Nitty Gritty Training

While it can be argued that there is a general recipe for strength training (warm-up, main lifts, accessory lifts, supplementary work), the skill and art of putting together an effective program comes in the individualization of each element.

There are infinite combinations of exercises, sets, reps, loads, and rests, and manipulating any parameter will yield different results. On this weeks episode we dive into different considerations when creating a strength program for an individual (or yourself!). 

Want to dive deeper? Check out our blog: Individualizing a Strength Program- how to make a strength program that w...

Runners, OCR athletes, and hybrid athletes alike all benefit from strength training (though their programs look much different!)

Putting together an effective strength program is a mix of art and science, and we aim to convince you how important it is for optimal run and OCR performance as well as teach you the components of a great routine. 

In our latest episode you will: 

We all go through times in our lives where there just isn't the time we once had to dedicate to ourselves and fitness.

Unlike many of our other episodes, this episode is geared towards training to be fit for life not training for a specific event or race. 

We hope you walk away from this one with tips and tools so you can adjust your training when time, resources, and energy just aren't on your side.

No time to listen to the full episode then check out our blog: Maintain a Sustainable Fitness R...

Today we are joined by Kayti Simonson, a 34 year old lawyer and pro hybrid athlete based in Calgary, Canada. Kayti has a massive sporting background - she ran 400m hurdles and played soccer in the NCAA, played semi-pro soccer in Florida, England, and Texas who impressively earned an undergrad and three post-grad degrees along the way!

Kayti shares how she's dived head-first into the world of Hyrox, how her training has shifted as she's embraced endurance training (which is no joke coming from a speed-power/crossfit background!), and how she balances it all while practicing as a...

On this week's episode Grit Coaching's very own Strength Coach and former Spartan Pro Faye Stenning shares 5 tips to take your OCR racing to the next level. 

With a bronze medal at the Spartan World Championships and her record of the most Spartan podium finishes over the past decade, Faye has years of insight and has tested many different training approaches. This episode she goes through what she believes has worked and what hasn't. 

The Nitty Gritty Training Podcast is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at...

You’ve done the work, and now it’s time to put it all together! We all know that consistent training is essential for great race day performance, but races are chaotic and wrought with unknowns. An underappreciated challenge of race day is “performing on demand” , or competing at your physical capacity in an uncontrolled environment, harnessing the work you’ve done into great race-day performance. To help, a bit of pre-emptive planning goes a LONG way! 

Spending some time thinking about logistics, setting goals, and creating an execution plan (or several) will provide direction to your efforts. Le...

Today we are joined by Lindsay Housman, founder and CEO of Hettas, a company creating running shoes optimized for female biomechanics. 

The majority of athletic shoes have been designed, researched and tested on men and the Hettas fundamentally believe that design shouldn't be unisex: if you consider design from a female perspective, you’ll end up with a better product for women — one that will positively impact performance and longevity.

We are delighted to have LIndsay here to share about the research and innovation Hettas is working on in female biomechanics and physiology as well as the story...

On this episode we are joined by Gwendolyn (Wendy) Bounds, an award winning journalist and author as well as a multi-time AG champ in spartan racing. Wendy is an absolute powerhouse, and we’ve had the pleasure of coaching her since 2019. 

Wendy recently wrote a book called Not Too Late which details her journey into obstacle racing and the power of pushing limits at any age. Obstacle racer or not, this is such an inspiring episode with lots of insightful takeaways.

The Nitty Gritty Training Podcast is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Fay...

With a ton of our listeners being avid Spartan racers we thought it was about time we had Joe De Sena on!

As the founder of Spartan and endurance junkie himself, Joe De Sena joins us to talk about how Spartan was started, how it has evolved over the years including navigating the challenges covid brought, and shares some exciting news about the future of the sport (hint- Olympics! ). 

Joe also shares some tips on how he makes time for fitness while managing everything else he has going on- we all can relate to this o...

City folks this one's for you! 

Coach Faye spent the majority of her Spartan Race career training for some big mountain races in the middle of Manhattan so she knows a thing or two about getting mountain fit without any access to elevation. 

So whether you’re heading to the mountains for the last stops at the Spartan USNS or trying to nail an epic trail race with a ton of vert- you're not going to want to miss this one! 

The Nitty Gritty Training Podcast is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY...

Grit coaching is 7 YEARS OLD this year, and we’ve learned a ton since Day 1. Sometimes coaches get a bit shy about admitting that they’ve changed their mind on something - there is a feeling that we must be all-knowing, and many coaches feel insecure saying “we’re looking at something differently now”.

Not us! On this week's episode, Coach Jess shares how her philosophies towards run programming and coaching have changed over the years as she has gained a TON of experience working with a diverse range of athletes. 

The Nitty Gritty Training Podcast is...

This week we are joined by Eoin Everard, the current World and European Masters (Over 35)  3000m champion who also has a blazing sub-14 min 5km and sub-4 min mile under his belt. In addition to being an astonishing runner, but Eoin holds a PhD in Biomechanics and is a Physiotherapist and the founder of the BackAware Belt, a tool to help with back pain.

In this episode we talk about injury prevention (particularly when it comes to the back), discuss methods to help you move better day-to-day, and how to effectively structure your strength training routine.

You’ve done the training, and now all that’s left is executing your race. But…..how? In this episode, we give you the nitty gritty on different pacing strategies: what works, what doesn’t, and why. We tackle this both through physiology and personal experience: everyone’s got a good pace-related story!

Proper pacing is absolutely essential for great performance. We’ll convince you why on this episode!

This episode is hosted by Olympian/Exercise Physiologist Jessica O'Connell and OCR Star Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching! We offer custom run and strength trai...

This week we are thrilled to catch up with OCR superstar Nicole Mericle!

Nicole is fresh off her 2nd place finish at Tough Mudder Arabia which was arguably one of the most competitive OCR races in history with a prize purse that did not disappoint! 

 We also discuss Nicole's road to recovery after knee surgery, how the short course specialist changed her training to dominate a 8 hour event and much much more.

You asked, we answered. 

Really nailing your endurance training can be complicated - everyone knows "how" to run, but not everyone knows how to optimize their endurance training to suit their goals and ability.

This re-released podcast gave listeners the chance to ask their burning endurance questions and gave us a chance to provide insight on a bunch of endurance-related topics. It's an episode of variety that you're sure to learn from! 

We love putting together podcasts on sports performance topics we think are important but the reality is: YOU know what you know and don't know best! (whoo, that's a mouthful!)

 As my school teachers always told me, if you have a question, chances are that others in the room are wondering the same thing. On this re-released episode, we answer some of the queries we get the most often. 

Winter training - it ain't so bad! 

Faye and Jess, seasoned Canadian runners with souvenir frostbite scars, share their best tips on how to thrive during the winter training season. We've made all the wardrobe mistakes and created all the weather hacks so you don't have to! 

This re-released episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching! We offer custom run and strength training for runners, OCR, and hybrid athletes. Check us out!

Endurance racing affectinatos are faced with racing options of different lengths and types galore!   In this re-released episode, we advise on how to select races and plan a season that allows for proper preparation for key goals, but still leaves wiggle room for exploration.    This episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching! We offer custom run and strength training for runners, OCR, and hybrid athletes. Check us out!  

Goals give direction and purpose to your efforts, but it's important that you don't confuse goals with dreams. Dreams are ideas, and goals are roadmaps. I think you can guess which one has a greater likelihood of success!   In this re-released episode, we discuss why goal setting is important and how to do it in an effective and meaningful way.   This episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching! We offer custom run and strength training for runners, OCR, and hybrid athletes. Check us out!

Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport (RED-S), or chronic underfuelling, can have very serious health and performance consequences.

We are joined by Dr. Alex Coates, former elite ITU triathlete and current professor of Exercise Physiology who's research has focused on what happens when we push too far or when we recover insufficiently from training. Alex educates us on the consequences of RED-S and how to make sure we are fuelling well for heath and performance.

This episode was originally released in 2021, and I'll said it then and I'll say it again: Folks, this is a must-listen...

Two new running/fitness "hybrid" competitions are sweeping the nation and attracting runners, Crossfitters, and OCR Addicts alike. Hybrid competitions involve run intervals alternated with standardized strength exercises and challenging an athlete's strength and endurance.

This week, Faye Stenning shares the Nitty Gritty on the two most popular hybrid events/brands: DekaFit and Hyrox. We deep dive on what's involved and how to train for these demanding events.

Spoiler alert: as always, it's all about the running!

This re-released episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and...

Runners: Does the weight room feel like the wild west? We get it, but strength training has serious benefits and doesn't need to be initmidating. As a runner, you're doing a serious disservice to your training regime if you're ignoring strength! 

This episode, we break down why strength training is important for runners, how much you need, and what to focus on. Fast healthy runners are strong runners, and we hope you'll walk away from this episode conviced of the benefits of strength training and feeling more confident about how to implement it! 

Th...

Runners fall into two camps - they're either as bendy as a slinky, or they can't touch their toes.

This podcast dives into the differences between mobility and flexibility, how much range you REALLY need, and the when/where/what on stretching. 

This re-released episode is sure to bend your knowledge on movement and performance (ha!)

This episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching! We offer custom run and strength training for runners, OCR, and hybrid athletes. Check us out!

Tis the season for peak races and the inevitable recovery that follows.

Everyone's heard of the big (and oddly intimidating) "Off Season", but what IS it? This week, we dive into why the Off Season is important and how a bit of rest and recovery can take your training to the next level over the coming months.

Rest to progress? We say YES!

This episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching! We offer custom run and strength training for runners, OCR, and h...

Just like it's common to hire a coach to help you reach an sporting goal and live an active lifestyle, nutrtition coaches exist to help educate and guide individuals towards health goals. It makes sense - changing habits is hard, especially if you aren't highly educated in nutrition, so expert guidance can be SO helpful! 

This week, we are joined by Josh and Brittany, two nutrition coaches at Working Against Gravity, a nutrition coaching company that has helped thousands of individuals to learn about nutrition, develop healthy habits, and achieve body composition goals. 

We are re...

This week we deep dive into an athlete’s most essential piece of gear- footwear! There are A LOT of shoe options out there and we nerd out and break them down for you. Learn all about different types of footwear , what to look for when buying shoes, the best footwear for OCR races, and the newest super shoes hitting the market!

This re-released episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching! 

Hyrox is a fitness competition that's been popular in Europe for a while and is now taking North America by storm. Hyrox involves eight standardized fitness stations alternated with 1000m of running. The 8km of total running in the event makes it appealing to OCR athletes and runners alike! (though the strength stations are no joke!)

A few years ago, Faye decided to train for and compete in Hyrox. In this re-released episode, she details how she prepared for the event by focusing on raw strength, strength endurance, and the challenge of running quick on very very...

If you're a female athlete, or you know a female athlete, this episode is for you! 

We chat about range of topics pertinent to active women including: fueling, RED-S, birth control, pregnancy, training and aging, and how to keep young girls engaged in sport. Though many of these topics aren't exclusive to women, we talk about them through a female physiology lense

Let's go girls! 

This rereleased podast is hosted by Jessica O'Connell (MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY) and Faye Stenning (BKin). Jess and Faye bring grad school education in Sports Science and Oly...

The allure of the marathon has captured countless runners, but what does it really take to prepare? On this episode, we break down the essentials of marathon training and detail the most essential pieces of training. We completely understand that not everyone has endless time to train at their disposal, and we deep dive in to how to maximize training for a great marathon experience.

This podcast is hosted by Faye Stenning, bKin, and Jess O'Connell, MSc, OLY, CSEP-CEP - the coaches at Grit Coaching! We provide custom training plans and coaching guidance for runners a...

In races longer than an hour or two, nailing fueling is absolutely critical for success. You can't run on an empty tank, after all! Fueling can make or break a performance, but it can be daunting for novice and experienced athletes alike.

This week we are joined by Arielle Fitzgerald - OCR Dream Team athlete, Ultrarunner, and holistic nutritionist. We figured that she is the perfect person to interview all about fueling for long OCR and running events - it's kind of her thing! We learned a ton and hope you do too! 

This is a...

Very few people have had as many podium finishes at OCR events as Faye Stenning. This episode, she shares many of her BEST hacks on how to perform your best at an OCR race. Whether you're training for your first race or your 100th, you're sure to pick up a game-changing tip or two curtesy of Faye's immense experience.

This podcast is a rerelease originally recorded in Spring 2021 and is hosted by Jessica O'Connell (MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY) and Faye Stenning (BKin). Jess and Faye bring grad school education in Sports Science and Olympic-level athletism in t...

It's a hill, get over it! Hill running is mechanically and metabolically different than flat running and requires a combination of fitness and skill to thrive. Luckily, uphill and downhill running ability is trainable. We drop tips on how to properly train for and run up and downhill, even if you don't necessarily have incline readily available.

It's a hill, and we'll help you get over it! 

This is a repost of an episode originally airing in Spring 2021 and is hosted by Faye Stenning and Jessica O'Connell, coaches at Grit Coaching! 

We're on the cusp of summer and hot weather is BACK! Every spring, athletes worldwide find themselves questioning their fitness and wondering why it's suddenly so challenging to hit training paces. The answer: t's hot outside, and heat must be respected! In this episode, we detail how to adjust training to the heat, how heat adaptation works, and how to adjust training and racing plans to have success in high temperatures.

This episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching ! 

Dr. Emmi Aguillard, PT, DPT, FAFS is a NYC-based physical therapist who specializes in treating and training runners. She also has advanced training in pelvic health and works with women to safely maintain their optimal fitness and performance both during pregnancy and as they return to running after giving birth. Emmi has even co-authored a book on running injury prevention called Run Healthy and is an expert in the field.

The pelvic floor is a bit of a mysterious body part and we take the opportunity to GRILL Emmi with questions about who should be attuned to...

Move over, fancy recovery hacks! Consistent, good-quality sleep is the #1 way to recover from training and improve athletic performance. Unfortunately, athletes are more prone to sleep disorders than the general population.

This re-released episode dives into why sleep is important, how to improve your sleep, and how sleep affects training and racing. We promise this episode won't be a snooze-fest! 

This episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching! 

Sports nutrition is one of the most important, yet most confusing, parts of training. Between fad diets, charismatic influencers, and the inherent emotion surrounding eating, it can be hard to find good, solid infomation.

This episode, we provide science-backed, evidence based advice on fueling pre- and post-workout, around races, during long runs, and more! Nutrition doesn't have to be complicated, but it's important to understand how to properly fuel your body for wellness, training, and recovery! 

This episode is hosted by Jessica O'Connell, MSc, CSEP-CEP, OLY, and Faye Stenning, BKin, and coaches at Grit Coaching! 

In fitness, the term “coaching” can feel a bit convoluted - from online, to personal, to group, to sports teams, there is a lot going on. Over the last year, our Grit Coaching endurance coach, Jess, has begun coaching a university team. This week, she’ll share what she’s learned and brought to Grit ONLINE coaching and what to think about when considering different coaching options.

The Nitty Gritty Training Podcast is a bi-weekly show with OCR Pro Faye Stenning and Canadian Olympian Jess O'Connell.

Faye

Je...

Heart Rate Variability has gained a lot of attention over the past few years thanks to fun monitoring toys like Whoop and Aura ring. This episode, we dive into what HRV is, and, more importantly, how to best use it as a training readiness tool.

The Nitty Gritty Training Podcast is a bi-weekly show with OCR Pro Faye Stenning and Canadian Olympian Jess O'Connell.

Faye

Jess

Coaching Website

Listen to this and all Nitty Gritty episodes

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Heart rate zone training is all the rage - it's simple, clear, and accessible on your watch! That said - before you dictate ALL your training by zones, you better be sure you understand them. Tune in to learn how they work and what you should look out for! 

The Nitty Gritty Training Podcast is a bi-weekly show with OCR Pro Faye Stenning and Canadian Olympian Jess O'Connell.

Faye

Jess

Coaching Website

Listen to this and all Ni...

Many people raced for the first time this season last weekend - the 2023 OCR season has begun!  We spend the first part of the episode helping you debrief what went well and what definitely needs to be sorted before you toe the line again. Then, we chat in detail about the rest of the USNS venues and what key things you can place in your training in order to dominate each unique course and distance.

The Nitty Gritty Training Podcast is a bi-weekly show with OCR Pro Faye Stenning and Canadian Olympian Jess O'Connell.

Faye