Vigor Life Podcast

How do you go from living in a 300 square foot room with two friends, hustling to just get by (in a far away country that's not home), to becoming on of the best black and grey tattoo artists in the world? That's the story of “Lil B” Hernandez, my good friend, and the person who has stabbed me more times than I can count... with a tattoo needle that is. In this episode we talk about everything from mastery of your craft, the mindset behind growth and success, traveling the world and how attaching yourself to things can be a ball and chain for life. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: How Lil B took something that he was passionate about and made it into his business One of the biggest mistakes most people make in business and how Lil B found a way to make his tattoo art elite – this is a secret business lesson The secret to becoming a master and sought out expert in your field How we use humility as a weapon that allows for constant growth and improvement How to take people's visions and dreams and us

Jason Ferruggia has gone from building one of the first, and most successful underground gyms, to going broke, to building an incredibly successful online business. He is now the host of the Renegade Radio podcast – which has millions of downloads. Renegade Radio is an entertaining and informative show that empowers you to unleash your strongest self. You get motivation and strategies to build your body, strengthen your mind, and live a life without regrets. In this episode Jay and I talk about the biggest lessons, mindsets and strategies to build a fulfilling life in the areas of healthy, wealthy and wise - from decades of our experiences, mistakes and triumphs. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: The best way to train for the rest of your life to stay strong and lean, without beating up your body so that you can also have longevity – The answer will surprise you! The message Quest Love put out on social media that shined a light on the disconnect between fitness professionals and people wanting to change

There are certain perspectives in life that create awareness to truly help you change. One of them for me was finding out the difference between difficult/easy and difficult/difficult. The first time I heard this was back in the day from my friend Alwyn Cosgrove, then later on again from John Berardi. I have made asking myself two simple questions an ongoing part of my life to help me figure out what I needed to drop and what I needed to do more of. Learn those questions and the perspective that help me eliminate some things while adding others to improve my results in all areas of life. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: Why doing "hard" things and working hard may be the reason you're stuck and not getting results Difficult actions have two sides of the coin – find out if you're putting time and effort into the wrong one and how it's taking away from what you want and creating a pattern that's hard to break The ONE thing that creates more stress and anxiety in your life and how to eliminate it The sec

A few weeks ago I went to Brazil with my brother to shoot a documentary on movement culture and how environments trigger behaviors. The trip however ended up being so much more than that – becoming one of the best experiences of my life. I realized how much we chase "things" to create happiness, when in actuality we can have happiness now, in every aspect of our lives. Happiness is a powerful beast that will actually help you achieve the success that you want, while also improving your life. In the episode I talk about real actionable strategies and practices that you can implement daily that will help you be happier, have more energy, more cognitive capacity and do better work that leads to success. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: The revelation I had while playing foot volley on a beach in Brazil, and how it will shift your perspective on life The single biggest reason it's so hard to be happy 7 ways to be happy RIGHT NOW The 3-minute exercise that my friend made me do that made me realize how I

Have you gone through hardships in your life and feel like you won't be able to achieve your dreams because of them? In this episode I sit down with my friend Andy McCloy, who — like me — has had to overcome a tough and "colorful" past to get where he is now. Andy fought through adversity to build one of the most successful sports performance businesses in the south, and in this episode we discuss how. We talk about everything from growing up and getting into trouble, the catalyst that lead Andy to make a change, and how fitness and youth sports inspired him to build his business – while mentoring kids in their early teens all the way up to pro ranks. Andy's philosophy will give you a lot of insight into the success of his programs and the blueprint to succeed in any career. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: What lured Andy to a life of crime and the catalyst that made him realize things have to change The secret lesson that is responsible for success in some people and failure in others The book t

What if there was a better way for you to get muscle building, strength and performance results while staying injury-free? What if there was a science that would allow you to stick with a workout consistently? Christian Thibadeau and John Rusin, two of the world's top strength, hypertrophy and performance coaches join me to talk about the big mistakes most people make when it comes to improving their physique, strength and performance – while staying pain-free. Also, they share insight about training people with different personality types, and how those personal characteristics affect training, nutrition, recovery and compliance. This is some extremely insightful information that you most likely haven't heard yet! To cap it off, we dive deep into what it takes to be a great coach and some of the biggest traits that are currently lacking in the fitness industry. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: How to assess personality types to determine what will help a client stick to their programs, get better results

I met John Wolfe years ago while studying kettlebell training. What initially struck me about him was his approach to and philosophy about training – I loved how he implemented unconventional training methods into any program as a way to upgrade it. John, who is now the CFO (Chief Fitness Officer) of Onnit, joins me to talk about everything from how to build culture, a community that connects instead of divides, and powerhouse teams that encourage individuals to step into greatness. We of course also get into unconventional training. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: Why John left his own business to join Onnit and how you can be happy and successful by putting yourself into the right career The secret to long term growth and success - "It's not about how much money you make but ________." How to learn some of the best lessons from the things you did wrong – or even better, learning from other people doing things wrong The principle that can be implemented to attract the best talent and a powerfu

After my basketball career I struggled to find the motivation and structure to get the things I wanted to accomplished done both personally and professionally. It took a lot of trial and error — falling on my face (a few times) — and the help of mentors who helped guide me towards my goals for me to get to the place I wanted to be. The revelation that really shifted things for me was that I am still an athlete, but now my sport is life and everything in it is my playground. In this episode I share my perspective and the strategy that helped me break everything that I wanted to achieve down into monthly, weekly and daily targets/practices. A strategy that will help you dominate your days. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: How I struggled after ending my basketball career with feelings of loss and a lack of purpose and what I did to turn it around How putting all my energy into my business actually damaged things that matter to me and the steps to avoid the same mistakes The philosophy and structure t

When I or one of my clients is injured I always want to make sure that I have a network of the most knowledgeable and caring people available to help me/them get back on track with training and living life to the fullest. One of those people is Dan Swinscoe. If you have ever been hurt or injured you understand that the only thing you want to do is get out of pain and get back to doing the things that you love pain-free (and keeping it that way). To get the best results, short and long-term — when it comes to training for body composition and performance — staying injury free is key. In this episode Dan and I discuss how to get out of pain and how to stay pain-free so that you can be your best at whatever you choose to do. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: How pain changes the way we move, live and think and how it affects every part of our life — and what to do about it RIGHT NOW What I learned from a devastating back injury that I suffered 6 years ago, and how you can learn how to avoid making the mist

This week I wanted to share a perspective that a friend and I were talking about that tends to keep people from achieving their goals. I also get into a simple exercise of awareness that will help you break through if you’re currently struggling to achieve something. It's no secret that our perspective, subconscious beliefs, fears and mindset guide the decisions and actions that we take. Shifting my perspective has been monumental in my own life – taking me from not believing in myself, to a life of crime and failure, to where I am today. The tools, strategies and stories that I share in this episode are the same ones that I used to transform my life. They’re also the strategies that now help our clients at Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance undergo deep transformations. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: How everyday you choose your "can't” and why that's holding you back from everything you want in your life The magic question that determines if your beliefs and actions are taking you away from your

I sat down with coach Cody from Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance to talk about the perspectives, mindsets, skill sets and strategies that we implement with our clients to help them change behaviors and get them closer to their goals — while making fitness and nutrition a sustainable stress-free part of their lives. We dig into some very specific examples as well as shine a light on some of the things that most fitness media pushes as the solution, when it fact it may lead to a roller coaster of weight loss and weight gain. If you look deeper at this conversation there are many strategies that you can use in principle to help change your behavior — whether related to nutrition or any other lifestyle factor. As I’ve said before, nutrition coaching is more about inter personal skills and psychology than it is about the x’s and o’s. If you’re looking to change your habits to help you achieve your goals then don’t miss this episode. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: What NOT to do – even though it’s what mai

Many years ago I read a book with a quote from Steve Martin as the title that really hit home for me. Not only has the quote been etched into my mind ever since, I also have a poster of it up in my office, a screenshot on my desktop, and note cards with the phrase written on them. Excessive? Maybe, but maybe not. This quote reminds me to focus on the process while highlighting an important fact: no one is to blame for my failures, and it is my responsibility to hone my skills so that I don’t get ignored in the areas I want to excel in. Whether it’s personal or business, the advice and perspective I give in this episode will help you focus on the right things to help you achieve the things that you want. Taking control of your nutrition and lifestyle choices, becoming the best at your skill — and getting recognized for it — creating deep meaningful relationships, creating wealth, or just being able to dominate pick up basketball at your local gym, all comes down to this mindset. Discover what it is and exa

Years ago I spoke on stage with Dr. John Rusin and after listening to him I started digging into his writing, training and philosophies. They aligned with so many of my thoughts after pushing my body for decades and having a number of injuries that really threw a wrench in my progress and even my career in sports. Going heavy, fast and hard at all times when it comes to training — even though it may sound “beast mode” — is actually a sure path to feeling beat up and in pain, which will ultimately stall your progress. Dr. Rusin has found a model that works with just about everyone when it comes to getting strong and jacked without the risk of injury. If you want to maximize your performance over the long-term you have to follow and pay strict attention to a smart model of programming, form and training. If you follow what most advice tells you then you’re likely to get injured at one point or another. Dr. John Rusin joins me on the podcast and will change your perspective of what smart training really is. I

In the past I had a tendency to take on a ton of action steps, then get frustrated when I completed fewer tasks than I set out to accomplish. This pattern quickly became a vicious cycle that kept me from achieving the things that I wanted to, while making me feel stressed about the fact that I wasn’t hitting my targets — which left me with a sense of failure. With time, a lot of studying and coaching I realized that there was a better way to approach achieving my goals — and feel good about it when I did. I wanted to share this process — which I now teach to Vigor Ground clients to help build behaviors that lead to long-term results — with you so that you can implement them in your life and start seeing the results that you want IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: The ONE thing that you need to know to keep you from feeling like you're shooting in the dark or driving around with a broken GPS The four questions that you must ask yourself before before outlining action steps for what you are looking to achie

How much are you sleeping? It’s a question that the average American answers with 6.8 hours (this is a statistics – most people don’t actually know the exact amount of sleep they getting) which is down by about an hour from the 1940s, and continues to drop. Sleep is the magic potion that helps improve your body, cognitive function, health, performance, and even your relationships. Yet many people tend to brush it off because it's not as sexy as a superfood, supplement, or transformation exercise program. If you are one of those people, it’s time to change your view of sleep and start making time for it. In this podcast I share how and why I went from a guy who slept less than 4-5 hours per night to a regular 8-hour per night sleeper. And dive into the science behind why sleep is important. I also outline a few strategies that you can implement right now to help improve the quality of your sleep. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: How I went from a hustler and active member of #TeamNoSleep to crashing and burn

Last April I visited Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands and got the chance to spend time with Richard Branson, Yanik Silver and the Maverick group of entrepreneurs. This trip was made possible by an Evolved Enterprise Award that I received for Vigor Ground Fitness — an award that is given to individuals who have built a business that is helping change things in their community in creative charitable ways, while influencing other small businesses to do the same. The trip was not only motivating, but also inspirational because it helped me realize that I can do so much more when it comes to supporting others in my community. In this episode I explain how/why our environment shapes us, and how you can mold your environment to help you succeed. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: How environments trigger behaviors and what that means for your success, or lack of it What Richard Branson did with Necker Island to create an environment that helps him do meaningful work and lead a fulfilled life How

There's few things that make life more fulfilling than relationships and experiences. When you combine the two it really makes for the best life. In the last three years of speaking I kept getting asked the following question: “Luka, how did you create so many meaningful, powerful relationships in your life?” To answer this question I decided to look back and share my thoughts, experiences and 17 lessons that I have learned over the years that will help you build phenomenal relationships in your life – whether they be in your business or personal life. I also go into how you can create things that help people and do meaningful things in business with your friends – which is one of my favorite things. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: Two things that your life will suck without – and how most people don’t pay attention to them A little secret I figured out to help connect me to just about anyone – that will also work for you The #1 rule — when it comes to building relationships – and how if you break i

The originator of the fitness system Training For Warriors and my good friend, Martin Rooney drops by to talk about his new book, "The 5 Things" and how he has traveled the world and accumulated lessons, ideas, and action steps through his journeys. Discover and learn how you can lead a fulfilled life, and get a better body, better relationships, a better career, business and finances by following Martin’s system. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: How Martin traveled the world, learned lessons and ideas and broke them down into 5 actionable steps you can take today Why fitness is making things confusing and how it's what's stopping people from taking action and getting results Martin's 5 BIG things to live a better life and how you can start taking action on them today How Martin wrote a chapter of a book while driving in the passenger seat in Slovenia, and how it applies to your life and getting results The 5 F's to living a better life and how missing any one of these can break down all the

After one of my quarterly mastermind events, that I attend in Laguna Beach, I had a revelation while listening to a friend talk about the full story of King Arthur and the sword in the stone. It’s a story that most people never hear that made me realize why I sometimes get stuck in certain areas in my life. It also gave me insight into why a lot of people never get what they want. When it comes to reaching any goal, it’s not only important that you surround yourself with people who have achieved what you want to attain. But also equally important to surround yourself with people who you trust and will point out the things you may not see or want to hear. By doing so you will be able to learn from your mistakes then apply change moving forward. Without this type of environment it’s easy to get stuck in a “cup de sac” – spinning circles and wondering why things never change for you. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: How you can learn from the military “hot wash” – which will teach you how to learn from your mi

I invite one of our Vigor Ground coaches, Cody McBroom to talk shop about nutrition. Not the nutrition that you hear about in trendy magazines and in the thousands of diet books that push "the _______ diet that will finally help you get results." But rather the type of nutrition that is backed by science and teaches you how to make sensible (sustainable) changes. Over the last decade I've studied countless nutritional approaches, (trying and testing many of them on myself and with my clients) been taught by some of the world’s best minds, made many mistakes, learned from those mistakes, and have continued to study and apply everyday to help Vigor clients achieve the best results. In other words, results that stick while allowing them to live a fulfilled life where nutrition changes become a part of their life NOT a source of stress in their life. We consider nutrition changes a success with our clients when we affect body composition, health, and performance. If we don’t make a positive change to all three