The Next Level Health & Fitness Podcast

On today's episode, we had my good friend Ethan Buck on the podcast. Ethan is not only one hell of a coach, but an even better human being. Today's we provided a back to the basics message. Pounding home the messages that fad diets still suck and sustainable nutrition is really your only option long term. Just an overall great conversation with  a couple guys who have overcome a ton and that love to coach.   More about Ethan: Throughout my childhood, all the way up to age 27-28, I was overweight. I tried to lose weight several times only to fall right back into my old habits, which consisted of plenty of alcohol, crap diet, little physical activity and a negative outlook towards the world and life being generally depressed. Not to mention the excess weight added back onto my frame and then some. Around the age of 28 I had a real awakening after a few panic attacks and visits to doctors. I had a new drive, an awakening, a vision, or maybe even an obsession with getting fit. I felt an inner athlete screaming at me from within. Later, I called this the Iron Will. On a side note, I was also balding and dreaded being fat and bald. I could only change one of the two. That decision became the healthiest decision I’ve ever made. I had dabbled with Muay Thai kickboxing on and off since the age of 22, and ignorantly decided that I needed to go beast mode with fight training, high intensity workouts and what I’d now call fad dieting. Paleo, Keto, Carb back loading, Carb cycling, butter in my coffee etc., were all methods I stuck to religiously. I lost over 100lbs, which was an amazing feat. I was happy with losing the weight, but that feeling was short lived. I burned the candle from both ends with the high intensity exercise and extreme dieting approach, leaving me over time far too thin, skinny fat, weak, frequently injured, often sick, I had a fear of certain foods or other training methods, little confidence, and most of all I was confused. I later found that this is a classic trap that most people get into at some point in their weight loss journey. I found this out the hard way and can teach from my mistakes and experience. Fast forward 10 years of working with trainers and coaches, studying and working as a trainer myself with several thousands of hours of sessions with clients, I have found the methods that work best for myself, and then others. I am much leaner, stronger, confident, rarely sick or injured, and have a much better, if not precise, understanding towards food and exercise that I can teach. Most importantly, I am happy. This did not happen over-night. It was a process of trial and error. I thought I had seen the light and knew what I was doing until it led me into a deep hole that was hard to get out of. I see people going this same direction often in the confusing world of fitness, and I enjoy the challenge of coaching them out of that mindset, and guiding them through the steps towards a better version of themselves.   Ethan's Website - Ironwillpt.net   Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Guest Ethan Buck  – @iron_will_pt Key Nutrition – @keynutrition

On todays episode Michelle and I discussed plateaus. First off,  identifying if you are really at a plateau. If you truly are, we wanted to provide you with some tactics and strategies to bust out of it.   First steps to break out of a plateau: Up water intake to a gallon a day Sleep a minimum of 7 hours per night Macros on point Food quality Stress management Steps (movement) TDEE   Tactical moves: Lowering calories Diet break Re-feed weekend Carb cycling   Among others. Stay tuned and enjoy the episode!   Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Co-Host Michelle Raines  – @mykeylife Key Nutrition – @keynutrition  

On today's episode, we had Nicole Ferrier on the podcast. We had a fantastic conversation around dieting, female health and reverse dieting. More about Nicole: I graduated in 2017 with a BA in exercise science and minor in nutrition at Baldwin Wallace university. Alongside my bachelors degree, I am also a certified personal trainer through ACE. Education has been a big piece to changing my body. I believe in building physiques through physiology. That means, proper workout programming and no cookie cutter programs. Through physiology I am able to program nutritional plans and workouts to evolve physiques to the next level. However, I am a firm believer that fitness is more than our bodies. MY BODY USED TO CONTROL ME. I didn’t always feel strong and confident. As a young teen I never really felt like I “fit in”. I had one major outlet, which was gymnastics. I have always defined myself as an athlete, I trained upwards of 20 hours a week and overall ate like a normal teen. That was until I got consumed by diet culture, tumbler post and some toxic comments from loved ones. This lead me down a dark route. Through my teens years I struggled with a variety of disordered eating patterns. Being a competitive gymnast , I also became hyper focused on my body image. At 14 I hopped on my first ever “diet" where I lost 10lbs in a month. I restricted food severally and couldn’t function normally. This lasted all the way up into my late teens. I struggled with the yo yo of crash dieting and even binging and restricting. My weight fluctuated more than modern day gas prices. The constant changes in weight lead to concern from others and for me, constant frustration. Not to mention my confidence was completely nonexistent. EDUCATION SAVED MY LIFE.  Through my time at university I came to the conclusion that I was and tired of being sick and tired. I was burnt out from trying every fad diet in the book. Plus I was over exercising and running off everything I ate. I knew there had to be a better way.  That was when I found food freedom through macros. I went from a cardio bunny to a weight lifting junkie! I finally felt free from being a treadmill slave and realized the power in weight training.  In 2015 I found tracking macros and started to apply my exercise physiology into my training and it completely transformed my mind and body. With macros I was able to see all food as good. I learned that I could eat way more than I thought and truly change my body. Once, I combined my weight training with flexible dieting, I finally saw results! As an athlete I always wanted to stay competitive. That lead me to the love of bodybuilding.  I am currently a NPC bikini competition and have competed in over 17 NPC shows. Competing in shows allows for my inner athlete fire to stay lit. Competing has also brought me so much confidence and has helped me grown as a person. As a trainer, my mission is to help you grow. Grow in your knowledge with nutrition and training but also your mind and how you see yourself. True fitness encompasses both these aspects.    www.nicoleferrierfitness.com Beyond The Bikini Podcast   Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Guest Nicole Ferrier  – @niocleferrierfitness Key Nutrition – @keynutrition

On today's episode Michelle and I talked about setting calories for muscle gain as well as how to know if you have been dieting for too long by checking biofeedback. The base of the episode was spent on gym tips coming back. How girls still don’t want to be hit on at the gym. How grunting should only be allowed for the last rep on failure of a heavy ass movement. People think your strange and annoying for grunting on rep 3 so please stop. Don’t slam your weights, nobody likes it but you and your buddy filming you on the gram. Also just be kind. Be kind to others if they want to wear a mask or choose not to. If it's not “required” in certain states, and you are making the decision to go, just don’t judge. We are all adults with agency. Be kind as we get back to what we love oh so much. Enjoy the show!   Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Co-Host Michelle Raines  – @mykeylife Key Nutrition – @keynutrition

On today's episode I was joined by my friend Nick Krantz. Nick is an online nutrition coach with a no BS approach. We hit a lot on the core fundamental pillars of a successful health and fitness journey. Those include: consistency, patience, and practicality. How Nick and I hit it off was through social media because we both preach the same message. We also hit a lot on motivation and how you will not be motivated all the time to do the work, and thats okay! Because ultimately it's not about motivation, it's about making this your reality. Getting back to some basics that I think just aren’t talked about enough!   Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Guest Nick Krantz – @nickkrantzfit Key Nutrition – @keynutrition

On today’s episode, Michelle and I discussed how to set your own macros for fat loss specifically.  You need to know this, it's super individualized and so hiring a coach becomes super invaluable. But not everyone can afford that, and that’s totally understandable. Please know this before going into this: It takes patience, even when working with a coach to figure out what works the best for your body. Doing it alone takes a ton of patience. So now that we have established you have to be patient AF with this, lets jump in: Step 1 - First go to www.bmrcalculator.org (or any site that is similar) This is to establish a rough baseline of your BMR (basil metabolic rate) which is essentially how many calories you burn just being you. Fill out the stat questions. It will spit out a number. Then take your activity level or your TDEE , total daily energy expenditure, based off the chart on the site. Don’t stress, it’s  super self explanatory once are you in. Step 2 - Now take that number and take 300-400 calories off of that. (or anywhere from 10-20% off of that number) This is your calorie deficit.  Step 3 - After calories are set, the most important macro to set first is protein intake. That number is .7-1.25g per pound of body weight. So, if you weigh 150 you would need anywhere from 120grams - 150grams.  Then try to evenly distribute carbs and fats. Remember, carbs carry 4 calories per gram and fats carry 9.  Starting percentages could look something like this: Calories and Protein will be THE most important parts of this) 40% carbs 30% protein 30% fat.  I know that’s a LOT to digest but please go TRY and do the steps, and DM me any questions you have. You got this!   Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Co-Host Michelle Raines  – @mykeylife Key Nutrition – @keynutrition

On today's episode, we were blessed to have the one and only Jody Moore back on the show! Jody’s immense success in her career as life coach never seems to get to her head. She is one of the most down to earth, amazing human beings I have had the honor of meeting. We talk all things fear, coping, emotional eating and more! Jody is a mother of 4 and a woman trying to figure out how to minimize resentment, overwhelm and guilt, and replace them with happiness, gratitude and joy. Three years after getting married she found herself with two kids under age 2, a loving husband, and a lot of self-loathing. She struggled with the duties associated with being a mom and wife and then she felt guilty for feeling that way. After all, this was the life she thought she always wanted. She has a BA in Communications and an MA in Adult Education along with 15 years of experience as a Corporate Trainer and Leadership Coach, but what has helped her the most to overcome her struggles and to conquer all of her goals, are the tools she use’s now to coach her clients. Thanks to her extensive training with Brooke Castillo of The Life Coach School, she is a Certified Life Coach, and she couldn’t be more proud of the work she get’s to do in the world.   Jodymoore.com Jody's Podcast - Better Than Happy Podcast   Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Co-Host Michelle Raines  – @mykeylife Guest Jody Moore – @jodymoorecoaching Key Nutrition – @keynutrition

In this episode, we discussed how being fit goes way beyond just physically fit. People grossly underestimate how much your emotional, mental, physical and spiritual fitness all play together. If you asked me after thousands of clients, why do so many not successfully hit their goals, I would boil it down to this. They are not spiritually fit and they have emotional baggage. Trapped emotions that cause incredibly negative thought patterns and limiting self beliefs. Being “Spiritually fit” can confuse a lot of people. Think of this way: The act of nourishing your spirit. What makes you come alive? What makes you feel joy? What makes you feel grateful? What gives you those “god shot” moments? Whatever THAT is, we want you to do that! We discussed ways to become more spiritually fit that you might not think of. Find a person who is healthy, fit, does this as a lifestyle and is HAPPY… and I'll show you someone who 9 times out of 10, is also spiritually fit. Prioritize all 4 areas if you not only want to get and stay in shape but more importantly, find fulfillment and happiness in this healthy lifestyle journey. We try to convey the message to stop viewing this as one dimensional. You are worth so much more than just abs. You are worth making this a REAL change. You are worth being happy. You are worth having true fulfillment and joy in your life. Balancing on an uneven chair every day sucks. No wonder the other legs fall out. Start with the spirit, and watch the rest fall into place. Its a beautiful journey, my friends. Enjoy the show!   Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Co-Host Michelle Raines  – @mykeylife Key Nutrition – @keynutrition

On today’s episode, we had Sean Whalen on the show. This was a powerful episode full of a lot of hard truths.  Sean is willing to talk about subjects like religion and politics that touch our daily lives in one way or another, yet most people fail to speak about these topics privately, let alone publicly. Sean has a way with words that will get you talking whether you want to or not, and over 675,000,000 (and counting) people have viewed Sean’s videos and social media posts. Some label him brash, others say he is bold, but one thing you will always get from Sean is his unfiltered and direct truth on any and all issues. Sean’s story of being raised in a single parent home, success at a young age, bankruptcy, depression and divorce has been shared by over 100 podcasts and media interviews from dozens of countries around the globe. He is the founder of multiple companies including apparel and technology, but his role as founder and CEO of LIONS NOT SHEEP, the global movement for men, women and children, is closest to his heart. Sean also just went through a health and fitness transformation and is a different man on the other side of it. He talks about what he learned from his dive into fitness as his way of life. He is a best selling author, strategic business coach, social media and marketing genius, and life changing keynote speaker. Enjoy the show!   seanwhalen.com Lionsnotsheep.com   Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Co-Host Michelle Raines  – @mykeylife Guest Sean Whalen – @seanwwhalen Key Nutrition – @keynutrition

On todays episode we covered multiple topics brought to us by you, the listeners.   Those included: Is creatine safe for women to take Best advice for a new personal trainer Michelles habits from 75 Hard Do macronutrient percentages change during pregnancy How long do you hold non-compliant clients hands Soy as a protein source and its effects on estrogen Skin removal surgery after losing over a hundred pounds    Next Level Experience Program Beta Testers –> Click Here Order From Top Notch Nutrition -> Click Here   Connect with us on Instagram Host Brad Jensen – @thesoberbodybuilder Co-Host Michelle Raines  – @mykeylife Key Nutrition – @keynutrition