Who is this for?
I work with men and women who are fitness generalists. Most of them started off fairly active, but hadn’t done structured training outside of running or workout videos and usually that was a few years in the past. Most of my clients range from their mid-30’s to 60’s.
These are people who want
- To be guessed a lot younger than they actually are (unpopular truth: muscle is the key)
- To lose a few pounds of fat
- To actually look like they work out, even at “their age”
- To be stronger and more capable so that they can stay active
- To feel better, because most of the aches and pains we get are not from the passage of time, they’re from lack of maintenance
- And do all of that with a training program that fits into real life.
For most people that’s three strength workouts per week and walking or other easy cardio on the days off.
There are no hacks.
Eat like an adult, go to bed on time, and train appropriately hard.
Really. There are no hacks.
- Train appropriately hard towards a specific goal so that you elicit a response from your muscles, hormones, and nervous system.
- You can get multiple benefits from a single goal, but if you try to go hard after all the things, (“I want fat loss, I want toned muscles, I want less of this here and more of this here, I don’t want to lift heavy because I’m scared of getting bulky, I don’t want to learn about fitness from anyone other than bikini babes or Navy SEALs on Instagram, AND I want to keep eating and staying sleep deprived like I did in my 20’s!”) then you’ll be like Spalding Smales in Caddyshack – you’ll get nothing and like it.
- Eat like an adult (one, ideally two palm sized portion of protein, fist sized serving of carbs, thumb sized serving of fat) three times per day. Your food shouldn’t have an advertising budget.
- Go to bed on time. Allow at least seven hours of sleep most nights.
- Do the basics well at least 80% of the time.
This is not just a bunch of random exercises thrown together to burn calories or prove mental toughness
You know that person who is a sweaty mess after every time they go to the gym, yet they don’t look like they work out?
You know how they do a lot of random hard stuff, get their heart rate up, and always talk about how sore they are from their latest session?
Don’t do what they do.
That’s why this is not what I’m proposing.
What is it exactly?
Programming
You get a program emailed to you based on your givens – strength, mobility, goals, schedule, and equipment.
You tell me what you have and how much time you can train.
Most beginners should start with 30 minutes per workout, 3 times per week, and then some easy cardio so that you can recover and not add to any soreness or stress.
I can help you with recommendations for setting up a home workout space or what to look for if you prefer to work out at a gym.
The primary emphasis is strength training. For the average person with a busy schedule, strength training gives you the biggest ROI for the time and effort.
Cardio is important for overall health, but it’s not a good tool for trying to burn off all the fat.
Nutrition, sleep, and goal oriented training are your best tools.
Those are the cells on the spreadsheet with embedded formulas and they get the work done efficiently.
But, just trying to get sore and burn calories?
That’s like doing every calculation with pencil and paper and with more work continuing to get put on your desk.
Objective
There might be some fine tuning, but the key is getting better at the same few things and managing the volume (amount of work) and intensity (how hard you work) rather than doing something new every week.
One goal should build to the next.
Let’s say you get build some confidence with the basics for a few months. Next, you focus on going a little heavier which is the one thing most people don’t do, but desperately need. Then, you might spend a couple of months doing shorter strength workouts that don’t require as much recovery while you train for a 5 or 10K run.
Each block of training should support the goals of the following one.
How to
You get video coaching on how to set up and perform the exercises. Most movements can be learned very easily. You’ll get the same coaching as anyone working with me in person.
Accountability
You get a once a week email with me (kept to a few bullet points) and video form guidance if you need it.
It helps to have someone there to ask a few questions, get a little clinical, and help you keep your goals and actions lined up.
I’m a bit scared
There are a lot of over-the-top trainers and influencers out there who make it seem like you have to risk death or at least suffer a lot in order to lose fat and put on muscle.
My philosophy is to do the minimum effective dose. Do enough work to challenge yourself, but not so much that you can’t function.
Trying to copy a program from someone 30 years younger and/or taking performance enhancing drugs is a losing proposition. You don’t have the ability to recover that they do.
The goal is to get better, not to prove that you’re not old. That means being deliberate with what work you choose to do (high ROI) and doing less work better.
For most people that means strength training and then resting for 48 hours. Walking or other easy cardio is fine, but don’t do so much that you stay sore and tired.
Coach John Wooden used to say “Be quick, but don’t hurry”. No one accused the 10 time NCAA basketball champion UCLA Bruins of being lackadaisical. They focused on specific goals (not just “get better at basketball”) and worked hard, but without digging themselves into a hole.
Go after your goals, work hard, but don’t burn yourself out.
Do things you can maintain, even after the “after” pictures.
FAQs
How are the programs delivered?
Email. I’ve used fancy apps in the past, but honestly, once you know what you’re doing and how to do it, then you should rely primarily on a notebook to keep track of things.
What about coaching the movements?
There will be links in the workouts to my YouTube videos.
Do you need a coach to watch your every move?
No, but I’m always glad to provide feedback if want to send me videos of you doing exercises that you have questions about.
Can I do a mix of in-person and online?
Absolutely.
What is the level of commitment?
Monthly. No long term contracts. With that being said, I suggest giving this at least three months.
How do I pay?
Venmo or check.
Do you have to join a gym?
Not if you don’t want to. You can set up a great home gym quickly and affordably. It also depends on how much space you have, what you can add to your home gym, and whether you do better on your own or around other people.
Is this personalized?
Yes. This is a team effort. Your starting point, movements that work better for you, and making adjustments all come into play in putting together your program.
What if I already have activities I like? (Pickle ball, jogging, etc.)
We can manage the amount of work so that you can still participate in those.
What about the other stuff (sleep, diet, etc.)?
I’ll send you guides. It’s not that complicated and you don’t have to get lost in the weeds in the pursuit of “getting optimized”.
Those aspects will also be part of your accountability check in, because you can’t out train a bad lifestyle.
Nutrition and sleep are the secret force magnifiers for health and body composition. (Muscle vs fat). The good news is that it doesn’t involve giving up red meat, going fat free, zero carb, or any of the other fads out there.
Can I email and ask a few questions about getting set up before getting started?
Yes.
How do I get started?
Email me at 513fit@gmail.com with “Online Training” in the subject line. In the email let me know:
- Are you just starting, are you on again/off again, or consistent with your training?
- Have you done strength training before?
- How old are you?
- Are you working around any injuries?
- Are you training in a gym or at home?
Email today about getting started
