MTNTOUGH Podcast w/ Dustin Diefenderfer

Latest Episodes:

The MTNTOUGH Way to Lose Weight, Lean Out and Get Stronger | FLD 003 Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Coaches Sarah Maschino and Nick Bechtold answer the number-one support question: which program should I do to lose weight or fat? They separate weight loss (calories in, calories out) from fat loss (keep the muscle), explain why you shouldn’t overhaul training first, and cover tracking, protein, gradual deficits, recomp, and why strength training still matters when the scale isn’t dropping. Also: Camp Lejeune with Marine Recon next week, and a nod to Kyle Camp’s nutrition resources in the app. Team performance over the lowest number on the scale.

V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🐐 MTNTOUGH Hunting & Feature Films: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eFTVUIBWJ3_x4n-R2mBwzYw

🧪 MTNTOUGH LAB Visits (We Take All Our Podcast Guests Out Of Their Comfort Zone): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eFCubYhEQntQexFEmT7BMkl

🥵 MTNTOUGH Challenge Workouts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eG2Q69GAR9st2U-4oK0Whlq

💪 Free MTNTOUGH Workouts & Protocols: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eGBSuC3fHqjP8mf50CDENA1

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTNTOPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPE

🐏 Get Your First Month of MTNTOUGH Free Use Code "YT1MFREE" @ https://mtntough.com/

________________________________________________________

What is MTNTOUGH Fitness?

MTNTOUGH is The #1 Fitness App Trusted By The DedicatedOur premier functional fitness programming is conveniently packaged for hunters, first responders, military, and mountain athletes. Train at home, at the gym, or on the go.

Since 2016, MTNTOUGH has been dedicated to helping individuals achieve their personal goals by creating a foundation for physical and mental toughness. The brand’s best-in-class programs are developed, tested, and proven by former Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and renowned physical trainers. MTNTOUGH+ programs are used by elite groups and operators, including special ops forces, wildland firefighters, backcountry hunters, professional mountain athletes, and more. The MTNTOUGH fitness lab is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, surrounded by some of the world’s top mountain athletes.

Coaches Sarah Maschino and Nick Bechtold break down the real difference between weight loss vs fat loss to help you get stronger.

Many people focus on the scale, but true body composition changes require a different strategy. Sarah and Nick explain why you should prioritize strength training over drastic training overhauls. They discuss the importance of protein intake, managing a moderate caloric deficit, and why your muscle mass matters more than hitting a specific number on the scale.

Learn how to track your nutrition effectively and why you should avoid the common trap of cutting calories too fast. This conversation covers the essentials of body recomp, giving you the tools to lean out while maintaining performance. Whether you are training for hunting or general fitness, these nutrition tips will help you build a more sustainable approach.

Drop a comment with your biggest nutrition question, and subscribe for weekly training and performance breakdowns.

00:00:06 – Camp Lejeune with Marine Recon next week00:01:24 – Episode 3: which program for weight or fat loss?00:02:18 – Weight loss vs fat loss00:04:38 – Why the body drops muscle first in a deficit00:05:34 – Don’t change training first—fix nutrition00:08:06 – Start gradual: 400–500 calorie drop00:09:19 – Scale fluctuations and recomp00:11:24 – Track food to build awareness00:17:00 – Prioritize strength training 2–4x per week00:19:18 – Performance first, fat loss as a byproduct

Kelli Poole: Are You Prepared for the Worst? Survival Insights from the Backcountry | MTNPOD #190 Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Kelli Poole, wildlife professional, Mule Deer Foundation board alum, and Global Rescue partner account manager, joins the MTNTOUGH Podcast on what an emergency actually looks like when you’re two days from a hospital. She covers her Zambia hippo hunt (wading croc water, 6,000-lb bull, village canoe pull), training women as guides in Tajikistan, and the hard truth that a helicopter is not always coming. Also: contact Global Rescue first on your inReach (they don’t reimburse after the fact), stabilize until help arrives, the Angie Cape buffalo upland story, and why hunters put themselves at risk more than almost anyone else.Join Dustin Diefenderfer, Founder of MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab and creator of the MTNTOUGH+ Fitness App in the top podcast for Mental Toughness and Mindset. (P.S. 🐏 Get Your First Month of MTNTOUGH Free Use Code "MTNPOD" @ https://mtntough.com/.) On this show, we delve into guests' purpose, mentality, and mental toughness so you can learn from the best of the best. Whether you're a seasoned backcountry hunter, an outdoorsman, or simply someone who wants to level up your mindset, this is your go-to source for inspiration, expert insights, campfire tales, entrepreneurship, and stories of perseverance and triumph. Presented by Sig Sauer.

Learn how to define an emergency and why proper emergency preparedness is vital for your next extreme backcountry trip.

We discuss what an emergency actually looks like when you are far off the grid. Whether you are a dedicated mountain athlete or simply someone taking on remote terrain, understanding the risks is the first step to staying safe.

Kelli Poole joins us to break down how organizations like Global Rescue assist individuals during critical situations. Get a clear perspective on remote travel safety so you can make informed decisions before heading into the wild.

(P.S. 🐏 Get Your First Month of MTNTOUGH Free Use Code "MTNPOD" @ https://mtntough.com/.)

V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🎙️ More MTNTOUGH Podcast Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdAelJZ1bZWr5v6K_-IPix0tq8b7xH1ms

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTNTOPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPEo

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W H A T I S M T N T O U G H F I T N E S S?

00:00:00 – What happens if you break a femur in Kyrgyzstan00:00:34 – Intro: Global Rescue, Mule Deer Foundation, Tajikistan00:03:24 – Legacy: a woman with no quit00:08:41 – The Zambia hippo hunt00:12:46 – Land vs water hippo and the Whac-A-Mole shot00:15:45 – Wading the croc river00:37:13 – How long help actually takes in remote places00:50:31 – The Angie Cape buffalo rescue00:54:08 – InReach: contact Global Rescue firstt00:56:11 – Dream trips: leopard and Kodiak brown bear

Cody Rich: Kill the Hardest-Worker Identity | Bridger Watch | MTNPOD #189 Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

Cody Rich—host of Rich Outdoors and founder of Bridger Watch—is back on the MTNTOUGH Podcast. He’s building a hunter smartwatch in the hardest lane there is: hardware, software, manufacturing, and fundraising. The conversation is about the DNA that always picks the hard path, the Tom Brady wall of performance identity, Mike Tyson’s “I don’t want to be a great man, I want to be a good man,” and why the big exit will not pay your kids back for the years you missed. Also: guardrails, hunt anxiety, James on counting storms as joy, and success as a byproduct of getting better—not the goal.

Join Dustin Diefenderfer, Founder of MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab and creator of the MTNTOUGH+ Fitness App in the top podcast for Mental Toughness and Mindset. (P.S. 🐏 Get Your First Month of MTNTOUGH Free Use Code "MTNPOD" @ https://mtntough.com/.) On this show, we delve into guests' purpose, mentality, and mental toughness so you can learn from the best of the best. Whether you're a seasoned backcountry hunter, an outdoorsman, or simply someone who wants to level up your mindset, this is your go-to source for inspiration, expert insights, campfire tales, entrepreneurship, and stories of perseverance and triumph.

Presented by Sig Sauer.

V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🎙️ More MTNTOUGH Podcast Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdAelJZ1bZWr5v6K_-IPix0tq8b7xH1ms

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTNTOPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPEo

__________________________________________

W H A T I S M T N T O U G H F I T N E S S?

MTNTOUGH is The #1 Fitness App Trusted By The Dedicated
Our premier functional fitness programming is conveniently packaged for hunters, first responders, military, and mountain athletes. Train at home, at the gym, or on the go.

00:00:00 – Getting back up is not the same as learning

00:00:38 – Intro: Rich Outdoors and Bridger Watch

00:03:20 – Performance identity and the Tom Brady wall

00:05:18 – Mike Tyson: a great man vs a good man

00:07:37 – Kill the hardest-worker identity

00:09:02 – Don’t move the goalpost on family and hunting

00:18:06 – The college-for-the-kids excuse

00:45:57 – Growing without living in cortisol

00:53:19 – Consider the storm pure joy

01:06:03 – Fear is an inch deep and a mile wide

Fitness Lab Discussion | Gym Daily vs MGD: Which MTNTOUGH Program Should You Run? Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Coaches Sarah Maschino and Nick Bechtold break down the two most-used programs in the app: Minimal Gear Daily and Gym Daily. MGD runs on dumbbells, a couple kettlebells, a pull-up bar, and a Yeti 65 — strength through volume, tempo, and stacked movements. Gym Daily needs a rack, barbell, plates, and at least one cardio machine so you can actually progress load. They cover who should pick which, why the blocks now start and stop together so you can hop, and why the follow-along cues are the real difference. Team MGD or team Gym Daily — drop it in the comments.V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🐐 MTNTOUGH Hunting & Feature Films: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eFTVUIBWJ3_x4n-R2mBwzYw

🧪 MTNTOUGH LAB Visits (We Take All Our Podcast Guests Out Of Their Comfort Zone): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eFCubYhEQntQexFEmT7BMkl

🥵 MTNTOUGH Challenge Workouts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eG2Q69GAR9st2U-4oK0Whlq

💪 Free MTNTOUGH Workouts & Protocols: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eGBSuC3fHqjP8mf50CDENA1

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTN OPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPE

🐏 Get Your First Month of MTNTOUGH Free Use Code "YT1MFREE" @ https://mtntough.com/

________________________________________________________

What is MTNTOUGH Fitness?

00:00:07 – Weekend: beach trip and an archery hunt00:02:10 – Bull at nine yards, deadhead on the back00:04:18 – October challenge: Caniption strategy00:07:03 – Gym Daily vs MGD — which should you do?00:08:04 – What you actually need for MGDs00:09:10 – Strength through volume, tempo, and stacking00:13:13 – When we send people to Gym Daily00:15:46 – Why the blocks now start and stop together00:17:03 – Why the follow-along cues matter00:20:22 – The moose testimonial

Kyle Layne: How I Survived Losing My Daughter | MTNPOD #188 Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Kyle returns to the MTNTOUGH Podcast for a raw follow-up on alcoholism, the “compliant child” vs. performance-identity trap, and why so many high achievers chase control until a substance (or fitness, or a phone) becomes the only way to feel baseline. He traces the exact catalyst moments that finally got him into rehab—including a Western Hunt Expo booth shared with Mountain Tough, an Eric McCormack workout that collapsed him, and a first honest conversation that opened a door the darkness immediately tried to slam shut. He also shares how that timing prepared him for fatherhood, the loss of their daughter Lucy, writing the book releasing October 6th, and why he and Alyssa wouldn’t trade the life they have now.

Presented by Sig Sauer.

V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🎙️ More MTNTOUGH Podcast Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdAelJZ1bZWr5v6K_-IPix0tq8b7xH1ms

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTNTOPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPEo

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W H A T I S M T N T O U G H F I T N E S S?

00:00:00 – Compliant child, attention, and the start of drinking

00:09:48 – Performance identity and the MTNTOUGH listener

00:13:32 – Addiction as emotional control and numbing

00:16:29 – Distraction vs. connection (fitness as replacement addiction)

00:21:54 – Why removing distractions changes everything

02:01:28 – The exact catalyst moments that led to rehab

02:04:01 – Eric McCormack workout that collapsed him

02:07:58 – First honest conversation and the darkness pushing back

02:12:58 – Timing, Lucy, and why they wouldn’t trade this life

02:18:37 – The book (Oct 6), Chapter 3 Stigma & More Than Capable

Jake Harriman: Don’t Waste a Good Life | MTNPOD #187 Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Jake Harriman—Naval Academy grad, Force Recon Marine, Bronze Star, founder of Nuru International and The Brickyard (formerly More Perfect Union)—joins the MTNTOUGH Podcast on a simple fear: you can live a good life and still waste it. After years off-grid fighting extremism through livelihoods, he came home and didn’t recognize the country he’d fought for. Now he’s building higher ground, not just common ground—40,000 Americans swinging hammers together, Civic Valor in schools, and five steps from his book Rescuing the Idea of America: believe, serve, connect, lead, restore. Also: loneliness, agency vs. the algorithm, and why one life changed is enough.

Presented by Sig Sauer.

V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🎙️ More MTNTOUGH Podcast Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdAelJZ1bZWr5v6K_-IPix0tq8b7xH1ms

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTNTOPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPEo

__________________________________________

W H A T I S M T N T O U G H F I T N E S S?

00:00:00 – A good life can still be a wasted life

00:00:37 – Intro: Marine, Nuru, The Brickyard

00:03:02 – West Virginia farm, “I can’t” was not allowed

00:06:45 – Coming home after 15 years downrange

00:11:00 – From 1,000 members to 40,000

00:15:11 – Young men ready to obey, unsure what the step is

00:17:28 – Civic Valor and servant leadership

00:21:02 – Loneliness, agency, and go help somebody else

00:33:42 – Coffee and encourage challenge

00:46:54 – Believe, serve, connect, lead, restore

Fitness Lab Discussion | Coaches Sarah & Nick: How We Program MTNTOUGH + Your Questions Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Get to know MTNTOUGH Coaches Dr. Nick Bechtold and Sarah Maschino as they open a new lab-side conversation: who they are, how they landed at MTNTOUGH, and how the programming actually gets built.

They cover the path from elite sheep-hunt training to on-ramp, foundations, Always Ready 50+, and what’s coming next (No Gear 10, SV20). Then they answer two of the most common support questions—how to pair MGDs with running, and what to do mid-season when on-ramp feels light but foundations feel like too much.

Drop your questions in the comments. Stay dangerous.

V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🐐 MTNTOUGH Hunting & Feature Films: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eFTVUIBWJ3_x4n-R2mBwzYw

🧪 MTNTOUGH LAB Visits (We Take All Our Podcast Guests Out Of Their Comfort Zone): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eFCubYhEQntQexFEmT7BMkl

🥵 MTNTOUGH Challenge Workouts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eG2Q69GAR9st2U-4oK0Whlq

💪 Free MTNTOUGH Workouts & Protocols: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUyFQjco9eGBSuC3fHqjP8mf50CDENA1

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTNTOPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPE

🐏 Get Your First Month of MTNTOUGH Free Use Code "YT1MFREE" @ https://mtntough.com/

________________________________________________________

What is MTNTOUGH Fitness?

00:00:08 – Shooting with SIG, getting ready for season

00:01:34 – Why this new coaches podcast exists

00:02:35 – Coach Nick’s path: PT, Billings, joining the lab

00:05:36 – Coach Sarah’s path: Vanderbilt soccer to MTNTOUGH

00:10:53 – What MTNTOUGH is after 10 years

00:15:32 – 50+ testimonials and hanging the boots back up

00:18:00 – Elevator pitch: who the programming is for

00:20:31 – Coming soon: No Gear 10 and SV20

00:23:41 – Q: How to combine MGTNTOUGH with running

00:27:45 – Q: On-ramp vs foundations during hunting season

Mike Sarraille: A Soldier Dies Twice | Brotherhood After the Teams | MTNPOD #186 Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

Mike Sarraille—former special operations leader, Chief Talent Officer at a veteran-owned company, and the man behind Fox Nation’s Final Flight: The Men of Extortion 17—joins the MTNTOUGH Podcast on what companies still get wrong about veteran talent, why eight guys from the same platoon now work under one roof, and why a soldier dies twice: once in the field, and again when his name is spoken last. He covers the seven-continent skydive with Andy Stumpf, building brotherhood after the DD-214, the harsh cost of high performance (divorce, empty tank, no “balance”), his forthcoming book Teams, and why telling other men’s stories is the work he wants to do for a lifetime.

Presented by Sig Sauer.

V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🎙️ More MTNTOUGH Podcast Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdAelJZ1bZWr5v6K_-IPix0tq8b7xH1ms

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTNTOPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPEo

__________________________________________

W H A T I S M T N T O U G H F I T N E S S?

00:00:00 – What companies still misunderstand about veterans

00:01:21 – Chief Talent Officer and placing hundreds of vets

00:02:20 – Final Flight: The Men of Extortion 17

00:03:01 – Rally Point Oscar and the 520th platoon

00:06:52 – A soldier dies twice

00:07:59 – Seven continents, seven jumps, six days

00:16:35 – Isolation of men after the teams

00:38:27 – The harsh realities of being mission-driven

00:42:28 – Terrell Owens: there is no balance in greatness

00:51:46 – If your legacy is telling other men’s stories

Leif Babin: Extreme Ownership When You Can’t Control the Situation | MTNPOD #185 Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

Leif Babin, former Navy SEAL officer, Task Unit Bruiser platoon commander in Ramadi, and co-author of Extreme Ownership, joins the MTNTOUGH Podcast to talk leadership when the title, the body, and the plan get stripped away. He covers attitude as the one thing you still control, cover and move as real teamwork, why the best leaders stop trying to prove themselves, the cost of not explaining the “why,” and the actual fix for leadership fatigue: decentralized command instead of being the easy button. Also: family as your highest leadership job, and honoring the teammates who didn’t come home.

Presented by Sig Sauer.

V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🎙️ More MTNTOUGH Podcast Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdAelJZ1bZWr5v6K_-IPix0tq8b7xH1ms

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTNTOPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPEo

__________________________________________

W H A T I S M T N T O U G H F I T N E S S?

00:00:00 – Humility vs. leaders trying to prove themselves

00:00:39 – Intro: Task Unit Bruiser, Extreme Ownership, Echelon Front

00:06:08 – Mental toughness when physical capability is stripped

00:08:19 – Control your attitude when you can’t control the situation

00:12:16 – Cover and move: leadership is influence, not a title

00:15:58 – “God is with you, mighty warrior” in Hell Week

00:49:31 – The cost of not explaining the why

00:53:11 – Connect the dots so the team owns the mission

00:58:14 – Leadership fatigue and burnout

01:01:15 – Decentralized command: stop being the easy button

John Wayne Walding: What They Don't Tell You About Survival | MTNPOD #184 Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

John Wayne Walding spent seven years in 3rd Special Forces Group. On April 6, 2008 in Shok Valley, Afghanistan, a sniper shot took the lower half of his right leg. He tied it to his thigh and kept fighting. This episode is about April 7th—the hospital bed, the word “can’t,” and the battles that don’t come with a medal. John talks about being raised by his grandparents after both parents went to jail, becoming the first amputee to graduate Special Forces sniper school, choosing pain over pills, quitting drinking after Chris Kyle’s death, 15 years of sobriety, and why every man needs mat carriers who will drag him to Jesus instead of the bar.

Presented by Sig Sauer.

V I D E O S TO W A T C H N E X T

🎙️ More MTNTOUGH Podcast Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdAelJZ1bZWr5v6K_-IPix0tq8b7xH1ms

S U P P O R T O U R S P O N S O R S:

💊 Get 20% off MTNTOPS Supplements, Use Code "MTNTOUGH" Here at checkout: https://mtn-ops.sjv.io/LXkPEo

__________________________________________

W H A T I S M T N T O U G H F I T N E S S?

00:00:00 – The battle after the medal

00:01:17 – Intro: Shok Valley, Silver Star, first amputee sniper

00:06:41 – Parents in jail, raised by Sam and Grace

00:16:45 – April 7th and the word “can’t”

00:19:23 – Faith: God is real and you’re not Him