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Tim Riley goes solo on the Coach Em Up Podcast for a Q&A covering apex competition rules, sprint training for beginners, OCD diagnosis, sobriety, and much more. He shares combine stories, his biggest coaching blunders, and why carbs are still the OG performance enhancer.

He breaks down the viral Hyrox biohazard incident in Beijing and uses it to set the record straight on Apex competition health policy. Then he rewinds to age 26, no car, no phone, no money, walking to his first training job out of a Florida halfway house, and explains how he became the person he is today.

On the business side, Tim talks about how watching physical therapist David Gray build ethical, high-value content convinced him to post consistently and eventually launch Cheat Code, open his own gym, and build Apex from the ground up. He shares his rules for hiring new coaches, the real reason Apex does not use weight classes, and his 2026-2027 expansion targets.

Tim walks through how to improve broad jump mechanics with the Blaine Broad progression, covers sprint training for beginners with a slow-to-fast, low-impact-first framework, and shares his experience training Xavier Worthy. He also recounts two genuinely catastrophic coaching mistakes involving a plyo box and a Swiss ball on a treadmill.

The back half of the episode goes personal. Tim opens up about his OCD diagnosis and how Exposure and Response Prevention therapy finally gave him tools that worked. He also reflects on fatherhood, egocentric bias, and what it actually means to live instead of just survive.

This is a strength and conditioning podcast that does not stay in its lane. That is the point.

Produced by

Q6 Media

https://q6.media

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:28 - The Hyrox poop incident

00:10:32 - Advice to his 26-year-old self and early sobriety

00:14:48 - Finding venues for Apex and expansion hurdles

00:18:11 - Building influence, business ethics, and launching Apex

00:29:52 - How to improve your broad jump

00:32:49 - Scaling brands and rules for hiring coaches

00:37:13 - Game speed vs weightroom skill

00:40:46 - Biggest coaching mistakes

00:50:11 - Sprint training for beginners

00:54:08 - Apex 2026-2027 road map and international expansion

01:01:38 - Stepping back from full-time client training

01:06:01 - Why Apex does not have weight classes

01:10:41 - Unsolicited advice, lying, and egocentric bias

01:18:20 - Pure OCD diagnosis and Exposure Response Prevention therapy

01:29:11 - Carbs for athletic performance, fatherhood, anxiety

01:37:27 - Managing career transitions and embracing uncertainty

#CoachEmUpPodcast #ApexCompetition #SprintTraining #StrengthAndConditioningPodcast #BroadJump #MentalHealth #OCD #NFLCombine #XavierWorthy #Podcast

Insane Coaching Stories, Navigating Life, and the Future of APEX | Coach Em Up Podcast Ep. 131

Coach Em Up Podcast

Insane Coaching Stories, Navigating Life, and the Future of APEX | Coach Em Up Podcast Ep. 131