Q&A with Famous YouTuber Greg O’Gallagher from Kinobody
For all of you who don’t already know, Kinobody is one of the most popular and successful YouTubers in the fitness community right now. Not only that, but he is also very young and is only getting started!
I watch a lot of YouTubers out there and although I don’t agree with what everybody says all of the time, Greg knows his stuff and I share a lot of the same philosophies as he does.
For example, I agree with him that the gym should be an addition to your life and that you shouldn’t live in the gym if you are a recreational lifter. I agree with him on the fact that if you want to get big as a drug-free lifter then you have to get strong so if you want big shoulders but you are only shoulder pressing 135lb x 5 then you need to get it to at least 225lb x 5. I agree with him on the fact that bodyweight movements along with their progressions can be a solid addition for building muscle and they are just another way to spice up your training. I agree with him on the fact that 1.25lb plates do work because when you are an advanced lifter you won’t be able to add 5lb each session for the most part and the list goes on.
Last but not least, he has very realistic expectations for his clients and viewers so he is promoting the drug-free lifestyle as well which is also good because lets face it, not everybody has to go through that route and this is especially true if they are recreational lifters who don’t compete.
Greg is a knowledgeable guy when it comes to fitness and business so you can learn a lot from a guy like him. Today we are going to go over some very basic questions that have been sparking a bit of controversy in the fitness industry along with other questions and Greg is going to address these topics.
Lets get into it!
First off, welcome to FitWorldExposed, we are glad to have you here! How did you first get into fitness and YouTube and also what made you tell yourself that you were going to make a career out of all of this?
Thanks for having me on! I’ve been into fitness forever. As a child, I remember wanting to look like the action heroes that I admired. In my mind, it was clear that I was going to do whatever I could to build a strong, muscular and capable physique. There was no doubt about it.
I remember doing body weight exercise at a very early age, 10 years old.. At 14 years old I was lifting weights consistently.. At 16 I was working at a gym and becoming certified. Once YouTube started to take off, I wanted to share fitness videos online to inspire other people..
When I was 19 years old, I realized that I could build a very solid business around educating people online. This is when I focused on blogging consistently and developing an online brand.
Very quickly in 2011 and 2012, I began to gain some solid traction. People were flocking to my site because they loved my message.
I wasn’t teaching people how to get huge. I was teaching them how to get the celebrity body, they dreamed of having, with advice that I was using myself. Advice that was working gangbusters.
As the years rolled by, the movement became bigger and bigger. To date, we have over 20 people that are working on Kinobody each week.
What are your physique stats right now and what do you will eventually attain at your peak (weight, body fat, height…etc). Also what body parts are you trying to bring up the most and how do you plan on doing that?
Right now I’m around 170 lbs at 5’10, my body fat I guesstimate is around 7-9%, though the Dexa clocks me at a very low 6-7%..
My chest is about 43-44″, waist 31″ and arms about 16″ flexed. I took a few months off training due to an injury, so I’m focusing on rebuilding some size all over. Though, I have the most fun building my shoulders.. As this muscle separates the men from the greek gods!
Do you ever measure your bodyparts and if so then how often? Also what are some ways of getting somewhat of an idea of what your bodyfat is without having to go see a doctor?
I measure my waist a couple times per week.. Then I’ll measure the chest and arms once or twice a month for fun! The waist is the most important to measure, to ensure you’re staying lean.. I never want my waist to go above 31.5″…
As for measuring body fat, I wouldn’t really worry about it. No device is 100% accurate.. Go by what you want, not a number…
If you’re happy with your level of definition, but you get clocked at 12%, who fucking cares… Go for the look you want, not the body fat.
A lot of people on YouTube say that if you get down under 10% bodyfat then you will lose strength, size and sex drive, what is your take on this?
If you diet and train incorrectly, without a doubt. If you do it properly, there’s no reason why you can’t maintain great strength, muscle size and testosterone, around 7-9% body fat.
Most people make the mistake of training way too often, doing way too much cardio, eating too much protein and not enough fat and carbs (this impairs testosterone), among many other mistakes.
I’ve helped tens of thousands now, achieve a lean physique without losing strength, size or sex drive.
It personally pisses me off when people call you out on drugs because nowadays everybody is underestimating what the human body can really attain naturally. Its like when you are weak people will just say that you are small, but when you are finally getting stronger and putting on some size people will call you out on taking drugs. I know that you are going through this quite a bit with all of the critics on the internet so what is your take on it and how do you not let it get to you?
Some people say that it’s the best sign of flattery. That if you are getting accused, it means you’re doing something right! To me, I see it differently. Since day one in the industry, I’ve been absolutely nothing but honest.
I’ve built my business off integrity. I don’t promote supplements or other peoples products for commission.. I could make a lot of money doing so, but I won’t. I won’t promote them, because I don’t believe in them…
Moreover, I haven’t launched a new product in over a year… I could create a new product and make a quarter million dollars in a week launching it to my audience of 350 000 people (email list)… But I won’t…
I will only create a product, when I fully feel, I have something of tremendous value to share….
I believe in honesty! So when people say “oh this guy is on steroids and he’s lying to make money.” It’s so far outside of the truth that it fucking sucks.
I haven’t once touched steroids or even considered taking them. So this whole thing is plain silly.. And if for some reason, I wanted to take them, guess fucking what, I would be absolutely transparent about that.
I think people really respect honesty and transparency. Hell, if I wanted to get excessively jacked and I was gonna take drugs, I would probably build a business teaching people the best way to do it.
That said, I think the whole steroid culture is plain silly and obsessive. My entire brand is built around the idea that you don’t want to get excessively jacked or stage shredded. The best physique is a lean and muscular, naturally attainable physique…
But ultimately, fuck the haters! Thousands of new people are getting fucking amazing results every week, following Kinobody, while having the freedom to enjoy life.
The more people I’m helping and impacting, the more hate that comes with that. Such is life! I didn’t get any of this hate last year, but I also wasn’t impacting millions of people back then either.
How many calories are you currently eating per day and how is the intermediate fasting treating you?
I don’t religiously track my calories. But I’d say that I tend to eat around 2400-3000 calories most of the time.. This is when my weight tends to stabilize… When I’m getting consistently leaner, I’m eating around 2000-2300 calories per day..
Intermittent fasting is plain freaking amazing! It makes everything more enjoyable. I couldn’t imagine being able to stay this lean and be this productive without it. I couldn’t imagine being able to enjoy life so much without it. I love to socialize in the evening and eat incredible meals, sometimes up to 1800 calories.
You talk a lot about the importance of shoulders which is something that I respect because I think that they are highly underrated for the most part, whats your take on the behind the neck press? Do you think that the lift is dangerous and do you think that its worth doing for bigger rear delts or should you just isolate the rear delts and do presses in front of your body instead?
I’ve never really utilized the movement in my routine, so I can’t comment on it’s effectiveness from my own experience. I’ve experienced pretty remarkable results with a strong emphasis on standing barbell presses and high volume lateral raises and rear delt flyes.
Perhaps, I can test the behind the neck press in my routine and get back to you.. Some things that will dictate if I continue to use the exercise or not, include:
1) How smooth is the exercise… Does it feel awkward of uncomfortable, after a few weeks.. Am I experiencing any discomfort and pain..
2) How responsive is the exercise to strength gain. Does my body respond to the exercise well, and am I able to make solid strength gains with it?
3) How engaged do I feel my shoulders from the movement, compared to conventional overhead presses. Do I feel my shoulders are engaged and activated better, worse or the same.
Naturally, I like to train very intensely and hard and I regularly push for personal records on my exercises. So I’ll need to really ensure that my shoulders and joints can handle the exercise well, when pushing the limit.
Lets say that you make the barbell OHP your main vertical press, how many weeks will you make it your main press until your switch to another vertical pressing variation?
As long as I can continue making progress on the exercise. Probably 4-8 weeks. Or if I get bored and want a change.
How essential do you think lateral raises are for helping you build bigger shoulders and what are you currently doing for rear delt work?
I think they are absolutely essential. They are the icing on the cake, and contribute to more fullness and shoulder development.
I’ve tested scrapping them from my routine completely, and my shoulders definitely lost size.
Currently, I’m hitting my rear delts with the rear delt flye machine. Though, sometimes I do bent over dumbbell flyes or face pulls.
I know that you are NOT a powerlifter, but if were to do a meet right now then what kind of numbers do you think you would put up?
Well I also had a few months off the gym from an injury… So…. I imagine I could do a 315 or 320 bench.. Squat or deadlift I haven’t done in years, nor have I taken my leg training that seriously..
But I think I could do a 300+ squat and 350 deadlift. At 170 lbs body weight.
Its easy to tell that you are inspired by movies when watching your videos, what are some of your favorite films to watch?
Fight Club, Silver Linings Playbook, American Pyscho.. Those are three movies that come to mind that I love! I also really enjoyed The Nice Guys, which I saw quite recently..
You have an impressive box jump, what are some of the best tips that you could give the viewers for getting a similar box jump?
Get really strong on power hang cleans or power hang snatches, and weighted pistol squats, while maintaining a low body fat. Focus your lower body training on low reps 3-6 reps and long rest periods. Focus on power and explosion.
Which program are you currently running, how many days are you training per week and how is the elbow coming along?
Right now I’m doing some workouts that are inspired off a few of my courses. More minimalist in nature.. I actually planned on creating a minimalist program, but I haven’t finished it yet. So I’ve been doing workouts in this style.
So basically, I’m doing some training routines, that may or may not turn into a product one day. But very similar to the stuff I teach.
Where do you see Kinobody by the year 2020?
In four years.. I see it evolving and maturing.. Creating higher level content.. Growing beyond just fitness, into self development. More figures being involved so it doesn’t only revolve around me… More epic video production.. I want to take people on an experience, on a ride with me! I think it’s only going to get cooler and cooler.
Ultimately, kinobody is my self expression on how to live the life of your dreams. In this current chapter, it’s been mostly about mastering fitness, but this may evolve in the next few years.
As well, I see more and more high level people realizing just how effective kinobody is, and becoming a part of it. A List Actors and celebrities, fully endorsing and being a part of Kinobody to get into amazing shape.
