About

Not to introduce yourself is considered extremely rude, even among enemies. –  Katsumoto, The Last Samurai

It’s clear to me now what my problem is.  In terms of maturity level, I’m like Benjamin Button.  I’m aging in reverse. — Nate Miyaki (yes I did just quote myself)

I. THE IMPORTANT STUFF

Nate’s Credentials

• Certified Personal Trainer, American Council on Exercise (ACE)
• Certified Specialist in Sports Nutrition, International Sports Science Association (ISSA)
• Certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, International Sports Science Association (ISSA)
• Bachelor of Arts, University of California, Berkeley
• Post-baccalaureate studies in Kinesiology, San Francisco State University
• Contributing Writer — Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, T-Nation, Bodybuilding.com, LIVESTRONG
• 2009 Musclemania America & World Natural Bodybuilding Championships — 1st place, bantamweight
• 2004 NPC Max Muscle Natural Bodybuilding Championships — 1st place, lightweight
• 10+ years running private personal training & nutrition consulting practice
• Former professional wrestler and stunt/acrobatics instructor with All Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Iron.  Check out the highlights:  Kamikaze Kid I & Kamikaze Kid II

Kalai’s Credentials

• MA, Psychology, New York University
• BA, Psychology, University of Chicago
• 2011 NPC Ironman Naturally Bikini Championships — 3rd Place Open Class “C” Division.
• 2011 NPC Ironman Naturally Bikini Championships — 3rd Place Open Master’s Division.
• NCAA Athlete and Assistant Coach, Womens Volleyball
• Finisher, Chicago Marathon and Twin Cities/Chicago AIDS Ride

II. THE LESS IMPORTANT STUFF

A) In the end, I think we are all searching for the same things in life — a passion, a sense of purpose, and peace of mind.  We just go about that in different ways.  For better or worse, I’ve found all three in this fitness game.  I hope you find yours.

B) Sometimes I am as deep as the ocean.  Sometimes I am as shallow as a low-flow toilet bowl.  That’s just what you get when you’re hanging with Miyaki.  Unlike most modern gurus that try to project some mysterious image, I’ll never pretend to be anything but what I am, which is a random, mixed up bag of tricks.  Hope that’s cool with you.

Nate Miyaki Amazon Author Page

The majority of you don’t really care about me personally.  You just want to know how I can help you achieve your goals.  This site is for YOUR benefit, not mine right?  I get it.  There are plenty of other places on this site that will accomplish that mission.

But for the 5% who would like to know something more about the man behind the myth, or more accurately, just the dude you are learning some fitness stuff from…

I’m the coolest frickin’ dude you know, and that’s all you really need to know about me.   Actually, I’m one of the lamest, which is why I have so much time to study and write about this fitness stuff.

I was a fat little kid with five, ruthless older brothers and an older sister.  They called me “Boob” because I was a lopsided ball of fat that everyone liked to squeeze.  Now, as a professional in my mid-30′s, they still call me Boob.  You may too if you wish.

Another childhood nickname they gave me was Baby Sumo.  I’m cool with that too.

Don’t get the wrong idea.  My brothers and my sister are my best friends, role models, and idols.  I’ve learned from many others in this world, but I’ve also learned that you should never look up to anyone you haven’t met and gotten to know in person.  There are successful scumbags and average heroes just the same.

I grew up in a small beach town — Half Moon Bay, CA.  We’re known for pumpkins (?) and Mavericks, the big wave surfing spot.  Although I never surfed, I certainly adopted the laid back, roll with whatever comes, don’t take yourself or life too seriously, be flexible like water, treat the people riding the waves of life with you like family — Beach Dude Mentality.

I don’t know.  I think it’s a good way to live, but I could be wrong.

As fortune would have it, I actually was a good athlete back in the day.  Here’s my Al Bundy moment — I was an all-city football player and sprinter, trained in capoeira and gymnastics, performed stunts, and toured as a professional wrestler.

I did all of this while being a skinny-fat guy (which became my natural adult genetic disposition) until I realized that training and dieting for PERFORMANCE is much DIFFERENT than training and dieting for APPEARANCE.

I found out the hard way that I was more naturally gifted as a performance athlete than a physique athlete.  I also realized that people with great genetics or the willingness to use a sh*tload of drugs can pretty much train and eat however they want to get results.  Great physiques to admire don’t always equal good teachers to learn from.

What did that mean for me?  I had to take a scientific approach to physique development, and be more consistent and disciplined than most to get half the results.  Nevertheless, perseverance can overcome all obstacles.

Once I learned those lessons, I competed in natural bodybuilding and worked some fitness modeling gigs.  I still do from time to time.  Since none of the above pays the bills, I’ve made my true living for the last 12 years running a private training and nutrition consulting business.  It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve met a ton of cool people.

2009 Musclemania World Championships

III. THE RANDOM STUFF

I’m half Japanese and half Irish.  You’ll probably see the duality of this cultural background in my work.  I jump back and forth between being the serious Samurai Warrior-guy (usually when writing about athletic endeavors), and the joking around all of the time, Bloody Irish Mick-guy (usually when writing about life in general).

And yes, I do like both sake and whiskey.  But it’s my kryptonite, so I try to stay away from it when I want to get things done.  That’s most of the time, but catch me on one of those rare nights, and I’ll tell you how much I love you.

There are only 3 things that scare me in life:  snakes, port-o-potties, and belly fat.

Here are my favorite movies, which probably tells you a lot about me:  Anchorman, Nacho Libre, Zoolander, Dodgeball, Old School, Wedding Crashers, Don’t Mess With the Zohan, Billy Madison, Semi-Pro, The Austin Powers series, etc.  Kramer from Seinfeld is awesome.  Get the idea?

But then the duality of my nature shows here as well, as my favorite movie of all time is The Crow with Brandon Lee.  That’s what got me started with this whole physique enhancement thing.  I wanted to look like the comic book hero.

The Crow: Razor. London Night Studios

Yes, I know I am a mixed up, weird dude.  But it works for me so I don’t stress about it too much.

I feel like I should have been in my prime in the 70′s, because I am a fan of, and actually have learned so much more from the Golden Era of bodybuilding than today’s industry.  Guys like Vince Gironda, Frank Zane, Mohamed Makkawy, Serge Nubret, Danny Padilla, etc.

Plus, I can cut up a disco dance floor like nobody’s business.  Step aside Travolta.  Here comes Miyaki.

Or the 80′s would have worked for me too, because all of my brothers were hair band rockers, and I am musically stuck in that Era.  C’mon man, nothing today compares to Poison, Motley Crue, Skid Row, Guns n Roses, Def Leppard, etc.

I sang (horribly) and drummed (decently) in a band for a little while too.  We had no groupies so I have no good stories to tell.  Maybe in the 80′s it would have been different.

1. Yes I do own a shirt.
2. Jamming with Shed 7

IV. THE RAMBLING STUFF

I think the most admirable quality in a person is authenticity.  I try to uphold to that standard myself.  You just gotta be who you are, say what you believe without worrying too much about the consequences, and make the choices that are right for YOU, not anyone else.  If you are just trying to project an image, and care too much about what others think of you than: (1) you’re a p&$sy and (2) you’re life isn’t going to be much fun.

Be sincere, it’s the best way to go.  If you walk away from this site saying, “That Miyaki-guy is one messed up cat, and he doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about, BUT he’s a real dude,” I will be content.

On that note, if you truly believe in something different than me (whether it be a training, nutrition, or life philosophy), I’m cool with that.  We can still be friends.  But at the same time, if you ask my opinion on something, regardless of the topic, I’m going to tell you what I believe whether it jives with you or not.  I’m not good at sugar coating things.  I’m a terrible coddler or liar.  Please don’t be offended.  We’re adults right?

I’ve been studying and living this stuff day in and day out for over fifteen years, both as an athlete and a coach, so I think that at least entitles me to have some kind of an opinion.  But that’s all it is — an opinion.  I hate arguing, its wasted effort.  I’m too lazy to be a guru.  So I’m not out to prove the superiority of my approach or discard other methods.  I’m just sharing what I know, what has helped me, and some of those around me.  There’s international proof that my approaches work well for some, but  you can take them or leave them as you see fit.

There’s enough d*ckheads in the fitness industry, and I don’t want add to the sausage fest.  It’s Island-style all the way here my brothers and sisters.  Life’s too short to be agitated all the time, or to go around making trouble for everyone else.

I may be right sometimes, I may be wrong sometimes.  But know this — whatever I say on this site is what I believe and what I practice/do myself, based on the knowledge that I have at that point in time.  You can’t ask for anything more authentic than that.  Maybe it will help you.  Maybe it won’t.  But I promise you I’m giving it my best effort.

I truly believe that in the end, whatever works for you is what matters most, not a dogmatic adherence to any specific system (even an awesome one like my own).  Real world results are the ultimate test of the effectiveness of a method, not appeasing some system’s creed or fitting in with the crowd.  Go with your gut, and you’ll do all right.

My gut is telling me I’m hungry, so lets wrap this thing up.

Flying high as The Kamikaze Kid

I can sum this shindig up with two quotes from Heath Ledger’s version of the Joker:

1.  Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it.

A lot of times I just do sh*t and see what happens, without overanalyzing.  I’ve found that stressing about the outcome just makes me anxious, unproductive, and quite frankly — miserable.  Its the whole “journey more than the destination” – thing. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t, but I’m enjoying the ride nonetheless.

You should find YOUR WAY to do the same.  Maybe that means a completely different approach.

2.  You see I’m a guy with simple tastes.  I enjoy, uh, dynamite, gunpowder, and gasoline.  And you know the thing that they have in common?  They’re cheap.

I’m a simple guy just like the Joker, though not as devious.  I enjoy the gym, coffee, and (naughty and nice) time with my beautiful Hawaiian Queen.

V. THE HOT STUFF

KALAI’S INTRO

Nate is the brains (and brawn!) behind this operation so there’s not a lot you need – or probably want – to know about me. Although I’ve done a couple of physique competitions and taken some photos, I’m really just a cougar who landed a hot younger guy.  He has changed my life for the better in so many ways, one of them being my approach to diet and exercise, so let’s start with that.

I grew up in the land of plate lunches, macadamia nuts, and malasadas. I ate sweets so often I could have been Buddy The Elf’s sister (belching optional). While my love for carbs, sugar, and dairy has not changed, my eating habits have. Since I was not blessed with “skinny genes,” if I want to look fit and stay healthy I can no longer shove piles of crap food in my face whenever I feel like it. Natural foods, portion control, and periodic, planned “cheat meals” are now the foundation of my diet regimen.

When it comes to exercise, I don’t love to work out. I do it because it makes me look better, feel better, and keeps my body healthy. I’m not a natural-born athlete either; as a child I was tall and very uncoordinated, and it wasn’t until after years of putting in some effort into my sport that I had any clue what I was doing. More recently I’ve trained for physique contests, primarily for fun and the personal challenge (fun = getting glammed up; challenge = dieting and walking in 5-inch lucite heels).

I’m not a personal trainer, nutrition specialist, or professional model. I took a modeling class as a teenager but nothing came from it other than getting rid of my uni-brow (but why did they leave the caterpillars?). Like many people I sit at a desk for most of the day, and understand how difficult it is to eat well at the office and make it to the gym consistently when you have a busy career and family life. I don’t have children, but I do have a husband…and you wives know that’s just as much work! (Love you, Nate!)

I think Nate listed his favorite movies but having a short attention span I am partial to TV series, especially Hawaii 5-0 with its beautiful scenery (Alex O’Loughlin – I mean Diamond Head and blue ocean), the insanity of women on The Real Housewives, or drooling over recipes on The Food Network. When I have a little more time on my hands I have been known to spend all day in the kitchen preparing for a potluck, bedazzling wedding invitations, or making Christmas stockings out of felt applique.

So what am I doing here? I think it’s partly to make sure that Nate doesn’t use too much profanity in his writing. Since that doesn’t usually work I’m happy to give my perspective on eating clean, getting your butt to the gym, fighting urges to eat a whole jar of Nutella, and taking care of yourself as best you can while living a crazy busy life. Although I have a background in Psychology I’m not trying to analyze anyone, however, I am interested in the mental and emotional aspects of diet and exercise. I like to share tips and “best practices” for creating and maintaining good habits and provide encouragement to pursue your healthy goals. I can’t do the splits, but can make a mean pom-pom out of tissue paper.

VI. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

Despite this ridiculously long-winded intro, our primary goal is to help you.

So quit reading about us, and start finding Your Way.  Thank you for letting us be your guides.