Ben Griffin’s Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ben Griffin
Nathan Parnham is an athletic performance coach, with a career spanning in excess of 20 years. He has extensive experience in the development setting, having also crossed over into the professional ranks, including some time spent working with the Parramatta Eels and the Australian women’s rugby union 7’s team. He is currently the Head of Performance Development, at Brisbane Grammar School. He also has a book out, The Sporting Parent, which he wrote to help parents, teachers, and community coaches navigate their way through the confusing world of kids sport. We discussed a range of topics relating to coaching, training and life.
Sarah Hervert is a strength and conditioning coach, based in Brisbane. She completed a PhD in Sport and Exercise Science, in 2017. In 2018, she opened Foundations Performance and Rehabilitation, which she continues to own and operate. She also lectures at the University of Southern Queensland. Amongst other things, we discussed Sarah’s journey through the industry and what life is like for a private sector strength and conditioning coach. Sarah shared a lot of great takeaways for young strength and conditioning coaches.
Peter Howard is an Exercise Physiologist and Nutritionist, based in Canberra. We discussed his journey to get to where he is now, as well as Peter talked about why he does what he does. We also discussed a range of topics relating to training, coaching and nutrition.
Jorge Kapeen is a professional boxer, based in Canberra, Australia. We discussed his boxing career, his current work role, as well as some of the personal struggles he and his family have faced.
I provide 4 training tips that you can begin to put into practice immediately, to help decrease your likelihood of suffering hamstring injuries.
Matt Vickery is a Strength and Conditioning Coach, who runs his own coaching business, based in London. He has over 25 years worth of industry experience. We discussed a range of topics related to coaching and training, including the use of social media by coaches and some of the current coaching and training trends.
Chris Dikranis is a Strength and Conditioning Coach, at Woodford Sports Science Consulting (WSSC). We discussed how Chris came to work at WSSC, as well as we discussed a range of topics relating to coaching. Despite being quite young, Chris has a lot of coaching experience, so it was interesting to listen to his insights.
Toby Banfield is the Head of Performance, for the Sydney Kings (a professional basketball team that play in the Australian national league; the NBL). Toby and I studied together at the University of Canberra. We discussed Toby’s journey since graduating. Toby talked about how his previous roles with the Newcastle Falcons (an English rugby team) and with the Chiefs (a New Zealand rugby team), prepared him for his current role at the Kings. He explained what being the Head of Performance for the Kings entails and how he’s adjusted to being in the role.
In this episode, I had a chat with Jamie Smith. Jamie is the owner of Melbourne Strength Culture. Jamie talked about his progression from his early days, working as a personal trainer in a big commercial gym, to now owning his own gym. We discussed his time spent in the USA; he talked about what he learnt over there and how that has influenced his coaching and the way his gym operates. Jamie was good enough to go into quite a bit of detail in regards to how Melbourne Strength Culture operates and why they operate that way.
Kerryn Roadley is the Operations Manager at Woodford Sports Science Consulting (WSSC), as well as Christian Woodford’s personal assistant. In this episode, we discussed Kerryn’s background and how she ended up at WSSC. Kerryn talked about what it’s been like managing the gym, from an operational standpoint; she talked about some of the issues they’ve faced and plans they have going forwards, to continue growing the gym. Kerryn is also a part owner of Mac Iron Fitness and the owner of Bright Smile Co. We discussed how she came to own these businesses and her plans for them going forwards.
Joe Matthews makes his second appearance on the podcast. Joe is one of the owner’s of the gym I work at, RealFITT Strength and Conditioning. At the time of recording this episode, the ACT was in lockdown, due to the Coronavirus. We discussed the lockdown from a business perspective, a personal perspective and talked quite a bit about training during lockdown; discussing things that people could do to help them stay consistent with their training, despite the circumstances.
Christian Woodford is a strength and conditioning coach, based in Victoria. He is the founder and owner of Woodford Sports Science Consulting (WSSC). Christian is not only knowledgeable, but also extremely passionate about what he does. Amongst other things, we discussed the fact that a lot of strength and conditioning coaches do multiple unpaid internships and the ramifications of this. We also discussed the value that can come from working as a personal trainer if you aspire to be a strength and conditioning coach, the issues with current exercise science degrees and the role social media can play in building a business. Christian also explained his coaching philosophy, which he dubs “The Big 6.”
In this episode, I had a chat with Jye Edwards. Jye is a middle distance runner, who competed in the 1500m, at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Amongst other things, we discussed Jye’s running career thus far; Jye talked about some of the injury set backs he’s experienced and how he was able to overcome those and qualify for the Olympics. We then discussed his experience at the Olympics.
In this episode, I had a chat with Jeremy Borzillo. Jeremy is a strength and conditioning coach, at Woodford Sports Science Consulting (WSSC), in Victoria. Amongst other things, we discussed Jeremy’s journey to get to where he is now; he talked about his internship at WSSC and the things he did to stand out, which ultimately led to him securing a coaching job at the end of it. We also discussed some of the things we’ve both learned about coaching over the years, through experience, as well as we discussed the overarching coaching philosophy utilised at WSSC.
In this episode, I had a chat with Laura Fox. Laura is a Physiotherapist, based in Victoria. She is the owner of Fox Physiotherapy and Strength Rehab. Amongst other things, we discussed Laura’s journey to get to where she is now; she talked about how she went about opening her own business and what it’s been like so far. We discussed the benefits of physiotherapists having a greater understanding and knowledge of strength training. We also discussed a few rehab topics, including the role manual therapy plays in rehab and the importance of people actually doing their rehab exercises.
In this episode, I had a chat with Simon Uphill. Simon and I went to university together. We discussed what life was like for us at university, sharing a few stories. We then had a general chat about life, with the conversation centring around the pressures and expectations placed on people, by society, to achieve certain things, by certain ages.
In this episode, I had a chat with Skye Foat. Skye is a Strength and Conditioning Coach, who runs a coaching academy, in which she mentors personal trainers, allied health professionals and strength and conditioning coaches, helping them to build their businesses from the ground up. We discussed Skye’s journey through the world of strength and conditioning thus far and how she ended up doing what she’s doing now. We also discussed some common issues faced by personal trainers and strength and conditioning coaches, with Skye explaining how through her coaching academy she’s helping people combat these issues.
In this episode, I had a chat with Mandy Hopper. Mandy is the owner of MH Performance Coaching, in Perth. Amongst other things, we discussed Mandy’s journey to get to where she is now; she talked about how she went about opening her own facility and what it’s like running that facility. Mandy also discussed the two areas of coaching she specialises in; netball and females.
In this episode, I had a chat with Andrew Heffernan. Andrew is a Strength and Conditioning Coach and former professional rugby league player, whose career was sadly cut short, due to him suffering multiple concussions. Amongst other things, we discussed his journey through the world of professional rugby league and his experiences with concussion.
In this episode, I had a chat with Jay Ellis. Jay is a Strength and Conditioning Coach, who currently works with Melbourne United, who play in the National Basketball League (NBL), here in Australia. As well as that, he also runs his own private coaching business. Amongst other things, we discussed Jay’s journey through the world of strength and conditioning thus far. Of note, Jay spent some time working with a college football team, in the U.S.A., we discussed that experience in depth. We also discussed agility; what it is and how to go about improving it and finished off with a general discussion about conditioning.
In this episode, I had a chat with Monique Le Mottee. Monique is a Physiotherapist and Strength and Conditioning Coach at Athletes Authority, she is also the Head of Performance at Macquarie University AFC, as well as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with Gordon Women’s Rugby. Amongst other things, we discussed Monique’s journey to get to where she is now, Monique talked about what it’s like being a female in the mostly male dominated strength and conditioning industry, whilst also providing some advice for young female coaches. We also discussed considerations for coaching female athletes, in particular the menstrual cycle and then we finished by discussing Monique’s plans and goals moving forwards.
In this episode, I had a chat with Jackson Tisdell. Jackson is a Podiatrist and Strength and Conditioning Coach, based in Melbourne. Amongst other things, we discussed what it is that a Podiatrist does, why Jackson chose to pursue podiatry and strength and conditioning and how the fields are interrelated, as well as how Jackson’s recovery from a recently torn ACL is going, the use of social media as a business tool and Jackson finishes off by providing a few craft beer recommendations.
In this episode, I had a chat with Justin Richardson. Justin is a qualified Physiotherapist and Strength and Conditioning Coach, who is currently the Head of Sports Rehabilitation at Athletes Authority, a private strength and conditioning and sports rehabilitation facility, in Sydney. Amongst other things, we discussed Justin’s journey to get to where he is now, how Physiotherapists and Strength and Conditioning Coaches can work together better, we touched on the integrative model used at Athletes Authority and we also briefly discussed ACL injuries, an area of interest for Justin.
In this episode, I had a chat with Cody Bascom. Cody is a College Strength and Conditioning Coach, in the U.S.A. Cody and I completed an internship together at the University of South Carolina, in 2017. Amongst other things, we discussed our time at the University of South Carolina, Cody’s journey through the world of college strength and conditioning, his approach to coaching athletes and I quizzed him on some Australian slang terms, as well as reminded him about the time I made him try some Vegemite.
In this episode, I had a chat with Seaton Humphreys. Seaton is a Strength and Conditioning Coach, based in Canberra. He owns and operates Athlete Origin, a junior athlete development facility. Amongst other things, we discussed Seaton’s journey through the world of strength and conditioning thus far, his approach to junior athlete development and whether or not strength training does actually stunt the growth of junior athletes.
In this episode, I had a chat with Nathan Kiely. Nathan is a Physical Performance Coach with Cricket NSW. Amongst other things, we discussed Nathan’s journey through strength and conditioning thus far (some great tips for aspiring strength and conditioning coaches in there), physically preparing cricketers, speed development and hamstring resilience.
In this episode, I was lucky enough to have a chat with Nicolai Morris. Nicolai is a highly regarded strength and conditioning coach, from Australia. She currently works for High Performance Sport New Zealand, as the lead strength and conditioning coach for the women’s hockey team. Amongst other things, we discussed her journey through strength and conditioning, to get to where she is, we talked about what it’s like to be a female in such a male dominated industry and we discussed social media, as Nicolai has done some research into the use of social media. A big thank you to Nicolai for coming on.
In this episode, I sat down with one of my fellow coaches at RealFITT Strength and Conditioning, Riley Watson. Riley recently graduated University, he’s a qualified Exercise Physiologist. Amongst other things, we discussed common mistakes we see people make with their training. Plenty of useful training related information in this episode.
Thank you to everyone who has listened to the podcast, in 2020. In this episode, I discuss how the challenges of 2020 were unique, but note that every year presents different challenges and 2021 will be no different. I discuss how discomfort leads to growth and also briefly discuss New Years resolutions.
In this episode, I begin by discussing delayed gratification. I then provide a brief overview of some of the key factors involved in developing speed.
In this episode, I sat down and had a chat with Lisa Griffin, my mum. We discussed her journey through life thus far. Amongst other things, we discussed what it was like for her growing up in Wagga Wagga, what is was like being a single parent, my interesting birth and there are a few stories about me as a child thrown in there as well.
In this episode, I discuss patience. I talk about how important patience is, in life and training, and how things like comparing yourself to others and societal age standards, can negatively impact your ability to remain patient.
In this episode, I sat down and had a chat with Skye Churchill. Skye is a rugby union player, that I coached for about 1 year, prior to her moving to Sydney, I now continue to do some work with her online. Amongst other things, we discussed her journey through rugby union so far, how the women’s game has grown and evolved during her time playing and her experiences with strength training.
In this episode, I sat down and had a chat with Rachael Carnegie. Rach is a Strength and Conditioning Coach, that I work with, at RealFITT Strength and Conditioning. Amongst other things, we discussed Rach’s journey to get to where she is now, her sporting endeavours in athletics and rowing, how the gym environment can be intimidating at first and what it’s like being an introverted coach.
Abeer Orabi is a Strength and Conditioning Coach, who I work with, at RealFITT Strength and Conditioning. We discussed Abeer’s journey, to get to where she is now. We focused on her transition from the corporate world, into a full time coaching role.
I sat down with Joe Matthews, one of the owners/directors of RealFITT Strength and Conditioning (the gym I work at). We discussed Joe’s journey to get to where he is now. We also discussed what we see as some of the keys to coaching longevity and training longevity.
I discuss how I transitioned from a job that I didn’t like, into what I really wanted to be doing and whether or not the sacrifices I’ve had to make have been worthwhile. I hope there are a few takeaways for anyone considering making a similar switch.
Alistair Buttimore is one of the owners/directors of RealFITT Strength and Conditioning (the gym where I work). We discuss Al’s journey to get to where he is now, what it’s like owning a small business and what it’s really like working in the fitness industry.
I briefly discuss the past few weeks of isolation, before discussing the dangers of comparing yourself to someone else. I then finish with some training tips for people, upon returning to the gym.
I briefly discuss the last few weeks of isolation, before beginning to discuss “embracing the suck.” Embracing the suck is all about accepting that when you try something new, you will suck at! But, the only way to get good at anything, is to first suck at it! I then discuss the fact that strength training movements are skills, that need to be learnt, before load is added.
I describe the impact isolation and social distancing has had on our business (RealFITT Strength and Conditioning) and the impact these things have had on me personally. I then provide some isolation training tips for athletes.
I introduce the podcast and give a run down of my background and the events that have lead me to where I am now.