Accountability. Consistency. Effort.
ACE is my general philosophy. It applies to nearly everything in life and most definitely to health.
You must hold yourself accountable. Ask any successful person if they have had a mentor or coach. Ten out of ten will say they did, or still do. No one is going to get your goals for you. Your clothes won’t get bigger (or smaller) on their own. But having someone in your corner will help tremendously in making sure you stay on track.
You must be consistent. Bruce Lee once said,
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
If you don’t do the necessary stuff consistently, you won’t get to where you want to go. The same people who are successful and have mentors didn’t get there with a stroke of luck. They had to keep at the hustle, to not fall behind or get complacent. Think about something you’re good at. Would you have gotten good at it if you did it once a month, or even once a week? Bruce Lee trained for over 8 hours per day.
The final piece is effort. Napolean Hill once said,
“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.”
You could be coming into the gym five days a week but what you do in the gym matters. Come into the gym five days a week and walk on the treadmill. You won’t build muscle and you won’t see a six-pack. But come into the gym and hit the weights and push yourself out of your comfort zone and you will achieve results, guaranteed.
I am all about no B.S. Your health and fitness goals are not so unimportant that it should take a backseat to being unmotivated. Don’t make excuses. Hold yourself to a greater purpose. Put the time and effort in.
What my philosophy is funneled into
Fitness. Since the 1970’s, fitness has boomed and practically transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry. This is a double-edged sword: many people are trying to get healthier and fit but such as there is a jungle of exercises out there, so is misinformation. My view in regards to fitness is simple, it is austere. It is to provide austerity and clarity in the face of a choking fog of fitness information. Every one has an opinion and many consider themselves ‘experts’. Time and time again, the basics prove themselves to the best. Stick to the methods that have worked for people for generations: hard work on the methods that produce results.
Nutrition. My bread and butter. I love everything related to food and nutrition. Unfortunately, nutrition once started out as a sincere desire to get people healthy but has since then spiraled into chaos and branched off into a multitude of directions, each with its faction of followers. Many of these factions are at war with each other, considering themselves superior to others. While some eating plans are better than others, I feel there is too much delineation within nutrition. My goal is to bring together the best aspects of nutrition, make it simple, and make it work for you. Many times, I will delve into research, but I also realize that research is far from perfect; it is a proxy starting point. Yet, research can apply practically. For example, research has shown repeatedly that you must eat less in order to lose weight. That is the most simplistic saying in all of nutrition. Yet, research is beginning to find that is only the beginning. You can eat like a rabbit for a while and lose weight, but what happens later? In short, it’s just more than calories, it is the whole picture, a lifestyle of eating.
Vision
My ultimate goal is to help other average people, hard-working people, people who may not have a positive sense about their bodies, into highly fit, functional, and confident people. I want to change people from average to optimal using highly effective and efficient training and nutrition methods.
I want people to think, or say, to themselves…
“I had no clue I was capable of doing that!” (like when my 50 year old male client (photographer) trap-bar deadlifted 300 pounds for the first time).
“What an empowering feat” (like when my 32 year old female client (saleswoman) was able to do 10 unassisted chin-ups for the first time).
“I finally have a six pack!” (like when my 32 year old wife/client (business analyst) could see her abs for the first time).
“I don’t have to use my glasses as much anymore.” (like when my 84 year old male client (business owner) was able to read without relying on his glasses).
“I have such a better relationship with food.” (like when my 29 year old female client (saleswoman) gained a positive relationship with food for the first time in her life after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just a year prior).
Most of my clients were average and had no clue what kind of real impact good training and nutrition could do for them. But once they saw changes, they came to a realization. They have so much potential. These are who I love working with. To be able to see the changes, physically and mentally, in normal people as they do things only athletes were thought to be able to do is what makes me love what I do.
LEE Strength 