Reading Time: 6 min

Here's what I got for you today:

• 🧠 How I used DJ Khaled to make myself enjoy something I hated
• 🏋️‍♂️ The 3-move back fix every lifter should know
• 🥨 A 2-minute habit that can eliminate late-night snacking
• 💪 How one dad lost 23 lbs of fat, gained 16.6 lbs of muscle, and got rid of back pain

🧠 How I Tricked My Brain Into Loving the Thing I Dreaded

This might surprise you...

But when I first shifted my coaching from in-person to online, I made 40 sales calls and collected exactly zero dollars.

Forty hours on the phone and nothing to show for it.

I started to fear the phone. Sales calls were totally cringe.

(I'm so down with the lingo.)

So, when I got my first lay-down sale, which was more of a favor from a friend, I did something a bit weird...

I blasted "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled and danced around my office throwing my arms into the air like Rocky on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

I was purposefully rewiring sales calls from painful to awesome.

And while it was far from the only change I made to increase my sales conversion rate, it worked.

I was able to rewire my brain from pain to purpose and possible celebration. I started to get excited before jumping on the phone.

So, if all you think about is pain when it comes to exercise or boredom when it comes to cardio...

You can use this same technique to rewire your brain.

Start intentionally pairing movement with something you enjoy. A favorite podcast. An audiobook. A Netflix show you only watch while doing Zone 2 cardio.

Then, when you're done, take a second to acknowledge the win instead of immediately moving on to the next thing.

Feel free to dance around like a maniac like I did or find your own ritual.

The goal is to teach your brain that exercise isn't punishment. It's something that leaves you feeling accomplished, energized, and proud you showed up.

Eventually, you won't need the whole song and dance.

But until you become the type of person who simply does the workout no matter what...

A ritual like this can help bridge the gap.

🏋️‍♂️ Fix Your Back in 3 Moves (and Keep It That Way)

One of my clients recently injured his back while exercising.

It's unfortunate, but it happens.

The first thing we did was immediately shift his program from full body (my personal fav) to upper body only (every other guys personal fav 😜).

When you get into a groove with exercise, the number one priority is to never stop. Adjust. Modify. Work around it. But don't stop.

The second priority is to address the problem head-on.

For him, that meant an immediate and consistent daily dose of The McGill Big 3.

​

This protocol was developed by Dr. Stuart McGill. He helped powerlifting champion Brian Carroll go from "you may never lift again" to squatting over 1,300 pounds.

(You can read the full story in the aptly named book, The Gift of Injury.)

The McGill Big 3 doesn't just help your back feel better after injury. It also builds a stronger, more stable core and teaches proper bracing so you don't keep making the same mistake.

I do them before every lower-body workout. We teach them, preach them, and program them religiously for our clients.

Of course, most people don't take them seriously until their back reminds them they should have.

After all, pain is a very effective teacher.

🥨 The Stupidly Simple Trick That Ends Late-Night Snacking

During a conversation with a client last week, he was complaining about late-night snacking.

I was surprised because I'd never heard of a client struggling with that before...

Just kidding.

This happens all the time. And with today's abundance of hyper-palatable, calorie-dense foods, it's only getting worse.

I've struggled with it myself. Here's what I told him:

"We can talk about mindset, identity, environment, habits, and a dozen other things that might help...

Or I can give you one stupidly simple tactic that will probably eliminate this problem tonight."

You can imagine which option he picked.

So I told him this:

"Once you've finished dinner, dessert, and logged your last macro for the day, immediately go brush and floss your teeth."

That's it.

Here's why it works:

It acts as a commitment device.

A behavioral strategy that makes future temptations harder to act on.

Once your mouth is clean and minty fresh, eating again feels like you're ruining something. Your brain naturally wants to avoid that loss.

It sounds ridiculous, but it works surprisingly well.

And even if it doesn't completely eliminate the urge to snack, it sends a clear signal to your brain:

"The kitchen is closed. Eating is done for the day."

And if nothing else, you'll allegedly live 6.5 years longer. At least, according to dentists.

You're welcome.

💪 Client of the Week: Matt, 42, works in tech, dad of two

Matt was skinny fat when he came to me.

His back hurt and he was bouncing between cutting, bulking, and back again.

He'd tried P90X, done CrossFit, hired trainers, even tried the gallon-of-milk thing.

But what he never tried was a full 360 degree approach combining training, nutrition, mindset, and accountability.

​

After 8 months of coaching:

• 🔥 Lost 23 lbs of body fat
• 📉 Reduced body fat from 31.7% to 18.4%
• 💪 Built 16.6 lbs of lean muscle
• 📈 Increased strength from the 31st to the 85th percentile
• 🧠 Eliminated chronic back pain

How we did it:

• Tonal workouts, 4x per week dialed in before 7am
• Aggressive low-carb start, then reverse dieted back up
• Improved his lifting technique with video feedback
• Traded the finish-line mindset for identity

Matt told me he wore his first-ever tank top after this with confidence and pride. It made me tear up, I'm so proud of this guy.

Outstanding work, Matt.