Contrary to his instagram account, Sam Karl is more than just a pretty face and a set of washboard abs. A day in the life of this fitness junkie includes teaching two Barry’s Bootcamp classes plus a personal workout before 10:00 AM, heading to work for his real estate law firm (yes, he is an attorney), and then back to Barry’s to teach his evening addicts. How does he do it? By eating crazy amounts of healthy food, having a passion for fitness, and going to sleep by 10:30 PM. Needless to say, his ability to balance his workload and his workouts is both impressive and admirable. So we sat down with Sam to get the inside scoop on his six pack…
How did you get involved with Barry’s?
I got into working out during my senior year of college. I used to get really bad migraines and tried everything to make them stop. I finally went to see a nutritionist who told me to stop eating certain foods that may trigger migraines, like dairy, mustard, and certain nuts. This finally worked! The frequency of my migraines significantly decreased. This sparked my initial interest in health. Then I began working out in conjunction with balancing a healthy diet. I saw my body change dramatically, very quickly.
When I was in law school I became friends with one of the main investors at Barry’s in Miami and they brought me in as a trainer. I was thrown in to the mix very fast and never looked back.
How do you balance your two careers?
The fact is, I’m more in love with fitness than I am with being an attorney. Because I work for myself, I’m able to lighten my attorney load and make more time for fitness. Fitness is a passion so it doesn’t feel like work.
What does a day in the life of Sam look like?
Well I wake up at 5 AM and have a glass of water, first thing. I have to be at my first class by 5:45 so I eat breakfast quickly, usually 4-5 eggs, 3 with yolks and 2 egg whites. With the eggs I’ll either have 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread with peanut or almond butter or oatmeal. Oh and always coffee to get going.
I teach my first class at 6 AM, workout at 7:10, and teach again at 8:20. Depending on the day I’ll either go home to get work done or I’ll or go workout again.
At around 9:30 I have a protein shake made with pea protein, almond milk, blueberries, banana, strawberries, cinnamon, and sometimes a little scoop of almond butter. At 10 AM I have a couple of pieces of chicken and a sweet potato.
At 12:30-1:00 I make another lunch with vegetables, a protein, and a sweet potato or quinoa.
At 3 PM I’ll have a snack like a Lara bar and another coffee. Then I’ll either do a second workout if I haven’t already. I go back to teach the 5:30 and 6:40 PM classes. Dinner is around 8:30, and I’ll have a combination of a protein, vegetable, and carb.
Over the past month or two I’ve gotten really into coconut ice cream with a scoop of peanut butter…I eat it by the scoop just one after another. I’m actually reverse dieting. I used to never eat any kind of sweets, but I’m letting myself have this in the evenings. I had to slowly reintroduce it into my diet though, starting with just one scoop and adding another. I’m in bed by 10:30-11.
Well that certainly puts our workout routine to shame. What is your health philosophy or approach?
I try to limit processed food. I tell my clients to stick to the produce aisles, don’t even enter the middle unless you need toiletries.
Are there any foods you would never touch?
Candy. Never eat it. Although I do have dark chocolate, but only if it’s above 70% cacao.
Any food you cant live without?
Peanut butter.
How often do you indulge and what do you indulge in?
Probably once a month. I’ll have sweet potato fries, hamburgers, and bread. I LOVE bread.
Pump up song of the moment?
MK Remix of Blessings by Big Sean, Drake, and Kanye West.
Do you have a motto you tell yourself or your clients?
Be better than you were yesterday.
Restaurant in Miami you’re loving?
Ice box. I get the wasabi-crusted salmon with quinoa. It comes with a pad Thai sauce that’s unbelievable.
Drink of choice?
Tequila on the rocks with lime, or any sort of spicy tequila drink with jalapeno.
What snacks do you currently have with you?
Beef jerky, Lara bar, and fruit.
Do you ever take a day off from working out?
I take every Sunday off. I believe your body needs a break from routinely working out. Every three months I take a full week off. I find that my body fully recovers and I come back stronger. This is important to avoid plateauing. I also will change up my workouts. In addition to Barry’s, I also box, swim and take different types of classes. You can’t let your body get used to what you’re doing. My clients will vouch that every time you come to my class, you will get something different. I change up the timing, transitions, moves, and music. You can come to 15 classes in a row and you won’t get the same thing twice.
Jay Z vs Kanye?
Jay Z. I hate Kanye he’s a horrible person. He’s arrogant and annoying and makes dumb comments. (ouch).
Celebrity crush?
I have a new crush, Gabriella Wilde. I just saw her in that movie Endless Love and fell in love with her. I like girls who don’t feel like they need to wear makeup… I like the natural look. The type of girl I like needs to be able to chill in her sweatpants because with my 5 AM wake ups, I rarely go out.
We stalked your instagram account and cant help but notice no shortage of shirtless pics… elaborate?
Yea my nickname is “No Shirt Sam”. Honestly, people like my pictures with no shirt on!
….and we are certainly not complaining. If you are ever in the Miami area, be sure to take one of Sam’s classes at Barry’s Bootcamp. We guarantee he will make you sweat and he’ll take his shirt off… which is pretty much a winning combo. We'll warn you that his classes fill up fast, so be sure to book ahead of time!