Over 40 Fitness Hacks

Matt Cundill  0:01  
You May Also Like. A show about the things you may also like. Things like over 40 fitness hacks. I hate getting old. The feeling starts in your late 30s. You really begin to notice it in your 40s. And don't even talk to me about your 50s. Brad Williams began to notice this too, and did something about it. He's a personal trainer who specializes in working with the over 40 crowd. And he joins me from San Diego to tell me his over 40 fitness hacks. Hey, Brad, at what age and when did you know that this over 40 thing needs a different approach?

Brad Williams  0:44  
Pretty much when I hit 40. Now I'd always trained the- you know, the 40, 40 plus crowd, just because that's what- you know, who could afford trainers and all that kind of stuff. But until I actually hit 40, I was like, oh, man, I got to start changing a few things.

Matt Cundill  0:57  
Was it recovery?

Brad Williams  0:59  
No, it was more of just like, a little bit of chronic pain in the joints. And then seeing that I was getting a little bit more overweight. And I'm like, wait a minute, I'm the trainer who's ripped, how the hell is this going on? If I have problems, God, everyone else must be having huge problems.

Matt Cundill  1:15  
So that's tough. And I think 40 is tough for a lot of people, because they get into this mindset of, they have to lower their goals, when they really need to change them. So like, when you work with a client, how do you get them to, "Hey, we're just doing it differently. We're not lowering your standards."?

Brad Williams  1:33  
When I first get a client, you know, we go through their kind of their history, what to expect, what their goals are. And then I start going through, you know, some of the changes that happen when you turn 40, you know, maybe 35, 40, 45 for different people, everyone's got different genetics and everything. But you know, kind of- that's showcasing my knowledge with the client. And as I'm going through all these issues that probably are why you're here with me today, it starts throwing up flags for the client that, oh my god, this guy does know what he's talking about, because it's exactly the problems I'm having. It's harder to move, I'm getting a little bit more aches and pains everywhere, I'm having to double up my workouts or double up my cardio, or I have to go on these crazy hardcore diets to even see the needle moving even a little bit. And that's what they pick up on. And then I'm telling them, there's a better way to do it, work smarter, not harder. And, you know, these are the things that we need to work at. And you know, basically I go through all the different buckets of what we need to work on as far as movement, sleep, diet, gut health. And, you know, that's how I kind of coach them and teach them that first session, but also how I showcase my knowledge to where it- okay, we're with the right guy.

Matt Cundill  2:45  
You mentioned a few things that sort of contribute to slowing the aging process. And that's like, eating better, sleeping better. But then you also touched on gut health. And you've also got some episodes that involve gut health. Talk about those or anything else that will help slow the aging process that we should really be focusing on in our lives.

Brad Williams  3:03  
Yeah, so when- when I'm training somebody, you know, my perfect splits that I like to do, are typically two to three days a week, and one of them actually being more kind of high intensity training. And someone like, oh, you know, I don't want to do that. Because that's, you know, CrossFit, I just don't think I have the energy for it. That's not what we're doing. High intensity just means, what's high intensity for you, to get your heart rate elevated? And it could just be doing some jumping jacks, and you're right in the perfect zone. And the reason for that is as we age, and I kind of always just use the over 40 as a marker, because that's kind of where everyone hits- you know, where we start slowing down, you know, maybe we have some injuries, kids and family and work. And just lack of motivation. No one wants to put that kind of effort in anymore as we had in our 20s. And because of that, our bodies start letting go of some of our mitochondria, which is all the energy powerhouses in all of our cells. So we don't need as much because we're not doing as much like we were in our 20s. Well, that's a problem, because that is a age indicator. If you don't have these powerhouses in your cell, your body is not able to increase its output. And what mitochondria does is it uses fatty acids for energy. So when you start slowing down that process, you start losing those mitochondria- your body's ability to burn fat, it just becomes worse and worse and worse. So what we have to do is, start moving the needle on that high intensity training at least once a week. And you can start off with just, like I said, doing some jumping jacks for 30 seconds. Doesn't need to be burpees. And basically every week, the point is, if you want to start increasing this mitochondria again, you need to start upping it every week. So, you know, start with one exercise, then the next week you start with the second exercise, and instead of doing one set on all of them, you start doing two sets on all of them. And basically you just get to a point where like, man, I am cranking, this is pretty much it, I'm happy with my results, I feel more energy, I'm seeing the fat burning off. And you just- you just kind of find a spot that works for you, as well as your- your time. Everything's all about time management.

And a lot of people seem to be a little bit concerned about, you know, how much of their social life is gonna get eaten up. And the only reason I know this is because you actually use it in a tagline in your show. And that's, "You can get to where you need to go without giving up your social life." So I'll assume that there was some focus group and research that went into it. And by that, I mean, you just had conversations with clients. But a lot of people are like, no, I worry that if I get involved with you in a program, that I'm not going to be able to lead the social life that I want to.

Yeah, and you know, that's my tagline. That's probably how they found me, and, you know, I'm catering to them. And my thing is, you know, I'm not giving up my social life, you know, I hit 40, I'm having some of these issues that all the over 40 crowd are having. And I'm the personal trainer, I'm putting in all the work, yet I still will not give up my social life. That's my mission. And so these are all the different hacks that I've found to work on, like sleep, your gut health, you know, all the things we're talking about, to where you do four to five days pretty clean during the week, and then you can, you know, let go on the weekends, or whatever your entertainment days are.

Matt Cundill  6:23  
Why did you start a podcast?

Brad Williams  6:24  
You know what, I started a podcast because- in one of my network groups, we had a visitor from Canada, and she- she was basically a nurse who sold, like, some protein powder, was more of going after, like, diabetics and really helping with them. And she said, she started a podcast, and within two years, she was killing it. And, you know, helping people was her- her cause, but, you know, she obviously- she made money on her podcast. And she said, you never know who's listening. Because after two years, she says, almost 60 to 70% of all her listeners were from India, because that was a big thing, you know, diabetes over there. And they were really searching for something. And so she said, you know, I'd recommend everyone in this group to, you know, if you're passionate about it, and you want to scale yourself, which I've always had problems,right, being in Orange County, and then finally down here to San Diego, you can't do everything local anymore. So I started a podcast. And sure enough, I started mostly US customer base, and then some UK and Australia. And I'm like, oh, wow. And it's weird, who's listening to you, and who vibes with you. So it's just a great forum.

Matt Cundill  7:29  
Was it the podcast that triggered you giving some online training, and becoming an online business? Or was it the pandemic?

Brad Williams  7:37  
It was pretty much the pandemic, you know, all of us trainers were- were doing okay locally, and we always had aspirations of doing online training, and I kind of dabbled in it, but never went full into it. And then the pandemic happened, and we were all forced to do it. So you know, thank God, I dabbled into it a little bit, I knew some programs that would work. And of course, Zoom was real big too. And then, you know, just seeing how once you've mastered it and got- got through all the trials and errors, how easy it was, better for time management, started doing just consulting sessions instead of just doing workouts on video, and saw the power of doing that. And so now I can offer local training, through my podcasts I offer coaching with a fitness program, or just, you know, one on one consulting, like we're talking right now.

Mary Anne Ivison (Voiceover)  8:32  
You May Also Like supports podcasting 2.0. So feel free to send us a boost if you're listening on a newer podcast app. If you don't have one, you can see a full list of them at newpodcastapps.com.

Matt Cundill  8:44  
You've spoken to hundreds of health experts, but what's the one piece of advice that sort of surrounds everything that they talk about? And again, you talk to a wide range of people, you've discussed veganism and eating and gut health and, you know, muscle building, but what is the one or two things that are universal in everybody that- that hits your show?

Brad Williams  9:06  
One thing is, you know, switching the gears of- I'm trying to get a six pack, or I'm trying to lose his belly fat. You need to stop that right now, and think of the long game, and you need to start thinking about longevity. You know, what are things I can do to- to increase my lifespan? And all these different awesome benefits come from that, with any issues people are having, and weight loss is one of them. So when you kind of switch your mind to that, you stop caring about those things, yet you are going to get some of those benefits, and it's just a better way to look at a healthy life. And then the other one is, pretty much across the board, doesn't matter who you're talking to, chiropractors, physical therapists, nutritionists, personal trainers- everyone across the board is, diet is huge. You know, that's pretty much where you need to start. And whatever diet you choose, mine is always, you know, do the diet that works for you, and there's not one size fits all, but pretty much eating, you know, the best quality stuff you can. You know, you're over 40 now, you need the best protein powder, you need the best sources of meat, you need to start- if you can afford it- shopping organic, because so much of our food has been poisoned or toxic or stripped of minerals. And, you know, once you start fixing those things, it's just a game changer on all levels.

Matt Cundill  10:25  
One of the things I really liked about your show is your authenticity. And you expressed your vulnerability about situations, including like your most recent episode, you talk about your- I think you had a back issue. And I can't remember which part of your back it was. It was L5S something, something, something, which I wouldn't even know where to locate. If you gave me like Waze and I had to go up the spine, I'm not sure I could actually find it. But, you know, you talked about the recovery process and injury recovery. So you've been through it a couple times. Talk a little bit about anybody who has had an injury and how you mentally deal with it, and how you can physically overcome it just by, you know, getting some exercise.

Brad Williams  11:05  
Yeah, you know, I just dropped an episode today talking about that. And just, the whole mindset of not giving up hope. Like, I'm sure there's issues out there that probably won't be solved in our lifetime. But 98% of the time, there's something out there that's going to work for you. And for me, I was talking about my issues with my L5S1, which is basically the segment right above your tailbone. And that seems to be a big one for- for men, us being a little bit more top heavy, I guess it just puts more pressure over time on- just on that one specific spot, or the one above it, the L4L5. But just the trials and tribulations and Hell I've gone through over the last six years, never thinking that I'd be in that situation, you know, being a personal trainer, and being very mindful of form and all that. One accident was all that it took. A trip, holding- holding a heavy rack, and just my life spiraling- spiraling out of control because of that. But you know, never did I ever just say, you know, woe is me, I'm just gonna give up, I guess I'm just gonna have to be on drugs the whole time. I'm like, nope, I can't quit, you know, and also, I'm running my podcast, this is what I'm preaching all the time. So I've got to find something that works. And you just- you stick to it. And, you know, I have the ability to talk to all these different experts because of my podcasts, and I use some of their services, which helped a lot. And just time was one, you know, enough time goes by, your body can heal itself for a lot of things. And then just like I said, not giving up, you start finding all these different routines, exercises, supplements that give you that, you know, 1 to 5% increase in, you know, being pain free and mobility and whatnot. And on my episode i talked about how I'm feeling like, I'm 98%. You know, there's only just a hint that I ever even had a back issue, so. 

Matt Cundill  12:58  
You keep your episodes short, which is really special, because I know a lot of people think, oh, another podcast. It's going to be another 40 minute conversation where I have to give up like a big chunk of my life. But you've made a conscious effort to keep the episodes short. Why do you do that?

Brad Williams  13:11  
One, you know, when I even first started hearing about podcasts, you know, you always hear Joe Rogan and some of these other top guys or girls. And I started listening to 'em and it's like, God, I just can't. Some of these are like two hours long. I just can't do it. Like, why can't they just get to the point? And like my favorite YouTube channels are, you know, the shorter the better, 5 to 15 minutes. And I'm like, well, you know what, I'm gonna start a podcast where I just get to the point right away, you know, give the people the answer whatever the topic is. Even if I get on a guest, you know, we'll talk for an hour like we're doing, or 40 minutes, but I'll keep the guests on to like two to three different topics. That way, I can chop them up and make them into, like, more digestible episodes. And if the person is totally sold on the guests, they'll listen to the next two. If they're not, they'll just skip the other two and go on to the other one, which also is good for the algorithms for podcasting, you know, retention, holding people's retention levels. So if you start having episodes where people are dropping off, like, the algorithm starts punishing you, and then it stops showing your- your podcast to the world. So I did it one for the retention, one because of personal preference. And some of my favorite podcasts in the health and wellness field are, like, anywhere from three minutes to eight minutes long. So I'm just- I'm basically just kind of going off of what I enjoy and trying to do the same thing.

Tell me about your ability to speak by yourself. There's a lot of people who can't do a podcast, it's like, well, what am I going to say? I need a guest. Who do I say it to? But you're very comfortable behind the microphone. So why is that? How is that? Or is that just sort of an offshoot of being a personal trainer and directing outwards? I mean, you must imagine that your client is in front of you, you've got to envision this in your head. It's quite clever.

Yeah, so I think, you know, going through school, you get help with that. And everyone had to take speech class at some point in their life. And I think more just being a business owner for the last 15 years. And you know, I had three gyms at one point where you're just talking to everybody, going to network group meetings, giving up presentations. So I've just always been in- you know, into that realm. And I think for- for podcasting, what lured me to there, besides that story I was telling you, someone came to our network group and mentioned like how that helped her. But for me, I've always hated social media, hated doing it. I paid people to do it, I've done it myself, go all in for like three months and get nothing out of it and hated the entire process. And just the lure of doing a podcast, it literally was my phone at first, hit the button and just start talking. Didn't even have video like we're doing right now. And then over time, I got so comfortable that I was like, oh, I'm gonna get guests on my show. Obviously, we're gonna have to go on Zoom. And it's just one person. It's not like a big group of 50 people I'm talking to. So it's just- I was super comfortable with it. And then I just became really decent at editing. And I enjoyed it. And that was my thing is like, I'm going to keep at this: podcasting, editing, everything I enjoy. Because the second I add something like doing social media, I'm going to get burned out. And I'm going to quit everything altogether. So for me, if- you know, this is working for me, I do three episodes a week on my show. I'm loving it. I love all the guests. I'm getting on my show. I'm learning so much. I'm happy with that. So until- until I get to the point where I can just pay someone to do all these things and start scaling, then I'll get to that point.

Matt Cundill  16:40  
Brad, thanks so much for joining me on the show. I really appreciate it.

Brad Williams  16:43  
Yeah, absolutely. Thanks so much, Matt.

Matt Cundill  16:47  
My thanks to Brad Williams for joining me on the show. His podcast is called Over 40 Fitness Hacks. Give it a follow, and it's everywhere you would expect to find podcasts. The website is Over40FitnessHacks.com. This episode was produced by Evan Surminski and edited by Aidan Glassey, and built for your ears by everyone at the Soundoff Media Company.