4 the Health of it!
4 the Health of it!
4 the Health of it! ft Big Ron Jones
On this episode we sit down with bodybuilder, personal trainer, and fitness enthusiast Big Ron Jones.
Welcome to For the Health Of It. I'm your host, Corian KPAD Paget, and this is your number one source for all things sports, health, and fitness related. Oh, hold on, coach. What does for the health of it stand for? Good question, Austin. The for and for the health of it stands for our four principles, which are mindset, movement, nutrition, and recovery. Okay, cool. Let's do it for the health of it then. Welcome to another edition of For the Health of It. I'm your host, Corny and K-Pad Paget, and today I have with me a special guest, the big man himself, Ron Jones. How are you doing, sir?
Big Ron:Man, I'm happy to be here with you, man, especially at a time like now. You know, the end of the year, the beginning of a year, this time frame period is a very valuable year in our profession, but beyond that, in people's health. Um, because you know, all great programs start on Mondays or at least the beginning of the year, right?
Korian:Right, right, right, right. Good deal, man. Good deal. So, Ron, tell me a little bit of, well, tell me a little bit of who you are and what you do.
Big Ron:Okay, cool. So, uh, why the heck anyone should care about what I have to say about health and fitness? Um, I would say it's because, first off, I have an absolute passion for it. My career started initially here as just an amateur bodybuilder, loving the sport um of bodybuilding, which is all about physique enhancement, correct? Um, but to do so, you have to use science. So to be better at what I did, I just decided to delve further into the sciences of so um at this point in time in my uh my college career till it did change majors. So, as a side deal, I pursue my uh my qualifications or certifications as an actual personal trainer. Um, start off in G and C where I love supplementation, but learned that much of it was actually void or null, not needed if you didn't have the initial understanding of uh health and excuse me, of uh nutrition.
Speaker 2:Right diet.
Big Ron:So, of course, dove further into the diet portion as well. Of course, all these things are still adding to uh what I love most, which is bodybuilding. And then from there, realized that the same rules I applied to myself in bodybuilding translated into the lives of others who simply wanted to have health. And like I say all the time, um, I realized that um what I have to sell, the whole world can use. So let me see how this can fit into everyone's life. And then, of course, from there started to apply it. Now I've graduated college and I'm a full-time personal trainer, right? So love and life still doing what I do, but began to now want to broaden my approach or my reach, I should say, and connect it with a company that was growing, and they needed to have another face that would uh lend towards the brand, but beyond that, someone who could actually add science because you know you have to sell a quality product, right? And then this is where I am now with Heat Extreme, and from there, you know, it's all it's all uh it's all history, history in the making, at least.
Korian:Okay, okay. Uh just a little background behind the curtain for everybody listening. I met Ron on the app Clubhouse. He was giving a little talk, and you know, we just connected on Instagram also. Ron, on there, you mentioned uh supplements, and then you mentioned how supplements are just that, that they supplement whatever you're missing from nutrition. They're not supposed to replace your nutrition. And then you also mentioned uh bodybuilding and how bodybuilding, a lot of the guys are more mature in the sport. So uh because black does not crack, can you tell us how old you are?
Big Ron:I'm actually 36. Okay. 36 is old. I'll be 37 this upcoming year, July. Okay, July 25th.
Korian:Good deal, good deal, man. Ron, I was like, and I know he I I would assume you're older than me, but I don't know. I'm 32, so you like you said, black don't crack. You look like my uh like you look like me if I was six feet, uh about seven feet or seven inches taller.
Big Ron:And and and twins.
Korian:Um uh so tell me, Ron, uh you you you touched on it a little bit, but what made you get into fitness? Go a little deeper into it.
Big Ron:Yeah, so so truthfully, man, um I initially had a goal when I was working out, we know it's a bit further further back than that. Um, playing basketball, playing sports my whole life. Um loving sports, loving what they do for me, and you know, the feelings I get from it, the camaraderie, team play, and everything else. But when I got to college, my freshman year, I broke my ankle and I was like, yo, I need something to do still. This canvas is far too big to be walking around on crutches. Um, but I was like, you know, I need something to do. Um so I decided to still go to the gym. But a friend of mine named Matt Nelson um is who escorted me to the weight room section of it. I couldn't play basketball downstairs, but upstairs I could still be active using weights. And he showed me what to do for the first day and then said, hey, we'll be here three more days. I'm just like, four days. He's like, yeah, four days, man, is what it will take to cover all of the body parts. So I began training along with him, and I realized, you know what? I think chicks dig muscles. So, you know, am I young, am I young, um, my young man mind? I figure, hey, what else can I do besides enhance my physique? Let me focus on just enhancing my physique. So I said I'll lift weights because chicks dig muscles. Next thing you know, months go by, and in my head, I'm the man now. Months have gone by, and my first spring break comes, and in my head, everyone can see what I've just developed. Um, all these muscles, right? So I'm like, yo, this is a great thing, man. Um, what I'm doing is enhancing my physique. But over time, it began to make more and more sense to me. Um, the idea of kinesiology, body mechanics, the way the body actually moves. It began to read to me much like a reading book reads to many people who speak English. They just look at it and it makes sense to them. The same translatory process happened when it came to fitness, whereby I would look at the body in motion and it just made sense. It just made sense to me. So I delved deeper, and of course, me understanding things more actually helped me out more. So I kept delving into the sciences of it. And like I said earlier, um I realized that I was receiving something from this. I wasn't never someone who felt bad, because I tell you the honest truth, I was never someone who did not have his help. But I did find out that I was I was just high on life, the same way I was and I was playing sports. But you know, when you get to college, team sports really don't happen as much. You have intermarles and whatnot, but it's not the same satisfaction of daily pushing yourself as you once did in practice, you know what I mean? Which is a daily ground with your teammates. Then of course you have Saturday games, Friday night games. Um, and then uh, you know, it's a constant process. Well, in in college, you don't get the same thing. But I did find though that exerting myself on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday, it felt the same. And it was giving me that old thing back, the thing that I felt earlier that year when I was in a senior in high school, I was getting that same feeling back. So I'm pushing myself and now I'm professing to the whole world about how great this is and how good you feel. And then beyond that, there's a return, there's a physical return. You can see those who are doing this the most and the most consistent because it reflects in their physique, right?
Speaker 2:Right.
Big Ron:So I'm loving this, but now I'm realizing that you know what, this is actually the same thing, the same thing that can help others. So, of course, time goes by, but I'm realizing that all the more, beyond you know, rectifying people who have health issues, just for everyday people, it gives you a return. You feel good. Now, of course, there's a longer science we can actually explore as to what's happening with those feel-good hormones, but it was something that was helping me feel even better and making others, well, who could perhaps benefit from it, feel better as well. So now I'm sharing this with the world. I'm realizing now that there's a full profession for this, right? A full profession. It's called a personal trainer. So let me see if I can make this thing work for me. And then that's why I began to push with it. And then I also found myself feeling like special populations was my forte. Okay. Special populations being in this instance here, pediatric, those under the age of 18, as well as those who are over the age of 50, because those are the ones who most need that feeling, you know.
Speaker 2:Right.
Big Ron:So that's why I find myself really hubbing towards those guys with helping them out, you know.
Korian:Okay, cool, cool, cool.
Big Ron:Where did you go to school at? Got Austral State University in South Georgia.
Korian:Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know where that is. I know where that is. So uh when's the last time you competed in a bodybuilding competition?
Big Ron:Uh year before last. So about two, no, three, three COVID year. Three years.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Big Ron:Three years. And what happens with that is, and bodybuilding is of an old school mindset where I am. You don't want to just simply keep presenting the same thing.
Speaker 2:Right.
Big Ron:This is artistry. You want to enhance your size, symmetry, and proportion. You don't want to just keep presenting the same thing to the judges. And it's going to take time to actually enhance that. Um, people believe that you're just going to keep getting off stage and seeing where you land. No, you've got to really be able to present something new. And where I am now at the national level of competition, it's a lot more competition that's out there, a lot more stringent. It's not just some feel-good, you know, some feel-good show that you're doing. Um, so the competition is elevated. So as a specific open bodybuilder, you know, the ones who wear just the the uh the bodybuilding trunks, right? Looks like a bikini. Um, we're all the way out there, you know what I mean? And as a super heavyweight, which is someone over 220, um we have a lot of mass to present. And it takes time to add mass. This is why, you know, every year I'm instead of trying to add more and more mass to my frame. My last competition, I was at 265. If I stage again in the next year, ideally I would be around 270.
unknown:Wow.
Big Ron:Um, 275. That's about three years of work for seven pounds of muscle, but that's just how it goes. And how tall are you? 6'3. She's my off-season weights around. How tall was Ronnie Cole? Uh, he was not super tall at all. He was he was one of the taller bodybuilders, but he was about 5'10. Wow. 5'10, off-season about 330, but he I think he's finished his career staging at around 295. Okay. Yeah, so at 6'3, of course, it's gonna require a lot more mass to present the uh the larger appearance. So off-season 6'3 for me, about 290 this year. Um, so ideally in season, of course, the height will be the same as 6'3, but the weight would hopefully be around that 270 mark.
Korian:Okay, and you're competing in the open, right?
Big Ron:Yeah, men's opening.
Korian:Okay, uh, so quick question Have you ever seen anybody uh that is I don't I don't want to say vertically challenged, but uh anybody that is not vertically challenged, but have you ever seen anybody your height or close to your height? Basically anybody over six feet competing in the uh is it the physique? Which one wears a boy uh board truck trunks?
Big Ron:Board shorts, yeah. Those guys actually are typically um longer. Oh, because it presents more, it's more of an actual um, it's more of a purely aesthetic, attainable appearance that they're shooting for. So they want that long model statuesque appearance out of those guys. So they want the ones who are much longer or lengthier, and of course, on my side of things, they want a little more size to you, right? And it's oftentimes really hard to add thickness and size to such a long frame. The most notable one was probably Arnold Schwarzenegger, right? Who was around 6'2, right? Um, but that was we're talking three, four decades ago.
Korian:So exactly. So why did you choose uh the comp the the field you're in instead of bored shorts? Um, because there was that was they didn't exist.
Big Ron:Oh those board short guys, and then to be truthful, those board short guys, um, and and this isn't known to the world, but bored short guys know, and they're probably gonna manage for me to saying board shorts, but those physique guys, they they they know there is an actual difference there, and that we we oftentimes refer to it as a varsity and junior varsity squad. Um not as not as a pejorative, but only because early in your career we all had that same appearance, right? But with time served and due diligence, we did reach those those ranks. Many would tell you that they don't want to reach those ranks. But if you're doing the same exact thing that we're doing, you're going to at some point in time perhaps end up at those ranks. But no, the physique did not actually exist um earlier on when um when bodybuilding was was first accepted, and then when I first came into the the the sport, it wasn't there as well. It came along a few years later, but even so then it was more so you look outside from Lydia. Even so then it truth be told, it was kind of helping to increase the pot. Um, when you submit for these shows, you're paying upwards of a hundred dollars just for each class you're in, and the more guys who are there, the more the overall antique is increased. Remember this there's a reason why the men's open is the very best, right? Everyone's waiting for that freak show, you know.
Korian:Right, right, right, right. True that, true that. Yeah, so uh appreciate that explanation for me, Ron. Uh, if you would please you tell me what you do, you you delved into it a little bit. Uh, I want to know what is your why, and if you need me to explain that to you, I can't.
Big Ron:Um, my why was always changing. As I said when I first started, my why was was simply trying to uh peacock for for the opposite sex.
Korian:Excuse the interruption. It's me, K-pad. And I just want to say thank you for tuning in and listening to For the Health of It on whatever streaming service you choose. Be sure to subscribe and give us a good rating. Now back to the show.
Big Ron:Right. Um, but then over time, of course, that that reasoning, that reason changed, right? Right. Um, and then now at 36, you know, married 11 years with two kids, seven and nine years old. I think my why at this point is truthfully because they like the idea of daddy. I'm sorry, I had a cog up through. I probably should have put it on block. It's all good. We good to go, still?
Korian:Yeah, yeah, still good.
Big Ron:Okay, cool. So now I believe my uh my my why at this point in my career, my point in my life, is more because I like the idea of being their superhero. You know what I mean? Um, and then truth and tell, you can create your own celebrity with your own physique. So the process of pursuing this physique enhancement and trying to be bigger, uh, you know, bigger and and more symmetrical and and uh and more proportioned is just an ongoing art. I don't think you ever stop that art if that's your reasoning. You know what I mean? People um people people paint with watercolor and easel, people paint with uh with charcoal and uh and a canvas, people use clay and um and a spinwheel to create art. Bodybuilding is the same concept, you never get tired of trying to magnify or create the art piece that is your physique. So I don't think you ever discontinue that, you know. I just love the idea of using my body as art, you know.
Korian:Cool, cool, good great explanation. Great explanation of that. So uh going into 2021, what are some goals you have for yourself personally and uh business side, and then also for your career?
Big Ron:Yeah, well, you know, professionally here, um, we are heat extreme, and I am, of course, a large part of that. So we're always expanding, we're always trying to scale upward um as well as encompass more uh more things. So we will have additional products added to our supplement product line. Of course, our YouTube and podcast channels, all social media channels, we're gonna always keep going in depth with those, trying to um trying to expand our reach because, of course, the further we reach, the more the actual business itself will do, or the better it will do, I should say. Um, to include the challenge, which is now, you know, super strong, stronger than ever, which is just a way of incentivizing people to get healthy. And and the ultimate challenge is to simply follow follow healthy guidelines strict by the book for a set period of time, you know, six weeks. Follow what we're saying and give it to yourself, you know, was the idea behind the challenge. And then, of course, we incentivize them to come along and try this process by offering money to those who win. And of course, the top five do get 5,000. But the whole point of this was to let you see what we're capable of doing as a training firm. And then that kind of hooks you there. You know what I mean?
Speaker 2:Right.
Big Ron:So, yeah, from a professional standpoint, that's of course what we want to do. Always keep taking stream to the next level. Um, personally, here I don't know if I will stage this upcoming year or not, um, but I will prepare for the stage irregardless. You know, excuse me, not irregardless, that's a double negative. Um, regardless, I will still prepare for the stage as my own personal goals. That's never gonna change. My my my whole purpose is to always be better each year than I was the previous year, and to date that has held true. So we'll see if we can keep this ball rolling with that, you know.
Korian:All right, sounds good, man. Uh now, this was this is a side question that just popped up in my head. I didn't add, I didn't, you know, preview it to you. Yeah, absolutely. Uh man, you you already mentioned being something like a superhero to your kids. You ever thought about professional wrestling?
Big Ron:Not quite, man. I'm not really a tough guy like that. We look tough, but we're not really that tough. Shh, don't tell anybody. Um, don't tell anybody that secret. We just like the presentation of so, but yeah, not quite. Um, but you know what's funny though? I will tell you this part, and this kind of came to me earlier, so I'm probably premature and trying to roll this out. Um, but I've been mulling over this idea for a while. Um, the misconception of what an alpha is, and of course, everyone can't be the alpha. You have a large pack, but there's only one leader. Perhaps you'll have four or five contenders for the alpha position, but there's only one. But the misconception of what an alpha is is is is rampant. An alpha is not a bully, an alpha is actually simply the leader, but you're a leader in multiple places. You're a leader because of obviously your physical stature means you're physically capable, you're ready, you're fit to fight. But beyond that, you're someone who's going to lead by way of taking care of the weakest in your pack.
Speaker 2:Right.
Big Ron:That's very important. The weakest in your pack must be taken care of because they'll willingly follow behind you. So the most vulnerable in your population should be cared for. In this instance, here, it'll perhaps be my children. And of course, they will want to follow behind me. So I have to leave them in that capacity here to include and mentally being sound. Um, my wife, of course, will want to follow along as well. I'm the the alpha leader of my of my household. But going beyond my household, amongst colleagues and friends and peers, I still have this alpha complex about me, which means I still must be, of course, fit to fight, which is fit, not of course when a fist fight, because we're not that primitive at this point, but you know, still physically capable as well as mentally sound and emotionally um um intuitive enough to be caring of the weakest amongst you. So helping those people out. Back to ultimate point. It's all contingent upon you having that competitive edge. And when you master your health, you're always giving yourself just that, the competitive edge. You're mentally more acute because in the morning time you got that good endorphin release, that good dopamine release to your brain. So you're sharper acute-wise. You're physically, of course, improving upon yourself because you are physically exerting yourself with cardio, as well as giving yourself premium fuel to make sure you can still be sustainable throughout the actual day. It's all lending towards what I feel like I I would love to always be, which is the alpha. It all must come together. We'll break that down further in some later talks, but I definitely um see that as one of my major reasons now trying to understand myself, you know, become an introspective for a moment.
Korian:Right, right. Nah, good, good, good talk, good talk. So we were talking about 2021, and as you as you previewed earlier, it's the start of the year. Uh so people are trying to get in shape and stay in shape. So, what tips do you have for anybody trying to get in shape and stay in shape?
Big Ron:Keep three keys in mind. These three keys, I always speak in terms of them because everything that should be considered will fall into these three keys. The first one is cardio, the second one is strength training, the third one is recovery. Recovery is in two parts that's your nutrition and your sleep. At all points in time, always have a roadmap to effectively and consistently hit those three. That means you should know beginning of the week what your plan is for your cardio. And then you simply carry it out. Know what your plan is for your strength training, and you simply execute that. And know in advance what you're gonna have for your fuel and recovery, and then simply stick to that. Those three things encompass all things when it comes to health and fitness, in my humble opinion.
Korian:Hey, well, well, the reason this show is called For the Health of It's a bit of a dumb double entendre, and it's not just improper English. Uh, so mindset, movement, nutrition, and recovery. So, yeah, you're right there with me, Ron. So, yeah, I agree with your humble opinion. Good deal, good deal. So, uh, next thing I want to tackle with you is the five components of physical fitness. And which do you believe is the most important? The five components of physical fitness are cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition.
Big Ron:Which of those five do you feel is most important and what you know it's very interesting because body composition is going to naturally put two of those in place muscular endurance as well as um cardiovascular. If those two aren't in position, leaning back towards my three keys, which was cardio and recover, excuse me, cardio and strength training, if those two things aren't in position, body composition will mean nothing. So I'm gonna cheat off of those five options and definitely go with body composition because it's going to naturally insinuate that you have mastery over your cardiovascular um efficiency as well as your muscular endurance. So my final answer, Regis, will be um body composition.
Korian:Okay. All right, now I like that, uh, Ron, I like that, man. Hey, and and here's what I like most. For the most part, I've been asking people, and you know, they've been giving me, you know, they'll they'll shoot me one answer and then I'll say, well, all of them's important. Uh the last two people, yourself included, have have given me one specific component and why. So I like that. I like that. I really do. And then as you said, as you know, uh, there's no wrong answer as long as you can properly defend it with evidence or whatever you uh what with scientific evidence, uh factual evidence. I believe that. I believe that. Yeah, good deal on that, Ron. Uh, my next question for you tell me a little bit about Heat Extreme.
Big Ron:Yeah, well, Heat Extreme is an online training firm, and we basically want to keep everything in-house, which means you don't have to go anywhere. We're ball hogs. So you come here, and everything you need should be here. So, between one of our biggest components, which is our Facebook support group, we're talking about 30,000 plus strong who have actively participated or are actively participating in the challenge. Um, we're going to be there for mental support. That's a bit that's a big part of that. So perhaps finding some like-mindedness amongst this group of 30,000 can be found. Um, not licking wounds by no means, but definitely you know, fostering and creating a fall uh an environment that's conducive to to what your personal health and fitness goals are. I'm pretty sure you can find someone similar to yourself and a C of 30,000 plus strong. Um, so that component is definitely a part of our uh of our heat extreme um company to include our product supplement line, which is not extremely robust, rightfully so, because we don't want to just throw a bunch of product at you on behalf of financial gain. What we have in position, we truly believe in. From our branch chain amino acids, of course, you know about muscle recovery to our actual fat burning, which is the most rudimentary version out there, rudimentary version out there. It's only five ingredients, um, all the way through our collagen, which is very important as well, from someone like myself who uh who beats his joints up on a regular basis. We know collagen helps to renew your um renew your your connective tissue, you know, tendons and joints, um, or tendons and ligaments. Um, but also collagen is one of those products that wears two hats. It also serves the purpose of skin and skin regeneration. So to those who are in in weight fluctuation, as many of us are going up or down, it helps with elasticity. Not giving you breakdown of our supplements. I'm just saying that of our supplement lineup, it's all there with intention. Right. Um, not throwing frivolous things out there. That's part of our lineup as well. Um, to include our newest thing addition that we're super proud of, our baby is called Heat on Demand, which is an archive of all of our programs in one place. It's like a Netflix of fitness.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Big Ron:Um, all of our programs are right there. So everyone can just simply subscribe. We're talking $9.99 a month, and they have access to all the programming that we've ever created and exclusive programs only found on the Heat on Demand platform. You know, you won't see it in, you won't actually see it in the challenge. So it's just an expansive brand, and anything that can help anyone in their fitness journey, anything that can help someone in their um in this life as as um as fitness is concerned, we're here for that. You know what I mean? Just want to make sure it's all here and available to those who uh who may need it. Again, what we sell, everyone can use. Um, geriatric, pediatric, everyone can use health, man.
Korian:Facts. Facts, facts, facts. So, Ron, before I get you out of here, man, I need you to plug any and all social media and website.
Big Ron:Absolutely, man. I'm pretty consistent. I'm not sure how this happened, but I am Big Ron Jones across all platforms. So you can find me, you can find me at Big Ron Jones across all social networks. Um, definitely Instagram is the best way to reach and reach out to me because I am uh I am extremely active and consistent there, but also my link tree and my bio gives you portals to our fit plug radio podcast. It will portal you to our website, heatxtreme.com. That's h-e-t-x. There is no e there. That's heatxtreme.com. Um, yeah, like I said, if there's a platform, we're there. Uh the YouTube channel of is gonna be Heat Extreme, but again, at Big Ron Jones is gonna give you a portal to myself and then all things heat extreme as well.
Korian:Cool, cool, cool. Hey Ron, hey, I appreciate you doing this such short notice, man. And I appreciate you fighting through those technical difficulties with me.
Big Ron:We're good, man. I'm glad to have had a chance to speak with you, man. It's always about connecting with others in this life, man. Uh, it's not common to see many of us who indulge, or excuse me, who understand the value of owning your health, um, especially in our demographic. We oftentimes um don't spend much time um really prioritizing our own health. That's mental and physical. Um, so to have people like yourself and myself uh making it plain and relatable to those who need it the most, Chucky Told. I think we actually need it the most. We could definitely use a lot of healing and positive outlet. So I'm always happy to connect with someone else because us as a whole is stronger that way, you know. I really believe that we are as a whole stronger that way, man. We can always feed off of it. Again, um, our customers, our market is the world. Everyone can use what we're selling. I can't service the whole world, nor can you. So let's both feed off each other to each as many as we can. We can all eat good, you know?
Korian:That's that's facts 100%, Ron. Hey, I love it. I love it, I love it. I can't wait to get you on here again, bro.
Big Ron:Absolutely, man. Let's definitely connect offline after this, all right? Yes, sir.
Korian:Hey, this has been another episode of For the Health of It. I'm your host, Corny and KPAPage. Thank you.