Stowe Personal Training

Happy Saturday!

We had a ton of fun last weekend going to Houston—even though it felt like it took me the entire week to feel back to “normal.”

Saturday was a looong one.

Started with an early morning workout…
Then straight to the Museum of Natural History so Ella could see some dinosaurs (I have never seen anyone so endlessly happy—my heart completely melted)…
Followed by lunch with family and friends…
And then—because why not?—we wrapped it all up with a Morgan Wallen concert sitting on the 10-yard line at NRG Stadium with what had to be close to 100,000 people.

Only problem?

The show didn’t even start until 9:30PM.
And I go to bed at 9. 

Still… one of those weekends I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

But you know what I’ll remember almost as much?

Being on a calorie deficit and having to restrict even more the next few days to “pay it back.”
Basically thinking I don’t get to eat for 3 days.

And it reminded me of a question a client asked that really got me thinking:

“Why are you even doing this?”

It’s a fair question.

So here’s the real answer—starting with part two.

I’ve been getting false information for years.

Every body fat test I ever took told me I was sitting around 14–15%.
Right where I wanted to be.
Lean enough to avoid all the early-death risk factors, but still able to live a “normal” life. You know—beer, bacon, pizza. In that order.

Then I did a top-level scan… expecting the usual 14–15% like always.
But when the number 25% popped up on the screen?
I thought the machine was broken.
Spoiler: it wasn’t.

You see, I’d been quietly wondering if I had body dysmorphia.

Because the mirror didn’t match what the numbers said.
I didn’t look like 15%. I didn’t feel like it either.
But the numbers said I was fine, so I figured it was in my head.

Nope.

Turns out I was right to trust my eyes—and my instincts.
I wasn’t where I thought I was. And once I saw the real data, I decided to fix it.

But even that isn’t the full reason I’m doing this.

The truth is… in this industry, people judge the book by the cover.

And no one cares how strong you are (I can deadlift 400+ with ease),
how flexible you are (I can fold like origami),
or how healthy your heart is (resting heart rate in the low 50s)…
if you’ve got 20–25% body fat, you’re invisible.
Even if you’re running literal circles around the abs guy.

So I set a goal.

Get down to that top 1% body-fat range.
Not forever—just for a day. Long enough to snap photos in different shorts, different light, different locations.
Then I’ll settle back into 12–15% and be a normal person again.

Because that’s the game.
And I’m playing to win.

But if there’s a takeaway here, it’s this:

Don’t assume the person with abs has it all figured out.
Unless it’s me—once I finally get these abs. Then obviously I’ve cracked the code…;-)

But the truth is, I’m doing stuff right now I’d never recommend long-term to a client. I haven’t hit my daily fat minimum in over a week. And sure, that can wreck your hormones fast… but when taking my shirt off basically turns me into a walking anatomy chart?!? Totally worth it. (For like 3 days.)

Instead, judge coaches by their client results.
By their ability to make the complex simple.
And by how consistently they’re willing to put their ideas out in public.