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Wednesday, May 28, 2025

“What if I fail again?”

  May 28, 2025    

In case you missed my email from a couple of weeks ago, Steve asked me to write some more focused fitness and nutrition content for the Rebellion.

And since then, I received a TON of emails from people circling around the same thing: a lack of belief they can actually make change work this time! I bet you can relate:

“Biggest challenge – losing trust in the process and myself.”

“Having trouble believing that being consistent will actually help and being scared that no matter what I do I’ll fail.“

“I’m afraid of failing, I’m trying to not set myself up to fail but it all seems so daunting. I know all the words for the “right” mindset, but I just can’t seem to find the will/energy/desire to go and do anything after work.”

These fears are very, VERY normal. (Though that doesn’t make them any less sucky to deal with!)

So, what do we do when we are feeling stuck and scared of how overwhelming this all feels?

💡 The Most Important Thing

While every story is different, there’s one thing I’ve noticed that really helps you have a higher chance of success:

Building momentum early – and then protecting that momentum.

Early wins make the rest of the journey easier.

And sure, an early win MIGHT look like seeing the scale move or getting stronger in the gym.

But those things are results that come weeks or even months later, AFTER doing “the thing” consistently. That isn’t helpful in the moment when we are feeling uncertain and overwhelmed.

That’s why I like to start by tracking and celebrating effort.

Picking 1-2 repeatable actions that you can practice each day:

Each action is a WIN, which is a small sign of progress.

And if we can recognize and celebrate each action, it starts to build proof that “I am the type of person who can do this, even when it’s hard.”

And that little bit of hope?

It can be enough to keep going through the tough parts.

👨‍🔬 A Real-Life Example

Let’s take my client Ben, for example. He was in this exact same boat when we started working together.

  • Super busy work schedule with an hour commute each way
  • 4 young kids at home
  • Had a recent health scare that made him realize it was time to make a change
  • Not sure where to start, and really afraid this would be another attempt that he tried and failed at

So we talked about all those things openly – the REAL constraints on his time and energy, the fear that this wouldn’t work, and his hope for a future where he felt better and fitness didn’t feel so hard to stick with.

And then we picked a few things that we thought could be a good place to start.

✅ A 10min walk during his lunch break

✅ A list of go-to orders at restaurants around his work – so he would always have a good option even in a pinch

✅ Push-ups off the countertop every time he brushed his teeth.

And while these actions may seem small, they had an outsized impact. They allowed us to build consistency and practice overcoming obstacles FIRST, then we could worry about optimizing for outcomes LATER.

And that’s where the real magic happens—not just in physical change, but in mindset:

“I’m the kind of person who shows up.”

“I can trust myself to follow through.”

“I know how to get back on track when life happens.”

Ask ​any of our most successful clients​, and they’ll say the biggest change wasn’t just in their body.

Their biggest change was actually in how they thought about fitness, habits, and who they believed they could become.

🕳 The Pitfall

When we start with trying to optimize, doing everything “perfectly” right from the get-go, it can feel like we’re drowning and not able to keep up.

That just reinforces the belief that we aren’t able to make any changes. That we’re just one of the people who “this stuff doesn’t work for.”

That’s the exact trap we are trying to avoid!

Of course, everyone’s starting point is different. You may be able to jump right into a multiple day per week workout routine, or more aggressive nutrition changes.

The point isn’t to FORCE yourself to take on less than you are capable of – it’s to make sure you can balance “challenging” with “doable” so you can build belief in yourself and the process.

Fast forward two years, and Ben’s routine looks much different from where we started.

  • He now does a strength workout 4x/week in the morning before work
  • He goes through periods where he tracks his calories and macros, and others where we take a more relaxed approach with a general focus on getting plenty of protein, fruits and vegetables each day
  • He prioritizes sleep and gets over 8,000 steps each day

While Ben has gotten stronger, lost over 30lbs, and seen his blood markers improve – it all started with the most important thing: building momentum.

🎬 Where do I start?

So where does that leave you, today? Here’s how I’d approach it.

✅ Acknowledge the real challenges and constraints on your time and energy.

This isn’t a “rah-rah” approach to ignore all the hard stuff. Recognize that it’s OK and NORMAL to feel this way. (Steve actually just wrote about the ​“Notice and Name” concept​ here.)

✅ Start with practice—not perfection.

Focus on a repeatable action (like a short strength session, or protein at two meals), not just the result you want. Think of it like practice. You won’t be perfect. You’ll make mistakes. And that’s all part of it.

✅ Create visual proof of your effort.

In our coaching program, clients check off tasks each day and we can see visible progress of their effort.

If you don’t have a coach, we love using something we call the Jar of Awesome:

Drop a marble (or paperclip, or coin) in a jar every time you do something aligned with your goals.

It’s a way to see your consistency and progress, even before the mirror or the scale reflects it.

✅ Celebrate the small wins.

You walked today?

Ate mindfully?

Skipped the all-or-nothing spiral after a rough day?

That’s a win worth acknowledging. The process leads to the result.

If you’re feeling stuck right now, or even hopeless, let’s see if we can flip the script.

We’ll start small. We’ll celebrate the effort.

And we’ll build that momentum back together.

You’ve got this.

And if you want help choosing your first “quick win,” just shoot me a message and I’ll help you find it.

– Coach Matt

The post “What if I fail again?” first appeared on Nerd Fitness.



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Tuesday, May 27, 2025

When your body won’t cooperate

  May 27, 2025    

I’ve dealt with back pain for over 20 years.

It started back in high school—warming up for a soccer match, everything felt fine… and then *SNAP*, my back seized up. I had no idea what had happened. All I knew was: it hurt, I could barely move, and I was scared.

That moment started a lifelong journey of learning about fitness, mobility, injury prevention—and also, learning how to cope when you realize that not everything is within your control.

I learned how to train better. I ate a nutritious diet. I prioritized sleep and regularly kept up with the corrective exercises prescribed by my doctors and physical therapists. But even though I was doing “everything right” – every 6–24 months, I’d get hit with a serious back flare-up. Sometimes it would last for a couple of days. Sometimes, I would wrestle with it for YEARS.

The last one was the worst.

I spent months twisted in a literal C-shape. I couldn’t stand up straight. I couldn’t move like I wanted to. And more than the physical pain, it was the mental spiral that got me.

“Am I going to be stuck like this?”

“How long will it take this time?”

“Who even am I if I can’t move or teach or coach like I used to?”

It messed with my identity in a way I wasn’t even fully aware of in the beginning.

I’m the trainer. The coach. The guy who teaches others how to move well. I’m the dad who wrestles on the floor with his kids. Who takes care of the physical labor around our home.

Now I was working from bed and questioning if I’d ever feel “normal” again.

Eventually, I did get out of pain again (not everyone does). And it taught me some valuable lessons.

What I’ve learned:

✅ Playing the hand you’re dealt.

Turns out I have congenital spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal canal). I didn’t cause it. I can’t “fix” it. But I can build a plan around it. Physical therapy and strength training are a lot alike! In it’s simplest form, it’s all a version of “exposure therapy.” Stress your body just enough, and in the right ways, to get the response you want. Not too much, not too little.

Over time, I’ve learned the movements that are more likely to cause a flare-up. And I can organize my training to build a bigger “buffer” of strength and mobility in that area.

It’s not what I would have chosen for myself. But it’s the best way I know how to respond.

✅ Recovery is mental as much as it is physical.

Don’t discount the mental and emotional toll that an injury takes on you or a loved one. You can do all the “right things” and still feel like you’re not making progress if your brain is flooded with pain, fear, frustration, or shame. You may not even recognize the impact it’s having on you! I often felt like I was handling everything great. But my loved ones could see the toll the mental stress (let alone the physical pain) was taking on me.

I learned this phrase from a mentor of mine, and it still resonates with me to this day. “Start where you are. Do what you can. Use what you have.” It’s way easier said than done, but falling back on this mindset helped me in some of my darkest moments.

✅ Movement is still worth fighting for.

Even when it takes months. Even when it’s slower than I’d like. Even if exercise doesn’t look the same as it did before. It’s still worth working towards.

The mental and physical benefits of movement, in any form I can do it, are too powerful to ignore.

✅ The same solution doesn’t work every time.

This was one of the hardest ones to learn. There was no “one size fits all” solution to my pain.

  • Sometimes heat helped. Sometimes it didn’t.
  • Sometimes an exercise would feel GREAT. Sometimes, it would feel AWFUL.
  • Sometimes, anti-inflammatory oral steroids helped. Sometimes they didn’t.

This made me learn to approach each new flare-up like an experiment. To take each DAY as a small test of what I could do. And this is the same approach we’ve learned to take with our own clients – even those not dealing with an injury or chronic condition. What worked for them in the past can give us clues, but it might not be the best current solution for what they need.

More than anything, this made me a better coach.

I understand now—really understand—how people with chronic pain or injuries feel.

The fear, the doubt, the grief of losing part of what makes you you.

That perspective made me more empathetic, more flexible, and more helpful–and it’s something I’ve tried to pass on to our entire coaching staff here at Nerd Fitness.

If you’re dealing with pain, setbacks, or feel like your body’s betrayed you lately, I see you.

It might take longer than you’d like.

It might look different than it used to.

But you can still build strength, confidence, and momentum even now.

And if you ever need help figuring out how to do that in a way that fits your body, your history, and your reality? I’d love to help.

Just shoot me a message.

– Coach Matt

The post When your body won’t cooperate first appeared on Nerd Fitness.



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Tuesday, May 20, 2025

We changed our minds about this 💪

  May 20, 2025    

Coach Matt Myers from Team Nerd Fitness here.

In case you missed my email from a couple of weeks ago, Steve asked me to write some more focused fitness and nutrition content for the Rebellion.

Last time, I talked about 3 Key Lessons I’ve learned from over 15 years of coaching – and how they can set you up for success.

This week, I want to highlight some significant updates to two of our most popular articles on building muscle:

And honestly? These changes are long overdue.

If you’ve ever felt confused about what to do in the gym—or frustrated by conflicting advice—this email is for you.

Let’s break down the two biggest updates:

🏋️‍♂️ Machines vs. Free Weights: Both Are Awesome

We used to be a little snobby about free weights.

(Don’t worry, past us. We forgive you.)

But new research[1] [2][3] and years of coaching experience have made one thing clear:

Machines and free weights are both great tools.

Machines can be:

  • Safer for beginners
  • Easier to learn
  • And just as effective for building muscle

So, if you’re working out in a gym and feel more comfortable using machines? That’s totally valid.
​
Of course, free weights are also awesome.

The best tool is the one that works for you.

🔁 Reps: You’ve Got More Range Than You Think

For years, we stuck with the standard advice given in most textbooks:

“Lift in the 8–12 rep range for muscle growth.”

That’s still a great range—but it’s not the only one.

New studies show that you can build just as much muscle doing anywhere between 5 and 30 reps—as long as you’re pushing yourself close to failure (within 1-3 reps) by the end of each set.

So whether you’re lifting heavier weights for fewer reps, or lighter weights for more reps… you’re on the right track if you’re working hard.

This change opens up a lot more flexibility in how you train—and makes strength training feel way more accessible (especially if you have limited access to different weights, machines, etc.!)

We break all of this down (and more) in the updated articles.

And if you want the quick summary?

I put together a free 1-page Muscle Building FAQ with everything you need to remember.

Want a copy? Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll send you a link to all of our free guides.

Let’s build some strength together.

You’ve got this!

– Coach Matt

P.S. Want some help putting together a plan to build muscle and stay consistent? Take our coaching quiz to see who your fitness Yoda could be!

​

The post We changed our minds about this 💪 first appeared on Nerd Fitness.



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