#255 Stonelifting, The Gathering & Connection Through Strength with Stevie Shanks

We are joined from Barton Under Needwood, Staffordshire by Steve Gardner to discuss his 50 years in the Iron Game & Strength Sports. We met Steve when he was M.C at the recent Donald Dinnie Day in Scotland & spent a couple of evenings with him where we started to hear about his experiences over the last 50 years. In this podcast we discuss Weightlifting, Strongman, Highland Games, Tug of War, Arm Wrestling, training with Geoff Capes, coaching & how Steve’s life has been shaped & directed by physical culture & a love of lifting. (& YES, that is a picture of Steve with the great Jón Páll Sigmarsson in 1985 - before beating him in the World Lorry Pull Championships!)

We are joined from Aberdeenshire, Scotland by Jeanette (61) & Roger (65) Dunridge. A couple who are defying the stereotypes of ageing by leading an incredible active lifestyle & still challenging themselves through high level competition. Janette is a competitive Natural Bodybuilder & Roger is an extreme endurance runner (& they both walk their dogs twice every day in the rugged Scottish landscape as well) Hear about their back story & their simple tips for staying fit & healthy as you age - & maybe be inspired to try something new or set yourself a challenging goal!

We are rejoined by David Amerland (last with us on Episode 243) for a wide reaching conversation including what is required to live to 100 (according to the most recent science), Building our mental resilience, coping with everyday stress & a simple way to gain control of our day from the moment we wake.

We are delighted to be re-joined on our 5th Birthday episode by recent popular guest, UK NHS GP of 25 years - Dr Nancy Allen. Dr Nancy answers listener (& host) questions on all things health related including; cholesterol, statins, training with Kidney Failure, the importance of tracking & personal responsibility & what to look for when getting a blood test done privately. We also learn how the NHS quantifies patient risk & how you can track & reduce your own risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. An interesting, informative & relaxed conversation with Health Oddity’s resident medical expert.

We are joined from Woodbridge, Suffolk by Andrea Thompson; 2018 Worlds Strongest Woman, 2023 Worlds Strongest Masters & 4 x Britains Strongest Woman (2016-2019). Andrea is also one of the stars of the documentary ‘A Strong Woman - The truth behind the world’s strongest women’ alongside former Health Oddity guests Lucy Underdown & Chloe Brennan. We discuss Andrea’s life, training, being one of the pioneers of UK Strongwoman & finding one’s true identity through personal struggle both mentally & physically.

In this breather episode Pete & James reflect on the last 6 weeks of guests & debrief after the Unique Results Walking Weekend in Bath, Somerset joined forces with Walk Bath & Walking Solves. We discuss walking & the simple but profound difference it can make in people’s lives (& how it ‘fixed’ James’ plantar fasciitis!) UK’s Strongest Man finals are also discussed & the wisdom & lessons we have taken & applied from our recent run of guests.

We are joined all the way from The Sunny Coast, Australia by Sam Stow a movement specialist focused on technique, efficiency & injury-free running. We discuss Sam’s approach to helping everyday people find joy & ease in running including ‘The Functional Step’ & ‘POP! Running’. We talk about the importance of training (& using) the GO muscles rather than the SHOW muscles, drills to help you find your glutes & the benefits & potential drawbacks of barefoot running. We also hear about Sam’s experience of running 100 miles while wearing a 10kg weighted vest - NOTE: Don’t try this at home!

We are joined for the first (but not the last) time by Jack Kirby from Essex Podiatry Clinics to talk all things feet, ankles & lower limbs. We discuss the complex natural engineering of the foot, what a healthy foot looks like, how to strengthen your feet, how to care for your feet, how to prevent common foot injuries & problems & why an expensive pair of running shoes or arch supports may NOT be the answer. This was a fun, lively & interesting conversation about something most of us give very little thought to - our points of contact to the ground beneath us.

We welcome back the endlessly energetic Stevie Shanks to the podcast as he finalises the preparation for the 9th running of ‘The Gathering’ Donald Dinnie Day in Potarch, Scotland on Sunday 3rd August. We discuss what is in store & look forward to both Pete & James being there this year as well as some ‘behind the scenes’ news & insider secrets. We also discuss the recent meeting of ‘friend of the show’ Sven Rieger with Stevie & his Father Jack. A powerful example of a love of strength forging connection & friendships around the world.

We welcome back Dave Adkins from Principle Physiotherapy to the podcast for a fun & informative episode where we discuss 4 common training related injuries; Lower back pain, plantar fasciitis, knee pain & tennis/golfers elbow. Dave talks about causes, symptoms, management & rehab of each condition in an episode that probably has something applicable for everyone (unfortunately).