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

Hey Legacy Lifters,

Welcome to this week's 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 wait 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 below 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 physically, mentally, and spiritually fit.

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 [Fat Loss Timeline]

How Much Fat Do You Have To Lose And How Long Will It Take?

For many years I lived in denial, believing I was only 5-10 lbs of fat loss away from having a great physique.

For several years I would fluctuate between 195-205 lbs. This was pretty easy to maintain for me.

I thought if I was 185-190 lbs I would be pretty ripped and strong.

Spoiler: I was wrong 👎🏼

My workouts weren't the problem to getting there.

Inconsistent 'yo-yo' dieting kept me from losing the fat I needed for several years. I would lose 5-10 lbs but 'something' would come up (a birthday, friend's wedding, vacation, etc). I would quickly gain weight back and feel like I was starting over.

Earlier this year, I finally decided to go all in on my body transformation.

I've been following The 10:10 Protocol that I created with great results.

My goal with this is dropping to 10% body fat while having a lifting total (deadlift + squat + bench) > 1010 lbs.

To be honest - it's required some discipline - but it's been effortless in that it's hardly felt like I'm even dieting.

The other night for Father's Day I had a pound of steak, a bunch of potatoes and veggies, and wrapped up the night with some dessert.

That isn't an exception or how I'm eating on special occasions. The protocol is designed to allow for those types of meals on a regular basis.

Like I said - it hasn't even felt like dieting 🤤🥩

Side note: I'm putting together a program that will walk you through the exact 10:10 Protocol step by step.

If your goal is to drop your body fat percentage, build your overall strength and lifting numbers, or both (without cardio, working out more than 3x/week, and while getting to actually eat like a man) - this program is designed for you.

Space will be limited for this program. If you're interested in dropping body fat and building muscle, click here to be the first to know about the 10:10 Program when it launches soon

How much fat you have to lose will largely depend on your goals.

I believe men should not be higher than 15% body fat, whether their goal is overall health, strength, longevity, or looking great.

If you want to have a body that you feel great in, with some visible abs, you'll probably have to get closer to 10-12% body fat as a guy.

Read below to see the progression of my numbers over the last 16 week cutting phase to help give you a better idea of how much weight (and fat) you might have to lose.

Body Fat and Strength Numbers:

• February 2024 (Start of Cutting Phase) 
  • Weight: 194 lbs
  • Fat Mass (estimate): 29 lbs
  • Muscle Mass (estimate): 96 lbs
  • Percent Body Fat (estimate): 15%
  • Strength:
    • Deadlift: 385 lbs x 6 reps (estimated 1RM = 450 lbs)
    • Squat: 345 lbs x 8 reps (estimated 1RM = 430 lbs)
    • Bench: 200 lbs x 8 reps (estimated 1RM = 250 lbs)
    • Estimated Total: 1130 lbs
• April 2024 (8 Weeks Into Cutting Phase)
  
  • Weight: 188 lbs
  • Fat Mass (InBody): 24.2 lbs
  • Muscle Mass (InBody): 95.2 lbs
  • Percent Body Fat (InBody): 12.8%
  • Strength:
    • Deadlift: 435 lbs x 4 reps (estimated 1RM = 480 lbs)
    • Squat: 365 lbs x 6 reps (estimated 1RM = 430 lbs)
    • Bench: 215 lbs x 6 reps (estimated 1RM = 255 lbs)
    • Estimated Total: 1165 lbs
• June 2024 (16 Weeks Into Cutting Phase)
  • Weight: 179 lbs
  • Fat Mass (estimate): 17 lbs
  • Muscle Mass (estimate): 93 lbs
  • Percent Body Fat (estimate): 9.5%
  • Strength:
    • Deadlift: 435 lbs x 3 reps (estimated 1RM = 470 lbs)
    • Squat: 355 lbs x 5 reps (estimated 1RM = 410 lbs)
    • Bench: 215 lbs x 4 reps (estimated 1RM = 240 lbs)
    • Estimated Total: 1130 lbs

TL/DR (My Takeaways and What I've Learned):

• I had much more fat to lose than I believed. Even at a healthy weight of 195 lbs I've had to lose twice the amount of fat than I originally anticipated to get down to ~10% body fat.
• It's been easier than I thought it would be, but also slower than I thought it would be. I assumed it would be hard, I'd always be hungry, or I wouldn't be able to stick with it. It's actually been pretty effortless fat loss with the protocol I developed and have been following. But it isn't a magic bullet. I've never lost more than ~1.5 lbs per week, but every week I've lost at least 0.5 lbs.
• I was relying on emotion/feeling instead of data. If you want to know exactly where you're at, check your starting weight and body fat percentage. Then you can do some math to determine how much fat you actually have to lose. Most men look and feel great at 10-12% body fat (if having an awesome physique is your goal). If your goal is general health, men should still aim to be under 15% body fat.
• If your goal is to get closer to single digit body fat percentage, you're going to lose some muscle and strength along the way. I've certainly lost some muscle size and strength that has been most notable on my squat. In general, you can expect that 10-20% of the weight you lose will come from muscle. If you're not following the proper protocol, it can actually be much higher than this. For most men, losing a little bit of strength (or simply maintaining like I've been able to do) is an easy tradeoff to look ripped and confident.
• There are plenty of ways to get to your goal of a great body composition and high levels of strength. If you're interested in having me coach you through the exact 10:10 Protocol I've been using through this process, click here to learn more as the new program launches. 

🧠 RENEW [Long Game Mindset]

When Should You Push And When Should You Play It Safe In Your Workouts?

There was a time in my life when I felt the need to always be improving in my workouts.

I believed that every time I went to the gym it should be a new PR (personal record).

This probably stems from my college football background, and my desire to get on the all-time lifting record board.

But even after my college football days, I've pushed too aggressively at times.

While you can't prevent all injuries when you're active, you certainly can increase your risk when you fall into 'ego lifting'

These are those times you know you probably shouldn't go heavier, but you do it anyways.

In my life this has been mainly due to being prideful or to avoid facing feelings of failure if I'm not improving all the time.

Here's an example I've seen play out all too often in my own life:

Scenario 1 - Short-Term Focus (where I've been on many occasions):

• 4-6 days per week lifting heavy
• Attempting 1-3 rep maxes several times per month
• More is better mentality
• Working out more or extra cardio so that I could eat more
• Try to set a PR every time in the gym....I mean if you're not getting better you're getting worse right?!
• 2-3 months of crushing it followed by 4-6 weeks of working around an injury or setback
  • 3 months of working out 4x/week hard, followed by 6 weeks of significantly modified workouts = <140 quality workouts per year (with more frustration and arguably less results)

Scenario 2 - Long-Term Focus (where I'm currently at): 

• Working out no more than 3 days per week
• Following RPT principles that combine powerlifting and bodybuilding without wrecking my body (which will be covered in-depth with the upcoming launch of the 10:10 protocol)
• Less is more mentality
• Having strategies in place with my diet to allow for easy fat loss (without working out more)
• Adopting a 'live to see another day' mindset. If I don't PR today, or have my best day, the key to long-term success is staying healthy and not missing workouts due to injury or setbacks.
• Haven't missed a workout due to setback or injury in almost 18 months
  • 3x/week without missing = >150 quality workouts per year

I've been too short-term focused to lose sight of the incredible results that can come with long-term and compounding effort.

If you want results that last, stop asking "how many times can/should I workout this week?" and start asking "how can I set up my workouts in a way that allow me to workout the most over the next 5 years?"

You'll be surprised that you can actually get there faster and stay fit for life when you realize the power of long-term consistency.

⚔️ TRANSFORM [Stoplights]

Are You Waiting For Green Lights or Red Lights?

There have been too many times in my life where I've waited for God to give me the green light.

I've waited for the perfect opportunity to come up.

I've waited for the time to be just right.

I attended a life changing event in January 2023 called Warrior Evolution that forever changed my view on this.

One of the guys going through the event with me said:

"God doesn't give green lights. He gives red lights."

It was such a simple statement that stuck with me.

How often are you...

Waiting for permission?

Waiting for a guarantee?

Waiting to start until you have every single step mapped out?

I'm speaking to myself here 🙋🏻‍♂️

For so much of my life I've waited for the path to be perfectly clear before starting.

Yet Proverbs says 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.'

With certainty comes inaction.

Sometimes you need to simply take the next best step.

And then the next one.

And the next one.

And trust that God is good and will redirect you if you're going the wrong way.

There is a cost to failure.

But there is a bigger cost to inaction.

We think too much about failure, and not enough about inaction.

Quit waiting for your green light.

Go take action before you're 'ready' and see what God can do.

Be The Standard,

Dave

**Note, the above hyperlinks for the 10:10 program will only work if accessed from the original email that was sent out. If you're interested in the 10:10 program, or other upcoming program launches, click here to fill out an interest form**