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...
My favourite kinda client: Steamin’ Willie Beamen
Here’s my favorite kinda client: Steamin' Willie Beamen. (You've seen Any Given Sunday, right?) I've had many SWB's over the years—men and women, young and old. They're stubborn and easily pissed off, but unlike the character in Any Given Sunday they take full responsibility for their state of affairs. They send me weekly updates with messages like: "I can't believe I let my diet fall apart so...
The allure of non-stop progress
With fat loss, we all seek non-stop progress. Preferably lightning fast, too. Oh, and while we're asleep, if at all possible. Especially since there was — for many of us — a brief time, in the early days, when our progress might’ve actually felt that way. Think back to when you first started lifting or got your diet in order. Maybe you dropped five pounds in the first week or added weight to the...
Minimal work != minimal effort
As I've gotten older and coached more people around my age and stage of life, I've increasingly come to believe in getting the most out of the least. That's not doing minimal work and it's certainly not minimal effort. It's just respecting that your focus and energy are finite. So you can either do your absolute best, most intense work briefly, or do "sub-max" work but lot's more of it. Nothing...