Welcome to 1-3-1 Fridays, my weekly newsletter, where I reveal evidence-based strategies to get lean, strong, and create optimal health.

You'll receive one personal health insight, three actionable tips, and one concrete action step. Let's dive in.

Here's what's new this week:

•  ​Welcome to the Vegan Body Lab!​ (Podcast)

After months of planning and 2 months of dedicated work, we're finally at the launch.

"This podcast is for anyone ready to use plants to build a leaner, stronger body—without falling into the traps of modern 'health' culture. In a world that values productivity over well-being, you’ll learn how to simplify nutrition, train smarter, and apply evidence-based strategies to create lasting strength and longevity. Filled with frameworks, stories, and real-world experiments, The Vegan Body Lab is your go-to resource for mastering plant-fueled performance—using both science and unconventional methods to elevate your health and body. Together with his guests, Gabriel Zhanay, certified trainer and health coach, explores the intersection of Eastern philosophy and modern fitness—helping you integrate exercise, nutrition, psychology, health, and recovery into one unified approach. The Lab is where plant-based leaders and aspiring vegan athletes experiment, evolve, and embody what true health looks like. Your body is the experiment. Your health is the result."

Finished writing the podcast description above last week. It wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be.

Enjoy listening and fire over your feedback.

Would love to hear.

(you can also listen on ​Apple​ or ​Spotify​).

What's in store for today:

• Why this food can reduce cellular ageing and improve biological biomarkers almost immediately.
• A simple way to build muscle without spending hours in the gym.
• My morning routine and how to create a peaceful, calm life using this 3-part framework. 

The most important part of fitness?

I've given this a lot of thought over the years.

Character traits such as dedication, persistence, and focus are important.

However, the blue zones thrive for two main reasons:

• A whole foods diet (usually high in plants)
• A connection to their community

Aside from plants, community is a huge reason why people start fitness and stay fit.

Having some connection to others on a similar path is what will keep you going in the long term.

However, this doesn't diminish the value of solitude. I think time alone is just as important, especially for those who are introspective.

Community doesn't need to be big. It could only be 2 or 3 people.

But it does need to be the right people around you.

For example, I've recently taken a leadership role here in Greenville.

I've been playing soccer twice a week with the local pickup groups for the past year.

But I've had a desire to play more in a league format.

I've played consistently for the past year. Now, I'm friends with the local guys who are at my level.

So it was easy to create a small group of us, which we'll now submit as a formal league team together.

Like attracts like.

In September, we launched our High Performance Vegan 30 Day Challenge. We gathered a strong group of driven individuals. They were eager to achieve a lean and strong physique through a plant-based approach.

This will likely happen again in our next challenge on January 5th. We’ll also make some nice upgrades by then.

Either way, community makes a difference.

One reason our 30-day challenge was successful and got great reviews is our strong community connection.

Our group thread, weekly mindset classes, and challenge leaderboard kept everyone engaged.

Engagement is exactly what you want with your fitness.

You want to be engaged with what you're doing. Thinking about it. Focused on it.

That's how you move forward month after month.

So find a community. Create a community. Be part of a community.

The better your community, the better your results.

Lesson: Your results are always the sum result of the five people closest to you.

Here's Your 1-3-1 Friday:

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1.) Eat this to age slower

Sprouts are becoming increasingly well-known each year.

However, the Chinese have been eating them for well over 5,000 years.

So they aren't really a 'new' health food. They're just becoming more popular.

What's interesting about sprouts is the numerous health benefits they offer.

Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, contain a compound called sulforaphane. This may slow the aging process and help reduce inflammation.

Setting up our sprouting jars. :)

Sprouts are young germinated plants. They can have up to 100 times more nutrition than fully mature plants, like broccoli.

So, sprouts can be a powerhouse for your health.

I've been using them this year, but especially so over the past few months.

We've taken our sprouting game to the next level. While in Poland, we bought four new sprouting jars. We now have a total of five jars to use at once.

Sprouts take 3-5 days to 'sprout'. While they're growing up, we'll rinse them twice a day to ensure they're growing well.

Other than that, there's not much else you'll need to do.

Once ready, you can serve them with your salads, smoothies (you read that right), and other meals.

I’ve fallen more in love with this food every day. Recent health tests suggest it might be why I’m feeling better daily.

They're worth the extra time. Once you set up a good system, caring for them takes less time.

I’ve reached a point where I see food as medicine. I want our kitchen stocked with the best medicinal foods. I haven’t seen a doctor in years and don’t plan to for health issues.

So if you want to use sprouts:

• Choose a variety of sprouts to work with (we like broccoli, radish, and lentil sprouts)
• Create your sprouting environment with jars and space
• Water and rinse them 2x daily until ready to eat (3-5 days)
• Serve them with your meals and keep them in the fridge in tightly sealed containers

Sprouts might be the most nutritious food on the planet. As science continues to evolve, research will finally catch up with what the Chinese have intuitively known for 5 millennia.

Humans can be slow.

2.) Build muscle with volume

Volume is the amount of work you do in either one session or a week.

There are many definitions of volume. Here, I’ll focus on the volume that helps build muscle, like the next pound of vegan muscle.

Volume refers to the number of sets and repetitions you perform for each muscle group. To change your body, you need to put in effort.

So, how much work is necessary?

How much work do you need to do to consistently and sustainably see meaningful changes in your body?

8-12 reps have been studied for decades. This range is proven to be ideal for building muscle.

However, there's also a hybrid way of training that allows you to build strength and muscle, too.

Using the 1-5 rep range is great for building strength. Being stronger helps you build more muscle.

Also, having more muscle makes you stronger.

So, these attributes work together in your muscle-building efforts.

A smart fitness programmer combines these elements into a training plan. This way, you can enjoy the benefits of both.

Research suggests you need 10-20 sets per muscle group for lasting muscle growth.

With that said, you don't need to get 20 sets for every muscle group (or even 10) to see progress.

The 10-20 sets per muscle group is a good rule for your weekly volume. This means the total sets you do for each muscle group.

It doesn’t count sets that work muscles indirectly. A dumbbell bench press primarily targets your chest (pectoralis) and also works your triceps.

You can plan your workouts to include at least 10 sets for each muscle group.

This can be done by targeting different muscle groups within the same exercise.

Smaller muscle groups need fewer sets.

If you're untrained, you can build muscle more easily with less work.

As you train more over the months and years, stick closer to the 10-20 sets per muscle group rule.

Most clients I work with are beginners or haven't lifted in years.

So, their first year of training usually doesn't need these notes.

For serious lifters with over a year of training, this topic matters more.

Start with your current and keep building on it each year.

Consistency > perfection.

3.) My morning routine

Every morning, I start my day off nearly the same. After doing my business in the bathroom, I go to my office and sit in the corner of the room.

Here's what I do:

1. Sit on a meditation cushion and follow my breath (no audio)
2. Visualize my outcomes
3. Practice Qi Gong

Here's why I do this:

1. Silent meditation (zazen) allows me to examine my mind. The unexamined mind leads to addictions and neurosis. The mind will not drive my life forward because you aren't your mind (thoughts). You're the observer who can witness your thoughts.
2. Visualization creates faster and easier results. The mind doesn't know the difference between what's real or imagined. Quantum physics shows that when we observe reality, we change it. It makes sense to take ownership of the reality creation process.
3. Qi Gong is a relatively new one for me (2 years-ish). It’s a great way to reconnect with your Center, a spot just below your navel. This helps you focus your energy.

*I noted that my meditation doesn't include audio. These days, many people favor guided meditation tracks. That isn’t true meditation. Adding distractions to your mind stops self-examination.

However, guided audios helped me start formal meditation 8 years ago. They can be a great starting point.

How I scale or adjust during busy mornings (as a dad and husband) - which is nearly every morning.

When I'm pressed for time in the morning, I do each practice for 1-2 minutes. That totals 3-5 minutes.

On mornings when I have more time, I spend:

• 5-10 minutes meditating (zazen)
• 3-5 minutes visualizing
• 5-10 minutes doing Qi Gong.

It’s not perfect. Practices like zazen and Qi Gong often work better with more time. They help transform the psyche and internal structures over longer periods, like 15-30 minutes daily.

Still, it does work.

I've also added a quick Qi Gong session in the evenings after our son sleeps. This gives me a chance to deepen my internal practice when my day is less busy.

But my mornings have become streamlined at this point.

This will likely change as fatherhood evolves, as well as in other areas of life.

But the one thing that won't change is my consistency with these morning practices.

They've changed my life and who I am as a person.

Try it out sometime and see if it helps.

1 Action Step

What's one milestone you want to hit before next year? Write it down on a goal card and review it 2x daily.

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Client of the Week

If the 50s are downhill, then the 60s must be even faster.

Meet Vicki. Mom of 2.

Corporate leader. Launched her own business. She loves tackling new projects and leading by example.

She had also long put her health on the back burner and herself at the bottom of her priority list.

At a young 63 years old, she didn't want this to continue.

So she applied for a spot inside VFR, and we got to work.

One of the biggest challenges for Vicki was her jam-packed meeting schedule and trips around the country.

She time-blocked everything in life but hadn't applied this to her health.

She struggled to create a routine that fit her busy schedule.

She wanted it to be effective and provide lasting results.

She felt tired, overweight, and unhappy with her self-image.

She wanted to learn how to use plants in her meals.

She also wanted to feel sure about her plant protein options when eating out.

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: We started with a moderate caloric deficit, which resulted in 1 - 1.5 pounds of fat loss per week.

We designed a simple strength plan for 30-minute workouts. This fits Vicki's busy life. We also taught her to use big compound lifts.

These lifts help her maximize her time in the gym.

One minute of deep breathing helped her release stress.

She learned to feel healthy and positive instead of anxious all day.

We set her goal at over 7,000 steps each day and simultaneously worked on meal prep systems.

This way, she could quickly prepare her food each week, even when traveling.

𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀: She's lost 30 pounds and 6 inches from her waist. Her body fat has dropped significantly, and she's tripled her strength in her lifts.

She’s confident in a bikini again.

She's focused on creating a strong, lean body to enhance her career and family life for many years to come.

She's an example of what happens when you make a decision.

She decided to create her best health and self, and she's on a mission to make this a lifelong goal.

Another notable achievement is that, after nearly a year of working together, Vicki will have lost almost 35 pounds and reached her ideal goal weight of 135 lbs for the first time in over a decade (if not more).

She’s stretched herself more than she ever would have by herself (her words).

And she has also become a leader within our VFR Community, recently winning first place in our 30-day challenge in September.

Vicki is a leader… but she wasn’t always this way in her health.

You can become this, too.

Whether you have a busy career and a family with 1-3 kids, it isn’t an excuse. They are opportunities to lead by example. If you use and see them this way.

Taking full ownership of your health isn't easy.

But it's certainly straightforward.

You either commit to your health and life—or you don't.

It doesn't mean you need to be perfect, but the willingness to engage with your choices rather than let unconscious habits rule your life is a decision.

That decision can happen in a split second.

You can do this too.

One Quote To Finish Your Week Strong

Starting our annual Beat the Clock Special to get an extra 4-6 weeks of free coaching before 2026.

Plus, you can lock in 2025 tuition before 2026 upgrades in a few weeks.

It's one of our most popular specials each year.

If you've been waiting for the right opportunity to get lean, strong, and healthy in minimal time, this is your chance.

7 spots open up for our Beat the Clock BF Special on Tuesday.

As promised, get leaner on plants in under 5 minutes.

Till next week,

Whenever you're ready, there's 3 ways I can help you:

1. Connect with me on ​Facebook ​and ​Instagram ​and let's be friends.
2.  ​Join our free Facebook Group​. Get free trainings on how to get lean and strong with plants.
3. Want to drop body fat and build lean muscle in a fraction of the time with ease? ​Apply for Accelerator 1:1 coaching.​ 

References

• Santín-Márquez, R., Alarcón-Aguilar, A., López-Diazguerrero, N. E., Chondrogianni, N., & Königsberg, M. (2019). Sulforaphane - role in aging and neurodegeneration. GeroScience, 41(5), 655. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-019-00061-7