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Your Last Excuse Dies Here: Transformative Minimalist Training
This post was inspired by a conversation I had with a new client, during my initial assessment.
Fully motivated and with specific goals, he had hired a virtual coach and though initially he saw results, he ended up quitting within a few months.
I probed further, intrigued as to why. To which he responded… the workouts became too long and overwhelming. He was spending hours in the gym, doing so many different exercises… he couldn’t keep up despite loving working out and very clear (and motivated) on his WHY for doing it.
As a father of two young kiddos, he said he just didn’t have the bandwidth to handle it.
This got my passionate, pet peeve juices all riled up.
Here's the thing:
Doing TOO many exercises during your workout leads to neurologic FATIGUE and DIMINISHED results. More is NOT always better.
With finite time and energy, excessive exercise repertoire workouts at some point diminish returns.
Your training should:
ENHANCE your energy, not suck it from you.
Allow you to keep coming back, over the long term.
For the busy dad, mom, business owner, executive or entrepreneur, it is a far smarter idea to embrace a MINIMALIST TRAINING strategy.
I will get to the juicy bits of how I would structure your workouts, but first, I want to explain what I mean by minimalistic training.
Minimalism DOES NOT mean half-ass effort or embracing low intensity.
What it does mean is:
VERY SPECIFIC MOVEMENT SELECTIONS. Whole body movements, 3-5 movements per session. Yes, you read right, per session.
TOTAL VOLUME of each session is LOW! Both sets and reps. Because you're using the
SAFEST heaviest weight you can, while maintaining movement integrity!!!Train with INTENSITY, INTENTION and FOCUS. Squeeze everything out of the low reps/ sets
The total TIME of each workout typically should not exceed 30 minutes.
CONSISTENT Minimalist workouts even 10-20 minutes at a time WILL move the ball forward and guess what… it will keep you coming back for more! Trust me, I promise this works!!!!
My Two Favorite Minimalist Frameworks
There are many training frameworks out there that work great. These are the two that I tend to fall back on when training clients or myself.
Framework "A" - Kettlebell Chain - EMOM (Every Minute On The Minute)
Example: Choose either:
Double Kettlebell Clean + Squat + Press
or
Barbell Clean and Press
Complete 2 to 3 high quality reps on the minute for 10 to 20 minutes. Perform 2 to 3 reps, then rest for the remainder of the minute. Start again at the top of every minute.
The most important aspect of this training is QUALITY reps. No junk reps as you'll risk injury and will program your nervous system to move poorly. If 3 reps gets hard, then drop to 2 reps and so on.
This type of training is incredibly impactful because it saves you time, accelerates results due to the systemic stress on your body.
You'll get more fat loss, more muscle gains, and a nice boost in cardiovascular conditioning (I call it incidental cardio because it's not the goal of this training, just a nice bi-product).
You could substitute other drills such as kettlebell or barbell front squats, clean and jerks, snatches, swings, etc.
Framework "B" - Metabolic Tri-Set
(You choose a Leg, Push and Pull Exercise and do them in a circuit format)
Example -
Squat (barbell or Kettlebell) or Deadlift, Lunge, Step Up, Etc
Horizontal or Vertical Push (barbell bench press, dumbbell or kettlebell bench press, push up, military press)
Horizontal or Vertical Row (barbell bent over row, kettlebell or dumbbell bent over row, TRX rows, Chin Ups, Pull Downs)
Perform anywhere from 5 to 10 reps of each movement in a circuit format. Rest 2-3 minutes after each circuit.
This should take you between 20 and 30 minutes.
Minimalist workouts, done WELL REALLY work because they are:
SUSTAINABLE
TIME EFFICIENT
MENTALLY DOABLE
REPEATABLE
STIMULATES HORMONE PRODUCTION (AKA builds muscle and burns fat)
That’s it for this article.
Hope it helped.
The Fountain of Youth: Build Athletic Muscle
One of the biggest problems of aging is that your body will selectively atrophy your fast twitch muscle fibers (this is sarcopenia).
As your fast twitch fibers start to diminish in size you will be more susceptible to falls.
You will also have less strength, power and will lose your ability to react quickly when you need to. Overall you have lowered capacity to produce force, absorb force, and kick ass when needed.
Your metabolism will slow down with the loss of muscle and this directly will worsen your bone density. Your balance will also get worse as will your coordination, walking and running.
This is not the outcome you want as you get older.
Sounds depressing, I know.
But there is reason to be hopeful.
By doing intentional speed and power movements you can keep your fast twitch muscle fibers alive and well.
It’s use it or lose it.
The solution is simple.
Develop your fast twitch fibers and never stop doing speed and power movements.
Slow twitch fibers (often called RED fibers due to high blood vessel content) use predominantly the aerobic system, meaning they are very efficient at using oxygen. They are best for endurance activities like running, walking and biking.
Almost all the general activities you do daily rely on the slow twitch fibers and your aerobic system. You don’t ever need to worry about these fibers because they are your default fibers that work all the time.
The fast twitch fibers use the Anaerobic system (less reliant on oxygen and are best suited for short bursts of power like sprinting or heavy weightlifting).
These fibers are what I call: Athletic Muscle.
This is not about becoming a bodybuilder or oversized powerlifter.
The physique you develop will be that of a lean muscular athlete (think sprinter, basketball player, or Daniel Craig as James Bond — lean but not big)
Here are some benefits of developing “Athletic Muscle.”
Improved muscularity (the lean athletic look you want)
Increased speed, strength and power
Faster Metabolism
Better carbohydrate tolerance (less likely to store carbs as fat)
Better force absorption
Requires less training volume to get an optimal training effect
The ability to produce force quickly (jump, sprint, throw)
Can you improve the ratio of your fast twitch fibers?
Sport scientists used to believe that even though you were able to develop slow twitch fibers through endurance training, you weren’t able to increase fast twitch fibers. Luckily this has been proven wrong.
The cool thing is that the most current literature proves that it’s possible to increase the ratio of fast twitch fibers. You can do it in a couple of weeks.
With intentional training methods, such as combining heavy resistance training with explosive movements, you can convert a large amount of slow twitch (and hybrid fibers) into fast twitch fibers.
However, If you stopped doing explosive work and did only endurance training, you would decrease the ratio of fast twitch fibers and increase the slow twitch fibers.
This is a huge finding and builds the case for starting explosive training.
Let’s talk about how to do it optimally.
Be Careful With Body Building Methods
The higher rep bodybuilding workouts (10 to 20 reps) will build more slow twitch dominance, so we want to be careful to not exclusively hang out in those rep ranges.
When it comes to building the fast twitch fibers it’s not as simple as “just lift weights.”
You need to add very explosive exercises which emphasize moving the object (or your body) as fast as possible.
As with many important areas of life, “Intent” is everything.
Combining heavy low rep strength work with plyometrics (jumps, sprints, track drills) or throws is the ticket for maximal fast twitch fiber development.
Be FAST and EXPLOSIVE To Stimulate Fast Twitch Fibers
Former Chicago Bull Strength Coach Al Vermiel said it best…
“Train slow, be slow. Train fast, be fast.”
If all you do are slower movements in your training you will adapt and get better at moving slowly. On the contrary if you consistently include explosive movements in your training, you will increase the ratio of fast twitch fibers.
Some examples of explosive movements are:
Jumping exercises (box jumps, loaded jumps)
Plyometrics (sprinting, hurdle hops, jumping rope, bounding, skipping)
Throws (medicine ball )
Kettlebell Swings, Cleans and Snatches (or Olympic lifting with a barbell)
Anaerobic Power (10-20 seconds on air bike or rower)
Drop and Catch Exercises
Planning Your Training
Stick to one power category per workout.
Choose to either lift heavy for low reps or do explosive movements each training session.
Stick with one method for 3 to 6 weeks.
The power movements are highly neurological and generally you will see faster progress in the first 3 weeks. If you are already advanced and explosive you will need to change your methods more frequently.
Keep your volume low.
You do not want to create fatigue when training power. The more fatigue you create means the slower you will move and that will not help you develop your fast twitch fibers. Do not approach explosive fast twitch work like you would approach bodybuilding training.. The less fatigue you experience the better.
Perform full body workouts.
Working the whole body means that every muscle will get more fast twitch fiber stimulation more frequently which means faster conversion of muscle fibers.
Take adequate rest between sets.
This is how you favor the conversion towards being amore fast twitch dominant human. Don’t do your sets when you are in a fatigued state.
Remember that Last Rep has the greatest impact on motor learning.
If your last couple of reps are done in a slow grinding type of way, you are not telling your brain or nervous system to remember the previous better reps. If you know that your last rep of an exercise was slow, rest a few minutes and then do 2 to 3 explosive reps. Decrease the weight if you feel you cannot move explosively. Better to lift a lighter load explosively.
As I discussed earlier, you can positively increase your ratio of fast-twitch fibers with the proper focus and training. It can happen rapidly, assuming you provide your body with the right stimulus.
Remember that whatever type of training you do is giving a clear message to your body on what you want it to become.
If you want to be a “fast twitch” beast you must prioritize power development into your training programs.
The Kettlebell Trinity: Fat Loss, Athleticism, and Longevity in One Dynamic Package
One of the key challenges when starting your fitness journey (or reigniting it after a long hiatus) is choosing the best exercise tools to accelerate results.
Especially when you’re just starting to build your physique and develop healthier habits.
In my 28 year career as a strength coach, nutrition consultant, educator and gym owner, I have been exposed to tons of exercise tools.
Many tools came and went and never made my “impact list” as tools that were applicable to the greatest amount of people.
Of all the tools that I have used (and still use), the Kettlebell is my top tool of choice.
Kettlebell training offers several key benefits and has some unique advantages that make it effective for certain goals.
Here are some of the primary benefits and reasons I promote kettlebell training:
Full-body workouts: The foundational kettlebell exercises engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, providing efficient full-body training.
Functional strength: Kettlebell movements often mimic real-life motions, improving strength that translates to everyday activities.
Improved grip strength: The unique handle design challenges and enhances grip strength.
Power, Cardiovascular and strength combination: Kettlebell exercises can provide a boost in power, strength and cardiovascular benefits simultaneously.
Core engagement: The core kettlebell exercises require significant core stabilization.
Versatility: Kettlebells can be used in unlimited ways and provide ongoing opportunities to expand your movement capacity and physical literacy..
Space-efficient: A few kettlebells can provide a full gym's worth of exercises in a small space.
Improved balance and coordination: The offset weight of kettlebells challenges balance and coordination.:Can be used by any age group
The Kettlebell easily checked off all of these boxes.
It also was a go to choice because of these other attributes:
It’s portable.
Can be thrown or juggled.
Can be used dynamically as in the KB Swing.
Dramatically improves power and speed.
Improves flexibility and mobility.
Improves conditioning and fat loss.
When I first started using the Kettlebell in 2002, I was immediately hooked because of how strong and agile my body felt from using them.
I sought out professional instruction and got certified by the modern pioneer of kettlebell training, Pavel Tsatsouline. I soon became a Senior instructor in Pavel’s educational company called StrongFirst and went on to teach certifications in South America, Mexico, Europe and the USA.
Years later it is still one of the primary tools I use to strengthen and condition my clients.
Now you may be asking, what if I don’t have a Kettlebell? Can I still get into great shape without kettlebells?
The answer is yes. You can get in phenomenal shape with dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls and body weight exercises.
However, I recommend you add kettlebell exercises because of the positive and unique stresses it places on your body.
How To Get Stared With Kettlebell Training
The 3 foundational movements you'‘ll need to learn are:
1) The Kettlebell Deadlift.
2) The Kettlebell Swing
3) The Get Up
Mastering the deadlift and swing will give you the foundational skills you need to start adding the KB Clean and the KB Snatch.
Mastering the Get Up will give you the shoulder integrity, mobility and stability you need to get into KB Presses and snatches.
You’ll want to spend a lot of time getting very proficient at these movements.
Let’s begin with the:
KB Deadlift
The deadlift will give you the proper body mechanics and posture to master the kettlebell swing.
The Kettlebell Swing.
This the movement you truly want to master.
It radically improves speed, power, athleticism and conditioning when done well.
There are 2 critically important aspects to the KB Swing:
1) Intention.
2) Technique.
Your intention is to be powerful and explosive. No slow reps.
Strength coach Al Vermeil (former head strength coach of the Chicago Bulls) said:
“Train fast, be fast. Train slow, be slow.”
Study the nuances of this video and practice them. Don’t treat this as an ordinary exercise.
The Swing is a skill to be practiced over a long period of time.
NOTE: I goofed and left out the importance of BREATHING in the video. Inhale sharply through the nostrils as you hike the KB between the legs. Forcefully exhale air as you “extend” and pop the hips.
The GET UP
The Turkish Get-Up has long been a staple in Turkish wrestling and other traditional martial arts practices in the region. It was used by Turkish wrestlers, known as "Pehlivan," to develop total-body strength, mobility, and the ability to get up from the ground quickly during grappling matches.
The exercise was later popularized in the West by early 20th century physical culturists and strongmen, such as Arthur Saxon, who were inspired by the feats of strength demonstrated by Turkish wrestlers.
This exercise checks off so many boxes in that it helps people learn how to get up and down off the ground with strength, grace and fluidity. It’s a staple “longevity” movement that all my clients do in some capactiy.
Programming Your Kettlebell Training
If you currently have a training routine you could simply add one or two of these drills and practice them at the beginning of your workout.
If you are not currently training you could do this exact training plan:
Day # 1 Training Plan
Get Ups - 2 reps / side
x 5 sets
Deadlift - 5-8 reps
x 4-5 sets
Go walk for 30 minutes afterwards
Day # 2 Training Plan
Pendulum Swing - 5 reps (3 sets)
Dead Stop Swing - 5 reps (3 sets)
Swings - 10 reps (3-4 sets)
Get Ups (no weight) 3 reps / side (3 sets)
Day # 3 Training Plan
Get Ups - 1 rep / side every minute for 10 minutes
Swings - 5 reps (every minute for 10 min)
Most important thing is attention to detail and the having the right intention.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions regarding your kettlebell practice.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day.
Franz
When you’re ready to create your lean body, here are 3 ways I can help:
Lean Body Roadmap Private Coaching: My 1 on 1 coaching is for high achievers wanting to get lean and get strong while increasing their mobility and energy.
Lean Body Hub Monthly Membership: This is a community for busy people, committed to getting lean, strong and healthy, while still living life. I help you build nutrition and fitness around your life, not making you slave to either.
Lean Body Journal Weekly Newsletter: Join 2 thousand + subscribers who get one tip every Saturday on how to get lean, increase energy and build a high performing body.
The 7 Moves That Keep You Young
I have a confession to make.
I don’t like yoga. And traditional stretching methods don’t work well for me.
Luckily twelve years ago I stumbled upon a ground based exercise system from an Hungarian trainer that transformed my movement abilities and changed the way I perceive movement in general.
Since then I have gone on to teach thousdands of people, trainers and coaches to start incorporating ground based movements into their training. The results people have experienced have been nothing short of spectacular.
So if you are anything like me and struggle with yoga and traditional stretching, here is the low down on why you want to do this stuff:
1) Getting on the ground if fun and makes movement playful and challenging at the same time.
2) Ground based movements can activate dormant body reflexes that help you optimize physical performance in all movements and environments.
3) Activates your vestibular, proprioceptive, visual and muscular systems to their fullest capacity.
4) Unleash your inner Jason Bourne and discover your hidden strength, power, coordination and physical bad assery.
I’m sharing the 7 foundational ground based movements that will get your body moving better, with less pain, and more coordination.
While there's no magic solution, incorporating these 7 movements into your routine can activate many dormant reflexes and processes that taught you to move and eventually walk as a young child.
These movements will:
Improve body awareness.
Improve motor learning.
Unlock new levels of strength, power, coordination and balance.
The good news is that you don’t have to do all 7 movements every day (although you can if you want to).
You could do 1 or 2 moves daily and see a positive impact in your daily performance.
Let’s find out why.
What Most People Overlook.
Wild but true —-- most people don’t know that there is one system in the body responsible for the quality and efficiency of our movement potential throughout life.
As this system decays, so does our potential for physical power, strength, posture, mobility and coordination.
You are familiar with the primary five senses: hearing, smell, touch, taste and vision.
These well known senses guide us to process the physical world we live in.
However, most people are less familiar with one of our main internal senses: the vestibular system.
The purple area is your vestibular system.
Think of the Vestibular system at your GPS, helping position ourselves in space.
The Vestibular system is constantly collecting information about motion, balance and spacial orientation.
The vestibular system is located within the inner ear, deep inside the skull. It helps us maintain our balance, posture, coordination and efficient movement.
The challenge we all face is that modern life weakens the vestibular system due to excessive sitting and lack of stimulating daily movement.
These movements activate your vestibular system and fortify the foundational movement patterns we learned as infants.
The 7 Movements
Movement # 1: Rocking
Activates the vestibular system.
Improves spatial awareness, posture, and flexibility.
Helps regulate people and calms the brain.
Movement # 2 Crawling
Integrates both brain hemispheres.
Activates vestibular system.
Improves core strength, posture, and body awareness.
Is the foundation for walking.
Movement # 3: Lateral Crawling
Integrates and activates both brain hemispheres.
Activates vestibular system.
Improves reflexive shoulder and core stabilization.
Movement # 4: Crab Crawl
Strengthens shoulders, hips, and core.
Improves shoulder and thoracic spine mobility.
Activates vestibular system.
Movement # 5: Kick Through
Builds strength in shoulders, core, and hips.
Improves mobility and coordination.
Movement # 6: Back Rolls
Improves body and spatial awarenss.
Activates vestibular system.
Prepares you for more complex shoulder back rolls.
Helps teach you how to manage falling.
Movement # 7: Marching
Improves walking.
Improves rhythm, coordination, and core strength.
Activates and integrates both sides of the brain.
The faster paced marching builds more elastic connective tissue which is critical for overall flexibility and mobility.
More elasticity improves your ability to generate free energy making you more athletic and springy.
Feel the Difference
My advice is to pick 1 to 3 of these movements and do them daily.
Over time you will be able to do them better and add other movement sequences to these movements. These will serve as an excellent foundation in building the ground based skills you need to move better and with less pain.
Consistent practice of these movements will make you antifragile and age better.
Your body will begin to move with greater power, coordination, and freedom.
Give them a try and experience the benefits for yourself!
Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day.
Franz
When you’re ready to create your lean body, here are 3 ways I can help:
Lean Body Roadmap Private Coaching: My 1 on 1 coaching is for high achievers wanting to get lean and get strong while increasing their mobility and energy.
Lean Body Hub Monthly Membership: This is a community for busy people, committed to getting lean, strong and healthy, while still living life. I help you build nutrition and fitness around your life, not making you slave to either.
Lean Body Journal Weekly Newsletter: Join 2 thousand + subscribers who get one tip every Saturday on how to get lean, increase energy and build a high performing body.
Strength Training For Busy Entrepreneurs and Parents
For the past 15 years I’ve been using a programming framework I call the “Metabolic Tri-Set.”
I call it “metabolic” because every training session works the whole body, plus it’s a great training option if you are in a busy season of life.
Time crunched entrepreneurs and parents often struggle with the delicate balance between their professional and personal lives. I know this all too well.
I have 4 kids and run two coaching businesses. I’m busy. This is why I came up with this framework.
The Metabolic Tri-Set is a training template I created as a practical and effective approach to help people maximize their physical capacities without living in the gym.
This method combines 3 Key Training Elements:
Full Body Strength
General Conditioning
Time Efficiency
Full Body Strength:
Unless you are competing as a bodybuilder, I don’t recommend doing body part training such as “chest and back” or “shoulder and Tri’s” or “Legs and Abs.”
There is nothing inherently wrong with this type of training, but for busy parents and entrepreneurs, you can do much better.
I recommend training the entire body every session because it stimulates all muscle groups multiple times per week.
For one, this just makes more sense as you force greater adaptations with more frequent training of the entire muscular system.
Two, the greater frequency helps you develop better “skill” with your movement, which is an essential component to long term injury prevention and getting stronger.
The goal is to stimulate as many muscles as possible and this is best done by choosing large compound exercises such as:
Squats, Deadlifts, Lunges, Step Ups, Kettlebell Swings and their variations.
Dumbbell, Kettlebell or Barbell Bench Press, Push Ups, Military Press and their variations.
Pull ups, Chin ups, Bent Over Rows and the variations.
General Conditioning:
The “Tri-Set” means that you perform 3 exercises in a circuit format and then take a 1 to 3 minute rest before starting the next circuit.
Every circuit will have:
1 Leg Exercise
1 Upper Body Pushing Exercise
1 Upper Body Pulling Exercise
Even though the goal of this Metabolic Tri-Set is not cardio, you end up getting a nice aerobic component because your heart is heaving to pump the blood all the way to the legs and then back to the upper body.
I refer to this as “incidental cardio” because you will notice your heart rate will be elevated after each tri-set.
So again, it’s not the goal, but you do end up getting some nice general conditioning which most people need anyway.
Time Efficiency:
Being able to get an impactful training session done in 20 to 30 minutes is my favorite aspect of this training method.
There is a time and a place to train for longer durations, especially if you are training for a specific sport or event. But for the most part, 20 to 30 minute workouts are not only effective, they are doable and sustainable.
2 to 4 twenty minute workouts are better than zero. I find most people get motivated and inspired to keep training once they build momentum.
Putting Together Your Metabolic Tri-Set
1. Exercise selection
Choose 1 leg exercise
Choose 1 upper body pushing exercise
Choose 1 upper body pulling exercise
You can perform 5 to 12 reps per exercise.
Make sure the movements are multi-joint exercises as opposed to single joint isolation exercises.
Quit the set if your form breaks down.
2. Perform in a circuit like fashion
Do all 3 exercises in a row.
Rest 1-2 minutes before doing to the next round
Perform anywhere from 2 to 4 sets
3. Always Have an Intention
Never waste a set and just go through the motions.
Always have a goal for each set.
For example, you could focus on driving hard through your feet during a squat. Or you could focus on full range of motion during your military press.
Being intentional leads to better progress.
4 Week Metabolic Tri-Set Training Plan
Program # 1
A-1 Static Lunge - 6-8 reps
A-2 Military Press - 6-8 reps
A-3 Single Kettlebell Bent Over Row - 8/8
2-4 sets
Program #2
A-1 Single Leg Kettlebell Deadlift - 6 reps / leg
A-2 Single Kettlebell Floor Press - 8-10 reps / arm
A-3 Chin Ups - 5-8 reps
2-4 sets
Program #3
A-1 Step Ups with Kettlebells in Suitcase Position - 8 reps/leg
A-2 Push Ups - 8-10 reps
A-3 Single Kettlebell Bench Row - 8-10 reps /side
2-4 sets
This method is not the only way to train and I certainly have done other methods and like to switch things up in my training from time to time.
However, I repeatedly come back to this methods because it works so well.
Let me know if you use the “Metabolic Tri-Set” method and how it goes.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day.
Franz
When you’re ready to create your lean body, here are 3 ways I can help:
Lean Body Roadmap Private Coaching: My 1 on 1 coaching is for high achievers wanting to get lean and get strong while increasing their mobility and energy.
Lean Body Hub Monthly Membership: This is a community for busy people, committed to getting lean, strong and healthy, while still living life. I help you build nutrition and fitness around your life, not making you slave to either.
Lean Body Journal Weekly Newsletter: Join 2 thousand + subscribers who get one tip every Saturday on how to get lean, increase energy and build a high performing body.
The Five Step Guide To Getting More Protein in Your Diet
Walking, sleeping, lifting, protein…this topic of longevity can be anxiety producing to say the least.
Social media bombards you with tons of longevity content daily and sometimes it’s hard to focus on the things that truly matter.
With Nutrition you are told to:
Be VEGAN
Eat low protein
Do KETO
Do the CARNIVORE diet
Low Carb
Intermittent Fasting
Slow carb
And with Exercise you’re told:
Crossfit is the best.
HIIT
Sprints
Zone 2 cardio
Nope, do MARATHONS
Barefoot running is where it’s at
Only Kettlebell Swings
High reps
Low reps
Let’s forget the dogma. and focus on what I tell all my clients:
Get good at doing the foundational habits….THE BIG ROCKS of human health and performance.
And today the big rock I want you to change your habits on is PROTEIN.
If you are going to get one thing right with your nutrition, start with protein first.
Why is Protein Essential?
Simply put, protein is the building block of your body.
The very word protein comes from the greek work proteios, which means “primary.”
Life would not exist without protein and amino acids. Without it we would never maintain or build the muscle mass we need to flourish in life.
As we age we lose muscle easily and it is quite challenging to rebuild it. If you or someone you know needs to build lean mass, extra protein will be a significant difference.
The twenty amino acids that make up proteins are the building blocks for our hormones, muscles and enzymes. They help us grow and maintain our hair, skin, nails as well as form the antibodies in our immune system. We do not make these amino acids which means we must consume them daily in our diet.
Another benefit is when dieting extra protein will provide fullness to your meals, making protein a smart tactic to regulate appetite.
How Much Protein Do We need?
Right now the US recommende dietary allowance (RDA) is 0.8 grams / kg of bodyweight. Although this amount will probably keep you alive, it’s not the amount required to thrive, age well and perform at a high level.
According to Dr. Peter Attia “The data suggest that for active people with normal kidney function, one gram per pound of bodyweight per day (or 2.2 grams / kg / dau) is a good place to start, nearly triple the recommendation.”
Another way to calculate your protein requirements would be to take your goal bodyweight (assuming you are not there yet) and multiply it by .8 or 1 gram.
Example: Goal Body Weight = 175
175 x .8 = 140 grams protein / day
175 x 1 = 175 grams protein / day
So rather than hit a specific number each day, this person could in a range between 140 and 175 grams of protein per day.
I find that eating in a range is much easier for people to follow and removes some of the anxiety from having to hit a specific number each day.
So let’s examine the steps you could take to get more protein into your diet.
Step 1 - Calculate your Daily Protein Needs
Ok. Pull out your cell phone and do the calculation.
GBW (goal body weight) x .8 and 1
Get your range of protein and right it down.
Step 2 - Make a List of Your Favorite Proteins
Changing dietary habits can be hard for many reasons.
One of the biggest obstacles to remove is the concept of restricting your favorite foods that you enjoy eating.
I invite you to write down a list of your favorite proteins and start with those.
Here is a list I would make:
Chicken breasts
Mahi
Canned Tuna
Eggs
Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Steak
Write down your list and let’s move on to the next step.
Step 3 - Plan Your Day / Plan Your Meals
There are lots of ways to do this. There is no “one” approach.
“I don’t eat breakfast.”
No problem.
“I eat dinner at 6pm.”
That’s good.
You make this work for you by spreading out the protein between 3 and 4 meals.
From experience it’s very difficult to get enough protein if you are eating only one meal a day and for that reason I don’t recommend that approach.
Here’s what I do on most days:
Breakfast
4 hard boiled eggs - 24 grams protein
2 mozzarella cheese sticks - 14 grams protein
1 slice Dave’s bread with peanut butter - 5 grams protein
Total protein - 43 grams protein
Lunch
Can of tuna - 43 grams protein
Bowl of berries.
Total protein = 43 grams
Snack
1 Cup nonfat greek yogurt - 20 grams protein
1 scoop whey protein - 25 grams protein
1 cup blueberries
Total protein - 45 grams protein
Dinner
- 8 ounces chicken, mahi or steak - 42 grams protein
- 1 cup rice or 1 baked potato
- 1 bowl sharazi salad
Total protein - 42 grams protein
Protein total for the day = 173 grams protein
So you can space it out anyway you want.
The goal is to look at your daily trend and what you average over a week.
With some preparation, planning and structure, you can absolutely make this happen.
4. Track Your Protein for One Month
One thing I tell my clients is that data removes drama.
Get an app to track your protein for the next month so that you can be objective about how much you are actually eating.
I recommend My Fitness Pal or Macro Factor.
5. Use Protein Powders To Boost Your Protein.
Now I know I’m gonna get some haters saying that protein powder is not real food.
And to those people I say “STOP.” Just stop.
It’s amino acids that you need and protein powders will absolutely give you those.
For people struggling to eat higher levels of animal meat, protein powders are an easy way to boost your intake.
Find a protein powder you can digest well. I personally prefer many grass fed whey protein options available on the market.
The Bottom Line
Don’t ignore protein. It’s the one macronutrient that is essential to our goals.
It will improve metabolic health in every way. It will help you regulate your appetite.
It will help you maintain muscle mass while you are losing fat.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day.
Franz
When you’re ready to create your lean body, here are 3 ways I can help:
Lean Body Roadmap Private Coaching: My 1 on 1 coaching is for high achievers wanting to get lean and get strong while increasing their mobility and energy.
Lean Body Hub Monthly Membership: This is a community for busy people, committed to getting lean, strong and healthy, while still living life. I help you build nutrition and fitness around your life, not making you slave to either.
Lean Body Journal Weekly Newsletter: Join 2 thousand + subscribers who get one tip every Saturday on how to get lean, increase energy and build a high performing body.
Loaded Carries 101: Shred Fat, Build Muscle and Become Antifragile.
Shredding fat and getting stronger can seem so overwhelming when starting out.
So many options of what to do and which tools to use, can be paralyzing in and of itself.
Dabbling in different types of exercises just hurts, with no results to show for it. Time wasted and no closer to your goals.
It’s so sad to see how many people give their best efforts, only to lose hope and fall off the wagon when they:
Get injured
Find a program that requires equipment they don’t have access to
Find a program that is too time consuming
Don’t see the fruits of their labor (strength, weight loss or muscle sculpting)
A Better Way
I’m a firm believer in programming workouts that minimize the chance of injury and maximize repeatability, require minimal tools, minimal time commitment and possibly most importantly, keep you coming back for more BECAUSE you see results quickly (within reason).
I am also a big believer in using training methods that make you unbreakable. That make you ANTIFRAGILE!
I tell the story of when my wife (pre dating) came to me after completing a 10,000 Kettlebell swing challenge, defeated after not seeing changes in her body in the areas she has hoped.
For quick perspective, she was doing a strength training class at least 3 times a week, if not 4, as well as hot yoga several time a week and many miles of walking accumulated over the week.
She was investing time (she had that then pre kids) and a whole lot of discipline, but was no closer to her results. Her faith in “strength training” was waining.
Though I’ve never done this before, I took her under my wing, one, because I knew I could help her and two, because I knew I wanted to make her my wife. BUT, mostly because I knew I could help her…
We changed her program to a handful of heavy strength training movements. She responded really well, but there was one movement that tied everything together by:
Making her feel exceptionally strong and motivated her to keep seeking new feats of strength
Really engaged her core and made her abs pop (in a great way)
Taught her to activate and engage her whole body in order to squeeze everything she could from other movements (grip, triceps and glutes)
Improving leg strength and
Increased posture
She transformed her body from a self proclaimed skinny fat person, to a dynamite package of muscle AND she was functionally VERY strong.
One of the most impactful movements we added was LOADED CARRIES.
When you add loaded carries to your workout you will reap these rewards as they will help you squeeze everything out of any other movements you perform because they’re just that good.
AND…
There’s no excuse whatsoever on not having the right tools.
Loaded Carries will help you:
Shred Fat
Improve Grip Strength
Leg Power
Conditioning and Stamina
Posture
Performance
The cool thing is that the starting point for most people is quite simple to program.
Grab some type of load and walk.
Everything in your body will get stronger. Everything.
What Tools Do You Need?
1 or 2 kettlebells
1 or 2 dumbbells
1 or 2 sandbags
A barbell
Heavy Medicine Ball
Pushing or pulling a sled into the loaded carry category.
The Loaded Carry Variations
Two Handed Carries.
Suitcase walk
Rack Walk
Waiter’s Walk
Mixed Walk
Double Bottoms Up Walk
One Handed Carries
Suitcase Walk
Rack Walk
Waiter’s Walk
Bottoms Up Walk
2. Weighted Vests, barbells, back packs and bags.
Using a weighted vest for locomotion has gained popularity over the years. Personally, I still prefer the old backpack with weight inside it. If you get creative you can use sandbags, duffle bags, or just about any weight you want.
You certainly don’t have to spend lots of money to do this. Find what you have around the house and use it.
Bear hugging a heavy duffle bag on your chest and walking is a great training tool and quite evil.
3. Sleds
Sleds are awesome to use. You can push and pull them. And could even wear a backpack or vest while dragging the sled to really mix things up.
What Distances Should You Do?
For Strength = 10 to 50 meters
Hypertrophy = 60 to 100 meters
Fat loss = 1 min to 90 seconds of work (Work to rest ration is 1:1)
Programming Loaded Carries
You could do loaded carries on strength days or hypertrophy days at the end of the sessions.
You could also do them on conditioning days
I would choose 3 to 5 different variations.
SAMPLE PROGRAMMING with Double Kettlebells.
Walk for 20 meters (there and back = 1 set)
Double KB Suitcse Walk
Double KB Rack Walk
One KB in Rack / One KB Suitcase Position
One KB Overhead / One KB Suitcase Position.
If you rest 30 to 60 seconds between walks, that should be perfect.
I would go lighter in the beginning and gradually increase load and volume over time.
This could be a stand alone workout or you could add this as “CONDITIONING” at the end of you strength workout.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day.
Franz
When you’re ready to create your lean body, here are 3 ways I can help:
Lean Body Roadmap Private Coaching: My 1 on 1 coaching is for high achievers wanting to get lean and get strong while increasing their mobility and energy.
Lean Body Hub Monthly Membership: This is a community for busy people, committed to getting lean, strong and healthy, while still living life. I help you build nutrition and fitness around your life, not making you slave to either.
Lean Body Journal Weekly Newsletter: Join 2 thousand + subscribers who get one tip every Saturday on how to get lean, increase energy and build a high performing body.
3 Proven Habits To Create a Lean Body For Life
It’s awesome to get to that point when you’re ready to make a change and start taking action.
Ever since my 4th child, I had let my body get out of shape. Several months ago I had gotten up to 188 which is my heaviest.
I’m happy to say as I currently write this I’m 178 and can feel and see the fat burn away. I am only 3 pounds away from my goal weight of 175.
I am fortunate because I have been training and teaching people for 27 years how to burn fat and transform their health without the use of fad diets or extreme approaches.
I ruthlessly avoid idiotic dieting and training principles in my own life as well and want to share the 3 foundational habits that have made the biggest difference in helping people like you create a lean body.
These are 3 proven habits you can rely on to get you back into great shape.
Lean Body Habit # 1 - Metabolic Strength Training 3 x a Week
I developed and use a method I call Metabolic Strength Training (MST) to help clients shred fat and stay strong.
I love this style of training for busy people because each session takes between 20 and 30 minutes to complete. You end up getting a nice dose of intensity and challenge but not too much to over stress your body and impair recovery.
The goal is not only fat loss, it’s maintain your muscle mass and even
Weight loss doesn’t automatically mean fat loss. You can lose weight and have a much of the weight come from muscle.
Muscle is the organ system of longevity. It’s what keeps you performing at your highest level as you age.
I developed and use a method I call Metabolic Strength Training (MST) to help clients shred fat and stay strong.
The Basics of MST:
Training the full body every session (upper body and lower body)
Choosing 1 leg exercise, 1 pushing exercise, 1 pulling exercise & 1 core exercise.
Perform 2 to 4 movements in a circuit.
Choose movements that you can safely load and fit you orthopedically.
3-6 reps (fast twitch dominant)
6-10 reps (combination of slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers)
10-15 reps (slow twitch dominant)
3 workouts per week is the sweet spot.
In fact, this is the very training system I used to get my wife back in shape after the birth of our children.
Short. Sweet. And just what she needed to PRIME her metabolism and start stimulating some muscle gains.
The result: she shed the unwanted fat and got into the best shape of her life.
Lean Body Habit # 2 - Flexible Nutrition
If there is one thing I hate with dieting culture, it’s dogma and a cult like worship of the “one size” fits all approach.
The best approach in my experience is being flexible with your nutrition and finding ways to make your food plan sustainable.
As the old cliche goes, “there are many roads to Rome.”
Nobody cares if you are gluten free, dairly free, grain free, sugar free, keto, carnivore, vegan, etc…
What matters is ADHERENCE.
Can you adhere to your nutrition plan? Yes? Awesome.
If the answer is no, find something that you can adhere to.
What also matters is NUTRITIONAL DENSITY.
If 80% of your diet comes from single ingredient foods, you are in a good place.
There will always be room for some processed food if your foundation is based on nutrient dense food.
In my coaching program I focus on the Big 2 nutrition indicators that drive fat loss.
The 2 indicators are::
Calories
Protein
Dialing in your calories will ensure the “mathematics” of fat loss are accurate. Carbs and fat intake can fluctuate from day to day but calories and protein are the targets you want to focus on
A simple way to calculate your calorie deficit:
Goal body weight x 12 (if you have an active job and move all day)
Goal body weight x 11 (if you workout and walk most days but have a sedentary job)
Goal body weight x 10 (if you don’t workout at all and have a sedentary job)
Dialing in your protein requirements will ensure you keep as much muscle mass as possible during the dieting process.
With protein you want to shoot for 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight.
For example, if your goal bodyweight is 150 pounds, you would try to aim between 130 and 150 grams of protein daily.
For most people that means you will get 4 protein servings a day of roughly 30 to 50 grams of protein at each meal.
Lean Body Habit # 3 - Daily Walking
I consider walking to be the meta habit of the 21st century.
It not only helps metabolic health, it’s been shown to improve creativity and problem solving.
With all the benefits of walking, I personally love it because it gets us into nature and it’s the most sustainable form of exercise there is.
Walking is gentler on the joints as we age and won’t radically increase hunger like high intensity cardio can.
For these reasons it’s my first choice of daily movement that I recommend to all people.
The truth is we all need a plan and strategy that fits our current lifestyle and doesn’t require us to live in the gym or dedicate our entire life to fitness.
Most importantly, you gotta get off the couch and take action.
The hardest part of the journey is not the destination, it’s getting started.
And you will never regret starting the journey that gives you the body you deserve.
No more waiting. Start your journey!
I know 100% that if you are consistent with foundational habits, you will get the body you want.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your day.
Franz
When you’re ready to create your lean body, here are 3 ways I can help:
Lean Body Roadmap Private Coaching: My 1 on 1 coaching is for high achievers wanting to get lean and get strong while increasing their mobility and energy.
Lean Body Hub Monthly Membership: This is a community for busy people, committed to getting lean, strong and healthy, while still living life. I help you build nutrition and fitness around your life, not making you slave to either.
Lean Body Journal Weekly Newsletter: Join 2 thousand + subscribers who get one tip every Saturday on how to get lean, increase energy and build a high performing body.
