Photo source: Michael Koch’s Instagram

Everyone wants to be stronger and succeed at business — but do you have what it takes?

Glamour Buff recently talked with tech entrepreneur, Michael Koch, the founder and CEO of HubKonnect, a leading AI-enabled marketing platform for franchise restaurants.

The purpose of the interview was to learn how he uses a scientific approach to biohack his brain and body to improve brain function, live longer, and balance hormones for optimal business success in the Artificial Intelligence technology sector.

GB: What was the moment you realized you wanted to get super fit and healthy? Or has this always been something you have done? What’s your motivation behind taking an extreme approach towards health and fitness?

MK: As a former Div. 1 athlete and Captain of the Wake Forest University Football team, health and fitness have always played a major role in my life and business success. I always made a concerted effort to allot time in my busy workdays to work out and fuel my energy to stay in elite shape. My ability to outwork everyone has become my competitive CEO advantage and working out and eating healthy was a huge part of this.

As I became more and more successful, building and exciting four technology companies over a decade, it hit me one day: What if I could do more biologically to take my cognitive and physical capability to unseen levels to do even more in a day.  I was already known for my intense work ethic, so I immersed myself deep into the science to learn how to biohack my body. During this process, I spoke with neuroscientists, navy seals, monks, doctors, trainers, and nutritionists, to create a unique protocol specifically to support my entrepreneurial success.

My focus moved from only the physical to creating a daily routine that sparks cognitive capabilities, energy, and focus so that I am always ready to seize opportunities and be my best.  This is where I created my extreme daily protocol. I have been following it for the past five years and have tested and sharpened it along the way. Now I am operating at peak performance for my company, clients, and employees.

GB: What is your daily routine/protocol?

MK: I am in the process of writing a book about my extreme daily protocol, which will provide full, in-depth details — but in the meantime, I will share some of the activities I do on a daily basis. I perform my workouts and business tasks when my body is most biologically primed, which is early in the morning. I wake up every day at 4 am, do five-minute cold ice baths, and ingest 2 cups of black coffee.

I then have my work ideation session in which I think big and solve the most complex issues. I do strength training at the 16-hour fasting mark because that is where my natural Human growth hormone (hGH) peaks. Then I hit the sauna and do red light therapy. Every day I fast for 20 hours a day, and 48 hours every other weekend. During the four-hour time span that I eat, I only consume foods that support cognitive function.

These kinds of foods include grass-fed beef, salmon, pecans, avocado, berries, bone broth, and organic eggs. I also drink 1.5 Gallons of water every day. I do Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) once a week, which is a treatment used to speed up the healing of human tissue. I also mix in other recovery modalities to make sure I can work at the pace and length I need.

Many may consider this extreme, but as with anything in life, if you want to perform at your best, you need to do things that others are not willing to do. I want every competitive advantage to be the best CEO and entrepreneur I can be.

GB: What are some of the benefits of being strict about your diet and fitness?

MK: The benefits are limitless energy, clear cognitive function, and it ensures that I look and feel great, which boosts my confidence in any boardroom. I know my daily routine puts my company, clients, and team in the best position to succeed.

To fulfill my workload of 18 hr days as an entrepreneur, the brain must operate at its highest level.  The key to tapping into this brain potential is neurogenesis or the process of creating new neurons or brain cells. The brain is critical in everything we as humans do. It is also important to invoke autophagy, which is the process the body performs to clean out damaged cells and regenerate newer, healthier cells.

Every action and calorie ingested is to build strength, induce cellular repair, and spark neurogenesis. This helps me operate at a high cognitive level and repair the cellular damage that I do.

It’s my belief that successful people decide to use every minute available in each day because our life’s purpose is greater than any short-term pleasure or gratification like going to a party, having a night out with friends, or eating a celebratory meal.

When I instill these habits and protocol, I have seen that it takes me to the path of greatness, minimalism, and discipline.  My protocol helps put me at the top of my game cognitively speaking, but by following my exact daily protocol, any person can become the strongest and leanest they have ever been.

GB: What activity in your wellness protocol gives you the most health benefits and why?

MK: Fasting is one of the most important aspects of my health and wellness regimen. Fasting 20 hours per day creates the optimal biological environment to drive energy and cognitive performance, while enabling my body to use optimal fuel sources, and induce autophagy. It’s as simple as this: fasting boosts brain power and improves the rate of neurogenesis.

The combination of fasting and ketones from consuming a ketogenic diet provides the ultimate powerful brain tools needed to achieve the most optimized day.  This combination also helps with memory and mood. There is the magic that happens in our bodies when we fast. It also allows our body to heal since the body is not focused on digestion.

Though it may seem extreme, when you get past your first 20 hours fast, you will reach a level of clarity that makes you wonder how you ever lived efficiently before implementing this key fasting approach.

GB: Tell us your business background?

MK: I am one of the originating pioneers of the Artificial Intelligence, Global Digital Production, Machine Learning, and SaaS industries. I have built my success as a tech entrepreneur developing and scaling AI and Digital Production for global top-tier brands including Procter & Gamble, Visa, FedEx, McDonald’s, Pepsi Co., Mars, Campbell’s, Nike, AT&T, and Microsoft.  I am currently overseeing my fifth technology company, HubKonnect as co-founder and CEO.

GB: What business are you currently working on?

MK: As the CEO of HubKonnect, I have been able to create a leading AI-enabled technology company providing Local Store Marketing solutions to franchise restaurants across the U.S. In addition, I  am also the Chairman of the QSR AI Research Lab. Helping thousands of franchise restaurant owners/operators upgrade their business with AI and Big Data so that they can better understand, communicate and sell to their local customers is my ultimate passion.

As an entrepreneur in the AI space, I focus on real-world development for Machine Learning Algorithms, deep learning, neural networks, large datasets, and high-performance computing, all for immediate application. My mission is to continue to develop real-world Artificial Intelligence technology that will significantly accelerate the restaurant Industry. This is a trillion-dollar technological revolution in the works and I intend on leading the forefront.

GB: Talk to us about weight/strength training and why it is so beneficial?

MK: Not only will lifting heavy weights spark new cells in the brain, but it has also been proven to provide numerous benefits from anti-aging to retention of muscle mass, which depletes as you age.

When I lift, I do so explosively and move heavy weights quickly. Low reps activate my fast twitch muscle fibers. Deadlifting is the ultimate king of weight training. Research shows that the more fit you are, the stronger you are, the more resilient your brain becomes, and the better it functions both cognitively and psychologically.

My 20-hour fasting approach also helps to spike Human growth hormone (hGH), a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pituitary gland, to its highest levels during workouts. If you aren’t constantly getting stronger, you’re ultimately getting weaker. Fasting combined with intense weight training and a customized diet is the ultimate blueprint to upgrading a person’s brain and body.

GB: What does your daily diet consist of?

MK: My diet is unique and designed for optimal brain function. After my 20 hour fast is complete, I consume a diet of bone broth, grass-fed red meat, eggs, caught salmon, avocados, walnuts, organic ghee, berries, and sometimes select cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli. Food is for fuel and to solely provide me the energy I need to keep outworking everyone and recover from my busy days and high-intensity workouts. I also drink 1.5 gallons of water per day.

GB: Do you incorporate mindfulness into your health/fitness regime?

MK: I use my early morning time to sit quietly and think big. I let my mind wander where it needs to go and that helps me achieve clarity and solutions for the next task I want to tackle. Everything comes to me very easily in the silence in the early morning. I’m a firm believer that solitude creates the environment for big ideas. My early morning ideation sessions are spiritual to me and are an essential start to the day.

GB: Do you think this is something anyone can do?

MK: No. I know my approach to physical and cognitive performance is an extreme and strict approach. A person has to have a disciplined and determined mindset to follow it. It is not for everyone.

As a former athlete, it is just ingrained in me to achieve greatness in everything I do — You could say I’m a Kobe Bryant 4 am legendary workout type of person. This isn’t for everyone. Some people are simply not built for this. People say they want success badly, but are not willing to go deep into the trenches to get there. It’s my belief that one needs to be a tenacious competitor and prioritize their cognitive performance in order to be elite.

With my strict daily protocol, I eliminate anything that could get in the way of optimization and embrace a spartan lifestyle. This could be cutting out parties, “friends”, family members, drinking, and video games. I know I need to be at my best so I can truly pave the way for others to be wildly successful.

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