Testosterone is criminally misunderstood

Testosterone is criminally misunderstood. On one side are morons and the media, who vilify the hormone and blame it for nearly every random act of aggression, from road rage to Black Friday brawls. On the other side are bodybuilders and biohackers, who almost worship T or at least attribute it way more power than it really deserves. The correct answer is in the middle, though definitely slanted...

Use the tools that have worked for 100 years

Barbells, plates, dumbbells, benches, etc. have been around for 100 years. Jack LaLanne, the first fitness influencer, invented the cable-pulley machine in the 1950s. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if some crafty Soviet lumberjack beat him to it. (Those dudes lifted all the time, why do you think they’re called lumberJACKS?) Those things have all remained gym equipment staples ever since. Even...

Do this instead of all the other cardio you’re doing

Let me describe a story with which you're probably already familiar. It starts when someone wants to lose weight. Here are the steps: 1. They decide to start "exercising." The very first time someone decides to lose fat they typically start with cardio. Usually they land on something we'd call steady-state: jogging, biking, rowing, or aerobics classes (remember those?). They're consistent, but...

You can’t control everything

Most of us eat right and exercise to not only look better but to also live longer, healthier, fuller lives. It helps that body composition and health tend to walk hand-in-hand. Many of the steps we take to build muscle or lose fat also contribute to better health, or at least they don’t negatively affect it. Now, that definitely changes as you go further along the winding fitness road: body...

Why are so fitness influencers anti vaxx?

​So I received an interesting question: why are so many fitness influencers, professionals, and enthusiasts seemingly anti-vax? Given my lengthy tenure in the industry — and because the guy asked me — I offered MY opinion on the question. First, some context. Not ALL fitness pros/influencers/enthusiasts think the same way. Next, there are plenty who are pro childhood vax but are against or...

Don’t “search” for purpose

Purpose is a hot topic. It’s also the hallmark of a comfortable life. Not long ago, nobody considered if what they were doing was their life’s purpose: they were busy trying to find food and shelter or even just staying alive another day. Or their “purpose” was decided by those in power before they were even born. While some people still live in similar circumstances today, the more fortunate...

Getting past your own bullshit

I love making transformation posts when they're clients, rather than me. So here is long-term client Clay, who’s making middle-aged dad look great. We're not done—but there's been solid headway. To date we've done nothing fancy and there have been plenty of the typical setbacks that normal, working folks face. And that’s not to mention the standard challenges of real life, including (in Clay’s...