mma

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – From the Vault: Answering Health Questions From Listeners

We’re jumping into the Addicted to Fitness time machine for this week’s episode and heading back to the days when the podcast was known as the ETT Wrap Show. As you’ll hear, this throwback show features our past cohost, Tyler Knox. He also made an appearance on a more recent ATF podcast discussing how being a new dad affects your fitness (click here to listen), and given my current situation, a lot of what he mentioned is coming true in my life.

Tyler and I kickoff this old school episode giving our respective training recaps. I discuss a recent 4 mile run Shannon & I did on the the Tampa Riverwalk which is a nearly 3 mile walkway that snakes its way through downtown Tampa. Tyler on the other hand recounts the scuba diving he had to do for his job. Most people think of scuba diving as a recreational activity you do while on vacation in the Caribbean, which it can be, but when you do it several hours a day and have to perform specific tasks underwater, it can be very physically demanding.

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Former ATF cohost Tyler Know just lying around

After our training recaps, we give a thorough UFC update. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for recent UFC news, this throwback episode won’t satisfy you. BUT, it’s still interesting to look back and hear about Cris Cyborg signing with the UFC and Jon Jones trying to make one of his many comebacks. If you are looking for the most up to date UFC news, I’d recommend checking out MMAFighting.com.

We do get into some evergreen health topics including tips to perform a “proper” squat. I put proper in quotations because, as you’ll hear, different physiologies create different squatting mechanics. We also answer a few interesting health questions from listeners including how many grams of protein a person should eat per day? Make sure you listen to hear the answer because it can vary depending on your fitness goals.

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I love looking back on these throwback episodes, not only to see how we have progressed as podcast, but also to see how the topics we’ve discussed have evolved. I hope you all enjoy these time capsule episodes as much as I do. If you do, we’d really appreciate it if you gave us a rating and review in iTunes (link) or on the Addicted to Fitness Facebook page (link).

We’ve got a lot of great podcasts lined up for you all, including an interview with a hypnotherapist. You’ll definitely want to subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t done so already, and please rate, review and share Addicted to Fitness with anyone and everyone.

Don’t forget to visit our sponsors website, hempcoffeeexchange.com, to stock up on sustainable super coffee for the holidays. Make sure you use the promo code “ATF” to get 20% off your order. Thanks again for all the support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-vault-answering-health-questions-from-listeners/id1121420986?i=1000395026764&mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/from-the-vault-answering

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-answering-health-questions-from-listeners

 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – The Return of Combat Sports Historian, Dr. L.A. Jennings

This week’s show notes brought to you by the lovely Shannon

Thanks for checking out the latest episode of Addicted to Fitness!

Please help us grow our audience by sharing the podcast and giving us a rating and review in iTunes or our new Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page.

This week, we’re excited to bring you an interview with our first repeat guest – our good friend and Nick’s former coach, Dr. L.A. Jennings. L.A. and her husband Mike own a popular MMA gym in Denver, CO called Train. Fight. Win. (TFW), of which Nick was the first member over eight years ago.

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Let’s get into the interview.

Like many of the best places, the gym L.A. and her husband started, TFW, was born from humble beginnings. The start included days when no clients would even show up to train. Flash forward to today when TFW boasts its own competitive fight team along with a healthy crew of clients who participate in conditioning, striking and grappling classes.

Local fight organizations are even starting to feature TFW on highly publicized fight cards, exposing the gym to an even broader audience and helping to attract more individuals with competition experience to the gym.

Outside the gym, L.A. has an extensive list of achievements including becoming a published author of essentially the encyclopedia on the history of female combat sports called She’s A Knockout: A History of Women in Fighting Sports.

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L.A. is currently working with the organization Wrestle Like A Girl to get girls wrestling sanctioned in middle schools and high schools around the country. Believe it or not, only six states currently have sanctioned girls wrestling at that level.

She had been writing for Vice’s Fightland, but decided she would rather focus her research and content creation into another medium. The chosen medium? Well, it turns out that our ATF podcast actually inspired L.A. to start her own podcast called The Warm-Up, which includes historical accounts of important sporting events throughout time.

It’s safe to say, we’ve already added the podcast to our must-listen list. Knowing L.A., it’s bound to be a hit!

Next, we discussed our thoughts and feelings on the hyped-up Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight. L.A. was particularly interested in the topic because McGregor really helped MMA fighters command more respect when it comes to negotiating contracts and demanding better pay.

We also commented on the most highly anticipated boxing event in recent history, Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez, which ended in a controversial decision and reignited the ever-present idea that boxing is a corrupt sport.

These topics really emphasized that even though combat sports have been around since ancient times, they are still evolving in modern times.

Finally, make sure you check out L.A.’s book and podcast, and if you’re ever in Denver stop by Train. Fight. Win. and tell them Nick and Shannon from the ATF podcast sent you. You can also follow TFW on Instagram (@tfw_denver) and L.A. on Twitter @Dr_LA_Jennings.

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As always, thanks for listening to this week’s episode. Send us an email (elementaltampa@gmail.com) or give us a shout on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) if you have any questions or topics for future episodes. In the meantime, we’ll keep working to bring you exciting experts and timely info on health and fitness.

Links to this week’s episode:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2&i=1000393234960

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/the-return-of-combat-sports-historian-dr-la-jennings

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Fight Breakdown of Mayweather-McGregor & Polichemi-Gramatica

I go solo on this week’s Addicted to Fitness, but don’t worry. Shannon’s cohost position is not in jeopardy.

For those of you that don’t know, Shannon is well into her 3rd trimester with our first child. In addition to that, she’s still working full time and is only a few weeks away from completing her yoga teacher training. If you’ve ever been pregnant, or the significant other of someone who is pregnant, you know that R & R is paramount. That’s why I decided to take the podcasting responsibilities upon myself this week.

I love Shannon being my cohost and I know you listeners do too, but a part of me was glad I was able to roll solo on this week’s podcast. Mainly because I commented on a pair of recent boxing events that I was looking forward to for some time. But before we get into my thoughts on those events, I dive into our training recap for the week.

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Thanks again to Master @amirardebily & all the fighters at Amir Academy of Martial Arts for welcoming ETT client @spanishep into their class to help him prepare for his fight in the upcoming @themikecaltashow Punchout. Now's the time to jump on the Team Spanish ⠀ bandwagon.⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ •⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ •⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ •⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #personaltraining #semiprivatetraining #health #nutrition #fitness #fitnesscommunity #exercise #fitfam #fitnessaddict #gym #gains #boxing #active #cardio #motivation #workout #punchout3 #themikecaltashow #Tampa #tampabay #tampafl #tampafitness #southtampa #healthytampabay #igerstampa #ETTampa #tampastrength

A post shared by Nick 👊Elemental Training Tampa (@ettampa) on

As previously mentioned, Shannon is only a few weeks away from completing her Bella Prana yoga teacher training. If I haven’t said it before I’ll say it now, I’m super proud of her dedication to this program. I’m sure we’ll discuss her final exam a little more next week so make sure you tune in!

My training recap consists primarily of training with Elemental Training Tampa (ETT) clients. This past week was my busiest since I took ETT full time in March. I couldn’t be happier and I’m really appreciative of how committed all of my clients have been. One client in particular has been extremely devoted to his training program and he got to use that training in a recent celebrity boxing event.

Anthony “Spanish” Polichemi has been training with ETT for the past 5 weeks in preparation for a celebrity boxing match with former NFL pro Martin Gramatica. The match was the main event of the annual Mike Calta Punchout, which ETT has been fortunate enough to be involved in for the past 3 years. Even though Anthony was giving up approximately 5 inches and 20 lbs. to Martin, I was confident that after his training with ETT at Tampa Strength and Master Amir Ardebily (click here to listen to his ATF interview) at Amir Acadmey of Martial Arts, he’d be able to get his hand raised.

I sadly had to miss the event, but I listened to a round by round broadcast on the 102.5 the Bone mobile app. It sounded like Anthony was able to use his footwork and head movement to score early and often, but he ran into several power punches from his larger opponent. In the end, Anthony lost a decision, but I couldn’t be happier with the way he performed. I’m even more excited that he’s decided to continue his training with both ETT and Master Amir.

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Photo courtesy of bloodyelbow.com

I wasn’t nearly as emotionally invested in the other fight discussed on this week’s episode. Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor has been the number one topic in the world of sports for the past 10 weeks. All the hype finally came to fruition on August 26th and to many people’s surprise, Conor McGregor performed rather well, given the circumstances.

Floyd has been touted as one of the best technical boxers of all time, and his 49-0 professional record would support that claim. Conor has recently taken the MMA and combat sports world by storm with his ability to talk a big game and back it up when he gets in the ring. Even though this match was considered by some to be somewhat of a sideshow, mainly due to Conor’s lack of ANY professional boxing experience, I was still looking forward to seeing how both fighters would handle the uncertainty their opponent would present.

Much to the surprise of most people, Conor started the fight very well. He used his size and reach to keep Mayweather at bay and land scoring punches. It look to me that Conor had done enough to win the first 3 rounds, but I had a feeling that Mayweather was simply analyzing Conor’s technique and would soon begin to capitalize on his opponent’s lack of boxing experience.

The fight seem to turn in Mayweather’s favor starting in round 4. He was able to avoid Conor’s punches and started landing power shots of his own. By round 8, Conor’s cardio was spent and Floyd turned up the intensity of his attack. Halfway through round 10, Floyd got Conor against the ropes, landed numerous unanswered shots which forced the ref to stop the fight. Mayweather won by TKO and improved his professional boxing record to 50-0.

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The Mayweather-McGregor fight wasn’t a great example of superb technical boxing, but it was entertaining none the less. Not NEARLY as entertaining as the Polichemi-Gramatica fight, especially for yours truly. Click here if you like to see a video of the entire match between Anthony and Martin. Follow Anthony on social media (@spanishep) and watch as he continues his fitness journey with ETT.

You should also follow us on our social channels (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter). Please reach out to us on social or send us an email at elementaltampa@gmail.com, and let us know who you think of ATF. We love hearing from our listeners and I promise all you Shannon fans that she will be back next week. Thanks for listening and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2#episodeGuid=bad843c8f61aa163342caa25cc7bb458

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/fight-breakdown-of-mayweather

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/fight-breakdown-of-mayweather-mcgregor-polichemi-gramatica 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – An Interview with the Founder & Head Instructor of Amir Academy of Martial Arts, Amir Ardebily

This Addicted to Fitness has been a long time coming, but before we get into the juicy part of this week’s episode, we’ve got a couple important announcements to share with you all.

I know Shannon and I are starting to sound like broken records, but we want to make sure you all take advantage of the free fitness consultations I’m currently offering and vote for Addicted to Fitness as “best local podcast” in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay contest before it’s too late. Send an email to elementaltampa@gmail.com to schedule your consultation and follow the directions in the caption below to help ATF bring home the gold.

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Visit cltampa.com, click on the Best of the Bay tab and you’ll find Addicted to Fitness in the “People, Places and Politics” category under the best local podcast.

As previously mentioned, this episode of the podcast is long overdue. When I first conceptualized Addicted to Fitness, I knew I wanted to have an interview component. Before I even recorded my first episode, I made a list of individuals that I wanted to speak to and at the top of that list was the person I was fortunate enough to interview on this week’s show.

I’ve mentioned him several times before on the podcast as the man primarily responsible for my current obsession with all things health and fitness. He taught me how to literally & figuratively fight for the fitness that I desired. This week’s Addicted to Fitness features an interview with life long martial artist and founder of Amir Academy of Martial Arts (link) in Saint Petersburg, Florida, Master Amir Ardebily.

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Master Amir looks on moments before I tap to tight armbar (photo courtesy of Jeff Morris)

Amir’s father started teaching him martial arts at the age of 6. By the time he was 16, he had opened his own martial arts studio in his native Iran. Unfortunately, war erupted between Iran and Iraq while Amir was in high school and he was drafted into the army upon graduation. He spent 2 years in Iranian special forces before seizing the opportunity to immigrate to the United States.

Amir visited the U.S. while he was a teenager but was forced to go back to Iran once the war began. He had always wanted to go back to the United States and had his chance in 1984. There are a several great moments in this interview but Amir’s immigration story is reason enough to listen to this episode.

We also discuss how Amir started his first martial arts school in the U.S. without knowing how to speak the language, the affect Bruce Lee had on his teaching philosophy and why the UFC plays an important part in introducing martial arts to the masses.

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If you live in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, I strongly encourage you to visit Amir Academy of Martial Arts. Call 727-821-4097 for more details.

Also, Amir is organizing another one of his great amateur kickboxing events for November 11th in St. Petersburg. I’ve had the honor to both compete and attend these events and I can say with all sincerity that they are top-notch. Put it on your calendars now!

Thanks again for all the support you give us. We love producing these episodes for you and if you love hearing them, please let us know. You can drop us a line at elementaltampa@gmail.com, on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) or leave us a rating and review in iTunes (link). Thanks in advance and stay healthy this week’s peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-founder-head-instructor-amir-academy-martial/id1121420986?i=1000391008396&mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/an-interview-with-the-founder

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/an-interview-with-the-founder-head-instructor-of-amir-academy-of-martial-arts-amir-ardebily

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – From the Vault: UFC Date Night & How You Like Your Eggs

Every so often, Shannon and I like to share an episode from the earlier version of the podcast known as the ETT Wrap Show. These throwback episodes act not only as an audio time capsule, but also share pertinent health & fitness information with our current audience. This episode from the ETT Wrap Show vault kicks off discussing our upcoming group workout on the Tampa Riverwalk (link).

Outdoor workouts, especially in a safe environment, are extremely beneficial because of the exercise involved and the fact that they get you outside. Remember, vitamin D, which is important to bone density and hormone regulation, is obtained by soaking up a little sun. If you have any parks, green spaces and/or riverwalks in your city, you should definitely think about incorporating them into your fitness routine.

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Locations like the Tampa Riverwalk provide a great opportunity to incorporate outdoor training into your fitness routine

After singing the praises of the Tampa Riverwalk, Shannon and I discuss our experience at our first UFC Live event. I doubt I even have to say this, but the UFC is the largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion in the world. I’m sure most of you probably already know that due to the upcoming boxing match involving the biggest personality in UFC history, Conor McGregor.

We didn’t get to see Conor at the event we attended, but we did see his next potential MMA opponent, Khabib Nurmagomedov (yes that’s his real name). Shannon was especially impressed by Khabib superior takedown skills and his luxurious headwear. Click the link to learn more about this special hat and see a picture of UFC announcer Joe Rogan wearing it.

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Whole eggs, egg white or egg yolks. Which do you prefer?

After recapping the UFC fight, we move onto a discussion about my favorite whole food of all time: EGGS! One whole egg, yolk & whites, contain 5 g of fat, 6 g of protein and no carbs. Essentially the perfect no-carb snack that will keep the pesky hunger hormones leptin and gherlin at bay, IMO. We go on to describe the different nutritional profiles for egg whites and egg yolks on their own. How you like your eggs is a question we know can vary widely from person to person based on which version they believe is the healthiest.

We put the call out to our listeners to tell us what type of eggs they thought were the healthiest. Much to my delight the overwhelming response was the whole egg. I’m pleased by this because it wasn’t too long ago that everyone believed that eating eggs increased the cholesterol in your blood. However, according to a 2015 press release from the Mayo Clinic (link), dietary cholesterol, which whole eggs are high in, does not raise cholesterol in our blood. HOORAY!!

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We hope you all enjoy these throwback episodes as much as our normal episodes. If you do, please let us know by giving us a rating & review in iTunes (link). Also, we’d really, really, REALLY appreciate it if you vote for Addicted to Fitness as the “best local podcast” in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay contest. Voting will be opening in a few weeks so bookmark their website (link) now and check back at the end of July to vote.

To show our appreciation for all the support you give us, I encourage you to take advantage of our current free fitness consultation offer. If you are looking for a little guidance, whether it be for exercise, nutrition or even accountability, send me an email at elementaltampa@gmail.com. Let’s make your fitness a top priority

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-vault-ufc-date-night-how-you-like-your-eggs/id1121420986?i=1000389968387&mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/from-the-vault-ufc-date-night

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-ufc-date-night-how-you-like-your-eggs

 

From the Vault: An Interview with Author L.A. Jennings, PhD

This week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast features a great interview I did a few months ago with a fitness & health professional who happens to be a very close friend of Shannon and I. Dr. L.A. Jennings received her PhD in literary studies from the University of Denver in 2013 and has contributed numerous articles to Fightland, a section on vice.com dedicated to combat sports. She is also the author of She’s A Knockout! A History of Women in Fighting Sports which MMA journalist Jack Slack called “The most complete history of women in the fight game that you will find.” In addition to being a fantastic author, L.A. owns a MMA gym called Train. Fight. Win. in Denver, Colorado with her husband Mike. TFW is where I first meant L.A. and I’m proud to say we’ve been good friends every since.

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L.A. and I doing some mittwork

In this episode, L.A. and I discuss her book, past and present female fighters and how the image of women in the ring and in the gym has evolved. We also talk about the effect current UFC fighter Cris Cyborg (who is headlining the upcoming UFC card in Brazil) is having on the expansion of the women’s division in the UFC. After hearing this interview, you may be surprised by the role women have played in combat sports throughout history. I know I was.

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Pic created with image courtesy of LiquidSteelPhotogs

Do yourself a favor and check out all of Dr. LA’s literary pieces (links above) and if you’re in Denver, stop by Train. Fight. Win. for an awesome MMA/fitness class. Interviewing professionals like LA is one of the main reasons I started this podcast. I’m currently lining up our next interview, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, we’re still looking for a few more reviews to get rated on iTunes so do us a solid and give us a review and when you share this episode, tell your friend to do the same. Thanks in advance and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-vault-interview-author/id1121420986?i=1000375468392&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-an-interview-with-author-la-jennings-phd

ETT Wrap Show Ep.18

This week’s episode features an interview with published author and MMA gym owner, Dr. L.A. Jennings. L.A. was kind enough to speak with me about her book (She’s A Knockout! A History of Women in Fighting Sports),  Cris “Cyborg” Justino and how the image of women in the ring and in the gym has evolved. In addition to the interview, Shannon and I talk about jiu-jitsu training, aerial yoga and influential figures in the field of health & fitness. This ETT Wrap Show is jam packed with content. Please let us know what you think of any or all of it by leaving a comment below. THANKS PEEPS!