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In this chat, we discuss the traits that make a great bodybuilder. I’ve been fortunate enough to have spoke with many bodybuilders since starting the podcast and in this episode Josh, Dean and I discuss some common trends among the great bodybuilders and what it really takes to reach an elite level. We mostly discuss the mental attributes as well as some advice to help navigate the ever increasing online element of natural bodybuilding today. If you’re enjoying the show, give me a 5 star review on Spotify and make sure you’re following Josh and Dean too! Thanks.

Happy new year! The latest episode of Beyond The Muscle is live on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. DSL was back on the podcast for a great chat. We discussed his 2025 season, his plans for next year, the landscape of natural bodybuilding and competing federations and more. I always love chatting to Darren and I’m sure you’ll find this chat a good one! If you’re enjoying Beyond The Muscle give it a 5 star review on Spotify, tag DSL and myself and make sure you’re subscribed to the channel.

In this chat Josh, Dean and I discuss relationships in prep and specifically how to best manage those relationships! Anyone who’s done a contest prep with a partner knows that it poses a unique challenge and we discuss some of the best ways to manage the process here. This was fun. Make sure you’re following Beyond The Muscle on Spotify and give a 5 star review if you enjoy the show.

Beyond the Muscle turns podcast turns 1 this month and I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent the year chatting to some of the best minds and athletes in the natural bodybuilding world. From coaches, judges, athletes and scientists, it’s been one helleva ride. This episode is a highlight reel of the year featuring some of the best insights from this years guests as well as a bit more of me talking about said guests! If you enjoy the show give me a 5 star review on Spotify and subscribe/follow the channel.

In this episode Josh, Dean and I discuss the topic of peak week. We chat about what peak week is (and isn’t) , some misconceptions surrounding peak week, mistakes we’ve made in the past (alcohol was indeed consumed 😂) carb and sodium and much more. Make sure you check it out and follow Beyond the Muscle on Spotify!

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with IFBB Wellness Pro Maddy Daniel. We chatted about what got Maddy into lifting, how she approaches leg training, the different categories in female bodybuilding and much more. This was a very fun conversation, Maddy was great and I’m sure you’ll get some value from this episode. Make sure you’re following Beyond The Muscle on Spotify, follow Maddy for some cool insights into her training, tag us and give Beyond the Muscle a 5 star review on Spotify if you enjoy the podcast. Thanks!

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with fellow Anthony and natural bodybuilder Anthony Stickings. Anthony is a 2 x overall champion who made his return to stage this year with some great showings. We had this chat after he became 2 x Mr Scotland and before the BNBF British Finals. We chatted about Anthony’s training philosophy , his golden era inspirations, his mentality when it comes to competing and much more. This was a really enjoyable chat and one with some great take home points. Anthony’s love for training really shine through here. Make sure you’re following Beyond The Muscle on Spotify & YouTube and let us know if you’re enjoying the chats!

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with natural bodybuilder and coach Dean Nolan. Dean has a wealth of experience competing in natural bodybuilding with a decade of experience in the sport and he had some brilliant insights in this chat. It was a lot of fun. We chat about what got Dean started in bodybuilding, some of his biggest lessons, what it was like competing in 6 different countries last year and much more. Make sure you’re following Dean, give us a like and a tag if you enjoyed the episode and follow Beyond The Muscle on Spotify/Youtube!

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with 3DMJ and Mass Research Review co founder, Pro bodybuilder Dr. Eric Helms. 3DMJ were fundamental in my initial journey to the stage in bodybuilding and their pragmatic approach to bodybuilding is very much needed in this space in my opinion. In this chat we discuss Eric’s muscle growth in his late 30’s and beyond, genetics in bodybuilding, training volume and much more. Make sure you’re following Eric and 3DMJ, give Beyond The Muscle a 5 star review on Spotify and make sure you’re following the podcast! Thanks!

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with DFAC Pro Figure world champion Monique Collman. This was a great chat and one I’m sure you’ll get some value from. We chatted about her incredible 2024 season, what got Monique into lifting, her views on the negativity of social media, her views on natural federations vs natural shows and much more. If you enjoyed the episode, give me a 5 star review on Spotify and subscribe to the channel! Thanks.

Joshua Conde is back for this one as we review the 2025 BNBF Southern qualifier. It was great to be back at Leatherhead for this show, I have some great memories from competing there last year! Josh and I talk through all the classes we saw in this competitive qualifier. We missed some of the classes as we were helping out backstage so apologies for not covering all the classes thoroughly. There were some incredible athletes at this show and I’m excited to see how the BNBF season unfolds! Feel free to share this link if you know someone who competed here and If you enjoyed this, give me a 5 star review on Spotify & sub to the YouTube channel! Thanks.

In this episode I had the pleasure of chatting with fitness writer and coach Geoffrey Verity Schofield. Geoffrey puts out some great practical content on his YouTube channel that will almost certainly be of use to any natural athlete or aspiring competitor. He’s not afraid to say it like it is and this chat we had was a ton of fun! We discuss balancing cardio with resistance work, the rise of “optimal” training and its pitfalls as well as the impact RP have had on the industry, training volume and much more. I’m sure you’ll find this chat very valuable, I certainly did and enjoyed the discussion thoroughly. Make sure you’re following Geoff on YouTube, follow Beyond The Muscle on Spotify and tag us! Thanks!

It’s a solo one this time as I chat about the topic of reaching true stage condition. When shouldn’t you be aiming for elite condition? What does it take to reach this level of conditioning and what does it feel like. This was a fun topic to delve a bit deeper into. I’ve never really struggled with getting very lean but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy ride for me to get there! Hopefully this will provide some value to any competitor who’s either new to the sport or has struggled unlocking that next level of leanness! Make sure you’re following Beyond The Muscle on Spotify, give me a 5 star review if you’re enjoying the show. Thank you!

Dan Sutcliffe is back on the podcast, this time to chat leg training! Dan has some of the best legs in the game and I was keen to get him back on and delve deeper into the topic of leg training. We chat about Dan’s mindset when it comes to training lower body, how his leg training has evolved over the years, some mistakes he’s made and much more. We also do a q and at the end which was fun. Give Beyond The Muscle a 5 star review on Spotify if you’re enjoying the show, tag us and make sure you’re following Dan too. Thanks!

Utti Hietala is back for part 2 and I wanted to take a deeper dive into bodybuilding training specifically this time around. We chat about Utti’s specialisation training routine and how he utilises this to extract as much from his training as possible, his use of lengthened partials, rest periods and our differing takes on this and much more. It was a tremendously insightful chat and one I’m sure you’ll get some real value from. Make sure you’re following Beyond The Muscle on Spotify, tag us and follow Utti too for some great training related content.