Transcript
Speaker: Life is a test every single day, no matter what, even if you don't think it is. So do you make a good choice? Do you make a bad choice? Do you find yourself given a search circumstance or is a situation?
Speaker: And you look at that and go, how is that going to change my life today? How could that change my life today? When someone cuts me off on the road, I smile away to them.
Speaker: you know, Thank you for giving me the opportunity to control my emotions. Yeah. When someone says something that does something stupid, again, it's another lesson. We all have lost, don't lose lesson.
Speaker: Welcome to the Captains and Coaches podcast week for the art and science of leadership through the lens of athletics and beyond. I'm your host, Texel Koukoukou, and today I'm traveling to South Carolina at Sorenix headquarters to sit down with my friend Fairfax Hackley.
Speaker: Fairfax has spent his career backstage and on stage in the bodybuilding world. He has served as the chief protocol for the IFBB worked with the Arnold Classic for 34 years. He is the Senior Vice President for the International Sports Hall of Fame, now in its 15th year with inductees like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronda Rousey, David Goggins, Marcus Allen, NFL great, and more. But this conversation really isn't about bodybuilding.
Speaker: It's about mentorship. It's about earning your seat at the table instead of buying it. It's about what happens when you lose everything and have to decide who you're going to be on the other side of HAK is trained with legends, has stories like literally catching Lou Ferrigno Falling mid-stage during the show and has relationships that have lasted decades. I'm very fortunate to meet him way back in 2009 at the very start of my coaching journey and have been connected with him throughout the years.
Speaker: And he's been there for me, especially when I needed a lesson in the industry and one for life. So very fortunate to sit down with Hack at Soarinx. With that, let's hand it off to Hack who helps us raise the game.
Speaker: Ready, ready and break. Action. Fairfax Hackley, thank you for taking the time to sit down. This is a long time coming. Glad we waited so long. Well, good things come to those who wait. You are not wrong. One of many one-liners and lessons I've taken from you, I've known you since 2009. I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed young trainer in Seven Corners, Virginia, and then You would listen to me speak and not be afraid to give me some guidance and advice. And I'm glad I welcomed all of it because, yeah, I had no idea who you were and what your accomplishments were up to that point and still continue to. I'm going to interject there. I knew you were going to be good.
Speaker: I knew you were going to be good. This is why we've stayed together for so long. You know, so many people in this industry, in this business, they don't really turn out like you think you want them to. And then, you know, the universe will bring people into your life. It may be a minute, an hour, a day, a week, or even a lifetime.
Speaker: And you stayed in for close to 20 years. Yeah. So that lets you know that it's real, it's genuine. And I'm also honored to have it be on this. yeah for you and i mean you you've accomplished a lot in your career i mean i would love to learn and go all the way back to the beginning because i mean we were connected at a point where you involved with the arnold and then stepped into the international sports hall of fame and that continues to grow and which is fun to see but how did you even get to that point well basically i was an athlete my whole life um i did judo as a kid i ran track played football in high school
Speaker: I graduated from Dartmouth College. Okay. Ivy? Yes, Ivy League grad. I also um was privy to go to the premiere a Pump and Iron because Charles Butler and George Gaines lived in New Hampshire. All right. And Dartmouth is located in New Hampshire.
Speaker: So they did the premiere at Dartmouth. But prior to that, my interest in bodybuilding came about because I love Tarzan. Okay. And I love Steve Reeves, the original Hercules.
Speaker: And so I was able, as I got older and took over the Mr. America contest, to be able to honor Steve Reeves at one of our events competition. And that was so special for me because he actually won the Mr. America in 1947. Okay.
Speaker: And he went on to have an iconic acting career. But he was my really first inspiration sport of bodybuilding. And then I got an opportunity to do the same with Bill Pearl.
Speaker: And Bill Pearl was against the universe. Bill Pearl is the only bodybuilder ever to beat Arnold. A lot of people don't know that. I did not know that. Yes. And Bill's workouts began at three o'clock in the morning.
Speaker: in a big shed that he had built, almost like a giant storage facility. And he trained Chris Dickerson there, who went on to win the Miss America in 1982. um He was also a person who was, he was a vegetarian.
Speaker: I did none of that? Yes. And so um later on, he adapted, started eating eggs and things like that. But I was wondering, like, how the heck could you put on that much muscle in just eating plants? But he managed to have that balance and a fantastic human being.
Speaker: That's amazing. And I mean, a whole different world back then where now we have YouTube and we, you know, cell phones and Instagram to reach out to people. If you saw someone that you wanted to learn from, what was life like back then?
Speaker: How did you reach out and connect? You had to know someone who knows someone to know someone. In the case of Vince Garanda, I got the phone number to his gym. And I called him up on the pay phone and I told him who I was. And he didn't blow me away.
Speaker: Normally, he would curse you out and say, don't call back or, you know, it'll cost you this amount of money. But always seem to have this affinity to um be able to connect with people.
Speaker: And Vince was the first guy who was non-steroids into like the glanulars. and the protein way before other people were, and into the steak and eggs diet.
Speaker: So the guys who adapted that suddenly realized, i mean, he was the predecessor to the car carnivore diet, and way ahead of for everybody else. And he was doing 24, 36 eggs a day, plus steak.
Speaker: And he would put you on that regiment for six weeks, and every single athlete that he trained or consulted with was always shredded. Man, did he own a farm? Yeah, he would be old McDonald, maybe. Golly, that's a lot of eggs. Well, you know, Steve Rees also had a farm.
Speaker: um later on in his life. And he raised Morgan horses. The Morgan horses looked like the Clydesdale. They were big, heavy horses back in the day. So he was another one that ate a lot of eggs and everything was farm to table for him.
Speaker: Yeah. So, I mean, speak to us then about the the mentorships, the opportunity. What questions were you asked? Were you just being taught and absorbing? Were you in being inquisitive and aiming to learn?
Speaker: So I think for a lot of young learners now, it's important to use observation rather than, oh I have this question, I have this question, I have this question for you.
Speaker: Because a lot of these guys want you to know that you've done your homework, you've done some research, you've done some background. You can't walk up to a guy say, how many sets do you do?
Speaker: You know, ah next. ah what what So bring something to the table that you've done something a little bit more in depth. And then tell a little story about yourself.
Speaker: And then the old adage that I mentor young speakers with, tell them what you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them. And you learn those things, you can't miss it being a speaker. But it also helps you to talk to people that you may not ever get an opportunity, and you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Speaker: Yeah, that's a good one. Did they ever try to test you through? Oh, absolutely. What were some of those fun tests like that you recall? Well, I got to train with Steve Mahalik. I don't know if you know him. He was the guy who came up with intensity or insanity.
Speaker: yeah And he would do 100 sets per body part. And he actually won the Mr. America in 1972. He had a chest and waist.
Speaker: but And he was absolutely crazy. You don't say. Yeah, I'm crazy. he He was a different human being. um I got to train with him. And he asked me, um said, well, do you want to go through a workout? and I said, sure.
Speaker: And he said, well, how much do you curl on on the regular? said, well, probably for reps and sets, I probably use 35-pound dumbbells. He gave me two 35-pound dumbbells, and he put $400 in my by hand. He says, this will be yours if you can hold onto this after I finish working your biceps.
Speaker: It took less than three minutes, and I could not grasp. And you know how you're sending a formula and you're trying to push the $100 bills next to your body? was done. Wild. was absolutely done.
Speaker: And then I went on to meet John Defendance, who was his top pupil. And from that point, I started doing a lot of writing for the different bodybuilding magazines. So I did articles for Muscle & Fitness, Flex Magazine, oh Muscle Mag International. And national and in around 19, want to say,
Speaker: I stepped into a role in the IFBB as an expediter, so working backstage. And eventually, ah through hard work and determination and being able to be creative about what was going on, because backstage was just total chaos in most shows. I believe it. I mean, no, you have no idea. You tell guys to line up, and they'd be ready to go on stage, and somebody would walk away.
Speaker: and go to the bathroom or sit down. he like you know It was really frustrating. So I came up with a protocol so that we would be able to do that and also how the bodybuilders, male and female, stood on stage, how they presented themselves, and then elimination.
Speaker: Because when you had contests, if you had 40 or more bodybuilders, really tough to have the judges be able to see and critique, and they have a very short window. I was also a guy that started on time and ended on time.
Speaker: I insisted upon that. So I eventually became chief of protocol. So I was very, very concise. If we had a pre-judge that started at 11, we were done in under two hours. Same thing with the finals.
Speaker: And I was known for that. And nowadays finals are like six or seven hours. If you go to like the Olympia, it's, you know, that's not fun anymore. I mean, no matter how much I'm you know passionate about bodybuilding, I don't want to sit in a chair for seven hours.
Speaker: That's just crazy. Yeah, yeah. Fortunate you gifted some tickets on the media team to the Olympia, and I got to experience a lot of that. I did not make it to the finals, did not make it to the end. It was a long night. There's a reason for it. Yeah. You know, um and it's just, you know, considering a day where you're getting up at about six o'clock in the morning and then you're going through to two, three o'clock in the morning next day and having to get up again and doing it all over again, plus eating, hydration, changing, trying to get in interviews, meet with people. That's really, really stressful. Mm-hmm. So I think the critique of Mr. Olympia for the past five, or six years that's been taken over by Jake Wood is that they want to figure out a way to cut the show down.
Speaker: So to no more than four hours. There's now presently 12 divisions, which makes it almost impossible. OK. is how would What's your view on fixing that, correcting it?
Speaker: Well, the first thing, um i don't believe in everyone gets a medal. especially at the highest echelon of any sport. mean, if you go to Olympic games and you don't you don't make the next round, there's no do over. you know You're done.
Speaker: And you could be the world champion, world record or Olympic champion, you're just done of the air. I think the what they need to do is eliminate to the top 10 Because from five to 10 people, there's really no difference.
Speaker: But if you're in the top five in the world, you're telling the world and the people who are coming, these are the best top bodybuilders, fitness figure, people in the world, and examine them and do something about how are you going to judge them and how are you going to view them. I don't need to see 30 or 40 bodybuilders. I don't really care about that. That doesn't make any sense to me.
Speaker: And something that I would have ruled against when I was chief of protocol. and It's just, you know, it's just crazy. And then you're trying to navigate, you know, 50 or 60 athletes backstage.
Speaker: um And beforehand, you have over 400 athletes. Yeah. And so you can imagine trying to just juggle that and make sense of that. um But I really think that that's the issue. They really need to cut it down.
Speaker: And we don't need to see more than five people in each category in the finals. Yeah. um You also had experience with the Arnold and helped shape that into the experience that it is currently.
Speaker: How did you get rocking and rolling with that team? And what changes have you seen? i mean, over however long it's been with you. Well, of course, you know, I'd been here 34 years. I was very involved in the very beginning in 1989 when it was the first Arnold. And the good thing about it, I was still chief of protocol then.
Speaker: And i invited Rich Gasparri to come and compete. And I'd been on a tour with Richie in the fall of 1988. So I told him, I said, Richie, you need to come and do the Arnold for the first time. It was the first one, and he ended up winning.
Speaker: All right. Then I spent 34 years with him. And eventually, um that relationship wasn't because of Arnold. was because they made some changes into management and ownership.
Speaker: And after 34 years, it was time to walk away. So um fortunately, ah one of our advisory board members, Dan Solomon, president Olympia,
Speaker: was gracious enough to, and he saw the value in having the International Sports Hall of Fame aligned with the Olympia weekend. And we've done it the past three years. This year is our third.
Speaker: And we're really, really looking forward to being part of that weekend. Yeah. And I've been fortunate to observe a couple of those ceremonies. How long has the International Sports Hall of Fame been around?
Speaker: And what's the mission, vision, and values connected to it? So this was started by Dr. Robert Goldman, who believe it or not started NASM. Oh, did I know? Yes, he did.
Speaker: He's also started A4M. um He has a book out now called Unstoppable. But he wanted to um recognize the best of the best. But part of our mission is not just to be the best in your sport and activity, but also giving back to your community.
Speaker: So some athletes will retire, and they don't do they don't have anything to do with the sport anymore unless they're being paid. So some of those athletes may you know segue into broadcasting or commentary or analysis, but they're really not involved with you know the community. And there's so much that can be gained from being able to take an OG,
Speaker: with some of these younger athletes and helping them understand how to navigate through not only a career in sports, but also through life because they've had that experience. So you can't buy experience.
Speaker: You have to experience experience. And when you be able to give that away, that's part of your leadership. And so we're looking at that as a point to start with the nomination and selection.
Speaker: Yeah. And ah what are some names that you've brought into the fold that you've honored? I know we got pops here and you presented that he got into the International Hall of Fame at Summer Strong a couple years ago. Yes.
Speaker: What are some other big names that people would recognize to to show the the variety of people that have been inducted? So this year probably is our most diverse class ever.
Speaker: We have a gentleman, Vitamar Macisic, who's a world champion freediver. He holds the Guinness Book of World Records for 29 minutes, three seconds of holding his breath.
Speaker: We have, which is absolutely crazy. Magic. Just total, total craziness. We have Dexter Jackson, the winningest bodybuilder, pro bodybuilder of all time. We have Gary Kasparov, a former world chess champion and the most decorated Russian athlete of all time.
Speaker: I have Eric Dickerson, the Hall of Fame running back for the Los Angeles Rams, and the NFL single season holder in yards gained, and also the Harlem Globetrotter organization. The whole organization? The whole organization, which they're celebrating 100 years of their founding.
Speaker: So to go back to your question, we have inducted Arnold, we have inducted Triple H, we have inducted David Goggins. She's fighting tonight. We've inducted Ronda Rousey. We've inducted Kayla Harrison. We've inducted Hoist Gracie. We've inducted Mark Henry.
Speaker: We've inducted Kurt Angle, Randy Couture, just to name a few people. But we have really a who's who yeah of people that we've inducted over the years. This will be our 15th year of operation.
Speaker: I'm really excited about this year. um You know, you mentioned Pops. Pops and I had a relationship for over 40 years. And I rock my handlebar mustache because of that relationship and Mighty Mints. And so when I wear the logo and I'm here, it has a very special meaning to me.
Speaker: I mean, I reconnect with him. Last night I was just telling him jokes and having a great time. And it was a very, very special moment for me. Yeah. And...
Speaker: Time out, Tex here to talk about training on my old bull program that I deliver through Train Heroic. This is the program that I am writing for myself to rebuild my body.
Speaker: Former collegiate athlete, barbell enthusiast for decades, And this is an opportunity for us to continue to grow and have fun on the program to keep you coming back for more. I got two required days on the program, full body, one heavy push, one heavy pull, two other dumbbell based strength days in case you have to travel, and then two cardio days, one max heart rate, and then one longer, slower distance.
Speaker: We're hitting everything in the week. You can rearrange the days to fit your schedule, whatever it may be. I'm following the program along with you. You can see my lifts and I can coach your lifts up on the platform. That's the beauty of it.
Speaker: Come join me for a seven-day free trial. Click the link in the show notes. if you're watching on YouTube, click here. With that, let's get back to the show. Ready, ready, and break. i I do want to sit in the strength community because you've been a part of that and it's difficult to describe and we we feel it when we're here each year at Summer Strong. So how can you, guess to the the younger listeners or people that may be just getting into the the coaching space, like the the strength community, how special is it to you? how would you recommend them to understand this experience that it can be beneficial and in you know giving to your soul?
Speaker: First thing I would do to reach out and find a mentor, someone who has a vast experience, someone that you have followed and liked, and then reach out to them and find out what they have done to accomplish to be able to get to where they are.
Speaker: Next thing, look for leadership. You know, if you want to lead, you got to lead by example. Mm-hmm. So a lot of these young kids and influencers don't really have the experience underneath their belt.
Speaker: And because of the internet and you know what's going on social media, that they can suddenly build themselves up, get all of these likes, and then you find out there's nothing behind that.
Speaker: You know, they're not even paperweights. And so it's, you know, they'll come to an event like this. And not only will no one know them, but, you know, you haven't really earned your dues.
Speaker: And it has to be earned, not given here. You're not wrong. Okay. And I'll say that again. It has to be earned. It's not given here. Either you can do something, you can lift the weight, or you can't.
Speaker: And so the people here are very basic. They understand, but they know the value of being strong and having a willpower and a mindset to be able to move the weight. Next thing, to be able to take criticism.
Speaker: You know, taking the criticism is for you and your growth. um Being able to be a good listener. If you want to learn something quick, teach it.
Speaker: Yeah. you You want to learn how to bench press? Bench press. And then teach someone how to bench press. Squat. Whatever it is that you want to learn yourself and be better at.
Speaker: um Preparation. Never go into a talk or a session without doing your homework. If that's an hour, then I want you to spend a week at least on that one hour of preparation. Preferably a month.
Speaker: Because that just goes to show how much enthusiasm. And do it in front of someone else. And find where your holes are. And then begin to and be okay with making mistakes, being okay with being uncomfortable.
Speaker: Because when you get in front of a crowd here and you're not the real deal, you better grab your man card and run out the door. And we're going to take it at the door before you leave.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. And it's amazing. Bert leads off every Summer Strong and he asked, hands up person who's never been here before. And it's always half the room, which fascinates me.
Speaker: and And anybody that introduces themselves to me, that's my first question here is, have you been Summer Strong before? No. I'm like, all right, well, here's one, two, three things you need to do. And then one of those three things is if you see someone that you know and they're here, they're willing to talk to you. Go introduce yourself.
Speaker: That's it. Yeah, that's that's the beauty of being here. There's no, um how can I say it? ah They're anxious to help. They're anxious to teach you. You know, you can go to the Olympiad or a classic.
Speaker: You won't be able to go near any of those people. Not for a second. Unless you pay for photo. Yes. Pay to play. Pay to play. And they're not interested in your life or whatever unless you're really famous.
Speaker: And even then, it's so much ego involved in you know being able to take a picture or spend some time or exchange a phone number. I'll give my business card out to anybody.
Speaker: It's up to them to follow up. Because I've gave given them the opportunity because I want to genuinely help them. And you never know where someone is in life, you know, emotionally, socially, physically, financially. And maybe that will make the difference to them because I'm going to make them feel important.
Speaker: I'm going to make them – I'm going to focus on them and say, who are you? What are you about? How can I help you? Because when you give, you get. Yeah. And that's ah that's a big thing that people miss.
Speaker: And when I see influencers or other people, oh, well, you want a picture with me? It's $25. Oh, you want me to you want a book? You have to buy it. You want me to sign it? That's $10 more. dollars and And that's where it's gotten. so there's not a lot of people like myself who will call them out because I said, you know what? You're not good enough to be the National Sports Hall of Fame.
Speaker: I don't care who you are. I don't care what you've done. Because since I'm the gatekeeper, and even though we have an advisory board, and there's people who you know who who are nominated, and I'll just go, no way.
Speaker: We're not doing that. Because we also have a responsibility of trying to induct at least one woman each year. And I can't put an abuser on that stage. I can't put a person who is a misogynist.
Speaker: or you know crazy, because that reflects on, is it so important that I need this other the person that I'm going to demean her? Not going to happen.
Speaker: Not going to happen. So I don't care who you are, but everyone's respectful. Last year, we had Sydney Gillen, an eight-time Miss Olympia figure, who retired.
Speaker: And the Olympia did not give her any recognition post-retirement. And Friday night, they had an opportunity to have her give out, turn over her belt.
Speaker: They didn't do it. So when I had selected her to be on that stage, and I told her, you're going to be first at the Olympia whip weekend. We're going to induct you first.
Speaker: And you know the term getting your flowers? Now I do. You got a lot time. Giving your flowers means that you you get the accolades before you die. OK.
Speaker: While you're still living, while you're still breathing, going to give you your flowers because you never know what could happen. And when, for example, we're giving pops, inducting him, and then a couple of months later, he'll pass. So that was special for me because it's all about timing.
Speaker: And it couldn't have been better for her at that moment because we recognized her. Right. and that had never been done before nancy lieberman is a two-time uh wmba all-star she's inducted into the nesbit memorial hall basketball hall of fame and she actually was all-american at old dominion okay back in virginia how about that and she played um she actually played against men As a pro.
Speaker: And came out of retirement at 50 to play. In the WNBA? Yes. All right. Incredible, incredible story. Yeah. So um we also inducted Lee Steinberg last year, super agent, who was inspiration for Jerry Maguire. Okay.
Speaker: And showed me the money. How about And he's actually the agent for Patrick Mahomes. I did not know that. Yeah. So we had a really, really good class. Yeah. Lee has raised over a billion dollars for charity in his lifetime.
Speaker: That's awesome. Almost a billion and a half dollars. So he's like numero uno, one of the sports philanthropists in the world. Super, super class. Yeah. with One of the ones I was at, Jay Cutler. Okay. That was awesome.
Speaker: Got to meet him and have a conversation. so Salt of the earth. Nice guy. and I think we're at the same height. Yeah. Yeah. not So i have to tell you a funny story. So um I approached Jay and I said, Jay, are you interested in, you know, being nominated? ah I don't think I'm ready for that. I don't think I want to do it. And, you know, I said, are you serious? ah So I said, why don't you come to the ceremony?
Speaker: So he came to the ceremony, one of our ceremonies in a tank top. Okay. And I'm looking at him from the stage and he his mouth is like this.
Speaker: he was he was totally blown away so i revisited that i said what do you think of that now oh absolutely and that was one of his biggest achievements because we've had so many other mr olympias before him and with dexter jackson being deducted this year believe it or not we will have 59 olympia titles what Which is crazy. 59. The only person that we've inducted who was not a Mr. Olympia is Lou Ferrigno.
Speaker: And Lou has been a friend of mine for over 40 years. And Lou really wanted to go in really bad. yeah I said, well, we only really kind of take Mr. Olympia's. But with him, exception, glad it did. it Yeah.
Speaker: Pumping art. So he's got that. Well, also the Incredible Hulk. Yeah. Yeah. And funny story with Lou, we were at the Mr. Olympia in 1992 and Lou had made a comeback after over 15 years.
Speaker: And we had a pyramid shaped stage and the bodybuilders would ascend to the top, do a couple of posers and then descend down. Louie got to the top, fell through the stage. What?
Speaker: And I caught him. 305 pounds. I caught him, the wood was jagged and and you know ripped his glutes a little bit. That's where it glutes.
Speaker: and But I caught him. It was able to save him. He would have fallen probably 25 feet. What? That was a crazy moment. And we all, we share and we talk about that.
Speaker: um But that's when I was chief of protocol. But had I not been paying attention, he was done. Crazy. Yeah, that was crazy. Yeah. And I don't know if you remember 1994, Paul DeLette cramping up at the Arnold, almost dying.
Speaker: Quick action by me, got him off the stage and saved his life. yeah So I've got stories. i've a I've got a lot of stories. Yeah. at Yeah. There's tragedy at the Olympia. We attended and yeah, you were involved. Like you were stepping in to to take action for the, yeah.
Speaker: Crazy. Crazy. Crazy life I've had. Time out. Tex here at trainheroic headquarters meeting with the team to talk about the coaching experience that I'm able to provide for my athletes. So if you're a coach and want to put your program out there on an app that athletes actually enjoy using, trainheroics for you. I've been using it since 2014. delivering literally over tens of thousands of workouts to athletes.
Speaker: And Train Heroic allows me to provide the unique coaching experience that I want to. Uploading video, providing coaching feedback, directions, and building a community, that's why I love Train Heroic. And if you want to take your athletes where they can't take themselves, that they want to go, head to trainheroic.com slash captains and check out how you can deliver programming to them.
Speaker: And now, back to the show. Ready, ready, and for
Speaker: Jack LaLanne's in there. so Yes, he is. And this is, I mean, just I remember as a kid even seeing the the videos. i don't know how old the videos were, but just a model for fitness and health.
Speaker: What was that relationship like? Well, I i watched Jack LaLanne on TV as a kid. Admired his physique, the little jumpsuit, the two white German shepherds.
Speaker: And Jack was big on calisthenics. And every year in high school, I would always win calisthenics or fitness award. And I was inspired by Jack.
Speaker: um We did a couple of ah TV shows and radio shows, but never got an opportunity to meet until Arnold did the Great American Workout at the White House. And I got to meet one of my childhood idols. That's awesome. then And I told him, I said, I want to be the hackler lane of fitness.
Speaker: Hack LaLanne. Hack LaLanne. And it was a very special moment for the two of us because he was still wearing the little blue jumpsuit. And I spun him around and I looked at him and he had no butt.
Speaker: Completely straight. complete the text Completely straight. And I twisted him back around and I said, Jack, I see you've been working your ass off.
Speaker: And we started laughing. who It was one incredible moment. And actually have pictures of that sequence. um We also honored him in the Hall of Fame as well. yeah Both him and his wife, Elaine.
Speaker: That's great. So that was very special moment for me. Elaine, LaLanne? Yes. She's still alive. Awesome. She's in her 90s. She's still working out every day. Good.
Speaker: Most people didn't realize that Jack died from pneumonia. Jack would work out two half hours a day. He was a really big swimmer.
Speaker: And swimming, because he didn't put all the weight and stress on his body, really helped him to stay flexible and light and not burden himself with a lot of muscle because he was able to navigate through. I mean, he could it was a guy who could swim for an hour and half straight nonstop, just up and down the pool, up and down the pool, up down the pool.
Speaker: So his passing just brought in a different kind of awareness of health and longevity. Because if you remember, was it was really bad to lift weights.
Speaker: Lifted weights, working out like that, it's really bad. And... I remember, was also inspired by Fred Hatfield. Yeah, Dr. Squat. Yes. Big fan. So i I actually wrote to him and got to speak to him. That's awesome. That was big for me.
Speaker: um You know, again, it was like Vince Garanda. You had a guy, i lived in New York City, so there was Leroy Colbert. Leroy Colbert was the first man to have muscular 21-inch arms.
Speaker: He owned a health food store. in Manhattan and I would go by my high school I went to was maybe three blocks away and at that time African Americans didn't know enough who stores I mean that was something otherworldly and they had a weeder weight set in the window for ten dollars 110 pounds for ten dollars I eventually saved and bought that nice And that was that was the that was my first barbell set.
Speaker: All right. And then I started doing all the liver tablets, the you know, the different things like this. And um eventually that piqued my interest in nutrition and health.
Speaker: um And so it's been you know, it's been a journey. But I've met a lot of people based on putting myself in position to meet them. Yeah. So if I have to leave young people with a message, don't be afraid to walk up to someone.
Speaker: But when you do, be prepared because you've studied them, you know what they're about, and you ask a really, really good question. huh And once you do that, you've won.
Speaker: Because you put yourself in a position, when you become famous one day, you'll recall how you were treated in that moment. And that's really, really special. Yeah. Really special.
Speaker: And when I was rejected a couple of times, I never forgot those lessons. Yeah, and now you can continue to grow, learn, teach, and I i appreciate every time.
Speaker: i mean, we we talk a on the phone a couple times a year, and you always got some guidance and advice and a couple one-liners that I got to write down that are, yeah. Well, you know, it's it's number one, it's a pleasure to talk to you.
Speaker: You know, there are some people I'll get on the phone with an hour, and I'll go, what the hell are we talking about? Yeah. Do you remember what we talked about? And because we started with something common, that's what makes it special. We've had that groundwork that from nothing that we built.
Speaker: So I've been so proud of you as as a friend because I've seen everything that you've gone through. I've seen when you went through that that tough breakup. So I know those things personally.
Speaker: And when you came out the other end, better than you were before. And we would not be sitting here had you not grown through what you go through.
Speaker: That's right. And so I'm telling you, and I'm telling everyone else who will be listening, that's something that um that they need to understand.
Speaker: Don't quit. Keep going. Because you could be an inch away from success. Yeah. You got a Choose who to believe in certain scenarios. And people ask me how I'm doing when I see them. I say, I got up this morning and I guess I'm doing okay.
Speaker: Yeah. You know, I want to go to heaven, but I'm not homesick. So I want to do everything that I can stay on earth as long as I can, but also leave a legacy. Yeah. You know, if I can inspire people, if I can make them laugh, um because laughter is the best medicine.
Speaker: And I always say to someone, if I really like their smile and they have a good smile, I say, if you see someone today without smile, give them yours. And it never fails to make someone feel good.
Speaker: Yeah. Because we don't do enough of that, especially with what's going on now. um You have to laugh in the face of adversity. You know, and I went through that three and a half years ago.
Speaker: I had some of the worst moments of my life. and um went into debt, was dealing with my mother's estate, and I got down to $69 to my name, to my wife.
Speaker: And at that moment, when I realized that's all I had, I looked down at the ground and told the devil, is that the best you got? That the best you got? The very next day, I got a check. There you go.
Speaker: Very next day. And that that taught me about adversity. It taught me about who my friends were because not one person, not one person texts offered to say, can I give you a little bit of money to get you through?
Speaker: And that was eye opening because every day we have a test. Life is a test every single day, no matter what, even if you don't think it is. So do you make a good choice? Do you make a bad choice?
Speaker: Do you find yourself given a search circumstance or is a situation? And you look at that and go, how is that going to change my life today? How could that change my life today?
Speaker: When someone cuts me off on the road, a smile, a wave to them. you know, thank you for giving me the opportunity to control my emotions. Yeah. When someone says something that does something stupid, again, it's another lesson.
Speaker: We all have lost. Don't lose the lesson. That's the what I wanted to end on, because that was a rich... We all we all have lost. Don't lose the lesson. yeah And if if you leave people with that in mind, you'll win in life.
Speaker: <unk> You'll collect it, and I always say, if you want to get rich quick, count your blessings. Boom. Shut it down, dude. I appreciate Thank so much, brother. I can't tell you enough how this, for me, it's like father-son to see you come to this point.
Speaker: You know, you only come to a point when you come to a point. And your journey has still got a long way to go. Yeah. But you just went, you know, when you get to the top of the mountain,
Speaker: Keep calm. That's it. There's always more. ye So, Mac, I appreciate you. Everything. And thanks for taking the time to sit down. And we got a show to get back to. So, appreciate you, man.
Speaker: Have an awesome day. See? All right. I'll stop. That was good.
