The Fitness Coach Who Gets Why You Keep Failing with Matt Myers

Matt [00:00:00] You start placing a lot of judgments on yourself, and the thing that I've found is that for most people, if putting those judgments on yourself was gonna work, it would've worked by now, but it's not, it hasn't actually done anything to like really help you get out of the hole.

Hector Fellas, what's going on? I hope this episode finds you well, and I hope this episode leaves you better than when it found you. Today's episode is with Matt Myers of Nerd Fitness, and he is, someone who has a ton of experience in the fitness world helping and, and coaching people. And, we actually get into a little bit of a, a coaching session on me and helping me sort of straighten myself out and find ways to,

Hector Get my health and, fitness into a better place. And so it selfishly was a great experience for that and I think that you'll gain a lot of it too. He also offers a free workout afterwards, so make sure that you go and download that as well.

Hector But enough for me, y'all. Let's get into today's episode with Matt Myers. Matt, welcome to the Modern Masculinity Podcast. Thanks for being here, man.

Matt Dude, [00:01:00] thanks for having me. Excited to be here.

Hector Take us into your world. What sort of things are you as a, as a guy, a man, a partner? I, we didn't get into family life, so I don't know if you know if, father or you know.

Hector Dog dad, like all the roles and responsibilities that you're still carrying as a dude? what are you mucking through today?

Matt Yeah. Well, uh, I, thanks for asking. I've got, two kids, uh, 11 and nine. my wife, we both work from home and so she just had. A real, cruddy day at work today.

Matt So I was kind of being an anchor for her earlier today, trying to help support her. the kids will be coming home in about an hour, ready to, tear through the house. And, I'm also, running our company at the same time from home, with my family around me all the time.

Matt Which is a joy and also its own unique set of challenges, within that for sure. but today looks like, put out some fires this morning. Got some really good writing done, preparing for the New Year's for us as a big time of year. And, [00:02:00] now I get to do my favorite thing with you. So this is, this is my cherry on top today, which is talk about,

Matt Fitness and health and how to make it all fit when you're have a full life already and lots of other responsibilities on your plate.

Hector it's one thing if people are, if you work at home and then, you know, everybody else leaves for the day and then like yeah.

Hector You know, but, but it's a little different when everybody's home and everybody's seeing each other. has that always gone smoothly or are there times where Oh, definitely not. What, what do you, what, what does

Matt smoothly mean in this case? Right? Like, am I able to still be like a functioning, effective, person with my work?

Matt I would say yes for the most part. But, you know, you still have, kids coming into the room in the middle of like trying to record a video or being in a conversation and being like. Dad, I can't get on the iPad, like, help me with this, or you hear, them fighting a little bit and you have to like, take a quick break to go, break it apart a little [00:03:00] bit.

Matt but honestly for me, I love it. really love my family and I would rather be here and kind of be in the muck with everybody all the time. Then kind of just be on my own and then just like kind of, Only around for, part of the day. So it's a, challenge, but it's like, you know, mark Manson says like, pick the types of problems you want to have.

Matt you don't get to have a life with no problems. you just gotta pick the problems you want to deal with. And I like dealing with this set of problems.

Hector It's a great reminder. And, you know, I, I made that decision really as soon as. Their mom found out that, you know, we found out that she was pregnant or that we were gonna have kids.

Hector I was like, I wanna be home. I wanna be around. Mostly because I saw. What I was currently working at, or what I was working at before, which was, you know, 60, 70 hour weeks at the office, you know, come home and, eat at home and sleep, and then head back out the next day. And I knew that that didn't allow me to be the dad that I wanted to be.

Hector And I'm glad you said it because I'm, I'm [00:04:00] sort of staring into my recording studio, which is very nice and I love my background and I've gotten great compliments on it. And I look across and I see my daughter is. Her backpack is open on the floor and all of their shit is all over there.

Hector And we've got bikes over here and so my office is, you know, my recording SI Studio is in the garage. And it's great because I'm able to do that and it, and I'll go pick 'em up in an hour or two. And also. I need like those barriers or I need those dividers, or I need like those, those curtains, you know, maybe I need some hippie beads or something like that to be more, you know, to have my space more anchored.

Hector 'cause I, I think that it can, to your point, it could be a challenge when both sort of bleed over or if you don't have some sort of way to, either draw those boundaries or maintain, you know, those rhythms. when all that stuff is going down.

Matt Yeah, for sure. It's something we've had to learn, you know?

Matt been on both sides because before I was working at [00:05:00] my current job, which allows me to work from home 'cause we're an online company, right? I was working in a gym and the hours were basically 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM And so I've been on that other side where. in that period of time, my kids were both really young and you didn't get almost any time with them.

Matt Right. so since I've seen both sides of it, I feel very lucky to be on the side where it's like, the problem is I have too much exposure to my family and kids. Rather than like, not enough time with them. So,

Hector yeah. Yeah. And I think I would, I would pick that too. one of the challenges that I think faces just a lot of guys as they move into sort of fatherhood or sort of go up the, rungs of, of manhood as sort of, we've come to term here on the show.

Hector is like staying fit and healthy and like there's the classic mm-hmm. You know, sort of trope of like the dad bod. And I don't know. Sure. I've even seen some something and you know how the internet is, but something on the internet where it said that like guys, you know, their hormones sort [00:06:00] of, make it so that they pack on more weight or it basically sort of preps for this sort of phase and also.

Hector I think a lot of guys can use that sort of as an excuse. So what was that journey like for you and, how have you seen like other guys in sort of, you know, your community and stuff overcome that sort of challenge?

Matt Yeah. I would say in general. the journey for me, as I got older, like I got really into fitness in my early twenties, and then as, as you get older, you get married, you know, we got our dog, then we got kids, then I have a more demanding job and you're like, Hey, this is not the same as it was when I was in my early twenties.

Matt Like the demands on my time are completely different. It can feel like your body doesn't respond in the same way. You start picking up aches and pains that you don't remember having, 15 years ago. and you're trying to kind of navigate all that. and for me though, as a coach, as being a fitness coach and helping run a, a coaching company, [00:07:00] one of the things that I tell young coaches coming in is that, hey, like being really good at.

Matt Understanding nutrition and workouts and being able to give like really good technical feedback to someone who's working out is great. Like that's still a necessary skillset to have. But the best quote unquote, certifications I ever got in my life were becoming a dad, getting a desk job, and dealing with like injuries and stuff in real life because that is actually.

Matt What the majority of people that I work with, that's their reality, right? Their reality is that they're juggling all those different things. and until you can kind of have empathy and go through it, like it definitely teaches you a lot.

Hector Well, it's just, you bring up like the fact that it's like, there's just so many things to juggle, right?

Hector Yeah. That like, that unless. It's a priority or it seems like, you know, for me it was like whatever I [00:08:00] had, whatever physical and nutritional knowledge I had up until high school was like what I went into like my thirties with. And like, I, I sort of carried that, thinking, you know? Or it was like, yeah, life I had stopped, you know, going to health class or I didn't have health class anymore.

Hector I didn't have pe, I didn't have these reasons to be, you know, learning. And it was only, you know, sort of. As that's become easier on things like YouTube or with, you know, communities like yours where this information is so much more accessible, that did I start to realize like, oh shit, I didn't really, I thought I knew stuff.

Hector Like I, I was actually misinformed in so many different ways.

Matt Yeah. And actually like that's, that's been an interesting transition within, within my field too, is that before. Having the information was the thing that I could provide people, right? It was like, I could be an expert in X, Y, and Z, and they didn't know where to find that information.

Matt And now [00:09:00] it's less about knowing the thing, and actually it's about being a filter because there's so much information out there now. That people can kind of get lost and they're like, who do I trust? This person's saying don't eat this thing, this. Other person's saying, that's the only thing you should eat.

Matt Like, where's the middle ground? what am I actually supposed to put on my plate? What's gonna help me feel at my best? and so you're kind of a, a filter more than anything else. I love it. 'cause my favorite thing is like getting really deep with someone and helping figure out.

Matt what are the questions they have? What are the goals they have? How can we make this simple and easy for them? Because like we said, you're already juggling so much. It kind of reminds me this stage of life reminds me of, uh, do you know the comedian Jim Gaffigan? Jim Gaffigan has a joke, that I like to, tweak a little bit for the fitness thing, but it's like, trying to work out when, and stay in shape when you're in your thirties and forties can be like,

Matt Like you're drowning and then someone hands you a baby, right? Where you're just like, I'm, I'm already dealing with so much and now I have to take care of this other thing on top of all that. Like, [00:10:00] what am I supposed to do? and that's really, you know, what I've found, like you mentioned, what have I found in working with, other guys that are going through this period of life?

Matt Like what's going on? The biggest thing is like helping them realize how to navigate. They're busy schedules, juggling all these responsibilities that it, the success might look different, but there's still progress and success to have. I look different than what it looked like when you were 22 and working out and in college and didn't have, hadn't had tons of free time.

Matt Like it just looks different now. I think that there's, a big section of the. Fitness community that just kind of like tries to throw it on. Like, just be disciplined. Just get motivated. Just do that thing. But I often find it's not like a motivation or a discipline issue. a resources problem, right?

Matt People are already strapped, you can motivate yourself for a little bit or try to like instill discipline, like sure, that helps on some [00:11:00] level. What I tend to see is people get in a cycle then where they, are kind of like yo-yoing in and out of fitness, right?

Matt They're like, be okay for a little bit and then something in life will happen. Your kid will get sick, you have to work late, you have a big project at work, a big deadline, and you kind of fall off track. And then it takes a few days, or weeks or months to kind of get going again. And then you go through the same cycle all over again.

Matt Right? And it's kind of just like, it's unsustainable. I don't think more discipline and motivation is actually the answer for more people. It's about having clarity and support in the right ways,

Hector you're speaking to me. I'm like, oh, he must be following me for the last several months because, through the summer, I was like dialed in lowest body fat percentage, like ever, like, one of my goals this year was like, to get in the best shape of my life.

Hector I was like, all right, did it, check the box, things are going great. And then like shit happened over with. You know, with custody, and we had like, some issues and like, you know, that whole thing blew up with, my kids' moms. And so it was like [00:12:00] total 180. And as I'm sort sitting hitting here, like reflecting on it, I'm like, oh, like, it was life.

Hector And when are you gonna stop being a pile of shit and go from, you know, I was, you know, in the gym six to seven times a week, and now it's like one to two. And so I'm like, one, I'm like trying to give myself grace and two, it's like, yeah. Matt, what is the, you know, there's gotta be a, you know, you said support and clarity.

Hector So what is that? What might that look like? Or, how do you that? For sure.

Matt Well, dude, let's, break it down. Let's talk, let's help you right now. Let's figure it out. I mean,

Hector let's figure it out.

Matt So, hey, so the first thing I would say is, you were working out six or seven days a week over the summer, gotten the best shape of your life.

Matt That's freaking awesome, dude. Like, well done. Great job. and now you've realized that like you dealt with real life circumstances. I think a lot of people, you are even kind of doing yourself talk right there. You're like, well, I'm, when am I gonna stop being a, pile of shit or whatever you said?

Matt Yeah. Right. Like, you, you start placing a lot of judgements on yourself. [00:13:00] And the thing that I've found is that for most people, if, putting those judgments on yourself was gonna work, it would've worked by now. But it's not, it hasn't actually done anything to like really help you get out of the hole.

Matt Right, right. You're still kind of stuck in this cycle. So what I would want to start with is kind of reframing that entire experience with you did really great. That was an awesome place to be. I'm glad you felt good there. Life is different now. Let's figure out what, gonna work for you as a next step from where you're at right now.

Matt And so what does clarity and support look like? Clarity, I think, is first, getting clear on what your next step should be based on your current circumstances. so what's your schedule look like? What are your goals? talk to me about your goals. What do you want to get back to?

Hector I've always been challenged with that.

Hector 'cause, you know, I'm a smaller guy and so it's like, not that there was a lot, there wasn't a lot to wait, but it was like. I found that like building muscle was probably just, the best way to go. And so I think, like for me, the getting back that number to, you know, [00:14:00] three to four times a week as opposed to it being one to two is like a good start.

Hector and I don't know if that's a, a clear enough goal, or what might be some, some metrics to monitor there. But I think that like, that's, an easy benchmark. and it might even be just, I was tracking my, my workouts pretty diligently. And so maybe there's something there to go into and, and, you know, figure out some, some growth.

Hector Yeah. with regards to the, the weights or the exercises or whatever. Well,

Matt let me ask it this way then. So one, that's a totally fine goal, right? I think another thing that can trip people up at this phase is they feel like they have to have this like really perfectly defined goal. And really, as long as you have an idea of kind of where you want to head, we can start working towards there.

Matt And you can always refine your goal as you go, right? I don't like the goal setting process to be another barrier to getting started, right? Let's just like get started and get moving. so even directionally knowing like, Hey, I'd like to start working out a little [00:15:00] bit more consistently feels like a great place to go.

Matt And if you think about it from like 12 months from now, and let's just say you like are in a groove of fitness, you feel great. Like what does that look like? Like 12 months from now, what does that look like? Paint a picture for me. What's different? How are you feeling? What are your daily actions looking like?

Hector yeah. I think, um, in terms of daily actions, like back on some sort of nutritional like plan. I think that that, something that was working well for me is it was there was a, consistent exercise and going to the gym consistently, but I also was not eating. Here's my self dog, but I'll just say it, but I was not, like, not eating like a pig, mm-hmm.

Hector Which, you know, sometimes I, I, think I've, I veer towards, because there's no plan. So it's sort of easy to just be like, well, you know, here's another several cookies. so I think, like when I think about what I'm doing, it's like I'm tracking, I have some sort of plan, you know, I'm hydrating, sleeping well.

Hector Exercising, like, all of those are just sort of hitting the baseline. 'cause because I think [00:16:00] it, it sort of enables everything else, in terms of, you know, the business and my energy with my kids and such. And so I think that just like getting back into that rhythm that in and of itself is like a, worthwhile destination for me.

Hector just because of what it'll enable. so like some, you know, as I think about like a number, it's probably like, 150 workouts over the year. I think that when I've, when I've sort of charted goals like that, that are over the longer term as opposed to, lose X amount or, or you know, any shorter storm goals, I haven't done as well.

Hector And so I think like that might be something to consider.

Matt Yeah. That's great both things can be True, right? You can have that process based goal, which is like, I'm doing. X amount of things this many times a week or whatever, right. I'm regularly exercising, I'm doing this thing, and you can have outcome based goals. Like, I wanna put on five pounds of muscle in the next, X amount of weeks.

Matt I wanna lose this much weight, I want to bench this much. Like they're both great. The thing is with outcome goals, outcome goals and [00:17:00] need process goals still. Right? Right. So like, even if you set an outcome goal, you still need to figure out the process of how you're gonna get there. So I think it's totally great to start with the process.

Matt And what it sounds like to me is you found in your life that when you're taking care of yourself routinely and you notice that it shows up for you in how you show up in your business and how you interact with your kids and your family. And so like that's more important to you than necessarily like a specific number or something outside of that.

Matt Is that right? Correct. Awesome. So let's figure out what are the biggest constraints then, or what are the biggest challenges for you getting back into a rhythm with three to four workouts a week? What's on your schedule right now? What's your day like?

Hector You know, it's actually not, when I think about it, it's, and maybe you can help me work, work through it.

Hector It's like being able to prioritize a workout instead of. Spending time on the business, you know? 'cause in my head it's like, sure, we're [00:18:00] in, we need to devote all the attention to keep things running right now. and so devoting that, or like pulling time away from it seems like, oh, I, I need to devote it to the business, or I need to be working right now.

Hector so that I can. not be working out when I'm with the kids or whatever it is. And so it's like, that's, the battle that I'm trying to, to get through. Right. And maybe it's like a short term sort of outlook of, I'm. Taking a loan right. Against, future energy and sacrificing it today.

Hector But that's sort of what's prevented it, is like there's a time slot, you know, after I pick up the kids and drop 'em off at afterschool program and it's like, do I spend 90 minutes going to the gym and driving there and coming back, or do I spend that 90 minutes, you know. Devoted to the business because, you know, we're just trying to put out fires and, and keep the ship running right now.

Matt Well I have a couple of ideas. You want to go over 'em and we can kind of see what works. I [00:19:00] think this is awesome, by the way. I like, thanks for being vulnerable and talking through this with me. Yeah. so the first thing is, If you're in a season of life where you really feel like, hey, like there isn't a chance for balance, I actually think that that is okay.

Matt So that's the first thing I wanna say is like if you need to buckle down in your business and that, like sometimes you can't juggle all the balls and you need to set one of these down, but I want you to make that decision clearly so that you're not harboring this guilt that you're being like, I'm a piece of shit because I'm not doing this thing.

Matt So if there truly isn't another option. Okay. let's roll with that. Right.

Hector Well, I think that's a good, thing to address right. In the sense of I'm hedging between both. I'm like, I'm still, and not committing to one or the other. but then therefore it allows that sort of judgment, right? Or that's what, what that, yeah, exactly, because you're kind

Matt of feeling like you're stuck in the middle. Now that being said, from what you've told me, there are benefits to focusing on your fitness and that you feel like you, [00:20:00] the time that you have in your business is maybe you feel a little bit more clarity or more energy, or just more focus in those sessions.

Matt Right.

Hector Well, I think just another thing as I was, thinking out is that I also put some, pretty specific constraints on like, oh, why wasn't I doing? Yeah. Oh, I was gonna get

Matt to it. I was like, oh, there's

Hector nine. You know? I'm like, oh. But it takes, 15, 20 minutes to get to the gym. 15, 20 minutes. But I'm like, I don't have to do that. And then I, no, you don't.

Matt We were gonna get there. I was going one by one, but I for sure noticed you said that.

Hector Yeah. Yeah. Which is also just like, oh, okay. Like if I accepted that. I don't have the time right now to do what I did before, and I just accept that it's not gonna look like what it looked like before,

Matt not gonna look the same.

Hector Then it allows me to adjust and be like, for this time period, or for, you know, yeah. Right. In

Matt what is the best version of this look like for me right now at this phase in my life?

Hector Right,

Matt That I still get benefit from and is still worth the trade off in time and energy for, because the benefit feels [00:21:00] great and I'm still investing in my long-term health.

Matt Right. Exactly. there's other things here. So, yeah, so for example, maybe that, and this is where that primary thing that I think can really help people is learning how to dial up and dial down your workout or your nutrition without flipping the light switch on and off. Yes. Right. Where you're like, either it's 90 minutes in the gym four times a week.

Matt Or I'm a pig, a pile of shit, right? I'm not doing anything. Right. which one is it? And then we're like, well, I think there's a middle ground here that still you can be really successful. So maybe that looks like 20 or 30 minutes at home. Right? Maybe that looks like some days you do have the time and energy and you want to go and do that longer workout on the gym.

Matt Cool. what I tend to see happens is people set that as the standard then in their mind, where like, that's the standard of what a real workout is. It's 90 minutes in the gym. So on those days when you, only have five minutes, you only have 10 minutes. You're [00:22:00] like, well, why even bother? Right? And it's like, no, no, no.

Matt you can still do, you're still making an investment in your fitness bank with that five to 10 minutes, you didn't input zero, you didn't do nothing. You still did something. And when we know that you only have five to 10 minutes, we can change your strategy for how you're approaching your workout a little bit to try to get the most bang for your buck for that time.

Hector it's just a great lesson in being flexible,

Matt Yeah, for sure. Which is something that like, I mean, honestly as dads and as, business owners, running businesses, working like. It's the lesson that keeps coming up in many different ways. Right. keep getting taught again and again.

Hector Well, I think there's something too, you know, that the cycles are happening so much quicker that we are being forced to, evolve at, a quicker pace, you know, where life seasons, I would imagine, and I'm, only guessing, but. In talking to previous generations, it seemed like, life moved much slower.

Hector My life changed much [00:23:00] slower, and so, you know, mm-hmm. For us, we achieve a new baseline. We sort of figure it out. And then whether it's from the external world, you know, and policies and changes or markets or whatever it is, or it's like the internal world or you know, families and such, like life is moving at such a quicker pace that if we're not willing to adjust quick enough, then at least like I'm seeing like, oh, you're getting stuck in these patterns that worked in a different sort of season.

Hector Yeah, but time changed and you were, Thinking it was still, you know, July and it's fucking, you know, the dead of winter or whatever. And so we need to adjust, and be flexible.

Matt Yeah. that's the number one thing that I see leads to consistency in the long run and actually better results in the long run.

Matt Because when people are stuck in that framework where they're like, it's either gotta look like this or nothing. You end up just like, yo, that's what we're talking about. You just yo-yo up and down for years, right? [00:24:00] And when you're like, I'm in a really crazy phase in life. This needs to look different for a little bit.

Matt You're still making that slow study progress over time. And I know it's not as, as sexy as like going all in and just like, burning the midnight oil, but it's the thing that I've seen to be most consistently effective For the majority of people,

Hector I don't know how unique I am. I like to think I'm fucking really unique and real special, but I don't know how, how true that is.

Hector But at least for me, I, find that, and no pun intended, but I like to nerd out on different things to, find. What works. Right. Find the solution for that season. You know, for a while I was super into Kettlebells for like a while and then, you know, mm-hmm. For a while I got like super into hypertrophy training and for a while it was like hit training and like, part of it as I'm looking back on it was like, oh, I needed something to fit this season.

Hector And so at least for me. I started just nerding out and I'd read books and I remember, you know, reading, I think it's [00:25:00] called like Enter the Kettlebell or I don't know, Pavel, yeah, Pavel, yeah. Pavel's, you know, legendary book and like just nerding out and back then there wasn't, you know, YouTube content and such.

Hector But the point being is like, I think other people, they need to. Find a, a, you know, a one-on-one person or join some sort of community or something. But there's like different ways to fill that solution in your mind. Like what's the menu of options that people have when they're like, okay, I don't know what the answers are, but the answers are obviously out there.

Hector like how do you recommend people find those solutions?

Matt Yeah. Okay. Interesting question. I would say that in general. we run nerd fitness.com, right? We have our own coaching program and we field lots and lots of questions, right? around like, Hey, I need help. Where do I start? The first thing is that if you're just getting started, I would try to point you to a simple free workout, right?

Matt If you're like. Not sure [00:26:00] what to do. Like, you're like, I'm not like, because you're gonna learn so much from taking action and trying stuff. I see a lot of people, get stuck in kind of this analysis paralysis where they're trying to find the perfect solution for this season of life or whatever their, their situation is.

Matt And usually the best starting point is something that's simple, approachable, and could be flexible for many different seasons of life. Right, because you're starting with. Something that's not too complex or requires too much time in the beginning, we have something like that, at nerd fitness.com/workout.

Matt It's a free workout. It'll give you a really good baseline. It's body weight. You can do it anywhere, and it even shows you how to kind of like adjust it up and down based on how your day is. So,

Hector Sort of a DIY body weight is like a, almost like an either a diagnostic or like a good starting place

Matt people.

Matt Yeah, for most

Hector people, people,

Matt right, right. If you know that you like something and you want to follow that, like go for it. But [00:27:00] if you're at the point where you're just like, I don't even know where to start, nine times outta 10, simple body weight, flexible workout that you could do anywhere on a limited timeframe.

Matt Is going to be a great baseline to then build anything else off of that You want to right.

Hector That leads me to another question that I hadn't thought about before, but I think is a good follow-up is like, are you a big believer in a particular path, whether that is HIT training or CrossFit whatever you wanna sort of, you know, like here's a lane of fitness that, you know, I wouldn't call it like a, you know, a religion, but in the same way, like where there are certain practices and like, you know, you do this.

Hector Like, do you have any favorites that, You think should be on people's menus or at least people be aware of? Nope.

Matt I'm fitness agnostic. I really, honestly, like, same thing when it comes to nutrition. What I care about is understanding the underlying principles and why something is working. And [00:28:00] then you're not stuck in any one path for too long.

Matt I have been stuck in single like modalities where I was like, I'm only into kettlebells, I'm only into CrossFit. I'm only into parkour. I'm only into Olympic weightlifting. Like, I've done all that before and it was cool, like I enjoyed it. But what I've realized is that it also blinded me quite a bit right.

Matt to what was going on underneath. So like for me, the first rule is move often. So like literally anything that you do that you enjoy, that you can get in that gets you up and moving, like that's step one. Like that's the first level, right? And then the second level is, hey, we probably should do some resistance training or some sort of strength training in general, right?

Matt A couple times a week. That is important for everybody, right? It's important for. Dudes in their thirties who are trying to like stay in shape and maintain muscle mass and look good and feel good. It's also important for 70-year-old grandmas who wanna maintain bone density and like [00:29:00] not break a hip when they fall.

Matt Right? Like important for everybody. Whether you want to do that with a barbell, a dumbbell, a kettlebell, do it in intervals with CrossFit, do it in straight sets with hypertrophy training, honestly, it's like. different flavors of the same ice cream. It all tastes good. It's all fine. If it fits you. I'm more concerned about what works for you and that you're hitting the underlying principle than being married to any one modality.

Matt and then the third thing would be like doing a little bit of flexibility and mobility training. So your joints are still moving good and getting your heart rate elevated a few times a week Once we do that, everything else is like. Really specific, based on what you care about and enjoy. and the same thing honestly comes to nutrition.

Matt It's the same thing with nutrition. Nutrition. You have keto camp, you have intermittent fasting camp, you have paleo camp, you have Mediterranean camp, you have, if it fits your macros camp, like when you look at all of these things, what are the things that any of them do that if it works for you, what is it doing well in general, if we wanna really be [00:30:00] broad about it, it like.

Matt Gets you the right amount of calories and energy that you need, whatever that is, it helps you get enough protein and fiber and vitamins and minerals. And if it's doing those things, if Keto works for you, great, but the problem with becoming married to any one modality is that you're like, just do keto, right?

Matt Or just do this thing. I've seen it. I could give you a ketogenic diet to one person and they lose a ton of weight and they feel great, and I could give it to another person and it totally doesn't work for them. And why is that? I mean, we've all done this, right? We've all had a friend who went on the diet and you're like, it didn't work for me the same way.

Matt Like, what's up? And it's because those diets are just frameworks. That affect your behaviors. So now I'm getting nerdy. you told me it was okay to get nerdy on here. I'm going deep in the sauce snack, so, I could give someone a, like, let's say intermittent fasting.

Matt I could put someone on intermittent fasting and they could feel like, oh, I only have six hours to [00:31:00] eat. I need to get in as much food as I possibly can in a six hours so I'm not hungry all the rest of the day. And they could actually gain weight on intermittent fasting 'cause they're trying to just like fit it all in.

Matt And I could give intermittent fasting protocol to someone else and they're like, oh, this kind of changes my normal eating patterns. I'm not eating as much naturally 'cause I just feel more full from meal times 'cause I'm having bigger meals and I just naturally eat a little less and I've lost weight.

Matt And those two people are gonna be on Reddit saying very different things about whether intermittent fasting works or not. Right? It's because it's not about the modality, it's about what that modality, what CrossFit, what ketogenic diet, what X thing does to affect your behavior and affect those underlying core principles.

Matt If you are able to go on a keto diet and. Get the right amount of energy that you need and get the nutrients and minerals and protein that you need, you're gonna do great. And if you don't, it's not gonna be for you. You [00:32:00] could do CrossFit and if you are able to do it in a way that is fun for you, that allows you to do strength training, get your heart rate up a few times a week and stay injury free, you, you're gonna do great.

Matt And if you go on CrossFit and you just get hit hurt all the time because you get so competitive, you, push yourself further than you should, then it's not for you. So there's not one modality in nutrition or fitness that I think any person should be married to. That being said, if you find the thing that works for you, like more power to you, you don't have like, just stick with it.

Hector that's a great point because I was, I share similar. Similar thoughts, now, but I, I made the same mistake in the sense of thinking that there was only one solution or one way and, you know, being frankly stubborn about, you know, what changing.

Matt Well, I, I would say the pattern that I see in general with that stuff though is that when you first get into anything, so like if you're just starting off in fitness or just starting to like kind of care about your diet and try to pay attention to nutrition, [00:33:00] it is way easier to have someone say, it's black and white.

Matt This is the way, That's a way easier place to, you're like, oh, cool. That just simplified my decision making process. All I have to do is worry about this one thing.

Matt What you realize is that it's not a universal solution for everybody all the time, forever. And so when that solution stops working for you, when life changes, right?

Matt When you get into different phases in life and different seasons of life, if you're married to the one modality, then you're gonna miss the different solutions that are available to you.

Hector I think it's about being, you know, being married and not being willing to adjust based on either the results or, based on the season, you know, which Yeah.

Hector Which I'm realizing. Mm-hmm. For me was, was like, oh, you finally figured it out. And then Oh, they like, changed the landscape. It's like the, the, yeah. The setting

Matt rules of the game changed.

Hector Right,

Matt right. Gotta have a new answer. Yep.

Hector Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I'm curious though, we, are heading into a new era where there are so [00:34:00] many more modalities, you know, whether it's, we, we talked about on a recent episode, GLP ones and, you know, other peptides.

Hector Yeah. There's technology, there's obviously information, so. you're sort of in the weeds and like you're nerding out like all the time, you know, on this sort of stuff. Yeah. Are there things that are crossing your radar that you think, that are worth at least looking into or pursuing as an avenue that might work for them?

Hector whether it's stuff that's been around for a while already or new things?

Matt Hmm, good question. I guess I would give you an answer in multiple parts. The first would be that, you mentioned GLP ones, and I'm seeing on a, like on the boots, like ground level, right? I'm not a GLP one researcher, so don't come have me on that side of things.

Matt What I'm seeing is that I think most people don't have a, a concept. Of how intense food noise is and how it varies person to person. So [00:35:00] you know, based on your environment, based on your genes, based on everything. Like one person experiences the world very differently than you might.

Matt I especially think honestly that a bunch of young 20 year olds who are super into fitness, this is like. A thing that they miss a lot is they're just like, everyone should just do what I do when I'm 22 and su and o only the thing I care about the most in the world is fitness.

Matt you should care as much about fitness as I do, and you should do what I do. And that's not like a very empathetic or realistic approach. and what I've seen on the ground level with GLP ones is that they're incredibly effective and incredibly helpful. For the right person when, under the supervision of your doc.

Matt So we were, I have plenty of clients that have gone on GLP ones and it's life changing because all of a sudden, like this constant like background noise where all they, they're thinking about food all day, like it just gets turned down. It just like quieted. All of a sudden they can focus on other things in their day [00:36:00] and their energy goes other places.

Matt And if you've never experienced that level of food noise, you probably don't even know what it feels like to be honest. I didn't even

Hector know that was a thing, but as you're sort of thinking about it, yeah. Like there are, people, and my kids do it sometimes, so I imagine they have some high food noise 'cause it runs in the other side of the family.

Hector ask her, I'm like, are you bored? Are you hungry? You know, like, yeah. And she's like, Hmm. And she just walks away. She's like, she has, she's been caught. Yeah. But I would imagine that, for me, that ditch doesn't register. And part of the reason why I do intermittent fasting is because otherwise I didn't even know how to create a term for that, but I'm like, oh, that's what that is.

Hector It's just, yeah, food noise. Yeah. Food noise. And

Matt it's very different for different people. And the way that we like to think it since we're nerd fitness, right, is like, it's a video game, but not everyone's playing on the same difficulty setting. And so GLP ones help even the playing field more.

Hector Is this sort of the first [00:37:00] either technology or medication that, Turn that down or that was like a factor? Or are there other things that people can do?

Matt yeah, well think about. Okay. I don't think we've ever found something that's as effective as at targeting this in the history of, of humankind. that's why it's so potent, and effective.

Matt Because you're modifying the internal environment. But classic fitness advice in some ways is aimed at that. Like what? High protein diet? Why do we do high protein diets or often recommend high protein diets? One, because it helps with building muscle and maintaining muscle mass. When you're on a caloric deficits and when you're losing weight, you're, it's easier to maintain your muscle.

Matt You're not, you're losing fat instead of muscle, right? When you're on a high protein diet. But protein is also the most satiating. Macronutrient. It's the thing that makes you feel the most full out of anything. Right? So like we've ever gone through like the mental experiment where you're like, hey you, you say you're hungry.

Matt Would you eat a steak right now? would you eat a chicken breast, a plain chicken breast right [00:38:00] now? And you're like, ah, I don't want chicken breast. I want sweet salty, like, you know, I want, potato chips and ice cream. Then there's something. Else going on there, right? There's like some other behavioral things going on, that you're tapping into.

Matt And so, like high protein diets can help with satiation. we know that often working out can help people regulate their appetites better overall. But the effect of those things is much smaller than like a targeted pharmaceutical is. Right? So that's why I think it's just gonna be way bigger impact and something we're gonna be seeing.

Matt I honestly think the fitness landscape has been changed forever by GOP once. and we're just gonna continue to see the impact of that as they become less stigmatized. Because I think there's still a lot of stigma around GLP one usage. And, and that's one of the things that we see is we're like, our whole company is built around helping people develop healthy fitness habits, right?

Matt And we support people in that. We provide, personalized [00:39:00] workout plans and nutrition guidance and, and help with the mindset stuff like we were working on earlier. Like, Hey, I noticed you're saying that about yourself. I don't know if that's helpful. Could we, could we talk about that? Is that there's still a huge stigma within the fitness industry at large of like GLP ones are cheating or, discipline it, bro.

Matt Like do it the hard way, the right way. and one of our roles as coaches has been to just be neutral. Just be neutral about it and be like, this is one of the tools on the table if you want to talk about it with your doc. ' and what I've had is I've had clients that are literally like, I'm never gonna do that.

Matt And then they're like, well, and I'm like, Hey, it's cool if you want to do it or not. I'm not a doctor, I'm not prescribing it. I just want you to know that it's okay if you do want to do it, and here's some information about it if you are interested in learning more. And then like a couple months later they'll be like, I talked to my doctor.

Matt It actually sounds like it could be cool, but you wouldn't judge me for taking it. would you? And I'm like. No judgment. If this is something that works for you in this season of life like we've been [00:40:00] talking about, awesome. And then they get on it and they feel amazing.

Hector Is the conversation different for like steroids?

Hector Because that's also like, I don't know how prevalent that conversation is with like 30 something year old guys. I imagine the younger guys it, it's probably a little more, or maybe it's just something that I pops up on my YouTube, but like, is that. Do you have a similar outlook on, on something like that?

Hector Or where do you draw the line?

Matt Sure. I've never been interested in taking steroids personally. I've never coached anyone that I know is knowingly taking steroids. Not that I would, if they're doing it, I'm gonna support them in whatever other way I can. Right.

Matt So I'm not gonna, like, this is the whole thing. I'm neutral about it. If it's the decision that you want to make with your body, I am neutral about it. I wouldn't do the same thing where I'm trying to destigmatize steroid usage. Like I'm trying to de-stigmatize GLP one because GLP one is like doctor regulated and tested by the FDA A right.

Matt So I'm not out there being like, Hey, have you thought about steroids? It could be an option on the table for you. but I'm also not gonna [00:41:00] judge someone for their usage of it as long as they're doing it in a way that,

Matt Safe and safe, doctor monitored as much as he can be and doing regular blood work and also going in knowing the risks. 'cause I think that that's the problem that we see in the fitness industry, especially with younger kids getting on steroids like really early and doing it, or even their early twenties, is not fully understanding the long-term health risks.

Matt or potentially even being in a position to appreciate what those risks are fully. 'cause you're kind of in a phase of life where you're just like, you know, just pedal to the middle, bro. Let's go, let's do it. So, yeah.

Hector see it and I, I'm able to sort of. unfortunately, I only laugh because it's like, what am I to get angry at them?

Hector And that you know, seems to bring a sense of judgment. And also I worry that we are going to see some major fallout from that,

Matt you

Hector know, in the coming years. And so,

Matt yeah, it could be, and again, because I don't take steroids and I don't coach people on steroids. My knowledge of this is [00:42:00] really just from, I.

Matt a basic level on the outside. So, but I, well, I think, but I do know the risks are real, right? The risks are real. There are people that are experts in steroids that talk about it and try to educate about it. And I think it's also like, the thing that I've appreciated about the people that I go to, to learn about like that kind of stuff is that they're able to be, they're trying to present both sides.

Matt Right. They're trying to be like, here are the real risks, here are the benefits. You have to decide for yourself whether that's worth the trade off. Right. And I think that's ultimately the, the thing with, with any decision that someone comes to me with, it can be to back out steroids. But it could be like you, Hector, you come to me and you're like, Hey, I really want to try intermittent fasting.

Matt I think it sounds great. I'm gonna do the exact same thing. I'm gonna be like, yes, let's do it. And. Here are the things to think about. Here are the potential pitfalls that could happen. Here are the benefits that could happen. Let's try it and be ready to pivot. If it's not what you [00:43:00] thought it was, right, that's the conversation that we'd have, right?

Matt So I'm here to support you doing the thing you want, and then if you're trying to do something that I legitimately think is dangerous for you, then I would draw the line in the sand, right? As a coach, and I'd be like, Hey, can I offer a concern about. The direction that we're heading. Like, can we talk about this?

Matt I have some concerns. You'd be like, yeah, Matt, what's going on? Because I'm just so friendly that you definitely wanna listen to me and my opinions. and then I'd be like, Hey, this, this, and this. I think this, these are real concerns I have. I wanna make sure you're safe.

Hector Yeah. I think it's important to have, someone like that, that's a human and informed, and like you said, that filter.

Hector and I know that's what you guys, you know, so much of what you guys do. So I've got two questions for you. The first is, yep, if people wanna get, more involved with you guys at Nerd Fitness or go deeper in your world, find out about the resources. Where's the best place for people to go?

Matt Yeah, nerd fitness.com, and then nerd fitness.com/workout.

Matt Get a free workout. It's gonna have, it's literally gonna be that thing that we talked about before. It'll be a short, simple body weight workout. [00:44:00] You can do anywhere, and I'll teach you how to dial it down on those crazy, hectic, everything is on fire day, so you can stay consistent and keep going, and then you can ramp it back up on those days when you're feeling good.

Matt So it kind of adjusts to your season of life. Love to give that to your audience, as a gift from, me to them. and if you want someone in your corner. Who's, a real human who gives a crap about you and helps you get that extra support and clarity around where you're headed and, what the key factors are and helps you follow through Check hundred Fitness Coaching.

Matt we'd love to talk with you.

Hector We'll link all that up as well, free listeners. And, my last question, Matt, is, in your opinion, what is the definition of modern mass?

Matt I'm gonna give you the coach, version of this, which is, it depends, you're gonna get lots of definitions.

Matt I'm sure you've got lots of definitions on the show, but I think what you're asking is less of a definition of like, what is the term, but what does it mean to me, right? Like, what does modern masculinity mean to me? What does it mean to show up as, I think it actually means showing up in the [00:45:00] world with an attitude to serve.

Matt To, be empathetic to those around you. and to be willing to be vulnerable and grow. I think it's about being a rock and also being vulnerable. That makes sense. Like you're a rock, you're an anchor for your business, your family, your friends. But I think we've learned that you can't just be a rock an island unto yourself that some amount of vulnerability and empathy goes a long way.

Matt And so I I, that's probably where I'd put it. I really like the saying from one of the modalities I used to train in actually, which was be strong to be useful. And I really like that mental framework. That's gotten me a long way too.