How to balance fitness and family

Two months ago my daughter was born.

Leading up to this massive life change, I was worried about how my fitness and health might suffer. I knew I was facing….

…sleepless nights…

…lack of time…

…competing priorities…

I don’t want to fall into the “dad-bod” trap and put my goals aside.

I want to look good for my wife.

I want to feel confident in my own skin.

I want to be a good example for my clients.

I want to be a good example for my daughter when she’s old enough.

BUT at the same time, my family is infinitely higher on my priorities list than my physique or performance.

Read More
UncategorizedMJT Training
Client Success Story - From Stroke Patient to Flipping Tires

Torrance started training with me not long after he was released from the hospital after an 8 MONTH stay due to a stroke (in the middle of the pandemic last year).

No visitors due to COVID. He woke up not even knowing the pandemic was happening.

He could barely walk unassisted. He had barely any control over his entire left side. Barely any range of motion. We had to get creative to find exercises he could even do. He’s a young guy, and I can’t imagine what it was like to go through a year like that.

Read More
UncategorizedMJT Training
Client Success Story - He lost 7lbs in 4 Weeks While Working Nights

Jeff is a police officer on night shift with 3 young kids. Needless to say, he’s got a lot on his plate.

He was sick and tired of feeling like crap and letting himself go. He wanted to prioritize himself to be better at his job, but more importantly to be around longer for his kids. Maybe you can relate.

Even though he had plenty of reason to, Jeff didn’t make excuses. He showed up and put in the work.

Read More
UncategorizedMJT Training
Client Success Story - He Had Tried Everything, but We Found a Solution

Darviet started training with me in February 2021. Said he tried everything and wasn't having any success at all on his own.⁠

Despite lots of life stress, job stress, vacation, and having a young child, by the end of July he's down 40lbs and still going. ⁠

He said I'm doing the hard work giving him a plan, but that isn't true. I only see him an hour or two a week, and I can't put the work in to DO the plan. ⁠If you aren’t ready to do the work and take responsibility for your own life, no coach, including me, can help you.

Darviet stepped up, took responsibility, puts in the work, and it shows.⁠

Read More
Client Success Story - Down 40+lbs and Doing What He Loves Again

Amin came in with severe back pain that radiated down his leg and caused his entire body to lock up. Just a short time before I met him, it was so bad that he was left crippled, laying on the floor for hours. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
He was getting back into paintball and wanted to lose weight and improve his performance without negatively affecting his back. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
6 months later he’s down 40+ pounds and playing on a national team. After lifting weights 2-3x per week for months, he hasn’t had any major pain flare ups and can run and play at his best. This was all accomplished while eating out multiple meals per week and juggling a stressful, time-consuming job, a young family, and summer vacation. ⁠⁠

Read More
What Would This Look Like If It Was Easy?

“I just don’t have enough willpower.”

“I’m too busy.”

“My significant other isn’t on the same page.”

“I’ve tried everything and nothing works.”

I hear it over and over. And most of the time it’s coming from a place of genuine frustration, not laziness.

Negative self talk will kill your goals. Truth is, these aren’t moral statements. You are not a bad person because you struggle with motivation, or willpower, or an unsupportive environment, or confusion.

Read More
A Call to Action in Uncertain Times

This year has been hard. Really hard. Between the natural disasters that rocked Nashville in the spring and now the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, we’re all facing a great deal of uncertainty, instability, and uneasiness.

The mental health toll that these events have taken on us can’t be measured. I know I’ve struggled with that uncertainty. Sleepless nights, overthinking, finding it hard to relax, even physical symptoms like shakiness and that tight feeling in your chest that doesn’t seem to go away. Maybe that’s you too.

Read More
Optimize Your Sleep for Better Health and Performance

Sleep needs vary a lot from individual to individual, and I have no idea how much sleep YOU actually need. You probably already know how much sleep to get to feel and perform your best. Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to get whats “optimal.”

Even when your schedule doesn’t allow for a full 8 hours, there are still many things directly under your control that you can address to increase the QUALITY of the sleep you get. Not everyone needs all of these methods, all the time, but you may find them useful during high-stress and busy portions of your life.

Read More
How to Improve Aerobic Fitness Without Doing Long, Slow Cardio

Long duration cardio can get boring, but it’s absolutely necessary to improve both health and performance. Aerobic fitness is correlated with many positive health markers (improved insulin sensitivity, lower resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, and higher heart rate variability, among others) and improves recovery from strenuous exercise. However, running or swimming for long distances tends to beat people up, so if these methods aren’t necessary for job performance or a PT test, I like to prescribe tempo circuits for longer aerobic work.

I learned about tempo circuits through coaches Chad Wesley Smith and Charlie Francis. Basically, this involves alternating low intensity aerobic work with calisthenics, mobility work, or other low-level exercises. This breaks up the monotonous joint stress of repetitive movement while also allowing for a wide variety of other goals to be targeted at the same time.

Read More
Simple Running Workout to Improve Your PT Test Times (No Track Required)

“Maximal Aerobic Speed,” or MAS, is the fastest you can run while still relying on oxygen to produce energy. Increasing this speed is important for all distance running but especially 1.5 and 2 mile runs.

Interval training is an important component of a good running program, but we don’t all have access to a track or a nicely measured area to run. The treadmill isn’t a great option unless it’s all you’ve got.

So what do?

Read More
How to Make Your Home Workouts More Interesting and Challenging

It’s been a couple of weeks since stay-at-home guidelines have been issued from the city and state. The gym withdrawal is real, and for many of us meatheads that live and die for heavy weights, at-home bodyweight workouts sometimes get tedious after a while. If you’re used to pushing your limits in strength, many bodyweight exercises might not feel challenging enough.

Fortunately, there are many creative ways to make bodyweight workouts more challenging, interesting, and beneficial. You may not put any weight on your lifts during the next few weeks, but I guarantee you’ll maintain your muscle mass and maybe even drop some fat and improve any nagging joint issues you may have.

Read More
At-Home Apocalypse Workouts

The last couple of weeks have been insane, hence the lack of any posts here. On Tuesday March 3rd my property and neighborhood got rocked by the Middle TN tornado, forcing a 3 day delay in my first vacation in about 2 years. Crazy circumstances, a ton of help from friends and strangers, and a fair amount of luck still allowed me to get away to Alaska for a few days. Got back home last week to COVID19 causing mass toilet paper shortages.

These are strange times.

Amid all the uncertainty, here are a few friendly reminders and some resources that will help you if your gym is currently closed due to COVID19.

Read More
How to Make Meal Prep Quick and Painless

It sounds counterintuitive, but creating systems for yourself actually frees you up.

Willpower and mental energy are finite resources. Work and family stress take up most of our reserves, and unexpected life events derail everyone from time to time. Expect the unexpected and consider putting a plan in place for repeated tasks. We all have to eat. That’s non-negotiable. Why not have a system for how you prepare food so you aren’t always scrambling, hungry and lethargic, or bloated and overstuffed?

Prepping meals ahead of time is a proven way to keep yourself on your nutrition plan and minimize the chances of going off-plan unintentionally. You can create an environment for success – by planning ahead when you have some down time, you’ll not only save money, but take the guesswork and willpower out of making good choices throughout the week. You’re much less likely to be left in a bind and have no choice but to hit the drive thru.

Read More
Get Your Edge Back

Here’s a scenario you’re probably familiar with: You go through basic training or a police or fire academy and graduate in the best shape of your life. You feel strong and conditioned and look the part too. You’re motivated and ready to take on any challenge, physically or mentally.

Then you get stuck on a swing shift or nights and gradually that feeling starts to wear away. One day you realize your gear isn’t fitting like it used to. You aren’t sleeping well. Your diet is crap. You start noticing in the mirror, or even worse, other people start to notice.

You’ve lost your edge, but it doesn’t feel right to you. This isn’t who you are. You can’t afford to be sloppy. People count on you, and maybe most importantly, YOU count on you. If you can’t take care of yourself, how will you take care of anyone else?

Read More
Break Out of Your Either/Or Mindset

You don’t have to think about being fit and healthy as an either/or proposition.

Social media makes us think that some people have it all together. They look amazing, work out 24/7, eat perfectly at every meal, and everything is just great for them.

That isn’t reality. Even worse, that image is harmful to everyone. No one is 100% consistent. No one has a perfect record of success. Everyone has setbacks and frustrations, seen or (most likely) unseen.

Read More