Rising online fitness star Anthony Mantello recently appeared on his first podcast. The bodybuilding enthusiast with ambitions to turn pro spoke about his struggles with depression. The bodybuilder explained that although he wasn’t clinically depressed, things became quite bad during his high school senior years. Mantello revealed what he did at the lowest point of his life.

The young bodybuilder said that he became solitary due to depression. While he would normally go out with friends on New Year’s Eve, in 2020, Mantello wanted to be alone. He explained that like a “lot of kids” in his school, he had a weed cart. However, Mantello’s device ran into a problem, and that’s when he did something shocking.

The painful memory of Anthony Mantello

Anthony Mantello explained that he planned to play his favorite video game while smoking his weed cart on New Year’s Eve 2020. However, after the device malfunctioned he ate the wax. “I started hallucinating,” the fitness influencer confessed, plunging the room into silence for a moment. The hosts of the Ironbros podcast didn’t know how to respond.

One of the baffled hosts asked, “Wait. Cuz you were hungry?” He couldn’t fathom why Mantello would eat the wax. The other host laughed at the question but seemed equally puzzled. “No bro, because I wanted to get high,” responded the amateur bodybuilder. Mantello said the pen broke, but thanks to the depression, he took the horrible decision.

“I f***ing ate cartridge wax,” reiterated the fitness enthusiast, as if repulsed by his own past action. He said that after eating the wax, he zoned out. Despite playing Rune Scape, he couldn’t understand what was going on and later went to sleep. After he woke up, he felt in pain. Mantello’s parents asked why he looked so beaten up, but he hid the real reason. Since that incident, the bodybuilder has come a long way and discovered his calling in the fitness industry.

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How fitness combats depression

Innumerable scientific studies have found that fitness combats the signs of depression. Even people who are suffering from clinical depression show impressive progress when they start exercising regularly. Exercise helps release feel-good chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins improve mood and satisfaction and make people feel a sense of achievement after a good workout.

The best part is that exercise sessions don’t need to be intense to feel the benefits. Everything from strength training, bodybuilding, cardio, and general fitness routines helps release these chemicals. Endorphins also help from a habit, resulting in a cycle of positivity. Fitter people have also shown higher confidence and fewer body image issues.

While Anthony Mantello hit rock bottom on New Year’s Eve 2020, fitness and bodybuilding helped him bounce back. Now, he is chasing his bodybuilding dream.

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