Canine Handler Fitness Podcast

Liz Joyce
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Fitness

Welcome to the Canine Handler Fitness Podcast, the show that meets dog sport handlers exactly where they are—whether you're just getting started or chasing world-level performance. Hosted by Liz Joyce, leading expert in dog handler fitness. Each bite-sized episode dives into the real physical demands of dog handling, offering practical, compassionate, and performance-driven tips to help you move better, feel stronger, and fuel your performance. We break down the nuances of handler fitness needs, uncover what's holding you back, and build your foundation brick by brick—always with tools you can use right away. Expect short, sharp episodes packed with insight, motivation, and real-world action steps. Because here, fitness isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s about giving every handler the tools they need to be strong, mobile, fast, agile, and ready for the ring.

  1. 4d ago

    You Know What To Do. So, Why Is It So Hard To Be Consistent?

    You have goals. You have a plan. You might even have a great workout program. So why is it so hard to stick with it? You start strong. Life gets busy. Workouts get skipped. Frustration sets in. Sound familiar? Here's the good news: Consistency isn't something you're born with. It's a skill you can build. In part one of our three-part Skills of Consistency series, we're talking about: Why meaningful goals make training easier to prioritizeHow unrealistic workout plans set you up for frustrationSimple ways to make getting started easierWhy you don't need more willpower to follow through Your challenge this week: Choose one fitness goal that matters to you. Make a realistic training plan. Then change ONE thing that will make following through easier. Small changes. Repeated often. That's how progress happens. 🎧 Listen in, pick one thing, and put it into practice this week. Your future self will thank you! Come see why hundreds of handlers are training differently. Your free 7-day trial is waiting. LINK TO SIGN UP: https://caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co/f0/K1N57cOD2W caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co

    You Know What To Do. So, Why Is It So Hard To Be Consistent?

  2. Oct 15

    Want Better Cardio? Stop Trying to Exhaust Yourself

    Working hard on your cardio but still getting winded when you run your dog? What if getting fitter didn't actually require you to feel exhausted every time you train? In this episode, we're talking about the difference between workouts that leave you feeling absolutely wiped out and workouts that actually build your aerobic fitness. I'm also sharing my experience getting back into sprinting with my Sprint Lab students after nearly four years away. Despite all the strength training I've been doing, my legs were NOT prepared for what I asked them to do. 😂 But my cardio? Fantastic. And I think there's a really useful lesson in that. We're talking about: Why easy cardio can feel surprisingly difficult, especially if you're used to pushing yourself.How Zone 2 training can help you run faster at the same effort and recover better between runs.Why walking and run/walk intervals absolutely count as cardio training.What better aerobic fitness can mean for your agility handling, long trial days and other dog sports.How to tell whether your cardio workouts are actually doing their job. You don't have to finish every workout exhausted to be getting fitter. Sometimes the biggest sign of progress is that the things that used to exhaust you don't anymore. If today's episode resonated with you, come train alongside us. Start your free 7-day trial and discover what purposeful training feels like. LINK TO SIGN UP: https://caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co/f0/K1N57cOD2W caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co

    Want Better Cardio? Stop Trying to Exhaust Yourself

  3. Oct 8

    Five Reasons Your Workouts Aren't Getting Results

    Are you working out but not getting stronger, faster or fitter? Maybe you're consistent but your progress has stalled. Maybe you're struggling to fit your workouts around dog training. Or maybe you're doing a LOT and wondering why you're not seeing better results. In this episode, I'm taking you inside five coaching conversations with handlers who all wanted to improve their fitness but needed very different things to make that happen. We'll look at when adding another workout makes sense, why consistency might be more important than changing your program, how to get more from the workouts you're already doing, and when recovery is actually the thing that's missing. We'll also talk about minimum effective dose versus optimal dose, and why you don't need to be trying to improve every part of your fitness at the same time. Because the answer isn't always to do more, and it certainly isn't always to do less. The better question is: What does this goal need from you next? By the end, you'll have a practical way to evaluate your own training and decide what needs to change to keep moving forward. Want some help figuring out what your fitness goals actually need from you? Come try the Canine Handler Fitness All Access Pass free for 7 days. You'll find strength, speed, cardio and mobility training designed specifically for dog sport handlers, plus tools to help you choose workouts that make sense for your goals and your schedule. You don't need to know exactly where to start. That's what I'm here to help with. Start your free 7-day trial at CanineHandlerFitness.com.

    Five Reasons Your Workouts Aren't Getting Results

  4. Oct 1

    Are You Building the Handler Your Dog Needs This Winter?

    What do you want your body to be able to do next spring that it can't quite do right now? Summer is a great time to use your fitness. Run your dogs. Trial. Hike. Travel. Get outside. Have fun and let all that work you've done actually buy you something. But fall and winter can have a different job. This is build time. In this episode, we're talking about why the quieter months are such a valuable opportunity to dig into a routine and actually change your physical capacity before next season. I'm also getting into one of the least flashy but most valuable things many handlers could build this winter: a bigger aerobic engine. We'll talk about Zone 2 training, why easy aerobic work matters even in a sport built around short bursts of effort, and how better conditioning can give you more reserve for long training days, multiple runs and recovery between harder efforts. Plus, if running is something you'd like to build this fall, my Couch to 5K course through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy is open now. I'll help you build your running gradually, with running progressions plus the strength and injury prevention work to support it. Fall is where we build the handler your dog is going to compete with next year. COURSE LINK: https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/courses/43371 Everything I talk about on this podcast is built into the Canine Handler Fitness app. Start your free 7-day trial and put these ideas into practice. LINK TO SIGN UP: https://caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co/f0/K1N57cOD2W caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co

    Are You Building the Handler Your Dog Needs This Winter?

  5. Sep 24

    Working Out But Not Getting Better?

    If you're working out consistently but still not getting faster, stronger or more athletic, you may not need to work harder. You may need your workouts to have clearer jobs. In this episode, I'm bringing you inside a recent coaching call with a handler who was already doing A LOT right. She was strong, fit, consistent and training six days a week. The problem wasn't effort. Her legs were constantly tired, her progress had stalled, and the things she wanted most, more speed, athleticism and better agility performance, weren't necessarily what her training week was set up to build. So we reorganized it. I'm walking you through why I separated speed training from conditioning, where I added recovery without reducing her overall training, why strength and athleticism aren't exactly the same thing, and how one small piece of movement prep can change what someone gets out of the work they're already doing. Because every workout can be hard. Every workout can make you sweat. Every workout can make you tired. But what is each workout actually there to build? A good training week isn't the one that makes you the most tired. It's the one that moves you forward. Ready to stop guessing and start training with intention? Start your free 7-day trial of Canine Handler Fitness today. LINK TO SIGN UP: https://caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co/f0/K1N57cOD2W caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co

    Working Out But Not Getting Better?

  6. Sep 17

    What If You Were Faster Than Your Agility Course Required?

    If you’re already running as fast as you possibly can to make a handling position, what happens when you suddenly need another gear? In this episode, we’re talking about speed reserve, physical capacity, and why getting faster isn’t about outrunning your dog. It’s about making the speed your sport requires a smaller percentage of what your body can do. We’ll talk about the signs that agility may be getting too close to your current ceiling, what happens when you get a faster dog, and one of my favorite client stories: after a couple months of strength and speed training, she was suddenly getting so far ahead of her dog that she started wondering if the course spacing had changed. The course hadn’t changed. She had. Plus, Sprint Lab enrollment closes September 21. If you want to spend the next eight weeks building more speed, horsepower and options on course, this is your last chance to join us. LINK TO SIGN UP: https://liz-joyce-fitnes.kit.com/7f672deda0 liz-joyce-fitnes.kit.com If today's episode resonated with you, come train alongside us. Start your free 7-day trial and discover what purposeful training feels like. LINK TO SIGN UP: https://caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co/f0/K1N57cOD2W caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co

    What If You Were Faster Than Your Agility Course Required?

  7. Sep 10

    How to Peak for Your Big Event

    Your big event is getting closer and you're realizing you probably should have started preparing your body sooner. Did you leave it too late? If you've still got a couple of months, you have more time than you think. But what you do with that time matters. In this episode, I'm working backwards from event day and showing you how I'd approach those final weeks as your coach. When should you still be pushing to get stronger, faster and better conditioned? When should your training become more specific? And most importantly, when do you need to stop trying to build more fitness and start getting rid of fatigue? Because you can be incredibly fit and incredibly tired at the same time. Whether you're preparing for the US Open, another big trial, a seminar or even a big adventure with your dog, I'll help you figure out what you can realistically improve before you get there and how to arrive ready to actually use the fitness you've built. Fitness is built before the event. Performance is revealed at the event. Speed is your weak link? Sprint Lab starts September 14. We're spending eight weeks training speed, acceleration, deceleration, sprint mechanics and the transition back into agility, with a sprint video review and personal coaching priority every week. JOIN SPRINT LAB https://liz-joyce-fitnes.kit.com/7f672deda0 Or if you need to work on strength, conditioning, mobility or another piece of your fitness, you can try the Canine Handler Fitness All Access Pass free for 7 days. START YOUR FREE TRIAL https://caninehandlerfitness.apprabbit.co/sales-page And if you know someone with a big event circled on their calendar, send them this episode. November is coming whether we train for it or not.

    How to Peak for Your Big Event

  8. Sep 3

    What’s Your Weak Link on Course?

    You know where you need to be on course. So why does your body sometimes make it so damn hard to get there? “Getting fitter” isn't a very useful goal if you don't know what's actually holding you back. In this episode, I'm putting on my coaching hat and helping you look at your handling from a different perspective. We'll talk about some of the most common physical limitations I see in agility handlers, how to start figuring out your weak link, and one thing you can work on for each. Because the answer isn't always “get faster.” And it definitely isn't doing more random workouts. The better you understand what your body is struggling to do, the more purposeful your training can become. Want to put this into practice? Sprint Lab starts September 14. If speed and acceleration are showing up as one of your weak links, we'll spend eight weeks working on your sprinting with coaching, form reviews, weekly training and support along the way. And if you haven't grabbed it yet, Laurren Bastian and I created the free Warm Up Together Field Guide, a simple five-minute routine to prepare both you and your dog before training or competition. [GRAB THE FREE FIELD GUIDE] https://liz-joyce-fitnes.kit.com/552695a6aa Know another handler who's always saying, “I just need to get fitter”? Send them this episode. It might help them figure out what “fitter” actually needs to mean for them.

    What’s Your Weak Link on Course?
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Canine Handler Fitness Podcast, the show that meets dog sport handlers exactly where they are—whether you're just getting started or chasing world-level performance. Hosted by Liz Joyce, leading expert in dog handler fitness. Each bite-sized episode dives into the real physical demands of dog handling, offering practical, compassionate, and performance-driven tips to help you move better, feel stronger, and fuel your performance. We break down the nuances of handler fitness needs, uncover what's holding you back, and build your foundation brick by brick—always with tools you can use right away. Expect short, sharp episodes packed with insight, motivation, and real-world action steps. Because here, fitness isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s about giving every handler the tools they need to be strong, mobile, fast, agile, and ready for the ring.

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