The Dean Somerset Podcast

I know, I know, I know. It’s been like FOREEEEEEVER since I last put up a podcast. I’m terrible. But I’ve more than made up for it with today’s episode. It’s featuring 2 amazingly strong and dynamic women in very different roles within the fitness industry, talking about stuff they like and don’t like plus giving some predictions as to what’s going to happen down the line with the online fitness sphere. Lindsay Somerset is an accomplished cyclist and also the behind the scenes Jedi to help Somerset Fitness stay on track. She also does a lot for animal rescue volunteering and runs a blog, For the Love of Animal Rescue to help educate and encourage animal rescue.   Meghan Callaway is an accomplished retired soccer player who is also a full-time strength coach and soccer coach in North Vancouver, BC. She’s also the author of the Ultimate Pullup Guide, something everyone who is serious about doing pullups should have in their library. She also writes an incredible blog at MeghanCallawayFitness.com Follow on iTunes Show Notes 2:00 – the focus on appearance in fitness versus performance outcomes 6:01 – what’s going well within the fitness industry, and comparing male to female strength coaches in terms of how they access emotions 7:40 – lack of diversity and under-representation of women and minorities within the fitness industry 9:43 – overcoming the “old boys club” of the fitness industry and “Fitness So White.” 12:25 – overcoming the fear of rejection for new trainers to produce their own content 14:24 – predictions for the future in the fitness industry and big names to keep an eye on. 16:44 – the stuff that should be changing in the fitness industry. 19:56 – some highlight experiences within their fitness careers 25:04 – food and eating disorders 32:17 – Meghan’s upcoming first speaking gig at the Inland Empire Fitness Summit in Spokane, Washington on April 6-7 36:01 – Tony Gentilcore makes a cameo in discussion   For more info on Lindsay, check out: website: www.fortheloveofanimalrescue.com Instagram: @lindsaysomerset   For more on Meghan, check out: website: www.meghancallawayfitness.com Instagram: @meghancallaway Product: The Ultimate Pullup Guide      

Today’s episode of the podcast comes with a discussion on all things hypertrophy with Dr. Mike Israetel of Renaissance Periodization. I had the pleasure to listen to Mike talk about all things muscle back in September as part of the L2 Fitness Summit, and wanted to go deep into his thoughts on how to program for beginners, elite bodybuilders, best plans of action for busy professionals, and what realistic gains for both men and women could actually be. To learn more about Mike: Website: Renaissance Periodization Instagram: @rpdrmike Facebook: Mike Israetel   To learn more about hypertrophy from Mike and get a deeper dive into the concepts and application, check out his presentation during the L2 Fitness Summit video series. The package is on sale for only $97 until December 10th at midnight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HScQncAdPaA Click HERE for more info  

I missed a transfer in Amsterdam on my way home, so I’m writing this from the hotel room in Amsterdam while waiting for my newly booked flight tomorrow. I could think of worse places to be on a delayed layover. So I’m going to spend the night wandering around the city of canals, seeing some sights, and getting a touch of culture. And by touch, I don’t mean the red light district. So while I’m doing that, you can chill out to a new episode of the podcast I recorded with Eric Helms while in Oslo. Eric is a soon to be PhD (within the month) who specializes in hypertrophy, protein usage, and the combination of bodybuilding and powerlifting. He’s also incredibly amicable and funny too. You’ll dig it.   For more on Eric, check out the work he’s doing with 3DMJ HERE.

Today on the podcast, I wanted to take a bit of a different route and talk about nothing relating to fitness. I called up my buddy Sol Orwell, co-founder of Examine.com, and we talked about cookies, his love of people sending him cookies, and how this can be a useful manner to dive into positive networking, as well as some big mistakes he could have made with his #cookielife concept. We also discussed how to make the perfect slow cooker hunk of beef you could imagine.   Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a 5-star rating so I can send you new episodes whenever they come out. For more from Sol, check out his personal website at SJO.com, and also Examine.com for all things related to supplements.

Today I was able to sit down and chat with Jeff Halevy, CEO of Halevy Life and media personality (fitness correspondent for NBC’s Today Show, host of Workout from Within, syndicated in over 30 countries), and he was able to chat about a lot of different topics, ranging from his history as a trainer working at Crunch Gym and how he developed the business model he’s put together, right to the guiding principles he uses to choose which projects to hit with full gusto, and how there’s never a choice to “dip a toe” into challenges, but how he cannon-balls directly into the deep end with everything he does. Show Notes 3:42 – Training in the microcosm of New York City, and how that environment is a mixed blessing of hyper-competitive industry and large population density, plus bonus discussion on Insta-fitness personalities and pseudo-science celebrity trainers with loud presences. 13:21 – The vision to create something different than what the fitness industry was currently offering, including the bare minimum he has for hiring trainers, guaranteed results, and building a gym in an art gallery. 26:12 – The Sawdust Analogy 29:32 – traits and abilities he looks for to add to the team, aside from specific formal education, and how he finds the best positions for those individuals based on his companies core values (he has 6 core values, most companies rely on 3-5) 37:15 – big failures and lessons he’s learned from them. 44:15 – why he never approaches anything with half effort, and the 3 questions he has to answer before undertaking any new challenge. Bonus for some history lessons on Galileo Check out Halevy Life HERE See more from Jeff on his website HERE Follow him on Twitter HERE, Instagram HERE, and Facebook HERE.    

Today I was able to sit down and chat with Jeff Halevy, CEO of Halevy Life and media personality (fitness correspondent for NBC’s Today Show, host of Workout from Within, syndicated in over 30 countries), and he was able to chat about a lot of different topics, ranging from his history as a trainer working at Crunch Gym and how he developed the business model he’s put together, right to the guiding principles he uses to choose which projects to hit with full gusto, and how there’s never a choice to “dip a toe” into challenges, but how he cannon-balls directly into the deep end with everything he does. Show Notes 3:42 – Training in the microcosm of New York City, and how that environment is a mixed blessing of hyper-competitive industry and large population density, plus bonus discussion on Insta-fitness personalities and pseudo-science celebrity trainers with loud presences. 13:21 – The vision to create something different than what the fitness industry was currently offering, including the bare minimum he has for hiring trainers, guaranteed results, and building a gym in an art gallery. 26:12 – The Sawdust Analogy 29:32 – traits and abilities he looks for to add to the team, aside from specific formal education, and how he finds the best positions for those individuals based on his companies core values (he has 6 core values, most companies rely on 3-5) 37:15 – big failures and lessons he’s learned from them. 44:15 – why he never approaches anything with half effort, and the 3 questions he has to answer before undertaking any new challenge. Bonus for some history lessons on Galileo Check out Halevy Life HERE See more from Jeff on his website HERE Follow him on Twitter HERE, Instagram HERE, and Facebook HERE.    

It’s been a while since I put together a podcast and since I wasn’t about to just throw anything up there, I wanted to wait until I got a quality appearance and some good content before hitting you up with another episode, and today is exactly that. I wanted to have a podcast that did more than just talk shop with other like-minded people, but that could tell some excellent stories and give perspectives we normally don’t see or hear about in fitness. Today I have James Fell, an internationally syndicated columnist who works with the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, and has been featured in AskMen.com, Time, and Chatelaine to name a few. His website, Bodyforwife.com is a great resource if people want some solid fitness information delivered with way more swear words and blunt force trauma than I normally deliver. He’s had the great opportunity to interview dozens of celebrities from music, movies, and television (as well as some pop culture icons) about their health, fitness, and dietary habits, so I thought it would be amazing to have him on to discuss the different people he’s talked with, who impressed him, who didn’t impress him, and who his dream interviews would be. As a side, he and I were en route to a conference in Kansas City on the same inbound flight, but wound up having to spend the night in Chicago together, and I can report he barely snores at all. Show Notes 3:33 – How James was able to position himself to interview all of the celebrities he’s worked with 7:43 – Phil Collin, guitarist for Def Leppard,  bonding over Vitamix blenders, kickboxing displays, and phone calls in Japan 10:48 – Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys and his coming to God moment following addictions and how fitness helped change his life around. 11:31 – the 300 workout, and how every one of the actors hated the diet and training components needed to get into on-screen shape 14:02 – Hugh Jackman in getting ready for filming Wolverine, and how he loves the title of James’ website Body For Wife 18:10 – Cameron Diaz and her love of actually lifting heavy weights. 23:00 – JWoww from Jersey Shore, and how low of a bar celebrity really is 25:23 – Myth Busters, and how they have a surprisingly physical training regimen to do all of their experiments 28:32 – Chris Hadfield, astronaut, and the demands of space travel, working out in zero gravity, and and how meticulously detailed and measured NASA is with their astronauts. 33:25 – Gene Simmons from Kiss, and how politics was apparently more important than the interview topics. 37:30 – goal interviews James has for the future.   Follow James on Facebook and also on Twitter. You can also check out his website HERE.

Today’s podcast has a bit of a nutritional flavour to it with Kamal Patel dropping knowledge about different supplements. Kamal is the director of Examine.com, and also has had a few guest appearances on this site, namely THIS article, and Examine.com has been behind some other great posts on different supplements like Creatine,Vitamin D, Whey protein, and fish oil. This talk had a bunch of awesome content to it on a variety of different subjects: Show notes: 4:19 – origins of Examine.com and how it came to be, from an idea into a highly popular informational site. 9:20 – the Human Effect Matrix, and how important it is in research and nutrition. 13:24 – A supplement that’s surprised Kamal with how impactful it can be on your health. Hint: it’s cheap and easy to get, and you can’t really get too much of it. 19:27 – a stack of supplements that could help out with anxiety, plus some lifestyle modifications to make to manage anxiety more effectively, all of which I spectacularly fail at once. 25:39 – Common misconceptions the general population has about different supplements 30:43 – what’s next for a game-changing internet-based company and how they plan to expand, improve, and adapt to current research and reader requirements. Find Kamal on Twitter, and Facebook   This week Examine.com is celebrating their 6th anniversary of being a thing, so they’re putting all of their resources on sale. Supplement Goals Reference – $24.99 (instead of $49.99) Stack Guides – $119 (instead of $249) // $35 Each (instead of $49) Monthly ERD – $24.99 instead of $29.99/mo Yearly ERD – $249.90 instead of $299.90/year Lifetime ERD – $599 instead of $999 The sale ends March 17, 2017 at midnight est, so this is a short window to take advantage of and get some solid info on supplements, research, and other things that make you sound smart at parties, all while saving a few duckets.   Click HERE to get more info from Examine.com  

Today on the podcast I have a longtime good friend and occasional guy I look to for advice (when he’s somewhere in the world with wifi and can answer my emails), Jonathan Goodman. In this podcast, Jon and I talk about business stuff, the training industry, his world travels, the value of experience over things, and his thoughts on being an expecting dad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3rvNs4tIc8 Show Notes: 2:09 – Jon’s backstory from working as a fulltime trainer into an online content creator and educational provider, including the process he went through to go through that transformation in his own career 17:41 – Overcoming self-resistance to create resources he’s had no personal experience with, and how he developed his process to accumulate the information and systems in those areas effectively to become a leading expert. 25:02 – my own history developing my online coaching process, starting from humble roots of zero idea what I was doing. Now I have systems and still really don’t know what I’m doing, including discussions on website domain names and market research to attract your ideal customers or clients. 34:00 – Jon’s obsession with travel and the difference between amassing experiences versus collecting material items, plus his minimalist lifestyle and how that impacts his production capability. 41:12 – Jon’s expecting his first child sometime in the next month, how he’s looking forward to that, and what it’s going to mean for his future as a father, business owner, and traveller. For anyone interested in the Online Trainer Academy Jon and I were discussing, they’re in the early bird phase of relaunching with brand new revised content, and it would definitely be worthwhile to check out if you’ve ever considered adding an online element to your business. I’ve gone through the information and I was able to pick out a bunch of ways that have helped streamline my own process, plus add more value to clients while reducing the busy-work that wasn’t productive. Click HERE for more information

Today’s podcast is a quick Q & A from a Facebook post I put up a few weeks ago. Hopefully you enjoy it. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a 5-Star rating. I don’t know what that does, but I’m sure it’s something good. Also, because it’s January and a lot of people are beginning workout programs, here’s some meme inspiration for you.

Today I wanted to bring you an interview with former Olympian EJ “Pow” Parris. EJ was on the team in the 4x100m relay for Team Canada at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. This was a big event, but it served as a turning point in his life, between living as a somewhat professional athlete, and retiring from the sport to pursue other athletic, business, and personal ventures. EJ has amazing genetics to help him dominate athletic endeavours, as well as a strong work ethic to help him capitalize on those gifts to the fullest. We talk about some of his successes, plus how he goes about setting his mind to achieving a goal, like the current one of the heaviest weighted wide-grip pullup (bodyweight of 206 lbs plus an additional 230 lbs), complete with actionable takeaways you can copy from him to see your own success. Show Notes: 2:20 – EJ’s path to the Olympics, including trials, main races, and road to Beijing. 8:30 – injuring his hamstring at the Pan American Games, plus how he managed to come back to get into top shape. 13:50 – His connection to Dan O’Brien, and his possible Plan B following sprinting of walking on to the New York Jets 16:30 – The decision to quit sprinting, including having both of his coaches bail simultaneously and take jobs out of the country 20:14 – what lead him to want to get into personal training, and the love of physical culture and movement proficiency. 22:40 – his entry into bodybuilding and his undefeated streak, plus WWE discussions, and then getting into actual wrestling & grappling 28:32 – chasing the Guinness World Record for weighted pullup 34:47 – how he involves visualization into his goal achievement process, plus his process to determining how and what goals to go after. 43:26 – highlights from his time in Beijing, including a Fox Sports poll 47:23 – how he’s built his personal business and brand following the games 56:15 – goals for after the weighted pullup world record, plus appreciation of Jujimufu   Find out more about EJ by clicking to his website HERE, as well as Instagram, and also Facebook.

Today’s special guest is my brother from another mother, Tony Gentilcore. Tony and I have just wrapped up a series of workshops around North America and Europe, filmed the product, and put that puppy to market, so it felt fitting to have him on to discuss how this has been a big deal for him, plus all the other big deals he’s going through in a life that’s essentially suited for change. Show Notes: 2:31 – Tony’s crazy busy past 2 years, involving him getting married, our 15 workshops, other speaking/travel, plus a business, and a baby on the way 4:51 – the difference between hustle for work and work-life balance 6:20 – How he found out his wife was pregnant 7:46 – Lisa’s pregnancy training program, written by Tony. Pullups at 6 months? Beast 10:11 – How his lifestyle is going to likely change with the new kid in his life and what sacrifices he’s willing to make plus ones he’ll likely have to make anyway. 18:32 – future workshops, “Sound Body, Sound Mind” with his wife, mixing the physical coaching with the psychological elements of change and working out. 24:18 – Tony’s first digital product hitting the market, Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint (featuring yours truly as backup dancer), including his own fear of putting out a product, self sabotage, and overcoming his own feelings of readiness to do this. 29:51 – why Tony loves listening to me teach, plus why hearing a room full of trainers moaning and groaning during mobility work is music to his ears. 31:30 – Zero Days Off. How our schedules work when working all week and then teaching all weekend. ****** You should get a copy of Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint while it’s on a launch special this week in order to help Tony afford the new baby. It’s on sale for $60 off the regular price this week only, until Saturday November 5th at midnight est, so get on it now. Click HERE to get your copy Now!!

Today I have Ross Wilson on the podcast. Ross just returned from the Paralympic Games in Rio where he managed to get 2 silver medals in track cycling (3000m pursuit) as well as the road cycling time trial. If anyone’s sitting on the couch wondering if they should start working out, or how they can find success in the gym in spite of work or family commitments, you’re going to absolutely love this talk. Show Notes: 2:40 – Ross discussing his own back story, his diagnosis with Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome Type 1X, losing over 100 lbs, falling in love with cycling, and essentially walking on with the national team. 9:46 – balancing training with a full-time job as an accountant, family life, and traveling for competitions 12:38 – Adjusting to his new goal of weight loss, and how he went somewhat extreme 16:50 – how he got into cycling, and what lead to him getting into the national cycling program in Canada, plus how he was categorized into the Para athlete system based on ability levels. 22:10 – how he manages weight loss and maintenance now as a highly active athlete compared to how he did when he started the weight loss goal. 24:00 – his cycling timeline from his first high level race to the Paralympics in Rio, including 2 potentially life-threatening crashes in 2015. 34:06 – What motivated him to get back on the bike after these crashes, and why it mattered so much to him. 37:55 – how he came back from crashes, set a personal best, and even a Paralympic record after only 5 months of recovery. 40:00 – how he and his coaches had to design his program specific to his condition, and how he responded to it in a different way than expected, while seeing performance improvements. 43:20 – the Paralympic experience, complete with post-race panic attacks, the athlete’s village after-party, and the entire atmosphere of the event.        

This podcast marks the start of a series of segments where I get to sit down and talk with a few very good friends who happen to also have competed at various Olympic games, and who have some awesome stories about how they got there and what it’s meant to them since then. Today’s episode features Lauren Bay Regula, who played as the team captain for Team Canada’s softball team at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, and is mounting a charge to make the team qualify for the 2020 Olympics after the sport was taken out from the Olympics for 2012 and 2016. In the meantime, she’s started a family with a husband, 3 busy kids, and running a gym of her own along with her husband, Dave Regula (shout out to TrAk Athletics in Akron, Ohio). Show Notes: 2:20 – her decision to step back into competition after an 8 year layoff 7:35 – the challenges of qualifying for the Olympics in a team sport 14:00 – how the competitors have changed since her first go around in international competition, and how her own training has evolved. 22:49 – cameo appearance of my dogs barking in the background 23:18 – how life is different now with a family and business compared to when she was in school and lived for playing softball 25:35 – what advice she would give her younger self to give a competitive edge. 29:12 – advice from her brother, MLB standout Jason Bay, and also her good friend from high school, NHL player Barrett Jackman 34:35 – how the members and other trainers at her gym have helped cover, support, and be a network to help her get on the mound again 35:24 – Would she be successful as a individual sport athlete as she is in a team setting? 37:50 – why I’m a terrible person for not getting home to the Kootenays in British Columbia in 4 years.    

Guess who has their very own theme music!! I’ll hopefully be able to produce 1-2 podcasts a month, and have a few really cool ideas lined up for the next few months, so stay tuned.

Today I have a podcast with Dr. Stuart McGill where I asked him a whole bunch of questions and he was kind enough to fill about 90% of the time with his insights. He’s a very animated speaker, so watching the video gives you a solid understanding of what’s happening, but the audio at the bottom can be downloaded so you can hear what’s going on while driving around or just doing whatever it is when you listen to podcasts. https://youtu.be/byFZgF6vZnI For some reason the audio on the video didn’t come out that great, but I was able to mix the audio file below to make it a lot more smooth and clear. To get a copy of the books mentioned in the podcast, just click here: Click HERE for access to Dr. McGill’s books   Show Notes 1:00 – Stu’s own superhero backstory that lead to him getting involved in spine research 5:55 – funniest attributes given to Stu from someone who heard something he said out of context. 9:42 – Where Stu feels the fitness industry is heading over the next 5-10 years 14:50 – What trainers should do to minimize risk for their clients in their normal clients, even though they have a presence of asymptomatic structural issues. 23:30 – how a trainer can assess for potential injuries, and train according to what the person can tolerate 26:01 – how a trainer can assess and program appropriately within a group training setting 36:21 – how evidence-based pain science relates to biomechanics and the psychosocial model work together 51:42 – Stu’s thoughts on the Jefferson curl exercise, and whether it’s something that should be done 58:02 – should you stretch or not? It’s very individual. 1:01:44 – How does Stu recommend developing a safe program