Welcome to the SW7 Academy Open Gym Podcast.
A podcast for athletes, coaches and anyone looking to reach their full potential.
Across the series, we’ll be joined by professional rugby players, elite athletes, coaches and experts from across the world of performance to talk about what it really takes to perform at your best — from training and recovery to lifestyle, mindset, career journeys and everything in between.
We’ll also be joined by SW7 Academy coaches and other specialists to share practical advice, coaching points and insights that you can take into your own training and development.
Whether you’re a young athlete starting your journey, an experienced player looking to take your performance to the next level, or simply interested in what goes on behind the scenes, the Open Gym Podcast is here to help you train smarter, develop better and fulfil your potential.
Train. Develop. Perform.
Louis Rees-Zammit joins Sam Gasston for Open Gym by SW7 Academy to talk about the NFL, Bristol Bears, Welsh rugby and life as the fastest player in world rugby. From representing Wales and the British & Irish Lions to taking a high-risk shot at American football, LRZ opens up about the low point of not making it in the NFL, his Premiership ambitions with Bristol Bears, and the motivation in the Wales squad ahead of the Autumn Internationals. Subscribe to SW7 Academy for more Open Gym ep...
14 Oct 2026
Open Gym Podcast with Sam Warburton | Part 2
6 Oct 2026
Open Gym Podcast with Sam Warburton | Part One
In this SW7 Academy Open Gym Podcast, we sit down for a conversation about what it takes to build a career in professional sport. From the early years and breaking through, to staying at the top and adapting throughout your career. The conversation covers training, recovery, mindset, performance, life as a professional athlete and the lessons that come from years spent competing at the highest level. We also look at how the right training and development from a young age can help athletes b...
23 Oct 2022
Rest And Recovery
Thinking that more is better, is not the answer! Rest and recovery are absolutely vital in order to develop physically and importantly perform optimally! A deeper dive into the training schedule and the need for quality rest and recovery days to go alongside the training stimulus. Adaptation occurs away from training. Training is the stimulus. Recovery days is where the magic happens. The three main pillars of recovery; Sleep, nutrition and hydration.
20 Oct 2022
Best Players / Top Level Pro's
We dive into the super professional players and some of the most physically gifted players we’ve worked with over the last 20 years. In this episode, we take a look at what makes a good professional, and why some players excelled. Their work ethics, and the diligence to prepare as optimally as possible. Covering all areas of preparation. We also take a trip down memory lane, sharing stories of players who had freaky physical qualities and athletic ability.
9 Oct 2022
Our 10 All Time Best Exercises
If we could only perform 10 exercises as an athlete for the rest of our lives and split them into 2 sessions what would they be? After 3 decades in professional sport, Chris tells us what are the exercises where you get the most ‘bang for your buck’. A fascinating episode which will certainly educate you on how you should plan & maximise your time in the gym. You will also be surprised how well you can progress in the gym and on the pitch using just a few exercises.
3 Oct 2022
How To Plan Your Weekly Rugby Schedules
In this episode we discuss one of the the most debated topics amongst professional S&C coaches at professional level. How to plan your weekly rugby schedules. With so many qualities that players need to develop such as speed, strength, power, fitness & prehab to name a few, scheduling this can become a head ache. Chris and Sam talk you through their ideal schedule and why it’s most effective when training multiple aspects of fitness at the same time.
26 Sept 2022
Developing Power With Velocity Based Training (VBT)
In this episode we discuss how the use of Velocity Based Training (VBT), and it's role in maximising adaptation for Strength and Power using optimal loads with the integration of technology. This is where our programming focusses on the variety of bar speeds you need to employ on a weekly basis to maximise strength and power gains but with VBT, it allows you to hit the sweet spot every time. As an athlete and trainer, fatigue means extensive recovery, and a loss of training stimu...
19 Sept 2022
Benchmarking For Elite Performance
In this episode we cover: Why we test. Which physical qualities are important to excel at rugby. Training your strengths and weaknesses. Challenges and constraints of testing.
11 Sept 2022
Elite Performance Behaviours
In this episode Sam and Chris discuss everything around elite performance. They chat through all attributes that a person needs to have to make it to the very top of the game. A lot can be said for having the correct training programmes to follow, both in the gym and the training a rugby player does on the pitch. But that only makes up 3-4 hours a day for a professional. It's what you do in the other 20-21 hours that really sets the elite apart from the rest. Correct nutrition a...
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
43 ratings
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