The Resilient Training Lab Podcast

Paul Milano

Coach Paul & Coach Ryan at Resilient Training Lab hope to spread knowledge about the many benefits of the barbell and help change the current landscape of the fitness industry.At Resilient Training Lab, we believe everyone is capable of amazing things. Our mission is to help you discover everything you are truly capable of. We believe that strength training is the foundation to overall well-being and longevity and want to help you learn the many lessons the iron has to teach. The benefits of strength training go beyond the physical, bleeding into the mental and social aspects of life. We want to show you just how amazing you truly are. Come find out how strength training can lead to a stronger, more resilient you– in all aspects of life.

  1. 06/06/2022

    RTL94 When and Why to Modify Training

    Here is a solo episode with Paul and Ryan! They discuss what you need to know about modifying training. When do you know when it is time to change it up and why are some reasons that you might consider making some modifications. Some common reasons you might want to switch up your training include being unmotivated and dragging your feet to the gym, you have another interest/hobby/commitment that is requiring more of your time, and you're currently injured. Don't be afraid to talk to your coach about how you're feeling or about what other things you have going on in your life. They can help you to make changes so that you can still kill it in the gym when you aren't feeling the same drive and motivation that you used to or when you have another goal, skill, or activity that you want to focus on more. 0:14 - Paul intros the episode with the topic of this month’s episode and the events and monthly challenge going on at Resilient. This month we have an event on June 11th with Open Doors Outdoors. We will all be getting together to hike at Sleeping Giant at 12pm. June’s challenge is max watts on the bike. Give it everything you got to crank up the intensity and get those watts as high as possible. 1:50 - Ryan goes into more detail explanation of this month’s topic of modifying training when you’re struggling in the gym, have other interests/activities going on, or are dealing with an injury. He poses the question to Paul about how you know when it is time to make changes to your training. 10:14 - Paul talks about how training your training focus away from performance and strictly your 1RM can be very beneficial to your overall training and progress. It might mean shifting your goals for the moment or just focusing on other aspects of health that training can benefit. The overall goal is to meet the physical activity guidelines and to go from there. Focus on what you can do given your current schedule and/or how you want to split your time between the gym and other activities.  14:34 - Ryan shares one of the ways he approaches making changes to his client’s programs when they are struggling or feeling unmotivated. He tries to take out the “psychologically stressful” exercises. For example, he may have a client that struggles with squat variations and find them to be very mentally taxing. He will take your typical squat variations out for a block or two to help decrease the person’s overall stress and hopefully help them to get more motivated to get to the gym each week.  17:24 - Even high level competitors can feel burnt out and unmotivated. What it comes down to whether you are an elite competitor or someone whose focus is overall improvement in health is that you need to manage your emotions and expectations. Sometimes it is best to put into training exercises that you have less expectations around so that you don’t get so caught up in the numbers you are hitting in training.  29:41 - Ryan talks about how he has modified his own training since adding in golf into his regular activities. During golf season, he makes changes so that he can still progress in golf while also still meeting his physical activity guidelines. 36:15 - It is about setting up realistic training schedules that help you meet the physical activity guidelines and managing expectations. Set minimums for yourself. Create minimums that will help make you the most successful. Manage your expectations. You can’t expect to make giant strides in squat, bench, and deadlift when your greater focus is on another sport/skill/activity.   44:00 - When you find yourself injured, it can be easy to get caught up in what you can’t do. However, the best thing you can do for yourself is focus on what you CAN do. Training might look a lot or a little different, but be okay with it and focus on goals and wins that you can achieve while injured.

    56 min
  2. 05/02/2022

    RTL93: Nutrition Myths

    We're back with a new episode for May! RTL coach, Clare, joins Paul and Ryan for a roundtable discussion all about nutrition myths. They each bring 2 myths to the table and then end the episode answering listener submission questions. This is a fun episode where you get to hear your coaches break down common nutrition myths that we hear all of the time. Listen to hear your coaches' takes on these myths! Timestamps 0:14 - Paul begins the episode catching you all up on what is going on at RTL for the month of May. This month includes at hike at Sleeping Giant on May 7th and Murph on May 30th. And don't forget to join us for the monthly challenge! Listen to hear Paul break down what the challenge is for this month. 4:23 - Myth 1: Eating too much protein is bad and damaging. Don't eat more than 30g of protein at one time.9:44 - Myth 2: As a lifter, you have to eat as much protein as possible in order to gain muscle, get stronger, reach your goals, etc.21:19 - Myth 3: Gaining strength has to be the primary goal and you should sacrifice your overall health in order to get stronger. Paul also adds, the myth that you can't simultaneously gain strength and lose weight or improve other areas of health. 29:17 - Myth 4: Using a fitness tracker is an accurate method to determine how many calories you burned and how many calories I should be eating. 40:05 - Myth 5: Drinking diet soda is bad for you and can cause cancer, diabetes, etc.49:43 - Myth 6: There is a magic diet, pill, product, etc. that will make me reach my nutrition and weight goals. 55:42 - Paul, Ryan, and Clare answer listener submission questions!

    1h 21m
  3. 03/07/2022

    RTL91- So You Want to Do Your First Meet?

    We're so excited about this month's episode! We are talking about everything you need to know about doing your first meet. Paul and Ryan begin the episode by covering the basics of deciding to do a meet and how to prep for one. Samantha Reyes, a USPA State Referee, joins them for part 2 of the episode. Sam gives you all the information you need to know about checking-in, weighing-in, and all of the lifting standards you need to meet in order to have a successful meet. She really goes into detail about what you can expect on a typical meet day. We hope after listening to this episode that you are excited and ready to sign up for a meet. Click here to sign up for the USPA Resilient Classic II on July 23, 2022 at Revolution Fitness Clubs. And if you want to catch a meet in-person to see what a meet really looks like, come to USPA CT Championship on March 26, 2022 at Revolution Fitness Clubs.  0:15  Episode Introduction: This month's topic is all about your first powerlifting meet! Paul also talks about this month's RTL challenge, the USPA CT Championships on March 26th, and the organization, Open Doors Outdoors, which all of the meet's proceeds will go to.  4:45 Paul and Ryan begin the conversation about wanting to do your first powerlifting meet. And Paul goes into detail about his first powerlifting meet and how he got started in powerlifting.   16:19 What is meet prep? Meet prep doesn't have to be intimidating or miserable. It can be fun and flexible to fit your schedule and goals. They cover everything you need to know about tapers and deloads.  24:02 How do you know what weight class I should be in?  Should you cut for your first meet?  30:41 What is the purpose of a taper?  34:01 All about choosing your openers (hint: it should be something you can hit on your absolute worst day) 38:12 Get prepared beforehand! Get everything you need together before meet day. Get your clothes, shoes, food, etc. all ready to go. Prepare for a long day because meet days can run long! 41:45 Meet day nutrition 44:01 What expectations should you have for yourself on meet day? 51:57 Introducing Sam Reyes, a USPA State Referee 55:00 How to become a USPA State Referee 56:48 Check-ins and weigh-ins before the meet 1:07:45 The order of operations on meet day (rules, lifting, awards) 1:08:32 How do flights work? And why are they used? 1:10:40 Judging and white vs. red lights 1:13:36 Standards for Squat 1:23:18 Standards for Bench 1:29:42 Standards for Deadlifting 1:35:44 Awards (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for each class and best lifter based on DOTS) 1:38:12 Advice from Sam for your first powerlifting meet (practice commands, train at least one day per week around the time that you will be lifting at the meet, meet day nutrition) @resilienttraininglab @uspaconnecticut @__samreyes

    1h 45m
  4. 02/07/2022

    RTL90- The Value of a Coach

    This week is all about the value of hiring a coach. This episode is a great listen for those who have been on the fence about hiring a coach for their training and want help to reach their goals. Having a coach is beneficial whether you are brand new to working out or are an elite lifter.. A coach can be useful no matter where you are in your fitness journey and regardless of what your goals are. Ryan and Paul begin the episode by discussing the value of having a coach when you are first getting started in the gym. A coach can help you when you are brand new to the gym by showing you what the equipment is, how to set it up, and how to use it. They are also learning and looking for advice on how to make lifting fit into their lives. The coach is there to support them as they start working out. As the client moves past their first few months of training and is getting more comfortable with working out and the gym, the coach can be valuable by continuing to keep them accountable and consistent and also adding more complexity into their training. As beginners nail down the basics, more complexity can be added into their program to help them work towards their goals and add in training that they most enjoy. The coach's job with a client within the first year is to help get them comfortable and confident in the gym so that they can workout whether or not a coach is present. They end their discussion discussing the job of a coach for clients in their first few years as a lifter and at an intermediate or advanced level. The coach is still important because they can help to modify your training as your life circumstances may change (i.e. buying a house, getting sick, working through an injury), fine tune technique modifications to help you be stronger and more efficient, and work through plateaus. The coach is also valuable in looking at your life as a whole and aid in making changes inside and outside of the gym in order to help you be the most successful at reaching your goals. The episode closes out with a discussion with a fan favorite guest, Carlos Reyes. Carlos comes on the podcast to discuss why he finds having a coach is valuable as an elite lifter. He talks about when he first started working with a coach and discusses all the way to present day working with Paul for the past 3 years. Give a listen to hear everything Carlos has to say about working with a coach. We would love to hear what you have to say about what you find valuable about having a coach. Leave a comment on Apple Podcast or iTunes or DM us on Instagram to let us know! *0:14 - What is going on at RTL and Revolution Fitness Clubs this month. Hear all about our February Challenge and Community Outreach for this month (hint: it has to do with helping shelter animals 3) *3:16 - Ryan introduces the episode topic which is why having a coach is valuable and what having a coach offers during different stages of your training career.  *3:36 - Paul and Ryan discuss some of wrong reasons to hire a coach (i.e. wanting a coach to help them overhaul their entire lives or having a coach to teach them perfect form and prevent them from getting hurt from lifting) *7:04 - What you should expect when you hire a coach as a new lifter.  *13:50 - Why you need a coach during your first year as lifter (3 months-1 year).  *25:15 -The difficulty in behavior change and how hard it can be to make lifting a life habit . Be open and honest with your coach so that they can best support you in making lifting a life-long habit.  *37:51 -Why you need a coach as an intermediate lifter (1-3 years) *54:31 - Paul and Ryan are joined by elite lifter, Carlos Reyes. Carlos talks about what he finds valuable in having a coach. @resilienttraininglab

    1h 27m
  5. 01/03/2022

    RTL89- What to Expect When You First Start Training

    Happy New Year RTL Fam! We are back with a new and improved format!  This week’s episode covers everything to expect during your first day, week, and month of training & what coaches should be doing and looking for when a client first starts training at RTL. The episode begins with a discussion between Paul and Ryan about the first steps when a client comes to them interested in training. They break down the initial assessment process and cover what the client can expect as well as explain what a coach should be asking and looking for during the assessment process. Next, they delve into what the first day of training looks like as well as the first week and months of training. They stress that the most important factor when it comes to training and making progress is consistently showing up and putting in effort. They also discuss other factors that can help clients be successful in the gym for the long term.  For the second half of the episode, Clare joins Paul to talk about her first experience training with a coach and how she has progressed to where she is today. Clare opens up about her first couple years of training which included working with a trainer whose personality didn’t really match up well with hers, doing random workouts for the better part of a year, and working with another coach who helped her prep for her first powerlifting meet. She then goes into detail about how her training has evolved through working and learning from different coaches, making lifestyle and diet changes, and managing her training to help her to continuously make progress in the gym. Make sure to listen to hear some of the biggest lessons she has learned through training and how lifting has helped to increase her confidence in herself and her abilities.  We hope you enjoyed this new episode format. Make sure to catch next month’s episode which will be released on the first Monday of February. Please leave us feedback on what you thought of this episode by DMing us on Instagram or leaving a review on iTunes. Check out the timestamps below to help you navigate through the episode! *0:15 - Episode introduction. What is going at RTL/Revolution this month, including the monthly challenge and Check In for a Cause *3:58 - The first time you meet with your coach- the Assessment *4:51 - The biggest goal of the assessment is to figure out the client’s “why” for training *15:15 - Getting the client on the training floor during the assessment to get an idea of how comfortable the person is in the gym and with certain exercises *20:21 - Goal of the assessment from a coach’s and client’s perspective *21:29 - When a client comes in for their first training session *22:55 - Goals of the first training session *24:20 - Using the first session to get familiar with the gym, with the program, and with the coaches *27:11 - The idea of moving the needle forward with each training session *34:26 - Goals of the  first week of training- be consistent, create a routine, and then introduce the idea of effort and RPE *42:27 - Continue to show up each week. Progress is made when you consistently show up week after week *44:30 - Creating a sense of community in the gym  *53:30 - First months of training. What to do when motivation begins to wane and/or life gets busy and training needs to change in order to accommodate life changes.  *59:31 - Paul sits down with Clare to talk all about her experience when she first started training about 2 and a half years ago. *1:05:50 - Clare’s first experience working with a coach. Then she transitioned into doing her own random training after the coach left her gym.  *1:11:49 - Clare switches from doing her own thing i

    1h 44m
4.7
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

Coach Paul & Coach Ryan at Resilient Training Lab hope to spread knowledge about the many benefits of the barbell and help change the current landscape of the fitness industry.At Resilient Training Lab, we believe everyone is capable of amazing things. Our mission is to help you discover everything you are truly capable of. We believe that strength training is the foundation to overall well-being and longevity and want to help you learn the many lessons the iron has to teach. The benefits of strength training go beyond the physical, bleeding into the mental and social aspects of life. We want to show you just how amazing you truly are. Come find out how strength training can lead to a stronger, more resilient you– in all aspects of life.