Nicholas Fair has had a power lifter’s mentality since he first started working out as a student. He wanted to be able to lift the most weight possible. Although he was strong, he had poor eating habits and a shoulder injury. In June 2016, Nicholas weighed in at 375 pounds.

“I used my strength to justify my size,” he says. “All the excess weight caused joint issues and made the inflammation worse. I wasn’t happy with how I looked or felt.”

While working as the Assistant Manager job at Vitamin Shoppe, he learned more about holistic wellness, nutrition, and alternatives to the pain medications he was using for his shoulder injury. In a year and a half, he dropped down to 245 pounds and 18% body fat.

Nicholas is now 36 and works as the Manager and Marketing Manager for US Cryotherapy on Germantown Parkway. He follows a strict training and diet plan that he has down to a science.

The Diet

He starts his day around 5 am and practices intermittent fasting. He consumes all his calories for the day between 11 am and 7 pm, fasting the rest of the time.

Within that window, Nicholas adheres to a pescatarian, plant-based diet. He eats fish twice a week and mixes in meat alternatives with veggies on the side. On a typical day, he drinks a protein smoothie followed by a complex carb like quinoa, brown rice, asparagus, or broccoli.

“I used to prep my food for the week. One day I looked at all this chicken I had cut and ready to cook and thought, ‘All this dead animal can’t be that healthy,’” he says. “That’s when I got serious about incorporating more plant-based protein.”

Nicholas calls himself a nerd about nutrition because he’s constantly reaching for new books and investigating supplements. He currently takes glucosamine and aminos.

The Workout

Nicholas works out for two to three hours each day. In the morning, he meets with one of his three personal training clients and then gets in an hour of his own cardio at ATC Fitness. Midday or after work, he returns to lift weights.

“I like that ATC is open 24 hours, so I can come and go when I please,” he says. Nicholas also takes a yoga class at least once a week at HOTWORX and mixes in a kickboxing session every once in a while.

“The most important things are increasing cardio, lifting weights, and eating right,” he says. “Change starts slow. Within the first month, I lost about 15 pounds. Once you start getting into your routine, you’ll see results and you’ll feel better. It took me nine months to see the results I really wanted.”

The Recovery

Nicholas swears by cryotherapy as part of his wellness routine. Cryotherapy is localized or full-body cold therapy. “I get my cardio in first thing, and then once I get cleaned up and ready to work, it’s the first thing I do. I hop in the chamber three times a week and use the leg compression sleeves and the Theragun five times a week. Being able to work in a place that promotes health and fitness is a huge plus.”

He advocates the use of cryotherapy to a variety of clients, from college athletes to older people and individuals struggling with chronic pain. “A lot of people are adopting Lebron James’s mentality. Seeing what he does to take care of his body helps them make an investment in their longevity through cryotherapy.”

Cryotherapy plays a significant role in his overall maintenance. “It speeds up the recovery process. As I’m working out, especially when it’s up to three hours a day, my body takes a constant beating.”

Nicholas’s goal is to compete in bodybuilding and lower his body fat to 10%-11%. “Right now I’m not focused on a number. Overall, it’s about how I look and how I feel,” he says.

 

By India Nikotich

Photos by Tindall Stephens