Mailbag - Part 1
Why I started HIB, time management, favorite podcasts, and more...
The time has finally come!
Thanks to all who posted questions on the anonymous forum! This is my first Q & A “mailbag” post and I’m excited to give you a deeper insight on the various topics you’re curious about.
For ease of reading, I decided to segment the Q & A into two parts with the second to be released next week!
For those that missed out, this won’t be the last opportunity and you can always use the DM link below to get questions answered at any point!
There’s not much else to say – let’s dive into it!
How and why did you start this blog?
I felt like this was an appropriate one to start with.
Ever since high school, I’ve enjoyed sharing knowledge on health and fitness by building exercise programs for friends and family. Then, in the summer of 2022, I received my certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) certificate and started a small personal training business. With this, I realized there was an overwhelming and unfortunate gap in knowledge regarding training, nutrition, and physical wellness as a whole.
I saw far too many people getting sucked into the trap of popularized fad diets, crazy training regimens, and snake oil supplements promising belly fat loss and teenager-like energy. As an avid podcast listener and self-experimenter who’s put in countless hours reading research and discovering what actually works, I jumped on the opportunity to synthesize this knowledge into short, yet thorough blog posts containing actionable information people can put into practice to benefit their health. I’ve also discovered there’s something therapeutic about writing so on a selfish note, it benefits me as well.
Logistically, Substack has made it incredibly easy to maintain a platform and get posts out to you all via their website, email and social media.
I'm really impressed by your dedication to fitness/health-and-wellness. I'm curious, what initially sparked your passion for it?
This is a great question and one in which I’ve thought quite hard on recently. In all honestly, I can’t remember what exactly occurred in my life when I started exercising regularly and seeking out knowledge on health and wellness. However, I believe it started right around 7th grade and was initiated because of a self-seeking drive. I think more people than not are on the same wavelength and have a similar story but shy away from admitting it.
What I mean by that is I started doing all the things I do for aesthetic reasons. Of course, middle school is the time where your body is rapidly changing, you start becoming more interested in dating, and rightfully want to look the part. Whether it was comparing myself to my peers or those older than me who had already progressed through puberty, a drive inside of me ignited to promote myself physically at a young age and it hasn’t gone away. Although I 100% acknowledge you can get into a trap with this mindset and it can lead to a whole host of issues such as body dysmorphia and a poor relationship with eating, I also think it’s pretty normal and more common than we realize. However, there’s a fine line and it can be difficult to manage if you cross it… spoken from experience.
With this though, I’ve made it a priority to expand on my personal knowledge and spread the wealth to others. I recognize that most don’t derive pleasure from listening to a 3-hour Andrew Huberman podcast discussing caffeine or reading a 500-page book by Dr. Peter Attia diving into the weeds on dietary vs. blood cholesterol. But since I find enjoyment in it, I relish the opportunity to take these comprehensive pieces and put them into a format where the layperson can digest them.
Maybe that makes sense, maybe it doesn’t, but that’s currently where I’m at on this journey.
With the seasons changing, how do you stay motivated to continue on your grind?
I wrote a post around the new year examining the effectiveness of motivation. In short, I made the argument that motivation is quite fleeting. No, I absolutely don’t always feel the drive to go to the gym after a long day at school when it’s pouring down rain or to eat ground turkey and rice for the 357th straight day at lunch. Rather, I’ve found that discipline gets you further than motivation ever will and the book Atomic Habits has further validated that point for me.
No matter what it is, the hardest part is getting started. But, once you establish a routine and practice doing the thing, it becomes almost effortless. I preach that habits such as getting to the gym 2-4 days per week and daily walks after meals should become as normal to you as taking your daily shower and brushing your teeth in the morning. Once this is established, very little mental bandwidth (i.e., motivation) is required for you to get them done, it’s just what you do.
Yet, motivation is inarguably a great catalyst to get started which is why on that post, I included strategies to leverage motivation to build discipline. Whether that be finding a workout partner or doing a popular fitness challenge such as 75 Hard, these are effective because they provide extrinsic motivation and (hopefully) lead to the ultimate goal of being able to engage in health behaviors when you’re far beyond the challenge or your workout partner isn’t available.
And, shoutout to Sam Beesley for tagging his name to this question. When you’re in the weight room with him (or as he likes to call it, “the Meat Shop”), you know you’re in for an incredible pump session.
How do you manage to write so many posts with school responsibilities?
On one hand, the above conversation on discipline can be directly extrapolated to answer this as well. While you might think differently, I’m absolutely not always motivated to sit down and write but since I established a goal of publishing two blog posts per week, they must get done. A disciplined practice of writing on most days of the week (even for as short as 15 minutes) has enabled me to do so.
Tactically, however, I’ve also found substantial benefit in putting into practice many approaches promoted by Cal Newport in his book Deep Work. The strategy I use most often is in fact what I’m doing at this moment.
I start a 90-minute timer on my phone, turn of all notifications, and put it far away from me so I don’t have any urge to look at it. Then, I set out doing a single task for the entirety of the 90 minutes before taking a break and repeating as needed. The single task piece can’t be overlooked; research has time and time again proven that multitasking is extremely difficult and it’s much better to focus on a single thing at a time.
Try this out with whatever work you do daily, and you’ll be astonished how much you can get done. I also follow the exact same protocol with schoolwork… it makes cramming for tests much more doable.
What does your personal training subscription include?
To start out, I virtually meet with potential clients to get a better grasp on their goals, experience level, access to equipment, injury history, etc. Then, if the fit is right, I build a 4-8 week training program (including strength training, cardio, and mobility) with video explanations of each exercise while establishing goals along the way. To promote adherence, I meet with clients on a weekly or every other week basis to check in on how the program is going, answer any questions they have, and make program adjustments as needed.
On the nutrition side of things, I assist in establishing an eating program that fits with the client’s goals and interests… and no, it doesn’t just entail eating ground turkey and rice.
After each block of training, I incorporate progressions to various exercises and adjust the set and rep schemes to ensure the plan is structured to continue reaching the client’s goals.
Check out the testimonials from two of my clients below!
Love your TikTok/YouTube content, I would love to see a ‘what I eat in a day’ style post from you.
I’m glad you’re enjoying them!
Yeah, video content is something I dipped my toes in the past few months but admittedly have fallen off of recently. My personal interests align more with blog writing, but I do understand the world of video and quick-hitting content is upon us so it’s something I should be delving into.
This is the motivation I needed – a ‘What I eat in a day’ video will be coming soon… however, prepare to be less-than impressed by what you’ll see!
Also, this question was a prompt for me to write the Grocery Haul post I published recently so thanks for the idea!
What podcasts are you currently listening to most often?
I’ve been all over the place recently but my current top 3 are as follows: Modern Wisdom, Huberman Lab, and Bussin’ With The Boys.
The first two are structured for physical and psychological advancement with the latter being for sheer entertainment… something I’ve been trying to do more of as a self-proclaimed over-optimizer. Check them out!
Do you have any mantras/quotes you often turn to when things get tough?
Absolutely. I think having a few of these on-hand is a great tool to keep in your back pocket when challenging times come and you need a reminder to stay on whatever path you’ve set out for yourself.
For me, I’ve found these three do the trick.
“You don't become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are. Outwork your self-doubt.” – Alex Hormozi
Lean into discomfort. Embrace whatever is hard for you… because over time, it becomes easier.
The only thing that is doing the thing is doing the thing. Not talking about it, thinking about it, writing it down in your planner, or blocking out time for it. (shortened from Chris Williamson’s list than can be found here)
Would you accept sponsorship offers? If so, what is your dream sponsorship?
Absolutely and if you have any on the line, send them my way!
Kidding aside, I’d love to be able to endorse products that I believe in and have worked exceptionally well for me. I’ve heard great things about the Eight Sleep mattress that allows for cooling, heating, and even tracks the quality of your sleep… that would be an awesome one.
Other than that, I’m an avid user of certain supplement lines and would continue to promote with a sponsorship deal.
Also, I currently have a partnership with Barbell Apparel which is a high-quality fitness clothing line. Use this link to support HIB and get your hands on some gear!
That’s it for now… part 2 coming next week! Stay tuned.
Quote of the week: “You don't become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are. Outwork your self-doubt.” – Alex Hormozi
^ so good it had to be said again
DISCLAIMER
- This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program