I have an interview set for 8:00 am with Nate Green, a guy who I have a lot of respect for. He has a great site and has a unique perspective in an industry that doesn’t have a whole lot of variety.
We’ve actually never had the chance to talk on the phone before, having exchanged emails back and forth on a few occasions. I’ve written a couple articles for him on his blog, but we have yet to chat. He’s a great guy, who’s found a way to ‘pay it forward’ as he says, and earn a living in doing so. He’s built a business focused around helping guys become their own hero. So I figured now would be a great time to chat as he has recently released the “Hero Handbook” and the “Hero Workout” – and so we start talking…
The conversation starts with each of us talking about something we’re both passionate about: the future of our respective businesses…
Nate: “When I started out I know I didn’t want to just be known as a quote unquote “fitness professional” – I felt qualified to help guys and girls to get in great shape, but I also felt like I was qualified to do high-level coaching. That’s where my passion is and I never really explored it that well. So I realized that’s where I wanted to talk more about lifestyle stuff.”
This brought me back to when I was first introduced to the online fitness world by a good friend named Vince Del Monte. Prior to the introduction I literally had no clue that it existed. I didn’t know anything about blogs, or about the people who were helping millions get in great shape and live awesome lives. But as I began to see what was out there, I saw a lot of the focus being placed solely on aesthetics; building muscle, or losing fat. I didn’t see a whole lot of quality content focusing on helping guys kick ass in all areas of life.
Nate is one of the very few who has been able to incorporate an awesome, fitness-focused site, with other aspects that help us be the greatest versions of ourselves that we can possibly be.
Nate calls this ‘Being Your Own Hero’. And he’s dedicated his life and business to helping all of us achieve this.
There are a lot of aspects to this hero thing, and none of it has anything to do with being ‘normal’ or average.
Why settle for mediocrity when you have the ability to ‘be your own hero’?
Me: So, what categories make up a hero – from a physical and lifestyle perspective?
Nate: I’d say a hero is someone who does what they want to do when they want to do it.
Tim Ferris calls it controlling the w’s.
Taking care of yourself before others is a necessity sometimes. But I think there has to be some kind of service there. I don’t know if you want to call it charity work, or volunteer work, but I think giving back and paying it forward is a big part of it.
If I can help a lot of other people be able to do what they want with their lives, then I’m being my own hero, and if I can build my body in a way that looks good and performs in a way that I need it to perform, and consistently make good decisions in my life that inspire other people, and help me enjoy the day-to-day moments – then I’m being my own hero.
Me: Great points Nate. Now about the program; you released a successful book a couple years ago called “Built for Show”, what are some differences between that and “the Hero Workout”?
Nate: BFS was written in April of ’08. I feel like I’ve learned a lot in 3 years. I worked at T-Nation as an editor, I do my online coaching, learned a lot more about training.
BFS is great for beginners, especially with the 3-day full body split. But the hero workout, with it’s 4-day upper/lower split has a lot more athleticism involved in it, the way the workouts are structured, I just think the workouts are a bit better because I’ve grown as a trainer and a writer the last 3 years, and a bit more up-to-date.
Take a Look at Nate’s
Which brings me to another characteristic of a Hero: someone who doesn’t settle. Someone who’s continually moving forward. Adapting. Progressing. Being stagnant isn’t in the make-up of a Hero. And so we start talking about our goals…
We begin to talk about all of the different things he wants to accomplish and Nate makes a great point about focusing on only what will help you accomplish your goals.
Nate: “You really have to think about why you’re doing what you’re doing. Is writing for Esquire (which is what we were talking about as we have the shared goal) going to enable you to help more people?
Sometimes you have to take a look at why you’re trying to do these things and does it allow you to ‘pay it forward’, help more people, and bring you closer to what and where you’d like to be?”
It got me thinking about focus, and about a few other guys I know who are killing it in the fitness industry – and other industries as well – and how focused they are. They know EXACTLY what they want and are moving in a straight line towards that goal on a daily basis.
If you have a destination or a dream you want to reach, maintaining focus is important. So is learning to say “no” every now and then. It’s a lot faster, and a lot more productive to take a straight line.
That being said, writing for Esquire would be a damn cool thing to do. And sometimes it’s good to have little side projects and dreams that you want to accomplish.
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Download Nate’s ‘Hero Handbook’ here for FREE —-> Click Here
(Yes it’s actually free. It’s an awesome ebook, a must read for any guy wanting to construct the life of his dreams).
Build the Body You Have in Your Dreams When You’re Saving the World with —-> Nate’s ‘Hero Workout‘
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