Obstacle Dominator Podcast by Matt Roberts

About Obstacle Dominator Podcast by Matt Roberts

Think your grip is the problem? It might be. Most of the time, it's something else. Whether you want to run more of the course, beat your last time or reach a podium, the question is the same: what's actually costing you time? The Obstacle Dominators Podcast, hosted by Matt Roberts, OCR performance coach and Spartan athlete, helps OCR racers at every level find what's holding them back and train with purpose. You don't need to be elite. You just need to want to improve. Stop guessing. Perform better on race day. https://racedayperformance.com/start

Publisher

Matt Roberts | OCR Coach

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Jul 2023

Latest episode

30 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

87 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Sept 2026

   🎙️Ep 85 Why Your Training Isn't Transferring on Race Day: 5 Key Insights

   This episode breaks down why athletes can work hard in training and still underperform when it matters. Matt Roberts and Matt focus on the difference between effort and structure, and why adaptation depends on sequencing, recovery, and specificity, not just grinding harder.They also connect the discussion to OCR and Spartan racing, using examples from long runs, hills, heat exposure, and race readiness to show how training should match the demands of race day. In this episode, Matt Roberts and Matt discuss why consistent hard work does not automatically translate into race-day performance.They explain how structure, sequencing, and recovery determine whether training actually gets absorbed. They talk about specificity in OCR, including grip, hill running, fatigue, and race demands. They compare flat training to hilly race conditions and explain why threshold work on flat ground may not solve climbing weakness. They discuss the importance of power-to-weight ratio for both running and obstacle performance. They cover why doing too much strength work or too much intensity can sabotage adaptation. They highlight the value of revisiting the same routes, sessions, or tests to track progress over time.They emphasize that adaptation often happens over months and years, not rushed six-week blocks. They talk about listening to your body, including signs like poor sleep, excessive soreness, low appetite, or dread of training. They close by framing progress as the real goal, not simply completing more work. 00:00 - Weekend check-in and Spartan UK race prep 02:26 - Why Henley on Thames is a demanding course 03:48 - Short-distance runners vs. ultra runners 05:15 - Why repeatable long runs reveal progress 07:12 - Using familiar sessions to track improvement 07:55 - Training for heat before hot race conditions 08:30 - Planning for different race terrains and climates 09:29 - The core problem: training that does not transfer 11:55 - Power-to-weight ratio and junior athletes 13:16 - Why hard sessions do not guarantee adaptation 14:59 - The danger of simulating race effort every session 15:56 - Greg’s 5K benchmark and long-term progress 18:21 - Why some athletes go years without a PR 19:09 - Your body, not the race calendar, should drive training 20:53 - Matching training stress to race demands 21:43 - Splitting threshold work instead of overloading one session 22:41 - Why trying to cover everything in one week backfires 24:09 - Nutrition, sleep, and honest progress checks 25:08 - Why OCR and park run times do not always translate 26:05 - Stepping from competitive racing to elite racing 27:35 - Accounting for all training stress, even the unplanned kind 28:40 - Structured stimulus vs. random hard days 30:54 - Intentional training, absorption weeks, and readiness 32:21 - Cycles, not quick fixes 33:48 - Enjoying training and listening to body signalsNotable quotes It’s not just what you do, it’s how you arrange it. More isn’t better. Focus on making progress. Find out whats costing you time ⁠https://racedayperformance.com/start⁠ (https://racedayperformance.com/start)

2. 

   30 Sept 2026

   🎙️Ep 84 Prepare yourself

   In this episode, Matt and Matt Roberts explore the importance of movement, mindset, and long-term health strategies. They discuss how everyday activities, playful movement, and intentional challenges can enhance longevity, performance, and overall well-being.

3. 

   19 Mar 2026

   🎙️ EP83 Grip Isn’t Your Problem: The Real Reason You’re Failing Obstacles

   In today’s episode, Matt Roberts breaks down one of the most misunderstood areas in OCR performance — grip failure. Most athletes fall off an obstacle and immediately assume it’s a strength issue. So they respond the only way they know how — by training grip harder, hanging longer, and doubling down on forearms. But that’s not where the problem starts. This episode goes deeper into the system behind performance, unpacking why grip is rarely the true limiter — and why failure usually begins long before you reach the obstacle. We discuss: Why grip strength alone doesn’t solve obstacle failure How systemic fatigue, not weak hands, is often the real bottleneck The role of aerobic base, threshold, and pacing strategy in obstacle success Why obstacle efficiency is misunderstood — and often applied incorrectly How mindset and decision-making influence performance under fatigue Where most athletes misplace their focus in training The reality is simple. If you arrive at an obstacle already fatigued, your grip doesn’t stand a chance — no matter how strong it is. This episode challenges how you think about grip, training, and OCR performance as a whole. Because the athletes who perform best aren’t the ones with the strongest hands. They’re the ones with the most complete system behind them. Links 🎥 Watch the episode on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Mattlivingprimal (https://www.youtube.com/@Mattlivingprimal) 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/obstacle-dominator-podcast-by-matt-roberts/id1772898140) 🏁 Join the free OCR Skool group https://www.skool.com/obstacle-course-dominators-4113/about (https://www.skool.com/obstacle-course-dominators-4113/about?utm_source=chatgpt.com) If you found value in this episode Please leave us a like, drop a star rating, write a review, and subscribe on YouTube — it helps us reach and help more people just like you. Thanks for listening.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

17,567

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

23 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 70 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

89

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

51

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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