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My First Million

Nick Bare Tells ALL: Natural Vs Steroids, $60M Supplement Empire & Sub-3 Marathons

Episode 538: Sam Parr nerds out on fitness with Nick Bare and Sahil Bloom. They answer listeners questions about training techniques, blood doping, and the worst things about fitness influencers and the trends they create.

Sam ParrhostNick BareguestSahil Bloomguest

Jan 8, 20241h 24mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Nick addresses steroid accusations, bloodwork, and why he stopped defending himself
Sam opens with the most-requested question: whether Nick is natural. Nick says he is natural, describes how he used to share frequent bloodwork to respond to accusations, and explains why he eventually stopped engaging with the constant claims.
- •Nick says he is natural and used to get defensive about accusations
- •He previously shared monthly bloodwork but says critics still claimed it was faked
- •He mentions recent accusations about EPO/blood doping after a marathon
- •Sam and Sahil comment on how common these accusations are for standout performers
Genetics vs. consistency: why identical plans don’t produce identical bodies
The conversation shifts to how genetics and long-term consistency interact. Nick emphasizes that two people can follow the same training and diet and still get different results, while also stressing how regimented his own habits are most of the time.
- •Nick says genetics matter and different DNA yields different outcomes even with identical effort
- •Sam points to Nick’s family as an example of strong genetics
- •Nick describes being highly consistent with training, recovery, and diet
- •Nick says he still enjoys food and experiences, but stays regimented most of the time
Obsessive routines and public accountability as a performance multiplier
Sahil and Nick compare the “obsessive” wiring that keeps them training even when life gets busy. They discuss how publicly sharing goals and training creates accountability that can push you through difficult moments in races.
- •Sahil describes doing workouts late at night or early morning because it’s “not a question”
- •Sahil argues many people who say they match others’ effort are not being fully honest with themselves
- •They discuss how posting running stats creates accountability that’s harder to hide from than lifting
- •Nick describes the emotional payoff of hitting a goal after months of work
Identity, confidence, and ‘brain chemistry’ from doing hard things
Nick and Sahil connect fitness habits to identity and confidence-building. Sahil explains his view that stacking small “wins” (like early workouts) can change how you see yourself, while Sam reacts with humor about feeling guilty.
- •Nick references the concept of compounding confidence through repeated wins
- •Sahil frames early workouts as a way to create evidence of a new self-identity
- •Sam jokes about comparing his mornings to Nick’s training output
- •Nick shares how parenthood makes early training the most reliable window
Monthly burn rates, investing styles, and spending priorities
Sam asks about personal finances: spending, investing, and burn rate. Nick describes delegating investing to a financial advisor and spending most on mortgage, business reinvestment, and food/experiences, while Sahil describes a more “boring” index approach and shares his household’s approximate monthly spend.
- •Nick says he hires a financial advisor rather than actively investing himself
- •Nick estimates groceries around $2,000–$2,500/month and emphasizes spending on experiences
- •Nick and Sahil both describe moderate alcohol use mainly for social experiences
- •Sahil says focusing on increasing income can matter more than optimizing investment returns
- •Sahil shares an estimated overall monthly spend range and food costs
Biggest fitness misconceptions: extremes vs. consistency, plus time-efficient training
Sam asks what people get wrong about health and fitness and what’s the best bang-for-buck when time is limited. Nick criticizes the tendency to chase extreme diets or programs as a “magic pill,” while both he and Sahil argue that consistent, balanced training can be done without multi-hour daily sessions.
- •Sahil says many people incorrectly assume they need two hours/day of training
- •Sahil outlines mixing aerobic work with some higher-intensity sessions
- •Nick prefers keeping cardio and strength distinct rather than combining them CrossFit-style
- •Nick says consistency with basics (food, water, steps, gym routine) drives compounding change
- •They discuss how gyms profit from New Year’s resolution drop-off behavior
The truth about running: respect for endurance training and why it got ‘cooler’
Sahil shares what surprised him most about becoming a runner: the monotony, the volume, and the mental toughness required. Nick adds how running’s perception has changed and points to the pandemic and new race formats as forces that helped expand interest.
- •Sahil says endurance training demands long, monotonous hours and repeated long runs
- •He describes the pain of different race distances and calls the 5K uniquely brutal
- •Nick says the pandemic pushed many strength-focused people into running and his running content grew
- •Nick highlights the rise of ultra running and describes disruptive races like The Speed Project
- •Nick explains the Barkley Marathons concept and recommends the documentary about it
Designing programming: strict plans for specific goals vs. autoregulation
They discuss whether they stick religiously to training programs and who writes them. Nick explains that he follows coach-prescribed workouts precisely during a goal-specific build, but uses “autoregulation” and feel-based decisions when not training for a specific event; Sahil says he needs paid programming to take it seriously.
- •Nick says goal-specific training means hitting workouts “to a T,” citing his marathon prep with Jeff Cunningham
- •Nick describes autoregulation: adjusting distance/effort based on recovery and feel
- •Sahil says he needs an outside plan and the act of paying increases commitment
- •Sahil describes asking Nick for a demanding marathon workout and then following Nick’s program
- •Sam shares he also pays for programming and nutrition coaching to boost accountability
Tracking nutrition, weighing food, and trusted fitness information sources
The conversation turns to nutrition tracking and where they get reliable information. Sam describes learning basics like protein targets from coaching, Nick says tracking can teach serving sizes and macros, and both Nick and Sahil list the people and platforms they trust for training and nutrition guidance.
- •Sam describes daily accountability from nutrition coaching and logging food
- •Nick says tracking helps beginners learn serving sizes, macros, and calories
- •Nick cites Layne Norton, examine.com, PubMed, and other tools for research
- •Sahil cites Eric Cressey and Ben Bruno as major training influences and a macro-recipe account he follows
- •They discuss how sharing verifiable running stats can earn respect in the running community
Ninja CREAMi protein ice cream hack and fitness-friendly desserts
A lighter segment turns into practical food talk as they swap a high-protein ice cream recipe. Sahil gives a detailed Ninja CREAMi method, Nick adds a tip about re-spinning for better texture, and Sam buys the machine mid-recording.
- •They discuss making protein ice cream using the Ninja CREAMi
- •Sahil shares a vanilla-based recipe and suggests add-ins for a McFlurry-style result
- •Nick says the texture improves significantly after an additional mix/spin
- •Sam describes microwaving certain foods as dessert-like options and decides to try the CREAMi approach
How Nick went from a disastrous first marathon to a 2:39:20 at CIM
Sahil asks Nick to walk through his marathon progression and how the times improved. Nick recounts early marathons done without proper training, his Ironman experience as a turning point, the backlash when he publicly chased sub-3, and the step-by-step improvements that led to his 2:39:20 at the California International Marathon.
- •Nick describes his first marathon as a 3:57 while ~225 pounds with no real plan
- •He says the next year was even slower (4:15) and motivated a shift toward endurance learning
- •Nick explains how Ironman training improved his marathon capability after swim/bike legs
- •He recounts announcing a sub-3 goal, failing with a 3:24, then later going sub-3 with a coach
- •Nick lists subsequent improvements culminating in a 2:39:20 marathon and shares his race weight and pacing
B goals, finishing mentality, and why quitting hurts more than missing pace
Sahil shares a mental framework of having A/B/C goals for races so you don’t mentally collapse if the top goal slips away. Nick agrees, describes how some athletes drop out when they miss pace, and shares an example from a conversation about the regret associated with quitting mid-race.
- •Sahil explains setting A goal, B goal, and C goal (finish) to stay motivated when plans change
- •He says the framework applies beyond running to everyday life disruptions and minimum effective effort
- •Nick says dropping out the moment A-goal pace is missed can be self-destructive mentally
- •Nick recounts a story he heard about someone quitting Kona Ironman and later regretting it deeply
- •They joke about how quickly people swear off marathons/ultras and then sign up again
The media machine behind BPN: creative leadership, team size, and intuition-led ROI
Sam praises Nick’s documentary-style content and asks how it’s made. Nick credits his in-house creative director and describes the evolution of his media operation, including team size and how he relies more on intuition than strict ROI tracking when deciding to invest in content.
- •Sam highlights Nick’s long-form documentary content and asks about the production approach
- •Nick credits his creative director for story, scouting, editing, and leading major projects
- •Nick describes how he went from filming/editing himself to hiring early key media talent
- •Nick says the media team includes many creatives, and he doesn’t strictly track ROI
- •Nick says many business decisions were driven by gut feeling until operators added guardrails
Supplements business structure, key-person risk, and outsourcing the CEO role
Nick explains how his personal brand and the supplement company have been structured over time, including separating and then re-combining teams. They discuss concerns about businesses being tied to a founder, Nick’s decision to lean back into building the brand his way, and why he hired a CEO so he could focus on content and product innovation.
- •Nick describes separating ‘Nick Bare Fitness’ from BPN and later bringing media back under BPN payroll
- •They discuss whether founder-driven branding affects valuation and how other brands handled similar concerns
- •Nick says separation hurt vision/brand, so he chose to lean in and prioritize enjoyment over KPIs
- •Nick shares he didn’t take money out of the business for years and recounts cash-flow challenges in 2017
- •Nick explains hiring a CEO to shift away from operations and back toward content, brand, and innovation
- •Sam discusses the difficulty of letting a CEO lead while resisting the urge to jump back in

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