Billy Davis (Melton Hill Bill): Reservoir Bass and Musky Tactics
Billy Davis, known as Melton Hill Bill, is a Tennessee fishing guide who spends over 200 days a year on the water chasing bass and musky on Melton Hill Reservoir. In this episode he joins me to share how he got noticed through Larry Dahlberg's The Hunt for Big Fish, the leap of quitting his job to guide full-time, and the reservoir tactics he has dialed in from fishing nearly every single day.
The Changes That Have Me Feeling My Best at 53
A listener asked what I have changed in the last year that made the biggest difference, and at 53 I am setting PRs and feeling my best. I break down the answers: sleep hygiene from Matthew Walker's Why We Sleep, vitamins and greens after blood work, and the Joe Hippensteel stretching program.
Mike Counihan (NoDonutsHere): A Cop's Take on Fitness and Night Fishing
Mike Counihan, known online as NoDonutsHere, is a New York police officer who built a following around fitness and the outdoors. In this episode he joins me to talk about staying in shape on a punishing schedule, why he fishes alone at night far from everyone, how he protects his gym time around long shifts and a long commute, and the gratitude he finds out on the water under the stars.
Sam Milazzo | Get Your Live Bait DEEPER With Belly Hooking | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 518
Sam Milazzo is an experienced saltwater angler who joins Tom Rowland at Hawks Cay to demonstrate the belly hooking method for getting pilchards and other live baits deeper without using lead weights.
Nutrition 101 for First Responders and Fishing Guides With Mike Cunahan
At Hawks Cay I sit down with Mike Cunahan — the New York cop behind @NoDonutsHere — for Nutrition 101: why fitness can decide whether a first responder goes home at night, how to meal prep for a patrol car or a skiff, and the one-gram-per-pound protein rule.
Dr. Mike Simpson: How to Stay Honed After 40
Dr. Mike Simpson is a physician and the author of Honed, with a nontraditional path into medicine and a blunt message about aging. In this episode he joins me from Central Texas to argue that while aging is real, the slow decline most people accept is a societal default, not a destiny: why mindset is the first and most important step, how to mitigate the effects of aging instead of giving up, and what it takes to stay honed well after 40.
Sam Milazzo | How To Hook A Sailfish Ft. Record Holder | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 515
Sam Milazzo is a fishing captain in the Florida Keys who set a Keys record by catching 76 sailfish in a single day, approaching the Atlantic record of 84.
Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail: How I Build Road Workouts
On set at Hawks Cay, I break down how I keep training on the road: review the week's programming before you leave, pack the gear that approximates it — for me a rower, sandbag, kettlebell, and jump rope — and aim to maintain fitness, not improve it. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Matt Smythe: Poetry, Place, and the Future of Outdoor Writing
Matt Smythe is a writer for Free Range American and a lifelong bowhunter who thinks deeply about poetry, place, and the craft of outdoor storytelling. In this episode he joins me to talk about a short film he was part of that played five festivals, why some families pull the plug and move to the mountains, the patience that comes from years of bowhunting, and where outdoor writing is headed in a world of fast content.
Improve Your Pushup Numbers Before February's 10,000 Pushup Challenge
The 10,000 Pushup Challenge returns in February with sponsors, a cause, and a new team option. I walk through the exact percentage-based program I use to improve pushup numbers: a two-minute max test, then five EMOM rounds at 30 to 40 percent, retesting every two weeks.
Todd Bumgardner: Training Your Body for the Backcountry Hunt
Todd Bumgardner is a strength and conditioning coach with fifteen years of experience and the creator of the Human Predator Pack Mule, a training program built specifically for backcountry hunters. In this episode he joins me to explain why most hunt-training misses the mark, why holding still and moving slowly are harder than people think, how to prepare for the pack-in and pack-out, and how he went from studying to be a teacher to coaching hunters to move like predators.
Regain Control of Your Fitness: How Captain Justin Napier Lost 35 Pounds
Captain Justin Napier joins me on Physical Friday to share how he regained control of his fitness — from 233 pounds and feeling sluggish on the poling platform to 198 pounds with a 4:30 AM schedule, twice-a-day workouts, daily pushups, and clean eating with zero cheat meals.
McDojo Life: Exposing Fraudulent Martial Artists Online
Rob is the creator of McDojo Life, a social-media platform that exposes fraudulent martial artists, fake masters, and con men in the martial arts industry. In this episode he joins me to explain what a McDojo actually is, how a single question sparked the whole project, how he learned to make people part of the conversation instead of just handing them proof, and how calling out frauds became his full-time job and a coming documentary.
Bouncer Smith: How to Set Your Drag for Saltwater Gamefish
Bouncer Smith is a legendary Miami charter captain with more than five decades on the water. In this How 2 Tuesday episode he sits with me in his Miami apartment overlooking the ocean to walk through exactly how he sets the drag for saltwater gamefish: the 20% rule with a hand scale, how the drag changes as you raise the rod, when to back off during a blistering run, and a chain-link-fence trick for learning what a properly loaded rod looks like.
Use Music to Make Your Workout More Fun: Roxanne, Sally, and Song Workouts
Need more fun in your training? I share my favorite song workouts: burpees and squats driven by Roxanne, pushup and pull-up holds driven by Bring Sally Up, and the simple rule for turning any song with a repeating chorus into a workout for you or your kids.
Chad Mendes & Chad Belding: Turning Outdoor Passion Into Business
Chad Mendes is a former UFC featherweight title contender, and Chad Belding is the founder of the Banded waterfowl brand and host of The Fowl Life. In this episode they join me together to talk about turning a lifelong outdoor passion into a real business: how Chad Mendes built Fins & Feathers after retiring from fighting, how the two Chads partnered up, the relentless sports-show grind, and what makes an outdoor business partnership actually work.
Mat Fraser's EMOM Workouts: The Conditioning Format I Stole From HWPO
I recently switched from Ben Bergeron's CompTrain to Mat Fraser's HWPO program, and the best thing I found is his four-exercise EMOM conditioning day. I explain how to choose movements, dial in rep schemes around 30-45 seconds of work, and stretch the format from twenty minutes to an hour.
Allan McCoy: Hook, Line & Heroes and Taking Veterans Fishing
Allan McCoy is the founder of Hook, Line & Heroes, a nonprofit that takes military veterans dealing with PTSD out on the water to fish. In this episode he joins me to explain how the organization started, why his father — a D-Day veteran — shaped the mission, why his team calls every veteran alumnus every single month, and how a simple fishing trip can give a struggling veteran something to look forward to.
How 2 Tuesday - Lure Selection Ft. Justin Napior
Florida Keys guide Justin Napier reveals his simple lure selection system: 2 lure types, 2 colors for snook, reds, tarpon & trout.
The Jump Rope: The Most Cost-Effective Workout Equipment You Can Own
I get a lot of questions about working out on the cheap, and the answer starts with a jump rope. I compare the three main types — jelly, beaded, and wire — show you how to size each one, and share the people I learn tricks from. A Physical Friday gear breakdown.
Zach Bitter - Running 100 Miles and Setting a WORLD RECORD
Ultra runner Zach Bitter holds the world record for the fastest 100-mile run at 11 hours, 19 minutes, 13 seconds — on an extremely low-carb diet. We talk fitness, nutrition, training, mindset, and how endurance lessons transfer to everyday life.
Zach Bitter: 100-Mile World Records and How to Fuel for Ultra-Endurance
Zach Bitter is an American ultramarathon runner and former world-record holder for the 100-mile run and the 12-hour run. In this episode he joins me to break down what it actually takes to run for 100 miles and longer: how he fuels with a low-carbohydrate, fat-adapted approach, how he built metabolic efficiency over years, how he manages the mental side of ultra-endurance, and how an everyday athlete can apply the same principles to go farther than they think they can.
Captain Jonathan Moss | Black Drum Fishing 101 | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 497
Captain Jonathan Moss is a fishing guide on Florida's Space Coast who specializes in inshore fishing, particularly targeting black drum around the bridges and flats of East Central Florida.
The Final Summer Challenge: Double Your Pushups for Five Days
The final Physical Friday summer challenge: pick a pushup number and double it every day for five days. Anybody can do it at any level, and it is the perfect way to test the waters for February's 10,000 Pushup Challenge. I lay out easy and hard versions and how to build from here.
Jonathan Moss: Building The Captain's Log TV While Guiding Full-Time
Captain Jonathan Moss is a Florida fishing guide and the host of The Captain's Log TV on Waypoint. In this episode he joins me to trace how he built a family-friendly fishing show while guiding, teaching, and raising young kids: the Cuban grandfather who fled Castro and set the family work ethic, the years he played guitar in Orlando restaurants to fund his first skiff, why he left teaching to guide, and how he keeps a TV show, a guide career, and a growing family all moving at once.
Tom Rowland (Solo) | 5 Consecutive HERO Workouts for My 53rd Birthday | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 493
com since 2005 meant to honor the memories of CrossFit service members who made the ultimate sacrifice and exemplary members of the CrossFit community who are no longer with us.
Five Hero Workouts in Five Days: My Birthday Challenge
Every year I pick a physical challenge for my birthday. This year, turning 53, I am doing a CrossFit Hero workout five days in a row. I explain what Hero workouts are, why they honor fallen service members, and how to scale one if you want to join me. A Physical Friday episode.
Chris Avena: Building American Outdoor News
Chris Avena is a longtime outdoor industry figure, the founder of the digital magazine American Outdoor News, and the creator of the SeeMeHunt social network. He joins Tom Rowland to talk about building outdoor media brands, why he bet on digital over print, and a lifetime spent across hunting, fishing, and the outdoors.
Michael Lawrence: How an Out-of-State Angler Can Fight for Florida Water
Michael Lawrence is an angler from Kentucky who became a grassroots advocate for Florida water conservation after hearing about Everglades restoration on a podcast. He joins Tom Rowland for a How 2 Tuesday on how anyone, even from another state, can educate themselves, join the cause, and make a real impact on Florida water issues.
Cold Showers All Week: The Summer Challenge
This week's summer challenge: every shower 100 percent cold water, five days in a row. The cold-exposure half of the Wim Hof method, framed as a mind challenge — can you choose discomfort when nothing is forcing you to? A Physical Friday episode.
ICAST 2021
Captain Chris Whitman is co-founder of Captains for Clean Water, a fishing guide turned conservation advocate fighting for Florida water quality.
How 2 Tuesday - Hoot Owl - WHAT is it? HOW to comply and WHY?
Hoot owl restrictions close rivers to fishing from 2 PM to midnight during extreme heat when water temperatures exceed 73 degrees for three consecutive days or water levels drop critically low.
100 Pull-ups Every Day: The Summer Challenge
This week's summer challenge: 100 pull-ups a day, five days in a row, accumulated however you like. Ring rows and door rows count, so anyone can play. A Physical Friday episode.
Tom Rowland | The 4-Point Fishing Journal That Actually Works | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 485
Tom Rowland shares a simple 4-point fishing journal system from mentor Simon Becker that helps anglers document key details and replicate fishing success years later.
The Stretching Challenge with Joe Hippensteel
Joe Hippensteel of Ultimate Human Performance joins me with four stretches for a five-day challenge: two-minute holds at a pain level of seven, dead zone rests, and the flexibility standards that made me feel 17 again. A Physical Friday episode.
Dale Luganbill: Goliath Grouper Debate & Tampa Bay Water Crisis
Dale Luganbill is the host of the Full Scale Podcast, a fishing and outdoor lifestyle show based out of the Minnesota and Wisconsin area. He joins Tom Rowland to dig into the goliath grouper harvest debate and the Tampa Bay water crisis, two issues at the intersection of fishing, conservation, and management.
Tom Rowland | 5 Keys to Being a Successful Professional Fishing Guide | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 482
Tom Rowland shares decades of hard-earned lessons from guiding in the Florida Keys, including professionalism, communication, patience, and hard work.
Deck of Cards Workout Challenge + ICAST Workout Info
This week's summer challenge is the deck of cards workout: assign an exercise to each suit, shuffle, flip, and do the reps — one deck a day for five days. Plus everything you need to join my 6:00 a.m. ICAST workout in Orlando. A Physical Friday episode.
Nick Davis: Fly Tying for Snook & Tarpon at 239 Flies
Nick Davis is the owner of 239 Flies, a Southwest Florida fly tying shop specializing in innovative saltwater patterns for snook and tarpon. He joins Tom Rowland to talk about designing flies that fool tough fish, the craft and business of fly tying, and what it takes to build a brand around saltwater patterns.
Tom Rowland | How to Quickly Assess Your Angler's Skill Level | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 479
Guides stop at a close-by spot early in the trip and have the angler make a few casts, watching how they hold the rod, their casting power and accuracy, and whether they can handle distance or wind conditions.
No Gluten for a Week: The Summer Challenge
This week's summer challenge: no bread, no gluten, five days in a row. Bread is my favorite food on earth, so I will be suffering with you — and we will both learn how our bodies actually respond. A Physical Friday episode.
Dr. Lisa Bravo: The BRAVO Effect Parenting Framework
Dr. Lisa Bravo is a psychologist and the creator of The BRAVO Effect, a parenting framework built around Behavior, Relationships, Attitudes, Values, and Opportunities. She joins Tom Rowland to break down the framework, how parents can apply it, and how a clear, values-driven approach helps raise resilient, capable kids.
The 8 Hours of Sleep Challenge
This week's summer challenge: eight hours or more of sleep, five nights in a row. The easiest challenge to understand and the hardest to protect — and my favorite needle-mover of the summer. A Physical Friday episode.
Michael Waddell: Building the Bone Collector Hunting Empire
Michael Waddell is the founder of Bone Collector, the hunting brand and TV franchise he started in 2010 with a few friends to create quality hunting content that shows what hunting is really about. He joins Tom Rowland to tell the story of building Bone Collector into an empire, staying authentic as the brand grew, and the work behind the camera.
Drills For Saltwater Fly Casting | How 2 Tuesday | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 473
Tom Rowland reveals why 30-50 feet of accurate fly casting beats 100 feet for bonefish and tarpon. Learn the two-target drill and ready position for saltwater success.
No Sugar for 5 Days: The Summer Challenge
This week's summer challenge: no added sugar and no sugar substitutes for five days in a row. Fruit is fine. It is easy to do, easier not to do, and that is exactly why it works. A Physical Friday episode.
Derek York: A Tiger Shark Tracked 800 Miles to New Orleans
Derek York is a shark researcher whose team tagged a female tiger shark in South Texas that later showed up roughly 800 miles away near New Orleans. He joins Tom Rowland to talk about tiger shark behavior in the Gulf of Mexico, how satellite tagging works, and what these long-distance movements reveal about one of the ocean's apex predators.
Tom Rowland | How to Keep Live Shrimp Alive Overnight | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 470
Tom Rowland, experienced fishing guide and host of the Tom Rowland Podcast from the Florida Keys, shares his proven method for keeping live shrimp alive overnight in this How 2 Tuesday tutorial.
Tom Rowland | Summer Fitness Challenge: 5 Days to Transform Your Week | Tom Rowland Podcast Ep. 469
Tom Rowland, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, fishing guide, and CrossFit enthusiast, returns with another Physical Friday episode dedicated to transforming your fitness journey through simple, achievable weekly challenges.
Dustin Nichols: Why Kayaks Are Better Than Boats
Dustin Nichols is the host of the Chasing the Tide segment on the Paddle N Fin podcast and the communications director for the Kayak Saltwater Series. He joins Tom Rowland to make the case for why kayaks can be better than boats for many anglers, covering access, cost, stealth, and the unique experience of fishing from a kayak.