PARAISO MIAMI SWIM

This month, the runways were swim ready with Paraiso Miami Swim which had a number of designers showcase their look for the season. We're sharing a few of our favorite looks as well as those that had recording artists hit the runway to perform as well.

There were a number of trends that rocked the runways from colors (lavender, pink and aqua popped up throughout a number of shows), visual texture (you'll see a number of looks that include criss-cross, cutout peekaboos, deep plunges), one shoulder looks, mini bikini skirts incorporated into swimwear and adding sparkle and shine in to the looks.

We have our eye on the designers that we've included that really brought the runway to the next level with their designs.

IG @paraisomiamibeach

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 98 - 100 + 102 - 103 Getty | PG 101 ImaxTree

Read the JUL ISSUE #79 of Athleisure Mag and see PARAISO MIAMI SWIM in mag.

THE BACHELORETTES S.19 E.5 | WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Bachelorette

It feels like ABC’s The Bachelorette will dig deeper as Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey continue to navigate their journey. By dividing the men last week, they are able to focus on what they’re looking for without the distraction of trying to see if the man that they are interested in is there for them.

We kick off the week in Belgium. We’re still not over how Logan took Rachel’s rose, but is really interested in Gabby.

Tino, Zach, Meatball, Ethan, Tyler and Logan are on a group date with Rachel. Aven will have the 1-on-1 date with her. Logan goes to Rachel’s to see her ahead of the group date. He lets her know that after getting all the roses from her that he wants to be with Gabby. It’s such a tough spot for her to be in and to have to go through!

We also feel like every guy for the most part that tries to switch to the otherside, it doesn’t bode well for them. It' will be interesting to see what happens with him.

The guys for Rachel’s date are meeting her in Bruges. The guys don’t know why Logan is there but they enjoy seeing a mud match. Rachel is back in her room upset that yet another man has left prior to a rose ceremony. Firmly in her legitimate feelings, Jesse Palmer swings by to see what’s going on. She lets him know how this is devastating and she feels that the guys have to keep picking her back up and she feels that it is tough on them.

She decides to cancel the day portion of the group date, but plans on attending the after-party.

Logan talks to Gabby to let her know that he broke up with Rachel and that he wants to move forward with her. He’s in limbo as he has to wait to hear back from her on whether he will have that chance.

Gabby goes straight to Rachel to let her know that she knows and to see how she is doing. It’s interesting how the two of them always talk with one another and even when they’re hurting, they explain that if they feel they should continue with someone - they should! It would have been interesting to see how this segment may have been different with Kaitlyn and Tayshia as it was a girl moment where they really needed to have your bestie pick you back up again.

At the afterparty, the remaining men for Rachel are excited to get some time with her and they note that there is a rose on the table. They hope to still have a good time with her. Rachel apologizes for not holding the morning date. She fills them in on what happened and says that if they don’t want to be there, they should go. Ethan asks to spend some time with her. He lets her know that he is there for her and they share a kiss.

Tino tells her that by not having that group date, he didn’t feel seen. Meatball chats with her as well as the rest of the guys as they go above and beyond to make her feel better. She lets them know that she wanted to show up for everyone and to be at 100% because that is what she is asking of them to do with her.

The group date rose goes to Tino. Zach feels bothered by it; however, he is happy for Tino.

Gabby’s group date has the remaining men (minus Logan who is in limbo and Johnny who will have the 1-on-1 date). The men are touring Bruge, they take a boat ride on the river, enjoy some waffles, play soccer in the park with little kids and she gets to see their personalities. They continue on playing Belgium games where they play rock, paper, fish slapped across their face.

The men meet up for the after-party portion as they reflect on how much fun they have had. Logan arrives and the look of shock on their faces leaves some tension.

Logan gets to sit with Gabby and chat with her, somehow, we don’t believe him when he says he wants to be with Gabby either. She gives the group date rose to Nate.

Logan thinks there is some tension with the guys in the fact that he has switched over. He hopes that Rachel finds her person. Aven and Rachel have their 1-on-1 date. They take a carriage ride through the city as they explore Bruge. They enjoy some chocolates at a local shop, they stop by a group of women who make lace on veils. They look over the city in a watchtower as the sun sets which looks spectacular. They make their way to dinner to spend more time and to talk about things that they need to know about one another.

Aven shares how stability and security is so important to him. His mom made him a bracelet that he has given to Rachel to hold for awhile in hopes that things turn around for her as he knows how tough it has been. She gives him the date night rose. They go outside to watch the fireworks.

Nate loops Johnny on Logan joining the group. Johnny and Gabby have their 1-on-1 date. Their date took place on a beer farm where they enjoyed a flight to sample the flavors. They get to sit in a Bruges Beer Tub. They have a fun time trying the treatments that they share with one another and sitting in the beer. They continue on to dinner where he talks about his feelings, being vulnerable and wrestling with emotions that he’s not sure where they came from. He receives the date night rose.

All the men assemble for the cocktail party. Logan being there makes everyone uneasy from him ruining the group date for the men on Rachel’s side and potentially taking a rose from those on Gabby’s side. Gabby’s men connect with her and he opts to bring fish to slap her as a way to connect to the group date that he wasn’t on.

At the rose ceremony, Mario, Michael and Meatball didn’t receive roses. Gabby’s men are shocked that he’s there and now they know that they have to step it up. They will continue onto Amsterdam.

GABBY GAVE ROSES TO | Erich, Jason, Johnny, Logan, Nate, Spencer,

RACHEL GAVE ROSES TO | Aven, Ethan, Tino, Tyler, Zach

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Mario, Meatball, Michael

Each night during this season, we tweet about The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

AVEN [Rachel]

ERICH [Gabby]

ETHAN [Rachel]

JASON [Gabby]

NATE [Gabby]

TINO [Rachel]

TYLER [Rachel]

ZACH [Gabby]

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC, 27 | Houston, TX

AVEN, 28 | San Diego, CA

BRANDAN, 23 | Carlsbad, CA

CHRIS, 30 | Redondo Beach, CA

COLIN, 36 | Chicago, IL

ERICH, 29 | Bedminster, NJ

ETHAN, 27 | NY, NY

HAYDEN, 29 | Tampa, FL

JACOB, 27 | Scottsdale, AZ

JOEY, 24 | Brookfield, CT

JAMES, 25 | Winnetka, IL

JASON, 30 | Santa Monica, CA

JOHNNY, 25 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL

JOHN, 26 | Nashville, TN

JORDAN H., 25 | Tampa, FL

JORDAN V., 27 | Alpharetta, GA

JUSTIN B., 32 | Solana Beach, CA

JUSTIN Y., 24 | Brookfield, CT

KIRK, 29 | Lubbock, TX

LOGAN, 26 | San Diego, CA

MARIO, 31 | Naperville, IL

MATT, 25 | San Diego, CA

NATE, 33 | Chicago, IL

MICHAEL, 32 | Long Beach, CA

QUINCEY, 25 | Miami, FL

ROBY, 33 | Los Angeles, CA

RYAN, 36 | Boston, MA

SPENCER, 27 | Chicago, IL

TERMAYNE, 28 | Naperville, IL

TINO, 27 | Playa Del Rey, CA

TYLER, 25 | Wildwood, NJ

ZACH, 25 | Anaheim Hills, CA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

NO KID HUNGRY X WILLIAMS-SONOMA

No Kid Hungry X Williams Sonoma presents this year's partner spatulas. We love that this year Chef Ina Garten, Big Freedia, Lauren Alaina and a number of personalities are giving back to fight food insecurity for children.

No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. After 25 years of successfully investing in local nonprofits and helping find the best approaches to eradicating poverty and hunger, Share Our Strength launched No Kid Hungry in 2010.

Williams Sonoma has raised over $16 million to date for No Kid Hungry to aid the fight for ending childhood hunger.

We've been a fan of Ina Garten for years and of course, enjoy making a number of her dishes from her various cookbooks. Her passion for making meals an epic experience and sharing them with friends and family is a no brainer in terms of her support of ending childhood hunger. “Now more than ever, the work of No Kid Hungry is so important and I am honored to be able to support their cause with William Sonoma.”

Hip Hop artist known for their work in the genre of Bounce and TV Personality, Big Freedia shared why partnering with No Kid Hungry was important. “I love partnering with No Kid Hungry. They have helped feed many New Orleans underserved children over the years. A hungry child cannot learn or concentrate, so starting early is essential and it’s a cause I will always support."

Country music artist, Lauren Alaina shared why being part of this campaign was important to her. “I love the heart of William Sonoma and getting to partner with them to help make a difference for children. I can’t stand the thought of any child dealing with hunger. I had so much fun decorating my spatula and am so proud to be a part of this campaign.”

Read the JUL ISSUE #79 of Athleisure Mag and see NO KID HUNGRY X WILLIAMS-SONOMA in mag.

9LIST

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ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

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THE PICK ME UP

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9LOOKS | SPORTI X STEF CORGEL

Read the JUL ISSUE #79 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LOOKS | Sporti X Stef Corgel in mag.

IN OUR BAG | WHEN WE'RE OUT ON A WALK

Read the JUL ISSUE #79 of Athleisure Mag and see IN OUR BAG | When We’re Out On A Walk in mag.

ROCK THIS WHEN SUMMER RAINS MIGHT HAPPEN

Read the JUL ISSUE #78 of Athleisure Mag and see ROCK THIS WHEN SUMMER RAINS MIGHT HAPPEN in mag.

THE BACHELORETTES S.19 E.4 | RACHEL + GABBY'S SEPARATE JOURNEYS

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Bachelorette

ABC’s The Bachelorette starts with Rachel Recchia, and Gabby Windey pleased that they will be on separate journeys. We see that Meatball (James) was given a second chance. The guys in the house hear Hayden talking smack about Gabby and Rachel’s reaction to when he said he didn’t want to be with Gabby. James feels that because he has been given a second chance, he doesn’t want to ruin it - I’m sure that he will bring it up. Jesse Palmer joins the guys at their home and lets them know that the journey will continue, but the women are in France. He also lets them know that Tino (for Rachel) and Jason (for Gabby) will be flying out not to Paris to have 1-on-1 dates with them. The remainder of the men will fly out later in the day to have their journeys continue on.

Rachel and Gabby chat in a cafe as they wait for the men to arrive. Rachel shares how she felt awful that 3 men rejected her rose publically which makes her wonder if the men she has chosen are there for her. Gabby says that the highest highs come after the lowest lows.

Jesse meets with the rest of the guys and lets them know that they will be on Virgin Voyages and the men will be split into their 2 groups. The entire ship will be for them. They each have their own common areas, quarters etc. So it will be nice to see the focus shift a bit. We see each of the dates taking place in the rain in Paris from finding the perfect beret, making crepes and taking stunning sites - these are the dates that they deserve.

The double date comes back together as they enjoy each other and the men chat about their date while The Bachelorettes catch up to see how things are going. For dinner, they go back in their individual dates to try to find out more about one another. Tino and Rachel have their dinner in a cathedral which looks amazing and he asks how she is doing after the brutal rose ceremony. She appreciates him checking in and says that she wants to talk about family, goals, etc. She lets him know about her insecurities and her expectations. She wants to have her career and she wants her husband to understand that she can fly around the world, but also have a family. Tino talks about how both of his parents worked and they were a partnership and everyone came together. We’re loving Tino for Rachel and he gets the 1-on-1 rose! She lets him know that she likes what she sees and cares about him.

Back on the ship, Gabby’s date card arrives for Nate, Kirk, Quincey, Erich, Michael, Mario, Spencer, Johnny on the group date.

Back at Gabby and Jason’s date they have their dinner at another location. Gabby calls out that he is reserved and he acknowledges it and says that he was put out of his comfort zone and he was uncomfortable with being there because he is sensitive with his energy. Growing up, he felt that he wasn’t good enough when he would look at other kids and he would try to prove himself with tennis, hated it and then quit. He said it takes him a bit to warm up because it was years of feeling those emotions. He lets her know that through his therapy, he learned that he had to speak up to get what he wanted. He doesn’t know if Gabby thinks he is making sense, but she says that she gets it. She explains that with her estrangement with her mother, she felt those feelings and felt that her love was taken away from her and she had to go through therapy to learn how to receive love. Thankfully they connect and it’s nice to see where they have similarities and how they could support one another. She gives him the 1-on-1 rose and the belief that this could go somewhere.

Gabby’s group date involves the men boxing French style. Whoever wins will have a 1-on-1 date with her for a rose. Rachel has also arrived and is bringing her men to watch as well ahead of her group date. Rachel hears Gabby’s guys profess their feelings, but Rachel’s men aren’t giving her eye contact and interacting with her across from the boxing ring. We also hear Logan say that maybe he made the wrong decision as he sees Gabby and thinks that he should have went with her.

The winner of the boxing match is Spencer who will have the 1-on-1 date. Rachel is breaking down feeling that her men are not really that into her. At the Pink Agave lounge on the ship, they have their time together to get to know one another.

Rachel is going through it because her guys are not making her feel wanted. The guys are oblivious to what is taking place and are excited to do a competition. She questions whether she should be the bachelorette. She tells the guys that she is upset because she feels unseen and that no one came over to acknowledge her. She realizes that when she spoke to them, they looked shocked that she had a bad experience.

The group date kicks off and all the men race to her and give her hugs. She lets them know that she wants to be chosen. The date is with a flirtation coaches as they show how thy flirt, french kiss their own hands, smell the guy’s armpits, and writing love letters to Rachel. She appreciates the effort and as the winner will conclude in a dinner date for a 1-on-1, she needs to think about it. Logan is still debating on his feelings for Gabby even though he accepted Rachel’s rose!

Tyler and Rachel have a 1-on-1 with one another. She loved that he had a poem at the ready to tell her. He lets her know about his past and how he bought someone he loved a house, but she didn’t want that life. He was heartbroken, but he is not closed off to love. Tyler accepts the rose.

Logan pulls Jesse aside and lets him know that he thinks that he should let Rachel know that he has feelings for Gabby, He also wants to talk to Gabby to see if there are feelings there.

The men assemble ahead of the rose ceremony. Logan plans on going to the cocktail party to talk with Gabby. Both women say that they enjoy that they are on their separate journeys. Nate and Gabby bond and their chemistry is undeniable. Hayden connects with Rachel and talks with her about his dog and how he is close to passing away. He wants her to know that he is there for her - but he didn’t share how he was rude to Gabby!

So while he fumes with others that he didn’t get the reaction that he wanted (we felt that she acknowledged it), James fills her in on how he was beyond inappropriate. She thanks him for letting him know and she addresses Hayden immediately. She lets him know what she was told, he denied it and she walked him out.

Rachel was so upset that they decided to cancel the cocktail party and go straight to the cocktail party. A number of guys didn’t get talk with Rachel and Logan is concerned that he didn’t get to say what he wanted to say to Gabby. Logan accepts the rose knowing he wants Gabby and the guys on Rachel’s side are saying that they need to let 1 week go by with no drama.

GABBY GAVE ROSES TO | Erich, Jason, Johnny, Mario, Michael, Nate, Spencer,

RACHEL GAVE ROSES TO | Aven, Ethan, James, Logan, Tino, Tyler, Zach

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Hayden, Jordan, Kirk, Quincey

Each night during this season, we tweet about The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

AVEN [Rachel]

ERICH [Gabby]

JAMES [Rachel]

JASON [Gabby]

NATE [Gabby]

TINO [Rachel]

TYLER [Rachel]

ZACH [Gabby]

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC, 27 | Houston, TX

AVEN, 28 | San Diego, CA

BRANDAN, 23 | Carlsbad, CA

CHRIS, 30 | Redondo Beach, CA

COLIN, 36 | Chicago, IL

ERICH, 29 | Bedminster, NJ

ETHAN, 27 | NY, NY

HAYDEN, 29 | Tampa, FL

JACOB, 27 | Scottsdale, AZ

JOEY, 24 | Brookfield, CT

JAMES, 25 | Winnetka, IL

JASON, 30 | Santa Monica, CA

JOHNNY, 25 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL

JOHN, 26 | Nashville, TN

JORDAN H., 25 | Tampa, FL

JORDAN V., 27 | Alpharetta, GA

JUSTIN B., 32 | Solana Beach, CA

JUSTIN Y., 24 | Brookfield, CT

KIRK, 29 | Lubbock, TX

LOGAN, 26 | San Diego, CA

MARIO, 31 | Naperville, IL

MATT, 25 | San Diego, CA

MICHAEL, 32 | Long Beach, CA

NATE, 33 | Chicago, IL

QUINCEY, 25 | Miami, FL

ROBY, 33 | Los Angeles, CA

RYAN, 36 | Boston, MA

SPENCER, 27 | Chicago, IL

TERMAYNE, 28 | Naperville, IL

TINO, 27 | Playa Del Rey, CA

TYLER, 25 | Wildwood, NJ

ZACH, 25 | Anaheim Hills, CA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

PEACH BEAUTY

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#TRIBEGOALS

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HOW TO DRESS | FOR A SUMMER DINNER PARTY

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ATHLEISURE MAG | #79 JUL ISSUE

In this month’s issue, our cover story is with UFC Bantamweight Champion and first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter, Julianna Peña. We’re rooting for her as she prepares for her title rematch fight with Amanda Nunes tomorrow in Dallas for UFC 277. We talk about how she got into MMA, how she trains, the upcoming match and the importance of balancing her life as an athlete and a mom. We also interview CEO/President Greg Harris of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We talk about his career in the music and sport industries and what led him to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the importance of music, the museum and the upcoming Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee ceremony. We also interview actress, best selling author and entrepreneur, La La Anthony on her upcoming season of STARZ’s Black Mafia Family, her haircare line INALA and how she is taking more time for herself. This month, we also share this season’s No Kid Hungry X Williams Sonoma spatulas that feature an array of people including Ina Garten, Big Freedia and more. We also share some of our favorite looks from Paraiso Miami Swim that took place earlier this month.

This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from EDM DJ/Producer Yves V. Our 9DRIP comes from our cover, Julianna Peña. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from choreographer and dance fitness trainer Nicole Winhoffer. Our 9LIST STORI3S comes from La La Anthony.

Our monthly feature, The Art of the Snack shares Greek-Mediterranean restaurant, Limani NY. This month’s Athleisure List comes from AZILO Ultra Pool at SAHARA Las Vegas and Beatnic at Montauk Beach House. As always, we have our monthly roundups of some of our favorite finds.

Read the JUL ISSUE #79 of Athleisure Mag.

SAINT LAURENT SS23 MEN'S FASHION SHOW

THE SCIENCE BEHIND CBD AND FITNESS

Have you heard that CBD could help athletes and want to know if it can help your fitness journey too? Do you want to know the science behind CBD and how it can help your fitness?

Fitness is an important aspect of life, and everyone should have a reasonable fitness level throughout their lifetime. Unfortunately, many people don't take this too seriously and spend their days without doing any exercise at all.

This can be due to a lack of energy, muscle, soreness, stamina, and more. Research has shown that CBD can be incredibly effective for those who want to improve their fitness levels naturally. CBD products such as those offered at Grasscity can help improve focus and energy levels and reduce pain and inflammation. For athletes, CBD can help to reduce recovery time after intense workouts.

Here is the science behind CBD and fitness.

Gives You a Boost of Energy

The first benefit that you will see when consuming CBD for fitness purposes is that it'll give you a boost of energy. Many CBD users have reported that CBD consumption provides them with increased energy and focus, drastically improving their athletic ability.

Getting a boost of energy before you work out will give you a much better workout as it gives you more energy to do harder work for a longer period. This allows you to get the most out of your fitness routine.

Prolongs Duration

The next reason CBD would be a great addition to your fitness is that it prolongs the duration of your exercise. As mentioned above, CBD can give you an incredible boost of energy and can allow you to prolong the duration of your workout and therefore do more exercise.

By prolonging the duration of your exercise with a boost of energy, you can work out for a longer period and increase the amount of exercise you are doing, hence getting better results for your fitness.

Helps With Muscle Soreness

The next thing CBD can help with regarding fitness is muscle soreness and muscle recovery. It is no secret that when one exercises, they tend to be sore the next day, but this pain is not from injury. Instead, it comes from working a muscle that does not normally work in that manner.

Muscle soreness or stiffness is very common, and recovery post-workout is incredibly important to reduce the soreness and make it more manageable. Most of the rebuilding and repair of your muscles happens during the night when you sleep.

So, consuming CBD after a workout or before you go to bed can help muscle recovery and ensure that it happens faster. CBD consumption can also impact your endocannabinoid system, which can help you sleep better and allow better muscle recovery.

Improves Concentration

The next thing you will notice when consuming CBD for fitness is that it drastically improves your concentration. When working out or exercising, getting distracted or losing track of what you are doing can be easy.

Consuming CBD before a workout will drastically improve your performance because it will improve your concentration and motivation. Improved concentration allows you to exercise more efficiently, complete your workout to the best of your ability, and simply have a better overall activity.

Mood Booster

Last but not least, when people are feeling down, it can often lead to a decrease in their physical wellness and fitness. CBD consumption has been shown to change or alter the serotonin levels within the brain.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter primarily used to regulate emotions, stress, and mood. Consuming CBD is something you can do to drastically improve your mood before a workout, therefore improving the quality and outcome of your workout.

HERMES SS23 MENSWEAR FASHION SHOW

Enjoy the Hermes Men’s Summer 2023 show.

VERSACE SS23 MEN'S FASHION

Enjoy Versace’s SS23 Men’s runway show.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTES S.19 E.3 | THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Bachelorette

ABC’s The Bachelorette starts with Rachel Recchia, and Gabby Windey asking about how they will begin to designate which guy if focused on them. They know there are some that have a set person in mind, but they know that the ones that have yet to figure it out, need to start making decisions. Jesse Palmer meets with them to let them know that each of The Bachelorettes will have a 1-on-1 date. There will also be a massive group date as well. Rachel’s date will be Zach. Their date includes a touch base with Karamo from Queer Eye, where he styles them in fun looks for their date at an exclusive movie premiere.

While Rachel is on her date, Gabby goes to hang out with the guys and they’re enjoying hanging out with themselves. She eventually leaves them and feels that they are not giving their best effort. She feels that they’re being lax because there are 2 women available.

Back at the house, Gabby feels like she’s not being embraced and feels uncomfortable. She feels that the people that she wants to like her, don’t.

The next date card arrives and Erich is chosen for the date with Gabby. Now we know that Erich is kind of playing with both of the women and hasn’t hidden this fact from the guys in the house.

Back on Rachel’s date, they have a red carpet experience where they get their pictures taken and they view a movie in a large empty theater. Matt White plays on the piano for them as Me & You plays which has photos/videos of Rachel as a kid and growing up! Zach also has a compilation as well. It’s a pretty cute date and Rachel hears his mom congratulating him and wishing him well on his journey. Rachel’s mom also sends her well wishes too. They share that their dads took them to airstrips just to see pilots take off and they can’t believe that they both experienced that. Zach admits that he is falling for her during the confessional and he is given the date night rose.

Even when Gabby gets knocked down, we love how she bounces back! She heads over to the guys’ house and picks up Erich. Their date card said that 3 is a crowd - her grandfather is with them! They are doing a sound bath - this is a very Gabby date! They continue on to go bowling and Gabby finds a woman to be on her grandfather’s team while she is on a team with Erich. They kiss and she feels a lot better then she did the day before. They continue on to the next part of the date for dinner. Gabby gets overwhelmed as they’re talking because she’s upset with her feelings about her mom and she feels that she’s so complicated when Rachel isn’t. She talks with Jesse as she tries to figure things out. They talk for a bit more and she gives Erich the date night rose.

Celebrity photographer Franco Lacosta takes images of the women in bridal gowns, but then the guys arrive and as this is a large group date they have a number of outfits - the guys have sexy car wash, maternity looks, a family photo and then men on the flight as well as those in the hospital - it’s a crazy date to be sure! They also do a few proposal photos as well.

The date continues at SoFi stadium where the Chargers and the Rams play. They have time on the field to get to know more about them and to really start sorting the men as well. There’s great chemistry between Aven and Rachel which is so nice to see. Rachel is so happy with the connections that she is having. Gabby sits down with Tyler and lets her know that he has feelings for and wants to pursue Rachel. She is also told this by Hayden and Jacob say the same thing.

Aven gets the group date rose from Rachel. Rachel lets them know that because of the tough week, she can’t give a group date rose to anyone. Gabby tells Rachel what took place with the various guys. She wasn’t annoyed with them wanting Rachel, but she didn’t like the insulting way that they went about it.

As the men wait at the cocktail party prior to the rose ceremony, Jesse lets them know that it is canceled. He lets them know that this process is not working for them. The women will continue separately. If they accept the rose from the person who gives it to them, that is the person that they will be focused on - that’s it.

The men assemble as they have decisions to make. The women feel that it’s time that the beginning of the separation process will need to happen so that they can genuinely be on their journey. Gabby acknowledges that there was a struggle in having 2 Bachelorettes and she lets them know that some convos were hurtful to her. Rachel gives a rose to Tino and he accepts it, Logan accepts her rose, Termayne doesn’t accept his rose - he is placed back in line and can’t offer that rose to someone else, Alec doesn’t accept the rose, Tyler accepts his rose, Ethan accepts his rose, Jordan accepts his rose, Meatball doesn’t accept his rose and Hayden accepts the rose. Gabby gives Nate the next rose and he accepts, Johnny accepts his rose, Spencer accepts his rose, Jason accepts his rose, Mario accepts his rose, Kirk accepts his rose, Quincey accepts his rose and Michael accepts the rose.

When a guy didn’t accept the rose, although he was placed back in line, the rose was removed from Rachel.

Interestingly enough, Meatball who decided not to take Rachel’s rose towards the end went back to her and asked if she could give them more time. Now that both women are on their separate journeys, we’ll see if the guys will continue to stay with the women that they have chosen.

GABBY GAVE ROSES TO | Erich, Nate, Jason, Johnny, Jordan, Kirk, Mario, Michael, Quincey, Spencer

RACHEL GAVE ROSES TO - Aven, Ethan, Hayden, Jordan, Logan, Termayne, Tino, Tyler, Zach

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Alec, Jacob, James/Meatball, Jason, Termayne

Each night during this season, we tweet about The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

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WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

AVEN [Rachel]

ERICH [Gabby]

HAYDEN [Rachel]

JORDAN [Gabby]

NATE [Gabby]

TINO [Rachel]

TYLER [Rachel]

ZACH [Gabby]

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC, 27 | Houston, TX

AVEN, 28 | San Diego, CA

BRANDAN, 23 | Carlsbad, CA

CHRIS, 30 | Redondo Beach, CA

COLIN, 36 | Chicago, IL

ERICH, 29 | Bedminster, NJ

ETHAN, 27 | NY, NY

HAYDEN, 29 | Tampa, FL

JACOB, 27 | Scottsdale, AZ

JOEY, 24 | Brookfield, CT

JASON, 30 | Santa Monica, CA

JAMES, 25 | Winnetka, IL

JOHNNY, 25 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL

JOHN, 26 | Nashville, TN

JORDAN H., 25 | Tampa, FL

JORDAN V., 27 | Alpharetta, GA

JUSTIN B., 32 | Solana Beach, CA

JUSTIN Y., 24 | Brookfield, CT

KIRK, 29 | Lubbock, TX

LOGAN, 26 | San Diego, CA

MARIO, 31 | Naperville, IL

MATT, 25 | San Diego, CA

MICHAEL, 32 | Long Beach, CA

NATE, 33 | Chicago, IL

QUINCEY, 25 | Miami, FL

ROBY, 33 | Los Angeles, CA

RYAN, 36 | Boston, MA

SPENCER, 27 | Chicago, IL

TERMAYNE, 28 | Naperville, IL

TINO, 27 | Playa Del Rey, CA

TYLER, 25 | Wildwood, NJ

ZACH, 25 | Anaheim Hills, CA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

SMOKE & ROLL | KENJI FUJISHIMA

For this month’s cover story we catch up with Kenji Fujishima, who is Head of Cultivation at Dr. Greenthumb and Insane OG Brand. He shares how he befriended B-Real over martial arts training under his world-renowned father as sensei; going on the road with the Cypress Hill crew; and growing weed together to become legends in cannabis culture. Kenji recounts tours and trips in Amsterdam; the origin and viral smash following of Kush Bubba (known as Bubba Kush) and Insane OG; and the insane path from growing underground and the Dr. Greenthumb hit anthem to going legit with Dr. Greenthumb’s dispensaries taking over California and expanding to legal states across the US as cannabis mainstreams. Their mission is admirable and necessary in delivering top quality products at an array of prices, while helping legacy farmers grab their share against corporate giants pushing to overtake the scene. We also delve into how cannabis is increasingly crossing into sports, health and fitness, and leisure activities, particularly with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu smoke and roll, and their Team Insane recently featuring the exciting Nicky and Jacob "Jay" Rodriguez at Subversiv 7, their participation in High Rollerz, and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: So you met B-Real through a friend around 1993 at a Cypress Hill Show, with the Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine?

KENJI FUJISHIMA: Yeah, I went to school with this girl and her boyfriend sold weed, and by way of linking with him in that sense, he was like one day, do you want to go check out a show? And it was with Cypress Hill, Rage Against The Machine and the Beastie Boys, a Leonard Peltier Benefit close to LA; at Dominguez Hills College, and we all pretty much started hanging out from there. You can imagine that line-up it was nuts.

AM: It sounds it! So you guys were hanging out and then started training martial arts together too? I see from your background you started doing Shotokan from age 5, right?

KF: Well my father is a world-renowned Shotokan master, I kinda grew up in the dojo. I started training when I was like 3 1/2 probably a little bit more serious by the time I was 5, because 3 1/2 is pretty young, you’re just still getting real legs under you. Both my brother and I, from the time we were in cribs we were in the dojo, and then by the time we were walking we were on the dojo, and when we were actually cognitive of learning things, that’s when my dad started putting Gi's on us and training us.

AM: And B-Real was doing Taekwowndo before?

KF: Yeah, he was already training, we shared the love of the martial arts and stuff, and after many months of checking my dad out, he wanted to switch it up from Taekwowndo to training with my dad. I want to say that probably happened early '94.

AM: That's cool. So when did you get into cannabis?

KF: Oh man, well I've been smoking weed since late '80s maybe like '88-'89, I barely turned 15 years old. Put the first plants, just like from bag seed in the ground around '91. And it just evolved from there, you know. The first time I went to Amsterdam was in ‘96 with them and that’s where I really saw seeds and everything for sale. I mean it was just a whole new world when you saw seeds for sale - it kind of all happened at the same time, right. Like we were seeing stuff in Amsterdam and then we were seeing things starting to change back home with weed. Because around ‘96 we were starting to see little things of OG Kush coming. So those years '96, '97, and '98, I would say where my career in cannabis started taking shape.

AM: Got it. Amsterdam is crazy! There are menus, and even more, there’s the culture.. different vibes and types of world music, like we had never heard of Alpha Blondy, all of those different kinds of hash - you just start experiencing some similar things in and around all of the coffee shops - that has never been re-created yet!

KF: Yeah, you know the culture definitely is really different over there. You know nothing like we were really used to seeing like being able to walk into a shop, buy weed, smoke it, drink some coffee, have some food and just bullshit all day if you'd want to. There were the smartshops where you could walk in and get mushrooms. We had times where we were just trippin' out in the Amsterdam streets, which was pretty wild when you have a crew of like 10 or 12 people.

AM: No one should be fooled by the small mushrooms, those things don't go by the size!

KF: [Laughing] Yeah those small ones, those things did some damage, they were no joke.

AM: We want to go over that story with the original Bubba, and how that blew up! Sounds like a crazy time how it went viral and blew up.

KF: It was one of those things.. At that time weed was like Indo, maybe it was Chronic you know. There weren’t too many different strains in the early 90s, like you saw Skunk, Northern Lights, a lot of the stuff we were seeing with seeds and stems, not like Mexican Brick Weed, but it was green, it was ok. Once the Hydro stuff started coming, it was so expensive, like less than a gram for $20-$25 bucks, so you barely got a joint. Always worked, but like man that was expensive. So we wanted to mess around with the whole growing thing. By the time we had started doing the Bubba, we had grown out some things, but those were from seeds, we never kept any of the plants, we didn’t know really too much about cloning or any of that other stuff. So when the Josh D crew and our crew connected and we got a hold of the Bubba seeds, that's really some our first attempts.

At that time we also had the genetics, some of the seeds from Amsterdam, where we were popping all of these things to try to figure out what's a really cool plant. That’s when I really learned to clone and keep strains - the start of that. The Bubba was given to us by a friend that regularly went and saw Josh D and Matt Berger, they call him “Bubba.” We kind of popped all of those seeds at the same time. We were popping some of the ones we got from Amsterdam like White Russian, White Rhino, Cali-O, and a few other things. And it was like our first real phenohunt, the same batch of seeds was coming out looking different, smelling different, and totally different characteristics and whatnot, and we came up with that one pheno that became to everybody the Bubba Kush. It was so different from what we were seeing in weed at the time from the brightness of the colors, the stickiness of it, the smell, I mean literally that thing stunk up entire neighborhoods from not many plants! We had never seen anything like that as far as plants in front of our face before.

AM: That was all in B-Real's house?

KF: That was in B-Real's house, we put a couple of plants outside, which were the first flowered out Bubba plants. We built a little mother/propagation room, he had an upstairs bedroom with a bathroom and we did it in there, and we used his garage to build the first set of lights. I want to say we had like four lights and that grow kind of became the influence of the Dr Greenthumb song.

AM: So how was all that? We had the honor to talk with B about how that came about. How was it when the song was written and the choice to have the track be what is and not to go commercial with it necessarily..

KF: You know, I guess I really didn’t think about it too much at time just because we were road dogs, we were like already together all of the time. If we weren’t together at the house or going out doing some shit, we were in the studios or karate studio, and I guess it was cool because maybe I knew him for 4 years or so. Just to hear him writing verses on stuff we were doing at his house was cool, but i didn’t really think that was going to change so much stuff for us because that was B-Real, he was already talking about weed. I didn’t think this Bubba Kush or this Kush Bubba was going to change a lot of the culture of weed out there, and definitely think between that and OG pushed a lot of people growing weed in the valley at that time. It spread so fast, there was nothing else that you could do to make that much money at the time. Even though we weren’t doing it at huge scale at that moment, for us we were getting like $7K or $8K a pound and you’re talking about ‘97, ‘98, '99 and 2000’s at the time, and people loved it and it was great weed. It made and ended a lot of good friendships, I’ll tell you that.

AM: All good things do..

KF: You know, money always has the tendency to do that to people. You see a lot of true sides come out, a lot of like long and what I thought were tried and true friendships came astray because of it, but we kept doing our thing. At B-Real's house, it was all pretty much personal stuff, and then at my house I started putting up rooms to pay for extra bills and stuff like that, and sometimes I’d have a roommate to take care of stuff when we were on the road and over the years of being in a bunch of different studios and a hell of a lot of tours. We were gone for like 6-9 months out of the year for a long time, we would always have our weed and when you took stuff like that to the Midwest or East Coast or even overseas, not many people had seen quality stuff like that. So it definitely changed the landscape of what we knew cannabis as it existed at that time.

AM: Did we see that you guys put Snoop on to some stuff too?

KF: Yeah, there was a studio session, and B-Real wanted to link.. oh god this had to be like ‘98-’99-ish, might have even been 2000, but where he wanted to give Snoop Dogg an oz. of the weed, there wasn’t really production of it. You were lucky if you could get an 1/8 in those days and it was like $100. An oz. you know just in general was like $500. Yeah Snoop wanted one and he thought we were going to give it to him. I was like it wasn’t even mine, it came from my boy’s spot, and yeah he had to pay the $500. He at that time, he hadn’t seen nothing that looked like that. You know it that Ooh Wee Snoop Dogg type thing you know. I mean for me, I was already just amazed to be hanging out with Snoop Dogg and crew. B-Real's definitely responsible for it being introduced to a lot of artists out there that talked about it and kind of showed off whatever they had over a lot time and a lot of fans were built over those studio sessions. A lot of creative stuff was done I’m sure.

AM: How much time was put to doing martial arts when the tours were going on?

KF: When the tour was going on not that much. It was attempted, but between going out there originally to train with him, and kind of becoming a roadie at the time and learning the ropes, and those guys with their press schedules and rehearsal, and shows and traveling. Those kind of tours are super tiring, we got to train here and there, but not really anywhere like we wanted to. But I'll tell you B-Real stayed very consistent at home, at the dude almost got to be a Black Belt. He was very serious about it that’s for sure!

AM: We caught the Insane in The Brain documentary for Cypress Hill on Showtime, and it ends with a quote that's very gripping that hits as a throughline for us... "It's one of those eternal flames that we all just keep lit, all of us keep going and being masters of our crafts, better men, better friends, better at business - I mean look at us, 30 years later it was all organic." Seems to be such an important statement right there, what does it mean for you to be the Director of Cultivation for Dr. Greenthumb and pulling in the prior underground lines with Insane?

KF: It means a lot, right. We've been doing our thing for so long on the underground, and never really turned it to a legIt brand. We were busy touring, we loved what we did with the cultivation, and the flavors and the smoking and stuff like that. Everybody was just busy doing the thing you know, we had to be dodgy about it though - we were growing in like houses and bedrooms, spare rooms and guesthouses and everything. The lifestyle wasn't like glamorous as far as the cultivation was concerned, we lived really grimy. The plants got better and the bigger bedrooms. Half the time we were sleeping in like living rooms or the smallest room of the house. Everything was always fucked up because you can't always be super clean and too nice blowing up an entire residential house you know or multiple houses like we did. There was a lot of work put in, but it’s great to see it transition now into a brand that is literally just growing every day.

The team is getting bigger and stronger and with any business and any new crew a bunch of mistakes are made, and we all learn from that and hopefully we don't repeat any of the stuff and we keep on elevating what we do. We don't look sideways, we don’t copy what other people are doing, we just do what we like, we grow what we want to smoke, and if people like it that's great we're going to keep doing it – and if they don’t that’s everybody’s individual opinion in life and we accept that. We just want to keep the people that support us happy and keep bringing new stuff. Thats our goal.

AM: Dr. Greenthumb's has new category offerings from the Legacy, Loyal and Unapologetic lines, it seems incredible that you can get different quality, choices and price points for different kinds of smokers.

KF: So over the years we've built up a lot of relationships with different kinds of farmers, you know some of those being outdoor, or full sun or greenhouse, mixed light or indoor - we know not everybody can afford the top quality, like let's just say Insane bags that might be like $50, $60 an 1/8 at a store. But if there's like sungrown, or mixed light or greenhouse that we can work with our people that we can get to the price points that we want that can be the most affordable, then we want to do that. We don’t want these legacy guys and girls that have been doing this work, you know ended up a lot them in jail, raided, stolen from, killed whatever, like there are so many things that have happened to the people that have tried to bring this culture forward! Now that they are not necessarily struggling, but it is a struggle every day because now its mainstream, all these companies with super deep pockets are coming into the space and not understanding the culture or really caring about the culture. All they care about the money, and them thinking they’re going to come in and take it from everybody. For me, I felt it was kind of a responsibly to help keep these legacy operators active and at least do whatever I can to help support them as long as we know they’re doing the quality, we know we want to work with them and actually instead of just whitelabeling or purchasing whatever they do, them getting the proper recognition for their efforts.

AM: That’s mad cool. Literally Farm to Table

KF: It’s Farm to Table, that’s right yeah.

AM: So tell us about the Garbage Test and the 1, 2, 3 thumbs up test..

KF: We got a bunch of guys over here, we're all friends and we're all stoners, and we see a lot of weed come through these places. And for us it's cool because these people want to submit these products to make it into these Greenthumb bags or Insane before bags and whatnot, you can always appreciate peoples’ efforts, but we can’t put out garbage. So it’s just a test, even our own stuff that we grow, we do the same thing. If I grow, let’s just say 10 new strains, I’m gonna put them on the table and I’m telling everybody OK honest opinions, you tell me what we all like, and it’s just a rating system based off of smell, taste, effect - there’s levels to it. Because for me I don’t want to grow stuff people don’t like. For us we like stuff that’s a lot heavier, so we kinda gauge to the stuff that's a little bit on the stronger side. And that’s it, you know if it’s good and if a majority of us like it, it might make it to the next phase depending on what we are trying to do and how many strains there are. We've all literally had sessions where we all smoked 16 joints each and each joint was a different strain in a test, you know at one time, and it was a 5-6 hour smokeout and I think we kept 2 of those.

AM: You had how many?

KF: Out of 16, 2 that we kept. Not saying those other 14 weren’t good. They just didn’t fit the profiles we were trying to achieve at that time.

AM: You had raised strain standardization before, makes a lot sense..

KF: Well, not saying everybody growing the same thing, but standardizing ways to do it, like we want to keep consistency, especially a brand operating in multiple states. So if somebody goes to a store over here and they buy, whatever an OG Kush from us, we want to be the same over there, not just produced by somebody and it’s totally different and somebody and it’s totally different and we just called it this. Yeah standardized is hard, because there are a couple of different levels of smokers over here. Some people want it the same, they want that same strain all the time, just like us we love OG Kush we're going to die by that you know what I mean that’s our stuff. But like other people want flavors, and people get bored of stuff. Some of these strains may have a year, 2-3 year cycles before people are bored of it. Like Ice Cream Cake or any of these other ones, even though there are a lot of people that buy it, names get played out, artwork gets played out. So you just gotta keep it fresh and always come with quality. We standardize the procedures of what we do so that our stuff comes out, hopefully, the same every time. There are plant issues or failures that might lead to one or two batches here and there not making the cut, but for the most part standardized methods to produce the same - that’s important.

AM: So the Insane Brand is sponsoring Team Insane for the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for Subversviv 7 on June 11 on Fite TV. How did you guys put this sponsorship together and connect with Nicky Rodriguez, who is just blowing the sport up with his brother. How did this come about?

KF: Well one of our buddies was working with the Subversiv crew, I think he’s catering the event, and he knows we’re into martial arts and whatnot, and that I've been involved with High Rollerz camp that does the stoner Jiu-Jitsu stuff too and he passed it to our team, and of course B-Real and I loving and appreciators of martial arts definitely wanted to be involved, we thought Insane kind of fits into the mixed martial arts category and we wanted to be known as more than a cannabis brand.

AM: Yeah speaking of Insane, I mean Nicky has been wrecking people.. It’s just been incredible how he's been progressing to the whole industry, that’s going to be sick, his brother too!

KF: That’s what I’ve heard, I didn’t know too much about these guys, I took my eye off paying attention and when all of this came up, and I saw what these guys were doing out there - it's kind of shocking how much this sport has been coming up and evolved, and guys like those brothers that are out there just slaying people. So I’m honored to get to meet them and see these guys rolling and go fuck some shit up. I love the sport and the level of these guys training it’s definitely something to watch.

AM: The High Rollerz looks cool too, how did you connect with that and for those that don’t know that they have cannabis as part of the rulebook and the sport too.

KF: My buddy Matt Staudt is one of the founders of it and right when they were launching we were talking a lot and we just wanted to support that too. It was super interesting that the mainstream people started hearing about the Jiu-Jitsu and grappling events happening, but for as long as I’ve been around Jiu-Jitsu a lot of the guys that have been involved in that have always been smokers - like smoke and roll. It seemed to be one of those things where you smoke before you go roll, and be in that zen spot and then training was just like that. B-Real and I would go smoke and then train with my dad for a 2 hour training session, so you know some people function on it, some people don’t. For us, smoking puts us into a certain zen where our concentration locks into whatever we're into at the time.

AM: Yeah there’s a certain cerebral zone you can hit right. And for recovery too - so it can be good for training, fighting and recovery?

KF: Well for me, definitely on the recovery side too. I’m pretty much always hypertensive. I had back surgery back in ‘02 and so i pretty much did my whole recovery drug-free minus cannabis. It was a little different because the injury that I had, like even when I coughed it hurt, so I had to be careful about how I was smoking so I wouldn't choke too much, but it would definitely help me relax and help me get into sleep versus taking a bunch of pills that were making my stomach bad. To this day, peoples’ addiction to pills is crazy, I just never wanted to go that route, so my medicine has been cannabis you know.

AM: Makes sense the stories with the pain pills, just a couple of missteps and anyone can take a wrong turn with that.

KF: You never know, today there’s Fentanyl and people are dying from the smallest dose where they’re just normally taking a pill or doing something they’re used to and they’re just dropping dead. I don’t really need to worry about that because I’m not taking pills. It’s just something I’ve never been into, you do, or do too much of that and you can’t control yourself, with weed I’ve always felt I’ve been able to micro-dose myself. I guess you can say control hitting the joints or however just to get to the point where I’m good and that’s it, and then I’m going do what I’m going to do. Smoke a joint and go ride 20 miles on a bike just in my zen spot or smoke and hike or go train or whatever. Yeah THC and the other cannabinoids and things like that the compounds in cannabis definitely have medicinal properties and should be researched a lot more so the people can find the benefits from the use of it.

AM: Yeah we're still scratching the surface, between all the different cannabinoids, the terpines and the entourage effect.

KF: 100%

AM: So when you see customers coming in, you have different groups of people where some see the different Indica and Sativa; some looking for the highest THC possible; others CBD.. will people more and more see what their personal relationships can be and become connoisseurs?

KF: That and combined with education, a lot form people walking into dispensaries and are just asking the budtenders ‘what’s your strongest stuff;’ or ‘what do you suggest;’ or saying they like this, this and this; or the whole Sativa and Indica thing which I personally really don’t believe it too much anymore these days. There’s a lot Sativas that look like Indicas, I mean it’s a very hard thing to really solidly I guess to say because there are so many things are crossed these days. There are hybrids and poly hybrids, a majority of stuff you really can’t say is a solid Indica or Sativa, with the exception of maybe a few strains out there. Once people understand the entourage effect and where terpines and other cannabinoids combine, and even the method ingested being smoking or eating, have a big deal how it impacts a certain individual.

AM: So what’s coming down the pike for Dr. Greenthumb’s, you guys are opening up stores everywhere and more states are becoming legal, and you have all these new lines?

KF: Definitely a few more states that are being locked in right now for retail; as well as the possibility of some third-party stores carrying the Insane and/or Dr. Greenthumb brands; we're going to continue to partner with farms to add genetics to the roster of Dr. Greenthumb as well as new skus be it joints, vapes, or concentrates and whatnot, and the same with Insane - Insane will have a lot of new proprietary stuff we're doing, a lot of breeding is going down this year, as well as phenohunting, so we're going to see a ton of new strains coming out probably toward the end of the year, first quarter next year - and beyond that, we’re working stuff on right now that will be released under both lines, merch, extreme sports - keep moving, keep building this culture.

AM: Who are 3 people that have inspired you along your path and journey?

KF: My father for one, he gave me my work ethic and discipline to do what I do.

My wife, actually has been pushing me to kind of come out of the shadows, right. I never really talked about what I did. I never cared about interviews or cameras, we were old school guys, that didn’t talk about it, we just did it, to kind stay out of jail. And this community, B-Real - that dude gave me an opportunity back then to come work for Cypress Hill and I was not in a good way back then, I was making some stupid decisions. That guy, by bringing me into the crew and allowing me to do what I do and make use of the resources that came around to the camp, that really changed my life and I’ll say it now and I’ll always say it that changed my life and I’ll never forget that.

Nicky Rodriguez is taking the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sport by storm. He transitioned from wrestling in college and had breakout success taking home Silver at ADCC ‘19 as a Blue Belt. Dubbed as the ‘Black Belt Slayer,’ he trained under legend John Danaher, and recently splintered off to co-found The B-Team, based in Austin, Texas. We chat with Nicky Rod about BJJ; training for ADCC ‘22; cannabis and the sport; team-building and nutrition; as well as fighting for Team Insane at Subversiv 7 this past month, with his brother Jacob “Jay” Rodriguez and female fighter, Alex Enriquez.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We see that you wrestled in college and made the move to do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, what was involved with making the switch?

NICKY RODRIGUEZ: It was a bit of a tricky transition. There are some things that coincide, like Jiu-Jitsu often times we start from a standing position, so Americanized wrestling is a small aspect of the sport. There's a lot of things I had to adjust as a wrestler you know, you want to take your opponent down but there is always a threat of a guillotine or other submissions, so I had to really solidify a solid defense to have success when trying to be offensive.

AM: You were training under John Danaher?

NR: Yeah I was training under John Danaher for maybe about 3 years, and man I learned a lot, you know the guy is brilliant in his space and dedicated his life to the sport. So I was just there to soak up a bunch of knowledge and it was very beneficial.

AM: And you guys formed the B-Team in Austin?

NR: We opened up B-Team in Austin about 6 or 8 months ago, it's been going well. We're a private competition-based facility. Eventually we'll open up to white belts, newcomers and outsiders, but for now it's a strictly private location.

AM: And it's an elite gym, so you have to be pretty advanced to apply?

NR: You have to be pretty advanced. We have some lower level guys, that compete pretty well, they train hard. You don’t have to be a world beater to be in our gym, but have to be willing to learn and train often. Most train twice a day and want to be professional athletes. We just are keeping it like that because we're athletes ourselves in our prime and we're still looking to compete, and win and grow. Yeah it's been a fun ride so far.

AM: What's next for Mexican Ground Karate?

NR: Well, ADCC Titles are our main focus. ADCC World Championships are the ‘Olympics of Jiu-Jitsu' in September. We have about 6 guys going from our team, potentially more because we have Australian and Asian trials very soon, and a few guys competing over there. We'll have quite a few guys at the event and would be nice to get some gold medals.

AM: In '19, you just dominated people and you got the Silver medal and had a blue belt!

NR: Yeah, exactly. I was a blue belt at the time and was training Jiu-Jitsu for about a year and a half. I won the ADCC trials and then with the year and a half experience I ended up taking second at the World's. That's pretty much why people got to know me, because it was not seen before, a wrestler making a transition so fast successfully as I had. So it definitely opened people's eyes to how they can input NCAA wrestling into Jiu-Jitsu. Now you see a lot more quality wrestling in the sport, and yeah the Americanized wrestling in Jiu-Jitsu has been much more prominent over the last several years.

AM: And they were calling you the Black Belt Slayer?!!

NR: Yes, that’s definitely a name that stuck. People liked it, I liked it. It seemed pretty memorable, so I just rode the wave on it.

AM: And now you’re a brown belt, we see you got it earlier this month..

NR: I got my brown belt a few weeks ago actually. So I’m a new brown belt, still plenty to learn, still fresh in the sport you know. I think it takes time to get acclimated and keep learning, it's about how many reps you do, you can know moves, but you really have to learn and be in-depth with those moves.

AM: So how many divisions are you going for in ADCC ‘22?

NR: I'll be doing the heavyweight which is over 99kg, which is no weight limit, I’ve had guys from 200 to 300, 360, and then the open weight division where you can have much smaller quota like 125lbs all the way to the biggest guys. So absolute division is the most recognized and more valued gold medal you can get because there is no weight class and you are the absolute champion.

AM: You just fought in Subversiv 7 on Saturday, how did that go?

NR: We had a team event at Subversiv 7 with 30K Grand Prize, I was representing Dr Greenthumb and Team Insane OG, they treated us very well when we were out there. It was a high level competition. Team Insane OG did well, we had some wins, we had some losses. As a team, as an event - it was fun, man. A lot of people came out, it was good to see the support in LA. It was a great event.

AM: How did you connect with those guys?

NR: I got contacted through social media, they were looking to expand in the Jiu-Jitsu world, they see the kind of content I put out, and it was a mutually beneficial relationship. I believe social media has a lot to do with an athlete’s success in the business world. Obviously you have to win, but you also have to tell a story. That’s what I do online, tell a story, so it’s a really good relationship with us working together.

AM: How was it fighting with your brother, was this was the first time in a major match fighting with him together?

NR: Yeah it was the first time we stepped on the mat back-to-back and on a team at the same time. In high school we wrestled at the same school and stuff, but I was graduating when he was getting into high school, so we never got to be on the same team together. So it was a great experience.

AM: And he is a blue belt right now? It seems like he is also starting to take the sport by storm, following your, and taking his own footsteps, it is a crazy parallel..

NR: He is a bit of a Black Belt Slayer himself, you know. He's been training for about a year and a half. He just did his ADCC trials where he got his purple belt on the podium, right, but out of 7 matches, he also sub'd all 7 opponents, most of them high-level black belts. I would say his trajectory is even bigger than mine, just because the results he has had at a year and a half you know, I was at ADCC and winning matches, but he is finishing high levels guys with minimal experience and that's honestly never been seen before. We’ve seen me use wrestling to negate Jiu-Jitsu and win, but Jay with a year and a half, he has been using strictly Jiu-Jitsu to submit opponents. So it’s something different and the speed of which he is doing it has never been seen before.

AM: What are some lessons and recipes about making good teams, be it about Jiu-Jitsu, corporate or in general?

NR: To make a good team.. First you need knowledge, you need to have somebody where most people can go to answer questions. Also, it's important to have conversations before and after practice about things you’re having issues on. Many don’t know the right questions to ask. It's a solo sport, although you’re training with teammates, it’s only you out there on the mat. So when you’re practicing you really need to figure out what you’re having problems with and specify what they are so you can ask your coach. So having the knowledge, having people on the team that can answer those tough questions and consistency. Being consistent with your training, for me I train everyday and that’s how I like it. Other people can get away with training less and do well. You can’t expect results to come fast. I think people train a couple times and expect it to work immediately. Things take time, and through pressure and time you can make diamonds man.

AM: It was cool to see you with Team Insane OG. What are some of the cross overs of Jiu-Jitsu and cannabis culture?

NR: Most of the community uses it, whether for nighttime or right before training. It enhances my mood, how I think cognitively about certain things, sometimes it changes the perspective that I’m having, so I can see and move different, or make certain adjustments.

AM: Is that smoking or edibles, in what format?

NR: Usually burn it, maybe roll up a joint or use a bowl. Joint is pretty easy and pretty immediate effect.

AM: Any particular strain?

NR: I’ve had Insane OG, probably the best strain I’ve ever had to be honest.

AM: Yeah shout out to them.

NR: For sure, Dr Greenthumb and Team Insane OG, those guys hold it down for sure!

AM: Have you competed in High Rollerz?

NR: I had a competition at High Rollerz a while back. I did one of their beginning events, it was fun man. I know the guys that own it, run it. They put together a great event. It was great to see the two worlds collide, the hip hop, the cannabis and Jiu-Jitsu culture. I think the two blend together, it just had to be in the right format.

AM: It’s about the vibe, serious but fun, all the blends together -

NR: I think the Jiu-Jitsu world makes it a bit of a party, when you come out to a show, it's not Jiu-Jitsu and leave, you know it’s good music, good vibes, people are drinking, food, there’s a lot going on, it's more of a spectacle, a fun event instead of a quick jits vibe.

AM: You have a handle @nickyrodeats, is that about wellness and food too?

NR: Well it's something personal I’ve been collecting like a food blog, I eat clean - like mainly meats, fruits and veggies. I post the cheat meals too, you know sometimes I grab a coffee and a donut, or some ice cream or something. It's not far-fetched to have a sweet tooth and display that, but it is something I’ve been kind of blogging about with no real direction. I think eventually I’ll have some more in depth content, maybe a Youtube channel. But it's a bit hard to focus on being an athlete and content, so for now I have to really mitigate my time where my thoughts are going.

AM: Sure it will come in time, people will be interested.

NR: Yeah I’ll keep posting, growing it little by little, and when I’m ready to fully commit to it, I’ll be ready.

AM: Who are 3 people that have inspired you along your journey?

NR: I'd say my coach John Danaher, the most inspiring, at least the most valuable asset to my immediate growth. Second, my dad, because hard work runs in the family and it is important to see it first hand, experience it first hand, that way so we can display it often. Three, I would say myself, I’m pretty much self-motivated. I never really get up and have it not hard for me to get going, I never really waste any time or have wasteful thoughts. I like to gear my day towards something positive, towards the next things.

AM: Cool. What do you think can help mainstream Jiu-Jitsu to levels like MMA and boxing?

NR: I think of this here and there. Getting on a major network, like ESPN would help. There are a few things that hold it back.

I think there are lot of different rule sets within the sport, I think it makes it harder for viewers to follow. I think honestly this year’s ADCC will help push us closer to becoming mainstream. It’s a bigger prize, a bigger spectacle, the event itself will be massive. But if we had a huge Grand Prize like maybe $1M to win the absolute devIsion, I think that will pull a lot of people out of their seats and come watch, or just be intrigued, and potentially make it more mainstream to see these guys fighting for a million rather than 10k, 20k or 50k.

AM: Well we'll be rooting for you! You're style is entertaining and your definitely an inspiration for us and a lot of people.

IG @killdrama

@nickyrod247

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front/Back Cover, 16 - 19 + PG 70 9DRIP Eitan Miskevich | PG 20 - 23 + 27 - 35 Pedro Garcia | PG 24 Showtime |

Read the JUN ISSUE #78 of Athleisure Mag and see SMOKE & ROLL | Kenji Fujishima in mag.