Garage Gym Podcast

In this episode, Alex and Carla talk about: - Carla's education and the road she took with creating Vital - The state of education in the S&C industry - Vital's new ebook on the Gap Analysis - Why you should fill your tires instead of just building a bigger engine - Common errors made by S&C coaches - Problem-solving within the integrated service team - The difference between sports that need more basic strength vs sports that need a more nuanced approach to S&C - Pitfalls of classical linear periodization - Changing movement patterns - Using technical models to identify ideal movement patterns - Instagram Q&A - How do efficiently do research on things you are interested in Carla is the owner and founder of Vital Strength & Physiology in Calgary, Alberta. You can find them @VitalStrengthPhysiology on Instagram, or at vitalstrengthphysiology.com And as always, you can find us on Instagram @GarageGymGG

In this episode, Alex and Tiana talk about: - Tiana's experience and coaching style - How pain can be used to guide training - How stoicism can be used to temper training mindset - How CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting complement each other - Training considerations for individuals that compete in both weightlifting and CrossFit Check us out on Instagram @garagegymgg

In this episode, Alex and Artem talk about: - How Artem got started with strength sports, and the origin of Northlift Belts - The care of dedication that makes Artem's leatherwork unique and high-quality - Different types of belts, straps, and wrist wraps and what they are useful for - Fitness social media, and popular fitness personalities in Edmonton - The state of powerlifting in Alberta - Vintage trucks and barbells - Alex's ongoing MCoach degree - Why LTAD planning is impractical - Benefits and pitfalls of university education as it relates to fitness and coaching - Rigid vs. fluid coaching/programming, who it's useful for and when - Communication, trust, expectations, and autonomy in the coach-athlete relationship Check us out on Instagram @garagegymgg You can find Artem and Northlift Belts on Instagram @northliftbelts

In this episode, Alex and Bryant talk about: - Bryant going from a crossfitter to a weightlifter to a coach that owns his own gym - The challenges of running a weightlifting club inside of a crossfit gym - Weightlifting program design, specifically transition periods after meets - Challenges of weightlifting in places where it isn't popular - Youth weightlifting considerations and teaching progressions Check us out on Instagram @garagegymgg You can find Bryant on Instagram @bryant94kilos or @gryphonstrengthbarbell

In this episode, Alex and Ryan talk about: - What Track Cycling is and where can you train in Canada - The required attributes and physiological characteristics of a great sprint cyclist - Strength training for Track Cycling - Sodium bicarbonate buffering and other supplements for Track Cycling - Why Alex's cats are better at bulking than Ryan - Spicy cyclist memes Check us out on Instagram @garagegymgg You can find Ryan on Instagram @dodykry or @azurtrack (or @spicycyclesprinters for the memes)

In this episode, Alex, Max, Quinn, and Isaac talk about: - How Olympic Weightlifting developed in the Maritimes - How Quinn transitioned from playing football in the CFL to competing as a weightlifter. - Special considerations for heavier lifters   Check us out on Instagram @garagegymgg   You can find Quinn on Instagram @quangggg_, Max at @maxvonm_weightlifting, and Isaac at @ijs_89

In this episode... Parker rejoins the podcast! Parker, Alex, and Mike talk about:  - How Mike got started in weightlifting  - How Mike got injured in his warmup at the 2018 Commonwealth Games  - Stories about some of Canada's top lifters   Check us out on Instagram @garagegymgg   You can find Mike on Instagram @mikebencsik

In this episode, Guy and Alex talk about:  - Guy's experience as an Olympic level athlete - How Weightlifting training and coaching has changed over the span of Guy's career - How National and Provincial Sport Organizations can help further the sport of Weightlifting in Canada   Check us out on Instagram @garagegymgg   You can find Guy on Instagram @guygreavette and @vikingsweightliftingclub, or online at https://vikingweightlifting.com/

In this episode, Rachel and Alex talk about: - Rachel's athletic background and how she came to be where she is now with weightlifting - Rachel's training through the COVID lockdown - Various virtues that are needed to be a good coach - Stories of Rachels youth weightlifting club Check us out on Instagram @garagegymgg You can find Rachel on Instagram @siemensweightlifting and @siemenswlclub, or online at siemensweightlifting.com

In this episode, Alex talks to Greg Chin. Greg is the owner and head coach of JustLift, a weightlifting gym in Ottawa, Ontario. The two discuss some of the changes that hope to be brought about as Tamás Aján steps down from his presidency of the IWF, as well as the implications this may have for the future of Canadian weightlifting. They also chat about the new partnership between CWFHC and USAW, the need for female weightlifting coaches in North America, and experiences coaching some of Canada's top weightlifters. To keep up to date on what we are doing and when we'll be releasing new content, check us out on Instagram at @garagegymgg!

We interview Charles Wlodarczak, a former athlete for Canada Skeleton that coached Korea Skeleton for the 2015-2018 quad.  We talk about what mindset and lifestyle are required to become truly the best in the world!

In this installment of Tin Foil Hat Time with Parker,  Parker takes us through his article about the importance and benefits of red light: - The importance of the timing of light - The biochemistry of red light - The benefits of red lighth therapy - Red light therapy and strength training - And more. . . Link to the strength training article that we talked about: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5026559/ Give it a listen and let us know what you think. Stay tuned, there is so much more fun content to come! You can find us at @garagegymgg on Instagram, or send us an email at [email protected]. Share us with your friends, and let us know what you think or what you would like to hear from us in the future!

In this episode, Parker gives a rundown of his article titled “Creating a Craving for Cold”. This includes the evolutionary background of humans living through cold, the benefits cold has on affecting human physiology and an introduction of how to get started doing cold adaptation. - increased levels of neurotransmitters - increased mitochondrion and thyroid function - improved immune function - and more!  Alex breaks down what quantitative and qualitative aspects constitute a good coach. He argues that a good coach and a good friend are really not that different. Give it a listen and let us know what you think. Stay tuned, there is so much more fun content to come! You can find us at @garagegymgg on Instagram, or send us an email at [email protected]. Share us with your friends, and let us know what you think or what you would like to hear from us in the future!

On this episode of the podcast, we interviewed Haylee Johnson, an Albertan Weightlifter who represented Canada at the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships in Pattaya, Thailand.  For Haylee, it was her first time competing a World Championships so we wanted to find out what that experience was like. In this episode we talked about: - Haylee's athletic background – Basketball, Gymnastics, Crossfit, Weightlifting - Her experience at 2019 Worlds - Training hall, weigh-ins and warm up room stories - What it's like to balance school, work and training - Changing mentalities for different meets - Mindset going into competitions - And more! Make sure you give Haylee a follow on instagram (hayleejohnson_) as she continues to develop as a weightlifter. You can find us at @garagegymgg on Instagram, or send us an email at [email protected]. Share us with your friends, and let us know what you think or what you would like to hear from us in the future!

On this Episode of the Garage Gym Podcast, we answered your questions from one of our Instagram stories.  These questions include: Coaches/therapists that have shaped our philosophies  Mistakes we have made in our education/lifting/coaching careers If we could only do one exercise for the rest of our lives, what would it be?  Funny looking exercises that are actually useful Which supplements to take? How to cut weight safety and effectively for competition and a few more!  Thank you to everyone who submitted questions, we had a blast recording this episode! Let us know how if you enjoyed this Q&A style because we would love to take your questions and do it again.  Remember, You can find us at @garagegymgg on Instagram, or send us an email at [email protected]. If you are enjoying the podcast, please share us with your friends or anyone you think would be interested. Feel free to let us know what you think or what you would like to hear from us in the future!

On this week’s podcast, we went to visit Rob Gray @coach_rgray. Rob was a high level athlete in multiple sports and made the national championships in Olympic Weightlifting, Bobsleigh, and Highland Games. He also has a ton of coaching experience ranging from high school and varsity athletes all the way up to Olympic gold medalists. In this episode, Rob talks about: Weightlifting: - How Rob got into the sport - Choosing meet attempts - The state of weightlifting in Canada/Alberta Bobsleigh - How Rob got into the sport - The physiological demands of sliding and training - The details of racing We also talk about the status of online fitness and coaching, Rob’s best lifts, his coaching philosophy and much more! Make sure you check out Rob's new project @imperium.athlete on instagram! You can find us at @garagegymgg on Instagram, or send us an email at [email protected]. Share us with your friends, and let us know what you think or what you would like to hear from us in the future!

This week, Parker took a road trip to talk to Lucas Derksen, head of Spark Park, a part of Ignite Athletics (@ignite.athletics306) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Lucas talks about... His athletic and academic background Spark Park’s philosophy Physical Literacy The importance of play in motor learning and activity Sport specialization - factors of when it is good and when it is bad. The interrelatedness of play, specialization, and burnout. We’ve also started adding bloopers after the outro tunes, so you can hear us messing up our lines! You can find Lucas Derksen at @spark.park306 on Instagram and contacted by email at [email protected]. You can find us at @garagegymgg on Instagram, or send us an email at [email protected]. Share us with your friends, and let us know what you think or what you would like to hear from us in the future!

Come join us on our journey from the basement to the garage... Parker and Alex talk about what exactly the Garage Gym Podcast is. We talk about who we are, our backgrounds and our philosophies. Parker talks about naturopathic medicine and its relevance to the overall healthy human. Alex talks about the coach-athlete relationship and why it matters to him more than what kind of training the athlete does. Alex lives in the corner of the living room. We go over future plans.