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This was a big fear of mine.

The thought of going on a trip, breaking my normal routine, and “losing all my gains” gave me panic attacks.

The good news?

This fear was totally unfounded, and here’s why:

1.) It takes a week of zero lifting to even BEGIN the process of losing muscle.

You may feel deflated, but you haven’t lost anything in such a short time period (unless you’re starving yourself…probably not the case).

2.) It’s shockingly easy to regain muscle.

Even if you did lose some on a super long trip or vacation, you can get it back way faster than it took you to build it the first time around (weeks or months instead of years).

3.) If you’re doing sports or other physical activity on your trip, that may be enough of a stimulus to maintain muscle WITHOUT hitting the gym.

That’s even more true if you trained super hard before you left (in which case the recovery will help your gains, not hurt them).

4.) There’s no reason you can’t get up early to train while on your trip.

I wouldn’t recommend doing it for 4 hours (no “marathon sessions”). But checking out new gyms is fun. And if lifting is something you love to do - if it’s part of what you consider a ‘perfect day’ - why would you not include it?

Try to remember this acronym for “fear”...

False

Experience

Appearing

Real

Any muscle you *think* you lost on a trip?

It’s all in your head, so don’t let that imaginary stress take away from building great memories with your family and friends.

Live a little!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you transform your body:

1. 1-on-1 Fitness Coaching

2. 30-minute fitness consultation

Focus on what your body can DO, and the rest will follow!

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People’s relationship with the scale baffles me.

It’s an arbitrary number that tells you little about your health, performance, or body composition, yet many people’s moods are completely ruled by it.

Scale weight came back lower than they expected? They’re in a good mood.

Scale weight came back higher than they expected? They’re in a bad mood.

What’s worse, they’re only weighing themselves once per week.

This severely undermines their fat loss efforts.

Why?

Because the scale’s a liar.

And not just any old liar. A cunning, deceptive one that can ruin your perception of progress if you let it.

Run this quick experiment (it’ll take 2 minutes):

• Step 1: Hop on the scale. Weigh yourself. Jot down the number.

• Step 2: Go to the kitchen. Grab a bottle of water. Chug it.

• Step 3: Go back to the scale. Weigh yourself. Jot down the number.

What did you notice?

In 99% of cases, you were up a pound.

Then after you used the restroom 30-60 minutes later, you were down a pound.

Was this fat? Did you actually gain and lose a pound of fat in such a short period of time?

Of course not.

It’s water weight. And water weight fluctuates all day (and all week) long based on a ton of factors:

• Activity

• Food choice

• Hydration level

• Stress

• Sleep

• Etc.

The sensitivity of the scale is what makes weighing yourself once per week so troublesome.

You could be losing weight Monday through Thursday, hit your lowest weight of your entire journey on Friday (LET’S GO!!), but then be up a couple pounds of water weight for whatever reason on Saturday.

If THAT’S the day you weigh yourself, what happens?

You’ll convince yourself you’re going backwards (because that’s what it looks like).

You’ll make a rash decision you don’t need because you think you’re at a plateau, OR you’ll think all of your hard work is for nothing, get frustrated, and give up.

Meanwhile, you were making progress like you wanted the entire time.

The fix? Weigh yourself daily.

And then look at the 7-day average.

This accounts for the fluctuations, and gives you a more accurate depiction of how your body’s changing (if you’re not willing to do this, just skip weighing yourself all together).

Oh, and speaking of your body changing, one other way the scale can mess with your head: recomping.

If you're new to lifting weights, or you're coming back from a long layoff, you'll gain\regain muscle WHILE losing fat in the initial stages of your cut.

This is a good thing (best of both worlds), BUT, if that’s your only data point…

Which won’t move at first, because both adaptations are happening simultaneously…

It can trick you in to thinking you aren’t making progress (just like in the scenario above).

Don’t let this happen.

How?

By remembering that the scale doesn't tell the whole story. Ever.

And by using better metrics to assess your progress...

• How your body is feeling and performing

• How you're looking in the mirror

• How your clothes are fitting

• How your waist is changing

When it comes to your waist, measure that once per week. Right around your belly button. Every inch off of your waist correlates to about 4-5 pounds of pure fat loss (no matter what the scale is saying).

Your clothes? You’ll notice they start to fit different over time. If your pants are getting looser while your shirts are getting tighter (in the shoulders and arms), that’s a really good sign.

How you feel, your weight room performance? Both are EXTREMELY important. If you’re consistently progressing in the gym, you can be confident you’re building (or retaining) muscle tissue.

And lastly, take a good look at yourself once per month. In the mirror. Or take a round of progress pictures. If you like what you see, you’re moving in the right direction, no matter what the scale is saying.

The scale will catch up eventually.

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you transform your body:

1. 1-on-1 Fitness Coaching

2. 30-minute fitness consultation

Focus on what your body can DO, and the rest will follow!

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“If you’re hungry, it’s a sign that you’re losing fat.”

Fitness coaches love to say this, and I think it does more harm than good.

Sure, hunger can signify fat loss, but you can lose fat WITHOUT being hungry all the time, and that’s a much more sustainable goal.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Don’t severely cut calories

A sustainable deficit? It’s 500 calories below maintenance. Maybe a little more. You’ll lose around a pound per week, and it won’t feel like you want to chew your arm off all day. If you actually want to finish your diet (not just start it), this is super important.

2. Stop doing tons of cardio

Now that doesn’t mean “do zero cardio.” Cardio is important for heart health and endurance, and you should do it a couple times per week. You just don’t want it to be the main (or only) thing you’re doing to drive fat loss. This’ll send your appetite through the roof.

3. Eat foods that fill you up

Duh. That’s common sense. Certain foods fill you up WAY more than others (think the difference between a large baked potato and a bowl of rice), and you want those high volume, low calorie options to form the foundation of your diet. Lean proteins, fruit, veggies…can’t go wrong.

4. Prioritize solid sources of protein

Along a similar vein. Protein is already the most satiating macronutrient, and it becomes a lot more satiating when you’re eating it in the form of meat, fish, eggs, etc. Protein shakes are convenient, but they take up little room in your stomach. Use them on occasion, but get most of your protein from sources that make you chew.

5. Keep the junk food out of the house

I’m all for flexible dieting, and fitting in junk food on occasion. But willpower is a finite resource, and you can alleviate a lot of your hunger by just not having foods that tempt you staring you in the freaking face. Out of sight, out of mind.

6. Take your sleep seriously

I’m sure you get tired of me harping on this. But poor sleep spikes ghrelin, drops leptin, raises cortisol, and that’s just a fancy way of saying “your hormones go haywire, and you get hungrier the next day.” Aim for 7-8 hours per night, even on weekends.

7. Have Interesting Hobbies

This probably the most overlooked “hunger hack” there is. Give your mind something fun and interesting to focus on, and it WON’T be focused on food. The alternative is you sitting around stressed, tired, or bored, daydreaming about a NY pizza (or maybe that’s just me). Find a cool hobby!

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you transform:

1. 1-on-1 Fitness Coaching

2. 30-minute fitness consultation

Focus on what your body can DO, and the rest will follow!

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Most people get this wrong.

They either rest too little (because they’re “bored”), or rest too much, turning a 45-minute workout into a 2-hour social event.

Both are mistakes.

Is There a ‘One Size Fits All’ Rest Time?

No, there’s not.

Rest time isn’t fixed. It changes based on:

• The rep range you’re training in.

• The movement you’re doing.

• Your work capacity.

• Your training split.

• Your schedule.

Try not to overthink this though.

A Foolproof Framework

Your goal when training is simple: make each set the best set it can possibly be.

To do this, rest long enough that…

1. You can attack the next set with a high level of energy and focus.

2. You’re progressing in weight or reps week to week.

3. Your workouts aren’t dragging on forever.

Cool. In most cases, this means resting 1-3 minutes between sets.

Lifting heavy? Lean towards the top of the range (sometimes more). Lifting light? Lean towards the bottom.

And remember, this is movement specific.

A bicep curl doesn’t have nearly the same recovery demand as a set of deadlifts.

Lifting Isn’t Cardio!

Just a quick reminder I wanted to leave you with.

On top of feeling bored, many people rush their sets because 1. resting feels “unproductive,” 2. they “want to improve cardio,” or 3. they think shorter rest leads to better results (hint: it doesn’t).

First, if you’re actually training hard, you’ll need the rest.

Wanting to skip it is usually a sign you’re not training remotely close to failure, which is needed for muscle growth.

Second, if you want to build endurance, you’re better off running, rucking, biking, playing a sport…doing some ACTUAL cardio.

Try to lift and do cardio at the same time, and you’ll half ass both.

Finally, instead of rushing in to the next set, do some mobility work between sets if you want to feel more productive.

Lower mobility on upper body days. Upper mobility on lower body days.

This is a great way to maximize workout time without taking away from your freshness going in to the next set.

You don’t have to sit around doing nothing.

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you transform:

1. 1-on-1 Coaching

2. 30-minute fitness consultation

Focus on what your body can DO, and the rest will follow!

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I hear this constantly…

“I was doing so well, then I went out of town, and blew all of my results.

How?

Muscle loss doesn’t happen that quick.

If you didn’t train on your trip, you didn’t lose anything. You’re just deflated, which’ll correct itself the second you get back in the gym. Don’t panic.

More importantly though, you can continue BUILDING muscle while you’re away.

Option 1: Find a Local Gym

This is my favorite (and the most fun).

Hop on Google. Search for a cool local gym near where you’re staying. Then purchase a week pass for $20, or talk them in to giving you the week pass for free.

You get to train like normal (since you have full gym access).

AND you get an energy boost that comes from training in a new environment (a pretty big one).

Win-win!

Option 2: Use the Hotel Gym

Yes, even the sad one with light dumbbells, and a treadmill that hasn’t been cleaned in 20 years.

I’m sure you know this, but if you want to build muscle, you have to take your muscles close to failure.

Three ways you can do that if weight is limited:

1. Increase reps

2. Slow down the tempo

3. Switch to a harder movement variation

Using the flat dumbbell press as an example…

If you normally do 70 pound dumbbells for 10 reps, but the dumbbells in the hotel gym only go up to 50 pounds, do the 50 pound dumbbells for 15 reps. Or 17 reps. Or 20 reps. However many reps it takes to get close to failure.

OR, slow down your tempo. If you normally do each rep for a tempo of 1 second down, 0 seconds at the bottom, 1 second up, do each rep for a tempo of 3-5 seconds down, 2-3 seconds at the bottom, and 1-2 seconds up. Makes the same weight and reps a lot harder.

OR, switch to a harder movement variation. Instead of doing the flat dumbbell press, try single arm push ups. Or if single arm push ups are too easy, do single arm push ups with your feet elevated, while wearing a weighted vest (add a bit of external load). If you can do that, you probably don’t have much more muscle to gain. ;)

Option 3: Use Bands, a Weighted Backpack/Vest, or Your Own Bodyweight

You’re still using the tactics above, you’re just changing the tools.

The good things about these tools is they’re cheap, and they can be brought anywhere.

(The common denominator here is effort)

Option 4: Do Other Forms of Activity

The three options above work if you want to keep strength training while traveling. I definitely think you should (and if you enjoy it, why wouldn’t you?).

But if you don’t want to strength train, find SOME other way to be active.

Rent bikes. Swim in the ocean. Play a pickup basketball game. Doesn’t matter.

Staying active has positive effects on your body (duh), helps preserve strength and endurance, and enables you to hit the ground running when you get back to your normal routine.

An object in motion stays in motion.

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are two ways I can help you transform your body:

1. Apply for 1-on-1 coaching

2. Book a 30-minute fitness consultation

Focus on what your body can DO, and the rest will follow!

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Everyone blames age.

“I’m just getting older. My metabolism is slowing down.”

That might be true, but it’s not because you have a few grey hairs on your head.

A landmark study ran by Duke University - one of the largest metabolic studies ever - analyzed the average calories burned by more than 6,600 people ranging from one week old to age 95 as they went about their daily lives in 29 different countries.

What they found may shock you:

“…energy expenditures during these middle decades – our 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s -- were the most stable. Even during pregnancy, a woman’s calorie needs were no more or less than expected given her added bulk as the baby grows.

The data suggest that our metabolisms don’t really start to decline again until after age 60. The slowdown is gradual, only 0.7% a year.”

Here’s what this means for you:

1. You don't have to worry about your metabolism just randomly falling off a freaking cliff (in 99% of cases).

2. If you’re 35, 40, or 50, and you feel like your body’s fighting you to lose fat, AGE ISN’T THE CULPRIT.

These four things are.

1. You Don’t Lift Weights

And this causes you to lose muscle.

Muscle is metabolically expensive.

Your body burns calories just to maintain it (even at rest), and the more you have, the higher your metabolic rate.

Lose muscle - which happens if you don’t train - and your metabolism slows.

The fix: Lift weights 2-4 x per week. Do 4-7 exercises per workout. 2-3 sets per exercise. 5-15 reps per set. And take your muscles close to failure (with good technique).

2. You Barely Move Outside of the Gym

Have you heard of NEAT?

It’s Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

It’s the calories you burn outside of formal workouts (that make up a large percentage of your calorie burn), and walking is the main driver of it.

Now most people? They walk 4000 steps per day. Some walk less.

Their metabolism isn’t slow. They’re just not freaking moving.

The fix: Aim for 10,000 steps per day. Maybe more. Broken up, or done in longer sessions…doesn’t matter. Take the stairs. Park at the far end of the parking lot. Walk while you’re on the phone. Get a walking pad for your office. Play some golf.

3. You’re Sleeping Like Sh*t

And this wrecks your hormones.

Bad sleep spikes cortisol, tanks testosterone, and disrupts leptin and ghrelin. These are hormones that regulate hunger, fullness, and fat storage.

As I’m sure you can guess, this leads to a less active, less muscular, fatter you.

One with a slower metabolism.

The fix: Aim for 7–8 hours of quality sleep per night. Try to keep your bed times and wake up times the same. Cut caffeine by 1–2pm. Have your room cool and dark. And don’t obsessive over sleep data. Oh, and it also helps if you’re not doom scrolling.

4. You Don’t Eat Enough Protein

Protein’s the building block of muscle.

It’s ALSO the most thermogenic macronutrient, which is just a fancy way of saying your body burns more calories digesting it compared to fat or carbs.

Low protein = less muscle growth/retention.

Less muscle growth/retention = a slower metabolism.

The fix: Aim to consume 0.7–1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, daily. Chicken, steak, eggs, fish, lean ground beef, greek yogurt, protein shakes…all fantastic options.

The Bottom Line

Your metabolism isn’t broken.

And it didn’t slow to a snail’s pace because you passed the age of 30.

Your lifestyle changed, and your metabolism changed with it.

That’s simple to fix.

P.S. Want a personalized, highly tactical plan to get you fit and healthy? Choose one of the options below:

1. Book a 30-minute fitness consultation

2. Apply for 1-on-1 coaching

Focus on what your body can DO, and the rest will follow!

"Daily Energy Expenditure Through the Human Life Course," Herman Pontzer, Yosuke Yamada, Hiroyuki Sagayama, et al. Science, Aug. 12, 2021. DOI: 10.1126/science.abe5017

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Mark Haub, ph.D. is a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University.

In 2010, he ran an experiment called "the Twinkie diet." Two thirds of his diet was made up of the following...

• Twinkies

• Oreos

• Doritos

• Cupcakes

• Sugary cereals

• Various snack food items

...and he consumed one every 3 hours.

The goal?

See if he could still lose weight by following the fundamental rule of weight loss: EATING IN A CALORIE DEFICIT.

He burned around 2600 calories per day.

He consumed around 1800 calories per day.

He did this for 10 weeks.

The results?

They’ll probably shock you:

• He lost 27 pounds

• His body fat dropped 9%

• LDL cholesterol dropped by 20%

• HDL cholesterol increased by 20%

• Triglycerides dropped by 40%

And his blood pressure went from stage 1 hypertension to normal levels.

Pretty crazy.

Takeaways

Now look, am I recommending you go out and eat tons of junk food?

NO.

(I don't think Mark would recommend that either)

The point is...

1. Even if you include some junk food in your diet (i.e. you're not perfect), you'll still lose weight if you're maintaining a calorie deficit.

2. Weight loss drives positive health outcomes, and that happens regardless of which diet you're on (which is important to understand).

3. Consistency is the common denominator for weight loss success (like it is with most things). If you're following a diet you can't stick to - no matter how great it is on paper - you're destined to fail.

Oh, one last thing…

Your calorie intake determines whether you gain or lose weight, but the foods you use to make up those calories determines how you feel and perform.

They’re BOTH important.

So if you’d like to reach your peak, focus on both.

P.S. Whenever You’re Ready, Here Are 3 Ways I Can Help You Get Fit…

1. Quick tip. Just respond directly to this email.

2. Book a 30-minute fitness consultation

3. Apply for 1-on-1 coaching

Focus on what your body can DO, and the rest will follow!

Subscribe now

I just finished my second read through of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor.

It’s one of the most eye opening books I've ever read.

In it, Nestor dives deep in to how we've completely forgotten how to breathe properly, and how this one simple thing is destroying our health, sleep, athletic performance, and longevity.

Five key takeaways from the book:

1. Mouth breathing is killing you.

Literally.

Nestor spent 10 days breathing only through his mouth (with his nose taped shut) for a Stanford study. In just 10 days, his blood pressure spiked, his sleep quality tanked, he developed sleep apnea, and his body felt like garbage.

Then he switched to nose breathing for 10 days. The results were crazy.

Everything reversed.

Your nose filters, warms, and humidifies air. It also produces nitric oxide, which improves oxygen delivery to your muscles and organs.

Mouth breathing bypasses all of that, and turns you into a total wreck.

2. Modern humans have smaller airways and worse facial structure because of soft foods.

Our ancestors chewed tough, fibrous foods that required serious jaw work.

This developed wide palates, straight teeth, and open airways.

Now? We eat mush.

Processed foods, smoothies, soft breads.

Our jaws are underdeveloped, our teeth are crowded, and our airways are narrow.

This is why sleep apnea and snoring have basically become an epidemic.

3. The way you breathe impacts your face, posture, and how you age.

Expanding on the point above, mouth breathers develop longer, narrower faces over time. Their jaws recede, their cheekbones flatten, and their airways get smaller.

Nose breathers maintain stronger jaw structure, wider faces, and better posture throughout their entire lives.

Nestor shows before-and-after photos of people who switched from mouth to nose breathing...

The differences are shocking.

4. Slow breathing is a performance enhancer.

Most people breathe 15-20 times per minute at rest.

Optimal breathing? Around 5.5 breaths per minute.

Slow, deep, nasal breathing lowers heart rate, reduces stress hormones, improves focus, and makes your body more efficient at using oxygen.

Athletes who train this way recover faster, and perform better on and off the field (and if you’re not an athlete, you’ll perform better in your day to day life).

5. You can change your breathing patterns (and your life) in a matter of weeks.

Probably most important.

Nestor interviews people who've reversed asthma, anxiety, and chronic stress just by retraining how they breathe.

He also interviews free divers who can hold their breath for 10+ minutes by conditioning their bodies to tolerate CO2.

Your breath is powerful.

And best of all, breathing isn't fixed.

You CAN improve it.

It just takes practice, and a willingness to be uncomfortable for a short time.

The payoff is huge.

Wrapping Up

There's a lot of other takeaways, but I'll stop there.

It's a fantastic book. One I highly recommend reading if you want to improve how you look and feel on a daily basis.

Start nasal breathing!

P.S. Are You Ready to Transform?

I’m taking on a few more clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

Choose an option below, and you’ll become the strongest, fittest, most badass version of yourself (practically superhuman) in the next 6 months, or less.

1. Respond to this email, let me know that you’re interested in coaching, and tell me a bit about your goals.

2. Book a consult call at the link below.

I want to get in the best shape of my life!

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You’ll just stress yourself so much that your effort becomes suboptimal.

If you really want to recover better…

If you’d like to train harder and longer, while feeling great, and avoiding injuries in the process (freak injuries aside)…

Do this.

1. Structure your training properly (recovery starts here).

Your goal is simple: train one area while you recover from another.

You did a leg workout on Monday? Do upper body on Tuesday. You did a full body lift on Thursday? Play a sport or do cardio on Friday.

Point is, you want to avoid hitting the same muscle group, energy system, or intensity level (if doing the same activity) on back to back days. Unless you have a REALLY good reason for doing so (most of the time, you won’t).

Your weekly training split will vary based on your goals, schedule, and preferences, but here’s an example:

Monday - Lower body lift

Tuesday - Sports/cardio

Wednesday - Upper body lift

Thursday - Sports/cardio

Friday - Full body lift

Saturday - Sports/cardio

Sunday - Mobility

2. Choose weights you can actually lift.

Duh. No ego lifting.

For main lifts, leave a rep or two in the tank (you get the same strength stimulus without the added fatigue and injury risk).

With accessory work, you can push more of your sets to failure. Just don’t let your form completely disintegrate (no benefit there).

3. Stop chronic dieting.

A trap many people fall in to.

They live in a calorie deficit because they’re afraid of getting fat, and this just torches their recovery and performance (because they don’t have enough fuel).

You're lean enough to be healthy?

Not ‘bodybuilding lean,’ just lean enough to be healthy (usually 10-15% for men, 20-25% for women)?

GET OUT OF A DEFICIT!

4. Pick the right movement variations

What’s “right” for you will be determined by YOUR unique biomechanics and injury history.

But here’s a simple question to ask: Can I perform this movement comfortably and pain free?

You can? Great. It’s a good movement (keep it in).

You can’t? The movement causes pain in your joint (not a burning sensation in your muscle)?

Take it out for now.

(Important note: make sure you’re doing the movement correctly before you take it out. Could be a technical issue)

5. Get Some Freaking Sleep.

I know I talk about this all the time.

But if sleep came in a pill, it’d be banned as the most powerful performance enhancing drug on Earth.

I provided 7 tips for improving sleep that you can read HERE (I promise, these really work).

Just remember…

You need 7-8 hours per night.

Even on the weekends.

And it beats any recovery supplement you can buy (so take it seriously).

6. Do some cardio and mobility work.

Why?

Because they improve your work capacity (how much training volume you can handle), while preventing you from turning in to a stiff, immobile 2-by-4 that gets winded climbing a flight of stairs.

Do cardio 2-3 x per week (running, biking, swimming, rucking, sports…doesn’t matter).

Do mobility work as a 5-10 minute warm up before training, as a 5-10 cooldown after training, or as a stand alone session on an off day.

And stay consistent.

7. Stop obsessing over data

Finally, use data as a tool. Don’t EVER let the data control you.

Being a prisoner to tech just wipes away any potential benefits.

P.S. Would You Like Some Help?

I’m taking on a few more clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

Choose an option below, and you’ll become the strongest, fittest, most badass version of yourself (practically superhuman) in the next 6 months, or less.

1. Respond to this email, and let me know that you’re interested in coaching.

2. Book a consult call at the link below.

I want to get in the best shape of my life!

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About as important as a college education (so not that important at all).

I’m half kidding, of course. But seriously…

The supplement industry has made billions convincing you that drinking a protein shake within the first 30 minutes after training is make-or-break to your results.

That’s BS.

A protein shake is just food. Like eating a chicken breast.

And no single meal, no matter when you eat it, is going to dramatically change your body.

That’s determined by your diet as a whole, as well as how consistent you are with it long term.

So what actually matters?

Four simple things.

Nail these before you EVER start worrying about a post-workout shake.

1. Total Calories

If you want to build muscle, you need to eat in a slight caloric surplus.

Roughly 200-300 calories above maintenance (what your body burns in a day).

And this is important - this number isn’t static.

It changes over time as you get bigger or more active, so pay close attention to your progress.

You haven’t seen a change in the past 7-14 days (with how you look, your performance in the gym, your 7-day average scale weight, etc)?

And you’ve been consistent (be honest here)?

Add a couple hundred calories.

2. Total Protein

Protein’s the building block of muscle tissue.

And despite popular belief, your total intake is FAR more important than when you eat it (although spreading it out does have slight benefit).

Aim to consume 0.7–1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, daily (or target bodyweight if you’re severely overweight).

And if you struggle to eat enough protein, here are three simple tips:

• Eat bigger portions at each meal (an extra 2-4+ oz of meat or fish)

• Eat protein packed meals more often (4-5 instead of 2-3)

• Have protein shakes between meals (but remember, a shake doesn’t have to fall within that 30-minute post workout window).

3. Carbs and Fat

With the protein obsession in full force - a net positive until taken too far - a lot of people gut their carbs and fats to squeeze in as much protein as possible.

Big mistake.

Carbs are your primary fuel source for high intensity training. Fat is critical for your hormone function.

Cut these too low, and your workouts suffer, your recovery tanks, and you spin your wheels wondering why your body isn’t changing.

You can easily prevent this by nailing your protein intake (0.7-1 gram per pound like mentioned above), and then filling in the rest of your calories with carbs and fats.

4. Hydration

The most overlooked piece of the puzzle (and probably the easiest to fix).

Target half your bodyweight in ounces of water, daily.

If you’re 200 pounds, that’s 100 ounces. Shouldn’t be too difficult.

And remember, coffee does count towards your hydration goal.

It’s 99% water after all. ;)

The Bottom Line

Eat enough calories. Hit your protein. Fuel up on carbs and fats. Stay hydrated.

Do this consistently, for weeks and months at a time, and your body WILL change (if you’re training hard enough).

Don’t stress over a post-workout shake.

P.S. Would You Like Some Help?

I’m taking on a few more clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

Choose an option below, and you’ll transform your body in the next 6 months, or less:

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the exact transformation you’re looking for (be as specific as possible).

2. Book a call at the link below.

I want to get in the best shape of my life!

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Sleep’s kinda weird if you think about it.

You basically “turn off” and recharge like an iPhone.

How this un-alert, un-aware, totally defenseless state survived evolution is beyond me, but that’s how you know it’s important.

Some of the main benefits:

• Better healing and growth (organs and muscles)

• Better memory, learning, and problem solving

• Reduced risk of ALL chronic diseases

• Better mood and emotional control

• Better focus and concentration

• Better hormone regulation

• Better hunger regulation

• Better immune function

• Better decision making

• Less total stress

• Better fat loss

And here’s how you can improve it:

1. Stick to a Routine

You have an internal clock (circadian rhythm), and it follows a specific sleep-wake cycle.

This cycle is slightly different for everyone - morning person vs. night owl - but the more consistent you are with YOUR cycle, the better your sleep will be.

Out of all of the items on this list, this is probably the most impactful.

2. Reduce Caffeine

There’s no denying it—coffee’s the perfect afternoon “pick me up.”

The problem?

Caffeine temporarily blocks the signal from adenosine, a crucial sleep chemical in your brain, and it stays in your system for up to 12 hours after you consume it.

So if you consume caffeine at 3pm, it’s still negatively impacting your sleep at 3am.

Not good!

For the best possible sleep, keep your caffeine intake to early in the day (and don’t have too much of it).

3. Skip the Alcohol

A common myth:

“Alcohol helps you sleep.”

Reality:

“Alcohol robs you of REM sleep, the deeper phase of sleep that your brain needs for optimal restoration, and it disrupts your breathing.”

What this means is you’ll wake up multiple times throughout the night suffocating on yourself, even if you don’t remember it.

Kinda wild!

For better sleep, go light on the alcohol (and try to sober up before bed time).

For the best sleep, don’t have any alcohol at all (might not be realistic for most people, but something to aim for).

4. No ‘Doom Scrolling’

I heard a great tip from a sleep scientist:

“Treat your bedroom as a prehistoric cave somewhere in the Great North: cool, dark, and gadget-free.”

The “gadget free” part has two main benefits...

1.) Less exposure to blue light (which suppresses melatonin).

2.) Less exposure to the 1% of bad stuff in the world that’s almost 100% of what they show on social media.

Nothing triggers poor sleep like pumping your head full of fear mongering BS.

Grab a book instead.

Just don’t let it hit you in the face when you pass out (has happened to me one too many times).

5. Go Easy on the Water

People are on a hydration kick lately (which is awesome!), but they seem to hydrate like a camel...

Their largest “drinking window” falls 15 minutes before bed time.

Better than being dehydrated?

Of course.

But you’ll wake up multiple times to pee, which isn’t ideal if you want to have the best sleep possible.

This is easily mitigated by hydrating earlier in the day, and sipping on water for the last hour or two before bed time.

6. Get Some Sun

We all know sunlight is important (for a TON of different reasons), so I won’t bore you with the details here.

Just remember:

• Sunlight regulates your sleep patterns.

• You need at least 30 minutes per day for this to take effect.

Shouldn’t be hard to get unless you live somewhere in the UK (how do they deal with the gloom?).

7. Stop Lying in Bed for Too Long

Finally, your body constantly tries to create new habits—automatic responses to a specific cue.

Staying in bed when you can’t sleep?

This cues your brain to associate your bed with wakefulness and anxiety.

Meaning the more you toss and turn, the worse your insomnia is gonna get over time.

Don’t let that happen.

Can’t fall asleep within the first 25 to 30 minutes of laying in bed?

GET UP, go to another room, and do a relaxing activity (even if you just sit there) until you start feeling sleepy again.

Once that wave of tiredness washes over you, go back to bed.

P.S. Would You Like Some Help?

I’m taking on a few more clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

Choose an option below, and you’ll transform your body in the next 6 months (or less):

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the exact transformation you’re looking for (be as specific as possible).

2. Book a call at the link below.

I want to get in the best shape of my life!

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Can you trust your fitness watch?

No.

A Stanford study looked at seven of the most popular fitness watches on the market — Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio Alpha 2, PulseOn, and Samsung Gear S2 — and found that ALL of them overestimated calorie burn.

Every. Single. One.

Here’s How Bad It Was

The most accurate watch in the study was the Fitbit Surge.

It was off by 27%.

The Apple Watch — probably the most popular fitness tracker in the world — was off by 40%.

And the worst offender, the PulseOn, was off by a staggering 93%.

93%!

So no, you can’t trust your fitness watch to tell you how many calories you burned in a workout.

What Does This Mean for You?

Three things.

First, don’t let your fitness watch manipulate your emotions.

Saw a big calorie burn after your workout and used it to justify a giant meal?

It wasn’t accurate, and you probably just wiped out your calorie deficit (and gained fat).

Second, if the only reason you bought a fitness watch was to track calories burned, you wasted your money.

Seriously.

You’d have been better off buying a new pair of training shoes, a quality weightlifting belt, or literally anything else that will actually help move the needle forward.

Third, and this is important, there are far better metrics to track during your workouts than calories.

Focus on Your Performance

Weight on the bar.

Reps completed.

Sets completed.

Technique.

If you’re running, focus on speed and distance.

If you’re playing a sport, focus on acquiring skills, and dominating your competition.

And here’s the cool part: when you focus on these things, you train at a much higher effort level, and you burn more calories by default.

You don’t need an overpriced fitness watch to tell you how hard you’re working.

Just go out and do it.

P.S. Are You Ready to Transform?

I’m taking on a few new clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

Choose an option below, and you’ll be well on your way to getting in the best shape of your life (and learning the skills needed to stay there forever)…

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the what transformation you’d like, and the time frame you’d like it in.

2. Book a call at the link below…

Chat with Me!

Shcherbina, A., et al. (2017). Accuracy in Wrist-Worn, Sensor-Based Measurements of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure in a Diverse Cohort. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 7(2), 3. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm7020003

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Ok, the title is a bit misleading.

Intermittent fasting isn’t a fad, and I’m not sure you could even call it a “diet.”

It’s an eating structure.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

But as an eating structure for fat loss, it’s hard to beat.

How Does it Help You Lose Fat?

Simple.

The small eating window (usually 8-10 hours) - along with the bigger, less frequent meals - does a few things:

1. Makes it harder to overeat.

2. Helps with hunger because your meals are more satiating, and you’re not spending every waking hour thinking about food.

3. Shifts food to later in the day when you’re the most tired, don’t have work to occupy your mind, and willpower is at its lowest. It also gives you something to look forward to (which all improve adherance).

4. Provides enough calories per meal to eat out without hurting your results.

5. Provides flexibility while traveling because you can just shift your eating window.

6. Tends to help with digestion.

Are There Any Drawbacks?

Not really.

1. Some people find that not eating for a long period of time can lead to overeating later (because they get so hungry). In my experience though, your hunger adapts fast.

2. Some people find it difficult to consume enough protein because they don’t like eating larger portions. Again, this is something that resolves quickly (your stomach capacity improves).

3. Lastly, there’s a few studies showing that more frequent feedings of protein can be better for muscle growth/retention than larger, less frequent feedings. If this does make an impact though, it’s a small one…maybe 5%…and total protein intake matters A LOT more. Not something you need to worry about unless you’re a competitive bodybuilder.

Final Verdict

I use intermittent fasting each time I cut.

It works well for me (for the reasons listed above), and makes the dieting process 10x easier.

All because of the structure.

I place rules on the time I’ll spend eating each day, and the number of meals.

These rules make it easier to sustain a calorie deficit.

And if I sustain a calorie deficit - while lifting weights a few times per week, and staying active - I’ll lose fat.

Maybe this structure will work well for you too!

P.S. Ready to Transform?

I’m taking on a few new clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

Choose an option below, and you’ll be well on your way to getting in the best shape of your life (and learning the skills needed to stay there forever)…

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the what transformation you’d like, and the time frame you’d like it in.

2. Book a call at the link below…

Chat with Me!

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The fitness industry loves to overcomplicate things.

New program every month. New split. New “optimal” rep range.

Most of it doesn’t matter.

There are only 7 things that make up a successful training plan.

Implement all 7, and you’ll build muscle and strength no matter what the smaller details of your plan look like.

1. It’s fun

If you dread your workouts, you’ve already lost.

Dreading leads to skipping. Skipping leads to poor results. Poor results leads to quitting completely.

The “best” program is the one you’ll actually show up for.

2. It’s simple

Complex programs are for people who’d rather feel smart than achieve great results.

Compound lifts. Good technique. Heavy weights. Consistent effort.

Done for months and years, THIS is what drives 99% of your results.

You don’t need bands, chains, or a PhD in periodization to build a great body.

3. It’s flexible

Life will throw curve balls.

The people who stay in shape long-term aren’t the ones with perfect schedules and rigid routines.

They’re the ones who adapt when things go sideways.

Can’t do your full workout? Do your main lifts only.

Don’t have time for an hour? Do 20 minutes.

Traveling? Find a hotel gym.

There’s ALWAYS something you can do to move the needle.

4. It has progression

This is the only non-negotiable.

You have to challenge yourself if you want to grow.

Add more weight, add more reps, or do the same weight and reps with better technique over time.

Always aim to be better than you were the session before.

5. It’s individualized

Cookie-cutter programs get cookie-cutter results.

Your schedule, your injury history, your goals — they’re different from everyone else’s, which means your program should be slightly different than everyone else’s as well (don’t just blindly follow something you saw in a Youtube video).

Stop copying what works for the 22-year-old with no job and 3 hours a day to train (unless that’s you right now…lucky!).

6. It’s specific

If you want to get strong, you need to train for strength.

If you want to build muscle, you need to train for size.

If you want to get faster, more athletic, more mobile, or achieve crazy levels of body control or endurance, you need to train for those specific attributes.

No random workouts!

7. It’s measurable

You can’t improve what you can’t see.

Write down your lifts. Review them. Adjust.

This single habit separates those who make significant (and fast) progress from those who spin their wheels for years.

Keep a log book!

P.S. Ready to Transform Your Body?

I’m taking on a few new clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

Choose an option below, and you’ll be well on your way to getting in the best shape of your life (and learning the skills needed to stay there forever)…

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the what transformation you’d like, and the time frame you’d like it in.

2. Book a call at the link below…

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Probably not.

And definitely not from the amount that’s on your food.

But you’d never know that scrolling social media, where it’s positioned somewhere between rat poison and a bioweapon.

What is Glyphosate?

It’s the most widely used herbicide on the planet.

It’s on a lot of what you ate today — oats, wheat, cereal, bread, and more.

Now if you’ve been anywhere near a wellness influencer lately, you’ve been told it’s silently destroying your health.

Here’s what they DON’T tell you…

Glyphosate is water soluble. It doesn’t store in your fat or organs. It’s rapidly excreted by your body. And it doesn’t biomagnify in the food chain.

Oh, and that’s before we even discuss safety amounts.

How Much Can You Safely Consume?

The EPA has set a daily reference dose for glyphosate of 1.75 mg per kilogram of bodyweight.

This is the amount considered safe to consume every day for a lifetime without any adverse effects.

For an average adult, that’s around 140 mg per day.

How does this translate to real food?

The highest glyphosate levels ever detected in cereal - the absolute worst case offender - came in at slightly above 2,800 parts per billion in Quaker Oatmeal Squares (Brown Sugar).

At that level?

You’d need to eat over 1,200 bowls of that cereal in a single day to hit the reference dose.

On average contaminated cereal?

It’s closer to 8,000+ bowls.

And for bread with the highest detected residue levels, we’re looking at 500+ loafs.

Per day!

Now look, I don’t know what your exact eating habits look like, but I’m sure you’re not coming close to that.

Is Eating Organic Better?

Common thought process…

“Well I’ll just buy organic. Organic food doesn’t have any herbicides.”

Not accurate.

Organic farming uses herbicides too.

Two of the most common ones:

• acetic acid (the active compound in vinegar-based herbicides)

• eugenol (clove oil).

Acetic acid at the concentrations used in organic farming is 1.7x more acutely toxic than glyphosate.

Eugenol is over 2x more toxic.

“Organic” doesn’t automatically mean “safe,” and “conventional” doesn’t automatically mean “super dangerous.”

This is the oldest trick in the fear-mongering playbook.

Remember This Principle

There’s a concept in toxicology that’s been around since the 1500s:

“The dose makes the poison.”

Water is lethal at a high enough dose.

Oxygen is toxic above certain concentrations (even though it’s essential for life).

Even the cleanest diet on earth contains trace amounts of compounds your body handles and eliminates daily (because that’s what your body is designed to do).

Fear mongers profit off of you being scared and confused.

Don’t give in.

The Real Nutrition Fix

Your actual nutrition problems - the ones keeping you from losing fat, building muscle, and having more energy on a daily basis - have nothing to do with trace herbicide residue.

They’re about eating enough protein.

Managing your calories.

Getting consistent with your meals.

And not stress-eating after 9pm.

That’s what moves the needle.

Not swapping your cereal for a $14 bag of “pesticide-free” oat clusters.

Spend your energy on the things that matter!

P.S. Are You Still Struggling to Lose Weight?

I’m taking on a few new clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

If you’d like to see if it’s a good fit for your schedule and goals, please do one of the following:

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the transformation you’d like, and the time frame you’d like to achieve it in.

2. Book a free consult call with me at the link below…

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You’re falling for it.

The supplement industry is worth $50 billion, with the wellness industry projected to hit $10 TRILLION by 2029.

That’s insane!

How do they make their money?

By selling complexity, fear, and fake solutions to people who just want to look and feel better on a daily basis.

Most of it is garbage.

The Biggest Culprits

This isn’t an exhaustive list.

Just the main scams I see, and the ones I feel are the biggest waist of time and money.

Everything worthwhile in fitness (i.e. the basics) are pretty much free.

1. AG1 is $110 a month for expensive urine.

Your body absorbs what it needs and flushes the rest. If you’re eating a reasonably balanced diet, you don’t need a $110 greens powder to “fill the gaps.” Save your money.

2. BCAAs are useless if you’re eating enough protein.

Branched-chain amino acids are already in protein. If you’re hitting your daily protein target, you’re getting enough BCAAs. The supplement is just double-paying for something your body can’t use.

3. “Creatine for women” is regular creatine in a pink tub at double the price.

Creatine monohydrate is creatine monohydrate. The molecule doesn’t change because of the color of the packaging. Buy the plain stuff. It works exactly the same.

4. Detox supplements are a scam because your liver already does that job — for free.

And it does it better than any $40 supplement ever could. “Detoxing” is a marketing term, not a biological process you can buy at GNC.

5. Organic food offers no added nutritional benefit over conventional food.

Plus some studies even show higher pesticide levels in organic crops. “Organic” doesn’t take in to account soil quality, what the animals ate, etc. And there’s leeway regarding what a company can label “organic,” and the standards vary across countries and organizations. Basically, you’re paying a premium for a label, not better nutrition.

6. The body positivity movement was just a sad attempt to justify being unhealthy.

And it disappeared the second GLP-1s hit the market. Funny how fast “love yourself at any size” turned into “where do I get the shot?” The pendulum always swings.

7. Metabolic boosters and testosterone boosters from your local supplement shop aren’t strong enough to do anything.

If they actually worked, they’d be regulated as pharmaceuticals. They’re not, because they don’t work.

8. The only thing brown rice is better than white rice at is ruining a meal.

Nutritionally, they’re almost identical. White rice is easier to digest and doesn’t taste like cardboard. Eat what you enjoy.

Do What Actually Works

Again, the wellness industry is worth trillions because it’s very good at selling fear, fake solutions, and unnecessary complexity.

You want to transform your body? You want to look and feel better?

You don’t need $100+ supplements, pink tubs of creatine, or detox teas.

You need a calorie deficit, sufficient protein, a training program you’ll stick to, and decent sleep.

Stop giving your money to people who profit off of your confusion.

P.S. Would You Like Some Help?

I’m taking on a few new clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

If you’d like to see if it’s a good fit for your schedule and goals, please do one of the following:

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the what transformation you’d like, and the time frame you’d like it in.

2. Book a call at the link below…

Chat with Me!

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This stat shocked me:

“95% of people who lose weight gain it all back within 1-5 years.”

At first, I thought this was a mistake.

But I looked at the research, and it consistently shows that almost everyone who goes on a diet rebounds hard, winding up right back where they started, or worse.

Let’s make sure that isn’t you.

Follow these 4 simple steps:

Step 1: Change Your Identity

Most people approach dieting like they’re putting on a costume.

They act like a fit person for a few months, lose weight, and then go right back to person they were before.

This never works.

Your habits? The automatic behaviors that make up at least 40% of your daily actions?

They’re driven by your identity.

If you still see yourself as “the overweight business owner” or “the parent who let themselves go,” or “the ‘big back’ guy/girl who likes food,” that’s exactly who you’ll return to once stress hits your system (or you fall of your routine).

On the flip side, if you envision a new version of yourself at the START of your diet…

If you keep it top of mind, and reinforce that identity through your actions (the daily actions that the person you’d like to become would take)…

By the time you finish, you’ll truly be a different person.

Then you never have to worry about rebounding again.

Step 2: Focus on Your Training (Instead of Obsessing Over Nutrition)

I may be alone here, but I think training is far more important than nutrition (especially when it comes to maintaining a lean body).

Think about it, here’s how most people start their diet:

• slash calories

• eliminate their favorite foods

• do activity purely to burn fat

This sucks!

It’s boring, uninspiring, and easy to turn your back on when you’re tired, stressed, or get distracted by the myriad of other things you’d rather be doing in life (like anything else).

Now imagine if you were obsessed with training.

You’re having fun (because training IS fun).

This excitement for training drives a super high level of consistency (which is the fundamental key to long term results).

And you get to sit back and watch as this healthy ‘obsession’ positively impacts every other area of your life (without you having to focus on it).

You’ll start eating better to fuel your performance.

You’ll start sleeping more to improve recovery from your workouts.

You’ll start surrounding yourself with people with similar goals, and use the camaraderie and competitiveness you find to push yourself to new heights.

It couldn’t be easier.

In battle, you’re always looking for a force multiplier - something that gives you an unfair advantage, and makes everything you do 10x more effective.

Training is that multiplier!

Step 3: Keep Your Goals Top of Mind

Often overlooked, but critical.

When you begin a fitness journey, you’re riding off the excitement of starting something new.

Your motivation seems endless.

But after a short time, that excitement burns out, and you’re left with the hard, boring task of showing up and putting in the work even though you no longer feel like it.

Can you handle this task? Can you handle the required suffering?

Of course!

But only if you never lose sight of what it is you’re suffering FOR.

Maybe you have 60 seconds of self-reflection in the morning…

Maybe you have accountability partners you check in with…

Maybe you write your goals on post-it notes, and stick them on your bathroom mirror.

Doesn’t matter.

The key is you have some sort of strategy to help you stay focused, and to ward off the distractions of life, which are many.

Motivation doesn’t last forever…

Have systems in place to ensure that doesn’t matter.

Step 4: Always Chase New Goals

Lastly, understand that this journey never stops.

Not ever.

You lost weight?
Cool. Now you’re fit enough to try a new sport.

You ran your first half marathon?
Cool. Maybe it’s time to go try powerlifting.

You did a bodybuilding show?
Cool. Maybe it’s time to try your hand at jiu jitsu.

Or just master the sport or activity you’re already doing (that works too).

Point is, never stop moving!

P.S. Would You Like Some Help?

I’m taking on a few new clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

If you’d like to see if it’s a good fit for your schedule and goals, please do one of the following:

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the what transformation you’d like, and the time frame you’d like it in.

2. Book a call at the link below…

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We’ve all been told this before:

“Running will destroy your knees.”

Of course it will…

IF you make one of the mistakes I’m about to cover in this article.

Avoid them, and not only will you get healthy, fit, and lean (the top benefits of running more), you shouldn’t deal with any knee pain whatsoever.

Mistake #1: Not Lifting Weights

Most runners think lifting is counterproductive.

“Won’t more muscle make me slower?”

Here’s what they miss:

1. Building enough muscle to actually slow you down is WAY harder than they think it is (you don’t turn in to a “mass monster” by accident).

2. More muscle improves the force you put into the ground with each step, making you faster over time.

Also (and more importantly), muscle makes you more durable.

That’s the key.

It’s the durability you gain from lifting that lets you stack miles without your knees getting beat up over time.

What to do: Lift weights at least 2x per week. You don’t have to get huge. You just have to get strong and resilient.

Mistake #2: Eating Too Little Food

Most people are chronic dieters.

Always cutting carbs. Always in a deficit. Always trying to lose weight.

Not ideal.

If fuel is low, your form breaks down on runs, which can greatly increase your risk of injury (duh!).

Also, if you don’t have enough protein or carbs coming in to actually recover, your knees (and everything else) will take a beating they can’t bounce back from.

What to do: Fuel up for your training! Eat at maintenance, or in a slight calorie surplus (100-300 calories over). With plenty of protein (0.7-1 gram per pound of bodyweight). And hydrate well (half your bodyweight in ounces, daily). Your work capacity will go through the roof!

Mistake #3: Choosing the Wrong Footwear

The first time I went for a run, I did it in Nike Frees (HORRIBLE idea).

The second time? I threw on an old pair of basketball shoes, and man…my knees started hurting immediately.

Heavy shoes? Narrow toe box? Zero cushion to absorb the 7x bodyweight force I was putting in to the ground with each step?

Recipe for disaster.

You can’t throw on a pair of shoes you use for one activity, and expect them to work well for another (if the activities are greatly different).

You need specific tools for specific jobs.

What to do: Go to your local running store and get a free gait analysis. Then match the shoe to the activity you’re doing (road vs trail, race vs training, etc), make sure it has a wide toe box, and replace it every few hundred miles. This makes a BIG impact.

Mistake #4: Avoiding Mobility Work

I know. It’s boring.

Mobility work’s about as fun as watching paint dry.

But running is repetitive, and it barely takes your hips and knees through any real range of motion.

If all you do is run, you’ll get tight and stiff, and that can lead to knee pain over time.

What to do: Do 5–10 minutes of mobility work per day. Before your run, after your run, at another time of day…just get it done.

Mistake #5: Skimping on Sleep

You’ve heard me say this 1000 times, but most people aren’t overtrained, they’re just under-recovered.

Sleep is the greatest recovery tool you have (nothing else comes close).

If you consistently get less than 7 hours per night, you’re leaving serious progress on the table (and digging a recovery hole that’s hard to climb out of).

What to do: Aim for 7–8 hours of high-quality sleep per night. Consistent, even on weekends. You’ll be shocked at how much training volume you can handle.

P.S. Would You Like Some Help?

I’m taking on a few new clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

If you’d like to see if it’s a good fit for your schedule and goals, please do one of the following:

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the what transformation you’d like, and the time frame you’d like it in.

2. Book a call at the link below…

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Yes.

In a single session (unless you’re doing cardio at a SUPER low intensity).

But that doesn’t mean much if your goal is to lose more fat.

Why Not?

Because your body adapts.

The more cardio you do, the more efficient you get at it, and the fewer calories you burn for the same effort.

Which means you have to keep running longer and harder just to maintain the same results.

That becomes unmanageable fast.

Is Lifting Any Different?

Yes, because it builds muscle.

More muscle increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR)—the number of calories your body burns at rest, just to keep you alive and functioning.

A faster BMR means you’re burning more calories all day long, even sitting around doing nothing.

Pretty cool!

Plus, there’s another benefit that often gets glossed over:

Muscle is what makes you look lean and defined at the end of your diet.

Without it, you lose weight, but end up looking “skinny fat.”

That’s a nightmare.

Smaller, but soft. No shape. No definition.

This is one of the most common and most avoidable mistakes in fitness.

So Should I Focus Only on Lifting?

No.

Think of it this way:

Lifting is the entrée, cardio is the side dish.

And here’s a mindset shift that’ll massively improve your results…

You shouldn’t be doing either one to burn calories.

Lift weights to build strength, muscle, athleticism, and durability. The metabolic boost is just a side bonus (and a nice one).

Do cardio for your heart health, endurance, and work capacity. A bigger “cardio engine” also means you can eat more food while still losing fat at your target rate (and who doesn’t like to eat more food?).

They’re both essential.

They’re both powerful.

And they both lead to a healthier, fitter version of you (which is most important anyway).

But neither are your primary fat loss tool.

So what is?

Food and steps.

Those are your two main fat loss levers.

Eat less to create a calorie deficit (500-750 below maintenance).

Walk more to widen it without wrecking your recovery (8000-10000 daily steps, or more).

And again, lift and do cardio to become healthier and more fit.

You can’t fail with this system.

P.S. Would You Like Some Help Getting Lean?

I’m taking on a few new clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

If you’d like to see if it’s a good fit for your schedule and goals, please do one of the following:

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the what transformation you’d like, and the time frame you’d like it in.

2. Book a call at the link below…

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For 99% of people, no you are not.

If you’re feeling...

• Tired

• Worn down

• Unmotivated

• Like your body got hit by a truck

...you’re not overtrained, you’re under-recovered.

And that’s easy to fix if you tackle these 4 common culprits:

1.) Lack of Sleep

Maybe you just had kids.

Maybe you haven’t kicked your afternoon energy drink habit.

Maybe you’ve developed an addiction to the TV show ‘The Sopranos’ on HBO Max (”just one more episode!”).

Whatever the case is, a lack of sleep is the number one driver of poor recovery.

Before you change your program, make sure you’re consistently getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night.

Some things that will help:

• Sticking to a consistent routine

• Keeping your room cool (67-68 degrees)

• Not eating 2 hours before bed time

• Using a fan for white noise

• Avoiding social media

You’ll be SHOCKED at the amount of volume and intensity you can handle.

2.) Low Calories

Food is fuel.

It may be delicious, an art form, and the center piece of every social engagement, but at its core it’s the fuel that drives your athletic performance.

Imagine a Formula One Driver racing a car without any gasoline.

He wouldn’t get very far (if anywhere at all), and neither will you if all of your training time is spent in a calorie deficit.

Eat!

At maintenance, or in a slight surplus, with a balance of macronutrients:

• Set protein at 0.7-1 gram per pound

• Set fat at 25-30% of total calories

• Fill in the rest of your calories with carbs

Avoid restriction diets at all costs.

3.) Poor Stress Management

This is a massive topic, and too nuanced to cover in great detail in a single article.

Just remember that your body can’t differentiate between one form of stress compared to another.

• Workout stress?

• Dieting stress?

• Relationship stress?

• Job stress?

• Financial stress?

• Commute stress?

It ALL pulls from the same ‘bucket’ of recovery, and none of our buckets are unlimited.

Eliminate stress in other parts of your life, and the workout stress you can tolerate will skyrocket!

4.) Improper Training Structure

Lastly, imagine trying to dig a massive hole with your hands (that would suck, and take forever).

Now imagine doing it with a shovel (easier, but still sucks).

Now imagine doing it with an excavator (WAY easier, with little time or effort on your part).

The structure of your training?

That determines which one of those “tools” you’re using, which determines how quickly you’re able to achieve results (better strength, size, endurance, etc.).

All of your training is done with similar activities, similar movements, at similar intensities? And it’s haphazardly thrown together ?

You’re digging with your hands.

Your training alternates between different activities, movements, and intensities? And they’re placed in a way that complement one another, allowing you to build one area while simultaneously recovering from another?

Now you’re digging with an excavator.

Train hard AND smart.

Because if you’re gonna bust your butt in the gym, at least make sure it gets you somewhere.

You don’t want to be wasting your time.

P.S. Would You Like Some Help?

I’m taking on a few new clients this month for my 1-on-1 coaching.

If you’d like to see if it’s a good fit for your schedule and goals, please do one of the following:

1. Respond to this email, and let me know the what transformation you’d like, and the time frame you’d like it in.

2. Book a call at the link below…

Chat with Me!