For many of us, January starts with a new membership to the gym. Whether it’s your first time, or a glorious come back, chances are you’re thinking about a new routine. So where’s the best place to start? And maybe more importantly, what are we actually doing it for? What is resistance training, and why does it matter to be healthy?

In this episode of The Method, Greg and Charlie sit down with natural bodybuilder and Strength and Conditioning researcher Eric Helms, to demystify resistance training: what counts, what doesn’t, and what benefits building strength holds beyond building muscle or looking “toned”.

We start with the science, exploring why muscle growth, strength, and power are foundational to a long-term quality of life. Eric breaks down why resistance training isn’t just for athletes or bodybuilders, and why women in particular should feel confident picking up weights.

From there, we move into the practice. With Eric, Greg and Charlie dive into routine advise you can adopt right now. We cover:

• “Training splits” or how to fit effective workouts into a tight schedule (16:28)
• How to achieve progress over time (20:11)
• Why resistance training can enhance endurance (23:36)
• The role played by hormonal cycles in training routines (25:41)

Spoiler alert: you don’t need huge volumes or perfect programming to start seeing results, especially in the beginning.

Finally, in the experience section, we talk about how to train when we don’t have a solid sleep routine, how yoga or mobility work can fit into resistance training, and how to interpret pain during sessions. Eric helps us figure out what can help us reach our goals.

If you’re trying to train smarter, check out this conversation that will show you the ropes to make resistance training a part of your life.

Links:

• Eric Helms - Research
• Eric Helms - Instagram
• Greg Potter - Website
• Greg Potter - Instagram
• Thriva - Website
  
  

If you’d like to send us your health questions for future episodes, you can email us a voice note, or simply write in with your question at themethod@thriva.co

About Thriva:

Thriva is a proactive health platform built for the modern age. The promise of longevity often comes with years spent in poor health. We want to bridge the gap between lifespan – how long we're living – and healthspan – how well we're living. We combine powerful at-home blood testing with wearable insights and expert guidance. So you can know exactly what’s going on inside your body - and what to do about it - before issues arise. With this podcast, we hope to bring listeners confidence in everyday health decisions.

To learn more about Thriva’s values and services, visit https://thriva.co/.

You know the feeling: life happens, routines fall apart, and suddenly sleep feels like something you’ve “lost”. So, what is really going on?

In our very first guest episode of The Method: Health in the Real World, Greg and Charlie are joined by Dr Sophie Bostock, a sleep specialist, health psychologist, and founder of The Sleep Scientist. Sophie specialises in how sleep affects mental and physical health, and, crucially, how we can recover when sleep goes off the rails. This episode offers a deep dive into the issue of sleep disruption.

We start our science segment with a quick fire round, to discuss what happens in the brain and body when sleep is disrupted; from memory and reaction time, to hormones, mood, and cardiovascular health. And we find out how and why insomnia shows up at different phases of life.

We’ll follow up with practical advice to get our sleep back, especially for those who can’t just “catch up” or bank hours. Sophie, Greg, and Charlie dig into real world considerations, including:

• What parents and others in chronically disrupted phases of life can realistically do to protect their sleep (23:02);
• Why building a healthy relationship with your sleep environment matters (26:06);
• How relaxation techniques can make a difference (32:33);
• Why sleep apnea is often missed, and how to spot the signs (36:10).

Finally, we hear from our very first listeners, who shared their questions and practical challenges around sleep. If sleep has ever felt frustrating, or out of reach, this episode is for you.

Links:

• Sophie Bostock - Website
• Sophie Bostock - YouTube
• Greg Potter - Website
• Thriva - Website

If you’d like to send us your health questions for future episodes, you can email us a voice note, or simply write in with your question at themethod@thriva.co

About Thriva:

Thriva is a proactive health platform built for the modern age. The promise of longevity often comes with years spent in poor health. We want to bridge the gap between lifespan – how long we're living – and healthspan – how well we're living. We combine powerful at-home blood testing with wearable insights and expert guidance. So you can know exactly what’s going on inside your body - and what to do about it - before issues arise. With this podcast, we hope to bring listeners confidence in everyday health decisions.

To learn more about Thriva’s values and services, visit https://thriva.co/.

Welcome to The Method: Health in the Real World. This is a show where we speak to health experts and ask the questions that matter, so we can improve our lives in simple, effective ways. Think of it as your companion for figuring out how health science fits into real, and sometimes messy, lives.

In today’s pilot episode, get to know your hosts, Dr. Greg Potter and Charlie Edmondson. Long-time friends with a shared curiosity about health, they’re here to dive into the hard questions and translate expert knowledge into something practical and doable. Each week, they’ll sit down with one specialist – from sleep scientists to longevity doctors and nutrition experts – to break down their expertise. To do that, they’ve got a method.

• Step one: dig into what the science actually says.
• Step two: figure out how to put that theory into practice; what’s been tested and proven to work.
• Step three: fill in the gaps by tackling real-life questions, drawing on lived experience, and answering listener questions each week.

On this journey, Greg is here to help you get to grips with science. A health consultant and researcher with a PhD, he loves going deep into the evidence (and occasionally gets a little nerdy). His friend Charlie Edmondson is here to keep things accessible. A long-time sports enthusiast with an endless curiosity about health, she raises the questions we’re all thinking – challenging assumptions and channeling the voice of the everyday listener who cares about health but doesn’t reach for academic journals.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Greg and Charlie met (and how their friendship is largely kept alive through long WhatsApp voice notes), what healthspan really means and why it matters, and which guests and topics are coming up next. Consider this your teaser for what’s to come.

The Method: Health in the Real World is a podcast from Thriva. Get in touch with us at themethod@thriva.co, and tune in on January 12th for our very first guest episode.

About Thriva:

Thriva is a proactive health platform built for the modern age. The promise of longevity often comes with years spent in poor health. We want to bridge the gap between lifespan – how long we're living – and healthspan – how well we're living. We combine powerful at-home blood testing with wearable insights and expert guidance. So you can know exactly what’s going on inside your body - and what to do about it - before issues arise. With this podcast, we hope to bring listeners confidence in everyday health decisions.

To learn more about Thriva’s values and services, visit https://thriva.co/.