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Hello and welcome to another episode of the Leo Alves podcast.
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Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night.
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And in today's episode, well actually I've been doing like quite a few single topic QA's recently
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And I actually had one plan today as well.
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I can't remember what it was about.
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I do have a plan somewhere, because I'll come back to it in the future.
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But I decided, you know what?
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I haven't done like
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an episode recently on myself where I cover you know what I've been up to with my training, my nutrition, my workouts, maybe even my personal life a bit
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And I just thought, you know what, I think it's time for that.
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We'll do that today.
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Go back to the single topic QA's and potentially maybe some like uh more
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Podcast features as I haven't done many for a while and they are fun.
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I like the single, I I like doing solo episodes as well, but
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Features are nice too.
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Like I like sprinkling them in and I haven't it's not something I've done too much.
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I would say even in the last
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Maybe since the beginning of this year.
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Um so that's something I could probably start doing a bit more of as well from now until the end of this year.
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But otherwise, yeah, just today's podcast episode is just going to really be about me, what I've been up to, what I've been doing.
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Just because I think it's nice to fill you in on the loop as well.
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Because, you know, I'm always speaking about training, health, fitness, etc.
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Um
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And I just feel like it with that, it would be good for you to know how I'm approaching things too, right?
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Like n I I don't want to always just like speak about what's a good idea.
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Sometimes I think, you know what, let me just tell you what I've been up to
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So with that, I've got 15 questions in front of me.
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Most are like health and fitness related.
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Some are more like personal life related and on random subjects.
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But yeah, 15 questions.
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Let's get stuck in
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My Current Training and Fitness Update
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Question number one, what does your current training split look like?
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It's a pretty straightforward one.
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At the gym specifically, I'm doing an upper A, lower A, upper B, lower B
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Uh so four sessions in total.
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I'm rotating through those four.
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Um recently and I will I guess go into more depth on this later, I have reintroduced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu just once a week for now.
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But I've reintroduced that.
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Um and I've been doing cardio for also like I be I do about 250 minutes of zone 2 cardio a month
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Which I quite like.
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I was thinking of upping it, but I think two hundred and fifty minutes is uh it's a pretty it's a it's a good place to be.
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Um, so yeah.
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I probably I was doing about three to four strength training workouts for a while and I do I would say my average routine within a week
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For the past few weeks have been three resistance training sessions, 50 minutes of cardio, one Brazilian jiu-jitsu workout, and some physio exercises for my elbow
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Uh question number two, what's changed most in your life or m what's changed most in your life or routine over the last few months
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What Has Changed in My Life Recently?
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Honestly, it's probably like the elbow the tennis elbow injury.
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I got like a few days, like probably about 10 days after I finished my 30-day chin-up challenge, which I have a YouTube video coming on that at some point
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I don't know how close it is or isn't to being done because I've got a video editor working on it and I'm not really rushing them.
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I'm not fussed uh too fussed about like how quickly or it does or doesn't come out, as long as it's good.
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Um
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But yeah, I think I feel yeah I got it about ten days after the the the challenge was over.
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I I thought I was in the clear like after like three or four days
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So I like doing stuff on my elbow again after resting probably for about five and then before I knew it I got tennis elbow and I was like and that was like I first felt it
while I was doing DIY on the roof and then I was like damn
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It's definitely from all the accumulation of the stress from the past month.
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And I thought the coast was clear a bit too soon.
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Um and so that's been and I've had that since like April.
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And uh it's much better now.
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I think it's nearly fully healed up.
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I did have a a little awakening of that tennis elbow yesterday during a a session.
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um while doing lap pull downs specifically, which is really weird.
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Like I was doing di I was doing like heavy dumbbell chest presses, heavy dumbbell rows, shoulder presses.
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Um and that was all great.
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I did those to failure as well, completely fine.
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Lap pull downs too much.
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And that's happened twice now during lap pull down.
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Which is probably because it's also a vertical pulling motion, just like the chin-ups were that I was going like completely just ham on.
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Um, so it's probably related in that aspect.
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So I think I'm just going to have to swap them out and do machine rows for now
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Um but yeah I I would say that's like what's changed my life or routine over the last few months because obviously with that tennis album stopped doing Brazilian
jiu-jitsu because
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Definitely can't do that.
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Um, gem sessions changed quite a bit.
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I think I'll speak about all of these things into more depth as the qu as the relevant questions start to pop up.
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But yeah, that's that's the difference.
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The biggest difference when you know you have like
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Some sort of injury I guess.
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Recovering From Tennis Elbow
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Question number three.
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How is the tennis elbow now and what still aggravates it?
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I guess I kind of cover this already, um, but it's pretty good
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I've been really sensible with it, been consistent.
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I would say not always consistent with my physio exercises, but most of the time.
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I think I stopped too early at one point where
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I just stopped doing the physio exercises because I thought my elbow was fine now and that was a mistake because it I started feeling it again um a few weeks later so I was
like thinking uh in hindsight which is easy to say I was like I stopped too abruptly I should have kept going with it
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Um but it's much better.
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Like I said, it's the lap pull downs that aggravate it right now.
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That's all that that's all that's really aggravated it for me.
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Um but it's strange because chin-ups haven't
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So I don't I don't get it.
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But yeah, I'll just like probably swap out lap pull downs for now.
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We'll we'll see how I feel because it's not always uh it's like the last four times I've done lap pull downs, it's been aggravated twice from doing it.
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So
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Just a bit weird right now, but it's much much better than before.
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Um Brazilian jiu-jitsu was aggravating it at one point, but that's because I also think I went back way too soon.
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And in hindsight I did.
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I went back way too soon
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Um and that was a bad idea because I was feeling it quite a lot at jujitsu as well.
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So I I had to stop that for like three or four months.
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Um
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I didn't stop going to the gym at all.
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I just like really approached my workout sessions differently.
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Like I just did I wouldn't do exercises that would aggravate the elbow, but
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Obviously at Jiu Jitsu you're sparring with a partner and that can be that that has a an a big element of unpredictableness, so it's not a good idea.
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Whereas in the gym everything's more controlled
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Am I Losing Fat or Building Muscle?
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Uh question number four, are you currently trying to gain muscle, lose fat, or maintain?
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That is a good question.
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I am trying to lose some body fat right now.
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Um
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Yeah, that's probably my biggest goal right now.
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I'm I'm aiming to consistently be in a calorie deficit.
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I'm not a hundred percent consistent with it, but if you followed my content long enough, you know I'm not always like
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Trying to be for I wouldn't always recommend 100% consistency anyway because you know life is just going to be there, right?
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Um, I am able so I've probably been about 85% consistent with it.
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Um
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And yeah, I'm losing body fat right now.
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Oh still gaining muscle in the process, like doing what I can for that.
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And uh especially because I'm I'm getting closer and closer and closer back to like normal workouts again
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Um with now I'm feeling much better with my tennis elbow compared to like two months ago.
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So I feel like a lot of exercises are quite rapidly progressing because I'm back to regular workouts again and I'd been holding back in my gym sessions for a while
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Uh but yeah I would say like the lose body fat part is the biggest part.
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That's not to say that I've got a lot to lose.
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I don't feel like I do, but sometimes I think every I don't know, like once a year, every year
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I think it's pretty nice to just going through like for lack of lack of better words to call it like a cleanup phase.
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Um, just because sometimes like you know, f little things in life can just accumulate and before you know it you're like, uh I probably could do a being in a calorie
deficit for
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I don't know, two or three months.
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Um Question number five, what are you currently collecting and what makes something worthy of your personal collection?
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My Trading Card Collection
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Um I am currently collecting, so in regard to collectibles, big switch shopping conversation topic here, I am currently collecting
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It's pretty random for most people, but like this I've there's like a 2006 World Cup set.
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So the 2006 World Cup that was in Germany
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Um there was like it was like a 150 card World Cup set and I've just been gradually completing that.
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I am about five cards away or six cards away from finishing that entire 150 card set.
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Um
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Messi and Ronaldo were probably I don't want to say the hardest to get but the most expensive.
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So I've sort of actually I've got a really good deal on Messi
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Before his market blew up during this World Cup.
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Um, I had like I got like three messies for like just a great bargain.
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And and then I sold one
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Probably to way too cheaply again before his market blew up and then I sold the second one during the World Cup and it was for a pretty good price.
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Probably could have done a lot more if I waited longer, but it was alright.
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I'm not too fussed
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about you know getting an extra 40 quid or 40 euros like it it is what it is it's done now.
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Always easy easy to say in hindsight.
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Um but yeah, about six cards away uh from completing the set.
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I think the only one I'm missing um I've ordered five and I think the only one I'm missing in the entire set now is Thierry Henry.
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So hopefully I can find that for
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where I'm not paying like just a stupid price for it like some sellers have asked me for.
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Um Question number five uh six.
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Returning to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
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Why why did you temporarily stop
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Brazilian jiu-jitsu and how are you reintroducing it?
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So why I stopped it I've already covered just because there's that unpredicta uh element of unpredictableness which isn't good while you have an injury like
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I continue that the gym because I'm in I'm in control of what I'm doing at the gym.
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I know which exercises I can do, I know which exercises I can't do.
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At Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you know, you can always tell someone, you know, be mindful of this or be mindful of that, but A, sometimes things happen by accident
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B sometimes people are just stupid as well.
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Um and you get just someone who's a bit careless.
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But I I would say more than anything, it's just accidents happen.
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Uh so I just thought, you know what, it's not worth it, especially because
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I did go back quite early at one point and I was just doing normal sparring and I was just feeling my elbow quite a lot, like the tennis elbow.
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So I was like, just nah, this this can't happen right now.
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I've really got a
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just mend this before I get back to jujitsu consistently and again like I said I'm doing it once a week now every week and I'm liking that um and I'm reintroducing it by
again yeah just doing once a week and I'm I'm giving a heads up to the instructor like
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about how my elbow's been feeling.
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It's not like I'm also now I'm back.
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I'm just back to doing it normally again like I was before.
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I'm still being mindful of that left elbow.
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But I think eventually I'll look to doing it like twice a week.
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Uh when?
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Maybe uh maybe a month from now.
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Six weeks from now, something like that.
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Um uh question number seven, are you tracking calories at the moment?
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Am I Tracking Calories?
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Yes, yes I am.
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I am tracking calories at the moment to try and consistently be in a calorie deficit
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I would say more like I said I was about 85% consistent with the calorie deficit.
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I'm probably about 95% consistent with the calorie tracking.
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Um and by that you're probably thinking, how are you like 10% more consistent
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I'm just writing run the random numbers out, number one, number two, um some days I'm I've tracked all my calories and uh I I just accept I'm not gonna be in a deficit that
day, but I'll still track it because I still like to be aware of what I'm eating
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Um like today I I'm definitely not in a deficit.
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I think I'm in a site a slight surplus, but those are few and far between, so as long as I keep those few and far between
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Yeah, you know, it's alright.
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Um Number eight.
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What I’m Changing With My Content
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What are you currently trying to improve in your work?
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or content.
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Especially with reels.
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Where I think.
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I just think I've been very inconsistent with making reels for a long time just because I felt like they were a lot of effort.
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But now I feel like I'm in this really nice uh routine with it and I'm very much happy with that.
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Uh just be and and I think it was overdue and I've just made it basically in a way where it's like, no, this is just easy to be consistent with now
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Whereas before I think I used to overthink it a bit and think it just I needed to do, you know, just a bunch of things where in whereas in reality I didn't really, and now
I've just found a way where I can be really consistent with it
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And it doesn't feel like it's like very draining because again I've just found a a way where it's easy to be consistent with.
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Um so I would say more consistency with my rules, which you might have noticed
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And if you don't follow me on on Instagram already, you can follow me at leoalvespt.
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The link for my Instagram is in the show notes of this podcast episode.
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Uh question number nine, how much cardio are you currently doing and why?
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My Current Cardio Routine
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Oh, like I said earlier, 250 minutes of cardio a month.
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Why?
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I don't know.
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I wanted something where it was like
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Long enough.
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Well and I where I was doing something.
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So basically I split it up into three 15 minute sessions a month.
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So it's long enough where it's like, yeah, that was a a proper cardio session.
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But also not too much where it's like, okay, I'm just getting a bit bored of cardio in the month now.
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Because the thing is I need to be mindful because I do
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I don't want to overdo it because A strength training is still my priority.
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B I am getting like a strong element of cardio at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well.
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And now I'm like, okay, with all of that said, I think 215 minutes of cardio a month on top of all of that.
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Because when I'm at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, like yeah, it feels like a cardio workout
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So I'm thinking like it's quite a nice balance of everything.
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Um question number 10, what exercise or lift are you most pleased with right now?
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The Exercise I’m Most Pleased With
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There's a few
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Um and you know what, they're not even close to being personal bests, but they just feel sweet because of the bris uh of the tennis elbow injury I've had and I'm just like,
oh feels good just to be, you know, lifting weights again.
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And the fact I can
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I'm dumbbell incline chest pressing 30 kg dumbbells dumbbell rowing about 32.
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5 or 35 either one and then barbell deathlifting about 105 kg and they're all for reps
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Uh not not one rep max is like they're all for several reps.
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Um and again nowhere close to personal bests at all but it's just like wow I can do this again like this feels good
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And after not being able to do it for quite a few months where I've had to be really mindful of my elbow and you know even take a break from it, it just feels good to be back.
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And now I'm just like working my what my way up again.
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Um
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What I’ve Been Watching and Playing
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Question number eleven, what have you been watching, playing or reading lately?
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While I am recording this podcast episode, uh
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I've been watching the World Cup a lot, World Cup 2026.
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That has I I I basically almost not missed a single game unless the games are like unless the game starts later than like 11 pm, I haven't missed it.
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And by that I mean some I'm watching very closely, others I've just had on in the background.
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So it's not like I'm watching every single one ultra closely, like I do have things to do.
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But I always have it on in the background.
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And again, some games I pay very close attention to at the time of recording this.
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You might be listening to this well in the future where you're like, wow, that game was ancient.
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But at the time of recording this, yesterday was England versus Norway in the quarterfinals.
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And uh England won 2-1.
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It was a and that game I paid very close attention to.
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It went I I was hoping it wouldn't go to extra time because I was like, uh I wanted to be go to
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I like like I like to go to bed like at a certain time.
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Um but for a big match like that, I'm gonna obviously I'm staying up because I do love football.
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And I was just like, oh, of course it had to go to extra time.
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But it was it was entertaining.
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I liked it.
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I I had fun um watching it, watching it with my wife as well.
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So yeah, it was good.
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Um
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What was it?
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Jude Bellingham scored twice and then Shell de Up scored once.
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I've always liked him.
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He's a good player.
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um Andres Schaudel.
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I don't even know if I'm pronouncing that correctly, but he plays for Benfica and I've watched him for a while now and I've always thought like this guy is
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to be a top talent and I actually brought one of his rookie cards a while back a numbered one only numbered to 275 so nothing crazy but still a rookie card nonetheless and
it was a really it was like two or three euros so I thought yeah no brainer um
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And yeah, I think he's a good talent and uh I think he can keep going upwards and upwards.
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Um Jude Bellingham doesn't need to be told you don't the chances are you don't need to be told who he is.
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He's a top player
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But yeah, great game overall and the World Cup twenty twenty six is what I've been watching a lot.
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I really like I like football in general, but the international tournaments, so the World Cup and the Euros
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I really get into like they are really fun.
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So I'm looking forward to Euro 2028 as well, uh, which is going to be in the United Kingdom, I think
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It's going to be in England, Scotland, Wales, and in the Republic of Ireland.
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I it was initially going to be in Northern Ireland as well, but I think Northern Ireland had to pull out because they would had they just had difficulties with their one
stadium that they were going to put into the tournament.
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I I don't know the intric the ins and outs.
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Um question number twelve.
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How I Continued Training While Injured
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What changes did you make?
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to keep training while injured.
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Uh swapped out, took out some exercises.
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No direct arm exercises because those were like those are too much on the elbow.
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Like bicep and tricep exercises.
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I've barely done them this year.
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Which feels weird because like they were they they were too much on my elbow because it's a direct bicep and tricep exercise, and I feel like actually there were some
tricep extensions I was doing that also initially caused caused like
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r genuine inflammation on the elbow.
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Um so yeah, no direct arm exercises and I'm still like slowly reducing uh reintroducing them back in.
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Like they've been like one of the last things, which is weird because again I've barely done
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any arm exercises whatsoever this year.
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Meanwhile like everything else is still getting trained w quite well so I'm I'm a bit worried they're gonna be out of proportion soon but we'll see.
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Um it is what it is, you know.
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You've just got to make do and uh with what you can and and just keep being sensible with everything.
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I'm sure like maybe towards the end of this year I'll I'll make them a priority again, but now I've got to do what I've got to do
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Um vertical pulling was out for a while, no chin-ups, no pull-ups, no lap pulldowns again because that came for the injury came from vertical pulling in the first
place, just doing too much of it from that challenge.
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Those were the only two things really, I would say.
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Yeah.
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Um no jujitsu, but I'm talking about at the gym specifically.
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Now I've reintroduced both those things back
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Chin-ups and pull-ups and I'm still not taking them to failure.
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Um arm exercises.
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I've been starting to take them to failure again, but I'm starting quite light.
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Uh and then we'll just keep you know gradually progressively overloading with time.
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Um when it comes to those exercises right now, like I always want to finish the set thinking I could have done more because I just don't think it's worth it
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Um lap cooldowns I need to remember that as well because I was taking them to failure which is partly probably why it was playing up again.
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Um briefly I should say.
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it it was playing up.
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It's okay again now.
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Um question number 13.
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What My Nutrition Currently Looks Like
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What has your nutrition looked like for recently?
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So I've been in a calorie deficit eating much less.
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And just making more like positive switches again now I'm in a calorie deficit because you know when you're not in deficit and you're in a slight surplus, for example,
where I was for like
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the first part of this year, you have the space to eat more and be a little bit more lenient with your options.
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Like you can go for the more calorie-dense options sometimes.
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Now I'm back in that spot where I I can't really
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Um I am really trying to prioritize fibre as well.
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Dates, oranges, apples.
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Dates can be quite calorie dense, so I do have to be mindful of those as well.
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But like oranges, apples, dates
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I'm really trying to increase that fiber intake because you know it's it's important.
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Um I used to have like a cookie before the gym as well.
20:30
Like Portugal's just got amazing bakery, if you know, you know
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And uh on my way to the gym there's like this like place that sells cookies.
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Nothing crazy.
20:38
Uh uh like in regards to the size of it, it's like a medium-sized one
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And I just have one on the way.
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Like I always like because I like to get like something sugary around my workouts.
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That's what I've just always done for a long time.
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Um for a long time it was chocolate milk, which is really good.
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And I would recommend chocolate milk awar around workouts.
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Maybe if you're n maybe not if you're in a calorie deficit, but for anything else, yeah.
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Um and like it's just like things like that now, like
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I can't.
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I'm not having those treats before or after the gym, for example.
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Like I'm really just trying to dial it back with um just the unnecessary calorie-dense options.
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That's not to say I never have them.
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I still do time to time, but I'm I'm just
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you know being more mindful with what I can and can't fit in.
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Um obviously more lean protein sources as well.
21:27
What I’m Working Toward Outside the Gym
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What are you uh question number fourteen, what are you currently working toward outside the gym?
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Um that's a good question.
21:39
A part of me was thinking of just like setting up a a small side hustle.
21:44
for my trading cars just because I find I've been buying and selling quite a bit like just naturally and I'm not really making an effort to do that and I've been quite good
at that.
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Um
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And I was thinking, shall I grow that?
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Shall I not?
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So I've been thinking about that recently.
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To be honest, if I do start doing that, I probably won't really speak about it because I'd rather just keep this, uh, the the the two things apart
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And obviously this is always going to be my priority 100% the fitness coaching.
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The trading card thing will just be like a side hustle.
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Question number 15, last question today.
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What This Injury Has Taught Me
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What have the last few months taught you about training around an injury?
22:21
I wouldn't say it's taught me anything new.
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It's just reinforced what I already knew, which is
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Um when a lot of people get injured they just stop training completely whereas there's never really a need for that.
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There might be, you know, depending on the severity of your injury, but most of the time you don't need to stop completely, you just need to learn how to work out around it
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And that's exactly what I've done.
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Um and I and yeah, you you can keep going.
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Chances are there's still things you can keep doing.
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Focus on that
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Otherwise, that's it for today's podcast episode.
22:48
Again, if you want to follow me on Instagram, the link for my Instagram is in the show notes of this podcast episode.
22:53
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave me a review.
22:56
Reviews always help.
22:57
They help the podcast grow a lot.
22:59
So leave me a review to you on whichever podcast platform you listen to this on.
23:03
Subscribe to the show.
23:04
Otherwise take care and I'll see you in the next episode
