DURABLE DAD

  1/31/2025 Issue #5 Take a Breath             Fit Tip: Have a Plan .       I will be the first to praise you for doing any kind of activity. Doing something, even walking, is so valuable for your health. But, if you are heading to the gym without a plan, you might be missing out on some gains. If you want to get more bang for your buck, have an effective workout plan . What gets measured gets managed . In other words, it is a good idea to write out a plan that includes what exercises and how many sets and reps you should perform; then use this same plan to track how much weight you used and how many reps you performed. If you rely on memory it is too easy to gravitate towards the same weight you have done before and not try a little more. Also, if you walk in with no plan at all, you may default to what you like to do (often the easy thing that you are already good at.) “Just last week your advice...

  1/24/2025 Issue #4             Fit Tip: Be OK with OK .       You carved away that time for the workout, but you realize your back is a lil’ stiff and you probably won’t even be able to squat that much today. Or you suddenly have less time to workout than you had planned. Do not skip it! Even if the excuse is a legitimate excuse, just adjust; do the shorter or easier workout. Be OK with an imperfect workout . An imperfect workout done consistently beats a perfect workout done inconsistently . Most of the time, it will end up being a better workout than you thought anyway. I can tell you from experience that heavy squats at 5:30am are never exciting or eagerly anticipated, but I can also attest that more often than not, what I thought would be a brutal, uncomfortable squat session ended up being a great workout. So embrace your inner Shia LaBUFF and “JUST DO IT!”      ...

  1/17/2025 Issue #3             Fit Tip: Workout Splits .       What workout split is best for you? Perhaps you have been strength training using a typical body part split: Monday is chest, Tuesday is back, Wednesday is legs, or something like that. Maybe you have taken the Push, Pull, Legs approach. Another option is a full body split, where you might do only one exercise per muscle group, but you hit them all in one workout. My advice is that most people should probably lean towards a full body split unless you can handle consistently doing 4 or more strength training workouts per week. My main reason for this is prioritizing the frequency applied to each muscle group. Say you work your legs on Monday, but your workout layout does not have you hitting legs again for a whole 7 days (and that’s if you are consistent.) Even if you blasted your legs, a week long break from when you last engaged the...

  1/10/2025 Issue #2             Fit Tip: Bulk or Cut?    .       What is a bulk vs a cut? Why do one or the other? Which one should I be doing? A bulk is achieved by averaging an overall surplus in calories consumed vs calories expended over a period of time. One might choose to bulk in order to put on some muscle mass; you can’t build something from nothing after all. This might sound scary to one who has worked so long to lose weight or at least to not gain weight. If you are fairly lean, or have been calorie deprived for a while, and also want to gain some muscle, then intentionally eating just a little more than maintenance could benefit you for a while. Sidenote : you can make some strength gains even while in a calorie deficit if you are somewhat new to strength training; this is commonly known as “newbie gains” and is a wonderful phenomenon.  The opposite is known as a cut o...

  1/3/2025             Fit Tip: Invest in your Health        .       When we hear the word “invest” we think of retirement accounts. This kind of investing is important and responsible, but you will find very little value in your prosperous financial investments if your health is poor. If you are sick, nothing else seems to matter. You may even be healthy by your doctors standards, but not as able to move or do things as you hoped you would be at your age. Invest in your health and fitness. You can invest in your health without spending a dime; perhaps you just build some habits that involve getting in some movement every day. Maybe you invest in your health by buying a gym membership (and actually using it) or buying some equipment for your own home gym. I often compare the price of gym equipment or memberships to what I might pay for doctor visits or medications. Strength trai...