What I Am Up To Now, January 2025

This post and the entire series highlight what I am doing/using/thinking as of right now in the areas of fitness & technology. If you care to compare or read the other posts in this series, refer to the category What I’m Up To Now.

Nutrition & Supplements

As noted last year, I stopped following a time-restricted (16:8)/intermittent fasting diet as I had used for about five years from 2018-2023 and moved to eating more often, particularly a large protein meal immediately upon waking. This is to maximize protein synthesis and eat for performance. I kept that up for every day of 2024 and have no plans to change. It has been very effective for improving health, appearance, and performance.

A daily eating regimen is what I would classify as high protein, moderate fat, moderate carbs. I try to get one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (at least 170 grams) then eat 2500-3000 calories. In order to maximize my intake, I generally eat the same thing every day with the exception of dinner, which is usually just meat plus fruit and vegetables, sometimes starches like potatoes or rice – whatever my family is having for dinner. A major theme is also to consume a lot of probiotics and fiber which I get from greek yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and/or popcorn. After hundreds of hours of podcasts, books, and articles on the benefits of protein, probiotics, and fiber, it’s clear to me this should be the baseline of all diets.

For supplements, what I am taking now I would call the minimums for active people trying to optimize, health, appearance and performance. Here is a quick rundown of what I take and why:

• Protein powder – to achieve protein and amino acid goals, easier than eating real food sometimes
• Greens mix – micronutrient delivery (like eating a bunch of vegetables and fruit)
• Collagen peptides – skin and hair appearance and joint health
• Creatine – Used to be for performance only, there are so many benefits to creatine now that it’s unquestionably the best supplement to take. Cheap, safe, very very effective at a ton of things for performance and health.
• Omega 3/Fish Oil – Cardiovascular health, cognitive function, training recovery. I don’t eat enough fish to get nearly enough of omega 3 fatty acids.
• Magnesium – Cognitive recovery, sleep, brain health, training recovery. Threonate is more for cognitive function vs the other variants.
• Vitamin D – So many benefits to vitamin D there isn’t room to list them all. Easy web search shows a ton of results. I don’t get enough sun all year so I take a supplement. It’s basically free anyway.
• Tongkat Ali – Testosterone support.
• Pre-workout: Improve performance (increased energy, reduce fatigue). Good pre-workouts don’t just get you jacked up with caffeine and, in fact, they rely on other things to reduce fatigue, increase blood flow, and improve performance in a specific session.

These run me $150-$200 per month. Money on your health is money well spent. You will notice I don’t take a specific multi-vitamin, which is because between my diet and greens mix, I am happy with my micronutrient intake. If you were on a reduced budget, I would recommend you try a multi-vitamin/mineral, creatine, and vitamin D at a minimum. Then I’d add magnesium, then greens mix. The tongkat ali is not required at all and maybe doing nothing for me, but it’s not expensive and from what I can tell has made a difference enough to keep paying for it. Finally, no one needs a pre-workout and you don’t want to get hooked on it per se where you feel like you can’t function in the gym without it. If you can afford it, it’s not a bad addition. I offer a cheaper pre-workout formula below.

A specific weekday of eating and supplementation is as follows:

0600: Protein drink containing:

• Two scoops of JOCKO MÖLK protein power (44 grams of protein)
• One scoop of Defranco’s Chocolately AF Clean Greens (the regular greens aren’t bad but the new chocolate formula is so much better in chocolate protein powder)
• 1 scoop (16.9 grams) of Momentous collagen peptides
• Five grams of creatine (been using either Jocko Fuel or Momentous)
• Pinch of salt
• I put all of this with 8 ounces of water in an Ice Shaker bottle (I got this free with a Jocko Fuel order and love it) and shake it up. Mixes perfectly, easy to clean, keeps cold things cold, hot things hot.
• I also drink about 4-6 ounces of coffee immediately after I drink this for the enjoyment and health benefits of coffee plus it cleans up the shaker bottle and gets the remaining nutritional goodness left over!

Finally, in this first meal I also take 1600 mg of Momentous Omega 3/Fish Oil and 400 mg of Momentous Tongkat Ali.

1000: 1 cup of pistachios in shells, 420 grams of fat free greek yogurt (usually Fage brand) & an apple (cosmic crisp is my current favorite)

1800: 6-10 ounces of chicken/beef/pork/fish and misc vegetables/sides and fruit. I also add in something fermented such as kimchi, sauerkraut, or kombucha most days.

1900:

• 2-4 ounces of Pilot Knob Farms popcorn (Direct link or Amazon). Check out the macros on that popcorn by the way – all fiber and protein! You need a popper like this one to pop it in a microwave. I like the blue better but the red kernels are smaller and also good. I would get some of both to try them.
• 145 mg of Momentous Magnesium Threonate
• 5000 IU of vitamin D (this is so basic that I am not spending a lot of money on it, so I get a simple inexpensive one)

A typical day would be around 2700 calories, 20-30% fat (30-50 grams), 30-40% carbohydrates (200-250 grams), 30-40% protein (200-250 grams), and 25-50 grams of fiber (mostly from the popcorn).

On the weekends, I eat with a similar mindset but not as structured, i.e. same protein shake and supplements upon waking, at least two large protein-containing meals (one of which is usually a homemade protein ice cream with fruit), popcorn and evening supplements, less than 3000 calories. We usually eat dinner out a few times each weekend, but I almost always choose a “healthy” option. I just don’t like how I feel after pizza or a large ice cream these days. So I eat interesting things but still care about what goes into my mouth, even on so-called “treat meals”. My weekend workouts are by far the hardest, so I need to care more about pre- and post-workout nutrition also.

I only take a pre-workout on the weekends as I train in the evenings after dinner on weekdays, so any stimulant will definitely not be good for my sleep. All year I primarily used Jocko’s pre-workout, which was good. It isn’t really that expensive ($1-1.50 per dose) and comes with all the key pre-workout things like caffeine, beta alanine, citrulline, and betaine anhydrous. Definitely no jitters as it has only 200mg of caffeine.

As an alternate, I also recommend a cheaper basic pre-workout of 200 mg of caffeine, 400mg of l-theanine, and 1000 mg of l-tyrosine. This is going to increase alertness and energy. The theanine and tyrosine smooth out the caffeine for less jitters and more potency. If you are a big caffeine consumer and 200mg isn’t enough, I wouldn’t go over 400mg but you could double the dose of caffeine. This is also a really good way of getting a precise amount of caffeine vs having coffee where you can’t know for sure your exact dosage.

Regarding supplements generally, I endorse four brands: Jocko Willink’s Jocko Fuel, Joe DeFranco’s Nutritional Supplements, Momentous, and Ben Greenfield’s Kion. I trust these a great deal and am happy to support them, so start there if you are looking for something I didn’t list above.

NOTE: I listed links to the Amazon store for Jocko Fuel because it’s easier I find for most people, but for military (active and former plus spouses), first responders, government employees, and teachers, we can get a 30% discount through GovX if you buy direct. See here for more info.

Sleep

Regularly getting seven to eight hours per night in a cool dark room. I protect my sleep as much as any other element of fitness. I use a good sleep mask to assist with some residual room light. Well worth the money. I have made this important for many years now. I am able to sleep at least an hour maybe two hours per day more now than in my last assignment since I don’t have to be at work at 0500 anymore. I can tell the difference in my training and recovery.

I have been using a 20lb weighted blanket as well, also highly recommended, when it’s cool enough to do so. I find it harder in the summer even with A/C, but in the fall and winter it’s not too hot.

Activity

I keep up with 10,000 steps per day which means I have a normal walking schedule to adhere to in order to ensure I get in enough movement. It is harder in the winter so I have to hit the treadmill in the garage or walk during work more. I wear a Box weight vest (I range it from 20-30 lbs) or GoRuck Rucker (30-40lbs) often (most days) for added effect. Also check out my Mission Capable Approved Footwear post to see what makes good shoes, which brands I recommend, and which shoes I am wearing.

I have used a standing desk since 2014 both at home and at work. At home I have a FlexiSpot standing desk and use the Topo mat with it as well. This is the preferred way to do the standing desk. It can be easily lowered if you want to sit (I don’t even have a chair anymore but one could), and it’s much easier to stand at a stable platform like this as well.

I don’t have to go to a unit physical training session each morning as I often did during my career so I don’t ever exercise in the morning on weekdays unless it’s a day off.

I added in a lot more upper body strength and hypertrophy work this year than I had been doing previously in an attempt to gain more muscle mass and also not beat myself into the ground with too much stamina or cardio work that didn’t produce sufficient marginal improvements. I also mostly eliminated a direct lower body strength work session. I was dedicating a whole day previously but found my stamina session and weekend drags and carries were sufficient to meet my appearance and performance goals. If I add it back, it would be on Wednesday and turn it into a total body session. If I see myself changing anything this year, it’s the addition of a dedicated lower body strength day. I will add in direct trap bar deadlifts a few months before my next Army Combat Fitness Test also to prep optimally.

Here is the overview and then a detailed example session breakdown:

Training Program Overview

• Monday: Upper body strength and hypertrophy
• Tuesday: Cardio (zone 2/low intensity)
• Wednesday: Upper body strength and hypertrophy
• Thursday: Stamina (anaerobic)
• Friday: Upper body strength and hypertrophy
• Saturday: Sled drags and carries (hard to categorize but effectively some strength, stamina, and cardio endurance)
• Sunday: Cardiovascular endurance (long duration/high intensity)

Example Training Sessions

• Monday: Upper body strength & hypertrophy. Horizonal push and pull focus.
  • One arm flyes, 3 x 13
  • One arm reverse flyes, 3 x 13
  • Slight decline barbell press, 5 x 3-5
  • One arm row, 3 x 8
  • Straight bar pressdown, 3 x 13
  • Straight bar curl, 3 x 13
• Tuesday: Cardiovascular endurance. Goal is to get my heart rate into zone 2, which is moderate intensity, 110-120 beat per minute.
  • 34 minutes of walking on incline treadmill with weight vest (25lb vest, 10% grade, 3 MPH)
• Wednesday: Upper body strength & hypertrophy. More of a vertical push and pull focus.
  • One arm lateral raise, 3 x 13
  • Face pulls, 3, x 13
  • Overhead press, 3, x 8
  • Pull-ups, 21 reps (density format, i.e. do multiple short sets until you complete the goal, all in a row). Last time I did 3 then 2 then 3 then 2 then 3 then 2 then 3 then 3 with very short rest in between, like 10-20 seconds.
  • KB floor press, 3 x 8
  • Kneeling one arm rows, 3 x 8
• Thursday: Stamina
  • 10 x KB Turkish get-ups
  • 1-13 ladder of KB swings and heels elevated squats (I use these slant boards which was pretty simple, awesome, and inexpensive)
    • The ladder means 1 reps of each movement then 2 then 3, etc. until 13 rounds have been completed. One of my favorite structures. If I vary this, I usually do a 2 movement ladder and just change them to, for example, something such as KB snatches and push-ups or one arm KB swings and reverse lunges.
    • The heels elevated really pushes the knees forward which is good for knee health and also stresses the quads more
• Friday: Upper body strength & hypertrophy. I have been doing just arms and shoulders hypertrophy work for the past few months. I was doing a full blown pressing and rowing heavy session but found it interfered with my harder, longer, and more important weekend workouts so it scaled it back to something less demanding.
  • This is fairly unstructured, but the goal is to get a massive arm and shoulder pump.
  • Last workout I did was this while wearing these low-tech blood flow restriction (BFR) bands for added effect:
    • One arm triceps extensions, 34, then 21, 21, 21 reps with orange mini band
    • One arm curl, 34, then 21, 21, 21 with mini band
    • End range lateral raise, 3 x 13
    • Straight bar pressdown, 3 x 13
    • DB curl with long slow negative on last rep, 3 x 8
    • Reverse flyes, 3 x 13
• Saturday: Sled drags & carries. Unstructured sled drags & carries for 55 minutes. Something like this but I vary it each week:
  • Reverse sled drag, 50 yards
  • Overhead dumbbell carry, 25 yards each arm
  • One arm DB farmer’s carry, 25 yards each arm
  • 21 push-ups (just to make it more unpleasant and for push-up while fatigued practice)
  • Repeat with heavier weight
  • Variations: Heavier sled drags for shorter distance or lighter drags for longer distance; barbell overhead or front rack carries; kettlebell overhead, front rack, or farmer’s carries; bear crawl dragging sled (super fun); forward sled drags; prowler pushes. A lot of times I tie the sled strap around my waist and then carry some dumbbells, kettlebells or a barbell while dragging the sled too.
• Sunday: Cardiovascular endurance. The goal is to maintain a high heart rate for a long period of time and also hit 90% of max heart rate often. You can do this a variety of ways. I have been lately doing a short METCON and then pure cardio movements with calorie targets. In better weather, I would just run outside for 3-5 miles a few times a month. Here is an example of what I have been doing lately:
  • As many rounds as possible in 21 minutes of 13 burpees, 50 yard sprints, 13 jumping pull-ups, 100 yard sprint.
  • 5 then 8 then 13 then 21 then 34-calorie rounds of ski erg, row, stationary cycle (Rogue Echo bike), run (manual treadmill). That means 5 calories on each of those four machines, then 8 calories on each, then 13, etc.

I have been able to train nearly every day per week due to purposeful programming, good food, and good sleep. If I can’t for some reason, I make an appropriate adjustment to get the primary sessions in. My goal with this routine is to be all-around physically fit in general, but you can see a specific focus on strength and hypertrophy. I have upped my calories, protein and sleep which allowed me to try to gain more size and strength, so of everything I am doing, I am most interested in improving muscular size and strength while maintaining my cardio and stamina capacity.

I am in my garage gym every day except for Saturday and Sunday when I go to an Army gym because they have the various equipment I need for cardio sessions and the space to do sled drags and carries.

Note that I use resistance bands like these for almost everything I do in my garage. Huge fan of the Rubberbanditz brand. I beat these things up and they last a long time (years). Bands are safer, offer progressive resistance, and allow you to safely push very hard in a variety of ways.

Health & Fitness Tech

Watch = I have not been wearing a Garmin smart watch for most of the past year. I was rotating the Garmin Fenix 7 Solar and the Venu 3. Around Spring I finally was bothered enough to stop wearing it. These are both really nice watches, but two things drove me to go to a “dumb” watch: 1) I found I wasn’t learning anything new by wearing them and 2) I had to keep taking them on an off every day when I entered secure facilities that don’t allow electronics. I had a battle rhythm with activity and sleep that confirmed for hundreds to thousands of days in a row the same data regarding steps, sleep, and workouts. I still have them and there is a time and place for data collection, just not every day. I don’t record everything I eat any more for the same reason although, again, there is a time and place to do so. I have been enjoy these two Casio G-Shocks a lot: GA-2100 and GD-350 as well as some nicer dress watches based on the occasion.

I do wear a chest-based heart rate monitor sometimes if I want to check out my heart rate during a session but I rarely do any more. I have both the Garmin HRM and the Polar H10. I have been using the Polar lately with the phone app since I haven’t been wearing my Garmin watch during training. If I did wear the watch, I’d pair it with the Garmin chest strap for more precide readings than wrist-based would give.

Red Light Therapy = Mito Red Light MitoMax 2.0. This has red light (660nm) and near infrared light (850nm). I got this last year and used it regularly initially (few times per week). Then I got lazy and stopped using it often. I reinvigorated the practice. I was trying to get some red light in before or after workouts, but I found I just wasn’t doing it. I am a believer in the technology, so I will keep at it. It takes about 40 minutes to do the whole body with the light I have (10 mins upper body facing front, 10 upper facing back, 10 lower body facing forward, and 10 lower body facing back). I don’t do the whole body most of the time though. Upper front and lower front is what gets hit most. If you have the money and believe the science, it’s worth a try.

Heat Therapy = HigherDose Infrared Sauna Blanket. I use it once per week on average to replicate somewhat the conditions of a sauna (lots of health benefits here). I would sit in a sauna every day probably if I had one. This gets hot, but it’s not the same as a sauna although it’s as close as I can get at home. If you have the extra cash this is interesting to try. Definite health benefits of heat exposure.

Hope you got some insight into what I am doing that may be beneficial to you. Post thoughts/questions to the comments below.