The Dad Bod Warrior Who Never Missed A Workout

00:00
button. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the war on dad bods podcast where dads get stronger, dad's lives get longer and dad's dreams come true, not necessarily dads, but any busy guys that are dedicated and want to get this done to the dads and listening right now.

00:18
Imagine being out of shape. Imagine being exhausted and feeling like you're letting everyone down around you. Now imagine being unstoppable. Well, today we're talking to a man who made that leap. Brad, we're here with Brad seven.

00:32
Brad, how you doing, man? Doing well, man. How are you? Great. A little background on Brad Brad joined the war on dad bots. How long ago was it, Brad? A little over a year ago. Oh, really, it's been over a year now.

00:45
Brad, Brad and Ralph have not missed a single class and you are up to let's see how many total classes 274 classes that's amazing. Yes, agreed. Well, I want you to tell the whole story of you know, how it went, how it started, how it's working for you.

01:03
What is the what's the origin story? Take us back to what life was like before you started the program. What struggles were you facing as a dad with struggles physically, what struggles mentally? So we met at the beginning of last year, I think for the first time.

01:18
So that was two years after my divorce. So health wise, I had never really considered myself an athlete. There was only two times in my life that I'd really gotten in shape. One was after a long term breakup and one the other was immediately after my divorce.

01:37
So a couple years later, I had already started to put the weight back on from my post divorce get in shape. And, you know, mentally, I was still navigating the waters of being a single father and raising the kids alone in my, you know, in a household by myself.

01:58
Really, I had kind of gotten to the point where being on this earth as long as possible was my goal. I wanted to really see my kids grow up and be there for them. And I knew that incorporating a healthy lifestyle was key to that.

02:12
I had followed programs to get quick results in the past, but those results weren't sustainable. And I was really just looking for a way to be healthy without a finished line, just to live a healthy lifestyle.

02:23
And that's kind of when we met. Yeah. So you wanted to live, you decided that you wanted to live a long time. That's important that people have a decision, have a clear outcome in mind. What was, what was the breaking point?

02:38
Like most guys don't make the lead. Was there a specific moment that made you realize you needed to change? Like when was enough enough? What finally pushed you to commit? So my, my biggest rock bottom moment obviously was, was my divorce.

02:53
I mean, that, that was, that was the real big turning point in my life. You kind of spurred this. uh, journey. I'm still on a self discovery and self-improvement. Um, but my, I guess my mini breaking point after I had met you, you know, you and I had had some conversations about joining your program and I was still kind of on the fence about investing, um, time and money into myself.

03:10
Um, but the last time I had lost weight in this kind of, uh, torch the boats mentality, I got rid of all my clothes that I had, you know, shrunk out of. So around the time we talked, I was starting to get a little snug in those small clothes.

03:25
Um, and I knew it, it was either I was going to live uncomfortably or invest in a new wardrobe. And I didn't want to do, I knew I wanted to do either one. So that's, that's really what helped me commit to you.

03:37
Yeah. I was just, uh, looking at Facebook and, uh, one of our guys, Jonathan's like, yeah, man, the worst part about the program is having to buy new clothes. That's kind of a reward, you know, it works better with women, but that's kind of a reward.

03:50
Right. So, all right. So, so then you signed up and you got started in the early days, um, starting something new is always a challenge. So honestly, was this program hard at first? What were the first few workouts like what surprised you?

04:06
So it isn't, it is a challenging program, but there was a lot more to light for me. You know, one of the, one of the reasons why I connected with you, uh, I never considered you to be your prototypical, you know, meet head coach, uh, that I had met in the past.

04:22
Your, your journey is really inspiring. You know, you did a lot of, a lot of retreats, a lot of traveling when you were younger. Uh, and, and I kind of looked to that as what I'm going on right now. And it just in a different way, you know, I'm just, I'm trying to discover who it is that I am.

04:37
So I instantly had that connection with you and you connect that into the workouts, you know, the, the physical part is great. The training is great, but, um, there's a lot of conversation and teaching in there about how to be a better dad, how to be a leader, um, you incorporate meditation and breath work into the workouts.

04:54
So there's, to me, that's what really stood out. out. The physical was there was a lot of variety and you never knew what to expect every day. But the other hand, they were always very structured, you can follow a lot of a lot of physical activity in 30 minutes.

05:09
But you make it like you're working out with a friend or a group of friends. There's conversations, there's learnings, there's lame dad jokes worked in there. So it's just it made working out fun for me for a guy that's that has had trouble incorporating this into his lifestyle, you made it fun.

05:26
And that that's what really stood out to me. Yeah. Yeah, it's not fun for me. It's not fun for you guys. So I got to, you know, be in there making myself laugh. It's not an interactive class. It's just it's recorded and it's live.

05:40
But these guys roll out of bed. You know, they're barely awake. They're not we're not talking back and forth. They don't have to engage at all. I think some guys get confused with that. They just roll out of bed.

05:51
They just plug on a recording and they just do it. Yep. So you actually, so you never missed a workout. Only a handful of guys have done that and only you and Ralph have done it over this long, long period of time.

06:07
There's a non-negotiable mindset that you have. How do you make it non-negotiable despite everything else that's going on when you have three kids at the same time? Three boys. Yeah, three young boys.

06:20
So I've had the luxury of working through two programs in the past that I was highly committed to that I saw results. So I know what a commitment and consistency with workouts can get you. I've already seen it work.

06:35
But the difference with your program, it's not a start to finish program. It is an ongoing part of your life that you incorporate. Almost, I'll share an example. So the first obstacle that I faced in your program, I went with my family to Disney World a couple of months ago.

06:55
And as much as I wanted to, getting the workouts in Disney World with the three boys was a bit challenging. But when I came home, I was so inspired to just get on track immediately that I did two a days.

07:08
I think I knocked out five workouts in the course of three days just to make sure I could get up on Monday and get back on the program. That's not something that I had with the last two programs. But I really believe it's that that I've adopted this lifestyle ongoing kind of mentality that, hey, look, this isn't something that's gonna get me to a certain point where I'm gonna be done.

07:29
This is the way I live now. I'm living a healthy lifestyle. Yeah, it's sustainable. It's only half an hour. And it's not like these are grueling workouts. They're all a little bit different. They're all a little bit challenging in different ways.

07:43
But they're doable. And they're over in 30 minutes. How hard could it be? Oh, yeah. It's not a huge commitment, but those 30 minutes are everything. Well, you were talking about the results you get from this program.

07:53
Tell us more about the physical, the mental, and the... performance transitions or transformations that you've had? So yeah, physically, I can tell you that I'm starting to see definition in my chest.

08:05
I see size of my shoulders and in my back, you know, the I'm achieving those those things that that adds your posture that instantly give you confidence to walk around and be proud of how you look. So that's really great.

08:20
You know, confidence wise, again, not only the posture, but the fact that I feel like I'm not doing that. I'm not living healthy because you're instructing me to do so. You're teaching me how to make these healthy decisions on my own.

08:34
I've incorporated a way that I cook the way that I eat activity outside. You know, I've made these two mile walks with my dog on a daily basis another non non negotiable the fact that I can do these things without being told what to do is really really great for my confidence mindset again that the learnings about meditation.

08:55
Um, breath work have allowed me to be more present with my kids, uh, to not be as reactive emotionally, but, you know, to be able to connect with my kids has been great. Um, it, I mean, the benefits go on and on.

09:08
It's been great. Just have the energy to deal with these kids, huh? They're like, they're allowed to keep up with, you know, I remember a time when I needed a ton of breaks for the physical play with all three of them.

09:18
And to be able to keep up with them all now is it's great. It's fantastic. Having three sons, how has this, how has, how has this impacted them, them getting to see it firsthand? And I guess you just kind of comment on that, but like, is there a difference to what the energy that you have now versus before?

09:34
Oh, big time. So the programs that I've done in the past have been, you know, hour long, really intense workouts that I wasn't able to keep up with while the kids were home. So I was working out without them in the house.

09:46
They never really got to see that part of me with your program, the 30 minute commitment, I can, I can, I can parent while I'm, while I'm doing my movements and my, and my moves with you. Right. So now that now they get to see me do it.

09:59
So I'm role modeling the importance of investing in your health time and your health, but the kids are starting to like participate now. So, cause it's, it's fun. Like we move around a lot. So, you know, I got all three kids kind of jumping in.

10:12
Well, my oldest son, Jamison has always been the athlete in the family. You know, he's looking at me a little bit different. We're getting a little competitive during the workouts. Uh, my middle son, Val, like he's never been an athlete, but the other day he while I was at work, my mom was watching the kids.

10:27
He took his tablet and filmed himself doing a workout and sent it to me, which was like the coolest thing ever. You know, you put the tablet down, knocked out a couple of pull-ups on the bar, did like 10 pushups, some squats.

10:40
And then I think you're inspiring him too, because I catch him by my five year old Mark, he's like his coach now. So I'm catching Val, like teaching him how to do the moves. Great. You know, the kids are coming with me on the walks that I talked about.

10:55
Again, this is great for me, but it's great for them too, because I want to role model the importance of being healthy and invest in that time of energy and your health in a young age so that they can carry these habits into the rest of their life.

11:06
Yeah, and for the guys listening, it's like enough equipment that you can do it in like a five by five space or something really small. It's just, it's a bench, it's an aerobic step, it's a yoga mat, it's a set of dumbbells, it's a set of bands, and that's it.

11:22
That's all you need, and it gets into you for free when you sign up. Anything on navigating fatherhood and divorce, being divorced comes with its own set of challenges. A lot of dads use divorces like a reason to quit.

11:39
You use it as fuel. Would anything shift your mindset there? Yeah, so again, the fuel that it gave me at first probably didn't come from a good place. what does fuel me now is being the best father that I can be and the best co-parent because I know that's what's great for my kids.

12:00
So, you know, you give a lot of relationship advice in the workouts. I've taken the elements of communication and, you know, working together from those conversations and help me co-parent better with my ex-wife.

12:13
Her and I probably get a lot better than we did when we get married. I mean, we have a great relationship the way we raise our kids, and I do attribute a lot of that to my new mindset, the things that I learned in these workouts, you know, the overall confidence.

12:27
Divorce can be really tough, but I'm committed to doing whatever I can for the good of my children, and as hard as it was, I've been able to use all the things that I've learned to build this great relationship with my ex-wife.

12:38
So, and it's great, like I mentioned the Disney World trip, we actually took the kids together. So, we're able to do things as a family, and I think that's what's best for my children. So, it's great.

12:48
Yeah, that's awesome. Y'all can do that. If you were talking to Brad two years ago, would you tell Brad two years ago? That I would definitely urge him to make the commitment to do this and that the payoff, the payoff would be amazing.

13:09
Two years ago, I really, I wish I could have been there to tell myself that things were going to be so much better two years later, you something that stuck with me that you say a lot is it could, what if it's better than you can even possibly imagine, you know, I've learned to look at things optimistically and say what, you know, yeah, it could be bad, but it could be really good too.

13:31
And I think back to the mindset I was in a couple of years ago, and I just, I would love to show old Brad how different it's going to be a couple of years from now just for added inspiration. Yeah, I trust, I accept, I let go.

13:45
I embrace the unknown knowing that it's all going to work out for the best and sometimes even better than I thought. That's one of my that's on my wall. I just read it off the wall your version is better.

13:57
But yeah, I get it Um, is there any big secret to not missing a workout? I mean making it happen, you know, just logistically like what's the secret? so a lot of it is mindset and I think a lot of people look at Workouts as something that you have to you have to fit into the rest of your life You know you have your job you have your family But you know a big shift for me is this is a non-negotiable part of my life and I have to build around this Um,

14:24
i'm starting to look at At at my job and in my career and say how what's something I can do that that fits around my healthy lifestyle? And that's a that's a big jump for me I've always tried to figure out everything around my job and now to flip that switch and say hey Look, this is a non-negotiable for me.

14:40
How do we fit everything else into the life? That's I think that's the secret this you know Being an advocate for your health is not something extra. That's part of your life. That's something you have to do for yourself Yeah, and it's weird, from my perspective, because I've always done this, I've always prioritized my health, I've always spent money on the supplements or the coaching or the training,

14:59
or whatever it was, I've just always prioritized this. But I think psychologically, people have to get guys that want to be happier and want to make a change and want to feel good and want to perform better in all areas of their life.

15:10
You got to prioritize the health, the workouts, nutrition, you have to just create the spot, the time space, the energy for that. And then trust that it's going to give you some leverage in every other area of your life.

15:22
Yes. You know that the oxygen mask airplane story is really cliche now. But especially when you're a father, you can't love support and take care of your kids if you don't love support and take care of yourself.

15:35
So the more time we put into ourselves, not only role model for the kids, but we're, we're bettering ourselves so that we can be a better dad to our kids. Well, you know, they're out there saying, I'm stuck, I'm tired, I don't have time.

15:48
There's dads and busy guys listening right now. You know, that's great for other people, but I don't think I could do it. That's what they're thinking right now. I mean, how do you shift them? How do you say, Look, man, this is doable.

16:02
So your program, right? 30 minutes a day at home, no travel time to the gym, no travel back time to the gym, no waiting around for equipment. This is a 30 minute investment that is it's a hard 30 minutes, a 30 minute investment in the morning, you knock out.

16:19
And you can get about get on about your day, you come out of the workouts feeling great, you're you're a great mindset to knock out your job to be a great dad. And it's over and done with by by 630 every morning.

16:30
Again, that 30 minutes is 30 minutes, but the 30 minutes is everything that time commitment. It's a small part of your day that gives you so many benefits. And I really like live 6am to 630. I'm at 630am.

16:44
You are energized, you're ready to go for the day. And you get to get the whole day instead of thinking about how I'm not going to work. work out, which means you're just gonna feel like shit. And so thinking about that, or I have to work out later and that's hanging over my head and should I do it?

16:57
Should I not? And having this conversation about when and how and if instead you just have this feeling of knowing I already did it, it's done. I have the rest of my day to just crush all the other things that I know people already have in their mind to get done anyway, right?

17:13
Yep. It's nice to get that out of the way in the morning. I don't always have that benefit. And another benefit of your program are the recordings so that people who can't do them in the morning, you have the option to do them and fit them into your day however you can.

17:24
Then we got a group chat where guys can check in. We have regular fitness testing. Brad has put up some insane cardio numbers, some insane step counts. We do pushup tests and everybody that comes in, Brad, it's like all the scores keep going up the longer they train very consistently.

17:42
And like, there's not as much of a plateau as I thought would be, like guys are still hitting records, you know, a year, two years later. Oh, yeah. And then that that aspect is great. I mean, you can't you got to track your progress to see how far you've come.

17:55
And the like the score is just, you know, when we do these tests, it's amazing to see how far I've come. And I know the other guys feel the same way now. All right. What's what? What does the future hold?

18:07
You've built something incredible in your life. What's next for you? How does fitness continue to play a role in your life? So, like I said, you know, I'm really I'm applying it as I as I make some decisions about what I'm going to do professionally.

18:20
And again, for the first time, I'm making my health the top priority and not secondary to these decisions. And it's not just not just the workouts. You know, I want all the things that are good for me.

18:30
I want I want to be able to have a morning routine. I want to have exposure to sunlight. All these things that I've learned are better for me from working with you are now the top priority. So I'm looking forward to settling, not settling, but finding something to do professionally that aligns with everything else in my life that I've that I've that have really got aligned from from working through this program.

18:53
So that's what I'm doing, man. I'm just going to continue to make it part of life and influence every aspect of it. Nice. All right. If we wrap this up, there is a restaurant coming back. Are we allowed to mention that yet?

19:08
Uh, I don't think so. All right. I don't think so. There was a it was a legendary New Orleans restaurant that Brad's a part of that. It's making a comeback and maybe we'll announce this later. But great food.

19:22
And all right. Brett, thank you so much for hopping on this podcast and sharing your story. Thanks for being the man. It's an honor to have you here. It's an honor to have your ear. Your dedication is what made this group awesome.

19:36
It is six thirty a.m. Your workout is complete. Guys, this is how I end every class. And then we put our arms up in the air and we say, I'm the man. I'm the man. I'm the man, guys. Contact me to help.