Conditioned To Bowl

Paul Schroeder and Heather Sterner
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

Presented by the Bowling Strength and Conditioning Academy, helps bowling athletes train smarter, move better, and compete longer through evidence-based strength training, sports conditioning, injury prevention, recovery, and performance coaching. Hosted by Paul Schroeder and Heather Sterner, the show features educational discussions, coaching insights, and conversations focused on bowling fitness, mobility, mental performance, nutrition, and athlete wellness. #BowlersAreAthletes 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes weekly. 📲 Learn more at https://conditionedtobowl.com

  1. 1d ago

    The Comeback: Chris Barnes & His Injury | Conditioned to Bowl Ep. 32

    A PBA Hall of Famer's leg went numb on a 13-hour flight home from Korea - and the physical therapist who helped rebuild it afterward is the one asking the questions in this episode. Chris Barnes joins host Paul Schroeder for the first part of a three-part conversation, and early on the two reveal something most listeners won't expect: Paul has actually been Chris's hands-on physical therapist for the past two years. Chris walks through [04:00] life on the road after a brutal stretch between the Bowl the Kids Tour and the PBA50 World Series, then gets into the real story: the [12:00] herniated disc that forced him out of the 2015 PBA Fall Classic, the doctor who gave him odds as low as 30% depending on timing, and a comeback that took years longer than it needed to because he came back too soon. Along the way, Chris and Paul compare his recovery to fellow PBA pro Kyle Sherman's own hip surgeries and his recent withdrawal from the Tournament of Champions: two athletes, a decade apart, dealing with strikingly similar injuries. The episode closes on what life after competing might look like for Chris, from broadcasting alongside Kyle on CW Sports to a financial-advisor pitch he never saw coming. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro & Chris Barnes' Career Stats 04:00 Life on the Kids Tour & PBA50 Circuit 09:00 Meet Chris's Physical Therapist... Paul? 13:00 The Injury: A 13-Hour Flight From Korea 17:00 Recovery, Setbacks & Regret 21:00 Comparing Notes with Kyle Sherman 26:00 Life After Competing: Broadcasting #podcast #bowling ##KyleSherman #BowlersAreAthletes #ConditionedToBowl #ChrisBarnes #PBAHallOfFame

  2. Aug 11

    Off the Lanes and Onto the Race with Josie Barnes | Conditioned To Bowl Ep. 31

    A wrist injury took Josie Barnes off the lanes and put her on the Spartan start line. In part two of her conversation with Paul Schroeder and Heather Sterner, Josie opens up about the post-COVID reset that led her to hire trainer Josh Kemp, the wrist and hand diagnosis that forced her off the lanes, and how that setback turned into her first Spartan Race with training partner Chris Sloan. She also breaks down the mental toughness that carried over into competition, including her now-famous line about leg pressing 360 pounds. From there, the conversation shifts to where bowling stands in its own strength and conditioning evolution. Josie compares the sport's current moment to golf before Tiger Woods and shares what she saw touring Singapore's Sports School. She talks about her daughter Lisa Ruth watching her train, a backyard box jump mishap that ended her box jump days for good, and why load management matters as much for youth bowlers as it does for tour veterans managing chronic injuries. Recovery and nutrition round out the back half, from her go-to Normatec sessions to why she refuses to let her daughters skip breakfast. Josie closes with a lesson in grace over perfectionism and reveals her next #OneStupidThingAYear challenge: HYROX Nashville this December, and a shot at redemption at the Outlast endurance race. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 04:00 Post-COVID reset and hiring trainer Josh Kemp 07:00 The wrist and hand diagnosis 09:00 First Spartan Race with Chris Sloan 13:00 Leg press 360 and mental toughness 15:00 Bowling's strength and conditioning evolution 22:00 Segment questions: favorite and least favorite exercises 24:00 The box jump story 26:00 Wrist diagnosis deep dive and load management 33:00 Recovery tools: Normatec and massage gun 36:00 Nutrition habits and why breakfast is non-negotiable 41:00 Grace over perfectionism 44:00 #OneStupidThingAYear: HYROX and the Outlast reveal #BowlersAreAthletes #ConditionedToBowl #JosieBarnes #SpartanRace #BowlingPodcast #HYROX #podcast #bowling

  3. Aug 4

    The Letter Snuck Out of the Trash with Josie Barnes | Conditioned To Bowl Ep. 30

    Six-time PWBA champion Josie Barnes admits she didn't even like bowling as a kid, and explains how a wrist injury forced her to finally take conditioning seriously. In this first installment of a two-part conversation, Vanderbilt head women's bowling coach and 14-year Team USA member Josie Barnes joins Paul and Heather to trace her path from a 12-lane family bowling center in Southern Illinois to six PWBA titles, including the 2025 Queens and 2025 PWBA Anniversary Open. Josie opens up about growing up on a bar stool at her parents' bowling center, the ultimatum her mom gave her about practicing versus paying for her own college, and the Vanderbilt recruiting letter her mom pulled back out of the trash. From there, the conversation shifts into training: how tennis, softball, and bowling each shaped her differently as an athlete, and why a wrist injury that's plagued her for three to four years pushed her to rebuild her approach to conditioning entirely. The episode closes with Josie getting real about parenting a fiercely competitive six-year-old, why she's stepped back from coaching her own daughter, and why gymnastics is non-negotiable as a foundation sport. Part 2 of this conversation drops next week. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 3:10 Getting Josie On The Show 7:00 Growing Up In A Bowling Center 9:00 Mom's Ultimatum 12:00 The Letter Out Of The Trash 14:00 Tennis, Softball & Bowling Compared 17:00 The Wrist Injury That Won't Heal 18:00 Body First, Mind Follows 20:30 Raising A Competitive Kid 23:00 Not Coaching Her Own Daughter 24:00 Why Gymnastics Is Non-Negotiable #BowlersAreAthletes #JosieBarnes #PWBA #VanderbiltBowling #BowlingStrength #ConditionedToBowl #TeamUSA #Bowling #Podcast

  4. Jul 21

    Courtney Karch: Just Like a Brand New Day | Conditioned To Bowl

    There's been a lot of tears shed over the last three years figuring this out - but now it's just like a brand new day. Part 2 of our conversation with Courtney Karch picks up right where Part 1 left off. This time it's the rapid-fire round: her real pre-tournament nutrition habits (yes, coffee is involved), why beans made the cut for both budget and fiber, and the cheat meal she's not sorry about. Then Heather and Courtney get into training talk - the most overhyped exercise in the gym right now, the underrated move Courtney swears by, and why she wants people to ask themselves if they really own the floor before loading up a barbell. The conversation closes on recovery, advice, and mentorship: why sleep beats every recovery gadget once you have kids, the three-word lesson from her mentor that changed how she talks to everyone, and the grace and patience it took to get to this new season of life. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:00 – Pre-tournament nutrition and coffee 02:00 – Why beans made the cut 03:00 – Toddler picky eating and the cheat meal 04:00 – Music, exercise, and the Bluey tangent 05:00 – The moment we all found out Bluey is a girl 06:00 – The Muffin phase 07:00 – Favorite and least favorite exercise 08:00 – Side plank hip thrusts, the underrated move 09:00 – The most overrated exercise in the gym 10:00 – Build a foundation before barbell work 11:00 – Sleep as the number one recovery tool 12:00 – The mentor lesson: seen, heard, validated 13:00 – Best advice: work hard, then give yourself grace 14:00 – A brand new day 15:00 – How she found her mentor 16:00 – The value of mentorship 17:00 – Where to find Courtney and episode close Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74CvzgYI3qGxpsSMknHsxf Use code PWBAHEATHER for 10% off Coolwick gear. #PostpartumRecovery, #BowlersAreAthletes, #ConditionedToBowl, #BowlingStrength, #RecoveryTools, #GraceAndPatience, #Mentorship, #bowling

  5. Jul 14

    Courtney Karch: My Body Didn't Feel Mine | Conditioned To Bowl

    My body still didn't feel like mine - and no one warns you how long that lasts. Courtney Karch, a BSCA ambassador, pain-free performance specialist, and mom of two, joins Paul and Heather for a raw conversation about postpartum identity and the road back to bowling. She opens up about the hollow feeling that hits after a C-section, the pressure to bounce back that comes with being a fitness coach, and the comparison trap that makes recovery even harder. Courtney and Heather also compare their first and second pregnancies and the pre and postnatal coaches who guided their training. The conversation turns candid and clinical as Courtney breaks down what childbirth trauma actually feels like, from contraction intensity to C-section pain and recovery timelines, scar mobilization, and why things just don't snap back. Then it's back to the lanes for the real story of relearning how to throw a bowling ball postpartum, Heather's PWBA regional comeback in Rochester, and the mom brain science behind competing while your hormones are still finding their footing. Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74CvzgYI3qGxpsSMknHsxf Use code PWBAHEATHER for 10% off Coolwick gear. #PostpartumRecovery #BowlersAreAthletes #mom #mother #ConditionedToBowl #CSectionRecovery #MomAthlete #BowlingStrength #Postpartum #pregnancy #breastfeeding Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 03:00 - Postpartum identity and the hollow feeling 08:00 - The pressure to bounce back 11:00 - The comparison trap 12:00 - Devastated: when a fit birth plan doesn't go as planned 13:00 - First C-section vs. second C-section 16:00 - Working with pre- and postnatal coaches 20:00 - What childbirth trauma actually feels like 21:00 - Contractions and the epidural 22:00 - C-section pain, on a scale of one to ten 26:00 - Why things don't snap back 29:00 - Relearning how to throw a bowling ball 30:00 - Heather's PWBA regional comeback 34:00 - Mom brain is backed by research 35:00 - Breastfeeding and pumping at tournaments 38:00 - Toddler phase reflections

  6. Jul 7

    Off the Lanes: The Vitamin DTang Way with Darren Tang | Conditioned To Bowl Ep#27

    You have seen what Vitamin DTang does on the lanes. This is what he does off them. Part 3 of the Vitamin DTang Mini-Series closes the story where it lives — in the gym, at the table, and in the mindset that keeps a PBA champion competing at the top year after year. Paul and Heather dig into Darren Tang's full off-lanes routine: the Normatec boots he swears by on long drives between tour stops, the PT who trained him at Jordan Farmar's private gym, and the leg strength test that left his trainer speechless. Darren talks through his favorite exercise (the back squat, and yes, partly for the ego), the push jerk that injured his back and that he has never touched since, and his honest take on what he still wants to get better at: recovery discipline. Heather draws the line between ego lifting and heavy lifting that every bowler in the gym needs to hear. Paul calls for the clip mid-conversation. Then it gets personal. Darren's pre-tournament caffeine ritual, the Reign 300mg regional story, the four-eggs-and-turkey-bacon meal plan, and three pieces of life advice he has carried since 2018 Team USA: control the controllables, never be the smartest person in the room, and surround yourself with people who are better than you. The episode closes on EDM, Dance Dance Revolution, anime motivation playlists, and a Ryan Barnes shoutout to end the series. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:00 – Social handles: YouTube, Twitch, Vitamin_DTang 04:00 – Recovery tools: Normatec boots and prolonged sitting 05:00 – Fernando Garcia, Jordan Farmar's gym, and the back squat 08:00 – The push jerk that hurt his back 09:00 – Body stats: 136 lbs, 285 squat max, 305 deadlift, 210 bench 10:00 – Heather on ego lifting vs. heavy lifting 12:00 – What Darren wants to learn more about: recovery 13:00 – Nutrition: caffeine, routines, pre-tournament meals 14:00 – The 300mg Reign regional story 16:00 – Four eggs, turkey bacon, and eating before you bowl 14:00 – Life advice: control the controllables 15:00 – Never be the smartest person in the room 15:00 – Surround yourself with people better than you 16:00 – Rooming with Chris Vine and Chris Prather 17:00 – Music: EDM, Dance Dance Revolution, and anime playlists 20:00 – Ryan Barnes shoutout and closing Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74CvzgYI3qGxpsSMknHsxf Grab your bowling gear with code PWBAHEATHER for 10% off at Coolwick. #BowlersAreAthletes #ConditionedToBowl #DarrenTang #VitaminDTang #BowlingTraining #BowlingRecovery #PBATour #BSCA #BowlingNutrition #BowlingMindset #gym

  7. Jun 30

    Ep#26: The Gamble: Darren Tang Bets on His Whole Season

    He finished in the 90s at the US Open. That is basically last place. And that is the exact moment Darren Tang decided to bet everything on a single decision, mid-season, with no guarantee it would pay off. This is Part 2 of the Vitamin DTang Mini-Series on Conditioned To Bowl. The gamble, the doubt, and the moment Darren Tang chose to bet on himself. Darren walks Paul and Heather through the full arc: the summer league two-handed experiment he gave himself two years to develop, the regional event in Vegas where he finished sixth and beat every two-hander in the field, and the US Open performance that finally pushed him over the edge. He shares what it felt like to start learning everything from scratch while surrounded by the best bowlers in the world, and how the tour's two-handed veterans helped accelerate what should have taken years. Paul draws the sports analogy that says it all — a switch-hitting MLB player stepping into the opposite batter's box 59 games into the season and hitting .310. And the conversation closes on the moment that made it all mean more: Darren winning on Mother's Day with Mama Tang in the building. Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction 01:00 – Paul sets up the mid-season question 01:00 – The summer league two-handed experiment 01:30 – The Vegas regional test 02:00 – Team trials with an arsenal of two-handed balls 03:00 – The US Open breaking point 03:30 – Prepared to get bageled for the year 04:00 – Learning all over again 04:30 – Confidence after the Chicago match play 05:00 – Mesmerizing: watching the switch happen live 05:30 – Grabbing five balls off the truck 06:00 – The two-handed brotherhood helps 06:30 – Did anyone say do not do it? 06:30 – The baseball switch-hitter analogy 07:30 – Fitness routine and training regimen 09:30 – Why mobility is the most important thing 10:30 – Pain as the wrong trigger for action 13:00 – The in-home gym and the SAID principle 14:30 – Mama Tang and the Mother's Day title 15:30 – Get your vitamin D: closing thoughts #BowlersAreAthletes #ConditionedToBowl #DarrenTang #VitaminDTang #TwoHandedBowling #PBATour #Bowling #podcast #athlete #gamble #risk #gambling #USOpen

  8. Jun 24

    Ep#25: The Vitamin DTang Origin: Two is better than One with Darren Tang

    Before the nickname. Before the championship. Before the switch that stunned the tour – Darren Tang was a one-handed bowler with golfer's elbow, a capped rev rate, and a body telling him something had to change.   This is the Vitamin DTang origin story.   In Part 1 of the Vitamin DTang Mini-Series, Paul and Heather sit down with Darren Tang to trace the full arc – from a legendary college bowling class that reads like a hall of fame ballot, to the multi-sport athletic background that made the two-handed switch even possible, to the biomechanics nobody talks about: lateral spine tilt, non-dominant pec engagement, quad tension, and why two-handed bowling demands more from your body than it looks.   Darren breaks down the pain that forced the question – golfer's elbow, shoulder strain, years of chasing the right ball fit – and the Specto numbers that answered it: capped at 450 RPM one-handed, now touching 515 two-handed. Paul and Heather weigh in on the spine health debate and what the current data does and does not yet tell us. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro and Darren Tang credentials 03:00 The 2013-14 college bowling class 05:00 Athletic background and how bowling won 07:00 Two-handed athleticism requirements and spine tilt 08:00 Quad tension and the pec nobody talks about 11:00 One-handed vs. two-handed spine health debate 12:00 The pain that forced the switch 13:00 Specto rev rate numbers 14:00 The entry fee: 17 mph and 450 RPM 15:00 Darren Tang has a chance every single week #BowlersAreAthletes #ConditionedToBowl #DarrenTang#VitaminDTang #TwoHandedBowling #PBATour #BowlingTraining #BowlingStrength#BSCA #BowlingPodcast #NCBCA #WSOB

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Presented by the Bowling Strength and Conditioning Academy, helps bowling athletes train smarter, move better, and compete longer through evidence-based strength training, sports conditioning, injury prevention, recovery, and performance coaching. Hosted by Paul Schroeder and Heather Sterner, the show features educational discussions, coaching insights, and conversations focused on bowling fitness, mobility, mental performance, nutrition, and athlete wellness. #BowlersAreAthletes 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes weekly. 📲 Learn more at https://conditionedtobowl.com

Information

  • Creator
    Paul Schroeder and Heather Sterner
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Paul Schroeder and Heather Sterner
  • Show Website
    Conditioned To Bowl