The Athletes Podcast
The Athletes Podcast is a leading source of information, inspiration, and education for anyone interested in optimizing physical performance, maintaining good health, and living an active lifestyle. Join David Stark as he interviews some of the world's biggest athletes and fitness professionals, The Athletes Podcast provides practical advice, expert insights, and real-world strategies to help listeners achieve their health and fitness goals.The goal is to entertain, educate & inspire the next generation of athletes!
The Athletes Podcast
The Quad Queen Maddie Warren - Episode #265
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Maddie Warren joins us for a brutal leg workout and shares her journey from teenage undereating to powerlifting to becoming a bodybuilder who travels the world. She opens up about finding balance, building confidence, and pursuing personal growth on her own terms.
• Training with heavy hip thrusts (3 plates) and high reps for glute development
• Using cooling implements called "narwhals" to maximize workout capacity
• Surviving Bulgarian split squats that Maddie describes simply as "death"
• Discussing how Maddie balances training while traveling extensively
• Exploring the myth that women will get "bulky" from lifting weights
• Maddie's transformation from restrictive eating to finding balance
• The importance of building muscle as the foundation for a "toned" look
• How Maddie approaches social media negativity and gym interactions
• Why Maddie describes herself as the "Side Quest Queen"
• Advice for guys trying to approach women at the gym: build rapport first
Check out Perfect Sports for the best pre-workout supplements and Can-i Wellness for recovery. Visit MaddieWarren_fit on Instagram and TheFitMaddie on TikTok to follow her fitness journey and travels.
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Introduction and Pre-Workout Chat
Speaker 1But first , I feel like 15 minutes away is kind of a perfect distance to take your pre-workout prior to a workout . I'll let you go first . Of course . We've got the altered state on deck . It's $20 off right now .
Speaker 3Yeah , we got a full scoop in All right there we go .
Speaker 1Yeah , we're doing a Maddie Warren leg day . How would you describe this leg day ? What are we about to go through ?
Speaker 2death death death . That's the only that's . The only thing I can say is it's death , but you're gonna grow some big quads and a big booty , so okay , I feel like that's most people's goals these days .
Speaker 1Yep , you've been traveling around north america , yeah . I've been , you're only here for a short amount of time . I'm just going to show that in your break .
Speaker 2Yeah , I just came back and I'm here for a few days and then I'm gone again for who knows how long At least a month , if not longer .
Speaker 1Really , yeah , just bouncing around the world , yeah , having fun .
Speaker 2Yeah , off to LA , and then I booked flights from there to croatia , and then I'm planning to go to italy after that too , but we're gonna just go with the flow dang , no big deal favorite place you've been so far favorite place . I really liked new york . I really like miami . I've been to greece in the past . Okay , greece is probably my favorite that I've been to .
Speaker 1Why .
Speaker 2I just love the warm weather , the beaches . It's very different , like the aesthetics are different and like the people are nice . It's just a vibe .
Speaker 1Okay , would you say that's most of Europe or just Greece specifically ?
Speaker 2Um , honestly , I've been to other places in Europe , but when I was younger , so I don't view it as the same experience as when you're like in that child mindset . You know what I mean . Yeah , you don't think about it the same . So now we're going to find out when I go back .
Speaker 1Yeah , how does training on the road impact what you're able to do , or do you find it's any change ?
Speaker 2Honestly , I usually am really good at finding gyms , especially within the US and North America . There's always going to be a gym , so I've always been able to find one . Europe we'll have to navigate , but when I have been in the past , I do my research . If you really want it , you'll find a way .
Speaker 1Favorite place you've trained in the US for like top three this guy's getting ready to get after it .
Speaker 2Oh , he is all right .
Speaker 1Right , we love it .
Speaker 2I mean Roman Empire in Houston , Texas , was really , really nice . That's probably my favorite so far .
Speaker 1Roman Empire in Houston , texas . Okay , when I was down in Texas , I had Zach Bitter on the podcast . He's an ultra marathon runner , long distance runner , american , one of the best ever . Rebecca Fusilier you'll remember the name , know the name from CrossFit . And Charles Austin , who's a high jumper . If you were to choose those three sports , what do you think ? Sorry , we're breaking here . We're testing out the brakes in the jeep , charging up the batteries because we're plugging electric . Uh , sorry , those three sports . What would be sports .
Speaker 2Okay , so crossfit high jump and ultra distance running oh , running is a big no , for you'll never see me running unless it's a catcher plane . Um , I'd say crossfit yeah .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , fair enough , that was kind of a layup . We easy into the conversations here on the Athletes Podcast . This will be episode 264 . Can you believe that ?
Speaker 2That's a lot .
Speaker 1Kind of crazy eh .
Speaker 2That is pretty crazy .
Speaker 1At the like six year mark almost too , which is kind of a big deal . No big deal , but we have to give a big shout out to perfect sports . They've been partners with us cheers , cheers for years . They've been supporting the show . We got altered state . That's going to get us a little cracked out for the workout .
Speaker 1If you haven't had it yet , it's the best pre-workout hands down bar none . If you haven't tried it , shoot me a message I'll maybe get you some . But I think one of the other highlights fun facts , having done this for six years now is that on a weekly basis I get to train with , learn from and apply some of the knowledge that I have with the people that I have on the show . And in this case I'm very excited because it's not often that I get to train legs heavy and with someone who knows what the heck they're doing . I get to train legs heavy and with someone who knows what the heck they're doing . Give me a rundown on how you structure your workouts before we get into it , because personally I'm a little nervous . I like to prepare .
Speaker 1I want to get my head wrapped around whatever we're going to do . Last week I had Brian Wallach on the show . You're familiar with the name . He's a big six foot seven bodybuilder and I barely was trying to hang on to keep up with him . Now we're going to reverse it , literally go lower body and , yeah , tell me more . What do I have to look forward to ?
Speaker 2Lots of Bulgarian split squats .
Speaker 1Okay .
Speaker 2Good luck with that one .
Speaker 1Okay , what are you throwing up ? What are you holding ? What weights are you carrying around ? Are you Kelly Matthews with the 80s ? She might even be doing hundos , I don't even know . 120s .
Speaker 2That's crazy . I did 120s for like one rep before as part of a challenge collab . Okay , I kind of switched to Smith Machine because it's easier to set up and more stability . So it just depends on the day .
Speaker 1Sometimes it'll be like a plate and a half , sometimes it'll be a little bit less if I want to go higher reps so we're gonna ask the viewers , the listeners , right now if you're listening , go to youtube , hit the subscribe button , then comment whether or not you think I'm gonna be able to split squat more than Maddie . That's the challenge .
Speaker 2That's the challenge .
Speaker 1What do you think ?
Speaker 2I think I'm gonna win .
Speaker 1That's okay . I've had other people in my life say that you're gonna win also , so it's fine , it's cool . I guess I just gotta prove the haters wrong , both in person and online . I've never been to West Coast Island . I've heard lots about it . I'm kind of excited . I'm not to lie . I've heard it's a great gym . Yeah , I like it . How long you been training there for ?
Speaker 2It's been off and on for about a year and a half or so .
Speaker 1Okay , have you always lived in BC ?
Speaker 2Yeah , I grew up in BC my whole life , just different city . But then I moved out to this area a year and a half ago , I'd
Maddie's Travel Adventures
Speaker 2say , but I've been gone for most of this year , so Fair enough .
Speaker 1The weird part about growing up in British Columbia is we take this kind of scenery for granted . You know the beautiful mountains we do , I won't lie the snow caps , the ocean . It's like I left for Ontario after high school and it was pretty bleak . It's like flat . Yeah , there's not a lot of good . I shouldn't say that there's a lot of stuff to do when it comes to office buildings , networking . There's a lot of people , that is true . There is not the topography that we have here in Pacific Northwest . You don't get to enjoy hikes , you don't get to appreciate nature . So there's pros and cons and it's been cool for me to be able to drive this Jeep around thanks to Pioneer Aldergrove Auto Group , and showcase this beautiful country to others via the podcast because a lot of people take it for granted they do , they do , I , I did for a little while .
Speaker 2I'm not gonna lie right .
Speaker 1You started traveling all over north america and you're like oh , it's not as nice as it is at home certain areas where I'm like , oh you know what .
Speaker 2It is nice to be able to go , drive to the lake , go for a swim , hike up the mountain . Like it's all right here , especially in the summertime .
Speaker 1Yeah , that's when you do your travel down to LA or whatever . That's when you go travel right , have you hit some nice gyms up in Los Angeles like Gold's ?
Speaker 2I actually haven't been to LA yet , but I'm going in a few days , okay , so I do plan to go and hit up Gold's Gym , drop read and we'll see what else .
Speaker 1How many clouds do you have lined up ? How do you coordinate your activities ?
Speaker 2I'm not going to lie . Normally I just wait till I get there and I go with the flow and they usually see what happens .
Speaker 1Just because people are like hey , she's got big quads . Sometimes , how does that go about ? Because I have people come up to me and they're like , yeah , are you Connor McDavid ? And then they're like , awkwardly , can I get a picture ?
Speaker 2It's funny because usually it's either like it'll be a random comment about my quads and that'll start a conversation , or I'll post an Instagram story and tag the gym and it'll get reposted . Then people are sliding into the DMs .
Speaker 1Okay , so this is a common theme for female athletes that we have on the podcast that people slide into the DMs Any direct DMs that you want to share with the podcast listeners . That maybe brought you a smile or other reactions .
Speaker 2I've gotten some interesting quad nicknames before .
Speaker 1Okay , the common quadzilla can't be getting you anywhere anymore .
Speaker 2I mean I got some quadosaurus going on here . I don't know there's been some other ones , but I can't think of them off the top of my head .
Speaker 1I'm putting you on the spot . It's tough . It's tough . Maybe we'll hear some today in west coast . I think one of the downsides to being someone who works hard at their respective sport in the gym is that you have people who are envious of the results yeah , I actually did have a tikt TikTok blow up the other day . Okay , and the ?
Speaker 2amount of hate I got for the size of my quads was like thousands of comments .
Speaker 1No way . Yeah , all negatives .
Speaker 2I mean , there was like a lot of positive ones too , but the amount of negative ones compared to like the exact same picture posted on Instagram was crazy . Do you still read all those comments ? Oh yeah , I do . I honestly I'm entertained by it okay .
Speaker 1Do you find yourself using that as fuel , or is it just funny ?
Speaker 2um , to me it's just funny because , like I know that for anyone to go out of their way to comment it it must like mean that they're feeling a little bit insecure . I know I wouldn't go out of my way to comment something like that , unless , actually , no , I just never would . But you know what I mean . So no , to me it's like entertainment to other people . It may affect them , but if you're going to do social media , media , you have to expect that stuff to happen yeah , it's just comes with the territory part of the game any other social media stories you want to share with us before we head into the gym ?
Speaker 2maybe some faves that from traveling recently I mean I do have a lot of fun making like travel vlogs sometimes which I'm trying to get more into .
Speaker 1Okay . Where should people go on social .
Speaker 2Instagram mostly , and I am restarting my TikTok too . I opened that up recently . So Maddie Warren underscore fit on Instagram and Maddie the fit Maddie on TikTok .
Speaker 1Yeah , Okay , I'm sorry I cut you off .
Speaker 2You were going to say , yeah , I'm going to like start posting a lot more on my travel stuff on there and also like how to stay fit while traveling and a lot of just behind the scenes stuff , because I'm more than just a bodybuilder .
Speaker 1If people were to say , okay , bodybuilding aside , how would you describe yourself ?
Speaker 2If people were to say , okay , bodybuilding aside , how would you describe yourself ? I'd say sometimes people call me like the side quest queen , because I'm always somewhere else . Like I'm always out and about , I'll book same day flights . I won't know where I'm going to stay that night . I've taken my suitcase to the gym waiting for a place to stay . Nice , like , I'm just all over . I'll be at a random lake . So someone who likes to adventure and just have a good time , I guess .
Speaker 1Okay , I like it . That's a side quest queen . I think I prefer that over any quad one yeah , they're gonna go with when you get to park just right here just yeah , you're good here nice , let's go . Okay , west coast iron , here we go'm fired up . This is gonna be a good lift , pre-workout's kicking in In an altered state for sure .
Speaker 1Oh yeah , I'm about to put back one spray of Boost for sure for the boys . I'm nervous , I'm not gonna lie . Okay , ready Boost . Can I Wellness before we workout ? There we go . Okay , let's get after it .
Speaker 2We're going to do a warm-up set with no weight first , and then we're going to add on the big girl weight .
Speaker 1Okay , Okay , I like it . Add on the big girl weight , hopefully , this .
Speaker 2All right , you want to do your warm-up set yeah , yeah , yeah .
Speaker 1So if you grab those things in my bag , they're called narwhals , the big copper things hold on , they look weird yeah yeah , yeah , yeah what the hell holy , that's cold I know , but it's gonna feel good , I promise wow , that's crazy so that helps with your workout , helps for doing more , keeps your blood cool and allows you to do more sets , more reps .
Speaker 2Interesting .
Speaker 1It's really being used in the athletic space .
Speaker 2I have the urge to like smack something with it . Yeah , yeah yeah , it's funny , so did our hockey players , you gotta keep these away from me .
Speaker 1But when we get into the end of our workout those will come in clutch .
Speaker 2Sick .
Speaker 1So this is guaranteed to grow my booty by at least 64 millimeters , right ? Wait what .
Speaker 2My hands are nice and cool now .
Speaker 1Right
Workout Begins: Hip Thrusts
Speaker 1, it's going to let you do more weight .
Speaker 2It might bring it up . Yeah there you go . I like it .
Speaker 1Now we're going to add some weight .
Speaker 2We're going to add three plates per side .
Speaker 1Three plates per side , so you just go straight into like a working weight .
Speaker 2I mean , it depends on what the exercise is , but for something like a hip thrust my working weight is like high reps , like 15 , so it's still light enough where .
Speaker 1So you're doing 15 reps of this . Yeah , okay .
Speaker 2If it was like a set of like eight , then I would warm up more . Okay , but it was like a set of like eight , then I would warm up more .
Speaker 1OK .
Speaker 2But this is pretty chill All right .
Speaker 3I'm for hip drugs , so why don't you come in ?
Speaker 1It's going to be really awkward if I can't do this guys 15 . Probably three sets of 15 too . Man , it's gonna be awkward on a torch that can do this 15 . 15 . Nice . How was that ?
Speaker 2We were doing three sets of this . Yes , sir .
Speaker 1Geez , I knew it . I knew it , I'm in trouble , you are . This is not gonna be fun .
Speaker 2No , it will not be .
Speaker 1We have a- .
Speaker 2Matty's leg days are not fun .
Speaker 1That's not what we're here for and it's funny because I did ask for it .
Speaker 2You did , you literally did .
Speaker 1Okay , my good foot position here . We like that , we're good . Do you want wider ?
Speaker 2Point your toes out a little bit Point them out . Yeah , and then push through the heels .
Speaker 1Okay , push through heels . All right , here we go , folks .
Speaker 2Let's go , let's go . Can he keep up ? I don't know .
Speaker 1We'll find out . I think he's tired already .
Speaker 2Three sets is going to be fun .
Speaker 1It will not be .
Speaker 2I don't normally count past eight or ten . It's hard to do . It's harder than lifting itself . Right , right , I don't do math . I think that's 15 . I guess I'll have to go check the tape . When's the last ?
Speaker 1time you've done hip thrusts honestly a couple weeks ago with Brian , but before that it was months , maybe years .
Speaker 2It's not good . That's what guys say too .
Speaker 1Classic guy answer right .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1It's okay , we're coming back .
Speaker 2All right set number two .
Speaker 1You're not even struggling . It's crazy Nice , I don't actually enjoy this at all .
Speaker 2Anything for the glutes .
Speaker 1Okay , the goal is to have glutes . The goal is to have glutes and quads like after this . I thought it was happening , let's go .
Speaker 2I literally don't even know . If I'm counting correctly , you're gonna have to check the video later .
Speaker 1It's really bad . I'm not used to counting that high . Do you always do high ? Just this , or ?
Speaker 2It depends , like depends on the training phase that I'm in , but usually hip thrusts . I do find that I see more progress when I go lighter and more controlled with these ones Higher reps .
Speaker 1Okay .
Speaker 2But it depends . Sometimes I'll go through phases where it's like 8 to 10 reps .
Speaker 1Yeah , that's a lot of volume . Yeah , I'm feeling it .
Speaker 2My glutes and hands are my weak point , so yeah my quads overpower , so I have to do a lot more volume for my posterior chain . All right , one more set .
Speaker 3Here we go .
Speaker 2Nice , nice . Oh , thank god those are done .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah , take it , take it . Take it , Start recovering , yeah nice and cold .
Speaker 2Can I get a brain freeze if I do this ?
Speaker 1Yeah , you could Multi-purpose . They're honestly the best . I'm serious . Hold it for a minute . I guarantee it allows you to do more .
Speaker 2That's crazy .
Speaker 1They have a cooler pack in there . Cool , and it's designed to keep it cool and not cold . Makes sense If it's too cold it freezes your hands .
Speaker 2Yeah , you don't want to be frozen .
Speaker 1All right , last set , let's make sure we get 15 here . Folks . Last set , best set . Bad day to be a leg . Holy fuck , that's crazy .
Speaker 2Yeah , you didn't feel that , huh .
Speaker 1Okay , that's it right , we're done .
Speaker 2Yeah , we're done with these . No more of these .
Speaker 1That's crazy . I hate those too I was not ready to start with that You're not ready for this no .
Speaker 2You're gonna have to make this higher .
Speaker 1I was gonna say I might have to go a little higher .
Speaker 2No , you'll be flying off if you leave it there .
Speaker 1Probably about there .
Speaker 2Yeah , and then put your heels in a little bit and have your toes pointed out .
Speaker 1You like to do that for everything , hey ? Does it activate the glutes more .
Speaker 2Yeah , you get more glutes that way .
Speaker 1Okay , is that too much , or is that good ?
Speaker 2No , that's good , Just keep your pelvis tucked and then use your glutes to come up . So come down down , yeah , and then squeeze your glutes and then hip thrust into the pad .
Speaker 3Yeah .
Speaker 1I feel like I need to keep my pelvis tucked . I'm losing it .
Speaker 2A lot of people have that problem . I notice it in so many people . That's why I kind of just think about scooping your hips underneath and then when I come up I kinda just think about like scooping your hips underneath , yeah , and then when I come up , I don't think about my upper body , I just think about squeezing my glutes and like pushing my hips into the pad .
Speaker 1Okay , See , good to learn something .
Speaker 3All right .
Speaker 1I should be a booty builder ad basically .
Speaker 2I just said a 12 .
Speaker 1I don't think I did that with
Resistance Band Leg Exercises
Speaker 1no weight you got it wow , boots are tight , there goes nothing . Eh , keep that tight you got it .
Speaker 2that's better . Don't come up too high , Keep the arms long Right there . Yeah , and then just come up to like come , come up a little bit like right there .
Speaker 3Yeah .
Speaker 2Yeah , there you go . That's better . Keep the arms really long , it's all coming from your legs . There you go Good , there you go Solid .
Speaker 3I can feel some good reps and some bad reps in there .
Speaker 2Yeah , you can tell . That's how you learn , at least we only have two sets of these . Yeah , there we go .
Speaker 1Thank God Low back Feeling good , low back feeling good . There we go now you just got one more of these . How , the legs feeling out of ten .
Speaker 2Not very good .
Speaker 1No , I got say no pain , no gain . Am I right Something like that oh ?
Speaker 2Feeling it .
Speaker 1Oh yeah , it's good , though I don't like most guys probably don't work their glutes or posterior chain enough you know ?
Speaker 2No , most of them don't . And then they wonder why they get injured Because their glutes are weak .
Speaker 1Yeah , because it's not facing the mirror . They don't see that , you know .
Speaker 2Exactly . Yeah , there you go . Feel it more in your glutes now , for sure you got two more ?
Speaker 1Yeah , one more .
Speaker 2You got it Good , there we go . No more , let me . How does that feel ? Not good , huh , I can't believe we have a lot left . Maddie was just saying these . I'm not sure if I can do this . I'm not sure if I can do this .
Speaker 1I'm not sure if I can't believe we have a lot left . Maddie was just saying these are a staple in our workout . It's been a year plus . We weren't even filming that whole time . It's tough . You turned it off . You didn't want to show them my bad split squats . It's okay , you're filming now .
Speaker 2Bootsies .
Speaker 1Those are crazy quads . Take a sec , take a sec . Will you forget ? Like it's literally another set .
Speaker 3Doing the other leg .
Speaker 1People do unilateral work and then treat it as if it's the same set .
Speaker 2It's not , I'd be too tired .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2Unless it's really light .
Speaker 1Yeah , or if you put it like if you're going for strength yeah yeah , treating it like it's cardio literally I mean it like it's cardio .
Speaker 2Literally I mean the former power lifter in me anything over five reps is cardio yeah , exactly , I mean , I guess all my powerlifting clients anything over . Oh my god , six reps . What this cardio all right .
Speaker 1Let's go Okay . How many are we doing ? Three , four , five ? How many of those ? Two , just two , just one , and then , one more oh three we go .
Speaker 2Okay , how many are we doing ?
Speaker 1Three , four , five how many of those ? Two , just two Just one this set , and then one more oh three yeah , oh , I had wishful thinking , okay , but I get a break in the middle . Yes , you get a break . We didn't have that last time . That would be nice .
Speaker 2Last time was a warm up . That's why it's true I'm so used to doing these with dumbbells . Yeah , I do them with dumbbells for a long time , but I actually noticed a lot more growth with this because you didn't have to worry so much about stabilizing . You can just focus on the hypertrophy . But for my powerlifting athletes , dumbbells because they need stability . Good to do both .
Speaker 1I literally feel like a little kid with these .
Speaker 2They remind me of like Donkey Kong . Or you know those arcade games where you smash the whack-a-mole . There we go Woo , all right , one more set left .
Speaker 1Thank God .
Speaker 2I know right , I hate them with a passion , but they're so effective .
Speaker 1I feel like I'm rushing through them . I should go a little slower .
Speaker 2Yeah , you should
Bulgarian Split Squats Challenge
Speaker 2, makes it even harder , I know .
Speaker 1Cheating them .
Speaker 2When my clients do that when I was still training in person , I would make them do a whole extra set . I was mean .
Speaker 1Good thing we're doing this for the podcast . It's all for show , right .
Speaker 2Exactly , you got lucky . All right , last set .
Speaker 1Yeah , yep , got it One more leg , and then we're done with this Got to get the break . Holy diner . What do you say we still have after this ?
Speaker 2The easy stuff .
Speaker 1Okay .
Speaker 2Leg curls and leg extensions , oh yeah .
Speaker 1What .
Speaker 2Light work .
Speaker 1You ever do isometrics ?
Speaker 2I have in the past , but being a bodybuilder not so much .
Speaker 3Yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah yeah .
Speaker 2Athletes different stories .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , yeah . I'm not that a bodybuilder isn't an athlete , but I would argue bodybuilders do that when they're flexing and posing .
Speaker 2That's their isometric yeah exactly Because sometimes on stage , especially if you're close to someone , you'll have to . I've seen five-minute-long comparison rounds and you'll be holding the same pose for almost a minute . Yeah .
Speaker 1That's an iso .
Speaker 2It looks easy . No , you start cramping up .
Speaker 1Well , especially when you're dehydrated , you have no food , you have no water in your system . Yeah , yeah , not fun .
Speaker 2No , when I first learned to pose , I was humbled real quick .
Speaker 3Yeah .
Speaker 2Like real quick , Especially being a powerlifter going to posing , I was so stiff that I like couldn't even get into my poses . I did so much mobility work , so much core work .
Speaker 1Probably helped a ton , though .
Speaker 2Oh , it did yeah .
Speaker 1Yeah , how long have you been growing your hair for Jeez ?
Speaker 2I know it's crazy , I need it cut ASAP . But I cut it like once a year . I just forget about it and then once it gets like basically where it is now like down here , I'm like , oh , I need to cut it . Yeah , my hairdresser like always jokes about it because I've known her since I was four years old . Yeah , and she's like oh , time for an annual chat , like let's go , which reminds me I'm leaving a few days for a long time . I might have to cut it in Europe , I don't know .
Speaker 3There you go .
Speaker 2Who knows , All right last leg .
Speaker 1Finally no more of these . This mic's not going to pick up anything but .
Speaker 2I know literally .
Speaker 1Do you do calves ever ? Huh , do you just have big calves , or do you ?
Speaker 2work your calves , okay . So funny story when I was in elementary school , people used to come up to me and ask me if they could touch my calves , because they were jacked . I don't know how Calves are very genetic though . I was training them for a while and , I'm not gonna lie , the last few months I've been skipping them and I kind of forgot about them until you mentioned that . So you know what I'm gonna start again on my next leg day .
Speaker 1Not today though .
Speaker 2No , not today , Not today . Not today , not today On my next leg day .
Speaker 1I'm similar . I have like good calves . I didn't have to work hard . Well , I worked hard . I broke my arm in hockey , like in grade 10 , so I just stopped watching hockey and doing this like for a year that's crazy all right , here we go all right , last set , best set .
Speaker 2So you used to play . Do you still play ?
Speaker 1Hockey . Yeah , I still play hockey , golf and basketball , oh , okay , and then ? But I play like pickleball .
Speaker 2Oh , you're like one of those like all-around athletes , huh , I mean I host the athlete's podcast .
Speaker 1That is true , but I play like pickleball . Oh , you're like one of those like all-around athletes , huh ? I mean , I host the athlete podcast , that is true .
Speaker 2So I better be able to play some stuff , you know , you better be able to play some sports , huh .
Speaker 1That's the goal , at least .
Speaker 2That's good .
Speaker 1And if I can't do it . I'm like willing to try .
Speaker 2Yeah , exactly . You have to be open-minded . Yeah , try new things .
Speaker 1Yeah , they all play racquetball . I'll play squash . I'll throw a javelin . I'll shop with you know Well , train , I'll come lift heavy like I got on the ice with barber . How about barber ? Yeah , you know , just Doing different stuff looks dude . I'm gonna go swim with Finley Knox . He's a swim Olympian . I can't swim like not well . Exactly like not well , whatever . You have fun with it , exactly don't start having more fun .
Speaker 2Exactly that's about having fun . Yeah , take life too seriously just because you're not good at something doesn't mean you can't do it yeah that's what I learned recently too yeah bodybuilding kind of taught me that because I sucked at posing true , had to like , embarrass myself and learn how to do it yeah like just gotta do those things .
Speaker 1Yeah , just gotta be okay , Get comfortable being uncomfortable .
Speaker 2Exactly , that's how you row .
Speaker 1Ah , stay here .
Speaker 2Almost there .
Speaker 3Oh , sorry , I didn't .
Speaker 1I thought you're good .
Speaker 2You're good , so it happens . I used to work and out with're good , you're good , that's what happens ?
Speaker 1I'm not used to working out with others . Do you work out with other people much , very rarely Like .
Speaker 2There's the odd time like in New York , I'll usually train with some of the guys there here , not so much If it's like when I was in Texas . One of my friends is a wellness competitor , so she trains like like similar weights to me , so with her I will , but it just depends .
Speaker 3Sometimes I like to just get in and out , you know but sometimes I like the social vibe .
Speaker 2Yeah , depends on what season I'm in . Yeah , depends on the day . Yeah , like if I was in prep it'd be a little bit different .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , but in off season .
Speaker 2Sometimes it's nice to just yeah , this set and then one more , Then we'll do leg extensions .
Speaker 1I'll let you do whatever you think . You know what you're doing more than I do .
Speaker 2I do .
Speaker 1Do you mind putting on another 10 by chance ? Yeah that's a little light . I mean , I know I'm supposed to control it , but I just gotta .
Speaker 2I'm sure you can handle a little heavier than my hamstrings . My hamstrings are my weakest point .
Speaker 3All right , last set .
Speaker 1Oh , we left that 10 on . She's going for it . Yeah , let's go .
Speaker 2Whatever ?
Speaker 1Whatever Light work .
Speaker 2My hamstrings need all the help they can get at this point .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , yeah yeah .
Speaker 2They got to catch up to the quads .
Speaker 1I might not be able to walk tomorrow , but that's okay .
Speaker 2It's okay , you don't need to walk .
Speaker 1Yeah , it's overrated . Exactly , I just have to hit a golf ball . Uh-oh , I'm another pod tomorrow . We're going to the driving range tomorrow .
Speaker 2Golfing is actually hard . I tried it once . Oh my god , I was humbled so quickly . That's it here we go , I'm done .
Speaker 1So I always like to go all the way back to try and get as much on this .
Speaker 2Yeah , especially because you're tall too .
Speaker 1Yeah , how many ? Three sets , two , three .
Speaker 2We're gonna do two .
Speaker 1Two thank God .
Speaker 2Well , that was a warmup , and then we're gonna do two .
Speaker 1Oh , so this is a warmup .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1Rats Should've told me that after should have .
Speaker 2I just do this weight or what just to get the warm up with that am I pointing my toes again uh , no , just keep them straight this one doesn't go back very far no full range of motion .
Speaker 1Dr mike style , how many reps for this one ? 20 . You want 20 for the warm-up too .
Speaker 2Yes , sir .
Speaker 1I haven't done this much volume in like , probably since I worked out with Tyler Johnson , former Olympia competitor .
Speaker 2How long ago was that ? Huh , how long ago was that ? Four years ago ? Oh my God , I couldn't walk for days after that one . I'm not surprised You're lucky you didn't catch me peak off season when I was eating a lot .
Speaker 1I got pre-workout on my shorts . Okay , that's it , that's it .
Speaker 2that's it you can do it up already . Does that get me out of here ? If I know , I got two more where my shorts . Okay , that's it , that's it , that's it you can show it off already .
Speaker 1He's like get me out of here . If I know I got two more where I'm gonna be working , there's no way I'm doing this . I gotta save it . 20, . Here we go 20 . Doesn't even look like she's struggling . How's this Light work ? Here we go Light work .
Speaker 3Light work .
Speaker 2I just do these to maintain , I just do these for fun at this point . Yeah , just for fun . I don't even care about growing my quads anymore , I'm just going to do this .
Speaker 1I'm just going to do this . I'm just going to do this .
Speaker 2I'm just going to do this . I just do these to maintain , I just do these for fun at this point .
Speaker 3Yeah just for fun .
Speaker 2I don't care about growing my quads anymore .
Speaker 1What's the most memorable quad moment that you've had ? Like , was it at an airport with someone randomly ? Or like , who have you flexed next to ? So like Brian , when he was like next to Seabomb , next to like Laid .
Speaker 2You know those are guys . I mean , I was wearing leggings at the time so it kind of sucked and it was like peak bulk , where like they weren't as popping , but I did flush with russell or he before okay most people probably know him as russell yeah , yeah , yeah
Leg Curls and Extensions
Speaker 2, yeah .
Speaker 1In new york talked with russ about getting on the pod . Guy guy dropped off the face of the earth we'll get him .
Speaker 3We'll get him on .
Speaker 1Eventually it's okay now that you'll remember when maddie out angled you yeah I have it on video exactly . Hey , it's okay , I out angled phil heath once too . It's no big deal really , and that's what I'm working towards every day just being able to do that kind of stuff 28 I'm doing the same way as you , so that it's like yeah I survived maddie warren workout yeah , find out whether I actually do . But Light leg day yeah , I find we got it . It's fine . It's just , everyone takes it easy . On day three , two , one .
Speaker 2And I'm counting so you don't cheat Six , yeah .
Speaker 1Seven .
Speaker 3Eight , nine .
Speaker 2Ten . Halfway there he's like fuck Twelve , thirteen , you got it . Push through Fourteen . Six more yeah , got it . Push through 14, . Six more yeah , five more .
Speaker 1Seriously .
Speaker 2Three more , you can do it . Three more , push through . Two more , one more , let's go . There , you go , you survived .
Speaker 1Oh , that's a lot . They're like right at the point of cramping the whole time at those last five . That's like end of marathon hurt love that oh only one more set .
Speaker 2That is , that's rough . Yeah , it's funny because people will comment on my tiktoks . They go my god , how much do you do for leg extensions ? And I'm like I don't know , I do such a 20 like I don't so you're always been high volume not when I was powerlifting , but for accessory work , like I used to always be more like 10 , 8 to 12 , but sometimes now I'll do 15 to 20 yeah especially because , like my quads now , I'm not really trying to grow them right now , they're just trying to like maintain and let the glutes and hamstrings catch up .
Speaker 2So I kind of just do these for fun at this point . So yeah , I'll stick to .
Speaker 1That's why everyone does quads for fun .
Speaker 2Nice , nice . No more of those . Alright , you got one more set of them .
Speaker 1Oh man , I can't even walk Like . This is a real problem right now .
Speaker 2It's a problem .
Speaker 1Uh-oh , this is a problem .
Speaker 2You asked for it .
Speaker 1I know .
Speaker 2You're lucky it wasn't a full quad day . That's even worse .
Speaker 1So what is it Like instead of a ?
Speaker 2leg .
Speaker 1You go full quad some days Not anymore , but I used to have more of a quad , focused one in my off season okay and like it was like a bunch of like squats , leg extensions , bulgarians , lunges like just deadly yeah , yeah , I feel like I've uh , gone more on the athlete like lunges , dumbbell , split squats , yeah , straight away from the bodybuilding , and it's a you got to incorporate both you know .
Speaker 2Yeah , it's important to do both , Because you still need stability and everything . Oh , you're going to have to move that back right .
Speaker 1I think I already did . Oh , you did okay . Yeah , yeah , yeah , Got to get that full quad pop 20 .
Speaker 2Gotta get that full quad pop 20 . 20 . It's your last set .
Speaker 1I feel like that last one . I did a good timing , you know it was . I was paced properly . You were you were Wasn't rushing through it . The split squats I was a little out of shape .
Speaker 2Yeah , you were rushing through that like a madman out there . Yeah , you got like six more , five more , let's go Four more . Push through , yeah , three more , two more , finish it off One more there we go .
Speaker 1Oh my God , huh Thank you , maddie . Huh , I Probably won't be saying that tomorrow , but oh no , it's gonna be the complete opposite .
Speaker 2You're gonna hate me tomorrow . Go , wake up , be like . Why did I do that ?
Speaker 1Now I have to drive to Whistler and take all for Shay Emory . I know it's good .
Speaker 2Thank you . Now I have to drive to Whistler and take off with Shea Emery , the Whistler song .
Speaker 1I know it's good . Thank you , no worries , oh , I don't do that much volume . No , it's good . You're not used to it , are you ? It's good . It's good , I need that . I'll get a mop .
Speaker 2Strong legs .
Speaker 1Anything you want to finish with . You want Anything you want to finish with . You want to leave the listeners with biggest piece of advice in the gym advice when it comes to gym specific .
Speaker 2Stop caring about what anyone thinks . Literally nice , there's nothing to be embarrassed of . We all start somewhere . Dope , we're just shooting the shot . I thought they're gonna say no , yeah . And they were like oh yeah , sure , and I'm like , wait what ?
Speaker 1Well , talk about that , because I think that's something that most people don't recognize or like . Maybe .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1Like shooting your shot .
Speaker 2Yeah , you've got to shoot your shot . Like even actually funny enough with Wolfpack . I remember a few months ago I hit them up and then they were like nope . And then I was . I flew to Chicago . I got off the plane a couple of weeks ago . I get a message from their athlete manager being like hey , we want to work with you , blah , blah , blah . And I was like , oh okay .
Speaker 1So you just to clarify so that for the people listening , because I was trying to find us a booster juice to get some canine wellness and some post-workout shake in us , but you shoot your shot with them , they say no . Three months later they came back . How much longer .
Speaker 2I don't know how long exactly , but maybe , yeah , two or three months . And then they reached out to me .
Speaker 1Like that's saying something . Yeah , they reached out to me like that's , that's saying something . Yeah , because athletes are always like you hear it in football or like NCAA . Athletes are like oh , I gotta send my tape to all these coaches and get them shoot my shot , but it's . There's no reason why you can't , as a fitness influencer , be the exact same thing , or as a baseball player , or as a javelin thrower or any other sport , because how else are they gonna to know about you ?
Speaker 2There's like thousands and thousands out there Like sometimes you just have to reach out , that way they're aware of you .
Speaker 1Yeah , you got to put yourself out there .
Speaker 2And sometimes they're going to say no , but next thing you know , sometimes your page grows and then , or sometimes you start being more yourself in your content and then they want to work with you . Yeah , you never know .
Speaker 1Don't be afraid . Too many people are afraid these days , Maddie .
Speaker 2No , literally . Once you learn to not be afraid and not care what people think , your life gets so much better .
Speaker 1I'm telling you how would you rate that workout now that we've established that our lives are going to be ?
Speaker 2better if we don't worry about how people think the fact that we're filming in the gym . How , how would you rate that ? One out of 10 ? Give me the good , the bad , the ugly . It was pretty good , I mean . It was a little bit more of a chill workout because it's more glutes and hamstrings , which I find to be easier than quads , which is nice but safe to say . My legs will be growing .
Speaker 1I can tell you that especially once we get some perfect sports diesel in us too .
Speaker 2Yes , protein , eat your protein , drink your protein guys what do you aim for for your protein ? Quality , quantity , intake on a daily basis I usually aim for at least one gram per pound of body weight , so for me , sometimes I even go a little bit over that , which usually I'll end up consuming around 160 to 170 grams a day damn .
Speaker 1And is that the same when you're in competition off season ? Like how do you fluctuate that ?
Speaker 2well , in prep is a little bit different because food can get a lot lower . So last summer my protein did get lower , but my body weight also did drop significantly , so that made a big difference . But throughout most of off season it'll stay relatively the same , and then I'll just manipulate carbs and fats .
Speaker 1Usually , okay , and how do you talk to women especially , who are worried about becoming quote-unquote bulky if they eat too much ?
Speaker 2I've had that happen before , especially being a coach . A lot of people would be concerned about that . I can tell you right now , when I was , I think , 138 pounds and had abs and was leaner , not going through off seasons and stuff , I was squatting 325 pounds and I had abs and was leaner , not going through off seasons and stuff . I was squatting 325 pounds and I had abs and I was pretty slim , like wearing size small . You know , if you want to get bulky , you're going to have to try really , really hard . There's a lot of girls who have been trying for years and years to get bulky . It's , it's really not that easy . It's like you know . Bulky it's it's really not that easy . It's like you know . It's like oh my god , I don't want to drive a car because , bam , I'm gonna become a nascar driver overnight . I don't think that's gonna happen , that you can manipulate your food and your lifting accordingly so that that doesn't happen . And you all want that toned . Look , you say , but but you have to build muscle to have that .
Speaker 1It's tough , as a fitness-adjacent individual who I feel like I've spoken to enough nutritionists , scientists , experts in their respective fields to know that putting on mass and muscle is not an easy process . Yet people , women in particular end up wanting to get that toned . Look , they'll go for the pilates class over pushing weights . Yeah , because they feel like they're getting a workout and a stimulus and they are to some degree yeah for sure there's a little bit , don't get me wrong .
Speaker 1But yoga and pilates are not going to put on any substantial muscle tissue after a certain point because you know your body adapts pretty quickly to those kind of things and eventually you're going to need more of a stimulus to be adding anything and to protect your body yeah , because it's going to give you that like if , if , depending on how much you're eating , but like if you're in a deficit , you know , and you're losing weight , it's gonna give you that like slim look , no doubt .
Speaker 2But like when a lot of people come to you like , oh , but why don't I have that like shape that you have or
Final Thoughts on Fitness Journey
Speaker 2that shape that that girl has , or whatever , but it's because they're lifting weights too and eating enough protein , because you have to actually build the muscle to have something to tone .
Speaker 1You know what I mean hardest or no reset , cut that . Who did you look up to growing up as an athlete like ? Who inspired you ?
Speaker 2okay , if I'm being honest , like when I was in high school , I would kind of look up to those like gym shark athletes because I wanted to be really skinny like them and that actually I went through a phase when I was 16 where I ate like 1200 calories a day and I was tiny , tiny , like , had a little bit of muscle , I was lifting , but I was so tiny I was freezing cold all the time and I was like scared to eat anything other than , you know , really healthy food and it was just a very negative relationship with food and from there .
Speaker 2So that's kind of how I got into it in the first place . But then that led to a point where I went out to hang out with friends and then I started eating treats and then I realized , oh my God , like these treats are so good . And then it led to like a lot of consistent overeating and I gave up the gym for like three years .
Speaker 3Oh , wow .
Speaker 2Yeah , lot of consistent overeating , and I gave up the gym for like three years . Oh , wow , yeah . And then all I wanted like after those three years I think when COVID started I was like , okay , you know what , now I have time , I'm gonna get back into the gym . I just want to lose weight and feel good . Like I was like 180 pounds at 5'3 , no exercise , eating bags of chips , mcdonald's all day , every day . I'm not even exaggerating and I just felt so bad and so the only thing I literally looked up to was just looking forward to me feeling better . And even as a bodybuilder , there's no real specific athlete that I really look up to . It's just been becoming a better version of me . Like I know a lot of people have their idols , but for me that's never really been a thing , for some reason that's not necessarily a bad thing .
Speaker 1Just be the best version of yourself . That's a good goal to have . Yeah , I think a lot of people aspire to be a certain way or achieve certain results or be like a certain someone , and that can be difficult because you're ultimately never going to be that person .
Speaker 2Yeah , because the thing I think about , too , is like you're never going to like be someone else . Everyone has different genetics , everyone has different lifestyle circumstances and like I feel like it's just like it's cool to look up to someone and like respect what they do . I think that's a good thing yeah but to want to be someone else .
Speaker 2I feel like that's just not genuine to yourself and I feel like that can kind of create an unhealthy relationship with yourself because you're never going to be that person yeah , the one way I heard it well put was by like a Sean Puri , that my first million podcast and he says he takes snippets from people like specific attributes that he appreciates from an individual , like their work ethic or like their tenacity or their ability to ask specific questions or communicate well .
Speaker 1Right , and I think there's probably certain things that people do really well that if you piece together , you can create a really good .
Speaker 2I think that's really cool . Yeah , because I will look at , like you know , certain things that I'll see online from different highly successful people and I'll be like you know what ? That's really cool .
Speaker 1I respect that I should learn from that , but no , like specific individual so what changed after like three years of not going to the gym , eating like crap , like what ? Was that pivotal moment that made you turn it back ? And because you were powerlifting before , bodybuilding went to world . That's where perfect sports , your partner when it comes to supplements yeah provided you with all this great stuff like where , what , what switched in your mind ?
Speaker 2I always deep down knew that I just wanted to feel better again . Like I just felt so bad . I would stay up all night crying . I didn't want to go with friends because I hated the way I looked , like I didn't even want to go to my grade 12 graduation . I cried that day Like it just sucked .
Speaker 2And once COVID happened , I didn't have to go to work anymore and stuff when I was still working like other jobs , and I had all this time and I was like hey , you know what , like you have time now go put in the work .
Speaker 2Like you used to love how you felt , even though I was under eating in the past , but I loved the feeling of like going to the gym and just feeling fit . And I I was just so tired of that . I don't remember like the exact day or what , but I just remember being like , hey , you know what you got to get it together . Like , if you want to feel good , it's not going to happen unless you take action . So I just signed back up for the gym and I was like you know what You're going to do it . And I think it did help that at that gym . I made friends there too and it kind of became a social thing for me , because I had outgrown a lot of the people that I used to hang out with and then , once it became a social thing and like people expected me to be there yeah and I enjoyed going and talking to them .
Speaker 2It just became a routine and then I kind of stuck to it and once you see those results too , yeah , it gets addicting for sure I was like oh my god , like I feel so much better , like my body feels better , I feel better about myself , I'm healthier , and then I just yeah the rest is history yeah , and then I was .
Speaker 2then I realized I mean it was kind of cool to get strong Just watching people on Instagram max out their deadlifts . So I was that kid that would go every day , 18 years old , and just max out her deadlift literally every single day . I'm not even joking . I would one rep max my deadlift every single day until I maxed out , and then eventually I got to like 315 , and then I I like plateaued , and then I was like , all right .
Speaker 1Progressive overload Never heard of it .
Speaker 2Yeah , literally I just , you know , keep going and then eventually that only works for so long . Then I started like competing and getting on real programs , because you can't just max out every day . I would never let my clients do that .
Speaker 1How do you deal with gym bros ?
Speaker 2Oh my God , gym bros .
Speaker 1Gym bros is a definite topic of conversation , both online and in person .
Speaker 2Yeah , I mean online , it's really easy to just ignore . In person I mean , don't get me wrong , I have some great gym bro friends like I love them . But in terms of the creepy ones , I usually , you know , headphones on head down kind of one word answer sorry , I got to get my lift in , you know that type of thing .
Speaker 1but I never like to be rude because , you know , sometimes people just maybe are trying to shoot their shot so how does a guy shoot his shot at the gym and should a guy shoot his shot at the gym ?
Speaker 2these are the hard-hitting questions , yeah that's such a like debatable topic because I mean , like sometimes that's the only time you see that person . You know what I mean . Yeah , like , obviously , if they're in the middle of a set , don't don't shoot your shot mid-set , but also at the same time . Sometimes I've noticed it happens where it's like
Shooting Your Shot in Fitness
Speaker 2two seconds into meeting oh , you want to go on a date . You barely even know my name . Yet If you want to shoot your shot with a girl at the gym , small talk over time , then maybe shoot your shot , but don't do it in the same two minutes . Actually try and start a conversation over time , then maybe shoot your shot , but don't do it in the same two minutes . Like , actually try and start a conversation but , like you know , don't yap for like an hour in the middle of their workout . Wait till they're , you know , finishing or before they start quickly or something , and just feel the vibe , but not in the middle of their workout , I guess build some rapport yeah , yeah .
Speaker 1If you don't do that , the answer is nine times out of ten gonna be no all right , boys , gents of the gym , you've heard it here the key here is to build rapport , start small talk , ask her how her workout's going I don't even know . Make sure it's not in the middle of a set . Yeah , see , I'm still learning , folks . I'm learning here with you guys . This is why we asked these questions . Yeah , and ultimately we're going to become better because we're also going to get a little booster juice in the system with some can I wellness another sponsor of the athletes podcast here maddie wedie . We're staying fresh thanks to Can I Wellness and we're going to get a little booster juice . What's your go-to booster juice flavor ?
Speaker 1It's been a long time oh man , you don't like smoothies , expensive smoothies .
Speaker 2I'd say like orange usually .
Speaker 1Depends on the day . I guess we'll find out .
Speaker 2We're going to find out today .
Speaker 1Post-workout can I wellness fresh ? Maddie , you're gonna love this . All right , let's see . It's crazy . You need eight sprays . Eight , it's absolutely I don't know . We found out during the workout that I can't count that high , so I specifically love this . You might not love the flavor no , it's not bad it's not bad hey .
