Why I Quit Personal Training: BnB Podcast

Explicit content warning

05/04/20 • -1 min

This is the first podcast that I’ve done alone. Just Matt, no Todd. The reason? In September 2018 I moved from London (technically Watford) to Nottingham. After several tear-fuelled discussions with our respective partners, Todd was not allowed to come with me and live in my shed. So until I work out a way to record podcasts over the phone (not gonna happen) I’m going to try and go it alone. This first episode is titled “Why I Quit Personal Training”.

Why I Quit Personal Training

In High School I picked Sports Science as a subject, and got a “B” in it. I then took Sports Science at college where I gained a BTEC National Diploma. I then studied Sports Science at London Metropolitan University (stop laughing).

While getting my degree, I took my level 2 and level 3 personal trainer qualifications, and became a fitness instructor. After a year of fitness instructing I finally became a personal trainer. I stayed in that profession for seven years.

The decision to quit personal training was not one I took lightly, but it was a calculated risk. Looking back, I’d say it has paid off. But it is still hard to judge. I am currently setting up my online coaching program, so I am not fully out of the industry. But my days of getting up at 5am to go to the gym are over (not that I did many 6am starts when I was a PT).

Hopefully, this podcast episode will shine a light on why I made that decision.

Deep Fake by Yeastie Boys

When I was doing the podcast with Todd, we spent half the time talking about beer and half the time talking about biceps. Hence the name. I still enjoy drinking beer and talking, but I’m not 100% sure what the structure of these new podcasts is going to be like.

I certainly didn’t talk about this beer for half the episode. Deep Fake is a Vienna lager from New Zealand Brewery Yeastie Boys. I’ve mentioned Vienna style lagers before, specifically in my blog post on Beer in Mexico (which you really should check out).

I went to New Zealand in 2012, and their craft beer scene was already kicking off. I remember going to a converted church that now sold a selection of craft beers and awesome food. It was so different from the NZ bars I had seen before. Yeastie Boys have a big following in New Zealand, and a growing audience here in the UK. Worth checking out.

Podcasting Alone

It was weird doing the podcast alone, I still found it difficult to stay on topic! At least that hasn’t changed. I’ll see how the podcast goes. I still enjoyed doing it (even if I had to record it twice). Let me know what you think, and remember:

Direct all complaints about Todd’s absence to Todd. Tell him why abandoning his friends and family for beer n biceps is a smart move.

Why I Quit Personal Training

Hopefully, this podcast episode will shine a light on why I made that decision.

Deep Fake by Yeastie Boys

Podcasting Alone

Direct all complaints about Todd’s absence to Todd. Tell him why abandoning his friends and family for beer n biceps is a smart move.

Previous Episode

Perfect Warm-Ups & Badger Beer

In the second episode of our new-look podcast, we are discussing perfect warm-ups and drinking Badger beer. Well, we call it badger beer, but actually, the brewery is called Hall & Woodhouse brewery. We really enjoyed ourselves during this podcast, mostly thanks to the excellent beers! We’re loving this 30-minute format, it’s easier to listen to, and more importantly – it is a LOT quicker to perform.

Perfect Warm-Ups

I’ve changed my mind a lot about warm-ups over the years, when I started training myself I thought that they were very important. Always getting onto that Cross-trainer before a session could truly begin. After a while, I grew bored of spending 5-10 minutes per session mindlessly pedalling and started entering the gym “cold”.

This was fine, I was young, wasn’t lifting heavy, and had no previous injuries. These days I walk briskly to the gym before performing multiple practice sets for a great warm-up.

A practice set is where you perform the exercise you were planning on doing (a bench press for example) with a weight that is significantly lighter. Think about it, you are working the correct muscles required for the exercise, practising the movements, and getting a feel for the equipment.

But there are a couple of exercises that I do add in as a warm-up, which aren’t practice set exercises. For upper body, I perform face-pulls, a great exercise using a cable machine.

For the lower body, I will perform some dumbbell goblet squats. They are light, easy to do, and they warm you up great before performing barbell squats, or deadlifts. They are crucial for perfect warm-ups.

Badger Beers: Hall & Woodhouse Brewery

The beers we drank in this podcast all came from the Hall & Woodhouse brewery in Dorset. The brewery was originally opened in 1777 in the village of Ansty. It was moved to Blandford St Mary in 1899 and has stayed there ever since. The beers that we tried were Golden Champion and Fursty Ferret. They also sell Furkin Fox and Golden Glory. This brewery has always been a favourite of mine, and the beers were a perfect choice for our Best of England Beers.

Next Time

So a nice and quick podcast on perfect warm-ups and English beer, Badger Beers are a great rival for last week’s Newcastle Brown Ales. In our next episode, we will be drinking beer from Oakham Ales and discussing rest periods.

Next Episode

Is a Vegan Diet Healthier Than a Regular Diet?

Is a vegan diet healthier than a regular diet? This is a question that I’ve really struggled with over the years. On the surface, it seems quite straightforward. Vegan dieters are shown to live longer, have fewer health issues, and are generally fitter and leaner than people who follow regular diets.

But does that mean that a vegan diet is actually healthier than a regular diet? Or is it just that people who are healthier and more conscious of their fitness are more likely to be drawn to a vegan lifestyle?

Episode two of Beer n Biceps’ second series tackles this exact question.

Is a Vegan Diet Healthier Than a Regular Diet?

It depends on how you define a regular diet. It is difficult to define a “regular diet”. If you live in the Mediterranean, then your idea of a regular diet is going to be a lot different to someone living beside a KFC in Texas.

The problem is that the vegan diet is often compared to a BAD omnivore diet. Of course, it is going to be healthier! But what if you compared it to the ideal omnivore diet? The results would be different. Vegan diets are naturally low in l-carnitine, creatine, and B-vitamins. While the ideal omnivore diet is going to be packed with them.

The most healthy diet is often cited as being the Mediterranean diet. But it is really the Mediterranean lifestyle that is truly healthy. You could eat the healthiest diet imaginable. But if you are breathing in pollution, not exercising at all, and you live a very stressful life then you are NOT healthy.

I go into a lot more detail about this in the podcast. My opinion is that vegan diets can be healthy, particularly compared with a bad omnivore diet. But a good omnivore diet is healthier than a good vegan diet because there is more variety.

Matters of Perspective IPA by Buxton Brewery

I’ve written about Buxton Brewery before, in my article on the Yellow Belly Saga. It is well worth a read if you enjoy petty arguments and beer-related drama. What that article does not really convey is how much I love their beer. Matters of Perspective is a 6.6% IPA that is very hoppy. Perhaps too hoppy for my taste, but a seriously good IPA nonetheless.

I’d say that it reminds me of an American IPA, perhaps a West Coast style? Check out my article on XPA beer or on NEIPA if you want a more detailed look at the differing pale ale styles.

What Else to Look For in the Podcast

I also talk about what makes a good deadlift warm-up and give my honest opinion on squat shoes (they work, but not for everyone). So give it a listen, and let me know what you think. Also, if you have any questions that you want answered on the show then please comment below. Or call me a bellend. You do you.