Ep. 33. Q&A: Train With A Target.

Ep. 33. Q&A: Train With A Target.

Training feels monotonous when we stop chasing a clear target, so we talk about how to create a goal that makes workouts matter again. Then we get practical about bulking after 40, smart questions around TRT, and what “metabolism” actually means when you’re trying to change your body. 

• setting a calendar goal to force new training and renewed focus 
• asking why you train to find a real north star 
• learning a new movement skill to make lifting fun again 
• using social media to discover training ideas, then getting coached 
• bulking basics that do not change with age 
• progressive overload in simple terms 
• pushing hard without turning every session into a grind 
• TRT as a serious decision rooted in data, habits, and medical guidance 
• metabolism as energy use, with muscle as a key lever 
• eating more protein, moving more, and lifting to protect bone density 
• why “getting bulky” is harder than most people think 

If you have any other questions, we'd love to hear from you. Shoot us a messageover on Instagram. 

Subscribe to the podcast. Appreciate you all listening. 

Transcript

Why Training Gets Boring

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Lifting gets monotonous or boring when like you you're not chasing a goal. You're not you don't have it like what are you looking forward to? I think we all have to have something to look forward to in life, whether that's working out or taking a vacation or whatever it may be. Like we have to have we're as humans, like we were made to like do things.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

I'll take bold over bald. Is it beautiful?

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Shots fired. Speaking of that, I watched Love is Blind and uh Nick Lachey threw out threw some uh shade. And one of the guys, he I just thought it was funny. He was dude sitting there, he's like, dude, I'm catching strays. I was like, yeah, dude. Anyway, if you watched Love is Blind, my wife maybe. And it's honestly pretty funny. There's a couple

Three Listener Questions Set Up

SPEAKER_00 1:20

guys on there that are jerks. But anyway, we're not talking about that today, right? We're talking fitness mainly. We've actually got, I think we're gonna try to hit three questions. Yep. Um, do you want to go ahead and read those off? That way people can kind of know where we're gonna go in this in this episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Yeah, I'll read the three off. We we're gonna stick uh, you know, fitness, a little bit nutrition here, but at least keep the three within those guidelines so that we can have a focus episode here. Number one uh submitted was I've been training for over 10 years. How do I make training less monotonous? Number two, tips for balking after 40 and thoughts on TRT. Three is what is metabolism and how do you increase it?

unknown 2:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

I think these are this is a good like broad range of topics within fitness.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Yep.

Break Monotony With A New Goal

SPEAKER_00 2:12

I think the first one, this person said they've been training for 10 years. How do you make it less monotonous? And obviously, my guess would be that over these 10 years they've probably done the same style. Um so for myself, I I have a little bit different background than most people. I've pretty much done every style you can think of, and I've probably made some stuff up along the way. So my the the training less monotonous, my number one piece of advice would ask why. Why is it monotonous? Because mostly what they're saying, in my opinion, would be that they're just doing the same thing, and it's either boring or they're just like, I'm you know, plateaued, I'm not seeing the results I want. But I would say when hearing that, it's mainly just saying like I'm kind of bored. So my number one thing would be what was the last thing when was the last time you tried something new?

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Yeah, I mean, my my head goes to because I'm this way. Like I hate doing I I trained very similar for a long time. And then, you know, I I got good at I I and then it got to the point where like I only did the lifts I was really good at, right? Uh which I think a lot of people fall into that category, and you don't want to try new things because either you're not good at them, you're weak at them, or um, they don't aesthetically do a whole lot for you. So people kind of just push those off to the wayside. I'll tell you my answer to this and how I would you know tell someone to tackle it the same way I did was sign up for something that's outside your comfort zone. Or sign up for something that's different that you've never done before. For me, the first time I did that was I signed up for a marathon. Not a runner, way heavier than a runner, but I wanted to try a different training modality along with what I was already doing, but I knew that it would push me outside of my comfort zone to have to train differently to be able to show up and perform on that date on the calendar. And I think maybe that's something that a lot of people fail to do is to put something on the calendar that they have to show up for. Yeah, I love that. And then the training either it speaks for itself. You're gonna show up prepared or you're not. And so the training that has to go into that is going to be different than the norm, and it's gonna at least you have that, you know, that character chase or whatever you want to call it to change your training to do something different.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

Yeah, I I think that's awesome advice because the number one thing that it would do is it would change your mentality around training. So if you sign up for something that you're not comfortable with, it automatically flips this switch of like, well, then what do I have to do different? And I think that's the question that when somebody's like, well, I'm bored with my training, they think of like, oh, well, maybe I'll do a new program that is similar to what I'm already doing, or I don't really know what to do. And the truth is, like, when was the last time you thought outside the box of what you've been doing? And signing up for something forces you to think outside the box. And what it a lot of times what people would do is they'll Google, like, well, what should I do to run a marathon? And most likely, that if you're not a runner, that training looks much different than what you've done. And that I think getting outside of what's comfortable is what changes what's monotonous.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

I think I would my follow-up question to this person would be why do you train? Like, what are you training for? You know, it's like if they can't really answer that question, I think that's a great place to start. Because so I think so often a lot of people, just like the historical like gym culture or gym bro, is like I want to I lift to be strong. Well, cool, but like what are your goals? You know, I think I think lifting gets monotonous or boring when like you you're not chasing a goal, you're not, you don't have it, like what are you looking forward to? I think we all have to have something to look forward to in life, whether that's working out or taking a vacation or whatever it may be, like we have to have we're as humans, like we were made to like do things.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

So my my follow-up would be all right, let's pretend this person's like, I don't want to sign up for something, I don't want to do anything else. Well, what I would probably say is like, okay, there's this, there's these platforms online that have lots of people telling you what you should do, what you could do, and there's probably a lot of people doing something you've never seen done. So what I would say is go on social media and actually use it to find something that looks really cool that you want to learn, and then find somebody who knows how to do it and can teach you. So if you're scrolling and you're watching somebody with dumbbells and they're doing something, or there's a kettlebell, or they're doing this movement where you're like, wow, like that would be really cool to be able to do. Okay, awesome. Find a gym or find a person that you know can do that well and say, Hey, can you teach me how to do this? Like, I think a lot of times we make it really complicated, and the truth is you probably have things in front of you all the time that you're like, I don't know how to do that, or I don't just look at it. If you don't want to sign up for something, if you don't want to put yourself in that position, go go look at something that you wish you knew how to do. It's like learning a new skill, learning a new game. Think of working out like learning pickleball or going out and playing catch with a kid. Like it doesn't have to be you're out there playing the game, it could just be like, hey, I just want to be in the I just want to be in it, see what it feels like. So to me, I think it it would come down to utilizing social media for the benefit of finding out what looks potentially fun for you, and then try it. And it might not be, but now you got a new tool in your tool belt. Right. I look at movements as tools. So when is the best time to use it? I don't know. You gotta do it enough times to figure out how you can use it, and then you might realize like I hate that tool and throw it out. That's cool. Like you might realize you found a new tool, and this is a way better hammer than the one that you had.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

Cool. Yep.

Use Social Media To Learn Skills

SPEAKER_01 8:37

Question two, and I'm gonna let you answer it first because you fall into the age bracket. We can change the age. Okay, even though it legitimately this was the this was what are your top tips for bulking after 40? And then we'll get into thoughts on TRT.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Yep. So it's basically a two-parter. Um, my tips for bulking after 40 doesn't change for if you're before 40. Um I if we're talking, I'm gonna go just speak on the age thing. The main reason why people act, I can say this, I'm 42. Okay. I mean, I've been in here a couple years now. I I know with us like Jake over here, he's he's in there too. Um the main reason why people start to utilize age as an issue is because they quit doing the thing that they're asking how to fix. Hey, how do I bulk? Because I don't lift anymore. I stopped doing that when I was 17, though I was a monster. I could show you pictures. Right? Like I eat like crap and I'm fat, but I want to be big and muscular, but I stopped eating well 10 years ago. Okay. Well, the younger you are, the less you have a long time to say you haven't done something. So it's a lot easier for older people to use age as their reason why they don't feel good about themselves. When the truth is, it's you should already be on the path that you're saying you hope to get back onto. You should just never get off of it. So for somebody who's saying to me, like, hey, how do I bulk? My number one assumption is that you're obviously lifting, you're you're probably eating fairly well. And when I say

Bulking After 40 Made Simple

SPEAKER_00 10:12

lifting, like you're lifting in the gym, working out. This isn't somebody who's coming to me saying, Oh, I'm sitting at home and I'm just deciding. Number one is lift heavier and eat more.

SPEAKER_01 10:25

That's it. Yeah, don't overcomplicate it.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

No, and and the okay, the the follow-up question from this person might be like, well, how do I lift more? And I would say, one, if you're the monotonous person, you do the Sammy's I thing every single time, whatever you're lifting right now, lift a little bit more tomorrow in every single lift that you've done. And if you've realized that that's slightly too heavy, then do it again the next week. And again the next week. And it and when you can, increase the weight slightly. I'm talking one to five pounds and constantly do that. And what you will realize is you will naturally and and while doing that, increase your total reps or sets. So just increase your overall volume and increase your overall weight that you're lifting, and then you should naturally want to eat more and then just clean up what it is that you're eating. But that's lift heavier, eat more.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

Right. I mean, I think it it goes to the simple breakdown of what you just talked about is called progressive overload, right? It's constantly challenging your body to do a little bit more. And then when it comes to I I would I would probably ask a follow-up question here of like, are you looking to gain weight or gain muscle? What is the bulk? Or yeah, what what exactly is it? Because bulking for a power lifter or a bodybuilder, right, in in an off season looks a lot different than the normal person, right? So yeah, I think there's some couple a couple extra questions there to ask, but at the at the very basics of it, it's lift heavier, consume more calories.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

And when I was I you, I mean, I still work with a lot of people, but when I was closely working with a lot of people, one of the pieces of advice I would give, especially for somebody like this, is I I yeah, it's easy for me to say lift heavier every single time. But the truth is, what I would actually say is whatever you're doing, half the time you're doing it. So like let's say you are doing the same exact program, and on Monday, let's say it's Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, you work out, and those days are very similar each week. Well, one week, your Monday is just to kind of like make sure you still got it. And I would call it like your 50%. You're you're lifting what you normally lift, you're doing what you normally do, you're just making sure you're making sure you feel good, you're making sure you're moving well. Um, and then the other 50% of the time, so the next Monday, you make it really hard. Like you make it to where like you feel like you're gonna fail or you do fail. You make it to where you're lifting a weight that you've never tried before. You test yourself. You actually put yourself in an uncomfortable situation, an uncomfortable position that you're not normally used to being in, because growth happens when you're uncomfortable. And then you can alternate that. So this an easy way is just saying 50% of the time, make sure that you feel good and you're testing yourself what you've done before and you can still do it, and the other 50%, you're putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation, an uncomfortable position that's forcing you to improve. Yeah, I mean, I think I think that one's I think we nailed that one. Yeah. And then what are your thoughts on TRT?

SPEAKER_01 13:43

So I can't speak directly to TRT because I personally

Progressive Overload Without Overthinking

SPEAKER_01 13:48

have have never taken it, but this would be my take. Because I I am very familiar with all things peptides. Um TRT to me is it's not just a a quick fix that anybody can do. My my first thing would be like, are you controlling the controllables now? Diet, sleep, exercise. Like if you're executing on all those things and you're still at a point where TRT is low, I think it's a it can be a life-changing thing for a lot of people. But I also don't I would never like advocate for someone to start doing it because it's like the silver bullet or this magic pill, because it's not. I've seen people take it and they're like, oh my gosh, I got on on I gained 40 pounds. I'm like, well, yeah, what did you change in your lifestyle? Nothing. Okay. Like, you know, it's kind of the same thing when back in the day people talk about like anabolic steroids. Oh, that guy's on steroids. Yeah. Have you ever seen a guy who takes steroids but act that doesn't eat well? It doesn't work the same. No. Um, so that would be my my thoughts. Like, I am I am I am all for any um you know peptide or hormone therapy that's going to be life-changing for people. But I think it's certain ones are right for certain people and certain ones aren't. And that's where working with someone who knows what the heck they're doing, working with a doctor, doing it the right way, is really important.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

Yep. And I am not on TRT, nor have I ever. However, what I will say is that my number one question I would ask is why? Why do you want to take it? And

TRT Requires Basics And Blood Work

SPEAKER_00 15:34

the advice that I would give would kind of be like what I would give to somebody who said, you know, I want to be a great swimmer, and I'm not a good swimmer. But that doesn't mean I can't say, like, well, why do you want to be a great swimmer? And if they were just like, well, because um I like what it feels like when my feet are wet, and I'd be like, okay, can't you just like sit in the pool? And they're like, yeah, but like I feel like I feel like I, you know, should swim. Like, I want to swim across the ocean because I feel I like what it feels like when my feet are wet. I'd be like, it's kind of odd. So some people will be like, and that's a weird example, but what people will say, like, I want to use TRT because I had a friend who said it changed their life. And I'd be like, that's your why. Like, yeah, I want to have a life like they have. And I I would say I think you need a few other things first. So I think TRT in a lot of supplements, and I would say more in like the the I don't want to say extreme, but it kind of is in that it's a specific um drug that you would be using. And I think that you need to do a lot of different things before you go there. I think you have to have a lot more data, you need to have a lot more information in you, and it doesn't have to be like a big why. It could just be like, my why is because I want to, and here's why I think it'll be beneficial. This is all my information, here's all my blood work, here's all the numbers, here's what I've I've sat down with these people, this is what they've said, and I feel like it will help me in multiple ways. I'm not gonna argue that. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, but what I will say is a lot of people will use it because they have this idea of what it will do for them. It won't change you. Not in the way that you're hoping that it will. Right.

Metabolism Explained As Energy Use

SPEAKER_01 17:24

Number three, what is metabolism and how do you increase it?

SPEAKER_00 17:29

This was one I was actually in the gym, and I asked uh few ladies about this, and as we got talking, they're like, if you did a podcast on this, that would be amazing. So I want to hear what you think. We chatted a little bit, but what we how would you answer this for somebody?

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Well, it kind of goes it it reminds me of the you know, the after 40. Everyone's like, oh, when you hit 40, then your metabolism doesn't work, or this or that. Mine's 50. I mean, I I see kids who are 16, 17, 18 years old who I would say, look, if you were to add like their metabolism doesn't work. Um, and we can get into the nitty-gritty of this. I'll I'll let you kind of do that, but you know, metabolism to me, right, it it's in its simple form is just the rate of energy in which your body burns. Um that's my short answer. Yeah, and and and people always want like this aha moment.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Yeah, I know. So that's where, so just like with working out, right? You put two people next to each other and they do the same programming, but they look completely different, must be genetics, right? Metabolism, you could argue there is a there is genetics that have a play in it. Some people just have higher metabolism than other people. And we can break that, you know, age obviously factors into that. So then I always go back to why. So I can't answer why genetics would play into that, right? Like, okay, obviously, down your line of people that you were with, they did things that allowed you to have great genetics, and then other people did the reverse. I don't know. I actually don't even know if you saying it's your genetics is the reason why. What I do know is that with metabolism, it is energy use. Like it is a body utilizing energy. Well, what uses energy in the body? You can be like, well, a lot of things do, okay. What doesn't use energy in the body? And they're like, I don't really know. Fat? Yep. Fat doesn't do diddly squat. But every pound of muscle you have burns about six to ten calories a day. Now you're like, well, that's not that much. Yeah, but that's energy. So metabolism in its most basic form is muscle. So if you want to increase your metabolism, let's throw genetics out the window because we can't, it's such an arbitrary thing for people who are out of shape, don't look good, and aren't happy with themselves that they use it to put down people who are confident and happy with themselves. And I and I'm saying that in a very way that it's like if you are somebody who uses genetics as your excuse, realize it's your excuse.

Build Muscle To Raise Metabolism

SPEAKER_00 20:14

Because you do have the ability to make changes. I can't guarantee you that the change will make you as good as anybody else, but it will make you better than where you are. And that's the part we miss. And metabolism is just muscle. The more muscle you have, the more you can increase your metabolism. How fast? I don't know. Maybe you're somebody who burns four uh calories a pound, and maybe I burned 10 calories a pound. Okay, but the more muscle you have, that's more, that's more four calories every single time. You get rid of that fat, that's a lot of excess weight. We can we can become better by increasing our muscle. Not only that, but increasing your muscle mass helps with increase your bone density, which is a huge thing for women. The older you get, the main reason why people lose their metabolism as they get older is because they stop working out and they stop moving. It is not genetics. Your genetics were there when you were 12, playing around, running around, having fun. Okay? Now maybe you were overweight. We got more work we got to do. Like, I'm not it might take me a year to get myself in a great position, and it might take somebody with the same amount of work, same exact position, five years. Yeah, but you can still do it. And that sucks that it it there's different things that are in play. However, to me, if you just look at metabolism as energy, the thing that uses the most energy is muscle. So the more that we lift, the more that we are putting ourselves under load, the more that we are moving, constantly moving. This is just walking, too. That walking puts you under load, it helps with your bone. Like my number one thing for most people as they age, it is bone density and it is maintaining muscle. Well, protein, eat more protein. That's gonna help with your muscle. Move constantly. And if the more that we can maintain, so I think as we age, it is easier for us to lose muscle. We'll use age. As the reason why we're losing muscle. That's not true. It's because we're not trying to get more muscle.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Right. And I think one of the one of the examples I love to use, especially like with ladies, like you'll see the example of these girls who say, Yeah, I was eating 1200 calories a day, and I just couldn't, I wasn't losing weight, I wasn't getting the toned look that I wanted. And then you fast forward, they show like this before and after, and they're like, I'm eating 2200 calories a day and lifting, and I'm getting stronger, and it's like, yeah, because when you fuel that you're putting on muscle. And so many girls are like, Oh, I don't want to get bulky. You're not gonna get how it works.

SPEAKER_00 22:43

I no, I've wor I lift freaking heavy. I would say I lift heavier than you do. However, you are bigger than me. You'd be like, Yeah, but I lifted heavier when I was younger. I was amazing. I'd be like, cool, but I lift heavier right now than you more consistently, and you're bigger than I am. I okay, but that's I can't do anything about that. I'm trying, I'm trying. But it's really hard to get really big. Like, it is like if you looked at what I did and you're like, yeah, but like look at you. I'm like, yeah, look at me. I feel like I should be twice this size. If truly lifting got me huge and bulky, why am I not bulkier? Why am I not bigger? So when I see girls like lifting lightweights, I'm like, you aren't. My wife lifts really heavy. She is not huge. She is strong. She's not huge. And I think she totally knows. She's like, I can't get bulky. Like, somebody might call me strong and make maybe may say I'm I'm bulky, but I'm like, truthfully, no, it is very hard. Just like it's very hard for somebody who's taking steroids to still get freakishly strong and look really, really good because it's you're just I think when we add things into our lives, we add the element to make things easier and harder, right? If we don't do the right things, it shows up more on whether it's through our blood work, whether it's through I'm taking steroids and I'm gaining 20 pounds now because I'm not doing anything. It's like, yeah, like there's it's a double-edged sword. Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:19

You think that answers it?

SPEAKER_00 24:21

I hope so.

SPEAKER_01 24:22

What is metabolism?

SPEAKER_00 24:23

Energy. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism can be. That is it.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

That's it.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

If you don't have any muscle, get something. Doesn't need to be a lot, get something. It could be walking, it could be anything. You can do push-ups, it could be rucking. I mean, all that stuff. Anything that puts strain on you fighting harder against gravity is how you build muscle. Awesome.

Women Lifting Heavy And Bone Health

SPEAKER_00 24:51

Well, if you have any other questions, we'd love to hear from you. Um shoot us over on Instagram. We got at Braxton Cave. And I'm at Nikki Rankar. Subscribe to the podcast. Appreciate you all listening. See y'all.