The Evergreen Athlete - By Finlay MacHugh

Training Like a Professional Amateur

I sat down with Joel Harries to talk about what it actually means to train like a pro… when you’re not one.

Joel works with rugby players who have jobs, families and limited time - but still want to see how good they can be.

This is about standards, mindset and doing the right things - repeatedly.

🧩 What You’ll Learn:
👉 Why “professional amateur” is a mindset, not a playing level.
👉 The difference between chasing 1% gains and nailing the 80%.
👉 How to think about injury if you actually want to improve.
👉 Why most people are overwhelmed by information - and underwhelmed by progress.
👉 How to be ruthless with your time when you’ve only got five hours a week.
There’s a lot in here about boredom, basics and being honest with yourself.

If you used to love sports, still care about your performance, but don’t have pro-level time - this will land.

—

👉 Joel's YouTube Channel
👉 Joel's Instagram

If you’re a former athlete with unfinished goals and you want structure around your training, send me a DM on Instagram with the word EVERGREEN.

We’ll have a proper conversation about where you’re at and what real progress could look like for you.

What is The Evergreen Athlete - By Finlay MacHugh?

Welcome to the Evergreen Athlete podcast...


This podcast is designed for people who used to live for sport but are now in a different place. They've recently focused on their careers and families and are unsure how to train athletically as they age. They have different stressors and problems. My name is Finlay MacHugh, and this is something that I have gone through myself to help people overcome every single day. If you're here, you likely have questions about how to train and live optimally. So this is what to expect...


What You’ll Get:




  1. Practical Toolkit: I'll share principles and learnings to help you train efficiently, effectively and productively.


  2. Expert Insights: In-depth discussions with leading coaches, health experts, and performance specialists.


  3. Experiences: Real-life learnings and mistakes from myself and my clients.


About Me (Your Host):


As of writing this in February 2025, I have been a strength and conditioning coach for 15 years, and I've coached at some level for 20 (Christ, that's scary). I'm the founder of Evergreen Athlete, an online coaching platform for those over 30s who want to regain their consistency and confidence to be their best version.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.