Jason Walsh is an LA-based trainer who’s trained the likes of Matt Damon, Miles Teller, Brie Larson and Bradley Cooper for some of the most physically demanding roles of their careers. He’s also the founder of Rise Nation, which began in 2014 with the concept being to train like an athlete while working smarter, not harder. Rise has locations in New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Australia, Asia, and Cleveland and offers the first-ever curated 30-minute workout class that activates all major muscle groups simultaneously.
When Jason isn’t putting together training plans for his clients or pouring his energy into Rise Nation, he’s enjoying the great outdoors. Below, he gives us the story behind his gym items.
This is the only supplement that I’ve taken religiously since the late ‘80s as it has a large number of benefits, including that it helps muscle cells produce more energy to help fuel your muscles during high intensity workouts, helps to increase muscle mass and speed muscle growth, reduce fatigue, and much more, ultimately making training sessions more productive and effective. Biotest, in my opinion, makes some of the best supplements on the market, especially for high levels of training.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Body Spray
Bravo Sierra Deodorant is the best body spray because there are no heavy metals or aluminums and holds up even through the toughest of workouts. This brand creates clean and responsibly made products that are affordable and sustainable, and all of the products are actually tested on active U.S. military service to ensure the products last through extreme physically active conditions. I also love their commitment to U.S. military service members, veterans, and their families by hiring a large number of veterans and also donating 5% of all sales to a number of community support and quality of life programs.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
An on-the-go snack
I’ve found Fuel for Fire to be the ideal on-the-go snack to get both myself and my clients through difficult workouts. In order to be able to train hard, I think it’s also important to consciously and meaningfully fuel and refuel your body, and these ready to eat smoothies are great for pre- and post-workout nutrition, and once again utilize minimal, clean ingredients to create the perfect balance of carbs and protein for maximum impact.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Iron Neck
An iron neck is a resistance training device that helps people eliminate common neck discomfort, relieve chronic pain, prevent future injuries to the head, neck, and spine, and also helps to improve strength and mobility. I believe using an iron neck is incredibly important while training and makes training the neck easy, so I always carry one in my gym bag for my personal use and recommend them to my clients.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Liquid Grip
One of the best tools to help with weight lifting is Liquid Grip and I use it myself as well as with all of my clients. This liquid chalk is truly a weightlifting game changer and definitely the best choice on the market because it’s water based but also dries within seconds after you apply it and stays on your hands throughout your entire training session. Other chalks are messy and transfer easily to weights or whatever it is you may be lifting or using and also run the risk of being inhaled. Liquid Grip lasts much longer and helps achieve a more effective grip to enhance a training session, and also helps to prevent blisters.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Notorious Lift
These are my favorite training shoes because they allow the feet to spread and do their job. Your gear is so important when training, and this company absolutely does it right. They’re innovative with their products and make the ultimate footwear to get you through all training sessions.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Prevail Umami
I’m always on the lookout for great protein snacks to help my post-workout recovery and tide me over during long days in the gym, and Prevail Umami is hands down the best I’ve found. With all clean ingredients and real flavors, I find that this snack satisfies all cravings while staying true to my nutrition needs and goals and is the perfect thing to turn to while on the go.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Towel
I definitely sweat a lot during my workouts, so it’s important I always carry a towel around with me and this Rise Nation towel is the best for sweat wicking to help me push through my workouts.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Reusable Water Bottle
Sustainability and the protection and care for our Earth is hugely important to me, which is why I always carry around a Rise Nation reusable water bottle. Hydration is key for workouts, and the last thing the world needs is another plastic bottle in the ocean. We keep these aluminum bottles stocked across all of our studios to provide easy access and opportunity for refillable water bottles to keep us all hydrated and protect the environment as best we can.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Spud Inc.
Definitely one of those old-school companies that has been around for forever, but for a reason. They make the best belts that come in a whole variety of types and sizes to meet the needs of the user, and I’ve found that they are the best in helping to maintain proper form, position and stability.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Collagen supplement
I love to carry my supplements with me because of my long days and being able to carry and take them on the go is hugely important to my routine and nutrition. Just as important as it is to fuel your body for intense workouts, it’s important to prepare it and care for it long-term, which is why I take and recommend Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides to aid in increasing muscle mass, preventing bone loss, and relieving joint pain. My friend Jennifer Anniston turned me onto Vital Proteins, and I’ve never looked back because it mixes easily and doesn’t require a shaker, and has 20g of collagen peptides sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised collagen peptides. What’s more, this product has 0g of sugar and is digested and absorbed by the body quickly to help myself and my clients achieve those maximum benefits.
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Courtesy of Jason Walsh
Ashwagandha
Another supplement I take and recommend is ashwagandha, because it is all-natural and has an array of health benefits that I think are all important for everyone’s day-to-day lives, but also people engaging in high-intensity workouts, such as its ability to help lower blood sugar and fat levels, increase strength and muscle mass, and supports heart health, and also has a lot of mental benefits such as its ability to help improve cognition, memory, and relieves stress and anxiety. What I love about the brand I use, Hanah, is that they source all of their supplements directly from the origin, and they are the highest quality ashwagandha on the market.
