A Birthday List: 32 Lessons in Fitness and Nutrition
Normally I’m not a birthday guy. However, since the birth of my daughter, I now have a 2 and a half year old cheerleader who hypes me up for any and every holiday or event that happens.
Shout out to Sauce… it’s nice having a cheerleader…
So NOW I’m a birthday guy. In honor of turning the big 3-2, I wanted to create a list of 32 thoughts geared towards fitness and nutrition. Some are short, some are long. Some are factual with real science behind them, and some are anecdotal n=1 from 32 years of life.
Without further adieu…
There really is a diminishing return on training too much. Whether it’s physical or mental, there is a diminishing return.
With that said, most people never come close to over-training.
3 workouts a week tend to be plenty for 80% of people I’ve ever worked with, myself included.
Full-body workouts tend to make people feel the best. Never too much volume, but an opportunity to train hard.
Volume (total weight lifted) will crush people if not increased over time.
Likewise, a spike in volume will most likely shatter a strength plateau.
Most people don’t train hard enough or long enough to plateau.
Nutrition is probably 95% of all fat loss success. Sorry strength training.
Strength training is 80% of the reason you’ll keep muscle during fat-loss though.
The other 20% (in reality it’s probably more), is from eating the right amount of protein every day.
I’ve been the most successful with my nutrition goals when I focus only on calories in and total grams of protein eaten.
Likewise, I was only successful after I had a conversation with my wife on why I wanted to weigh my food. Once I had her support in the household it took a lot of pressure off my goals.
I’ve been the least successful with my nutrition when I didn’t actually measure my food.
I’ve also been the least successful with my nutrition when I drink 3+ alcoholic drinks a week.
Fat loss and alcohol don’t really mix well. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a couple, but it means you only get to have a couple, a couple times. Make it count.
Training environment matters. If you’re in the right environment, you’ll be more likely to be consistent.
A barbell's best use is shoved in a landmine unit. That might piss people off, but I really feel this way.
Getting stronger by doing more reps is a great way to achieve progression. Many times putting more weight in your hands is the LAST way to gauge progress.
To better phrase number 18, strength comes in many forms. Weight lifted isn’t the only way.
Hire a Coach. It’s worth it not to have to think about your fitness.
It’s also worth it to have someone keep you accountable.
Walking is super underrated. You can do it daily, it’s health benefits are (almost) unmatched.
Along those lines, cardio isn’t going to ruin your ‘gains’.
Almost everyone I’ve ever trained has benefited from an increased work capacity.
Work capacity is easy to train, but sucks to train it. In the end, it’s worth it.
The best time of day to train is the time you can train consistently, every week, all year long.
Set expectations for yourself at every training session. It helps see the big picture.
Write your goals down- fitness and nutrition- and then write down how you can achieve those goals. It matters.
Your workouts don’t need to be ‘hard’ to be effective.
Your nutrition program should be easier than your fitness workout, if it isn’t, it probably isn’t sustainable.
Fitness doesn’t need to consume your life, but it needs to be a part of your life.
Find a Doctor you like. If you wouldn’t have coffee or lunch with your Doctor, you need to find a new Doctor and develop that kind of relationship. It matters for your health.
Have a question on any of the above? Want me to elaborate on any of them? Comment below and let me know- I’m happy to explain further!