I had to work to shift my mentality from performance-obsessed, and learn how to have fun working out.

I had to dial back the intensity, and break up with suffering. I had to learn to interact with my wife and the people around me, and take myself a little less seriously. But I still wanted to get after it and feel satisfied with my time in the gym.

Whether you’re eyeing a 5 day workout split, a 4 day split, or a 3 day split, strategic planning is your ally. Balancing strength training and cardiovascular workouts can be achieved with the right approach. Crafting a well-structured weekly schedule that aligns with your fitness goals is the ultimate goal.

Unlike many medical professionals I encountered, I won’t advise you to simply stay inactive. My aspiration is to lead an active life and continually challenge myself physically, mentally, and emotionally. In pursuit of this, I’ve diligently sought the most effective approach to embrace an active lifestyle while minimizing the risk of injuries. Here’s what I’ve learned – the Five Pillars of Resilience.

Lean bulking means eating at 10-15% above maintenance calories. Train hard with progressive overload and in return, add muscle mass. Along with that muscle comes a small amount of body fat. In a lean bulk, the idea is to eat just enough in a surplus to promote muscle growth.

Today I’m covering what you need to know about Functional Muscle, as well as practical tips you can apply right away to build more functional muscle for yourself or people you train.

Applying these fitness hacks to look sexy – 4 for training and 3 for nutrition – has transformational power. They are the drivers of lasting physical change in both how you look and how you feel.

What’s a deload week? When do you need one? And what does it actually look like? Regain your passion for training with the power of the deload.

See the plan and sample workouts to combine strength training and running like my client Steve