The Steve Austin Show – Mike O'Hearn PART TWO (SAS CLASSIC)

Release Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Steve Austin
Guest: Mike O’Hearn
Location: Hollywood, CA/Broken Skull Ranch

Episode Overview

This episode features the second part of Steve Austin's conversation with longtime friend and fitness icon Mike O’Hearn. Broadcasting from the Broken Skull Ranch, Austin and O’Hearn dive deep into fitness routines, nutritional philosophies, longevity in training, and the mental game behind sustained motivation. They tackle listener questions, share personal anecdotes—both illuminating and hilarious—and reflect on what it really takes to stay in peak condition into your 40s, 50s, and beyond.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Catching Up and Training Philosophies

• State of Mind & Consistency:
  Austin and O’Hearn quickly bond over their long friendship, shared backgrounds in wrestling and bodybuilding, and the unique pressures of staying in shape for public life.
• The Lifestyle Commitment:
  • Austin: "It's not about genetics alone. You HAVE to work at it." (08:09)
  • O’Hearn: Shares that with age, consistency and smarter approaches trump brute force.

2. Nutritional Approaches

• App-based Nutrition, Flexibility & Individualization
  O’Hearn discusses his new nutrition app that customizes meal plans based on user needs (carnivore, vegan, allergies, etc.), updating plans every two weeks (10:18).
• Diet Experiments: Carnivore/Keto/Fasts
  • Both have tried various diets, landing on customization and sustainability over rigid adherence.
  • O’Hearn: "I am a guy that believes in any diet that you'll stay with. I can get you in shape." (11:45)
• Carbohydrates & Aging
  • O’Hearn stresses not fearing carbs as you age but understanding how your body uses them:
    "Carbohydrates...key for your body...it’s the one thing that's kept me healthy." (12:39)
• Meal Prep for Busy People
  • O’Hearn eats Icon Meals regularly but also cooks at home and promotes flexibility.
  • Austin: "Where there's a will, there's a way...you can look at any menu and make it work." (16:43)

3. Fasting, Cardio, and Adjusting Over the Years

• O’Hearn’s Self-Experimentation

  • He only speaks on diets and methods if he’s personally experienced them.
  • After a two-day fast, O’Hearn pressed 170lb dumbbells for reps to gauge his strength in a depleted state (18:42).
  • O’Hearn: "Fasting...the clarity in the mind is just a given..." (20:10)

• Cardio: Fasted vs. Strategic

  • Both discuss using phases of cardio/fat loss, avoiding “beast mode 24/7.”
  • O’Hearn describes how his partner Mona regained top form post-baby using strategic breaks and calorie cycles, not relentless effort (23:00-24:20).

4. Longevity, Training, and Motivation

• Aging, Off-Season, and Recovery
  • Both endorse off-seasons alternating with “honest” periods of high focus, emphasizing how rest and calorie surpluses accelerate fat loss when you switch back to strictness (34:10).
  • Austin: "That period actually helps heal your body regardless of what you were doing..." (34:10)
• Scale and Mirror Lies
  • Track progress with photos and patience instead of daily weighing or judging yourself constantly (39:00).
  • "We can't see us...what we think we look like relative to what we really look like is two different worlds." (O’Hearn, 39:13)

5. Practical Listener Q&A (Motivation, Recovery, Application)

• How to Stay Motivated Over the Years
  • O’Hearn: "Knowing that the life that I live is because of the foundation work that I do..." (42:37)
  • Austin: "Everything in moderation...It's a marathon, not a sprint. Ease into it." (42:58)
• Beginner Advice: Make Small Changes
  • Both caution against “all-in” approaches; start basic and allow sustainable progression.
• Recovery Strategies
  • O’Hearn: Massages, cold therapy (post-gym pool dips), prioritizing sleep (7hr/night + naps) (46:45).
  • Austin: Struggles with sleep, sometimes does DDP Yoga, but acknowledges how much he should prioritize recovery (47:32).

6. Mindset—Consistency Beyond the Gym

• Both share how consistency in the gym influences their approach to life, work, and relationships.
• Austin: "I just don't feel as good physically or mentally as I do when I am consistently training." (51:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fasting and Self-Experimentation:
  Mike O’Hearn:
  "There's a difference between studying and reading something and then applying it and making it work. Like Bruce Lee, you can read all you want, but the real experience is you living through it." (18:42)

• On Results and Patience:
  Steve Austin:
  "You're not going to see those results after a workout, you're not going to see them the next day...That's when that weekly or bi-weekly picture [becomes] motivation." (36:54)

• On Social Media and Influence:
  Mike O’Hearn:
  "When I have talked to people and they said, 'You made a difference in my life today because of how you felt,'...those are some of the craziest and most beautiful things." (59:44)

• On Age and Starting Late:
  Steve Austin:
  "Oh, man, it ain't never too late to start. 65. 75. 85. It's never too late to start..." (67:57)

• On Supplement Use:
  O’Hearn highlights glutamine, BCAAs, EAAs for recovery, and the importance of vitamin D, C, and overall health supplements—not just muscle-building (78:29).

Segment Timestamps (by Key Topics)

| Time | Segment | |--------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:51 | Greeting and rapid-fire catch-up; how O’Hearn always stays in shape | | 10:18 | Launch of O’Hearn’s nutrition app and philosophy on diet | | 11:45 | Carnivore, keto, and diet experimentation | | 14:30 | O’Hearn’s views on carbs, aging, and patience | | 18:42 | Two-day fast experiment + performance results | | 20:10 | Mental impacts of fasting + training clarity | | 23:00-24:20 | Post-pregnancy comeback; cyclical strategies (with Mona) | | 27:49 | Caloric deficit discussion—O’Hearn at 2,200 calories at 265lbs! | | 39:00 | The value of progress photos over daily weight checking | | 42:37 | Motivation: foundation for life and happiness | | 46:45 | Recovery routines: massage, sleep, cold exposure | | 51:10 | How training discipline spills over into life, business, relationships | | 67:57 | Is it too late to start at 40, 65, or even 85 years old? | | 78:29 | Supplement priorities: vitamins, glutamine, BCAAs, protein powder | | 84:19 | HIIT vs. steady-state cardio, individualized programming | | 91:22 | Hitting each muscle group twice/week (esp. when sprinting to an event) |

Fun and Personal Moments

• Banter about pet dogs and how “dog people” run their households (64:54, 65:57).
• O’Hearn and Austin both admit sweet tooth weaknesses—fruits, sorbet, and Halloween candy (83:09, 83:59).
• Hilarious takes on social media fitness culture and influencer trends (41:59, 44:31, 59:44).
• O’Hearn’s confession: "One is too much; a thousand is not enough" regarding indulgent foods (82:33).
• Jokes about old photos at Gold’s Gym and tag-teaming a yoga session with Diamond Dallas Page (49:00).

Practical Takeaways

• Consistency over perfection: Off-seasons matter; you can’t “beast 24/7”.
• Track with photos: Don’t trust your weight or mirror every day—progress comes in waves.
• Sustainability is key: The best diet is the one you’ll stick with—carnivore, keto, vegan, or otherwise.
• Don’t rush the process: Incremental progression always trumps burn-and-crash attempts.
• Start at ANY age: Even at 40, 60, 80, foundational strength can be built (but ramp up slowly).
• Health supplements > performance: Basic vitamins, joint support, and sleep are essential "supplements".
• Mental game: Training provides mental discipline and happiness that spills over into all areas of life.

Where to Find Mike O’Hearn and Steve Austin

• Mike O’Hearn:
  Website: MichaelOHearn.com
  Social: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.—all @MichaelOHearn

• Steve Austin:
  Instagram/Twitter: @SteveAustinBSR
  Podcast: PodcastOne.com
  Beer: El Segundo Brewing Co. — Broken Skull IPA

Closing

This episode is a deep, entertaining dive into real-world fitness and longevity advice from two icons who have done it all. It's honest, humorous, and packed with actionable strategies, whether you're a weekend warrior or just getting off the couch after 40.

“You’re not too old. It’s never too late. Get started, be patient, have fun—and do it for YOU.”
— Steve Austin (67:57)