LTB Podcast
Episodes
#452 Cycle Syncing: Hype, evidence and what good coaching should look like
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Does cycle syncing actually improve training outcomes or is it being oversold? In this episode, Claire and Maggie dig into the science and real‑worl...
#452 Claire and Maggie: The Problem Of Perfect: A Look At Perfectionism and Training
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Problem of Perfect explores why striving to "do it all right" in fitness coaching can sometimes do more harm than good. Claire and Maggie unpack t...
#451 Weight Neutral Coaching: Coaching Beyond Weight Loss
15 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Claire speaks with Maggie about what weight‑neutral coaching really looks like in practice. They explore how moving away from weigh...
#450 Anti-Glycolytic training- all the effort, none of the burn
08 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Claire and Maggie explore anti‑glycolytic training, a high‑intensity, high‑rest approach rooted in Soviet sport science, and why avoiding the bu...
#449 Caroline Farrow: Better Together: The PT and Physio Relationship
01 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Maggie sits down with Caroline, physiotherapist and founder of Rebalance Physiotherapy, a mobile and care home practice serving Sout...
#448 Claire and Maggie: Belonging In Practice
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Maggie and Claire explore what belonging really looks like in personal training. They discuss how trainers can create connection thro...
#447 Megan Kelly: Strength Without Ego
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to lift over 23,834kg in a single hour? We're joined by world-record holder and personal trainer Megan Kelly to discuss the mental a...
#446 Steffie Murray: What It Takes To Be The Strongest Woman
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Claire chats with Steffie Murray to explore her journey as a competitive strongwoman, from discovering the sport to becoming Scotlan...
#445 Mara Moon, Helen Butler, and Eleanor Palmer: What Clients Wish Trainers Knew
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What is it actually like to be on the receiving end of our coaching? To find out, we've flipped the script. In this episode, Maggie sits down with thr...
#444 Claire and Maggie: Building A Values Lead Business
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if your personal training business was guided by your values, not just trends or tactics? In this episode, Claire and Maggie explore how clearly ...
#443 Pete Yardley Patel: Running A Successful Business In A Commercial Gym
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Claire chats with Pete Yardley Patel about his personal training career. Pete qualified 13 years ago and has built a sustainable business in a comm...
#442: Dr Dharmi Kapadia: Beyond Willpower: Racism, Stress and Health
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some clients struggle to achieve results despite having the 'perfect' plan? In this episode, we step outside the gym bubble to talk with Dr. D...
#441 Simon Graham: Coaching Everyday Athletes - Smart Training and Nutrition
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
· Claire chats with weight loss coach and personal trainer Simon Graham about how starting sport later in life led him to become a per...
#440 Claire and Maggie: Understanding Behaviour Change: Beyond Goals And Motivation
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie and Claire chat about behaviour change and relevant models to support it in clients. Exploring how individual capabilities, both physical and ...
#439 Danielle Bemmer: Training Through Injuries, Empathy, Adaptation, and Creative Solutions
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
· Claire chats with Dani from Curious Fitness to explore the art of training clients with injuries and niggles. From integrating prehab an...
#438: Elle Brown: Finding Your Movement Groove
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie chats with personal trainer and mother Elle Brown to explore what it really means to help clients "find their movement groove" in a world that...
#437 Claire and Maggie: New Year Expectations
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Claire and Maggie dive into the realities of New Year fitness trends, exploring why January isn't always the best time for goal-setting and how to kee...
#436 Tom Morgan: Jump Into Strength: Mastering Plyometrics
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire chats with Tom Morgan about what actually counts as plyometric training, the benefits general-population clients gain when plyos are programmed...
#435 Kim Stacey: Fitness For Every Body
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie sits down with Kim from Body Image Fitness to explore what it truly means to train for joy rather than aesthetics. Kim shares how her weight‑...
#434 Productivity Reclaimed: From Shame To Strategy
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire and Maggie chat about productivity including the negatives of hustle culture as well as some practical tips for being productive when action is...
#433 Self Sabotage: It's Not What You Think
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire and Maggie discussed the concept of self-sabotage, challenging its scientific validity as well as ways personal trainers can approach clients w...
#432 Zac Fennell: The Art Of Making People Feel Fabulous
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chris chats to Zac Fennell, owner of BA1 Hair about the importance of looking after your customers, creating a brilliant team and much more. Find O...
#431 Beyond SMART Goals - Supporting Clients Who Just Want To Feel Better
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire and Maggie chat about the role of goals and working with clients who don't have something that fits in a nice structure. Find Out More About LT...
#430 Jake and Sally Chat About Building Your Online Coaching Service
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jake talks to Sally about the world of Online Coaching and what Personal Trainers should consider having ready in the early stages of building their O...
#429 Claire, Maggie and Jake: How Do We Know What We Know Is Accurate
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire chats to Maggie and Jake about how we can be confident in our knowledge and ways to verify our beliefs, or those stated by others, so that we k...
#428 Katie Rungrojkitiyos: The Accidental PT
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Katie first stepped into the gym as Maggie's PT client and now she's one of the trainers who works alongside her. In this episode, Katie shares how he...
#427 Charlie Beestone: What PTs can Learn from Other Businesses
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Charlie speaks about his experience starting out in the exercise industry before finding himself working with more corporate clients. He introduces so...
#426 Maggie and Claire Chat About Confidence In Coaching
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Maggie and Claire chat about confidence. It's a topic that comes up a lot and something we have helped a lot of trainers with over t...
#425 Kayleigh Young: My Journey as a PT and run coach
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire chats to Kayleigh Young about her journey from casual gym goer to PT, enthusiastic runner and run coach. Find Out More About LTB: Website: ...
#424 Emma Regan: From garden bootcamps to running 2 successful gyms
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jake talks with Emma about her journey from leaving the corporate world, entering the fitness industry and how she went from running bootcamps in her ...
#423 Liv and Ellen: Running a dance based business with over 650 students
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire chats to Liv and Ellen, head instructors at Elite Ladies Dance about building a dance based business. Find Out More About LTB: Website: ht...
#422 Joe Raynes: Fitting personal training into a multi job career
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chris chats to gym owner / personal trainer / Bath City football player Joe Raynes about his many roles both within and outside the fitness industry. ...
#421 Skipping the Norm: Building a Values-Driven Coaching Business
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Lift The Bar Podcast, Maggie chats with Chris, a self-taught jump rope coach who’s built a thriving, values-driven business...
#420 Jake and Chris: Making Training FUN!
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jake and Chris talk about what bringing fun to training really means and how personal trainers might think about the experience they deliver to client...
#419 Shannon Groves: Scaling a Mountain with Clients
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's podcast Jake hosts Shannon Groves of Insync. They discuss what made her take 12 clients to North Africa in an attempt to climb Mount Toubka...
#418 Dr Kat Schneider: Creating a Size Inclusive Fitness Industry
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features Kat Schneider from the Centre for Appearance Research (UWE), sharing her journey from fitness professional to academic researche...
#417 Jake and Maggie: The Powers of Movement for Mental Health
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jake talks to Maggie about all things Mental Health, from getting into further studies to understand it better and how movement can positively affect ...
#416 Claire and Maggie chat about the use of appearance based language in fitness
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire and Maggie chat about how appearance based language can cause issues whether it's in marketing or within a PT session or class setting. Find...
#415 Sally Eccles: Rebuilding your business in a new location
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire chats to LTB member and mentor Sally Eccles about her various roles within the fitness industry and how she has navigated a number of changes i...
#414 Maggie and Claire: Is shame ever a useful motivator?
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie and Claire chat about the use of shame in lead generation and motivating clients in this podcast. Find Out More About LTB: Website: https:...
#413 Heather Elliott: Becoming a personal trainer in later life
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire chats to Heather, AKA Maggie's mum, about her decision to qualify as a personal trainer in her late 60s, the assumptions people make about olde...
#412 Emily Skinner: Coaching without Perfection
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie chats with personal trainer and LTB member Emily Skinner about building a fitness business rooted in her values, humour and community. From coa...
#411 Anthony Barnes: The importance of finding the right working environment for you
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jake chats to Anthony about the different environments that Anthony has worked in through his career to date and why finding the right environment is ...
#410 Chris and Claire: What's working to get clients now
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chris and Claire chat about how to get more clients without overcomplicating things. Find Out More About LTB: Website: https://liftthebar.com/ ...
#410 Luke Jones: Working As A Personal Trainer On A Cruise Ship
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Claire chats to Luke about what it's like being a PT on a cruise ship. Find Out More About LTB: Website: https://liftthebar.com/ Instagram: ...
#409 Kerry Smith: Working With Older Populations
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jake chats to Kerry covering her journey into training seniors, what some of the most important aspects were for her when delivering sessions to older...
#408 Michelle Carroll: Body Image And Fitness Professionals
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Michelle Carroll is a body image coach who believes there is more to life than burpees and broccoli. Her dream is for fitness to become more inclusive...
#407 Meet The New Hosts: Jake Weekes
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we find out about the final host, Jake Weekes. Jake has worked in a variety of different roles within the fitness industry, starting o...
#406 Meet The New Hosts: Maggie Elliott
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie runs a community interest company focusing on joyful movement and body function over appearance as well as being involved in a number of local ...
#405 Meet The New Hosts: Claire Winter
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meet our 2nd new host, Claire Winter. Claire shares her thoughts on the fitness industry, including what she would change about it if she had 3 magi...
#404 Meet The New Hosts: Chris Burgess
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The LTB Podcast is back with 4 new hosts. Find out more about the founder of Lift The Bar, Chris Burgess. Learn why it's so important for him that...
#403 Dan Mee: Lessons Learned Going From 1-1 PT to Facility Owner.
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is it time for you to open a personal training facility? Before you leap into the unknown, you might want to learn from someone who has been there an...
#402 Dr. Janet Withall: How to Start Working With The Elderly Population (Repost)
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most personal trainers want to have a steady income. They also want to make a meaningful impact on their client’s lives. Focusing on one specific...
#401 Dr Barbara Oakley: Upgrade Your Learning. Upgrade Your Career.
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We often equate "learning" with our school days. It basically just involved being able to memory a lot of facts. But what if your capacity to learn e...
#400: The career advice every personal trainer needs
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the 400th episode of the Lift the Bar podcast! To celebrate this milestone, we’ve got every staff member at LTB to share their top perso...
#399 Connor Heffernan: The History of Weight Training
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Looking for a new protein shake...how about one made of… fish?! Welcome to an intriguing journey through the annals of the fitness indus...
398# Dr Michael Mash: How to screen clients, pain science and muscle knots
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Navigating client discomfort is a common challenge in the life of a personal trainer. Whether the pain emerges at the start of a session, during an e...
397# Solo: How to Get Your Next Client
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s be real. All personal trainers need clients, and this episode will help you get your next one. Plain and simple. In under 20 minutes ...
#396 Gregg Slater: How to Programme For Hypertrophy
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're hitting rewind and revisiting a pivotal episode from 2020, honing in on a fundamental element of personal training - facilitating client muscl...
#395 Mark Council: The Power of Local Business Connections
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Navigating lead generation in the fitness industry has become increasingly complex. The days of launching a Facebook ad and watching a flood of new ...
#394 Lauren Colenso-Semple: Menstrual Cycle Periodisation: Myths and Misunderstandings
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Training female clients often raises a lot of questions for coaches. Do the training requirements for female clients differ from those of male cl...
#393 Katie Hughes: Moving From 1-1 to Semi-Private Personal Training
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You can read countless articles about semi-private personal training, but nothing compares to insights from someone who's been through it all. ...
#392 Helen Rothwell: Building a PT Business Working w/ Older Adults
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a personal trainer not focused on the latest fitness trends or helping clients achieve athletic milestones like running faster, jumping h...
#391 Jenny Rearick: Strategies for Powerful Seminars and Presentations
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a fitness professional eager to share your knowledge, attract new clients, and earn money? It's time to think about running a seminar! But wa...
#390 Josh Taylor: How to Create Engaging Videos For Social Media
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you tired of hearing the same old fitness advice like, "Protein is essential for muscle growth," or "Eat veggies at every meal to shed pound...
#389 Dan & Mike (Biceps & Banter): How to Get Started Coaching Online
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Earn seven figures! Pay off your mortgage! Run your business from Dubai and live like royalty. Everyone in my mentorship did it! Who wants in...
#388: Four Musings on Being a PT
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hey, you’ve got a gap between your clients, right? Come hang out with Stuart and muse about being a PT. Timestamps 0:56- An und...
#387 Mark Fisher: Mastering Marketing & Managing Distractions
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the world of fitness, few have delved as deeply into the realms of business, personal growth, and education as our distinguished guest today. ...
#386 Stuart MacDonald: How to Programme For Small Groups
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is it that time of the month? The point where you're scrambling around for fresh ideas for your semi-private group workouts? The same old goblet squa...
#385 Dean Somerset: Life Lessons from Two Decades of Personal Training
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the last episode of the Lift The Bar podcast, we explored Harriet's journey as she transitioned careers to become a personal trainer. Today's epi...
#384 Harriet Olliffe: How to Become a Full-Time Personal Trainer
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you ready to break free from your 9-to-5 job and turn your passion for fitness into a career as a personal trainer? Making the transition can be ...
#383 Q&A w/ Gregg & Alex: Is Periodisation Worth the Hassle & Should You Block Social Media?
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The guys from Lift the Bar are back in full force for another Q&A. Join Stuart, Gregg, and Alex for this week’s episode of the LTB podcast as they ...
#382 Cathy MacDonald: How to Talk to People in The Gym
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Effective communication is vital for personal trainers, so we've invited returning guest Cathy MacDonald from The Art of Communication to joi...
#381 Jon Goodman: Why You Don't Need More Followers
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you struggling to differentiate yourself from other personal trainers on social media? With so many others offering similar services, it can ...
#380 Dr. Katy Fisken: Lessons From a Doctor-Turned-Personal Trainer
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
PT: “Okay, just before we start, I need to check if you have any medical conditions?” Client: “Okay, yes…I’ve got *insert complicated L...
#379 Dr. Eric Helms: Why Body Composition Machines Aren't Reliable
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Should you spend ££££ on a machine to measure your client's body composition? Will it help you make better decisions for your clients? Can they re...
#378 Dr. Krista Scott-Dixon: Is ChatGPT The Beginning of The End For Personal Trainers?
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is 2023 the year when the robots take over? With the recent release of Chat GPT, many coaches are considering how AI will affect their future...
#377 Dan Smith: Why Selling 'Online Coaching' Doesn't Work
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2023, it seems like everyone is an “online coach”. But just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t mean you should. That’s why this e...
#376 Emma Storey-Gordon: How to do Online Group Coaching
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you interested in starting an online group coaching program but don't know how? Look no further! This archived episode of the LTB podcast feature...
#375 Paul Standell: Using Exercise Mechanics to Run Better PT Sessions
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The world of biomechanics can be a pretty scary place for a beginner. We have pulled this episode from the archive to help you delve into the fascin...
#374 Ben Pickard: Exposing the Myths of Fitness Business Success
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, Stuart sits down with Ben Pickard to discuss common challenges fitness businesses face. They explore why an increase in cl...
#373 Ann Handley: How Personal Trainers Can Become Better Writers to Grow Their Business
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you want more clients, you need to build relationships. There are few better ways to do that than writing. In this week's episode,...
#372 Dr Alan Flanagan: How to Deliver Nutrition as a PT
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Personal trainers have a lot of different hats to wear. Business owner. Exercise specialist. Content creator. Nutrition expert. Would it be be...
#371 Pete Yardley-Patel: Personal Training Career Longevity
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most personal trainers who work in commercial gyms leave the industry within two years. Today's guest has beaten those odds. Pete Yardley has...
#370 Dr. Janet Withall: How to Start Working With The Elderly Population
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most personal trainers want to have a steady income. They also want to make a meaningful impact on their client’s lives. Focusing on one specific...
#369 Alex Pearson: Is Obesity a Choice?
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Obesity is a choice. People should just choose to eat less and move more. This would make problems with weight disappear. Right? This week St...
#368 Simon Mitchell: Creating a Strategy for Social Media
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you throw a post-up on Instagram every so often and hope for the best? Well, it might be time to get a long-term social media strategy in plac...
#367 Lea Turner: LinkedIn For Personal Trainers
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve dismissed Linkedin. After all, it is just for business-to-business networking. It would be a waste of time if you wanted to grow your client...
#366: 5 Things I'd Do Differently
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hindsight is always 20-20, right? Well with this in mind, Stuart takes a trip in a time machine to talk about how he would change the beginning of his...
#365 Jake Weekes: Helping Your Clients Learn to Love Strength Training
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hearing about the journey of an experienced personal trainer can be a great way to accelerate your career. With that in mind…in this week’s episod...
#364 Laura Vanderkam: Making Better Use of Our Time
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Stuart welcomes returning guest Laura Vanderkam to talk about her new book. Do you feel like you would like your life to be a bit more inter...
#363 Neville Medhora: Turning Free Advice Into Personal Training Clients
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve probably heard of copywriting…but do you know what it is? More importantly, can learning to copywrite help you as a personal trainer? Don’...
#362 Q&A w/ Claire & Maggie: What We'd do Differently if we Could Start Over
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode is with two staff members from Lift the Bar, Claire Winter and Maggie Elliott. Stuart asks them to reflect on what they would ch...
#361 Chris Bradley: Starting Over in a Commercial Gym
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are you starting in a commercial gym for the first time? Not sure how to start building your client base? This week on the Lift The Bar Podcast, Stua...
#360 Catherine Reohorn: Creating Better Content
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s Lift The Bar Podcast episode, Stuart welcomes returning guest Catherine Reohorn. Have you ever found yourself just posting conten...
#359 Stuart Aitken: Your First Few Years in Personal Training
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s episode is an interview with…Stuart! The guys over at the Pro-Fit Podcast bought Stuart on to talk about all things personal training....
#358 Rob Anderson: Coaching Youth Clients
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the LTB podcast Stuart welcomes Rob Anderson to talk about training youth athletes. Rob has a lot of experience coaching young athletes ...
#357 Q&A w/ Gregg & Alex: Becoming a Better Personal Trainer
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is the second part of last week’s Q&A with Gregg Slater and Alex. The discussion centres around how PTs can systematically improve...
#356 Q&A w/ Gregg & Alex: Losing Your Exercise Mojo, Evidence-Based Practice & Reading Research
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast is a Q&A episode where Stuart talks to his colleagues from Lift the Bar, Alex Pearson and Gregg Slater. First up is a question abo...
#355 Michael Keeler: Hiring Your First Staff Member
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Being in charge of someone else’s career is a big responsibility. The last thing you want to do is make a mistake before they are even hired! That’...