How to get fit
TL;DR Track input: use a nutrition coaching app and a food scale, take creatine and a multivitamin. Track output: use a workout template, a fitness tracker, and a bodyweight scale. Foam Roll, Stretch, Workout - in that order. Train in 3D. Get great sleep. Do this for 90 days.
Years ago, I was a moderately successful Personal Trainer. Sometimes a friend or family member will ask what they need to do to get in shape. This essay is an answer to that question.
Track Input
Use a nutrition coaching app
I use Carbon Diet Coach, and have used RP Diet. A nutrition coaching app will: precisely calculate your daily caloric intake and macros, keep you accountable with your food, and provide an accurate, incremental caloric surplus, maintenance, or deficit depending on your goals.
Use a food scale
'Roughly estimating calories' is a surefire way to fail. Use a food scale to accurately measure your intake of, well, almost everything. Pro tip: get a scale that can handle up to 5kgs. Anything smaller can become annoying if you're weighing heavier food (e.g. steak) in heavier dish ware (e.g. a glass casserole dish).
Take creatine and a multivitamin
Creatine is one of the few heavily researched supplements proven to benefit your health and fitness journey. Creatine is naturally occurring, in very small quantities, in foods like steak. Supplementing with creatine has proven to help your muscle heal faster and, even positively impact cognitive performance. Also, a daily multivitamin is a safe, 'cover your bases' decision, in the event that you're not getting all your primary nutrients from your existing diet.
Track Output
Use a workout template
You want a template that is: offers a variety of movements, progressively increases and decreases in intensity, works for many months, and can be re-used. I use RP's Physique template (they also have a female option). If you aren't familiar with the movements, get a personal trainer for a few weeks to get educated. There are more expensive templates – apps, video bundles (e.g. P90X's video series), etc., but I prefer an easy-to-edit template that I just have to purchase once.
Use a fitness tracker
You want to reduce ambiguity everywhere in your fitness journey so, if things don't go according to plan, it's easy to use data to find out where you're going to wrong. To that end, a fitness tracker should track your: steps, total caloric expenditure per workout, sleep, and real time heart rate. I use an Apple Watch, but other great brands include: Whoop, Fitbit, Garmin, and
Use a bodyweight scale
Track your weight in your nutrition app. The scale ultimately does not matter, but it is helpful as a metric of progress. Still take pics to document your diligence! Try to use the same scale, on the same surface. If you put the same scale on tile versus some hardwood flooring, the density of the floor can alter the scale's output.
Foam Roll, Stretch, Workout - in that order
Foam Roll: If you don't know what this is, or how to do it, just google it. There are ample examples and tutorials. Keep in mind: the more dense the foam roller, the more painful the roll! I use the Rumble Roller, but friends hate it. Pro tip: roll slow, about 20 seconds on each general section of tissue.
Stretch: right after foam rolling, stretch in 3D. Don't forget to stretch major muscle areas like: calves, groin, glutes, hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, low back, upper back, chest, and shoulders. If you're not sure what to do as a stretch routine, read the below section (Train in 3D). If you do many of the exercises I list below, but without weight, it will be a solid beginner warm-up. Pro tip: do the motions that you're going to do in the workout, in the warm-up. (I should always be able to tell vaguely what your workout will look like by looking at your warm-up.)
Train in 3D
We, humans, live in a 3D world. In math, you might have heard of these dimensions referred to as the x, y, and z axes. In the world of biomechanics, we refer to these dimensions as the sagittal (x), frontal (y), and transverse (y) planes. See below.
Most mainstream fitness experiences (think: CrossFit, F45, gym machines in general, SoulCycle, etc.) train you in the sagittal plane. Moves like squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bench press, lat pull down, etc., are all moves in just the sagittal plane. Over time, this creates problems. Among others, there are 2 primary problems:
- Joints wear unevenly. For example, if you lunge in one direction for decades, the result is uneven wear and tear of the femoral head, which can manifest as various kinds of muscle imbalances, pain, and general dysfunction later.
- You're strong in some motions, but dramatically weaker and less mobile in others. For example, you might be strong in a squat position with a bar on your back (like at the gym), but weak in a squat-and-twist motion (like unloading luggage at the airport). This imbalance also increases your likelihood of injury. Ever had your back 'go out' doing something you've done dozens of times before? That can often be attributed to some imbalance in your kinetic chain.
To wear joints evenly, decrease your chance of injury, and make you stronger in ALL dimensions, start moving intentionally in other planes. Here are some practical examples of how to do just that.
If you're doing a workout where there are lunges, instead of just doing lunges forward and back, lunge in all directions, like in this video:
If you're doing a workout with shoulder presses, press in all directions, like in this video. (Hint: imagine the tape on the floor in the above video taped to the ceiling directly overhead. Try to press in every direction of the tape.)
If you're doing a workout with squats, try placing your feet in different positions, like in this video. Note: if you're going heavy, stick to a regular stance squat. But, for all other light-medium weight squat workouts, this foot positions will be safe.
If you're doing a workout with bicep curls, try this curl matrix. (Starts at 1:43.)
Get Great Sleep
If you do everything else, but not this, your fitness journey is going to be painful and potentially harmful. Check out Andrew Huberman's Sleep Toolkit. If you're struggling with great sleep, consider getting a sleep study. If you want to really get into those REM cycles, consider getting a cooling mattress or mattress topper. Also, consider reading Paul Walker's Why We Sleep.
Do this for 90 days
If you actually stick with the above outline for 90 days, you will see results. It's just physics 🤷♂️. Also, 90 days is long enough to determine what is, and isn't, working for you. You can adapt your behavior accordingly.
Lastly, the above is not medical advice, just a few tips I've gathered over the years. Consult your doctor before jumping into any training program.
Closing thoughts. The fitness industry is great at marketing and therefore can be quite noisy to the average consumer (took me years to find my way to physics-based truth). It can be difficult to determine what applies to you and what doesn't. I've kept this essay short and widely applicable. But, there IS more complexity and nuance than what is written here. If you'd like to continue your education and learn about the nuance, here are three trustworthy content creators I happily recommend:
To learnin', liftin', and gettin' lean.
sincerely,