The BMX Commentator Podcast Rich Eames

Episode 9 of the BMX Commentator Podcast sees an in depth conversation with strength and conditioning coach Connor Hedges.

Connor isn't just any old S&C coach either, as he pursues his masters degree whilst being involved with not one, but two top level sporting organisations.

Currently working with both British Cycling and Manchester City Football Club, Connor outlines the differences between the two sports, why a bog standard personal trainer might not be able to help you with BMX, and how to get your young BMXer stronger without even setting foot inside a gym.

For the older lads, Connor outlines what you should be doing in the gym to maximise your BMX related 'gainz' ;-) and more crucially, the order you should do the work in... Hint - heavy squats shouldn't be the first thing you do...

There's plenty to take from this for both BMX parents and older riders. I've also tee'd Connor up for a part two Q&A style podcast if the demand is there.

You'll need more than one listen to this as Connor drops knowledge bomb after knowledge bomb. Might even be worth making some notes too...

Episode 8 of the podcast is a chat with Australia's fastest heating and cooling engineer, Bodi Turner.

After a severe leg break at the UCI BMX World Cup in New Zealand, Bodi has been on a mission to try and get recovered to continue his Elite BMX career. Get the low down on his crash, his recovery and how long he plans to race BMX for (hint - he's not planning on going anywhere yet)

Also, Bodi dives into how he manages to train like a pro whilst working a 'more than full time' job and the dangers of buying lunch at a petrol station.

There's also a look into how he became a member of the Tangent Cartel, and what a young rider should do if he's truly serious about becoming a BMX athlete.

This episode of the BMX Commentator Podcast is a chat with BMX Development Coach Adam Carey. Adam led the Thai National BMX Program for a number of years after racing Elite whilst studying for a PHD in Sports and Exercise Physiology. He also coaches some of the Australian riders that took W plates in Rock Hill at the recent World Championships.

The basis of our chat was about junior development, but we also touched on social anxiety at races, neurodivergence and process orientation. Plus an inside take on what happens in corners during a Masters moto at Worlds...

So it was a pretty diverse 45 minutes or so.

The door has been left open for a part two to this podcast in the form of a Q&A, so if the thought of that tickles your pickle let me know and we'll get something set up.

Episode 6 of The BMX Commentator Podcast saw a first in person conversation rather than the usual online chat. A quick trip up the A49 to Chorley and a sit down in the living room of @theseatpostman John Lee, former Torker and Raleigh factory rider in the 1980's.

Nowadays John has a thriving business specialising in removal of stuck seatposts from high end frames (yes, that's a real money making business) John's an engineer at heart and LOVES making stuff better, or better still...making new stuff.

John covers his foray into making two speed set ups for an S&M Steel Panther, the reason why he thinks they should be on a BMX bike, what your gearing should look like and why your chainring isn't actually round.

Yes, you read that correctly...your chainring isn't round. It's something else entirely.

He also gives his take on the Mateo Colsonet French multi-speed set up and how it works. There's a few theories knocking around, and John's is probably the best I've heard.

Lastly, John gives his one pearl of wisdom of how you can make your bike more efficient. You'll smack yourself in the head when you hear it...it's that simple. Yet I've never heard a factory dad talk about it in the same way they talk about carbon bike jewellery, it's nowhere near as sexy!

All this comes with a side helping of Japanese chain encyclopedia and drag co-efficiency measurement.

Dig in and enjoy!!

Please note I didn't have access to my usual audio set up and the quality isn't as good as it normally is. The podcast is a work in progress, and improvements will be incoming in as we go along.

We take something of a detour from BMX in Episode 5 of The BMX Commentator Podcast, having a chat with David Davidson who is the founder of mountainbikeacademy.com

David overcame injuries from his younger years and with the help of his brother in law started coaching riders in becoming better by using their bodies better, and using them how they were designed to be used.

This is not your standard 'BMX bro' training, you won't be posting IG stories of you squatting a Nissan Micra, it's about making your body work for you rather than against you.

It's a conversation that'll be of particular interest to the 30+ crowd, the cruiser bruisers, and the Grand Vets.

Open your mind to a different approach, and you may get some different results.

Dave's YouTube channel is @mountainbikeacademy and his website is www.mountainbikeacademy.com

Check it out if you're even remotely curious.

Episode 4 of the podcast sees us chatting with Chase Bicycles Vet Pro rider and YouTuber Barry Nobles.
Barry takes in depth on his life in and around YouTube and his clothing brand NineFive Ride Co, gives us the inside story on winning the 2023 World Champs in Glasgow, reveals how long he's planning on racing for, and what you can expect to see from him in the future.
To connect with Barry on social media go to  @barrynobles95  on YouTube and Instagram.
For the BMX Commentator podcast it's  @bmxcommentator  on Instagram.