Shaq Talks About Overcoming 2020 and His Major Fitness Transformation

Both on and off the court, Shaquille O’Neal has always been a force to be reckoned with. But just like countless other people, 2020 took a mighty toll on the four-time NBA champ. After several tragedies and personal losses, Shaq lost his motivation and his fitness suffered.

However, Shaq was determined to get back into shape once again. After discovering Novex Biotech GF9––a supplement formulated to boost the energy levels of men aged 45 and older––he began to feel better, clean up his diet and got back in the gym. We caught up with Shaq to learn more about his big transformation.

At what point last year did you realize that you needed to make a change and get back in shape?

My sister passed away before Kobe. And then Kobe passed away and then I had 28 other people pass away. [2020] was a really bad year and I didn’t want to do anything. So, when you don’t want to do anything, but you need to stay out of trouble, there’s two things you can do: eat and Netflix.

Once you decided to get back in shape, how did you adjust your diet?

I just started to eat better and to make better decisions. My problem is, I’ve always been a sandwich guy. Sandwich for lunch, sandwich for dinner, sandwich for snack. And when all of that was going on last year, I couldn’t sleep. So, I’d wake up at three in the morning and make a sandwich, five in the morning and make a sandwich. But I was starting to look old and I didn’t want to. So I said to myself, I want to take my shirt off on Instagram one last time.

I saw this 70-year-old guy on there, and he had muscles everywhere. So I just decided to switch it up. No more bread, no more late-night lemon Oreos, no more Entenmann’s cakes, none of that. I’ve been doing this for six months and just eating fruit, protein shakes, salads, fish, chicken and asparagus or other vegetables. Very small portions and eating that everyday has helped me lose 25-30 pounds. I started to see stuff that I haven’t seen in 20 to 30 years—like a six pack. And I haven’t had one of those since I was on the 2006 Miami Heat.

Now I’ve been more active, I sleep through the night, I have more energy and I just want to work out all the time. And because I’m doing something big in March (TBA), I’ve got so much energy that I’m working out in the morning and at night.

When you are training, is it important to have something that motivates you?

I always need to have something that really motivates me. I wish I could have a picture of that old guy, because he was about 70 and his caption said, “Age is nothing but a number.” And I was actually jealous, I knew it was time for me to get back right. And now that I’m doing it, I actually feel pretty good.

You know the crazy thing is, I’m like a little kid every time I walk by a mirror. Especially if I eat a cookie or something, I think, ‘Oh my God, my six pack is gone.’ And then I go to the mirror and see, ‘Oh, it’s still there.’

Do you incorporate any cross-training into your workout or is it just a regular workout?

I don’t do the cross training. I don’t like to do anything special where I go and pick five different trainers. I just go into the gym like everybody else does.

I do 20 minutes of cardio, I’ll do some chest, bis, tris, sit-ups, back and then I’m gone. 30-45 minutes a day, plus cardio––so about an hour a day. I still got the bad hips and the achy joints, so I can’t be jumping and running around. Next thing I’ll try is jogging.

That’s interesting you’re only spending about an hour a day in the gym. That seems like something anyone can relate to and achieve.

An hour a day will keep the Charles Barkley belly away.

Ha! Good advice. Tell us how you heard about Novex Biotech’s GF9 supplement and then once you started taking it, how did it change the way you felt?

I like to do research because a lot of these supplements make certain claims about this and that. But what really got me about the Novex Biotech product line is that it combats the effects of aging. So, I tried it and I felt like my young self again, I really did. It gave me the boost I was looking for to get in shape.

Before that, I’d go to the gym on Monday and feel good. But then on Tuesday, I’ll do it tomorrow; Wednesday, I’ll do tomorrow; Thursday, I’ll do it tomorrow; Friday, I’ll do it tomorrow. But with [GF9], I was wanting to get back in the gym. And then when you’re starting to see muscles you haven’t seen in 15-20 years, that really gives you a boost. Like I really have a nice-looking chest now, so I can wear tight shirts again, but don’t tell anybody.

What advice would you give to other guys out there in their 40s or beyond and now find themselves a bit out of shape?

Your body is a temple and we have to keep it in shape. I know how it is, us men who are 45 and older and used to be great athletes, but now we work, have kids, get home at five or six and bedtime is at nine. We don’t really have a lot of time to ourselves. We just want to sit down, watch TV, rest and relax and go to sleep. But if you can find an hour a day to get in the gym and get back in shape, it’ll help you feel better, look better and do more things during the day.

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