Becoming Ronin

#163 Learned Helplessness in Training: How to Break Free

April 05, 2026

🔗 Subscribe on YouTube   Episode Overview In this episode of Becoming Ronin, Smitty and Ob break down the intersection of injury, mindset, and performance:: unpacking how setbacks can either stall progress or become the catalyst for long-term growth. They explore the concept of learned helplessness and how it shows up in training, while offering practical strategies for coaching through injury and rebuilding resilience. From smarter program design and deadlift technique to the psychological r...

#162 Bodybuilding and Fat Loss Dieting - Avoid the Unhealthy Side of Bodybuilding with Chris McGowan

February 28, 2026

Episode #162  🔗 Subscribe on YouTube   Episode Overview What happens when your identity becomes your physique? In Episode 162, IFBB Pro Chris McGowan sits down with OB and Smitty to unpack the psychological weight of discipline, competition, and coaching. They discuss identity, burnout, rebound phases, and what it really costs to live at the edge of physical performance. Chris opens up about how Smitty was an early influence on his life path. He then turns to the mental tax of high-level body...

#161 Surviving the Unthinkable - A Near Death Experience

January 31, 2026

🔗 Subscribe on YouTube     Episode Overview   In this episode of Becoming Ronin, we sit down with Adrian, a former paramedic whose life was forever altered during a hiking trip when he was struck by lightning. Against staggering odds, a series of extraordinary and near-impossible circumstances: aligned timing, location, rescue, and medical intervention, allowing him to survive an event that is almost certainly fatal.   Adrian walks us through the moments leading up to the strike, the chaos th...