Minisode: Getting Fit with Ben Bruno

Chelsea’s personal trainer Ben Bruno is here to discuss dumbbells, getting fit, and why doing things the simple way actually gets you a lot farther. Sign up for Ben Bruno’s fitness program here! https://benbruno.com/start/ * Need some advice from Chelsea? Email us at [email protected] mailto:[email protected] * Executive Producer Catherine Law Edited & Engineered by Brad Dickert * * * The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the Podcast author, or individuals participating in the Podcast, and do not represent the opinions of iHeartMedia or its employees. This Podcast should not be used as medical advice, mental health advice, mental health counseling or therapy, or as imparting any health care recommendations at all. Individuals are advised to seek independent medical, counseling advice and/or therapy from a competent health care professional with respect to any medical condition, mental health issues, health inquiry or matter, including matters discussed on this Podcast. Guests and listeners should not rely on matters discussed in the Podcast and shall not act or shall refrain from acting based on information contained in the Podcast without first seeking independent medical advice. See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 2:09Speaker 00

  Find the program that fits your goals at rasmussen.edu. Okay, guys, here are my dates for the High and Mighty Tour. In August, you can find me in Red Bank, New Jersey, Montclair, New Jersey, and Calgary. That's Canada. And September, I will be in Santa Barbara, San Diego, New York City, Philly, and New Haven, Connecticut. October is Atlanta, Baltimore, Saginaw, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Boise, Idaho, and Spokane. And then in November, I'll be in San Francisco. I'm coming to Salt Lake City, Austin, Houston, Dallas, babies. I'll be there. And then in December, I am closing out my tour in Denver and Vancouver.

• 2:50Speaker 00

  So get your tickets at chelseahandler.com for the High and Mighty Tour. Come on up. Come on. Yes.

• 2:58Speaker 01

  Oh, hi.

• 2:59Speaker 00

  This is it. This is what we're talking about. Oh, Doug, can you believe how magical you? I wish our listeners could see how beautiful you are, but he just, well, but he blends in with the sofa. You can't really see him ever, right?

• 3:15Speaker 01

  He's just a void.

• 3:16Speaker 00

  You could never see these beautiful brown eyes that you have.

• 3:20Speaker 01

  Should lay a white blanket over it.

• 3:22Speaker 00

  My baby is beautiful. Hello, Ben Bruno. Hi, Ben. We're here to talk about Ben's new workout app. How many, what number is this?

• 3:33Speaker 02

  What number is what?

• 3:34Speaker 00

  Of your workout apps. You've done a few before.

• 3:36Speaker 02

  No, so I have.

• 3:38Speaker 00

  You need a microphone, dumbass.

• 3:40Speaker 02

  I don't, this isn't my world.

• 3:41Speaker 00

  This is my personal trainer, everyone. Ben Bruno, Ben Bruno Training. You can follow him on Instagram at Ben Bruno Training.

• 3:47Speaker 02

  Ben Bruno Training.

• 3:48Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 3:49Speaker 02

  Did I do this, right?

• 3:50Speaker 00

  Dot com? Yeah. If we have to show you how to use a microphone, then we should just surround us on.

• 3:53Speaker 02

  This isn't my world. Yeah.

• 3:55Speaker 01

  Does Doug hang out with you guys when you're working out?

• 3:57Speaker 00

  Yeah. Doug comes with me to the gym. He comes with me. Wherever I go, he knows, because he sees my bag packing all my medication, so he knows I'm on my way out. That's how he knows, when he sees a lot of prescription bottles. He's like, oh, she's leaving. Right? Are you a king?

• 4:12Speaker 02

  Should we tell Catherine the story of when Chunk walked down Wilshire two miles?

• 4:17Speaker 00

  Oh, yeah. Yeah, this is a good story.

• 4:19Speaker 02

  Do you remember Chunk?

• 4:21Speaker 01

  I never met Chunk. Chunk was before my time.

• 4:23Speaker 00

  Chunk is the dog that made me a mother.

• 4:25Speaker 02

  When I met Chelsea, she was the mother to Chunk. I've trained Chelsea through many different.

• 4:34Speaker 00

  Dogs.

• 4:35Speaker 02

  Employees, whatever, and also dogs. And the first dog was Chunk.

• 4:40Speaker 00

  Uh huh.

• 4:41Speaker 02

  Was that your first dog, period?

• 4:42Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 4:43Speaker 02

  Chunk was like famous, because it was on your show, right?

• 4:45Speaker 00

  Chunk was Stud Muffin. He was the best dog.

• 4:47Speaker 02

  When I met you, your show was not, was done.

• 4:50Speaker 00

  Chelsea Lately.

• 4:51Speaker 02

  Chelsea Lately was done.

• 4:52Speaker 01

  But Chunk was already a celebrity.

• 4:53Speaker 02

  But Chunk, well, so, long story short, we went to this gym that was an underground parking garage, and Chelsea and I got to talking, and Chunk just meandered away at some point. So Chelsea's assistant, this is actually a true story. The gym was between, if anybody knows Beverly Hills, it was in an alley between Roxbury and Linden.

• 5:15Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 5:16Speaker 02

  Right off Wilshire, so smack dab in Beverly Hills, if you don't know Beverly Hills. I don't know how long goes by, but it must have been, Chunk wasn't fast, so it had to be a while, because Chunk kind of walked slow. And so we get a call from Karen, her assistant, saying, "One of your fans found Chunk two miles down the road on Wilshire." I'm not making this up. I'm not putting anything on this. Chunk just walked out of the garage and walked two miles down Wilshire and was so famous that some random person just spotted Chunk. And so Chelsea just, I was thinking like, oh my God, we gotta go get him. Chelsea goes, "Well, I don't want to get him. That's embarrassing. You go get him." And just hung up, and Karen had to go pick up Chunk. I have no clue how Chunk lived through that.

• 6:01Speaker 00

  Oh, my gosh. What about, Chunk was so funny, because Chunk was famous, so people would stop at stoplights when we were on our way to the studio, and they would recognize him, and people, because his head would be out the window. And people would be like, oh, my God, is that Chunk? Is that Chunk? Because he had his bandana, and it was kind of recognizable. And then I'd always be like, oh, yeah, come quickly, take a picture if you want, get out of the car at the red light. And then one day, after doing this like every morning, it would happen pretty frequently, right? And then one day, Chunk, literally a woman was coming over to take a picture, and Chunk just put his paw on the control, window controller to put the window up. He had had it.

• 6:37Speaker 01

  He said, no picture, please.

• 6:38Speaker 00

  He was like, fuck this shit. I'm sick of this.

• 6:40Speaker 01

  I'm with my family.

• 6:41Speaker 02

  What was the dog chronology? It was Chunk.

• 6:43Speaker 00

  Chunk and then Tammy.

• 6:44Speaker 02

  Tammy.

• 6:45Speaker 00

  Gary at some point, but Gary was returned to.

• 6:46Speaker 02

  No, Gary was a week. Gary was one week.

• 6:48Speaker 00

  Was it returned to sender? I think that was before. Then I had Hodor, who Molly, my cousin, took, because he.

• 6:53Speaker 02

  And then there was Bert and Bernice.

• 6:54Speaker 00

  And then Bert and Bernice, and then Doug, and then Ray J, short-lived. And we're gonna get another one, though.

• 7:01Speaker 01

  Great.

• 7:02Speaker 00

  There's one in Mallorca.

• 7:03Speaker 01

  Oh, wait, you're bringing it from Mallorca?

• 7:04Speaker 00

  I think so. That's the plan as of right now. There, and we'll see.

• 7:08Speaker 02

  Do you remember when Bernice tumbled down that hill?

• 7:11Speaker 00

  That was Tammy.

• 7:12Speaker 02

  It was Tammy?

• 7:13Speaker 00

  Tammy would follow me. Bernice would never fucking follow me. She would hide from me.

• 7:16Speaker 02

  Another funny story that I don't know if translates to words, because I think you had to be there, but Chelsea used to live on this giant hill. I'm not exaggerating, it was huge, and also very steep.

• 7:26Speaker 00

  It was like a 70-degree angle to come down the hill.

• 7:28Speaker 02

  It was really steep. So when Tammy was new, and when Chelsea gets dogs, they don't look the best when she first gets them. I don't know how to say that. She had a good heart, but she had very little hair. She had all these patches of hair and just looked like a hot mess. And so Chelsea and I were gonna go walk to play tennis at the bottom of her street, and we look up, and Tammy had tried to run to meet us, but went on the steep part of the hill. So I'm not putting anything on this.

• 7:58Speaker 00

  Oh, no.

• 8:00Speaker 02

  Down this giant hill.

• 8:01Speaker 01

  Like full princess bride.

• 8:03Speaker 02

  Through the bushes and everything, and then just kind of like shook it off and walked away. And I was just like, this dog. Yeah. I have no clue how Tammy lived to tell about that.

• 8:14Speaker 00

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• 9:44Speaker 00

  We women inherit a lot of unwritten rules. Be ambitious, but not intimidating. Be there for everyone, but still make time for yourself. Have it all, but don't look like you're trying too hard. I am not immune from having to unlearn those unwritten rules either. Maybe it's, I should have figured my career out by now, or being a good friend means always being available, or if everyone else can keep up, I should also be able to keep up. Consider where that rule came from and whether you would ever impose it on someone you care about. If you've been waiting to start therapy, give BetterHelp a try. Don't have insurance or live outside the US? You still get 10% off your first month. Visit betterhelp.com/dearchelsea to explore your payment options.

• 10:27Speaker 00

  That's better H E L P dot com slash Dear Chelsea.

• 10:32Speaker 01

  Well, I have one caller for us today and I have a couple other little questions, but we could just keep to one caller.

• 10:37Speaker 00

  Well, first we want to talk about his fitness program. That's what he's here to promote. We want this for women.

• 10:41Speaker 02

  Thank you, by the way. This means a lot.

• 10:43Speaker 00

  Oh, yeah.

• 10:44Speaker 02

  Yeah, because I

• 10:45Speaker 01

  I love Ben Bruno here.

• 10:46Speaker 02

  Quick backstory on my app, but I started it three years ago and then this past week, it was a third-party app service because I'm a tech moron. And the program, I'm proud of it. We have 25,000 people that do the app. It's a lot of people.

• 11:01Speaker 00

  Wow.

• 11:02Speaker 02

  Which is, you know, and it's really cool because I, you know, since I've known you, I've essentially just seen the same 10 clients in person every time. So it's been a great way to

• 11:10Speaker 00

  Do you want to talk about the other people you trained? Do you want to mention their names or do you not? Would you rather not?

• 11:15Speaker 02

  I mean, it's going to just make you sound like a douche.

• 11:16Speaker 00

  Okay. Do it. Well, do you want me to do it?

• 11:19Speaker 02

  Yeah, you can, yeah.

• 11:20Speaker 00

  Okay, Justin Timberlake, Jesse Beal, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, you've trained, lots of basketball players.

• 11:27Speaker 02

  Well, so the interesting thing about that is that's what I like about the app is, you know, when I moved to LA, I didn't have a celebrity training background. I trained hockey players in Massachusetts and then I moved here and got connected to you and some other people. And celebrity is an interesting thing to me as someone who comes from New Hampshire and like doesn't really, it's kind of funny to me, like you name dropping that makes me seem like a star fucker. And really, I just like watch ESPN all day. But there's a perceived expertise that comes from training celebrities. So like, thanks for that. But the training is, I feel like training is, I always say it's one of life's equalizers,

• 12:10Speaker 02

  but the training that you do is the exact same training that I did with moms back in Massachusetts is the same training that's on the app. Because it's like, you know, I think people think, I hate the term celebrity trainer because one, I feel like it's just a douchey term, but two, I think they, there's this connotation like we're doing these wild workouts.

• 12:27Speaker 00

  Right.

• 12:28Speaker 02

  And at every point in the 11 years we've trained.

• 12:31Speaker 00

  11 years, which is the longest relationship I've ever had with any man, including my brothers.

• 12:37Speaker 02

  But think about it, we work out with dumbbells and a bench and very, you know, basic workouts and stuff.

• 12:41Speaker 00

  Like straight out of New Jersey.

• 12:43Speaker 02

  And the training actors thing is funny to me because, again, you know, I'm sure there's a lot of feels like this. I'm sure your hair people benefit, your makeup people benefit. There just is a perceived expertise with celebrity. But when I think of actors, you know, as somebody who came from an athletic training background, I look at trainers that train the athletes and be like, well, they really know what they're doing. And actors, I'm like, those are like the theater kids that aren't really that athletic. So the training isn't always what it's hyped up to be as, you know.

• 13:16Speaker 00

  What is it hyped up to be, though?

• 13:17Speaker 02

  No, I think that, you know, a lot of people probably know of me, which is great because I train you and people like you, famous people. But at the same time, I think you would agree with me, this isn't a knock. Our workouts are very average.

• 13:31Speaker 00

  Average, but I'm very strong.

• 13:34Speaker 02

  Yeah, you're really strong.

• 13:35Speaker 00

  I mean, now I'm lifting like 35, I'm just squatting with like 35-pound dumbbells and stuff.

• 13:40Speaker 02

  No, you did 35s and

• 13:41Speaker 00

  Awesome. And I'm tinier and stronger than I've ever been at 51 years old, first of all. So any ladies that are watching this or listening to this, like just, you know, this whole myth about weightlifting and this idea, this kind of fallacy that it makes you bigger is not true. It makes you smaller.

• 13:58Speaker 02

  But I think what, what I'm trying to do with this app is just basically bring the training that I do with you and my other clients to everyone. And that has to say, you know, because for the people listening, Chelsea works out with dumbbells and a bench at her, you know, and slightly more at my house, but not, not crazy. And, you know, with good programming and just slow and steady progression, it goes a long way.

• 14:23Speaker 00

  How long is the course?

• 14:24Speaker 02

  Each program, six weeks, but there's seven total programs. And then what I basically did is I, what I created that just came out a week ago that's new is when I first started my app, it was a test to myself to see if I could do it as a tech moron, but also just see who was interested. And I learned that I overshot my audience a little in the sense I thought there were going to be more gym people like me, but there's a lot of beginners. And so that is not, there's no judgment to that. I think that everyone follows the same process. And when I was scrolling my phone last week with your videos, I realized we didn't do any videos for like the first three years we trained. And I just shared like pictures of you to just say, oh, I trained celebrity, whatever.

• 15:09Speaker 02

  But your workouts were nothing to even, they weren't even post-worthy.

• 15:12Speaker 00

  Well, whose fault is that, Ben? You were the fucking trainer.

• 15:15Speaker 02

  No, because you're new to it. And my, but my point is, I think that the online fitness, social media world shafts beginners a little bit because

• 15:26Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah.

• 15:27Speaker 02

  Because people really, like think, you know, people post the hard stuff, the novelty stuff, the cool looking move in order to get clicks. But everyone that is doing those moves started with the basics, but we never share that because it doesn't look cool. And I never share that with my clients because I'm not trying to throw them under the bus and say, here's Chelsea lunging with five-pound dumbbells, but you did. And now you're lunging with 30-pound dumbbells and I'll show that because that's badass. But you know, the, the thing about it is like, if somebody listening to this without a training background tried to do what you do now after training with me for 11 years, they'd hurt themselves.

• 16:07Speaker 00

  So

• 16:08Speaker 02

  And so it's, it's, it's not just, you know, the, the further along programs or what you're currently doing, the, you know, we have programs if you've never done it. It's to kind of build up because I think, think about how when, when I met you, I came to your house and you had dumbbells up to eight pounds and we worked out on a deck. And that was it. And so we've come a long way since then. But I think that when enough time goes by, you sort of forget that stage.

• 16:33Speaker 00

  But so the program instructs people how to, like what level to start with, right?

• 16:38Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 16:39Speaker 00

  For beginners or people who are just getting into weightlifting.

• 16:40Speaker 02

  It totally walks people through. I set out to make it as close to training with me in person as you can get. So each, each exercise from like every warm-up move, you would actually hate it because you think I talk too much, but I give a one and a half minute

• 16:56Speaker 00

  Kind of like right now.

• 16:57Speaker 02

  Tutorial for every single move.

• 16:59Speaker 00

  Okay, well, that's good.

• 17:00Speaker 02

  On how to do it safely, how much weight to do, how to start, whatever. And so you can, everyone has to walk before they run. And I think that most women that aren't lifelong gym heads come into it with fear, either about bulking up or getting hurt. And so I think that I really just shoot to meet people where they're at and start slow and then build.

• 17:19Speaker 00

  Yeah, but also just to know that like that is not, first of all, as we get older, we need to be stronger, period.

• 17:23Speaker 02

  Yeah, totally.

• 17:24Speaker 00

  It's for your bone density. It's so good for your bone density. It's so good for your like lean muscle mass. Yeah, your hormones, everything. Like if I don't get a workout in for a couple of days, I start to get like ornery, which is not a thing I would ever thought I would say, you know? And even when I'm not with him, which is most of the time, because now I'm traveling a lot, but like I have the same situation.

• 17:43Speaker 02

  I would love if you actually tried the app. I know you won't, but like

• 17:46Speaker 00

  I'll try it. Tell people how they can download the app. What, how do they do it?

• 17:50Speaker 02

  It's through the link on my Instagram.

• 17:51Speaker 00

  Okay.

• 17:52Speaker 02

  And it's all there. They have this, it's cool. I tried to make it very user-friendly. I have seven programs and you can select which one you want in the series. And the more programs you buy, it adds like crazy discounts on top of it. It gets progressively cheaper and it's, you know, it's, it's a very cost-effective, simple program.

• 18:11Speaker 00

  We love it.

• 18:12Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 18:13Speaker 00

  We love it. Did you, do we have fitness questions?

• 18:15Speaker 01

  Uh, I do. I have fitness questions.

• 18:17Speaker 00

  We have a couple of physical questions callers.

• 18:18Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 18:19Speaker 00

  Okay, you want to put your headphones on?

• 18:20Speaker 01

  Yeah. So Carla says, hi Chelsea and crew from Down Under. I need some help and have nothing in the toolbox for my current situation. I'm a 44-year-old professional CPA living independently with multiple sclerosis. It's been about 11 years living with the diagnosis and I've always found refuge in movement and exercise. My MS diagnosis was the best motivation to explore activities that challenge and support my body. I work out around four days a week, walking outdoors, Pilates and swimming. I see a physio who has been life-changing with craniosacral therapy, but a sudden onset of fatigue is making it impossible to continue my normal workout schedule. I'm very deliberate and sensible with my workouts, but would like some tips on how to manage fatigue and working out and how I could start simple workouts at home.

• 19:04Speaker 01

  I'd love to get safely into weights and have no idea where to start.

• 19:07Speaker 00

  Oh, perfect.

• 19:08Speaker 01

  Yeah, I have some basic dumbbells and a barbell at home and unsure if I should start at two kilograms, 10 kilograms or 20 kilograms. Do you have any tips on where to start? My goal is functional strength. Carla.

• 19:19Speaker 00

  Hi Carla.

• 19:20Speaker 02

  Love this.

• 19:21Speaker 01

  Hello.

• 19:22Speaker 00

  Hi Carla.

• 19:23Speaker 01

  Good morning.

• 19:24Speaker 02

  Hi.

• 19:25Speaker 00

  Hi. This is my personal trainer. So this is Ben Bruno and he just launched an app that you could, an exercise app, and not just launched, he launched his newest exercise app. So this is a perfect app for you. You can download it. They, he has, you want to go ahead?

• 19:38Speaker 02

  The program that I would recommend for you is called Intro to Strength Training. It's a beginner program. But listening to what Catherine just said, I think it's really important to remember with exercise that the devil's in the dose. And so when you're really struggling with fatigue, I really, I think that exercise gives you energy as long as you don't overdo it. But if you overdo it, it'll suck your energy. So I really recommend people, I always say seven out of 10 hard in, in each set and seven out of 10 hard in each workout. So what that means is you do your set where you could do a few more reps, but you stop

• 20:19Speaker 02

  short because I think going to true failure is where injury happens and that'll zap your energy. And then stopping the workout before you feel crushed will go a long way and you just make long-term, sustainable progress. So I would say consistent workouts, two times a week, but not crushing yourself. I think that too many people look at a workout program as all or nothing. I'm either just going to go all in or it's not worth doing.

• 20:50Speaker 00

  Yeah, I do that a lot.

• 20:51Speaker 02

  Yeah, and I think that

• 20:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, I've been doing

• 20:53Speaker 03

  That in the past. Served to me very well.

• 20:56Speaker 02

  Yeah, part of why I'm I was so grateful that Chelsea had me on here is I think a lot of the mainstream info to women. About strength training, I love it because I love that strength training is becoming more popular, but I think a lot of the advice. Comes from men and women like me who have worked out hard their whole life and just like it, but they're trying to. Make those recommendations ubiquitous to everyone that just is brand new to training and so. It doesn't have to be that intense. A lot of the stuff that I see is telling. Women with no background that you have to go to failure, that you have to do. Sprints and super heavy weights and. I don't think you need to do any of that. I think it wouldn't wouldn't make sense for.

• 21:41Speaker 02

  A woman just starting out to train like they're training for the NFL Combine. So it's sort of. A gentle, simple, sustainable program will go a long way. And also remember. The new buzzword that I actually like is called progressive overload. People teach women to progressively increase the weights. But I think the message that gets lost and can actually be defeating for women. Is that, for example, Chelsea is lifting thirty five pound dumbbells now. And we started with five or 10 pound dumbbells. So that's only like five or six weight increases in 11 years. So I think that sometimes. When you really break it down like that. If we were able to increase the, you know.

• 22:26Speaker 02

  I see a lot of simple recommendations on mainstream women's podcasts, telling women to try to bump the weights up. Five pounds every time and that sounds good. And that works initially, but if that were the case, Chelsea and I have conservatively done 2000 workouts. She'd be lifting 10,000 pounds on every single exercise.

• 22:43Speaker 00

  But I also think that something that you that you're saying is really important, like with your level of energy and everything. Like sometimes you can go in the gym and sometimes I'll just do a 20 minute workout. And that gives me the energy that I need. You don't have to commit to doing 45 minutes or an hour every single time. And if you do download a Ben's programs, each class is what?

• 23:04Speaker 02

  It's like 30, 40 minutes.

• 23:05Speaker 00

  Thirty, 40 minutes, but you know, you don't have to finish the whole thing if you're not feeling it. You just kind of want to. Do a little bit of something when you feel, you know.

• 23:14Speaker 03

  Exactly right.

• 23:15Speaker 02

  I think it's also important to know too, that when people say social media is a highlight reel, so is fitness and. I'm guilty of that in the sense that. I'll show the day that Chelsea lifts 35 pounds because I'm trying to make her look good. I'm trying to make myself look good. And whatever, but we're not doing that every time, if that makes sense. Some days we might only lift 20 pound dumbbells and. Live to fight another day when she's tired or feeling sore or, you know, whatever.

• 23:43Speaker 03

  A hundred percent. Yeah, I've really been overdoing it in the past, probably three months and that sort of led to a bit of burnout. So. At the moment, I'm just, you know, some days it's only just a walk around the block, but um, yeah, I think getting into a program and knowing that. Even if I just do like the 20 minutes, 30 minutes, maybe one day it might be 10 minutes. Like I think. I like to keep that habit of doing that daily or, you know, at least four or five times a week, some sort of movement and exercise. Because I found in those times where I let it all go, well, then you sort of don't want to pick it up again. It's um, yeah, having another tool to give me a bit of motivation and do something a little bit differently. Sounds really great.

• 24:26Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 24:26Speaker 00

  Great. Great. Thank you so much for calling in.

• 24:29Speaker 03

  Thanks, Carla. Amazing. Thank you.

• 24:36Speaker 00

  You've considered advancing your education or pursuing a new career. Rasmussen University has a seat saved for you. And with over 50 online programs, you can take a seat in your kitchen, your kid's soccer practice, your commute home. Or wherever your busy schedule takes you. Plus, with a team dedicated to supporting you every step of the way. You may be online, but you will never be alone. Find the program that fits your goals at rasmussen.edu. We have spent way too long not talking about women's bodies. Half the population has periods, hormones, menopause, vaginas. And somehow we're still supposed to be uncomfortable talking about any of it. Well, Vella isn't.

• 25:18Speaker 00

  Vella makes science-backed products designed specifically for women, addressing things like period discomfort, dryness, intimacy and pleasure. Because women spend a lot of their lives being told what they're supposed to want. And at this point, I think we can handle deciding that for ourselves. And yes, that includes sex because sex doesn't have an expiration date. Neither should orgasms and you definitely don't need permission to care about either one. Vella, women's health should include pleasure. Find out more at vella bio.com.

• 25:50Speaker 01

  All right. Do we want to do another question?

• 25:52Speaker 00

  Sure. Yeah, let's do another question.

• 25:54Speaker 01

  All right. Um, well, I have getting my confidence back as a as an athlete or. My brother in law works out too much.

• 26:03Speaker 00

  Do your brother in law works out too much?

• 26:04Speaker 01

  Okay. So Amy says, Dear Chelsea. My younger sister has been married for two years and has been with him for six years and six months ago they had a baby. It should be noted that it was him who initiated and pushed to have a baby, not her. My sister has absolutely loved being a mother and she's objectively a fantastic parent. Her husband, on the other hand, has been absent ever since the baby was born. He's at the gym. She gave birth on a Thursday, he came home on a Saturday and then Monday morning he began a twice a day workout routine. He works out for an hour before work, then works all day and then three times a week meets up with his friends to go rock climbing for several hours. On the weekends, he often goes climbing or to the gym or has evening plans with friends. Meanwhile, my sister is home with the baby. Because of all of this, my sister has spent most of these past six months alone with the baby.

• 26:50Speaker 01

  He seems truly addicted to fitness. He's always been interested in it, but ever since the baby was born, it's gone to another level. My sister has talked to him many times, but he's always tells her that he loves being at home, but he also loves being social and sees it as his social time with his friends. When she forces him to stay home, he's miserable and constantly checking his phone. I'm not sure what to do as the sister in law. I love my sister and it's obvious to me she isn't very happy. He doesn't see it as a problem because when he is home, he's very present. That being said, I don't know how to help. I have to stop myself from saying things like, wow, he sucks. The truth is, he is great when he's home, he's just never home. Any help would be appreciated. Sometimes an outside perspective is what's needed, Amy.

• 27:29Speaker 00

  I have a brother in law who over exercises.

• 27:31Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 27:31Speaker 00

  Yeah, he gets home, he works out, then he goes on a bike ride, then he goes da, da, da, da, but I mean.

• 27:36Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 27:36Speaker 00

  I don't ever, I don't know. I don't know. But Ben's a new dad and a trainer.

• 27:40Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, as a dude, I kind of get it. I would imagine that. Both the guys you're talking about exercise more for mental reasons than physical reasons. I find. Working out to be a good mental outlet for me and I'm in new debt. I mean, I think this guy kind of needs to realize if you're gonna have kids, you have to give up some shit in the beginning. It's just like very, you know, that's just what it is. Uh, my life got pretty small the last four months and I. Understand where he's coming from in the sense that sometimes I miss my old life, but I think that. It is what it is, but in terms of working out, working out twice a day is just.

• 28:21Speaker 02

  Silly from a workout perspective. So I think that's probably more of a mental outlet and. I think within in terms of working out. I will tell you, when I get busy, I I have a gym in my garage, but I just work out for 20 minutes.

• 28:36Speaker 00

  I would just call him out to his face as a sister in law. You have every right to do that as a sister in law.

• 28:41Speaker 02

  This doesn't feel like a workout question to me. If I feel like I just put on like my new dad hat and I'm like. Dude, you just gotta like be home.

• 28:48Speaker 00

  Well, it covers two bases. You have the expertise in two areas now.

• 28:51Speaker 02

  But I will say as a guy, I I feel like. Men, when they deal with stress, for me, a big part of working out is that. The common emotion I feel like as life comes at me is anger more so than sadness or. Stuff. And so for me, working out has always been an outlet. I, when I'm pissed off, I just lift really heavy and it's like a lot more. Socially acceptable than cussing out your partner or cussing out your neighbor, you know, whatever. Actually, I'll tell you, you know, Chelsea and I are pretty close in a lot of ways. I view her kind of like a sister. I think you've. Would probably agree in that way and three or four days.

• 29:36Speaker 00

  I view you as a sister also.

• 29:38Speaker 02

  Hey, girl. No, but I, she said, she sent me this text and I was just, she caught me in the wrong mood. And I just responded like a dick. And then I just had to like, a couple hours later, I was like, oh, sorry. But I think that I understand where this guy is coming from because.

• 29:55Speaker 00

  Yeah, it's hard for guys with the dead kids for the, it's really, really hard. This has been the hardest four months of Ben's life.

• 30:01Speaker 02

  It comes with amazing things and it's also really hard. And at the same time, I think everyone tells me that these are the times I'll miss. And so I think this dude that's rock climbing with the homies is going to regret that.

• 30:16Speaker 01

  Yeah. And like, I get that it's a social outlet, but like, guess what? You had a baby. Like, you don't get to hang out with your friends that much.

• 30:22Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah. You should definitely say so. I would say something as a sister in law. I would say something.

• 30:26Speaker 01

  And keep saying something until he like, comes correct. What would you say is like, what's acceptable for a new dad? Like, should he just be doing his before work ones? Like,

• 30:34Speaker 02

  I don't know. I mean, I don't want to ever comment on people's relationships. We have a situation, my wife and I both work from home. So it's the other extreme of just, we're just both at home all day, every day. I do think it's important to take space and you time, but definitely not every day and definitely not for four hours.

• 30:52Speaker 00

  And definitely not with a newborn. Like, that's not fair. Like, you have to like, acclimate and give up things. You have to sacrifice. You've made a sacrifice. You've had a child. Now you have to, this is why many people don't have children because they can't, they don't have room for this kind of sacrifice. But once you have them, you have to make the sacrifice. And you have to give up some of the things you love, not forever, but for the, you know, that incremental, important period of time to make sure that your baby is okay and that you're bonding with it.

• 31:21Speaker 02

  Totally. And one thing that I've learned, when I was talking before about the devils in the dose, I think when you talk about taking me time, the same things apply. So I know for my wife, Nicole and I are recharging right now, might be like just 30 minutes solo. You know, and that's seems acceptable. I think four hours every day is, it's not, you know, you're going to probably run into some significant relationship problems.

• 31:48Speaker 01

  Okay, well, let's get Ben back to his baby.

• 31:50Speaker 00

  Okay, Ben. All right, Ben, do you want to give your workout program another shout out for our mini-sode?

• 31:55Speaker 02

  Yeah, it's called Bruno Strong. It's, it's all through the link on my Instagram. And I have a website, benbruno.com. And I'm very thankful for you giving me this opportunity because I find that everyone that signs up for the program has really liked it. It's a weird thing, delving into the online stuff, because you know, I'm a true tech moron. And, you know, but as I've learned that if I just publish the workouts that I do with my clients and stuff, it has really resonated with people. And I appreciate you giving me your platform

• 32:37Speaker 02

  because a lot of the stuff that I do, I speak to other trainers and it's kind of like an echo chamber where we obviously all think the same. And I think that exercise for people who haven't done it before, haven't done it consistently, it's truly life changing. I think, you know, I know that sounds like hyperbole. I think you would say it's changed your life, you know, making it part of your routine. And so I hope to just bring that to more people.

• 33:01Speaker 00

  Awesome. Thanks for coming in, Ben Bruno. Thanks for being here. And thanks for showing me, for being such a tech idiot. You showed me how to edit a video this morning.

• 33:10Speaker 02

  I kind of.

• 33:10Speaker 00

  I know. He showed me. I was like, hey, I need to get rid of this last part.

• 33:14Speaker 02

  I've spent the last three years just swearing at my computer and my phone, but slowly but surely I'm getting better.

• 33:19Speaker 00

  Okay. All right, everybody. Download the app, start weightlifting, get your shit together. Summer is here, people.

• 33:26Speaker 01

  If you want advice from Chelsea, write into [email protected]. Dear Chelsea is a production of iHeart Media. Follow Chelsea on all socials, at Chelsea Handler, and find Catherine on TikTok, at Flash Kadabra. Dear Chelsea is edited and engineered by Brandon Dickert. Executive Producer Catherine Law. Find full video episodes and mini-sodes now on Netflix and get tickets to see.

• 33:49Speaker 00

  You've considered advancing your education or pursuing a new career. Rasmussen University has a seat saved for you. And with over 50 online programs, you can take a seat in your kitchen, your kid's soccer practice, your commute home, or wherever your busy schedule takes you. Plus, with a team dedicated to supporting you every step of the way, you may be online, but you will never be alone. Find the program that fits your goals at rasmussen.edu. We have spent way too long not talking about women's bodies. Half the population has periods, hormones, menopause, vaginas, and somehow we're still supposed to be uncomfortable talking about any of it. Well, Vella isn't. Vella makes science-backed products designed

• 34:32Speaker 00

  specifically for women, addressing things like period discomfort, dryness, intimacy, and pleasure. Because women spend a lot of their lives being told what they're supposed to want. And at this point, I think we can handle deciding that for ourselves. And yes, that includes sex, because sex doesn't have an expiration date. Neither should orgasms. And you definitely don't need permission to care about either one. Vella, women's health should include pleasure. Find out more at vella bio.com. It's 2026. We upgraded our phones, our cars, even our coffee. So why are we still acting like pleasure is negotiable? At Pink Cherry, it's not. They've got hundreds of toys that actually deliver. And if you don't know where to start, their mystery boxes

• 35:16Speaker 00

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• 36:01Speaker 00

  This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human.