THE ED MYLETT SHOW - Mike O'Hearn - Fitness Legend and Real-Life Superhero

Episode Date: April 24, 2018

Mike “Titan” O’Hearn came from humble beginnings. He grew up on a farm in Kirkland, WA and is the youngest of 9 brothers and sisters. He began competing in bodybuilding, power lifting, and martial arts at the age of 13. By the age of 15, he won the Teenage Washington State competitions in all three sports. When not training, he is busy writing, producing, and directing his own projects. Mike is a real-life superhero and a renaissance man in the flesh. Like the bodybuilding greats before him, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno, Mike holds 4 Mr. Universe titles and was voted one of the 12 greatest physiques of all time by the fitness industry. Mike is a true champion, well-rounded athlete who has graced over 500 fitness covers (second to Arnold Schwarzenegger), actor and community ambassador. Some of Mike’s accolades include: Appeared on Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Days of Our Lives, and more 4x California Power Lifting Champion 4x Mr. Natural Universe Mr. America Mr. International Mr. World

This is Champions Corner with Ed Milett. Want to be coached by Ed Milett? Strap it on and listen to the Ed Milett show. Welcome back to Max Out with Ed Milett. I'm so fired up today. I have one of the great fitness icons of all time right here. Yeah you big boy. Yeah you. You can tell from looking at us which one of us is the fitness icon. I'm Photoshopped. Yeah. I've been telling everybody today, please Photoshop me into this picture so I look at least half

his size. But you can tell who's sitting next to me. He doesn't really need an introduction. Four-time Mr. Universe, Titan from American Gladiator, one of the dominant people in the history of bodybuilding. Right there, that is Mike Goher. Thanks, brother. Thanks for being here, man. So good to have you, man. This is beautiful.

Let me just say this. For everybody, my fans and everybody, this house is amazing. And so I hope we do show this through the day. We will. And I just don't bore you. No, you're not going to bore anybody. You're more important than the house, but thank you for being here.

So everybody knows, well, most people know all of the achievements you've had. When I was reading through Mike's bio to introduce him, I was thinking for a minute, how would I even read all of these things? So we probably can't cover all of them. But I want to go back before everybody knew you. Just for a little bit.

OK. OK. Because you come from a place where it's probably at the most predictable place for someone to become an actor, one of the top bodybuilders of all time. I tell you, it was predictive when you were a kid, right? So, tell them where you grew up and how you grew up. I think this would be interesting for all of you to know this.

It's interesting, you say that, because at the time when I was growing up, I had mentors that were the best in the world. You did? I did. How old are you talking? Nine, 10, only 11 years old. Oh, okay. Yeah, so it's, I guess you would say I was bred to do this lifestyle. But I grew up in Kirkland, Washington.

I loved it. It's a beautiful place. It is beautiful. Costco, probably because of our family. Who is it? It's there. I come from a family of nine. You really? So yeah, where are you in the night?

I'm the little one. You're the baby of nine. Yeah. Really? You used to be the bokeh? Go ahead. Yeah, yeah, no, no. I'm the baby.

And that's another thing that helped create something bigger because of the fact that, you know, if you got older brothers, you're getting your ass kicked. That's for sure. I had older sisters kick in my ass. It's a hob like, wait a minute. I need to start becoming something. And so our family is very athletic. Mom and dad, mom was a martial artist.

Dad was a football player, bodybuilder. Dad bodybuilder. Yeah, yeah. So using the weightlifting, the whole family in front of me was weightlifting and I'm talking about my sisters doing martial arts, doing all that. Where did these mentors come in? Who are they, like when that happened? It was shortly, I started lifting eight years old.

Oh my god. And I started competing in martial art tournaments by 11 and my first powerlifting meet or Olympic lifting meet was actually at 13 and then power lifted at 14 and I was already on stage competing in bodybuilding at 14 years old. And before that, I was already, when I was really little, by 9, 10 and 11, I was already running half marathons. And so I was throwing into this pretty darn young.

Pretty early, so you were, Brad, do you believe in, I'm curious about this, I always hear this, this guy's were, Brad. Do you believe in, I'm curious about this. I always hear this, this guy's genetically gifted. Is there such a thing, or is that just like something people who don't train hard say? There are guys that are genetically gifted. Are you one of them? I would say my family has good genetics.

I wouldn't say we're the most freaky genetics, but I would say this, it's the consistency and the work ethic of knowing the little chip on the shoulder or whatever that was and growing up with the idea that I wasn't genetic. Okay. Because I see pictures.

I'm asking you pictures when you're 18. When you were a big guy already at 18 years old, right? I mean, these were probably me at 14. Seriously. You were already that, because you've 18. When you're a big guy already at 18 years old, right? I mean, Those are probably me at 14, seriously. You're already that, because you've been lifting since you were that young, you're already that big at 14. Yeah, and one of those things is,

don't lift when you're young. Well, it's actually builds bone density and connective tissue. So that's a complete way to go. Yeah, we've learned so much in 40 years. It's amazing. Because so many of my followers have kids that are athletes that are young, and they don't lift weights for that reason. I hear this all the time, that's not true. Yeah, it's amazing. Because so many of my followers have kids that are athletes that are young and they don't lift weights for that reason.

I hear this all the time. That's not true. Yeah, it's not true. I recommend and- Obviously, look at you. What do you, how tall are you? I'm six three. Yes, it didn't hurt your growth.

No. And my whole family lifted it and they are all tall people. So one thing that I think I learned when I was really young is the continuous building day in and day out because my brothers and sisters were all ahead of me. Okay. And so when I started training, my goal was to beat them. Obviously.

Yep, first. Yeah. It didn't matter if it was martial arts, I didn't want to lose it, powerlifting or bodybuilding. It didn't matter what it was. I wanted to compete, you know, and be better than the next person. So that was bred into you competing. Right, Tony Stark. Did you want to be a professional bodybuilder?

Was there an age we went, I want to be a bodybuilder? Or I want to be a martial artist? Was there an age that you picked one? Because you're an athlete. You're not, you're unique. Because you're not just this kind of, we were talking about before, you're not just a bodybuilder. Like, we're going to talk about this a little bit later,

but like, you're an athlete who is a bodybuilder, right? And I know bodybuilders are athletes, but you're an overall, like even the American gladiator stuff when you're tight. That would be, no, normal bodybuilder, right? And I know bodybuilders are athletes, but you're an overall, like even the American gladiator stuff when you're tight. That, normal bodybuilder could do that show. You had to be a great athlete to be on that show, right? So did you pick bodybuilding? Or was it just, you just wanted to compete

and you were good at that? It was always athletics first. Okay. And then everything stem off of that. So can I power lift and then do it of well enough to where didn't you interfere with my athletics? Could I bodybuild and could I do it well enough to where didn't you interfere with my athletics? Could I body both and could I do it well enough to where I didn't interfere with my athletics because the ultimate goal? I

Mean obviously I grew up with Arnold and Bruce Lee and I wanted to be a combination of both Wow, I didn't want to be just Arnold and I didn't want to be just Bruce Lee. I wanted to be both I basically wanted to be a superhero a comic book superhero And that's part of kind of what you're known as now. Like that's literally how people refer to you. That's sort of ironic, but you became these things. So there was an age where you're like, I'm going to be somebody. Yeah, I was nine years old.

Wow. Yeah. You parents that way with you? Do they raise you? No. No. And I came from a great family in a sense of they both worked. And then they both said, listen, if we got nine kids, you're gonna help out,

you know, you're gonna get paper routes when you're 10, 11, you know, start working and you're gonna be held responsible for your actions. And I look back and mostly at today's day and age, and I help people are raised and how you have to be certain way politically correct and stuff. It's amazing that we're going to lose all that grit. You're still right. Oh, yeah.

Oh, it's, it's, and I know, I'm going off for a second, but just the way people respond to a post tells me how their mind is. And, and, and when somebody sees something and go, oh, aren't you going to hurt yourself? And I'm like, yeah, you're right. They don't even realize I've been doing front squats for 40 years, heavy every single day. And it's like, you guys, their minds are so, I hate to say, just week, week.

No, you're right. And they get weaker and weaker. And the same with me when I make posts. I notice the same thing. The way you respond to things is so reflective of your mindset, man, I totally buy that. I totally agree with that. So was there a point, like this guy's done 539 fitness coverage? the way you respond to things is so reflective of your mindset man, I totally by that, I totally do that.

So was there a point, like this guy's done 539 fitness coverage? I mean, just imagine that for a second, he's the most covered person, the history of fitness of bodybuilding, by far, right? Like a mile. Right behind Arnold. Okay, it's just me and Arnold. Okay, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And it's here.

Right. So let me ask you this, so was there a turning point? Was there like a point? So you're in Washington? Yep. Okay, what was the point? Where did this thing flip for you? When so was there a turning point? Was there like a point? So you're in Washington? Yep. What was the point? Where did this thing flip for you? When did you start to become you?

Ah. Was there a first cover? Was there a bodybuilding competition? Was there something that happened? Well, I was discovered by Joe Weeter. Didn't know that, yeah? I was already competing by 14, I was winning shows. So it wasn't just I was competing, but I was winning shows. So it wasn't just I was competing but I was

winning. And so I had that mindset of okay I'm different than everybody else. I'm doing something here that nobody else can do and I'm doing it year light years with other people. And so it's funny is people you'll understand this it's weird people go how the heck do you get that big when you were that young? Yeah. Well, at 14 before puberty, I was 176 pounds on stage. Okay. Year later, I was 272 pounds. And people are like, wait a minute, that's not feasible.

Let's go puberty, guys. Oh my God. Everybody had it. Oh my God. But I took advantage of it. Oh my God. So you took advantage of all that growth from, that's a different, right?

All of it. People don't understand that when they see a picture, they go, Oh, you've been training for a year. I've been training since I was eight. That's amazing. So during my puberty years, during that year and a half, I did gain a hundred pounds. And my strength, obviously, it was already strong, but it went

through the roof. I was competing by the time I was 17, I was already in the magazines. Where are you, really? So I was already competing against men by 17, because my dad says, enough of the kid stuff. Wow. He says, competing against the men. And so by 17 years old, I started doing the open shows

and open power lifting me. You're on stage with a 30 year old guy. Yeah, yeah. At 17 years old. Yeah, at 17 years old, and I was competing in martial arts against the men instead of kids. And it was just one of those things that he suggested. But I'm the one who made the choices.

And by watching my older brothers and sisters do right things, and then wrong things, I kept going baby step. I can take everybody. When they make a mistake, that's another day that I get ahead. Every day that we would go and skip school and go play football. But then they would be drinking beer during the playing football. I'd be like, I'm playing football. I want to do this, and then I'm going to go home and train.

And they just kept that kind of... You've always been this sort of beast monster training freak. So, there's one I want you to get about. The reason I started in the beginning is because this is the most impressive thing about Mike to me is that he's even more dominant now. Are you 48 or 49? 49.

49 years old. So I want you to think about this. He's on state, he's starting lifting when he's eight or nine, but he's on stage with men when he's 17. And this man has been able to continue to compete, but not just compete. He's that is peak and dominating into his late 40s. I want you to think about that for just for a second.

And any endeavor, I don't care if you're in business, if you're an athlete, if you're an entertainment, to be dominant that late for that long, to get better. So I want you to talk to people about, what are some of the keys for you in doing that? Because it's incredible, right? Like, you're bigger, faster, damn stronger, now, it seems, right?

So how is that the case? Oh, is it just choices over time? How does someone dominate long-term? Because everyone watching this, you've probably had a winner too. You wanted something in business, you want a contest, you were at the top of a board somewhere, you did pretty well in your sport. You're talking about multiple decades of domination, right?

So how do you do that? I want to know how you do that. It was the idea that I was different and I wanted to prove something and I wanted to be alone alone. I want to be alone because by the way most people are afraid to be alone. They're afraid to absolutely. I just want to tell you this because I work with a lot of athletes as you know too right. The thing they're the most afraid of is being alone. It's standing out of being alone, of being unique. That's not something to use to take for granted in yourself. I don't want to interrupt you, but just that phrase,

brother. And by the way, just think about all the guys you've been trained with. How many of them? Because you're the alpha of the alphas, right? Even the dudes you train with, and they won't like this when I say it, but you're the alpha of the alphas. No, that's not like that. But mostly because you're one of the guys, but you're not one of the guys. You don't want to be one of the guys. Tiger Woods doesn't want to be one of the guys. That's why I don't have a tour like Tiger. Everybody likes Phil. Everybody likes Tiger.

It's Tiger is one of the guys. I don't want to be one of the guys in that sense. So you're willing to be alone and you want it to be alone. I think that's interesting. Yeah, it's grown up with dyslexia and put into special classes. We're here. Set me in a different way. Because in my family, a lot of us in the family grew up with this special classes, set me in a different way.

Because in my family, a lot of us in the family grew up with this luxury, but they handled it well. I didn't, that was my chip. Thought it was a bad thing, didn't realize later in life. It was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. And I wouldn't even be, why, why was it good? Oh my gosh, it goes, because you grow up with something like that, it already starts building you.

You're already in a competition with the world or yourself. And growing up in special ed, and instantly going, I want the 1% of these people here that are special, and I'm gonna protect them against all these bullies. Because it was young, I was young and fighting every day because you know, kids, and it's like yesterday, it feels like yesterday. But you got kids teasing the special kids, special ed kids all the time.

And not special in a sense of like, oh, God's chosen one. Oh, no, no, no. And now they can use social media to do it to each other. It's even worse. Yeah, they do. But I felt honored to be able to fight for them and stick up for them. And if you're teasing the kid in the wheelchair, I'm hitting you. You're getting it.

But is this chip stuck with you for 20 years? I've been here for 14-year-old that walks in the gym. You know when people go, how do you get the motivation to go train every day? I don't have motivation. I have passion. You have passion. I have passion. I believe this.

I need to wake up in the morning and people go, why do you train so early? Tell them what time you train. I train at 4am. I get up at 3am and I'm in gym and this is not something I've done in the year. This is what I've done my whole life. Your whole life. My whole life. We started early because of paper routes. You get up early, you do the paper routes, I had trained and I'd go to the school. But it was one of those things where it set me up and it's still that passion today that I love the fight.

I love the fight every day. And I love the gym and I love going in there with the banter and all that stuff and training with the guys and I'll lift in them or do whatever I do, but it's, you've been in a fight. And anybody that's been in a fight, a street fight, you hear nothing else. All you're hearing is the hits in the head,

or you hitting the guy. And no matter how much they're yelling at you, you hear nothing. And I can get to that place every time I work out. And there's something there. And I'm in a fight with myself in that moment. And I love that. And I live off that.

That's crazy. Because I'm going to tell you, whether I've interviewed, it a fight with myself in that moment and I love that and I live off that. That's crazy, because I'm gonna tell you, whether I've interviewed, it's such a running theme. Like athletes I've interviewed, business women I've interviewed. But one of the running themes they all have is they have a way to get themselves, I think I do it myself, but they have a way to get themselves in a state of competing still long term.

Like they still find a way to compete. There's something to compete for. I don't care who they are, what their industry is. That's sort of, there's like four times already you've referenced either fighting or competing. That's in your genetics makeup, right? That's cool to hear that others do that. Bro, it's the common line.

It's wild when you meet somebody else that's successful in what they do. And there's that, the bonds of what, that's cool. It's cool. The other thing you have though, and I wanna talk about this next is, the other thing they have that you have in abundance, like I train and I'm fit,

and we're basically the same age, right? So more than most people, I have a deep appreciation for what it would require to be you, right? Because I don't have that. In that realm, I'm fit, but there's a level of dominance that you've sought and found, right?

And so it's little decisions that you make in disciplines, right? Talk to them a little bit, like you mentioned your brothers and sisters drink. You've ever had a drink? Never had a drink. Never poured alcohol in his body and his life. I mean, just think about this.

How about your eating habits, right? Like just talk to them a little bit about, I don't, this is annoying though. This is annoying to people, because it's one of those things you can't beat the guy that never gives up. Yeah. I'm that guy. Yeah, but I'm the guy that's never missed a meal in 40 years. What do you mean by that? This honestly, honestly, it's annoying to them, but I don't believe I got the greatest genetics. I don't believe I was gifted anything physically. I don't either.

I don't either. I don't either. What I believe is that I just don't believe I was gifted anything physically. I don't either. I don't either. What I believe is that I just don't miss meals. It's not something that I guess the only way that you can relate to it is it blows my mind that people go to work for somebody else from eight in the morning till six at night. And that's how they live their lives. And the only reason I say that is because people say to me, how do you train it for in the morning? How do you go to work for somebody else and make them ritual, you're just staying average?

I don't get it. And for me, I wake up at 3 in the morning still today and I'm excited and I'm like, let's do this. Let's go fresh. You are, like when we talk. It's the first time we talk to food, like you need to get into the gym with me man. And I'm like, okay, I go early, I go at 5

because well man, we're in it for. And he's like just pumped about it, you know? Like, and I'm like, I first time we talked to food, like you need to get in the gym with me man. I'm like, okay, I go early, I go at five, because well man, we're in it for. And he's like just pumped about it, you know? Like, I know that I know what it's like to go to the gym every day. He's done this every day for a freaking decades. And he loves it, right? That's the passion, please. That's the passion.

And I, what do you mean, you don't miss meals? Like, you mean you don't miss meals? Okay, do you cheat meals? Do you like, do you eat? Like, I saw something on your birthday. It looked like you were like, almost paying to eat some bad food. Like, was like a bite of eight or something you had.

Like, you do, tell me at least you have some meals that are you like, this one's not good for me. I get to eat this. Do you at least have some? I do want to have some. I do want to have some. I might eat fruit. I hate fruit.

That's a big. Fruit's my cheat. Fruit. I do cheat. I wouldn't say cheat because now today everybody's like, well, I got that's the big. Fruit's my chief. Fruit. I do cheat. I wouldn't say cheat because now today everybody's like, well, I got my high-daren Sundays. Yes. Because of Sunday?

Yeah. Come on, that's what I'm trying to tell my son. I always on the plan. I know, don't go, I'm glad this is you because all my boys are that way. And there's a little give on things. I don't give it unless it's going with what my plan is at the time. Yeah. I'm always getting ready. Always. And I've never not been getting ready.

And will they go well you don't compete anymore. And I haven't competed. Right. But I get paid to travel to shows. And this is one thing I grew up with. When I saw guest poses as a kid, they would show up and they'd be these big fat guys on stage. And I'd be like, wait a minute, he doesn't look like the magazine. What's going on? And then you do the sport and you understand there's an off season, there's an on season. And I got to a point where I started doing guest appearances and I like, I'm gonna give them me. I wanna be me 24-7. And I was one of these guys, I'm old enough to be around before Photoshop was created.

So the cover is the cover. That's the cover. The weights are the weights, there's no fake weights. You know, it's one of those things that I'm too old school to cheat the project. And by the way, even though you don't compete anymore, you're still getting covers still. Still getting covers, getting cover stories.

You can, I just a couple of quick things to do. But what I mean, I don't compete, I don't compete against other You're still getting covers still getting covers getting cover stories Do you get I just a couple quick things, but what I mean? I don't compete. Yeah, I don't compete against other people in a sense Yeah, I compete every day. I know you I do I do I've seen your sessions. I've talked about training with you I damn well, but you compete dude. Trust me. Do you get all? Which is fun? I know it's more fun by the way I totally agree with you and I think there's like I the reason I love fitness or I love bodybuilding So I think or you have UFC fighters have had on here, it transcends whatever the business is. Like if you're gonna win any business you're in,

you're gonna win any of your faith, you're gonna win anything, you're gonna compete that way. You have to compete to get there, right? So you gotta have that hunger and that desire to go, I can do this, I know I can do this. You can't do all of that. You can't do stuff, you can't do all of that stuff,

other guys won't do it. Do you think that's why you eat cleaner while you train. There are parties like I'm doing what they're not doing. It's got worse. What do you mean? It's got worse, man. I want to give a shout out to my boy. And it's one of these things where when you're thinking you're given it all, and then somebody

goes, and I can do one more percent, and something triggers you, and something fires you up even more for my entire career. And I can do one more percent and something triggers you and something fires you up even more For my entire career. I won the universe and and I hate the guys that go Because when I was too young, it was like well, you can't compete against the men Yeah, I can't yeah, and then I was at the middle ages and I was beating everybody and I was still doing the covers And I was still doing powerlifting and going to bodybuilding and doing the martial arts and doing the gladiars And I was like you guys covers, and I was still doing powerlifting, and going to bodybuilding, and doing the martial arts, and doing the gladiators. And I was like, you guys keep saying you can't do things.

Who is this that says you can't? You can't model for 40 years. I'm still on the covers, so I don't get it. So now at this stage, it's like, I get too many people, and I say, don't change your mindset because when you come up to me and you go pretty good for 35, right? And I'm like for 35. Yeah, well I got aching knees. Why do you have aching knees at 35? What's going on? So my mindset is it's not that I'm doing well for

a 49 almost 50-year-old guy. I'm still crushed in 20-year-old athletes. The elite athletes. In the. I'm still crushed in 20 year old athletes. The elite athletes. In the point, I'm trying to not yell. And as you hear, I think both of us will go into, the world is becoming a neco. Yeah, you're right. And so I'd rather be the guy. I love this.

That shuts his mouth and does it. Does it? Yeah. And I live my life with my dogs and my girl and I train it for in the morning and I don't talk about it so much in the sense of, look at me. Right. I know. I'm doing it.

Yep. You are doing it. And then if that motivates you, awesome. But favorite part about you is your example like screams, you have to say anything. It's just like so loud. Like looking at you, watching you train, your example, like it's just, it's freaking screams there. So you use words like cross-shape. It makes sense. It looks. It's so loud, like looking at you, watching you train your example, like it's just, it's freaking screams, man. So you use words like, cross-shape and pee.

Thanks for that, because it's true. We're around a lot of the guys that are screaming. Oh, yeah, both of us are. All the time, man. And that's what makes you stand out, because you're not one of these echoes. I'll just tell you. I'll help someone out here for a minute, because you have dominated, but there's people who are like, the start backwards for a minute, because you have dominated, but there's people here like,

the start backwards for a second. They wanna get fit. Like they're like, hey, I'm not training that hard. I am 34 years old, I'm a woman, I'm a man. I need to get back, I need to get fit. There's no human on, if I put you in my interview and I didn't ask you this for them, they'll be like, malpractice on my part, right?

So, you have the ultimate fitness health expert, probably on the planet sitting next to me. What's like some stuff you just say, like, hey, man, this is what you gotta decide you're gonna do if you're gonna go get fit. Like some basic thing, what you would say, basic things. Here's, I think they want the pill, or the one trick, what's the trick?

Right. Unfortunately, there's not a trick. There is a difference between getting ahead of time and going along with time. And now I'm sorry for this because they're not going to be happy about some of this. But I'm going to get to the point where we can all do this. If you go to the gym and you do the cardio and you eat right the day and there's no extra plan or push, you're basically just going along with time. And now what we're doing and the studies we're going to be showing the world is what I have

done is focused on something different, the bone density, which women need to wait left more men do. Women need to wait left more than men do more bone density. Because the bone density and that is health. Connective tissue. to wait for more of them anymore. Because of bone density. And that is health. Connective tissue. Because connective tissue is, as people say, the farm boy, you can just grab that bale of hay and throw it up there.

Or people are going to say, well, you got to do extra stuff to keep the testosterone high. I've never been high testosterone. Reason why I look healthy or youthful in the sense, because the testosterone was never overblown. Wow. Okay. If you walk into a gym and think the most muscular guy is the guy on this biggest steroids and the most muscular, it's not.

He's got the strongest guy. I'll take a 180 pound wrestler and he will toss a sheesh out of a 280 pound bupf body boat. Right. Yep, absolutely. And that's connective tissue. Okay. That's man's strength. Okay.

Now that's what keeps you healthy. Okay. Now if you can focus on this and train properly to that, that is going to allow you to get ahead. Okay. And that is going to get you, the side effects is strength and getting in shape. That's pretty good side effects. Side effects.

Right. But you're not focused on this, I guess, visual or instinct gratification where you're just going to lose it and you can't maintain it. Yes, that's what everybody does. That's all they do. And so what I recommend is this. First off, is all food is good, if it's controlled. Okay.

Okay. You're not going to eat pizza every day and be healthy. Right. But carbs aren't bad. And today's society, carbs are so bad for you. Yeah, right and it's like, oh, I wish you guys understood What carbs would actually do for you? It's good to hear science, okay? I want you to eat your fats. I want you to eat your carbs. I want you to have your high days or enjoy days because that's mentally Something that you got to do or it's a reward, okay, Because I believe in rewards. I believe in having your your fun days. Okay.

If that helps you get to the next level. Okay. But this is really good for you all to hear it right here. They're still going, wait a minute, what's the trick? The trick is that you need to pick a goal. Okay. And you need to step it up a little harder. Okay.

And you need to stay consistent. Yeah, that's the biggest one. Is that sorry? No, no, it's the biggest one. I'm sorry. No, no, it's nothing to be sorry about, because the... But it's the one step forward, two steps back. I did great. You don't get high days until you get to your goal. This is huge.

And I got boys in my crew that every weekend is their high day. You get a high... You've taken all the steps back, your progress is completely erased, right? Yeah, unless you're getting to the goal. Okay, this is huge. You get a high day. You've taken all the steps back, your progress is completely erased, right? Yeah, unless you're getting to the goal. Okay, this is huge. Unless your metabolism slows down. So in the day when I was doing this back

in black and white days before TV, before TV. So it was one of these things is, if your metabolism slows down, that's when you bump up your calories to feed it again, as you're dieting down. And then somewhere in society that translated to every Sunday. Yeah, so I did it with every Sunday.

And then it's like now she was one meal a day type thing. No, you totally right. So that's the only thing that I think people don't, they don't want to hear that it's consistency and it's really on yourself and it's really just doing it. You don't need to be what I'm doing. I'm trying to now prove something to myself that you can do this and you can really just doing it. You don't need to be what I'm doing. I'm trying to now prove something to myself that you can do this and you can not just do it at a,

hey, I'm pretty good. I hate the, I'm pretty good for this age. Right, right. I hate that. Me too. Go crush them. I purposely put myself in battles with, especially right now with the football season off.

I got all the guys coming in for combines or going back to play. And the whole purpose isn't really to work out. It's to outrep, outbeat, outspeed, all of them. All of them. Those guys now that are 22 years old, you're gonna find them. In their prime, in their minutes.

Let's talk about that for a second. Let's say that. So that was for the basic athlete, but there's a lot of people who follow me who are elite athletes, who are in the training business. And I was telling you before we went on, just for me even watching Mike train a little bit, and I've been training for 25 years, there's little things that you teach that I've noticed that I do wrong, that I didn't know I did wrong, little tiny things, right,

that where my elbows are placed, and I'm doing an in-cli, just small things like that, the speed in which I do my repetitions, right, or don't do them. And so you teach this sort of concept called like power bodybuilding, is that sort of right? And there's, because there's a bunch of, guys that don't look great that are super strong, right? There's a bunch of guys, people and ladies who look great, who aren't strong, right?

And so for the elite athlete, for the person who is a bodybuilder or is a golfer, or is a fitness type person, What would you say to them, like if you're gonna compete and crush people at your level and beyond, here's one thing, here's a mindset, here's a tool. There, if you're going into a gym and you're moving the bench press and you're just going back and forth

or the curls, you can actually do this and do this year after year and still not developing. I see these guys all the time. You go to a gym, anybody goes to a gym, and you go back a year later, everybody pretty much looks the same. It looks exactly right. So what's going on, that they're not changing?

Yes, yes. It's the way you do something. OK. And understand the purpose. If you are a pro athlete and you're getting ready for the combines, there's a portion of time where you need to slow things down, move through it slowly.

When you're starting to test, you speed up the motions, but that's for a certain sport. Okay. For me, if I bring in a power lifter to train with me, and I slow him down to where it's pauses and holds, it completely destroys him. You get weaker. Or you take a bodybuilder and you pull them in.

Now it's just too heavy. It's heavy. Wait, you can't do that. Something I do is I go as heavy as I possibly can for the rep range I'm doing. So people go, well, you always lift heavy. Yes. So is that five reps? No.

Dude, we get in a battle. We'll go one rep or we'll go a hundred reps. I train with some Irish guys that just don't know the word quit. So it's one of these things that it's, it's as heavy as you're doing for the range of reps you're doing. But it's speed, it's all that. And it's range of motions.

People are so proper squat. There's a proper squat. And there is. And I agree with that. But if you're doing that for 10 years and you never do anything where you're leaning forward, you're pulling your feet in, you're pushing your feet out a little further, you're changing the form,

what are you actually doing? I wonder that myself. Yeah, I've always been like that. So you'll see us, and we will change forms. We'll change, here's the tricep extension. We'll go here, we'll pull it out here, we'll bring it back here, and change it all the way around. Squats are proper here, but we'll pull it inside. pull it inside. We'll put the pressure over the need now understand the weight is different for everything you're doing

I'm not gonna do a seven-hour pound squat with my knees bent over But I will do a three four hundred for me, right? Yeah, don't everybody do three or four So it's it's a point of putting yourself in the weak position and still developing it because everybody's like My shoulders are strong and I they're great. I'm gonna train those twice a week yourself in a weak position and still developing it because everybody's like, ah, my shoulders are strong and I they're great. I'm going to train those twice a week. Yep. Yep. I don't like training legs, but you're skipping something so much more important. Yeah. Now you're trying to develop a body, but you're forgetting the whole skeleton. Okay. So these are the concepts of power boxes. This is huge. That's, I love this. You just gave me permission

to change things because what I do is I do it the same way all the time for that reason I don't vary my spacing or anything like that that's really which is tougher to do now because if you post something incorrect that's what I get on social media you're doing that wrong you're gonna hurt yourself right okay good I feel much better about you man we're good over here so good all right let's go a couple more things here like this is so valuable for people because they're in the mindset of a champion, because I think one of the things words I'd use for you is obsessed.

And I think your obsessions become your possessions. I think you were obsessed with becoming this version of you. I just believe that. I think that some age there, whether it was 8, 9, 17, or whatever, you became obsessed with being this person that you've become. And so now you possess him. And now you're in this hunt to improve him even more, right?

I like that. Just cut that clip for me. Right. It's that's the effect of him. That's like, it's very, very true. So you've also transcended multiple industries though. So it's like you just did one thing, right? Right?

So you did American Gladiator, right? He's the only guy to do both programs of American Gladiator. He's been in the fitness business. He's also done well in business. He owns different real estate. He's done well in the business world, too. But you also are an actor, right? And so he's pursuing some things right now. Maybe you'll share with us a little bit. But like they're going to redo Conan, aren't they? They are redoing Conan. And Amazon is doing it. So how are

you involved with that? Hopefully. I mean, it's like this is an outcome of yours, right? This is a goal of yours, fair to say. This is. Oh, acting's always been. And my first movie was Death Becomes Air with Bruce Wells and Goldie Hahn and Merle Streep. I actually got felt up by Merle Streep. So it was like, look at those things. She grabbed me. So it was politically correct.

She grabbed me. There's no, yeah. But yeah, I've been acting since 1990 and it's something I love. And yeah, I'm glad itators, the original but I was still athletic enough when I got the second gladiators. Now here's the funny thing. This is interesting. No, we don't know this. Or some small percentage of others. They called me up for the new gladiators and said, hey you're on the show and I go, no I'm not. Let me try out like everybody else tries out. If I

deserve it, I deserve it. Then I went out and you can see it online and I destroyed all the tests. And there was over 20,000 people try back out for it. And I'll read you in a second time. I think there was 2008 came out. So it was 10 years ago. You were 40. And so I came out and I did 35 pull ups and I ran a 470.

And so it was one of the things, when I did your way, when I ran a 4740. And so there's one of the things I, when I do way with your Rana 4775. Come on man. So it's one of the things I didn't want to just get something handed. I want to fight for this. And I love it again. There it is again.

I love the fight. Two more. So there's a running theme here though. This is good. Okay. So those are great, but I've been doing some fun shows like Workaholics and Sunny and Philadelphia and guest spots and daytime TV and soap operas.

And so now we're up for he-man and the remaking Conan. So the crazy hairs fitting right now. That's so huge. I'm excited for you. I'm hoping. I'm excited for you. But it's fun. It's a fun battle. And regardless what... When I tell people they go, what keeps you motivated, and I try to say, well, I know it keeps me motivated,

it won't make them motivated, but if you're passionate about something, and I don't care how small it is, to you, it might be something big, and I'll give you something so minute to most people, but it was so big to me, that you will continue to work out, you will continue to eat, right?

You will continue to go and make right choices about things. And push you beyond any limit you possibly think is possible. You'll get up every morning going, I don't want to work out today. You'll be up, going, no, I got that. That thing is right in your frontal. A little bit in your passion about it. And that's what's going to keep you training and dieting right. So I got a puppy 18 years old and there's it's a huge part of me because of the fact that not only is she my dog my first adult

dog and she's 18. Your whole face just changed. I know man, I'm gonna try it now. Interesting. Your whole face just changed. Yeah, I know, I know. Let's say it's my heart. Yeah. And I train harder and I've trained harder in the last

six months to a point where I was better than I ever was when I went to the universe. Now this is 20 years later I decided to get in the best shape of my life. So what triggered it? What was different? Maybe mature muscle can in my consistency, but there had to be something that drove me to a different level. I'm pretty obsessed as is. I was beyond obsessed. Was it Christmas that I fasted? So as everybody else is going through Christmas and New Year's, my goal was New Year's. I want to look better than I've ever looked in my life.

And the only passion I had is that I'm losing my puppy. And that I wanted to spend time with her, and I want to be able to hold her and kind of show her to me that made sense. And it's something I knew to somebody else. Mostly if you have a kid, it should be 10 fold. Yep. So I got in the best shape of my life to the point of where,

I don't care if it was Jay Cutler or Kai Green going, what the heck? Right, yeah. This shouldn't be done. Yeah, right. What are you doing? How do you look like? Yeah.

And so, again, it's a puppy, it's me, it's motivation, it's passion, and I got to a place that I've never got in my life, but I can attach things to me on goals that are so much more meaningful. And it's not a trophy. No, it's what you just did. Here's what it is, man. I've never got in my life, but I can attach things to me on goals that are so much more meaningful in view. And it's not a trophy. No, it's what you just did.

And here's what it is, man. It's the goal's huge, the past and huge, and you're a freak. There's freaks running around the world. I'd like to think that I'm one of them, right? Like your discipline level is freakish, your competition level. But when you give someone who's already a freak,

a massive reason attached to their goal, it goes ballistic. It just attach a massive, compelling, emotional reason, right? Is this the puppy you're telling me about from the first shoot? Is that the puppy with you? Yeah, yeah, it is. So just so you know, because all these people say all these alpha males, meaning we're telling this beforehand, right? You think it's talking about either our kids or our dogs, and we just melt any man, right?

So just tell them why, because that reason's huge, but also how big this dude's dude's heart is like how did you end up with her in the first place photo shoot millennium cover so I go to the photo shoot and it's muscle and fitness nothing out of the one you know different except I was honored to be on the the millennium cover the two thousand that was great Joe Joe weeter calls me goes out of everybody in the world you're the guy how cool and I'm like Dude, this is awesome show up. I'm excited They pull out little two puppies and I shoot with the two puppies all day long and then at the end of the photoshoot. They're like all right

We're gonna take these pups back to the pound and I'm like Yeah, any gonna happen. I thought they were actually somebody's Puppies that they brought to the photoshoot and in the pound everybody tell them what you guys need Yeah, that ain't gonna happen. I thought they were actually somebody's puppies that they brought to the photoshoot. And in the pound, everybody told them what they're gonna do. Yeah, I don't know, you guys need nowhere to pound it. It's an old term that they would keep the dogs

for maybe 21 days and then put the dogs down. And so when they said that, I was like, nah, here's some money and I took the puppy's home. Yeah, and that's the puppy that he's referring to the two days. It's for the day. So for everybody that's the puppy that he's referring to the two days. It's for today. So for everybody that's 18 years old, that dog's been alive as long as that.

And it's still with me. Because I think that's an elite thing. First off, it shows your heart. One of the things that struck me about, she's like, you're just a big stully dude. You're really just this humble, super sweet good dude. You kind of talk a lot of smack, but he's like this really gentle, really kind dude

who could just break you in half, right? If you're an elite person out there and you're you're already doing very well like he was already one of the most fitment on the planet How do you go to that next level like that crazy freak level? It's a bigger reason It's gonna be because your disciplines are there your habits are there your rituals are there your obsessions already there If you're at that level the only separator is to have a bigger reason, whether that's another competition, something you're trying to surpass, usually big reasons are your dreams or other people or a pet.

Those are your bigger reasons, that's what you did. You put that for me together. So, we're running, I feel like we flew by here. Dude, that was way too bad. We didn't cover anything. We know, we're gonna do, we're gonna do like three of these. We've talked about this before, but let me ask you a quick question. So, two things to finish.

Someone said you, because I think like, it's rare that you put someone who's the best on the planet at something in front of you, like on the Earth spinning right now. And we said, who in the last 25 years, let's say, take that window of time, just that basic window of time, which is a fair window. Who's probably the healthiest fittest person, the icon that

sustained it, grown it, and got more fit, and also help more people get there too than he trains with. It would be this human, right, sitting next to me. So, what does that, I know we've talked a lot about it, but it's hard to describe yourself. I have a hard time doing it. It's like, I'm not even sure how I am.

You know, I'm just that way, right? But let me ask you something, seriously. What's that mindset like? Like, don't sugar code it, no BS, don't be humble. Is it just like you want to crush everybody? Is it you're trying to chase the best you? Is it just like this stacking of disciplines that's built you into this thing?

Like what is it that's like this world-class mindset you hold? You know, I would say it's, I want to be the very, the number one guy. I want people to be able to say, hey, I want to do a Michael her. I want to be like Michael her when I'm that. And whatever it is. It's just that long period of time.

Yeah. And it's not just, I don't want you guys to sit there. And I guess I want people to live what I've lived and stop giving the excuses and stop saying, I'm 30 now, it's downhill from here. I do, I do. I peaked. College, I peaked. And then it's like, there's a thing called science.

And there's a science will show you what's possible, what's not possible. There is something that's called heart that can break that and something that can set it apart. And I'm just saying that the one thing that we're doing now and I'm lucky enough to be around, is to be around doctors and science and actually doing tests now going,

why is it that I got to be able to do this for such a long period of time? And not just as a average Joe, because everybody's like, as long as I can be healthy. Fuck healthy, I'm sorry. It's all right, it's okay. Leave that out. Okay.

Be a freaking superhero for your whole life. Yes. And so I guess for me, it's consistency is me describing myself, but the hunger to be the very number one. Yes. Yes. What's the next five or 10 years look like for you, do you think? We know what the past look like, we know what the present looks like.

We're gonna do more of these, but I'm going to have you back here in five years. Yeah, I think I... What do you think? I love the purchasing properties and commercial real estate. I love this and it's something that, again, I think you agree with this. You can be around your friends, but you need some elite people that are raising you up and I've got that. And I've had that.

In the last ten years, my life has completely changed to the point of where I'm doing alcharity and I'm around guys that are better than me in other facets and they make you stand up and go listen this is great what you do but I need you here this is what you need to do now you need to man out and all these people here yeah and so I got got the operate. You think we see in movies.

More properties, leads in movies, and continue to travel the world and talk. Yeah. Do you think it'd be even more fit? I do. Listen, as much as I got crazy this year, I already told my girl, and I said, I want to even be better than I was for new years.

I love this brother. I love you. You inspire me. Thanks man. I love you inspire me. Thanks man. No, you inspire me. You do. Appreciate it. You're inspiring to me.

I just say it straight. That's a fun love. Oh, is this your ride? Yeah, this is how you get home. You look out for scum. You take a guess right over the ocean. Yeah, we're going to do more of this. Well, that's why too fast.

But I do something that when you can push somebody that's already at a pin and pull level, that's bad ass. It is bad ass. I try to surround myself with guys like you. Like you just said, that's part of the formula, everybody, is that you surround yourself with people who do make you better. Whatever the industry doesn't even matter. They just make you want to be better by their example, not their yelling and screaming.

They're example of us. Thank you for saying that, that's a fact. The other thing I want to tell everybody that when you're listening to Mike, there's a uniqueness to him that I want to point out. It's that not only can he do these things, but he can articulate them. That's rare for an athlete. It's rare for a business person to be able to articulate it.

The reason I point that out to you is you can get Mike to come speak to your organization. You can have him come talk to your group. He can come do inspirational talks, fitness talks. This is someone that you ought to bring into your company to have speak to you. And he also is somebody that just by following bring into your company to have speak to you. And he also is somebody that just by following him

on social media will alter your life. You will have no excuses, you will be inspired, right? You will see one of the great lives being lived, but there's also all this fitness stuff, all this information out there. How would they find you online in order to stay in contact with you? What's the best place?

Really easy. You search Michael Herndon, you find everything. Okay, find out. I got a govern. He's got a place? Really easy. You search Michael Herndt and you find everything. Okay, find everything. I got a govern. He's got a govern. But I like major league YouTube. It's not crazy. Instagram's ballistic and your website, right?

It's going crazy, yeah. But you can get hold of me of any of those ways. Something I love and I love today. But we got to do it again. You got to promise me and them. You're going to come train with me. Oh, I'm training with you Okay, absolutely. All right. No, we're down, baby. All right, and we're gonna go skinny dip right now

He has been begging for this for like two hours. I'm following guys I hope you to thank you So much So much like and I know so much great content for all of you. So listen everybody. I hope you enjoyed the program today Want to ask you to be one favor. I bring you the best people in the world. You can tell who this is though. I'm like, because she's been watching the whole interview. So tell them who this is.

This is Striker. So look at Striker, this is the most beautiful. Oh, look at his eyes. If you do follow me, you'll see that I traveled the world with her. Look at her. And this little superstar does more for the world than I do.

Look at her, her pose. Eyes. My goodness. Those are ocean eyes, by the way. I do. Look at her pose. Eyes. My goodness. Those are ocean eyes, by the way. Yeah, it's like the ocean. Anyway, I'm glad she was here today. Mona's also been here watching this. And so everybody, do me one favor.

Rank and review this podcast. When you see it, if you see it, make a comment. And if you're listening to it, give it a review. It'll move up more people around the world to get access to this information. I hope you enjoyed today. Max out your life, everybody. OK. people around the world to get access to this information. I hope you enjoyed today. Max out your life, everybody.

Ed Mylett is the premier, inspirational speaker, life coach and peak performance expert in the United States today. you