TMGP Ep 38 with NO-BS strength and fitness coach Cillian O’Connor AKA DYSFUNCTIONALPATTERNS

Cillian O'Connor, known by his Instagram handle @dysfunctionalpatterns, is a coach who combines critical analysis with sharp satire to examine popular fitness methodologies — most notably Functional Patterns. His content highlights and parodies what he sees as the absurdities, inconsistencies, and questionable practices within these systems, encouraging a more skeptical and evidence-based approach to training.
Beyond the satire, Cillian focuses on helping men get stronger, build muscle, and manage pain with no-BS, practical training methods.
In this episode, we dive into the importance of critical thinking in the fitness space, the risks of blindly following trending methodologies, and why grounding your training in science and reason is more vital than ever.
In today’s episode, we dive into a wide range of insights: Some of the topics include:

Why is there so much BS in the fitness industry
The origins of the name dysfunctional patterns
Not being a fan of “functional patterns”
The Value of a coach
How to avoid burning out early in lifting
Overrated vs underrated recovery protocols
Why exercise tier rankings are misguided
Consistency being more important than the angle of the cable machine
Overcoming plateaus
Beginner gains
Effort being key
AMRAP
The importance of showing up
Opinions vs science for example Jeff Nippard and Dr Milo Wolf’s so-called “best exercises” according to science
Spinal loading
Asymmetries and perfect technique
And so much more! Get ready for a truly informative episode.

🎙️ The MUSCLE GROWTH Podcast (TMGP) helps you go from frustrated to fit — empowering you to get 𝗕𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥, 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥, and 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 through evidence-based strategies and cutting-edge insights.

Covering the three pillars of the podcast — 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, and 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 & 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 — TMGP features expert guests known as the Gains Gurus, including elite athletes, world-class coaches, and leading health and fitness professionals.

🎧 Tune in to get the practical tools to optimize your body and life.

• No. of episodes: 45
• Latest episode: 2025-07-24
• Health & Fitness Fitness

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