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The latest episode of Beyond The Muscle is now up on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. Josh and Dean are back for another deep dive and in this chat we explore the topic of physique expectations and specifically, how to manage physique expectations. This is an important topic and a fun one for us to explore.  We discuss comparing ourselves to other bodybuilders, our own physique expectations when we first competed, how expectations evolve over time and much more. This is the last episode before my first show of the season and a mini summer break! Enjoy!

The latest episode of Beyond The Muscle is now live on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with natural bodybuilder and coach Ryan Sapstead. With Ryan I wanted to explore the topic of the benefits of dedicating a life to lifting weights and some of the lessons that brings. Ryan and I chatted about how and why we started lifting weights, the control aspect the gym can bring, why box ticking doesn’t apply to lifting weights and much more. This was a thoroughly enjoyable conversation and one I’m sure you’ll get some real value from. If you’re enjoying these chats, give Beyond The muscle a 5 star review on Spotify and subscribe too.

The latest episode of Beyond the Muscle is now live on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. In this chat I had the pleasure of chatting with pro natural bodybuilder and hyperrealism artist Charlie Ziegler. It was great to chat to Charlie who shares my passion for both bodybuilding and creating hyperrealism artwork.  This was a very different kind of episode as we took some time to explore the similarities between a contest prep and the skills required to create photorealistic artwork.  We also discussed the role of obsession in these pursuits as well as how Charlie has become a successful vegan bodybuilder too. A truly enjoyable episode to film and one with a ton of value, make sure you check it out. Follow Charlie for his training and art updates and if you’re enjoying Beyond The Muscle, give me a follow on YouTube/Spotify. Thanks!

The latest episode of Beyond The Muscle is now live on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with WNBF men’s physique pro Kojo Boateng. Kojo is someone who thinks very deeply about some of the psychological aspects of training so it was great to discuss topics such as intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, finding your “why”, when someone should or shouldn’t compete, and much more. This was a really fun conversation and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. If you’re getting value from these episodes, feel free to give me a 5 star review on Spotify and follow on YouTube too. Thanks! A slight audio issue in this episode. We both had fans on due to the crazy heat last week so to reduce our fab noise there’s a slight reduction in audio quality.

The latest episode of Beyond The Muscle is now live on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. This time Josh, Dean and I took a deep dive into the topic of managing hunger in prep.  We have a wealth of experience in this area having done many diets and preps between us and as a result, I feel this is one of our most valuable episode yet. Tune in to find out how much seasoning Dean likes on his food during prep, how Josh deals with prep whilst at a party, my favourite packet of crisps, how eating becomes a sacred experience when you get very lean and much more. I love making these episodes, it’s always fun to compare our experiences and this was no exception.  You don’t want to miss this one, check it out!

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with pro women’s bodybuilder Christine Reinhart. The main topic of this conversation was how to transition from a prep into the off season effectively. We also discussed the topic of delayed gratification, female bodybuilding and much more. This was such a great chat. I’m a big fan of Christine’s introspective mind and approach to natural bodybuilding. She loves the sport and clearly thinks very deeply about every aspect of it, and as a result, she has some amazing insights. If you’re a male, or female competitor, you’ll get a ton of value from this episode. Make sure you’re following Christine, and if you’re enjoying the episodes follow Beyond The Muscle on YouTube and Spotify. Cheers!

This time I had the pleasure of chatting with Pro bodybuilder & coach Elliot Gibson. Elliot put out a great post a couple of months back about how bodybuilding is probably a lot less subjective than most people think.  That formed the basis for a large part of this discussion. As well as how to deal with defeat, how to maintain relationships in bodybuilding and much more. This was a really interesting and enjoyable chat and one I’m sure you’ll get a ton of value from. Make sure you’re following Elliot and if you’re enjoying Beyond the muscle give me a 5 star review on Spotify and follow the channel on YouTube.

The latest episode of Beyond The Muscle is now live on YouTube, Spotify & Apple podcasts. This was my 50th episode and I had the pleasure of chatting with Lawrence Grieve. Lawrence put out a post recently stating that he’s taking a step away from competing in bodybuilding, and the mature and transparent way he approached this really resonated with me. In the chat we discuss Lawrence’s bodybuilding journey, how large a part of one’s identity bodybuilding should take up, his decision to take a step away from competing and why it was the right decision, his transition to ultra running and more. This was a thoroughly enjoyable chat and one I’m sure you’ll get some real value from. Make sure you’re following Beyond the Muscle on YouTube and Spotify and give Lawrence a follow too. Timestamps… 00:00 Introduction & Lawrence’s Bodybuilding Background 01:57 Star Wars, Andor & Storytelling 04:50 Why Lawrence Stepped Away from Competitive Bodybuilding 10:31 Losing Passion for Training & Contest Prep 14:13 Identity Beyond Bodybuilding 18:36 Obsession, Balance & Other Interests 21:23 Is Bodybuilding Inherently Monotonous? 23:36 From Bodybuilding to Ultramarathon Training 26:58 Running Injuries, Adaptation & Patience 30:41 Does Being a Bodybuilder Help or Hurt Running? 35:15 Running vs Weight Training for Mental Clarity 38:18 Meditation, Faith & Managing Modern Distractions 42:23 Mental Health, Complexity & the Human Mind 44:34 Transferable Skills from Bodybuilding 47:18 Advice for Bodybuilders Considering a New Path 51:42 Quickfire Questions 52:50 Arsenal FC, Football & the World Cup 55:39 Advice to a Younger Self 58:00 Final Thoughts & Outro

The latest episode of Beyond The Muscle is now up on Spotify, YouTube and Apple podcasts. GVS was back for another discussion as I wanted to chat a bit more about his current dieting phase. In this chat we discuss his current diet, the way Geoff trains and how it’s changed over the years, diet side effects(old ladies in the gym) and much more!  Geoff puts out some of the very best fitness content on YouTube in my opinion and it’s always great to chat to him.  If you’re enjoying Beyond The muscle give me a follow on Spotify/Youtube for my these videos as well as my 2026 contest prep journey.

Josh and Dean were back to discuss various fitness topics with me in this fun episode. To hear our thoughts on clickers in the mouth, vacuums, training intensity, cardio for fat loss and more and whether we think they’re over or underrated, check this one out.  If you’re enjoying Beyond the muscle give me a 5 star review on Spotify and follow the YouTube channel too for my prep updates.

In the episode I had the pleasure of sitting down with Shaun Fury. Shaun is a natural bodybuilder & founder of the Natty King and he’s aiming to grow natural bodybuilding to new heights. I’m a big fan of what Shaun is aiming to achieve, and his optimism and ambition is a breath of fresh air in the, often rather clinical world of natural bodybuilding! In this chat we discuss how his love for natural bodybuilding started, the direction in which he’d like to see natural bodybuilding take and his plans to help make that happen. It was a truly enjoyable chat and one in which I’m sure you’ll get some real value from. Make sure you’re following Shaun and Beyond the Muscle on YouTube and Spotify if you’re enjoying the episodes!

Steve Hall is back on the show for another bodybuilding discussion. In this chat Steve and I discuss changing our minds when it comes to training and nutrition. Steve has a wealth of experience and I was keen to delve into some of the areas where he’s changed his mind, both with training and diet and how his training philosophy has changed over the years. Steve was great as always and I’m sure you’ll get a lot of value from this one! If you’re enjoying Beyond The Muscle give it a 5 star review on Spotify and make sure you’re following the YouTube channel too for podcasts and prep updates!

In this chat Josh, Dean and I discuss the use of a.i in the coaching space. If you want to learn about falling in love with ChatGPT, robots taking over the world and how old Josh really is then make sure you tune in! It was a lot of fun to delve into the topic of A.I in the coaching space as it becomes more and more difficult to ignore. If you’re enjoying Beyond The Muscle give me a 5 star review on Spotify, subscribe to the Youtube channel and make sure you’re following Josh and Dean too. For coaching enquiries send me a DM or check out the link in my bio.

In this episode Josh, Dean and I chat about the different dieting approaches one can take when bodybuilding. Which is better, flexible dieting or a more rigid meal plan approach? Or something in between. We explore all of that, as well as our own approaches to dieting. If you’re enjoying the podcast make sure you’re following on YouTube and Spotify and make sure you’re following Dean and Josh too! Enjoy.

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with online coach Faz from Fazlifts. He has over 3 decades of experience in the fitness industry, as a coach, powerlifter & bodybuilder. This was a very fun chat, I’m a big fan of Faz’s YouTube channel and it was great to pick his brain and delve into various topics. We chatted about his journey from the beginning, high volume vs low volume, goals and much more. This was a thoroughly enjoyable chat and I’m sure you’ll get some value from it. Make sure you’re following Faz’s YouTube, give him a follow and if you’re enjoying Beyond The muscle give me a 5 star rating on Spotify! For coaching inquire here https://forms.gle/v5vySxRWUu1TzAD3A