Shawn Adair is the founder and CEO of The Bar Strength & Conditioning.

Why did you decide to start working out?

SA: I actually only started working out because I was told by my doctor to strengthen up my body. At the time I, was 23, extremely weak and skinny at 6’2”, 149 pounds, and my body was falling apart from constant sports injuries and living a bad lifestyle. After having multiple shoulder dislocations, I was told to start working out, as it would help strengthen my body add more stability in my shoulders through rehab exercises.

When I started to see the results, and noticed the lifestyle change from hitting the gym, I became very passionate about training. I then took a few personal training courses to become a trainer/strength coach, and started training clients. Fast forward a few years, and now I am in best shape of my life (now weigh 195 pounds), I have a packed schedule full of clients, opened up my own gym, and I’m doing what I love for a living.

What is your preferred workout routine?

SA: My routine is a mix of mobility, calisthenics, powerlifting and bodybuilding. I program my lifting with DUP for my powerlifting. I squat 3 times, bench 3 times and deadlift 2 times a week, and work on my calisthenics after each session, which include pull-ups, strict muscle ups, push ups, front levers, jumps, etcetera. This to me is the most enjoyable training style for my personal goals.

What is your preferred diet?

SA: I follow a flexible dieting type of lifestyle. My metabolism is extremely high, so I need roughly 3,500 calories per day just to maintain my weight. Having an over all balanced diet and intake of protein, carbs, fats and fiber to hit all my micros and macros. I still eat “dirty” foods to get in some extra calories, but it’s all about moderation. I go by the 70/30 rule which means 70 percent of my intake would be what most would call “clean” and 30 percent is what ever I like to eat, as long as it fits in my daily macro intake. No depriving or restricting certain foods.

I don’t believe in these 90 day programs, shakes or pills, which may result in weight loss but it’s short-term gain with the chance of long-term metabolic damage. Start tracking your intake even for one month and you will gain so much knowledge on nutrition. It is something you can use for the rest of your life. Why not put a little effort in and learn something valuable?

If you could pick only 3 exercises to do, what would they be and why?

SA: Back Squats…hands down my favorite exercise! Deadlifts, the feelings you get from lifting a heavy weight off the ground is like nothing else. Strict muscle ups. Not CrossFit ones, I’m talking about strict bar muscle ups. In my opinion, they are king of bodyweight exercises.

What type of supplements do you take and recommend? What are the benefits of each?

SA: The only supplements I take are protein, creatine, and multivitamins. I take protein because it’s hard to reach my daily intake without it, I take in around 200 grams a day and get at least 80 to 100 grams from shakes alone. I take creatine because it helps pull water into the muscle to add more volume, witch helps with strength, power and hypertrophy. For the multivitamins I take Magnum Primer. it’s a pack of vitamins to help make sure I get enough micros in my diet to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

What is your favorite motivational quote?

SA: When asked what surprised him about humanity the most, the Dalai Lama replied: “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

What is your proudest fitness accomplishment to date?

SA: I would say opening up my own gym is my proudest moment so far, and getting featured by MP is also pretty amazing!

What advice would you give a beginner?

SA: Stay consistent with your goals! Remember there will always be someone out there who is working as hard or harder than you, so don’t waste time. You only get what you put in, so give it everything you got. Hire a competent trainer to make sure you have a proper training program and do the exercises with proper form.

Besides fitness what are your other interest?

SA: This is really my main interest, I own a gym and coach clients 7 days a week. My whole lifestyle revolves around fitness, but when I get some free time, I enjoy hiking/traveling, and spending time with my girlfriend, friends, and family.

What are your future goals both personally and professionally?

SA: For personal goals I have so many, like learning certain calisthenics exercises, jumping higher/farther, squatting 500 pounds, gaining a little size. I would also like to compete in a physique show, have a photo in a magazine, and expand my gym to a bigger location.

Website: http://www.thebarvancouver.com/

Instagram: @adairtrainer

Twitter: @adairtrainer