I just got back from a snowboarding trip in Vail, CO.

My legs are fried. My body is beat up. And yet my mind is completely at ease.

Funny how that works. Push your body hard enough, and suddenly everything else quiets down. The mental clarity. The calmness. The satisfaction.

There's something about getting outdoors and moving your body that cuts through anxiety and stress in a way nothing else does.

Hell, these things have even been shown to decrease depression.

(Although I was a bit depressed with the lack of snow 😩)

This is a brief-er than usual but value-packed email.

Let's dive in. 🚀

🏋️‍♂️ If You're Dancing During Face Pulls, Try This

The standing face pull is one of my favorite exercises for rear delts and traps.

It hits the upper back in a way that most pulling movements ignore, and it's great for shoulder health.

But here's the problem: For most people, it turns into a balancing act.

You're counterbalancing the weight with your entire body. Leaning back. Shifting your feet. Dancing around trying to find stability.

And don't get me started on how this leads to ego lifting, or as my good friend Tony Horton likes to say, "Body English." 😜

Instead of isolating your rear delts, you often end up using your lats to do the heavy lifting.

If that sounds familiar, I've got a fix: the Lying Face Pull. 👇🏻

​

Shout out to Sam Sulek for popularizing this variation. It's simple, but it can be a game changer.

By lying down, you eliminate the counterbalancing problem entirely and you lock yourself into position.

What this does:

• Eliminates unnecessary body movement
• Improves mind-muscle connection
• Makes it easier to control tempo and form
• Removes ego lifting (you can't cheat with momentum)

You can slow the reps down. You can actually feel the muscles working. And you stop turning an isolation exercise into a full-body tug-a-war.

If you're struggling with standing face pulls, or if you just can't find your footing with them, try the lying version.

Small fix. Big difference.

🎥 Coach Jackson Lying Face Pull Demo​

🍳 Stop Using Ski Trips as an Excuse to Overeat

As I mentioned, I was snowboarding in Vail, CO.

Conditions weren't awesome, but some turns are better than no turns. Like working out, your worst workout is still better than nothing.

But while reviewing my nutrition, it reminded me of a conversation I had with a client last season.

He was a few weeks into my legendary 16-Week Program and making solid progress... Losing about 1.2 pounds per week and on-track to crush his goals.

But then he told me he was going skiing and needed to "fuel his body" and "carb up" for the trip.

Translation: He wanted permission and an excuse to eat whatever he wanted for 4 days.

I told him that's total B.S.

(Unless of course, he's competing in the Olympics against Shaun White or Lindsay Vonn. 😜🏂)

Here's why.

This was my breakfast before hitting the slopes this week:

• 2 Organic Large Brown Eggs
• 150g Organic Liquid Egg Whites
• 1 Dave's Killer Everything Bagel
• 2 Slices of Organic Turkey Bacon
• 8g of Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter

Total Macros:

📊 649 Calories | 💪 53g Protein | 🍞 49g Carbs | 🧈 26g Fat

This is actually pretty close to my normal breakfast at home. Maybe ~200 calories more.

Why? I eat fewer meals while on the mountain because I'm (surprise) snowboarding! 🏂 So, I make each meal slightly larger.

Given that I'm also likely to have 1-2 adult beverages, my total calories for the day will already be a bit higher than normal.

Side note: my client only had a protein shake before heading out on the mountain. Maybe he was afraid to eat in front of me? 🤔🤣

Just kidding.

It was because he knew he’d likely eat a lot more later, especially since we went to a fancy steakhouse called Elway’s that night.

Now look at what actually happened during 2+ hours of hard riding:

Two hours. Over 14K vertical feet. Pushing hard the entire time.

I mean, we were ripping the mountain apart. At least, as much as you can rip apart icy hard-packed groomers.

358 calories burned according to my WHOOP.

Even if I'm generous and say it underestimated by 50%, that's maybe 500-600 calories in a genuinely intense session.

You know what's also 500-600 calories?

🍻 Two IPAs and an order of wings.

🍹Or nachos with a margarita.

🍟 Or literally one meal at a ski resort restaurant where everything is fried, sauced, and covered in cheese.

The problem isn't that you need to "carb up" or "fuel" for skiing.

The problem is people drastically overestimate how many calories they burn and drastically underestimate how easy it is to consume calories.

Especially when alcohol is involved. A few drinks can easily add 400-800 calories before you even touch food.

If you're trying to lose weight or reduce your body fat, you need to be a caloric deficit. So, you don't need to overhaul your nutrition for a ski weekend.

At best, you should increase calories slightly to match higher activity.

But you don't need to go full Viking feast mode.

Enjoy yourself. Have a few drinks. Eat good food. Make smart decisions. And indulge in moderation.

But don't pretend it's "necessary for performance."

It's not. You just want to eat and drink whatever you want — guilt free.

Which is fine. But own it.

🙅🏼‍♂️ Creatine Won't Destroy Your Kidneys

A new client asked me this week: "Are you sure taking creatine is safe? I hear it's bad for your kidneys long term."

I'm blown away this myth still persists.

So let me set you straight if you're still not taking creatine because you think it's dangerous.

A new meta-analysis (PMID: 40198156) just compiled over 26,000 subjects who took creatine. Here's what they found:

• Average dose: 12.5g per day
• Average duration: 9 weeks (longest study was 14 years)
• Age range: up to 77 years old

They tracked 49 different potential side effects including heart issues, kidney problems, liver enzymes, GI distress, muscle cramping, and more.

The result?

NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES between creatine and placebo for any of these side effects.

Creatine monohydrate is the most effective and safest supplement on the market for improving lean mass, strength, and performance.

Recent data even shows it may improve cognition, decrease symptoms of depression, and possibly protect against traumatic brain injury.

The "kidney damage" myth comes from elevated creatinine levels in blood tests, which is just a byproduct of creatine metabolism, not actual kidney damage.

A few other things to know:

• It does NOT cause hair loss (PMID: 40265319)
• It does NOT cause bloating or water retention (PMID: 12937471)
• If you get GI issues, divide it into smaller doses throughout the day

Don't waste money on fancy forms like ethyl ester, hydrochloride, or buffered creatine.

Creatine monohydrate is the most studied, most effective, and least expensive form (PMIDs: 19228401, 39545789, 22971354).

At a minimum you should be taking 5 grams per day. But if you're a man over 200 lbs or want test higher doses, I'd recommend 7.5 to 10g per day.

Just make sure you split your doses to reduce the likelihood of any GI issues. For example, I take 5g in the morning and another 5g in the evening.

Although I've experimented with 15-20g per day myself with no adverse side-effects. See what works best for you and...

Stop overthinking it.

👉🏻 Get Legion Creatine Here (the same one I take)​

Or if you're like my wife and don't like the powder, you can get Legion Creatine Gummies here.