► Tell us about you and your podcast
I'm a performance and physique coach whose competitive background is in the sport of Olympic-style weightlifting. I've been bitten by the bodybuilding bug, and took my talent for slabbing on size, strength, and cutting fat to this sport almost exclusively. Certainly, to use these performance- and physique- enhancing substances outside of bodybuilding is cheating, it's doping, and criminal in many European countries for good reason.
The podcast is about all matters that arise out of elite contest bodybuilding. It's not exclusionary or elitist. Most that aspire to or admire the greats aren't within 3 years of achieving Olympia-ready conditioning (the major annual event in bodybuilding that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and Jay Cutler have won - hence their incredible fame) and yet the topics are varied but dispersed around the common core theme of doing whatever it takes to slab on lean mass and lose fat.
My listeners are mostly men, some women certainly, primarily from the professional and semiprofessional bodybuilding community. They hail from various corners of the internet including old-style bulletin boards and modern Web 3.0 like Telegram channels and groups. The average listener is early 30s, but range from early 20s to late 40s.
The podcast is about all matters that arise out of elite contest bodybuilding. It's not exclusionary or elitist. Most that aspire to or admire the greats aren't within 3 years of achieving Olympia-ready conditioning (the major annual event in bodybuilding that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and Jay Cutler have won - hence their incredible fame) and yet the topics are varied but dispersed around the common core theme of doing whatever it takes to slab on lean mass and lose fat.
My listeners are mostly men, some women certainly, primarily from the professional and semiprofessional bodybuilding community. They hail from various corners of the internet including old-style bulletin boards and modern Web 3.0 like Telegram channels and groups. The average listener is early 30s, but range from early 20s to late 40s.
► Why & how did you start this podcast?
Well, to be honest, it was after a divorce that I was seeking some grounding and at that time I discovered that I could communicate my ideas in a more efficient manner, in a way I was comfortable doing, with minimal preparation, rather than my typical, classical verbose writing style. My background is in interpreting scientific literature for the masses and relaying it in a digestible but still useful format. There's a loyal readership. So I brought many of those loyal readers to my podcast, and try to keep reaching an audience that, while wider and broader, doesn't sacrifice our core values or interests.
My first podcast episode aired Jul 19, 2024. It's come a long way since, thankfully! It was barebones! But every episode I learn.
After thinking about it? Maybe 2-3 days.
My first podcast episode aired Jul 19, 2024. It's come a long way since, thankfully! It was barebones! But every episode I learn.
After thinking about it? Maybe 2-3 days.
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► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?
Weekly now, as of late. On average, I believe each episode comes out a tad over every two weeks. It takes longer than I thought to put out a proper podcast! From conception, the ideas, to writing the script, all the way through to publishing the transcripts, timestamps, show notes, and derivative content, each episode does take at least 25 hours of real, actual work. As the financing came for ads and that, the seriousness ratcheted up continuously. I am a "trader," apparently, according to the EU. Which means I charge fees for digital services, run a business entity, in my case an L.L.C., that offers these services with an intention to make a profit to some extent from digital services or access to digital services.. The expense involved is fairly significant, actually quite, to build up all the proper equipment and software needed to put on a quality sounding show. The amounts aren't something I think I want to even share, or think about. Boo! I have sponsors, thankfully. I feel lucky to have a niche but very loyal audience, who keep highly engaged. People value my listeners' knowledge, even!
► What do you gain from podcasting?
I have sponsorship and incentives, but it's very small. What do you mean can I share my revenue (if any), like give you some? :) It's not much it's less than $1,000 every 3 months direct and then there are other incentives. It's not a lot of money, and I would like to secure other advertisers who make sense for the podcast.
Downloads per month were apparently sufficient at the time, but I think that what draws sponsors to my show is not volume or eyes on ads but rather quality: loyalty, high quality specialized knowledge; my listeners are smarter than the average bear, basically; and so communities need them for valuable contributions. I don't go looking, I guess. Not now, too busy. I don't know about that metric, actually, I think it's a bad one to use (downloads per month) since the definitions used across services is so disparate. A simple metric that matters more is total time listened. That's way up recently, it's heading in the right direction at a clip; albeit from a small number. That metric coupled with loyal listeners give a more particularized insight into my podcast's value.
Podcasting benefits me by keeping my mind active, my wit sharp, it does keep me somewhat relevant with my coaching; the learning is my favorite part of the process. I do not come from a musical or audiophile or any sort of background that involved this type of equipment or software or what have you, but I do think I've caught up quickly. My latest episode, 012, finally sounds good.
Downloads per month were apparently sufficient at the time, but I think that what draws sponsors to my show is not volume or eyes on ads but rather quality: loyalty, high quality specialized knowledge; my listeners are smarter than the average bear, basically; and so communities need them for valuable contributions. I don't go looking, I guess. Not now, too busy. I don't know about that metric, actually, I think it's a bad one to use (downloads per month) since the definitions used across services is so disparate. A simple metric that matters more is total time listened. That's way up recently, it's heading in the right direction at a clip; albeit from a small number. That metric coupled with loyal listeners give a more particularized insight into my podcast's value.
Podcasting benefits me by keeping my mind active, my wit sharp, it does keep me somewhat relevant with my coaching; the learning is my favorite part of the process. I do not come from a musical or audiophile or any sort of background that involved this type of equipment or software or what have you, but I do think I've caught up quickly. My latest episode, 012, finally sounds good.
► How does your podcasting process look like?
I almost feel like I'm giving away trade secrets here!
I use markdown to write my scripts, along with a Zoom recorder, several digital audio workstations that I feel make the sound right and workflow smooth. I write the scripts based on questions I receive during the prior week(s). I post asking for guests, but to be honest, I've only yet had ONE guest and that's a real weakness. I LOVE the guest format and want one every episode now!
I prepare each episode half-programmatically using an editor called Obsidian and taking one step at a time.
So far I interviewed my guest over Discord for anonymity, since the topic was the home-based manufacture of personal use amounts of anabolic steroids and other anabolic agents. I will use Google Meet or Telegram in the future for better quality and more personable conversations.
I use markdown to write my scripts, along with a Zoom recorder, several digital audio workstations that I feel make the sound right and workflow smooth. I write the scripts based on questions I receive during the prior week(s). I post asking for guests, but to be honest, I've only yet had ONE guest and that's a real weakness. I LOVE the guest format and want one every episode now!
I prepare each episode half-programmatically using an editor called Obsidian and taking one step at a time.
So far I interviewed my guest over Discord for anonymity, since the topic was the home-based manufacture of personal use amounts of anabolic steroids and other anabolic agents. I will use Google Meet or Telegram in the future for better quality and more personable conversations.
► How do you market your show?
I maintain https://gear-growth-gains.com by always putting out a Prerelease and then a timely (right away) Release announcement that displays all sorts of rich media: the Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube players themselves; timestamps; transcripts, and links for more (blog posts, etc.) I send out a newsletter to my mailing list. I post across the bodybuilding boards on the web, channels in Telegram and servers in Discord. I then try to be active on YouTube with making some posts, and I put spin-off AI content like highlight videos on Instagram. I think the mailing list and Telegram have probably been best.
► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?
Keep learning! That's really what this is. It's a new, fun hobby that gets your mind working. It's about performing, after all.
Not obvious - to me? How expensive this is, and how much time this takes to do right. I could easily spend 75 hours a week to put out one episode weekly /properly/. The importance of high fidelity acoustics and the best equipment... I didn't realize that what actually makes album recordings sound "perfect" is /more/ the microphones than the artists. And, then, one mic costs more than a drum set.
Podcasting resources for me have been colleagues and friends. One of my best friends hosts the Oscar Mike Radio Podcast and he's the one who sat me down and helped me because he heard the tinny echo in my audio. Since then, the show's really taken off. It's obvious. I hope you guys might tell /me/ what to read or watch, cause I haven't done any of it.
Not obvious - to me? How expensive this is, and how much time this takes to do right. I could easily spend 75 hours a week to put out one episode weekly /properly/. The importance of high fidelity acoustics and the best equipment... I didn't realize that what actually makes album recordings sound "perfect" is /more/ the microphones than the artists. And, then, one mic costs more than a drum set.
Podcasting resources for me have been colleagues and friends. One of my best friends hosts the Oscar Mike Radio Podcast and he's the one who sat me down and helped me because he heard the tinny echo in my audio. Since then, the show's really taken off. It's obvious. I hope you guys might tell /me/ what to read or watch, cause I haven't done any of it.
► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?
My Gear, Growth, and Gains Podcast news site for new releases, transcripts, blog, show notes, and discussion is https://gear-growth-gains.com
Archival content can be found at https://type-iix.podbean.com
Listen on:
Spotify @ https://open.spotify.com/show/2Hiwsa3OE0NXv69DOG8tEX
Apple Podcasts @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gear-growth-and-gains-hosted-by-type-iix/id1758631294
YouTube @ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7WLbvgcdeqMrGzKtU61I01QaJ6A1NYPy
and of course, RIGHT here on ListenNotes, here's a link: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/gear-growth-and-gains-hosted-by-type-iix-2zDM0of_xWq/embed/
My bodybuilding coaching work is on https://ampouletude.com
My book, Bolus is for sale from https://bolus.ampouletude.com - my Telegram is @Type_IIx, the podcast's is @geargrowthgains (one word), and the coaching businesses is @typeiixlive on Telegram.
I think that just about covers everything, thanks for chatting!
Archival content can be found at https://type-iix.podbean.com
Listen on:
Spotify @ https://open.spotify.com/show/2Hiwsa3OE0NXv69DOG8tEX
Apple Podcasts @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gear-growth-and-gains-hosted-by-type-iix/id1758631294
YouTube @ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7WLbvgcdeqMrGzKtU61I01QaJ6A1NYPy
and of course, RIGHT here on ListenNotes, here's a link: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/gear-growth-and-gains-hosted-by-type-iix-2zDM0of_xWq/embed/
My bodybuilding coaching work is on https://ampouletude.com
My book, Bolus is for sale from https://bolus.ampouletude.com - my Telegram is @Type_IIx, the podcast's is @geargrowthgains (one word), and the coaching businesses is @typeiixlive on Telegram.
I think that just about covers everything, thanks for chatting!