Release Your Brakes! - A Fastlaner's Guide to Optimal Energy, Focus and Health for Maximum $$$

[PureA]

You’re a Ferrari.

But the handbrake is on..

Health and fitness is a relatively easy and simple thing to achieve, yet 90% of us don’t have it.

Why?

It gets overcomplicated, we try adding stuff instead of removing, we listen to everyone's advice…

This is applicable to many things in life… but only a few things really matter.

I’m going to assume you’re a 25-50 year old businessman who wants the maximum results (quality of life, cognitive optimisation and a great body) in as little time and energy investment as possible.

For a bunch of reasons health and fitness is made more complicated than it ever needed to be.

When you master this part of your life, it compounds your results across the board (mental clarity = money, energy = money, leisure, family time, better mood etc.)

I’ve spent 10 years being a nerd obsessed about this topic because it has transformed my life so radically. Below is what I’ve learned.
Verifying fitness nerd status:


In this post I am going to attempt to cut the fluff and deliver the hard hitting stuff. It may seem simple and boring… but do you want results, or do you want to be complicated and fancy moving the needle 0.4%?

I’m going to leave a lot out, in an attempt to simplify and focus on results.

I am not a medical professional, I have no formal training, I am not a coach, just a health and fitness nerd who is a decade deep.

Ok.

Let’s focus on the hard hitters.

Master this shit, and you WILL get 98% of the way there. People want to sell you fluff and confusion, don’t let them, there is no magic, there are no secrets.

Diet:
(disclaimer: do what the **** you want to do)

Most humans thrive on both plants foods and animal foods (shocker). However, there is a 'spectrum'.

I have no horse in the race, I have vegan friends thriving, and I have carnivore friends thriving.

Some go carnivore and cure lifelong ailments, some go vegan and the very same thing happens.

We are all individuals. There is no ONE optimal diet for everyone, like I said it’s a spectrum.

You likely have a good intuition of where on the spectrum you do best…

This isn’t scientifically correct, but its helpful to imagine a spectrum of ‘carbohydrate tolerance’. Both genetics and lifestyle play a role but this is a useful framework to use.

Pull someone from the nordics (genetically speaking) and put them on a diet of grains and tropical fruits and see what happens…

A lot of us a genetically predisposed to poor ‘carbohydrate management’. It’s why you see some people eat like shit and look great, and others pile on weight just looking at a cookie.

If you feel tired and fatigued after your meal. You spiked your insulin too high (reduce carbohydrate intake - find your sweet spot) or ate something your body didn't like. You will be rewarded with inflammation (feeling sluggish, slow, tired, achey, puffy, bloated). It is not normal to feel like you need to take a nap after eating.

Again, our focus here is:

• Energy
• Focus
• Clarity
• Stable moods

How do we do this - what really moves the needle?

• Stable blood sugars
• Avoiding sugars, high glycemic foods.
• Focus on whole foods. Cut the processed garbage (these frankenfoods aren't real food, your brain is being fooled.)
• Learn your ‘carbohydrate tolerance’
• Intermittent fasting - if desired.
• Ridding inflammation (VERY IMPORTANT)

Inflammation?..

Ever wake up devastatingly tired after a nights sleep? You look puffy, joints ache, muscle pain, maybe some gut discomfort? Your body is inflamed (and so is your brain). You are operating on 50% of your capacity, at best… What are the consequences for your work/business ($$$$$)?

We all want the quick fix.

I wish we could eat complete shit, take tumeric pills or some vitamin C and all would be well and dandy. This will barely move the needle 1%. Fix the root cause, it's the only way. Crush the inflammation for good and you will feel like a new man with a renewed energy, focus, drive and vigour for life. Not to mention avoiding massive health problems down the line. There are no shortcuts here folks.

What are the most important things in avoiding inflammation?

• Avoid added sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Keeping stable blood sugars
• Fasting as much as you find tolerable.
• Not eating foods you react badly to. (this could be eggs, gluten, dairy, nuts, broccoli, it could be ANYTHING, you have to monitor how you feel and really learn your body's response to inputs. A HRV device such as an oura ring, or whoop band will help a ton in monitoring how stressed your body is and whether you are fuelling yourself well.)

Extra things that might help you in the process…

• Choose the whole foods you enjoy and base your whole diet around those. Do not punish yourself with shit you don't want to eat. It will never stick.
• Leverage high protein (1g/lb of GOAL weight) - its highly satiating, isn’t easily stored as fat, and helps with stabilise your blood sugars for the whole day.
• Adherence - we are focused on setting up the best case scenario that we can STICK to. Rice, chicken, broccoli for 4 weeks followed by bingeing is not a recipe for success… you love bacon? Great, eat a bunch. Is it ‘optimal’? Probably not, but adherence > optimal for your long term success.

Exercise:

Again, let’s assume you're a business pro who wants the maximum ‘returns’ in the least amount of time.
We are aiming for maximum results (better QoL) with as little fatigue and impact on joints, allowing other areas of our lives that we care most about to thrive (energy for making $$$$$!)

What should you aim for? This will get 95% of there (weekly):

3x20-40 min cardio sessions (jog, bike, swim, whatever you like - adherence)
2x40-60 min lifting session.

There is SO MUCH FLUFF in lifting. This cannot be understated. 95% of the people in the gym are wasting their time when it comes to ‘results generating activities’.

You can get a full chest workout with 3 sets (one exercise). But you see people doing 5 different exercises for 3 sets each. 15 total sets for chest when the same (generally speaking) results could’ve been had with 3 sets (with 20% of the CNS fatigue!).

80/20 lifting routine:

Full Body A:

Shoulder Press 3 sets (8-10 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
Lat pulldown / pullups 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Trap bar deadlift 2 sets (6-8 reps)
Reverse Chest Fly OR Bent over fly 3 sets (10-15 reps)
Cable rope push downs 3 sets (10-12 reps)

Full Body B:

Incline chest press 3 sets (8-12 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
DB Lateral side raises 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Back Cable Row 3 sets (8-12 reps) (Cable > machine > BB)
Leg Press 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Bicep Curl 3 sets (8-12 reps)

Pick a weight you can do for the lower end of the rep range e.g. 8 in 8-12.
Keep using that weight until you can do the higher end of the range (12).
Move up weight. Repeat.
THAT'S IT.

Sleep:

Sleep is foundational. If you don’t respect your sleep you’re putting sunflower oil in your Ferrari.

I’ve read everything on sleep I can get my hands on. Below are my notes on getting the best sleep that you can…

Get out in natural sunlight (5 mins if sunny, 10 if overcast) in the morning 0-3 hours after sunrise/waking. This sets circadian rhythm. (Very important)

Last calorie at least 3 hours before bedtime. Body needs to be cool for optimal sleep, digesting food impairs this. Digestion is an expensive process for the body. If it’s focused on digestion, sleep WILL be sub optimal. Try it.

Off screens 1-2 hours before bed if possible. At the very least use the ‘night time’ settings on your devices (flux, nightshift etc). Blue blockers can be useful here too if you are exposing yourself to light. When your eyes see bright light/blue light it impairs melatonin production, because your brain still thinks its day time - meaning a very hard time getting to sleep.

Avoid bright lights/LEDs after sunset.

Sleep and wake at the same time everyday (consistent bedtime routine & schedule). Yes, even weekends. Otherwise, you are self inducing jet lag.

If you need extra sleep go to bed earlier don't wake up later.

Alternatively…

A sub 30 min nap around 12-3pm is an incredible ‘recharge’. Be careful not to exceed 30 mins as body will go into deeper sleep and wake up groggy. Don’t worry about falling asleep right away. Laying down and letting your mind wander for this time still has significant restorative effects.

Sleep in cycles of 90 mins (and add how long it usually takes you to fall asleep) e.g. 7:30hrs, 9:00hrs.
(sleepti.me - to calculate this)

Last caffeinated drink at 1pm (a quarter dose of caffeine is still in your system after 12 hours. (Eg 2 coffees in the morning is the equivalent to drinking half a cup of coffee right before bed. (I sleep 10x better with no caffeine even when only having 1x coffee @ 8am.)

Sleep with as dark a room as possible, invest in black out blinds/curtains (cover LEDS w/ black tape)

Sleep with ear plugs (no noise) or a white noise machine can mimic silence too (makes it so your brain doesn’t notice sudden noises during the night).

60-65 degrees F (16-18 C) sleep temp is optimal.

Fresh air is good if possible (crack a window).

Only use bed for sleep and sex.

Weed and alcohol in any amounts (yes, even one glass of dry red). WILL inhibit REM and deep stages significantly. Less is always better. Zero is best.

If you sleep with anyone else. Consider using 2 separate duvets (you’ll never go back!)

Consider buying a sleep tracker: fitbit, oura, whoop are good… apple watches, and garmins suck a$$ (poor accuracy).

Bonus:

Fasting:

A lot of people, myself included, feel amazing fasted. Humans have never eaten 3+ meals a day, its a very recent thing. This could be a whole other post in itself but there are substantial benefits to intermittent fasting/fasting I’m sure many of you are already familiar with.
Broadly speaking, when you fast you switch on 1000s of ‘clean up’ mechanisms that clears out all the garbage and leaves you crystal clear. Think ‘system defrag’.

It’s an easy way to calorie control as well. First meal at 12. Dinner at 6-8pm, its a lot harder to overeat, all that sweet morning productivity too! Way easier than it sounds. First few days can be tough. Your body's hunger hormones are trained to expect food when you normally eat. Once it learns, you’ll be cruising.

Get your hormones checked (especially the 40+ crowd):

Are you experiencing?...

1. Mental fog/lack of focus
2. Lack of energy
3. Decreased work performance
4. Decrease in sex drive
5. Decrease in strength or endurance
6. Decreased ‘enjoyment of life’
7. Noticable change in behaviour

The modern environment is assaulting our endocrine systems. From micro plastics to herbicides to modern tech. It’s a miracle we still function. The ‘normal range’ for our sex hormones has been creeping down... Extreme cases go through years of misdiagnosis until they get their hormones checked. What’s worse, you can go to a ‘professional’ with test levels of 350ng/dl and they will tell you everything is perfectly fine (you’re in range!). It’s a tragedy that millions needlessly suffer. Get your hormones checked fellas. Happy to read blood work if you want a second opinion (I am a nerd, not a doctor, I have no qualifications).

Healthy Junk:

Sometimes we make bad choices, whatever. That’s fine. Although something I find useful is making healthy junk food choices…

Let me explain.

There are countless healthier junk food alternatives on the market now that scratch the itch without demolishing the whole tub of 1500 calorie ben and jerrys. Plan for the itch, have halo top (300 calories per tub) in the freezer instead of B&Js. There are alternatives for most of your favourite treats, cookies, ice cream, whatever, have them ready!

Simple changes like this can save you 1000s of calories per week, which could be the difference between gaining 12lbs in a year or losing 12lbs.

Supplements (I’ve tried it all, scoured the data, mostly BS unless you’re deficient) Here’s what stands:

Creatine Monohydrate - 5g daily (cheapest shit you can find is fine.)
Omega 3s - 1g EPA is good, 2g is ‘optimal’. (If you don’t eat salmon/sardines at least 2x/week) (high quality is important, check labdoor, nordic naturals brand is the premium option)
Vit D3 - 5-10kiu
Magnesium - 300-500mg (any form, not oxide)

Actionable takeaways.

• Prioritise your sleep.
• Get outside every morning to set your circadian rhythm (5 mins is fine, yes, works even if it isn’t sunny)
• Exercise with intent. (maximum output, minimum input)
• Try pushing your first meal to 11am+. (Coffee, teas are fine)
• Avoid sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Focus on keeping blood sugars stable, focus on whole foods. Focus on 1g/lb of protein for your goal weight.

Whatever you will stick to is the best choice.

Try it for 14 days. You can always go back.

AMA if ya want. Happy to help.

 

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[heavy_industry]

Absolutely astounding how wrong most of the health advice is that was given to me growing up, whether from doctors, coaches, or nutritionists.

What happens if you become healthy, strong, and slim?
Your doctor, trainer, and nutritionist go out of business.

All the horrendous health advice we received in the last 50 years was not an accident.

You being weak, fat, sick, depressed, compliant and addicted is a very profitable business.

 

[heavy_industry]

Which exercises are most effective in your opinion to replace those I don’t have equipment for such as leg press or cable rope push downs?

Barbell squats and deadlifts are the best and only exercises you will ever need for lower body. No other machine or modern equipment can replace them.

As for the cable rope push, that's an isolation exercise for the triceps. You are much better off using the bench press for overall upper body development. The triceps will be trained automatically.

---

@PureA Awesome thread, solid guide.

For training I think most people are better off doing only compound movements - the natural movement patterns of the human body (pushing, pulling, hip hinge).

Isolation exercises are a waste of time, unless you are a bodybuilder that has already build a solid strength foundation in the first 3 years of training.

 

[PureA]

Barbell squats and deadlifts are the best and only exercises you will ever need for lower body. No other machine or modern equipment can replace them.

As for the cable rope push, that's an isolation exercise for the triceps. You are much better off using the bench press for overall upper body development. The triceps will be trained automatically.

---

@PureA Awesome thread, solid guide.

For training I think most people are better off doing only compound movements - the natural movement patterns of the human body (pushing, pulling, hip hinge).

Isolation exercises are a waste of time, unless you are a bodybuilder that has already build a solid strength foundation in the first 3 years of training.

I disagree with your squat/deadlift statement. I left them out on purpose. What purpose do they serve for us?

We want maximum development/results with minimum risk and/or fatigue so we can focus on $$$$.

We aren't training to win powerlifting meets. We want $$$$ and to look/feel great.

These are my reasons:

- CNS fatigue - Why crush your body for average reward? We can stimulate the muscle more without crushing our CNS and being tired for the rest of the day.
- 95% of people will execute the movement incorrectly (even with a 'coach') - big injury risk.
- There are likely preexisting mobility issues that you have which means if you do happen to perform the movement correctly an injury is around the corner once you move up weight.
- They are sub optimal for our goals. Squats aren't the best exercise for developing anything, nor conventional deadlifts. There are many safer, and frankly better options to achieve our goals (looking/feeling great).
- Adherence - people don't like these lifts because they are hard work. You end up skipping sessions.

There are probably reasons but thats all I have for now.

I expect to get some pushback here. These lifts are engraved in every lifters heart I know, we've been told since forever they are everything. They aren't. There are many better options when you understand what you are trying to achieve.

 

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[heavy_industry]

I disagree with your squat/deadlift statement. I left them out on purpose. What purpose do they serve for us?

Squats and deadlifts are the best exercises for building overall strength and athleticism. And strength is heavily correlated with health - something every fastlaner should have as a long term target.

Of course they are dangerous, highly technical moves, and they do come up with a huge CNS fatigue cost.

I didn't say that everyone and their dog should start doing them. Some people can't perform them safely for a number of reasons (including biomechanics, unwillingness to learn proper form, injury history etc.) and those people should stay away from these exercises.

There are many alternatives and variations that could work better for an individual based on their specific goals and circumstances. But for most people that get into training, squats and deadlifts should be the first option for lower body development.

There's a reason why every athlete in the world performs these lifts, including endurance athletes, swimmers, and fighters.

I expect to get some pushback here.

I'm not interested in starting a religious debate on what is the best training method, because there are multiple approaches to fitness that work very well.

 

[heavy_industry]

Do you have any different recommendations for someone who wants to GAIN weight instead of LOSING weight(specifically muscle mass)? Or would everything you already recommended remain the same.

• Skip the cardio.
• Increase the training volume to 10-20 sets / muscle group / week.
• Train 3 times per week full-body OR 6 times per week with a split.
• Complete most sets to or near failure.
• Eat calories above maintenance.
• Go heavy on the carbs, if your body can tolerate it.
• Have at least 1g of protein for every pound of body weight.
• Do 3-5 meals a day to distribute the protein evenly and keep spiking your insulin and mTOR pathway.

I would not recommend this for your long term health.
But if you're desperately trying to gain weight as fast as possible, this is a very reliable method.

 

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[heavy_industry]

Just find a good pt that can help you with your specific goals

The main 2 categories of people that need a personal trainer are:

• beginners that don't know what they are doing and will get no results and/or injure themselves
• elite athletes that need expert supervision to prevent them from training too hard and injuring themselves

The vast majority of personal trainers that offer their services to beginners are deliberately making everything as complex and as hard to understand as possible. They surround the simple act of training in a fog of mysticism and pseudo science.

100 different exercises with 100 different variations, every day looks different, custom rest time between exercises (sometimes measure in seconds), drop-sets, super-sets, up-sets, down-sets, everything-sets.

They make things as confusing as possible in order to keep you from learning how to do it yourself, because if that happens, you no longer need them and they are out of business.

The main role of a personal trainer should be to supervise your training so that you don't get injured, and log all your data (performance, training volume, body weight, fat %, bloodwork etc.) and make sure that you are making actual progress towards your goals.

Those people are very rare, and as a result they charge a premium $$$ for their services.

 

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[PureA]

It’s also a big generalisation

Just find a good pt that can help you with your specific goals

I have mine for exactly the reasons he listed

They do my programming so I don’t have to think and they keep me accountable

Most pts are shit though

Oh good post by the way, really good. Definitely some food for thought in there. Am I training too much and fatiguing myself, and am I eating the right amount of carbs were my main takeaways.

I avoid a lot of foods and just stick to one’s that agree with me already, but I do wonder if it’s more the carb amounts than the foods I have a problem with.

Is it a good idea to get a blood sugar monitor or something? I can’t imagine the whoop bands and aura rings are much help? Maybe I underestimate them

A CGM would be great. That way you can see how you react to foods and amounts (everyone has a different response) and you can correlate how you feel with levels. On top of this you will be able to see in hard data the effect of things like taking a 10 min walk post meal having a radical effect on blood sugar control (2x effective as diabetes drugs).

To give you a real example with my Oura. When I eat perfectly I get a HRV (heart rate variability - great metric for overall body stress) of 200. If I start eating foods that don't agree with me perfectly I instantly see the dip to 130/140. The more I punish my body the lower it goes. It's not perfect, but useful to have to bring awareness of your bodies response to food/drugs/alcohol etc.

 

[Subsonic]

You’re a Ferrari.

But the handbrake is on..

Health and fitness is a relatively easy and simple thing to achieve, yet 90% of us don’t have it.

Why?

It gets overcomplicated, we try adding stuff instead of removing, we listen to everyone's advice…

This is applicable to many things in life… but only a few things really matter.

I’m going to assume you’re a 25-50 year old businessman who wants the maximum results (quality of life, cognitive optimisation and a great body) in as little time and energy investment as possible.

For a bunch of reasons health and fitness is made more complicated than it ever needed to be.

When you master this part of your life, it compounds your results across the board (mental clarity = money, energy = money, leisure, family time, better mood etc.)

I’ve spent 10 years being a nerd obsessed about this topic because it has transformed my life so radically. Below is what I’ve learned.
Verifying fitness nerd status:
View attachment 47002

In this post I am going to attempt to cut the fluff and deliver the hard hitting stuff. It may seem simple and boring… but do you want results, or do you want to be complicated and fancy moving the needle 0.4%?

I’m going to leave a lot out, in an attempt to simplify and focus on results.

I am not a medical professional, I have no formal training, I am not a coach, just a health and fitness nerd who is a decade deep.

Ok.

Let’s focus on the hard hitters.

Master this shit, and you WILL get 98% of the way there. People want to sell you fluff and confusion, don’t let them, there is no magic, there are no secrets.

Diet:
(disclaimer: do what the **** you want to do)

Most humans thrive on both plants foods and animal foods (shocker). However, there is a 'spectrum'.

I have no horse in the race, I have vegan friends thriving, and I have carnivore friends thriving.

Some go carnivore and cure lifelong ailments, some go vegan and the very same thing happens.

We are all individuals. There is no ONE optimal diet for everyone, like I said it’s a spectrum.

You likely have a good intuition of where on the spectrum you do best…

This isn’t scientifically correct, but its helpful to imagine a spectrum of ‘carbohydrate tolerance’. Both genetics and lifestyle play a role but this is a useful framework to use.

Pull someone from the nordics (genetically speaking) and put them on a diet of grains and tropical fruits and see what happens…

A lot of us a genetically predisposed to poor ‘carbohydrate management’. It’s why you see some people eat like shit and look great, and others pile on weight just looking at a cookie.

If you feel tired and fatigued after your meal. You spiked your insulin too high (reduce carbohydrate intake - find your sweet spot) or ate something your body didn't like. You will be rewarded with inflammation (feeling sluggish, slow, tired, achey, puffy, bloated). It is not normal to feel like you need to take a nap after eating.

Again, our focus here is:

• Energy
• Focus
• Clarity
• Stable moods

How do we do this - what really moves the needle?

• Stable blood sugars
• Avoiding sugars, high glycemic foods.
• Focus on whole foods. Cut the processed garbage (these frankenfoods aren't real food, your brain is being fooled.)
• Learn your ‘carbohydrate tolerance’
• Intermittent fasting - if desired.
• Ridding inflammation (VERY IMPORTANT)

Inflammation?..

Ever wake up devastatingly tired after a nights sleep? You look puffy, joints ache, muscle pain, maybe some gut discomfort? Your body is inflamed (and so is your brain). You are operating on 50% of your capacity, at best… What are the consequences for your work/business ($$$$$)?

We all want the quick fix.

I wish we could eat complete shit, take tumeric pills or some vitamin C and all would be well and dandy. This will barely move the needle 1%. Fix the root cause, it's the only way. Crush the inflammation for good and you will feel like a new man with a renewed energy, focus, drive and vigour for life. Not to mention avoiding massive health problems down the line. There are no shortcuts here folks.

What are the most important things in avoiding inflammation?

• Avoid added sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Keeping stable blood sugars
• Fasting as much as you find tolerable.
• Not eating foods you react badly to. (this could be eggs, gluten, dairy, nuts, broccoli, it could be ANYTHING, you have to monitor how you feel and really learn your body's response to inputs. A HRV device such as an oura ring, or whoop band will help a ton in monitoring how stressed your body is and whether you are fuelling yourself well.)

Extra things that might help you in the process…

• Choose the whole foods you enjoy and base your whole diet around those. Do not punish yourself with shit you don't want to eat. It will never stick.
• Leverage high protein (1g/lb of GOAL weight) - its highly satiating, isn’t easily stored as fat, and helps with stabilise your blood sugars for the whole day.
• Adherence - we are focused on setting up the best case scenario that we can STICK to. Rice, chicken, broccoli for 4 weeks followed by bingeing is not a recipe for success… you love bacon? Great, eat a bunch. Is it ‘optimal’? Probably not, but adherence > optimal for your long term success.

Exercise:

Again, let’s assume you're a business pro who wants the maximum ‘returns’ in the least amount of time.
We are aiming for maximum results (better QoL) with as little fatigue and impact on joints, allowing other areas of our lives that we care most about to thrive (energy for making $$$$$!)

What should you aim for? This will get 95% of there (weekly):

3x20-40 min cardio sessions (jog, bike, swim, whatever you like - adherence)
2x40-60 min lifting session.

There is SO MUCH FLUFF in lifting. This cannot be understated. 95% of the people in the gym are wasting their time when it comes to ‘results generating activities’.

You can get a full chest workout with 3 sets (one exercise). But you see people doing 5 different exercises for 3 sets each. 15 total sets for chest when the same (generally speaking) results could’ve been had with 3 sets (with 20% of the CNS fatigue!).

80/20 lifting routine:

Full Body A:

Shoulder Press 3 sets (8-10 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
Lat pulldown / pullups 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Trap bar deadlift 2 sets (6-8 reps)
Reverse Chest Fly OR Bent over fly 3 sets (10-15 reps)
Cable rope push downs 3 sets (10-12 reps)

Full Body B:

Incline chest press 3 sets (8-12 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
DB Lateral side raises 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Back Cable Row 3 sets (8-12 reps) (Cable > machine > BB)
Leg Press 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Bicep Curl 3 sets (8-12 reps)

Pick a weight you can do for the lower end of the rep range e.g. 8 in 8-12.
Keep using that weight until you can do the higher end of the range (12).
Move up weight. Repeat.
THAT'S IT.

Sleep:

Sleep is foundational. If you don’t respect your sleep you’re putting sunflower oil in your Ferrari.

I’ve read everything on sleep I can get my hands on. Below are my notes on getting the best sleep that you can…

Get out in natural sunlight (5 mins if sunny, 10 if overcast) in the morning 0-3 hours after sunrise/waking. This sets circadian rhythm. (Very important)

Last calorie at least 3 hours before bedtime. Body needs to be cool for optimal sleep, digesting food impairs this. Digestion is an expensive process for the body. If it’s focused on digestion, sleep WILL be sub optimal. Try it.

Off screens 1-2 hours before bed if possible. At the very least use the ‘night time’ settings on your devices (flux, nightshift etc). Blue blockers can be useful here too if you are exposing yourself to light. When your eyes see bright light/blue light it impairs melatonin production, because your brain still thinks its day time - meaning a very hard time getting to sleep.

Avoid bright lights/LEDs after sunset.

Sleep and wake at the same time everyday (consistent bedtime routine & schedule). Yes, even weekends. Otherwise, you are self inducing jet lag.

If you need extra sleep go to bed earlier don't wake up later.

Alternatively…

A sub 30 min nap around 12-3pm is an incredible ‘recharge’. Be careful not to exceed 30 mins as body will go into deeper sleep and wake up groggy. Don’t worry about falling asleep right away. Laying down and letting your mind wander for this time still has significant restorative effects.

Sleep in cycles of 90 mins (and add how long it usually takes you to fall asleep) e.g. 7:30hrs, 9:00hrs.
(sleepti.me - to calculate this)

Last caffeinated drink at 1pm (a quarter dose of caffeine is still in your system after 12 hours. (Eg 2 coffees in the morning is the equivalent to drinking half a cup of coffee right before bed. (I sleep 10x better with no caffeine even when only having 1x coffee @ 8am.)

Sleep with as dark a room as possible, invest in black out blinds/curtains (cover LEDS w/ black tape)

Sleep with ear plugs (no noise) or a white noise machine can mimic silence too (makes it so your brain doesn’t notice sudden noises during the night).

60-65 degrees F (16-18 C) sleep temp is optimal.

Fresh air is good if possible (crack a window).

Only use bed for sleep and sex.

Weed and alcohol in any amounts (yes, even one glass of dry red). WILL inhibit REM and deep stages significantly. Less is always better. Zero is best.

If you sleep with anyone else. Consider using 2 separate duvets (you’ll never go back!)

Consider buying a sleep tracker: fitbit, oura, whoop are good… apple watches, and garmins suck a$$ (poor accuracy).

Bonus:

Fasting:

A lot of people, myself included, feel amazing fasted. Humans have never eaten 3+ meals a day, its a very recent thing. This could be a whole other post in itself but there are substantial benefits to intermittent fasting/fasting I’m sure many of you are already familiar with.
Broadly speaking, when you fast you switch on 1000s of ‘clean up’ mechanisms that clears out all the garbage and leaves you crystal clear. Think ‘system defrag’.

It’s an easy way to calorie control as well. First meal at 12. Dinner at 6-8pm, its a lot harder to overeat, all that sweet morning productivity too! Way easier than it sounds. First few days can be tough. Your body's hunger hormones are trained to expect food when you normally eat. Once it learns, you’ll be cruising.

Get your hormones checked (especially the 40+ crowd):

Are you experiencing?...

1. Mental fog/lack of focus
2. Lack of energy
3. Decreased work performance
4. Decrease in sex drive
5. Decrease in strength or endurance
6. Decreased ‘enjoyment of life’
7. Noticable change in behaviour

The modern environment is assaulting our endocrine systems. From micro plastics to herbicides to modern tech. It’s a miracle we still function. The ‘normal range’ for our sex hormones has been creeping down... Extreme cases go through years of misdiagnosis until they get their hormones checked. What’s worse, you can go to a ‘professional’ with test levels of 350ng/dl and they will tell you everything is perfectly fine (you’re in range!). It’s a tragedy that millions needlessly suffer. Get your hormones checked fellas. Happy to read blood work if you want a second opinion (I am a nerd, not a doctor, I have no qualifications).

Healthy Junk:

Sometimes we make bad choices, whatever. That’s fine. Although something I find useful is making healthy junk food choices…

Let me explain.

There are countless healthier junk food alternatives on the market now that scratch the itch without demolishing the whole tub of 1500 calorie ben and jerrys. Plan for the itch, have halo top (300 calories per tub) in the freezer instead of B&Js. There are alternatives for most of your favourite treats, cookies, ice cream, whatever, have them ready!

Simple changes like this can save you 1000s of calories per week, which could be the difference between gaining 12lbs in a year or losing 12lbs.

YMMV, works for me.

Supplements (I’ve tried it all, scoured the data, mostly BS unless you’re deficient) Here’s what stands:

Creatine Monohydrate - 5g daily (cheapest shit you can find is fine.)
Omega 3s - 1g EPA is good, 2g is ‘optimal’. (If you don’t eat salmon/sardines at least 2x/week) (high quality is important, check labdoor, nordic naturals brand is the premium option)
Vit D3 - 5-10kiu
Magnesium - 300-500mg (any form, not oxide)

Actionable takeaways.

• Prioritise your sleep.
• Get outside every morning to set your circadian rhythm (5 mins is fine, yes, works even if it isn’t sunny)
• Exercise with intent. (maximum output, minimum input)
• Try pushing your first meal to 11am+. (Coffee, teas are fine)
• Avoid sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Focus on keeping blood sugars stable, focus on whole foods. Focus on 1g/lb of protein for your goal weight.

Whatever you will stick to is the best choice.

Try it for 14 days. You can always go back.

AMA if ya want. Happy to help.

Thanks for the post.
This is going to be life-changing for some people.

 

[PureA]

Great, let's see some safer variations.

Deadlift:

• Trap/Hex bar DL (as you've mentioned in the thread)
• Sumo DL
• RDL
• Kettlebell DL
• Kettlebell Swing

Squat:

• Front Squat
• Zercher Squat
• Goblet Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat

My point is that no machine or modern training equipment in this world will ever be able to replace the natural squat and hip hinge movement patterns. It's just not going to happen.

Yes you can build bigger legs using machines (if that's what you want), but you are missing out on the neurological, physiological and athletic benefits of using the natural free weight movement patterns.

As I've said previously, this is what all top level athletes do. Including fighters and martial artists.

I agree with your list minus sumo if I'm being picky... Like you mention the hip hinging and squat patterns are natural patterns for us.

My point is that "neurological, physiological and athletic benefits" is very non specific way to justify doing exercise where the risk reward isn't there for the 99%.

My post is for guys who want to optimise their health in an 80/20 way to give the most in other areas of life.

Taking a squat from 225 > 315 is going to take way more than it gives imo.

 

[EngineerThis]

What happens if you become healthy, strong, and slim?
Your doctor, trainer, and nutritionist go out of business.

All the horrendous health advice we received in the last 50 years was not an accident.

You being weak, fat, sick, depressed, compliant and addicted is a very profitable business.

100000% it’s not even a scheme. It’s a design. Learning about Kellogg’s cereal was my jumping off point!

 

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[PureA]

The hardest part is going to be stopping every 5 minutes to un-jam those adjustable dumbbells.

Working out at home is like trying to run a business on an iPad

 

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[PureA]

What is the most efficient form of cardio I can include?

Like, which one gives you the biggest calorie burn for your time?

I've heard people rave about walking 10k steps a day, but man that's a lot of wasted time just walking. (I can easily hit that when I have some errands to run, though.)

Running makes my knees hurt on leg days so I try to include a bit of incline walking while at the gym.

Right now I'm 3 months deep into a cut and do 6 days a week PPL. Far from optimal, but I like staying in the habit of training every day.

Stairmaster feels like the least effort:calorie burn ratio (ime).

But ultimately, the answer is to do whatever feels easiest to you. Some people love tennis, some swimming, me I love to run. Just pick what you find fun because you will end up doing more of that.

Also, note that you are never going to 'out-cardio' a shitty diet. When you realise that a half-hour run only gets you half a chocolate bar, you start to make different diet choices... or at least that's how I look at it.

Walking isn't to be dismissed, you'd likely find this time is highly useful for having business breakthroughs and destressing. I always have my best ideas during long cardio sessions/walks.

 

[Lyzmin]

You’re a Ferrari.

But the handbrake is on..

Health and fitness is a relatively easy and simple thing to achieve, yet 90% of us don’t have it.

Why?

It gets overcomplicated, we try adding stuff instead of removing, we listen to everyone's advice…

This is applicable to many things in life… but only a few things really matter.

I’m going to assume you’re a 25-50 year old businessman who wants the maximum results (quality of life, cognitive optimisation and a great body) in as little time and energy investment as possible.

For a bunch of reasons health and fitness is made more complicated than it ever needed to be.

When you master this part of your life, it compounds your results across the board (mental clarity = money, energy = money, leisure, family time, better mood etc.)

I’ve spent 10 years being a nerd obsessed about this topic because it has transformed my life so radically. Below is what I’ve learned.
Verifying fitness nerd status:
View attachment 47002

In this post I am going to attempt to cut the fluff and deliver the hard hitting stuff. It may seem simple and boring… but do you want results, or do you want to be complicated and fancy moving the needle 0.4%?

I’m going to leave a lot out, in an attempt to simplify and focus on results.

I am not a medical professional, I have no formal training, I am not a coach, just a health and fitness nerd who is a decade deep.

Ok.

Let’s focus on the hard hitters.

Master this shit, and you WILL get 98% of the way there. People want to sell you fluff and confusion, don’t let them, there is no magic, there are no secrets.

Diet:
(disclaimer: do what the **** you want to do)

Most humans thrive on both plants foods and animal foods (shocker). However, there is a 'spectrum'.

I have no horse in the race, I have vegan friends thriving, and I have carnivore friends thriving.

Some go carnivore and cure lifelong ailments, some go vegan and the very same thing happens.

We are all individuals. There is no ONE optimal diet for everyone, like I said it’s a spectrum.

You likely have a good intuition of where on the spectrum you do best…

This isn’t scientifically correct, but its helpful to imagine a spectrum of ‘carbohydrate tolerance’. Both genetics and lifestyle play a role but this is a useful framework to use.

Pull someone from the nordics (genetically speaking) and put them on a diet of grains and tropical fruits and see what happens…

A lot of us a genetically predisposed to poor ‘carbohydrate management’. It’s why you see some people eat like shit and look great, and others pile on weight just looking at a cookie.

If you feel tired and fatigued after your meal. You spiked your insulin too high (reduce carbohydrate intake - find your sweet spot) or ate something your body didn't like. You will be rewarded with inflammation (feeling sluggish, slow, tired, achey, puffy, bloated). It is not normal to feel like you need to take a nap after eating.

Again, our focus here is:

• Energy
• Focus
• Clarity
• Stable moods

How do we do this - what really moves the needle?

• Stable blood sugars
• Avoiding sugars, high glycemic foods.
• Focus on whole foods. Cut the processed garbage (these frankenfoods aren't real food, your brain is being fooled.)
• Learn your ‘carbohydrate tolerance’
• Intermittent fasting - if desired.
• Ridding inflammation (VERY IMPORTANT)

Inflammation?..

Ever wake up devastatingly tired after a nights sleep? You look puffy, joints ache, muscle pain, maybe some gut discomfort? Your body is inflamed (and so is your brain). You are operating on 50% of your capacity, at best… What are the consequences for your work/business ($$$$$)?

We all want the quick fix.

I wish we could eat complete shit, take tumeric pills or some vitamin C and all would be well and dandy. This will barely move the needle 1%. Fix the root cause, it's the only way. Crush the inflammation for good and you will feel like a new man with a renewed energy, focus, drive and vigour for life. Not to mention avoiding massive health problems down the line. There are no shortcuts here folks.

What are the most important things in avoiding inflammation?

• Avoid added sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Keeping stable blood sugars
• Fasting as much as you find tolerable.
• Not eating foods you react badly to. (this could be eggs, gluten, dairy, nuts, broccoli, it could be ANYTHING, you have to monitor how you feel and really learn your body's response to inputs. A HRV device such as an oura ring, or whoop band will help a ton in monitoring how stressed your body is and whether you are fuelling yourself well.)

Extra things that might help you in the process…

• Choose the whole foods you enjoy and base your whole diet around those. Do not punish yourself with shit you don't want to eat. It will never stick.
• Leverage high protein (1g/lb of GOAL weight) - its highly satiating, isn’t easily stored as fat, and helps with stabilise your blood sugars for the whole day.
• Adherence - we are focused on setting up the best case scenario that we can STICK to. Rice, chicken, broccoli for 4 weeks followed by bingeing is not a recipe for success… you love bacon? Great, eat a bunch. Is it ‘optimal’? Probably not, but adherence > optimal for your long term success.

Exercise:

Again, let’s assume you're a business pro who wants the maximum ‘returns’ in the least amount of time.
We are aiming for maximum results (better QoL) with as little fatigue and impact on joints, allowing other areas of our lives that we care most about to thrive (energy for making $$$$$!)

What should you aim for? This will get 95% of there (weekly):

3x20-40 min cardio sessions (jog, bike, swim, whatever you like - adherence)
2x40-60 min lifting session.

There is SO MUCH FLUFF in lifting. This cannot be understated. 95% of the people in the gym are wasting their time when it comes to ‘results generating activities’.

You can get a full chest workout with 3 sets (one exercise). But you see people doing 5 different exercises for 3 sets each. 15 total sets for chest when the same (generally speaking) results could’ve been had with 3 sets (with 20% of the CNS fatigue!).

80/20 lifting routine:

Full Body A:

Shoulder Press 3 sets (8-10 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
Lat pulldown / pullups 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Trap bar deadlift 2 sets (6-8 reps)
Reverse Chest Fly OR Bent over fly 3 sets (10-15 reps)
Cable rope push downs 3 sets (10-12 reps)

Full Body B:

Incline chest press 3 sets (8-12 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
DB Lateral side raises 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Back Cable Row 3 sets (8-12 reps) (Cable > machine > BB)
Leg Press 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Bicep Curl 3 sets (8-12 reps)

Pick a weight you can do for the lower end of the rep range e.g. 8 in 8-12.
Keep using that weight until you can do the higher end of the range (12).
Move up weight. Repeat.
THAT'S IT.

Sleep:

Sleep is foundational. If you don’t respect your sleep you’re putting sunflower oil in your Ferrari.

I’ve read everything on sleep I can get my hands on. Below are my notes on getting the best sleep that you can…

Get out in natural sunlight (5 mins if sunny, 10 if overcast) in the morning 0-3 hours after sunrise/waking. This sets circadian rhythm. (Very important)

Last calorie at least 3 hours before bedtime. Body needs to be cool for optimal sleep, digesting food impairs this. Digestion is an expensive process for the body. If it’s focused on digestion, sleep WILL be sub optimal. Try it.

Off screens 1-2 hours before bed if possible. At the very least use the ‘night time’ settings on your devices (flux, nightshift etc). Blue blockers can be useful here too if you are exposing yourself to light. When your eyes see bright light/blue light it impairs melatonin production, because your brain still thinks its day time - meaning a very hard time getting to sleep.

Avoid bright lights/LEDs after sunset.

Sleep and wake at the same time everyday (consistent bedtime routine & schedule). Yes, even weekends. Otherwise, you are self inducing jet lag.

If you need extra sleep go to bed earlier don't wake up later.

Alternatively…

A sub 30 min nap around 12-3pm is an incredible ‘recharge’. Be careful not to exceed 30 mins as body will go into deeper sleep and wake up groggy. Don’t worry about falling asleep right away. Laying down and letting your mind wander for this time still has significant restorative effects.

Sleep in cycles of 90 mins (and add how long it usually takes you to fall asleep) e.g. 7:30hrs, 9:00hrs.
(sleepti.me - to calculate this)

Last caffeinated drink at 1pm (a quarter dose of caffeine is still in your system after 12 hours. (Eg 2 coffees in the morning is the equivalent to drinking half a cup of coffee right before bed. (I sleep 10x better with no caffeine even when only having 1x coffee @ 8am.)

Sleep with as dark a room as possible, invest in black out blinds/curtains (cover LEDS w/ black tape)

Sleep with ear plugs (no noise) or a white noise machine can mimic silence too (makes it so your brain doesn’t notice sudden noises during the night).

60-65 degrees F (16-18 C) sleep temp is optimal.

Fresh air is good if possible (crack a window).

Only use bed for sleep and sex.

Weed and alcohol in any amounts (yes, even one glass of dry red). WILL inhibit REM and deep stages significantly. Less is always better. Zero is best.

If you sleep with anyone else. Consider using 2 separate duvets (you’ll never go back!)

Consider buying a sleep tracker: fitbit, oura, whoop are good… apple watches, and garmins suck a$$ (poor accuracy).

Bonus:

Fasting:

A lot of people, myself included, feel amazing fasted. Humans have never eaten 3+ meals a day, its a very recent thing. This could be a whole other post in itself but there are substantial benefits to intermittent fasting/fasting I’m sure many of you are already familiar with.
Broadly speaking, when you fast you switch on 1000s of ‘clean up’ mechanisms that clears out all the garbage and leaves you crystal clear. Think ‘system defrag’.

It’s an easy way to calorie control as well. First meal at 12. Dinner at 6-8pm, its a lot harder to overeat, all that sweet morning productivity too! Way easier than it sounds. First few days can be tough. Your body's hunger hormones are trained to expect food when you normally eat. Once it learns, you’ll be cruising.

Get your hormones checked (especially the 40+ crowd):

Are you experiencing?...

1. Mental fog/lack of focus
2. Lack of energy
3. Decreased work performance
4. Decrease in sex drive
5. Decrease in strength or endurance
6. Decreased ‘enjoyment of life’
7. Noticable change in behaviour

The modern environment is assaulting our endocrine systems. From micro plastics to herbicides to modern tech. It’s a miracle we still function. The ‘normal range’ for our sex hormones has been creeping down... Extreme cases go through years of misdiagnosis until they get their hormones checked. What’s worse, you can go to a ‘professional’ with test levels of 350ng/dl and they will tell you everything is perfectly fine (you’re in range!). It’s a tragedy that millions needlessly suffer. Get your hormones checked fellas. Happy to read blood work if you want a second opinion (I am a nerd, not a doctor, I have no qualifications).

Healthy Junk:

Sometimes we make bad choices, whatever. That’s fine. Although something I find useful is making healthy junk food choices…

Let me explain.

There are countless healthier junk food alternatives on the market now that scratch the itch without demolishing the whole tub of 1500 calorie ben and jerrys. Plan for the itch, have halo top (300 calories per tub) in the freezer instead of B&Js. There are alternatives for most of your favourite treats, cookies, ice cream, whatever, have them ready!

Simple changes like this can save you 1000s of calories per week, which could be the difference between gaining 12lbs in a year or losing 12lbs.

Supplements (I’ve tried it all, scoured the data, mostly BS unless you’re deficient) Here’s what stands:

Creatine Monohydrate - 5g daily (cheapest shit you can find is fine.)
Omega 3s - 1g EPA is good, 2g is ‘optimal’. (If you don’t eat salmon/sardines at least 2x/week) (high quality is important, check labdoor, nordic naturals brand is the premium option)
Vit D3 - 5-10kiu
Magnesium - 300-500mg (any form, not oxide)

Actionable takeaways.

• Prioritise your sleep.
• Get outside every morning to set your circadian rhythm (5 mins is fine, yes, works even if it isn’t sunny)
• Exercise with intent. (maximum output, minimum input)
• Try pushing your first meal to 11am+. (Coffee, teas are fine)
• Avoid sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Focus on keeping blood sugars stable, focus on whole foods. Focus on 1g/lb of protein for your goal weight.

Whatever you will stick to is the best choice.

Try it for 14 days. You can always go back.

AMA if ya want. Happy to help.

Love the part on sleep. Thank you for this thread!
I did multiple experiments with intermitted fasting and 6-18 worked the best for me.

Every morning waking up I put on my running shoes and run halve a mile around my block and do a 90 second plank.
Because of this I start te sweat and that's my only goal at that moment.

Thanks again and have a great weekend champs!

 

[N.S.]

You’re a Ferrari.

But the handbrake is on..

Health and fitness is a relatively easy and simple thing to achieve, yet 90% of us don’t have it.

Why?

It gets overcomplicated, we try adding stuff instead of removing, we listen to everyone's advice…

This is applicable to many things in life… but only a few things really matter.

I’m going to assume you’re a 25-50 year old businessman who wants the maximum results (quality of life, cognitive optimisation and a great body) in as little time and energy investment as possible.

For a bunch of reasons health and fitness is made more complicated than it ever needed to be.

When you master this part of your life, it compounds your results across the board (mental clarity = money, energy = money, leisure, family time, better mood etc.)

I’ve spent 10 years being a nerd obsessed about this topic because it has transformed my life so radically. Below is what I’ve learned.
Verifying fitness nerd status:
View attachment 47002

In this post I am going to attempt to cut the fluff and deliver the hard hitting stuff. It may seem simple and boring… but do you want results, or do you want to be complicated and fancy moving the needle 0.4%?

I’m going to leave a lot out, in an attempt to simplify and focus on results.

I am not a medical professional, I have no formal training, I am not a coach, just a health and fitness nerd who is a decade deep.

Ok.

Let’s focus on the hard hitters.

Master this shit, and you WILL get 98% of the way there. People want to sell you fluff and confusion, don’t let them, there is no magic, there are no secrets.

Diet:
(disclaimer: do what the **** you want to do)

Most humans thrive on both plants foods and animal foods (shocker). However, there is a 'spectrum'.

I have no horse in the race, I have vegan friends thriving, and I have carnivore friends thriving.

Some go carnivore and cure lifelong ailments, some go vegan and the very same thing happens.

We are all individuals. There is no ONE optimal diet for everyone, like I said it’s a spectrum.

You likely have a good intuition of where on the spectrum you do best…

This isn’t scientifically correct, but its helpful to imagine a spectrum of ‘carbohydrate tolerance’. Both genetics and lifestyle play a role but this is a useful framework to use.

Pull someone from the nordics (genetically speaking) and put them on a diet of grains and tropical fruits and see what happens…

A lot of us a genetically predisposed to poor ‘carbohydrate management’. It’s why you see some people eat like shit and look great, and others pile on weight just looking at a cookie.

If you feel tired and fatigued after your meal. You spiked your insulin too high (reduce carbohydrate intake - find your sweet spot) or ate something your body didn't like. You will be rewarded with inflammation (feeling sluggish, slow, tired, achey, puffy, bloated). It is not normal to feel like you need to take a nap after eating.

Again, our focus here is:

• Energy
• Focus
• Clarity
• Stable moods

How do we do this - what really moves the needle?

• Stable blood sugars
• Avoiding sugars, high glycemic foods.
• Focus on whole foods. Cut the processed garbage (these frankenfoods aren't real food, your brain is being fooled.)
• Learn your ‘carbohydrate tolerance’
• Intermittent fasting - if desired.
• Ridding inflammation (VERY IMPORTANT)

Inflammation?..

Ever wake up devastatingly tired after a nights sleep? You look puffy, joints ache, muscle pain, maybe some gut discomfort? Your body is inflamed (and so is your brain). You are operating on 50% of your capacity, at best… What are the consequences for your work/business ($$$$$)?

We all want the quick fix.

I wish we could eat complete shit, take tumeric pills or some vitamin C and all would be well and dandy. This will barely move the needle 1%. Fix the root cause, it's the only way. Crush the inflammation for good and you will feel like a new man with a renewed energy, focus, drive and vigour for life. Not to mention avoiding massive health problems down the line. There are no shortcuts here folks.

What are the most important things in avoiding inflammation?

• Avoid added sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Keeping stable blood sugars
• Fasting as much as you find tolerable.
• Not eating foods you react badly to. (this could be eggs, gluten, dairy, nuts, broccoli, it could be ANYTHING, you have to monitor how you feel and really learn your body's response to inputs. A HRV device such as an oura ring, or whoop band will help a ton in monitoring how stressed your body is and whether you are fuelling yourself well.)

Extra things that might help you in the process…

• Choose the whole foods you enjoy and base your whole diet around those. Do not punish yourself with shit you don't want to eat. It will never stick.
• Leverage high protein (1g/lb of GOAL weight) - its highly satiating, isn’t easily stored as fat, and helps with stabilise your blood sugars for the whole day.
• Adherence - we are focused on setting up the best case scenario that we can STICK to. Rice, chicken, broccoli for 4 weeks followed by bingeing is not a recipe for success… you love bacon? Great, eat a bunch. Is it ‘optimal’? Probably not, but adherence > optimal for your long term success.

Exercise:

Again, let’s assume you're a business pro who wants the maximum ‘returns’ in the least amount of time.
We are aiming for maximum results (better QoL) with as little fatigue and impact on joints, allowing other areas of our lives that we care most about to thrive (energy for making $$$$$!)

What should you aim for? This will get 95% of there (weekly):

3x20-40 min cardio sessions (jog, bike, swim, whatever you like - adherence)
2x40-60 min lifting session.

There is SO MUCH FLUFF in lifting. This cannot be understated. 95% of the people in the gym are wasting their time when it comes to ‘results generating activities’.

You can get a full chest workout with 3 sets (one exercise). But you see people doing 5 different exercises for 3 sets each. 15 total sets for chest when the same (generally speaking) results could’ve been had with 3 sets (with 20% of the CNS fatigue!).

80/20 lifting routine:

Full Body A:

Shoulder Press 3 sets (8-10 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
Lat pulldown / pullups 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Trap bar deadlift 2 sets (6-8 reps)
Reverse Chest Fly OR Bent over fly 3 sets (10-15 reps)
Cable rope push downs 3 sets (10-12 reps)

Full Body B:

Incline chest press 3 sets (8-12 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
DB Lateral side raises 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Back Cable Row 3 sets (8-12 reps) (Cable > machine > BB)
Leg Press 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Bicep Curl 3 sets (8-12 reps)

Pick a weight you can do for the lower end of the rep range e.g. 8 in 8-12.
Keep using that weight until you can do the higher end of the range (12).
Move up weight. Repeat.
THAT'S IT.

Sleep:

Sleep is foundational. If you don’t respect your sleep you’re putting sunflower oil in your Ferrari.

I’ve read everything on sleep I can get my hands on. Below are my notes on getting the best sleep that you can…

Get out in natural sunlight (5 mins if sunny, 10 if overcast) in the morning 0-3 hours after sunrise/waking. This sets circadian rhythm. (Very important)

Last calorie at least 3 hours before bedtime. Body needs to be cool for optimal sleep, digesting food impairs this. Digestion is an expensive process for the body. If it’s focused on digestion, sleep WILL be sub optimal. Try it.

Off screens 1-2 hours before bed if possible. At the very least use the ‘night time’ settings on your devices (flux, nightshift etc). Blue blockers can be useful here too if you are exposing yourself to light. When your eyes see bright light/blue light it impairs melatonin production, because your brain still thinks its day time - meaning a very hard time getting to sleep.

Avoid bright lights/LEDs after sunset.

Sleep and wake at the same time everyday (consistent bedtime routine & schedule). Yes, even weekends. Otherwise, you are self inducing jet lag.

If you need extra sleep go to bed earlier don't wake up later.

Alternatively…

A sub 30 min nap around 12-3pm is an incredible ‘recharge’. Be careful not to exceed 30 mins as body will go into deeper sleep and wake up groggy. Don’t worry about falling asleep right away. Laying down and letting your mind wander for this time still has significant restorative effects.

Sleep in cycles of 90 mins (and add how long it usually takes you to fall asleep) e.g. 7:30hrs, 9:00hrs.
(sleepti.me - to calculate this)

Last caffeinated drink at 1pm (a quarter dose of caffeine is still in your system after 12 hours. (Eg 2 coffees in the morning is the equivalent to drinking half a cup of coffee right before bed. (I sleep 10x better with no caffeine even when only having 1x coffee @ 8am.)

Sleep with as dark a room as possible, invest in black out blinds/curtains (cover LEDS w/ black tape)

Sleep with ear plugs (no noise) or a white noise machine can mimic silence too (makes it so your brain doesn’t notice sudden noises during the night).

60-65 degrees F (16-18 C) sleep temp is optimal.

Fresh air is good if possible (crack a window).

Only use bed for sleep and sex.

Weed and alcohol in any amounts (yes, even one glass of dry red). WILL inhibit REM and deep stages significantly. Less is always better. Zero is best.

If you sleep with anyone else. Consider using 2 separate duvets (you’ll never go back!)

Consider buying a sleep tracker: fitbit, oura, whoop are good… apple watches, and garmins suck a$$ (poor accuracy).

Bonus:

Fasting:

A lot of people, myself included, feel amazing fasted. Humans have never eaten 3+ meals a day, its a very recent thing. This could be a whole other post in itself but there are substantial benefits to intermittent fasting/fasting I’m sure many of you are already familiar with.
Broadly speaking, when you fast you switch on 1000s of ‘clean up’ mechanisms that clears out all the garbage and leaves you crystal clear. Think ‘system defrag’.

It’s an easy way to calorie control as well. First meal at 12. Dinner at 6-8pm, its a lot harder to overeat, all that sweet morning productivity too! Way easier than it sounds. First few days can be tough. Your body's hunger hormones are trained to expect food when you normally eat. Once it learns, you’ll be cruising.

Get your hormones checked (especially the 40+ crowd):

Are you experiencing?...

1. Mental fog/lack of focus
2. Lack of energy
3. Decreased work performance
4. Decrease in sex drive
5. Decrease in strength or endurance
6. Decreased ‘enjoyment of life’
7. Noticable change in behaviour

The modern environment is assaulting our endocrine systems. From micro plastics to herbicides to modern tech. It’s a miracle we still function. The ‘normal range’ for our sex hormones has been creeping down... Extreme cases go through years of misdiagnosis until they get their hormones checked. What’s worse, you can go to a ‘professional’ with test levels of 350ng/dl and they will tell you everything is perfectly fine (you’re in range!). It’s a tragedy that millions needlessly suffer. Get your hormones checked fellas. Happy to read blood work if you want a second opinion (I am a nerd, not a doctor, I have no qualifications).

Healthy Junk:

Sometimes we make bad choices, whatever. That’s fine. Although something I find useful is making healthy junk food choices…

Let me explain.

There are countless healthier junk food alternatives on the market now that scratch the itch without demolishing the whole tub of 1500 calorie ben and jerrys. Plan for the itch, have halo top (300 calories per tub) in the freezer instead of B&Js. There are alternatives for most of your favourite treats, cookies, ice cream, whatever, have them ready!

Simple changes like this can save you 1000s of calories per week, which could be the difference between gaining 12lbs in a year or losing 12lbs.

Supplements (I’ve tried it all, scoured the data, mostly BS unless you’re deficient) Here’s what stands:

Creatine Monohydrate - 5g daily (cheapest shit you can find is fine.)
Omega 3s - 1g EPA is good, 2g is ‘optimal’. (If you don’t eat salmon/sardines at least 2x/week) (high quality is important, check labdoor, nordic naturals brand is the premium option)
Vit D3 - 5-10kiu
Magnesium - 300-500mg (any form, not oxide)

Actionable takeaways.

• Prioritise your sleep.
• Get outside every morning to set your circadian rhythm (5 mins is fine, yes, works even if it isn’t sunny)
• Exercise with intent. (maximum output, minimum input)
• Try pushing your first meal to 11am+. (Coffee, teas are fine)
• Avoid sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Focus on keeping blood sugars stable, focus on whole foods. Focus on 1g/lb of protein for your goal weight.

Whatever you will stick to is the best choice.

Try it for 14 days. You can always go back.

AMA if ya want. Happy to help.

Hi @PureA - I've been obsessed with health & wellness for nearly 13 years and this is one of the best, if not the best, posts on the topic I've ever read. What a gift you've given to the forum. Thank you.

 

[PureA]

Awesome. Yes definitely looking to be as efficient as possible with CNS fatigue and TIME.

I'm lifting without a PT now for the first time, and at the risk of this coming across as rich people's problems (it basically is) I was actually thinking of hiring a trainer again just so I have someone to set up / tear down my bars and do my programming, saving me both time and thinking.

I have v good form (because I trained a bunch with a PT), but still minimising injury risk is a real thing as the consequence of injury will be super inconvenient.

And also a PT is going to want me to FEEL like I've worked, and so wants to tire me out - same psychology as to why washing up liquid / shampoo bubbles up and lathers - it doesn't need to in order to clean, but it makes us FEEL like it's doing something. Just highlighting a small but significant conflict of interest there (minimising CNS fatigue vs a PT 'proving' their worth).

It's a bit nuanced - and of course training with a competent PT is miles better than not training at all or training dangerously / haphazardly - but it is still sub-optimal for my goals (max results, with the least time and complexity possible) whereas what you've outlined seems like a better fit.

Anyway thanks for clarifying, much appreciated and I'm excited to move my training back to the machines!

You've nailed it. PTs job is mainly to get you to 'feel' like you've worked out or like you're getting results. Mostly that means doing sub optimal shit 99% of the time. Best of luck on your journey, feel free to reach out if you need help with anything.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

Full Body A:

Shoulder Press 3 sets (8-10 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
Lat pulldown / pullups 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Trap bar deadlift 2 sets (6-8 reps)
Reverse Chest Fly OR Bent over fly 3 sets (10-15 reps)
Cable rope push downs 3 sets (10-12 reps)

Full Body B:

Incline chest press 3 sets (8-12 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
DB Lateral side raises 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Back Cable Row 3 sets (8-12 reps) (Cable > machine > BB)
Leg Press 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Bicep Curl 3 sets (8-12 reps)

I often do my workouts at home nowadays. I have full range of dumbbells, rubber bands, medicine balls, workout bench, and pull up bar.

Which exercises are most effective in your opinion to replace those I don’t have equipment for such as leg press or cable rope push downs?

Also, based on full body A and B, I’d guess you’re meant to do both not choose just one.

 

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[PureA]

I often do my workouts at home nowadays. I have full range of dumbbells, rubber bands, medicine balls, workout bench, and pull up bar.

Which exercises are most effective in your opinion to replace those I don’t have equipment for such as leg press or cable rope push downs?

Also, based on full body A and B, I’d guess you’re meant to do both not choose just one.

Yes, each is designed to complement the other. A & B 1x/week.

To replace the leg press choose either:
- Bulgarian split squat
- Goblin squat (if you have DBs heavy enough)

To replace Rope pushdowns:
- Narrow (hands 1 fists apart) pushups

Let me know if there are others you need replacement for.

 

[PureA]

Squats and deadlifts are the best exercises for building overall strength and athleticism.

Broadly believed but not true, the goal is too general. Pick a specific goal and their are always better options. Speed? Power?

And strength is heavily correlated with health - something every fastlaner should have as a long term target.

We can get plenty strong with 1% of the risk.

But for most people that get into training, squats and deadlifts should be the first option for lower body development.

99% of people aren't ready to hit these lifts. Even if there were, they are superior options for development.

There's a reason why every athlete in the world performs these lifts, including endurance athletes, swimmers, and fighters.

This just isn't true.

I completely understand what you're saying. Squats and deads are great exercises. If you only have access to a barbell and nothing else, they are a great choice. But if you do have the choice, their are many superior choices.

The risk:reward isn't there for 99% of people. You can get better results (size, strength, feeling great) with 1% of the risk. Why turn that down?

 

[heavy_industry]

But if you do have the choice, their are many superior choices.

Great, let's see some safer variations.

Deadlift:

• Trap/Hex bar DL (as you've mentioned in the thread)
• Sumo DL
• RDL
• Kettlebell DL
• Kettlebell Swing

Squat:

• Front Squat
• Zercher Squat
• Goblet Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat

My point is that no machine or modern training equipment in this world will ever be able to replace the natural squat and hip hinge movement patterns. It's just not going to happen.

Yes you can build bigger legs using machines (if that's what you want), but you are missing out on the neurological, physiological and athletic benefits of using the natural free weight movement patterns.

As I've said previously, this is what all top level athletes do. Including fighters and martial artists.

 

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[EngineerThis]

You’re a Ferrari.

But the handbrake is on..

Health and fitness is a relatively easy and simple thing to achieve, yet 90% of us don’t have it.

Why?

It gets overcomplicated, we try adding stuff instead of removing, we listen to everyone's advice…

This is applicable to many things in life… but only a few things really matter.

I’m going to assume you’re a 25-50 year old businessman who wants the maximum results (quality of life, cognitive optimisation and a great body) in as little time and energy investment as possible.

For a bunch of reasons health and fitness is made more complicated than it ever needed to be.

When you master this part of your life, it compounds your results across the board (mental clarity = money, energy = money, leisure, family time, better mood etc.)

I’ve spent 10 years being a nerd obsessed about this topic because it has transformed my life so radically. Below is what I’ve learned.
Verifying fitness nerd status:
View attachment 47002

In this post I am going to attempt to cut the fluff and deliver the hard hitting stuff. It may seem simple and boring… but do you want results, or do you want to be complicated and fancy moving the needle 0.4%?

I’m going to leave a lot out, in an attempt to simplify and focus on results.

I am not a medical professional, I have no formal training, I am not a coach, just a health and fitness nerd who is a decade deep.

Ok.

Let’s focus on the hard hitters.

Master this shit, and you WILL get 98% of the way there. People want to sell you fluff and confusion, don’t let them, there is no magic, there are no secrets.

Diet:
(disclaimer: do what the **** you want to do)

Most humans thrive on both plants foods and animal foods (shocker). However, there is a 'spectrum'.

I have no horse in the race, I have vegan friends thriving, and I have carnivore friends thriving.

Some go carnivore and cure lifelong ailments, some go vegan and the very same thing happens.

We are all individuals. There is no ONE optimal diet for everyone, like I said it’s a spectrum.

You likely have a good intuition of where on the spectrum you do best…

This isn’t scientifically correct, but its helpful to imagine a spectrum of ‘carbohydrate tolerance’. Both genetics and lifestyle play a role but this is a useful framework to use.

Pull someone from the nordics (genetically speaking) and put them on a diet of grains and tropical fruits and see what happens…

A lot of us a genetically predisposed to poor ‘carbohydrate management’. It’s why you see some people eat like shit and look great, and others pile on weight just looking at a cookie.

If you feel tired and fatigued after your meal. You spiked your insulin too high (reduce carbohydrate intake - find your sweet spot) or ate something your body didn't like. You will be rewarded with inflammation (feeling sluggish, slow, tired, achey, puffy, bloated). It is not normal to feel like you need to take a nap after eating.

Again, our focus here is:

• Energy
• Focus
• Clarity
• Stable moods

How do we do this - what really moves the needle?

• Stable blood sugars
• Avoiding sugars, high glycemic foods.
• Focus on whole foods. Cut the processed garbage (these frankenfoods aren't real food, your brain is being fooled.)
• Learn your ‘carbohydrate tolerance’
• Intermittent fasting - if desired.
• Ridding inflammation (VERY IMPORTANT)

Inflammation?..

Ever wake up devastatingly tired after a nights sleep? You look puffy, joints ache, muscle pain, maybe some gut discomfort? Your body is inflamed (and so is your brain). You are operating on 50% of your capacity, at best… What are the consequences for your work/business ($$$$$)?

We all want the quick fix.

I wish we could eat complete shit, take tumeric pills or some vitamin C and all would be well and dandy. This will barely move the needle 1%. Fix the root cause, it's the only way. Crush the inflammation for good and you will feel like a new man with a renewed energy, focus, drive and vigour for life. Not to mention avoiding massive health problems down the line. There are no shortcuts here folks.

What are the most important things in avoiding inflammation?

• Avoid added sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Keeping stable blood sugars
• Fasting as much as you find tolerable.
• Not eating foods you react badly to. (this could be eggs, gluten, dairy, nuts, broccoli, it could be ANYTHING, you have to monitor how you feel and really learn your body's response to inputs. A HRV device such as an oura ring, or whoop band will help a ton in monitoring how stressed your body is and whether you are fuelling yourself well.)

Extra things that might help you in the process…

• Choose the whole foods you enjoy and base your whole diet around those. Do not punish yourself with shit you don't want to eat. It will never stick.
• Leverage high protein (1g/lb of GOAL weight) - its highly satiating, isn’t easily stored as fat, and helps with stabilise your blood sugars for the whole day.
• Adherence - we are focused on setting up the best case scenario that we can STICK to. Rice, chicken, broccoli for 4 weeks followed by bingeing is not a recipe for success… you love bacon? Great, eat a bunch. Is it ‘optimal’? Probably not, but adherence > optimal for your long term success.

Exercise:

Again, let’s assume you're a business pro who wants the maximum ‘returns’ in the least amount of time.
We are aiming for maximum results (better QoL) with as little fatigue and impact on joints, allowing other areas of our lives that we care most about to thrive (energy for making $$$$$!)

What should you aim for? This will get 95% of there (weekly):

3x20-40 min cardio sessions (jog, bike, swim, whatever you like - adherence)
2x40-60 min lifting session.

There is SO MUCH FLUFF in lifting. This cannot be understated. 95% of the people in the gym are wasting their time when it comes to ‘results generating activities’.

You can get a full chest workout with 3 sets (one exercise). But you see people doing 5 different exercises for 3 sets each. 15 total sets for chest when the same (generally speaking) results could’ve been had with 3 sets (with 20% of the CNS fatigue!).

80/20 lifting routine:

Full Body A:

Shoulder Press 3 sets (8-10 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
Lat pulldown / pullups 3 sets (8-10 reps)
Trap bar deadlift 2 sets (6-8 reps)
Reverse Chest Fly OR Bent over fly 3 sets (10-15 reps)
Cable rope push downs 3 sets (10-12 reps)

Full Body B:

Incline chest press 3 sets (8-12 reps) (machine > smith > DB > BB)
DB Lateral side raises 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Back Cable Row 3 sets (8-12 reps) (Cable > machine > BB)
Leg Press 3 sets (8-12 reps)
Bicep Curl 3 sets (8-12 reps)

Pick a weight you can do for the lower end of the rep range e.g. 8 in 8-12.
Keep using that weight until you can do the higher end of the range (12).
Move up weight. Repeat.
THAT'S IT.

Sleep:

Sleep is foundational. If you don’t respect your sleep you’re putting sunflower oil in your Ferrari.

I’ve read everything on sleep I can get my hands on. Below are my notes on getting the best sleep that you can…

Get out in natural sunlight (5 mins if sunny, 10 if overcast) in the morning 0-3 hours after sunrise/waking. This sets circadian rhythm. (Very important)

Last calorie at least 3 hours before bedtime. Body needs to be cool for optimal sleep, digesting food impairs this. Digestion is an expensive process for the body. If it’s focused on digestion, sleep WILL be sub optimal. Try it.

Off screens 1-2 hours before bed if possible. At the very least use the ‘night time’ settings on your devices (flux, nightshift etc). Blue blockers can be useful here too if you are exposing yourself to light. When your eyes see bright light/blue light it impairs melatonin production, because your brain still thinks its day time - meaning a very hard time getting to sleep.

Avoid bright lights/LEDs after sunset.

Sleep and wake at the same time everyday (consistent bedtime routine & schedule). Yes, even weekends. Otherwise, you are self inducing jet lag.

If you need extra sleep go to bed earlier don't wake up later.

Alternatively…

A sub 30 min nap around 12-3pm is an incredible ‘recharge’. Be careful not to exceed 30 mins as body will go into deeper sleep and wake up groggy. Don’t worry about falling asleep right away. Laying down and letting your mind wander for this time still has significant restorative effects.

Sleep in cycles of 90 mins (and add how long it usually takes you to fall asleep) e.g. 7:30hrs, 9:00hrs.
(sleepti.me - to calculate this)

Last caffeinated drink at 1pm (a quarter dose of caffeine is still in your system after 12 hours. (Eg 2 coffees in the morning is the equivalent to drinking half a cup of coffee right before bed. (I sleep 10x better with no caffeine even when only having 1x coffee @ 8am.)

Sleep with as dark a room as possible, invest in black out blinds/curtains (cover LEDS w/ black tape)

Sleep with ear plugs (no noise) or a white noise machine can mimic silence too (makes it so your brain doesn’t notice sudden noises during the night).

60-65 degrees F (16-18 C) sleep temp is optimal.

Fresh air is good if possible (crack a window).

Only use bed for sleep and sex.

Weed and alcohol in any amounts (yes, even one glass of dry red). WILL inhibit REM and deep stages significantly. Less is always better. Zero is best.

If you sleep with anyone else. Consider using 2 separate duvets (you’ll never go back!)

Consider buying a sleep tracker: fitbit, oura, whoop are good… apple watches, and garmins suck a$$ (poor accuracy).

Bonus:

Fasting:

A lot of people, myself included, feel amazing fasted. Humans have never eaten 3+ meals a day, its a very recent thing. This could be a whole other post in itself but there are substantial benefits to intermittent fasting/fasting I’m sure many of you are already familiar with.
Broadly speaking, when you fast you switch on 1000s of ‘clean up’ mechanisms that clears out all the garbage and leaves you crystal clear. Think ‘system defrag’.

It’s an easy way to calorie control as well. First meal at 12. Dinner at 6-8pm, its a lot harder to overeat, all that sweet morning productivity too! Way easier than it sounds. First few days can be tough. Your body's hunger hormones are trained to expect food when you normally eat. Once it learns, you’ll be cruising.

Get your hormones checked (especially the 40+ crowd):

Are you experiencing?...

1. Mental fog/lack of focus
2. Lack of energy
3. Decreased work performance
4. Decrease in sex drive
5. Decrease in strength or endurance
6. Decreased ‘enjoyment of life’
7. Noticable change in behaviour

The modern environment is assaulting our endocrine systems. From micro plastics to herbicides to modern tech. It’s a miracle we still function. The ‘normal range’ for our sex hormones has been creeping down... Extreme cases go through years of misdiagnosis until they get their hormones checked. What’s worse, you can go to a ‘professional’ with test levels of 350ng/dl and they will tell you everything is perfectly fine (you’re in range!). It’s a tragedy that millions needlessly suffer. Get your hormones checked fellas. Happy to read blood work if you want a second opinion (I am a nerd, not a doctor, I have no qualifications).

Healthy Junk:

Sometimes we make bad choices, whatever. That’s fine. Although something I find useful is making healthy junk food choices…

Let me explain.

There are countless healthier junk food alternatives on the market now that scratch the itch without demolishing the whole tub of 1500 calorie ben and jerrys. Plan for the itch, have halo top (300 calories per tub) in the freezer instead of B&Js. There are alternatives for most of your favourite treats, cookies, ice cream, whatever, have them ready!

Simple changes like this can save you 1000s of calories per week, which could be the difference between gaining 12lbs in a year or losing 12lbs.

Supplements (I’ve tried it all, scoured the data, mostly BS unless you’re deficient) Here’s what stands:

Creatine Monohydrate - 5g daily (cheapest shit you can find is fine.)
Omega 3s - 1g EPA is good, 2g is ‘optimal’. (If you don’t eat salmon/sardines at least 2x/week) (high quality is important, check labdoor, nordic naturals brand is the premium option)
Vit D3 - 5-10kiu
Magnesium - 300-500mg (any form, not oxide)

Actionable takeaways.

• Prioritise your sleep.
• Get outside every morning to set your circadian rhythm (5 mins is fine, yes, works even if it isn’t sunny)
• Exercise with intent. (maximum output, minimum input)
• Try pushing your first meal to 11am+. (Coffee, teas are fine)
• Avoid sugars, processed foods, seed oils.
• Focus on keeping blood sugars stable, focus on whole foods. Focus on 1g/lb of protein for your goal weight.

Whatever you will stick to is the best choice.

Try it for 14 days. You can always go back.

AMA if ya want. Happy to help.

Awesome to see someone confirm and expand everything I have learned in these past few years! THANK YOU!!! Absolutely astounding how wrong most of the health advice is that was given to me growing up, whether from doctors, coaches, or nutritionists.. For your workouts, do you know any variations I can do using only an elastic band workout kit? It's all my wife and I have in our RV at the moment!

 

[PureA]

For your workouts, do you know any variations I can do using only an elastic band workout kit? It's all my wife and I have in our RV at the moment!

No equipment workouts aren't my expertise. The bands will be limiting for real progress (because you will get stronger you constantly need to make it harder for yourself).

I would focus on pushups, pullups and lunges, adding weight where you can. Bands will be OK for side raises, rear delt flys and bicep curls.

 

[PureA]

Hi @PureA - I've been obsessed with health & wellness for nearly 13 years and this is one of the best, if not the best, posts on the topic I've ever read. What a gift you've given to the forum. Thank you.

Comments like this make it worth it, thanks.

 

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[PureA]

Do you have any different recommendations for someone who wants to GAIN weight instead of LOSING weight(specifically muscle mass)? Or would everything you already recommended remain the same.

You will gain weight (muscle) as a result of progressively overloading (doing more weight and/or reps than last time) your workouts (the workouts I give will get you 95% there) plus adequate protein (g/lb of goal weight) plus at least maintenance calories if you are a beginner (find a calculator online, there's plenty) or small calorie surplus (200-300) if you are 5+ years deep. The industry loves to make it more complicated than this, it's not.

That being said, if gaining muscle were your top priority I would go about things in a slightly different way. This post is for getting 95% of the way there whilst putting life/business first. Getting maximum health and fitness in as little time as possible.

 

[PureA]

Thank you @PureA - such a useful thread!

Quick question.

When you use ">" above, does it mean "is greater than" i.e machine is better than smith machine is better than dumbells, or does it signal progression i.e. start with normal machine, move to smith machine, then dumbells etc?

I'm looking forward to trying these workouts this week. I love the simplicity of the progressive overload! It will be much less of my time spent on recording lots of reps, ranges etc

It means greater than in this case.

Some of the reasons being:
1. Lower injury risk
2. More stability = more output = more growth potential
3. Less CNS fatigue
4. Less setup time

 

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[N.S.]

The main 2 categories of people that need a personal trainer are:

• beginners that don't know what they are doing and will get no results and/or injure themselves
• elite athletes that need expert supervision to prevent them from training too hard and injuring themselves

The vast majority of personal trainers that offer their services to beginners are deliberately making everything as complex and as hard to understand as possible. They surround the simple act of training in a fog of mysticism and pseudo science.

100 different exercises with 100 different variations, every day looks different, custom rest time between exercises (sometimes measure in seconds), drop-sets, super-sets, up-sets, down-sets, everything-sets.

They make things as confusing as possible in order to keep you from learning how to do it yourself, because if that happens, you no longer need them and they are out of business.

The main role of a personal trainer should be to supervise your training so that you don't get injured, and log all your data (performance, training volume, body weight, fat %, bloodwork etc.) and make sure that you are making actual progress towards your goals.

Those people are very rare, and as a result they charge a premium $$$ for their services.

I agree with you.

Not to disparage all PTs, there are definitely some good ones out there but I agree few and far between and if learning to lift I think it's almost critical to find a good one to teach good form, safety etc (same thing in yoga btw, an industry and world I'm immersed in - most yoga teachers teach unsafe stuff or just badly - but a few know their sh1t about anatomy, modern life and not being a judgemental d!ck or overcomplicating it).

Thinking back I was fortunate in that 1) I could afford a good one at the top of the UK price range and 2) I'm meticulous in screening / finding the right ppl so I found a triathlete with the body of a sprinter who has a degree in Biomechanical Sciences etc, and also an older guy (40ish) with half a brain as I don't want to be "bro'd" at by some 22 year old meathead.

If I didn't have those two, then it would be such a minefield. Which is why I like what @PureA is saying about using machines to limit injury risk (I appreciate the trade off might be a bit of peripheral muscle growth and motor skills growth).

Machines get a bad rap (mostly from PTs lol) but it'sALL about context and personal goals. Put it this way, I know how to lift properly with free weights and now I've gone back to machines because of that post. No ego about it, I just want max results optimised on both time spent and CNS fatigue/recovery.

 

[Oso]

The main 2 categories of people that need a personal trainer are:

• beginners that don't know what they are doing and will get no results and/or injure themselves
• elite athletes that need expert supervision to prevent them from training too hard and injuring themselves

The vast majority of personal trainers that offer their services to beginners are deliberately making everything as complex and as hard to understand as possible. They surround the simple act of training in a fog of mysticism and pseudo science.

100 different exercises with 100 different variations, every day looks different, custom rest time between exercises (sometimes measure in seconds), drop-sets, super-sets, up-sets, down-sets, everything-sets.

They make things as confusing as possible in order to keep you from learning how to do it yourself, because if that happens, you no longer need them and they are out of business.

The main role of a personal trainer should be to supervise your training so that you don't get injured, and log all your data (performance, training volume, body weight, fat %, bloodwork etc.) and make sure that you are making actual progress towards your goals.

Those people are very rare, and as a result they charge a premium $$$ for their services.

Can confirm. Started lifting a bit ago, and had to hire a temporary personal trainer to teach me exercises and form to ensure I didn't hurt myself. She tried so hard going out of her way to make everything convoluted. "Do this exercise! Oh but if you want to hit this 2in muscle on your tricep, do the same exercise, triple inverted while throwing Yoshi Eggs!"

Quickly got to the point of me having to sit down with her and say, "yeah, I understand you want a long-term client, but I ain't it. You can either accept that and take my 500$ to teach me what I need to know, or I'll simply replace you with someone that will."

After that, we worked together quite well for a few weeks, but she was still salty when I dipped.

I'll probably never hire a personal trainer again.

Cheers.

 

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[Miha99]

Great post.
I would just add something.
There is a Optimal Human diet for no matter what race you are.
It Involves 80-90% Animal foods, espessialy animal organs like Liver which is probably the healthiest food you can consume, since it covers all the nutritional needs for a human.

I understand why some people benefit from going vegan, it's mostly becouse they cut out the junk food, and they enter a Catabolic state where they are consuming bassically themselves.
So even tho you're vegan per se, you're still eating your own animal flesh and fat.
But do it long enough until you lose all your body fat and muscle, and you will see how horrible the diet is.
A Diet that is missing over 50 Nutrients, can't be a optimal Human diet.
The other thing: plants have a defensive mechanism to be toxic, to not get eaten, becouse no life form wants to die, except fruit becouse when we consume them we throw away the seeds ans that's how they spread.
That's why when you eat a bif salad you feel bloated. It's not optimally digested.
Meat on the other hand is perfectly digestet and can be consumed raw if it's from a quality source, before you say anything Yeah raw meat is healthy, you can find Steak tartar in most good resturants.

And obviously from a logical aspect it makes sense.
What would you eat in the winter? Without modern supermarkers that diet is obviosly not natural for humans.
You know those paintings of neanderthals on the walls peoplw are discovering?
Are there paintings of humans hunting Mamuths or eating broccoli?
I'm not really religous about any diet, I eat meat I eat plants, rhe only thing I avoid is sugar.
That's the real health killer.

The only kind of Meat that's shitty is proccesed meat and stuff like mcdonalds.
But if we are talking about Steak, Ribeyes, Liver ect.. That's the best food to consume.

You seem like a smart guy and since you're into bodybuilding you know you can't really grow without eating animal products, the only people that are "Vegan" and see muscle gain results in bodybuilding are on Gear.

View: https://youtu.be/YwzbDEyZ8Rs

 

[Voracity]

Great stuff. Should become common knowledge.

 

[Parks]

Awesome thread. I'll have to try atleast 3 hours without eating food before bed and getting to sunlight first thing in the morning.

I can never fall back asleep once I've waken up at my routine time, so when I stay up later than usual it hurts me good.