Another standalone episode with our coach, Justin Jones.

Justin discusses why he went into coaching, what he focuses on as a coach, and how he tailors the coaching experience for each of his athletes. Why do our coaches emphasize making the training fit YOUR life so much? Because our experience tells us, unequivocally, that proactively addressing "best fit" for each individual athlete leads to much better outcomes across years, not just months!

Follow Justin on Instagram: JustinSJones

Justin's podcast here: Assemble Performance Podcast

CHP Instagram: CompleteHumanPerformance

Meet our new coach, Clayton! Clayton Foster has been a performance and nutrition coach for over a decade. He holds a Bachelor's of Science in Exercise Science, numerous nutrition and training certifications, and is an Air Force veteran. With a foundation in strength sports, he made the pivot to a more hybrid approach to training and coaching after moving to Colorado and falling in love with mountain sports, but not being willing to give up strength in the gym. He has since competed in and coached athletes through 100 mile mountain races, IRONMAN distance triathlons, a wide array of hybrid competitions, and varying mountain objectives.

Clayton is a long time advocate for the hybrid approach to training and has seen first-hand, both in himself and in clients, that you don't have to choose between strength and endurance. With the right plan and consistent execution, you can chase seemingly opposing facets of fitness and continue to improve. He sees coaching as a two-way relationship and believes that the most successful plans are built together, not handed down. He's especially drawn to athletes willing to set ambitious goals outside their comfort zone, and loves nothing more than helping someone do something they once thought was out of reach.

Follow him on IG: clayfostfitness

Coach Justin takes over the podcast to talk about the basics of hybrid training: how do you prioritize when there are so many variables to manage? Nail the basics first!

How do you avoid majoring in the minors?

Topics:

• Sleep and Sleep Quality
• Nutrition
• Rest Days
• Structured Programming

Justin reviews case studies, discusses specifics, and drives home how important it is to be positive you're investing in the basics as much as you reasonably can before moving on to more specific, performance-oriented metrics.

Join Ariana as she chats with athlete Aaron Travers.

Aaron is a gym owner, coach, and incredibly talented athlete hailing from Northern Ireland.

At 6 foot 6 inches tall and 240 pounds, he's not your average hybrid athlete, but has managed to rack up some seriously impressive performances like a 56:27 HYROX Pro time, ski erg marathon AG world record at 2:29:52, 1:17 half marathon, and 16:28 5k. This is while deadlifting 595 pounds, benching 319 pounds, and looking decidedly hybrid despite his height. Aaron is currently training for a 2:42 marathon with the aim to simultaneously top out all of his lifts.

Listen to Aaron's fitness journey, and follow along on Instagram at @aaron_travers4

Aaron is sponsored by Optimum Nutrition, Veyo Breathing Strips, and Relentless Apparel

And starting new sports, and how handling these two big changes to your training end up being similar. What do you mean, you can treat injuries like starting a new sport for a bit? Let us tell you in the silliest way possible.

Anthony D'Orazio

Ariana Scalfo

Alex Viada and Ariana Scalfo sit down to talk to Ben and Mats from HYBRD.

Discussed:

• How did Alex meet Ben and Mats?
• What did the team at HYBRD develop the app to solve? Why isn't there a "Training Stress Score" for strength?
• Implementing the principles and methodology from "The Ultimate Hybrid Athlete" as the rules for all HYBRD training plans
• Why AI-generated plans aren't useful without the right guardrails

Got questions? Head over to HYBRD | Get Faster & Stronger At The Same Time

On Instagram: @Hybrd_app

Ben Katz: @Ben_HYBRD

Mats Terwiesch: @Mats_HYBRD

What Fitness Industry myths bug you the most, and why?

Anthony, Raquel, and Sofia discuss and pick apart all the myths that bug them as athletes, humans, and coaches who've been in this space and coaching people for a long time. They discuss:

- The myth of "if you're not fit, it's because you don't want it bad enough": the erasure of complex factors that contribute to individuals having more or less time (and ability) to train

- The myth of "every goal is attainable": not all goals are realistic for all people, even with long timelines, and that's okay

- The myth of "If you train like me, you can look like me": the unfortunate truth that an athlete's training and enhancement history matter just as much as their current training cycle

- The myth of "If you didn't sweat, it doesn't count": how easy it is to compete yourself out of a good training stimulus and wind up overreaching and underperforming

- The myth of "women need to train differently than men": how that biologically falls apart under scrutiny and many more rants inbetween.

Follow @completehumanperformance on Instagram

Raquel Hernandez

Sofia Huston

Anthony D'Orazio

Ariana Scalfo and Mike Thompson sit down to discuss their personal experiences training with, around, and sometimes despite, their chronic conditions.

How do they handle being disabled sometimes, and only in specific ways?

How do they (try) to avoid flares, and what do those flares look like?

How do these conditions affect their mental health and identity, especially as coaches?

When is it appropriate to "fight through," and when fighting through it is the worst idea? Is there any way to tell which option is best during a flare of symptoms?

In what unique ways does the hybrid methodology of programming assist athletes with increased recovery needs and/or higher sensitivities to certain stressors?

Mike Thompson has Functional Neurological Disorder (FND)

Ariana Scalfo has Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, POTS, MCAS, endometriosis, ME/CFS, and PEM

**nothing discussed during this podcast is meant to replace recommendations from your medical provider.

***FND and hEDS +associated comorbidities have an incalculable variety of severities and expressions in each individual diagnosed with them, and this podcast is not meant to represent the lived experiences or symptom profiles of anyone other than Ariana and Mike. While this podcast can offer insight into what individuals living with chronic conditions experience day-to-day, Ariana and Mike's accounts should be treated as n=1 and nothing discussed within this podcast is meant to serve as a medical resource.

"Life is a Thanksgiving meal. Some things are on boil, some things are simmering on the back burner, and this changes all night long." - Anthony D'Orazio or Gandalf, depending on who you ask

Join Anthony D'Orazio, Justin Jones, and Mike Thompson as they discuss what it's like to encounter a busy period in your life. How to quantify "busy," how to select training priorities and use available time and recovery to the best effect, and how to stay mentally engaged when your brain is stretched thinner than butter scraped over too much bread.

Join Director of Coaching Ariana Scalfo as she chats with new CHP coaches Mike Thompson and Justin Jones about men's mental health and how it plays out in lifestyle, health, and ability/motivation to train. Mike and Justin are relatively new fathers, and they discuss with Ariana (a new mother) the loneliness and pressure that comes with fatherhood, and the dangers of depression, and lack of clearly defined paternal support during that time.

[tw: discussion about depression, anxiety, mentions of suicide, body dysmorphia]

• Dealing with interalized shame; are men's health issues framed more as "their own fault" (insufficient preparedness, "toxic masculinity") vs the fault of external factors as women's are typically framed? Is the messaging "fix yourself" instead of "get help" even when help is available?
• What major life changes were the catalyst for realizing you needed more help? Do you see the same trends with clients?
• Body image issues, steroids, and body image issues and dysmorphia in male athletes - steroid abuse and "bigorexia"
• The pressures of being a new dad - "I need to lock in," not being a burden, pressure to provide, pressure to be more present and contradicting demands. Lack of resources for fathers.
• Fitness, the pursuit of health, and self efficacy; rebuilding your sense of self efficacy and self control after major life changes
• The concept of "Spoons" in chronic illness and how it applies to autoregulation in training
• Lifting less than ever, training infrequently as ever, and setting PRs - scuse me what
• Redefining a win, and hitting 90% instead of 98% is still a really good training day, the power of showing up and giving it time. The dangers of over-identifying with "daily" performance metrics (weight moved, speed traveled, distance traveled)
• What are some lifestyle changes you'd recommend for someone going through an indentity-shift and struggling with their training in ways they never did before?
• 'Filing cabinet mentality' - the benefits and the downsides
• What's the biggest benefit or takeaway you've experienced by hiring a coach, bringing on a mentor, or reaching out to a friend?

You can follow Mike on Instagram at @mjttraining

You can follow Justin on Instagram at @justinsjones

You can follow Complete Human Performance at @completehumanperformance

Questions about coaching or consultations from Mike or Justin? Contact them directly or email [email protected] to be connected.

Clay Foster has been a part of Complete Human Performance for years, and has been doing the hybrid thing for even longer. He won The Crucible Pro Men's Division in 2024, he's competed in the Hybricon Games (2023), and is registered for Rally in the Valley 2025 to name a few things. A coach himself, Clay's training has run the gamut from bodybuilding to CrossFit to 100-milers, and he's excited to spend 2025 enjoying his hard-earned fitness.

Listen in and follow Clay on Instagram at @clayfostfitness