MM#5: Why men get out of shape

Happy Monday!

This week’s article focuses on why I believe it’s so common for men to fall out of shape as they enter their 30s and 40s and what they can do about it.

A Quote

A Tweet

Dan Go is the most popular fitness account on Twitter for a reason. This thread is full of actionable advice!

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Nothing new here, but this speech is timeless. I’ve listened to it several times and am probably due for another listen!

If you haven’t heard of “This is Water,” do yourself a favor and listen to it. Grab a coffee or a tea, get comfortable, and listen. This speech has changed many people’s lives and perspectives.

Arnold Schwarzenegger may be the most influential fitness influencer of all time.

He started a revolution in the 70s and 80s.

Bodybuilding, or even strength training in general, wasn’t much of a thing before that.

Fitness was entirely focused on cardiovascular health and endurance.

But then Arnie comes in and inspires a generation of men to pursue the Greek God physique, and the craze for bodybuilding begins.

Most men have at least dabbled with lifting weights as teenagers or in college.

But a common scenario is that they don’t keep this up and then want to return to fitness in their 30s or 40s since they’ve ended up with a Dad Bod (if not worse).

So what’s happening here?

Why do so many men let their fitness slip?

Because they don’t have a model that lets them integrate fitness with a busy life.

The bodybuilding model that Arnold created is time intensive.

You need 10+ hours in the gym if you want those kinds of results (not to mention some pharmacological assistance).

A young single man has this time to put into working out.

But what happens when he gets married, assumes more responsibility at work, and becomes a father?

He doesn’t have enough time to put into the only exercise model he’s familiar with: time-demanding bodybuilding.

So he ends up saying, “I don’t have time.”

Instead of adopting a different strategy, he ends up doing nothing, and his fitness level goes back to square 1 (cue the Dad Bod).

Men need a different model of training that allows them to be consistent with fitness as their schedules get busier.

You don’t need to be in the gym 5 days per week.

Ideally, you can make time for two.

Two 30-minute workouts per week won’t get you looking like Arnold, but it’s a hell of a lot better than nothing, and it’s enough to get some fantastic results.

For men (or anyone) who thinks they’re too busy to work out, I’m going to show you the blueprint for getting results in less than 90 minutes per week.

This approach focuses on a few concepts:

• Intensity

• Supersets

• Full Body Workouts

Intensity

Volume is the total amount of work you do in your training, calculated as weight x sets x reps.

Volume is important for muscle growth, but it’s time intensive. For those looking for efficient workouts, the best alternative is to focus on intensity.

This means taking your lifts to muscular failure.

If a short workout is going to be effective, it has to be hard.

There’s no way around it.

When you focus on intensity, you do fewer sets, but those sets take you right to the limit.

Supersets

A Superset is when you perform two or more exercises that train different muscle groups back to back with no rest.

Using supersets can literally cut the time of your workout in half.

Since you’re training different muscle groups, the quality of the lift is barely affected on the second or third exercises.

Full Body Workouts

The most effective frequency for muscle growth is to train a muscle 2x per week.

Therefore, a full-body workout twice per week is an optimal combination of efficiency and effectiveness.

You’re hitting all the muscle groups twice per week.

And when you use supersets, you can do this without a massive investment of time.

There are endless workouts you could do that would follow this principle. I’ll provide you with one example.

The pipe character “|” indicates that it’s a superset.

Day 1: Monday:

Seated Leg Press x 12 | Dumbbell Bench Press x 10 (repeat 3x)

Cable Lat Pulldowns x 12 | Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts x 10 (repeat 3x )

Cable Rope Pushdowns x 12 | Dumbbell Lateral Raises x 10 (repeat 3x)

Day 2 Thursday:

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press x 10 | Chest Supported Row x 12 (repeat 3x)

Hack Squat x 10 | Standing Arnold Press x 12 (repeat 3x)

Lying Leg Curls x 12 | Hammer Curls x 12 | Pushups to failure (repeat 3x)

That’s it.

Two days, three supersets each.

Every muscle targeted twice.

These workouts can be done in less than 30 minutes, depending on your rest breaks.

Always include a short warm-up of dynamic movements (jumping jacks, arm swings) and a cool down to stretch and breathe.

But right there, you have a routine that will get you fantastic results with a strong effort and will take you less than 90 minutes per week.

Does your model for fitness make it seem like it takes too much time?

Remember, anything is better than nothing.

If you work 90 hours per week, you could still start each day with a set of pushups.

The harsh truth is that if you’re doing nothing, it’s not because you’re too busy.

It’s a choice.

Be honest with yourself about it.

You don’t need to spend 10 hours per week in the gym.

But you need to do something.

What do you find the most challenging about sticking to a fitness routine?

Let me know in the comments or by replying to this email.

When you’re ready, here’s how you can work with me.

I want to help you ditch confusing diets and workout programs and help you achieve your fitness goals in a way that works for you.

If you’re tired of spinning your tires, failing to get results, and wondering what you’re doing wrong, apply for 1-1 coaching now.

Your results are guaranteed.

You’ll hit your goals, or I’ll work with you for free until you do.