Is there a connection between inner development and physical training? Leading strength and fitness expert Shawn Phillips says there is. And his new book, Strength for Life, lays out an integral approach to training both the mind and the body that he believes can lead not only to perpetually vibrant health but also to a more awakened orientation toward all of life.
In this interview with EnlightenNext magazine’s Ross Robertson, Phillips outlines the sophisticated approach to inner and outer vitality that he’s developed over decades as a competitive bodybuilder, spiritual practitioner, and student of integral theory. One of the consistent themes throughout the book is an emphasis on bringing more consciousness to all aspects of our physicality, from nutrition to exercise. Phillips describes his innovative method of “focused intensity training,” which applies the mind-body insights of ancient traditions like yoga and the martial arts to more modern exercise regimes like strength and cardiovascular training. Finally, Phillips reveals what he believes is the most important secret to lifelong strength and ongoing physical transformation—turning one's practice into the fuel for a life lived in service to humanity.
BIO
Fitness expert, business leader, innovator, and author Shawn Phillips has been helping athletes, celebrities, and tens of thousands of others achieve strong, healthy bodies for over two decades.
He began sharing his expertise on training, nutrition, and supplementation by helping his brother, Bill Phillips (author of the number-one New York Times bestseller Body for Life), write articles and develop programs that were featured in Bill's Muscle Media magazine.
Shawn has appeared on numerous magazine covers, and photos of his physique have been featured in over one hundred magazine articles over the past ten years. A widely published author on the topics of training, nutrition, and the performance mindset, his most recent book, ABSolution: The Practical Solution for Building Your Best Abs, was an instant health and fitness classic and number-one bestseller.
While best known to many for his signature “six-pack abs,” Shawn is better known by his family, close friends, and coworkers as a focused, hardworking, soft-spoken man with a kind heart and an intense passion for helping people achieve their life visions. Shawn lives in the foothills of Colorado with his wife Angie and their son Nathaniel.
Shawn is currently focused on helping people reach their full potential through a more integral version of physical training. He is also a founding member and supporter of The Great American Transformation, a nonprofit organization committed to transforming health and fitness levels in the United States from “worst to first by the year 2012.”
