Latest / The Unsexy Businessmen / From Skinny Farm Kid to 60-Year-Old Bodybuilder: Dan Maddox's No-Excuse Fitness Journey
Transcript
- Aaron: Welcome to the Unsexy Podcast where we talk about everything unsexy, and today we have a very special guest, ⁓ especially for me. It's ⁓ it's someone that I've been talking to Alex about for I don't know three months. ⁓ I'm sure Alex is like, who the hell is this Dan guy? And ⁓ and so we have ⁓ Dan Maddox. I'm pronouncing Maddox correctly, right, Dan? Okay, good. I don't know, like it's actually Matt Oaks. Alex: Who's Tan Dan? Daniel Maddox: Yes. Aaron: Dan is a ⁓ former law enforcement. he a recent champion of a bodybuilding competition in Idaho, the same competition that I'm going to be ⁓ participating in next year. So we're talking to a reigning champion. and he's actually kind of my he's been like my inspiration for getting into ⁓ competitions and stuff. And so yeah, we're just gonna we're gonna get started ⁓ just right now, Dan. Just of kind of what what was kind of what what's your history with with lifting weights or going to the gym or staying healthy or whatever however you wanna phrase that. Daniel Maddox: All right. ⁓ let's just say I'll I'll go back. What was my drive and everything is in junior high, you know, ⁓ I ⁓ very I was a skinny little kid. I was picked on. I was beat up. ⁓ there was a lot of ridiculing. I I would never go back to my junior high. I guess if I could now I would, you know. But ⁓ Aaron: Yeah. Daniel Maddox: You know, in in putting it this way, I graduated high school six foot, a hundred and forty pounds. And so when people look at me now and say, Hey, I'll bet you you played football of well, yeah, I I was a good water boy and I warmed that bench really well. ⁓ but I always idolized, you know, ⁓ Lee Haney, ⁓ Arnold Schwarzenegger, those type of things going out, and I enjoyed weightlifting, but I was so afraid. Aaron: ⁓ wow. No Daniel Maddox: I was weak. I still remember very vividly to this day being able to just bench the bar. And that was a milestone for me. And then just to have a 10 pound plate on each side, those were things that I really treasure. And so when I look at somebody coming into the gym, it doesn't care. I I don't care about the amount of weight that they're there. And I'm really that type of an underdog that way that really it promotes for people to come to the gym. I got ⁓ I was always able to run ⁓ and do things that way. But when I got into law enforcement, of course you had to ⁓ have a physical agilities test. And and when ⁓ the sheriff asked me to join in the physical agilities week was in or test was in two weeks. I was a tractor farm kid and I I was out of shape. My wife, Kimberly, she left me in the dust. And I I was at a hundred yards. I was sucking wind and everything, and I couldn't do anything. And so I realized at that point I needed to get in shape. And so that was where I swore I was never gonna get that bad out of shape again. And then on average, up home, and this is northeastern Montana, ⁓ we would average a foot pursuit at least once a week. and ⁓ we also I got into being ⁓ ambulance EMT progressed, and I took that all all the way and was a critical care paramedic for 22 years, running 911, lifting and moving patients. You had to worry about. Aaron: Whoa. Daniel Maddox: A three-year life expectancy of it without a back injury lifting and moving out of everybody always is in the back of a trailer house, back behind, down, and they're heavy. And so I really dedicated a lot of time then in going to the gym working out, but also while doing that, ⁓ lifting comes with some strength. And like I said, one of my injuries is here to my arm. And which ⁓ for the viewers and everything, you know the the sitcom duke's a hazard. I was building a 69 charger RT. I have the numbers matching motor. I took it to a a neighboring town to get ⁓ some work done on the motor, get it bored, get it all done, because then I would assemble it, put it together. It had the crank and the rods in it and pistons, but otherwise a bare block. It was January 17th. I grabbed the motor. It was 9 30 at night. It was dark. It was cold. I lifted it up. Went to one side. There was a black garbage can there. I switched to the other side, slipped on some ice, and I thought, ⁓ I don't want to hurt this numbers matching motor, you know. So I was going to bounce it off my chest. And then I thought, no, that's not a good idea. So I rolled it. Aaron: Of course not. AHHH Daniel Maddox: And the motor mount, you know, just crushed my arm down into the asphalt, severing the artery, severing these tendons. I could move my pinky, but it took two and a half inches of my radius bone and just looked like you took a hammer to a carrot. And so after ⁓ five years, ⁓ four surgeries and everything, they got to where I was able to keep my arm there at a time. They were gonna amputate and everything if there was not gonna be any bone growth. ⁓ but they said I would never. Alex: . Aaron: Oof. Daniel Maddox: Grip anything anymore. my thing is, and I tell people, doctors will tell you a pessimistic story. ⁓ to me, that always drove me. I'm going to prove you wrong. And so I've gotten to where freehand-wise, ⁓ I have gotten up to 612 pounds raw, freehand, doing a deadlift. And that's not ⁓ the Bulgarian whatever or how the wide stands. I'm doing it, you know. ⁓ the narrow stance and pulling it up. and so I I look at that that I can grip, I can do things that they didn't say that I was able to. but with that it it just ⁓ I enjoy working out. ⁓ I love the discipline that it has. And it is just kept with me. I got to where I managed a gym in Helena Montana fuel fitness for Aaron: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Daniel Maddox: quite a number of years up until 2017. And then ⁓ moved here and then managed a gym here locally in Idaho Falls up until last November. I love motivating people. ⁓ I like ⁓ encouraging people. it's ⁓ the hardest thing is maybe getting people inside the gym. And you talked about one of the other people, your brother whoever you interviewed about getting A gym isn't the only place that you can get fit. And that's my thing. There are so many other habits you can kayak, you can jog, you can but I I believe there always should be some resistance training. Aaron: Yes, yeah, no, I agree. Alex: I have a bunch of questions. ⁓ So this is my first time meeting Dan, so that's an awesome summation there. I don't know how you did it in six minutes. I have most follow-up questions regarding the smash, I think you said radius, right? So the smash radius that you had happen there, you're never supposed to be able to grip again. You just had the mentality of I want to prove people wrong. So first question is like, I don't know how long ago this was, like, was your first step? Daniel Maddox: Go ahead. Alex: What was the first step to getting that functionality back? Daniel Maddox: A lot of okay, we lived in a rural town, only 1,700 people, eastern Montana. ⁓ we had no physical therapy there. ⁓ and that is one of the things with in between. I was in a cast ⁓ for several months at a time, and then they would take the cast off and then 24 hours put the cast back on. I lost my ability to pronate and everything, and it took to where I didn't think I was able to do that. It wasn't until the doctor said, Well, you're doing physical therapy, right? And this is like a year after the fact. And I'm going, No, what am I able to do? I it hurt just to straighten my arm out, you know, and to be able to do that. So I've had to on my own force it and use weights in itself. Aaron: Yeah. Daniel Maddox: And I am so thankful, I guess, for the internet anymore, you know. ⁓ up there we didn't have a lot of resources with the farm and everything, and we're out in the country. ⁓ so I had to adjust and adapt. Alex: Yeah, awesome. Well, so that's so you just figured it out. So there's, and I don't think the reason I'm asking this question is less about like, so be like Dan and figure out how to solve all these problems by yourself. But it goes along the lines of like, there are so many ways of going about solving injuries, the weight journeys that people want to go on, the health journeys that people want to go on. Which leads me to question number two, you're a gym owner, you love motivating people. What is the most difficult thing or the most common objection that people have when you're trying to help guide them to their goals. Daniel Maddox: I think foremost people don't want to give up the lifestyle they have, but yet they want to change. And that's the thing. When you think of when you're tying your shoe and you can't get that knock, but you keep trying to tie it the same way over and over, you're gonna get the same outcome. And so one of the things that I will tell people, there is no growth in your comfort zone. You have to Take a leap of faith. And biggest thing is find credible people. When I did my first NPC show, it was ⁓ in 2013, I believe, in Spokane, the night of champions. And I went there. I did not use and have a credible coach. I had a f a friend that was a power lifter and doing posing, how I came in, the diet. It was a total when you think of somebody up there when you look and say, yeah, that guy shouldn't really be there. That was me. And so I enjoyed the show. I enjoyed the camaraderie. I met some key people. And from that point, I said, I didn't give up. I said, the next time I do it, I am getting the right people in my corner. Aaron: Ha ha ha Alex: Yeah Daniel Maddox: And I will not do it until I am ready. And that's what I did. Alex: And for our listeners really quick, the NPC is the National Physique Committee. So he's a, he does bodybuilding shows. Aaron: When w so you Bodybuilding. What so you did a two thousand thirteen. W what when was your next show? Daniel Maddox: It wasn't until Here four years ago. Aaron: ⁓ wow, okay. So you you dedicated that much time to until you felt you were ready? Sure, sure. Daniel Maddox: ⁓ I need I needed to, seriously. ⁓ you know, my legs were so lacking. ⁓ I had strength, ⁓ but I did not have the physique. I did not have, I guess, ⁓ a lot of it changing my diet was a big one. ⁓ incorporating the appropriate cardio. ⁓ there was some huge changes that I needed to do. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Yes, we're we're gonna get into that, Dan. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Alex: Interesting. you so 2013 you do your first show and then you realize there were some dietary changes that you needed to make. I'm sure people are looking at you right now and they're like, what if I if this guy had to make dietary changes, I need to make significant ones like what were the dietary changes in from 2013 to 2022? It sounds like Daniel Maddox: Yeah. Okay. ⁓ significant ones. I cut out a lot of sugars. ⁓ I cut out breads, ⁓ especially ⁓ your bought process. We're farmers, we raise red white red wheat and everything. ⁓ I have a fantastic wife that has a grinder, she grinds it up. She makes her our own homemade bread. ⁓ so a lot of it looking at when I eat at night, what I eat at night. ⁓ if I want Aaron: Mm-hmm. Daniel Maddox: To binge on something, I'll have a little bit of ice cream in the morning because I know I'm gonna burn that off. You know, not having sugars late at night, keeping my proteins cutting out a lot of I guess some ways, some carbs, keeping things in perspective. And I learned maybe the 90-10 or the 85-15, 85% of the time I am going to stay very strict. But When the family gets together and things like that and they wanna have something, it is okay. You have that mindset, it's okay to have that. Aaron: Yeah. Yes. Yeah. ⁓ I was gonna ask you, so I think this is what I like to talk to ⁓ people about as well, especially people that that have never been to the gym. There's this stigma ⁓ at the gym that people are just gonna be judging you the whole time. And ⁓ so the my funny story is I use you as an example all the time, Dan. I think I told you about this when we were driving down to ⁓ meet Alex: Love it. Aaron: Actually, Dan was the one that introduced me to my competition coach. So Lloyd, shout out to Lloyd. ⁓ anyway, the there's this there's kind of this ⁓ stigma that people at the gym are all like just judging you the whole time and and whatever. So my my story that I like to tell people is I remember seeing Dan, dude, I don't know, two years ago. I don't know when I started going in the mornings again. And you just, you know, you notice people. Dan is an intimidating looking guy. Daniel Maddox: Yeah. Aaron: And you know, you kind of you might you might judge or whatever. ⁓ I was like, that is a that is a a very intim I don't like saying scary because it means it like you're a bad person, like very intimidating looking man. You're giant, you have a intimidating stare. And ⁓ I was like, I I and I just keep to myself at the gym. I really don't never talk to anybody. And then I I ran into you at the TSA, and you were the nicest person. Alex: Hehehehe Aaron: Ever. It's just like the the point of the story is like you might go to the gym and you might see all these like people that are grunting and making weird noises and maybe scowling. Those people end up being like the nicest people. Like Dan, Dan, you've helped me immensely with so many things. And if I would have just kept on to that that that ⁓ first notion of ⁓ that guy's a really, you know, intense guy, I don't want to talk to him. And Luckily that was it because I got the opportunity to talk to you. Like I would say the major and you could let me know what you think. I would say the majority of the people at the gym, especially the people that look like they've been going there for a long time, are some of the nicest people and they want to help you. They so this is for all the people who are intimidated of going to the gym. You can look at someone like Dan and be like, Wow, that ⁓ that guy's look scary or whatever, but let's like the nicest people. The nicest people like Dan, I've seen you, I've seen you there, I've seen you help ⁓ Do workouts with people with like physical disabilities. Like Dan is a good dude. If you just judged him straight on just how he looked, he's a an intimidating intimidating looking dude. But the majority of the people at the gym are just good people and they want to see you succeed. Like what what do you think about like ⁓ what what are your thoughts on that, Dan? Daniel Maddox: I appreciate your comments there. ⁓ and I'm I'm glad I I'm better than what I was. ⁓ being being in law enforcement and then ⁓ other things, there's a stigma and I didn't like the stigma of law enforcement and civilian. I was a public servant. I was paid by the people to be that protection, to be that buffer, to be a person ⁓ Aaron: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Daniel Maddox: to help out. And and a lot of it in my life, I like paying things forward. ⁓ I because I remember so much of my past, ⁓ I even have on my business card. It doesn't hurt to be kind. ⁓ I I want to encourage people to be successful. Yes, I'm pretty focused in the gym. I I my time is Pretty narrow, and I want to get it in focused and everything there. But I try to meet people there, and I'm like you. I will there are people there that no matter how hard I try, they will not talk to you. They will not. ⁓ and I guess a lot of it I learned from them. I try not to be like them. if somebody sees something that maybe I'm doing and or Aaron: Mm-hmm. Daniel Maddox: ⁓ they have a question, I really want to take the time and answer questions credibly because I'm one really to accept the fact that if I don't know an answer, let me do some research, let me reach out to other people that are maybe more credible than me, and then let me get back in touch with you. Because I want you to be successful in what your goals are. And so that I guess is me through the years is learning that. Every day we need to learn and being kind gets you ahead way far more than being a grouch. And that's one of the things that I see in working for the federal government and Homeland Security for TSA. There are some mean TSA agents out there. And how dare they? I I am very disappointed in the example that they do. Yes, I get you're maybe in a crowded airport. There's a lot of people you're getting through. But just like at the gym. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Yes. Daniel Maddox: We are all fighting maybe our inner Goliaths, our wars that are going on out there. ⁓ part of my last time as law enforcement, I dealt with ⁓ sexual abuse cases. those were some hard things, listening to depositions, listening to a person that, you know, maybe only 20% of the cases actually get reported. And then out of that 20%, Only 15 to 18% go to court. And out of that, less are even found guilty. ⁓ those people have opened themselves up. No different than ⁓ when a person I had a lady want to come to the gym in Helena and everything, and several days go by. Finally, I had another appointment and I text her and said, Hey, where are you at? You know, five minutes. I'm out in the parking lot and I'm crying. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Daniel Maddox: ⁓ taking that step to walk in the gym, to take that transition, that first one of going in there, for some people can be a huge overwhelming because they think everybody in the gym is so fit, so perfect, so tiny, so ripped, and everything that way. And that is not the case. We have two things that we're trying to do in there physically and then emotionally, and the wars that are going on and turmoils that people have. Aaron: Oof. Mm-hmm. Daniel Maddox: Stressful jobs, maybe even marriage relations problems, things health issues. ⁓ Go to the gym, get those endorphins, ⁓ be people are there to help you which are very surprisingly willing to help and seek those people out. Aaron: Sure. Yeah. Yeah, and I I I would say, Dan, like the it would be an exception to the rule that you run into somebody that is going to be mean to you at the gym. Like I think I think the rule is if you're asking someone who looks like they're fit, if they're like someone like you, if they see someone like you and they go and ask you a question, you might again, you might look intimidating. But I would say the majority of the time if 'cause it's kind of an ego thing too. I think I talked about this in other podcasts where, you know, if someone's approaching you about about about how to lift or how to get in shape. Alex: It s- Feels good. Aaron: That is telling you, hey, they must think I look like I'm in shape. That's kind of an ego thing. So it it it going up to somebody and like, hey, I don't know how to use this machine or hey, I'm new here. It's gonna be extremely rare for someone to be offended that you're asking them a question. Like I just I it might happen, but it's very rare. If it does happen, go to the next person. It's not gonna happen with the next person. Daniel Maddox: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And that is, you know, I not everybody's the same. ⁓ not everybody is in and that's sometimes when you look at my kids going through the dating scene and everything, and they say, Man, you my daughter, all men, they're just terrible. They're terrible. And I said, Please do not judge and put everybody in the same category. They're not that way. ⁓ I said told her that ⁓ Aaron: Right. Right. Daniel Maddox: There are many fish in the sea. There's a lot of quantity, just maybe not a lot of quality. And you need to find the quality. Don't lower your expectations. That's a lot of things. I'm a very goal-oriented person. Self-esteem. ⁓ when I go and I talk to youth, ⁓ schools, ⁓ into other organizations, motivational things like that. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Sure. Daniel Maddox: It a lot of it I'm dealing with self esteem and abuse histories. And ⁓ I I really get it. The movie with Dwayne Johnson where he was went back to high school and everything, that high school reunion and everything. It didn't take much for those kids that subjected him to that ridicule that he retrograded back. Our self identity and confidence, we need to be locked in on who we are and what we become. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. There's ⁓ sorry, go Alex. Alex: Wait, so you do motivational speaking, that's why I love these podcasts when I haven't met the guests before. News to me, love it. So I think self-esteem is a huge barrier to entry for a lot of people trying to go to the gym. what, what, what. Daniel Maddox: Mm-hmm. Alex: tips, tricks, like, hey, here's Dan's five-step plan for how to build your self-esteem to get in the gym. What are the things that you're using with that? For example, that lady that was crying in the gym, how do you help build that self-esteem? Daniel Maddox: ⁓ biggest thing, be patient with yourself. That's first one. ⁓ we're gonna be our worst critic. ⁓ one of the things that when I was in junior high, one of the people that ⁓ I talked to, you go to the mirror every morning. I like who I see. I am proud of you. You are better than you think you are, and you've got this. You need to repeat those things and also set those goals invisibly where you can see them. And then at the end of the day, I I go through. ⁓ have I helped anybody today? Was I kind? What could have maybe I handled a little bit different or better? Or do I need to apologize to somebody? ⁓ because I I acknowledge I make mistakes or things like that, but ⁓ Being able to accept this is who I am, but also realizing you can change. And it's okay to it might be you might have to change a job, you might have to change who your friends are. And sometimes people don't want to lose or get away from maybe that crowd that they bring you down. ⁓ it is so important to surround yourself. You can't soar with eagles if you're always gonna hang around with buzzards. Aaron: Yes. That's great. Alex: Yeah, yeah. That's good. It's just an interesting concept because I think that's like step number one. don't think if in order to like consistently be going to the gym or doing whatever it is to improve your health like That self-esteem thing is like number one, because I think a lot of people can go to the gym without a self-esteem and can do diets without a self-esteem, but that continued process that lasts as opposed to like the 30 day sprint, the 60 day sprint, the six month sprint, whatever it is, you really have to take care of the inside first before you can take care of the outside. Daniel Maddox: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Right. I was talking to two ladies this morning and everything, and the one says, Well, ⁓ I was just telling my husband that it's okay for me to be this way because I just had a baby. And I'm going, Okay, all right, that's good. But then her husband said, You know, how old is our our daughter now? And she said, Twenty four months. Alex: 18. I thought you guys were 24 years. Aaron: I think it's a twenty four years old. Daniel Maddox: We are yeah. We are we are always able to make excuses and for maybe our shortcomings. And again, I go back to goals. I am one that will am always maybe resetting, recorrecting, and looking at I don't hit my goal. I don't hit my mark. But I look at where was I at before? How far did I get? What was maybe some Integral things. My life, I think, is sort of like a pinball machine. You have the flippers and stuff like that, and that ball goes up there and it is bouncing between those electronic little pods and everything. That's my life. I have things always coming out of the corner or whatever and hitting me, and I'm going to and fro. But what are things that are steady? I know I need to go to the gym for not just me, but also my mental health. ⁓ Those are things I have to keep those consistence with me. I need to keep that and I don't want people to think that is such a selfish thing. But I'm unable to help somebody else if I myself is not in a condition to be able to myself be helpful. Aaron: Exactly. Yep. Exactly. Yes. I love that, Dan. I love yeah, yeah, you gotta take care of yourself before you can take care of somebody else. Yeah, no, I I totally agree with that. Daniel Maddox: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Think of that those guys' rungs on a ladder, and you have that picture of the guy down below pushing somebody up, or the person up above reaching the hand down and helping them up. You need to focus on the rungs of your ladder and get up there, and then you can help people up. Aaron: Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yeah. Exactly. There was there was something that you said, Dan, that I wanted to to point out. that you have a finite amount of time at the gym. And that's I'm assuming because you have a life, you have a full time job, you have a family. How are how do you make sure that you are getting to the gym like ⁓ every day or like whatever your schedule is for going to the gym? Daniel Maddox: I love the fact that I can go twenty-four hours. There were times when I was in law enforcement or I'd had to get off a twenty-four hour shift at the ambulance. The very first thing I did is I went to the gym and having twenty-four hour access to me so many times at three o'clock in the morning or five o'clock in the morning, I would have maybe come off of one of the most horrendous calls that I I can still smell the smell, hear the the sounds, whether it be the screams or the The things going on, the words that were said, and then the situation surrounding it. I knew I had to go clear my head to go home to be a dad, to be a husband, and not bring everything that happened at work home. And to me, that was so important to get myself square so that then I could go home and be a better person. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yes. Daniel Maddox: To them and not, I never want to take somebody when people say, ⁓ I'm having a bad day, and they subject you to their bad day. I never want to be that what person. You know, just because I maybe have had a very traumatic, very bad experience, I don't want other people to know that. And that's where people would say, I could never do what you did on those calls or everything. And I said, Aaron: Yeah. Daniel Maddox: I'm glad I was able to do those so you didn't have to. I'm all right with that. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So essentially you have to choose to go to the gym and not make an excuse of why you can't go to the gym. You're you're making an excuse of why you are gonna go to the gym, not why you can't go to the gym. I think a lot of people are just like, I I don't have time. I know I'm busy with this, I'm busy with that. And like you said, Dan, like our gym isn't the only gym that's twenty-four seven. Like there's plenty of gyms out there that are open twenty-four seven. ⁓ we talk about this a lot in other podcasts where it's just like Daniel Maddox: Mm-hmm. Aaron: I I I think it's just a choice. It's either you're going to do it or you're gonna figure out an excuse of why you can't do it. That's all it really comes down to. Yeah. Daniel Maddox: Mm-hmm. It is. Absolutely it is. You need to make it a priority for you. and the benefits eventually will come. And then, you know, people starting out, it takes, you know, what is it, thirty-eight to forty-two days for something to become a habit. But they were doing that every day. And you need to make it a habit and a priority. Because there are gonna be there will always be somebody that will or a situation that will distract you or want to take you away. Okay, I'm good with that. My life adjusts around. But then I regroup and say, I did not get to the gym. I need to get there. And I will do that before I go to bed. Aaron: Yep. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. No, that's that's that's perfect. Yeah, that's exactly I think we preach about that all the time. The other thing we preach about constantly, Dan, is ⁓ our sponsor, ⁓ Ghost No, I'm just joking. ⁓ the thing that we we preach about all the time is tracking everything. So at least yeah, I I'm always talking about tracking stuff. Are you tracking this is gonna really backfly like I don't track anything. I know you do. ⁓ like tracking workouts. tracking your nutrition. Like how are you doing that? Daniel Maddox: ⁓ and that is one thing. Shout out to Lloyd Welch and Uncommon Breed and everything to be able to help me out. ⁓ I have always been able to w when I found good coaches and everything, ⁓ I found that I I felt so much better on a meal plan. one of the other ones, like I did try for a while. It's called the vertical diet that ⁓ ⁓ what's name out of Las Vegas? ⁓ Aaron: Cutler, Jay Cutler. Daniel Maddox: No, no, no. ⁓ I want to be able to make sure and give this name ⁓ to give him credit and everything. But if you search vertical diet, ⁓ and it it is a way where it's more high protein, a little bit less carbs, but eating clean. one hundred percent, no matter how hard you go to the gym, it cannot Aaron: Yeah. Alex: Damon McCoon. Dan Efferding. Daniel Maddox: compensate for with that phrase, abs are made in the kitchen. How you eat and how you foods you consume outside can ruin everything that you did in the gym. Aaron: Yes. Stan efforting. Is that him? Is it Stan Efforting? ⁓ no, do we lose Dan? Yes, okay. Yes. Thanks, Google. ⁓ no, you're absolutely right. I I I the only tweak I like to make to the abs are made in the kitchen is I like to there's I I'm not gonna take credit for this because there's another ⁓ guy that said this, another bodybuilder. He said abs are built in the gym, they are revealed in the kitchen, which is the same thing, but it's just Daniel Maddox: Stan efforting, yes. Yes. Yeah. Very much so. Yes. Aaron: Yeah, like it just I I loved that he said that because like you still gotta still gotta build those muscles, those those abs, but you'll never see ⁓ And I'm a witness to this because I would trade my abs and but I would eat like crap. And guess what I never saw? My abs. And then it's said as like you said, Dan, as as soon as I like started tracking everything, understood nutrition, all of a sudden ⁓ I always blame genetics, Dan. I was like, my family, like we just cut we have crappy genetics. That's why I can't see my abs. That's why I'm out of shape. No, it turns out all the crappy habits I had and never tracking anything, guessing how many calories were in something, which I was way off on. ⁓ that's what it was. So do you do you so you you track your nutrition? Are you use it I know you use the app, the Lloyd app. Daniel Maddox: I am not I am not as good as you are, Aaron. I I I will say that. You know, I I do I weighed out my food and everything initially and everything. And now I'm to the point I know about well this is how much this is, this is how much I've been doing this for so many years that I know that okay, this is my four ounces or is this my six ounces or of ⁓ my carbs? I do that. Aaron: Ha ha ha. Daniel Maddox: I really you mentioned energy drinks. I have an energy drink. I try to limit those. I love energy drinks. I I am very much I could ⁓ like your green apple ones, things like that. I I I could have a lot of them. I structure to where I allow myself one energy drink on a day that I work. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yes. Mm-hmm. Daniel Maddox: During my days off, I don't drink any energy drinks. I limit it to lemon. I take lemon concentrate, water, and then I incorporate my powder BCAs and creatine. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's that that's that's perfect. Are you are you tracking I already know the answer to this because we have the same coach. So before Lloyd, were you doing any tracking of your workouts before you started work with Lloyd? Daniel Maddox: Mm-hmm. ⁓ absolutely. ⁓ to me, my workout in what in this is one thing that I tell people one workout plan does not work for every person. Like you said, physiques and everything are different. Some people are gifted. I my second son is gifted with nice ball shoulders, everything, the lats, and he is amazing how gifted he is. And Aaron: You were okay, great. Daniel Maddox: you know, when you think of like Phil Heath and his nickname gifted, there are some people that are able to acquire and build physique so much easier. For me It's it's a battle. Like I I mentioned, you know, when I stepped on stage two weeks ago, I weighed 26 point 226.1 pounds. I weighed myself this morning. I'm 228.7. ⁓ so I really haven't gained anything. ⁓ I I I knew that there was gonna be some water weight ⁓ that way. Aaron: Yeah. Daniel Maddox: But I feel good on a very clean diet. So why would I deviate from that and feel lousy? Aaron: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It's but it's and again, it just goes back to to s ⁓ discipline. And I think that discipline becomes easier when you're tracking things. Because if you're just guessing the entire time it goes and it goes to like weightlifting as well. Like you mentioned ⁓ earlier, it's nice to be able to look back and be like, ⁓ I didn't think I was lifting that much weight back then. Or maybe you don't think you're lifting that weight ⁓ that much weight now. And you look back six months, you're like, ⁓ I'm lifting like, you know, 25 more pounds than I was six months ago, or whatever it is. And those little wins really help with keeping you motivated. Like, I'm gonna keep tracking, keep tracking. And same with the diet. You see your your your your fat coming down. Daniel Maddox: It is. Yes. Yeah. Now Aaron: And you just want to keep going. Daniel Maddox: But you know, when you say I'm tracking how much I my ⁓ I curl, ⁓ press, ⁓ legs, squat, stuff like that. I don't know what it is. Maybe we can call it lunar, how the stars are lined up or whatever. There are days that I feel like one week shoulder press, I'm just going at it, just feeling just awesome and putting up some amazing weights for reps. And then maybe. The next time I do it, it's like this is so heavy and I can't get it done. I accept those days. I work out with those lesser weights. I still go to a fatigue. I still go to a burnout and I work it hard. To me, it's consistency. People always ask when I'm it's and everything, man, dude, how much do you bench? I have no clue. Aaron: Yeah. Yep. Yes. Yes. Dan, I got that I got that question this past week. I was in Scottsdale. I talked about it as the last podcast. A guy comes up to me. We're at the pool. He's like, How much can you bench press? I was like, I don't know. I've never maxed out my bench. I don't care. I just I'm I actually do high higher reps, lower weight, less risk of injury. But it is it's funny. Yeah, it's like that's a like the benchmark. Daniel Maddox: I don't Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Like you said, as we get yeah, when we get older, like I said, okay, here's my other scar. ⁓ through the years of working and everything, I've had a total shoulder replacement. It'll be two years come September. ⁓ My mind has gone into a tunnel, but we ⁓ Aaron: Ha ha ha. Daniel Maddox: We need to work towards something and have a goal. When I had this shoulder replaced, I wanted to be able to get back to a good physique. It was amazing how fast muscle atrophies and how much I lost within a five-month period of time. And so the whole goal was of to be able to hit the stage again, to get myself disciplined to back up. On a stage, and that forced me. My wife does not understand. She says, You don't have to get up on stage, you look good. ⁓ and I guess that's why opposites attract and things like that. I I knew that getting up on stage and having that goal forced me to be there, and that's what I needed. For me, that's what works for me. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Well and you also had that experience of twenty thirteen where you're like, I never want that to happen ever again. I want to be the guy that gets up on stage and people are like, wow, not like, ugh. So I think that's another thing too, where it's like, I I I had that bad experience, I don't want to experience that again. And then that you use that as motivation, I'm assuming, ⁓ to just keep like I I always want to be look like I belong. Daniel Maddox: Yeah. Yeah. Well, that was sort of like you know, when Kim was telling you about when I came out on stage for the sixties masters division, people she was out in the crowd and she said, People it was a noticeable talk among the crowd that said, No way that this guy is 60 years old. ⁓ and for me, I don't feel 60. I still feel like I'm in my 40s, and I'm hoping that. Aaron: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Daniel Maddox: I can keep going and keep doing ⁓ this because that was always one of the goals that if my grandkids or my kids want to go backpacking, hiking, or even cycling or do stuff like that, we're able to just drop drop it and go. I can go participate and keep up. They're not having to wait for a grandma and grandpa. Aaron: Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, just one of one ⁓ one of the many motivations that you you you use to to stay in shape. ⁓ I don't want to take up too much time of your your time, Dan. I do have one more question and Alex if you have anyone after this. ⁓ so our audience is like kind of old like I say older, but it's like probably like 30 to 60 years old. So let's say somebody that's like in their late forties or fifties, what advice would you have for them? Daniel Maddox: We're good. We're good. Aaron: for getting, you know, I I I'm older, I have maybe I have some injuries or whatever. Like what's your advice to them for, you know, getting getting into shape? Like what would you tell them? Daniel Maddox: Yeah. No, what I would tell people a lot of them, they'll tell me, can I gain muscle? Can I get better ⁓ at 55, 60, or whatever? Yes, absolutely you ⁓ One of the biggest things is as we this, we need to ⁓ keep what muscle we have. And that's the biggest advocate or the ⁓ thing that's going to be fighting against people. atrophy over time. ⁓ Aaron: Yeah. Daniel Maddox: And as we get older, maybe people aren't being physical as they retire. They're not as physical, outgoing. You've got to adjust your life to where you don't lose those. bone density. It takes up to three years for you to show any differences with bone density. In the ⁓ they had another study, your leg health determines how your heart health is now, those things being linked. And so Exercise to me, as Arnold Ford Sniger always says, Exercise. Just go exercise. And as Nike came out, just do it. Go do it. Yeah, quit the excuses, quit everything else. Just do it. Set the priority and go. Aaron: Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yes. Yes. I love I love that, Dan. Did you have any other questions, ⁓ Alex? Alex: No, I was going to save a lot of them for other podcasts because I think we could have Dan on again. Aaron: Yeah, I was I was telling Alex, I was like, dude, I could I could talk to Dan for like eight hours. But we appreciate you having ⁓ fr Yeah, go Dan. ⁓ before we we're we're bad we're I'm really bad at this. Is there anything that you want to promote? Like your ⁓ training or your your Instagram or TikTok, anything you wanna promote? We have dozens of listeners. Daniel Maddox: ⁓ Well, I would absolutely thank you for the option. Yes. ⁓ yeah, I mean if anybody wants to reach out on Instagram, I think what is it? ⁓ I think it's like ⁓ Daniel Maddox six six six one or something like that. I d don't know what it is. ⁓ Aaron: I'll tell you what it is, Dan. ⁓ let me look it up for you real quick 'cause I did have to. Yep. Yep, it's Daniel D-A-N-I-E-L Matics ⁓ A D D O X seven six one on Instagram. So anyone that has questions or help Daniel Maddox: Yeah, look it up for me 'cause you know ⁓ if Yeah. Anybody want to reach out? I'm more than willing to help or give any advice. Through the years of being in managing gyms, you wouldn't people say, I don't know if you've ever been asked this before. Trust me, I probably have, or I've run across it. And so I've done a lot of reading. What is the most latest? And I've being on nine one one calls with medical calls, stuff like that. Aaron: Yeah. Daniel Maddox: I see a lot of maybe people in fur recoveries and everything like that. How do you work through those? How do you get back? And yeah, ⁓ try me. Aaron: Mm-hmm. That's that's awesome, Dan. Thank you so much. And I can I can attest that Dan is a great person to talk to, very knowledgeable, and has helped me out significantly. So thank you again, Dan, for coming on the the podcast. We'll ⁓ go out there and keep being unsexy.