#286 The Performance Flywheel with James Breese

Following a listener suggestion Peter & James walk you through how to build a low cost strength training programme at home including which equipment to buy (for £200-£300 total) - what you can buy second hand & what not to. How to structure your programme, which movements & exercises to choose & some ideas of progressions as well. There will be a follow up episode to this where we will outline more principles for strength progression that can be applied universally.

We are joined from Newcastle UK by proud 'Geordie' & Natural Bodybuilding Champion Phil Earley.  Phil turns 60 this year & has set himself the modest goal of competing at the Natural Olympia contest this November in Las Vegas USA. We discuss Phil's introduction to strength training back when he was a teenager. His love of Kettlebells. His journey on Paul Mcllroy's Amazing 12 transformation programme & how after nearly 40 years of training he took the plunge & entered his first Bodybuilding show! The rest - as they say, is history.

In this host catch up episode Peter & James discuss 3 main topics: The recent Britains Strongest Man in Sheffield that Pete attended live (& James watched from France). Lessons from the mountains on the recent Unique Results skiing & snowboarding holiday.  How to calculate your daily protein requirements based on bodyweight & activity levels AND how to hit them consistently.

We are joined for the fourth time by James Breese from Strength Matters & Cricket Matters & discuss his upcoming Cricket injury & performance clinic in Cardiff, Wales. We also hear about James' recent time spent with Gray Cook in the USA & the development of 'The Performance Flywheel' model which covers the 6 components of athlete performance in any skill based sport or training programme.

We are joined by Duncan Moore, founder of 'Let's Get Out' Community Interest Company. His mission is to get more young people outside experiencing the many benefits of spending time in nature. We discuss forestry schools, bushcraft, survival skills & the Duke of Edinburgh Awards as well as some of the established & recognised benefits of being in nature & also some of the interpersonal skills & leadership traits young people can develop when taken outside away from technology & connecting with nature, & each other.

In this host catch up episode Peter & James discuss a simple habit stacking nutrition challenge, James begins to run AGAIN & shares his experience & they discuss a recent short video that went viral & the ways that human beings react to online content & people as they age.

We are joined from Los Angeles USA for a very unique & important episode with a man who has overcome life altering adversity & is now on a mission to help others do the same. William Person was a 10 year veteran of the Team USA Bobsled team & has subsequently developed CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) a brain injury condition experienced by collision sports athletes, military veterans & civilians who experience head trauma. This is a fascinating conversation that is wide reaching & impactful & William's mission could have wider implications for many of societies current ills.

Midway through January & following a run of 8 weeks of fantastic guests Pete & James cut through the distraction & clutter of new year, new you media hyperbole & discuss the 5 big rocks that will ACTUALLY help you move the needle & make progress throughout 2026.

We are rejoined by Mark Tonner (previously a guest on episodes 272 & 174) to Review the recent 'Lift for Life' Charity Deadlift Challenge & discuss some big plans for 2026. 2025 was the most successful event to date breaking records in terms of kg lifted, number of participants AND money raised for Suicide Prevention through Andy's Man Club & if you've listened to previous episodes with Mark you'll know he has some more dastardly ideas up his sleeve!

We last spoke to Paddy Haynes back in February 2025 (Episode 237) when he was very much 'The Dark Horse' of UK & International Strongman having narrowly missed out on a podium place at Britain's Strongest Man. Since then, it's fair to say he's had a pretty special year. In this catch up episode with Paddy we go through his biggest achievements of the year in terms of contest finishes & records broken & look ahead to 2026 - could the 'Dark Horse' be renamed - 'The Stallion'!?