Lift For Life with Graham and Angus

Angus & Graham discuss discipline. How do you stay on track when you lose control of your diary? Whilst Graham has always suggested that he is able to maintain consistency in his training regime, there are rare occasions when unexpected events and meetings occur. He describes how he adjusts for such situations. They also talk about how top global executives begin and maintain their training regimes, how habit stacking can help, and how time spent training can end up being additive to the rest of the day. Jamie Dimon, Jeff Bezos and Nacy Pelosi come up. The more senior you become, the more important your decisions are. Weight-training helps you make better decisions.

Graham & Angus discuss how highly successful people can begin their gym journey. Many senior executives are unhealthy and overweight. This makes them reluctant to start a fitness journey as they are used to being in an environment where they are ’the master of the universe’. But they need to change. Being physically strong is highly complimentary and indeed synergistic with a successful business career. Longevity trumps ego. They also discuss what to wear in the gym, including the best trainers for lifting heavy weights - and which clothes to avoid!

Graham & Angus discuss how you should avoid weighing yourself and instead focus on how you look in the mirror - and how that changes - during your fitness journey. They get excited about Graham’s weight gains. Calorie deficit, lift weights, combine with some conditioning or zone 2 cardio, rinse and repeat. Graham looks into the history of weighing scales, which results in some amusing conclusions. Also readings from body fat machines are discussed, and Angus & Graham’s birth county, Lancashire crops up.

Graham and Angus update listeners with their HYROX training and then dig deep into the subject of children/teenagers' weight training. Does it stunt growth? What is the background to the myths associated with the topic? They discuss medical and university studies on how weight training can impact the bodies of pre- and post-pubescent adolescents. The link between competitive sports and weight training is focussed on, but also correlations between bullying and fitness. Graham discusses his personal experiences with bullying at school.

Graham & Angus discuss muscle dysmorphia. Symptoms vary from the benign (which Angus suggests Graham has!) to the deeply serious. They discuss how parents of teenagers can watch for warning signs, how Angus experienced it in his own youth, and how to encourage a healthy relationship with weight-training and fitness. Focussing on building strength is very empowering, and it is also an essential component of maintaining mobility as we age, but, as ever the 80/20 rule should be adhered to.

Angus & Graham interview Caspar Rose, Chief Executive of Fresh Fitness Food and discuss how the company delivers chef-designed, fresh, pre-cooked meals to peoples houses and offices daily that match individualised calorie and macro-nutrient goals. True to the 80/20 rule that the pair espouse, FFF allows people to optimise their daily nutrition. Health, fitness and muscle growth targets can be achieved, leaving the other 20% more flexible. They talk about the complexities of the kitchen & logistics, the history of the company, its ESG goals, including helping the homeless. They touch on Caspar’s personal journey and life as an entrepreneur in London over the past decade.

Graham describes how he founds Angus, what lessons he derives from that process and what red flags to look for when choosing a PT. PTs need to take control and educate the client. The client often does not know best. Angus describes how he became a PT and gained his own knowledge. Graham also asks Angus what he looks for in a client!

Angus & Graham discuss the Lift For Life podcast’s new sponsorship agreement with Fresh Fitness Food. They explain how this pre-prepared food delivery company helps them both control their macronutrient and calorie intake each day, taking the estimation out of both breakfast and lunchtimes. It also tastes incredibly good and changes every day. You can’t out-train a bad diet so this episode is about more than an advert. Graham describes how much nutrition has mattered to his training journey and transformation.

Angus and Graham discuss ‘weight-loss diets’. Unsurprisingly they are sceptical and prefer sustainable long-term nutrition habits, rather than quick fixes. They list some very bizarre examples of diets, including the ‘God Diet’, ‘Zero Point Foods’, and delve into keto. They discuss the problems with salads, and Graham emphasises the need for nutrition education to avoid profiteering corporations..

HYROX has been transforming group fitness since it was founded by Moritz Furste and Christian Toetzke in Hamburg, Germany in 2017. Last year 23,000 people attended the London events. There are now more than 40 ‘races’ taking place in cities across the world per year. Angus & Graham discuss the phenomenon - and Angus throws down a challenge.