Episodes
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On this episode of The TOPStrenghCast, I got to sit down with my coach and the man behind @MSTsystems, Shane Jerman. After putting on a great shoulder stab (stability)
seminar @thetopstrengthproject, we got on the mic and spoke about what was covered in the seminar, the importance of and how to apply context when building programs for
different athletes, rehab, movement prep, and Shane’s personal journey first joining a gym to improve his kickboxing before being introduced to strongman.
He immediately became enamored by all things strongman, learning everything he could while connecting with the other top athletes in Europe. This eventually led to the
start of MST, and the rest is history. Similar to the seminar, there is a ton of valuable take away concepts and lessons in this episode; so, ENJOY!
Thanks guys.
Shane Jerman
Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
0:00 Intro
0:40 Overhead/ Circus DB Seminar
2:40 Shoulder STAB (Stability)
8:12 “When I’m done coaching, I’d like to leave some sort of mark on the sport…”
9:00 Approaching Accessories in Training for Strength Athletes
12:02 Training Age/ Impacts on Exercise Selection
14:00 Overuse Injuries/ Understanding Neurological Impacts
20:00 Scalable Rehab: Using Load to Make Postural/ Positional Adaptations Stick
24:30 “Gas Station Ready” (Movement Prep/ Warm-Ups)
30:30 Introduction to Tri-Phasic
32:50 Aspects of the Neurological System
42:45 “You’ve almost got to earn your sends.”
43:12 “Did you get older, or did you get better?
44:00 “I think Lucy’s World’s Strongest Woman”
47:34 “I didn’t want to complete in strongman coz I felt like I was too good for it”
53:30 “Can’t eat my means bro so I’m off”
56:00 Graham Hicks “…let’s bring him down and do some YOKE.”
58:20 James Ward
1:00:47 Squats in Strongman
1:03:56 Coaching
1:05:19 Andrew Triana
1:07:46 MST
1:12:15 MST goes into the open
1:14:33 Imposter Syndrome
1:16:16 I’m Super Competitive
1:18:30 “…. something’s brewing… I’m bored”
1:21:10 When to Send
1:22:14 “That’s how it works, mate”
1:24:15 Training Helps
1:27:42 What’s Next?
1:34:20 Closing/ MST Systems App -
On this episode with the Swede and Sin, we talk about Swede’s first exposure to weight training, body building, and eventually the creation of 5 th Set. It didn’t take long for the
conversation to shift more towards mindset, culture, impacts of media and social media, and how Swede and Sin both leverage their values while navigating through life
experiences. I really enjoyed this conversation. Hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed having it.
Thanks guys!
Swede
Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
0:00 Intro and Swede’s Origins
1:00 Hulk Hogan Weight Set
1:30 10 Sets of 10… of Everything
6:00 Swede Meet’s Jim Davis
9:15 Experimenting w Bench Shirts
9:50 “It’s Called Raw”
11:20 Miss Jordan
14:00 Finding Value in our Failures
19:50 “Being an Active Participant Rather Than a Victim”
21:30 Starts Coaching
24:00 The Battle w Brian Page
28:45 “Turns out I hate losing much more than I love winning…”
32:00 The type that responds to positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement
39:45 What got Sin started
45:00 Writing 5 th Set
45:45 Prison is the only place where you have legitimate control for experiments on
human beings”
46:20 Training through Covid
47:55 Assimilating back into society after “time away”
49:49 “What the FUCK is an iPod?!”
53:05 “You can draw a through line from that to everything good”
59:19 “a degree of difference over a lifetime is an entirely different end game”
1:03:00 Are you playing an active role in your life or are you a victim
1:04:24 Voluntary Suffering/ Mile Marker Goals
1:09:30 Short Term Goals/ Long Term Goals
1:13:50 “the universe always provided me with what I needed….. not what I want”
1:20:00 Developing Values
1:22:30 Repentance
1:25:30 the line between good an evil goes directly through the middle of every man’s
heart
1:30:00 Pride
1:34:25 Passion
1:40:35 The Coddling of the American Mind
1:44:00 Polarized Society
2:01:00 Closing -
Missing episodes?
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This episode I had the opportunity to talk with Eric Dawson: Owner of Titan Barbell, mentor, coach, husband, father, and role model to many. Eric is extremely well spoken and I really enjoyed this conversation. As it turns out, he and I share very similar backgrounds: both high-school and college athletes, grew up working multiple trade/ labor jobs, and both ended up training in a corporate gym setting not because it was something we necessarily planned to do, but needed where our previous jobs were no longer feasible. After spending the first half an hour discussing that process, we talk about getting involved in Strength Sports, again, both at 27. In Eric’s case, getting involved in competing is what led to him starting Titan out of his garage and eventually expanding to their current location in Stoneham.
Help Create a Positive Environment for Each other
Help Create the Space that You Would Want to Lift In
Clean Up After Yourself
How we came to opening our own private training facilities and eventually expanding into full-service fitness centers.
Titan Barbell
Eric Dawson
Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
Eric Dawson Episode Notes
0:00 Introduction and Eric’s Athletic Background
3:30 Introduction to Strength Training and Working Labor Jobs
4:30 Value in Labor
6:14 “Nothing that I do in a physical day (today) is going to match what I did growing
up…”
8:00 Training in the Heat vs Cold
8:48 Eric’s “Hot” Pre-Workout (secrets)
9:50 Football and College
11:40 The Original Manhattan Uber Eats
14:30 Getting Started in Coaching/ Personal Training
19:55 “Strength Training Should Not be Used to Substitute your Mental Health”
23:00 Competing in Strength Sports
23:45 How Eric and I Built our Training Businesses: Lifting Heavy Weights
26:00 From Bally’s to TPS
30:00 The Start of Titan Barbell
43:00 Our Shared Vision
45:20 Seeing the Vision Come to Life
48:20 “The Strongest People, Don’t Care Where They Lift”
52:50 Cultivating Culture and Community
58:00 “There’s Nothing Special About My Weights”
1:02:30 Running Competitions
1:04:00 What’s Next for Titan and for Eric as an Athlete
1:07:00 New England Strength Expo
1:12:55 Competing in Strength Sport as Gym Owners
1:14:40 Patience
1:17:00 Changes in Mindset and Training as You Progress as an Athlete
1:23:00 Wood Carving Analogy
1:27:05 Closing -
On this episode, I have my second sit down with Ken of Cerberus Strength.
I saw Ken share a post on his social media that he was struggling with his identity. He competed at a high level in strongman for many years. It was a huge part of his life. Eventually, as other aspects of life came into the fray, coupled with injuries that had accumulated from pushing so hard for so long, the fire that once motivated him to train and compete wasn’t there anymore. He and I talk about the valuable lessons we’ve learned over the years of burning the candle at both ends, and sometimes in the middle. The power of reflection, community, purpose, and basically realizing that there’s more to life than just being an athlete. There are also many other ways we can still contribute to the strength community through other endeavors.
Thanks for listening, and Enjoy!
0:47 old men getting back into competitive strongman
2:00 Ken as a strongman
4:30 Weight Class Athletes
6:20 “105kg is the most competitive class in strongman…”
6:50 Strongman’s evolution as a sport
8:55 USS Nationals 2029/ Running shows
18:30 The 2020 Arnold and Covid
19:50 Ken’s Last Show
20:30 Pain and Injury
23:20 Stepping Away from Strongman and into Other Things
27:00 Grieving Process
34:10 The Cow and the Buffalo
35:55 Bravery and Courage
36:45 Trauma
39:40 Why Did you Start Strongman?
47:40 Age and Responsibility
49:15 Training w a Home Set up vs at a Gym
51:35 Developing Systems and Procedures
57:45 Get out of Debt w Strippcam…
1:02:20 Feeling “Lazy”
1:07:50 Finding Fulfillment in “Unenjoyable” or Obligatory Tasks through Effort
1:13:30 Visualization Practices
1:18:45 Managing Stress and Angst When Competing
1:24:20 How a Poor Workout Can Ruin the Rest of Your Day
1:26:20 Recent Adjustments to Training Approach
1:29:45 Understanding Patience
1:39:00 Unintentional Hypocrisy
1:40:20 Ken’s Slight Caffeine Dependency
1:49:00 Ken’s Accountability Post
1:57:00 The Need for Human Interaction
2:01:45 Closing -
In this episode I sit down w Trevor Jaffe: competitive strength athlete in strongman and powerlifting with a primary focus in powerlifting. As a coach, Trevor has coached over 29 all-time world records through 8 different athletes and currently holds the masters ATWR total in the 181 class, affectionately known as “the deadlift whisperer.” The day before recording this episode, Trevor put on a great seminar at The TOP Strength Project. I personally saw it as an extremely valuable experience being able to take a ton of valuable strategies that I was able to implement right away. He is an outstanding couch and invaluable resource to anyone in the pursuit of strength. We talk about our own journeys and experience through strength, working with some of the biggest names in the industry, mindset, injuries, training natural vs enhanced, humility, cold exposure…. And dozens of other topics.
GREAT eposide. I hope you guys enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting it
together.
Thanks guys!
Trevor Jaffe
Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
Trevor Jaffe Show Notes
00:50 Westside Barbell Experience
01:40 Trevor’s Seminar at The TOP Strength Project
02:20 Accumobility Seminar/ Ski Crash
04:30 Old Man Injuries
08:10 Learning as a Coach
13:50 FRONT SQUATS!!!
15:30 Charlie P
17:27 Changing Training Strategies Based on Training Age/ Ability
19:24 24-32 Rule
21:50 Strength Work is Skill Work
23:15 Discipline While Peaking for a Meet
24:45 How I First Became Interested In Powerlifting
27:15 321 Peak
28:10 Neurological Fatigue vs Tissue Fatigue
28:20 Enhanced Athletes Recovery vs Natural
35:48 Trevor’s “Origin Story”
36:00 WTF Happened to Pro Wrestling?!
47:00 Lessons in Humility
51:30 Competing Against Time
53:50 Aggressive Patience
54:15 Strength Athlete Year Round
55:50 Do We Get “Stronger” When We Hit a PR?
57:20 Paying Yourself First
1:01:45 “The Difference Maker isn’t Age, It’s Responsibility”
1:02:50 Tim Ferris’s “Four Hour Work Week”
1:04:40 Cold Exposure
1:07:45 Anabolic Window/ Static Stretching
1:11:20 Working w Hypermobility
1:12:30 The Majority of the Process is Found in the Gray Area
1:14:29 Think About One Thing At a Time
1:15:05 “Sell Them What They Want But Give Them What They Need”
1:19:05 Psychological Associations w Somatotypes?
1:23:30 Comfort Kills Growth
1:26:40 Collaborations with Ocean State Crossfit
1:29:45 Interference Effect Myth
1:33:00 The Ceiling of Training Only Sagittal Plane
1:34:00 Closing -
On this episode I sit down w my lady, Jenny, otherwise known as @themusclemom. Similar to other guests we spend the first portion of the episode learning more about Jen’s story. How she originally got involved in athletics as a young girl, from gymnastics, to soccer, to tennis, to group classes, to endurance/ obstacle races, to the barbell, and eventually to competing in both Crossfit and Strongman. She also speaks on her career as a blogger, writer, group x instructor, nutrition coach, personal trainer, and group ex coordinator here at The TOP Strength Project. Her and I then share our similar and emotional perspectives on my most recent strongman competition, 2024 USS Nationals and everything leading up to it. She is an enormous and irreplaceable contributor here at the gym, my biggest supporter, and greatest source of motivation.
Enjoy!
Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
Jenny The Muscle Mom
0:50 The “Red Room”
2:00 “How did you get to be so fucking jacked, Jenny?”
2:09 Gymnastics… quitter
4:15 Importance of Intentionally Putting Ourselves in Challenging Situations
5:45 Supportive Parents
7:00 Gymnastics Being the Optimal Introduction to Athleticism
8:30 Jenny Moved to Florida and Discovers Tennis
10:00 Jen’s Fathers Impact on Her Athletically
13:22 Moves Back to RI and Joins a Gym
14:45 Body Image as a Young Teen
17:45 Discovering “the PUMP”
20:20 Gravitating Towards Hard Coaches
21:20 “Class Junky”
25:50 Getting Serious About Lifting After Having Kids
26:45 Obstacle Course Races
32:39 How Did You Stay in Shape During and After Your Pregnancies
34:30 Jenny’s Fitness App
35:00 Training After Pregnancy
41:50 More Weights, More FOOD
42:55 Jen Discovers Strength Training at Next Level Fitness
47:35 Training w Brett
50:50 Olympic Lifting w Mike Campbell
51:19 Training w Orlando
53:40 TOP Strength Invades Next Level
54:00 “Who’s That Guy?”
56:25 THE John Amore
58:55 Our First Interaction by the Dumbbells: “WALTER!!”
1:01:25 Red Flags
1:04:45 TOP Strength Grand Opening
1:07:40 The Squat
1:10:09 Jenny’s First Yoke Run
1:12:00 The Benefits of True Voluntary Suffering
1:17:25 Starting as a Group Instructor and Person Trainer at Enerje
1:21:30 Converting Her Garage to a Home Gym During Covid
1:23:40 Taking Over the Group Program at TOP Strength Project
1:30:00 Truck Pull Event
1:32:00 Jenny Discovers Strongman
1:47:50 USS Nationals… but first…
1:48:15 Car Accident
1:49:45 Arm Injury
1:52:00 2022 USS Nationals
2:01:00 Investing in Coaching and Getting Sick
2:08:30 “Am I Talking Too Much?”
2:11:10 USS Prep Starts
2:12:00 Shane Takes Me Back!!
2:13:15 Being Fortunate to Work with Great Coaches
2:14:30 Dr. Moriarty Fixed My Back, For Now
2:15:50 The Show
2:51:45 What’s Next?
2:32:00 Ironbuilt Games
3:01:15 Jen Commits to Ironbuilt Games… NAHT -
In this episode I am joined by the owner and creator of The Vitamin Bar, Shayreen. After learning more about her educational and professional background, we discuss chronic disease, personal responsibility, accountability, eastern and western cultural differences, QUITTERS, big pharma, food, building confidence through competence, personal fulfillment and contentment, as well as Shay’s passions and motivations in becoming a Psych Nurse Practitioner.Enjoy!!Top Strength Project Steve TrippThe Vitamin Bar1:00 Intro2:00 Education3:30 Teaching in Palestine5:15 Upbringing10:30 Cows and Buffalo’s17:27 The Need to Maintain Control18:40 Shay’s Support System19:00 Practicing as a Nurse/ Chronic Disease29:20 Sustainable Nutrition Strategies32:12 Empathy: Everyone has a Story34:15 Body Image35:30 Struggles w Binge Eating/ Bulimia39:40 “Body Positivity Movement”39:50 Eat Real Food, shitheads48:20 The Birth of the Vitamin Bar50:40 Quitters51:08 Building Confidence through Developing Competence52:55 People’s Willingness to Help55:45 Researching IV Hydration56:45 IV’s vs Drawing Blood1:04:30 Intro to TOP Strength1:04:55 Garrett <31:08:40 Steve’s First Exposure to IV Hydration1:12:48 Imposter Syndrome1:17:50 Do you feel fulfilled?1:20:35 Shay was dis-satisfied w My Answer1:21:04 Conversation with a New Member1:23:29 Steve w a “v” none of that “ph” bullshit1:23:35 Are you Content?1:25:38 “I was the WORST on the team”1:26:00 Steve on Shay’s Couch1:34:40 Shay on Steve’s Couch1:37:50 Steve’s Criticisms of Himself as a Trainer1:42:05 What’s Next for The Vitamin Bar and Path to becoming an NP1:45:15 Mental and Physical Health1:45:40 Stutz Documentary/ Life Force1:49:00 Western vs Easter Cultural Concepts1:51:35 Why Shay Wants to be a Psych Nurse Practitioner1:52:45 Understanding Why We Feel the Way We Do1:57:17 Trauma1:58:11 Back on Shay’s Couch
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Had a great conversation with our own Jon Corcoran and his fiancé Canadian Pro Strongwoman Holly McRae. Had a blast with these two. Both of them gave insight into
their story: athletic background, how and when they found strength sports, along with their own individual journey’s and the valuable lessons learned along the way.
Jon and Holly are both authentic examples of owning their own bullshit, putting it aside to seek solutions and work towards becoming their best selves while having an impact on others along the way. I sincerely enjoyed watching the two of them interact while listening to their individual insights. It’s a special thing for me to experience two people that sincerely have each other’s back and are willing to do whatever it takes to support one another through strength and everything that comes along with it.
Enjoy!!
Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
Jon Corcoran
Holly McCrae
1:21:00 Jon’s Gains
1:23:00 Natural Strongman Competitions
1:27:00 Gavin w the WSM hook up! Thanks bro
1:30:00 Running Shows
1:33:00 Long Shows or Short Shows?
1:38:00 Stimulants and Ammonia
1:41:45 Upcoming Shows for Jon
1:47:00 Powerlifting and Strongman
1:54:00 Upcoming Shows for Holly
2:00:00 Upcoming Shows for Steve
2:03:00 Impact of Different Stressors on Training/ Competing
2:06:00 Patience for Longevity in Strongman
2:07:45 Instilling Patience in our Clients
2:10:00 Making Excuses vs Seeking Solutions
2:12:00 Meeting People Where They’re At -
On this episode I got to sit down with a friend and fellow gym owner Brian from Colosseum Barbell in Webster, MA.
I really enjoyed this one because it's clear Brian and I share a vision. To provide a space for people to get better. Simple.
With 20+ successful years in the auto industry he applies the same "quality over quantity" approach to his gym that he used in sales. Developing relationships, connections with others, and focusing on curating a culture above anything else.
I'm grateful to have Brian as a friend and Colosseum Barbell as another local strength training facility focused on the acquisition of strength.
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Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
Colosseum Barbell
Brian Roberts -
In this week's episode of the Top Strength Cast, Steve sits down with Erica from Marek Health and our own Ryan Horton to discuss all things PED's and your health.
Big thank you to our sponsors I-Prevail Supplements, Cerberus Strength, Strength IQ, West Side Yoga, Recovery CBD, and of course Brothers and Moffit
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Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
Ryan Horton -
In this week's episode of the Top Strength Cast, Steve sits down with Roger from Move Athletics PT to discuss business, training, rehab and more.
Big thank you to our sponsors I-Prevail Supplements, Cerberus Strength, Strength IQ, West Side Yoga, Recovery CBD, and of course Brothers and Moffit
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Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
Move Athletics -
In this week's episode of the Top Strength Cast, Steve sits down with Dawson Windham to discuss injuries, coaching, rehab and more.
Big thank you to our sponsors I-Prevail Supplements, Cerberus Strength, Strength IQ, West Side Yoga, Recovery CBD, and of course Brothers and Moffit
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Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
Dawson Windham -
In this week's episode of the Top Strength Cast, Steve sits down with our own Ryan Horton to discuss everything PEDs.
Big thank you to our sponsors I-Prevail Supplements, Cerberus Strength, Strength IQ, West Side Yoga, Recovery CBD, and of course Brothers and Moffit
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Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp
Ryan Horton -
In this week's episode of the Top Strength Cast, Steve sits down with PT, Coach, and gym owner Henry Lau to discuss his career path, recovery, and more.
Big thank you to our sponsors I-Prevail Supplements, Cerberus Strength, Strength IQ, West Side Yoga, Recovery CBD, and of course Brothers and Moffit
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Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp -
In this week's episode of the Top Strength Cast, Steve sits down with Nick Bruno PT, DPT, CSCS to discuss all things pre and post injury.
Big thank you to our sponsors I-Prevail Supplements, Cerberus Strength, Strength IQ, West Side Yoga, Recovery CBD, and of course Brothers and Moffit
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Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp -
In this week's episode of the Top Strength Cast, Steve sits down with his Sister Julia to discuss leadership, their path's to running their own business' and more!
Big thank you to our sponsors I-Prevail Supplements, Cerberus Strength, Strength IQ, West Side Yoga, Recovery CBD, and of course Brothers and Moffit
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Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp -
In this week's episode of the Top Strength Cast, Steve sits down with the owners of West Side Yoga Corey and Joe to discuss their journey and the benefits of yoga!
Big thank you to our sponsors I-Prevail Supplements, Cerberus Strength, Strength IQ, West Side Yoga, Recovery CBD, and of course Brothers and Moffit
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Top Strength Project
Steve Tripp - Show more
