Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth - 2635: Secrets From a Top Trainer With Jordan Syatt

Episode Date: July 7, 2025

Secrets from a Top Trainer Jordan Syatt If you’re here to make money, you are in the wrong profession. (2:00) What motivated his recent content for children? (7:51) The nuance surrounding all the recent Government health policies. (17:40) GLP-1s: A cultural moment. (21:28) Will trainers be obsolete when we have medical interventions to solve these issues? (24:32) The value of the struggle and challenge. (26:25) His greatest source of purpose. (30:52) Greatest challenges with parenting. (36:33) Family comes first. (38:44) Tackling nutrition with your kids. (40:39) Work/life balance. (43:39) The value of loaded stretching for longevity. (49:21) The next big trend. (1:01:42) Don’t eat like an asshole. (1:04:17) Related Links/Products Mentioned Get your free Sample Pack with any “drink mix” purchase! Find your favorite LMNT flavor, or share it with a friend. Try LMNT totally risk-free. If you don’t like it, give it away to a salty friend and we’ll give you your money back, no questions asked! Visit DrinkLMNT.com/MindPump July Special: MAPS Split or Anabolic Metabolism Bundle 50% off! ** Code JULY50 at checkout ** Home - SF Inner Circle Workouts for Kids with Coach J! - YouTube Mind Pump #2595: Mike Israetel Unplugged (Explicit Content) The Jordan Syatt Podcast  The Impact on Kids of Dad's Faith and Church Attendance Shabbat - Wikipedia Mind Pump Podcast – YouTube Mind Pump Free Resources Featured Guest/People Mentioned Jordan Syatt (@syattfitness) Instagram Michael Israetel (@drmikeisraetel) Instagram Dave Ramsey (@daveramsey) Instagram Jon Call (@jujimufu) Instagram  

If you want to pump your body and expand your mind, there's only one place to go. Mind pump with your hosts, Sal DeStefano, Adam Schaefer, and Justin Andrews. You just found the most downloaded fitness, health, and entertainment podcast. This is Mind Pump. Today we have world-class trainer, one of the best personal trainers in the world, Jordan Syatt on the podcast. Great conversation about training clients, building your business. Trainers, you won't want to miss this. By the way, you can find him on Instagram at Syatt Fitness. That's at Syatt. It's pretty awesome. This episode is

brought to you by a sponsor, Element. This is an electrolyte powder you add to your water. It's got the right amount of sodium to make a difference and there's no sugar, no artificial sweeteners. It's all natural. Go check them out. Go to drinkelementt.com forward slash mind pump. On that link you'll get a free sample pack of their most popular flavors with any purchase.

We also have a sale this month. MAPS split in the anabolic metabolism bundle of programs. All of that is 50% off. Head over to MAPSFitnessProducts.com and then use the code July 50 for the discount. Here comes the show. Jordan, welcome back to the show. Thanks for having me, boys.

It was a great seven hour you just got. Yeah, good day. Oh yeah, good day. That was a good time, dude. Hanging out with a bunch of new trainers, potential trainers. I love talking to that group, you know? Yeah.

And it looks like you do too. Yeah, I think it's my favorite, because I was there not long ago, and it's cool, because I remember sitting in crowds of other coaches and looking up at coaches who I admired and being like, one day I want to be there. So it's really cool to see that young,

hungry crowd of coaches. Like I was saying, this is a very saturated industry with people who call themselves coaches, but it's very unsaturated in terms of people who want to be really good and great coaches. So for the people who make time out of their day or out of their weekend to spend time and money to come into a place like this, to get educated, it says a lot. And it's really great for our industry.

Yeah. You're, you're one of the most successful, if not the most successful coach that I know. Coach both online and in person. I don't know if you do in person anymore, but I think it's mostly online now. And since we first met you now, it's been a little while. I think 2019. The growth of the online coaching industry.

So these are people who teach coaches how to build their business, and that's exploded, along with that has come a lot of funny business. I was about to say that, yeah. How do you feel about that? Because I've never seen coaching or personal training being pitched as a fast way to make money until relatively recently. Now it's like this get quick rich scheme,

which is interesting because it's fitness, it's like there's way better ways to make a lot of money. So, how do you feel about all that? Because a lot of the stuff they say, I mean, it's like nails on a chalkboard for me. Yeah, I mean, it's very recently that being a personal trainer became like a lucrative, it could be a lucrative career. I mean, my whole family still, my mom is always like … Still waiting for you to get a real job?

100%. My mom is still very much just like, you can always go back to school to be a doctor, like just very Jewish mom. Like, uh, you'd be a doctor, be a lawyer. Actually, you know, the thing that actually made my family as a whole more like, oh, wow, maybe this is legit is when I published a book, publishing a book. Cause they, they're doctors, there's lawyer, there's their professors. And so a lot of them, so for them to have a published book, that's success in their eyes, not like helping people and like having people who, who've like

even improved their lives. It's like, Oh, you've published a book. Okay. Successful. It's like a motherfucker. I don't even, you know, it's, I don't even push the book. It's like, it's, it's not even the most, not even close to the most important thing, but, um, listen, it's anytime even the most, not even close to the most important thing, but listen,

it's anytime there's a place for someone to make money, like the industry around selling coaches on how to get rich quick, you're getting a lot of horse shit. So we see people pushing passive income models and scaling your business and the easy way out. And so that's when people see other coaches who are presumably doing well and they're like, oh, I could do that. I want to do that. And they get into the industry, not because they want to help people, but because they think it's easy to make money. And that's when we end up getting a really shit, shit name in the industry.

It's such a, it's such a hard profession to expect to try and make a lot of money. I mean, you could make the argument that almost any profession is like that, but I feel like if you understand finances or day trading or things like that, you could get in there and start making money relatively quick if you did the work. But training is not like that. Like you have to train, you can have all the education, you can have all the national service, you can have all the degrees, but if you still haven't gotten in front of people, you're still not going to be a very good coach and trainer until you learn how to communicate

and help everyday average people. That just takes years. It takes a long time of failing. It's interesting that we are in this time where it is being sold to trainers that you can make all this money really quick. It was not really quick for me. I'll tell you what happened to me. I was at Easter. My had my whole family, so

extended family, like a family room. It was like 150 people and my cousin, my generation, her son who's 16 listens to the show. So she's like, my son wants to meet you. He's a huge fan and I've met this kid just like a few times when he was little so I don't know him very well. So he comes up, he's super nervous, he starts talking to me and he's like, I want to be an little, so I don't know him very well. So he comes up, he's super nervous, he starts talking to me, and he's like, I wanna be an online coach. I'm like, oh, really, well how come? He goes, you can make a lot of money.

I'm like, oh my God, what happened? Who told you that? Yeah, and he's like, so how do I get started? I'm like, well first of all, I said, you should probably train people in person first, I think that's a great idea. And he's like, well, I watched so-and-so, and he says you could just go online. And I know who he's talking about, it's the guy that, you know, it's one of those guys that's a great idea. And he's like, well, I watched so-and-so

and he says you could just go online. And I know who he's talking about. It's the guy that shows, you know, it's one of those guys that's like, I'm gonna have a private jet and I got this new car. I'm like, no, dude, that's not how it works. How do you communicate that to coaches that you talk to? Because there is this impression that I like fitness,

so therefore I'm gonna become a virtual trainer without ever training anybody in person. Yeah. I mean, listen, you just saw me speak to a group of people. I'm pretty blunt. I'm pretty blunt about it. And in the same way with my fitness content, I don't see much value in beating around the bush and I feel like you're going to get people who are more aligned with you and you just

are honest and straightforward about it. So in the same way when I'm working with someone in fitness, I'm not gonna lie to them and be like, yeah, you'll never be hungry in a calorie deficit. I mean, but yeah, you're gonna get hungry and like this is normal and it's gonna be difficult. Same thing with fitness coaches. You weed people out as soon as you say like, hey, this is gonna be tough.

And by the way, I'll say from the very beginning, if your main goal is to make money, I don't wanna work with you. If that's your main, like your main goal should be, I want to help people. That should be your main goal. And like making money is not a bad thing at all. And I think the more you help people, the more money you're probably going to make. But if your main goal is making money, odds are number one, you're not going to

make it past the first year or two tops because like the first year or two, you're not going to make much money if at all. And then you end up doing stupid shit that isn't actually going to help people, which then further secures that you're not going to do well. The best way to build a business is especially fitness business, in person, becoming a great coach, helping people getting referrals. That is how you start off at the great, great online or personal training business, which then often the people who are in person will become your first online coaching clients and that you,

you know them, you better understand them. Their family members, their friends, their colleagues will become online coaching clients. But, and I think I've said this on the podcast before, and I know you guys agree being an in-person coach will make you a better online coach, but being an online coach will not make you better in-person coach. So it's a, listen, anytime someone tells me they just want to start off as an online coach because it's going to make more money.

It's just like, that's stupid. And I'll just tell them right, right to their face. What's motivated you recently, you've created a lot of content for children. Yeah. I know your dad, is that what motivated you? Was it just becoming a dad and you're like, it was becoming a dad and then realizing there's not any good content for kids. For work, like because so I'm not the no screen family.

I know there are some families who are like, my kids are never going to look at a screen. I'm like, well, eventually they're going to look at a screen. So like I, there's, it's more just about moderation. Like we go outside, we go hiking, we play. And then occasionally you can use the screen. And when she was looking at the screen, my oldest daughter, I was like, you know, let's, I wanted to, you know what, let's, I wanted to, it started because I wanted to find dance classes for my daughter online.

And they have these, there's this one woman who with her daughter, they do ballet classes on YouTube. And I was shocked at how bad it was. The audio quality was terrible, the structure was terrible. And my daughter actually really enjoyed it though. I was like, so then I started, I wonder if there's fitness stuff. I started looking and there's not. There was just no good fitness stuff for kids.

So I spoke to my videographer. I was like, we're going to do this now. I was like once a week, every week for six months, we're going to make a new kids video just to see how it goes. And it has gone super well. It's got like, yeah, it's gone great. I mean, there's a lot of room for growth, but like I'm getting video. It's my most shared content right now.

Like coach Jay is my most shared content. Like when people are tagging you and stuff, that's the, what I'm getting tagged in most is my people showing their kids doing my kids workouts, which is just fucking awesome. So cool. I have to, too. I have to have you tell like the unintended sort of person that's using that content as well. You told me that, you know, this is obviously geared towards kids. It's fun. It's engaging. It's entertaining.

But then you found another demographic that actually was surprisingly using it. People in their 30s and 40s who have never worked out in their life who are like, I didn't know where to start and I don't have any equipment. So I started doing your kids workouts, like a dinosaur workout or safari workouts. And they're literally DMing me like, and it's fun. And like, I get a laugh and a kick out of it, but they're 10 minute workouts. And so they'll do three or four in a row. It's like they're doing 30 or 40 minutes of these work. Like by the time, by the end of it, but they're 10 minute workouts. And so they'll do three or four in a row.

It's like they're doing 30 or 40 minutes of these workouts. Like by the time, by the end of one, I'm tired. It's tough. But it's also foundational movements and it's teaching. And so like these 30 or 40 year olds are getting legit workouts in. And also another really cool benefit, because in my mind I made them for

between two and 12 year olds, which is a pretty significant age range. But then I've gotten people like, Hey, my son is 16. He's like severely autistic and he loves your workouts. It's been very cool to see different age groups, different demographics who like otherwise aren't moving very much are like now for almost an hour moving nonstop, which is really, really cool. Yeah. So take a step the audience through how you test a theory like this, right? I think this is so valuable. A lot of people get like paralysis by analysis, right?

They think they're going to start this kids channel or an idea and they have this huge grant and they spend months trying to plan it. It's like you came across, oh, there's nothing out there for this. I want to make it. How did you test that hypothesis? What did that like, that step by step, you realized it,

and then the next day were you shooting your next video? And what would it look like? And how did you like step me through what that process looked like? So I will say I have a videographer. If I didn't have a videographer, I still would have done it. I just would have shot it on my own camera and then I would have uploaded it.

And it wouldn't have been as well produced and as good, but it would have been fine. Like I still think it would have been, I mean, camera and then I would have uploaded it. And it wouldn't have been as well produced and as good, but it would have been fine. I still think it would have been, I mean, you guys saw my first YouTube videos today. They sucked and it turned out fine. It builds up over time. And especially when you find something where there's white space where no one's done it,

that's when you've gotta go fast. And so I found this white space in which no one was making good workout videos for kids. I was like, great, like this is it. So I was like, I want to jump on it. I called my videographer and we already filmed every week anyway. And I was like, so now we're going to add this to it. And I was like, we're going to do it at least for six months every single week.

Because you need time. You need time for it to build up. And usually I like to say a year, but right now I'm losing money hand over fist on this project. I'm spending thousands of dollars every month creating these videos, and I'm not making any money directly from it. There are parents who are watching who will then join my inner circle as a result of it,

because the parents are getting involved in the workouts, and they're seeing me more, so I'm becoming more of a household name. But in terms of, I'm not doing any ads or sponsorships, or they're not going, there are a couple videos I've done like very well for a very small channel, but like they're not going viral or anything, it's I'm losing money hand over fist

every single week with these. But it's one of those things that's like, it's a long term investment. It's like I'm gonna do this for a long time and hopefully within three to five years they'll pick up. Yeah. What's the, now making, because you've been making content for adults for a long time. Getting their attention, communicating value,

giving them things that they can apply, all important skills you've learned over time. How to make a video effective. How big of a difference is it for kids' videos? That's gotta be so opposite, so different. Did you just watch other kids' videos and go, okay, I'm gonna make fitness ones that look like this? Like, what was that like?

No, because there were no kids' videos that were for fitness that existed that were good at all. So I really, I just made it up and like, I, I love, like, I love my kids and like, I'm pretty good with kids. So I just wanted to make it fun and exciting. So literally every video starts being like, what's up kids? I'm coach Jay. And today we're going to do an under the sea workout.

So we're going to be doing shark fin slaps and whatever. And like, that's how it starts. And we jump right into the workout and I'll like be communicating with them throughout the whole time being like, what's your favorite fruit? Mine is kiwi. Tell me, let me know. And then I'll like wait for a second and be like, oh, that's a great fruit. And then like, as though that I could hear what they said. But it's, it's, it's just trial and error.

I can already, I've done, I don't know, maybe 20 plus videos already. What have you learned so far? Man, I've learned a lot, but I would say, for me, it's just about keeping, I'll tell you this. This is what I've learned. So the most common, aside from people tagging me in the videos of their kids doing it,

a lot of parents ask me to send videos to their kid. I do it every time. That's cool. They're like, you don't need to pay me. That's almost like, what's the app? Cameo. Yeah, I've asked literally, people are like, hey, do you do cameo?

My kids want a video from Coach J. No, no, no, I'm happy to do it. So oftentimes I'll screenshot them. I'll wait until I'm in my coach J dress up and I'll have the headband or the wrist bands on or whatever. And then once- That's how you build your cult following. It's what's equivalent to what you were teaching

the trainers out there, right? The trainer that complains about his engagement and this and that, and then emoji thumbs up. It's just like, you actually have parents that want you to make videos for the kids because they love you that much It's like do it you're happy. They'll come a time when you won't be able to just a fact Right if that channel blows up to be, you know blippy size Exactly, you will not be able to do that. But while you can like 100% like you got to do that. So yeah

It's great. I mean these kids they they go nuts like Awesome. Well, I'm just gonna ask you Is a two and a half year old eight month old? Correct? Yep. Just wait till like a little five-year-old says something mean to you YouTube kids. It's great. I post it even better in the comments. Which is actually really great. You know in the schoolyard like I call it, I'm insulted. You're bald. So how does that work in terms of like advertisement and all that if you're going through like

the kids channel? So I use my email list and I use my main like Instagram account. Every time I post it, I'm like, I'm sharing it. I'm like, hey go like, and I'm listening. It would mean the world to me if you would share this it would help and like it's starting to reach people who don't follow me On my regular fitness page like people who are just finding it. Yeah, it's really really cool It's but it's now it's over six months in and like it's now it's just starting and so are you more excited about more or less? Excited because you're also you know last time we talked you you've been really building, like us, to kind of the trainer side. Like you guys have mentor trainers, you have that. I imagine those

are two major focuses right now for you. Does one excite you more than the other? How do you feel about each one? I think it's pretty equal in terms, because you really get an opportunity to reach more than just the one person you're helping. So when you help coaches, it's great because then you essentially directly help every single client that they work with. For me, I love the kid stuff because especially right now, like in everything we're seeing with, with Maha, right? We're seeing a huge focus on public health and there's a lot of resistance for, from both, like there's a lot of resistance and there's, there's

politics and da da da da da, da, da. I love being able to directly impact the kids. I like to directly get these kids, getting them understanding how great it is to feel strong, to eat more protein, more fruits and vegetables. Like that for me is amazing because if, we could talk all the politics that we want, all the policy that we want,

it's like for me, it starts with the kids. And if the kids are focused on it, then the parents are more like, if you have your kid being like, hey, I wanna do a Coach J workout, it's like parents are gonna be like, okay, then I'll do it with you. And in the videos, I'm like,

if your grownups are sitting there, get them to stand up and get them to do that. And especially if I'm doing like some type of a stretch or something like for like something for their low back, like a scorpion, I'll be like, your grownup needs this, get them on the ground right now with you. And so I'll speak to them throughout these videos

to get the grownups involved as well. But if we're really being honest about how we can improve public health, I think it does start with the kids. Sure, absolutely. So that is something that I'm super excited about. How do you feel about, because there is a lot of awareness,

more so than I can remember in terms of health, with public policy. And I think they are tackling things differently than we have in the past. I'm never optimistic when it comes to government policy. Me either. However, I'm more optimistic than I have been before, just because of the focus.

What do you think about some of the stuff they're saying? I know some of the direction they're going is like, well, I don't know if that's gonna make a difference, but what do you think? There's a lot of nuance to it, right? On one hand, I love that health is at the forefront of the discussion. That's great, I love that.

Like you were saying, I think that they're focusing on stuff that is so, I think a lot of it is publicity and performative as opposed to like, hey, how much is this really gonna help? For example, RFK Junior going to the burger place, like, now this is in beef tallow instead. I'm like, what the fuck are you doing? Like really that's so that to me seemed performative and, and early on, like, I

really was, uh, the reason I was most hopeful about RFK junior, cause he was the only politician that I've heard, uh, I was most hopeful about RFK Jr. because he was the only politician that I've heard that was really striving for unity to bridge the gap across the aisle. Because there's so much divisiveness politically in this country. And he was the only one who was really like, I don't wanna talk shit about this side, I don't wanna talk shit about that side,

I just want us to come together as a country. And I was like, fuck yeah, that's what I want. I'm tired of this just divisive rhetoric propaganda nonsense. And I don't agree with a lot of what he's doing in terms of like the order of events. Like realistically, I think if we're gonna talk about what we need to do as a society and as from a policy perspective,

incentives we can create for people to get exercising and focusing on their health more, seed oils would not be number one on that list at all, nor would food dyes. Now, am I mad that they're potentially getting rid of these things? No, I think it's very cool to talk about it. But imagine like a client comes to you and like, hey, I need to lose weight. I'll get rid of your seed oils and your food dyes. I'm like, how many food dyes are you eating? You know, it's like, Hey, I need to lose weight. I'm obese. I'll get rid of your seed oils and your food. I see diabetic. I'm like, how many food dyes are you eating? You know, it's like, come on, that's not what you do with your clients. So on a larger scale, I don't think it makes sense is like

anywhere near the first thing. And I think that they're realizing, okay, public opinion is really supporting this. So let's go after this rather than what does public health actually need. Yeah. Do you think there's strategy to that though, in terms of attacking some things that you can legally with big business, uh, and sort of steering, I guess, I guess, big business first, and then having that sort of affect the public as a result. And then kind of working on the bigger things as he goes, or do you think

it's just like, yeah, what's popular right now in public opinion? I'm going to give you a really pessimistic answer. Unfortunately. popular right now in public opinion. I'm going to give you a really pessimistic answer. Unfortunately. Yeah. I don't think that any one in very high level government is going to be necessarily going after, uh, the most important things, unless it makes sense

for their political party. I think political party reelection power is always going to be number one. And so public opinion will dictate their decisions not necessarily This is what's best. I think this is both sides of the aisle So the very like I don't trust government right period like I just don't and I Yeah, maybe that's why he's not touching against the big rocks because there's a lot of red tape there I don't think that we should have career politicians. I Think it's a major fucking problem

Yeah that we should have career politicians. I think it's a major fucking problem. And when I'm looking at how the government operates and how lobbying works and how much money is behind the scenes, I think putting your trust in the government regardless of the side is a really fucking bad idea. And yeah, so I mean, I don't think that they're putting public health first, I think they're putting what is popular right now to get us more, more votes.

And so, yeah, my biggest hope, one of my biggest hopes isn't, I mean, and this is just to go to the, how the low of the bar is. Um, I think that the food industry with processed foods, I think that's a big part of the problem, just the way they've engineered the foods and they make, they make people overeat and. And that's a, that's a big piece of the puzzle, I'd say. And I've never seen an effective way to tackle that because it's so big and powerful and it's like there's so many problems associated

with trying to even tackle that. Until GLP once, and now for the first time in a long time we're seeing the sale of processed foods drop because the other evil giant now is competing with them. Because they're big pharma versus big food. This is crazy for me. You know what reminds me of, I was a film as a kid, I was a fan of those monster movies

with Godzilla versus like, yeah. And they're both destroying the city. But I get to see the two monsters fight. So I'm seeing GLP ones affect heavily processed food companies Wow, but now heavily food process. There have to be a meme like that. Yeah, like what's happening between it's got an interest It's kind of interesting. It's historic Yeah and especially now with with GLP ones becoming more and more mainstream and more people using them and it's like this is a

Wild time and I like this will be in history history books and everything we're going through right now. I think it's going to be, I do think, I'm sure you've seen that the food companies are now trying to figure out ways to bypass what you want. Like, it's fucking crazy. It's crazy what we're living through. It's really extraordinary. This is a cultural, I think this is a cultural moment.

I think it's similar, it's akin to the birth control pill or the introduction of antibiotics. I think we're gonna, it's gonna be pre and post GLP-1. Yeah, you know what though is crazy, to your point about that, because I think that's so fascinating. I think, you know, it's even more crazy or fascinating to me about that point is that the public will be aware that these processed foods will come up

with some sort of a chemical or something that is engineered that makes it bypass that GLP-1 and we will just eat it. Knowingly that they're like, hey, we figured out how to hack this GLP-1 and we're going to put it in your ho-hos and you're going to go eat those ho-hos. It Like that is wild. And you're gonna get fat again. It is wild to me. Because we like the way they make us feel. I know, but that's just, we're gonna willingly do that. Like, okay, we found this great intervention that helps me not do that, and then yet

we will turn around and still do that. Oh, that's nothing, dude. We talked to Dr. Mike Isriotel recently, and he talked about this generation of drugs that are coming up because of the popularity of GLP-1s, and this generation of drugs is designed to make you, will help preserve muscle, it's one of the side effects of cutting your calories

so low. By the way, everybody, it's not the GLP-1 making you lose muscle, it's not like you're not eating anything, are these myostatin blocking, and other types of drugs which will basically make anabolic steroids look like Flintstone vitamins. So we're gonna have a whole class of drugs that'll build muscle. Like we've never seen before.

That's crazy. While we're in a weird time with all of this, which begs the question, are trainers and coaches going to be obsolete when you have medical interventions that, that are going to solve some of these issues, man, before you said that part about drugs that like build and maintain muscle, I would have said absolutely not because now, and I was talking about this earlier today,

it's like more people now are going to want to go to the gym. There are like a lot of people, one of the reasons people wouldn't go to the gym before is they were not confident in how they looked, they were insecure, and now people are losing weight on GLP-1s, and I'm getting more and more people being like, what do I do in the gym?

How do I, I want to get stronger on the muscle. I think the odds of someone going weight on GLP-1s. And I'm getting more and more people being like, what do I do in the gym? How do I, I want to get stronger. I think the odds of someone going to a GLP-1 and wanting a coach is higher than someone not. 100%. They're more likely to want a higher trainer. Yes, completely agree. So from that perspective, I think, we have a massive opportunity.

The question is, if now, if there are gonna be drugs that build muscle, that, well, now you've got another fucking problem. Well, let me ask you this, because you're also, I mean you're a great coach, also an exceptional athlete. Okay, cool, you built a lot of muscle, can you move? Mm-hmm, correct.

Do you have better function? Correct. Do you still have better mobility, or are you just more muscular? Right. So I don't think, I think what's gonna happen is you're gonna get, I'll paint a scenario for you, Mrs. Johnson down the street, goes into a into a GAP one myostatin inhibitor,

loses weight, gets leaner, builds muscle. Then she hires a coach because she feels strong and feels good. So she can move well and be able to express all this new muscle. All I can think is the potential for injury accelerated amount of muscle that you can build. And then, you know, you don't have that kind of maturity in that muscle. But then you have drugs that could take away pain. So it's like, I might not move well, but I don't feel it.

Sure, but pain is a good signal. It's a limiter that's supposed to be there. Yeah. I mean, let me ask you this too, Jordan. Although I do think that, I think trainers and coaches, the value of them is going to continue to grow. Yeah. Even with more of these interventions.

But let me ask you a question that you can communicate to our audience. Of all of the values that you've gotten through your own personal fitness journey, aside from being fit and healthy, are there any of the values you've gotten from the struggle and the challenge and the growth and the learning and the process and the discipline?

I mean, I don't even know if there's a way to articulate it fully. Like it's changed my life in so many ways. What I would say and sort of cutting back for a second, it's like, let's just say we have, like we have GLP ones help people lose weight. We have different things that will help people build muscle. The most joy I've ever gotten out of training is when I have a specific goal. Like right now you're trying to get 315 push press, right? It's like, no matter how many GOP ones, no matter, like the only way you get that

is that skill and the program for that thing. And then when you accomplish that thing, it's one of the most amazing feelings in the world. And so I do think that it would be great. And I having performance based goals and getting people to be like, I want to do that. Like I want to do whether a marathon or a Ninja warrior competition, or I want to deadlift X amount body weight.

Like I do think that that will be pushing people. Well, like the optimistic side of me says that like, okay, so we're, we have so far the conversations somewhat pessimistic on what's going to happen because they're going to be able to, but maybe making the building muscle and burning body fat part easy. Yeah, irrelevant. They now start to focus on movement and strength. It becomes fun.

That is fast. And it's like, I'm fine now. I'm like, I don't need to worry about body fat. I don't need to worry about muscle. That's easy. But hey, then, freeze up to actually pursue it. You know what would happen if we turned a bunch of everyday average people.

Takes that burden off of the people that feel like, oh, my whole life I've struggled with weight. It's like, well that's easy, take this, take that. You know what it'll feel like for the average person to be able to burn body fat, build muscle through medical intervention. You know what they're gonna wanna do? Express it.

They're gonna wanna go work out. They're gonna wanna go hike. They're gonna wanna go bike cycling. It's like what we see, I mean, we've seen this in our time too. The uproar, like obviously Silicon Valley Valley and tech like that exploded in our lifetime and That caused just millions of people to have desk jobs and center all day and what came of that Your your obstacle course racing

Yeah, you got going through hoops of fire Paying to run through mud climb climb, jump through fire, swim in freezing cold water. It's like, there's, there's a part of us that. I've seen these like man camps where they've got dudes like crawling on gravel. Yeah. It's like yelling at them. It's yeah, people pay for this stuff. It just shows you how much that we internally are drawn to that and need that. Yeah. And so even if we find a way to hack all this stuff,

we'll find our way back there. We'll find our way back to the struggle, back to the challenge, back to the competition. And so, yeah, I'm probably more bullish than bearish on the GLP ones and the medical interventions. I'm far more bullish. I think fitness is gonna blow if that actually all happens.

Yeah, and it'd be cool to see a bunch of people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s being athletes. Yeah. Right. Like being like, I saw a video of this 75-year-old dude sprinting, like doing sprints the other day, and the whole comment section was like, I wish I could be like this guy, I wish I could be like that guy.

It's like, I think we're gonna see more of that. Yeah. And people are gonna be, because right now, when you get people in their 30s and 40s, they're like, oh, back in my heyday, back when I was in high school, it's like, you could still do that. I think we're gonna get to a point

where we're seeing more and more people actually improving their athleticism and their quality of life and their performance far beyond what they've ever done in history. How's the podcast going? How are you enjoying that? I love it. I love this stuff.

Is that your favorite? What's your favorite form? Okay, so it's podcast. Why? Is it because it's long form and you like it into discussion? I like having conversations. When you get to actually know people,

the issue with the short form content is you have to deliberately craft it. It's deliberately, and there's an art to it and there's a science to it. For this of a conversation, there's an argument to be made that there's an art and science to it, but it's a science to it. For this of a conversation, um, there's an argument to me that there's an art and science to it, but it's much more just genuine. It's just, this is real.

You can't fake it. That's for sure. Yeah, that's exactly right. I, and I just like, and I like that we can go off on tangents and we can, there's not like, Hey, this is what we need to say. And this is what needs to happen in this 32nd video. It's like, I just like to chill and have a drink or a beer, whatever it is.

I just want to have a conversation that's actually meaningful. So that's, I love podcasts. You're definitely a person just hearing you talk today to our coaches and trainers and knowing you, um, just through the years on the podcast, you're, you're, you're, you're very much driven by like a sense of kind of purpose. Yeah. Like, okay, I want it. Like I feel good about doing this.

So that's the direction I'm gonna move. And let me figure out a way to make this work for my life and maybe become a business, but I like moving in this direction. What's your greatest source of purpose now for you and your life? Is it your family? Is it still fitness?

Or are you looking in other directions? I know you do Jiu Jitsu, I know you do a lot of different things. I mean, the greatest source of purpose, I think inherently is God. Okay. I don't see another way around that. Yeah. In terms of like the source, right?

Like it has to come from that, at least speaking for myself, it has to. And then from that, okay, so if God is the source of it, then from there, it's like, okay, family, making sure. So in Judaism, a major theme in Judaism is bringing God's light to this earth, right? So a lot of people ask in Judaism, they'll say, well, do you believe in heaven and all that? And there is a concept of heaven in Judaism, it's called olam haba, like the world to come, but we don't talk about it as much.

And it's not necessarily, the purpose of being here is not to live a certain way so we get there. The purpose of being here is to bring God's light, bring heaven to this earth. And so, basically, I do my best to pray every day and listen, I'm not perfect at all, at all. Like I'm sin, all that stuff. But like, for me, the source of purpose comes from what can I do every day to bring God's light to this world? Do you look at when you do things through that lens then? Like, okay, I'm going to do this podcast, how do I bring that to this podcast? Or I'm going to do this content or I'm going to help this person. Is that the lens through which?

Always. In everything I do. And it was literally just a lesson, I was listening to help this person. Is that the lens through which? Always. And everything I do. And it was literally just a lesson. I was listening to a rabbi talk about this the other day. Like if you have a gift, whatever your gift is, and you're not using that gift to positively impact other people, that's a huge sin. And so for me, like the reason, one of the reasons why I work so hard is because if I don't use this platform and this knowledge,

it's like there are people who will not benefit as a result of it. It's like that's why you have to work with one of them. You have to. Did that shape or form different after having the kids? Or has it changed at all for you, like how you do that? Obviously, you kind of explained the lens at which you look at it through,

but did having the kids change anything for you? I think it just made it a much more deep connection and much more belief than ever before. Like when you have these beautiful little angels that you're like, this literal creation is so crazy. And then to see my wife go through pregnancy and childbirth and all that, like, and then to have these little kids. And then literally today, like after the seminar, I called really quick. I spoke to my oldest daughter. She's two and a half. And for the first time she was outside

and she was like, what are you doing? I was like, I'm outside. And she doesn't have the concept of I'm in another state yet, but she said, where are you going? And for the, and it sounds so stupid when you say it, but like, when you have kids and you watch them go from literally like nothing to you have this human asking you, where are you going? It's the craziest thing in the world. And so all it's done is just solidified and deepened my belief in God.

And again, I feel like it sounds pretentious when you talk like that. I'm not trying to sound pretentious, I'm not trying to sound perfect at all, but it's just solidified my belief in higher power, much greater than I could ever imagine. Do you practice more of your faith more as a father than you did before? Way more. So, just totally broad. Have you seen the data on fathers and faith? No. Okay, so I brought this up on the show. The odds that the whole family will follow a faith if the

mother is the first person to become devout is 17%. Really? The number is if the father becomes the first person to become devout is 17%. The number is if the father becomes the first person, 94%. Holy shit, that's crazy. It's a radical difference when the father does it and in your faith and in mine, the men are told to lead spiritually.

Did that strengthen you to see, okay, this is what I need to do as a father, this is very important for me? I mean, I was not aware of that data, which is crazy. It was more, it was more a thing of once. So I've always been, uh, Jewish, but not like I hadn't always been super religious. I'd gone through phases, like when I would live in Israel. Um, ironically, when I lived in Israel, I was far less religious.

I felt because it's almost like it's just part of life there. Whereas when I would leave and I was away from it, I wanted to find a way to be closer to it. So that would bring me closer to it through practicing. But then having kids and just feeling this overwhelming connection to God, that has brought me closer to it. But it's one of those things where I guess when my wife and I are very serious about doing it, then the kids are going to be a part of it. And there wasn't really anything where I was like, hey, I'm not doing this for my kids. I'm doing this because I think this is the right thing to do. And that's it. It's not like, hey, I have kids now, so I should be doing this. It's more like, I have kids. I fully bought in more than ever before.

So this is what we're doing now type of a thing. What have been some of the challenges you've had with parenting as far as like things that maybe you think is more important and she thinks less or vice versa that you guys have come across so far? With my wife. Yeah. Mm-hmm You know we haven't really Listen, my kids are eight months and two and a half. So like we're not really having that crazy of a it's still so early on Yeah, I mean the major things are

The main reason I wanted a gym in the house is so they could see us working out Yeah, it's super important your wife pretty consistent with it as well? Like, stupid consistent. Like, my wife is ruthlessly consistent. And she didn't, listen, everyone's birth and pregnancy is different, but they were like, you don't work out for six weeks. And she was like, no.

Like, after giving birth, she was in the gym almost immediately, and she worked out throughout her entire pregnancy. And obviously, adjusted intensity and volume, but there was never a time that immediately and she worked out throughout her entire pregnancy and obviously adjusted intensity and volume But like there was never a time that she just stopped working out and so That was the main reason we wanted a gym in the house is so the girls could see us Prioritizing fitness. Yeah, put a rock wall in the hat in their playroom

I got my daughter in gymnastics when she was eight months old and so like that I think and because you and I, I think we were talking about this yesterday, about like, if you do it as a kid, your ability to maintain or at least always have access to this athleticism is so much easier for the rest of your life. You can always come back to it.

And if I'm thinking like, what's the greatest gift I could give my children long after I'm gone, outside of creating a relationship with God and a higher purpose, is like the ability to use your body and the ability to stay healthy and to be confident in your ability to do it. And then if I also think about nostalgia, I think is the most powerful human emotion in the world. Like when you create, you have a nostalgic feeling about something.

I want my girls to be in the gym with us and have nostalgia around working out so that when they're older, they can think, I used to work out with my dad, I used to work out with my mom. I want them, I don't want them to look at it as a punishment, I want them to look at it as like, this is something that I used to do as a kid

and I will always do it, because every time I'm back in the gym, I get to think about great times with my parents. I think that's a really incredible gift you can give your kids. Yeah, so your wife stays at home and you work, you run the business. Yep, yep.

How is that dynamic? How does she support you? How do you help her? So I'm assuming she runs the house, obviously, because you're doing the work. You run the business. What does that look like with that dynamic? I was talking earlier about how

neither job is more or less important. Like I, uh, you know who I love is Dave Ramsey. Yeah. I love Dave Ramsey. Yeah, he's right. And there was a, someone called into his show one time and there was basically, um, someone was talking about how their finances were separated and Dave went off. I saw that one.

Dave was like, what, when you get married, you're one. It's, it's not, you don't allow someone certain finances, like everything is shared together. Nope, I didn't feel comfortable doing a prenup. I didn't like the idea of going into a marriage being like, hey, what was mine before? It was like, no, it's like, this is forever. And I feel like lately people have been trying to find ways to almost preemptively be like, this is forever. And I feel like lately people have been trying to find ways to, uh, almost preemptively

be like, if this doesn't work out, then we can end it and it's okay. It's like, that's not how you go into a marriage. Like that's wild to me. Um, so both jobs are equally important. Being a mother, being a father, being a business owner, being in charge of the house. Like they're equally important. One is not more important than the other. There are some times when I have to sacrifice and I have to be like,

like I'll give you an example. I had a podcast scheduled, um, on May 9th in the morning. Um, but my daughter is performing at her school and I'm like, there's no way I'm missing that. So I canceled the podcast. It's, it's like, it's not like work comes before everything else. It's like, I think family has to come first and we both have different roles that we've decided upon that equally contribute to the family.

Um, one is not better or more important. It's just, this is what we both have decided to do. So how do you guys tackle nutrition? I know the eight month olds, but the two two year old, how do you tackle nutrition? It's crazy to me that when you look at food for toddlers, we just talked about processed foods. They're all processed foods for toddlers. It's insane.

How do you guys tackle nutrition? A lot of it is based around what they see us eating. So like we do a really concerted effort into making sure they're seeing us eat fruits, vegetables, proteins, very free. Like that's, that's deliberately having family time and meal time, not just for the sake of the improvement of our family unit, but also so that they can see you are, what are you eating?

Why are you eating? Like I'll have olives or I'll have like, we'll be just, we always have a tray of like fruits and vegetables out. So there's always like fruit, like, and my wife does this and she's amazing. Like there's always strawberries and blueberries and blackberries and, uh, and red and green and yellow peppers and they're all out, which by the way is an amazing hack in terms of if, but if you just have this stuff out, the kids are more likely to snack on it. Yeah. Whereas if you don't have it out, but then you put it out with other stuff,

well, why would they have that if they could have like the pirate's booty or whatever. So just having it always out, they're more like, okay, I'll have the carrots. Okay, I'll have the pepper. So there's always something like that out. And then that's always our first option. We also have ice cream almost every night, but it's just, it's a little bit, like almost every single night we're like, Hey, you want some ice cream? You want some ice? Yeah, great. Sometimes it's just, it's a little bit. Like almost every single night we're like, hey, you want some ice cream?

You want some ice? Yeah, great. Sometimes she's like, no, which is awesome. Like she's like, no, I don't want it. I'm like, cool, you don't have to have it then. But it's like, it's a lot of, let's fill up on the good stuff. And if you like some of the other stuff after, wonderful.

But they see us prioritizing our health and fitness all the time. I think what you said about leaving the food out. So my wife does that. She has this, we have this mini fridge that is supposed to be a wine fridge, but she turned it into the kids fridge. And they, they can reach it and those are called anytime foods. So anytime they're hungry, they can go in there and grab whatever they want.

And she'll sneak different foods in there just cause she wants them to try them. So like something that's bitter or something, whatever. And they'll do it. They'll go play with it and they'll try something and be like, yeah, I like it. That's genius. Yeah. It's great. Especially if like, I want to eat something they know they can go there.

They'd open it up. It's right there. It's available. But if, if, if the options between that and M and M's like, well, obviously I'm going to have the fucking, yeah, exactly. So to have those fresh, healthy foods always available, it increases the likelihood that you're gonna have them. And then they can learn on their own,

oh, I feel better when I eat this. Almost every time, not almost every time, that's an exaggeration. A fair amount of time, if my daughter has a little bit too much chocolate or something, she'll be like, oh, my tummy hurts. I'm like, why does your tummy hurt? And she'll go through it and try and go through it.

Like, well, what did you eat? Oh, okay. So you had, did you have more chocolate than we told you to? Yeah. Okay. So now she's, I don't shame her. I'm not like, you shouldn't do that again. I'm like, interesting.

Okay, that's good to know. Now we know that for next time. Just like creating more self-awareness on what they're eating. You're a notoriously hard worker. What does that look like with kids? Because you put a lot of hours in. I love you telling the story of, you know,

when you, early days of training. You didn't take a day off for like three years or something like that. But when you have girls, you love them so much, your kids, like, what does your schedule look like now? Has it changed? So it has changed, but I still work very, very hard. The main thing is usually Shabbat,

Friday night, Saturday night, no work. So completely off? Completely off. And it's all family time basically? It's all family time, no Instagram, no social media, no publishing content. Explain Shabbat, so that means no work, and what are the rules on that?

So the rules are pretty strict, I don't follow all the rules. The main thing is I'm just gonna take time off of work. But there are like technically, depending on who you're talking to, electricity, you're not supposed to be using electricity, not supposed to be driving. I'm like, I'm doing that.

But I mean, for example, if you are in Israel or if you're in Jerusalem, for example, depending on where you are in Tel Aviv, it's not like this, but in Jerusalem, everything is closed. It's Friday, Saturday. Yep, Friday night, depending on where you are in Tel Aviv, it's not like this, but in Jerusalem, everything is closed. That's Friday, Saturday. Yep. Friday night, Saturday night, and then on Saturday night, shops will start opening again after

sundown. So Saturday night, nothing is open, or all day Saturday, nothing is open, and then at 7.30 PM, all of a sudden, shops start opening, which is great because it's built into the country. I was just going to say, so much value on that culturally, because when you're in a culture like that, you're kind of forced to take time off, and it's okay, it's not like everybody else is more known to you.

Everybody agrees upon it. I have a friend who's a lawyer, and they will not get calls. Even if everyone knows, there's a high-profile case, something's going on, you are not legally allowed to call someone about work on Shabbat. See, that's interesting. Like it is not allowed. So it's, it's, I think it's wonderful.

I think there's some real value. Yeah. Incredible value. Well, I mean, what's wild about that is that's been a tradition for a very, forever, right? For a very, very long time. And you think about the time we're in with, with tech and, uh... You get texts and emails 24-7. Yeah, I mean, I don't know if there was ever a period of time when that was probably more valuable

than right now. Agreed. To practice that. So it's wild to think that's something that's a very, very old... And I think the origin of that, right, was to just rely on God. So like, you don't work because you rely on Him two days a week. So it comes from on the seventh day, God rested, right? So that's, and seven is Shabbat. So

Shabbat, it's like a, it's the Sabbath. It's the holiest day. And then on, for Christianity, it's on Sunday and in Islam, it's on Friday. And so it's, yeah. So you're off those two days and then the rest of the days you work a lot. Yeah, I work a lot. And basically, I will never miss putting my girls down to sleep. That's a hard line. Do you put them down?

Yeah. Oh wow. I will never miss putting them to sleep. What's that look like? Because that process can take a long time. It's World War III. It's wild. That you'll miss forever one day, right? Exactly. It's crazy. They's, it's, it's that you'll miss forever. One day.

Right. Exactly. Right. Right. It's crazy. It's they don't want to go to sleep and you just gotta make it. They don't want to go to sleep. And my, my oldest is becoming very manipulative and figuring out ways to extend it. I'm thirsty. I'm hungry. I need a yogurt now. It's like, and then I'll bring the yogurt and then

she'll pretend to eat it. And she's not actually eating it. It's crazy, dude. And I'm whipped. So I'll just be like, I'm happy to stay with you, but then she'll pretend to eat it and she's not actually eating it. Just it's crazy, dude. And then I'm whipped. So I'll just be like, I'm happy to stay with you, but then I'll work until two in the morning or like lately my workouts are between 10 at night and two in the morning and then I wake up early and then I start working before they're up. And so the thing I'm sacrificing is sleep. The thing I sacrifice right now is, and that's always been my, like the one thing I'll sacrifice is sleep.

That's what, in order to do it. And I'm not saying that's good or healthy. I'm not, I'm not saying it's great. I'm not telling anyone else to do it. But for me personally and historically, if I need a work, I'll sacrifice sleep in order to make it happen. And so I'm not, I will, I literally stopped training jujitsu for a while because I was training jujitsu in, in the evening. I was, I was like, I'm missing putting my daughters down. I was like, I'm not, I'm not doing this anymore.

So I literally stopped and now I'll train jujitsu at a different time so that I don't miss putting my daughters to bed. I will not miss that. So is this a break for white, for mom? Does she, does she not do in the bedtime and you do it? No, she doesn't want to miss it either. So we both every night. Oh, that's wonderful. Yeah. We all do prayers at night and like we all hang out and we have dinner together. So basically from 4 PM until about 7 30 every day is family.

Is there something that you do that is just your daughter's just something special that dad does? Like, is it to play with them? Rough house, rough house. Like, yeah, that's like taught. Like we have a trampoline, take her outside, like go nuts and sprint it. Oh yeah. We it's a lot of rough housing, go on the jujitsu mats and roll around. Like she just likes to hang from stuff. So like hanging in the gym, playing with like, it's a lot of rough house. I find some of that stuff. Cool.

Like my kids, I tell stories, they love the stories that I tell them. So, and I get so tired sometimes like tell me the story. And then they tell me all the elements of the story that they want. They love the stories that I tell them. And I get so tired sometimes. Tell me the story and then they tell me all the elements of the story that they want. What are the stories? Oh God, it's like, can you tell me a story? What kind do you want? Of dinosaurs and then my daughter, my little one's like, bunny, okay, bunny's gonna be in it too.

And candy, okay, well, close to candy. And do you make it up? I just make them up on the spot. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, and they're fun. And I gotta like, sometimes I'm too tired to like think of a story. Yeah.

But I'll do it. And then I like to use them to get at my wife sometimes, because she's better at everything with them than I am. So I'm like, no, let mom tell the story. My wife's like, she can't come up with a story on the spot. Oh yeah, that's what I do. They'll remember that forever, and they'll do that with their kids.

They'll wanna do story time. Yes, yes, absolutely love it. How about, now training wise, you've been around, you've been doing this for a long time, some people don't even know that you trained with some of the best powerlifting coaches in the world. Very well versed, is there anything new in the training horizon that you're excited about,

anything you like to either do or talk about or work with your coaches with? So, I mean, I've been obsessed with mobility lately. Okay. And going, circling back to what we were talking about with people not feeling good. And it's like, so I, I, I'm going to toot my own horn on this one. Um, you know, fitness goes through phases.

We had like the functional training phase many years ago, and then we had power lifting was really, really huge. And so I think, I don't know, tell me if you agree or disagree, probably around 2018, 2019, we started to see a huge surge towards hypertrophy training again. And I said, I was like, people are going to not be moving well because you know what happened with the hypertrophy phase or craze was everyone being like, you got to train to failure all the time. And I was like, yo, you guys do this for a few years, you're going to be fucked.

And so I really started to get into mobility stuff. And so I've been just loving it. I really wanted to get the splits. I'm like very close with the side splits. My front splits I've got. Explain how you're going to do this because the application, the training for flexibility and mobility are different than training for hypertrophy or speed or strength in terms of frequency and whatever.

What does this look like? You know, it's crazy. It's really not that different. Oh, so explain that. Yeah. So I do, uh, I, it's funny when you hear about flexibility, everyone's first reaction is, all right, I'm going to do stretching every day. I'm like, why the fuck is that your first reaction?

It's like, if you want to create an adaptation, you have to apply enough stress and a high enough level of intensity in order for your body to adapt to that. It's like, if you're just doing like this overhead stretch, like half-ass, imagine if people went to the gym and did a half-ass bicep curl, they're not ever going to stress their muscles

enough to cause an adaptation. Same thing with mobility and flexibility. I have one session a week for my front split and one session a week for my side split and that's it. How long? Long. At least two hours. And this is all, wow.

And is it a lot of static stretching plus dynamic stretching? So it's, it's, uh, it's funny when I, when we say stretching it's strength training in greater ranges of motion. Right. That's all it's, uh, it's funny when I, when we say stretching, it's strength training in greater ranges of motion. Right. That's all it is. FRC stuff. A lot of FRC stuff. Um, but like, um, for example, it could be like, uh, I'll do a hip flexor stretch,

but load it. So I'll load it with 30 pound dumbbells and I'll do like 10 pulses, 10 reps, and then I'll rest or then I'll do the other side. And it's fucking brutal. It's absolutely devastating. I would rather do super heavy Bulgarian split squats than I would do this. It's fucking horrible, but it's crazy. And it's just one a week, just one session a week. And then I have other sessions. My training schedule right now runs on a 10 to 12 day timeframe. So rather than it being seven days, it's about a 10 or 12 day cycle. And, um, I'll have push, pull legs within that 10 or 12 day cycle.

I'll have two, I have one front split day, one side split day, and then I'll have a plyometric day and I'll have, uh, some, some, a couple zone two cardio days, so it's about a 10 or 12 day cycle. So I can fit everything into that timeframe. If I was trying to fit it all into seven days, it wouldn't all fit. So I just made my week longer. That's really cool.

I don't think I've had somebody, it's so funny that we- We get so locked in. I know we get locked into a seven day week in 24 hours. I can't fit it all. Yeah, the body doesn't work that way. It doesn't work, it doesn't help. Nothing says you can't have a plan

that takes 10 to 12 days to accomplish. And then the freedom of that is like, okay I got to get a push day and I got a pull day and I go late day in okay I gotta get to mobility. So I got five days of work trying to fit that in seven days I know I'm gonna miss more than that. I'm gonna stretch that over 12 15 days And as long as I do that a lot more the way that way and in that way like there's a lot more program flexibility in terms of For example, if there's one day where I'm like, I'm fucking exhausted

I own I can I can only give 30 minutes to a light session, but I had like a two-hour flexibility session planned I'll just swap it I'll be like I'll do zone to cardio tonight for 30 minutes go to bed and then tomorrow hit my flexibility session and it's No harm done. It's funny what you say to about about Mobility and flexibility. I remember first meeting my wife, she traveled with Cirque du Soleil for a while. Wow. And she didn't, she wasn't on stage, she worked for them,

but she ended up becoming very proficient at the silks. I mean, could sit in the splits, one foot on each side. That's wild. Spin and do all kinds of crazy stuff. And she never worked out before that. And I said, how did you get to be able to do that kind of stuff? She goes, well, I watched the Russians work out

and I watched the coaches stretch them and I couldn't, I thought she was, she's like, I thought they were hurting these people. Some of them are kids and they'll just grab their legs. And they're wrenching on them and there's like intensity and she's like, so I started to do that to myself and train with them. And it was brutal. She's like, but within started to do that to myself and train with them. And it was brutal.

She's like, but within a year, I could do all this crazy stuff. So what you're saying is so true. They're doing loaded stretching. Yeah. Because someone else is doing it. Yes. And the data by the way on that for people who are like,

I just want to build muscle. There's actually a hypertrophy effect. Yes, there is. There is a hypertrophy effect from doing that and combining it with strength training is actually pretty remarkable. Yeah. Well, it's interesting too, and I'm watching a lot of your lower back

like kind of fixed videos and all that, which are great too. Like the hip flexor, a lot of people, I mean, they're not strong. And that's really like, it's something that's been even more apparent to me because the first thought is like, let's stretch this out and let's be in a passive stretch.

And you know, figure that out. But really I need to work on the strengthening. Yes. That for me was a huge unlock in terms of my thoughts on stretching was it's just passive when you actually start to look at stretching as an opportunity to strengthen it. Yes. And it, I think when I first started, I was like, how could stretching

strengthen it's like, we haven't tried it. Like you have, if you go through, like do a program, like learn how to actually use stretching in these longer positions. Using weights, like you're using dumbbells. Even an isometric hold, for example, like if you use a, go on a long lunge, keep your back leg straight, you're essentially going into a hip flexor stretch,

but you isometrically hold that for 30 to 60 seconds. Good fucking luck. Like that's brutal. Well, people don't, so I think it's, we have to understand the concept of, or the reason why someone's tight in the first place. I think what we conceptualize is like a tight muscle, like a rubber band that's really tight.

That's not what's happening. If you tore the muscle off your body and threw it on the floor, it would have maximum flexibility because there's nothing telling it to tighten up. Correct. It's all central nervous system. Correct.

So what you're doing by strengthening the muscle through those ranges of motion is telling the central nervous system, it's okay. It's okay to have this length. The reason why you're tight in the first place is not because the muscles are tight, it's because your central nervous system is saying, we gotta keep you in this short range of motion

because we don't feel safe. So strengthening is how you get more flexible. That's exactly right. If someone who thinks they're really tight dies, you can move them around. All of a sudden they're super flexible. All of a sudden they're flopping all over the place. You can put their leg behind their head

because there's no central nervous system telling them that they're in a dangerous spot. Same thing if someone goes into a coma. All of a sudden, okay, you can fucking move them around. It's no problem at all. But if you don't use it, you lose it. And it's true. If you don't use the range,

then your body's gonna be like, why the fuck do I need it? Have you ever heard those stories where they say, I actually talked to a friend who got in an accident, but they didn't get hurt because they were knocked out before the car started flipping. Their body was so loose. And I've heard of this before. I think it has to do with the CNS.

To where otherwise when you're awake and you're tight and then you start tearing stuff. Because of that. That's exactly right. Yeah, which is pretty wild. So how much progress have you made in your ability in this pursuit? Front splits, I can show you a picture if you want.

Where did you start and how long did it take you before you could do it? Were you like John Claude Van Damme? That's literally why I like here. Because of him? That's my front split. Oh yeah, look at that. Oh shit. Legit.

Here, I'll show you where I started here. That's where I started. Oh wow. Oh wow. How long did it take? A year and a half. Wow. A year and a half. Wow. A year and a half, but it was again, one session a week for my front split.

That's it. That was it. It was about two hours. And it's just a lot of, for the front split, it's hip flexor, strength and lengthen. Yep. Hamstring, strength and lengthen, strength and lengthen. And then also a lot of compression strength. So like, when you're with that.

What do you mean by that? What I mean by that is like the front leg out here, right? Yeah. The front leg, it's not just about having your hamstring, uh, be loose or mobile enough. It's also about being, having strength enough here to bring this up. Yeah. Right. To raise your legs. So that it's, that's like pike holds like pikes. That's your, you're strengthening your lower abs to lift this up in that

Lengthen position. So that's what you're really working on for a front split is those three things and a side split obviously adductor length But all and mobility and flexibility But also the strength of them and then your glute mede getting strong enough to be able to like lift out of the side That's Anytime I finish in a side split session. My glutes are lit the fuck It's not just about letting myself sink down. It's about pulling you're like it's a bee ducted It's dude Secondary any secondary benefits that you didn't think we're gonna have that end up having oh shit. My back feels fucking awesome. My back feels like butter.

That's what I was searching for. Like I can put my girls in their cribs, no problem, throw them up. Like, and it's, you know, I'm only 33, but there's a lot of dudes my age who have kids who come over and like, I'm the one carrying their kids running around the backyard. You also have a history of heavy ass deadlifts.

Yeah, yeah, correct. In the past. What was your top deadlift at one point? 530. 530 body weight? At 132. That's ridiculous. Yeah was your top deadlift at one point? 530. 530 bodyweight? At 132. That's ridiculous. So now you're saying your back feels even better.

Dude, better than it's felt since high school. Powerlifting didn't help my back. My back did not feel great when I was training at Westside and pulling, it just didn't feel good. Gave you cool points though. Yeah, it gave me a lot of cool points, but now I can do, I can still dead the 405 pretty easily. Like cold, like if we get the bar out there,

I can dead the 405, like probably on like my second attempt. Go 315 first, no problem, then 405. But now I can also do that and then drop in the splits. And then I can backflip and it's fine. Like that for me is so you know Who's who I really am just blown away by his juji That like that that's fucking flexibility to the just just the most Extraordinary he almost doesn't make sense. It doesn't know and I'm just I'm so enamored by that guy

Yeah, and like I'm so curious about everything. He just takes it all on He approaches it in the best from curiosity and passion. Yeah, it's like there's never I think he does aerial stuff where he's yeah It's like that's what we we all get so far with it. It's like well, I'm an Olympic lifter I'm a power lifter. I'm this it's like well, I think we should just learn at all Have you ever have you ever met John in person before no, he's cool cat I would love to yeah, he's really had him on a before in person before? No. Oh, he's a cool guy. I would love to. Yeah, yeah, he's really interesting. We had him on before anyone who he was.

Really? Yeah, so he was the one before. I mean, he must have, I mean, he maybe had 60,000 followers back then. Chimera Coffee, he had no sponsors. Chimera Coffee was the very first sponsor to ever sponsor this show eight years ago. And they also had found him.

So they were really good, these guys that had this coffee company were really good at finding up and coming talent. They found us where no one had known who we were. We were still really small. They had found Juju when he was really small and so they introduced us and he came on the show when we were like.

That's awesome. Yeah, and we met. He's like a super nerd. I believe it. Yeah, he's super tech nerd guy. Oh really? Oh yeah, he's very like, he's very methodical about everything that he does.

So he comes off as kind of goofy and kind of- He's a spreadsheet guy. Yeah, just having fun, but he's like very- He's deliberate. Very deliberate. Yeah, yeah. Makes sense, I mean, achieving that level of proficiency in so many different things is wild.

In a body that doesn't look like it should be able to do that. You know what's funny, When you're talking about flexibility, I feel like, because muscle building has finally becoming mainstream. Yeah. Finally. It took a long time, but it's finally the value and the importance of it and what it does for just longevity and health, not just how you look.

It's finally starting to go mainstream. I think what you just did is called the next big trend, which is flexibility or mobility, like real flexibility and mobility. That's what I think is going to happen. It's because people are going to need it. It makes sense that it would follow. And that's where I think that's what happened. I think we've already seen the cycle. So we saw like bodybuilding was huge in like the 60s, 70s, 80s. And we see that like that natural bodybuilding era. Then the functional training era came right after. And I think that was partly because of that.

I think we're seeing the cycle repeat. That's an interesting theory on that. That because we came, we came on the scene when the, when the beginning of the functional stuff really kicked off, stability balls and foam pads and balancing on everything. Everything on one leg. Yeah. Yes.

That was like, you know, we talk about this a lot that, um, you know, it, it, just like anything in this space, right? It typically comes from a place of good that we need to do. Then it gets bastardized, right? And like, as the end all be all, it's the only thing it's the truth, you know? Yes. And then everybody shits on it. Like, oh, those guys doing balance stuff, right?

It's like, well, there's some things in there that were probably pretty good. Don't throw everything out there. So I think that's a pretty good prediction. I think that, I don't think I would, I don't think I'd argue with you that there's a good chance that that's probably gonna come back around.

We're due for it. That was 20 something years ago. It was 20 something years ago when we were, when that was like a popular thing, when all that stuff came on. I think people have, thank God, gotten really into strength training and building muscle. And they're like, oh, this is really, really cool.

And now they're going to start seeing like, okay, I was told that I shouldn't stretch because stretching is going to make me weaker. But that person, that person, and that person are doing like splits. Well, like Jujie Mufu is like holding splits and he's literally lifting a hundred pound dumbbell in the John Claude Van Damme splits. That doesn't make sense. Cause if what I was told was true, then that wouldn't be possible.

And that person's doing it. And figure skaters are figure skating while holding someone overhead on the ice and smiling. Clearly they're strong as shit, but also flexible enough to be able to do that, I think people are gonna realize, oh, I could get strong in these longer positions and I can just get better and better and better and better.

And what I've been told is essentially has been a myth, it's been a lie, like I could do it all. Yeah. Yeah, that was cool. Nutrition wise, if you have to give one, I know you probably hate questions like this, you gotta give one tip to the average person that's gonna make the biggest impact.

Just one tip. They wanna get fit or more fit, they wanna lose some weight, get a little healthier. They can only do one thing. What would you tell them? I'm gonna specify, I'm only talking to the majority of America. I'm not talking to the smaller percentage of people

who have eating disorders or any of that. To the vast majority of America, don't eat like an asshole. You've been hanging out with ass-m... That's my line, bro. That's it, dude. That's my line. Is that your... That's it.

You guys are in the same cloth. Oh, bro, that's my line. That's it. I say that all the time. Okay, I love it. That's it. I mean... And we can add on.

And if and when you do eat like an asshole, don't treat yourself like an asshole. Just like you accept it. Oh, that's great. Then get back on it, right? I think the other part of that, because I think that's, I love that line, I use that all the time because, and personally myself, it's like, I know when I do that.

Yeah. Like have some self awareness. Yep. You know what I'm saying? It's like, you can get away with eating a lot of foods that are quote unquote bad for you, so long as you don't eat like an asshole. It's when I go back and I smash the whole point, pint, you know, or I finish

that and then I go have another serving of something else, it's like, and I know what I'm doing it, you know. I think what we try and do is we disassociate ourselves from those moments and then I don't know why I'm like this, you know. It's like, really? I know why. Let's be honest with ourselves. When was the last time you ate like an asshole? Um... Or does that never happen? No, of course it happens. Recently, sometimes when I'll eat ice cream, I'll eat it

when I'm not hungry. And I'll just be like, well, I mean, I have this. I might as well just eat it. So probably within the last month I ate like a whole pint when I shouldn't have. But then I ate it and I felt like shit. But you didn't treat yourself like shit. So that's the other step to this, right? So I just did it last weekend.

It was my mother-in-law's 75th birthday and they made like my sister-in-law. That's where you had all the cake. Yeah, the cake, yeah. And I just like, I mean I ate a lot of cake. You smashed them cakes. I know exactly what it was. And I'm like, my stomach hurts after.

I mean I hurt afterwards. How much cake did you eat? It was a lot. It was probably like a normal size cake for a birthday. Oh, by yourself? Shut the fuck up. It was pretty close. I'm a big guy though. I'm like 230. I'm a big guy.

And I'm the fat guy. I know I'm eating like an asshole in that moment. I know that like every normal sign in my body is saying like you're good. You were already full when you started this and then after the first bit piece yeah it's like so I'm very aware of those moments you know and so there's probably a sadistic part for me like where I'm like I just need to make sure like oh yeah this is really bad you know let me make sure it still makes me feel awful and then sure shoot it does I, there it is. So I don't know. I think a lot of people are, they just disassociate themselves in those moments. And it's like, first become aware, and then do your best to not do that a lot.

Correct. And then I think the next thing after that is like, if you build a lot of muscle, it does really support and help in those situations. Because the worst thing that I think people do is use running and just calorie cutting as their form of getting in shape. support and help in those situations because the worst thing that I think people do is Use running and just calorie cutting as their form of getting in shape and then they eat like an asshole It was very protective and the combination of that is is is these crazy swings of weight gain where if you really just

Focus on strain training build try and get strong and build muscle Hopefully some of them extra calories get partitioned over to building some muscle and building the metabolism so that the next time that you have those moments, because we all do, it isn't as damaging to you. And then you're also aware and you're awake in those moments. You go, okay. Your biceps got bigger for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Temporarily I look good after that kick, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, temporarily I look good, but I don't feel good afterwards. It's just bloat. That's the thing though, it's like, it'll happen, but then it's over. That's right. That's it.

And then the rest of, like for a while, you're dialed and then occasionally it happens again. That's another great point, is the next thing that the average client does is they spiral out of that. The next day I get up and I'm remembering how I felt and I'm like, oh yeah, clean eating from now on because I want to feel good. Now because, and then which is the opposite of what most people do.

Most people go like, I fucked up last night. Well, we'll F it off. You know, now I'm eating pancakes and syrup this morning and then I'm all, now it's on, right? And so, then they become numb. It's always how people, it's funny, when I was in college, people would handle their hangovers

by going to get like greasy food. And it never made sense to me. Like they'd go get all these, and I'd be like, I'm gonna make like a blueberry, strawberry smoothie. Like, cool, that was our receptor. It never made sense to me. Cause I feel like shitting it. You know what it is?

The psycho- Electrolytes homie. Yeah. Yeah. The psychological phenomenon of it is that these hyper palatable foods, there's a bit of comfort that comes from eating them. I mean, it's literally like a drug.

Yeah. So I feel so shitty, let me temporarily feel good eating a cheeseburger. Yeah. Even though afterwards I'm gonna feel way worse. Yeah, you probably will. It's like trying to fix a hangover with another beer. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Temporarily, I feel a little better. And then, oh. The hair of the dog. I thought there was some science to that. There is. Yeah, I was yeah. Temporarily, I feel a little better. Oh. The hair of the dog. I thought there was some science to that. There is. Yeah, I was gonna say, because your blood sugar crashes really hard and that's what causes the hangover.

It's part of it. The alcohol brings it back up a little bit. Part of it is you just feel bad, which is why shame doesn't work. You feel really shitty about yourself, you're gonna temporarily, you're more likely to temporarily medicate with food. Yep.

Even though it makes you feel shittier later on. It's just humanity. My client Connie bakes us and every quarter she'll send us, and I remember what it was now, she made us this cinnamon toast crunch marshmallow cake. Oh gosh. And I ate the whole thing. Oh my god.

Did you get diabetes? That's like crap. Basically. We buy so much ice cream that when I go to Walmart and check out the woman behind the counter, one time she looked at me straight up, she was like, you're gonna get diabetes. No she didn't.

Just smirking, gone. And then the next time I came in, I wasn't buying ice cream, I was just going in and picked diapers up or something, she was like, you got diabetes? Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha.

Do you know who I am? I'm a trainer, man. I love when CBS people are concerned about your health. It's so funny. Checking out, they're like, oh. Good stuff, man. You're always a blast to have on the show. Thank you guys for having me.

We appreciate you so much. We think of you as family, bro. For the audience to know, you came in and you spoke to a group of trainers and coaches that attended one of our courses. Lots and lots of value. You spoke to a group of trainers and coaches that attended one of our courses. Lots of value. And I have to say, definitely one of the high points of the whole day. I can see just the questions they were asking and you were giving them some

such good practical information and honest, very good honest information. So we appreciate you. You're definitely one of the good guys in the space. I love you guys. Thank you for having me out. It's always a blessing to have you in my life. And you had an amazing event that you put on today. Hopefully next time it triples, quadruples in space. I love you guys. Thank you for having me out. It's always, it's a blessing to have you in my life. And, uh, you had an amazing event that you put on today. Hopefully next time, like, it like triples quadruples in size. It was really extraordinary.

And the video about all the success stories you guys have had was really incredible to see people saying thank you for all the stuff you've done for them. So it's a thank you for having me. It truly is a blessing to be connected to you guys and to be here. You got around. Thanks for listening to Thank you for listening to Mind Pump. If your goal is to build and shape your body, dramatically improve your health and energy, and maximize your overall performance,

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