Ben Coomber Radio

Does your metabolism slow down as you age? Many people say it does, but not like you think, its another cultural norm we need to challenge as the narrative is wrong. What does have a BIG influence on metabolism is muscle mass, something a lot of people into fitness want to increase. I've lost a load of muscle recently from having long covid, so this spurred the conversation around what can cause muscle loss, how to navigate it if injured or ill, how metabolism and age plays a role, and how to get our head around it all - often the biggest challenge.

You've heard the phrase "Everything in Moderation", but is this a helpful term, or a free pass to do whatever, whenever, justifying any action we take? It's often used in nutrition conversations where we justify eating junk food, or consuming alcohol, but as ever, context is key, so, let's get stuck into the context, and of course some research. Join Tom and I as we venture down the rabbit hole...

Tom and I debate the purpose of learning, why we might learn from books vs audio vs video, what Tom reads and why, the stages of learning we go through in life and the purpose of these stages, the issue with fiction books that are led by opinion, why books fall foul of confirmation bias, and more. If you love to learn, you'll love this show. Check out my top Self-development books here: https://bencoomber.com/blogs/news/ben-coomber-s-favourite-personal-development-books

How good are you at talking to other people about uncomfortable things? Do you often talk to yourself and challenge what you believe, making yourself feel uncomfortable? If you're not good with uncomfortable conversations, this podcast is for you..

When you’re stuck in a rut, everything feels like it’s working against you, you then get negative, feel frustrated at the smallest of things, and in a short space of time you’ve gone from a glass half full to a glass basically empty kind of person. This happened to me over the last few months, so Tom and I fire up the mic, discuss how I got stuck in a rut, how I got out, and then aim to give you tactical skills of how you can get out of a rut, whatever that rut is. Please share this show if you feel its helped :)

The movement we do, is it optimal? The way we walk, the way we bend, the way we run, and then the way we exercise? Rachel joins me to go down the movement rabbit hole looking at human biomechanics, how we move on a daily basis, the errors of many gym programs, what functional exercise means, why peoples gym based goals could and should be broader, how simple things like shoes could easily cause pain and incorrect movement, and then whether kids should even wear shoes. A fascinating chat with a dear friend and industry professional, enjoy. Check Rachel out online and on social media 'Biomechanics Education'

Does your weight give you anxiety? Have you gotten older and the weight you’ve gained feels like it will always be there and you’ll never lose it, like your body has settled at this weight forever despite your best efforts? If so this is the podcast for you. We evolve the conversation from episode #619 and look at what weight maintenance really is from two different perspectives, how our mindset can often hold us back in this area, and ultimately - what we can all do about it to be healthier, happier people.

When we discuss obesity and being overweight, it often comes around to genetics and whether or not somebody is 'just naturally' heavier, and after some interesting news stories in the media recently, we wanted to explore this idea, starting with the theory that we all have a genetic set point our bodies naturally want to sit at. Is your weight nature, or nurture, and if it’s a combination, what has the biggest impact, and most importantly, how do we set ourselves up for weight management success?

Cardio isn't scientifically speaking great for fat loss due to a variety of reasons, but that doesn't mean its bad, it just needs to be used appropriately and be fully understood. Join Tom and I as we venture down the cardio rabbit hole and look at human physiology, environmental factors, habit stacking, weight training vs cardio for fat loss, body composition, healthy ageing, and more, then you can decide how much cardio you're off to do....

Humans are naturally lazy, we seek ease, comfort and minimal expenditure for maximum return, the issue is this can be counter productive in our modern world. Today we venture down a few rabbit holes looking at human movement and whether we are actually as sedentary as the media constantly tells us we are, whether this affects our metabolism, how we can hack our own natural instincts, how this compares to tribes like the Hadza in Tanzania, and, why humans like drugs that give us a high, or low, and how that plays into the desire to take 'supplements'. Its a different one this one, enjoy...Episode References: Sitting, squatting, and the evolutionary biology of human inactivityD, A. Raichlen et all. PNAS. Sedentary Behavior: Emerging Evidence for a New Health Risk. N, Owen, et all. Mayo Clinic.

In this episode Tom my co-host interviews his training coach, Jenny Todd, who is 4x England’s Strongest Woman and previous winner of Britain’s Strongest woman, Europe’s Strongest Woman and the 2017 Arnold Amateur Middleweight Division. They discuss her approach to competing, why she decided to retire from the sport after reaching the top, the lessons learned along the way about being a world champion level athlete, and also about being a happy person. They also discuss gym programming, where to start if you’re new to the gym, working on your weaknesses, and how to start out if you want to get involved with strongman! An awesome (in places deep) interview with a truly inspiring person - we hope you enjoy it!Find Jenny at @trapsliketodd on Instagram

We all agree fruit and vegetables are healthy, but is one better than the other? A recent article points to vegetables being better than fruit, is there any truth to the article? What about glycemic control, nutrient density, sugar content, preparation, and the overall calorie volume? It’s all discussed in this show alongside research processes, where goals intersect with the detail of nutrition, and ultimately how to navigate fruit and vegetables in your diet for health, long term.

I'm in a bit of a personal life pickle, but, as ever, there is a lesson to draw from it, so here goes..

What has the covid-19 pandemic taught us about our health, fitness, food, mindset, mental health, physical health, life and MORE? I'm one for reflection, perspective and learning, and I fire up the mic for a solo show on "8 ways I hope the world changes after covid". Got one you want to add to my list? Hit me up, email into the show and share it....https://bencoomber.com/blogs/news/8-ways-i-hope-the-world-changes-after-coronavirus

Tom and I delve into new research on The Halo Effect, how the generations have approached nutrition, how this feeds into how we feed our kids, how I have approached feeding my daughter, and how to positively influence change in someone else's diet or lifestyle, such as your kids, friends, family or partner. WARNING - This show opens with references to 'Erections', and before you think WTF, we did a quick research review of erectile function and plant based diets.

To truly understand ourselves we must understand our past and our upbringing, and there is no better way to do this than to grill your mum on what you were like as a kid - so I've done just that. I sit down with my mum and ask her "what was I like as a kid" "what was I good at" "what choices did I make" "how did the divorce effect me" "how have you seen me develop and mature" "what parenting principals did you try live by", and more. This is an interview I have wanted to do for a long time, and I had no idea how it would pan out, but I definitely learnt a thing or two about myself... My mums website: https://www.dmyoga.co.uk

Artificial Sweeteners have a lot of controversy around them, some saying things like "they're toxic", and "they're like poison for your brain". But what is the truth, and where have the fears around sweeteners come from? This podcast will explore the history of sweeteners, the different types, how we understand and interpret the science on them, what we should consider before consuming them, and how to essentially be informed around their use, and wade through the various claims made about them online.

In part 2 we delve into gym culture and what we feel needs to change, bad habits of gym goers (our pet hates), whether gyms do enough to teach people what to actually do in the gym, small gyms compared to big gyms, how long you should stay on a basic weight lifting program as a new lifter, when and how to approach more advanced and complex programs, and the lessons you the listener have learnt from years in the gym - a quick fire bit at the end from all your awesome comments from social media. If you enjoyed this 2 part Gym Lessons podcast, please recommend it to a fellow gym goer.

The gym can be a confusing place, what exercises are best, what reps are best, why are some machines hogged over others, and how do we get the results we’re looking for with the minimal amount of effort? Tom and I, combined, have been in the gym for 28 years, so we thought we would fire up the mic and discuss all the things we know now, that we wish we knew back then. Why we train, how you become happy training, how to get rid of training induced anxiety, the pay off of the big 3 exercises, how many days a week to train, training volume, training specificity, are just some of the things we discuss. This is part 1, we’d love your insights and lessons from the gym, help us shape part 2… Enjoy!

In life, in sport, in the gym, is winning the goal? Dr Josephine Perry is a sports psychologist and coaches young athletes from the age of 8, right up to 80 year olds still trying to achieve their goals. And while we all have goals, how do they take shape, and what is the definition of achieving them? When we then set out to achieve a goal, what then holds us back, fear, a lack of confidence, the comments of others, a lack of preparation? Dr Perry has just written an awesome book called “I Can: The Teenage Athletes Guide to Mental Fitness”, except the book is for all, its simplicity and approach is brilliant, for young or old, and I loved this interview. If you are goal driven, or want to be more goal driven, or want to achieve more, this show is for you.Check out Dr Perry at: https://performanceinmind.co.uk