If you’ve ever watched a Layne Norton video, you likely already know three things about him—he’s strong as hell, smart as hell, and he hates artificial sweeteners.
While all of the above are certainly true, there’s more to the story behind the entrepreneur.
We interviewed Norton, author of Fat Loss Forever and established professional bodybuilder, powerlifter, and physique coach for a round of 20 questions, exploring everything from the motivation behind his expansive educational experience—Norton has a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in nutritional Ssciences—to how he set the standard for online physique and nutrition coaching nearly 20 years ago.
He’s also got some great advice for anyone looking to be the next Layne Norton.
(Spoiler: It’s a lot of hard work, school, and consistency.)
What was the moment that made you decide to pursue bodybuilding?
I didn’t really have a specific moment, but I got picked on a lot when I was in high school, so I started lifting weights because of that. And I do remember a moment after my very last baseball game in high school, when I realized I wouldn’t have that competitiveness anymore, and I didn’t want to lose that, so I decided lifting weights would be my next competitive outlet. Then it grew from there.
You got a bachelor’s in biochemistry, and then a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences. Why?
Bodybuilding actually was the reason I changed my major to biochemistry. I was pretty into bodybuilding by the time I got into college, but originally, I wanted to be a marine scientist. I had a professor my freshman year that pretty much told me, “You don’t want to be a marine scientist.” He knew I was really into bodybuilding, and he said, “Nothing is going to teach you more about the human body than biochemistry.” Biochemistry is pretty broad, and I didn’t know for sure what I wanted to do yet, so I switched my major.
For my PhD, the University of Illinois had a nutritional sciences program that allowed me to go straight from undergraduate to a doctorate program, so I did that.
I feel like people might get excited to hear what you do, and then think to themselves, “Well, I can’t do that, I’m too old to go get my PhD, it will take way too long.” What would you say to that?
You are too old to not go to school, if that’s what you want to do. I’m not saying it’s not a huge time investment. Four to seix years of your life is significant, but that’s another way of thinking of it is, it’s 5 to 10 percent of your life. What sort of investment would you be willing to make to pursue what you’re passionate about? If something takes you 10 years to do, well, that 10 years is going to come and go no matter what. You get to choose what you do with it.
How exactly did your coaching start?
I took on my first client back in 2005, when I was in my Ph.D. program. I was doing most of it online. Back then, no one was doing online coaching, and so I had no competition. However, the challenge back then was convincing people that it could be done, and be done well, online. I also started writing a lot on bodybuilding forums and developing online content before content had a name. Now there are thousands of people making content every day, and unfortunately, not all of those people are qualified to be making the claims you do.
What’s one of the most bizarre claims you’ve seen online?
I never thought I’d see the day where people say vegetables are bad for you, but now we have these carnivore diet people who are saying that vegetables have toxins in them that cause self-defense mechanisms in your body to become active. I’ve also heard a guy claim that egg whites make you fat, that they have a higher insulin response than whole eggs. To clarify, neither of those things are true.
What’s something that you never get tired of talking about?
If you looked at my YouTube channel, you’d think artificial sweeteners. But really, I love talking about overcoming obstacles. I’m fascinated by people who have overcome various obstacles and the mindset behind that.
Speaking of overcoming obstacles … What have been your career highlights?
Three moments stick out to me. One, getting my Ph.D. was a huge moment. That was easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, way harder than anything I’ve done in bodybuilding or powerlifting.
Another was when I set the squat world record at IPF in 2015. I got gold in squat and silver overall, and holding your country’s flag over your shoulders with the national anthem playing… that was the most incredible competition experience.
The third moment was from bodybuilding, my first natural pro show. Before it, I had torn my right pectoral and had to get a surgery that the surgeon said had a 50 percent chance of being successful. In his words, it was “sewing hamburger meat together.” Rehab took almost 18 months, it was a really long road, and I ended up winning the heavyweight division. I cried after that one.
What’s the best part of what you do?
One of my favorite things is when I get a message from someone on social media from someone who says, ‘I went back to school because of you.’ There was one woman who reached out to me, and said that she decided to go back and get her Ph.D. after she read my book, Fat Loss Forever. I looked her up, and I had actually cited her study as a really great piece of literature.
What’s a question people ask you that you never get tired of answering?
I really like when people ask, “What advice do you have for someone who wants to do what you do?”
What advice do you have for someone who wants to do what you do?
One of my big things is, I make educational content that is still entertaining to people. So the first thing is to get educated. The second thing is to get good at several things, not just one thing. Take a public speaking course, or a creative writing course, to get good at communicating your knowledge with people in a way that’s entertaining.
And the last thing I’d say is, don’t wait for stuff to be perfect to act. Just do the dang thing. If you want to go back to school, go back to school. Start a YouTube channel, or podcast? Do it. There’s never going to be a perfect time. Throw yourself into it.
You’re an entrepreneur. Do you regret not going to school for business?
I work with a group of business coaches now, and I talked to one of them about this. He said that some of the most successful startups that he’s ever worked with started from people who had absolutely no background in business. Those people had a passion for what they were doing, and it grew from there. Would having some business courses have helped me? Absolutely. But I chose to surround myself with mentors and people who could help me with that stuff, and it’s been great. If it interests you, sure, nothing wrong with a business degree, but it’s not necessary.
What’s the best decision you've ever made?
Probably the first time I picked up a barbell. I remember I was something like 14 or 15 years old, and it started as something pretty shallow- wanting bigger muscles so I wouldn’t get picked on, and maybe get some more attention from girls. But it enabled me to find my meaning for being here.
What’s something that’s always given you an edge?
I have never really been intimidated by how long it might take to accomplish something. That time is going to pass no matter what, and you can either put in the work or not. So for me, I have never been afraid to put in the time to get what I really want.
What is something you feel is overrated?
Meal timing and meal frequency. When I first got into bodybuilding, no one was talking about fasting. It was all about eight meals a day, constantly having amino acids in the bloodstream, that constant amino acid drip … that was just conventional wisdom in bodybuilding. Now, it’s all about doing some form of fasting. But the research is showing that one isn’t really better or worse than the other, especially for fat loss. Fasting works because of the caloric restriction, not necessarily the timing. It’s more about personal preference.
What is something you feel is underrated?
Some form of routine or habit formation. I’m sure people think I would say tracking macros or calories, and yeah, those are good tools, but people are slaves to their habits. You only have so much brain bandwidth, and having routines established, like eating similar things at a similar time of day, not only has a physiological benefit, but can reduce mental fatigue.
What piece of advice would you give to yourself in your 20s? In your 30s?
I think I’d give myself the same advice in both situations. And that is, you don’t have to be everyone’s friend. Having boundaries isn’t being disrespectful to others, it’s you respecting yourself.
Best part about social media?
Best part … honestly, I really enjoy it. At the end of the day, if you’re an entrepreneur, you have such a huge opportunity that no entrepreneur has been given in any previous times. Before, if you didn’t have the capital to get onto TV or radio… good luck.. Now, you can create a following based on content and consistency. I didn’t get a bunch of followers from a video going viral or anything like that. It was mostly just consistently putting out content, and now here we are.
Worst part about social media?
I have ADHD, so I get stuck in the rabbit holes of videos. It can be a time suck if I don’t set limits and time restrictions. Also, social media can give people a really negative view of themselves, because what social media is is mostly people’s highlights. No one’s posting the stuff that sucks. So it’s a good reminder to remember that no matter how great anyone or anything seems on social media, everyone’s got their problems.
What’s a common misconception about you?
That I'm an angry guy all the time. I get pretty fired up on social media and in my YouTube videos, but I'm actually a pretty outgoing friendly person. Anyone who’s met me would tell you that. People also think I’m a perfectionist, or maybe a bit standoffish, but I’m really more of a jump first and figure out the parachute on the way down.
Last question. What really matters in life?
I remember that I was at a Gold’s Gym one time, and I was talking to some people at a gym, and a guy came up to me and said, “Man, I can’t believe all the free information you give people. If I were you, I’d keep that to myself and my clients.” But I don’t really care about that. I love helping people, and I want to leave a positive legacy. I guess my overall goal, what really matters to me in life, is to balance trying to change the world with being a good dad and husband.
