How To Increase Strength and Performance | Nick Shaw

Danny Lehr: How's it going? Danny Lehr from Caffeine and Kilos, and I'm here with Nick Shaw. Nick, you're from RP Strength-

Nick Shaw: Yes sir.

Danny Lehr: Renaissance Periodization, and you guys say mostly nutrition planning.

Nick Shaw: Yeah, yeah, mostly diet, that's what we're most well-known for. We do a little bit of strength training stuff, but yeah, mostly diet.

Danny Lehr: Awesome. Before doing that, you personally, Nick Shaw, what were you doing before founding Renaissance Periodization?

Nick Shaw: I was a personal trainer in New York City. Yeah, that's where me and my buddy [inaudible 00:00:32], that's where we both started. We were trainers in an little private gym in Manhattan, I did that for about two years. My buddy did that for a year, went back to school, and then I kind of branched out, did a little bit of online training. In a nutshell, that's kind of how RP started.

Danny Lehr: Yeah.

Nick Shaw: 2012 or something like that, 2013.

Danny Lehr: So the personal training and that whole fitness idea, where did you kinda get that love for fitness, that desire to help people out with that?

Nick Shaw: Man, it's kinda always been around. Even when I was in high school, I was a distance runner, if you can believe that.

Danny Lehr: Really?

Nick Shaw: Yeah, yeah.

Danny Lehr: Did you do cross country, or track, or both?

Nick Shaw: Yep, both, yeah, yeah.

Danny Lehr: Really?

Nick Shaw: 5K man.

Danny Lehr: What was your best race?

Nick Shaw: 800 meters.

Danny Lehr: Really? And what was your best 800 time? Do you remember?

Nick Shaw: Sub two minute.

Danny Lehr: Really?

Nick Shaw: Yeah.

Danny Lehr: Sub two minute.

Nick Shaw: Yes.

Danny Lehr: That's better than I can do.

Nick Shaw: It's not too bad for high school.

Danny Lehr: Today, what is your 800 meter time?

Nick Shaw: Prob about double that.

Danny Lehr: Now you said probably, that means you're not sure. When's the last time you did it?

Nick Shaw: When's the last time I ran a 800?

Danny Lehr: Yeah.

Nick Shaw: Oh man, like 10 years ago.

Danny Lehr: Well, you know what they say?

Nick Shaw: Go do it today?

Danny Lehr: No time like the present.

Nick Shaw: Yeah. It wouldn't be pretty, I'd probably pull up with a hammy or something like that, so we'll see.

Danny Lehr: Just blow out your gas rod.

Nick Shaw: I mean there might be a what? I could just hop on the course from this morning, right?

Danny Lehr: Yeah, there you go. 7K. So the distance running, and so was that you say, like your first love as a sport? Did you have other sports that you got ... There was kind of a whole -

Nick Shaw: Actually, I'll tell you exactly what happened man. One summer, I kinda figured it out from like my freshman, sophomore year in high school. I just started running a lot, and working out a lot, doing all sorts of stupid shit.

Danny Lehr: Yeah, the fun stuff.

Nick Shaw: 15, 16, I didn't know any better. All of a sudden, it showed up sophomore year for cross-country, and I got my ass kicked freshman year. I show up for sophomore year, and I was keeping up with the best guys. I was like, "Hey, this is how it works. I work really hard, and all of a sudden, I do a lot better." I think that's when it kind of went, clicked in my head now. It's like alright, now I know what I gotta do. Just keep going, keep getting after it. I guess you'd say that's what really started this.

Danny Lehr: So from that to RP Strength, and growing that thing, just everything else in life, what's one thing in life you'd say you're most proud of?

Nick Shaw: Got two small kids, and my wife and I both get to work from home. We're kind of always around, and I think not a lot of people have that luxury. I'm very proud of that.

Danny Lehr: Awesome. One person, sometime we say want to get strong, but we can say strong, connect to that, and also nutrition. You can have the two part as one, because somebody says, "I just want to get stronger." I know individuals have different things, but if you're just one blanket over you, this would help anybody get stronger ... Another thing, this would help anybody, like what's the most quick fix diet thing? What's one change that can maybe say that?

Nick Shaw: Change in performance. I mean don't be scared of carbs, you don't have to kind of hop in all the low carb stuff, especially if you care about strength performance. Carbs are a good thing for that.

Danny Lehr: There we go. That's that, and then just getting strong. Maybe a trainer, or something, or is it the same advice maybe?

Nick Shaw: I mean just for training, you can probably say this for both of them. Just be consistent.

Danny Lehr: Right.

Nick Shaw: Literally doesn't matter your diet, doesn't matter your training program, whatever you do, you just gotta be consistent with it. If you do that, you're gonna see some type of results.

Danny Lehr: Awesome. Hey, thanks a lot Nick, thanks for stopping by.

Nick Shaw: Thank you.

Danny Lehr: Alright, make sure you check out Nick, RP Strength.