Why do fit, active people keep breaking down?

Rob from TELOS breaks the cycle. If you're over 35, training consistently, and still dealing with recurring injuries, stiffness, and the endless physio loop, this podcast explains why it happens and what to actually do about it. No fluff. No gimmicks. Just the truth about building a body that lasts.

Episode Notes

Why fit and active people keep breaking down, and the training philosophy shift that changes everything.

In this episode:

• The loop that keeps you stuck (train, injury, rehab, repeat)
• Why rehabilitation only gets you back to baseline, and why that's not enough
• Load bearing capacity: the real reason injuries happen
• The prerequisites problem most trainers ignore
• Joint independence before joint interdependence
• Flexibility vs functional mobility (the Bruce Lee test)
• End range strength: owning your movement, not just reaching it
• The expand, control, execute framework

This isn't about training harder. It's about training smarter.

Contact: Instagram: @rob_telos Email: info@yourtelos.com

I turned 49 this week. And I've been thinking about time, how we waste it, and the fact that none of us know how much we have left.

If you train consistently but keep doing the same thing year after year, this episode is for you. We're talking about why discipline without strategy is just spinning your wheels. How to map out your training year with actual variance and purpose. And why the next decade of your physical life depends on how you think, not just how hard you work.

• Why 2025 being gone should change how you approach 2026
• How I'm mapping my year: Q1 swimming, Q2/Q3 rings, Q4 lower body
• Client wins: Mark (struggling to walk → 68K event), Liz (2 marathons + first pull-up), Andy (first 100K cycle)
• How one comment from a swim coach shifted my standards
• Seneca: "Before you cure a man, ask him if he's willing to give up what is making him sick"
• Who TELOS is for (and who it's not for)

Contact: Instagram: @rob_telos Email: info@yourtelos.com

At 30, I was a smoker, heavy drinker, and hadn't trained since rugby ended at 17. Then I paddled out into the ocean and everything changed. This is the real story of how one sport pulled me out of 13 years of physical neglect - and why I'm surfing better at 48 than I ever did at 35.

Episode Overview: Rob shares the deeply personal story of how surfing became the catalyst for his complete life transformation - from a sedentary, drinking, smoking 30-year-old who hadn't trained in 13 years, to approaching 50 in the best shape of his life.

Key Moments:

• The movie that planted the seed (Big Wednesday, early 90s)
• First surf lesson at 12 in Rossnowlagh - thumbs so numb he couldn't unzip the wetsuit
• Rugby career ending at 17 with shoulder dislocations and surgery complications
• The 13-year gap: drinking, drugs, no training, lost identity
• Mate's 30th birthday in Cork - the spark that reignited everything
• The "physical poverty" moment at 35 - couldn't catch a wave, back spasming, defeated in a car park
• The decision that changed everything: "F**k this. This is never happening again."
• How surfing led to quitting alcohol, changing careers, and building systems that last

Lessons from the Ocean:

• The ocean doesn't care about your excuses
• You can be prepared or unprepared - it won't let you on if you're not ready
• Age is irrelevant: 69-year-old surfer in triple-overhead barrels at Margaret River

Where to Find Rob: Instagram: @rob_telos Email: info@yourtelos.com

You've done the stretches. You've seen the physios. You've spent twenty minutes on a foam roller. And you're still bloody stiff. That nagging back, those tight hips, the shoulders that feel ten years older than you are. This episode explains why your body creates tightness in the first place, and what you actually need to do to change it. Spoiler: it's not what most people are doing.

SHOW NOTES

The Problem Nobody Explains

Your tightness isn't the issue — it's your nervous system's solution. When your brain doesn't trust a joint, it locks it down. That's protection, not punishment. But until you understand this, you'll keep chasing temporary relief.

What We Cover

• Why movement comes from your joints, not your muscles (and why this changes everything)
• The "brain map" your body relies on — and why most people's maps are incomplete
• The reason stretching gives you an hour of relief but the tightness comes back
• Passive flexibility vs active control: why one builds trust and the other doesn't
• How to actually use a physio without expecting to be "fixed"
• Full range joint movement, end range strength work, and intelligent breathing
• The ecosystem that matters: sleep, hydration, stress, daily movement
• Why foam rolling is massively overused (and what I'd have you do instead)

The Bottom Line

You're not broken. You're not damaged. Your nervous system just needs better information. This isn't age — I'm almost 49 and moving better than I did in my thirties. It's about training with intelligence, not just intensity.

Connect

Instagram: @rob_telos
Email: info@yourtelos.com

You say you want to change. Your actions say otherwise.

Most successful professionals have impeccable standards at work - they show up on time, deliver quality, never send half-arsed work to clients. But their training? Nutrition? Sleep? Completely different set of standards.

In this episode, Rob breaks down the Standards Gap - the distance between what you say matters and what you actually do when life gets difficult. He shares his own swimming transformation story and introduces the Four Pillars Framework for raising your standards systematically.

You'll learn:

• Why your intelligence is working against you (and how to fix it)
• The "Rules of the Mind" that control 96% of your decisions
• How to identify your real standards (not the ones you tell yourself)
• The Four Pillars: Internal Dialogue, Physical, Organisation, and Nutrition
• Why life-changing habits are easy (but also easy not to do)
• The one-thing focus that makes everything else improve

Download the free Standards Framework Workbook: [website/standards]

Questions? Message Rob on Instagram @rob_telos or email info@yourtelos.com

Episode Overview: Rob explores why successful professionals struggle with physical consistency despite knowing exactly what to do. The problem isn't motivation - it's standards.

Key Takeaways:

• The Standards Gap: What you say vs. what you actually do
• Your mind only responds to two things: pictures and words
• One non-negotiable in TELOS: You can't speak negatively to yourself
• Swimming story: How a coach changed Rob's standards from 20 to 50 lengths
• The Four Pillars Framework for raising standards
• Why 6-7/10 weeks will change your life in the long run

The Four Pillars:

1. Internal Dialogue - How you speak to yourself matters more than you think
2. Physical Standards - Your minimum weekly benchmark (not your ideal)
3. Organisation - Sunday planning + Friday reflection = consistency
4. Nutrition - The spectrum of choice principle

Action Steps:

1. Rate yourself honestly (1-10) in each pillar
2. Pick ONE focus area for the next 30 days
3. Make it non-negotiable and track it
4. Download the Standards Framework Workbook

Resources:

• Free Standards Framework Workbook: [website/standards]
• Book a Clarity Call: [link in show notes]
• Instagram: @rob_telos
• Email: info@yourtelos.com

Subscribe: New episodes every Wednesday

You wake up Monday motivated. You train brilliantly. You feel unstoppable. Then Wednesday hits - tired, stressed, back's tight, kids up all night. Motivation? Gone. Sound familiar?

If you're a driven professional between 35-50 who's tried P90X, kettlebells, personal trainers, and countless programs without lasting results, this episode reveals why you're not the problem - relying on motivation is.

Today I breaKdown the critical difference between motivation (temporary emotional state) and discipline (systematic consistency). Drawing from 15+ years of training and coaching hundreds of clients, he explains why intelligent professionals need intelligent systems - not just harder workouts.

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• Why motivation is like the weather and discipline is your well-built house

• The "Habits Bodyguard" framework that protects your commitments when life gets difficult

• How to build discipline progressively like training a muscle (not forcing misery)

• The identity shift that creates lasting transformation beyond physical results

• One specific action you can take today to start building your discipline muscle

This episode is for you if:

• You're tired of starting and stopping fitness programs

• You're skeptical of online programs after past disappointments

• You want physical capability at 50, 60, 70+ (not just to "look good")

• You're ready for systems-based transformation, not quick fixes

• You're struggling with back pain, mobility issues, or declining energy

• You value authenticity over flashy marketing

Rob shares his personal journey preparing for big surf sessions at nearly 49, proving that age is data, not destiny. He challenges the fitness industry's reliance on motivation and offers the intelligent alternative: building discipline through manageable, consistent actions that compound over time.

The Bottom Line: Motivation gets you started. Discipline keeps you going. If you're serious about physical freedom and transformation that lasts, this episode gives you the framework to become someone who shows up—rain or shine.

Ready to stop negotiating with yourself and start building the discipline that creates real change? This is where it begins.

Connect with TELOS: Instagram: @‌rob_telos Email: info@yourtelos.com Want to explore working together? Book a consultation to learn how we build discipline systems for driven professionals.

Your potential already exists, you just need to remove what's blocking it. In this episode, I break down the 4 types of interference keeping you from your goals and share the decision that changed my life at 35. No magic formulas—just truth about transformation.

Episode: Your Potential Already Exists - You're Just Removing What's In The WayIn This Episode:

The Car Park Moment (03:00)

• How a failed surfing session at 35 became the turning point

• The difference between hoping and deciding

• Why that potential was already there

The Quantum Field Concept (09:55)

• Every version of you exists as a possibility

• How to "tune into" the reality you want

• Einstein's frequency principle applied practically

The 4 Types of Interference (13:47)

1. Limiting Beliefs - "I don't have time" / "I'm not disciplined enough"

2. Subconscious Programming - Beliefs running on autopilot (like my 25 years with alcohol)

3. Habitual Sabotage - Netflix collapse, weekend wine, all-or-nothing patterns

4. Low Vibrational States - Operating from stress vs. operating from clarity

The Power of "I AM" Statements (22:51)

• How identity drives all behavior

• Why saying "I'm not disciplined" creates that reality

• Johnny Sexton's 2018 drop goal mindset

Practical Visualization Exercise (29:37)

• Accessing the frequency of your achieved goal NOW

• Training your nervous system to embody success

Transformation doesn't happen through programs alone—it happens through decision, embodiment, and consistent action. Your potential exists right now. Remove the interference.

Resources Mentioned:

• Previous episodes: Physical Energy, Mental Energy, Emotional Energy

• Michelangelo's marble quote

• Einstein on frequency

• David Goggins half marathon story

Connect: Instagram: @‌rob_telos | Email: info@yourtelos.com | Web: https://yourtelos.com