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The Most Positive Man On Earth - Rob Lipsett | Modern Wisdom Podcast 259

Rob Lipsett is a YouTuber and Fitness Model. While I was in Dubai I managed to get hold of the loudest, friendliest and most positive Irish man in history. Expect to learn Rob's advice for anyone trying to start a YouTube channel, why he can't wait for our robot overlords, what he's learned from a decade of bodybuilding, how he deals with haters and much more... Sponsors: Get 20% discount on Reebok’s entire range including the amazing Nano X at https://geni.us/modernwisdom (use code MW20) Get 50% discount on your FitBook Membership at https://fitbook.co.uk/showcase-your-work/ (use code MODERNWISDOM) Extra Stuff: Check out Fuel Cakes - https://fuelcakes.com/ Subscribe to Rob on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/RobLipsett Get my free Ultimate Life Hacks List to 10x your daily productivity → https://chriswillx.com/lifehacks/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #fitness #roblipsett #artificialintelligence - Listen to all episodes online. Search "Modern Wisdom" on any Podcast App or click here: iTunes: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/modern-wisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: modernwisdompodcast@gmail.com

Chris WilliamsonhostRob Lipsettguest
Dec 17, 20201h 10mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. 0:00 – 0:35

    Intro

    1. CW

      What's happening long term? You gonna be a YouTuber at 50 years old?

    2. RL

      Joe Rogan's 52. He's the best YouTuber in the world, on paper. You know, he's killing it. Casey Neistat, Gary V., Sam Harris. Jordan Peterson is a YouTuber. All the people that I watch most on YouTube are all, like, in their 50s. So I used to think, like, "Oh, man, I can't be doing, like, these little vlogs forever." And in some way that's true. But I'll definitely always be online for the long term. Gonna be the world's oldest YouTuber. (laughs)

    3. CW

      Fantastic.

    4. RL

      Yeah. (laughs)

  2. 0:35 – 1:18

    Staying optimistic in a chaotic 2020 (gratitude, perspective, and control)

    1. CW

      (wind blowing) Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. I'm joined by the one and only Rob Lipsett. How are you, brother?

    2. RL

      What's going on? I'm great. I'm happy to be here. Beautiful views, we're in Dubai, sun's shining. Life is good.

    3. CW

      Just dropped the Mercedes off?

    4. RL

      Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nice two-day rental. (laughs) That flex.

    5. CW

      (laughs)

    6. RL

      (laughs)

    7. CW

      2020's been mad, man. How's this year been for you?

    8. RL

      You know what? Um, I'm very into perspective and gratitude, and compared to, you know, w- what some people have been through this year, (laughs) first of all, haven't got corona, you know, that's great. And like, you know, haven't lost my job. Um, and, and I've still been able to remain a little bit of normality, so it's been great in, in terms of the context of things. Yeah.

    9. CW

      Mm-hmm.

    10. RL

      For sure.

  3. 1:18 – 2:12

    The cancelled bodybuilding comeback: when ‘no excuses’ meets COVID reality

    1. CW

      What about stuff that you wish you'd been able to change looking back on 2020? Any areas that you thought were weaknesses?

    2. RL

      For sure. So a, a really annoying thing was I did this, like, big series, like, I got fired up, I guess it had been episode five, about me competing again.

    3. CW

      Yes.

    4. RL

      You know, going back to men's physique stage. And I was like, "Nothing will stop me. I got this." (laughs) And then corona was like, "And you're gone." (laughs)

    5. CW

      (laughs)

    6. RL

      So it was kinda funny, but like, I got on day 30 at a ni- a 90-day prep, a 90-day series, and it was going really well. (laughs) And I was literally like, my favorite mo- my favorite motto is, I'll either find a way or make one. Like, in other words, no excuses. Then I was like, "Apart from corona, that's an excuse." (laughs)

    7. CW

      (laughs)

    8. RL

      So look, y- y- some things are outside of my control, um, um, but that's it. But no, I'm happy with the way, way things went, and uh, I wou- wouldn't really change much.

  4. 2:12 – 5:02

    Dating and relationships as a YouTuber: “every girlfriend becomes a videographer”

    1. CW

      Yeah. So one of the things I'm fascinated with about yourself is that you seem to be quite an effective serial monogamist.

    2. RL

      (laughs)

    3. CW

      So you've been in and out of a bunch of relationships that people who are fans of your channel will have noticed.

    4. RL

      Yeah.

    5. CW

      And you're able to balance those seemingly with traveling, with doing the YouTube thing. Like, every girlfriend becomes like a second videographer.

    6. RL

      (laughs) Oh my God, that's so true. I'm like, I got, first date, it's like, "Right, so, um, h- how are you on final cut pro?" (laughs)

    7. CW

      (laughs)

    8. RL

      I was like, "Color grading skills?" Yeah. Um, and, and what about, you know, do you know how to work in Music Back? (laughs)

    9. CW

      (laughs)

    10. RL

      No copyright music.

    11. CW

      Yeah.

    12. RL

      Do you know what I'm talking about?

    13. CW

      Yeah, yeah.

    14. RL

      (laughs)

    15. CW

      So talk to me about that, because, uh, people who just live normal lives struggle to keep a relationship together.

    16. RL

      Yep.

    17. CW

      What's your principles for having a good relationship?

    18. RL

      Yeah. So I was in... Uh, when, when I first started YouTube, I was in a six-year relationship at the time, so I was like 18. We started going out, and then I started YouTube when I was 22. So you know, we'd known each other for so many years. She was just like cool with it. She was really encouraging. And then, you know, obviously we parted ways. You know, we're all good now. And then I was single for a bit, okay? And a- me and Mike talked about this. We were saying how it can be difficult to handle dating life, you know, being single, like, you know, dating a few different people or maybe, you know, just seeing someone once on YouTube. Especially if you're, let's say you're on a weekend away with them, and like you're in a cool place, you wanna record it. You don't know this person well enough to be like, "Can you get a clip for me?" (laughs)

    19. CW

      (laughs)

    20. RL

      Or, or it's like, "You don't want to vlog it," 'cause it's like, "I got about 10 other chicks on the go." (laughs) They probably watch this channel. So being single on YouTube, um, especially if you're, you're playing the field, is quite difficult. So having a partner that understands what you do, um, I- is super helpful. And so, uh, Linda, the, the girl I'm with now, I've been with her two years, she is just so good with it, like... Like, I'm like, "Fair play for putting up with me," you know? (laughs) So she's great, but, but yeah, you, you've certainly got to train them in. And I, I think being single with YouTube is actually more difficult-

    21. CW

      Why?

    22. RL

      ... in a sense.

    23. CW

      Just, yeah.

    24. RL

      'Cause again, the dating stuff, and also, what I noticed when I was on my, my single stint is that dating takes up a lot of time. You know, DM'ing takes up a lot of time. (laughs)

    25. CW

      Swiping right.

    26. RL

      Yeah. I'm like, "I could be editing a video or get... doing s- clearing out my email inbox, but I'm DM'ing you." (laughs) You know? So, and, and you know, you're, you're, say you're going on dates and drinking. You know, you might be d- when... It's like when you first start seeing someone, you drink more with them, 'cause you get to know th- know them. And like now, we'll have to go for a meal without having a drink, you know, when you're coming forward to someone. But, so, so I think being single i- is, um, takes up a lot more time. So I think having a good person in your life helps with, like, business and YouTube or whatever it is.

  5. 5:02 – 8:15

    When relationships boost vs. derail ambition (and why “simping” kills attraction)

    1. CW

      One of the things I think's interesting is a lot of friends would be significantly more effective out of their relationship. We all know a buddy who's in a terrible relationship.

    2. RL

      Yeah.

    3. CW

      The, they're constantly being told by their partner, guy or girl, "Why are you not seeing me? You're seeing your friends. You're choosing your friends over me." And what that causes is people to not pursue their goals and aspirations and dreams, because they have to keep this other person who's supposed to be a part of that journey, they have to actually take a step away from that journey in order to keep that person satisfied.

    4. RL

      Yeah.

    5. CW

      So I think that's a misalignment. But what you also see is when people get into the right relationship, that that actually can benefit and, and supercharge their progress. I would say on balance, I know more people in relationships that I think are actually holding them back-

    6. RL

      Oh, for sure. Com... Like completely agree with that.

    7. CW

      ... than keeping them, keeping and going forward. Is that what you see?

    8. RL

      Yeah. Yeah, abs- absolutely. And funnily enough, is that'll actually turn your girlfriend off of you.... you know, if you stop focusing on your goals, um, and you know, you- you- you start simping (laughs) over her, and, "Oh, it's all about you," you know, that's- that's not attractive. You know, like, most girls in general or most relationships, you know, they- they love to see their other half as someone on a mission, someone driven towards their goal. And- and Linda even says that to me herself, like seeing me, you know, just start the pancake company yesterday she was like, "Simps are done right now." (laughs) And I was like, "Oh, yeah. You like those flipping pancakes, don't you?" (laughs) But it- but seriously, uh, you- you're right is most relationships can derail people off their goals and it's actually, that's gonna affect your relationship negatively. So, yeah.

    9. CW

      The thing about the, uh, someone slowing their life down is so correct. It's kind of like, you know when you first meet somebody and you look from the outside in and you're like watching a rollercoaster go by at a theme park and you're like, "Holy shit. Look at all the loop de loops."

    10. RL

      (laughs)

    11. CW

      "It's so varied. I've never been on a rollercoaster like this before. It looks like it's- it's been really well thought out and actually-"

    12. RL

      (laughs)

    13. CW

      "... quite established." And then after you've waited in line and decided to buy your admission, you actually find out that it's like the kiddie's Kermit the Frog ride.

    14. RL

      (laughs) Hey, I love that ride.

    15. CW

      (laughs)

    16. RL

      That's the only ride I'm tall enough to get on. (laughs)

    17. CW

      (laughs) But it's just doing the same thing over and over, and you thought that you were getting this extravagant, very adventurous, varied life.

    18. RL

      Yeah.

    19. CW

      And you're totally correct, that kills a lot of attraction. I think as well, talking from a guy's perspective, one of the reasons that I get disinterested with girls is when I feel like I've got nothing new to kind of learn about them or no new insights.

    20. RL

      Yeah.

    21. CW

      And again, if someone's constantly growing and learning and trying to do new things and on a mission, that's gonna help to keep that spark alive.

    22. RL

      Of course, that's attractive, you know. You're being driven and ambitious, that's just something that humans are attracted to, and for a good reason.

    23. CW

      If you admire your partner, I think that's such a dangerous position to be in because you can't not be attracted to them. If they fit all of the other criteria and you admire them, you're like, "Holy shit."

    24. RL

      Yeah.

    25. CW

      Like being with you is going to make me a better person.

    26. RL

      Yeah.

    27. CW

      And you're hot.

    28. RL

      Yeah, yeah exactly. (laughs) Yeah. Yeah.

    29. CW

      It's a fucking double threat, isn't it?

    30. RL

      Exactly. It's a double whammy. (laughs)

  6. 8:15 – 9:48

    Content vs. real life: putting the camera away and designing shareable media

    1. CW

      So what else, man? Like do you guys ever struggle with YouTube stuff? Does it ever kind of get in the way of the relationship?

    2. RL

      Of course, for sure. And, but I've gotten a little bit better about that and I've learned from previous relationships is like sometimes just put the camera away and kind of enjoy the moment.

    3. CW

      What were the mistakes that you were making? Just trying to constantly get content when-

    4. RL

      Yeah.

    5. CW

      ... you should've been just enjoying the moment?

    6. RL

      Yeah. Exactly. Like I remember it was a few years ago, it was in 2016, um, me and Alex, we went to like Bali or something, and I was just like, it was my first time ever there and I was like, "Oh, Bali, this is the YouTuber's dream. I need to vlog every day." And like we ended up just not enjoying the trip, so- so I learned a lot of lessons from that one. So sometimes you got to just put the camera down and enjoy the moment. And oftentimes even in terms like videos, some of my most viewed videos are when you're just sitting down and talking about a topic, you know. So s- sometimes you don't need to show everything and, "Oh, look, I'm driving a Mercedes," or, "Oh, I'm in Bali." You know, most of all people just want to be informed and educated or entertained. I actually took like this marketing on course online after I studied business and marketing in- in college but I dropped out. I learned more in this little online course, (laughs) I swear to God. So I'm studying this marketing course and the- the key takeaway point I got from that is when it comes to social media, uh, and making people want to share it, you need to elicit an emotional response so it could be like entertained, you know, motivated, inspired, uh, informed, anything. You know, even if they find it funny, has to elicit a remote... an emotional response that makes them want to share it, you know? So it's just as interesting.

  7. 9:48 – 13:44

    Phones, loneliness, and social media overload (IG stories to TikTok brain-melt)

    1. CW

      Even if you're not a content creator, I think that everyone is kind of a pocket YouTuber now with the fact that they're constantly taking Instagram stories.

    2. RL

      Yeah.

    3. CW

      And it is- it is a balance, right, because I understand that people want to show other people that care about them what they're getting up to.

    4. RL

      Mm-hmm.

    5. CW

      But again, as we said before, the balance between people being in relationships that are maybe holding them back. I would also say that most people are overusing their content creation, Instagram or Snapchat-

    6. RL

      Yeah.

    7. CW

      ... or TikTok or whatever it might be when they go away somewhere and you think, "Fucking hell, man." Like do you even watch, do you even go back through the archive of your IG stories? No. But you can go back through your memories, but you don't have the memories because you spent all of your time on your phone.

    8. RL

      (laughs) That's so funny, man. (laughs)

    9. CW

      So you're like flying all the way to Bali to not remember being there-

    10. RL

      (laughs)

    11. CW

      ... but to tell everyone else. So it's like everyone else gets to go on holiday and you get to be a cameraman.

    12. RL

      Oh, yeah.

    13. CW

      It's dangerous, man.

    14. RL

      Yeah. No, it is. And- and I used to not think that like phones and technology and social media was, you know, that- was that effective on human life or like in a bad way. I- I was like, "Oh, it's fine, you know. I think phones are great and stuff." But now this year with the amount of shit that's gone on and how polarized we all are, I actually think social media and phones, we- we need to tone it down a little bit on them.

    15. CW

      Mm-hmm.

    16. RL

      So that- that, you know, this year especially with the election in America, the pandemic worldwide, I'm like I've never seen the internet go crazier.

    17. CW

      I know.

    18. RL

      It- it's wild.

    19. CW

      And when people don't have anything to keep them calm and they've got the, no social connection,-

    20. RL

      Yeah.

    21. CW

      ... they go to that. I don't know whether you've ever noticed this. I did, I was with a girl in LA for about 10 days and then I flew out to Hawaii on my own and the time that I was with someone I didn't look at my, I was, my screen time was probably half an hour a day because we were constantly talking-

    22. RL

      Yeah.

    23. CW

      ... or going for lunch. The second that I was away from that person my screen time was six hours a day, five hours a day, because the screen was a surrogate friend. I didn't have anyone with me on the flight. I didn't have anyone with me in Hawaii. I made some friends in Hawaii but until that point I was like I don't want... Uh, what I'm hypothesizing is I don't want to be alone,-

    24. RL

      Yeah.

    25. CW

      ... therefore if I continue to use my phone and-... go on Instagram and watch YouTube and stuff like that, it will make me feel less alone.

    26. RL

      Yeah. And I, I think I watched, like, some clips from Johan Hartig, what his name? Is that... Am I getting this right?

    27. CW

      Yeah. He's been on the show.

    28. RL

      Yeah? Oh, no way?

    29. CW

      Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

    30. RL

      Damn, damn. What's up, Johan?

  8. 13:44 – 14:31

    Irish upbringing, street fights, and the pivot back to fitness talk

    1. RL

      Yeah. I think growing up, I was actually... I've been in about 100 street fights.

    2. CW

      Jesus.

    3. RL

      Yeah, yeah. It's like-

    4. CW

      Really? Is that just, like, a rite of passage if you're Irish?

    5. RL

      Pretty much, especially, like, when you're young. Once I got, like, around, like, 19, 20, I haven't been in a fight since then, you know, 'cause that's when you get, like... Y- you have to go, go to jail (laughs) .

    6. CW

      You get into serious consequences.

    7. RL

      Get serious. But when you're young, it's crazy in, in Dublin. Like, 'cause everyone drinks in the park, you know, and you just, there's always a fight.

    8. CW

      Fucking hell.

    9. RL

      And people just come up to me and they're like, "You got to punch him in the face."

    10. CW

      (laughs)

    11. RL

      And I get punched in the face.

    12. CW

      Sadly I do (laughs) . Sadly I do.

    13. RL

      Yeah. I'm like, "That's why my nose looks like this." It's goes way to the left (laughs) . I wish I didn't say that though, 'cause now everyone's gonna notice (laughs) .

    14. CW

      Do you know Rob's nose does actually go a lot to the left?

    15. RL

      Oh, yeah (laughs) .

    16. CW

      Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    17. RL

      YouTube career over. It's like-

    18. CW

      Yeah.

    19. RL

      ... I can't watch this guy anymore (laughs) .

    20. CW

      Sure, don't want this unsymmetrical face.

    21. RL

      Yeah (laughs) .

  9. 14:31 – 16:12

    Rob’s training evolution: beginner chaos → extreme bodybuilding → sustainable balance

    1. CW

      Uh, talk to me about your training styles change over the last few years.

    2. RL

      Yeah. So, w- when I started off, like, useless. Like, didn't know anything and information was not nearly as easy accessible as it is now. So, like, you know, YouTube, YouTube channels like me and Mike's, they weren't really as popular. And you'd read magazines, which were... You'd read Kai Greene's routine. And you're going, "All right, this is what I'm doing now (laughs) ." 16-year-old Rob, who's not on glorious (laughs) amounts of tren, is gonna try Kai Greene's routine. So, I remember I had, like, a bicep day, a tricep day, a forearm day, a calf day, a chest day, a trap day. It would be about 10 days 'til I got around to hitting the chest and legs again (laughs) . So, when I started off it was useless, 'cause just there was not good information out there. But then, as the years went on, better information started coming into the scene, uh, so it got much better. And then, around 2016, I was like prepping for my first show and I was, like, fully addicted a- and I was taking training, like, probably the most serious I ever did in my life. And then, the last couple of years, three years, I've kind of, like, you know, built a solid physique. I've learned how to incorporate that training and my diet into my lifestyle. And so now, I'm like, I can finally enjoy myself a little bit. So I know how to, like, you know, eat a meal out and kind of, you know, not, not, you know... Like, for example, if I'm eating a meal out, I'll know, just save a few calories for it, do some cardio, know how to balance it really. So yeah, my training is a lot more balanced now, um. But they're my three phases. So beginner-noob, extreme, and now, you know, balanced.

  10. 16:12 – 19:13

    Supplements nostalgia and the ‘golden era’ of pre-workouts (DMAA gets banned)

    1. CW

      I don't think that people existing in 2020 can understand what 2010, 2012 world was like-

    2. RL

      (laughs)

    3. CW

      ... for fitness information. As you're trolling through bodybuilding.com forums and T-Nation-

    4. RL

      Bro, the misc (laughs) .

    5. CW

      ... and T-Nation.

    6. RL

      T-Nage and Simply Shredded (laughs) .

    7. CW

      Going through, yeah. And desperately trying to find, like, how much... or how many grams of predigested aminos do I need to have before and after-

    8. RL

      Bro.

    9. CW

      Like, all of that stuff, that whole world, it was kind of a bit of a glory era because no one knew what the fuck they were doing.

    10. RL

      I agree. I, I kind of found it super interesting and en- enjoyable in a weird way. I was kinda like, "Will this supplement do anything?" (laughs)

    11. CW

      Probably not.

    12. RL

      Probably not.

    13. CW

      I'll spend £100 on it anyway though.

    14. RL

      (laughs) Probably not, but I'ma buy it (laughs) .

    15. CW

      Do you remember... I can't remember. Who was Jay Cutler associated with back in the day? Was it Nitroflex?

    16. RL

      MuscleTech.

    17. CW

      MuscleTech. Didn't they have a product where they were like, um-

    18. RL

      Yeah.

    19. CW

      ... when you open the lid, little particles of it are going to come out, so you have to not have the lid open for more than five seconds.

    20. RL

      Yeah (laughs) .

    21. CW

      Do you remember that?

    22. RL

      Yeah, yeah. I remember. And there was another one called No Xplode, you know, with like the original pre-workout.

    23. CW

      That was my, that was my fucking go-to.

    24. RL

      That and Jack treD- trac- treD. It was just, oh, heaven. So it was so funny, when I'd open the tub of No Xplode, me and my friends would take a sniff (laughs) .

    25. CW

      (laughs)

    26. RL

      And we'd be like, "Get, get a whiff of that No Xplode, boys. Straight through the biceps."

    27. CW

      The world of, like, pre-workouts, I've, I've switched a little bit. I'm sort of doing more functional fitness now and we just use NOCO or caffeine basically-

    28. RL

      Yeah.

    29. CW

      ... as pre-workouts. But the world of, like, mad pre-workout seems to have died down a bit. In the bodybuilding world, is it like that-

    30. RL

      For sure.

  11. 19:13 – 22:57

    Biggest training & diet mistakes: copying plans, unsustainable routines, and nutrition myths

    1. CW

      What are the most common mistakes that you see people making with training? Like-

    2. RL

      Yeah.

    3. CW

      ... well, you obviously spend a fair bit of time in the gym and you get a ton of questions from people, but what are the lowest hanging fruits that everyone fucks up?

    4. RL

      Yeah. So, eh, I'm gonna talk about training and diet here. So I've worked with thousands of people over the last seven years. In terms of training, is people copying other, other people's plans, you know, and especially a beginner will see an advanced trainee, especially if they're huge on Instagram or they're a top body builder, and they'll just copy that routine. And it's like, if you're a beginner, ideally you wanna just be coming to terms with the main compound movements first. You just wanna be getting familiar with doing your form right, you know, instead of, like, getting caught up in super sets and drop sets and all these, uh, these, uh, you know, mind muscle techniques and all this. You know, just wanna be getting good form down and doing the main movements regularly, okay? So then you compare that to the training routine of a pro body builder, it's just s- night and day. So that would be, in terms of training, that would be the biggest mistake I see. And people also following training plans that they can't sustain. So it's like if your coach gives you an a- someone, a dude who has kids and a nine-to-five office job, gives him a six-day-a-week training plan that he's not gonna stick to, it's just gonna be all over the place. Whereas they give him, like, a three-day full body routine that's like, eh, you know, three hours a week, an hour, an hour in the gym every session, he's gonna progress that much more 'cause he can stick to it and actually track it properly. So-

    5. CW

      Is there a way that people can predict whether or not they're going to be able to comply with a training routine?

    6. RL

      Basically you just look at someone's schedule, you know, and their training age, and then i- it's pretty simple like that, you know. How many times a week can you realistically make it to the gym? Um, so that would be, they're the two training things that are probably the most common, especially for beginners. Then in terms of diet, here's the two. Okay. Uh, uh, go, wrack my head, okay?

    7. CW

      (laughs)

    8. RL

      Pe- people think there's, like, magic foods that do certain things and they think there's, like, healthy foods that they have to eat. Whereas, for the most part, of course I recommend eating many whole foods so you can do a good nutrient dense diet, but for the most part, in terms of body composition, that's gonna come down to your calorie and your macro nutrient intake, so your protein, carbs and fats. So your body doesn't necessarily see, like, potatoes or white rice, it just sees carbs, you know? So as long as you're getting those basics in, you're focusing on your total daily intake, which brings me onto my next point, y- that's the bread and butter. That's the messiest pun. (laughs) That's the main thing.

    9. CW

      No bread, no butter.

    10. RL

      Yeah, yeah, no bread and butter ever. (laughs) So that's the main thing is, is focusing on... Instead of focusing on certain foods, focus on, you know, the calorie and macro intake per day. Another one is timing. People get obsessed over timing, okay? Be it intermittent fasting, six meals a day, you know, post-workout, 15-minute anabolic window. Uh, "Oh, I have to have a certain food pre-workout that gives me a pump." Right, f- again, focus on what you eat in the entire day. A lot of lies have been made up by supplement companies saying, "You need to drink this shake 14 minutes after your workout or your arms will disintegrate." Okay, so we've been led a lot of lies about, um, about timing of, of the nutrients you take in. And especially even, like, people with intermittent fasting, I like intermittent fasting, I do it myself, but it's mainly just out of convenience and schedule and fit your lifestyle. People say, like, it has magical benefits that will change your life. If calories are equated, fat loss will be the same, and that's just a fact. So, you know, people like to make things more complicated to sell the secret-

    11. CW

      Yeah, 100%.

    12. RL

      ... when it's not.

    13. CW

      I couldn't agree more, man.

    14. RL

      And it's so basic. So they're the most common mistakes I've seen after training thousands of people for years.

  12. 22:57 – 24:59

    The dumbest diet Rob tried: low-carb/keto lessons and why deficits matter

    1. CW

      What's the dumbest diet you've tried?

    2. RL

      (sighs) I think... Yeah, yeah, probably be... Now, now keto people don't get offended, (laughs) okay? But, uh, first of all, the dumbest dr- diet I've tried, uh, was keto. And again, it was more, like, l- really low carb. So when I first started out and I went on my first cut, I didn't really know much about, like, calories and macros, so I was like, "I'm just gonna get rid of carbs." I was like, "I'm just gonna ditch carbs, man. That's just doing it, man."

    3. CW

      It's the easiest, yeah.

    4. RL

      Yeah, yeah, goddamn c- that's what's making me fat, okay? So I stopped eating carbs and of course I, I lost loads of fat because my calories were so low and I was like, "Oh yeah, it was the carbs making me fat," not realizing that all that matters in fat loss, well, not all, but the main thing is being in a calorie deficit, of course. So I didn't realize that, you know, I was like, "Oh, it was the carbs." I knew it was the carbs, but I didn't know by default the calories shut down. And then I obviously educated myself on, you know, g- dieting down properly and including carbs in your diet. So the next cut I went on, I looked-... completely different. I got just as lean, if not leaner, and I've held onto so much more muscle strength and felt better. And, and it was way more sustainable. You know, I, I managed to stay lean pretty much as long as I like, uh, 'cause I wasn't crash dieting and removing an entire food group- (laughs)

    5. CW

      (laughs)

    6. RL

      ... from my diet. You know? (laughs) If you remove an entire food group from your diet, be it... if it's significant, you're gonna lose fat 'cause of calories, not 'cause you've removed this certain thing. You know, people say, "Oh, I stopped eating bread and, you know, lost loads of weight. It was probably the bread." I was like, "No, bitch! It was the calories!" (laughs) You know? So, so that, that's it, and that's definitely the dumbest diet I've followed. But I do know people who just, you know, they understand that calories is the main thing, but they still like keto just 'cause they, they, they... it's personal preference.

    7. CW

      Yeah.

    8. RL

      So, keto people, calm down, okay? I- I'm, I'm with you partially. (laughs) St- stairs and microphone.

    9. CW

      I know. Please, for the love of God, stop messaging me.

    10. RL

      Yeah, yeah. (laughs)

  13. 24:59 – 29:26

    Fitness ‘menopause,’ functional training temptations, and easing bodybuilding neuroticism

    1. CW

      Um, have you heard of the fitness menopause?

    2. RL

      No, no.

    3. CW

      Right. So this is something that I came up with.

    4. RL

      Seems odd. (laughs)

    5. CW

      It's, it's slightly odd, but I think everybody goes through it, right? Um, fitness menopause is when you get toward the end of your 20s-

    6. RL

      Yeah.

    7. CW

      ... especially as a guy, but also as a girl, who's trained for a significant period of time-

    8. RL

      Yeah.

    9. CW

      ... maybe you started training in your late teens or early 20s. And you start to realize that actually what you're doing might not be making you fitter, but it might make you look fitter, and you become chronically aware of your own mortality. As you approach 30-

    10. RL

      (laughs)

    11. CW

      ... you realize that, like, going up a set of stairs tires you out and you're out of breath and you can't touch your toes and, "Actually, my ankle hurts a bit," and, "Oh, my chest, like, is super tight all the time," blah, blah, blah. And what you do is you start looking toward different styles of training.

    12. RL

      Yeah.

    13. CW

      So you start looking towards yoga or Brazilian jujitsu or CrossFit or, uh, you go back to doing dancing that you used to do as a young girl or whatever it might be. And there's a ton of-

    14. RL

      Back in the day (laughs) when I was a young girl. (laughs)

    15. CW

      When you were a young girl, yeah.

    16. RL

      Yeah, yeah.

    17. CW

      A young ballet dancer in Ireland.

    18. RL

      I told my, I told my dad after-

    19. CW

      Getting, getting the shit kicked out of you, yeah.

    20. RL

      (laughs) Yeah, yeah. Oh, and was punched in the face. (laughs)

    21. CW

      Yeah, yeah. Don't know why they punched me in the face-

    22. RL

      Yeah, yeah-

    23. CW

      ... while I had about 8 tutus.

    24. RL

      Yeah, yeah, no and like I was just there. Irish dancing in the field. What are we gonna do? (laughs)

    25. CW

      (laughs)

    26. RL

      (laughs)

    27. CW

      So, this is something that I see, especially amongst my buddies and me, that we've all kind of made these little transitions. But you and Mike are both locked in hard on a long-term journey of bodybuilding.

    28. RL

      (laughs)

    29. CW

      Have you ever been tempted, like, "I'm gonna try some martial arts. I'm gonna try some CrossFit. I'm gonna try some endurance sports"?

    30. RL

      Yeah, so, so I've done... Um, I've got a few MMA sessions here and there 'cause I'm mates with all the lads in SBG in Dublin. That's one thing I really miss about Dublin as well. And I, I love it, you know, it's always fun. But I kinda just gravitate back towards the pump life, (laughs) you know? I, I think it's just like my favorite style of training. But with that said, I do like changing things up from time to time, and I do also, like, kinda enjoy more, like, activities, like going on hikes with the missus, you know? The... I'm bit... I'm not that, like, hardcore bodybuilding as I was maybe in like 2015 and '16 where it was like all about as much gain as possible. I actually was... used to be a slight eating disorder, as a lot of people in the fitness industry do, and I was afraid to like eat out even, you know, 'cause I was like, "I can't track this," you know? And so I definitely went through a hardcore phase, and now I'm a bit more relaxed with things. And funny enough, (laughs) results are the same, if not better, you know? So, so-

  14. 29:26 – 44:44

    Building audiences: what fitness creators understand, YouTube vs podcasts, and VR/AR futures

    1. CW

      Got you. What do you think that YouTubers, fitness YouTubers know about making content that most other content creators don't?

    2. RL

      I think that they know well about informing people. 'Cause, you know, fitness...... e- e- unless you're like showing off your physique, you know, what are you talking about? You got to give information really. And so that's a thing, I think, a lot of vloggers, like, you know, you see some vloggers in LA that are like, you know, young kids or whatever and, you know, I'm sure you're blown up. But they go about their day and you- you don't really get, give anything to your viewers.. I think that's one thing that fitness YouTubers and the fitness industry is good at is informing people and, and being as educational as possible and showing off your knowledge. And, you know, (laughs) we're just being ragged on the fitness industry there. By the way, I love the fitness industry and the best people I've met my entire life, like, Mike for example, you- yourself, you know him if you know Mike, have been, um, connections made through fitness. So I think you'll actually find an extremely positive community on the most part because everyone's exercising, working out. And I think exercising regularly, you know, it doesn't have to be like super extreme, you don't have to be a body builder. But I think exercising regularly is possibly one of, if not the best thing someone could do. Actually, like I'm Rob Lipsett and I believe in fitness. (laughs) You know? I- I think it is the most important thing. Like when people are like, "Rob, what's the most important part of your day?" I'm like, "Getting a session in, working out." You know? And I, and it's not like... I'm not (laughs) I'm not half as impressive as Mike or a lot of these guys but just how it makes me feel, you know? And it kind of like anchors my day in the sense, it's like once I get a good workout in, like the rest of the day just flows well, you know? And something to, something to look forward to when you wake up as well. And so I think the majority of people would be a lot better off if they did, they did some form of resistance training.

    3. CW

      Including some YouTubers as well probably.

    4. RL

      Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (laughs)

    5. CW

      Yeah. It's interesting man. I don't know like f- personally for me I'd, I've started watching, um, a bunch of stuff from probably the same kids you're talking about in LA-

    6. RL

      Oh yeah.

    7. CW

      ... and some of it is like enjoyable mindless watching.

    8. RL

      Yes.

    9. CW

      But it's the sort of thing that afterwards I feel a bit guilty about.

    10. RL

      Yeah, yeah-

    11. CW

      And I'm like-

    12. RL

      Absolutely. Oh, I feel guilty after going on TikTok. I-

    13. CW

      Oh god, that's... dude. We were with-

    14. RL

      Mind numbing.

    15. CW

      We were with a girl out here and my buddy George asked to see her screen time and she was averaging nine hours a day on her phone, three and a half hours every day was on TikTok and apparently you just sat there like watching and the way that she was moving was just like flick, flick, flick.

    16. RL

      Oh my god.

    17. CW

      Flick, flick. And I'd, I would go out and say on a limb, TikTok is the least value adding platform ever created.

    18. RL

      I would probably agree with that as well. Like there's a few accounts like motivation ones or ones about like business but they're very hard to find. (laughs)

    19. CW

      Snoring Up just dancing. up just people... Yeah, and people making their, their, uh, swimming pools turn green.

    20. RL

      Oh. I haven't seen that.

    21. CW

      Have you not seen it?

    22. RL

      (laughs)

    23. CW

      They put like these-

    24. RL

      You obviously spend a bit more time on it than me. (laughs)

    25. CW

      (laughs) Yeah, maybe I do. Um, but honestly man, like I- I, it really does sort of fucking concern me that how much can you get across in the space... What's the maximum a TikTok can be? 15 seconds, 30 seconds?

    26. RL

      Something like that, yeah.

    27. CW

      It's short.

    28. RL

      Yeah.

    29. CW

      So you're right, you have to get through a lot of crap for a small length duration of something that might be slightly informative.

    30. RL

      Yeah.

  15. 44:44 – 51:36

    Simulation hypothesis to politics: Planck length, fine-tuning, IDW, and American elections

    1. CW

      So...

    2. RL

      It's my favorite question.

    3. CW

      Yeah. Uh, Nick Bostrom's simulation hypothesis is very, very hard to refute. Like it's... For the people that don't know what it is, it's a three step argument that justifies why we're not in root reality, i.e., why we're living in a simulation. Um, here's another interesting thing for you that adds to the simulation argument.

    4. RL

      Hit me.

    5. CW

      Okay. So have you heard of the Planck length?

    6. RL

      I have not.

    7. CW

      Right. So the Planck-

    8. RL

      Wait, is this how much I can hold a plank for?

    9. CW

      Yes, it is. That's... It's actually how long your plank is.

    10. RL

      (laughs) Yeah, what about side planks? (laughs)

    11. CW

      Yeah. So the Planck length is the... It- it's created by, I think, Max Planck, and it denotes the smallest length that exists. So below this, there is no smaller amount. And it sounds bizarre because you should be able to just continue halving stuff until it gets smaller, but that's not. Now, the way that that relates to the simulation hypothesis is that you would not be able to simulate a universe with unlimited fidelity or an unlimited resolution. So you remember your old CRT TV, if you went up right close to it, you could see the pixels.

    12. RL

      Yeah.

    13. CW

      And then now we've got retina displays that our eyes can't pick up but if you had a super magnifier, you would be able to see that as well. And the argument is that the reason that there is a minimum length within the universe, which is the Planck length, is because that's the resolution that the universe is created at.

    14. RL

      (laughs) Yes, we are living our best simulation right now people. (laughs)

    15. CW

      I mean, have you heard the fine-tuned universe argument as well?

    16. RL

      I haven't heard that one, but wait-

    17. CW

      Hit me.

    18. RL

      ... before you go, so... And now I'm gonna butcher this, okay? I'm gonna butcher this. But what's the study they studied something like neurons or energy and it changed the way it moves when people looked at it.

    19. CW

      Right. So that's quantum theory.

    20. RL

      Yeah.

    21. CW

      The observing a particle means that you can't basically see the motion and the position of something at the same time.

    22. RL

      Yeah.

    23. CW

      And observing it forces it to go into one or the other. Now the specifics of that, like this is where that looseness in the system is where people like Deepak Chopra, who I fucking hate-

    24. RL

      (laughs)

    25. CW

      ... like they slot in all sorts of weird quantum spookiness about like energy and- and- and spirits and stuff like that.

    26. RL

      Yeah.

    27. CW

      I don't-

    28. RL

      Secret. (laughs)

    29. CW

      Yeah, fuck me.

    30. RL

      Get him off.

  16. 51:36 – 1:01:55

    Irish politics, becoming president, and making Ireland the ‘swolest nation’

    1. CW

      Yeah. What, what's... How does Ireland work? Who's in charge there?

    2. RL

      Do you know, do you know funny enough I follow like American politics more than Irish politics?

    3. CW

      Me too.

    4. RL

      So, we, we have, um, a taoiseach, which is like our prime minister.

    5. CW

      A what?

    6. RL

      It's Irish for like prime minister pretty much.

    7. CW

      What's it called?

    8. RL

      Taoiseach. So, I speak Irish.

    9. CW

      S-

    10. RL

      Like ˈCnósúnta tú? ˈTáim úr gcomháin. ˈTáim ó Aireann agus róbert is ainm dom.

    11. CW

      That, that... What was that?

    12. RL

      That... Hey, what's up? Um, you know, Rob is my name. How's it going? I'm good. Um, I'm from Ireland.

    13. CW

      Christ.

    14. RL

      Yeah, yeah.

    15. CW

      Wow. Okay.

    16. RL

      Yeah, so like, l- like-

    17. CW

      Taoiseach.

    18. RL

      Taoiseach, yeah.

    19. CW

      Right, prime minister.

    20. RL

      So, we have a prime minister, and like, of course, you know, the des- uh, the person who runs the country pretty much has the final say, but we also have a president th- who doesn't really do much.

    21. CW

      Okay.

    22. RL

      Yeah, I know. Yeah.

    23. CW

      Weird.

    24. RL

      It's, it's strange. It's like, he's just the president.

    25. CW

      Okay.

    26. RL

      He just mainly goes to rugby matches and like, you know... (laughs) Kind of like makes an appearance.

    27. CW

      Sounds like a great president.

    28. RL

      He's a legend. He's got my... Miggledy Higgins, and he's like-

    29. CW

      What a name.

    30. RL

      ... he's like a poet. Well, his name is Michael D. Higgins, but everyone calls him Miggledy. (laughs)

  17. 1:01:55 – 1:10:14

    Long-term creator plans and entrepreneurship: FuelCakes launch + staying online into old age

    1. CW

      What's happening long term? Are you gonna be a YouTuber at 50 years old? What's the plan?

    2. RL

      Well, you know what, okay? So y- I... You, you mentioned this before and you're like, "Oh, you don't wanna be, be a YouTuber at 50." And I was like, "Maybe I do." You know, I'm like... I used to think that, I was like, "Okay, I don't wanna, you know, be doing this forever." Then I'm like, "Joe Rogan's 52, he's the best YouTuber in the world, pretty much at like, on paper." You know, he's killing it. Casey Neistat, Gary Vee, uh, Jordan Peterson is a YouTuber, he's has more subscribers than me. (laughs) He is most definitely a YouTuber. Sam Harris. And then I'm like, "Wait, eh, all the people that I watch most on YouTube are all, like, in their 50s." So I used to think, like, "Oh, man, I can't be doing, like, these little vlogs forever." And in some way that's true. Like, you know, I won't be... It'll maybe turn into a podcast or, you know, something like a PragerU and that style of video, I, I love that. But I'll definitely always be online for the long term. And of course, I'm setting up companies along the way, the pancake venture, that-

    3. CW

      Tell, tell me about that.

    4. RL

      So that goes live today at 10:00 PM Dubai time, which is 6:00 PM Ireland and UK time. So basically I'm always making protein pancakes on my channel, and my first ever viral video, over a million views, was how to make protein pancakes. And at the time, I'm in... I'm living in, like, a hostel and I'm trying to start YouTube 'cause again, I had no job and I got, um, dropped out of college. And so I'm just trying to, like, make it as, like, a YouTube... Fitness YouTuber, like, a personal trainer. And so I'm making a video, like how to make perfect protein pancakes from scratch and there's like 10 different ingredients, but they're really good and they blow up and, you know. So now to this day, it's like a thing with my channel is like, "Hey, you know, watch this is Rob Lipsett making protein pancakes." And so I'm like, "I should make my own protein pancake company." You know? And so it's great, it's been up, the Instagram page has been up 48 hours. It's got like 11,000 followers and it goes live today and like I, I can't wait to see how it does. But I wanna turn that into a household name. Like, you know, I, I wanna get that in supermarkets, I want everyone to be starting their day or finishing their day with that. I love breakfast at night. And-

    5. CW

      What's special about that? It's the macros?

    6. RL

      It... The macros are, are amazing. And I, and I'm not just saying this, most of the time when you buy, like, protein pancakes off a submen company, the... It's like the protein is super high, yes, but it tastes like shit.

    7. CW

      Yes.

    8. RL

      And then this one, you can't notice the difference. I... This, this is true. Hand on my, hand on my heart. When I got the first sample, I sent it back and looked at the nutrition and ate them. And I said, "Oh, they've actually sent us the wrong thing. These are just pancakes, there's no protein in them." I go to send them back to the lab, they, they obviously just sent us, like, the wrong mix. And they're like, "Nope, that's the nutrition profile." And I'm like, "What?" I'm like, "I need to double check this." And then... And so they just taste amazing when having, like, insanely good macros, like the protein to carb ratio's within a few grams. It's, it's all gluten-free as well for people that, you know, are into that. Um, really all, like, organic and natural ingredients, like, very, very wholesome. And then they just taste amazing and it's a cool brand, it's called Fuel Cakes. And so they... I modeled it around 1950s cereal boxes.

    9. CW

      Yeah, it's cool.

    10. RL

      It's really retro.

    11. CW

      I like the branding.

    12. RL

      It's re-... I didn't wanna make it CellTech 9000, protein pancakes, Fuel Cakes, you know. I'm just like, "Well, I can have fun with this in something that, like, my sister can, you know, she c- have, give to her mates and just something that everyone likes." And so yeah, I've got big visions for that. I think it's probably gonna be the biggest protein pancake company in the world. It's my delusional self speaking again, but you know, I... Call me delusional, I'm having a good time.

    13. CW

      (laughs)

    14. RL

      But... (laughs) So that's, that's launching tonight. And so-

    15. CW

      Where can people go if they want to get them?

    16. RL

      At fuelcakes.com. So yeah.

    17. CW

      And where do you ship?

    18. RL

      Uh, worldwide.

    19. CW

      No way.

    20. RL

      Yeah, yeah, it ships outta London, uh, worldwide, so I've got people fulfilling orders for me. So yeah, it's a big operation and I'm, I'm very confident in it. So I got that as well, and then my online coaching app as well, so, um, that's, that's huge. You know, it updates your train- they've used a bit of AI as well actually, so it updates your training and nutrition plan every month. I've got loads of people killing it on that. Got my book. I'm sure I'll write another book again in my lifetime. I wanna do, like, an X-rated version. Like, so I have Penguin are my publishers and I was like... I gave them the first book and they were like, "First of all, why are you swearing in a fitness book?" (laughs) They're like, "Second of all, this is way too complicated for, like, someone just to walk in and grab it off a bookshelf," so I have to dumb it down loads. So I wanna make, like, a fitness book with, like, swearing (laughs) and really complicated. So that, that's the, that's the end up works. But look, to answer the question on, on what I'll be doing, will I be on YouTube in... when I'm 50?Probably. I'd like... I hope so. I'd like to be, maybe.

    21. CW

      We haven't seen anyone really do that. Obviously, YouTube's only been around for an amount of time.

    22. RL

      Yeah.

    23. CW

      So you don't have people that have been on there for forever.

    24. RL

      Yeah.

    25. CW

      You have authors who've written books. Richard Dawkins wrote The Selfish Gene in like the 1970s.

    26. RL

      Yeah.

    27. CW

      And he's still writing books now.

    28. RL

      Yeah.

    29. CW

      He wrote like a kids atheist book a couple of years ago. So you can see this trajectory.

    30. RL

      (laughs) Graham.

Episode duration: 1:10:42

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