THE WOD POD

Sam Bilbie is the reining & defending HYROX Age GroupWorld Champion & Hyrox World record holder.In this episode I met Sam down at the Nuclear Fit HQahead of the Nuclear Fit season to discuss her journey in to fitness racing & her plans for Chicago Hyrox World Champs. In light of my agreeing to race in Nuclear Fit in July I thought I'd ask a world champion fitness racer for her top tips. If you are doing a Hyrox or Nuclear Fit race this year then I hope you enjoy this one!

This episode was a long time coming. For those that don't know, Rich is the owner of various Crossfit competitions: Arnold Fitness Games, Battle for middle ground, Rep it out & Castle Games to name a few.As well as that, he owns Graft gym in Halifax, West Yorkshire. In December last year Rich captained a team of 4 who took on the world's toughest row. Which was 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from La Gomera to Antigua.This podcast episode reveals everything that happened during the row, including some key motivators and real emotional moments..

Steve & Francesca recently started an instagram account called Hyrox Workouts which was initially an account to share workouts for members at Code Fitness. Over the last couple of years, this got some real traction and has become a successful business they run together.In this episode, we find out how they both met, how theystarted the business and their journey through fitness. We also play a game of Mr & Mrs towards the end of the pod - to really see how well they know each other. Enjoy this one!

In this episode, I sit down with Dan Nota to discuss how he manages to train every day alongside a hectic office based corporate job in investment banking.Dan has been a WOD Powders athlete since last year, when he did a flavour collab with the Electrolyte RX & his Hyrox times have consistently improved.This year Dan is taking on the pro races with the goal of qualifying for the Hyrox World Champs in Chicago this June!@dan_nota_training

Emma has been competing in Crossfit since 2017 & she's now a regular top contender in UK Crossfit scene.Emma had a 37th place finish worldwide in the 2024 Crossfit open & finished 45th in Europe in the quarter finals - narrowly missing out on the semi's.If you've tried WOD Powders Apple & Elderflower electrolyte sachets you may have seen Emma featured on the design. An epic photo from a rope climb event at the French Throwdown.I really enjoyed this one & I'll certainly be following Emma's Crossfit journey over the next few years. Oh & hopefully she'll get involved with a few WOD Powders team events in 2025!

After speaking to Lewin a few times at the Northern Championships up in Durham, I had to do a podcast episode with him. Lewin's an athlete to watch over the next few years, with major success already finishing 5th in the world in the teen Crossfit games.It was great to hear what his plans are for the future & if you're a male RX athlete competing this year.. watch out for 16 year old Lewin who's most likely going to beat you! Enjoy this one.

This episode is with Mark Nel, a South African weightlifter & functional fitness coach. Mark has spent most of his career in the fitness space, but not all of it. Mark gives us an insight in to his career after weightlifting and before discovering Crossfit. It's one you don't want to miss!We discuss Mark's coaching journey and how his ethos has helped him build a 90+ member gym from scratch in less than 2 years.Mark has now said he is going for a top 3 in worlds weightlifting at age 50. It's a written contract.

Series 3 - let's av ya! The first episode of the series is with nutrition coach Alex Murphy who has been helping people with their nutrition goals for the last 8 years. Not only has Alex been ranked top 100 UK athletes in the Crossfit open, but he has had an impressive physique transformation himself. After going one step further - he explores the reasons why people are over indulging and failing to stick to their diet, which I found fascinating. If you're keen to improve the way you eat or hit some nutrition goals for 2025 - this episode will certainly be one you'll benefit from. If you haven't left a 5 star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts it would be massively appreciated and help the pod grow. Enjoy listening!

Bailey did his first Hyrox race without any training back in 2022 & since then he has dialed in his training and nutrition around Hyrox fitness racing. With a good engine & Crossfit skills Bailey managed to get 3 x age group 1st place race wins and came 6th in the world in doubles with a race time of 56:33 at the world championships. This season Bailey has several pro races lined up as well as his recent flavour collab with WOD Powders on their intra workout carb powder: WOD FUEL Hyrbrid Edition.

Just over a year ago Dave Piper was diagnosed with MS, a disease of the central nervous system which affects his movement, vision, fatigue & immune system. Dave has always done some form of training but recently he discovered a new passion for functional fitness at Black Wolf gym in North Yorkshire. Dave's positive mental attitude is inspring, over the last 6 months he's focused on qualifying for the adaptive Crossfit games. This week he flys out to Texas to compete in the finals where he's looking for a top 5 finish in his category!

I was down at Strength in Depth UK Champs and managed to meet up with Crossfit's biggest inspiration, Jules King. Jules has the most positive outlook on life. After being diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's at age 35, Jules has managed to not only walk again but she has completed 3 triathlons & this year she has qualified for the Crossfit games in San Antonio, Texas! After recording this episode I agreed to compete with her at the Wodaptive pairs comp in February. I felt super inspired after this episode & I'm sure you will too.

After hitting up a Crossfit workout over at the GSN HQ I spoke to Craig about his journey with GSN over the last 12 years. He told me some interesting stories about the ups & downs of being the owner of Gold Standard Nutrition, I had to go back and record this episode. I hope you enjoy this one, if you haven't already tried a pot of gold then you need to do so!

After seeing Zara's success in Cologne with a Hyrox individual time of 1 hour 2 minutes (which secured her a place in the Hyrox World Championships), I was keen to find out more about her Hyrox journey.For those of you who are considering doing your first Hyrox, looking at getting a Hyrox coach or those who just want to know more about Zara's journey, this episode covers it all.Since recording this episode, Zara has won the Hyrox mixed relay world championships representing team England. How epic is that!Follow Zara: https://www.instagram.com/coachedbyzara/

Since meeting Zakk in 2020, in between lock-downs at a local Crossfit gym, I have now seen him DJ at multiple Crossfit competitions around the UK and he delivers absolute bangers every single time. With Zakk recently landing a job working for FitAid & his recent DJ sets at Wodapolooza and the Crossfit Games semi finals, I had to get him on the podcast for a good chat. Albeit straight after a brutal workout at Eleven Eleven Sports Performance, I really enjoyed this one.

Whilst in Sunderland for the North East Fitness Games I met up with Steven Rayner to discuss his media business, hybrid training, his recent dabble in Hyrox & some big news for Crossfit Tweedbank. Steven also runs The Revier Games which WOD Powders is proud to be a part of. It was interesting to find out the reality of running a Crossfit competition and what goes in to it. I had a lot of fun recording this episode & I'm sure you'll enjoy the listen. Steven's instagram: @stevenrayner_

I was over in Penrith filming a promo video for the District L WOD Fuel collab, so I asked George to sit down with me to discuss everything from travelling, rugby, snowboarding...and what goes in to running an event with over 900 athletes. One thing that really resonated with me was George's goal to run his own business for the freedom to travel, rather than the money. We often get too caught up in chasing big houses & fast cars when according to George nothing beats a paddle board around Lake Ullswater on a sunny day. Enjoy this one! Follow George on ig: @gbirtle7

I was watching Robbie Davies Jr fight live when he stepped back and snapped his fibula in two. It was a crazy, freak accident which was a devastating injury at that point in his career. The former commonwealth & European super lightweight champion has been back training properly for over 7 months now and some fight news is pending shortly. The come back is on, stay tuned! If you enjoyed this episode please give it a share on your socials & leave the podcast a 5 star review. Thank you, Tom.

The entire conversation with Connie was inspirational. Connie talks about her experience suffering with anorexia & how she managed to recover from the eating disorder that could have been life threatening. Her huge achievements in a short space of time really highlight her commitment & determination towards her new goals and I can't wait to see her success continuing in Crossfit over the next few years.

In this week's episode I am joined by the founder of No Rep Apparel, one of the latest clothing brands in the functional fitness space. We discuss everything that led Stu in to launching the brand, the importance of building a real community and his plans for the brand in the near future.

After day 1 of the Northern Champs number 3, I sat down with Brett & Mason the competition owners to find out how they managed to launch one of the fastest growing functional fitness competitions in the North East. If anyone wants to find out how the September comp: SIXERS was born, you'll enjoy listening to this episode!

Elise has competed at major UK Crossfit competitions as well as international ones too. As one of the youngest doctors in the UK, Elise is a great example of someone who manages to still find time to train hard whilst managing a busy schedule. As well as being a junior doctor Elise also does coaching at a Crossfit gym and online coaching with athletes in whatever spare time she has available. I'm sure there is something we can all take away from listening to this episode! Enjoy

After seeing the first barbell jack water bottle and thinking I need that, I had to ask Pete the founder of KARTA to join me on the pod & I managed to do so before he flew to Australia. In this episode Pete & I discuss his journey through fitness, how he came up with the idea and the future plans for this essential gym accessory you didn't know you needed until now. Follow KARTA on Instagram: @kartabottle

In this episode I sit down with Sapphire Goddard a UK Crossfit athlete who ruptured her Achilles a few weeks before the 2023 Crossfit games semi finals. Saph has spent the last 6 months in recovery mode after her operation but is determined to get back on a podium in 2024. Her work ethic is second to none and have no doubts she'll be a games semi finalist again in no time! IG: @saphcf

The first episode of series 2 is with the co-founder of The Hybrid Academy, Rob McFall. Rob tells us his background in to aerospace engineering, the reason for his career change in to functional fitness and how he launched The Hybrid Academy clothing brand. With the teamwork from the other co-founder John MaGill, The Hybrid Academy has quickly become the number 1 functional fitness clothing brand in Ireland. Rob has also launched his own functional fitness gym and he has big plans for Hyrox pairs in 2024. Follow Rob on Instagram: @robthefunctionalcoach Podcast sponsors: WOD Powders https://www.wodpowders.co.uk NoRep Apparel: https://norep.uk Built for Athletes: https://builtforathletes.com/thewodpod

In this episode Carlos reflects on his upbringing and his reasoning for joining the army aged 16. He explains his discovery & passion for functional fitness and the reasons he decided to open his own gym, Crossfit Gainsborough. I have a feeling we will be seeing Carlos at the Crossfit Games as a masters athlete in 2025-2026. I'm sure of it! Follow Carlos on Instagram: @carloskieron

I managed to pin down father of 3, husband, head coach, gym owner and competition organiser Ad Whiter to discuss his journey from a corporate sales job to launching Black Wolf Fitness to then opening a functional fitness gym right at the start of lockdown. As well as hearing his story and motives behind his brand I managed to get some insights in to The Gunpowder Plot competition taking place on Saturday 4th November.

In episode 12, I spoke with Georgina Harris about her 18 year gymnastics career taking her from county level at age 7 through to the top NCAA level in America at age 22. She opens up about the tough selection process, the reality of top level training on young gymnasts and her future career plans after leaving the sport of gymnastics.

In this weeks episode I am joined by Jesi Moyano a presenter for Honda Racing in the British Superbike championship. As well as Jesi being big in to her motorsport, she has also secured a position racing in the Formula women's nations cup early next year. Being a fitness based podcast, Jesi wanted to speak about being a beginner to the CrossFit world and how it has diverted her fitness journey for the better since discovering it only 9 months ago.@jesimoyanoo

Episode 10 is a big one, mainly because he's a 6 foot 5 ex sprinter, ex England basketballer who's now playing rugby for Rotherham Titans! In this episode I sat down with John Okafor to discuss his rugby career so far, the reality about pro & semi pro rugby & his time on the ITV show 'Ready to Mingle'

I met Cam at the Northern Champs last year and been following his CrossFit journey since. 6 years in the CrossFit game and he's crushing it. Cam jumped on the pod after day 1 at WOD on the Loch, so we had a peach WOD fuel in the hot tub and discussed his experience at Scotlands first licensed CrossFit event & his fitness journey to date.

After Joe ran the Melmerby 10km in 32 minutes (17 minutes faster than me) and securing the win, I had to invite him on the pod to pick his brains about how he got so good at running and any tips for longer distance running. As I am running a marathon in September, it was a slightly selfish episode asking Joe running tips to help me out - but I'm sure there are some listeners on here that are in to their running! P.s Joe is now coming to break the course record at a Parkrun near you! Follow Joe: https://www.instagram.com/joerunsmiles/

In this episode I went over to Crossfit Rotherham 3 days after the Crossfit semi finals in Berlin to sit down with Georgia Davenport to discuss her recent success qualifiying for the Crossfit Games with Team CFR.Georgia has clearly always had the required mindset & dedication to make it as a professional athlete whether that's in gymnastics, diving or crossfit. I am looking forward to watching her and the rest of the Crossfit Rotherham team at the games in Madison in August!

In episode 6 I jumped on to the pod with Coach & cardio machine Ollie Clarke. I discussed his thoughts on intensity vs volume when it comes to training.. and also touched on mental health in the Crossfit industry. With Ollie once failing a long distance run, he is going again for a 60 mile ultra in memory of his uncle. Great to hear about his plans for this challenge and of course I've got him plenty of WOD FUEL for his ultra preparations.

In this episode I went over to Goole, East Yorkshire to visit The Northman Crossfit gym and speak to Ellis Acaster about his experience in the British Army, a life threating accident and his reasons for leaving the army to set up his own Crossfit box!

In this episode I managed to meet up with Olympian Axel Brown who happened to be over in Harrogate before heading back to continue his bobsleigh training. Axel has a fascinating story and how he ended up taking Trinidad and Tobago to the winter Olympics is truly inspiring. I'm already looking forward to seeing him at the 2026 Olympic games!

In this episode with Adam Hindley I dive in to Adam's transition in to becoming a vegan and why and how he adopted the plant based diet. I found out how being vegan has benefited his lifestyle and training. Since becoming a vegan and then launching his business last year he's currently the strongest, fittest & happiest he's ever been!

Dan Tai has been a good friend of mine since 2018, way before he had instagram or his bar muscle ups. Over the recent years he has erupted on to the Crossfit scene and this year he finished 3rd in the UK in the Crossfit Open. In this episode we find out Dan's perspective on what it takes to become a top level athlete and his other business ventures he has going on in his life.

Joseph Thomas-Greaves has recently exploded on to the Crossfit scene after discovering it only 4 years ago. He has gone from playing water polo to becoming a primary school teacher and has his sights set on the Crossfit Games next year. After recently launching an online coaching business called Brick by Brick Programming which was originally a hobby he has now 20 plus athletes and counting.