152: Wade’s Fitness Coach Talks Metabolism & Feeling Great at 50+ - with Scott Abel

The bodybuilding coach who guided Wade to victory 25 years ago is back, helping Wade crush his 50th birthday.

One day back in 1996, our host Wade Lightheart happened to catch a lecture at the BC provincial bodybuilding championships. Scott Abel was presenting the lecture, and Wade quickly noticed Scott's impressive knowledge of bodybuilding. One of Scott’s students stood on stage during the class, and her bodybuilding physique was aesthetically flawless. The experience made an impression on Wade.  

Over the next year, while Wade struggled in all of his bodybuilding competitions, usually coming in dead last, he kept noticing how multiple students of Scott’s were winning contests and looking fantastic onstage. Wade decided he should find out what these other bodybuilders were learning from “Coach Abel.”

So, Wade hired Scott to be his bodybuilding trainer, which turned out to be one of those defining moments in Wade’s life. Scott guided Wade to many victories - not only in bodybuilding competitions - but also internal wins involving fitness, nutrition, mindset, and developing high-performance habits. 

As Wade approaches 50, he has hired Scott a second time to be his fitness trainer to help guide his 50 weeks to 50 fitness plan. 

Wade wants to hit his 50th birthday feeling fantastic (and he is documenting the entire process for biOptimizer followers), and Scott is highly qualified to help Wade achieve this milestone. 

Scott Abel is a 40+ year veteran of the fitness industry whose expertise is in using metabolism to transform the physiques of both everyday people and bodybuilders alike. 

Scott loves helping ordinary and everyday people lose weight, look better, and feel great - so don’t think this episode is only for bodybuilders. Far from it - the groundbreaking information in this episode is already helping overweight, average Joes and Janes get into the best shape of their lives without feeling deprived by food restrictions. 

Intrigued? Be sure to tune in! 

 

In this podcast, we cover:

• Why Scott thinks the Keto diet is “the worst diet ever.” 
• What is the “cycle diet?”
• How Scott’s high-performance bodybuilding history makes him one of the best fitness coaches for “regular people”
• What you need to do to stay fit and healthy beyond age 50
• Metabolism changes as we age and how hormones play into this
• Scott’s recent pivot on plant-based diets
• Why Scott has never been a low-carb advocate
• Some gold nuggets found in Scott’s exciting books 

 

What Professional Eaters Teach Us about Metabolism

Scott was ahead of his time back in the 1970s with metabolism. He and Wade talk a lot about the science of metabolism, along with the hype and misinformation out there. 

As a high-performance expert who constantly seeks out real-world evidence before making claims, Scott points out how his book The Cycle Diet talks about professional eaters and what they teach us about metabolism. He points out a petite, skinny female competitive eater they call the Black Widow and how she can eat crazy amounts of food in a short amount of time - like nine pounds of cheesecake in ten minutes - yet she remains “skinny as a rail.” Her example supports everything Scott has taught about metabolism for forty years. 

Competitive eaters eat very little before a competition. This is what Scott teaches with the Cycle Diet: regular undereating with well-timed “refeeds.” This approach keeps your metabolism in fat-burning mode rather than getting sluggish and shifting into a fat-storing mode. 

You see, diets - meaning long stretches of food deprivation that only work if they last forever, are not the right approach. They set people up for failure because when someone only eats a low-calorie diet for a long time, their metabolism goes into starvation mode, meaning it slows way down to a standstill. So then, when you do enjoy a cheat meal, your body stores it as fat. 

This illustrates why most diets don’t work in the long run. 

Accept the reality of where you are physically.

Scott talks about his spiritual transformation over the years and how he is a different person now. Scott Abel from the 1980s was much different. 

One of Scott’s spiritual principles he now takes to heart is “acceptance is better than resistance.” He points out that none of us can change the aging process, so it is better to accept the reality that aging is not something you have to fight off. Aging is not a bad thing. Go ahead and accept how aging is like a snowball going down a hill. “It accelerates as we age, and it's a very real thing. You’re going to lose muscle. And you’re going to have to accept that. You can mitigate it to some extent, but you cannot stop it.”

“In my book Physique After 50, I say that ‘it’s not enough to stop comparing yourself to other people based on your age, gender, or whatever. You must stop comparing yourself to the younger version of yourself.”  

If you are 50 years old and Scott is starting a training program with you, he will not have you doing the same routines you did in your twenties. “Why would you try to approach it with the same mindset?” 

Scott tells Wade, “One of my favorite sayings about aging is ‘consistency is more important than intensity. Back when you (Wade) first hired me, I would have slapped someone who said that. I used to be all about intensity.”

“But now, I can throw my back out in my sleep. I used to be able to train with a little bit of backache. Now, I can hurt myself getting out of bed in the morning.”

“People want to deny all this, but if you try to deny it, there’s going to be some serious consequences. I like to say, ‘train your age.’

If you’re “past your prime” physically, yet want to get into better shape and optimize your fitness so you can live at the highest optimal level possible for you, then be sure to tune into this episode. Keep in mind this is Wade’s trainer here. If you value and respect the knowledge Wade holds in the realms of fitness and health, then you will surely want to listen to what his bodybuilding mentor has to say. You know Wade is smart. Imagine how brilliant Scott is! There’s a reason why Wade sought Scott’s counsel. 

Check out this episode - training at your age level could transform your life! 

 

Episode Resources: 
Check out more about Scott Abel
Scott’s books on Amazon
Scott Abel Coaching on YouTube 
Coach Scott Abel on Instagram
Coach Scott Abel on Facebook
Scott Abel on Twitter
FLASHBACK: Episode 002: The Cycle Diet & What True Health Is