The Hirst Locker

Seeing as it is my 35th Birthday I thought I'd reflect and share with you 35 lessons I've accumulated over the years. I hope you can learn from them and they can help you as much as they have helped me.

In this week's episode of The Hirst Locker I discuss the All or Nothing mentality. How we develop it, why we adopt it, and what we can do to ensure it doesn't negatively impact our lives.

What is it like living with my boyfriend now that he's moved in? How do we make our January habits stick and make sure old habits don't creep back in? And what do we do when New Year motivation starts to run out?

In this episode, I invite fitness cover model, and founder of the Built To Last program, Kirk Miller. We discuss what it takes to build an incredible body and mindset and how to maintain it, as well as insights into some of things that helped shape us as coaches.

I am joined this week by Todd Masterson who is a writer, actor and social media genius. He has worked with and alongside Ru Paul and Joan Rivers. We are going to dismantle the unrealistic body standards and talk through it together. 

Expectations are ruining your life and we often set unrealistic ones for ourselves. Lets discuss where an expectation comes from and how we form them. This does not mean lower your standards. Things all come at a cost but making sure we manage our expectations is more important than ever.

How often have you started something only to stop because friends and family have gotten into your head and put you off? Or you've been making progress and then been ridiculed for it? Our social circle has a HUGE impact on whether or not we actually achieve AND maintain our goals. Whether that's with our health and physique, career and relationships. In this episode I'm going to discuss the signs of both a supportive and supportive social network to help you grow and progress and achieve your goals

Recently a Rugby League Pride jersey caused controversy in Australia because 7 players boycotted wearing it citing cultural and religious beliefs. I spoke out about it and was met with very different takes on it. Some people saw it as the sanctity of religion, I saw it as thinly veiled homophobia. In this episode, I discuss some of the tweets and responses to my views.

Shame is a huge part of the human experience but especially so for gay men. Growing up in a society where we are conditioned to not feel 'enough.' In this episode, I chat with PTIQ Psychotherapist, Jon Bell, about how he helps people overcome shame and be able to be vulnerable enough to live with authenticity in every area of their life.

We look forward to holidays for weeks, months and for some, after the pandemic, years at a time. We work so hard to enjoy ourselves on our holiday and fell comfortable for us to then come back looking and feeling like crap and having to start the cycle all over again. But what if you could come back looking as good as you did when you left and feeling well rested and ready to continue to improve your physique?

Join me this week to discuss living a life without limits. Your comfort zone is never comfortable. We tell and are told stories that we can't do things but we shouldn't be living with those limited beliefs imposed by others.

This week I interview Youtuber and content creator, Joel Wood. We discussed Joel's own transformation, his relationship with his body, the pressure he feels being on social media and in the gay community, and some of the things he's overcome to get to where he is right now. Joel's warmth and openness in how he's dealt with his body image issues, coming out, and overcoming an eating disorder show us just how important these conversations are.

Ahead of London Pride and at the end of June, Pride Month, I put together this episode to talk about whether or not we still need Pride. What is achieving?  Should we be worried about rainbow capitalism and who is Pride for?

What is your summer 2022 going to look like?   Does summer bring the prospect of fun, socialising, and opportunity? Or does it mean sweating, hiding, and praying for cooler weather?   Do you look forward to it? Do you dread it? Do you feel in control? Summer can be ANYTHING you want. You have complete control! And if you feel like you don't then this is the perfect episode for you.

Things don't always go to plan. In fact, they rarely do. But we often carry on regardless. Continuing on a plan that is no longer suitable to what we want to achieve. This may sound really obvious but we're often so invested in seeing things through that we see things through to the wrong end. Which leaves us feeling frustrated, disillusioned and, ultimately, not where want to be. So this week, I'm talking about how we can recognise when need to change course and how to do is quickly and pain free as possible.

A bit of a different take on self-care....

Are you living your life the way you want to live it? Or do you find yourself hiding parts of yourself away? Parts that you only share with certain people in certain settings.   As gay men we can have a tendency to compartmentalize parts of ourself - I know I certainly have. So in this episode I explore how and why we do that and the benefits of living a completely authentic life.

With Summer and holidays just around the corner, people are in a mad scramble to get in good shape to enjoy their long overdue trips away. And there are lots of people telling you how to do it super easy, and super quick. But is it accurate? In this episode, we talk about what you REALLY need to complete a body transformation simply and sustainably.

E24 - Life After Lockdown   As we exit a year and a half of some of the toughest restrictions imposed on us in modern day peace time, it's important we take a step back and reflect on that year and a half and look at what we've learnt. Lots of people used lockdown as a time to make changes in their life, and lots of people used it as an opportunity to make adjustments they'd been putting off for a long time. In this episode, I'll give you an insight into my life during lockdown, and some adjustments I've made to better myself as we return to somewhat normality

E23 - Let's talk about steroids!   In this episode I want to talk to you about the stigmas, the lies and the truths surrounding steroids in the gym. Now one thing I've learnt is steroids are rife. And I mean, RIFE. They are so easy to get hold of and they are easy to take. Now to clarify, at no point in my professional career did I take or even contemplate the thought of using steroids to enhance my progress. It was only afterwards that I even entertained the thought.    So here's my thoughts on my experience!

E22 - Attacks on gay confidence   Let's talk about attacks on gay confidence... as gay men, our confidence gets attacked on the daily. From social media, from people's perception of what we should be like... and even from within! In this episode... I'll speak about how I've dealt with attacks on my confidence, and let you know how you can deal with any attacks on yours!

Pride month !!

E20 - Sleep, stress and digestion   There's three secrets the fitness industry keeps from you that are really essential when it comes to building the body of your dreams… Sleep, stress and digestion!   In this episode, I'll break it down and explain why some of my clients are shocked to hear that training isn't the most important thing when it comes to their first 30 days with PTIQ. Don't get me wrong - it's fucking important… but these three steps fit right up there with them!

On today's episode… I debunk the misconstructions surrounding fat loss. We're all human beings, and we all have the same biology - with some genetic exceptions...but when it comes to life, and our past experiences we're all different. How we handle relationships, how we handle money, how we handle our relationship with food, and how we handle and manage our daily exercise…   So, what's the trick of the trade? How can you actually lose fat, and not find yourself stuck in the cycle of disappointment and frustration. 

In this episode, I'll give some tips on how you can change your thinking around certain things in life. That life goal you've been putting off for a while, but are barriers stopping you from getting past? Let's flip that perspective.

E17 - New World Order   This week we're heading out of yet another lockdown, and I don't know about you - but I don't think normality is going to return anytime soon.   In this episode, I'll give you some tips on how you can come out of this lockdown stronger than you went into the first one.

Dominating Distractions Do you find your self contstantly distracted? Focus down etc 4.2 billion people use the internet 1 billion active users on Instagram 250 million businesses have websites 70 million advertise online  Spending over 700 billion on adverts – all trying to get your attention In this ep we talk about the hacks to help us be in control of distractions.

Find yourself going to the gym but just not getting the results you want to see? Or maybe you're completely intimidated by the gym and don't manage to get into the weights section, so you find yourself missing out on the results you want even though you're making time to go there. In this ep, we're going to talk about how you can get the absolute maximum out of your training so you can get the best results in the shortest time possible with ZERO embarrassment.

It can be hard to make new friends as we get older. Especially gay friends. Often we find that gay venues/apps are associated with drinking or sex so what if we don't want those things and want friends to do regular day-to-day things with? In this episode, I explore how we can go about making new, queer friends, even as an adult.

I get told all the time that people are going to the gym with regularity, and they're just not making progress. Or that they go to the gym and they feel gymtimidated and just don't get the most out of it. So how come some people go to the gym and look fantastic, and some people go to the gym religiously and look like a melted wheelie bin? We're going to cover that and give you super simple ways to ensure it doesn't happen to you.

With restrictions being lifted and the world opening up it's very easy to over-commit. Especially after a year of Lockdowns and isolation, we're going to be keen to see people and socialise. But we can end up overstretching, overcommitting and sapping our own energy, and giving up our time. So in this episode, we're going to give you some super simple tips to protect your time and energy so you can have the energy to enjoy the things YOU want to do.

Ever felt like you're not fulfilled or not progressing but don't know why? To get to point B we need to know where point A is. And that means becoming aware of the problem. Because then we can fix it. In this episode, we're going to make you problem-aware.

Why can some people build muscle, and some, no matter how hard they try, can't seem to get anywhere? In this episode, I'm going to debunk muscle building. I'm going to give you the key things that you need to build muscle, breakthrough plateaus, and feel incredible. It's muscle building, not rocket science.

What should you actually eat? Are all calories created equal? How much protein should I eat? With so much conflicting information, where do you even start? In this episode, I cut through all the noise and give you the basics of a diet to look fantastic, feel incredible and perform at your best.

Have you ever wondered why you say that you want to do something but don't/won't/cacan't follow through? Or why you keep making progress and then falling back to where you started? It can be super demoralising and demotivating and make us feel like a failure. The reason? Our values. Our beliefs and how we see ourselves, our identity. In this episode, I'm going to explore these 3 topics. And if you want to join my free Facebook group for gay men who want to build an incredible body, mindset, and confidence, click here; https://www.facebook.com/groups/optimalgayman.

It can be really easy to prioritise everything but ourselves. Especially with Lockdowns, social restrictions, and everything else going on. But what impact does that have on us? In this episode, Keegan looks at the impact it can have on our physical and mental health, the benefits of getting it right, and some simple, practical ways we can take control of our time, energy, and our lives.

In this episode, Keegan covers some of the most frequently asked questions around training. Here are some of the questions covered; Which exercise is best for fat burning? Which exercise is better for bigger X? How fast can I lose weight? How fast can I build muscle? Can you do both at the same time? How much food/calories should I eat? Does it matter when I eat? Do macros matter? How often should I train? Is it better to train low reps, heavy weights, or high reps, low weight? Do I need to take supplements? What training split should I do? Is keto/intermittent fasting etc., best for fat loss? Do I need protein straight after training? Should I train fasted? Is non/low fat always better? Does shift work impact my results? Do I have to cut out certain foods? Is eating the same thing everyday bad for you? How much of a role do genetics play? No matter what I do, I can't get results – what can I do?

February is LGBT history month in the UK, and I wanted to celebrate that and pay homage to the people who have pathed the way for us. Who fought for the rights and privileges a lot of us have today. As people of the LGBT community, we don't often share our heritage with our parents so it's important we pass the baton on where we can. This is my take on a few important historical dates, people, and the impact it has had on me on society.

As human beings, we all want to feel like we belong. To fit in. To be accepted for who we are. As part of the LGBT community, that is often more difficult, but it can be the difference between surviving and thriving. In this episode, I discuss the importance of finding your tribe and how it can literally change your life for the better.

As a coach, the biggest thing  I've found that holds people back from achieving their potential is their environment. Different people flourish in different environments. However, sometimes the one we find ourselves isn't the one we need to thrive. Our environment isn't fixed. We have the power to change it.  In this episode, I discuss how.

If Covid has taught us anything, it's that our health is invaluable. Whether that's physical, mental, emotional, and every other aspect of our health. But what is healthy? It's such a broad term. In this episode, I discuss the definition of health, the importance of it on our lives and those around us, and how we can improve various aspects of it.

Lockdowns and restrictions have become the new norm. And with them comes a lack of structure, routine, and any sense of this all coming to an end. Without those, it can feel pretty bleak and that can impact both your mental and physical help. I've helped 100s of men thrive in 2020, regardless of Lockdown and I want to share with you some easy, practical tips you can use to not only survive in Lockdown but come out of it better than you went into it.