This was reposted from our popular Newsletter: The Standard. Sign Up By Clicking Here Today

Hey Legacy Lifters,

Welcome to another edition of The Standard: The Disciplined Road To Building Stronger Kingdom Men.

It's not enough to wait until the time is right to start getting ready.

If you're waiting to get ready, it might be too late when your opportunity comes.

The standard is to stay ready: physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Below you'll see this covered across the physical - mental - spiritual pillars as BUILD - RENEW - TRANSFORM.

Neither one is enough on its own. Yet it's also impossible to have one without the other.

If you're ready to stretch yourself to a higher standard, stick around to answer that call alongside other growth minded men looking to get jacked and lead their family well.

All it takes is one decision to change the future for yourself and your family.

Read it. Pick one thing that resonates. And go take action on it ⬇️

💪 BUILD [Free Weights vs Machines]

Which Is Better For Building Muscle?

There has long been a debate about which is better when it comes to building muscle.

I think this is a pointless argument, because both free weights and machines have their place in a well designed program.

However, I think the best programs will utilize free weights as the foundation, and then use machines to round off any imbalances.

You can get seriously strong and jacked on a free weight only program.

I think you can build some respectable muscle on a machine only program, but you won't be nearly as strong as if you utilized free weights as well.

One of the arguments for using machines is that they are safer.

To be honest, I don't think this argument holds up - both in research and in my experience.

There appears to be similar injury rates between Bodybuilders and Powerlifters. There seem to be higher injury rates among CrossFitters, Olympic Lifters, and even Runners (sorry to break it to you, running is not any 'safer' than lifting).

I think a lot of these arguments come down to a few misguided experiences:

• People that progress too fast, or lack proper technique, and end up hurting themselves. Lifting is very safe when you progress properly and do it with proper form.
• A neighbor/friend/family member that hurt their back deadlifting. "See, deadlifts are bad for your back!" You probably also have someone you know that doesn't do any exercise at all and has a bad back. I would argue it's not lifting that's leading to bad backs, but actually a lack of proper lifting and strengthening.
• People that don't want to take the time and face the discomfort that can come with lifting free weights. I can understand this one - if you don't like to push yourself or be uncomfortable in the gym, free weights are probably not for you. You just won't be as strong and fit as you're capable of being if you choose the no lifting route.

Let's break down when to use each:

Free Weights (to include barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and even other tools like sandbags)

Pros

• Are often the foundation of a good strength/muscle building program
• Better for building overall strength that will more likely translate to daily activities
• Recruit more stabilizer muscles to perform properly, thus building a more durable body
• Time efficient, as they recruit more muscles
• Lifting heavy free weights just makes you feel like more of a man and helps with confidence. Facts.

Cons

•  Can take longer to become proficient with technique
• When done incorrectly can lead to more injury
• If you don't know what you're doing, you might end up on a viral 'gym fail' video

Machines

Pros

• Machines can better isolate certain muscle groups, thus helping round off any imbalances in your physique or strength
• Utilizing the tension of machines or cables provides a different form of resistance that can strengthen different parts of the range of motion
• Machines can be easier on your nervous system. If you're low on sleep, stressed, or feeling worn down - I find machines to be easier on my body 

Cons

• You won't get as strong as you can with machines alone
• Machines can lead to more injury or poor movement patterns if they aren't set up right for your body type (sorry very tall or very short people)
• You'll probably have to wait longer to use machines, as you'll be working out with everyone else that is avoiding free weights

TL/DR: Both can work for building muscle, but free weights will also work better for building overall strength. I'm biased, and I don't have a study to back this up, but men should know how to move some free weights around

🧠 RENEW [Don't Miss Twice]

How Do You Keep From 'Falling Off The Wagon'?

Rarely does one missed workout, one night of overeating, or one day of sleeping through your alarm get you in trouble.

Those that appear disciplined are not perfect - they're just consistent. 

And they weren't always that way.

They have simply set up the right habits, and stuck to them long enough, to see momentum and results in that area.

And the more momentum and results you see in a given area - the easier it is to fall in love with it.

For me, working out is an easy habit to stick with.

Thankfully, between sports and an early passion for fitness, I developed the habit of working out at least 3x/week at a young age. 

I love to workout.

For anyone else that's developed this habit, you know that it actually becomes harder to not workout (for more on this, you can read on my experiences of 'When Healthy Becomes Unhealthy')

However, when it comes to my health, eating the proper quantities of food is a habit I'm still building even today.

I've bounced around from so many different diets and eating styles over the years without being able to stick to them for the long-term.

Without fail, the biggest variable wasn't falling off of my diet one time. It was falling off multiple times in a row.

My failures were not missing once, but missing twice (or more).

There is no magic number for how long it takes to develop a new habit.

This study found that the time it takes for a habit to become 'automatic' ranges from 18 to 254 days.

How many people want things to be easy and automatic at day number 18, and how many are willing to stick to it 254 days to make their habits stick?

You may be asking yourself how you can be perfect for 254 days in a row?

Surprisingly this study also found "Missing one opportunity to perform the behaviour did not materially affect the habit formation process."

Remember, it's not about perfection. But consistency. 

It takes a lot more discipline and willpower in the beginning.

The longer you do anything, the more automatic it comes.

If you want a motto to live by...

Don't. Miss. Twice.

⚔️ TRANSFORM [Who>What]

What's More Important: Who You Are or What You Do?

 “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.” - Proverbs 20:7 (NKJV)

What does it mean to be a righteous man that walks in integrity?

Integrity gets thrown around a lot in the self-help and business world as a value that is worth striving for. Everyone wants integrity and excellence, but what does that really mean, and more importantly - what does it require to obtain it?

If you say you want to be a person of integrity, which should be high or at the top of every man’s list of desired character traits, you better first know what you’ll need to sacrifice to become that man.

Jesus talked about the importance of first counting the cost when it comes to being a disciple.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’” - Luke 14:28-30 (NIV)

Do you leave things unfinished or have your commitments gotten watered down - whether those commitments are to yourself or to other people?

A man of integrity doesn’t just start things. He sees things all the way through. He finishes things that he’s committed to finishing.

Integrity is defined as the state of being whole and undivided.

Looking past the dictionary definition, what does that really require?

• Your actions match your words: you do what you say you will do when you say you will do it. This applies to both your spoken words to others as well as your internal commitments you’ve made to yourself
• You are the same person in private as you are in public: you don’t put a front up or act differently around other people
• There is no disconnect between different areas of your life: you operate with the same values spiritually, physically, mentally, relationally, financially, and in your work. That means if you claim to operate with excellence in your workplace, you should be also operating with excellence in your relationships and your physical health (not skipping workouts, date nights, etc)

Becoming a man who lives with integrity will transform your life today. Your relationship with God and with others will improve. Your body will demonstrate strength and confidence. Your work and finances will improve. All areas will begin to spiral upward.

But it will also do so much more than that. Proverbs 20:7 says that your children will be blessed after you.

When I read that, I immediately see LEGACY.

If you want to leave behind more than nice things, good memories, and a financial inheritance to your children - it will require integrity.

Jesus says “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” - Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

To truly bless your children with a legacy that can’t be taken away, instead of just things you leave behind that are temporary, you need to focus on living with followable integrity that they can learn from. And that doesn’t come from your words, but from your actions.

Becoming the man you’ve been called to be for those around you is no easy task or small undertaking. But you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t know there was something more for you, your family, and what you will leave behind.

Both who you are and what you do matters. A lot.

But in order to do more you have to first become more - and that starts with integrity.

Be The Standard,

Dave

P.S. If you've enjoyed these new editions of The Standard - nothing would support the newsletter more than forwarding this email to a friend or sending them this link (if you received this email from a friend, click that same link to sign up for weekly emails like this)