Rugged Athlete Podcast is a performance-driven show dedicated to the health, fitness, and human performance of wildland firefighters and other tactical professionals.
Hosted by Austin Womack MS, CSCS, the podcast breaks down strength and conditioning, work capacity, durability, recovery, and lifestyle strategies that support the rugged, physical demands of the fireline. Episodes blend practical training guidance, evidence-based principles, and real-world application—cutting through noise and trends to focus on what actually improves performance under load, fatigue, and environmental stress.
Whether you’re preparing for fire season, navigating long shifts and limited recovery, or looking to extend your career and reduce injury risk, the Rugged Athlete Podcast delivers actionable insights you can apply immediately.
Physical Training for the Female Wildland Firefighter w/ Sofia Huston [015]
At 18, Sofia Huston showed up to her first fire season with no athletic background. She was last up every hike and couldn't do a single pull-up on the PT test. A few years later she had spent four seasons on a hotshot crew and was hammering out 15 pull-ups. Now she coaches hundreds of wildland firefighters, and she's the newest coach at Rugged Athlete.
Sofia gave the most popular presentation at our Human Performance Summit. In this episode we dig into it: how self-talk shapes your performance, why women in fire are so often underfueled (and why you can be underfueling even when your weight isn't dropping), and why good training for the job doesn't look exactly like the job. We also cover building fitness versus expressing it, why front squats will make you a better hiker, and how to get comfortable in the weight room if it intimidates you.
Sofia is leading our new women's 12-week off-season group training program, running Nov 2 – Jan 24. Registration closes October 31. The next cohort starts February 1.
LINKS
Join Sofia's Winter Cohort: https://www.trainerize.me/checkout/ruggedathlete/Austin.Womack?planGUID=95fc2c8c1f2c4f40a44d92c83b364185&mode=checkout (https://www.trainerize.me/checkout/ruggedathlete/Austin.Womack?planGUID=95fc2c8c1f2c4f40a44d92c83b364185&mode=checkout)
Free presentation, Physical Training for the Female Wildland Firefighter: https://www.ruggedathletetraining.com/female-pt-wildland-firefighters (https://www.ruggedathletetraining.com/female-pt-wildland-firefighters)
Follow Sofia: https://www.instagram.com/sofiahuston.etc (https://www.instagram.com/sofiahuston.etc)
Training for the Uphill Athlete by Steve House, Scott Johnston & Kilian Jornet
The Ultimate Hybrid Athlete by Alex Viada: https://www.victorybelt.com/ultimate-hybrid-athlete (https://www.victorybelt.com/ultimate-hybrid-athlete)
SPONSOR
Ready Bar. Save at https://getreadybar.com (https://getreadybar.com) with code RUGGED20
Hear the founder's story: How a NASA Food Scientist Built READYBAR w/ Ryan Dowdy [012]: https://open.spotify.com/episode/32GP3p1F53aoXBB9qUcFd7 (https://open.spotify.com/episode/32GP3p1F53aoXBB9qUcFd7)
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro: meet Sofia, our newest coach
03:40 Sponsor: Ready Bar
05:53 Why Sofia presented on the female firefighter
09:06 Her first seasons, and the women who weren't there
10:35 Zero athletic background to coach
14:47 Making a hotshot crew: from dead last to 15 pull-ups
17:12 Reps are practice: consistency over everything
18:19 Self-talk, body image and performance
23:17 Baseball, failure and the mental game
25:08 Low energy availability and losing your cycle
29:31 "How am I underfueling if I'm not losing weight?"
32:29 Programming philosophy: train every quality concurrently
38:31 Why you don't need to hike every day
42:44 Intimidated by the weight room? Progressions that work
45:40 "Will lifting make me bulky?" Strength and bone density
47:10 Getting a hotshot ready for the rappel pack-out
49:13 Strength during fire season: building vs. expressing fitness
50:18 Who the women's group program is for
55:28 Your off-season crew, and how small the fire world is
58:54 How to sign up and find Sofia
The views shared on this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not represent any agency, department or employer.
17 Oct 2026
How To Dominate The Pack Test: Training, Pacing, and Not Wrecking Your Shins [014]
In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast I teach you how to dominate the pack test.
I cover pacing strategies, step and breathing cadence strategies, how to walk with more efficient biomechanics so you don't wreck your shins, and how to effectively train for the pack test.
Want our FREE 4 week pack test PT plan? Download it here:
https://www.trainerize.me/profile/ruggedathlete/?planGUID=2a37ef60a666400d969420d2bcec8470&mode=checkout (https://www.trainerize.me/profile/ruggedathlete/?planGUID=2a37ef60a666400d969420d2bcec8470&mode=checkout)
Lastly, be sure to give our sponsor, READY BAR, some love! Their energy/protein bar is perfect for wildland firefighters and you can save money by using the code RUGGED20 to get 20% off your order. Check them out here: https://getreadybar.com/ (https://getreadybar.com/)
7 Oct 2026
This Off-Season Will Be Our Biggest And Best Yet! [013]
In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast Austin breaks down the changes and improvements we made to our off-season training program offerings.
We've been spending the last several months building out our new and improved "Rugged Athlete Training System" which includes previous offerings like our Pro Membership and our 1:1 Coaching, as well as our brand new Group Training Program.
Check out the full episode for all the details.
You can also view our different training programs on our website which you can access here: https://www.ruggedathletetraining.com/ (https://www.ruggedathletetraining.com/)
Also, be sure to check out our sponsor: READY BAR. You can see the different flavors they have over at getreadybar.com. Make sure you use code RUGGED20 at checkout to save yourself some money!
30 Sept 2026
How a NASA Food Scientist Built READYBAR w/ Ryan Dowdy [012]
In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast I sit down with Ryan Dowdy, founder and CEO of READYBAR.
Ryan is a former NASA food scientist who lead performance nutrition innovation for fueling astronauts on the International Space Station.
He later turned that experience and expertise into his own product with READYBAR.
In this episode we dive into the details behind Ryan's company, the nutrition parallels between the aerospace industry and the wildfire industry, and we get insight into READYBAR's new mystery flavor!
Check them out at getreadybar.com and make sure you use code "RUGGED20" at checkout to save yourself some money.
23 Sept 2026
What's Inside The Wildland Firefighter Health And Safety Act? [011]
In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast I go through all 50 pages of the proposed Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act.
This bill addresses many important topics such as respiratory protection, cancer screening and prevention, behavioral health support, research priorities, and funding allocations to the tune of $305 million between FY 2027 and 2032.
In the episode I mentioned several relevant studies that have been carried out by the Wildfire Conservancy. Below are links to check those out:
Clean Cab Protocol: https://wildfireconservancy.org/clean-cab (https://wildfireconservancy.org/clean-cab)
Firefighter Cancer Cohort Study: https://wildfireconservancy.org/cancer-study (https://wildfireconservancy.org/cancer-study)
Reducing Dermal Exposure: https://wildfireconservancy.org/skin-exposure (https://wildfireconservancy.org/skin-exposure)
You can also tap the link below to sign up for the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer: https://www.firefightercancersupport.org/national-firefighter-registry (https://www.firefightercancersupport.org/national-firefighter-registry)
If you want to check out the entire 50 page bill for yourself you can do so here: https://dexter.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/dexter.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/dexter_112_xml.pdf (https://dexter.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/dexter.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/dexter_112_xml.pdf)
Lastly, be sure to give our sponsor, READY BAR, some love! Their energy/protein bar is perfect for wildland firefighters and you can save money by using the code RUGGED20 to get 20% off your order. Check them out here: https://getreadybar.com/ (https://getreadybar.com/)
15 Jul 2026
Fitness Wearables For The Fireline w/ Brandon Schrom [010]
In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast we visit with guest Brandon Schrom who is an expert on fitness wearables such as Garmin, Whoop, Oura Ring, Apple Health Kit, and Fitbit.
Brandon is a research physiologist for the US Navy where he specialized in wearable technology in Warfighter Human Performance. He also helps lead the Type 1 Readiness Program for Hotshot Wellness. Before working with tactical athletes, he was a sport technologist for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee working in cycling and track and field. He received his BS and MS in Exercise Science from SUNY Cortland.
In this episode Brandon explains wearable are, how to understand and use information such as HRV and sleep scores, practical tips for analyzing daily readiness scores vs trends over time, and his personal opinion on the pros and cons of all the popular wearable brands on the market today.
Our sponsor for today's episode is READYBAR. READYBAR is the perfect meal replacement/protein/energy bar for the fireline. The flavors and macros on these things are top notch. Check them out over at getreadybar.com (http://getreadybar.com)!
29 Jun 2026
A New Fitness Test For Wildland Firefighters: The Type 1 Fitness Test [009]
In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast Austin and Justin discuss the Type 1 Fitness Test - a fitness test we created to better assessment occupational performance for type 1 resources, and to attempt to enhance the fitness culture in the profession.
We breakdown the details of this fitness test including the why behind the exact specs of the test, as well as the scoring standards and expectations for type 1 firefighters.
We also cover a plethora of critiques, suggestions, and "hate comments" surrounding this fitness test. Just a heads up, this fitness test is extremely controversial apparently.
5 Jun 2026
The Truth About The Pack Test [008]
In today's episode Austin and Justin answer the question, do we need to reassess the pack test?
We dive into the history of the pack test, including how it became the universal fitness assessment back in the mid 1990's, as well as the fitness test that preceeded it: the 5 minute step test.
We also give our personal opinions on the pack test - what's good about it and what it's flaws are.
This episode is sponsored by READYBAR. Check them out at https://getreadybar.com/ (https://getreadybar.com/)
13 May 2026
My Story Going From Pro Baseball To Wildland Fire [007]
In this episode of the Rugged Athlete Podcast Austin shares his professional strength and conditioning journey.
From college baseball, to professional baseball, to fighting wildfires, and ultimately starting Rugged Athlete - Austin details his unique career path.
Huge shoutout to the sponsor of today's episode: READYBAR
Check out READYBAR here: https://getreadybar.com/ (https://getreadybar.com/)
6 May 2026
Important Advice For First Year Wildland Firefighters + More | Q&A Episode [006]
In today's episode Austin and Justin answer viewer questions including:
What advice do you have for firefighters going into their first season?
What nutrition tips do you have for at fire camp and on the fireline
How do you train for uphill hiking if you live somewhere where there are no hills
Do you do female specific training/research? How do you incorporate it into your training plans?
Do you program anything specifically for bone health and bone density?
If you like these Q&A style episodes let us know, and if you want your questions answered be on the look out for our next question drop on our IG stories @ruggedathlete
29 Apr 2026
How To Take Care Of Your Body During Fire Season: Physical Preventative Maintenance Explained [005]
In today's episode Austin shares his presentation from the 2026 Wildland Firefighter Human Performance Summit.
This virtual summit is 100% free and is delivered through the Rugged Athlete App.
Tap here to register for the summit (https://tinyurl.com/WFHPsummit)
Tap here to get a free trial of our Pro Membership on the app (https://shorturl.at/H3ykr)
Tap here to download our Physical Preventative Maintenance Course (https://www.trainerize.me/profile/ruggedathlete/?planGUID=c360f43258894e72afb17dda83ffce27&mode=checkout)
9 Apr 2026
How To Improve Hiking Performance: The Complete Blueprint [004]
In this episode Austin and Justin provide the complete blueprint to improving your hiking performance.
Topics of discussion include work capacity development, biomechanical efficiency during hiking, how to pace and breathe correctly, the metabolic demands of hiking, and training principles to abide by to crush your next hike.
Several hiking related resource were mentioned in the show which you can access below:
Tap Here to Download our Free Program Design for Hiking Module (https://www.ruggedathletetraining.com/program-design-for-hiking)
Tap Here to Download our High Performance Hiking Course (https://www.trainerize.me/checkout/ruggedathlete/Austin.Womack?planGUID=f6d35736a9494bb397c9ca13e1861fd8&mode=checkout)
Tap Here to download our free Work Capacity Development Mini-Course (https://www.trainerize.me/checkout/ruggedathlete/Austin.Womack?planGUID=44fa935399f848e4b3fd2b361e2b1ad0&mode=checkout)
30 Mar 2026
What Exactly is Wildland Firefighter Human Performance? [003]
In this episode Austin Womack and Justin DeMoss breakdown what human performance is, the difference between human performance and wellness, and share predictions on what the future of human performance in the wildland firefighter profession will look like.
This episode features our two nutrition coaches, Heidi Brackebusch and JJ Shelley.
Listen to them share their stories about how they both transitioned from wildland firefighters to nutrition professionals, how they coach Rugged Athlete 1:1 clients through nutritional assessments and goals, and other topics such as food tracking.
15 Mar 2026
A New Era in Wildland Firefighter Human Performance is Here [001]
Welcome to the Rugged Athlete Podcast! In this pilot episode we'll introduce ourselves, share the story behind why Rugged Athlete was created, and explain what our vision is for this podcast. This is where we'll have the longer form conversations that social media platforms aren't built for.
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Spotify
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
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