The Truth About Building Muscle on a Plant-Based Diet - With Torre Washington

29:17but I really just started to pay attention to a variety of sources just to make sure I'm getting everything I need and to me it's easy and when it comes to nutrition because I think a lot of times we complicate it because there can be so much misinformation out there so much noise that causes people to get confused and so they're like well I'm listening to this person I'm listening to this person well I don't know what I'm doing here I don't know what I'm doing here and I think it goes down to what works for you and also understanding you know your microbiome your gut you know how your body's absorbing it your body might not be absorbing what you're putting in so therefore you you feel deficient because of a certain nutritional way you're eating but that might not be the problem it might be deeper than that and now you're changing it up so much because that you're looking for a way based on what someone else is saying.

30:12So I've always kept it simple with how I eat. And I've never been that one to tell someone, hey, this nutrition works for me. It will work for you.

30:23Shawn Stevenson:So that's wisdom right there in and of itself. And it takes a lot of self-work to be able to have that perception because I know, again, we mean well coming into it. And a lot of practitioners, they feel like if this works for me, this is going to work for you. And so you being aware again, that everybody's different. We all have different needs and also that what we need at different times can change. And, you know, one of the most remarkable things for us to all acknowledge truly is like you achieving what you did physically, getting in 50 to a hundred grams of protein and literally competing, you know, like that is proof positive that it's possible.

31:06Shawn Stevenson:It's not just this one isolated way of looking at this macronutrient protein and fracturing foods because we evolved eating foods, not macronutrient parts. Right. Right. Right. And so there's something remarkable about food itself and being able to fuel your body to achieve what your goals are. And for you, you were working to be stronger. You were placing that stimulus on your body. And, but the thing is the results are not going to be the same necessarily for a lot of other people. This fit you at that time. And it should just open the door in our minds. Like maybe I don't need as much protein as I think I do to achieve fill in the blank goal.

31:45Shawn Stevenson:Right. With that said, when you focused on getting in more protein, you noticed that you got bigger. Right. And so we do know obviously that protein is a building block for making that muscle, but it's not the only building block. And so with that being said, when you were basically doubling the protein intake, how did you do that? Because again, a lot of, as you know, vegan sources of protein are going to come along with a lot of carbs. And so it might kind of crowd out even the desire to eat the amount of protein that you need to get. So what are some of those protein dense sources that you would go to, to hit those macros to put on the size you wanted to put on and eventually again winning you know most recently so what were some of those foods so when i started out like i said i was i was doing the tofu only and then i would add in you know texturized vegetable protein which is t called tvp which is which is also soy protein and then eventually with a lot of hesitation i I ended up doing protein powders because I also looked at protein powders like creatine as a, that's not natural because it, it was, you know, created.

33:04It wasn't, you know, brought from the ground and things like that. So that's how I looked at it. But then I had to understand that everything has its place. Right. And it's a supplement. It's not, not a necessity. You know, I think this is what people miss, you know, they think that supplement is synonymous with necessity. That doesn't necessarily mean that. You supplement when you, for me, it was more for convenience. You know, I could be flying somewhere and I'm not able to eat. So I'll have this protein shake to kind of help me make sure I can get in the protein that I need. And so I started supplementing, right?

33:40And then of course, companies, once they see your supplement, they're like, hey, you know, we would love to send you some protein. So I would just get protein from all types of places. And it just, I had it all. I had all these different types, hemp proteins, soy protein, pea protein. And that was, so it turned out to be, that was my only other way, not only other way, my way to add an extra protein. And then once seitan became popular, seitan is just vital wheat gluten. and it is way more protein than it is carbohydrates, but it has zero fat. And so I started utilizing that. And then now fast forward to now, there's another protein source called fava bean protein, which is just protein.

34:28There's no carbs, there's no fats. So with that, it makes it so much easier now to not actually have to do protein powders. But I still do them every once in a while to make sure that I'm getting it if I'm not able to eat. I would rather prefer eating. And so with competing, you know, I remember I started competing at about 35. And at that time, when I was 35, I didn't do any master's classes, which master's classes were 35 and over because I didn't consider myself a master. And I remember once I got into my 40s and I decided to do one, And people were, a lot of the other competitors, like, what are you doing to the Masters?

35:11You're not, there's no way. They thought I was like 25, you know. And even I look back at those pictures, I look like 24, 23, 35. That's just falsifying that paperwork. Right. So I even feel like sometimes, is my birth certificate right?

35:27Shawn Stevenson:Like, because I don't feel it. Look, I see people that are my age and like, they look it or they look more. and you know and I know it goes down to how I've eaten take care of myself my mindset and I've started working out at an early age which we now are seeing as the founder of youth and so I was getting up there at 35 facing guys 18 20 22 beating these guys and not only that once they found out that I didn't consume any chicken beef or fish they were so intrigued they couldn't believe it they're like how do you look like that and you don't eat you don't even eat eggs I'm like And they just couldn't fathom how it was possible because you understand that in the world of bodybuilding, it has to be animal flesh.

36:14There's no other way to get the muscle that you need, you know, to get your amino acids. That's the misconception out there. And I was breaking those myths because I was on stage beating the best of the best. And so when I started doing the Ben Weider, which is, of course, you know, it's all natural, you test it and everything. And I think a lot of times people automatically assume that if I'm vegan, there's no way I'm looking like that. I have to be taking something. You know, there's no way possible. And because I never really discussed my age. So they automatically assumed I was just their age.

36:50But being vegan, there's no way I look like that. And so once I started to discuss my age, I didn't realize, Sean, that it was going to really make a big statement because I was afraid to discuss my age. You know, full transparency, I just felt like it would pigeonhole me. It would limit me to reach a larger audience because I'm like, oh, this old guy, you know. And, you know, I mean, like women younger than me, you know. So when they think I'm older, they're like, oh, he's old. So I didn't want to talk about it, but I had to embrace it. And so once I embraced it and made a post about it, I didn't realize it was going to reach, it was going to get that much love and support.

37:41Because people could not believe that I was that age and that successful in this world. And so it was like vegan. Okay, that's crazy. But then when they said, you're 50? There's no way. How? And you said something longevity because I started doing online coaching and they were like, you need to lead with longevity. Because you are really showing that that is who you are and that is possible. Anything is possible. and it's me recognizing that i owe me you know and i owe it to help other people recognize that they can be anything they want you know i'm here showing you that it's possible you know and so when this when the wind happened because i've been doing this since 2009 and I didn't know how it would end.

38:43Because I remember in 2024, I was like, well, I might have just go to the Masters Olympia for the older guys. And it didn't open. That door didn't open. I applied when they first brought it back. No, people were like, oh, you're a shoo-in. You're like successful. You're going to be in there. They didn't accept me. I won a couple of shows, but they were saying that the caveat was you had to win 40 and over. The 40 and over guys are still using and they look good. 45 and older now, they don't look like me because it's tearing their bodies down and I can beat them easy. But you couldn't qualify for the matches winning an over 45 show.

39:27You had to only win 40 and over. And I would place but not win. And so I was like, well, guess that's it. and when one door is closed, another is open. And I was able to take that Ben Weider and kill that show and make it to the biggest one of them all. So Masters of the Olympia didn't happen, but I'm going to the even bigger stage, the one that's well-known worldwide and globally. And it was crazy to, like you said, to beat guys half my age because they all were like, what? there's no way and it just shows dedication desire mindset and you know of course it was all coupled with my mom's passing giving me that extra strength to say you know what now is my time to shine since she wasn't able to see me on stage due to her religious beliefs she can now watch me anytime she wants

40:28Shawn Stevenson:yeah yeah you represent it man yeah wow that's so powerful so powerful on so many levels, you know, and I'm grateful somebody tapped in with you to, you know, really lead with that longevity piece, you know, because again, this is something that's very aspirational for a lot of people today. And, you know, we want to not, but here's the thing with the longevity piece. It's not just living longer, but it's the quality of life, right? And to see what's possible in the example that you're setting, you know, like you said, a lot of people like to say that they don't look like you is like, again, that's an understatement.

41:04Shawn Stevenson:You know, we've got people that are, I mean, struggling and it doesn't have to be like this. And so being able to just take some of these nuggets of wisdom and start to apply them because you've inspired me. You have no idea. Even today, when I was training, thinking about you and talking to you today, I was, it was different. It was different. And even, you know, just knowing what's possible on the food side and we opened that door already, but I want to take a pivot right now and talk about training because we need that stimulus as well. And again, to get these insights from somebody who really knows how to build a body.

41:48Shawn Stevenson:So again, I know you have your personal experience and I don't know what that looks like with the clients that you've worked with over the years, but let's just start with yourself what have you found to be the most effective types of workouts is this like a bodybuilding split how many days are you training um what what is the mentality while training talk about all that you know when i first started training i was i was in but i think one thing that really I paid attention to was the biomechanics. I was so into making sure form was proper, you know, because a lot of times people just lift and they don't pay attention to how they're lifting, you know, and they could be damaging themselves beyond repair and causing arthritic joints and what have you later on in life.

42:44And so I actually didn't, I started out where I didn't really do deadlifts. I did squats, but I did, and I did pull-ups, but I didn't do deadlifts because I think it was just, I had this idea that it was bad for the back. I think it's also because I just didn't understand it too. So I didn't start incorporating deadlifts until way later on, but I did not immediately notice density in the back and the overall muscle building that it does, that it causes with the boost in the testosterone, the growth, you know, the growth that happens as well and so my body been I was doing two days two a days I would do two body parts in the morning and two body parts in the evening and I enjoyed it because I was just enjoying training you know I've always wanted I always was very much into kaizen you know continuous improvement always improving always improving getting better getting better and so now my routine or my regimen when it comes to body, it's really sculpting.

43:41And I'm very much into sculpting people. I like to work with people who already have an idea of how to lift. They just need that extra tweak. They need that control because a lot of times people just lift mindless, not mindful. And I like to be connected to my muscle when I'm training. And I think a lot of times we talk about, we hear my muscle mind connection but a lot of people really don't understand how to really control that and so when i'm working with people i want them to understand that concept like seriously because it's so important when you connect with that muscle you can develop it more because it's just like manifesting your thoughts you know so you can manifest that muscle to grow by connecting with it because it's you, it's part of your body.

44:32And so I train now with a split more of, I do legs about twice a week because I'm in men's physique. Men's physique is really, was in the beginning, it really was nothing about legs. And so that's what they could wear. They could get it with board shorts. It was more of a beach body look. And I didn't like it because I started out bodybuilding with the, they call it the banana hammocks, or however you want to call it. Some people call it Manpanti. And so I started out there, you know, and I love the art form of posing and really presenting your physique in the best light, showing all your strengths, hiding your weaknesses, because it's all an illusion.

45:10It's just how you present it. You know, you can have a better physique than me, but if I know how to present mine better, I beat you because I know how to showcase it all, showcase it better than you do. And that's why it's such It's an art form that I think people don't recognize. And a lot of times the guys on stage don't even know it. They don't even know how. I'm looking at them like, man, you have such a great physique. You're just not presenting it well. And so posing became really a part of it. And once this men's physique came out, it changed up my training to where now you wanted more recovery to train your shoulders more, your chest more, your back more, and your abs.

45:51because those are the body parts that really create this symmetry that you're looking to have wide shoulders, small waist, and your legs don't need to be too pronounced. But that's changed now. They now want legs to have some look to it, to complete it because I've always had a physique that was balanced. And so that's how I would win over someone else because I didn't have a standout body part that was complete. everything was symmetrical and proportionate to one another and so that also happened my training I would train very symmetrically you know I would do let's say if I did back I would do back and shoulders you know with some abs just because I wanted to get at least two to three body parts in a day to allow myself to do it again sometime later on in the week because I know with when it comes to muscle building and growth two to three times a week to allow it to grow, especially if it's a lagging body part.

46:49And for me, I always looked at my back as being a lagging body part because I wanted it to have more depth, not with when I was younger. I wanted it to be very wide so I can jump off a cliff. I envision myself jumping off a cliff and just over my lats and gliding. So that's how I was able to get it wide. And it's crazy because people used to be like, man, your lats are wide, but it was all visualization. I was focusing on it and mentally connecting with wanting to be wide. So now I focus on wanting it to be a lot thicker because in men's physique, you only turn around to the back and to the front.

47:23You don't do the posing, which I loved in bodybuilding. And, but with IFBB, you know, 99.8 % of them are using enhance, enhancements. So, and I'm not doing that. So of course their body's going to grow muscle, but the protein synthesis is going to be a lot faster. And so it's going to take time with me. So now I train back about two to three times a week and legs two times a week. I do chest about two times a week. Shoulders. Shoulders get hit almost with everything. Because, you know, you're doing chest. You do back. You're getting your front delts. You're getting your rear delts. Medial maybe not so much at all, depending on the movement.

48:06Do shoulders as much as possible. I train abs about three. I used to train abs every day. Now I do it almost every day. and I do glutes, which men used to not train glutes because they were like, why? We can do that with squats. But now when it comes to bodybuilding, you're very much focused on isolation because you want to develop that muscle so that it can really pop on stage, you know. So it has, and sometimes it evolves, it changes, but it pretty much is very simple, basic movements that I stick to. Don't really go into the fancy training methodologies that are out there because people get bored.

48:49And I think they'll recognize that linear progression is where it's at, but they want to do all these, you know, crazy things just to stimulate themselves because they don't have the pure love for just the growth of it. You know, because if you're not training with the intensity, you're not going to really get the results. And I've seen people train where once they work out with me, they're like, man, I don't do this on my own. And I think it's because they may not have as much of a love for it, but when they do get it, they get it. You know, because that intensity is what really helps you get the most out of your workout.

49:29And it doesn't necessarily have to be where you are crawling out of the gym every day because you're still stimulating the muscle. And when I work with people who are looking for their changes, it's all about changing the stimuli in order to get the result. You know, it could be from their nutritional aspect, the training aspect, the cardio aspect. And cardio for me is another thing that is not a necessity. And I think people automatically assume it's a necessity because to lose weight. For the VO, the heart, that's different. But when it comes to as far as it being used to burn fat, it's a tool that we incorporate later on because we want to focus on the workout and your nutrition in order to get the result before we start to add the cardio in.

50:21Amazing, amazing.

50:23Shawn Stevenson:Again, it's too simple. That's the thing. Yeah, and I think that's the scary part is that it is so simple that people, they're just complicated, man. Have you noticed that a lot of skincare products are now adding green tea extract to their ingredients? And for good reason. A review of 20 studies published in the journal SkinMed revealed that green tea is effective in reducing acne, dermatitis, warts, keloids, rosacea, and many other skin issues. This is incredible. But the biggest benefits were seen when green tea is consumed versus being utilized topically. And the very best source of green tea is matcha green tea.

51:10Shawn Stevenson:Now, matcha is out here heavy in the streets. People are becoming matcha girlies, matcha boys. All right. But the traditional matcha is being distorted a little bit. It's being Frankensteined up a little bit, but the traditional matcha is absolutely overflowing with unique benefits, including benefits for our skin health. Now here's the rub. There's a ton of different pseudo matchas out there, low quality matchas. And for myself personally, there's only one matcha that I drink and it's quadruple toxin screened for purity and is 35 % higher in L-theanine, which is clinically proven to help to reduce stress-induced skin irritation.

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52:44Shawn Stevenson:That's P-I-Q-U-E-L-I-F-E.com forward slash model for up to 20 % off plus some other amazing bonuses. This is the real matcha. This is what matcha was always meant to be. Nothing added, no preservatives, no funky sugars, no artificial sweeteners, just the very best matcha green tea in the world. Head over there, check them out, peaklife.com forward slash model for up to 20 % off. And now back to the show. You know, what I'm really hearing as well is for us to be very intentional and to be mindful of our purpose. Yeah. If it is to build your body, right? Bodybuilding and to get the most we can with hypertrophy, that mind muscle connection is so important.

53:30Of course, just that manifestation piece, but even just the technical piece of the muscle

53:35Shawn Stevenson:doing the movement. because our bodies are very good at hiding and sneaking in and compensating as well. And so, and that's okay if you're just wanting to move the weight. Right. And to get through and you just focus on strength and being able to do a certain thing. But you can get both, of course. You can get the bodybuilding and the strength piece if you have that mind-muscle connection and actually use the muscle that you are targeting. And so, with that being said, you know, again, with bodybuilding, and you mentioned this as well, This is people don't think about how much of an art form it is and also the competitive piece to it.

54:12Shawn Stevenson:Right. And how you guys are going at each other, essentially on stage. And there's a big mindset piece backstage as well. And, you know, what you have is so unique because you have the physique and you have the wisdom as well. And so being able to like see, oh, like, oh, he's he's really developed very well, but he doesn't know how to use it. He doesn't know how to pose to really accentuate his gifts. And so, you know, you have, that's dangerous, a dangerous combination, man. And I saw, actually, I heard you say this. I was looking at one of your interviews. You said, once I turned 50, I felt like I turned 20.

54:50Bro, I felt like I just started. Like, I, because it's like everything started happening when I turned 50. once I embraced it and recognized that it's okay. Because when you think, whatever you think becomes your reality because you give it enough attention, it becomes truly your reality. And when you think of it as being old, oh, you'll be old because that's your mindset. And so once I saw so many doors open at turning 50, I was like, oh man, and I feel like I just started everything. And so it's, it's, you never know when it's your time. You think, man, if I just started back when I, because that's when I first left corporate America, I was like, man, I should have done it earlier.

55:40But it wasn't time. It was that time was that time that happened. I was, I meant, I was meant to do that for 14 years to learn something from it and move on to the next level. Because, you know, we always wanted to come fast. We wanted to just happen right away, you know, and when it doesn't, sometimes we feel like we're going to do it. like we failed in accomplishing it because when things aren't happening the way you expect them to happen you think you're just you're not doing it right and so when I hit 50 and all that started happening for me I was like oh man okay and now it's it's just I'm here with you you know so it's just like you know once you start to understand that you have to be intentional and deliberate And I learned that from Eric Thomas too.

56:29And so that was, that's powerful. So it's just staying that course. Man, incredible.

56:37Shawn Stevenson:So obviously, again, we're talking about the basics, right? Squatting, chest press, lat pull down. So we know the exercises and the target these particular body parts, but is there some secret sauce in here? Like if you want to get the most out of the time outside of the typical stuff, is there anything else that you would add to the mix with the client, for example, or with yourself? Maybe some eccentric focus, maybe some drop sets, maybe some super sets. Yes, yes, yes. Give me some secret sauce here of like something that you would like utilize. You know, so I like failure a lot, going to failure.

57:22And drop sets, I think, are very effective because drop sets, you know, a lot of times people ask the questions. And I'll be honest, sometimes when I'm training people, don't ask no questions. Let's just work. And because I just want them to get the work done. But then they're like, why are we doing that? But, you know, when it comes to drop set, you know, it's fatiguing the muscle in every fiber, all the fibers.

57:44Shawn Stevenson:Share what drop sets are. So a drop set is, let's say you start very heavy. For example, let's say you're doing bench press and you're doing 315, right? And you're doing 315 and you can only max out six reps. And maybe the sixth rep, you're having a slight spotter to help you. And so you just fatigue the major muscle group because that big muscle had to come in play to help you. Of course, you have your auxiliary muscles helping with your shoulders and your triceps and your back to a certain extent. So you get that weight to six reps, you rack it, you take off. Sometimes you can take off 10 % or more, and then you go and do as many reps as you can higher than what you just did.

58:25So if you just did six, your goal is to go from eight to 10. And so then you get that eight to 10, you drop the weight again, 10 to 12, you drop the weight again, 15 to 20, you drop the weight again, and you go as many as you can. And what you're doing is you're fatiguing every muscle fiber to the last point of failure. and you have really just trained that muscle all around. And I think a lot of times you see it, especially with people that are working out to that capacity, you can see it in their development because you see the difference between someone who's just powerless and someone who's really paying attention to their design, the sculpting of the body.

59:04They look different. You know, a powerlifter will just be big and massive and strong, but a bodybuilder, we're not powerlifting. we're sculpting our physique to make sure every sinew every tendon every fiber is so is able to be visible to the naked eye when you're on that stage that's great man so with the drop set and

59:25Shawn Stevenson:when you mentioned we're hitting all these different muscle fibers so of course people know the general slow twitch fibers the fast switch fibers but we have a range of intermediate fibers as well so you're you're tagging all of these bad boys it's basically recruitment correct It's strategic recruitment and it's a very efficient, but very difficult. And then mindset piece, you know, you've said this a couple of times in the intensity, right? And even you said, you opened this up by saying, I like failure, right? And that's something that we shy away from in all areas of our lives, right? You're right.

59:58Shawn Stevenson:And so it's symbolic, but, you know, we have the reps and reserve paradigm, but also going past that to where your muscle actually is just like, this can be a great catalyst for growth, but you've got to be mindful of what's right for you. Right. And also your recovery. Right. Right. So all of these pieces, you know, it's an equation, you know, but the best way to find out what's going to work for you is to give it a try. Yep. And so big fan of drop sets. I haven't done them in, I don't know, a couple of years. Wow. But just even bringing this up and you jumping on that particular one, because actually I was doing some eccentric stuff today right which i have you know i'll do from time to time yeah i really been heavy in isos because for me yeah the the physique the physique piece is important cool for me but for me i'm training more for like performance for yes athleticism for competing for hooping with my son right right you know what i'm saying and just you know getting out there and dominating like God damn it, man.

1:00:58Shawn Stevenson:You know, the other day, this true, my wife. So I went to the park just to shoot around and do some drills or whatever. And you know, a couple of guys, it was like three guys. I'm pretty sure they were Slovenian. And they was like, hey, you wanna run teams? And you know, I was like, all right, it's cool. And one of them, he was built like Luca. He was just a little short. He was probably like 6 '1", 6 '2". And, but I saw, and I saw him just kinda, just whooping the other two guys. And, um, you know, so I, I was like, so out of you two, who's the best, you know, the other two guys, because I wanted him to be with me.

1:01:40Shawn Stevenson:Right. Cause I see baby Luke over here cooking and I wasn't even there for that. And, um, you know, they agreed that the guy, which he never took his hoodie off. It was hot. All right. This is already a warning sign for me all right so but anyway so he went with me and um the other guy had a cigarette first before he started you know got on the court and i'm like oh that's a good sign all right it's gonna be even and so you know before you know it man i came out you know we're playing you know the 15 ones and twos but i hit four shots really quickly and i knew baby luca did not like that because at first i hit the first two he's like oh he was still kind of bubbly now he like locked in his face change.

1:02:17Shawn Stevenson:And so like, we're really competing out there, man. But just being able to at the drop of a hat to do something like that and to perform. And, you know, to compete and to have fun and me training because life, you have to qualify yourself to be able to do certain things. And, you know, it's my point being with, even with the story was they had no idea that I'm twice their age. they had no idea all right and when i got back home my wife asked her she's like how was the park i was like yeah you know some guys asked me to run you know um two on two and of course you know i you know gave him a little spanky um but she was like did you get their number like because she's like guys are gonna hang out right right she can't understand that just going and playing a pickup game is just like these guys do that because you know for her it's just like you got to have all this other stuff.

1:03:11Shawn Stevenson:Hey, do you want to play with me? You know, like this kind of energy, you know? And I think it's so cute, but you know, it's really important for us to understand why we're doing what we're doing and to create that unique formula for us. And I'm so grateful to bring you on because a lot of us and myself included, we want to express beauty and potential with our physique. We want to feel good in our bodies and we have so much potential. Like our bodies are designed to adapt and to grow when we give it the stimulus and also the recovery piece. So that's my next question. What is your secret sauce when it comes to the recovery piece?

1:03:52Shawn Stevenson:Because I know you love to train. You're about that life. And obviously your nutrition is just like, it's world class, very intentional. What about any other recovery protocols that you have? You know, it's interesting. So maybe about three, four weeks ago, I don't know what I did, but I was training back, right? And I was doing little shoulders and then I was doing other movements, extracurricular activities that kind of impacted my shoulder. and my shoulder was like stuck it was like hard to do this and do this and i didn't know what was going on it felt like i had fluid in it it's like you know when a knee gets inflamed and it gets like that almost that feel because i had acl injury and i had acl surgery back in 2010 and because i you know ran track and i attempted to do american football because in jamaica we call football soccer is called football so they're like yo come out for the team and you're fast i was I'm like, all right, but I didn't know how to play football.

1:04:55And so I got injured in scrimmage. I didn't even make it to a game. I probably could have been, you know, amazing at it because of my size and speed. And so I got that done. And so when this happened to my shoulder, it felt like my knee. Like when it's inflamed, it's harder to move it. And so I started getting a little more body work done because I have a guy that I would go to that would, you know, really work on getting everything. because training is so heavy, everything gets tight. But sometimes as bodybuilders, we like that tight feel because we feel like we're, you know, looking good. You know, we don't understand that we should be flexible because then when you come up to bring the muscles together, they actually will look bigger because now the muscles have been stretched.

1:05:43So then when they do contract, they look better, you know. And a lot of times we don't understand that because we spend more time training than we do with recovery. and the stretching and the nuances of working on your hip flexors, your hip joints and your knee joints. And so those things are now are important to me. The eccentric movements you talk about, isometric holding, all these things help to develop the tendons that we need to be healthy because the tendons are attached to the muscle bellies and attached to the joints, I mean, to the skeletal frame. And so once this happened, I started doing that work and I decided to incorporate more cold plunging just to kind of see.

1:06:27Man, after the second day, it was gone. And the third day, totally. No problems anymore because I was worried. Like, I got an Olympia coming up. I got to be ready. I need to train intensely. So that really opened my eyes to you need to take care of that more, you know, Because you can't just be in the gym constantly all the time, banging, banging, banging, and not recovering more than just rest and nutrition. But you still need to work on recovery protocols, the cold plunging, the body work, and things like that nature that really plays into keeping you healthy. And being able to, at the drop of a dime, take a jump if you have to.

1:07:10Because a lot of things, I'm also an athlete. I like to be able to just spring into something, catch the hoop if I want to just catch the hoop. I mean, I'm short. I can't slam. But I can grab that hoop just from my jump. And I'm a sprinter. So I love to sprint. So I'm competitive in that. I'll talk that game. We can go and get that 100 meters real quick if you want to do that. Because I like to be able to run fast. And I was racing my son. And I said, when you can beat me, you'll be fast. Nevertheless, he can beat me now. and you know so and i know he was so excited to be able to do that of course you know because it's to smoke him all the time all the way up to he was about 17 once he got past the 17 to 20 he can take off now you know so so i i relate to when you're talking about playing playing ball with your son too so it is now i'm making sure that that's there because i also have a client and a friend, they have a cold plunge at their home and they live very close to me.

1:08:12So they're like, you know, come whenever you want. And understanding that, you know, I like to do it prior to a workout, not necessarily after because I'm so much more focused on the inflammation being a process of increasing muscle size and that inflammation is necessary after a workout. And so, you know, seeing the research is coming out more about cold plunging after workout is not as beneficial depending on what you're looking to do. you know especially when it comes to hypertrophy so it's it's man it changed my once my shoulder healed up that quick because i understand once you get in there your body's like heal because it's under such an attack of that frigid water that it i love it

1:08:56Shawn Stevenson:i love it now yeah that's thank you for sharing that man that's great because again, there's so many different tools to utilize and your body responded to that particular tool. We've had on Dr. Kelly Starrett, who's really, to say he's a pioneer in physical therapy is, again, he's like a superstar in the space and he's very much performance driven. And like a lot of incredible physical therapists that are listening to the show right now, they are likely to have his book or one of his books like the sup becoming a supple leopard it's like a one of the bibles of um physical therapy right and he's one of the first people because in school they're taught rice rest ice you know compression elevate he's like no the we're changing that the ice piece after we we don't do that anymore we're blunting we're we're interrupting these pathways yes you might get some relief but we want the body to heal and so So the icing in particular, and he's a cold plunge guy, but he puts it in a pocket.

1:10:04Shawn Stevenson:He doesn't do it after training. And also this isn't looked at as a means of, you know, trying to, you know, to heal, you know, a blatant injury per se. It's the response that your body is getting. It's like an adaptation to a stressor, right? And so it's stimulating all of these kind of immune factors because it's the immune system that's gonna heal the body. Correct, correct. And just looking at it like that, whether it's cold plunging, whether it's a sauna, whether it's the body work. But these are those inputs that our nervous system, these are things that we missed out on in our culture today because everything is so climate controlled.

1:10:45Shawn Stevenson:But we evolved having temperature stress too. You know what I mean? And so it's just like tapping into these innate healing factors. And so sharing that is very special, man. You know, just being able to talk to you is incredible in and of itself. And thank you for sharing about your approach to training and also your nutrition. I want to ask you about this because, you know, you reached out to me around this time because you knew I shared about my father passing and the impact that it had on me. And it was right before the release of my family cookbook, The Smarter Family Cookbook. And he's a chef.

1:11:28Shawn Stevenson:So he was a big inspiration, like unconsciously for me to focus on this and to focus on family. And I come from a very dysfunctional family, you know. But I wanted to use my experience and to take the beauty from the pieces that I did have. Because, you know, he made something out of nothing so often in the kitchen. And it was beautiful. And also, even though, you know, drugs, alcohol was a big part of my experience with him, he also had this very childlike nature as well. And so he was the dad that was out there hooping with the kids. nobody else's dad was out there but mine was right and so his work really his his work in life carries on through me and my ability to impact people and to just strive to do a little bit better and you mentioned your experience with your son as well and you know there's this wonderful sentiment that your father is the only man who's going to want you to be better than him yep And I know that holds true for our parents in general and what your mom wanted for you.

1:12:36Shawn Stevenson:And so when you competed recently in the show and mentioning she hadn't gone to any of the shows before and being the seventh day and being on a Saturday, a lot of these shows, but being there with you now. So what does that mean for you, you know, and having your mom with you in this different capacity and showing up and showing out and showing what's possible? How do you feel right now knowing that your mom is is with you and watching what you're doing? You know, I was very much like a loner when I was younger, you know, and I really got into the school. school of thought where you know death is just it's inevitable you know it's gonna happen you know it's almost selfish for us to miss that person because we just want them physically back but now their time is up and it's for them to go on to the to their next phase of their their being and i had always lived with that like yeah that's nothing that'd be easy you know whatever and so when it finally gave down to that actual moment to where my mom passed away I was like this is interesting I never thought I would feel like this and so it really didn't hit me until I had to go do the eulogy for her funeral and when I was on the plane me and my cousin had wrote it together and I was editing it and I lost it like I didn't think I would do that but I lost on the plane and I was like wow this is I didn't think this would happen and so then I get to the funeral and I had to do the eulogy and man that was probably the toughest thing I could ever do to I had to get up there and walk on stage and and my whole family like her siblings had to come and like hold me so that I could actually get through that process and I'll never forget my cousin she was like I'm coming I'm coming I'm coming I could hear her and it It was just like, wow.

1:14:45And so I said with that, you know what? I'm going to make you proud because I know of how much you struggled to get me to where I am today. And, you know, you don't think about it at the time because you're just going through life. And she was working her butt off to get there. And so I know that she probably wanted to be there. but she couldn't be there because she was very strict about her religious belief and i know i'm strict about certain things too so that comes from her as well and she was very much a person that loved to give her all to other people then and not take care of herself and i do that to a certain capacity as well and so now you know i had to really recognize that now she can actually see me on stage.

1:15:38And that's why it's like at 50, I'm doing this. Like, wow, I'm doing this now. And she was so excited when I became an engineer. But, you know, it means so much more that my mom can be there and see, you know, and we say that because we truly don't know. But it's that sense of, well, I feel like she can, you know, she's there with me and able to witness me make history, you know, because when I recognize that I've made history, it's like, wow, you know, this actually happened. So it means more than I can almost put in words that my mom can be there too because your mother is that person who no matter what you've done she's always gonna love you you know it's like unconditional and you know your parents in general because a lot of times we feel like our fathers don't but they do and they just they just have that hardcore exterior that sometimes on their upbringing they don't know how to express that i have to tell my son that too because i was my mom i was always at work so you know that and my father wasn't there so i didn't I didn't even know how to be that father figure.

1:16:55You know, you just kind of go with the motion. And so it means a lot. And I'm just going to continue to shine for as long as possible, you know, that I can. While I'm able to exist here and help as many people as I possibly can. because it was also a fear of mine to help people because, you know, you don't want to fail. You know, like you said, like I was just talking before, I love failure. But it's being able to apply bodybuilding and what I do to life. And that's where I'm working on it as well, too. So, yeah. Thank you for sharing that, man. No, no, thank you. I almost lost it. So I was coming.

1:17:43Shawn Stevenson:But, you know, just being able to, you know, because it's a choice, you know, what we choose to believe. And, you know, that choosing that your mom is with you. And, you know, I share that. I share that sentiment. And I know, and you know it too, that she is very proud of you. And, you know, you are a history maker. Like, you've changed the world. You've done exceptional things that haven't been done before. Like, that's not, that's extraordinary. And I just want to acknowledge you for that, man, to truly just give you your flowers, man. Like for real, it's special, man. And I knew that from the moment I saw you and we connected the first time, like, oh, you're different, you're different.

1:18:29Shawn Stevenson:And despite your circumstances, despite what you went through, you know, you just kept taking that step forward and finding a way to turn the hurt and the anger into something positive. And we can all learn from that. So I appreciate you. No, thank you. And you know, you said something earlier when you said you were inspired on your training and I, I, sometimes you hear people say they're inspired by you, but sometimes you don't, it doesn't really click. And I have people that say, Hey, I want to compete now. I'm like, why? And that's because they see what I've been able to accomplish. And they're like, I could do it too.

1:19:06And I, it's a great thing. And it's also like, OK, wow. I didn't think that that was going to cause that, but it's, it's, it's acknowledges that we all can inspire someone. Your story, your journey inspires someone. Someone needs to hear your story. Your story is just as important as anyone else's. Yeah, that part. Where can people connect with you, get more information, just stay in touch with you? Tory Washington, T-O-R-E Washington on every platform. And, you know, my next thing, we talked about this before. It's like, got to get this book out, man. I was so afraid to put a book out before.

1:19:43And now that I've sort of gotten 30 % of the process done, it's just getting the rest done. And I know it'll get done, you know, just like we talked about. It's that time will happen when the time is supposed to happen, you know. So, and, you know, Vegas, you got to come to Vegas, man. September 24th to 27th, that's the Mr. Olympia. It's going to be at the Palms Hotel. Ooh. you know from here it's like a 45 minute flight probably not even 50 bucks not even and um it's it's a historic moment for me man to really i don't even know if i'm i keep saying myself that it's probably gonna be a cry fest for me on that stage because right now i realize it's gonna be i probably will have the most people who are close to me as in the audience than anyone else because everybody has fans, but I'm going to have family and friends and vegan family who I've met throughout the year that I can't wait to see the first vegan athlete on this huge stage.

1:20:47It's a prestigious event that it's, you know, it's been around forever and Arnold Schwarzenegger and all these guys have won it. And so I'm actually going to be on that stage. And so it's, it's exciting to, so anyone I can talk to I'm like hey just come just come in and the main part I'm looking for is to get in that jacket and to finally say that I'm an Olympian and so and I'm you know they also give you like your own table where you can meet the Olympian so I know it's gonna be fun

1:21:16Shawn Stevenson:it's gonna be fun amazing amazing I mean 1000 % bro like my wife has been looking for an excuse to come to Vegas yeah you know so I keep hearing that man thank you so much for sharing your heart sharing your wisdom and we already know man much continued success it's already done yes and you know i got your back when it comes to this book thank you well so i got you thank you thank you for sure the one and only tori washington everybody thank you so much for tuning into this episode today i hope that you got a lot of value out of this if you did you already know what to do, share this conversation.

1:21:54Shawn Stevenson:This is paradigm shifting stuff here. All right. My man, Tori Washington is over 50 years old and competing at the highest level of bodybuilding with people decades younger on paper or even saying it out loud. It shouldn't even be possible, but it's not just possible. It's experientially lived. And dare I say, it's probable by applying certain principles on what's possible for us in terms of longevity, in terms of fitness, and remembering it is never too late to say yes, to say yes to yourself, to start to invest in you, and to start to change the way that you're thinking. Because truly, all of these outer examples or expression that you're seeing with Tori is a result of his thinking.

1:22:47Shawn Stevenson:If we keep thinking what we're thinking, We're going to keep getting what we're getting. We've got to change our mindset when it comes to our own health and fitness. And also just taking on some of these principles that he shared as well. You know, adding in a few more plants. All right. He expressed, and I caught it, just a little bit of his love for the Japanese sweet potato. All right. He's a bit, he said it. He's a sweet tooth. He's a sweetie, you know, guy that likes to go after the sweets. And those Japanese sweet potatoes are fantastic. I think that I helped to kind of popularize them because I was talking about them, you know, over a decade ago on the Model Health Show because they start to show up more prominently on store shelves.

1:23:28Shawn Stevenson:But just delicious foods that we can add in, you know, in targeting variety when it comes to these inputs with these different foods, because they're going to be another key word that he used today. he talked about the microbiome. They're going to be feeding our microbiome and giving these data points and just experimenting more, adding in more diversity when it comes to our foods, eating a little bit more seasonally, just picking up these little nuggets and just trying things. And also when it comes to our training, if what you've been doing is just getting the same old same, let's switch it up.

1:24:03Shawn Stevenson:Let's switch it up. Let's do something different. Let's add in some drop sets. Let's do some more eccentric training. Let's add in some isometrics. Let's, instead of training one body part once a week, let's reduce the volume that you're doing in one day, do a couple of body parts and do that multiple times a week, you know, at least two times a week, training a body part so it can keep getting that, that stimulus to respond, to grow, to adapt. because our bodies are adaptation machines. Getting that input once a week can get you a significant amount of the weight. But what if we made an adjustment?

1:24:42Shawn Stevenson:What if we did something different? What if we gave more action points for our body to respond to? Based on the data, you're gonna get better results. So again, I hope that this was encouraging. I definitely encourage you to check out Tori's work. Follow him on social media and all that good stuff. And again, share this out on social media. Take a screenshot of this episode tag Tori and tag me. I'm at Sean model on Instagram. I know that he would love, he'd be blown away to see the love that can come from the model health show community. So I appreciate you so much for that. We've got some incredible masterclasses and world leading experts coming your way very, very soon.

1:25:19Shawn Stevenson:So make sure to stay tuned, take care, have an amazing day, and I'll talk with you soon.