This episode touches on the topics of depression and suicide – listener discretion is advised.
In 6 hours and 8 minutes, Alex Wisch performed 1,000 strict pull-ups, 2,000 push-ups, and 3,000 squats, all while wearing a 20-pound weighted vest symbolizing the weight of mental illness, something he knows a little too much about.
Alex Wisch is a Performance & Wellness Coach, Entrepreneur, Athlete, and Mental Health Activist.
Throughout his life, he has faced significant adversity. Alex has struggled with ADHD, dyslexia and, in his early teens, battled anorexia. Regardless of the challenges he faced, he showed great promos by becoming one of the top sailors in the country by age 18 and got accepted into an Ivy League school.
As a sophomore in college, his struggles and perfectionism became overwhelming. He found himself deeply depressed and developed constant suicidal thoughts. His decade-long major depression left him penniless, on disability, and unable to work.
Doctors even told Alex he needed to reduce his expectations and would never be able to hold a full-time job. However, he refused to have those words define him. Alex eventually dismissed the idea of finding a medication that would “fix him”. He began focusing on all the things that were within his control and developed a holistic formula to optimize his success.
Topics covered in this episode:
- Why the heck did Alex do 1,000 strict pull-ups, 2,000 push-ups, and 3,000 squats, all while wearing a 20-pound weighted vest?
- Was Alex active as a child and youth? What was his childhood like?
- How was he taught to view and perform exercise?
- How did depression affect Alex? What did he try to alleviate his depression?
- How did he discover the idea that physical health could help his mental health?
- When he was that depressed, how did even start an exercise routine?
- How did Alex develop his “holistic formula” and create his own user manual?
- The four things people can start doing right away to develop their own user manual.
You can find out more about Alex on his WischFit Instagram account.