I've never loved the idea of waiting until January 1st to start something new. As Greg Plitt once said, "You don't become a different person all of a sudden on January 1st." That's why I don't wait. I've already started working toward my 2026 goals. Not by obsessing over outcomes, but by locking in the behaviors that create them. Goals are lagging indicators. Actions are leading ones. And today's email is about putting more of the right actions on autopilot. Let's dive in. 🚀 🏋️♂️ Training:...
25 days ago • 7 min read
I rented out a cupcake shop for my birthday... Not a bar. Not a restaurant. A cupcake shop. 🧁 But not just any cupcakes shop, it was Kara's Cupcakes in San Francisco... To this day, as a self-proclaimed cupcake connoisseur that's eaten thousands of cupcakes, I still consider these the best cupcakes I've ever had. I was 33 years old and the only adult to ever do this. #NoRagrets The staff thought it was hilarious, especially since my entire group was personal trainers. Mostly fit men who made...
about 1 month ago • 8 min read
It's December already... And if you're feeling the stress creeping in, you're not alone. The holidays are supposed to be joyful, but they rarely are with family gatherings, work deadlines, holiday spending, and enough sugar and alcohol consumption to keep Charlie Sheen satisfied. 🧁🍷 (Maybe not that much but you get the point.) And I didn't even mention trying to stay consistent with your training & nutrition while everyone is guilting you to do the opposite. I get it. Six years ago, I was...
about 1 month ago • 9 min read
I don't do this often, but today I'm asking for your help. (In the last 38 weeks, I've asked for something exactly once—downloading my podcast. Which was just more free value.) Before I get into that, I want to give you some value first: a brutal 25-minute delt workout that'll leave your shoulders screaming (in the best way). Then I'm going to share a personal story and ask you to support a cause that means the world to my wife and me. Sound fair? Let's dive in. 🚀 💪 25-Minute Delt Destruction...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
More and more I’m starting to feel like myself again. Getting settled. Finding a rhythm. Dialing in my time management, organization, and productivity. Right now I’m doing a time study, which I first learned about from the book 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam. It is the time-tracking equivalent of tracking your macros. Most people never do it. Which is why most people waste a massive amount of time or manage it poorly. Without data, you are flying blind. If you feel overwhelmed, scattered, or...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Ever wonder why the workouts that crushed it in your 20s now leave you stiff, sore, and stuck with belly fat that refuses to budge in your 40s? Yeah… me too. But I'm 43 years young now. Yes, you read that correctly, language matters. The words you speak matter. So, at 43 years young, after a lifetime of lifting, modeling for Men's Health, and coaching over 2,000 clients... I've learned a lot about what actually works and what doesn’t. So today, I want to share the Top 5 Fitness Lessons I’ve...
2 months ago • 5 min read
What my mother’s death taught me about love, strength, and living fully. Something sudden and tragic recently happened to a client. Her dad unexpectedly passed away. It's utterly heartbreaking and she sent me this message: “I can’t focus. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't do anything. I just keep thinking about my dad.” And I told her, that’s okay.In fact… it’s good. When my mom passed, I felt the same way. I couldn't stop thinking about her... Things I said. Things I hadn't said.Things she...
3 months ago • 6 min read
It’s been a good, productive, but challenging week. (Or a character-building as I like to say. Language matters, more than you think.) My wife had a business trip this week, so being the noble, upstanding, and supportive husband I am… I told her to sleep while I took on daddy duty solo. My son called my bluff. He woke up at 3am and decided that was his new morning routine. Until recently, there were only two things I’d ever done at 3am: Study for finals in college (usually two days without...
3 months ago • 9 min read
I often say it’s better to train 3x per week consistently than dream of training 5x per week and fall short feeling like a failure. In the spirit of taking my own advice, I switched to a 3x/week full-body hypertrophy split plus one cardio day with a Norwegian 4x4 to push my VO₂ max. Find a pace you can be consistent with. That way you rack up wins, reshape your identity, and treat anything extra as bonus. I’ve even thought about applying that to this newsletter and cutting it down to just one...
3 months ago • 9 min read
I’m finally feeling like Action Jackson again... My office is cleaner, the matte black acoustic panels are on deck for this weekend, and (most importantly) my gym is officially “done.” Well… done-ish. Like my wife with her wardrobe, it’ll never really be done. She rotates dresses, jeans, and leggings; I rotate leg presses, squat racks, and dumbbells. Same addiction, different aisle. Here’s the bigger point: environment matters more than you think. A noisy, cluttered space = a noisy, cluttered...
4 months ago • 10 min read