulants, sleep aids, THC/CBD, etc) work and affect sleep, and the difference between...

Today's guest is none other than Dave Freakin' Lipson! For those who don't know, Dave is a CrossFit HQ Staff Member, coach, athlete, writer, and co-owner of Thundrbro, an up-and-coming training, lifestyle, and supplement company focused on the intersection between hypertrophy training and functional/skill training.  Dave's background is as a strength & conditioning coach for professional MLB and NFL players, celebrities, elite CrossFit athletes (including his wife and 2014 Games Champion...

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...

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...

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'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...

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...

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...

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...

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.  ...

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...