Side Quest Podcast

For those that love working out, rest days suck. You love to hit the gym, and the thought of not doing what you enjoy is a pain.

But rest is crucial. I'd argue it's almost more important than the actual working out part, almost.

So how can you make rest days more beneficial? How can you make them optimal to get the most gains? And, how can you make them less boring?

In this episode, I'll cover how to make rest days work the best for you. And, what activities or lifestyle things you can do to burn more fat, gain more muscle, and improve your recovery.

Mason Woodruff, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) based in Arkansas. He also works as a sports nutritionist and freelance writer. You can find Mason's writing on sites like Muscle & Performance Magazine, Breaking Muscle, STACK, Anytime Fitness, and more.

Mason's fitness journey started out as a high-level athlete; but once he stopped playing sports, he gained excess weight. After gaining 50 pounds and being called "husky" by his grandma, Mason decided it was time to get in the gym.

As a former basketball player, strength training wasn’t a huge part of his training regimen. Despite his lack of knowledge, he got in the gym, lost the 50 pounds, and found his love of fitness.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Taking a step back from writing online for a year
• Creating more video
• Drawing a line in the sand
• What made him put the pen down
• Worrying less about the things he can’t control
• Trusting in the process
• What gambling games he’s bad at
• Eating on a budget
• Cauliflower rice
• Why convenient foods are okay
• Fun Questions
• How standing up to work has changed his life
• The power of self-acceptance & the rockstar mentality
• Facebook

Let's talk books.

Petravita, real name Brandon Landis, is a Stockholm-based hip-hop artist, poet, and adventurer. After growing up in Seattle on a steady stream of video games and local hip-hop shows, he found his footing in the music world for the first time while attending university in England, where he began performing music as a duo with his friend and roommate.

After graduating with bachelor’s degree in creative advertising, he would move to Stockholm to work with a number of startups in their marketing and advertising efforts. With life’s everyday callings relatively settled, Petravita is now turning his attention to music once again, on track to release his first full-length project of original music in June 2017.

Vital Stats:

Favorite food: Pad thai

Favorite cloth pattern: Paisley

Hidden talent: Guessing exactly how many jelly beans are in that jar at the carnival

In this episode we discuss:

• How he got into Hip Hop
• George Watsky
• Learning the harmonica
• How he gets out of creative funks
• Improving his gratitude
• Writing, and how it helps him clear his mind
• The History of Rap
• Nerdy Hip Hop
• Trap rap
• Creating intros and jingles
• Where Petravita comes from
• Fallout 3
• Fun Questions
• Why he makes music
• Conquering fear as an artist
• The soundtrack of summer
• Artist’s he’s in as well
• Sol
• Jack Harlow
• Brothers from Another
• Kyle
• Twitter
• Facebook

Tolkien describes the dead marshes like this in The Two Towers:

"Dreary and wearisome. Cold, clammy winter still held sway in this forsaken country. The only green was the scum of livid weed on the dark greasy surfaces of the sullen waters. Dead grasses and rotting reeds loomed up in the mists like ragged shadows of long-forgotten summers."

For me, the imagery of the marshes: dreary, sullen, and ragged is an excellent metaphor for those times when we lose motivation.

When we enter this area, our thoughts become dreary, and our bodies and minds are easily fatigued. Like Frodo, entranced by the faces of the dead in the murky waters, we're easily pulled down into the depths of demotivation.

These desolate, shallow, murky waters are never easy to get out of once we allow ourselves to sink in.

So how do you escape these marshes? That's what I cover in this episode.

Born and raised on the West Coast of Canada, Alex is a short shorts enthusiast, espresso fiend, and an unapologetic meathead.

Alex is a self-proclaimed anti-meathead and casual nerd. When he’s not working towards Herculean status or learning how to better serve his clients, he can be found exploring how to further crush life, perfect his flair in the kitchen, or pull the perfect shot of espresso.

Alex is currently preparing to step on stage at the CBBF Nationals in July.

In this episode we discuss:

• His first episode
• Spending time in Greece
• Training during his first true bodybuilding off-season
• How Greece changed him
• Wake Up Ron Burgundy
• Going to Thailand
• Traveling, training, and eating as a bodybuilder on the road
• Why travel is life-changing
• Gratitude and not appreciating what we have
• What his days look like now
• Gavin McHale’s post
• Building a beach by placing one grain of sand at a time
• Nootropics (Limitless)
• Music he’s jiving on
• Heart rate variability training
• Social Links

Get ready for some fire. Because I'm talking about the why of motivation.

PS: Listen for a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card

Ben is an author, entrepreneur, and food-loving fitness professional. By simplifying the world of strength and conditioning, Ben helps people everywhere beat "bad" genetics, melt away fat, make lean muscle, and finally start getting the results they crave. Oh, and he does all of this without asking you to give up your favorite foods. Ben's awesome. 

in this episode we discuss:

• Ben's First Episode
• Em Dash shortcut
• On Writing Well
• Grammar in different languages
• Freak Muscle Program
• Humans and complaining
• Kilos and pounds
• Getting out of your head while lifting
• Ben’s creative date experience
• Not knowing what to do/say to a guy/girl
• Break up advice, and your head getting in the way
• Asking better questions on a date
• Ben’s DLC episode
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

When I first started working out, I thought had a foolproof blueprint for success:

• Lift weights
• Run on the treadmill
• Eat salad
• Drink protein shakes
• Make gains

Except, I didn’t have a blueprint at all. I had “ideas” of what worked. Assumptions I'd stacked together from magazines and the internet about how to burn fat and build muscle. But I had no real concrete plan.

And for years, I made the same stupid mistakes, over and over.

But I'm not the only one who's made these fat loss mistakes. You have too — or, you're making them right now.

These are my biggest mistakes I made. And if you're making them, I want you to know how to make the right changes so you can succeed with your fat loss goals.

Jedi vs Sith.

Who will win in this Star Wars nerd out with Mike Sweetman and I.