Among all of the members of ATEEZ, the two who are most known to be gym rats are definitely Yeosang and San. Looking back during their pre-debut and early K-Pop days, the two were definitely on the small side in terms of musculature, and comparing how they looked back then to how they look now, it’s obvious they’ve spent a lot of time and energy to get strong and bulked up! Fans have a lot of admiration for their dedication to their health and fitness, and they can serve as great inspiration for anyone wanting to start on their own workout journey.

Considering just how busy ATEEZ’s schedules are, it’s incredible that they are able to make the time and effort into sticking to a workout and nutrition plan. Recently, San sat down for an interview with GQ Magazine to share a behind-the-scenes look at his relationship with fitness, food, and how he keeps motivated despite his hectic lifestyle.

San shared during the interview that he’s able to “carve out these moments for himself” to regularly go to the gym every day even during their ongoing tour due to a promise he made to himself, and keeping his approach to health simple. His goal is to work out for at least 30 minutes a day even with all of the dancing and other activities he has going on, spacing out what parts of his body he works on each day. He takes protein powder and creatine regularly, which help to maintain energy in one’s muscles, supports muscle growth, and speed up recovery.

For dancing, which of course San is known for, he likes to focus on leg workouts:

“Nowadays I’m doing a lot of leg workouts. When I dance now, my feet feel like feathers.”

— San, GQ Magazine

He was also asked about flexibility, which is another requirement to being a great dancer. San shared that he doesn’t really do anything special, but he does try to stretch for 30 minutes before a performance with the help of staff trainers. He also credits learning taekwondo from his father when he was younger to helping him stay limber now.

And then the topic of his legendary Coachella abs came up, which San seemed amused by. He claims that he doesn’t actually have abs, and that the reason he had them for the music festival was that he was training really hard preparing for it. He says that six-pack is now just “a part of [his] legacy” but… We think he isn’t giving himself enough credit.

After a few more questions about his diet — such as his favorite way to get protein (convenience store protein shakes and beef), whether he cooks for himself (not often, but he’s “really good” at making ramen”), and what he likes to eat on a cheat day (KFC) — San was then asked how his relationship with his body has changed from his debut as an idol until now. His answer was heartwarming, showing well-deserved pride in his hard work and determination.

“I’m really really proud of myself, because I made a lot of effort. Now I believe in myself more and feel confident to do more things in everyday life. My body is like proof of that growth.”

— San, GQ Magazine

If you have a subscription to GQ, you can read the entire interview here!