Shaun Hadsall has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years, and has dedicated his life to educating others about the benefits of an active lifestyle. Today, Shaun’s even begun working on a book to share his inspiring message with even more people around the world.
Shaun Hadsall realized he had a serious passion for health and fitness when he was fresh out of high school. He had participated in sports like basketball, football and baseball for years, but he began training with weights at the age of 19 to replace the time he had previously spent training for the teams. After strength training six days a week, two hours at a time for several years, Shaun became frustrated by mediocre results and realized he had reached a plateau. At the time, it seemed only natural to start training longer and harder to try to push himself through the plateau.
Frustrated by his lack of progress despite consistent effort, and driven by a desire to succeed and a passion for fitness, Shaun began studying and researching relentlessly in a bid to educate himself. One day late in 1997 he picked up a magazine and saw real-life success stories from a before and after contest, and that’s when his life really started to change. Inspired by the stories of success, Shaun experienced an intense desire to look, feel and act like the people in the magazine, so he entered the contest. In the end, out of over 200,000 entries and more than 20,000 finishers, Shaun was chosen as 1st Runner Up in the 1998 Body For Life contest. “The passion and life changes I experienced throughout the Body For Life experience are what drew me to the fitness industry,” he says. “After completing my phsical transformation, I realized every area of my life had become more rewarding and fulfilling and I had a deep desire to share that gift with others.”
Inspired by his success, Shaun moved on to achieve a level 2 Training Certification and became a Certified Exercise Technologist. Using his gifts for public speaking and one-on-one training, he developed a seminar and began showing people all over the world how to achieve spectacular results with minimal hours of training time each week. Shaun has since performed his seminar for thousands of people and was also featured as a spokesperson for supplementation on ESPN. Other achievements include a 2nd place finish at the 1999 World Natural Sports Championships, and features in fitness magazines like Real Solutions, Muscle Media, Oxygen Fitness and the recently released Maximum Growth Volume II 8 Week Innovative Muscle Size and Strength Program by Stephen Adele.
Shaun says that health and fitness have taught him the greatest life lesson: that our circumstances and results in life are shaped by our actions and the choices we make – not our family, our race or our upbringing. Shaun believes that building long-term fitness and wellness habits makes us stronger spiritually, which means that we can have more fulfilling relationships, be better parents and have a more rewarding career.
Today, Shaun and his wife own a Fitness Together franchise in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and have a team of 10 fitness coaches who service and train around 110 clients. Shaun says his priorities include God, his relationships with his wife and 4 children, health, prevention and helping to transform people’s lives mentally and physically through the Fitness Together system. “I want to give to other people the same gift that has been given to me through fitness and wellness. I’ve been able to show people that if they focus less than five percent of their time each week on the right types of training strategies and practice proper long-term eating habits, they will not only look better, feel better and have more energy, but they will dramatically improve every other area of life,” he says.
NUTRITION: “The best description I have of my nutrition habits is ‘consistency, not perfection.’ I eat six to seven small meals daily and usually have a cheat day once a week, which creates a long-term realistic plan. I’m extremely disciplined most of the time and keep my carbs very low at night, but I’m not afraid to cheat and reward myself once in a while either. If I crave ice cream or pizza, I go ahead and give myself a ‘reward’ as long as I’ve been consistent and earned the right. I balance my meals with complex fibrous carbs with lean protein and veggies on the side for three or four meals a day, and use high-quality shakes and nutrition bars as a last resort on the go. I also always make sure to get an adequate amount of friendly fats. In addition, I’m a huge advocate of scientifically proven supplements. My wife and I consume a liquid based multi-vitamin super-nutrient, a detoxification mineral and a immune system modulator every day. The nutrient profile in our foods today has been destroyed by the environment and toxins, so it’s more important than ever to supplement. ”
FITNESS: “I usually do three or four cardio and three or four strength training sessions per week. My total weekly exercise time is usually only about 5 hours. I’m big on high intensity strategies when it comes to weight training and cardio. I also know variety is the key to longevity and continued progress when working out, so I change my routine – sometimes weekly, but at minimum every eight to twelve weeks.
MOTIVATION: “Sharing my gifts with others is the best part of my job every day. I have a deep passion for prevention and nutrition and I meet with every new client to create a customized nutrition and supplementation program. This allows me to get to know the clients one-on-one and begin the development of deep relationships.”
PHILOSOPHY: “I make sure to avoid negative people and unhealthy environments. This allows me to stay on track with my workouts and nutrition.”
HEROES: “Bill Phillips, the author and creator of Body For Life. He brought fitness to the masses with his book and contest. His brother, Shawn Phillips, has always been an inspiration as well because he has the best natural physique I’ve seen for a non-competitive athlete. I also have a deep respect for Phil Kaplan. He helped give me the vision for my studio and fitness business, and he sets a higher standard than anyone else for fitness professionals. Sean Greeley and Eric Ruth from Net Proft Explosion have also been an inspiration to me for their ability to teach fitness professionals how to market and use business systems so our business supports our lifestyle, not the other way around.”
