The 4th Pull Podcast

Episode 56 – Ben Smith This Episode is Sponsored by Zen Planner Today we have a very special episode in store for you. Ben Smith, CrossFit games champion and founder of CrossFit Krypton, joins us to talk about his training, coaching methods, and more in this awesome episode. I also talk about my trip to Dubai where I met up with my good friend Saud who is running his own gym all the way across the world. Remember if you enjoy the show, head over to our website and sign up for our mailing list. Each month we are giving away a free T Shirt if you are registered! In this Interview: My trip to Dubai and meeting Ben Smith The powerful family influence on Ben Smith and his brothers What it is like to win the CrossFit games and be the fittest man on earth Plus: How and why Ben is able to stay so humble How to make it to CrossFit Regionals How to coach the mental side of an athlete About Ben: Ben Smith is the founder of CrossFit Krypton and also the lead programmer and coach. Ben was an avid baseball play

Episode 55 – Emily Abbott Elite level CrossFit Games athlete, Emily Abbott, joins us on the show today. Emily is from Calgary, Canada and trains at CrossFit Sunalta. She is an avid traveler and enjoys travelling to competitions all over the world. She is a three time CrossFit Games athlete and was named 8th fittest woman in the world in 2015. She also works with supplement company Blonyx in her spare time. Today we talk about Emily’s career thus far as well as training tactics and tips. Be sure to listen and take notes on Emily’s advice! Remember if you enjoy the show head over to our website and sign up for our mailing list. Each month we are giving away a free T Shirt if you are registered! In this Interview: A day in the lift of Emily Abbott How to balance training with demands of life How to find a coach you can trust What a clean eating day looks like for Emily How to measure volume and be sure not to over train Plus: How to make CrossFit a career The benefits of a hands on coach Supplements and Emily’

Episode 54 – Shane Farmer Shane Farmer of Dark Horse Rowing joins us on the show today. He is a former member of CrossFit Invictus and has competed at regionals and the CrossFit games. Shane provides some great insight on the start of CrossFit and how he was mentored early on in the sport. In addition we talk about his passion for rowing and his company, Dark Horse Rowing. Remember if you enjoy the show head over to our website and sign up for our mailing list. Each month we are giving away a free T Shirt if you are registered! In this Interview: Shane’s first CrossFit experience What it is like to be a collegiate rower Competing with CrossFit Invictus at the CrossFit Games The launching of Dark Horse Rowing Plus: What Shane learned from his mentors Tips to improve your rowing technique and performance Weekly videos to improve your rowing technique

Episode 53 – Patrick Vellner Third place finisher of the 2016 CrossFit Games, Pat Vellner, joins us today on the show. This guy is a total stud. Along with finishing third place this past year, he was on the team in 2015 for regionals, competed with Team Canada at the invitational this year, and had a long career as a gymnast. Patrick brings great knowledge to our show today and shows some brutal honesty with his answers. Remember if you enjoy the show head over to our website and sign up for our mailing list. Each month we are giving away a free T Shirt if you are registered! In this Interview: Pat’s 2016 CrossFit Games experience Pat’s true priorities including school and career How Pat got into CrossFit The importance of having a coach Recovering from a torn bicep Plus: Did Pat really come out of nowhere? A Cirque De Soleil Connection Nutrition Focus About Patrick Vellner:  Patrick Vellner placed third in his rookie season at the Reebok CrossFit Games. He is originally from Red Deer but moved to Montrea

Jaime Hagiya, co-owner of Torrance Training lab in Torrance, California, joins us on the show today. Jamie is an experienced CrossFit athlete having qualified for regionals the last 4 years and making it to the CrossFit games in 2016. She is a former collegiate and professional basketball player at USC where she led the team to 2 NCAA tournament appearances. She then went on to play professionally in Greece and Spain. At 5’3”, Jamie has been told time and time again she would never make it as a basketball player but she has proved everybody wrong by playing at USC and beyond. This same intensity and grit learned on the basketball court has been transferred to CrossFit where she is now one of the sport’s most recognizable and successful athletes. From 2012 to 2016, Jamie had many setbacks including the tearing of her hamstring and rupturing of her Achilles tendon. Injuries and setbacks are a tough experience for any athlete and we talk about battling through these tough times and how to get back on track as so

I’m thrilled to welcome Marcus Filly to the show today. Marcus is an accomplished CrossFit games athlete and member of the Phoenix Rise. In addition to this, he is the founder of Revive RX, a supplement company based out of San Francisco, California. Marcus is a coach at heart but also an extremely strong athlete. Marcus grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and played multiple sports in his youth. He then went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley and earned a degree in molecular and cell biology. After this he completed a year of medical school in Ohio before becoming involved in CrossFit full time. Marcus has been a health and fitness coach for 8 years since leaving Medical School. He was formerly a CrossFit facility owner for 5 years, has completed all 5 of the OPEX CCP courses, and has coached clients remotely from all over the world. He has coached athletes at the CrossFit Games as well as several regionals athletes. Today we talk about Marcus’s past experience with sports and how it com

Anders Varner joins us today from lowbackfix.com. Anders is a former affiliate owner of CrossFit Pacific Beach in San Diego, California. He is a certified functional strength coach, has a level two certification, and is the author of 2 eBooks and hundreds of articles. He recently sold his gym and is working on two new projects which include The Low Back Fix and Adaptive Athletes. Today we reminisce about the good old days of CrossFit back in San Diego, and how he got his start with CrossFit. We also talk about his new project, The Low Back Fix, which is an online platform that combines physical therapy and strength training to fix low back pain. The other new project Anders is involved with is the CrossFit Adaptive Athletes Course. This course focuses on a segment of the population which is often overlooked. Anders helps teach others how to coach and approach these athletes and how best we can help them. Be sure to join Anders Nov. 19th & 20th in San Diego and Dec. 3rd & 4th in Denver for his Adaptive

Chad Vaughn is a 2-time Olympian, 9 time National Champion, International medalist including and overall goald at the 2003 Pan American Games, and the American Record Holder in the Clean and Jerk for the 77kG weight class in the sport of weightlifting. Chad is by far the highest level weightlifter that we have had on the 4th pull podcast.  His knowledge of the sport and passion for helping others is amazing.  Another reason we wanted to have Chad on the show is because of his involvement with CrossFit.  Since 2009 Chad has been coaching weekly weightlifting classes, programming for every level athlete and leading seminars at athlete camps throughout the world.   He understands the sport of fitness and how to relate it to the sport of weightlifting.   In this episode we talk about some specific cues and positions that Chad sees common errors with.  We also talk all about his company and the big plans he has for the future of his favorite sport. Please check out http://www.vaughnweightlifting.com/ for more d

Jason Leydon is the Founder and Head Coach at CrossFit Milford, CT. Jason earned his degree in Physical Education and Health from Eastern CT State University where he also played basketball. After college Jason pursued his basketball career and traveled overseas to Holland to continue his dream. Jason dove into CrossFit Early.  He has worked on the Level One Staff has a strong endurance back ground and has lead numerous teams and individuals to the games.  He has a wealth of knowledge to pull from and really opens up on the show. His passion shines through as he dives into story telling and his ability to discover the true reason why athletes want to be successful. He is now part of the Power Monkey Team and leads his own seminars on coaching and programming. This Episode is sponsored by mission6nutrition.com head over and check out all the amazing products they have to offer.

This week on the show (Subscribe on iTunes!) we welcome Dave Thomas, head trainer and owner of Performance 360 (http://perform-360.com/) in San Diego, California. Dave’s gym is located in a crowded market, but he has managed to expand to two locations and now manages over 600 athletes. Dave and his partner Bryan are building an empire, and they have some great advice for aspiring athletes out there. Dave has a few pretty legit certifications- USA Weightlifting, Russian Kettle bell, Nicole Zapoli Gymnastics, CPT-NSCA, CNC, NCAA, but nothing compares to his many hours on the floor and the way he has taken responsibility for actually connecting with athletes. Meeting athletes where they are, usually sweaty and on the gym mat, has given Dave insight into how to get results. “Dave had a vision to challenge the status quo of what a gym experience should entail. That fitness was much more than competing in a workout. That it was a way to prepare for life.” (Is this a quote from the episode? As a reader I’d like to k

Jason Phillips has a great story. I promise you will learn more from a good story than cold hard facts.  Stories stick with us for years and have a profound impact on how we think and feel about other situations.  Jason was a skinny golfer in high school.  He was actually a very good skinny golfer, but he had no interest in training, nutrition or fitness.  It was not until he got injured that he found the gym.  Soon after that he was asked to be a model for Abercrombie and Fitch.  A dream for any teenager in the 90's. The one thing he needed to do was send in a picture of his abs.  Well, if you do not have abs you figure out how to get them, right? Jason found someone at the gym who set him up for success by guiding him to magazines like muscle and fitness and body building.  Jason ended up being sponsored and featured in some of those same magazines a few years later.  All due to his focus on training and nutrition. During that time he realized the important part of trying to look good, gain muscle and get a

Michael Cazayoux stood on top of the podium at the CrossFit Games with the team "Hacks Pack".  Not once, but twice.  He battled drug addiction and has had a debilitating injury to deal with.  He talks about the early days and how he got into CrossFit and introduced to Tommy Hackenbruck. Mike went on to start Brute Strength an online training community that is dedicated to helping all types of athletes.  From competitive athletes to people who just want a good body. He coaches and works with Brooke Ence and talks about her plan for the up coming season.   Overall we talk coaching, training, nutrition and mindset.  Mike is really putting it on himself to learn more about the mind and how to train athletes mentally as well as physically.  He is an excellent coach and we are excited to have him on the show.   If you enjoy the show please head over to i-tunes and leave us a 5 star review.            

Part 2 is more about Sam's experience at the CrossFit Games.  What it took for him to get there and how athletes are preparing.  He entered the games with issues, he knew something was wrong, but he was trying to block it out. Just like part 1, Sam goes deep in this episode.  He talks about his mental game and how difficult it was to actually complete the games this year.  He went in as a top ten athlete, but when you have a fractured fibula things change.  He said it was the hardest thing he ever had to fight through. Below is the summary of Part 1 if you have not listened to that on you have to check it out! I reached out to Sam via a cold email, hoping for the best.  I was surprised with his response, but after a few minutes on the phone it all made sense.  This guy is an all around good dude who loves to share  knowledge and help others. Sam responded to my email telling me that I need to block out a 90 minute window because if he is coming on the podcast he is going to get to know me and give my audience

I reached out to Sam via a cold email, hoping for the best.  I was surprised with his response, but after a few minutes on the phone it all made sense.  This guy is an all around good dude who loves to share  knowledge and help others. Sam responded to my email telling me that I need to block out a 90 minute window because if he is coming on the podcast he is going to get to know me and give my audience some value.  Needless to say it made for a great show. Sam is known as "The Strong Guy" in CrossFit.  But, he is pretty damn fast!  He competed as an individual in the 2016 games with a broken fibula.  Literally the hardest thing he has ever had to go through.  He runs camps with CrossFit Invictus and CJ Martin as well as his own Strength Camp. Sam is an affiliate owner, a husband and a huge supporter of his community in Quincy, Illinois.  We talk fitness, but we go pretty deep on life and the philosophy of training.  This is one of the most in depth conversations we have had to date.  It is more than back squ

Annie Sakamoto is one of the original adopters and all time great CrossFit Athletes.  Great because of her performance and her athletic ability, but also because of her infections personality.  She has been doing CrossFit for over 10 years.  She is from the motherland, Santa Cruz, and had the pleasure of being coached by Greg Glassman.   She put in a ton of time before she stepped on the competition floor, but now that is her happy place.  She talks about overcoming her fears and finding a good balance between family and CrossFit.  She makes it look easy, but her story is touching. Annie competed in the CrossFit Games in 2011, 2012 and 2016.  In 2011 she won the spirit of the games and in 2016 she was second the 40-44 division.   If you have not seen a video of her working out please go check it out.  She is 5'0 tall and 120lbs. The definition of an underdog.  Enjoy this fun and inspiring interview with Annie Sakamoto.

Welcome to the 4th Pull Podcast.  A show dedicated to bringing on high level athletes and coaches for you to learn from. This week we have CrossFit Games athlete, Jeff Evans on the show.  Jeff is one of 17 brothers and sisters.  He did not have the easiest childhood, but he battled through adversity to become an amazing athlete.  He was a star football player and earned a spot on the team at Southern Illinois University.  Before football and before CrossFit Jeff had some dark times.  Times that lead him to think about suicide.  He opens up about these thoughts on the show. Jeff is known as the strong guy in CrossFit, but he wants to change that.  He has new coach, Dough Chapman.  Doug knows a thing or two about making well rounded athletes.  He has coached Julie Foucher throughout her career and is known as one of the best competitive CrossFit coaches in the game. Jeff missed The CrossFit Games this year by one spot.  You will be surprised at his reaction to what happened.  His mental game is stronger than hi

Hannah Richards came to us as a referral.  A former member of CrossFit Federal Hill thought her seminar was so good that she told Hanna to reach out and get in touch with us about doing one in Baltimore. WOD-Freak Seminars are a combination of gymnastics and weightlifting.  They are designed to help every type of athlete and come from an experienced competitive exerciser. Hannah is a 2 time regional competitor that has built up her game from the ground up.  She dives into her story in the episode along with a few helpful tips on gymnastics and weightlifting.  Her insight, big heart and capacity to share tips and tricks are a great addition to the 4th pull library!  

Episode 38 is a fun one! Filled with travel tips and a super cool mission that Phil has embarked on.  He does not get paid or endorsed for anything he puts out, but he tries to make the most of his travel experiences by sharing it through his social media accounts and website.  If you are looking for inspiration during a busy time in your life then this is your episode.  If you are looking for healthy ideas on the go then Phil is your man.  Check out this fun and informative episode!    

Candace Wagner, a former Marine, affiliate owner and 3 time CrossFit Games Athlete was on a mission to make it back to Carson. She had a few set backs after missing the games in 2013, but was determined to get back.  Candace opens up about the mental struggle she had during the open.  The stress and pressure she was putting on her self affected her fitness and her performance.  One of the hardest things to adapt and overcome is the mental side of this sport.  Candace opens up and puts it all on the table for you to learn from. This year at Reginoals she secured a 5th place finish earning her a trip back to the games.  She is considered an older athlete at 30+, but that experience might give her an edge on the younger competitors at the games. Enjoy a candid, open and honest interview with Candace Wagner. -This Episode is Sponsored by Wags and Weights

Meg, also known as Megg-a-Tron (has to be one of the coolest nicknames) is heading to the CrossFit Games after missing Regionals last year. Meg is an east coast  native who spent her college years out west.  She comes from an athletic background and fell into CrossFit just before 2014.  She was a natural and qualified for the 2014 Nor Cal Regionals.  2015 was not her year so she re grouped and decided to take her training to the next level.  With the help of her coach and her support staff she not only made Regionals, but is headed to the CrossFit Games. She was actually sitting outside the top 5 before the last event.  She had a clutch performance in the final event and punched her ticket to Carson.  She dives into the commitment it took to train and make the Games this year.  And lays down a ton of insight on how to approach good days and bad days. She is also the co-founder of Wags and Weights.  An apparel and lifestyle brand for dogs and humans.  A portion of each purchase goes to support rescues around t