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 Learned in 43 Years.

These are hard-earned truths that’ll help you reignite your energy, build muscle, and stay strong for life.

These are the same principles that helped my client Paul lose 34 pounds and get six-pack lean in 16 weeks, and helped me rebuild my own body and confidence after getting cut from my college baseball team.

Let’s dive in 👇

💪 1. Stop “working out” and start training

When I got cut from my college baseball team, I completely lost my identity. I was depressed, directionless, and aimlessly doing random workouts.

Whatever machine was open, whatever my buddies were doing, whatever I “felt like.”

But then I made a decision: I wasn’t just going to just move anymore, I was going to train. I was going to take this whole gym thing a LOT more seriously.

I started following a structured plan, tracking my lifts, repeating the same workouts weekly, and progressively overloading.

Every session had a purpose even rest days.

Over time, the weight room rebuilt me proving a stronger and better body, more confidence, and a solid direction.

I found, or better yet, created myself through the work I did in the weight room.

Now, in my 40s, I tell every client:

👉 3–4 focused strength training sessions a week is all it takes to build a strong, lean, resilient body.

Working out moves your body. Training transforms it.

If you’re working out just to sweat, or doing random programs hoping for change, it’s time to start training with intention.

That’s how you unlock your potential, break through plateaus, and finally see real progress.

This means having a progressive program that gets more challenging each phase and tracking the right metrics to ensure continuous improvement.

Here's more about progressive overload. And here is a bit more about how to increase intensity within each training phase.

🔄 2. Combine strength and cardio

When I was training CEOs and VCs in San Francisco, they were slammed with back-to-back meetings, long hours, and constant stress.

They barely had time to breathe let alone workout. Plus, I was charging $200+ per hour for my services so I had get them results... quickly.

So I created a system that blended strength and cardio into one workout. To be fair, I didn't invent superset and circuit training but I did perfect it.

No wasted time. No standing around. Just focused and intentional movement.

The result? They got leaner, stronger, and fitter in half the time.

That’s the foundation of what is known as Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) which is the same method behind my book 7 Secrets for Chiseled Abs.

You don’t need more time.
You need a better plan.

If you find yourself standing around, on your phone, or jaw-jacking during your training sessions — start using supersets and circuits.

❤️ 3. Train your heart, not just your muscles

If you're a good-enough kinda person then Lesson #2 will be enough cardio for you. But if you're a "how good can I get" kinda person...

This lesson is for you.

In my mid-30s, I was 200 pounds and 7% body fat.

I looked like a pro athlete.
I was a beast. An absolute specimen.

Then I did a VO₂ max test… and scored below average.

I looked fit, but I wasn’t actually fit. At least not in a well-rounded sense.

I could rip apart a phone book like The Hulk, but I couldn't run 50 yards. This hardly put me in Superman territory.

So I started adding the Norwegian 4×4 twice per month. Four intervals of four minutes at 85–90% max heart rate, separated by 3-minute recovery periods.

Within weeks, my endurance, recovery, and energy exploded. And my V02max has now improved to above average.

Your VO₂ max is one of the strongest predictors of longevity.

Train your heart, not just your mirror muscles.

📊 4. Track inputs, not just outcomes

My client Robyn used to weigh herself daily and when the number didn’t move, she’d spiral.

We shifted her focus from lagging indicators (the scale) to leading indicators including total workout volume, steps, sleep, water, calories, and protein.

Once she focused on what she could control, the results took care of themselves.

In 11 months, she lost 101 pounds.

The scale measures the past.
Your habits create the future.

I dive into more detail about what leading and lagging indicators are in this article How To Know If Your Workouts Are Working.

🙏 5. You don’t have to work out — you get to

Years ago, I was broke, $70K in debt, and walking to LA Fitness in Orange County because I couldn’t afford a car.

(For those of you that have been to Orange County, it's not exactly what I'd call walkable. Like, not at all. That's how bad it was.)

But every morning, I’d pass a little girl in a wheelchair waiting for her school bus with her mom.

Every day, they smiled and said hello.

I'd often try to avert my eyes or pretend I didn't see them. But they never looked away. They always looked me right in the eyes and smiled.

And one morning it hit me... I was walking to the gym to run, jump, and squat freely, while feeling sorry for myself.

That little girl would’ve given anything to move the way I could. Her mom would’ve given anything for her daughter to have that freedom.

Meanwhile, I was sulking because my online business wasn’t going well.

That moment completely changed how I viewed everything, especially training.

And to be clear, this isn’t about feeling good because “someone has it worse.”

It’s about gratitude.

It’s about appreciating the gifts you’ve been given: the body you have, the breath in your lungs, the ability to move... before it’s gone.

You don’t have to work out.
You get to.

The ability to move is a gift. Don’t take it for granted.

⚡️ Quick recap

1. Strength train, don’t just work out.
2. Combine strength + cardio.
3. Don’t skip cardio entirely, train your heart.
4. Track the inputs, not just the outcomes.
5. Be grateful you get to move.

Take a minute to reflect on which of these you’re already doing… and which one needs more attention right now.

If one really hit home, hit reply and tell me which lesson you’re going to focus on this week and how you plan to put it into action.

I read every response.