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blog Ready to Talk with the Madball Band

Ready to Talk with the Madball Band

Sean Lake

almost 2 years ago

Often when anyone hears the word “supplement” or “fitness” there is an immediate understanding that such things are separate from the rest of the world. The direct areas of the gyms, such as CrossFit and bodybuilding, and good, nutrient-dense foods are often seen as something of its own niche. However, fitness and health are not by nature just a part of some specific community or labeled group. Just as bodybuilders, athletes, or CrossFitters need to eat well and stay active in specific ways, so do all other people. Individuals like Freddy Cricien and Hoya Roc are by no means avid gym-goers or CrossFit competitors. In fact, they are members of the band “Madball” and the changes they have made in their personal lives would perhaps surprise most people. Despite the lifestyle they used to live in the scene of hardcore music, they have to recognize and value health and fitness as a lifestyle, still deeply involved in the world of music.

Back on the Road

Madball gained traction as a recognized band in the early 1900s. As a hardcore band, they have had no shortage of a following. They’ve appealed to a number of people of their time as well as younger generations. During COVID, like many people, they struggled very much during the pandemic for numerous reasons. However, as Freddy explains, “this is our livelihood” and they did not waste much time getting back out there as one of the first bands to emerge from mandates and quarantining. In fact, Freddy believes that “it’s time” for the country to open back up again. He feels it's important and good that we get back to the ways of life pre-COVID. He is not so concerned with negative feedback for his choices, but feels that getting back out there despite what people may say or think is part of what makes Madball what it is and the members who they are. And though they are determined to make their statement by playing for their fans, they did not come out of COVID unchanged.

Changing It Up

“This is an intense line of work,” Freddy explains. “In the younger days you have youth on your side…but as you get older it’s a little harder.” Hardcore music is intense and is very physical and with that, the demand of having a body in shape is actually crucial. While in their younger years they were able to do just about anything and feel unaffected, they have changed up their act. They don’t do drugs anymore or any of the crazier substances out there, and may have an occasional drink. Both Freddy and Hoya feel that one of the biggest impacts on their mindset and lifestyle changes is due to their kids. However, Hoya, who had always been heavier, had a much bigger wakeup call. Through covid, he had major changes implemented into his life. Hoya had lost his mother during COVID after she battled cancer. For him, this was the initial wakeup to realizing he needed to make changes. All the more did he feel this way, knowing that as a single father, he had to be there for his kids. Longevity became a priority of his. He made a decision to live with “no more excuses” and to commit to improving. His initial changes were with his diet and making nutrition-based changes. The changes he made, however, came with the sagging skin after he lost weight. Though he never made the vanity side of it his priority, he did feel that he looked frail and thought he ought to make time, as a man, lifting weights and building muscle. With that came more shifts in his lifestyle. He began eating a ton of protein to help grow muscle. He even incorporates supplements like BUBS Naturals Collagen which he swears by not just for feeling better, but even for looking healthier. When starting out with the exercises, he did not let himself get discouraged. “You know how it goes,” he says, explaining his progression in workouts, “2 minutes become five minutes, and then five becomes ten minutes.” Slowly the workout became easier and in time he found he had more energy throughout his day. When discussing eating pizza and burgers or drinking beer, Hoya says, “Earn it.” Going from well over three hundred pounds and losing nearly one hundred pounds since the time he started, both he and Freddy feel confident in his efforts and continuing the lifestyle. “We want to perform like we did in our twenties and thirties” explains Freddy. They know health is not just for the gym-goers, and that “it’s part of a lifestyle.”

More to Come

Fighting for longevity is just part of Freddy and Hoya’s journey. After emerging from COVID and touring through states, they have “no shortage of things to be pissed off about” and so have all the material they need for new songs and albums. They plan to dive in deeper and be even edgier and maybe even piss a few people off in the process, if they are lucky, which they shared recently on an IG Live with BUBS Naturals. They intend to be loud and direct with their new album which they intend to make very special. “There’s a lot to talk about, and we’re ready to talk about it,” they explain. Between the emotions of their journey over just the last couple of years, and where the world is today, they are on a mission to send their message.