👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training
My name is Adam Neth and I’m currently a full-time personal trainer in Cincinnati, Ohio at Cincy 360 Fitness. I have been heavily involved with weight training since I was 12 years old. I am now 26 years old, so you can say that I’ve been at this for a while. Training is my passion and I am very fortunate to be able to enjoy my passion.
When I first started weight training, I was lifting for sports performance for football and track. After a few months of training hard in the gym, I knew that I was more in love with the lifting aspect of sports rather than the sport itself.
Once I got into college and I was finished up with competing in sporting events, I started getting into the natural bodybuilding community. I was guided by people like Layne Norton, Matt Ogus, Chris Lavado, and the 3DMJ group. This led my down the route of competing in a natural bodybuilding competition in 2014, where I ended up winning all three of my classes, and placing 2nd in the overall at age 21.
After competing, I struggled with some body image issues as well as just mentally handling weight gain. Over the past few years, I’ve learned how to manage these symptoms not only for myself, but for all my client’s who have any similar issues. As a coach, it allows me to pick up on these things before they become a serious issue.
After graduating in 2015 with my Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from Wright State, I become involved with learning more about biomechanics & anatomy. I am currently going through courses by N1 Education to further my understandings.
What drives me in the gym is a simple concept of: You get out of it exactly what you put in. It’s a rewarding process, because you know exactly the trials and tribulations of what it took to get that progress you’ve made. Bodybuilding isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s mentally stimulating and pushes you past mental barriers.
⏱ Describe a typical day of training
All of my training programs are created on Excel, printed out, and charted during the workout.
My training has changed drastically over the years. I’ve always trained with the concepts of progressive overloading being the key driver for hypertrophy or stimulating muscle growth.
For years, I ran the Push / Pull / Legs split and changed it out with the Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training (PHAT, popularized by Layne Norton). You can say that most of my training in college was done in this “Power Building” type of split.
It’s been a little over a year since I’ve become more disciplined with my programming, manipulating different stimulus to potentiate the system to achieve the desired outcome. For example, you can run specific programs that are going to give you certain adaptations that will potentiate you to pack on more muscle in the next phase.
I am currently running a program based purely on tension, with some strength or neurological carry over since I am working in the lower rep ranges. These workouts usually take me somewhere between 45-75 minutes to complete.
I use timed rest periods to keep sets as consistent as the week before. But there are certain scenarios where I will manipulate rest periods from week to week, to achieve the desired training stimulus as described above. All of my training programs are created on Excel, printed out, and charted during the workout.
I don’t typically do much for a warm up, but I will do some band activation work, and then I will start extremely light on whatever movement is programmed first. I use these warm up sets to warm up the nervous system.
In my experience, it is much safer to use this method than to create extra range of motion before training heavy by using mobilization tools like foam rollers, lacrosse balls, etc. You should be training within your active range of motion, but that’s a topic for another day!
Since I am a trainer, I have a different schedule than most. I have the middle of the day open, so I am training alone most of the time. I will train at Cincy 360 Fitness, the gym that I am a full-time trainer. If I need access to a hack squat or specialized equipment, I will make the journey to a local Crunch Fitness.
In past years, I haven’t been too diligent when it comes to supplementation. I’ve been much better since programming has been on point and I will give example of my pre-workout, intra-workout, and post workout.
- Pre-Workout: 4g citrulline malate, 3.2g beta-alanine, 200-300mg caffeine, active form of B-vitamins
- Intra-Workout: 30g Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin, 10g BCAA
- Post-Workout: Two scoops plant or beef protein, 5g creatine monohydrate, 5g glutamine, 2g taurine, 20g EAA
For the majority of my single ingredient supplements like Creatine, HBCD, BCAA, etc., I use www.TrueNutrition.com, EAAs from Bulk Supplements, Magnesium Glycinate from Solaray, and Plant Protein from Nutrex.
My gym bag contains a decent amount of equipment from Prime Fitness located in Pennsylvania. I have the 4N1 bar, short bar, long bar, KAZ handles, squat wedges, and their “Rot8 handles”. They are working in conjunction with N1 Education, specifically Kassem Hanson to create attachments that are biomechanically and ergonomically correct.
With the proper set up, you are able to line the muscle fibers up better with the resistance, resulting in less joint strain and more resistance placed directly where you want it to be. My gym bag also has bands, daisy chains (for reverse banding), and Olympic Weight Lifting Shoes.
I use Nike Romaleos, as they have a lifted heel, resulting in increased dorsiflexion, giving you a larger range of motion when training quadriceps.
👊 How do you keep going and push harder?
A quote that has always stuck with me over the years is, “Anyone can do something when they are motivated; it’s when motivation fails that discipline needs to take over”. This quote pops in my head when that motivation is running “low” and I need to keep pushing.
Over the years, I have also learned that if motivation is low and you’ve accumulated fatigue and stress from a hard training program, then it might be time to take a week to deload.
During a deload, you can make recovery as the stimulus. Sometimes, a little time away from the gym can work wonders. You’ll come back feeling refreshed because now your body has had time to do other bodily processes that were put on the back burner, because you were pushing your body to deal with extra stress from your training.
Taking time away from the gym is healthy, necessary for longevity, and can re-sensitize the body to continue getting the same effect in the gym later down the road.
🏆 How are you doing today and what does the future look like?
Training is going very well at the moment, as I am beginning to pack on some more bodyweight to drive hypertrophy. My goal is to continue building muscle as naturally possible until 2021. After I finish with over a year of trying to add quality muscle mass, I will then embark on a diet. I won’t compete again, but I will probably schedule some photoshoots and give me something to train for.
As for life goals, I want to have a full roster for online personal training and get back into the YouTube side of fitness. When I had more free-time in college, I started my YouTube channel and grew my Instagram following through producing good content. It will take some discipline to get back to that considering my schedule, but that’s the plan for the next few years.
I also want to continue to support Cincy 360 Fitness in hopes of expanding locations throughout the city of Cincinnati in following years. We plan on doing this by being the best personal training studio in the city, with no exceptions.
All the trainers that I work with hold themselves to high standards & continued education. Cincy 360 Fitness has an incredible method that we use that separates us from other gyms. Our “360 Method” is a template that educates the client on what they need to be working on to achieve their goals, while the trainer can take their client’s feedback and manipulate variables accordingly for better results.
If I could change anything about my fitness journey, it would be knowing more about proper set up and execution for certain movements. I could be light years ahead of where I am now if I knew about how to properly keep tension on the muscles, rather than throwing the weight around explosively.
I wish I had some better guidance to which exercises were a waste of time when it comes to the goal of improving physique.
🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?
Sleep is extremely important and if you don’t sleep enough, your body is already stressed out.
When it comes to injuries, I’ve suffered through more than most people. As mentioned above, I wish that I was taught at a younger age how to set up movements properly to ensure that the proper muscles are being targeted.
Growing up in the weight room being coached by high school football coaches, you can only learn so much. But, I do think that these injuries have made me more meticulous with my programming and execution, and it’s made me a much better coach and trainer. This makes me more relatable as a trainer, and has made me more knowledgeable through experiencing injury after injury.
My injuries have been limited since learning more about human anatomy, proper set up, and periodizing my training programs. I used to be one of those people who could never take a rest day, even though my body was telling me otherwise.
But, now I know that when my body tells me to take a rest day, it’s probably the smartest choice to rest. Plus, if you feel like you are fatigued or you have an ache that will hinder performance in the gym, then I highly recommend taking that rest day and then saving the workout for another day where performance will be top notch.
That brings us to another great point – sleep! Sleep is extremely important and if you don’t sleep enough, your body is already stressed out. If you sleep less than four hours and decide to crush a workout, then you can’t expect your body to grow muscle tissue in a state like this.
I would rather a client take that workout time on that specific day and sleep, than push through in a stressed state, risking injury. I aim to sleep 8 hours a night during the work week, and then 8-10 hours on the weekends. With no children, I can sleep a bit more than most.
When it comes to supplementation, my pre-workout, intra-workout, and post-workout is above. I do supplement with other things such as: greens powder, multi-vitamins, magnesium glycinate, active form of B-vitamins, triple calm magnesium, and D3.
As for recovery modalities, I will stretch usually 15-20 minutes about three to four times a week. Sometimes, if necessary, I will roll on a lacrosse ball, tennis ball, or Tune Up Alpha ball for a little myofascial release before getting into my stretching routine. This is a reminder that you do not want to static stretch before your workouts! Save the static stretching for post workout or before bed.
Since static stretching causes micro-trauma to the muscle, we do not want to slightly damage the muscle before training. This can hinder strength and performance and can even lead to a greater risk of injury since the range of motion is increased beyond normal range, where strength may not exist to the same degree.
🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?
My approach to dieting started out very healthy and traditional “bodybuilding” styled meals. Luckily, I had a coach in high school that was into bodybuilding and he helped me select foods to eat.
As I’ve mentioned in previous questions of this interview, I was introduced into natural bodybuilding through Matt Ogus, Chris Lavado, Layne Norton, etc. and all of those guys were really into Flexible Dieting or better known as “If It Fits Your Macros” (IIFYM).
I started tracking my macronutrients around 2012 and learned how to manipulate macronutrient variables to get a desired result whilst simultaneously enjoying the foods you like to enjoy; thus, not restricting food choices. I used this approach for my competition in 2014.
Fast forward to 2019, where my approach to nutrition has pretty much come full circle. My diet now consists of mainly gluten free and diary free food sources because I have identified a food allergy with consumption.
I do not believe I am gluten intolerant, but rather sensitive to the Baker’s yeast that is used within the products. Regardless, my gut feels healthier and it’s not difficult to achieve. My diet is similar from day to day and week to week until I feel the need to change food sources or swap things out.
At the moment, I am consuming a mix of these foods:
- oatmeal or cream of wheat
- eggs/egg whites
- chicken breast
- gluten free bagels
- gluten free bread
- ground turkey
- cashews or almond butter
- extra virgin olive oil
- avocado
- bananas
- strawberries
- blueberries
- black berries
- chickpea pasta
- beans
- pomegranate juice
- low fat pasta sauce
For supplementation, I am currently using:
- 1st Phorm greens powder
- 1st Phorm multi-vitamin
- active form of b-vitamins
- vitamin D3
- Solaray magnesium glycinate
- Rhythm magnesium blend
- True Nutrition creatine monohydrate
- True Nutrition taurine
- True Nutrition beta alanine
- True Nutrition glutamine
- True Nutrition BCAAs
- Bulk Supplements EAAs
I’ve never used this many supplements consistently, but the payout has been tremendous since optimizing this routine and focusing on de-stressing my body and mind as much as possible, too.
When dieting, I do recommend wearing a fitness tracker of some sort. I use a Fitbit Versa now, but it can be a useful tool to get a grip on your estimated caloric expenditure every day. It’s particularly useful in seeing if you’ve been over or under active and how to adjust accordingly.
For example, since I am bulking right now and trying to gain mass, if I see that I’ve had a particularly active day of an extra 10,000 steps than normal, then I may consume a bit more carbohydrate and fat to offset that deficit that may have been created.
👍 What has inspired and motivated you?
I like to go through phases of dedicated training blocks when things get stale
When I first starting training, I was highly motivated to be the best version of myself and focus only of me. As I’ve gotten older, I go through phases of motivation but the discipline is always there to keep me focused.
I like to go through phases of dedicated training blocks when things get stale. I am currently gaining as much muscle mass as possible and that’s my focus. I have some goals of certain strengths on certain movements and it keeps me accountable.
I love listening to music and it’s kind of one of my hobbies in my free-time or while I am working. It’s very enjoyable to me and highly influences me. You can find me on Spotify.
The best advice that I learned was something that stuck with me through the years of working out for two hours+, working out while sick, getting overly aroused to set a new personal record, and that was what my coach said to me in high school.
I would always push myself as hard as I could in the gym and I would finish the workout and walk up to him to ask, “What else can I do today? Tomorrow?” He would respond with, “Nothing. Sometimes, you have to realize that less is more.”
But my best advice for those of you losing motivation or lacking drive is to set some tangible goals for yourself and make sure you see those goals or think of those goals every single day.
✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?
If I was new or just starting out with bodybuilding, I would recommend practicing good habits. That would mean properly executing every single movement in the gym & not rushing the process of learning movements.
Do not try to increase weight because your training partner did or because that’s what you’ve been told you must do. Improve the execution and you will improve the tension and if everything else is in place, you will quickly reach your goals.
Make sure you follow a program, track your lifts, and ensure that your reps are as consistent as they were the following week.
🤝 Are you taking on clients right now?
I am currently taking on more online clients who can sign up through adamneth.com. If you want to make serious progress, you should hire a coach that knows how to program specifically for you; making it a customized program tailored towards your gym’s set up, your gym’s equipment, your training history, goals, stress levels, etc.
I ensure that all of my clients programs are set up to make efficient use of their time, the gym layout, and obviously geared towards their individual goals.
I have limited availability at Cincy 360 Fitness, but also work alongside a staff of other extremely qualified trainers who may have time slots available if you’re in the area. Checkout our website cincy360fitness.com or @cincy360fitness .
The most common training questions that I receive are always about supplementation. My answer is that you must ensure that your training is spot on, micronutrients and nutrition spot on, stress management, and when all of that is managed fairly well, you can consider taking supplements.
All of those variables will have a larger effect on muscle growth than adding in supplements.
📝 Where can we learn more about you?
You can learn more about me by visiting:
Website: adamneth.com
Instagram: @adamneth
Facebook: @adamneth
YouTube: www.youtube.com/adamneth1
I mainly use Instagram. Also, if you want to learn more about my programs, checkout the SHOP section here.
