Travelling, Steroids & How To Build An Audience - Mike Thurston | Modern Wisdom Podcast 249
Mike Thurston (guest), Chris Williamson (host)
In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Mike Thurston and Chris Williamson, Travelling, Steroids & How To Build An Audience - Mike Thurston | Modern Wisdom Podcast 249 explores natural Or Not? Mike Thurston On Steroids, Discipline, And Freedom Mike Thurston discusses his lifestyle as a fitness YouTuber based in Dubai, covering travel, training, business, and how he structures his days without a conventional job. He addresses long‑standing accusations about steroid use, explaining genetics, training history, and why it's nearly impossible to convince skeptics he’s natural. The conversation also explores balancing ambition with partying, the realities of relationships while living a highly mobile life, and the trade‑offs between chasing physique perfection and enjoying life. Thurston finishes by outlining how he built his online business, his content strategy, and future plans, including a training app, clothing brand growth, and potentially starting a podcast.
Natural Or Not? Mike Thurston On Steroids, Discipline, And Freedom
Mike Thurston discusses his lifestyle as a fitness YouTuber based in Dubai, covering travel, training, business, and how he structures his days without a conventional job. He addresses long‑standing accusations about steroid use, explaining genetics, training history, and why it's nearly impossible to convince skeptics he’s natural. The conversation also explores balancing ambition with partying, the realities of relationships while living a highly mobile life, and the trade‑offs between chasing physique perfection and enjoying life. Thurston finishes by outlining how he built his online business, his content strategy, and future plans, including a training app, clothing brand growth, and potentially starting a podcast.
Key Takeaways
You can’t convince determined skeptics about steroids—focus on your work instead.
Thurston notes that once people decide you’re on PEDs, no amount of tests or explanations will change their minds, so arguing online is wasted energy better spent on creating and improving your own output.
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Anchor your lifestyle freedom with a few non‑negotiable habits.
Despite an unstructured, travel‑heavy life, he stays on track by writing a short daily task list, prioritizing morning productivity, minimizing alcohol, and ensuring he still gets key work (filming, editing, collabs) done.
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Consistency, protein intake, sleep, and session intensity matter more than training complexity.
He emphasizes regular gym attendance, ~2 g/kg protein, adequate calories, and hard, properly executed sets to near‑failure over worrying about exact splits, supersets, or advanced programming details.
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Genetics and life circumstances set boundaries on physique goals.
Thurston openly says his genetics are unusually good (e. ...
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Choose environments and friendships that match your ambitions.
Leaving a tight‑knit but heavy‑party friendship group in Newcastle for London was pivotal; reducing exposure to drugs, alcohol, and constant nights out allowed him to focus, launch YouTube, and dramatically grow his career.
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Scale your expertise with products, not only one‑to‑one services.
He moved from in‑person PT (limited hours, £30/hour) to selling online programs and now a subscription app, turning thousands of hours of coaching experience into scalable digital products and higher income.
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Authenticity and vulnerability differentiate creators in a saturated market.
Rather than copying trends, he’s leaned into candid lifestyle content, personal mistakes, and honest opinions; he argues that being yourself, sharing real problems, and speaking only on what you know builds deeper audience connection.
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Notable Quotes
“If somebody is, in their head, convinced that you take steroids, it's almost impossible to change their mind.”
— Mike Thurston
“Drinking is a recipe for just ruining everything—my productivity, my gym workouts, my sleep, everything.”
— Mike Thurston
“My physique is almost my business. The way I look is my business.”
— Mike Thurston
“Sometimes you should just do what you're really good at, at the end of the day.”
— Mike Thurston
“What you see in the video is me. I've never tried to be someone I'm not.”
— Mike Thurston
Questions Answered in This Episode
What level of evidence would genuinely convince viewers that a public figure is natural or enhanced, and is such a standard even realistic?
Mike Thurston discusses his lifestyle as a fitness YouTuber based in Dubai, covering travel, training, business, and how he structures his days without a conventional job. ...
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How should fitness influencers balance showing aspirational physiques with being honest about genetics and what’s achievable for most people?
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Where is the right line between enjoying nightlife/experiences and sacrificing long‑term goals—and how do you know when you’ve crossed it?
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For someone with average genetics and a demanding life, what is a rational, sustainable definition of “success” in fitness?
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If Mike launched a podcast, what topics or types of guests would best showcase his strengths beyond aesthetics and training?
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Transcript Preview
If somebody is, in their head, convinced that you take steroids, it's almost impossible to change their mind. And the thing that annoys me is when people message me and being like, "I used to think you were such a role model, but now that I know that you're not natural, I just ..."
Because of some guys we know on YouTube?
Yeah. There's a lot of people who are taking gear and they don't look that great. Now, let's say for example, I'm one of those people, I'm taking a lot of gear and I look okay. And then I see a physique like mine and I'll be like, "God, if this is what I look like and I'm taking all this, imagine what he's taking." They cannot comprehend that I'm actually not taking anything at all.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. I'm joined by the one and only ...
Mikey T's in the building.
Michael Thurston, how are you?
I'm good. Loving life in Dubai right now. Can't complain.
So good to see you. The last time that we saw each other, when was that?
It was in Ibiza.
Ibiza.
Yeah.
We keep on bumping in- into each other in fuckboy cities, don't we?
(laughs)
(laughs)
Yeah, it was a ... It was a brief meeting up, but obviously Ibiza was very different this year, so ...
Mm. How long were you out there for?
From July until mid-October. It was ... It was definitely an interesting year, but in a way it was a good thing because there was less temptation. I got to, to explore the island and train, keep on track with my eating, sleeping. So it was, it was a nice little break from Dubai.
Yeah. And now you're back here six months?
Yes. Until May, at least. The plan is, Dubai's gonna be my base for the next few years 'cause I do like it. It's got everything I need. Very suitable for what I want, my lifestyle. The only problem I have with it is the summer is absolutely brutal. Like it is so, so-
Unbearable.
Yeah. And I, I'm the type of person that likes to be outside. I like to sit outside, eat outside, walk, and you just can't really do that when it gets too hot. So from ... definitely June until August it's not the best place to be. So I kind of dip out and will most likely return back to Europe.
Mm-hmm. Got any ideas where you're gonna be next year?
I like Spain a lot, but I'm gonna plan closer to the summer, because last year, or this year should I say, I planned everything way too far in advance. And obviously all this madness happened and it was just chaos. I basically paid for my accommodation in Ibiza upfront, expecting to have the best summer of my life as I turned 30 years old.
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