Episode #11 Dawain Atkinson Fitness Coach and E2M Trainer

In this episode we interview Dawain Atkinson a fitness coach and E2M trainer that's been on an incredible journey! Dawain is also a natural bodybuilder and has made an incredible lifestyle change. His story will motivate and inspire you!

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

All right, guys, welcome back to the NLF coaching podcast. Today we are joined by the man myth legend Dwayne Atkinson. What up, what up? We've obviously known you quite a while. Um, you wear a lot of different hats in the fitness industry, but tell our viewers a little bit about what you do um and give yourself a good introduction.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Yeah, man. So uh my name is Dwayne Atkinson. Uh born and raised in a big city called Turkey, North Carolina. Uh, a lot of people are not familiar with it, that's why I always introduce myself like that. Um, but and I am the uh communications director for E2M Fitness and also a personal trainer and um, I guess trainer on video for E2M Premium.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Hey, I love it. So, yeah, uh Dwayne, obviously you competed uh was it last year now? Or uh yes.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

So I debuted March of 24, and then I did another show uh in Fairville November of 25. Um, so yeah, I've I've competed twice in the OCB, and uh yeah, we'll I guess we'll get into all those little details.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Absolutely, yeah. So, you know, obviously I'm an E2M coach alongside Dwayne now as well. So we're gonna get into a little bit of like E2M, how you got into that, and what you what you guys focus on over there. Uh Dwayne, obviously, having followed you for a while, been friends with you for a while, your transformation is incredible. So let's just go over, you know, what was the catalyst that you say I've got to change, I've got to prioritize my fitness. When did that happen? And then how did that evolve into getting onto the bodybuilding stage?

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Absolutely, man. So um, you know, I I was the the Abbott, you know, athlete, you know, in high school, and you know, you get married and you gain weight. Um, and then I went through where I was like, you know, lifting weights, just diet was terrible, just thinking I could outwork a bad diet, of course. Um, but in 2020, uh, pandemic time, my dad went into the hospital. Uh he was diabetic already, and and they had to remove part of his foot. And that's my superman, man. Like, you know, my dad, I've seen him do miraculous things, you know. Uh, you just he's always the man's man, strong, strong. And so to see him go through that, that hit me, man. Like, like, you know, some some parts in your life, you like, man, it's like a staple. Like, this was a part in my life where it's like, I don't want to be like that. Like, I don't want to go through that. And so in 2020, I got serious about trying to lose weight and you know, trying to get back in shape because I didn't want that same outcome for myself. And I was uh I was 38 at the time, and my whole mantra was I want to be fit by 40. And so, fast forward, uh, my barber uh during covet don't go to the barber much. So, you know, I went to the barber and he was looking super ripped. I was like, bro, what are you doing? And he pulled out his phone, he was like, Man, eat to win fitness, man. You need to sign up. I immediately came home, uh, told my wife about it, and uh uh we signed up in March of 2021. And my first round, first eight weeks, I lost uh 48 pounds. I mean, just dramatic, life-changing thing, and like um it's been it's been up ever since then, man. But the the thing that just changed everything, my my why became I I didn't want to uh I didn't want to go through what my dad went through, and I wanted to be healthy at 40. And I I'll add on to that. I remember growing up, my parents turned 40. They they had these over-the-hill parties. I don't know if you guys are familiar with this, but I used to have over-the-hill parties where people bring like crutches and stuff, and just and that's 40. And I was like, bro, like there's no way 40 is like that terrible, and so um that was the real big thing for me, is like getting fit by 40. Lost that weight, connected with E2M, uh, fast forward, man, got on the team, and and like I said, uh now I'm uh an amateur competitor currently.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

That's amazing, Dwayne. Yeah, and I mean, you know, I knew that story actually about how you were a product of E2M before you actually even became a coach, but I'd kind of forgotten about it. So I love to see that that you you know you did the program, you saw the benefits of the program, and now you get to share that program with you know the thousands of people that are involved in the program. Um, so while we're on the topic, what exactly is E2M and who do they target? How does it work? Just run us through like what your role as an E2M coach and and everything you do is.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Absolutely. So, you know, I always say I'm a client first, you know, and that's that's kind of my that's how I built my rapport with a lot of our clients is because I was a client first. But e2m stands for eager to motivate. Um, Jeff, Jeffrey Witherspoon, uh also known as Jeff Spoon, um, in college came up with this this business plan where you know you you get one person to sign up and they bring their friends and they got access or whatever. So he created this eight-week program that um pretty much blew up in 2020 because the gyms were closed, nobody could get the gyms, it was Facebook based. And so originally our audience or who we were attracting were uh people that were looking for you know rapid transformation. Um, over the years, gym opened back up, um, GLP1s, all those things came out, and so uh weight loss wasn't a a big thing, you know, as far as like doing the hard work to get it. And so uh being a genius that he is, he started e2m premium, which is our uh well, we we're actually still developing it, but it's kind of our strength training program. Uh and the timing was perfect for that. You know, we now have an app. Um, but e2m premium, you can find it on your Apple, Google, look it up right now. But E2M Premium is is uh strength training and is uh trainer led. Will's one of the coaches, I'm one of the coaches. Nate even makes some uh made a guest appearance on there. So um, but pretty much it's uh strength training, um, timer and attention, 15 minutes. We got programs inside of it, and so my role, although I'm the communications director, probably a more appropriate role would be like assistant operations because um I have my hand in marketing, I have my hand in uh programming, I have my hand in you know a lot of stuff like direct connect with Jeff and the CEO Adrian. And so uh really my my role is is I'm a make it happen guy. Like that's been me all my life. If you were trying to do something, I'm a let's make it happen. Like I don't have excuses, I just go get it. And so that's what E2M is. If you're interested, definitely go to e2mpremium.com, check us out. But uh that and that's my role uh in the company.

SPEAKER_02 6:59

That's awesome. Um, you're you're you're heavily involved in content creation in general, and you've been doing that for quite a few years, even before you got involved with e2m, correct?

SPEAKER_00 7:10

Yeah, man. So I always say I was I was doing POV videos before it was cool. Like I get those Facebook memories, and it's like 2020 uh 2016, me walking around with talking to my phone. Like I was doing that back then. Uh I don't know why, don't know where. I didn't go to school for it. Um, just really just I've been, you know, into content and and producing it. I remember when the word content started becoming popular. Like I had a podcast I started in 2012, um, when you can only get it on iTunes. Um, and I built a podcast network all while working a full-time job. And so uh, you know, just that part is is so natural to me. And just understanding trends and understanding like how to produce content, understanding audience and how to speak to certain audiences, uh just been uh I just said it's a God-given gift, man. It's something that I don't put a lot of effort in. I I soak it up really fast. And and again, no, no official training, no marketing school, no, no graphic design, none of that, man. Just uh really find an interest in those things and and uh and just I'm not afraid to try. That's me. I'm not afraid to try because I'm not afraid to fail. And uh, and that's I've been I've been in that game for a minute, man. And and that what you see now is way more polished than what I used to do back in the day, but I wasn't afraid to do that back in the day. So and that's why it comes out so much better now.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Yeah, I think there's so much value in that and everything, right? It's like just take action. Yes, you know, it's probably not gonna be perfect right out the gate, but at least you're moving and you're putting it out there, and then you're learning, you know, what gets traction, what doesn't get traction, what do I need to change, how do I market, and all of those things. So so many people focus on being perfect and never actually taking action. Yeah, I think action wins, you know, action always wins. Make a decision, go after it, and then learn. Uh, Dwayne, I like looking at a lot of your content now, I noticed that you're really kind of targeting guys in their 40s or even above, right? Because I know you're 44 years old. Um, so with that being said, what do you think men in their 40s need to focus on? And then how has your training changed over the years? Because I've noticed even at 34, my body doesn't recover like it used to. I've got more responsibility than I used to have, and I've had to make adjustments to my own training, and I'm not even 40 yet, so I'm very aware that the changes are gonna come again. So, from your experience, to any men that are listening that are over the age of 40 or approaching that milestone, what should they be focused on?

SPEAKER_00 9:49

Yeah, man. Um, you know, the biggest thing that I learned on this journey, uh, you know, hitting 40, uh, because you got to think about it. Like my 30s, I was unhealthy, you know. So the big the biggest thing I learned is the recovery piece. You're not 22 anymore. You know, you you need to stretch, you need the mobility aspect, you need to rest. Um, you know, if you're a former athlete, you have this, you know, push through, grind through. No, when you get your 40s, man, if something hurt, stop. That's that's number one right there. If it hurts, stop. Don't don't, there's no grind through, push through. We're not trying to make the team or nothing. Stop, figure out, you know, assess your body, make sure it's not a uh injury versus soreness. If it's soreness, you know, we can work with that, but if it hurts, stop, man. And that's because I I take on a few personal clients myself, man. And that's one thing that I'm teaching the guys is like, bro, you're you're not you're not trying to make the the starting lineup, you know. If your shoulder hurt when you do that, let's find another exercise where it don't hurt. So, my biggest advice to 40-year-old, if it hurt, stop. If you're sore, come back. Okay, don't sit home just because you're sore.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

Yeah, that's that's such a great point. Um, I love that analogy. You're not going for the starting team because I think when a lot of you know, the the most common ways you know, dads or men in their 40s get injured is they haven't done any running for years, and then they decide to go and do a sprint, and they're racing someone for fun, and then boom, their hamstring goes, or they go to play a basketball game that they haven't done in forever, and it's an Achilles injury, or their knee goes, and it's like, guys, you haven't trained, you're not you're not in college anymore. You know, your body has changed, you don't bounce back like you used to, you're not as pliable as you once were, and that isn't like offensive to say that, it's reality. And I think so many men in their 40s think, Well, I'm still that guy, they're driven ego, ego, ego. I can still be that guy, right? And it's maybe why, right? What and I think um it all comes down to your why. We talk about this with E2M all the time, you know, when you're not motivated, remember your why. What are you doing it for? So, Duane, what is your your why, you know, beyond just being healthy at this point? What is your what is your why for exercising when you don't feel like it, sticking to your diet when you don't feel like it? What keeps driving you forward?

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Yeah, man, the the you know, my future self, you know, uh, when I hit 40, I realize how young 40 actually is. You know, 40 is not old. It's not, man. It's not because you know, uh, my parents, they're now in their you know, their late 70s, and and uh, and that's my why, man. I I want when I'm in my I everybody knows, and you guys can attest to this. You know, of an Instagram person you follow that's really old, but it's in shape, and they they got like this their everybody's goal, it's a lady, it's a man, or whatever. I want to be that person. I want to be in my 70s, in my 80s, and I I want people to have memes of me. They're I'm the healthy one in life. You chose this lifestyle, this is this is what you look like. If you chose this lifestyle, this is what you look like. That's my why, man. Um, just just being being an example and and you know, uh being healthy in the latter years, because uh, you know, right now it's cool. I mean, it looks good. I can put on a black shirt, no design on it, feel good, look good. But when I'm 70, 80, I want to still have that same confidence. I want to be that guy in the gym that the influence would come up and say, hey man, how long you been working out? I want to be that guy, man. So, you know, it might be a little vain, but that's my why. We got some lag.

SPEAKER_02 13:41

Yeah, sorry.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Y'all got me?

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Yeah. So one thing I want to dive into that you mentioned in the first initial eight weeks with E2N that you lost what you said, 48 pounds. Yeah, that's incredible. So I think a lot of times when people get into like a weight loss journey, they see like an initial maybe an initial change like that where they drop a bunch of weight, but then habits kind of slip and they go back in the other direction. So, what was the catalyst to get you from that point and build from there? Like, what did you do to to maintain and build off of that and not just go backwards like a lot of people do?

SPEAKER_00 14:16

Yeah, man. Um, so for me, especially the first time, the first time it was fear. Uh, I was scared that if I ate a cheeseburger on the wrong day, I'll wake up like like now the professor, you know, he blew up all the. I just be honest, that's what it was. It was fear at first. Like, and then I realized, okay, there's a balance to this. Like, I don't have to eat this strict list all the time. But um, and and really to be honest, just on a mental side, I think it's it's more or less of seeing the big picture, you know. All we we all have, you know, whatever the goal is, but having a big picture of, you know, this, I don't want to go back to the guy I used to be. You know, um, I was a big guy, but I mean, it's funny because I've I've done interviews like this before, and it was like, you know, did this help your confidence? Whatever. No, I've always been confident, always, you know, even as a big guy. But what this did is, you know, I remember having to hold my breath the time I shoe. I remember, you know, going up steps and being winded. And so the the fear of, like I said, the fear of going back to that, and just you know, for me, it's always about going forward. And so once I lost the weight, it's like, hmm. I hit up Jeff. I was like, bro, I lost the weight. I want to start building muscle. He's like, okay, start going to the gym. Started going to the gym. Then it's like, hmm, uh, um, people said giving me compliments at the gym. Man, you should compete. Okay, I'm gonna try to compete. So it's it's always about moving forward, man. And and that's just having something to work towards is always a great initiative to keep going and not necessarily go back.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

Yeah, 100%. And I just circling back to something you said earlier of like, I want to be the 70-year-old, the eight-year-old that's in killer shape, and that's also something that I think about a lot. You know, I I want to be that guy, I'm I'm working towards being that guy, God willing, that we make it to that point, right? And then when we make it to that point, that we are those people. First and foremost, that work starts now. Yes, right, it's everything you're doing, is planting the seeds for those future years, but you know, so many people they say, Well, I'm not capable of being that person, right? Well, why not? Why can't you be? The only thing that's stopping you is what's going on in here, is the excuses that you're justifying. Um, anyone can become that person if they want to, right? It's like we know that we we can't all be professional athletes, right? Like that ship has sailed. Maybe we don't have the genetic potential to be LeBron James or whoever it is, but everybody has the ability to get in the best shape that they can, right? So when you're having conversations with people that are older, you know, that kind of have that, you know, pessimistic mindset or they don't believe it, how do you help them overcome that? What do you say to them?

SPEAKER_00 17:06

Man, so this this one of my favorite statements is be where your feet are. Um, you know, you can't go back, you can't undo, you got to be right where you are. If if that means uh great example is my dad. Uh, you know, I always challenge him to get up without somebody helping him up, and so that's where that's where his feet are right now is getting up without assistance out of the chair, getting that leg strength. Those are those are squats, you know, getting up out of the chair, same thing with mom, like using your legs, building your legs. So you can't, like I said, you can't go back and you can't fast forward, you're right here where you are. What can you do today? Not yesterday, not tomorrow. What can you do today? Can you take a walk? Take a walk. Can you, you know, do do a little movement around the house, you know, reach up the the head, shoulders, knees, and toes, whatever it is. You start right where you are. Um, my favorite, one of my favorite commercials is the old guy in the in the uh the shed lifting up the lifting up the kettlebell. And yeah, that bruh, that thing, I almost cry every time. Yeah, yeah. Well, you lift it, lift the kettlebell, and he every day he did the same thing. He he did the same thing every day until you know he was able to achieve his goal, which is lift his granddaughter up. So when he first started, it was a struggle. He barely can get it off the ground. Be where your feet are, show up every day, do what you can where where you are at that moment.

SPEAKER_02 18:31

Yeah, that's awesome. Um, something I want to dive into a little bit more, and you touched on it briefly earlier, but your um your experience with bodybuilding. So I know you've been competing for two years now. So, what was um what was the motivation to get into that? Obviously, we all kind of start somewhere, and I think for you, probably originated from your weight loss journey. But what was the motivation to kind of get into competing and put yourself out there and in that sport and try something new?

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Yeah, no, at first it was bucketless. It was, you know, I lost this weight. People say I got a you know, pretty nice frame. Uh let's give this a try, you know. Um, and I always told people I was one and done. I was bragging, one and done. Um, you know, call me, call me Zion Williams, I'm out. Um, but uh that that was the original motivation to answer the question. Um, just to prove that I could do it, man. Can I can I lock in for 20 weeks? Can I be, you know, I did it for eight weeks, can I do it for 20 weeks? Can I? I mean, because I'm I'm a I'm a rule follower guy, man. Whatever you tell me I'm doing, you know, I always joke. I said if Eric would have told me to eat some cardboard, I would be like, I've been eating cardboard, like whatever, man. That's just that's who I am. And so I was like, can I apply these uh these things about me to bodybuilding? And you know, can there be some success to that, man? And so uh that's that's what got me in, just kind of, you know, uh, and it's funny, man, because it's it's always about who you surround yourself with, you know, because I didn't know anything about it until you know, well, I mean, you know, just what you see on TV sparingly. And then when we started premium, we would bring in guys that competed, you know, and then we hired Eric. And so it just started being around me. I just got more intrigued, and it was like, man, I I think I can do that, man. And so, you know, I was able to debut in in uh Wilmington and did another show in Fairville, and you know, we'll see what the future holds. Uh, nothing this year, if the whenever this dropped, nothing this year. Um, just because I had major surgery at the beginning of the year, but uh maybe, maybe see me again in 27. We'll see.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

I love it. Yeah, you're gonna enjoy a well-ended off season for a little bit, right?

SPEAKER_00 20:44

Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

I think uh the thing that I love about fitness, and I and I see this with you as well, is it's something that I always keep in my mind, is that it's bigger than me. You know, like this isn't this isn't about me. This is about who else's life can you change through fitness, you know, it's a domino effect when you don't know how many people you may have impacted, you know a few, but you don't know everyone that you've impacted just by you committing to your own fitness journey, by you losing all the weight. Some people, somebody somewhere is looking at you saying, Wow, he did it and I want to do it myself, you know. So something for me that I always keep in the back of my mind is that it's bigger than me, it's not about me. I have to do this because there might be people that are needing the inspiration, they're needing the motivation, they need you know to keep pushing. Um diving into something else that ties into it. Dwayne, I know you're big into your faith. Um, you are a man of Christ. And then how do you tie that into fitness? Because you know, it it can be a sore subject, but um you talk about gluttony potentially being being a sin, not not potentially being a sin, being a sin. So how do we? How do we get that across to people to that their body is a temple? Um, there is an expectation as a Christian to take care of yourself and to take care of your body. How do you tie that into your fitness?

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Yeah, man. So, you know, the the first thing is, you know, everything that I do is is unto Christ, man. Everything that I do uh is to give him glory at the end of the day. You know, I don't take credit for anything, it's all for his glory. Um, and so the way that you make the connection, the way I try to make the connection, uh, similar to the the temple, uh, you know, your body's a temple aspect is I bring up, you know, the the the Timothy verse, man, where it says, exercise is good. He said that he didn't say it was bad. He's like, moving your body is good, but spiritual body, I mean your spirit, your soul is more important, and we all agree to that. And so the fact that he took the time, he didn't have to say that line. Paul didn't have to say that line. He was talking to Timothy, he was he was writing to the to Timothy, one of his preachers, that was uh placed in a different he did not have to say that, so there had to be some importance there for him to bring up that taking care of your body is a good thing. Uh, you know, so in my mind, I imagine Timothy, you know, a little rocked up, you know what I'm saying? He's pushing around some boulders, he's pretty good shape, and it's like just a reminder, bro, keep keep it up, but also take care of your soul, man, take care of your your spiritual life. And so, uh, whenever you see it clear in scriptures, when you see, you know, the bodies of temple, when you see, you know, uh uh the people that run and do the Daniel fast, I don't suggest it, but people that that run and do that kind of stuff, when you see in the in, you know, Jesus walked everywhere, you know, you know he was getting his steps in. When you see all those plain those things in plain sight, man, um, it's it's easy to make that connection of you know uh guideline godliness and physical fitness uh going going hand in hand. Um, but I I do want to be clear about this. Um, it isn't a you know, we don't have a works-based faith, which is hard for guys like us that work and earn everything, you know, the to understand that your works will not get you into heaven. So we don't have a works-based faith, but we still work for the glory of God. So that I I kind of went all over the place, but at the end of the day, man, whatever you do is for his glory. And if if you have issues or trouble with the plate and eating too much and being sluggish, uh, proverbs, proverbs talk about the sluggard, talk about the lazy, the you know, he it tells that these are bad traits. You want to find all the good traits, you want to be, you know, you want to be steadfast, you want to be resistant, you know, all of those things, man. It all connects in the Bible, and uh it there's no disconnect when it comes to your physical fitness and your walk with Christ.

SPEAKER_02 25:01

Yeah, I love that point. Yeah, that's awesome. Um, transitioning a little bit into some of your personal coaching. You said you you work with some males online as well. Yeah, man. When you're getting into uh when you're while onboarding a client, um, I'm assuming it's probably guys looking to lose weight, make transformations like similar to you did. Um, what is your approach for starting up with people like that? What's your philosophies and and what do you try to preach to those guys?

SPEAKER_00 25:29

Yeah, so uh really the the biggest thing that I notice in the fitness world is the extremes of everything, you know. When protein, when we figured out protein was good now, protein isn't everything, protein in this, protein everybody, you know. Yeah, man, protein everywhere, and so what I try to bring my philosophy is real life and sustainability because I can get you, I can I know enough to put you strict, like you on peak week, and you'll be missing. I know enough to do that, but that you're not gonna keep that up, man. And so I set we set real expectations and we figure out we don't try to make you change your life, we try to help fitness fit inside your lifestyle because a lot of guys, my age, they're busy, they're traveling, you know, they're working, whatever. And so my philosophy is you know, sustainability and how we can take what you already do, make a couple of tweaks, and start a healthy lifestyle. You won't see a dramatic change. If you want that, I can give that to you, but you will see that belt loop getting looser, you will see those clothes fitting better, and you will feel better about yourself.

SPEAKER_01 26:41

Yeah, that's a great point. I think there's been expectations have been so warped, right? Because people see the Hollywood transformations, right? And they see the the actor that's ripped, and it's like, well, he's 50 and he's still ripped. Well, yeah, there's in Hollywood, there could potentially be some drug use going on. They're being paid millions of dollars to look a certain way for a role, which majority of people would potentially do for that for that money or that role, but that isn't realistic for the average person that has a family that has a full-time job. So I think it's getting back to setting realistic expectations of what health looks like when you're in your 40s, your 50s, or your 60s, right? It's not inherently about walking around with a six-pack all the time, it's the ability to find the balance to be able to be healthy, but then also be able to enjoy your family, be able to have ice cream with your kids, be able to have pizza when you know it's the right time. Just because you're dieting, you're not in a bodybuilding prep, right? And I think human nature is to get super extreme and say, Well, I saw this guy in a bodybuilding prep and he got ripped, so that's what I want to do. And the amount of people that we have to say, look, it's awful, you know it's awful. Getting that sucks. And for the average person, a they're not gonna do it, that there's no way that you would get that lean unless you have a bodybuilding prep. Um, but that isn't what health looks like, right? So, you know, your your healthy body fat range is gonna be somewhere in the I don't know, 12 or 10 to 16 percent, depending on you genetically and how you feel at a certain level of leanness. But it's also, you know, sometimes saying, I'm not gonna train the day because I'm exhausted, I'm sore, right? But people get that David Goggins mentality of you know, like I've got to go, and they'll wrap themselves up, they'll take pre-workout, and it's like you would have been so much better just taking the day off and coming back to it tomorrow when you're actually recovered, because now all you're doing is borrowing energy from the following days, right? So, what's your kind of what's your take on that? Like, how do you listen to the feedback that your body's giving you at this point in your life?

SPEAKER_00 28:54

Yeah, man, that's that's huge. Because I kind of touched on touched on it before, man, that you you you're you have to get rid of that mentality because I'm gonna go ahead and you're you you're halfway to the age I am, so I'm gonna go ahead and tell you, you still gonna feel like you're a high school kid when you get 40. It doesn't change, you never in your mind think that you're you're old, you know. And so when for me, uh, because I did this, uh actually, I did this at the beginning of the year. Like, I cut all of my gym sessions short. I would go to the gym for 15, 20 minutes, get a good pump, and come out. And the recovery and just the way that my body was able to heal and rest was phenomenal, bro. Like, you know, I went from an hour, hour and a half session to 15-20 minutes of just good pump work and getting out. And you know, most people were like, Oh, you ain't you ain't do anything. But whenever I I got to a place where I was comfortable and and my you know, I felt like I was actually you know getting some some rest and good recovery. Whenever I came back to go hard, my strength was there, like it was it was like I I got a boost, it was like my body was like, bruh, thank you for giving me a break, you know. So and I think the older that you get, that the more important it is to take those breaks. To uh, you know, you guys are see, which y'all, if y'all don't know Nate and A and Will, they're real weightlifters, those boys go, they go real hard. I I've done seen it myself. So they have to do D load weeks. That's what the professionals call it. They do D-Load weeks and they they document it. But for us regular people on this side, this side screen, you know, just take take a couple days off, you know, or not stay in as long. But like you said, man, it's so important to remember that when it comes to your journey, man, just to take that time and and uh and and you know, just just give you a chance to just give your body a chance to recover.

SPEAKER_02 30:50

Yeah, something uh I wanted to touch on that you mentioned earlier with your coaching philosophies is the sustainability side of things. And I think for myself, and that's that's one area I think as a coach, and we will could probably test this and you as well. Like when you have a bodybuilding background, I think your philosophy with everybody is that why can't they just be locked in and be out? That's not that's not realistic at all. And it's like first in the coaching um lifestyle people, and you have a background in that area where you're so used to being like all too rigid and and locked in, and maybe just don't have the same life responsibilities your lifestyle clients do. Your expectations that they can replicate what you did and bring around their meal prep and their scale everywhere they go with to their kids' soccer games and stuff like that. That's not practical. So learning how to coach people to create a more sustainable lifestyle is like it's such a big thing that I think a lot of young trainers and coaches probably struggle with early on because when you typically most people get into like the the fitness industry in their early 20s, I would say, like as coaches and stuff like that. And and that's generally a life place where you don't have nearly as many responsibilities. So I think to have the mindset to coach people on like more sustainability and balance is is a big challenge early on. I think for myself in my early 20s to now just being 30. Um, that's an area I've I've seen growth in myself, and I bet you guys could probably attest to that as well. Um pretty common.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

No, 100%, bro. 100%. And you know, no shade on the younger trainers, man. But you know, you you don't know what you don't know, and you know, and just some things just come with time and experience, and you know, it it just I've seen it, I've seen it abused. Um, I've seen people get turned off by it. I've seen it on so many different levels. And you know, I really, you know, for that young trainer that's listening to this this this great podcast, man. Um, I I would challenge you to to you know take a beat, man. Take a step back and and think about your client. Think about what, like you said, what responsibilities they have that you don't have yet. You know, think about you know uh what what got them to the point of needing a trainer, you know, all of that stuff matters, man, when it comes to you know figuring out how you want to how you want to train someone. And it's it's uh it's like I said, it's kind of unfortunate, and it's not it's not the kids' fault. I mean, I hang to say kid, but it's not the young trainer's fault that they don't have the perspective yet, you know. Um uh my wife actually recently talked to a nutritionist, and uh the the young lady was maybe about 20 something, and my wife was trying to talk to her about you know the perimenopause menopause, you know, frame. And and there was a disconnect, obviously. You know, uh you can you can educate yourself, sure, of course, but there's a disconnect when you don't have that that life experience. And uh it's just it's it's just super important to understand where you are, you know, and and like you mentioned, Nate, like expecting them to lock in, yeah. You know, we we can we can think it all we want, but it's not gonna happen. You know, you're better off have finding a softer approach um than being frustrated and disappointed and ruining ruining someone's experience and potentially losing a client, as opposed to you know, trying to, you know, get somebody to be stage ready and they they they have no intention to do something like that.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

Yeah, it's like you said, you don't know what you don't know. And until you have kids and things like that, it's really hard to know how to coach somebody. I can remember clients coming in and being like, Wow, I did I didn't sleep good last night with the kids and I have all this and die was terrible and all just be like okay, yeah, sure, whatever. But once you have kids and stuff like that, and you start to you're in the trenches of some of the situations, you become so much more relatable because you can understand where they're at. So I think it's like it adds a layer to your skill set just naturally with the life experience. We're talking about just um his his philosophy of like sustainability and just talking about how like a lot of that intertwines with just life experience.

SPEAKER_01 35:03

Yeah, I mean for sure. Sorry about that. I had a pop-out, we had an issue in the gym. Um the problem with being a gym owner too, right? Um but on top of that too is like also don't inherently follow what I do because I if I'm body if I'm a bodybuilder, I might have those days where I I still have to train. But if you're just you know the regular gym goer that that wants to lose some weight, that doesn't have aspirations to be on the bodybuilding stage, you have much more leeway to you know take the days off or to to really you know listen to your body in a different way. So we talk about this all the time on the podcast, but the more extreme the goal, the more extreme the methods in order to get there, right? So if you don't have a super extreme goal, then don't follow someone whose goals are super extreme and then believe you have to train the same way that they do, right?

SPEAKER_00 35:59

No, 100%, bro. 100%. Like, you know, the we see it, we see it a lot. I mean, even with our clients with uh with premium and e2m, you know, it was like I won't. I literally just got this message before we got on. How do I get arms like Mandy and Nanette? It's like, okay, I could tell you, but you know, are you willing to do it? You know, are you willing to dial in? Are you willing to do this? Well, you know, we a lot of times we have those big, like you said, extreme goals. In order to reach a man, you have to have extreme commitment. And uh, and and and that's where it's a balance, man, because you know, I could I could have just shot it down. I could have been like, man, lady, whatever, it's not gonna happen. But I I was like, hey, you know, uh, they do this, you know, they do this. If you're willing, if you're willing, if that's what you want, you know, you can definitely you can definitely achieve it. I know it's never tell you you can't, but just understand there's a certain level of dedication that it takes to reach that kind of thing. So, you know, that just you know, I try to be nice.

SPEAKER_02 37:03

Yeah, and I think I think setting those realistic expectations up front with your clients just it creates a better experience for them and from a sustainability standpoint and client retention standpoint, and you you're better off just being up front with people about being realistic about what it takes to get to certain goals and if they want to get to single digital body, just tell them what it's gonna look like if they want to lose a certain amount of time, don't shoot or coat what it's gonna take to get there, right?

SPEAKER_01 37:28

100 something else that I I like to highlight too is that really the physique is secondary to all the other benefits that you get, and then the physique actually becomes a byproduct of just doing the work for the other benefits, right? So with E2M, we're always talking about the the benefits of strength training being you know, increased or at least maintain bone density, strengthening the tendons, uh keeping your joints healthy, uh, building muscle so that your metabolism is higher, you know, all the other benefits that come with it. And if you focus on those things, six months from now, all of a sudden your physique looks a whole lot better when you weren't actually even just focused on the physique in the first place.

SPEAKER_00 38:09

100%, man. 100%. You know, it's I like how you said it's the byproduct, man, because you know, it's it's no longer the the main focus, you know. Because even for me, the the biggest thing that uh, especially in my weight loss journey, was you know, I wanted to feel better. Like I didn't, I won't looking at the numbers. I'd I barely weighed myself the whole process. I just wanted to feel better. I wanted to, like I said, tie my shoe without holding my breath. I wanted to do all those little things, run behind my kids without getting tired. And you know, same with each one premium, man. If you know, if you do these workouts, you know, and and you're you're going to get stronger. You and you know, clients talk about all the time how you know they they just feel better about themselves, they can move around better, they can they can lift things better, and all and then and just like, oh surprise, now you even look better, you know. So I like how you you put the the byproduct, and then it's it's just one of those things, it's like the the the the the benefit, man, that you wasn't even expecting, you know, uh after you put in the work for sure.

SPEAKER_01 39:19

Yeah, I love that. Um, yeah, self-esteem, confidence, belief, all of those things that can be carried over into so many areas of your life. And we have so many clients that say, Oh, I will I could never step on stage, I'll never do that. Then that because they're viewing it from the lens of where they currently are, and then once they get into it and they spend a year training and then they see themselves lean out, and then they see someone else compete, and then all of a sudden they're like, actually, that's what I want to do, right? So it's like just because you you can't do it now doesn't mean that one day if you do the work, you won't be in a position to do it, yeah. It's not something that you want to do.

SPEAKER_02 39:57

Yeah, we have a lot of we have a lot of athletes in the gym here at New Limits that just started as lifestyle clients and eventually transition into competing as a byproduct of living a really healthy lifestyle. They're not like two different things necessarily, right? It's like just establishing a healthy lifestyle and you don't know where it's gonna lead you and what opportunities.

SPEAKER_00 40:18

Yeah, no, and that that was like I said, it was the thing for me. It was like, oh, like this this could be another level, you know. It's always for me, it's always like I'm always trying to progress, always trying to get better. So, you know, I lost the weight, started gaining muscle. Another level, can you be disciplined enough to step on the stage? And so that's where we are, man. And uh we're we're holding right here till I cross over and get that pro card. That's the next level.

SPEAKER_01 40:44

So it's coming, bro. It's coming. You you put the work in, you've got the working. Yes, sir. Dwayne, you've been awesome, man. It's been great to have you on. Um, leave us with one last piece of advice for the audience that that you would give.

SPEAKER_00 40:58

Man, listen. So, first of all, thank you guys for having me on. Uh, you know, that's let me start there because uh you guys have been doing your thing. Uh, what the audience might not know is uh this is this is one of my offsprings. Like I help you guys if I help you guys start a podcast, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:19

This is even the thing because of Dwayne, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:23

Yeah, man. We need Dwayne, Dwayne, what do we do? Yeah, man, yeah, no, 100%. Uh, and and I'm super proud to see that it see it take off, man. And I know it is it's gonna keep going. Um, but you know, my my word of advice, and I mentioned it before, man, is uh step out, man. Do stop talking, stop sitting on the sideline, stop daydreaming. You know, the guy in the corner, man, the guy that sit on the corner, listen, he's he's been to space, he's an NBA player, he's been to the league, he done everything in the world, but he sat right down that corner, and all he does is talk about it. He had to move. Don't be that guy on the corner, man. Step out and do. If you if you if you're brave enough to dream it, be brave enough to chase it. I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_01 42:09

I'm fired up, man.

SPEAKER_02 42:12

You're an inspiration, man. We really appreciate you um jumping on here and all the help that you provided us getting our podcast off the ground. Um uh everyone's really um, I'm sure been learning a lot from you and your journey today, and you've been an inspiration, I know, to us. So thank you again for taking some time to tell us about your story and um spread the word about your journey, man.

SPEAKER_00 42:33

Appreciate y'all, man.

SPEAKER_02 42:34

We'll see you soon, brother. We'll give you a car next time you need more tech support.

SPEAKER_00 42:39

We gotta get those mics right, but we'll say that offline next time.