The Fitness Rants Podcast

Welcome to the Fitness Rants Podcast — the show where unfiltered conversations meet real-world health & fitness. The podcast aims to through the noise and dive deep into the truth behind health, nutrition, physique development, and the fitness industry itself. The show is hosted by Ross Gilmour and Malin Blomdahl, a husband & wife duo based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. They are experienced coaches & educators who have been part of the fitness industry for over 15 years. If you’re a coach, high performer, or just someone tired of mainstream nonsense — you’re in the right place.

Episode 14 - The State Of Modern Personal Training: The Lost Art In Coaching? 04/03/2026

Episode 13 - Is Your Body Really Your Business Card As A Coach? 03/20/2026

Episode 13 - Is Your Body Really Your Business Card As A Coach? In this episode of the Fitness Rants Podcast, we unpack a question that has divided opinions across the fitness industry: Is your body your business card? Our answer is not a lazy yes-or-no. It depends on the type of coach you are, the space you work in, and what standard you believe a fitness professional should hold themselves to. We break down why this question hits differently for body composition coaches compared to performance coaches, Pilates instructors, yoga teachers, or professionals working on behaviour change and a client's relationship with food. We talk about why having a great physique does not automatically make someone a great coach, why results with clients are a must, and why coaches in the body composition space should have experience walking the path themselves. We also get into the pressure fitness professionals feel to always look a certain way, especially women, and why being lean year-round isn't the standard we think it is. A big part of this conversation is about maintenance. We explain why maintenance is the most overlooked phase in body composition coaching, why it is often far more valuable than constant extremes, and why learning to live in that middle ground is where real long-term progress happens. We also cover the idea that coaches often become like the very clients they are trying to serve. This episode is for coaches, personal trainers, online fitness professionals, and also everyday people who have ever wondered what kind of pressure comes with working in the fitness industry. If you got value from this episode, subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with someone who needs a more honest take on what credibility in fitness actually looks like. Timestamps 0:00 Intro to Fitness Rants 0:29 Is your body your business card? Setting up the debate 1:23 Yes and no: why the answer needs context 1:52 Body composition coaching vs other sectors of fitness 3:19 Why coaches should walk the path themselves 4:19 The pressure on female coaches to look a certain way 6:03 Make maintenance great again: the most overlooked phase 8:56 Why maintenance is your real home base 11:05 What a priming phase actually looks like in practice 13:51 Why most clients do not need an aggressive diet 14:32 Coaches create mirror images of themselves 16:00 First impressions, appearance, and the reality of fitness industry judgment 18:31 Final answer: your body matters, but your standards matter more /episode/index/show/ac5c5f8e-8992-4426-b35c-b91d58606c98/id/40459585

Episode 12 - Our 2025 Sucked! Heres Why 03/14/2026

Episode 12 - Our 2025 Sucked! Heres Why In this episode of the Fitness Rants Podcast, we share something far more personal than usual. We talk openly about why 2025 was one of the hardest years we have had in a long time, how a major investment situation blindsided us, and the emotional, financial, and mental toll it took. We get into how we started investing while living in Dubai, why we felt the need to build long-term security outside of the UK and Sweden, and how what seemed like a sensible, professional financial plan turned into one of the most stressful experiences we have faced as a couple. We also discuss the dangers of blind trust, the importance of due diligence, and how selective information can lead smart people into bad decisions. This episode is not really about money alone. It is about pressure, uncertainty, resilience, and what happens when life pulls the rug out from under you just as you feel like you are getting somewhere. We discuss how that stress spilled into business, mindset, and day-to-day life, and why health, training, routine, and controlling the controllables became even more important during that period. We also speak about something social media rarely shows. Behind the highlight reel, plenty of people are carrying stress, setbacks, embarrassment, and private battles that nobody sees. This is our honest conversation about one of ours. If you have ever gone through a financial setback, a stressful season in business, or a period where life simply felt heavier than usual, this episode will likely hit home. If you got value from this episode, subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with someone who needs the reminder that setbacks do not have to be the end of the story. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro to Fitness Rants 0:30 Why 2025 hit us so hard 1:43 The personal story we almost did not share 3:08 How our investing journey started in Dubai 5:18 Building long-term security and future property goals 8:11 Why we trusted a financial adviser 11:28 The first investment win and the risky next step 16:14 When everything froze, and reality hit 20:42 The emotional fallout, cash flow stress, and rebuilding 24:01 The lessons we learned about trust, risk, and due diligence 27:06 How we handled the stress without falling apart 31:32 Social media, private struggles, and why we shared this now /episode/index/show/ac5c5f8e-8992-4426-b35c-b91d58606c98/id/40459310

Episode 11 - Make Meal Prep Great Again! 02/27/2026

Episode 11 - Make Meal Prep Great Again! In this episode of the Fitness Rants Podcast, we dive deep into the reality of meal prep, not the Instagram version, but the sustainable, real-world version that actually works long term. We’ve both been meal prepping consistently for over 15 years. Not because we’re obsessive, and not because we always feel like it, but because we understand the payoff. What we see time and time again with clients is that meal prep doesn’t fail because it’s “too difficult.” It fails because it feels overwhelming, inconvenient, or unnecessary in a world where food can be delivered to your door in minutes. We unpack how convenience culture has created a disconnect between people and their food, why perceived lack of time isn’t always the true barrier, and how competence in the kitchen mirrors competence in the gym. If you’ve never built the skill, of course it feels intimidating. The solution is not complexity. It is simplicity and repetition. We talk through practical strategies that actually move the needle. Start with just one meal instead of trying to overhaul your entire diet. Use repetition to reduce decision fatigue. Anchor key meals like breakfast or dinner. Double portions to solve tomorrow’s lunch. Plan proactively instead of reacting when you are hungry and stressed. We also cover when convenience genuinely makes sense, such as during high-pressure work seasons, and how to use it strategically rather than letting it run your nutrition by default. For parents, we discuss why cooking is more than calorie control. It is a skill, a cultural habit, and something that gets passed down. For busy professionals, we explain why removing friction, not adding complexity, is the key to making meal prep sustainable. If you are tired of winging your nutrition, skipping meals, overeating at night, or constantly asking yourself what you are going to eat today, this episode gives you a simple framework to regain control without turning your life upside down. If you found this valuable, subscribe and leave a five-star review. It helps more people cut through the noise and build nutrition habits that actually last. Timestamps: 0:00 — Intro: Fitness Rants & today’s topic — Meal Prep 1:05 — 15 years of consistent meal prep (and why that’s not normal) 2:15 — Why people don’t meal prep: convenience culture & delivery apps 4:00 — Decision fatigue, dual-income households & perceived lack of time 6:30 — Competence barrier: “I’m not good at cooking.” 8:45 — Overwhelm & complexity: why simple beats fancy 11:30 — Practical strategy: start with ONE meal & build from there 16:20 — Anchoring meals (breakfast vs dinner) & doubling portions 20:30 — Planning vs winging it: proactive nutrition always wins 24:45 — When convenience makes sense (busy seasons, high-pressure jobs) 28:30 — Removing friction & keeping it sustainable long term /episode/index/show/ac5c5f8e-8992-4426-b35c-b91d58606c98/id/40250900