The Hard Way With Joe De Sena

At age 27, Joe Decker was out of shape and out of hope. He was an alcoholic and drug addict who had just hit rock bottom. Three years later, Joe broke the Guinness Record for World's Fittest Man. He got there - from out of hope to Fittest Man - by mastering the goal setting process, and that's the focus for today's conversation. Host Johnny Waite talks to Joe about: -Joe's starting point. As we said, he was at rock bottom and could barely run a mile. He decided to fill the void with fitness. -Using baby steps as you climb to reach your goal. As Joe says, "you have to be able to run a 5k to run 150 miles." -Balancing patience with optimism. What we mean here is, often times the optimism when first setting a goal makes you overwork yourself and potentially burnout. Joe is all about patience and setting manageable goals. -Executing: After you've set a goal, prepared and are at the event, it's time to get robotic. Get out of your head and focus on the next task. Background on Joe Decker: Joe Decker is recognized as "The Worlds Fittest Man," an ultra-endurance power athlete, renowned fitness trainer, and syndicated columnist who has helped thousands of women, men, kids and seniors get into shape and lose weight. This outdoor workout format that Joe created is the same that he used to break the Guinness World Records® 24-Hour Physical Fitness Challenge in 2000. It works like no other program out there, getting people into the best shape of their lives. Joe believes in leading by example and is a personal testament to overcoming addictions and obstacles. Once overweight and out of shape, Joe transformed his body and his life through an amazing journey from fat to fittest. Joe has appeared on The Today Show, Discovery Health, The Early Show, The O'Reilly Factor, and Fox News and has been featured in The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Baltimore Sun, Men's Fitness, Muscle and Fitness, Men's Health, and GQ. To his surprise, People Magazine named him one of America's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors in 2001. Learn more about Joe: -Website: GutCheckFitness.Com -Instagram: @gutcheckfitness SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up! is brought to you by GoneRogue. Use the promo code Spartan 25 to get 25% off. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Ryan Warner Hosts: Johnny Waite Sr Producer: Marion Abrams © 2020 Spartan

Fit Men Cook founder Kevin Curry joins Joe De Sena (Spartan Race founder & CEO) to talk about how Kevin changed his relationship with food. This episode of Spartan Up! Is brought to you by GONEROGUESNACKS.COM - use code SPARTAN25 for a discount FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Joe De Sena Sefra Alexandra, Johnny Waite & Colonel Nye will be back soon, we miss them! © 2020 Spartan

If you want to make a change, start with a single person. In an age of more is better - more likes, downloads or views - Todd Durkin talks with hosts Jarog Cogswell and Yancy Culp on how to 'light up the planet' by starting with a single person. In case you missed the first episode, Todd Durkin (@ToddDurkin) is an internationally recognized strength, speed, and conditioning coach, as well as an author, and a motivational speaker. He is the founder of Fitness Quest 10, an award-winning health and human performance facility in San Diego, where he works with a high-profile clientele of elite professional athletes. Throughout his career, Durkin has worked with NFL MVPs, Super Bowl champions, Heisman Trophy winners, Olympic and X Games gold medalists, and World Series champions. Takeaways from today's episode: -Get out of your bubble. To make an impact, you have to get out of your gym and talk with people. Have real conversations with people you don't know. -It's not about the size of your audience, it's about the mission. -But never forget, it starts with you. Todd is big on this. Identify your purpose, and then pursue it like crazy. SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up! is brought to you by GoneRogue. Use the promo code 'Spartan25' to get 25% off. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Ryan Warner Host: Jarod Cogswell and Yancy Culp Sr Producer: Marion Abrams © 2020 Spartan

Runners, when you hit the wall, Meghan Hicks suggests these two tips to push through. She would know, she's run over 60 trail races and ultras, won and won the Marathon des Sables. She's is the managing editor for IRunFar.com. She's also the author of Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running. Today she tells Spartan Trail host Mauri Pagliacci about her experience at Nolan's 14 where she's set multiple records. Back in the 2000's, Meghan quit her first 100-mile race. It's hard to believe – even Mauri Pagliacci was shocked to hear the news. Meghan explains why she quit and how to push-through those all too common rough patches. In this episode we cover: #1 - When Meghan hit the wall at hour 13 of a 50-hour race, and how a few slices of pizza got her over the hump. #2 - The two things that will get you through the 'wall'. One is obvious, the other is not. #3 - Why Meghan quit her first 100-mile race and how to avoid bowing out of races. If you want to learn more about Meghan, check out her work at IRunFar.Com, as well as her social accounts: · Instagram: @meghanmhicks · Twitter: @@MeghanHicks Subscribe so you don't miss part two of our conversation with Meghan. Please enjoy! SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up! is brought to you by GoneRogue. Use the promo code "Spartan 25" to get 25% off. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod

Hooked on Sugar? How about "diet" sodas? Kara Goldin, founder of hint water and author of the new book Undaunted, fell for the advertising. For years she believed that something called "diet" must be good for you. One day she stopped and read the ingredients label and her journey to better health for herself and others began. Kara set the diet sodas aside and drank only water. The benefits to her health were immediate, but she found the taste boring and she invented "hint." Starting and growing the business was not easy, she chronicles the story, and some of the other challenges life has put in her path, in her new book "Undaunted." Today she and Spartan Race founder and CEO Joe De Sena talk about the food business and her journey. This episode of Spartan Up! Is brought to you by GONEROGUESNACKS.COM - use code SPARTAN25 for a discount FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Joe De Sena Sefra Alexandra, Johnny Waite & Colonel Nye will be back soon, we miss them! © 2020 Spartan

Biochemical Engineer and Complex Problem Solving Specialist Ivor Cummins talks about the conclusions he's come to based on Covid data. At Spartan, we do the hard things. Today that means tackling a difficult conversation. Joe De Sena invited Ivor to share his information with you. Please, listen all the way through, give it some thought, and then let us know what he got right, and what he got wrong. Two things we can ALL agree on - we need to have open discussion and review of the data, and we should all be getting exercise, eating healthy, and getting outside. FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Joe De Sena Sefra Alexandra, Johnny Waite & Colonel Nye will be back soon, we miss them! © 2020 Spartan

Ben Friberg, extreme endurance paddler talks with Johnny Waite, of Spartan Up Podcast, about how to prepare for the really big, self-supported, expedition-style adventures where you will be truly on your own. An example is Ben's dream crossing - the Bering Strait from Siberia to Alaska, alone on a stand-up paddleboard. Ben Stresses the importance of preparation - doing your research, knowing your gear and your body, and considering how to handle absolute worst-case scenarios, including injuries. He reminds us that when you have enough moving parts to a plan, you have to know that something is going to go wrong! JOhnny'ss favorite part is when Ben talks about the potential beauty of a Painted Corner (when you get yourself in a situation where you have eliminated all other options) and the spiritual epiphany that led to him composing a song by that title. #1 - How Ben uncovers every stone (e.g., analyzing weather patterns, talking to locals, reading books on the terrain he's going to traverse) to prepare for a self-supported paddle expedition #2 - How navigating class-5 rapids equipped Ben for a career in self-supported adventures #3 - Why crossing the Bering Strait is Ben's "white whale" of self-supported paddle expeditions. SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up! is brought to you by TrueForm Runner. Save 10% with the code 'Spartan 10' at TrueFormRunner.com/Spartan. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Ryan Warner Hosts: Johnny Waite Sr Producer: Marion Abrams © 2020 Spartan

Pain is easy to forget, says Louise Kobin, 4x La Ruta race winner. In this episode, our first in the La Ruta series, Louise and Spartan Up La Ruta series host Roy Wallach introduce you to the 3-day, cross-country mountain bike race known as La Ruta. In this episode, you'll learn about Louise's first La Ruta race, specifically... -A deep dive of the 3-day race and the challenges presented throughout -Lousie's mindset after she fell behind by 20 minutes on day two, yet still managed to pull-out a victory -How every rider falls off the bike a few times during the race, and how to persevere across the jungles of Costa Rica -How to view fear in the physical sense (i.e., crashing down a hill) and emotionally (i.e., fear of getting tired) Please enjoy! SPONSOR This episode of Spartan Up! is brought to you by TrueForm Runner. Save 10% with the code 'Spartan 10' at TrueFormRunner.com/Spartan. SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1pYBkk1T684YQg7CmoaAZt FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer: Ryan Warner Host: Roy Wallack Sr Producer: Marion Abrams © 2020 Spartan

James Nestor, author of the hugely popular book "Breath" explains his deep research. Should you be breathing through your nose? The answer is YES! Today on the Spartan Up podcast, He tells Spartan Founder & CEO Joe De Sena how breathing affects your performance. He also explains the history, the science, and some simple steps you can take to improve your breathing. As Nestor says "If you stick with this, the benefits are profound, you will most likely gain performance, you'll be able to recover more quickly, you'll be able to work out at the same level with the lower heart rate, so you'll be able to push it even more. And they've done this with cyclists, with rowers with ultra marathoners, with so many other people." FOLLOW SPARTAN UP: Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod CREDITS: Producer – Marion Abrams, Madmotion, llc. Host: Joe De Sena Sefra Alexandra, Johnny Waite & Colonel Nye will be back soon, we miss them! © 2020 Spartan

Spartan Combat athlete Gabe Dean (@DabeGean) discusses his comeback to the mat, and how the passing of a family member helped motivate his return. Gabe Dean is an assistant wrestling coach at Cornell - one of the top wrestling programs in the country - and was a 2x NCAA Champion for the Big Red. Gabe recently returned to competition, and that's the focus of our conversation today. Please Enjoy! Find out more at https://spartancombat.com/ SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpShow YouTube: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpYT Google Play: http://bit.ly/SpartanUpPlay FOLLOW US: Spartan Combat: https://www.instagram.com/spartancombat/ Spartan Up on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/spartanuppodcast/ Spartan Up on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpartanUpPod © 2020 Spartan