Diary Of A Big Lad
When it comes to self-improvement, Chade O’Brien has seen and tried it all. From fad diets and personal trainers to chasing mystical fitness unicorns. However, after more ups-and-downs in the gym than Arnie’s dumbbells, 2022 saw Chade logging what genuinely worked and sharing his success on social media. This evolved into the 'Diary Of A Big Lad Podcast' – an ordinary 'big lad's guide to fitness, sharing nuggets of wisdom from his journey.
Join the North's sweatiest man (and his wobbly wingman, Nico) as they tackle a new fitness topic each week, sifting through the myths to discover what truly gets results. They run exercises, experiment with different methods and interview guests on their ongoing quest to not only finding the methods that work the best for them, but helping you hone in on which ones can work for you!
This podcast currently features no paid sponsorship or advertising.
Episodes
102 episodes
Tom Barkham Interview
In this very special Bonus Episode, Chade speaks to the great Tom Barkham!A man of many talents, Tom has boxed, completed many a Swindon Santa Run (worth Googling!), competed in everything from darts, to food challenges, to box...
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Season 1
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Episode 101
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42:23
The Good One Hundredth Episode
In this, the 100th Episode, Chade and Nico discuss what's gone well...and not so well over the last 100 episodes, their favourite bits, and what the future holds for 'Diary Of A Big Lad'!
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Season 1
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Episode 100
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1:02:47
Doing Is Believing
A lovely little 3 parter where Chaders discusses the feeling we all get of deciding to have that get up and go, vs stay comfy and no-show! All done live throughout his evening!
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Season 1
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Episode 99
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10:21
The Big New Year Plan - Damp January
DAMP JANUARY!Chade reveals his big plans for the new year (mainly…DAMP JANUARY!), we chat about the best kind of Christmas presents (namely Chades wedding ring which may or may not be made of Vibranium).We hear how Chade's plannin...
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Season 1
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Episode 98
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34:07
A D.o.a.B.L New Year Workout
Chade battles through a solo ep with the flu!What better way to start the year than with Chade talking YOU through his morning routine! There’s been much talk of Chade’s infamous morning routine, so this week, he thought it...
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Season 1
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Episode 97
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18:04
Diary Entry - New Year 2024 (going into 2025...)
In this, the final episode and diary entry of the year. Chade talks about meeting his goal (sort of), his first Christmas as a father of two and then takes a look back at the last year. Chade's come a long way since Christmas last year, 2024 ha...
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Season 1
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Episode 96
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18:41
Christmas 2024 - Chade O'Brien in 'Die(t) Hard'
Chaders and Nico bring you an extra large Christmas-Dinner-sized helping of the pod with this years very special Christmas Episode!!Firstly Chade introduces a new acronym that’s helped him achieve his goal (and will hopefully help you!)....
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Season 1
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Episode 95
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1:10:59
Diary Entry - 12 Days Of Big Lad
Chade discusses how his self-imposed weight loss challenge is going (not too well) and what he’s doing to right it now he’s lost one of his greatest tools, his gym!Chade's doing 12 days of fitness challenges to help get him through the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 94
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9:18
Big Lad (Chade) vs Big Man (Santa)
Still struggling with his plan to lose some serious poundage before the big 25th, Chade and Nico discuss a game plan that Chade (and you, dear listener!) can empty at this late stage to keep things going in the right direction.Late for ...
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Season 1
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Episode 93
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39:03
Diary Entry - Losing My Gymnasium
At the worst possible time (the build up to Christmas), Chade finds himself without a gym! What can he do about it? How will he handle his lose-weight-before-Christmas challenge without the heavy hitting exercise that comes with regular g...
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Season 1
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Episode 92
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9:24
Using S.M.A.R.T Goals To Reimagine Existing Goals
This week, Chade assesses his personal challenge (getting to 16 stone, or 224 pounds if you prefer), in 5 weeks and how he used SMART goal setting to calculate if it was actually doable (or in this case, DoaBL). If he fails, he gets no Christma...
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Season 1
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Episode 91
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32:56
Progress Part 9: Making Progress Amidst A Challenge
In the 90th episode, Chade takes us through the last 9 weeks, including the build up to his son being born, his thoughts after his son being born, and the progress made regarding their personal challenges (Spoiler alert!! It's not looking good ...
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Season 1
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Episode 90
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33:35
Perseverance
Things aren't looking good for Chade getting a Christmas Dinner! Chade explains how he plans on combatting not being able to achieve his goal and how it might apply to yours.
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Season 1
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Episode 89
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21:22
Diary Entry - Guide To Starting A Podcast
It's the first (and most likely only) solo episode featuring Nico on his own! Last week we had an update on how Chade's Challenge is coming along, this week, we'll hear how Nico's is!As you may remember, Nico's Challenge was to write, re...
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Season 1
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Episode 88
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10:49
Diary Entry - Progress On Chade's Challenge
Chade gives us an update on how his challenge is going, he's fallen behind on some aspects, but perhaps it's not a bad thing...For those of you who haven't been following, if Chade should fail this self imposed challenge, the forfeit is...
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Season 1
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Episode 87
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11:11
The Challenge Begins
Last week the lads set themselves a challenge of achieving a personal goal by the 25th of December, the forfeit of failing said challenge being incredibly high stakes punishment of which they will go into detail of here.From 4:40 there's...
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Season 1
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Episode 86
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32:04
Big Lad's Big Challenge
This week the lads throw down a challenge for themselves (which you can, and should join in on at home!) and Chade reviews the psychotic forfeit he's dreamt up to make sure they get it done! Also this week, Chade mentions how much weigh...
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Season 1
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Episode 85
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47:08
Diary Entry - Back To Basics
As Nico's off ill this week, Chade treats us to another diary entry. Following his recent life changes and the last episode's discussion about finding a new routine, Chade talks to us about going 'Back To Basics'. With his diet sliding into old...
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Season 1
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Episode 84
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15:22
Becoming a Dad...Again!
This week, Chade takes us through his feelings about the first week of his son’s life and what changes it’ll make to his routines and the Podcast going forward. Chade then gives Nico a whistle stop education on what happens when a child is born...
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Season 1
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Episode 83
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1:01:35
Diary Of A Big Dad Pt. 2
The day is finally here! Chade is proud to announce the birth of a Little Lad, the newest addition to his family, his son!Chade talks briefly about the excitement, challenges (mainly faced by his wife) and joyous relief of spending the ...
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Season 1
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Episode 82
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6:17
Diary Of A Big Dad Pt. 1
Chade gives us 3 live diary entries in the build up to his son being born!! There's pacing, jitters, and an informative update of where the mind might go in times of pressure with regards to one's overall life goals. A fascinating slice of life...
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Season 1
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Episode 81
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9:08
Progress Part 8: Ups And Downs Of A Big Lad
The 8th Progress Ep! Chade looks back at the last 10 weeks and ponders the many ups and down of holidays, injuries, bouncing back, getting injured again, then attempting to bounce back. Chade also gives us a sneak peak at what's coming up and s...
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Season 1
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Episode 80
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52:48
Diary Entry - A Whole Lotta Goal
In this Diary Entry, after another little speed bump (following last weeks upbeat episode), Chaders discusses how it's perhaps a byproduct of feeling over confident.Among the many things discussed, Chade delves into how he wants to get t...
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Season 1
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Episode 79
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18:07
A Guide To Returning to Positivity - The Eye Of The Big Lad (careful...)
This week, after last weeks more sombre tone, Chade talks about reassessing his daily routine while being in a more positive space (and making it all the better for it).Chade also talks about the wonders of his Dad’s magic cream (steady...
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Season 1
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Episode 78
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31:58
Diary Entry - Pain and No Gain
In this short entry, Chade talks about reaching a low point in his quest, and ponders what went wrong.We try to keep things as upbeat as possible at 'Diary Of A Big Lad', but authenticity has always been one of the most important things...
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Season 1
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Episode 77
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3:50