Ben Coomber Radio

Want this to be your best year ever? It often feels easier said than done, so let's get under the hood and make it happen. In this 2 part show Tom and I discuss the journey to executing on a year you'll be proud to look back on. In part 1 we look at the habits and routines of great people, where success leaves clues, why its important to not essentialise your problems, why much self-help advice you see is hidden behind a deeper, truer reason for doing it (Ice Baths and Meditation being our chosen examples), this then leads us to see how people online (influencers) can lead us astray and waste our time, and how to closer to your true path. Its a deep one, but without going deep, truth is not found. Enjoy.

It's 2022, are you scared, or excited? The world in many ways is still a mess, but the one thing we can control is ourselves, our state, and our future happiness. I firstly apologise for last week, the first time no show has been aired for 8 years, and then end up on a ramble outlining what you or I might need this 2022. What do you want to achieve this 2022? Are you willing to set yourself up for success? I am. Its time for you to be...

2021 - What a year! ....but hat has it taught us?It's been an interesting year to say the least, but in this annual roundup, co-host Tom looks away from the main headlines, the news, and the politics that have taken up so much of the world's attention, and instead looks to the three things he's going to be taking away from 2021 and applying to the future. He covers:1. The most important finding from scientific research this year2. How Tom has had an Ah-HA moment that he will take into 20223. And a coaching tip that could help you get more PRs in 2022Some of the best lessons come from self reflection, and we know you’re going to take something away from the last of Tom’s appearances this year - we hope you enjoy it!

Back pain affects up to 80% of adults in the UK, and is experienced by an estimated 2.5million people every day - but what is it? This almost seems like an odd question - pain is pain, right? Well, maybe not....In this show Tom interviews Troy Martin: a back pain and injury rehab specialist. They talk about what pain is, how and why it occurs in the body, the mistakes we make in thinking and dealing with pain, whether or not certain exercises can cause pain, whether poor technique causes injuries (spoilers: far less often than you'd think) and the truth about what scans do and don't show. Whether you have experienced back pain (yet) or haven't, whether you lift weights or you don't, this show is going to be both useful and incredibly interesting.We hope you enjoy the chat!Check out Troy's work at @tmfitnessuk on Instagram, or check out his Back Pain Solution program here: https://www.tmfitness.co.uk/ecourses-online-programs/10-tm-fitness-e-courses-and-programs/16-the-back-pain-solution

In this week's show, Tom brings back his coach - multiple-time champion strongwoman Jenny Todd - to talk through methods that you can use to get the most progress from your time in the gym. Often the soundbite advice that is given to those who aren't making as much progress in the gym as they'd like is to simply train harder (or at least that's what we expect it to be) but as you'll see throughout this deep-dive, often the real solution is a little more broad than that. Jenny has coaches athletes from beginners to The World's Strongest Woman, and her knowledge and expertise really shines through in this show which covers technical mastery, planned progression, the importance of intention during your session, training to failure, and active recovery. Whether you're brand new to the gym or an intermediate trainer with serious goals, there's definitely something for you this week so break out a notepad!Find Jenny on instagram @trapsliketodd

This week Tom interviews John Clark, a man who has been at the top in strongman, who has played high level rugby, who runs successful businesses, and who has raised over £100,000 for charity doing events ranging from a 24 hour Ski Erg to running 48 marathons in 48 days - one in each English county!This inspirational conversation covers John's impressive athletic career - the successes and the injuries - and all of the lessons learned along the way about resilience, backing yourself, finding meaning in what you're trying to achieve, and ultimately asking yourself who you want to see when you look in the mirror.There is a ton of value in this interview, and we know you're going to enjoy it!Find John at @_john.clark on Instagram, and check out his charity work via the link in his bio

The Xmas period is one filled with great food and time spent together, but while this is supposed to be a time of year for celebration this prospect can fill many with anxiety. What if I gain weight?What if this sets me back?How can I avoid fat gain?In this show, Co-Host Tom takes us through a conversation he's having with his clients at the moment, detailing the mindset and approach you can adopt over the Xmas period to ensure that come January you have no regrets. He discusses:- What it really means to maintain your weight- The questions you can ask yourself to make sure you get the most out of every choice you make- The maths of fat gain, and how to set realistic expectations for the next few weeksIt's a quick show, but one packed with practical ideas to implement in your life, we hope you enjoy it!

We know people that appear selfish, they do everything for themselves, and we know people that do everything for everyone else, and get to the end of the week feeling they've done nothing for themselves. One is selfish, one is selfless, right? We disagree. Tom opens this argument talking about self-serving actions and how all our actions are actually self-serving, we just value different things and put importance on short term behaviours over long term behaviours. I then expand into how we see this play out in life, and how we can be more aware of what we value, and shift selfish behaviours too. In short, this podcast goes against the "put your mask on first before helping others". Enjoy.

Alternative medicine is often at odds with science, but do alternative and holistic therapies fly in the face of evidence based practice, or is it part of the triangular approach? If there isn't science to support something, is it worthless, should we disregard it? Many people are desperate for answers for many health issues they have, just as I have been with Long Covid - of which nothing is proven to work - so what do I/we do, sit and wait for science or act under the 'alternative' light of health care? What if said therapies aren't safe? A big conversation, listen in to what Tom and I think...

We look up to Olympians, they are the epitome of physical feats and have the mindset to win, but how can we apply that mindset to our lives, and the lives of the youth aspiring to follow in Olympians footsteps? Amy Williams MBE joins me to talk about her lessons from Olympic success, the mindset behind achievement, how to compassionately critique yourself, the benefits of your team and how to shape it, and more. An incredible chat with one of the most energetic and positive people I've ever had the chance to zoom with! Grab a copy of her new book 'Talent to Triumph' at Amazon, Waterstones, or reach out to her on Instagram @AmyJoyWilliams

So many corners of the internet still believe that carbs are evil - and it can feel like the arguments are valid, like there is some conspiracy against them. Carbs stimulate insulin, insulin causes fat gain, so carbs must be avoided at all cost - and as a result carbs are driving the obesity epidemic. We break down this argument, look at prominent researchers and practitioners like Zoe Harcombe and Robert H. Lustig that are proponents of such narratives and the claims they make, and explore the wider argument. We also discuss how to challenge these beliefs, where and when people's minds can't be changed and how to tactfully use Socratic questioning to help the other person realise their arguments faults. This show is practical, but also science dense, have a notebook at the ready....

We all have habits we want to change, what if you could just re-wire your brain, could it be as simple as changing how your brain patterns work now, to how you want them to work? I get renowned author Adele Spraggon onto the show to discuss the brain, how our behavioural patterns work, where they have come from, and how to change them. If you want to think differently and leave old ways behind, this show is for you. Find Adele online at www.shift4steps.com

Making decisions in life is important, as adults we are constantly weighing up the pros and cons of various life moves, and in this show we give you a framework, based on some simple science, of how to make better decisions. We'll discuss the framework so you can use it, then discuss the nuance so you can know when the framework fails us, and what to do next. Here's to better decision making, and thus, a better life.

Self sabotage is common in the pursuit of goals, and for whatever reason most of us have experienced this at some point in our lives. Be it a fear of failure, a lack of self worth, or life being so stressful and overwhelming we get caught in bad habit loops which see us take 1 step forwards and two steps backwards. Natalie Butler, a coach to stressed women, joins me to talk about her experiencing burning out, sabotaging herself, and getting caught in negative habit loops. Check out Nats online @nataliebutlercoaching

We all look to be more productive and efficient, so what have we learnt about being more productive as fitness people, me as a business owner, and Tom as a remote worker, both to get more done in the day, fitting work and the things we love to do in? We also go down a happiness rabbit hole, discuss values based reflection, living with flexible rules, the science behind anchoring yourself to fixed ideals, my experience reading a recent book, and more.

In everyones lives there are crisis points, and for so many big life events like having kids, losing someone close to you, or experiencing a pandemic life is shifted into perspective and you hit an inflection point. Who am I, what am I doing, why aren't I happy, what's next, do I love him/her, why is life so hard, what does it mean to be a man/woman in todays world - these are all thoughts we face when big life moments rock us. I can't lie, becoming a parent in a pandemic hit me, just like Dan Stanley was hit when he had his first child. As an ex military commando he thought he had it all figured out, but FAR from it, a crisis hit, and the purpose of life, what he loved, and everything in it got thrown into turmoil. {TRIGGER WARNING} This is a deep show where Dan and I get very vulnerable about our past, and things we did. Talking helps, this is why we are talking about this very topic. Discover Dans website at: www.better-men.uk The books we reference on the show are 1. The Untethered Soul 2. Legacy by James

What is the purpose of fitness in our lives? We raise this question because we're told keeping fit is good for us, but what type of fitness, and how does that blend with our goals, such as losing weight or building muscle or just being as healthy as we can be? This podcast goes deep quickly, because it has too. The fitness industry is too quick to generalise terms such as 'fitness' and 'healthy', and without identifying what fitness means to each of us, and why we engage in it, we might waste a lot of time and energy doing the wrong things, for the wrong reasons. Want clarity on how fitness plays a role in your life? This podcast is for you, get a listen on...

BodyBuilding has a huge influence over the fitness industry. The very nature of it is a self-centred pursuit, and in my and Ben Haldon (my awesome guest for this show) experience it can quickly lead to body dysmorphia, eating disorders and anxiety. But, can it be healthy, can we build muscle, get lean and look badass without it taking over our lives and influencing many of our daily decisions? We think so, and today Ben and I get under the skin of the issue, looking at Ben's past experience with body building, his journey avoiding prolonged body dysmorphia and disordered eating, and how we feels he has the right balance and mindset to live and happy, healthy, fit life. This is an EPIC show for anyone that trains and is into fitness. Enjoy. Find Ben Haldon on IG @myschoolbenji The book we reference 'Brain over binge'

To be more successful with anything, could it simply be a case of delaying gratification? We see this in all areas of life, if we didn't eat that dessert would we have been successful with our diet, if we had stayed consistent would we have built that business, if we could just say NO more, would we be better off, long term? Let's debate this topic and explore delaying gratification to desire, emotion and want, starting with looking at The Marshmallow Experiment, because science is key!

Get tired after lunch? Many of us do, but why is this, is it what we eat, what we're doing, our quality of sleep? Join us to find out as we dive into the 10 core factors that can affect how energised you are after lunch.