Rnt Fitness Radio

It’s RNT’s fourth year anniversary today, and I want to kick this off by saying a massive thank you to everyone who has supported this incredible journey so far. It’s an honour to serve everyone who enters our world, and I can’t wait to see how our impact continues to grow as we head into our fifth year. In this episode, I talk in depth about the evolution of our mission, work and methodology, and how we’ve changed from an online personal training to body transformation, to total transformation, and what exactly that means in reality. “Year four taught me the need to see the bigger picture.“ - Akash Vaghela   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro  00:25 – RNT a year ago  04:09 – Health Crisis as a modern problem   05:26 – Our body as a scoreboard  07:05 – Body as a tool for service  08:24 – Our team and the value we live by  09:46 – Letting go of the muck  11:10 – How RNT started with a promise  12:10 – Transforming one person at a time  Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe

With so much talk around macros, calories and training, what’s often forgotten is that transformation is holistic, and encompasses shifting your behaviour, mindset and identity with everything. How we are now is a result of our behaviour, mindset and identity in the past. It’s a cumulation of action, positive and negative, that leads us here. To change this is hard. It requires introspection – to identify the muck, then action – to work through it and cause the shift. For Bijal, she’d always struggled with food, and her relationship with it. With it came diminishing confidence and a struggle to find her own identity. Since starting her journey at the start of 2020, Bijal’s been able to reclaim herself. She found her why, she started to generate the strive from within that was previously so difficult, and she wanted to use the physical as the vehicle to achieve something great for herself. In a recent reflection by her, she said: “Whilst the grind had been one of the toughest mentally, physically and emoti

On May 2nd, Will Smith broke the Internet when he posted a picture of himself looking a little less than his normal self. In a flamboyant “belly out” pose with a pair of boxers, slippers and unzipped windbreaker, he captioned it.” This is the body that carried me through an entire pandemic and countless days grazing thru the pantry. I love this body, but I wanna FEEL better. No more midnight muffins… this is it! Imma get in the BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE!!!!!”Off the back of this, he started something new: The #BigWillieChallenge. The rules are simple: Post a picture of your body now   Take 12 weeks to get into the shape of your life   Post a picture of your body after   The challenge has sparked a craze amongst a number of rappers, musicians and male celebrities in Will Smith’s circles, and it’s a fantastic message, incentive and movement to be pushing out there on such a wide platform. There are probably thousands, if not millions, of people who may be on this challenge, so we thought we’d put together a podcas

Amisha had always struggled with self-confidence, inadequacy, and self-esteem, and as a result, made decisions that often went against her true authenticity. After a major chnage in her life at the end of 2019, she decided to take back control and make a promise to start doing what she wanted to do. This meant using the physical as the vehicle and putting in the work to make serious changes for life. Outside of incredible physical progress, Amisha has now developed more confidence in all areas of her life: her work, relationships and plans. Her journey has been one of education, internal focus and total ownership of her actions, and in this episode, we dive into the story behind her incredible transformation.   “Look amazing on the outside and feel amazing in the inside.” Amisha Patel   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 02:05 – What’s the deal-breaker? 03:55 – Amisha’s marriage 09:28 – Questioning oneself 12:00 – Hearing insecurities 13:57 – Years of Journey 16:10 – What made the trigger 18:40 – How changes

Today we tackle a big question that has been growing in popularity of late: can you really be healthy at every size? After the wildly popular Cosmopolitan magazine ran a massive feature on how there is no ‘one size fits all’, and how every size can be healthy, we thought it’d be good to address why such advertising may be dangerous, what the realities of obesity are, and the future repercussions on it. This segues into a discussion on BMI, child obesity, nutrition for children, and all the science and application poured into it! Stay tuned for a big episode here! “Whatever size you are, try not to link your self-worth to it. “ - Ed Pilkington   Timestamps: [00:00] – Intro [02:50] – Thoughts on being overweight [07:17] – Anorexic vs Obese [11:05] – Why education is more empowering [13:09] – How transformation allows a lot of functions [16:00] – Metabolic health [19:55] – Acceptance as an issue [23:25] – Success or failure on weight loss [27:20] – Keeping the weight long term [29:50] – Child Obesity [32:40]

At the end of 2019, Atish was told by his wife, you need to make a change now. With two kids and a growing business, Atish’s lifestyle was holding him back in every aspect. Fueled with too much alcohol and poor food choices, Atish had never valued the power of self-care in making him a better father, husband and entrepreneur until he started his journey at the beginning of 2020. Ever since, he’s shocked he never started it earlier, because he’s in the best place he’s ever been across the board. In the episode, Atish talks about defying the odds since dropping out of college, his battle with the male ego, and going deep to the core of who he is, while finding his deeper purpose and mission in life. My favourite sentiment from the episode was when Atish said that if everyone did this journey at 18, there would be a massive difference in society, whether it be in their future relationships, or in their growth in creating real meaningful, impactful work. “It takes a lot of positivity to be on the journey.“  Ati

On this episode of RNT Fitness Radio, Ivan and I decide to put Ed Pilkington under the spotlight, where we ask questions about his upbringing, his early years in sports coaching, the differences in passion projects and careers, and why and how he lives and breathes our mantra: the physical is the vehicle. “Go along and do some work experience, then see what it’s actually like. “ - Ed Pilkington   Timestamps: [00:00] – Intro [00:05] – Ed’s Family background [02:54] – Ed as a sportsman [04:40] – Training Practices [07:15] – Correlating wins and team cohesions [09:35] – The element of giving harsh feedback [11:57] – Having body images [13:40] – Body composition focus [15:40] – Ed’s performance shift [17:00] – Things he wishes he knew before his career [18:35] – Advice to people who consider fitness as a career [22:11] – How do you know if it’s your calling? [26:40] – Things that Ed is interested outside fitness [31:25] – Experience working in Dubai [32:50] – Ed and Uni’s story [36:52] – Few people who inspir

Every quarter, I sit down and reflect on how the previous three months have gone in all aspects of my life. This reflection is less of a hard data review, but more of a check in with myself as to what I’ve learnt, what’s been good, and what I need to improve on. It’s always a fun activity, and usually involves looking back on the entire quarter’s calendar, to-do’s, journal entries, just to get a feel of what’s happened, and what I can take forward. The first quarter of 2021 has been an absolute game changer, and I’m calling this edition of my Quarterly Insights as the Renewal, because I feel like a totally different person to a few months ago. I’ve spoken about it briefly in some recent episodes, in this one, I dive into the triggers, the changes and how I think I’ve finally put to bed my long struggle with burnout. “The most important work begins with myself. “ - Akash Vaghela   Timestamps: [00:00] – Intro [00:33] – Exhaustion and symptoms [02:15] – Lack of listening to the signs of burn out [03:00] – Ta

We’ve hit the double century at RNT Fitness Radio, and I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported this show since the beginning, it really does mean a lot and I can’t wait for the next 100! To celebrate this special milestone, I’m bringing on my better half, partner in crime, and soon to be wife, Chandni. The belief and support she gives me in everything I do never ceases to amaze me, and I know that I wouldn’t be able to do half of what I do without her, so I’m excited to bring her onto the podcast and discuss the journey of our dating days, all the way to being on the cusp of being Mrs Vaghela!  “I knew because, through everything, we just clicked. “ - Chandni Chavda   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro   00:10 – How it all began  03:50 – Dating a driven person  09:23 – Love language  13:35 – Doing catch up when away  16:11 – Ability to feel completely okay on your own  18:30 – Fear of being alone and the unknown  23:15 – All about Fearless Females  26:19 – Effects of rejection  30:20 – Dati

Welcome to episode 199 of RNT Fitness Radio where I am joined by two close friends, Shyam Kotecha and Minil Patel, to discuss some of the lessons and experiences we’ve accumulated since we started training together in 2010. Shyam was the first person I ever helped in this game, and Minil wasn’t too far after him in time. Both have since been privy to my biggest experiments and training ideas, that has led them to totally transform physically, mentally, as well as going on to win powerlifting competitions, setting records and becoming the embodiment of the mantra: the physical is the vehicle!   “In starting out; stick with it, be consistent and it will come.”  - Minil Patel   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro   00:10 – Reflections on past self as compared to now  02:10 – Hindrances to feeling your best and taking care of yourself  06:20 – Self-perception based on outside factors  08:50 – Relating sports to fitness  11:25 – Philosophy in training   16:45 – Program hopping  17:50 – Training; Interest vs Boredom  22:00

This episode is a bit different to the norm, in that I’m thrown into the interview seat by fellow team members Ed & Ivan, to discuss questions such as: what is my biggest regret, how do I deal with external criticism, how did I know this path was for me, what do I still want to achieve physically, and how I balance building a business with my relationships. This was a fun one to record, and it went pretty deep! “Learn to focus on what you should work hard on.”  - Akash Vaghela   Timestamps: [00:00] – Intro [00:10] – Akash’s biggest regrets in life [04:15] – Going away from a certain path [06:57] – A note to his younger self [09:45] – Doing what you enjoy [11:00] – Dealing with criticisms [13:00] – Being more than the physical [15:55] – RNT as part of a culture [18:00] – Being transparent for transformation [23:00] – RNT’s Education [25:15] – Digital Sharecropping [29:35] – Akash’s thoughts on self-help books [33:20] – How Akash sees the future [36:45] – Training Hard [35:50] – Success and high perform

On this episode of #RNTFitnessRadio I am joined by long-term member, Ricky Shah, who to this day, is still the most impressive physical starting point I have seen on an application form. At the start of my book, I say: getting in shape is easy, staying in shape is a whole different ball game. Ricky knew this so decided to come to us for one reason, and for what we are best at: to learn how to stay in shape, make continuous improvements, and truly transform your behaviour, mindset, and identity to be your best self. Where this podcast gets interesting is when we tap into Ricky’s consumer psychology background, and explore themes of decision fatigue, food variety, reversions to the mean, and the most popular meal in the UK. He has recommended some books to read more on these topics, for which I have linked in the show notes below. “In order to succeed, you need to be innovative.” - Ricky Shah   Timestamps: [00:00] – Ricky’s Journey (Intro) [03:30] – The reason why he met RNT [04:35] – Weight loss and reboun

I started this podcast asking the team, what gets you up in the morning? And understanding, at the core of it, why do we do this. The episode evolved into one of my favourite conversations of late, where we explored our own personal dopamine and serotonin balances in the day, the differences in introverts and extroverts, and what the latest strategies we’re tinkering with in our days to optimise mental health, performance, general well-being. “Waking up early does not mean more productivity.” - Ivan Gavranic    Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro   01:23 – The deeper connection   04:02 – Ivan’s physical depth  06:26 – Physical and vehicle in reverse  09:46 – Dopamine and Serotonin combination  12:24 – Performance of Introverts vs Extroverts  17:34 – Akash’s Dopamine mode  [19:21] – Energy input matching output 21:18 – Realizing the areas to work on  23:15 – Chasing Motivation  27:21 – What makes Ed feel in control  35:50 – The are of being present 40:58 – Ideal blend of Dopamine and Serotonin   43:50 – Waking up ea

On today’s episode I’m joined by long-term student, Kishan Patel, who comes on to share two years of his journey with us, and how he used the physical as the vehicle to overcome his anxiety, and come off the relevant meds, take his career to the next level and take massive strides in his relationships. The big message here is the need to take ownership and responsibility for your journey at all times, and to know that this has to be one that starts from within, and for yourself. “Focus on things that matter.” - Kishan Patel    Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro  01:00 – Life’s Ups and Downs  03:33 – Start of getting shape  06:05 – What triggered Kishan to step up  08:25 – Importance of mental health  10:00 – DOs and DON’Ts to protect mental health  12:05 – Kishan’s Challenges on his Journey  16:55 – Workout Journey  18:05 – Eliminating people for your own good  21:00 – Concept of Reciprocity  24:55 – Surviving stress and anxiety.  [29:20] – Transition from counseling to working out [34:38] – Importance of me time

Knowing if you’re in a real plateau when pursuing fat loss, strength, and/or muscle mass can be difficult, so in this episode, we dive into all the questions you need to ask yourself to know if you’re in a plateau or not, and most importantly, to learn how exactly to navigate past them. So whether you’re chasing the last bits of fat loss or pushing the limits on muscle growth, there are a lot of golden nuggets in here – with the latter bringing with it plenty of anecdotal pointers that have worked well for us over the years. “Your weight is just a by-product of your performance.” - Ivan Gavranic   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro on Plateaus 02:24 – No plateaus on fat loss  04:02 – Accuracy and consistency in your nutrition  05:05 – Measuring and guestimating  07:31 – Maintenance level  11:05 – Importance of measuring on fat loss  16:30 – People’s notion on muscle gain  [19:21] – Energy input matching output 25:05 – Metabolic Adaptation  27:59 – Stimulating Muscles to grow  30:26 – Glycogen Manipulation  33:40 –

If you love coffee, you’re in for a treat in this episode, as I’m joined by the Alex Higham and Alex Manos from Exhale Coffee, to talk all about the wonderful properties of coffee; from the benefits, the watch outs, the subtleties in how it’s formed, the best ways to prepare it, and all the intricate science that goes with it. If you want to geek out on coffee, you’re in the right place. And if you’re not yet a coffee convert, this might tip you over the edge. The guys at Exhale have also generously offered us 40% off the first bag with your subscription – simply head over to exhalecoffee.com and use RNT40 at checkout for 40% off. Without further ado, let’s dive in! “Good for you, people and our planet.”  - Alex Higham, Founder of Exhale Coffee   Timestamps: 00:00 – What’s good about coffee               [03:35] – Research and health benefits 04:48 – Coffee on a behavioural perspective       09:40 – Best chlorogenic acid source        13:30 – Cognitive benefits  15:50 – Social aspect  [16:45] – Performanc

This episode with the team and I was sparked by a chat on the rise of recreational steroid use, which led to us exploring the pros and cons of testosterone replacement therapy, or better known as TRT, before diving into the signs of healthy hormonal profiles, the drivers behind them, and why deloads may play a useful part in it all. This is very much a fly on the wall episode where we touch on a ton of topics all designed to drive you forward your transformation!  “Things can be happening without you having the symptoms.” - Ed Pilkington   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro  00:20 – Thoughts on TRT and HRT  03:35 – Improving quality over pharmacological advances  [05:05] – Ivan’s experience in dealing with TRT 10:15 – Educational medical podcasts  11:10 – Taking right supplements  13:50 – How purpose in life affects testosterone levels  17:20 – Using other options to cover-up  [19:00] – TRT on depression 22:36 – Natural Alternatives vs market products  27:25 – Dropping the training down  28:20 – Programming and de

On this episode of RNT Fitness Radio, the team and I discuss the big question: should women train differently to men? And if so, how? We discuss all the variables of training that we need to consider in order to maximise your time spent training. It’s important to remember though that these are the cherries on top of the icing on the cake, so listen on with that in mind. We finish up on the nutritional considerations that may be pertinent for women, and what the best advice we would give to any woman looking to maximise their health and fitness endeavours. For the men tuning in, worry not, there are a lot of comparisons, similarities and nuggets that will be pertinent for you too. “You should train what you want to develop.”  - Ivan Gavranic   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro   02:15 – Training difference on Intensity  05:30 – Difference in gender  07:10 – Stigma on women doing weights  09:35 – Volume: Muscle mass and muscle strength  11:30 – Physiological differences  14:05 – Impression on CrossFit women  18:00

The journey of the Self is often limited only to the spiritual world. Whereby you can only find yourself in spiritual exploration.   Yet, a closer look at the world’s most timeless scriptures teaches something else: that the body/physical is the vehicle. Deep within, it explains how breaking the rules of physical self-care prevents you from authentically engaging in deeper practices.  The change in thinking here is that the physical body is the container, carrier and vehicle for the eternal soul, or Self. If our physical is running at optimal, it allows us to look past the cloudiness, and cultivate self-awareness of the true self inside the vehicle.   Where our modern society’s ‘mindfulness’ focus has gone wrong is skipping past the physical, or merely thinking of it as an afterthought. It is not possible to progress towards self-mastery without it. That doesn’t mean an unhealthy obsession with the body. Rather, a reframing that the body’s health is necessary for the entire, holistic journey.  Conside

In the next instalment of our #SupplementSeries, we dissect some of the most popular health supplements, from multivits, vitamin C and D, probiotics and omegas. Throughout, we consider whether you actually need them, when they may be useful, common mistakes, best practices and also dietary considerations if vegan or vegetarian. We also touch on how to spot the BS with supplements, and where some of the crazy marketing all stems from. Again, if you’ve spent more money on supplements than on your bills, this series is just for you.  “When you prioritize something, you make it happen.”   Ivan Gavranic   Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro  01:10 – Macronutrients: More is not always better   02:55 – Harsher Calorie deficit  06:15 – How vitamin D induces hunger 09:25 – What’s with vitamins C  12:10 – Vitamin C as laxative  14:45 – Omega 3   16:15 – Essential Fatty Acids  18:13 – Omega 3 for Vegans  20:50 – Qualities of the market products   24:24 – Probiotics   26:50 – microbiome and genetic blueprints  30:15 – marketin