Episodes

16 – What's the Big Deal with the Biggest Loser?

We discuss recent as well as some older articles and studies about The Biggest Loser, including issues with metabolism, the framing of how weight loss happens, and some of the more pervasive effects of representing weight loss in the media. Scott also discusses some of the things he knows athletes would do to lose weight from his experiences in the competition.

14 – Lou Schuler on Fitness & Writing

Mike is joined by Lou Schuler to discuss some of the larger trends in fitness, as well as how to avoid saying the same things over again in fitness writing. They also discuss Clean Living Movements, fitness careers, and more.

13 – Baywatch's Alexandra Paul

Scott is joined by Alexandra Paul of Baywatch. They discuss Alexandra's work as a health coach, her remarkable activism (and even her arrests), her work for animal rights and how that has changed her, her career development after Baywatch, and much more.

12 – Anatomy of a Perfect Workout

We discuss what goes into an actual, solid workout: what to focus on, tempo vs cadence, pumping reps vs explosive reps, myths, warmups.

11 – How to Design a Workout Program

How much customization is needed for a workout program? Ideally, does every program you do need to be custom-designed from scratch? The answer is obviously not. Any good coach will have their own library of programs that are useful for a variety of different contexts:...

10 – Dotsie Bausch, Plant-Based Olympian

Scott talks with Dotsie Bausch, a seven-time USA cycling champion and a medal-winning athlete with team USA's cycling team. Dotsie was also featured in the 2017 documentary The Game Changers and the 2015 documentary, Personal Gold An Underdog Story.

9 – “Once I Start Eating, I Can't Stop!”

Scott and Mike discuss what to do when you struggle with cravings. So, you open the bag, and find you just can't stop until the whole bag's finished; or, you try to have a handful, but you then need to reach for more.

8 – What Progress Looks Like

This episode was based on a coaching client email Scott received that indicated what progress looks like. It's not just a before and after photo. It's about letting go of JOMO, not worrying at all about the scale, not being shamed based on what the weight scale says, and things like that.

7 – How to Start a New Diet or Workout Program Off Right

In this episode we cover: how do you start a program off on the right foot? If you've tried multiple diets and “failed” in the past, how do you actually change things so that this time it really is different, and you're not just doing different versions of the same thing, over and over again?

6 – Is the Fitness Industry Evil?

Unrealistic images of bodies. Supplements. Mental and emotional issues. Orthorexia. Is the fitness industry actually doing “good” in the world? In this episode we dig into that question.

5 – Five Fitness “Cornerstone Concepts”

The idea with these five cornerstone concepts is that once you “get” a given concept like one of these, there's no going back. Things just “click.” There was also a discussion about meal timing and meal frequency.

4 – When the Weight Scale Lies

In this episode we discuss how the weight scale can by deceiving, and why relying on it too much can mess with your mind. Scott was reminded of this topic by a client check-in from Melissa S. Melissa lost “only” 10 lbs, but the difference in how she looks — and feels — is much more profound.

2 – “Sticking to Your Diet” and the Holidays

In this episode we covered five emails Scott received from coaching clients about sticking to training and diet during the holiday season. Two important themes were (1) the importance of context, and (2) being honest with yourself.

1 – Using Resistance Bands for Fitness: Advantages and Disadvantages

Today we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using resistance bands for your weight training. Are resistance bands just another fad? A tool in the toolbox? How do you get the most out of them? Be sure to checkout Scott's YouTube Playlist for Resistance Bands...

The Scott Abel Fitness Podcast