Des Powell & Paul Hughes: High Performance Under Extreme Pressure | Open Gym with Sam Warburton

Former SAS Major Des Powell and former military special operator and Channel 4's 'The Hunted' Paul Hughes join Sam Warburton for an extraordinary episode of Open Gym at SW7 Academy, exploring what it takes to perform when the stakes are genuinely life or death.

While training with Sam, Des and Paul share remarkable stories from their military careers and discuss the mindset, resilience and leadership required to operate under extreme pressure. Paul recalls the extraordinary moment he found himself alone in a room with Saddam Hussein, while Des reveals the reality of SAS selection and the occasions when he believed he might not make it home.

Now appearing on Channel 4’s Hunted, Paul also opens up about life after the military, the challenge of transitioning back into civilian life and the importance of finding a new sense of identity and purpose beyond service. Together, they explore how fitness and training have helped them manage that transition and continue building resilience outside elite military environments.

This is the ultimate Open Gym conversation about high performance under pressure. The environments may be different, but Sam, Des and Paul uncover the shared principles behind preparation, decision-making, leadership and remaining composed when failure carries the highest possible consequences.

Open Gym combines real training with honest conversations about life in and out of high-performance environments. .