Side Quest Podcast

Star Wars: it's more than a cultural phenomenon. It's the retelling of ancient myths in a new and profound way.

For a majority of nerds and geeks, it's often what made us realize that we were nerds.

Raise your hand if you ever picked up a broomstick, a mop handle, anything that resembled a sword, and imagined it was a lightsaber.

I did it. And I know you did, too.

Star Wars, for me, is sacred. The stories it tells, the images it provokes, the characters in that world all provide meaning and lessons during the toughest times of my life.

After Revenge of the Sith, I thought that was it. No more Star Wars. But now with Disney at the helm, we have a whole new set of stories that are opening up to us as fans.

With the release of Rogue One this week, I wanted to change up coaches corner and turn it into a giant geek out on Star Wars.

I'm not all fitness all the time. And this episode is a whole lot of fun.

In this episode we discuss:

• Darth Vader
• The first time we saw or were introduced to Star Wars
• The pronunciation of the Millennium Falcon
• Lightsaber duels and fights with our kids
• Our favorite characters
• The first two Clone Wars cartoons
• Why Alec Guinness hated Star Wars
• Why Empire is the better film (no matter what I think)
• Where else in our lives we see or connect to Star Wars
• Fanboys
• Thoughts on Episode 7
• What director we’d like to see take a Star Wars film
• What scene you think of when you think of Star Wars
• Order 66
• The problem of Anakin becoming Vader
• What age is the appropriate age to show a kid Star Wars
• Why the Extended Universe is still canon to me
• Frank McGuire artwork
• Weird Star Wars Episode 8 theories
• Reign of Fire
• Bothan Spies
• Darth Maul fan film
• Topher Grace Star Wars film
• Red Letter Media
• Lightsaber battle in welding shop
• Steve Snoke
• Favorite Star Wars video game

This is the audio version of a previous post on the site that you can read here.

From the start of November until the madness of March, my life becomes obsessed with college basketball.

During those months, my heart and soul belong to my favorite team: The Tarheels of North Carolina. 

As a kid growing up, I had one and only one dream — that I would become a basketball player.

This desire was sparked, one by my undying love of the University of North Carolina (I was raised by ardent Tarheel fans) and the fact that my favorite basketball player—like all 90s kids—was Michael Jordan 

What no one told me, however, was that I needed more than dreams. I needed to work---hard. 

And, though, I'm not in the NBA today, every time I see a redhead sitting on the bench for the Tarheels, I'm reminded of what could have been. If I'd only given half a shit and actually tried.

This guilt is what drives me today to make my dreams come true.

Nerds and geeks now how to get things done. And BJ is a certified geek.

A few years ago, BJ topped out at over 300 pounds. But after a trip to Harry Potter World in Florida, BJ realized something needed to change.

First, he started with diet, then he got serious about running. And a few years later, BJ lost over 140 pounds. Then he decided to create Geek Fitness to help other geeks discover how to improve their health.

But it hasn't been an easy road for BJ. Geek Fitness has done well, but last year an injury sidelined him and since then, he's been suffering from anxiety and depression.

So, BJ joins me to nerd out on our favorite movies, comics, and games. But he also joins me to discuss mental health, fitness, and my arch nemesis, running.

In this episode we discuss:

Thinking we’re unique snowflakes

His struggles with lifting

Wizarding world of Harry Potter

Losing weight without exercise

Why running

Heart disease and family history health problems

Self-destruction and anxiety

How he’s worked through his anxiety issues

Lying on the floor and listening to Dashboard

Problems with time travel

DBZ, Star Wars, Buffy, and more

Learning to be yourself online

Geek to Geek Podcast

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Winter is here. At least for some people, it is.

And with winter comes things like the winter blues and illnesses.

So, when you're sick, should you exercise?

Can you exercise with just a standard cold or a stuffy nose? What if you have achy muscles or an upset stomach?

Hunger also hits had during the winter. And if you're trying to lose fat, sometimes, all you want is a big cheeseburger or a bowl of pasta. So can you use cheat days, or, how do you use cheat days to maximize your fat loss goals?

I answer those questions in this month's community questions episode.

In this episode, I discuss:

Cheat Days vs Cheat Meals

Leptin

Refeed Days

Who should and shouldn't have a cheat day

The Neck Rule

Tim Henriques is a coach, author, powerlifter and the Director of the National Personal Training Institute of VA/MD/DC. 

Tim has competed in powerlifting for 20 years. In college, Tim was named as an All-American Powerlifter with the USAPL.

In 2003, he deadlifted 700 lbs at 198 pounds which set a VA State Record. Besides powerlifting, Tim has also competed in strongman and arm-wrestling competitions. 

His book, All About Powerlifting, is one of the best resources for anyone looking to get ridiculously strong.

Besides lifting, Tim is a husband, father, and a lifelong gamer. 

Tim lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, kids, and dog.

In this episode we discuss:

• His gaming history
• Playing Diablo with his kids
• NPAL Atlanta
• Why powerlifting vs bodybuilding
• Ray Williams 1,005 pound squat
• Taking care of yourself while powerlifting
• Dieting for powerlifters
• Why it’s better for him to gain weight
• The day after a powerlifting meet
• Biggest mistake he made at his first competition
• The basic rules of powerlifting
• Squat stances
• Most common objection about powerlifting
• Tips for training like a powerlifter
• Fun questions
• Calves
• Improving your squat, bench, & deadlift
• Facebook
• Twitter
• All About Powerlifting

I'm a firm believer that video games can teach gamers valuable life lessons. What I've done to teach how games can help you improve your health and fitness, my friend Ches has applied to more mental health and personal development.

Ches is the creator of Live Like You Game. A website dedicated to helping you find all the unique ways video games can help bring out the best in you and how what you discover can help you improve every aspect of your life.

His day job is being an engineer at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. But his passion has become Live Like You Game.

Like myself, Ches found that he was completely lost when it came to understanding or improving the most basic aspects of his life. He spent far too much time gaming and not enough time living.

During his gaming sessions, he was on cloud nine. When he wasn't logged in, life felt like shit.

So, like all the games he'd explored, Ches went on a new quest: a quest of self-discovery. It turns out that video games tap into deep psychological phenomenon, boosting your mental energy. Video games were reaching the ambitious, creative, determined part of me that wasn’t showing in the real world.

What he found in some of his research intrigued him. Video games tap into a deep psychological phenomenon that can actually boost your mental energy. 

So why were video games helping him to be more creative and determined in the game, but he was unable to translate that to real life?

Through his exploration, Ches discovered keys to changing his mindset and making his life work for him. But he also discovered that other there are other gamers in the world who feel the same way. So he started Live Like You Game to help gamers find a way to connect their game world mindsets to their real lives. 

In this episode we discuss:

• Dumbbells and Dragons episode
• The negative stories he told himself
• Positive psychology and games
• Runescape and how it influenced his life
• Parents, politicians, and their irrational fears on video games
• What he’s found in his research on the benefits of gaming
• Healthy and unhealthy gaming
• Superbetter
• Where he struggles in applying game concepts in his life
• Learning what to do when you fail
• Fun questions
• What he does at NASA
• What his gaming history would reveal about him
• Stressors in life
• Three games ever gamer should play in their life
• Website
• Twitter

It's the great white buffalo. Moby Dick. The Holy Grail.

Everyone is looking for it. But the sad truth is: you'll never find it.

It's not there. It doesn't 100% exist.

I'm talking about balance.

Remember balancing on a see-saw as a kid? Or standing on one leg?

You wanted to prove you could do it. That you could hold a position in perfect balance without quivering.  Sometimes you did---briefly---and other times you failed.

When it comes to health and fitness, people are searching for perfect balance. How can you balance good nutrition while eating the foods you love.

How can you balance work, life, responsibilities, and your goals of weight loss or muscle gain?

Balance is the perfect nirvanic state that you think is achievable. 

Here's the truth: it's not. Balance is bullshit.

You're always teetering and tottering one side of the middle. You're never perfectly in balance.

That's not to say that striving for balance (or perfection) isn't a noble course. But, it's not about the attainment of the goal, it's about the struggles and consistent effort to reach the goal.

Accept that you'll never achieve 100% balance and forgive yourself for not. 

In this episode I discuss:

- Diet

- Muscle Building

- Fat Loss

- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

- And more

Since I chatted with Craig Ballantine, I've been intrigued by rules and rituals.

They provide meaning and structure to our day. And some of the most successful people in the world, swear by them.

I believe the first 30 minutes of your day are the most important minutes of your day.

For this month's episode of Coaches Corner, we decided to dive into and talk about our morning rituals. 

At least, that's where we thought our conversation would go. Then, as we discussed and dove deeper into the idea of rituals, we realized that we have rituals with our work and diet.

The word freedom denotes some sense of "I follow no rules." But, that's not true. Rules give you freedom.

We need structure in our diets, workouts, mornings, evenings, or daily activities. Humans are creatures of habit.

Our most prized state is homeostasis. And rules and rituals help us to maintain that state.

In this episode we discuss:

• First things we do when we wake up
• Meditations
• Morning pages and The Artists Way
• First thing you changed about your morning routine after school
• Eating and watching television
• College morning routines
• The routine of diet: eating the same things every day
• Why daily structure is necessary
• Homeostasis
• Excessive positivity is bullshit
• Body positivity
• Discovering your own happiness
• Routines outside of morning routines and diet
• Rules provide freedom
• Most important time of your day
• Not everyone wants to look “shredded”
• Intuitive eating
• My biggest struggle in life
• Who or what can send your routine off the rails
• Drinking and its effects on routine
• Getting back on your routine
• How to determine what’s important to you and establish your own routines

"Hey Robbie, why can't I gain more muscle? I'm doing all the right things but I think I'm just grinding my gears. Where are the gains?"

It's a question I receive often. Sometimes the answer is simple.

Are you training the desired muscle group enough?

No? Well, there's your answer.

Are you making sure to control the movements or are you letting gravity win the battle?

Ummm, I mean, I'm lifting heavy and grinding weight...but I'm not lifting it super slow.

Bro, slow down. Seriously, this ain't a race. Actually, if you slow it down and control the movement more with lighter weight you can build more muscle thanks to the midi-chlorians you have in your body.

"Robbie, I'm a hard gainer---I know it. I'm eating a ton of food and the scale doesn't move and neither are my measurements."

Are you tracking your calories?

No.

So, you really have no idea how much you're eating. I bet you $100 you're not eating enough. Whatever you're doing add another 500-700 calories and watch the gains come.

Here's the truth, there are a ton of reasons why you're NOT gaining muscle. And I'm willing to bet it's from one of the 7 (and by 7 I mean 8) reasons I cover in this podcast episode.

In this episode I discuss:

• Increasing volume for success
• Eat MORE food
• SLOW down Speedy Gonzalez
• Get more sleep
• You're not consistent
• Vary it up
• Put the goddamned phone down

Steve Hall is a natural bodybuilder and powerlifter. His biggest claim to fame is that he's a pizza connoisseur.

But his story says otherwise. A few years ago, Steve was in a horrific accident that damn near changed every thing in his life. Even with extensive head trauma, something deep inside of Steve Hall told him that he could come back from this.

Fast forward a few years later, and Steve is now competing in bodybuilding shows and coaching others to look their best on stage.

Growing up Steve was a victim of bullying. Something that we talk a little about in this episode.

He is also a podcast host himself.

In this episode we discuss:

• How he crafts his articles
• Mike Samuels
• Finding your voice in writing
• Training through an injury
• Eating and training on holiday
• How a car accident changed his life
• Bullying
• His first bodybuilding show after his accident
• The most important value he tries to display to his listeners/clients
• Bodybuilding and business: How they’re linked
• What makes good pizza
• Fun questions
• What Pokemon he would be
• What motivated him through his accident
• The most common misconception about bodybuilding
• Website
• Twitter
• SnapChat
• Facebook
• Instagram