
Ted Harrison and his son flexing
Ted Harrison is a UK-based, pioneering high-intensity training guru and the owner of Vital Exercise, a private exercise studio specialising in strength and conditioning. Having spent more than three decades supervising thousands of workouts and having helped people of all ages achieve personal bests in health and fitness, Ted’s evidence-based philosophy and approach to training has helped many feel good, grow stronger, and look great – all for just under 20 minutes a week!
This is Ted’s second time coming on the podcast; you can check out his first appearance by clicking here.
Contact Ted Harrison:
In this episode, we cover:
- How to build positive, life-changing habits
- The sometimes destructive nature of social media discourse on health and fitness
- Ted’s experience training with legendary bodybuilder Vince the “Iron Guru” Gironda
- Ted’s approach to hypertrophy and building muscle mass – and why he thinks it’s one of the best
How to properly train your abdominal muscles, Ted’s takes on diet, nutrition, meditation, and more!
Download How to Attract Great Personal Trainers PDF
- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”.
This episode is sponsored by Hituni.com, the best online courses in high intensity strength training. I recently completed their personal trainer course to increase my knowledge and become certified in HIT. HITuni offer DIY courses to help you get better results from your training and personal training courses to help you start and grow your HIT Business. Visit HITuni.com and use the code “HIB10” to get 10% OFF.
Show Notes
- Ted Harrison, in his own words [4:58]
- Ted talks about the time he started his fitness business and how his friends and family reacted [9:19]
- What’s new, what’s changed, and what’s Ted been up to since his last time on the podcast? [11:48]
- How can you help someone enjoy training and working out? [17:11]
- Ted and I talk about motivation and the spiritual aspects of training [20:07]
- What was it like training with Vince Gironda? [23:04]
- Is there anything that frustrates Ted when it comes to training and fitness on social media? [30:03]
- Has Ted found or read anything really interesting or useful lately regarding training? [36:15]
- Have there been any changes in how Ted approaches training? [41:04]
- Ted and I talk about recovery periods, training volume, protein intake, and the muscle gain “lottery” [45:39]
- Has Ted had clients who didn’t see progress using his approach to training? [49:31]
- Ted and I talk about bodyweight training [53:23]
- Ted talks about his take on how to do crunches effectively (and doing a modified plank) [55:51]
- Does doing chin-ups reduce the need for doing more ab-focused exercises? [1:00:30]
- Has anyone plagiarised Ted’s approach to training, and how does he feel about it? [1:02:10]
- Have Ted’s views on diet changed, and what does his average day look like, nutrition-wise? [1:03:39]
- Should you consume a surplus amount of calories if you’re looking to maximise muscle gain (and how much protein is enough protein)? [1:12:55]
- I ask Ted for tips on how to not drink too much alcohol… particularly when there’s a lot of it around me [1:13:55]
- Ted talks about meditation [1:19:56]
- Has Ted changed his mind on anything about health and fitness recently? [1:24:16]
- What books on health and fitness would Ted recommend to people? [1:26:24]
- What’s the best investment of time, energy, or money has Ted ever made? [1:28:08]
- Has Ted made any changes in his habits, his behaviour, or his life in general that he can say he is proud of? [1:31:39]
- What advice does Ted have for anyone looking to build muscle mass and minimise fat gain optimally? [1:36:47]
Selected Links from the Episode
- Nautilus
- Body By Science by Doug McGuff and John Little (regarding The Big 5) (Amazon US / Amazon UK)
- World Gym
- Gold’s Gym
- Nautilus Leg Press-Calf Flex Machine – Nitro Nova (Amazon US)
- Hill Fit by Chris Highcock
- The Hip Thruster
- Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Double-Split Training Routine
- Project: Kratos by Drew Baye
- The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss (Amazon US / Amazon UK)
- The Organic Protein Company – Organic Whey Protein (Amazon UK)
- Chicken of the Sea Albacore Tuna (Amazon UK)
- Lindt Excellence Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Bar (Amazon UK)
- Ginger Tea (Amazon US / Amazon UK)
- Green & Black’s Organic 85% Dark Chocolate Bar (Amazon US / Amazon UK)
- Bulletproof Coffee (Amazon US / Amazon UK)
- [Mathieu Lalonde] Nutrient Density: Sticking to the Essentials AHS12
- Sierra Nevada
- Brooklyn Lager (Amazon UK)
- Guinness (Amazon UK)
- BrewDog Punk IPA (Amazon UK)
- Deep Meditation by Yogani (Amazon US / Amazon UK)
- Headspace
- Bas Rutten’s Body Action System
- Mind, Body, Spirit: The Personal Training Diaries by Frank Zane (Amazon US / Amazon UK)
- The Workouts: Personal Training Diaries by Frank Zane (Amazon US / Amazon UK)
- The Steel Tip Collection by Dr. Ken Leistner
- Kieser Training
People Mentioned
- Vince Gironda
- Mike Mentzer
- Bob Wieland
- Arthur Jones
- Clarence Bass (check out my interview with Clarence here)
- Skyler Tanner (check out my interviews with Skyler here: part 1, part 2, and part 3)
- Ryan A. Hall
- Chris Highcock
- Doug McGuff (check out my interviews with Doug here: part 1, part 2, and part 3)
- Ellington Darden
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Drew Baye (check out my interviews with Drew here: part 1, and part 2)
- Tim Ferriss
- Frank Zane
- Gary Taubes (check out my interview with Gary here)
- Dave Asprey
- Mathieu Lalonde
- Bas Rutten
- Ken Leistner
- Geoff Thompson
- Adam Budnik (check my interview with Adam here)
Another great podcast Lawrence!
Two questions :does Ted do any hamstring work and did he meet Larry Scott or Makkaway whist in USA?:-)
Hi Ed
Thanks for your question.
The only hamstring work I do is the Nautilus Low back machine and the hip thrust movement.
In the past I have done stiff leg deadlifts and plenty of leg curls, but I find the low back machine and the hip thrust all I need now…..particularly as I no longer compete in body building.
In regards to you other question; Sadly I never met Larry Scott or Mohammed Makkaway at Vince’s gym, although I did see Makkaway compete in the 1977 Mr Universe. He was terrific.
HI Ted,
Thanks for the reply, I have followed a modified version of your previous routine from the earlier interview for a good year now, brief and very effective!
Much appreciated
🙂
You are welcome