Beyond The Muscle Podcast

It’s been a while! This was filmed last month on peak week just before the British finals and Josh Dean and I discussed the topic of contest prep, specifically some of the less talked about aspects of prep.This was a great discussion and one that I feel could be extremely useful for new competitors who haven’t experienced a prep as well as more experienced athletes who’ll be nodding along, thinking…yep, I know what you mean!We discuss some of the expected aspects of prep, low energy, less sleep.etc but then delve deeper into some of the less talked about aspects of prep. For example, the changes in personality one can expect as well as the way prep seems to amplify our innate personality traits.Make sure you’re following Beyond The Muscle on Spotify and YouTube and give me a 5 star rating on Spotify if you’re enjoying the episodes.

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 Background01:57 Star Wars, Andor & Storytelling04:50 Why Lawrence Stepped Away from Competitive Bodybuilding10:31 Losing Passion for Training & Contest Prep14:13 Identity Beyond Bodybuilding18:36 Obsession, Balance & Other Interests21:23 Is Bodybuilding Inherently Monotonous?23:36 From Bodybuilding to Ultramarathon Training26:58 Running Injuries, Adaptation & Patience30:41 Does Being a Bodybuilder Help or Hurt Running?35:15 Running vs Weight Training for Mental Clarity38:18 Meditation, Faith & Managing Modern Distractions42:23 Mental Health, Complexity & the Human Mind44:34 Transferable Skills from Bodybuilding47:18 Advice for Bodybuilders Considering a New Path51:42 Quickfire Questions52:50 Arsenal FC, Football & the World Cup55:39 Advice to a Younger Self58:00 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.