For Fit Sake

EPISODE 39: SINEAD DELAHUNTY - DELALICIOUS BATCH COOKING - ADVANTAGES OF COOKING YOURSELF - MAKE COOKING FUN An athlete, a physiotherapist and a thriving food blog means Sinéad Delahunty is the perfect guest to talk about the importance of good nutrition in fuelling every day life for health, performance and body composition.  The inter county footballer from Tipperary grew up on a farm and a diet of home-cooked foods. While she was transitioning to life as a working professional, balancing life on the road and competing at inter county level, that Sinead really discovered the importance of good nutrition and how there was a market for her online services. Sinead now has a very well received food blog and her very own cookbook.  Rory and Rudds spent some of their formative years in UCD with Sinead and now the trio get together to discuss the benefits of cooking your own food, how to make it a ritual and how to make it fun... all whilst Rudds nearly burns the house down during a live batch cook!

EPISODE 38: MARK McGROARTY - HUMAN CENTRED MOVEMENT MOVEMENT DRILLS - WORKING PAIN FREE - TRIGGER POINTING AND STRETCHING Rory and Rudds caught up with Mark, a "movement scientist", from Human Centred Movement to discuss all things movement based. The guys dove into general daily movement, specific mobility drills that everyone should incorporate into their daily routines. Foam rolling, trigger pointing and Functional Range Conditioning dominate the section on current trends in the health and fitness industries.  The guys discuss how you can clear the clutter and get the most bang for buck on some simple steps you can take to get the most out of your prep before training.  A must listen for anyone trying to get in tune with their body and improve how they recover / prepare.

EPISODE 37: CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL AND FITNESS GOALS STRATEGIES IN THE WORK PLACE - SIMPLE DOESN'T MEAN EASY - SOCIAL NORMS Office lifestyles aren't always conducive to leading a health lifestyle. Sitting for 7-9 hours per day, availability of processed foods and in office treats everyday, client entertaining and late nights in client facing industries. These are challenges that FFS' core clientele deal with on a daily basis. Strategies are essential and you can't always rely on will power.  Rory and Rudds get stuck into how to make your work place a healthier environment. The guys share simple strategies on how to get more movement in, create an environment that allows you to flourish and discuss why you shouldn't care what anyone else thinks if you are eating your homemade lunch from a lunchbox when there is free food available.  Lot's in this, enjoy!

Rory and Rudds were joined by fellow FFS Coach Craig McInerney A.K.A "Big C" this week to discuss one of the most common topics that FFS coaches are asked about: Following your passion to become a personal trainer / S&C Coach. Craig shares his story on how he transitioned from working with companies like Microsoft and Google to a career in health and fitness. The guys give practical advice on how people looking to make the transition should approach it. The risks involved and best ways to counteract them and they dive into the challenges that Craig faced along the way. Craig discusses his role with the FFS Personal Training Academy and what he sees with students that he tutors as part of the program There is also a section on online coaching and how it has become so popular among PT's in the industry. Plenty of sibling rivalry on display in the studio and the guys had a little bit of fun with a Big C Q&A at the end. Enjoy!

In episode 35 of For Fit Sake, Rory and Rudds discuss that topic that is on everyones minds so much recently... Stress. In a face paced lifestyle everyone is working more, pressure is higher, there is external influences such as social media that add brand new types of stress to us that people didn't have to deal with 30 years ago. The guys chat about different types of stress, how to manage stress and the importance of having some basic systems in place to recognise your stressors ahead of time.

EPISODE 34: UNCONVENTIONAL TRAINING WHAT IT IS - WHY YOU SHOULD BE DOING IT - PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS Rudds has been reading again! Rory and Rudds sit down to discuss what changes in FFS programming are happening in 2019 and why. The guys focus on unconventional training modalities and how they can help to injury proof your body. They also talk about work arounds for injured athletes and how they have seen people turn a devastating injury into a positive and identifying an area of growth. No type of training was enough to save Rudds from picking up a nice black eye though..... Listen to the end to hear how he picked up a few stitches!

EPISODE 32: TADHG LAWLESS - CROSSFIT ATHLETE Tadgh is the number 1 ranked crossfit athlete for his age grade in Ireland. Last year he was the only Irish and also only European Athlete to Make it to the CrossFit games. At only 18 years of age he is achieving incredible levels of strength & conditioning, with a back squat of 175kg, clean & jerk of 130kg & a snatch of 107kg to name a few. All while being able to run 5km in 21 min 16 seconds. Rory and Rudds spoke to Tadhg about his decision to specialise in crossfit and leave "normal" sports like Football and Hurling behind. Tadhg has some great advice for younger athletes looking to compete in crossfit and shares his refreshingly mature approach to what the future has in store for him.  Sit tight for what could be A; The worst quiz the show has seen but B) and more importantly.... arguably the worst fitness forefeit in the shows history also..... ENJOY!

Here is some real inspiration from real people! Normal people who enjoy training but have always been missing a few small key details to get them the results they wanted. Listen to Kristen and Fergal's key learnings and what they took from the FFS Transformation challenge... aside from a cool €1000 they also got in the shape of their lives to date. Not a bad haul for 12 weeks! Rory and Rudds talk to the guys about the key process' and systems that helped both winners stay on track and how they aim to continue to progress into the future. Rudds especially talks about his learnings throughput coaching the last 3 transformations and what he wants to bring to the January 2019 instalment. Enjoy!

Rory and Ciaran met Shane Lowry in the lead up to Christmas to discuss Shane's reflections on 2018 as well as his goal setting process' for 2019. This episode offers a unique insight into life on the PGA and European tours , especially the challenges golfers face from a professional and personal point of view. Shane shares his new goal / process setting plan with the lads and talks about what will hopefully be a huge 2019 for the Offaly man. The guys talk about strength training for Golf and how what trends are appearing at the top level. Rory takes Shane through a quick fire round covering everything from favourite courses to Offaly GAA and finally building the ultimate Golfer.

EPISODE 30: JESSE GUFFEY, LOS ANGELES DODGERS ATHLETIC TRAINER On this week’s episode, Rory and Rudds were joined by three staff from the LA Dodgers and several of Baseball Ireland management / coaching team for a unique podcast.  The gym was being used by Jesse Guffey (LA Dodgers Athletic Trainer) and Frank Andrews (Baseball Ireland Strength and Skills Coach) to screen the Irish team as well as some promising prospects for the national program. During the training session Team FFS got to observe and see the coaches working with their Baseball Athletes as well as learn some of the intricacies of the sport from chatting to the Dodgers backroom team.   This episode is an eye opener into the physical demands that throwing and rotational sports can place on the body, especially with teh jaw dropping frequency of games that these athletes play.  Main topics discussed: - Baseball in Ireland - Development of the sport globally - Similarities between Hurling and Baseball  - Non early specialisation in junior ath

EPISODE 29: TRAINING FOR MUSCLE & STRENGTH On this week’s episode, Rory and Rudds discuss the difference between size / strength and the nutrition for both. - Can you do both at once? - The key differences between training for strength and size - Two different types of hypertrophy - How to fuel for bulking This episode is packed with information on one of the most common goals that the guys address at FFS. People looking to get stronger and / or increase size. There is practical information on training guidelines and easy ways to assess if your strength training regime is working. Also a few great tips to assess; are you getting bigger? or are you getting fatter? Enjoy

BLK Box are rapidly becoming the number one name in gym fit out and equipment fabrication in Ireland and the UK. Rory, Rudds and Craig took the trip up north to the Titanic Quarter in Belfast to visit the showroom, warehouse and it's founder, Greg Bradley. The guys discuss the dubious circumstances on how Rory and Greg met and how important it is for everyone in the company to roll up their sleeves when needs be, but also how working hard isn't as effective as working smart. Greg talks about the growth of BLK Box from 3 people to almost 35 over less than 5 years. Culture and the people in the company are what Greg credits his success to and at FFS the guys can relate to that. There is also some practical advice for those looking to fit out their own gym and how people can get the best bang for their buck.

Daniel Twomey is a man well suited to join Rory and Ciaran and discuss the positive impacts of exercise on mental health. He is a personal trainer in Trinity College Dublin as well as completing a PHD in Physical activity and positive mental health. Daniel ran the Dublin marathon last year in aid of Pieta House and ran with the ambition of raising awareness of how important it is for us to support each other as a society. He posted a raw and passionate video in the immediate aftermath of the marathon discussing a period in his life when he was suffering from very poor mental health and was in fact suicidal. The guys discuss the importance of communicating with friends and family, letting people know that there is always someone there for support and people are never alone. Daniel dives into how exercise is the best anti-depressant available and how physical activity & exercise is for everyone, regardless of your current fitness level. A big talking point is how comparison is the thief of joy and how

This week the guys talk through Rudds’ marathon that he ran over the weekend. He found out he could no longer run the Dublin Marathon as planned so took off solo last weekend with a few weather enforced and technical mishaps along the way! It makes for an entertaining recap, but as always the big man had some learnings from his mishaps. Rory discusses how running has helped him with some semblance of consistency throughout a very hectic summer and how it provides a mental / social support for him. The guys give their experience on running marathons and highlight some of the key benefits for those thinking of taking up running.

Episode 25: Kevin McLaughlin. This week Rory and Rudds sat down with retired rugby player and now VP of operations of Kitman Labs, Kevin McLaughlin. The guys discuss the rationale behind kitman labs, to harvest data to help elite sports teams deal with injuries and rehabilitation and how it’s inception was borne at Leinster Rugby by Stevie Smith. One of the big topics of the episode is - Will coaches be driven more about objective measurements of certain criteria, for example a 2nd row in rugby should be this height, weight, bench press X amount and squat X amount, when it comes to selecting players into academies or sports teams? Kevin offers some great insights into how elite level coaches use the data as a measure of objectivity but never lose sight of their innate coaching abilities to make decisions. Kevin shares what habits he has picked up from visiting various clubs from different sports at elite level, and compares them to what he experiences dealing with the 4 provinces in Rugby at home and

Episode 24 of the For Fit Sake Podcast. Terry Kennedy- Irish 7’s international. Introduction. • Terry play’s his club rugby with St.Mary’s RFC. • Terry is currently in the Leinster Academy. • Irish 7’s player, having previously won the European Grand Prix, finished 3rd in the London 7’s and competed in the 7’s world cup in San Francisco. 3 mins 50: Biggest difference between 7’s and 15’s. • Having the aerobic fitness in 7’s. • In 7’s you’re constantly involved vs when playing on the wing in 15’s you might be limited in certain games. • Training- The amount of running load is the biggest difference. Building fitness through drills in 7’s, trying to train your skills under fatigue. • When going from one drill to the next it’s important to keep the intensity up and replicate match pace as often as possible. • If you don’t work hard in 7’s its more noticeable than in 15’s. 8 mins 45: What are some of the skills you look for in the best teams in the world? The likes of Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa.

Steffan Fusco is a personal trainer who works with some of Irelands leading talents in sport, fashion and showbiz. Having worked in an office job from 9-5 in online sales, Steffan decided to pursue his passion for helping others through health and fitness. Key areas of discussion. 1. Weightlifting for females. 2. Rituals and routines. 3. The importance of preparation. 4. Functional training to improve body composition and performance. 5. Simplifying training. Rudds takes on Steffan in this week’s “showbiz” quiz, forfeit to be announced via Instagram.

Episode 22 of the For Fit Sake Podcast - The 10,000 calorie challenge. In this episode Rudds and Rory discuss their 10K calorie challenge. Rudds took on the challenge with the intentions of eating “processed foods” vs Rory attempting to eat 10k calories of “whole foods”.  Each participant must only eat their calories and cannot consume calories through fluids, smoothies, milkshakes and the sort, in a 24 hour window. The lads reveal the challenges and insights into their respective food types. Rory and Rudds were very “eggcited” at the start, however, Rory seemed to run out of thyme, whilst Rudd’s had to “turnip” the heat by ordering a dominoes in order to complete the challenge.  Rory’s main challenges with the whole foods include; How fibre plays a role in satiety. Bloating and feeling lethargic. Poor sleep quality. Rudd’s main challenges with processed foods include; Sugar crashes. Foods disagreeing with his normal diet (minimally processed and high in fibre). Meat sweats. Other areas of discussion incl

For Fit Sake – Episode 21 Victor Rabei - Super Lightweight Celtic Champion Victor is a Moldovan super lightweight who has grown up in Dublin. He is trained by Steven O’Rourke (who also train Cillian Reardon, previous guest on the Pod). He made his pro debut in the summer of 2017 against Chris Adaway and Victor currently holds the Cetlic title with a 5-0 record. The 3 key areas that the guys address are: 1. The day to day life of a professional boxer 2. Physically & mentally preparing for a title fight 3. Tactically preparing for a fight This week’s quiz could have been the most difficult to find a link between our hosts and our guest. As much as Rory might fancy himself to go a few rounds with Victor we all know how that would end…. Listen right to the end to see how creative Rudds got this week to somehow find a link between Rory and Victor… We know, we know, he is reaching big time! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/victorrabei/?hl=en

Episode 20- Alan Flanagan- “The Nutritional Advocate”. Alan is a lawyer and nutritionist based in Dublin, Ireland. In addition to his legal practice, Alan is currently pursuing a Masters in Nutritional Medicine at the University of Surrey. Alan founded Align Health as an online coaching practice, and as a medium to communicate evidence- based nutrition and health science to a lay audience. From working professionals to professional athletes, Alan provides science-based solutions and protocols to guide motivated individuals to their goals. In episode 20 of the For Fit Sake podcast, Rory and Rudd’s talk all things nutrition with Alan Flanagan. The 3 key points for the episode are; 1. Circadian Rhythm and sleep. 2. The truth about saturated fats. 3. Dairy myths. If you want to look out for more content from Alan then follow the links below. Instagram- The Nutritional_Advocate. Biolayne- https://www.biolayne.com/blog/author/alan-flanagan-2/