This is the fittest I’ve ever been.

But it’s not what I imagined it would look like when I started this journey 14 years earlier.

At that point, I’d been lifting for 14 straight years. I started in 2003 with one goal: look better.

But by 2008, I’d shifted completely—I was obsessed with performance.

I didn’t just want to look pretty...
I wanted to be capable.

And by 2017, I was:

• Deadlifting over 2x my bodyweight

• Bench pressing 300 lbs

• Chin-ups with +100lbs at a bodyweight of 215

• Training Jiu Jitsu 3–4x/week and competing

• Running a 23:00 5K

I felt great about what I could do…

But honestly?

I Didn’t Like Taking My Shirt Off at the Pool

Even after 14 years of lifting—and coaching clients for 8 of those—I still didn’t feel confident in my appearance.

I told myself I didn’t care how I looked.

But that was a lie. I cared deeply.

So why couldn’t I just admit it?

Because somewhere along the way, I picked up this belief:

Maybe you’ve felt that too?

Like it's vain or shallow to train for aesthetics?

That belief held me back for years.

Until something finally snapped me out of it.

The Turning Point: A Contest… and a Reminder

In 2018, I entered a transformation contest with ~100 other gym owners.
We threw in money, got coached by Dr. Trevor Kashey’s team, and went all-in.

Winner got $75K to upgrade their gym.

I trained purely for aesthetics for 12 weeks—and it lit me up.

That fire I felt back in 2003? It came roaring back.

That contest didn’t just transform my physique—it shifted my philosophy.

3 Big Lessons That Changed Everything

1. Be Honest and Intentional

For years, I hoped strength and endurance would accidentally give me the body I wanted.

It didn’t.

We don’t build bodies (or businesses or relationships) by accident.

You have to own what you want and go directly after it.

2. It’s Not Either/Or

The fitness world often sells this binary:

And there are those that will tell you that the minute you put any sort of aesthetic goal into the mix…

You immediately become fragile, weak and unhealthy.

Dude, I don’t have time right now to discuss how ridiculous that thought is, I will in the future.

But for now, know this-

You can be strong, functional, healthy and look like a damn superhero.

In fact, I want to help you figure out your own ideal blend of:

✅ Longevity
✅ Performance
✅ Aesthetics

That’s the foundation of MetaPhysique.

3. When You Look Good, You Feel Good

We all know this logically.

But when it clicks emotionally—your world shifts.

Whatever you feel inside gets projected out into the world, onto other people.

And the world, and those people, mirror that back to you.

For years I was insecure about my appearance, ashamed of my “unmanly” desire to want to look better, and harshly judged myself for my shortcomings.

What do you think I was projecting into the world at that point?

Do you think it’s easier or harder to connect with others and build relationships when you feel this way?

But simply acknowledging my desire to look better created a massive shift.

The shame I carried for wanting to look better?

Gone.

As my physique improved, I stopped hiding. I showed up more confident and open in my marriage, business, and relationships.

That’s the power of letting yourself want what you want—and going after it.

A New Lens on Training

It’s not about choosing one goal at the expense of others.

It’s about aligning your efforts to create a version of fitness that serves your life.

We can create our own blend of Longevity, Aesthetics and Performance.

We can all put the pieces together in a way that is meaningful and appropriate for us as individuals.

That’s what the MetaPhysique Venn Diagram is all about:

We can choose to be chase after one piece in exclusion of the others…

We can choose to be right in the middle of the and balance all three…

Or we can have different focuses for different parts of the year of different seasons of life.

It’s entirely up to each one of us as individuals. 

But in order to play our game, we have to first define our game.

Which means being completely unashamed and intentional about what we want.

Want to Go Deeper?

Here are some follow-ups I think you’ll love:

• The Big Lie – The mindset mistake that keeps men frustrated with their physique. This is one of the most well received pieces I’ve ever written (15-min read)
  

• Too Cool To Care 3 Misconceptions About Building a Badass Physique – What’s really holding you back (5-min read)
  

• Why Abs Don’t Matter – The pursuit of “lean” isn’t always the answer (5-min read)

And if you want the whole system laid out for you in one place?

📘 Grab the MetaPhysique Book

Catch you next week,