Open Gym with Steve and Tom

Not too many folks have as many years in the game as our guest today. She's a fellow trainer and coach with a wealth of experience and an interesting backstory who also seemingly defies the laws of aging. We cover her personal origin story, the impact of stress, the impact of Cory Everson's legs, why strength training is especially potent for females, and why a baseball bat and a heavy bag may be the best therapist you'll ever meet. Tune in now to listen to our mucho grande season two finale, because next week, we out!

Way back in October of last year we were joined by our good friend David Solis who shared among other things, his story of what it's like to have a heart attack at the ripe old age of 41… Today we check in to see how he's doing on his wellness journey, find out what he's learned and picked up along the way, and where he expects to be six months from now. Plus, the perils of late nite nachos, the joys of French bread, movie quotes, juicing, not juicing, and thimbles! All on the penultimate episode of season two which was so good it made our producer literally yawn out loud!

Today we're joined by long-time listener and international superfan Brian Chauvin, who hails from the great state of Canada! Like a lot of our listeners, he's a 40-something who's had an on again/off again struggle with his weight and overall health. Today, he shares his journey with us and we speak candidly about the challenges of having a family and career and juggling that with the need to stay active and healthy. We get into gym fears, motivations, body shame, and how dialing into nutrition and hiring a macro coach changed his perspective and sparked his progress. This one's for the hosers out there everywhere. Tune in now, eh?!

Can all the info and advice with regard to health and wellness be distilled down to some basic principles that even a complete newbie can follow? Maybe, maybe not. But today we at least give it a try, and answer this age old question in the process: when is it appropriate to put Cheez-Its on a salad?

What's it been like to be on the frontlines of the fitness industry in the covid era? And are the things people are seeking in 2022 any different from what they were looking for before all this? Today we chat with superfan and all around fitness chic AB on what's changed (if anything) and how she keeps herself and her clients motivated and on track.

We're just past the midpoint of our challenge, which is right about the time lots of us start losing momentum. So today we sit down with two of our good friends (and fitness veterans) to talk about all the different types of motivation we can use in and out of the gym to help keep us inspired and moving forward.

On this week's episode, we follow up on why different strategies may work for different people, Tom finally breaks his chocolate habit (sort of), and Steve goes all Forrest Gump with his running addiction. Plus, if you drink every time we say the word ‘Goggins', you're bound to have a good time!

Today on our show we discuss emojis, covid, connections, drinking, comfort and how any and all of those things may have an impact on all of us trying to live a better, healthier life. Plus, Steve has had enough of the mushy talk about ‘feelings' and ‘emotions' and such and suggests we put all that aside and just get ‘er done!

A month into the new year and some of us are crushing it while others are getting crushed by it. Today we uncover a little bit of that dynamic, and in doing so discover that Tom has a problem with sugar, Steve has a problem with dressing, but they both have a love and appreciation for salad. Also, are you as dialed in as you should be to get the most out of your workouts, and what are some of the things you can do to make your time in the gym worthwhile.

Today we give a shout out to our Italian listener(s), break down the three camps that most folks have fallen into over the last three weeks, and explain why it's all okay if you don't have everything figured out just yet. Plus, do all those habit change hacks actually work, and is it really intuitive eating if my intuition tells me to eat an entire box of Oreos?

As we finish the second week of our challenge, we should be seeing some solid progress on the scale. But eating well and improving health manifest in several ways, with most of those results - like better mood and cognitive skills - dovetailing on the other. Today we talk about what you should expect if you've been dialed in, the challenges of cravings, the role of food variety and gut health, and answer that age old question: what would Steve do if he weighed 400 pounds?

We're a week into the new year, so how are you and your program doing? Today we go over what to expect in terms of results, possible pitfalls and adjustments, the importance of accurate assessments, and this thing called 'limbic friction' that sometimes makes us make mountains out of molehills. That plus lots of other great tips and insights as we push on to March 28th!

Everyone has ambitious goals in the new year, so we're dedicating this entire season to making that stick, with a focus on fat loss and improved health through habit change. Today we cover everything from understanding your why, to what to buy and not buy at the grocery store, to how to best handle your first gym visit. Start here, and we'll see you at the finish line on March 28th.

Season 2 of the Open Gym Podcast is coming soon, now complete with email address! Reach out to us at theopengympodcast@gmail.com for any questions, comments, or suggestions about the show. 

Today we take a look back on some of the people, place and things we covered in out first season, and the personal lessons we learned along the way. We'll be on hiatus for a while, but we really appreciate all the love and support we received during this fun little experiment of ours... Thanks again, and we hope to see you back here in 2022!

Today we try to wrap up some of the questions we neglected about our 12 week challenge episode, but instead we go totally sideways and talk about everything from Matthew McConaughey, to food challenges, welcome a third unknown voice to the mix, and give you a little Project Big Boy update.

Gyms can be scary places! So on the heels of Hallow's Eve, we share spooky stories of gym injuries, creepy cardio trends, haunted sweaty clothing, the potential return of hyponatremia, and the thing that scares Tom most of all: people staring at screens and using headphones while they work out. Also, Steve shares a legendary story about a heavy squat gone bad, and a tale of locker room shenanigans you won't soon forget. Listen if you dare…

Our guest today is an everyman - he's a middle-aged, overweight former athlete who's looking to turn the corner and finally get his health in order. (Sound familiar to anyone?…) Our goal is to help him on that journey, track his progress along the way, and share it all with our listeners. So, here's to the first step towards something better!

Way back in July, two old men challenged each other to try to be a little bit better and a little bit leaner in the months ahead. So what exactly did they do, what did they learn in the process, and what were the actual results? Tune in to find out!

Our guest today has pretty much done it all - endurance runner, pilates guru, yoga chic - and then she decided to take her body and her training in a completely different direction. Today we talk about the training and mentality needed to make the transition to a physique athlete, some of the challenges that have come along in her life, and what she's learned through it all.

Lots of people are overweight or obese, and a fair amount of them are trying to lose weight. So what are the basic components of fat loss, and can we concisely and effectively convey them to our listeners in the next hour? Heck no! Instead, we go all over the place on this one, getting into psychology, motivation, and even touching on fat activism and acceptance. Grab an extra large slice of cake and give this one a listen.

Entrepreneur, personal trainer, corporate wellness pro and registered dietician - our guest today has pretty much seen and done it all. That experience led her to create Powerhouse Bakery, a full service kitchen focused on producing nutrient rich foods and treats. Plus, she can throw a mean roundhouse kick! What's not to love about that?

What's your biggest fear? What are the most common issues we see in new clients? And what's the hardest physical endeavor you've ever undertaken? We bat those and a few other choice questions around in this all new episode of our podcast which one listener described as: ‘Not quite as terrible as I thought it might be!'

We read, watch, and listen to all types of stuff. So today we cover some of the things that came across our radar in the last week, including: paying folks for health behaviors, problems with antibody testing, the dangers (really?) of hot dogs, why carbs and sugar STILL don't make you fat, a 17 year-old who is stronger than most men on the planet, and plenty of other nonsense along the way…

For our twentieth episode (woo-hoo!), we flip our show upside down and inside out and discuss the best ways to gain fat, lose strength and minimize your health. Why would we do such a thing? Because it was kinda fun! And because sometimes we have to look at absurd and extreme behaviors on the opposite end of the spectrum to make sure we're not wasting any of our time or energy there… Plus Seinfeld and Superman already did it, so we figured we were next!

It takes a special kind of person to protect and serve - a job that also comes with some very unique physical and psychological challenges. Our guest today is a 20 year veteran of the police department, holds a masters degree in exercise science, and along the way has worked as a strength and conditioning coach, owned and operated his own gym, and served as a firearms and defensive tactics instructor. Today we cover all the ins and outs of what it takes and what it means to serve the community.

Those All-American badasses you see in the movies? We know one of those guys! And he's on our show today… Not only is he a Green Beret and Special Forces Commander, he's also a strength and conditioning specialist, CrossFit coach, and jiu-jitsu practitioner among other things. Today we talk about what it takes to make it and succeed at that level, and the lessons you learn along the way. Throw a steak on the grill, crack open a beer, and give it a listen!

How many doctors of physical therapy do you know who are not only elite level athletes and coaches, but also have experience as a lawyer, military veteran, and champion level speedgolfer? Our guest today is all those things and more, and joins us discuss everything from running shoes to rehab protocols and then some.

Most of us learn how to ride a bike when we're pretty young, but very few of us will actually make a living on two wheels. Our guest today has done just that in her own unique way; trading in her love of skateboarding and running for a mountain bike, and now riding for a professional all-female cycling team. Clip in and listen!

It's hard to beat an experienced pro when it comes to fixing things, and when it comes to your body, it's hard to find someone better than our guest today. He's an ART practitioner who has worked on and with some of the best athletes in the world, an elite level athlete himself, and just an all around interesting dude with decades in the trenches and some great insights to share.

Winner of the Bandera 100K and one of the fastest marathon runners in the nation, Ryan Miller joins us to talk about the interesting journey he's taken to become an ultra runner. From his simple, mindful approach when it comes to training and fuel, to how that syncs up with his bigger approach towards happiness and life in general.

Midlife has traditionally been seen as the apex of our earthly journey, but is that even true? Does it mark the end of the good stuff, or just the beginning of it? Settle in and listen to two old men cover all that, and then some…

We all gain awareness of our own health and wellness at different points in our lives, but most of us have vastly different paths on how we got there. So, what would you tell your younger self? And what would you do differently? Today we're joined by a member of Generation Z to see where they are with regard to fitness, and to see if they share any common ground with us Gen X'ers… Also, get off our lawn!

Every kid on a playground dreams of getting paid to play. But the chances of making it as a professional athlete are a fraction of a fraction of one percent. Today, one of those who made it talks to us about life as a professional soccer player, and beyond.

What's on the other side of sobriety, and how do you view the world while you're in recovery? And what can the rest of us learn about our own bad habits and obsessive behaviors when put through the lens of addiction.

Food and alcohol seem to be the biggest challenges for most folks navigating a healthy life, with sobriety perhaps being the ultimate example of behavior change. Our guest today shares the incredible story of his addiction and how he got clean, got clear, and changed his life.

The smartest guy in the room when it comes to nutrition research and hard data joins us to talk about carbs, fat loss, performance, and everything in between.

Morning routines and rituals have become a hot topic as of late, so today we dive into what we use to do, what we do now, and how that can set the tone for the rest of the day.

Taking steps to improve our physical health can often lead to investigating other parts of our life that may be lacking. How do we measure those other elements, and what are the tools and questions we can use to get there?

Got an abandoned room you plan on turning into a workout space? We got a few suggestions...

We have our first guest - and she's awesome! Listen to Tom tell a dumb story about a salad, and hear Tim talk about food and food culture in our city and beyond.

What are the most common questions we tend to get as trainers and coaches, how are they presented, and how do we try to address them.

If you pay attention, the gym can be a great microcosm of life, and a window into who we really are, or perhaps who we aren't.

Personal anecdotes and observations on how we handled the weird (covid) year that was.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... two dudes met in a gym.