Sincere is the owner and coach of New Warrior Fitness Training & Htown Kettlebells, based in Houston, TX.

Sincere is a certified Kettlebell Lifting Coach via the American Kettlebell Club (AKC), instructed by world champion kettlebell world record holder and AKC head coach, Valery Fedorenko, and a Certified Kettlebell Trainer via the International Kettlebell & Fitness Federation (IKFF), trained under the guidance of Steve Cotter.

Sincere has held and currently holds certifications as a certified fitness trainer, Sports Nutrition, Fitness Phone Coaching , as well as certificates in Functional Training, and Functional Anatomy.

Hogan’s fitness lifestyle programs are available for MMA training & conditioning, fat loss, health & fitness, healthy eating, wellness, & fat loss seminars, workshops, bootcamps, & motivational speaking, phone coaching, as well as online training.

Sincere is the former featured trainer on Houston’s Fox 26 Morning News’ “Workout Wednesdays.” He was also featured as the exclusive trainer for Clear Channel Radio’s Arrow 93.7’s “World’s Biggest Loser” contest.

Sincere’s fitness articles have been featured in nationally published magazines such as Family Energy, Family Digest, and various health & fitness sites on the web, as well as being featured on more than one occasion on Houston’s KTSU FM, and in Health & Fitness Sports Magazine.

How did you get into training on a personal level and then make the jump into training others?

I was active in sports, throughout my teens, despite growing up with severe asthma and bouts of bronchitis, during early childhood. As a
a matter of fact, when I was 4, I suffered an extremely bad combined case of asthma and bronchitis. This particular attack was so bad,
that I almost did not survive in time to make it to the hospital.

Upon entering Junior High, I had the opportunity to participate in football and other organized sports. However, concerned
about my health, my parents were against it. Now, for those that don’t know, I was born and raised in Texas. Football is life in
Texas. It’s in a Texan’s DNA. So, it took a lot of campaigning on my part, to convince my parents to let me play. Once, I began to play,
I was introduced to olympic lifting, the bench press, squats, deadlifts, and various overhead pressing movements, which were the foundation of our training.

Going from a 145 skinny kid, my junior year, to 165 pounds, including around 15 pounds of solid muscle by graduation, I was hooked on
this style of training. However, years after graduation, a new marriage, a new baby, bad eating habits, and all the excesses of being
a radio and club DJ took a toll on my body. It was on my 31st birthday, that I saw, in the mirror, what I’d become. I didn’t like what I saw, so I did something about it. I changed my eating habits, left the music industry completely, picked up every training magazine I could find, and dug up
some old high school football training programs.

My friends, who were heading down the same road, began to see the positive changes I showed physically and mentally, and sought advice
from me. Once they began to see positive changes, most suggested I should make this lifestyle my new career. I truly love helping
others realize the resources they need for the positive changes they desire, have been with them all along. Plus, I feel the things I could
show people that would improve their health, would last them a lifetime, compared to spinning music that made them feel good for a few hours on the dance floor.

Please provide a brief summary of your training philosophy?

I’ve been told by quite a few of my colleagues that I have a “Bruce Lee” type approach to training. In other words, I tend to study and apply what is useful, and cast out what is not. I would have to agree with that comparison. There is a lot of information, in terms of health and fitness. Unfortunately, there is even more misinformation, as well. At the end of the day, you have to take the time to ask yourself a few questions, such as: “Just how will this system, exercise, equipment, or diet truly benefit me or my client?”

I think the key to any training philosophy is to ask “Who is this for?” Find the answer and then personalize it. The only way to answer that is to really know who you are, as a coach or trainee. If you don’t know who you are and what’s most important to you and what you want to be known for as a coach, then you will fall for just about every fitness gimmick or untested system that comes out. Therefore, you pass along the disease of misinformation to your clients, or foolishly use it for yourself.

I’m amazed at how many “so-called” fitness professionals are quick to attribute every aspect of their personal coaching philosophy to one particular individual or organization, and never question, study, or personalize those said coaching philosophies.

When I hear some of these coaches and trainers speak about a particular training style they use for their clients or themselves, many begin quoting another coach or an organization’s mission statement, as if they are reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Well, I guess they are, once you think about it. However, the problem I have with such behavior, is it begins to “institutionalize” and turn the attributes of good health, strength, and a better quality of life into this religious or political clique, based on an “Our Way Is The Only Way” philosophy.

In my opinion, I feel most coaches or trainers who behave in such a manner, are too focused on belonging to something or someone, rather than aligning themselves with those more credible and working together on creating sensible solutions needed to help disseminate quality information to those wanting to live healthier lives.

Bad health, malnutrition, obesity, and the like, are constantly evolving. In order for health and fitness pros to be able to truly assist others in reaching and living their fullest potential, we have to constantly evolve, stay on top of the latest health trends and research, seek credible resources, and most
importantly, always ask “the right” questions.

I owe it to those who look to me to give them the best information and resources, that can help them. Thus, I do my due diligence and continue to align myself with like-minded fitness professionals, andn most importantly, continue to invest in my own education, because we should never stop learning. That is how we grow. If you are not evolving, your declining.


What are some of the common mistakes you see people make with training and nutrition?

Some of the most common mistakes I encounter is too many people either want a quick fix, want you to tell them what they want, instead of what they need, or they are just overwhelmed with generalized info, and have no clue where to begin on an personal basis. There are so many hidden agendas behind most of the fitness and diet advice distributed these days, that a lot of just say, “Forget it!” I’m sure they feel it’s a lot easier to
continue eating unhealthy foods, and not worry about if they should train in a gym, train outside, train with a barbell, kettlebell, sprint, or run a few miles each day. It’s less confusing to pick up the phone and order take out or watch 5-6 hours of reality TV at night.

In regards to the “quick-fix” seekers, I always ask them, how long have you been overweight, out of shape, or not loving the life they are living. If the answer is more than a week or two, how do you expect years of unhealthy living to be completely erased in a 4, 8, or 12 week diet or fitness program. When asked how can one get rid of fat and keep it off, my answer is always simple: “Make the decision to consistently do the opposite of all those unhealthy choices you have consistently made throughout your life.

I think people don’t realize how great they are at being unhealthy and unhappy. Most work hard at living, or should I say…dying, this way each day. Each day, they have a set routine for living a life of mediocrity. Thus, what makes them think living a life full of health and potential does not require the same intent and resolve.

The key to this, in my opinion, is simplicity. Stop over-thinking how you should eat or be active. Stop sitting their wondering if you should go join a gym vs. joining an outdoor bootcamp. Just get up and move, move often, break a sweat, get your heart rate up, write down what you did, have fun, improve a little each time and stop making being active a chore, and repeat.

In terms of food, I have to agree with “The Omnivores Dilemma” and “Food Rules” author, Michael Pollan. Pollan is known
for simply stating, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” The only thing is, we have to relearn what “food” really and truly
is. I highly suggest that your readers pick up and read Pollen’s “Food Rules.” It pretty much doesn’t get any simpler than this book, in terms of getting on the road to eating healthy.

However, I’d like to add that one should eat according to what compliments their activity level. Thus, if you work 8-10 hours, and you spend most of the day sitting in front a computer, it doesn’t make sense to eat every 2-3 hours. If you are…you’re overeating…if you’re overeating…you’re most like overweight. By the way, this is not just limited to the general public. Fitness professionals have a lot to learn, in terms of their own nutrition. In such cases, we often have the blind leading the blind.

Can you provide an example of one of your bootcamp workouts?

Sure. I generally focus on getting the typical nine-to-fiver (and sometimes six) to understand what the exercises are, why they are important,
how they can be done just about anywhere, and most of all, show them the true “art” of moving. We focus on having fun, but challenging ourselves in the process. The first thing I tell any new client, is to unlearn everything they’ve been told or read, and to be aware that I don’t run a bootcamp. I’m not there to yell at them, belittle them, or pretend they are on their way to the Middle East, preparing for fight insurgents. If they want that, they should see their local recruiter.

I only train with people who want to be in my class, and who have made the decision to live better than they have been. A typical class day could see a mix of various full body, bodyweight movements, some which are based on animal movements, various martial arts-inspired movements, calisthenics, plyometrics, crawling, sprinting, jumping, climbing, turning, pushing, pressing, throwing, and hopping movements. We also mix in the use of other implements such as medicine balls, kettlebells, dumb bells, battling ropes, resistance tubing, sandbags, tires, and we’ve been known to bust out a “Collision Course Workshop-inspired “towel dance,” every now and then. However, we focus a lot on bodyweight movement, because it is the foundation of all physical activity. Once they learn how to utilize their body, and learn how it should move, in order to prevent injury, then they
can begin to incorporate other implements.

My advanced class is Monday through Friday. So, I have to keep in mind, when programming workouts, that there are some who will come 4-5
times per week. Therefore, I have to be sure not to over train them. A lot of my workouts are not set in stone, as you have to read the overall
mood of the class, in order to keep everyone in the game. However, a typical week will see Monday & Friday as strength days, Tuesday
& Thursday as power and/or endurance days, and Wednesday is more of an active recovery day. Each class begins with about 10 minutes of dynamic warm up. However, some of my clients would argue the warm up is a mini workout. We always end with 10 minutes of recovery,
which could include yoga-inspired movement, qi gong, stretching, and relaxation exercises. My daily goal is to only spend about 20-30 minutes performing our actual workout.

However, we finish each class with enough time to focus on recovery. I always want my clients to leave with about 25% left in their gas tank. Beating and wearing clients down, or taking pride in making them throw up on a daily basis, is not an ideal environment for coach, whose goal is to help
the client be better, stronger, more confident, and full of life. Most clients take enough of a beating from their life outside of your training facility. Don’t expect your business, or influence to grow, if you get off to making people feel weak, inferior, and beat up. Why not become a CEO,
politician, or a dominatrix, if that’s your mission in life.

Here’s a sample day of programming for my advanced class:

“Anatomy Of A Burpee”

Be sure to spend 10 min. warming up, before the workout, and
10-15 minutes cooling down, after the workout.

Perform each exercise for 1 min., without rest. Once you complete
each set of exercises, rest for 1 min. Perform 5 rounds. Once you
complete all 5 rounds, rest for 2 min, and finish with the bonus
exercise.

1. Frog Stance Drop & Push

(This is the beginning/drop down portion of a burpee, where you drop to you hands. However, in this case, you repeatedly drop to your hands, and immediate push yourself back to the standing position. This really works the abs!)

2. Mt. Jumpers

(While squatting on all fours, your shoulders are over your hands, both knees are under your chest. Press down into the heel of your hands, while thrusting both feet simultaneously behind you, in the push up position. Return both feet to the starting position, and continue to jump back and forth.)

3. Push Ups

4. Mt. Jumpers

5. Ground-to-Sky Squats

(Squat down and touch the ground as if you are picking up a basketball, between your feet, While squatting, jump straight up in the air, as if you’re shooting a jump shot. Land softly on the balls of your feet and rest on heels, as you push your hips back. Repeat.

Bonus: Burpee x 3 minutes

(The folks in this class have worked their way up to this level, and also know how to be efficient with their movement, in order to complete all 3 minutes)

You decided to become a vegetarian a while back. What prompted you to make this decision?

For years, I would fast from eating meat, or go vegetarian off and on, especially while attending college. However, in the past few years, I’ve really begun to read more about food, how it’s grown, marketed, designed, and how it affects our bodies. The more I learned, the more it made becoming a vegetarian not just something I wanted to do, but something I had to do…for me.

I’ve learned a lot, in the past few years from well-informed resources such as yourself, Jon Hinds, David Wolfe, and quite a few others. I slowly weaned my self off of the types of meat I consumed, about a year ago, and just took my time and enjoyed the process. I still enjoy it!

It’s fascinating seeing how subtle changes in the way you eat, can affect the way you sleep, move, breath, get rid of allergies, and more. When you focus more on living foods, and a plant-based diet, you truly start to be more “present” when it comes to what you put in your body, even if it
isn’t always the best. At least you know, you may not be making the best choice, at that moment, and not just feel like eating food that is not necessarily the best for you, is “normal.”

What I truly love, is the fact that I continue to learn more about healthy eating, and what works or does not work for me. Most people I encounter, question how I can keep my muscle without animal protein, or ask if I miss meat, as if I no longer have any food choices. The funny thing is, when I became vegetarian, I found I had even more more food choices, than I ever did before.

I grew up in East Texas, and my grandparents always had a garden. Therefore, I grew up with an appreciation for fresh fruits and vegetables.
I tell those who question if I miss meat, to stop and think about something. How much would they miss meat if you could never season it,
marinate it, fry it, bake, etc. Yes, you can prepare plant-based foods in the same manner. However, could you really enjoy meat raw, or unprepared, as you could with plant-based foods? Thus, I simply point out the fact that it is not the actual meat itself that would be missed,
but it’s how meat is usually prepared, which is usually not the healthiest choice.

At the end of the day, it is a choice I made that works for me. My reality is my reality, and vice versa. Therefore, I do not judge those
that eat meat. It’s their choice. I just hope they go for the healthier choice of grass fed, or cage free organic, just as I hope vegetarians and vegans go for more organic choices, as possible.

It’s funny, because so many people fell like they offend me, if they eat meat in my presence. However, I don’t get defensive about being a
vegetarian. It’s who I choose to be. In knowing that, and knowing who I am and why I make my choices, I therefore, have nothing to defend. It’s all
good!

Thanks a lot for doing the interview Sincere. For more great training information, check out Sincere’s website at http://newwarriortraining.com/