I love discovering real-life case studies of students who successfully achieve fitness in college.
And there’s a couple reasons for that…
- It gives ME motivation to continue learning and sharing right here in Campus Gains.
- It allows me to motivate YOU by showing you what’s possible to achieve for your own body.
…and damn was I motivated and impressed when I came across the impressive Jake and Josh Bowman twins.
Their Instagram profiles (Jake/Josh) show the industry that they’re definitely a force to be reckoned with…
…plus most of their progress occurred while they’ve been going to school.
That’s dedication.
I was very fortunate to interview these Adonises, and they revealed just how genuine they are and what sort of effort is actually needed to achieve their college bodybuilding physiques.
Excuse the weird time-warp bullshit in the background. The camera was shaky and I tried to use the YouTube “shaky camera” tool to fix it. Now it looks like I’m caught in a mushroom trip.
Start of Interview
It seems like you guys just appeared on Instagram ripped and shredded, but I can’t imagine things started that way. What were your lives like before the both of you got into fitness?
Throughout our childhood we have always been very active and considered exceptional athletes.
We were always considered very lean since we played soccer, basketball, and baseball.
Soccer was our first passion and we continue to play today still.
However, when we were first introduced to the gym freshmen year of highschool we discovered a new passion for us.
We would go right after school or soccer practice if we had it.
If I were to guess from the the first time we went to the gym to now that we average going to the gym 5x a week.
We loved it, simple as that.
Through the years we gradually learned more and more about fitness and fitness in college which helped us to create the “shredded” bodies we have now.
What triggered you guys to get fit in college and become the muscular icons we see now?
It wasn’t until about freshmen year of college that we both believed we possibly could make it into the fitness industry.
It was a time where Josh and I both realized we have had enough of soccer.
If we wanted to get bigger and grow more muscle we would need to stop being on an athlete schedule.
Lifting and dieting (fitness in college) was what we chose instead of that athlete routine.
In addition, this was the age where our metabolisms slowed and we began to grow more naturally.
Realizing that we didn’t have to be the “skinny guys” anymore really helped triggered us also.
I noticed on Josh’s Instagram, there’s a picture of some classic muscle-building foods on top of a notebook penciled with some homework. Where do you guys go to college and what are your majors?
Jacob – Mizzou – Nutrition Major
Josh – SIUE – Nutrition Major
We both started as business but changed our majors.
We consider ourselves to be more of a entrepreneurs.
We have many long term goals set for us that we plan on taking on together.
How do you make time for the gym with school and all your other life responsibilities?
It’s what we do with our time that’s important.
In the past year I’ve cut out video games and tv series.
I try my hardest to be productive and work hard everyday.
With that being said I know people say they’re busy with work and school and my advice is to sleep less.
Learn to schedule your time until you make it routine.
Eating and gym is something that I do scheduled and consistent everyday.
Prioritize what you have to do and do it.
I recommend making a schedule that fits best for you, even if that means cutting sleep or cutting time watching tv after class/work or before bed.
What’s each of your favorite muscle-building meals?
Jake-
A burger made by myself
Josh –
Burgers also haha
Do you have any fitness tips for college students just starting out or they’re struggling with how to get fit in college right now?
Jake’s answer –
Building muscle is like building a business.
It not going to happen over night.
You’re not going to be rich or meet your body goal overnight.
Building muscle takes time and commitment.
Don’t be afraid to step in the gym.
Manage your time wisely and open up an hour or so out of your day for the gym.
In regards to social life, you do not need to go out to the bars more than once a week.
If you prioritize your social life more than the gym don’t complain about how you’re not gaining muscle.
[Tweet “If you prioritize social life more than the gym don’t complain how you’re not gaining muscle.”]
Alcohol slows protein synthesis and just fucks with gains.
Not only that but it’s a waste of money.
I work in the summer purely to have money for food during the school year.
I go to the grocery store once a week and eat all of it.
If you hate cooking I recommend pre-cooking your meals and eating it throughout the week.
Saves a lot of time during the week if you’re busy.
Josh’s answer-
The advice I would give is if you’re struggling to gain weight (like me) is to eat like you’ve never eaten before.
Do your research on how many calories you should eat and try and hit that mark everyday if you can.
Stop just eating salads and chicken breasts.
I would have to eat about 20 meals of that for me to hit my calorie goal if that helps put it in perspective.
I advise going to the gym at least 4x a week for those trying to gain muscle mass.
The more you go to the gym or are being active = more you have to eat.
The advice I would give if you were trying to lose fat and gain muscle is to again research how many calories you should be eating.
Stop eating frozen pizza, fast food, ramen noodles, and the usual college diet.
Learn how to cook and eat actual food.
Take small steps and don’t just completely overwhelm yourself.
I advise going to the gym at least 5x a week with less intensity workouts but more cardio involved.
End of this Fitness in College Interview… But Wait…
As you can see, both Jake and Josh made a number of sacrifices and redefined what’s possible with fitness in college.
So right now I want you to do 2 things:
- Go and follow both Jake and Josh Bowman on Instagram to get some incredible bodybuilding inspiration.
- Leave a comment below and let me know what sacrifices YOU plan to make in order to get the body you want.
We’re all gonna make it brahs – Zyzz