The Tommy Brideson Show

Most people treat accessories like filler — something to just knock out after the “real” work is done. But the truth is, accessories are where a lot of the real progress happens.

This is where you build muscle, reinforce movement patterns, and address the weak links that hold you back in your main lifts. If you treat them with the same intent as your big lifts, they’ll pay you back tenfold.

In this episode I break down how to actually make your accessory work count.

The more technical you become in the gym, the more progress you’ll make long-term. When you train with intention and precision, the outcomes take care of themselves. You build muscle, fuel performance, and show up with purpose.

This is why strength training is the OG. You don’t just get strong — you get smart. You learn how to eat, how to train, how to move. And eventually, you become a total weapon in the gym.

🎙️ Episode 46 of The Tommy Brideson Show is now live.

I truely believe that strength training is one of the most powerful journeys someone can take themselves on.

Life and society can be complex, busy and hard to navigate. The world is largely set up for convince and comfort, and people often feel lost without direction or purpose. 



Todays episode I delve into why I believe that strength training is one of the most powerful tools you have for growth and self betterment. 


Hosted o /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741925

Recovery seems to be the hot topic in most fitness circles at the moment. The question I want to ask first and foremost is:

Do we actually need to factor it in outside of your training program?

Are we just adding extra stress and clutter into your week that resource be better spent in other areas?

I am massive on providing context in all areas of training and rehab so let’s talk recovery today but to kick things off we need to first dive into the training process.

Before we get stuck into the podcast, I have worked with so many high performers in the gym, very few can train under optimal conditions every session, nutrition and sleep being perfectly timed, body feeling ready to go and motivated to get stuck in.

People are juggling work and life commitments, introducing new family members into the world, trying to find extra hours in the day to get more work done, dealing with injuries and also making time to work on themselves and crush there goals.

From the outside looking in, powerlifting may seem quite intimidating and something that you would never consider trying or getting involved in.

I get it trust me I do, but hear me out before we get stuck into today’s podcast I want to share a bit of my story as to how I now own a gym that is so niched down to a single sport.

Personally I had never aspired to be or compete in powerlifting and most certainly did not have any plans to own a gym that is hugely powerlifting focused. To /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741940

Often the key to progression is making sure you tick the boxes of mastering the basics.

We are wired to chase progress and as a result we often move to quickly through exercises progression chasing the more complex variations thinking we will get more benefit from them.

Something I often say is, harder isn't better, better is better.

In this weeks episode I rub through why regressing exercises can actually be really helpful long term. How this can make you better at more comp /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741945

When it comes to training adaptations and making sure you achieve great outcome, you have to follow the principle SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands).

Simply put:

• If you want to build muscle you need to spend time training volume and intensity,
• If you want to get stronger, you need to essentially add more weight to the bar over time
• When it comes to the actual skill side of lifting heavy we need to apply this same logic, you need to practice t /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741950

The world that we live in is largely set up for comfort and convenience over anything else.

The problem with comfort and convenience is we end up working within a small percentage of our available capacity and range.

This over time will compound and as a result we will develop compensatory movement patterns and a decrease in overall health. These patterns need to be offset as part of your daily movement, training program or prehab and the reality is it needs to be more than a 30 seco /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741955

Getting clear on your goals sounds simple right? The reality is many are not entirely sure what they really want. In todays episode I go over conversations that I have with clients over and over again regarding goals and clarity around them.

A lot of the time we place value on an outcome which is usually transient or isn't really our real goal such as squatting 200kg.

Enjoying the process and person you are becoming along the way is arguably the more important component of training /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741960

What you really want from training is results. You want a return for all the hard work and resource that is put into training. The more results you get in training the more you realise that it is less about flashy and exciting and more about perfecting the basics and showing up consistently.

Episode 37 of my podcast I run through three of the most popular training methods. How to use them, why they are so effective and examples of how it would look year round in your training programs.

If you train hard enough for a long enough period of time it is inevitable that you will run into an injury that slows down or limits your progression.

Training has a honeymoon period where everything feels good as a result of getting stronger, building more muscle and improving on your health. The double edged sword here is the thing that helps you progress in your training journey can often come full circle and cause you pain.

Episode 36 of my podcast episode I talk through real li /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741970

When it comes to working with lifters, adding in some drills and hoping for the best likely isn't the most efficient approach.

I prefer to really pressure test my ideas so that when you add in mobility and control drills are very targeted. That last thing you want to do is add unnecessary clutter to a lifters training programs.

When you start to think not only about the restrictions you are assessing and start thinking of the opposing side, assisting muscles and the entire system yo /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741975

Imagine if told you that training your claves would help you squat and deadlift more. Well in todays episode I want to delve into how and why this can be the case.

Your first response is likely how would that even be possible, I get it but hear me out.

The calves play a large role in stability, power generation and creating stability at the knee and ankle. Your feet are the only contact point with the ground.

Surely we need to put some thought into our lower leg if we are /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741980

Episode 33 of my Podcast "The Tommy Brideson Show"

Recently I have ben asked if I am worried about the emergence of AI and technology for both coaching and physiotherapy as a service.

I am not worried in the slightest as the reality is there will always be a need for in person services. Using these developments in other areas of my business could actually be very useful.

Connect with me:

/episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741985

Episode 32 of my Podcast "The Tommy Brideson Show"

Outside of technique and time served, really there are two main drivers that will push forward your training progress.

Coaches like to wrap training up in a term called periodisation, then break it down into small manageable chunks.

The reality is there will be times where you work sub-maximally using volume as a driver for progress and there will be periods where you drop off training volume and use intensity as a driver /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741990

Episode 31 of my Podcast "The Tommy Brideson Show"

Anyone who has been training hard enough for a decent amount of time will eventually run into back pain in some shape or form.

Not all back pain is equal and you will often find that the more active population will develop functional asymmetries and stiffness that will lead to pain.

I run through some of the common culprits in this episode.

Connect with me:

/episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37741995

Episode 30 of my Podcast "The Tommy Brideson Show"

Today I delve into the nuances of the different stages of the coaching relationship.

Many would think that the relationship is very much a dictatorship, the reality is it couldn't be further from the truth.

Once you have a solid training foundation, you will start to collaborate with your coach more to assist the decision making progress.

Connect with me:

/episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37742000

Episode 29 of "The Tommy Brideson Show"

One of the easiest way to prioritise your goals is to give them the best opportunity through your training week.

I run through some easy strategies that will set you up to win each session and each block.

Training is a game of fatigue management these are just a few easy ways to crush it!

Hosted on Acast. See /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37742005

Episode 28 of "The Tommy Brideson Show"

To make progress and get the changes you desire through training, there is no way around it, hard work is essential.

But in order to stay focused and enjoy the process, it is absolutely necessary to enjoy the training process. You need to lean into what you enjoy and also push yourself.

If you enjoy lifting heavy weights or you more enjoy building muscle then you need to lean into that for chunks of time each year.

/episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37742010

Episode 27 of "The Tommy Brideson Show"

Long term progress requires you to build volume and intensity for long periods of time.

We have access to great information and research, exercise machines and methods to build all aspects of fitness. The thing that is often overlooked is simply putting in hard sets and reps each session.

Try not to get caught up in all of the nuances, show up to each session and put in some effort towards your goals.

These new positions will take time to make your new technique. When you are fatigued, fall out of position or push the intensity, you will simply revert to the path of least re /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37742020

Episode 25 of "The Tommy Brideson Show"

A perfect plan on paper does not mean that you will get the results you expect without effort. I often say to people do not get crippled by perfectionism as it will significantly slow down your progress, just start and figure things out as you go.

Reason being I would much rather someone show up daily putting in effort towards your goals and just start. Making changes to your training is something you will continue to do over the years and is g /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37742025

Episode 24 of "The Tommy Brideson Show"

If you think about your training like this, you will be able to really get so much value from it.

Your movement prep, rehab and prehab is building qualities you want from the ground up.

Your training itself is working back from your end point which in most cases will be increasing muscle and strength.

This is why I always say; coaching is rehab & rehab is coaching

Hosted on /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37742030

Episode 23 of "The Tommy Brideson Show"

I often say to people be in a hurry to get great but know that the results you want will take time. You need to spend time learning and developing as this sets the platform for your future successes.

In a world where people want results instantly, its important to remember that people we hold in high regard have all spent the time learning and developing. Yes you may see them smashing life and you want a slice of the action.

Just rem /episode/index/show/2a8f74b3-8fbf-4e54-acbd-c24c31264c23/id/37742035