For the last four years, retired US Air Force Technical Sergeant Chris Ferrell has worked as an Air Force Special Operations Combat Training Specialist. His job is to facilitate live scenarios with Foreign and Domestic Special Operations OPs teams, so they are prepared to protect themselves and others in case the situation calls for it.

Whether it is training servicemembers, speaking on behalf of wounded veterans, or even being a part of the Warrior Games, Ferrell feels that he owes his efforts to those that came before him and helped him throughout his own life and time in service.

“I’ve had fantastic leadership throughout my career.”

Ferrell’s current position (one of several he has chosen to take on) is one that he has pride in, not only because of what it does for those he trains, but because of how close he came to losing his own life.

Service Was the Life He Chose

The native of Bossier City, Louisiana was a high school senior when the September 11th attacks occurred, and the son of a Navy lineman knew immediately what he was going to do later in life.

“I knew then I was going to live a life of service.”

After one year in college, he felt like it was time to make his move. Ferrell enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he became an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician.

“I wanted to be a pararescueman or combat controller, but I failed my eye exam. They told I could do EOD, and when they explained what it was, I said,‘cool, sign me up.”

By 2005, he was on his first of several deployments, traveling to Afghanistan. Throughout his career, he had found and disarmed several Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) to help his teammates carry out their operations.

Ferrell’s career and life changed dramatically on Dec. 15, 2009, when one of his teammates stepped on an IED during a kill or capture operation in conjunction with British forces. The teammate was killed, and the force propelled Ferrell and the other teammates 10-15 feet away. Ferrell recalled that the teammate, Tony Campbell, was in a blast hole with his hand up, almost waving goodbye before taking his last breath.

“Fast forward, I cleared the rest of the area, we were able to get MEDEVACed out.”

Following a week stay in a hospital, Ferrell could have went home but opted to stay and continue serving.

Two months later, he along with teammates and British Infantry forces would encounter another IED explosion incident. He was approximately 15 feet away, but it still killed one person and injured three others. Ferrell’s efforts helped the injured and clear the site. As a result, he was awarded a British Commendation from the Kandahar Airfield Commander for Heroism. By the time he was medically retired in 2017, he received many other honors from his own country as well, including a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Being Fit Literally Saved His Life

The physical injuries that came with Ferrell’s incident were obvious, but as he found out, they could have been worse. He grew up small but was strong for his size and started weight training while playing football. Little did he know that his commitment to the iron would save his life. Once he started working as an EOD tech, he committed even more, especially to running, which he admitted he was never a fan of.

“Running was miserable and still is to this day, but I became very good at it.”

Ferrell knew he had to be in the best shape possible, and that decision paid off for him. During a mission in 2005, he had to run to help three teammates that were affected by an IED. One teammate suffered an amputation and two others were injured. Ferrell had to run a half mile to get to them and started casualty care. All three of them were saved.

“That was my introduction to the military at war. I realized that I had to be in shape so I could save guys. My training drastically changed.”

Fast forward to his own incident in 2009, and it turned out that passion for fitness saved him again. He was told by his doctors that his muscle mass and bone density literally saved him from taking extra damage from the explosion.

“I couldn’t be a hindrance to the team. I had to be an asset,” he explained. “The doctor came in and said that if we hadn’t been as dense as we were, our injuries would have been far more severe.”

Mental Tolls and Overcoming Them

The toll on Ferrell was far beyond his body, though. His mental, emotional, and spiritual health was also affected, but it wasn’t obvious to him until long after the incident occurred.

This was confirmed when he went to get his brain evaluated after noticing changes in his behavior and even attempting self-removal multiple times. Doctors told him that he had 32 dead spots in his brain. He also dealt with bilateral hearing loss and other issues he was not previously aware of.

Ferrell went through several different forms of treatments, was on medication, and even therapy, but he concluded that there was a difference between what he called “living” versus “existing.” Something was missing, and he found it while he was on his road to recovery.

“I realized that post-service, I needed to find a way to still serve.”

As he was getting involved with the Warrior Games, he saw there were many people that were in comparable situations to his. He also realized that he had a new way to serve and contribute. He could help his fellow heroes that were dealing with the same tolls that he was.

“Let me help those that are struggling just like I was.”

Ferrell became a public speaker and advocate with a personal mission to reach and connect with servicemembers facing their own adversities. He also focused on what he could do with training, which led him to Lynn Coffland and Catch-A-Lift.

“Lynn Coffland found me at my lowest point,” he recalled. “Fitness was the catalyst. That was the only thing I didn’t have to think anything about.”

Ferrell also credited Air Force Wounded Warriors, who have helped him personally and that he has worked with as well. He travels and speaks on leadership and trauma. Those endeavors and others have given him the incentive to keep going, keep serving, and enjoying making a difference.

As the husband and father concluded throughout his journey, if a bomb couldn’t kill him, and he couldn’t even do it himself, he should make the most out of the life he has, and that includes helping others make the most of theirs. He has lost many teammates both in battle and through other avenues. In Ferrell’s eyes, each life he can help save is one that is worth all the time he can commit.

“Once it gets dark, it can be very hard to see the light,” he shared. “Advocacy is a necessity. That is what gives me purpose now.”

Chris Ferrell’s Century Workout

Over 20 years ago, Ferrell found a system that helped him train hard for strength and endurance, and he credits it for saving his life. He calls it the Century Workout program and invites you to take it for a spin. You pick a weight for each exercise that could be estimated at 65 percent of your one rep max. The goal is 100 total reps for each exercise, regardless of how many sets it takes.

“You do every exercise until you reach 100 reps with a 30-45 second break between sets,” he said. If you perform 15 reps on the first set, start the next with 16. Keep that count going until you reach 100 reps. You then move on to the next exercise. Ferrell stated that he still does this in retirement so he can keep proving himself when he trains other operators.

“The workout should last between 50 min to 1 hour and 10 min depending on the pace you use.”

Ferrell shared a sample push day workout that feels would be a challenge worth trying to any lifter, regardless of the fitness discipline they follow. Perform 100 total reps of each exercise on the list below.

• Flat Barbell Bench Press
• Incline Barbell Bench Press
• Cable Crossovers
• Dips
• Pushups
• Rope Extensions
• Seated Overhead Dumbbell Presses
• Skull Crushers
• Straight Bar Tricep Extensions
• Close Grip Pushups

M&F Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this article.

It’s easy to admire IndyCar from the outside: The speed across both street courses and ovals, and the lightning-quick reflexes of the drivers. What most don’t see is the work happening inside the cockpit, which is a battle against heat, gravity, and the limited of physical endurance over the course of two grueling hours.

There’s no power steering, airflow, or break in intensity. In a lot of ways, it’s not just racing—it’s survival. For Kyle Kirkwood, one of the sport’s rising stars, preparation for that kind of suffering doesn’t begin at the track. It starts in the gym, the kitchen, and even weeks in advance of the next race.

Jeff Richter knows this terrain well. As the strength and conditioning coach for 2024 Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden, he’s seen firsthand how the extreme demands of IndyCar tailor the training for the drivers to be hybrid athletes—ones who can lift, sprint, endure, while remaining mentally sharp in searing heat for hours. His gym, located in Indianapolis, operates without air conditioning by design. When the temps climb into the 90s and the humidity sets in, that’s when the real work begins. “Sweat equity,” Richter says, is more than a mindset—it’s a prerequisite to performing at a high level.

Both Kirkwood and Richter approach the sport from different roles, they share the same mission: to build and maintain elite physical output when cockpit temperatures soar above 120 degrees and every tenth of a second matters. Whether it’s race simulation in a heated room, building cognitive resilience under stress, or managing recovery between back-to-back IndyCar race weekends, they’ve developed systems to push the limits while recovering from them immediately and smartly.

Whether you’re an athlete chasing the next milestone or simply looking to train smarter this summer, there’s plenty to learn from the paddock. M&F caught up with both Kirkwood and Richter to learn how they train to beat the heat while staying sharp when every second matters.

Acclimating to the Heat

When cockpit temps hit 120 degrees and the race stretches past the two-hour mark, IndyCar drivers don’t get a water break, let alone a timeout. That reality shapes how Richter approaches training with Newgarden. His gym doesn’t just tolerate heat—it utlizes it. Located in the heart of Indy, the space is kept deliberately uncooled for training. “We actually do believe in both the physiological and mental adaptations that can take place from undergoing a training environment that has a high degree of heat,” Richter says. “They’re making a physiological adaptation that they’re going to be able to cool their bodies better because they’ve trained in this.”

Drivers do complain at first, but eventually, they become accustomed to the sweat. Just like the conditions they face during a hot race, there’s nothing they can do to change the circumstances. “You do have the mental side as well,” says Richter. The two are interconnected. If you physiologically are acclimated to the heat, you’re gonna have a better mental outlook and they learn to fight.”

Kirkwood agrees with this sentiment. While he’s not training with Richter, the Florida-based Andretti driver builds heat exposure directly into his weekly prep—especially during the summer stretch of the IndyCar calendar. “I’ll do a couple of hours a week in a heat room around 120 degrees, usually staying in that Zone 3 or 4 range,” he says. “Being outside in 95- to 100-degree temperatures with the humidity, that’s almost plenty enough to just train outdoors for a couple of days a week.” For both Richter and Kirkwood, these training sessions are controlled discomfort with the purpose of making the heat a setting they perform in rather than a deterrent when it comes time to race.

Both coach and athlete agree that you can’t half step that level of conditioning, especially when you add in the fact that drivers also have to wear fire-resistant racing suits made of Nomex that are designed with multiple layers of fire-retardant material. “If you’re just training in 60-degree temps every day of the week, it’s not going to be sufficient enough,” says Kirkwood. Whether it’s the weightroom or on a road course, training where you sweat can literally help your body adapt, raise your mental conditioning to make race day feel less like a shock and more like second nature.

Both athlete and coach agree on this: You can’t fake this kind of conditioning. There’s no supplement, sauna session, or cold plunge that can fully prepare you to perform in extreme environments without consistent exposure. “If you train in 60 degrees every day, you’ll melt when it’s 90,” says Kirkwood. “It’s that simple.” Whether it’s in the weightroom or on a road course, training where you sweat—literally—helps your body adapt, raises your mental ceiling, and makes race-day feel less like a shock and more like second nature.

The Importance of Hydration

For IndyCar drivers, the cost of under-fueling is more than just a bad workout. It can also cost them a chance at a podium finish or worse. That’s why hydration is more than just a habit—it’s a strategy. Richter approaches it like a math equation. Drivers can lose up to eight pounds of body weight in sweat during a race, making fluid loss less theoretical and more measurable. “If they drink every drop of their in-car hydration system, that’s about 3.3 pounds of fluid. But if they’re losing eight, there’s a gap,” Richter says. “And once they lose more than two percent of body weight, we know performance drops. That’s when mental errors creep in.”

Richter’s approach to bridging this gap is data driven. There are pre and post-session weigh-ins, electrolyte balance, and pre-race fluid loading. Alcohol is something most, if not all, drivers flag during the season because of its diuretic effects. Even a few casual drinks to celebrate a victory can create a hydration deficit that lingers into preparing for the next race. “These are grown men that have to make grown choices to be able to be at the top of the level,” he says.

Kirkwood takes a similarly disciplined approach that is built around consistency and personalization. Hydration often starts a full week before race day, with a combination of water, electrolytes, and sweat testing. “Everyone’s different,” he says. “I use a electrolyte mix called The Right Stuff to preload early in the week, then I’ll switch to Liquid IV or DripDrop two hours before the race for added glucose.” Kirkwood knows that once the race begins, it’s too late to fix a hydration issue.

Rehydration doesn’t stop when the checkered flag waves. Kirkwood doubles down post-race with tart cherry packets, protein shakes, and electrolyte blends—not just to bounce back, but to stay ahead of the next grueling stint. “Even when you feel like you’re rehydrated, your body is still catching up,” he says. “Eating is also critical. Just as many of the right calories as you can intake post-event is crucial.” For drivers and gym goers alike, the less is the same: hydration isn’t just about the bottle in your hand, it’s about knowing your needs, and building your recovery just as you do your weekly workouts.

How to Stay Sharp When It Gets Hot

The physical toll of IndyCar racing is only half the equation. With speeds reaching past 230 mph, a lapse in focus isn’t just costly— it can be catastrophic. That’s why Richter doesn’t just train the body, he tests the brain under stress. Newgarden has to be able to do more than just hit a power number on a machine, he has to be able to react at a moment’s notice when his heart rate is elevated and his core temperature is spiking. Richter builds in cognitive drills—reaction lights, color-coded catches, and decision-making games—after brutal intervals on the rower or assault bike. This helps simulate the same high-stress, overheated chaos of a race.

Kirkwood backs this approach. From experience, he knows the real cognitive breakdowns come after the physical fatigue sets in. “You’re in a fire suit, pulling four G’s into corners, and you’re trying to stay mentally perfect,” he says. To replicate that pressure, Kirkwood also incorporates mentally taxing drills into his heat training, such as reaction games, hand-eye coordination drills, and screen-based cognitive tasks when his heart rate is in zone four and five. “You’re physically and mentally exhausted, and trying to stay sharp is important. So doing a combination of those things while you’re physically exerted is crucial for a sport like this.”

The pairing of physical strain and mental sharpness creates a hybrid approach that everyday athletes can adapt, too. Whether it’s running circuits in the heat and testing reflexes mid-rep, or tracking how your focus shifts as fatigue builds, mental toughness isn’t built in comfort. It’s forged when your body is working overtime. If you want to own your heat training, you need to be just as precise between the ears as you are under the bar.

Recovery Starts Before the Workout Ends

Waiting until the workout is over to think about recovery usually puts you behind. For the IndyCar athletes Richter trains, recovery begins before the first set even begins. “Training is just the stimulus,” he says. “The training is the deposit that you put into your body’s account. You’re not going to realize the ROI until you take care of yourself by eating a good meal afterwards, by rehydrating yourself, and sleep. That’s when the progress happens.” He helps lay a foundation of the recovery protocol should be just as dialed-in as the training plan.

This is also a week to week reality for Kirkwood. After the checkered flag, he’s dialed in on recalibrating his body. That begins with structured eating, rest, and sticking to his routine that helps him bounce back for the next event. “You pretty much beat yourself down to nothing,” he says. “Then you’re right back into another event the following weekend.” For IndyCar athletes, the stress of a race weekend taxes every system of their body in a way that the regular everyday person will never experience. A driver’s recovery plan has to match the flight or fight state stress that is placed on each race day. “They got to be able to recover because in training, if we’re just going focusing on maintaining what we have,” Richter says. “Unfortunately, when they get in the race car, they’re compromised before it starts.”

For the rest of us, the lesson is simple: the recovery has to match your effort. Don’t just chase intensity—support it. Whether you’re pushing through an outdoor HIIT workout in 95-degree heat or grinding reps in the gym, what you do immediately after the session will either help build momentum or burn you out. In the heat, recovery isn’t options—it’s necessary.

Follow Kyle Kirkwood on Instagram @kyle_kirkwood

Follow Jeff Richter on Instagram @richterstrength

Lying in in the ICU after suffering with a massive heart attack, fallen endurance athlete Scott Greenstone set himself a monumental challenge—to run a half Ironman race within a year. His tenacious journey serves as inspiration for anyone that thinks that their health is “too far gone” when it comes to pursuing their own fitness goals.

Fortunately, M&F managed to get Greenstone to sit down long enough to hear his motivational message.

Scott Greenstone had been a keen endurance athlete in his 20s, starting out with marathons and progressing to triathlons, half Ironman, and eventually full Ironman events, but with the demands of work and a growing family taking hold, the New Jersey native began to slow down and became less active. Then came the weight gain.

“In 2018 I was diagnosed with diabetes, which gave me that kick in the butt to get back to endurance training,” he tells M&F.

Sure enough, within six months of training, Greenstone’s numbers had normalized, and he was no longer reliant on diabetes medication. By 2022, the returning athlete was beginning to regain his stride, running a marathon in close to two hours and feeling excited about his progress. Still, fate was about to deal a serious blow because he would later suffer a massive heart attack.

During that demanding marathon the conditions had been extremely hot, and while the doctors were not able to find the source of the heart attack with 100% accuracy, the prevailing belief was that dehydration had caused plaque to be released into his blood stream causing complications for the heart. For many, this setback would have resulted in a return to unhealthier habits, but Greenstone had other ideas. “When lying in the ICU, I did a lot of thinking and came to the decision that a half Ironman was a perfect goal, one year out, assuming the doctors gave me the green light,” he explains.

What is a Half-Ironman?

Officially known as the Ironman 70.3, this race is essentially a long-distance triathlon, where the “70.3” denotes the total length in miles (113km) that the competition covers. It is exactly half of a full Ironman. “I had been thinking about getting back into triathlons and I have always kind of set big goals for myself,” explains the down but not out athlete.

To complete the Ironman 70.3, Greenstone would be required to swim 1.2 miles (1.9km), bike 56 miles (90km), and run 13.1 miles (21.1km).

“Of course, my family were worried about me overdoing it, and putting unnecessary strain on my heart, but I put together a team of cardiologists that specialized in endurance athletes and made sure they gave me the OK before real training began. This definitely went a long way at putting my family’s minds at ease.”

Scott Greenstone’s First Steps Toward the Ironman 70.3

For the first three months after leaving the hospital, Greenstone was advised that he shouldn’t do anything more difficult than taking a walk. He went to cardiac rehab, where he continued his recovery for the following three months by not allowing his heart rate to go over 135 beats per minute. Finally, six months into his training, Greenstone was given the green light to begin exerting himself more fully, with one caveat—no competitions. “From there, I had about three more months to really ramp up and start competing and training hard,” he reflects.

With a career in IT and marketing, Greenstone developed a balanced routine to keep his training consistent, setting his alarm for 5a.m. in order to get his training in while still making time for the family before heading off to work. The recovering athlete continued to focus on keeping his BPM below 135 for the most part and he tackled his old nemesis, dehydration, by drinking plenty of water and supplementing with electrolytes. Once again losing body fat, Greenstone continued to regain his confidence. “Entering the Ironman 70.3 was about the challenge and saying that nothing can prevent me from doing hard things,” he says.

Scott Greenstone Went From The ICU To The Ironman 70.3 Finish Line

Greenstone’s year long journey took him to the inaugural Ironman 70.3 in Jones Beach, NY, on Sept. 23, 2023, but the weather would work against our returning hero once again. “It happened to be during an intense tropical storm,” he recalls. “And so, it turned out to be one of the scariest swims that I have ever done.”

Still, Greenstone dug deep and remembered the promise he’d made to himself in the ICU. He managed to complete the race, and his monumental challenge. “I finished and crossed the line 54 weeks to the day of my heart attack,” explains Greenstone. “Everyone was super proud and excited that I completed the race and in a pretty decent time too!” Indeed, he finished in 5 hours, 25 minutes and 34 seconds, well within the 5 to 7 hour average, and during a tropical storm to boot!

Greenstone was so emboldened by his return to endurance racing that he says he is now more competitive than he was during his 20s. “I am always striving to improve on every aspect of the race, from my weakest discipline, the swim, to my strongest being the run,” he says, adding that he is constantly seeking to improve his performance.

Incredibly, in 2024 Greenstone qualified for the USA Triathlon National Championships, racing in Atlantic City. And most recently, he just finished the Ironman 70.3 in Happy Valley, PA, placing 18th in the 55-59 age group. “I was super excited by my performance, as that is a very difficult course,” reflects the trailblazer.

On July 20, Greenstone hopes to come full circle with his recovery. “I am racing the full distance Ironman, Lake Placid, he reveals. “This will be my second Ironman in Lake Placid, the first being in 2010.”

While Scott Greenstone’s story will be motivation for many, he advises that it’s all about taking small steps. “If someone has not been athletic or active for a long period, they should take things slowly,” he explains. “Build time, distance, and intensity slowly from week to week. Educate yourself, listen to your body, and speak to others that have been doing this for a while to learn what you can,” he enthuses.

Still, the concept of being “too far gone” to improve our fitness levels is an alien concept to this enduring athlete. “Nobody is too old,” he reasons. “They may be out of practice, but with proper focus, preparation and support, I truly believe anyone can accomplish anything they set their mind and body too.”

To follow Scott Greenstone on Instagram, click here. 

There’s a side of competitive bodybuilding that rarely ever makes it to Instagram. The stage photos, the flawless posing, the hard-earned physiques don’t reveal what happens after the lights go down and the body stops cooperating.

Naturopathic Doctor Sabrina Solt competed in four NPC bikini competitions while in medical school. Like many athletes, she followed the classic prep formula of strict meal plans, hardcore calorie deficits, strength and cardio on repeat.

It all worked—until it didn’t. “It kept me very dialed in while studying,” she remembers. But after her last competition, she says almost immediately, she gained about 40 pounds and her cycles became abnormal. “I was tired all the time,” she recalls her frustration. “I could nap at the drop of a dime. [At that time] I was just in a really rough state and nothing that I was doing was working.”

She got caught in a rebound spiral that might be familiar to industry veterans. She doubled down, cut more calories, pushed harder in the gym, and upped her cardio. But none of it helped.

“It actually made things worse,” she says. “It wasn’t until I started eating more that I started healing. I had to actually ‘undiet’ myself. I was able to re-regulate my cycle, and went on to have three children.”

How to Avoid The Mistakes Sabrina Solt Made

Her advice to today’s competitors, especially for women, is to stop prepping like it’s still 1990.

“If I was going to do it again, I would focus more on red meat over chicken and fish,” she says. “Four ounces of steak gives you more nutrients than four ounces of tilapia. I was severely undernourished for a significant amount of time. That’s what wrecked me.”

She’s unapologetic about what works for her now, which is a mainly carnivore approach that healed two decades of irritable bowel syndrome, cleared her skin, and balanced her hormones.

“A lot of the plants we eat are loaded with anti-nutrients, like oxalates, lectins, phytic acid, that were destroying me,” she explains. “Once I eliminated them, within six months, all those issues went away.”

Still, she’s not dogmatic. She’ll have fruit. She’ll enjoy a bite of dessert. But everything she eats now is aligned with one question: Will this set me up for a successful day?

Today, Dr. Solt trains three to five days a week, on and off with a trainer, mostly strength training with cardio in the form of interval training. “I work out because it makes me a better mom, a better doctor, a better person,” she says.

She’s also raising three children, while at the same time running a regenerative medicine clinic. Successfully juggling a full schedule requires Solt to actively protect her energy with tools like red light therapy, peptides, and what she calls her ultimate secret weapon: saying no.

“I’m a recovering people pleaser,” she admits. “But I had to get clear on my values and priorities. Otherwise, I’d spread myself too thin.”

Sleep is her non-negotiable. “I make sure I can get at least seven hours a night, no matter what.”

When she needs extra recovery, she reaches for BPC-157, an orally available peptide known for speeding up healing. “A few weeks ago, I tweaked my rotator cuff lifting. I took BPC-157 and it was gone in a couple days,” she says.

That personal transformation is part of why she was featured in the soon-streaming Amazon documentary sHEALed, the follow-up to the five-part Biohack Yourself documentary series.

The film puts women at the center of the biohacking movement and explores the evolving tools in longevity, hormone health, regenerative medicine, and strength-building beyond aesthetics. “I was honored to contribute,” she says. She shared her work on stem cells, hormone therapy, and peptides, but also the bigger picture of helping women understand how to take ownership of their health.

Using Stem Cells for Recovery and Longevity

Dr. Solt now helps athletes and everyday people heal faster and smarter through regenerative medicine at her clinic in Scottsdale, AZ.

She specializes in stem cell treatments, and she’s quick to bust the myth that you need to leave the country to access legitimate therapies.

“You can get stem cells in the United States,” she says, noting that true stem cell treatments use your own cells. She most frequently uses adipose-derived stem cells, where they take the patient’s fat through a minor liposuction.

“The amount of fat that we take is usually equivalent to one or two sticks of butter,” she explains.

She underscores that post-treatment recovery is critical. “The first week after a stem cell procedure, you’re in a purposeful inflammation phase,” she says. “You want to rest and let the body focus on healing.”

Why is that so? She explains that the body always wants to go after the most acute thing because it sees that as a threat. For example, she notes, “if we treated your knees but then you go out and do a really intense back workout, now you’ve caused purposeful trauma in that area and your body’s going to reshuttle resources over there, redirecting those freshly injected stem cells to recover the acute stressor.”

Prep is just as important too. She often stacks protocols with peptides, hormone optimization, and lifestyle recommendations to effectively prepare patients for stem cells and help that maximize recovery.

Dr. Solt also uses stem cells preventatively on herself. She’ll inject them a couple of times a year to stay ahead of old injuries and maintain longevity.

Redefining Strength: From Stage to Self

For Dr. Solt, strength has meant different things in her life throughout the years.

“I felt strong when I passed my medical boards. I felt strong giving birth to my kids.I felt strong opening my clinic during the start of COVID, and it was successful. And I’ve felt strong navigating my divorce after nine years of marriage,” she shares. “It’s been a complete rebirth.”

When asked what her definition of strength is now, her answer packed a punch. “Strong is showing up as your highest self in whatever the moment calls for.”

Photos: Yasmine Carmen Photography
Shot Location: Bio-Elite Personal Training

For Rashad McCants, the gym has never just been about building muscle—it’s been about building resilience. After his time as professional basketball player came to a close, McCants didn’t spiral—he recalibrated. In the weightroom, he found clarity. The repetition of each rep served as a reminder: strength is something you earn each day. What began as a competitive edge in his youth has transformed into a lifelong practice of self-mastery. The goal being not to impress, but to evolve.

After stepping away from the game, McCants didn’t spiral—but he did struggle. “When you’re in a dark place, when you lose everything—financially, character assassination—everything,” he says, “It weighs on you so heavy, and it’s not too many other places to go but to the gym.” The weightroom became more than a training ground. It became a sanctuary—where reps replaced frustration, and he finally could build his body up to his standards and not the requirement of his profession. In many ways, it saved him.

Unlike many former athletes who drift from structure once the final buzzer sounds, McCants leaned into routine. He redefined strength—less about aesthetics, more about awareness. “It was always wanting to get my body in a place where I’ve always wanted it to be,” he says. That pursuit has become a foundation, fueling every chapter that followed—from his no-filter insights on Gil’s Arena to building Myndset, a wellness platform focused on mindset mastery, mental resilience, and emotional literacy. “The strength in the mind, the strength in the body—it’s a special combination,” he says. For McCants, that’s the real work. And it’s only just beginning.

McCants spoke with Muscle & Fitness about the evolution of his relationship with training, the healing power of the gym, how he’s redefining strength through mindset and recovery, and why his next chapter is rooted in purpose-driven discipline.

McCants Has Always Felt At Home In The Gym

Long before McCants became a national champion at North Carolina, before the NBA and the headlines, there was the gym. It wasn’t about the spotlight, but about the grind. “It started in sixth grade,” he recalls. “We had this bench press contest for gym class—and it just felt good to be strong. From that point, being in the gym meant everything. It gave me an advantage—speed, strength, explosiveness.” That pursuit of strength became a steady undercurrent through every phase of his career, even when he had to dial it back to preserve his shooting mechanics or meet the physical demands of the league.

But when the whistle blew on his playing days, McCants finally had the freedom to go all in. The gym became less of a necessity and more of a sanctuary. “Once I finished, I was able to get right into the gym and create that physique for myself, and feel good about it,” he says. “It was never a vanity thing. I always wanted to get my body to the place I envisioned it—strong, functional, prepared.” With no more restrictions on size or mobility, he built the frame he always imagined, on his terms.

Still, McCants’ relationship with the weightroom evolved. After taking an intentional eight-month break to recalibrate, he was surprised at how his body responded. “I thought I’d lose a lot of my mass, but I didn’t,” he says. “I focused on eating cleaner, stretching, hydration—and when I got back in, it was smoother. I could stay longer without the strain. No burnout. Just joy.” That recalibration wasn’t about pushing harder—it was about pushing smarter. Full-body workouts, strategic recovery, steam room sessions, and stretching have all become staples in his blueprint for longevity.

Today, the iron is still therapy, but it’s also something more: a way to show up for himself and for those watching. “You pass the look test, people wanna talk to you,” McCants says. “You become an example of what the human body should look like, how it should function, and how we should thrive.” He’s not just maintaining a physique—he’s building a philosophy. One that connects strength to resilience, discipline to clarity, and the gym to something much bigger than a barbell.

Fitness As Therapy

For McCants, fitness is therapy. Each workout is a form of transformation—rage into reps, anxiety into output, pain into purpose. “That’s why so many men are in the gym,” he says. “We hold things in. That’s the one place we can let it out. Punch the heavy bag, push weight, curl, squat—it’s energy leaving the body.” But he’s quick to draw a line between healthy release and ego-fueled obsession. “If you’re in there just trying to be seen, trying to chase validation, it can backfire,” he warns. “You’ve got to know why you’re in there. Let the gym stay the gym. Leave the stress there.”

That clarity didn’t happen overnight. It took realigning how he viewed discipline, rest, and mental resilience. “Recovery and rest are the most important,” he emphasizes. “People forget that. They go every day, burn out, chase the mirror. Sometimes you gotta just take time off and recalibrate.” He’s learned to trust stillness as much as sweat—to let silence do its own kind of heavy lifting. It’s a discipline he says more people should lean into, especially in a world that glamorizes grind culture without context.

What McCants has built isn’t just physical strength—it’s a mental framework for weathering storms. “You never know what you’re going to need your strength for,” he says.” For him, fitness isn’t a supplement to his healing. It’s the heartbeat of it. And as he continues to evolve—as a thinker, a builder, a voice—he’s showing others that wellness isn’t just about looking the part. It’s about showing up for yourself when no one else will.

Resilience Beyond the Physical

After exploring his own personal growth in “Bum to Billionaire,” McCants has taken the same principles of emotional intelligence, mental wellness, and intentional living and incorporating it

into Myndset. It’s his way of giving form to philosophy. “There’s mentality, and then there’s your mindset,” he explains. “And I believe that everybody that has a mindset that aligns with their frequency and what they want for their lives, everything can change for them.” He’s quick to point out that mindset isn’t about just staying positive. It’s about self-check-in, identifying patters, and knowing when to reset.

The transition from concept to action is a labor of love. Through his own experiences as an athlete and being in the spotlight, McCants observed the disconnect between potential and preparation—especially in young athletes. He understands fully on how often physical discipline can be prioritized while mental and emotional development are inconsequential. Myndset is to help this imbalance.

In a lot of ways, the brand mirrors McCants’ own evolution. His focus on recovery, mediation, and training isn’t just physical anymore—it’s holistic. Currently, he’s laying the groundwork to launch Myndset through a mobile platform, starting with student-athletes. The app will feature emotional support coaches, mentors, and mental health resources tailored for those facing high-performance pressure. “We want to reach them early,” he says. “We want to see it through an athlete as our first phase and see how it does.”

Writing The Next Chapter

For years, McCants was defined by highlight reels and headlines. Now, he’s fully stepping into the power of his voice—unfiltered, reflectional, and irreverent. As a prominent regular on Gilbert Arenas’ Gil’s Arena, McCants has carved out a space not just to share hot takes, but to also be vulnerable, and give people a better understanding of himself. “Before Gil’s Arena, nobody really knew my personality,” he says. “They always knew the name, and that was connected to North Carolina, or Khloe Kardashian. I never had the opportunity to show them who I was.”

His opinions are authentic, as they are his truth. The show mirrors the practices McCants practice in his personal life: clarity, intention and internal discipline. There are no rehearsals or do overs on the show. Certain topics can sometimes get fiery, which is to be expected when alphas are sharing their opinions within the same space. “It’s never anything where anybody’s over happy or over sad,” he says. “It’s like when we used all used to practice. You never know whose going to go at each other on a given day.”

For the layers McCants has chosen to peel back publicly, the one thing he’s careful not to do is dwell on the past. When asked what advice he’d give to his younger self, he elects not to rewrite any part of his story. “He did a good job,” McCants says matter of factly. “He led the way.” He credits his younger self for helping to lay a foundation he still stands on today. Perceived setbacks or failures—he views through the lens of perspective, and not regret. “We can’t go back. We can’t chase the past,” he says. “And that can be tough because that’s he conversations we all have when we get around each other. We all kind of pull each other back into the past.”

You can only move forward and that what makes McCants evolution one that is grounded. The work, the growth—it’s all ongoing. Whether giving takes that spark emotions and debates across social, working to provide a platform for the next generation of athletes, or just showing up for himself in the gym, his focus is forward. He’s found that life isn’t about chasing who he used to be, but to be fully present and aware of who he’s becoming.

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