Sevan Matossian (00:00):
Bam, bam. We’re live. I take a hundred, I take a hundred percent responsibility for the naming of the show, even though I didn’t name it. And I could give for shits. I could give two shits if you’re nadie or not. But I also You are nadie. I just saw the title.
Tanner Shuck (00:14):
Yeah. I just,
Sevan Matossian (00:15):
Someone on my team named it. I’m like, wait, what? <laugh>? Yeah.
Tanner Shuck (00:18):
No, that’s, uh, that’s, I laughed what I saw. I, I, I
Sevan Matossian (00:22):
Laughed. I, I, uh, someone on my team is, um, is, is a better marketer than I am. I guess.
Tanner Shuck (00:28):
That’s all right, man.
Sevan Matossian (00:29):
That’s good. But, but I do believe you are, if someone had to ask me, um, to bet two inches of my penis, whether you were naty or not, I would go with, uh, Natty.
Tanner Shuck (00:37):
All right. Well, I guarantee you still have that two inches after that. Thank
Sevan Matossian (00:40):
You. You know why, you know why I think you are, um, Nady, just from the aesthetic point of view, is always those guys who start doing, um, steroids, I feel like they start getting these trippy capsules on their shoulder. Not trippy. They’re cool
Tanner Shuck (00:53):
Looking delts. Yeah. Just really, yeah. Really pronounced deltoids. I know.
Sevan Matossian (00:56):
That’s what, these are, these things on the,
Tanner Shuck (00:58):
That’s correct.
Sevan Matossian (00:59):
Yeah. And I always had nice shoulders, but mine never did that thing where it looks like I’m wearing shoulder
Tanner Shuck (01:05):
Pads. It’s, well, I mean, again, a lot of it’s genetic. Um, like me, I just, I’m not a guy that’s ever had big Dels. Like, that’s not a strong body part for me. But I mean, if you looked at me, I’ve looked the same way for probably the past 10 or 15 years. I’ve always, you know, been around 201, I fluctuated between 1 95 and 2 0 5 pounds. I’ve always been pretty lean, um, and in shape. But I’ve, I’ve always been training and I mean, the, the weights I lift are nothing, nothing incredible. So
Sevan Matossian (01:33):
They are incredible.
Tanner Shuck (01:34):
Uh, well, well, yeah, I would say that, man. But first off, I’d like to thank you for having me on your podcast, man. It’s an honor to be here, and I genuinely appreciate
Sevan Matossian (01:42):
It. Oh, brother, thanks for coming on. Thanks for coming on,
Tanner Shuck (01:45):
Dude.
Sevan Matossian (01:46):
I stumbled across your Instagram account and I was like, holy shit, this guy’s speaking my language.
Tanner Shuck (01:51):
It’s, well, man, I, uh, I appreciate that. I’ve, it’s been strange, like, just the past, I’d say like seven or eight days, uh, my Instagram growth has, has been, you know, incredible. So it’s like, I don’t know what happened if the algorithm changed or some, some people just finally caught on. But I’ve gained like, I don’t know, I wanna say 50 or 60,000 followers just in the past eight days.
Sevan Matossian (02:12):
No shit.
Tanner Shuck (02:14):
Yeah. Yeah. So I was at, I was at 35,000 I think, right around when you reached at me. And like, I’m, I’m getting close to 90 right now. So it’s, I don’t know, I don’t, honestly, I have no idea what, I haven’t changed anything I’ve been posting. I’ve been very consistent with, with posting on social media for a while. And I think maybe it, maybe I’m very fortunate. I just may have hit a tipping point. I’m not really sure.
Sevan Matossian (02:37):
Um, so, well, I’m glad I found you when I did, because ever since I, I, I lost my blue check mark account, and then my second account is so shadow banned. So once people get, I can’t get big people, it’s, it’s hard for me to get people who have huge followings anymore. Cause they can’t, I can’t get ’em in the dms. So I’m glad I got you. And now you’re fucked. Cause I have your phone number, so I can just text you. No,
Tanner Shuck (02:57):
That’s, dude. Well, honestly, when, when you reached out to me, I saw the message, I was like, Savon, matossian. I was like, holy shit. Thanks, Sean. I was, I was, I was amazed, man. Cause I’ve, and forgive me that I don’t know more about you, but I know you’re the man for CrossFit as far as, you know, all their media and things like that, and Yeah.
Sevan Matossian (03:15):
Well,
Tanner Shuck (03:16):
I’ve been doing CrossFit for over 10 years, so, you know, I’m like, I’m, I was well aware of who you were, and I was very pleasantly surprised that you reached out to me and would actually want to have me on your podcast. So, genuinely, it’s an
Sevan Matossian (03:28):
Honor. I didn’t even know until, uh, I listened to two, uh, two podcasts you did back to back. And, um, and last night I was listening to one after drinking a couple bottles of wine with some friends
Tanner Shuck (03:40):
Instagram reel,
Sevan Matossian (03:41):
And then I came
Tanner Shuck (03:42):
Back Hundred
Sevan Matossian (03:42):
Bies. Yeah. And I’m like, fuck, Tanner. All right, I’ll do it. And, uh, I’m, I’m pretty, usually pretty motivated. I usually, I can’t even remember the last time I didn’t work out, but, but it showed me by listening, you know, they say that you are the five people, um, you surround yourself by, and I Yeah, absolutely. I wholeheartedly believe that we’re all mirrors here mirroring each other.
Tanner Shuck (04:03):
I do as well.
Sevan Matossian (04:04):
And when I was listening to those podcasts back to back, I, and then I came inside. Yeah. You, you, uh, and I hate this word, but, um, you influenced me and I, and I just fucking just stopped everything I was doing and did a hundred buries and my family joined in, which
Tanner Shuck (04:19):
Was nuts. Yeah, no, I, I saw that, I saw that real when I was having breakfast this morning, and I shared it again on my story, and I was genuinely honored. And if I, I don’t, I’m not a fan of the word influence or influence or either, and like, but if, if I can have an influence on anyone just to live a happier and healthier life, then that, that’s very fulfilling to me. So, I’m, I’m happy to hear that.
Sevan Matossian (04:40):
And I didn’t even know you were a CrossFitter. I had no, I, when I invited you on, I had no, I had no idea. Wow.
Tanner Shuck (04:46):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, uh, man, I’ve been doing CrossFit hard for like, over 10 years. And I mean, honestly, I’ve had quite a bit of success with it, but no one really knows because I’ve had so many injuries. And so the last time,
Sevan Matossian (04:58):
1616 surgeries.
Tanner Shuck (05:01):
Yeah. Yeah. Legitimately 16 orthopedic surgeries. Uh, I spent over three years of my life in a wheelchair or on crutches. So, uh, I’ve, I’ve dealt with a fair amount of adversity in my life, you know, more than most people, but you know, far less than many.
Sevan Matossian (05:17):
Right, right. So yeah, that is a, that is a long time, especially since so many of us, um, working out is a way of life. Uh, I don’t, yes, I don’t have any mental health issues, but my cocaine is a hundred burpees, you know,
Tanner Shuck (05:35):
Man, no, mine as well. Like, I’ve, uh, I’ve said it numerous times, I am like addicted to exercise, you know, it’s, it’s, and it’s the best way to, uh, get, you know, your dopamine and, and, um, endorphins and all that. There’s numerous ways you can get it, but vigorous exercise is definitely the best way, the, the most healthy way
Sevan Matossian (05:57):
And kind and, and, um, and the easy road to mental clarity, because when I’m for
Tanner Shuck (06:02):
Sure
Sevan Matossian (06:03):
Those last 50 burpees, I’m not like thinking about that flat tire that’s on my car, or the fact that, did I pay my mortgage payment? I’m like, it’s, it’s all about, it’s all about just breathing. Absolutely. Kind of that free spiritual journey too.
Tanner Shuck (06:17):
Yes. I’ve, uh, discovered like I had my biggest moments of clarity, or, you know, I create a lot of my best content just off the cuff right after a workout or during a workout when I don’t know what it is, the chemical balance in my brain is on, but, uh, it’s like your brain’s firing on all cylinders, especially when you, you know, you get that endorphin and dopamine release. So I’m clearly definitely addicted to it.
Sevan Matossian (06:42):
Um, have you, what time is it where you’re at?
Tanner Shuck (06:44):
It’s, uh, 7:12 PM and I’m, I’m located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Sevan Matossian (06:49):
Okay. And, and you’ve worked out already today?
Tanner Shuck (06:52):
Uh, I have, yes.
Sevan Matossian (06:53):
B because when my pod, it’s 7:00 AM here, and when my podcasts aren’t at 7:00 AM if they’re at any other time, I always work out before the podcast. And usually it’s just 10 minutes on the assault bike and a hundred burpees or something. That’s amazing. Yeah. You know, just something, uh, simple. But I do it to, uh, to cheats to make sure I’m, uh, the most alert I can be when I go on the podcast. Podcast. Yes. I’d love to just finish my workout 30 minutes before, uh, cold shower and then, and then get front the camera. Yes.
Tanner Shuck (07:24):
I, I know, I, I think there’s been scientific studies that have shown that, that, um, your cognitive function or, you know, it’s, it’s just enhanced right After a workout, it’s better and everyone feels more awake, more alert, probably more happy. The, what I do, I, first thing I do when I wake up is I eat breakfast, and then I go upstairs and I swim for 10 minutes, and I take a cold, I take a cold shower. So very similar morning routines. That’s just remain, I wouldn’t consider that a workout, but more just a, as a way to wake up and get my mind right, you know, to start the day.
Sevan Matossian (07:55):
Do you think that, I keep thinking I’m gonna play this video, but do you think that, um, because you’ve been, um, had 16 surgeries, that sounds like the perfect workout in the morning for someone, for either someone who’s older or someone who’s nursing Right. Uh, you know, some injuries to basically go into a weightless environment.
Tanner Shuck (08:20):
Yes. And
Sevan Matossian (08:21):
Then put the body in stress, it seems. I, I haven’t heard that before, but as soon as you said it, I’m like, fuck, that’s brilliant.
Tanner Shuck (08:25):
No, it, it makes perfect sense, and that’s a big reason why I’ve done it. So I’ve had numerous injuries, lower limb injuries, you know, shoulder surgeries and things like that. And so I’ve found the swimming pool, uh, just to be a great way to move my body and also enhance my breathing and get my heart rate up a little bit. And it’s easy. It’s not hard on my body. It doesn’t hurt my joints. I mean, cause I’m hard enough on my body as it is. I also have an assault bike, um, at my house. And I, I use that as well, but normally I, I prefer going outside. And so when I can be outside, I, I just jump in a pool for 10 minutes and go, and it works for me.
Sevan Matossian (08:59):
Uh, Christian Faan Tanner is the man, well, I’ll be the determinant of that, but thank you for the, uh,
Tanner Shuck (09:05):
Thank you Christian.
Sevan Matossian (09:06):
Thank you. Uh, Caleb, I’m so glad you’re here. But buddy, I started panicking. God, I’ve become so needy. I’ve become so soft when I don’t see you on the back end, brother. I, I, I panic. Hi, Caleb. I panic. Hey, how’s it going? Uh, Caleb. Tanner. Tanner, Caleb, pleasure. Um, nice meet you, Tanner. I’m going to, uh, play this video here, and then after this, I’m gonna relinquish the controls to Caleb. But, uh, these are the kind of things that, um, it’s, it’s hard, well, it’s hard to be unique in this space, but I’m just loving Tanner’s stuff. I’m, I’m absolutely, I’m absolutely loving it. Here we go.
Tanner Shuck (09:44):
Sense nutrition advice. Do you know why you fat and feel like shit? Red meat, that’s what’s killing you. It has nothing to do with the fact that you drink alcohol regularly. Sleep only five hours a night, rarely exercise. Watch the news and live in a cycle of negativity. Don’t get outside and eat a bunch of highly processed shit food. So if you want to get healthy, here’s how to do it. Eliminate all personal responsibility. Never hold yourself accountable for the foods you eat, or lack of physical activity. And lastly, blame all your life’s problems on everyone else. Cuz remember, nothing’s ever your fault, and it has nothing to do with your negative attitude and unwillingness to help yourself. And if that doesn’t work, just eliminate another entire food group like eggs or dairy, and then start this process all over again.
Sevan Matossian (10:29):
When
Tanner Shuck (10:30):
Common sense,
Sevan Matossian (10:31):
When you, um, when you think of this, are you just giggling inside? Are you just like, yeah, this is fucking crazy that I’m gonna do this?
Tanner Shuck (10:39):
Um,
Sevan Matossian (10:40):
Are
Tanner Shuck (10:41):
You just like, it’s more or less giggling? I, I’d say I just, uh, everyone’s saying the same thing, especially on social media, especially if you’re a trainer, everyone’s saying the same thing. And so I just knew if I wanted people to hear what I was saying and for it to resonate with them, you needed to say it in a way where it, it really makes people think about what they’re do, what they’re doing, their, you know, their behavior and things like that. So, and it’s just the how ridiculous some things are these days, especially with health and nutrition. I just wanted to put out, put it in a way where it kinda makes people like realize, like, whoa, holy shit, man. So it’s crazy. It’s kind of profound in a way. So I, I don’t giggle, but I just, I put it in a way where people aren’t expecting to hear it. And so it actually makes ’em think about their behavior
Sevan Matossian (11:26):
That, that’s my whole podcast. I could just stop doing podcasts and just every, every morning at 7:00 AM instead of going live, I could just play that and save and save everyone.
Tanner Shuck (11:37):
Yeah. I, I’ve, I’ve done quite a few pieces of content, um, kind of using that method of reverse psychology or, you know, saying exactly what you would not expect me to say. And, uh, I’ve gotten quite a bit of positive feedback with it. So it, I think it, I think it helps people. That’s why I did did it.
Sevan Matossian (11:53):
Kyle Landis. The sad thing is some people don’t realize he’s being sarcastic. You know what’s funny, Kyle, is I was watching that last night and my wife was sitting next to me, and she, she, it took her, it actually took me a few seconds too, because he heard, she saw the meat thing and she looked over and she’s like, oh, here we go again. And then, you know, 10 more seconds in, she figured out, oh, he’s being,
Tanner Shuck (12:14):
Yeah. So for anyone that, you know, I’m a huge proponent of eating high quality animal foods. And, uh, I eat red meat every day, multiple times a day. And, um, I feel great and I’m quite confident I’m healthier than at least fitter than most people. I’d say that,
Sevan Matossian (12:29):
Let me show you, um, a crazy video of someone sent me this morning, uh, Caleb, do you see the one where it says, added sugar? I saw this. I don’t think people realize what, how badly you can mess up your hormones by eating sugar. And that if you consume it on a massive, massive scale, you’ll do irreversible damage to your, uh, this is my opinion. This is my opinion. Just from the little bit of facts that I know about hormones. You will, especially if you, if you give it to young kids, um, you will change the course of their life forever. And there will be no turning around. It’s like if you bend the frame on a car, you can, you can bend the frame on that car and the car’s totaled, and you will not ever be able to get that, uh, frame straight again.
(13:20):
And if you consume too much sugar, especially at a young age, you’ll have all sorts of, uh, genital, uh, um, issues. Also, your testicles and your penis won’t develop correctly. And there’s some crazy shit that can happen to you. But as you get older, you will, um, you will re you will retard yourself. You will cause it so that your brain can’t even think clearly. And I’ve talked about it like this before. This is kind of my own, uh, thing. The, the very first thing we all want to do, the most important thing is we wanna breathe. And then once we get breathing down, uh, it starts, it’s probably food. And then somewhere in there, and these two battle back and forth is, uh, shelter and sex. Those two, you know, are, I think are interchangeable. Right? And if anything gets in that hierarchy like heroin or something, you, you will start to become subhuman. You, you won’t be like the rest of us who have this protocol. You won’t be living in your, in your natural state of breathing, eating and then, and then, and by shelter, I mean, you know, protection from alligators and following coconuts and shit like that.
Tanner Shuck (14:25):
Yeah. Yeah. I think it Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, if
Sevan Matossian (14:28):
I’m not, oh, is that what it is? Okay.
Tanner Shuck (14:29):
It’s something along those lines, I believe.
Sevan Matossian (14:32):
And, and, and, and, and, you know, for guys, I don’t know about girls, but sex can really can weave in there too at some, at some weird times. I think some, it’s, it’s a powerful force.
Tanner Shuck (14:46):
It’s that certainly is hormones. Hormones in general are a very powerful force.
Sevan Matossian (14:50):
And so this is probably the worst thing I think you can do, um, that’s readily available to humanity. Uh, if, if you wanna fuck with your foundation. Um, we had, uh, Patrick be David on, I don’t know if you know who that is, but you know, one of the things he did, he has the, he’s an preneur. He has the largest entrepreneurial YouTube channel on YouTube, cool guy, you know, worth, you know, $300 million. And he said at when, I can’t remember how old he was, but at one point he told himself that he’s not gonna have sex again until he, he makes a million dollars. So he even leveraged that, you know, against himself. Um,
Tanner Shuck (15:29):
That’s a, certainly, that’s a certainly, uh, a good way to ensure your own success.
Sevan Matossian (15:33):
<laugh>. Okay. And, uh, action.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
First, do you have with your cola? I have five, but I ain’t got ice spoon, so I’ll just use what’s left.
Sevan Matossian (15:50):
This is disturbing. Even this is like watching one of those films.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
How many sugars do you have in your car?
Sevan Matossian (15:59):
You ever seen those films where it’s like a guy’s walking down the street of some, like in Philadelphia or somewhere and there’s just people laid out everywhere, shooting drugs. This is like that to me, it’s
Tanner Shuck (16:09):
In a
Sevan Matossian (16:09):
Way disturbing to me.
Tanner Shuck (16:10):
Yeah. Sugar’s, uh, it’s extremely powerful. I think I’ve, I’ve seen a YouTube video where they were running tests on mice and they’re testing which one mice prefer between sugar and cocaine, and actually sugar beats out cocaine. Wow. So, yeah, it’s, uh, it’s, it’s, it’s insane. You know? And honestly, the food industry is, it’s an evil industry, especially, you know, since processed foods, um, really became so prevalent all over the world, especially I think 1970s, 1980s, they really just saw the, um, whole world population health just decline dramatically. So it’s, uh, man, you know, the food industry, or you could say greed, what, you know, it’s the same essentially. It’s all based on money and making in greed, but it’s a, yeah, it’s pretty evil, evil industry. And I always encourage people to eliminate processed foods, or at least try to consume as much real whole high quality foods as possible.
Sevan Matossian (17:03):
You, you see, um, you know, you go to Cir Sole and it’s like a lady riding a unicycle. You’re like, that’s cool. And then, and then, and then she holds like a guy on top of her, and then you’re like, holy shit. And then the guy’s juggling, and you’re like, holy shit. And then another unicycle comes out and they start juggling back and forth, and it’s another guy on top of another girl’s shoulders. And you’re like, what the fuck? And you’re like, man, how long did they practice that? And you have this anxiety as you watch it, and you’re like, I’ve never seen this before. That’s why I paid, you know, $179 for this ticket. Right. When I, when I watched that girl put that sugar in the cola, it took no work. But I’d never seen that before. Have you ever seen? But I get that same feeling that I get from being ater de sole, like, holy shit, someone stop her.
Tanner Shuck (17:50):
Yeah. No, I’ve,
Sevan Matossian (17:52):
Uh, like, like what? She’s juggling knives. Like what is she doing? I’ve never seen anyone add sugar to cola. I’m just like, someone, does anyone love her?
Tanner Shuck (18:03):
Honestly, it’s, I think it comes down to just a lot of parenting and conditioning, you know, the way you’re brought up. And, um, it’s unfortunate just lack of education. Um, some people with, you know, even how basic nutrition is, most people are still lack the most basic nutritional knowledge. So it’s, it’s, it’s unfortunate, but you know, this, it’s the world we live in.
Sevan Matossian (18:25):
And, and she’s for sure on medications that, that I think that’s a girl I can’t even tell because that’s one of the things that
Tanner Shuck (18:30):
Happened. I think it was a girl too, but I mean, I would presume she is. But you know, who knows
Sevan Matossian (18:35):
That it will also, uh, what I’ve noticed is people who consume just sugar like that on that level, they start to become androgynous. Like, I can’t tell the difference. I don’t, why don’t we use that word more now? It’s like all these crazy new words I have to learn, like non-binary and all this whole new, how about what’s androgynous mean? Am I using that word right? Caleb?
Tanner Shuck (18:56):
You should look that up. Cause I, you know, I’m, I’ll be a hundred percent honest, I’m not exactly sure of the, of the definition. Androgyn, I know, I know androgynous and, and exogenous, but, uh, I’ve heard best way, the best way to communicate is to people, is just to use words as simply as possible.
Sevan Matossian (19:13):
Yeah. Partly male and partly female.
Tanner Shuck (19:15):
Yeah. Ah, okay. Yeah. That, that, that would be accurate. Then I, I assume she was female, but I mean, yeah, she could probably fit that description.
Sevan Matossian (19:22):
Yeah, that could have easily, that could have easily have been a, uh, boy, uh, harle. Uh, thank you. Yes. Uh, words definitely do matter. I went to, I went to a medical site today. I was looking something up and there was a note at the top of the article. It says, gender and sex are on, um, spectrums. And I’m just like, you fucking idiots. And I just closed the article. I have no faith in a medical,
Tanner Shuck (19:47):
Uh,
Sevan Matossian (19:49):
A, a medical website that thinks that sex is on a spectrum. I, I, I don’t, um, I don’t agree.
Tanner Shuck (19:56):
Yeah, there’s, I know there’s a lot of, uh, I, I mean, I haven’t lived in the United States for like 10 years, but there’s a lot of, I feel like gender roles and specifics and things that are going on now that I don’t really understand. But, you know, if you wanna be politically correct, you need to be that way, I suppose.
Sevan Matossian (20:12):
Yeah. Well, they conflated the two words. Even a lot of smart people are conflating the two words. Um, I just think his gender is something in your imagination, right? Like, uh, and I used Nikica from Russia as the perfect example. He wore black tights and a wife feeder and in the United States that would be considered a feminine outfit. But he’s one of the most, and he did ballet, and yet he’s one of the most masculine fucking, you know, bad asses that ever lived. And so, gender’s just your imagination in a social construct. And just like, I, I don’t even, I’m 50. I don’t even know what my gender is. I don’t even consider, I just know that when, when I pee, I have a dick. And that makes me a man.
Tanner Shuck (20:51):
I think that’s very sound logic, Savon. I like
Sevan Matossian (20:53):
That. Thank you. And I do owe in some power tools, but I suck at using
Tanner Shuck (20:57):
<laugh>. Well, if it makes you feel better, I don’t, I’m, I’m the worst handing that ever. I’m much better at working out than I am, like building shelves.
Sevan Matossian (21:06):
Uh, the first, um, the first CrossFit games, uh, champion, uh, champions were, um, Jo Gentry and James Fitzgerald. Um, Jo Gentry, uh, was a police officer. And we know that the CrossFit has its roos and first responders. Uh, we had a ton of first responders, uh, always at the games in the early years competing. And then the, and James six, JD was, uh, uh, also he was a professional athlete who kind of, who didn’t succeed in his goals. He wanted to be a professional soccer
Tanner Shuck (21:35):
Player. That’s a lot of CrossFitters, I
Sevan Matossian (21:37):
Feel like. Yes. And then we had Miko Salo. He wanted to be a professional soccer player, but he was also a firefighter.
Tanner Shuck (21:44):
Yes.
Sevan Matossian (21:44):
Um, and, and so I, I’ve always thought of, and, and the list goes on and on, you had, uh, Katie Mo, who was, uh, I believe she was drafted into the, the owner of, uh, rogue Fitness. I believe she was drafted into nba, but it didn’t work. Or the W N B A, but it didn’t work out. And so there’s this, uh, you had, uh, Annie Thor’s daughter, she was a pole vaulter. And you basically have these athletes where their professional careers or aspirations kind of come to a stop and then, or their first responders, you know, like Josh Bridges, who they use this fitness program in order to save their lives, you know? What, um, can, can you give us a little bit of, of your, your journey? Like where were you born?
Tanner Shuck (22:23):
I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but, uh, I was, I grew, I grew up in Chiia, Alaska, and
Sevan Matossian (22:29):
Then Wow.
Tanner Shuck (22:30):
And then, um, I moved back to Tulsa for high school, and then I attended, uh, college in Houston, Texas where I played football.
Sevan Matossian (22:38):
So a po You were like a Podunk boy. You’re a country boy. Like small town.
Tanner Shuck (22:44):
I wouldn’t exactly consider myself country like, so I was born in Tulsa and then grew up as a kid in Ju Alaska. And I wouldn’t consider where I grew up in Alaska as a pod dunk.
Sevan Matossian (22:53):
Um, you wouldn’t How many people live there?
Tanner Shuck (22:56):
Oh, man. Honestly, I haven’t lived there for so long. I couldn’t tell you, but I would venture to say, I don’t know.
Sevan Matossian (23:02):
Did you have stoplights in your town?
Tanner Shuck (23:03):
Yeah. Oh, stoplight. A stoplight. It’s, I know it’s much more developed now. So I moved, moved away from there in 2002. So
Sevan Matossian (23:12):
How did you get up there? Why, why did your parents move there at work?
Tanner Shuck (23:15):
Uh, yeah, work. My, my mom got a job and my dad as, as well.
Sevan Matossian (23:19):
Wow. What did they do up there?
Tanner Shuck (23:21):
Uh, my mom was a nurse, and then my dad had a few different jobs, but, uh, mainly he was a welder fabricator. Um, wow. But yeah, it’s a, it’s a Beau Alaska’s beautiful, beautiful place. But, um, and then I had aspirations. I knew I wanted to play football in college, and the opportunities to get recruited, you know, in Giac, Alaska are far less than, you know, getting recruited, you know, say from Oklahoma or Texas or somewhere. And so I took that pretty seriously. And, um, luckily I went back to Tulsa, Oklahoma and had a pretty, had a successful high school career in football, and then was able to go to Rice University and play college football.
Sevan Matossian (23:59):
Did you, you played football in Alaska?
Tanner Shuck (24:01):
I played football, yeah. As a kid, but then I played high school football in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and then I played college football in Houston, Texas.
Sevan Matossian (24:07):
Okay. Do they play high? Do they play football in Alaska? Where would the kids play indoors?
Tanner Shuck (24:13):
Uh, no, they play outdoors. They just start the season, I think two months earlier. So, and still they run into winter, you know, towards the end of the season, but they just start the season earlier. Wow. Crazy.
Sevan Matossian (24:23):
Yeah. It, and when you, and
Tanner Shuck (24:24):
When Alaska’s, it’s a, it’s a developed, developed state.
Sevan Matossian (24:28):
It’s No, no, no. You can’t convince me,
Tanner Shuck (24:30):
Right? Well, if you ever get an opportunity to visit there, I’d highly recommend it. It’s beautiful. Just go make sure you go towards June and July when it’s summer.
Sevan Matossian (24:37):
It’s the only state that I have not, uh, visited. I’ve always wanted to drive there from California.
Tanner Shuck (24:43):
Yeah. If you ever have the opportunity, you should, I recommend
Sevan Matossian (24:46):
It. Have you ever driven from the, um, continental United States to Alaska, or either? I have,
Tanner Shuck (24:50):
Well, I guess technically I have. So when I was a baby, I suppose, but I don’t remember it. So I know my parents drove from Oklahoma up to Alaska when we moved up there. But I mean, I don’t really have any recollection of that.
Sevan Matossian (25:01):
Do you have siblings? I
Tanner Shuck (25:03):
Have an older sister. I do. Yep. But, um, I, I’ve kind of, back to your question. I, I fell into CrossFit. It was a very similar story. So I was a college athlete, and I wasn’t able to play football in the nfl, which that was always my dream. And then I, I found CrossFit and I quickly realized, all right, well, if I’m not gonna play football, then I’m just gonna work out. I’m just gonna, you know, make a, make a, make a living, working out. So that’s, that’s what I pursued.
Sevan Matossian (25:29):
What position in football?
Tanner Shuck (25:31):
I played defense, linebacker, and safety in college,
Sevan Matossian (25:35):
And,
Tanner Shuck (25:36):
And I looked, I looked a bit different than I did now. I was probably about 30 pounds heavier.
Sevan Matossian (25:40):
And how tall are you?
Tanner Shuck (25:41):
Five 11.
Sevan Matossian (25:44):
And and how close did you get
Tanner Shuck (25:46):
To the nfl? Yeah,
(25:48):
I, I wouldn’t say close. Um, you know, I had a really good high school career, but my college football experience was less than stellar, I’ll put it that way. But that really wasn’t in my hands. I, uh, didn’t exactly see eye to eye with my coaches, and that’s, that’s not making excuse or anything. I just didn’t, I didn’t have a great college of football experience, and I did not, I did not get on with my coaches. So, but I still did. I did the Rice Pro Day. I tried, I took it as far as I could, and I realized like if I would’ve wanted to play professionally, perhaps I could have, but it would’ve been like in an arena league or a small league. And, you know, once I found CrossFit, I realized like, right, you know what? I could probably be pretty good at this. And so once I finished up doing my pro day, I just like went all in on CrossFit and then that brought me kind of outside the United States. So brought me kind of, yeah, kind of led me to where I am today in a way.
Sevan Matossian (26:40):
What does that, um, what does that mean that you didn’t get along with your, your, your coaches?
Tanner Shuck (26:47):
Well, basically it means that I played my sophomore and junior year. But, you know, my, uh, red shirt senior year, my fourth and fifth year, I didn’t play. I just basically sat the bench and I played scout team. And there, there were some events that happened during my career, um, that basically really weren’t good. And
Sevan Matossian (27:10):
You went to jail? You went to jail?
Tanner Shuck (27:11):
I didn’t go to jail. I, uh, <laugh>, I’ll just put it this way. Alcohol was involved and, um, one of our, one of my teammates was acting inappropriately, you know, and, um, I handled it. I handled it in a way that was probably far a bit too aggressive, and he was kind of a, an important player on our team. But, uh, so yeah, there, there was a, there was politics involved in that for sure. I know that for sure. And I had a position coach that, in my opinion, he, his personality and my personality were just basically polar opposites. He was a very, uh, negative coach, you know, would never, never say anything good. And that’s just the way he coached, not just me, but everyone like that. And it just really, uh, he and I just really not like butted heads a lot. And so they kind of wrote me off and I didn’t, I wasn’t able to, you know, didn’t matter what I did, didn’t matter how good I was, how hard I worked, you know, I was sitting in the bench no matter what. So that’s kinda, that’s kinda the way it went.
Sevan Matossian (28:13):
Yeah. It, um, it’s crazy that you would play two years and then not your, and then not your last two years. I’m guessing that the guy who came on to replace you wasn’t better than you.
Tanner Shuck (28:25):
I, I mean, this is, you know, this is 10 years ago, Savan. So it’s, it’s, it’s, I don’t really wanna, I’m not one to really live in the past, but I’ll, uh, I’ll put it this way, like, I worked really hard. I did everything I could, you know, to I guess be on, you know, contribute to my team. But, you know, when you’re on a college football team, you’re, you don’t have control of your life. But, you know, the coaches are gonna determine who’s gonna play, who’s gonna, who’s gonna get on the field and who’s gonna set the bench. And I know there’s, I’m not the only player, you know, that’s experienced this. You know, a lot of this happens to guys all over the country. It’s happening to guys right now, you know, so when you, that, that’s one, the best thing that happened to me, honestly, was when college football ended, I like was able to pursue CrossFit, and that’s obviously an individual sport. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so then I had control over my life and do that. And so playing college football, I mean, I made the best friends of my life, but, you know, I have very bitter, uh, memories and I kind of a bitter, bitter sentiments about it just because, like, I wasn’t in control of my life no matter what I did.
Sevan Matossian (29:27):
I, uh, I used to watch football as a kid, and I, and my team was the Raiders. The Raiders and the Niners. I was, I lived in,
Tanner Shuck (29:34):
Yeah, I was, I was a Niners fan too.
Sevan Matossian (29:35):
Yep. And I remember when they benched Marcus Allen because of problems he was having with the owner Al Davis. And, and that was like, I, I just could not figure it out. You’re paying this guy to play, but because you don’t get along with him, you put him on the bench. It was crazy.
Tanner Shuck (29:53):
It’s, man, that’s what I, I’d say, I mean, and I, I can’t speak for anyone else. I’m just telling my personal experience and how I feel.
The above transcript is generated using AI technology and therefore may contain errors.
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