Raw, unfiltered conversations with some of the sharpest minds in strength & conditioning, sports science, and sports coaching. From elite training rooms to grassroots sport, we dive deep into the principles, stories, and methods that drive real athlete success. No fluff, no recycled soundbites — just honest discussions that bridge the gap between research and real-world coaching, giving you the tools, ideas, and hard truths to think sharper, coach better, and lead athletes to peak performance.
Enquiries:
mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com
Follow Us:
@_coachmanny_
OVERCOMING BURNOUT AS A COACH - BRITTANEY VANDERGROEF #153
We sit down with Brittany VanderGroef — strength and conditioning coach at Fordham University, powerlifter, and specialist in rotational athletes — to talk about building relationships that outlast burnout, why coaching from behind a dashboard is killing the coach's eye, and what it actually means to show up as yourself.
In this Playbook:
Your Cup's Empty — Go In Anyway: Brittany on burnout, what her warning signs look like, and why the weight room refills her faster than anything else.
Be Yourself or Be Found Out: Athletes know what's fake. The coaches building the deepest relationships aren't the toughest in the room — they're the most genuine.
Stop Checking Boxes, Start Coaching: Early-career Brittany crammed ten pounds into a five-pound bag. Here's what she cut, and why quality of movement beats volume of exercises every time.
TeamBuildr:
Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customise workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data — all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.
Head over to www.teambuildr.com (https://www.teambuildr.com/) and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.
Exxentric:
Coaches, take your training to the next level with Exxentric's flywheel technology. The kBox and kPulley deliver eccentric overload that you simply can't replicate with traditional weights — building strength, power, and resilience in athletes at every level. Trusted by elite programmes worldwide, Exxentric gives you the tools to train smarter and keep athletes on the field.
Head over to www.exxentric.com (https://exxentric.com/wpam_id/140/)
Brittany' Social:
Instagram - @brittany_vandergroef (https://www.instagram.com/brittany_vandergroef/#)
Manny's Social:
Instagram — @_coachmanny_ (https://www.instagram.com/_coachmanny_/)
Enquiries: mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com (mailto:mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com)
16 Sept 2026
BUILDING A PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME - DAVE MCDOWELL #152
We sit down with Dave McDowell — sport performance coach at Brock University, creator of the DSM Strength YouTube channel, and the coach who quietly helped a generation of S&C coaches learn Excel — to talk about AI as a thinking partner, data you can actually trust, and what it takes to build coaches, not just athletes.
In this Playbook:
AI Is a Jousting Partner, Not a Search Engine: Stop asking it what to do. Start throwing your ideas at it and asking it to punch holes in them — that's where the real value is.
Know the Process Before You Outsource It: If you can't do it in Excel, you can't catch it when AI gets it wrong. Competence before convenience.
The Heat Map That Runs the Room: Five athletes flagging sore knees before front squat day. Dave's wellness check-in system means he knows before they even walk in — and adjusts before anyone gets hurt.
TeamBuildr:
Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customise workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data — all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.
Head over to www.teambuildr.com (https://www.teambuildr.com/) and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.
Exxentric:
Coaches, take your training to the next level with Exxentric's flywheel technology. The kBox and kPulley deliver eccentric overload that you simply can't replicate with traditional weights — building strength, power, and resilience in athletes at every level. Trusted by elite programmes worldwide, Exxentric gives you the tools to train smarter and keep athletes on the field.
Head over to www.exxentric.com (https://exxentric.com/wpam_id/140/)
Dave' Social:
Instagram - @dsmstrength (https://www.instagram.com/dsmstrength/#)
Manny's Social:
Instagram — @_coachmanny_ (https://www.instagram.com/_coachmanny_/)
Enquiries: mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com (mailto:mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com)
9 Sept 2026
BUILDING CAPACITY IN SPORTS - MIKE DICLEMENTI #151
We sit down with Mike DiClementi — Assistant Strength Coach at UIC, formerly at Northwestern and Augustana, known online as Coach Mad Dog — to talk about building relationships that make athletes coachable, manipulating range of motion across the training year, and why the fun stuff isn't a concession, it's the whole point.
In this Playbook:
They Don't Care Until They Know You Care: The weight room is the easy part. Mike on why the relationship is the program — and what happens to training quality once that trust is built.
Range of Motion Is a Variable: Full depth in the off-season. Parallel in the strength block. Partials heading into preseason. In-season, you're managing DOMs. Mike walks through exactly how he cycles it — and why it's one of the most underused tools in programming.
Put the Wearable Down: HRV of 70 and now the athlete's stressed about their recovery score. Check-in tool, not a report card. When the numbers become the problem, take the thing off.
TeamBuildr:
Coaches, revolutionise your training programs with their cutting-edge platform. Create and customise workouts, track progress, communicate effortlessly, and analyse performance data — all in one place. Take advantage of our 30-day free trial and see how TeamBuildr can elevate your team's performance.
Head over to www.teambuildr.com (https://www.teambuildr.com/) and use code "PACHALKUP" for your 30-day free trial.
Exxentric:
Coaches, take your training to the next level with Exxentric's flywheel technology. The kBox and kPulley deliver eccentric overload that you simply can't replicate with traditional weights — building strength, power, and resilience in athletes at every level. Trusted by elite programmes worldwide, Exxentric gives you the tools to train smarter and keep athletes on the field.
Head over to www.exxentric.com (https://exxentric.com/wpam_id/140/)
Mike' Social:
Instagram - @coachmaddog_ (https://www.instagram.com/coachmaddog_/#)
Manny's Social:
Instagram — @_coachmanny_ (https://www.instagram.com/_coachmanny_/)
Enquiries: mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com (mailto:mannysilveira@primitiveathletix.com)
Who has been a guest on PA CHALK UP
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Alex Beljic
Madison Peele
Kenna Smoak-Minnici
Bert Sorin
Matrixx Ferreira
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
4,657,812,580
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
30 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 75 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
92
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
51
Contact PA CHALK UP
Guest appearances
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