Not Your Average Joe

Mike O’Hearn. Greg Plitt. Joe Donnelly. Everyone else. In an age of technology where anyone with an iPhone 4 (or higher) and knowledge of hashtags can become “Instafamous,” it takes a certain kind of person to stand out. In the fitness industry, as in life, the cream rises to the top. While everyone may have Instagram and Facebook, not everyone has ambition, drive, class, an MBA from Syracuse University, and five (now six) covers to their name. Joe Donnelly is one of those standout athletes/cover models/entrepreneurs. His diversified portfolio and resume are as deep as his abs. I got to chat with him to find out what makes him tick, and why no matter what direction the fitness industry goes in, or how many flash-in-the-pan fitness models arise, Joe Donnelly will still be on top.

You’re a former college (Syracuse) and pro football (Falcons and Bills) player turned fitness model. How did you reconcile making the switch from pro sports to modeling? Did you get any backlash from it? Do you regret your decision?

I try not to use the term “fitness model” whenever possible. The term “model” has a lot of shallow and superficial connotations. I am not a selfie or glamour photo shoot guy. In fact if I could do what I do and never have to take another photograph, I would be happy. I have never been and will never be concerned about the opinions of others. I make strategic moves in my life; 90 percent of the time they are business driven.

The support from guys I played with and against over the years has been overwhelmingly positive. I believe that is in large part because the person you see in videos, magazines, and social media is true to who I was as an athlete and teammate. I am boldly direct, intense, aggressive, sometimes over the top, and in the end, a leader. Whether it is a leader on a team, or a leader using my platform to drive home inspiration and motivation to those I can reach, the point of the message has always been the same: to bring out the very best in those around me. To push you beyond your limits mentally and physically in order to create a clean slate upon which you can build the foundation that will allow you to create your true self.

The switch to fitness modeling is definitely agreeing with you. You’ve been on countless covers, and you have an insane social media following. How do you stay shoot-ready, year-round?

My life is intense and packed end to end. Would you be surprised if I told you I own or am part owner of five companies, with offices in four different states? By the time this article makes newsstands, I will have finalized a deal buying into another enterprise, and most likely have launched another! The point is that free time is a luxury that is rare. Without free time, one cannot become content, complacent, or lazy. Thus, I train like I work, which is all-out, every day of the year, until I have nothing left. My year-round conditioning is nothing more than a by-product of my relentless efforts. I don’t have time to prep food or go to the gym for extra cardio sessions. I give myself a 75- to 80-minute window to train each day, and nothing more. My time is far more valuably spent on less self-serving matters. Hell, I don’t even eat solid foods during the workday! I make 1,400- to 1,500-calorie shakes four times a day to get the calories I need. They take 20 seconds to prep, 10 to consume, and 20 to clean up. Being successful in life is as much about time efficiency as it is about hard work.

You changed your protocols about three years ago from doing an hour of cardio a day and staying under 3,000 calories, to significantly less cardio, and almost double the calories. What happened in that time period?

Ah, my compliments, you have done your research. I realized very quickly that training and eating like all these other fitness industry people was idiotic. I am an athlete. I have trained my whole life like an athlete, and fueled myself accordingly. So I stopped listening to the feebleminded people telling me not to train as hard, to cut carbs, and to do fasted cardio. I started to research and subsequently buy into the science behind reverse dieting and flexible dieting thanks to industry leader/my friend Dr. Layne Norton. I built a training and nutritional protocol to support a metabolic building phase, which has been vital to sustaining the physique, and lifestyle I maintain today. Three years ago, my concern was about gaining body fat if I missed a cardio session or ate some pizza. Today, I have to be extremely conscious to consume no less than 7,200 calories to maintain my current body weight (251 pounds). If I feel under the weather for a day or two, and only get in 4 or 5,000 calories, I can drop six to eight pounds.

When it comes to training, are you a high-volume or high-frequency type of guy?

Both! I hit every body part no less than twice a week. I squat three or four times and hit back in some aspect three times a week. For example, I will do one high-volume chest workout, which could be 45 to 55 sets in a timed 65 to 70 minutes. My next chest workout could be as little as 25 to 35 sets but implementing chains/ heavy-duty resistance bands to facilitate progressive tension overload that one cannot achieve solely with free weights.

Lighting round! Favourite exercise for:

Abs: Reverse crunches hanging from chin-up bar.
Chest: The low inclined bench dumbbell press with heavy-duty Freetoo resistance band, which puts the tension at the top of the rep at 190+ plus pounds.
Arms: (Biceps) Spider curls using EZ-curl bar and resistance band attached to the bottom of the bench, and blood flow restriction bands secured just above each bicep. (Triceps) Bodyweight skullcrushers with feet lifted on a bench behind my hands.
Shoulders: TRX rear delt flies or handstand push-ups.
Legs: Squats, squats and more squats.
Back: Heavy barbell bent-over rows.

You train both men and women, but you adamantly advertise, “female-specific training.” Do you believe that guys and girls need to be trained differently?

Yes, women actually do far better with heavier weights and lower rep schemes than men. Men build more optimally in the 12- to 15-rep range. Women have been misled into thinking that they should train in high rep ranges to “tone” their muscles. News flash: You cannot tone a muscle. A muscle either shrinks or it grows; your “tone” depends on your body fat percentage.

Let’s talk money for a minute. You have your MBA from Syracuse University, and you have a monthly membership site that boasts over 20,000 members. That’s not a coincidence. When did you realize you could turn what you do into this kind of lucrative business?

I saw social media a few years ago being the wave of the future with regard to free advertising. As a hobby, I started building my fitness website long before I was ever on the cover of a magazine, and long before I even had the notion of working in the fitness industry. Then, in a two-week period, I was on the cover of two of the biggest print magazines at that time. From there, things exploded and my “hobby” quickly became an enterprise growing at a phenomenal rate.

The slogan for your clothing line is “Redefine Your Limits.” What does that phrase mean to you?

It means that many of us live day to day in our comfort zones, handcuffed by a life fueled by insecurities and self-doubt. We are imprisoned by the fears we never had the courage to face and conquer. Fear is like a small fire, and time is like dry wood. If you turn your back on fear and let it fester, with time, that fire will grow into an inferno, and before long that fear will blaze with such an intense burning rage, it will be uncontrollable. Dominate your fears in order to truly free your mind from within itself in order to live a life worth remembering, rather than simply dying a slow, comfortable, and forgetful death.

When did you decide to really make social media an integral part of your brand?

I’m not sure I have even completely bought in as of yet. While many are focused on growing their following, I’m only concerned with providing value to my followers. Social media can be extremely time-consuming, especially since I make a conscious effort to reply to all the good questions I see in each post, which often keeps me up until 1 or 2 a.m. each night. I try to only make posts that benefit my followers with insight and motivation, or simply add humour to their day.

Did you know you were going to be as big as you are when you first started in the industry? Is all of this just a dream coming to life, or did you plan this?

Oh, this was never a dream of mine, and most everything has been strategic and calculated. I have played in front of 105,000 people. I have beaten Michael Vick in double overtime on fourth and goal with a touchdown catch. I have created memories in my time as a football player that one could never dream of. I have been extremely fortunate, but I am also fully aware it was the foundation of a ridiculous work ethic and relentless pursuit of greatness that afforded me those opportunities. So any perceived success I have within the fitness industry I take with the utmost humility and simultaneously dismiss all compliments.

Whether it’s one follower or one million, one cover or 50, $10 or $10 million, I refuse to let any form of ego alter my views of my current state. The minute you allow yourself to accept the notion you are successful, that fire that drove you to this point starts to burn less and less hot. You become content and complacent, and before you know it, everyone else has caught up to you. So as sick as it sounds, I like to constantly remind myself that I am a failure to this point, that I have so much more to accomplish. I attack each day with a relentless fervor in order to prove to myself that I am deserving of my place in this world. My endeavors in the fitness industry are still a “hobby” at this point no matter how many view it as “success,” as my other larger business ventures are far more important. They keep me grounded and humble. There is no time to relish in arbitrary successes, living in the accomplishments of yesterday, rather than focused on the triumphs of tomorrow.

On a slightly more personal and controversial level, how do you defend, or at least deal with the “Natty or Not” crowd?

Oh that’s easy. Anyone who knew me as a teenager or has seen a picture of me at 15 will simply say I have been a genetic freak my whole life. Combine that with the often borderline psychotic work ethic, and the product is not surprising. I was 6'2" and a shredded 215 pounds at 15 years old. My older brother, who was an All-State football linebacker, was both bigger and stronger than me. He attended West Point and then became an Army Ranger. Superior mental and physical strength is entrenched in my genetics.

What haven’t you accomplished yet? What’s still on Joe Donnelly’s bucket list?

Ah, that is the $260-million-dollar question. Well, I’m not one to forecast future accomplishments or vocalize goals or expectations. However, I can say that what lies on the horizon, when these things come to fruition, will make my life’s resume to this point seem completely meaningless and inconsequential.