The best adventure training partner – other than an actual real-life training partner if you have one – is a damn good podcast.
It’s distracting during the tough parts and keeps you amused during rest time. It can be an adventure-based podcast that stokes you up. Or it can be a welcome distraction into a non-adventure universe.
I couldn’t survive adventure training without podcasts. Here’s a rundown of my top 6 favourite podcasts for adventure training:
Adventure Podcasts
Get inspired by other adventurers out there! Maybe you want to listen to a podcast interview with someone who has done the same adventure you’re training for. Or maybe running is part of your training but not your expedition goal, and you want to listen to some running inspiration. The adventure world is vast and vivid, and there’s plenty out there to listen to.
1. Tough Girl Podcast
Probably one of the most obvious choices for many, but if you’ve not listened yet, then time to get on it. Sarah Williams – an incredible adventurer in her own right – interviews women across the globe who are embracing adventure, getting the nitty gritty details of where and when adventure started for them, their inspirations, their advice to others and the practicalities of funding. The podcast also covers a huge range of adventure approaches, from women who are tackling big challenges like the Seven Summits or cycling around the world, to those turning their hobbies into careers at 50, those teaching young people about the outdoors, or those using adventure to highlight climate or diversity issues. There is a broad wealth of experiences and background throughout the Tough Girl Podcast to inspire both women and men wanting to take on adventures of their own. Episodes are released every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time.
Tough Girl Challenges – Website
Tough Girl Challenges – Instagram
2. The Outdoors Fix
Adventurer and journalist Liv Bolton uses this wonderful podcast to inspire listeners to make adventure a bigger part of their everyday life! She interviews men and women about how they balance regular life with adventure, some changing careers and others making adventure a priority on the side of other work and family commitments. And she even turned her podcast into a book!
Training Podcasts
What podcast for training is better to listen to than a podcast about training? There is a lot of information out there, from the science behind our bodies adapting to specific advice on training for specific adventures. Listening to advice about training while you are training can be fascinating. Sometimes you can implement the advice right then and there, or notice parts of your training you’ve otherwise never thought about before.
3. Uphill Athlete Podcast
Uphill Athlete is a comprehensive platform full of training resources for all mountain sports, from alpinism to mountain running to ski mountaineering. In addition to the free resources, books and training programmes, the team at Uphill Athlete run an immersive podcast dedicated to mountain training. Episodes include interviews with impressive athletes about their approaches to training, how-to episodes, dedicated female-training episodes and lots of training tips with the backing of science. It’s incredibly interesting to take on practical tips from experts and learn the science behind training. A great reminder when listening while actually training of exactly why you’re doing what you’re doing!
4. Evoke Endurance
This is a new podcast for me that is on my to-be-listened list, but it looks damn good. Evoke Endurance episodes span from interesting discussions to interviews with athletes to educational advice. I like that is has different types of episodes to keep things interesting. I also love that it covers multiple sports, from hiking to skiing, so can be applicable to lots of adventure training styles!
Entirely unrelated podcasts for adventure training
Hey, just because you’re training for an adventure doesn’t mean your podcast of choice needs to be about adventure. Or training. Or adventure training. Make it about something completely different – welcome the time for comedy, for learning or for other hobbies. The brain needs a break from adventure training sometimes!
5. My Dad Wrote A Porno
One for adults only and headphones in. But if it fits your sense of humour, you will not stop laughing at this podcast. The podcast features Jamie – a man who has the unfortunate hilarity that his Dad wrote a dirty book. Yes, his DAD. Jamie, with his two friends James and Alice, read the chapters of his dad’s dirty, yet hilarious, novels. I recommend this one to everyone I meet and it’s often followed by a message saying “omg why has this not been in my life, I can’t stop laughing”. Just be careful: apparently, there have been multiple reports of people laughing too much while crossing the road and almost getting hit by cars.
My Dad Wrote A Porno – Podcast
My Dad Wrote A Porno – Instagram
6. TED Talks Daily
You’ve probably heard of TED Talks, but did you know there is a matching podcast? That’s right, the insightful name that is TED Talks has a podcast full of snippets and audio-versions of their incredible talks. From time machines to wireless energy from space, and work psychology to racial injustices, TED Talks cover just about every topic. Their episodes also range in length, often around the 15-minute mark but sometimes more or less. So there is always something training podcast choice.
Feeling inspired to get out training? What are you training for? Reach out if you have any questions and make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter!
You might also like:
Top 5 Expedition Training Tips
How to Mentally Prepare for Your Expedition
How I Budget My Adventure Funding
