Strong Principles is a no-nonsense fitness podcast created for everyday people—whether you're from the local gym or halfway across the world. Each episode breaks down key weightlifting movements, explores smart and sustainable training strategies, and helps you avoid the common pitfalls of bad fitness programming. Whether you're just getting started or refining your approach, Strong Principles gives you the tools, mindset, and knowledge to train with purpose and stay on track.
Rib Flare: Stop Leaking Strength and Learn to Brace
A listener asked us about rib flare (not Ric Flair), so we took it on. Rib flare is what happens when your ribs drift in front of your hips, usually when you press overhead or hang from a bar. Your lower back arches, your core can’t brace, and you start leaking strength.
Wendy explains why your torso works like a canister, with your ribs stacked over your hips. Rob covers why your diaphragm and deep core can’t build pressure when you’re out of position, and why even high-level athletes often don’t know how to brace. Pete talks about the low back problems he had for years from “bracing” by filling his belly with air, and how RKC planks finally taught him the real thing.
In this episode:
What rib flare is and how to check if you have it
Awareness vs. mobility: when tight lats are the real problem
Bracing vs. flexing your abs (they’re not the same)
Why a lifting belt gives you feedback, not support
Drills that help: dead bugs, RKC planks, and balloon breathing
Why bracing is a basic skill, right up there with squatting and pressing
Not sure if your ribs flare? Ask a coach to watch you press overhead. And remember: Wendy is always right.
2 Nov 2026
Strong vs. Skinny: Why Frailty Is the Next Epidemic
Is it better to carry a few extra pounds and be strong, or to be thin with no muscle? Rob, Larry, Pete, and Wendy dig into research suggesting that fit people with some extra body fat often outlast skinny, under-muscled people. They’re more durable, recover better from illness and injury, and have more in reserve when life knocks them down.
The crew covers the rise of GLP-1s and why rapid weight loss without strength training and proper nutrition can cost you bone density and muscle (and even teeth). They talk about the rebound cycle that leaves people with more fat and less muscle each round, and why the coming health crisis may be frailty rather than obesity. They also explain why “naturally thin” people may be at a disadvantage, why being heavy and sedentary is still frailty in a bigger body, and why your muscle works like money in the bank.
Focus on what your body can do, not just how it looks. Strength is never a weakness.
26 Oct 2026
Holiday Survival Plan: Train Less, Just Don’t Stop
Summer slump is over, and the holidays are coming fast. Between Halloween, Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving and Christmas, this is the stretch where most people drift away from the gym and wake up on January 2 wishing they hadn’t.
Rob, Larry, Pete and Wendy share the tactics and mindset that get you through the season without losing everything you built. You don’t have to be perfect. You just can’t fall off the rails.
In this episode:
Why it takes roughly 10 to 14 days before your body starts to detrain, and why training less still beats stopping completely
Research suggesting that people who trained every other week ended up in the same place as people who trained every week
Wendy’s non-negotiables: lock two sessions a week into your calendar and protect your routines
Pete’s three-stage plan: an entry plan, an in-season plan and an exit strategy
Pick four of the five (diet, exercise, sleep, hydration, stress management) and hold them tight
One bad day when you’ve had 30 good ones doesn’t matter, so eat the pumpkin pie
Why restricting too hard backfires, and why coming back too fast in January gets people hurt
The holidays are about the people, not the drinking and eating
Please don’t play drunk flag football
You have about two months left in the year. You can do a lot of good or a lot of damage. The choice is yours.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 18 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
23
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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