Coach Em Up Podcast

Check out Zack and Tim on socials! @zack_zillner ⁨@timrileytraining⁩

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Tim Riley and Zack Zillner are back together for a loaded Q&A episode covering creatine, in-season sprint programming, isolation movements, entrepreneurship, and why a hack squat might be the most underrated tool in your gym. Tim also announces his new Austin gym opening June 8th, equipped with a custom Coach Em Up podcast studio! Zack survived his first year in Miami and a full colada on day one.

Tim and Zack go deep on what it actually takes to build athletes, run a business, and not burn out doing both. Topics include how to balance what clients want vs. what they need and the origins of the Coach 'Em Up Podcast itself. They also give a full breakdown of the Coach 'Em Up Conference 2.0 in Austin — live show, free BBQ, and a stacked speaker lineup at the C4 Performance Center. Plus: fitness grifters get called out, training music gets debated, and both coaches share the life advice that actually changed their careers. It's all here.

Produced by
Q6 Media
https://q6.media

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:22 - Zack Zillner Returns
00:02:37 - New Gym Opening & Podcast Studio Announcement
00:07:38 - Zack's First Year in Miami & the Colada Story
00:14:10 - Why Athletes Should Take Creatine
00:17:11 - Build-A-Mutant: Best Qualities from Past Guests
00:23:32 - Organizing Training: Strengths vs. Weaknesses
00:26:16 - Isolation Movements & the Hack Squat
00:31:38 - Giving Clients What They Want vs. What They Need
00:37:19 - Coach 'Em Up Conference 2.0 Details
00:41:05 - Five Essential Pieces of Gym Equipment
00:44:04 - Origins of the Coach 'Em Up Podcast
00:57:11 - S&C Programming for Young Coaches
01:02:04 - Entrepreneurship, Sobriety & Life-Changing Advice
01:14:10 - In-Season Sprint Volume & Maturing as a Coach
01:18:50 - Fitness Grifters & Training Music Debate
01:31:21 - Shin Splints, Achilles Recovery & the 6-Day Split
01:49:01 - Career Advice: When to Look for a New Job

#CoachEmUp #StrengthAndConditioning #AthleticPerformance #SportsPodcast #Creatine #GymLife #SNCCoach #Podcast #TrainEmUp #FitnessCoach

Check out Malorie on socials! @malorie_henderlong

Use code "coachemup10" for 10% off EVERYTHING at https://eleiko.com/coachemup
Head over to https://ovrperformance.com/coachemup and get $25 off
Use code "Tim" to get 15% off at https://davidgreyrehab.com

Auburn Women's Soccer S&C Coach Malorie Henderlong joins Tim Riley to break down her entry into the profession, the grind of collegiate strength and conditioning, and the technical side of training field sport athletes. Topics include MAS-based conditioning, GPS data optimization, soccer's fear of the weight room, how she started her own remote coaching business, and her prototypical route to landing an SEC coaching job. She discusses why soccer has historically been scared of the weight room, how she structures training around squat, hinge, push, and pull for undertrained field athletes, and why she prefers the Bronco test and Maximum Aerobic Speed over traditional conditioning benchmarks.

Produced by
Q6 Media
https://q6.media

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:18 - Speaking at the CSCCA Conference
00:04:31 - Authenticity in Content Creation & Social Media
00:06:24 - Getting a Job by Yelling from the Sidelines
00:08:55 - Coaching Acrobatics & Tumbling
00:10:43 - Youth Sports, Competitive Cheer & Parenting
00:13:58 - Austin FC, NC State & the Move to Auburn
00:19:01 - The Power of Mentorship
00:23:35 - The Grind in Collegiate S&C
00:32:38 - Why Soccer Fears the Weight Room
00:42:36 - Starting Higher Power Sports Performance
00:49:50 - Conditioning, MAS & the Bronco Test
00:57:12 - GPS Data, Player Load & Numbers
01:01:45 - Olympic Lifting & Training Goalkeepers
01:05:50 - Why Coaches Shouldn't Play Pickup Sports
01:23:40 - How to Get Hired in Collegiate S&C
01:31:02 - Rant & Rave
01:37:34 - Overrated vs. Underrated
01:41:50 - Unsolicited Solicited Advice

#CoachEmUpPodcast #StrengthAndConditioning #SoccerTraining #CollegiateStrengthCoach #MalorieHenderlong #AuburnSoccer #GPSData #SportPerformance #HigherPowerSportsPerformance #Podcast

Check out Alec on socials! @alecblenis

Use code "coachemup10" for 10% off EVERYTHING at https://eleiko.com/coachemup
Go to https://atlantisstrength.com to get a quote on some incredible machines
Head over to https://ovrperformance.com/coachemup and get $25 off
Use code "Tim" to get 15% off at https://davidgreyrehab.com

On Today's episode of the Coach Em Up Podcast, Tim Riley links up with Alec Blenis — now a full-time Texas resident — for a duel Q&A you won't want to miss!

Alec breaks down his mission to run a sub-2:30 marathon while gaining lean muscle — naturally — and why he's spending over five figures on drug testing to prove it's possible. Tim pulls back the curtain on TRT, sobriety, and what it actually means to shift you coaching philosophy. We also roast optimization culture, talk running form, weird lifts, and set some very public training goals for each other.

There are two types of people on this planet: subscribers and non-subscribers. Don't be the latter.

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:57 - Alec's move to Austin
00:07:04 - Biohacking, Sleep & Cat Parasites
00:12:18 - Sub-2:30 Marathon Goal
00:20:19 - Kangaroo Achilles vs. Gorilla Shoulders
00:23:23 - Balancing Lifting and Running
00:31:01 - The Truth About TRT
00:41:48 - The Problem With Optimization Culture
00:49:59 - Coaching philosophy shifts
00:54:48 - Running Form & Technical Models
01:01:00 - Sobriety & Obsession
01:14:04 - Three Simple Rules for Success
01:19:34 - Tim's Apex Prep & Mutual Goals
01:34:10 - Alec's Unorthodox Lifts
01:47:08 - Sponsor Shoutouts

#CoachEmUpPodcast #MarathonTraining #TRTandFitness #SobrietyAndAthletics #StrengthAndEndurance #OptimizationCulture #NaturalAthletes #RunningCoach #FitnessPodcast #ApexCompetition

Check out Finley on socials! @unfuckyourdiet

Use code "coachemup10" for 10% off EVERYTHING at https://eleiko.com/coachemup
Go to https://atlantisstrength.com to get a quote on some incredible machines
Head over to https://ovrperformance.com/coachemup and get $25 off
Use code "Tim" to get 15% off at https://davidgreyrehab.com

Finley Funston drops in and we are not holding back. Finley is a nutritionist, co-owner of Madabolic Charlotte, and one of the sharpest voices cutting through the noise in the nutrition space. We dig into why dieting culture is broken, why extremes sell, and why most of what you see on social media about food is flat-out wrong.

We talk seed oils, aspartame, orthorexia, metabolism myths, menopausal nutrition, under-eating while injured, processed foods, and why your Diet Coke is not going to kill you. Finley also breaks down her actual approach with clients — maintenance phases, conservative deficits, and how she gets people to stop treating food like the enemy.

This one is real, funny, and genuinely useful. If you eat food, this episode is for you.

Gummy bear reviews from hell: https://slightlyviral.com/beware-sugarless-gummy-bears-on-amazon-com

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:03:17 - Finley's Background
00:06:50 - Nutritional Awakening & Paleo Mistakes
00:10:46 - Extremes in Nutrition & Marketability
00:12:12 - Toxic Culture in the Nutrition Space
00:13:36 - Dogma and Information Overload
00:16:04 - The Grift & Preying on Lived Experience
00:19:07 - Seed Oils and Inflammation Myths
00:23:19 - Context and Overall Dietary Pattern
00:26:20 - Sobriety, Gut Health & Disordered Eating
00:29:22 - Is Orthorexia Real?
00:31:11 - Processed Foods & Chemical Fear
00:33:40 - Moderation and Enjoying Food
00:34:40 - Diet Coke, Aspartame & Cancer Myths
00:37:56 - Why Restrictive Diets Fail
00:39:06 - Helping Clients Build Sustainable Diets
00:42:46 - Cadbury Eggs, Gummy Bears & Sugar Free Chaos
00:47:41 - The Metabolism Slowing Myth
00:51:03 - Tim's Rant on Insecure People
00:55:09 - Nutrition for Menopausal Women
00:59:02 - Intimidation Factor of Strength Training
01:01:10 - Pharmacological Thinness
01:04:41 - Under-Eating While Injured
01:10:40 - Nutrition and Psychological Comfort
01:11:25 - The Value of a Maintenance Phase
01:15:13 - Conservative Deficits & Adherence
01:19:11 - Are We Doomed to Be Irrational?
01:22:09 - 3 Tips for Everyday Fitness Enthusiasts
01:24:49 - CGMs and Creatine
01:29:08 - Tattoo Artist Career
01:29:49 - Intermittent Fasting
01:34:10 - What Cardio Should You Actually Do?

#NutritionMyths #CoachEmUp #FinleyFunston #DietCulture #FitnessNutrition #SeedOils #MetabolismMyths #SustainableDiet #WomensHealth #UnfuckYourDiet

Check out Alyssa on socials! @doclyssfitness

Use code "coachemup10" for 10% off EVERYTHING at https://eleiko.com/coachemup
Go to https://atlantisstrength.com to get a quote on some incredible machines
Head over to https://ovrperformance.com/coachemup and get $25 off
Use code "Tim" to get 15% off at https://davidgreyrehab.com

Dr. Alyssa Olenick drops into the Coach 'Em Up Podcast and delivers one of the most practical, no-fluff breakdowns of hybrid training you'll hear. She's got a PhD in exercise physiology, she's run ultramarathons, competed in CrossFit, and she's built a thriving online coaching business — and she's here to tell you exactly where hybrid athletes go wrong and how to fix it.

We're talking carb phobia, program hopping, recovery gaps, zone 2 cardio, power training, bone density, and why hard training is just... hard — no matter who you are. Dr. Olenick also gets real about burning out during her PhD, building Doclyss Fitness from passion (not profit), and why eating more carbs might be the single best thing you do for your performance.

If you're a hybrid athlete, a coach, or just someone trying to figure out how to balance lifting and cardio without destroying yourself — this episode is required listening.

Subscribe to the channel! It's completely free and it would make Tim's day.

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:17 - Dr. Olenick's background & expertise
00:04:20 - The dark side of pursuing a PhD
00:05:41 - The Queen of Hybrid Training
00:06:49 - Biggest mistakes in hybrid training
00:11:10 - Quality vs. quantity in lifting
00:16:37 - Recovery, carbs & electrolyte essentials
00:25:09 - Breaking down carb phobia
00:30:37 - High carb vs. low carb for athletes
00:35:16 - Nutrition, hormones & bone density
00:37:18 - Workload, fatigue & program commitment
00:41:51 - Hard training is hard
00:46:16 - Stimulus training & philosophy shifts
00:48:31 - New ACSM fitness guidelines breakdown
01:00:34 - Power training & bone density
01:05:52 - How to start sprinting safely
01:10:13 - Building confidence through action
01:13:17 - How Doclyss Fitness started
01:18:49 - Entrepreneurship vs. serving your clients
01:37:33 - Top 3 tips for hybrid athletes
01:39:44 - Hyrox & ultramarathons
01:42:26 - Alternative Career paths
01:43:51 - Do more cardio!

#HybridTraining #CoachEmUp #DoclyssFitness #ExercisePhysiology #HybridAthlete #CarbsForPerformance #StrengthAndCardio #Hyrox #UltraMarathon #FitnessCoach