Fitness icon Nick Wright returned to “Jake’s Take” for a special edition of “Catching Up.” (Photo property & courtesy of Nick Wright NWB)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
I am very excited to welcome fitness personality, Nick Wright, back to Jake’s Take.
Over the past three years, Nick has continued to grow his presence in the fitness world through his impeccable social media following. With 19,300 Twitter followers, 79,200 Instagram followers, 218,777 YouTube subscribers and 975,059 Facebook followers, Nick’s dedication to the fitness world has continued to inspire countless of fans around the world to get stronger and aim to better themselves through bodybuilding, powerlifting, and Olympic lifting.
In this edition of Catching Up, Nick opened up about his YouTube series, “The Comeback,” and his recommendations on powerlifting workouts.
Jacob Elyachar: How have you grown as an athlete and fitness professional since the last time we spoke?
Nick Wright: I cannot say too much has changed in the big picture, but I feel a lot more comfortable with myself these days. Meaning I no longer feel any need to please anybody including the Internet. I’ve enjoyed and loved getting stronger in powerlifting. In the past, I would stress about keeping the bodybuilder image at the same time. Now, I could not care less. I do only what I want now. As for the channel, I do have some BIG ideas and plans for it that will take the attention off of me and allow lesser known, great lifters to get some limelight!
JE: A few months ago, you posted a special series on your YouTube channel called “The Comeback.” What was “The Comeback’s” premise and in your humble opinion, was it successful and why?
NW: “The Comeback” was first and foremost a literal return to YouTube as I had taken a hiatus from making videos for a couple of months. It was also a return to my old bodybuilding lifestyle and training as I had to shred down for a photo shoot. It was very, very successful. The first episode broke 100,000 views its first week up and every episode after that averaged a minimum of 50-60,000 views with many surpassing that. At 200,000 subscribers at the time, very few channels with over 100K subscribers had a better view-to-sub ratio.
JE: What were some of the challenges that you faced throughout the latest chapter of your fitness career? How did you overcome them?
NW: Fitness is largely made up of insecure men and women, including myself back when I began. Some have extreme body dysmorphia, and some at the very least began due to being over or under weight. Because of this, you usually end up with a bunch of people with phenomenal bodies but that same, insecure skinny or fat little boy or girl on the inside. This leaves you with people validating themselves only on their physical bodies which lead to a very unhappy person on the inside. My biggest stride has simply getting completely over that need for external validation and finally be happy being myself and doing what I love. After years and years of sacrificing relationships and a lot of fun for the sake of hardcore dieting, it feels great to live life with a balance now even if it means some of the industry finds me “fat” (Laughs).
JE: Let’s talk about powerlifting. What are some of the benefits that you have seen from your time as a powerlifter? What exercises do you recommend for people who are interested in trying out powerlifting?
NW: Some of the remarkable benefits that I have seen through powerlifting are overall strength increase and general muscle thickness. I would also advise powerlifting beginners to start off with the big three: squat, bench, and deadlift!
JE: If you had the chance to meet with someone who is struggling with their fitness journey, what advice would you share with them?
NW: That’s a tough question because of how vague it is. Fitness is so subjective so one person’s issue could be entirely different from another person’s. The best advice I can give in a general format would be to make sure you’re doing only what YOU love to do and do it only for yourself!
You can connect with Nick on social media by visiting his Facebook, Google +, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube channels.
