Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Rail.
Hi Kevin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
It all started when I was a young kid. My dad was in the military and he didn’t want me and my brother to be out of shape or lazy. That starting me off in the direction of fitness and there’s been no turning back. I was about 4 or 5 years old.
I never wanted to let my father down so I took my health and physique very seriously. A lot of my peers had motorcycles and I had to rely on my feet and bike to get around the neighborhood. We’d play football at friend’s houses who lived a couple miles away and I’d ride my bike there, play for 3 hours and then ride home. That was almost a daily event.
Fast forward to my late teens and I saw my dad take his last breath at the hands of cancer. It was Sept. 11th, 1992 and I was 19 years old. I witnessed a man who was once 185 lbs of solid muscle, working in the carpentry field, dwindle to a thin, frail, fraction of what he used to be. I saw the impact his declining health had on his friends, family members, and fellow churchgoers, and I vowed to not let that happen to me.
Although I was working out in the years after this, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that I REALLY started to get serious. I became obsessed with building muscle, burning fat, and looking and feeling as good as I could. I specifically remember doing a 12-week challenge called Body-for-Life that truly catapulted my insatiable thirst for knowledge on fitness and longevity.
I said then and still say today that I want to be as ripped as possible, as long as possible. The only way to do that is to be as educated as possible too. You need to have extreme dedication, focus, and awareness of what does and doesn’t work for YOUR body. Along this journey, it occurred to me that health and fitness were such a passion that I needed them to be my main vocation.
With a couple of key occurrences and maybe even lucky breaks, I was able to enter the fitness/health/wellness profession completely in the summer of 2003. There’s been no looking back.
I’ve since gotten my B.S. in Sport Management/Fitness & Wellness, I have multiple certifications and I’ve been featured in two critically acclaimed documentaries, Fasting and The Motivation Factor. My actual “specialty” is fasting in conjunction with fitness.
Back in 2003, when that turning point took place, I started working out in a fast state, first thing in the morning. It was a good 12 hours since my last meal on most of those days. I experienced such a tremendous, positive effect that I kept with it ever since then.
I figured out how to use this modality to stay lean, maintain muscle mass, have high energy levels, and optimize hormones. Now I deploy a regular fasting strategy that includes periodic, longer fasts (such as 2 to 5 days), daily time-restricted eating (TRE) and I occasionally do one meal a day (OMAD). My significant other likes to do those with me, so they are lots of fun! I find fasting in general a lot of fun! Once you start doing some form of it and see and feel the benefits, it’s easy to maintain.
Now in present times, I’m highly motivated to reverse or slow the aging process and continue to stay as fit as possible. Aside from fasting, I think it’s safe to say that I’m a biohacker. I’m always experimenting with some form of hormesis like contrast showers or hunting for the latest food hack that can boost your immunity and lower your risk for disease.
My plans involve the creation of my documentary films and changing the shape and health of millions of people across the entire globe. I love getting on camera and telling my story, or throwing out motivating, educating words of wisdom to people who need them most. I have three film ideas outlined and I’m hoping to bring them to fruition in the not-so-distant future.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been far from smooth! Aside from my father passing away at a young age, I had a major battle with orthorexia athletica. This is when you take healthy eating and exercise to an unhealthy level. I stand about 6″3″ and in 2008, I was down to 145 lbs. It took me a good 2 years to get myself back together, arrive at a normal weight, and feel good, mentally and physically.
I’ve also dealt with many financial ups and downs, a good proportion of them stemmed from my eating disorder. As ironic as it sounds, there were times when I didn’t know where my next meal was going to come from. Although that sounds apropos for an eating disorder, it’s different when you can’t control your income stream.
It came to a head in December of 2008 when I was physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually drained. I had this great idea at that time to move to New York City and try to pitch a show idea to then Spike TV. Sadly though, this was when the big economic downturn was in full swing. I had recently got a job at Sports Club LA at Rockefeller Center, but most of the clientele there were losing their jobs. So I fell victim to the trickle-down effect.
Couple that with the fact that my body fat percentage was dangerously low and I my mental state was all over the place, and you had a recipe for disaster. I didn’t care if I lived or died during that time frame.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am technically a personal trainer, fitness and nutrition specialist, wellness coach, educator, and content creator. I wear a lot of hats in the health/fitness sector.
I help people make behavioral changes related to their everyday lives. I’m a motivator, an inspiration, an educator and I love to give people hope that they can overcome any obstacle and get into the best shape of their life at ANY age!
My business name is Fasting for Fitness, but I recently started working for a company called Precision Health Corporation where we work with patients outside of the doctor’s office. I’m super excited about this!
Not only am I known for the documentaries that I’ve been in, but I’m also known for my movement ability and physique as a now 50-plus male. I’ve done a couple of physique competitions too and did them completely MY way. That’s something that sets me apart from other people.
There were no 6-meals-a-day, I didn’t track macros or calories, and I didn’t do any crazy dietary manipulations before the events. I worked out fast, drank water, ate clean, and stuck to MY workout plan, which included lots of kettlebell training.
At heart, I’m a minimalist. I run barefoot, train barefoot, and eat infrequently. During the summer, I run up the streets of town barefoot. I think barefoot running and training is the most rewarding and satisfying thing in the world. Far more than the high any candy bar or alcoholic beverage can give you. I also only wear shoes and shirts when it’s legally mandatory in the summer. I even drive shirtless and shoeless. Hahaha!
Another thing I’d like to mention is that most psychologists and psychiatrists say that people with eating disorders should never fast. I’m a rare case because I use it as a treatment and coping mechanism. It keeps my eating disorder in check and has allowed me to re-establish a healthy relationship with food.
As for my offerings, I’m starting to cut back on my training services. I’m going more in the direction of coaching and content creation. My ultimate goal is to continue making workouts for people based on the equipment, space, and location they have instead of meeting them face-to-face. I write these up in documents with instructions and accompanying video demos. My workouts are very unique too. I do a lot of 3-dimensional movement that fires up the brain as well as the body.
I’m also planning on releasing my 12-week Kettlebell Incinerator program shortly and have a few more programs on deck after that. I want to start a series of new books too that will be for sale. One of which is going to be about orthorexia because I feel it needs more attention.
Then, when the time is right and I have the funds, I will start my documentaries. I should call the first one a mockumentary. You’ll just have to stay tuned to see what it’s about.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I feel you make your luck based on your attitude. If you think in negative terms, you will attract negative energy and bad things will happen. If you think in positive terms and see yourself in possession of that which you want, then you will attract the resources necessary for success.
Nothing ever fell into my lap because of luck. It was all meant to be by the universe’s design.
Pricing:
- 6-month Coaching Package $5,399
- 3-month Coaching Package $2,799
- 1-month Coaching Package $1,000
- Workout Creation $350 per week of workouts
- 10-pack Personal Training Sessions $1,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fastingforfitness.health/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastingfitness_pro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.rail
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krail/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrainerRail
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC98BSoeQd1sfedJpoJNNLLg
