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Ritual Barbell Podcast
Short, digestible conversations about getting stronger in the gym, and living better because of it.
Ritual Barbell is a small, community-driven, strength gym on the east side of Madison, WI. No mirrors. No TVs. Just a decade of serious, thoughtful coaching and a group of people genuinely motivated to build a better life through a high quality dynamic training program.
Gym owner & head coach Shawn, and coach Mark break down some specifics of the program, answer real questions from the gym whiteboard, and try to cut through the noise around fitness culture, all so you can train smart, recover well, and enjoy the whole process. Whether you're a first-timer finding your footing at the gym, or a seasoned lifter chasing your next PR, there's could be something here for you.
Strength for life. Not for show.
Episodes
7 episodes
Test Week Mindset
Testing week is the most honest mirror in strength training. The bar doesn’t care how motivated we feel, it only reflects what we practiced and how well we manage our nerves, our setup, and our technique under pressure. We share what we’re seei...
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Test Week and the Mindset of Maxing Out
Test week brings out the nerves. Shawn's first word on it: have fun. This episode is more about the mental side of maxing out. Why progress stops being linear, why a missed PR doesn't mean the block failed, and how a coach walks you...
This Training Block, Heavy Singles, and Walkouts
We're deep in the workout block now, and the weights are getting heavy. On purpose. Shawn breaks down why we're doing heavy singles, what a walkout is actually training, and why level 2 keeps the tempos and pauses while lev...
Box Drops, Training Age, and the Only Supplements Worth Buying
Three questions, one episode. Shawn breaks down what box drops actually do for your body and why deceleration matters as you age. Then Mark and Shawn tackle a question a lot of members have asked: do women in their 40s a...
From Base to Beyond & Why Kettlebells Belong
Coach Mark and Shawn break down a couple questions from the gym whiteboard. First, how do you know when you are ready to move up from the BASE program? Shawn explains the three-deload rule and why rushing past Level 1 is a mistake m...
Should I Train Through This?
Pain, Soreness, and Knowing the Difference. Every lifter hits that moment. Something pinches on your second warm-up set. Do you push, back off, or stop?Shawn breaks down the difference between sensation, soreness, and pain, a...
Reboot Ep. 1: Why Harder Isn't Better
The Ritual Barbell Podcast is back, in a shorter format built around the questions you write on the gym whiteboard.In this first episode, Coach Mark sits down with head coach Shawn to tackle the most-voted question: how do you break thro...