Q&A: If I Had One Year Left To Live

Welcome to today's Q&A. Alright, super excited to record this Q&A. Basically, like, I love doing these. It's like I'm just sitting there having a conversation, me and you. So if you like these type of videos, be sure to give it a thumbs up. Let's get into the questions. We got them from Instagram. There was like 500 of them, and there's some really good ones, which shows that my viewers are very educated and cool people. Let's do this. Okay, so question 1: if you had 1 year left to live, what would you do? Well, first of all, you never really know until you're placed in this real-life situation, but I think I'd go either 2 routes. One would be I would try to explore and experience as much of the world as possible. I think, I think planet Earth is like this big simulation. It's like, it's like a video game. It's like Grand Theft Auto or Fallout or something where you can like complete 100% of it. So in that year, I would just try to get as close as I can to completing 100% of it and just experience as much as possible. And then the other option, I would try to leave as much of a mark on humanity as possible and contribute to society as much as I can and be remembered. And it's kind of funny when you think about it, both are very opposite routes. One is kind of selfish, and then one is more targeted towards helping others. So definitely an interesting question. That sets up the next question nicely. So video games, did you ever play them or do you play them? Um, back in the day, like over 5 years ago I'd say, I played a lot of Call of Duty. Uh, Grand Theft Auto was one of my favourite games ever. I still do love video games, but I think they're really time-consuming and I just do not have the time. So now I don't even have a video game console. Have you ever learned a lot about something in a short amount of time? Um, when I sat down with my accountant back in October, I think I learned more more about taxes in an hour than I did of 3 years of business college. When something affects you directly and when it applies to you, you will learn it so much quicker, um, because it's really kind of a sink or swim scenario that you're in. Have you ever taken out any loans or had any significant financial help to start what you are doing now? Nope. One of my goals is to never be in debt. There's just something that I just don't like the feeling of it. I think it really has something hanging over you. It's just a feeling that I don't like and something I'm gonna try to avoid. And not that the anything wrong with it, it's just me personally. But no, I literally like worked on the weekends, worked in retail, saved like €300 or €400 up, and literally got someone, a student, to design my website. From there, just started making training and nutrition programs, and there is just no kind of— you don't have to invest anything into them apart from your time. First thing I think about when I wake up, uh, well, when I'm dieting or contest prepping, it's food. But on a serious note, when I wake up, it's just how am I going to maximize this day, because I will never you'll never ever get it back. And that doesn't mean, oh, you have to conquer the world in 24 hours. Just do something that will get you a little bit closer to where you want to be. Some days you're going to achieve a lot more in 24 hours compared to some other days, and that's absolutely fine, absolutely normal. Do you think that the expansive growth in the fitness industry can be maintained, or will it plateau? I think the health benefits, like actual health that comes with being in shape, is becoming more and more widespread these days. And especially now with social media, people are being made more aware And then in terms of like aesthetics and having a good body, again, like when you scroll through your feed, there's just like people in good nick everywhere. And so more and more people want to try out the gym and want to get in shape. So I really see it becoming more and more prominent. So I can only see it to continue to increase rapidly as it currently is, but something unexpected can always happen. And on that note, what is your definition of health? I think it is when— well, first of all, when all your markers of health, like, you know, blood pressure and nutrient levels everything is all A-okay. Your body fat is in a good, healthy, athletic range. You are mobile, flexible, and can move pain-free. You've a little bit of strength and muscle. You don't have to be, you know, Phil Heath, but just a little bit of strength and muscle. And that you're not regularly feeling run down and getting sick. I think if you tick all those boxes, you're definitely a healthy individual. And if anyone's wondering, I have got my bloods checked. I, you know, do it often, and my markers of health, everything is just tops. So that's something I'm quite proud of. Are there any things in life that you struggle with? Uh, yeah, I definitely think I struggle a little bit with anxiety, but not to the point where I have to go to the doctors and, you know, get diagnosed with anxiety or depression, get prescribed something. I think, you know, just sometimes I just get really anxious when I feel I'm not doing enough. And sometimes this will kick in at like 11 at night when I know I should just be going to bed, but I can't help it. Sometimes though, it can be beneficial. Like, sometimes it will really make me get off my ass and get something done. But at the same time, there's zero point of stressing and worrying over something that's already happened. Like, if something goes wrong, if a problem arises, worrying and freaking out is not going to solve it. You should really just keep a cool head and, you know, get to the bottom of it. So that's definitely something I need to work on. Best way to progressive overload? Well, there, first of all, there are many, many ways to progressive overload and to keep increasing workload, and it often just depends on the individual and what kind of stage in their training they're at. But the best way is to actually just increase the weight you're lifting or the weight on the bar. Because imagine if you are always trying to increase volume and all of a sudden your volume's gone up to 20 sets of 10 or something, you're just never going to be able to complete that in a typical gym session. Whereas if you keep increasing the weight you're lifting, that'll take the same amount of time and it'll also equate to strength gain. So there's definitely going to be periods in your training where you're going to have to ramp up volume, but after those periods are over, you can increase weight and lower volume back down again. And this is one form of periodization. So the best way to increase progressive overload is adding weight onto your lifts. Are you going to compete again? Yeah, absolutely. I'll do the same as I did last year. I think I found my sweet spot in terms of prep, and that's definitely just, you know, cutting down for summer to look good and then maybe deciding on the competition like 2 or 3 weeks beforehand and really just stepping on the notch then. Because I find when I prep for like way too long, I just get sick of it. I get tired, I get worn out, and I just get bored with it. So yeah, I think a short prep is really ideal for me. What is your typical training routine? Routine. I've tried a few, but I think the one I've had the most progress with and that I've enjoyed the most is the Legs Push Full Split. That's in description box of every video. Best exercise for defining your back? Okay, I'm glad you asked this, and there's no exercise that makes certain body parts defined. You can make a muscle bigger, you can make a muscle smaller, you can gain fat, and you can lose fat. So by defining, making it more visible, more definition, you're going to want to lose fat while maintaining or even increasing muscle in some cases. So there's no magic exercise. If you want definition, it's gonna come down to fat loss. Any plans for January? Yes, this year I just want to start the year with a bang. And so I fully booked, as of today, a trip to Los Angeles and Bali where I'll be working on some very cool collaborations and projects. And one of the collabs is with someone that I actually haven't like properly spent some time or met before, and they were one of my original inspirations. To start lifting. So comment down below if you can guess who it may be. So if you're new to the channel, make sure you subscribe because January is going to be epic, I can promise you that. The one thing you appreciate most about your life? I think it's definitely just freedom. Like, you know, I can wake up and just do what I want to do that day. That doesn't mean that I don't work hard, that I'm not up like very late most nights, to be honest. Um, but yeah, I— it's definitely just the freedom and the fact that just there, you know, I booked a trip to Los Angeles and Bali. So, you know, yeah. Remember, there was a stage where I was working a job where I got 20 days off per year. If that was the case, my whole year's holidays would be gone in one month in January. So I kind of know both sides of the coin. So that's why I'm really appreciating the profit. What did you want to do before you got into fitness and YouTube? Loads of stuff. Like when I was kind of growing up, when I was like 18, 19, I really didn't have a clue what I wanted. Like I wanted to be like one minute a nightclub owner, that one minute be like on TV or be like a presenter or something. I guess now it's kind of similar to that, but I had so many things that I wanted to do. So any young guys out there who like are stressing because you don't have it all figured out, literally don't worry about it. Like, there are so many people who are in the same shoes as you are now. Any tips to increase vascularity? Yeah, well, first of all, get lean enough. You know, if you've too much body fat, you won't be able to— your skin won't be thin enough to see all the kind of veins and stuff. Second of all would be sodium, is that— so put a bit of salt on all your meals. Potassium also important too, so potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, stuff like that. And don't cut carbs completely because you're gonna need to get a pump in the gym. And be properly hydrated. Most spectacular location you've been to? I think it's— there's a few islands around Thailand that I've been to that are literally just breathtaking. They look like something out of a movie. So that's why I'm very excited to go to Bali in January because I've also never been there before. Now with that said, there are also some amazing cities in America like New York and LA that like there's just always something cool to do and like something to see and look at. How will you go about Christmas dinner this year? I'm gonna sit down, gonna get the knife and fork. No, seriously, I'm just gonna eat the damn thing, enjoy my day, and spend some time with loved ones. Like, seriously, it's not healthy to be like stressing about your diet constantly and your training, even though I will probably hit the gym that morning. But that's literally just like an hour of my day. I really don't worry about it. And like, if you really want to stay on track with your goals, like Just, you know, eat a little less the next day and do some cardio. Just don't make a big deal out of it. Favorite gym I've been to? I know it sounds cliché, but it is actually Gold's Gym Venice. It lives up to the hype. Attending BodyPower this year? Yes, I don't think Alphalete are going, so I'll probably be there with Myprotein. Meetups in Cork? The amount of people that commented about coming to Cork, it also like pops up in the comment section so much. So please comment down below. From Cork. I seem to have a lot of subscribers there, so I'm definitely gonna try and get down there, be it UCC or just like a gym down there. Any plans to buy a new car? Yes, absolutely. I'd love to, even though like my Audi is still running perfectly, I'd love to just like trade it in and try something new. And the current car I drive is the Audi A5 S-Line, so I'm looking for something similar to that, like maybe a BMW coupe or any kind of like two-door coupe car, because they're just my favorite type of cars. I just think they've got a sporty look to them, but they're also practical. So yeah, any good dealerships or recommendations, please comment down below or send me a message. What advice would you give to yourself back in the days of recording on your iPhone, sellotape to the wall, i.e., early YouTube days? I would say to believe in yourself fully because no one else will, especially at the beginning. Oftentimes we're our own worst enemy and we really sell ourselves short and criticize ourselves. I'd also figure out my strengths, what I'm good at, what people like to see, and then I'd really, really focus on that. What are some things that has helped you grow your channel? Um, definitely, you know, collaborations with people on like the same amount of following as you, getting some viral videos or videos that get really high views by just being creative and coming up with something and using, you know, good titles and thumbnails along with that. But at the end of the day, it is going to be content. Like, people will click onto your channel maybe from a collab, and if they don't like what they see, then they won't hit subscribe. Keep in mind, some people are just naturally good to watch and easy to listen to. So if YouTube is not your thing, that is absolutely fine. Don't worry about it. Just focus on what you're good at. Best entrepreneurial trait: I'm not afraid of failure. Like, if I fail something, you know, I'll just be like, okay, cool, learned from that experience, put it in the past, now time to move on. I'm also always willing to learn. Like, if I sit down with someone from a different kind of, like, industry or walk of life with me, and I'm all ears. I'm listening to what they have to say, and I'll also be the first one to put my hand up and be like, I've no clue how this works, please help me out. The person who thinks they know it all know nothing. How much money do people make via YouTube views? It's actually like, there's a lot of things that come into it. For example, watch time. If someone clicks on your video then clicks off, you won't get nearly as much as if someone watches the entire video. Other things like the end of the video if it's over 10 minutes and the ad revenue gets like doubled. Some people will put more ads on their videos and so there's a lot of things that go into it. But a good rule of thumb is a million views equals about £2,000. And you've got to keep in mind it's not about how many views each recent video gets, like all your videos that are on your channel, like even people watching old videos will contribute to your monthly view count. So if you've got like a few viral videos, they will always be there, just always kind of generating revenue for you. Have you ever declined a massive sponsorship? I think I've declined probably the, the biggest companies in the entire industry, but I'm obviously not gonna name names. But I'm completely happy with the sponsorships that I have now. When am I doing the 20K challenge? People are always asking this, and I definitely think I'm gonna do it. Like, I know I'm gonna boss that, but I'm gonna need to do it when I'm really lean and really shredded. People need to understand that when your body fat is very, very low, a lot hormones change around and go down, such as leptin and ghrelin, and it signals your brain to be hungry because it thinks you're literally starving to death and your body wants you to survive. So when you're really lean, you get— you're hungry very often. I remember when I was like super, super shredded, competition prep, no matter what I would eat like a really big meal and I would still just be hungry afterwards. So I'm gonna wait till I'm cutting again just so I know I'm gonna really enjoy the challenge and That is going to conclude this Q&A. Please leave a thumbs up if you enjoyed it and comment down below if you've any further questions. I'm probably going to do a Snapchat Q&A as well to go through a couple of questions that I didn't get to answer. If you want to see more of these videos, please let me know. Catch you in the next one. Keep it real.