What Do Farmers Do in the Winter?

Winter is the time you do all the projects your wife has been wanting you to do. Or your father. Bush hog the fields. Work on equipment. Fill up the freezer. Some grow a winter crop. Tonight my kids worked overtime bush hogging all the fields for winter. 

Farming combines long hours, economic risk, constant repair, and seasonal urgency. 

Dinner is usually whenever you can work it in. Farming is a 24/7 job. 

Why does anybody work so hard? In the end, it's the willingness to look up from our plodding feet, figurative or otherwise. 

I wouldn't trade it for anything though. 

If God Cares for the Birds ....

I loved getting in my steps today.

It's a good time to saturate your heart with the goodness of God. 

Even a quick glance at the birds shows you how happy they seem to be. They sing, they chirp, they soar. They haven't a care in the world. It's not hard to draw the logical implication: If birds come under God's care, won't he care for us as well? I can't tell you many times he has helped me. And he will help you as well, my friend. 

Guard your hearts and trust your Father. 

Have a wonderful evening! 

The Importance of Context

When we read the Bible, we need to become thoughtful students of the linguistic and cultural contexts of Scripture. Every verse in the Bible has a context. This includes a verse I was studying this morning in my daily devotional time. 

In John 9, Jesus has healed a blind man. Later, the people were incredulous. Some thought it was the same man. Others weren't so sure. But the blind man himself kept saying:

"I am."

The Greek here reads egō eimi. I'm sure you've heard of that expression. It plays an important role in terms of New Testament christology. Why, a few verses earlier, Jesus uses the same two words with reference to himself. In John 8:58 we read:

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

Here the words "I AM" are placed in caps because the expression is an obvious reference to the name of God in Exod. 3:14. But in John 9:9, the very same Greek words mean nothing more than "It's me." 

This was a simple reminder to me that we always have to place the verses we're reading into their proper contexts. If we fail to do so, we'll be awash in confusion, and it won't be long before we slide down the slippery slope of eisegesis. Every major cult is built on a violation of this basic principle of context. A great deal of that sort of error could be avoided by simply asking ourselves, "What do the previous verses or the ones that follow say?" 

I'll talk more about the importance of context in upcoming Greek classes. But whenever you study the word of God, keep taking the context into careful consideration! 

Consistency Is Key

Getting lean and staying that way isn't rocket science, folks. You just have to prioritize consistency. Consistency is key. Today I completed one of the three workouts I do each and every week of my life. 

I also managed to complete my step count for the day. 

Friend, you must learn how to become consistent with your efforts if they are going to pay off. But you say, "I don't have what it takes to be consistent." I disagree. For example, think about all those bad habits you have right now that you are very good at being consistent at. You just need to find things that are healthier in your life and replace them with good habits. As you watch your physique transform itself before your very eyes, you will know that your consistent efforts combined with a sensible training and nutrition plan will be the key to your success. 

I train because I love to push my own limits, both inside and outside of the gym. Despite not being able to lift heavy, I have a relatively lean physique. I can go outside and run a marathon. I have a functionally fit body at 73 years of age. This isn't me trying to get you to buy a fitness program from me (I don't sell one) or purchase supplements through the sponsor of my blog (I don't have one) or buy my latest book on weight training (I don't have one). This is just me trying to stress the fact that, you know what, the basics work -- basics like consistency. They've always worked and they will continue to work. If you're really limited on time, just do a really hard workout once or twice a week, but do it consistently. Always follow through, no matter how small the task. Remember that it's the little consistent wins that set you up to have the strength and fortitude to see things through when the going gets tough in life. 

The moral of what I'm trying to say here is what's helped me my entire life, and that is to stick to my guns no matter what. When things get hard, I still continue to push forward. I hope you all can do the same.  

Are You Done Pushing Yourself?

If you are a student of the Bible, have you ever considered studying Greek? What you need to know is that it's possible to learn this language -- possible for you, possible for anyone.

And then you must learn that it is not only possible but desirable. However difficult it appears, there are always way to make what is possible and desirable a reality, even a source of joy and happiness. Greek is like any other discipline in life. It's the marriage of an unshakable goal with fidelity, courage, and endurance.

"Men must be stretched," wrote William James, "if not in one way, then another." A marathon is one way. Hanging tough in a difficult marriage is another. Studying an ancient language is yet another. You find yourself pushed to the absolute limit. You use all the fidelity and courage and endurance you have. And in the end, when the race of life is almost over, you find new ways of looking at yourself and your God.

Exercising Is Not As Difficult As It Might Seem

Building muscle and getting in shape is not all that hard. Being active does require consistency and dedication, yes. It requires focus and effort. And yes, it can get interrupted if your motivation wanes or you get injured. However, in the grand scheme of things, the only truly challenging part of exercise is just in those beginning stages where you're developing the habits of consistent training and proper nutrition. Once you've settled into a routine, it's actually something you'll enjoy doing almost automatically a good portion of the time. It's just another daily habit like tooth flossing or making your bed. 

Today's steps.

At the end of the day, the real challenge of gaining muscle and burning fat is just learning the ropes in the beginning and then developing it into a regular routine. After awhile you'll find out it's pretty smooth sailing. 

Feeling great -- and very thankful --  afterwards. 

Reps in Reserve (and Today's Workout)

What's up guys? Let's jump into the truth about training to muscular failure. Yes, these are actually the sounds I make when I train all out. 

Unless I started cheating and using a bunch of momentum, I don't think I could do another rep beyond this. Now to be totally clear, I'm not saying that's how you should train on every set. But if you're not going close to absolute muscular failure, you're not going to be lifting hard enough to stimulate maximum gains. 

Now, you don't have to necessarily go all the way to muscular failure. You can go to failure if you want to, but just perform that set using whatever level of intensity you're aiming for based on your own approach. I have discovered that if I take pull ups all the way to failure, my central nervous system is shot for the next few days. So I keep one or two reps in reserve in this particular exercise. 

You certainly don't have to train to failure every set, but you do need to train to failure here and there to get an understanding of exactly where that point is. Not to mention that for maximum muscular gains, I do think there's value in going to muscular failure and that, generally speaking, high intensity training used in moderation provides benefits you can't get from always leaving 1-2 reps in reserve. 

Thanks for reading! 

Never Too Late to Change

Students: If you had to restart your educational journey today, what would you do differently? It's never too late to change. 

Gym Courtesy

After being in gyms now for several years I'm pretty much at the point of supporting life imprisonment for people who stand directly in front of the dumbbell rack while doing their curls.  

Learning Noun Gender

My poor students! In tonight's class we're introducing additional nouns of the second declension, which means that the class will have to learn the gender of the noun along with the noun itself. That's just the nature of the beast when it comes to languages like Greek, Latin, and German. As for German, I've found the following mnemonic of suffixes helpful:

Der -- 

• ig 
• ling 
• ismus

Die --

• keit
• heit
• ling
• ei
• shaft
• ität

Das --

• tum
• un
• chen
• ment
• lein

In Greek, -os usually works for masculine nouns, and -on for the neuters. 

So much to know! 

Don't Give Up on Your Goals

If you could master one thing before the end of the year, what would it be? 

Is Lack of Coaching Killing Your Gains in the Gym?

One thing that's often the culprit behind stopping you from making progress toward your exercise goals is uncertainty. Sometimes you're not sure if the thing you're doing is the right thing for you. At other times it could be a question about exercise technique. Sometimes you may have a nagging ache or pain that you're afraid to irritate. Frequently you may be unsure as to what routine you should do. There's so much misleading workout advice out there nowadays in social media to where most bodybuilding beginners have been led completely off course. I know this is going to be a mind-blowing realization for some people, but just because a famous fitness influencer on Youtube posts a certain exercise or workout routine doesn't necessarily mean it will actually build your physique. Believe it or not, social media is not real life. 

The advice you get from your local gym trainer will help bring you back to the basics so you can focus on the things that truly matter for muscle building and avoid the inessentials. I guarantee that most of it is pretty basic, straightforward stuff. Here I am being coached on proper pull up form by one of the trainers at my gym. 

Skip the gimmicky variations and just focus on what actually works for you. Remember, fitness in the real world that gets results is usually a simple, boring routine that looks about the same every week, allowing you to apply fundamental principles (training hard, progressive overload, adequate sleep and rest) and get 1 percent better over time. Trust the process and stick with the tried and true basic movements. And always remember: there are no shortcuts. 

A Heads Up

Once you've learned how to read New Testament Greek, anything else will feel unsatisfactory. You've been warned.

The Healing Power of the Ocean

I grew up on the beach. Even today, when I'm at the beach, I'm a different person. The power of the ocean is magnificent. Think of a huge northeast swell at the Northshore of Oahu, for example. When I attempt to enter the surf on days like that, I never feel less in control of my existence. At other times the ocean is asleep, like a glassy and flat lake. The ocean is, in fact, never the same. Wave size can even vary according to the time of day.

What is true of the ocean is true of us. Our moods ebb and flow like the tides. All the while you can't wait to plunge in. It's a scientific fact that the ocean has healing power. Before Becky passed away we were planning on one last trip to Oahu. I booked a room at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach for a week. Suddenly she was taken from me. "Do I still go or not?" I asked myself. I went. For 7 days I celebrated the life of the most beautiful person I had ever known. I surfed and swam and snorkeled, basking in the warmth of the Hawaiian winter sun. A sound mind in a sound body. The ocean makes for both. My spiritual life mirrors my physical one.

The ocean causes, among other things, relief from anxiety, better stress management, and enhanced mental powers. I can attest to all of the above. You and I, each of us, must find what works for us. Will the ocean do for you what it does for me? Will it give you renewed emotional and physical health?

You'll never know until you try for yourself. 

Kailua Beach, July 3, 2025. 

Blowing Up My Biceps

Hey folks. Getting bigger biceps definitely involves a lot of hard work. That was my goal at the gym today. 

The first thing you must learn is if you have a strong enough mind-muscle connection in your biceps. You discover this by forcefully contracting your biceps muscles while lifting. The first exercise is the strict biceps curl. Perform these curls to failure. When you do, your veins will start popping. 

This is the result of lowering the weight slowly and controlled. 

The next exercise requires nothing but a pull up bar and your own bodyweight. In order to build bigger biceps you simply flex and hold as long as possible and fight the negative, as I am doing here. (Thanks to my trainer for videotaping me.) 

By allowing yourself to slow down on the eccentric, you are taking advantage of the time under tension that allows you to get the most out of the exercise. Once you nail the mechanics of the strict curl and the pull up, you can bring the same form into your other exercises. Remember, it's not the exercises you are doing, but how you do them. Today I blasted my biceps and I think it shows. By making some slight tweaks to the exercise, you will be sure to get the form right every single time. 

P.S. After the gym, I got in a 10-mile run at the High Bridge Trail. It netted me 22,435 steps. Glory be to God! 

The Indomitable Human Spirit

This is me today after I got back from the gym. 

And these are my steps and calories. 

But that's nothing compared to what I witnessed on Youtube today. I have never seen anything like it and will probably never see anything like it again. A man climbs Everest -- and then skies back down from its summit. And it's all captured by drone. 

I can't believe what I just saw. This is something I never thought I would ever witness. And he did it without supplemental oxygen. This is insane. For the first time ever, climbing Mount Everest was the easy part. 

I once told my family I would be climbing a tall peak. They thought I was talking about Everest. Had I started my fitness journey 40 years ago, I might have attempted it. To me it's the ultimate challenge in mountaineering. 

The indomitable human spirit. 

The Self-Discipline to Train Hard Enough

Many people in the gym fail to train hard enough. Way too often we lifters underestimate the true effort and capacity to grow. Rather than working harder with less, we simply add more sets to our workouts. But the only way you're really going to grow is with effort. 

For years I struggled to get this right. I still struggle. Effort is not something that comes easily to older lifters who are always worrying about injuring themselves. But the fact remains that if you want to see greater muscle growth from your workouts, you are going to have to push harder. I can say for myself that it's my desire not just to get as big as possible or to have a generally "aesthetic" look, but to keep striving for improvement in my overall health and fitness to the glory of God. I realize it's human nature to never be fully satisfied with your progress, but the way to balance that out is to give yourself credit for the progress you're making along the way and to recognize the simple fact that if you train hard and consistently, keep your calories under control, and maintain a healthy body fat level, you're already ahead of 95 percent of the population as far as health and fitness is concerned. 

The question I keep asking myself is, "Am I training hard enough to build muscle at my full God-given potential?" For years I hugely overlooked the importance of training intensity. The bottom line is that muscle growth is an adaptive response to stress, so if you're not performing your sets close enough to failure your body doesn't have any real incentive to put on new muscle mass. So with this in mind, going forward I will be committing myself to a single training program with the same exercises in the same basic order on the same days while practicing to get really good at those specific lifts in terms of form and technique. I will also focus on taking the majority of my sets to about 1-2 reps short of absolute muscular failure. That level of intensity should be high enough to trigger a significant muscle building response but also low enough to prevent injuries and overtraining. 

Muscle growth doesn't happen overnight. Neither does, say, learning to read New Testament Greek. If you're going to fully commit to your bodybuilding goals (or your academic goals for that matter), you really have to harness your self-discipline, which, thankfully, is a fruit of the Spirit. 

Thank you for stopping by! 

Like Father, Like Son

Reuben ...

... a chip off the old block :) 

The Pursuit of Loneliness

I love books with the words "The Pursuit of ..." in their titles. Samples include:

• Rosen's The Pursuit of Liberty.
• Tozer's The Pursuit of God.
• Bridges' The Pursuit of Holiness.
• Tarver's The Pursuit of Purpose.
• Mitford's The Pursuit of Love.
• Harris's The Pursuit of Home.

In his brilliant book The Pursuit of Loneliness, sociologist Philip Slater argues that our culture is forcing all of us into a state of loneliness. Americans, he says, seek competition instead of community, involvement instead of engagement. The result is a permanent state of isolation for many.

Am I lonely? After all, I live alone and have done so for 12 years. The answer is no. I have cured my loneliness with solitude. The solitary man finds pleasure in life, including exercise. He often becomes engaged not only in meaningful relationships but also in activities such as weight training or long distance running. I am that man. By God's grace I have discovered peace inside of pain. I see the miracle that each new day represents. I am no longer learning from books but from experience.

This is what aging has become for many of us. In what others call the twilight years, we are more alive than ever. Through engagement and exercise, we are reinvigorated with energy. That I experience all this as a single man does not detract in the least from the tiny flame still ablaze in my heart. 

That's about it.

• Love Jesus.
• Be you.
• Be kind.

Everything else pretty much falls into place. 

P.S. Today's gym session:

Today's steps. 

The Journey of a Lifetime

Today's run.

10 miles.

22,000 steps. 

I loved every one of them. 

Does it take effort?

Yes. 

But I'll gladly accept the effort involved.

Every day that you run you are one step closer to wherever you're headed. 

The only person you have to outrun is the person you used to be.

Every step takes you closer to the person you want to be.

For better or for worse, your body is the only one you will get.

What you decide to do with it is up to you.

Being an athlete is a journey.

It's an odyssey of self-discovery.

And it can be the journey of a lifetime.

Should You Use a Greek-English Interlinear?

We need to try to stop being pedantic and instead be wise. Deciding whether or not to use "helps" is a very personal choice. Frame your choices through this lens: If it helps you to master your goal, go ahead. I used bands to help me learn the pull up. 

Many students use interlinears to help them learn Greek. I cannot possibly tell you what's best for you. Unsure? Ask your trainer or your teacher. They will help you sort it out. But in the end, the call is yours.

Good Night, Farm

Never Give Up

One day your future self will thank you for never giving up. 

Saying "No"

Most people are surprisingly respectful of "no thank you's." When I say, "Thank you so much for the very kind invitation, but I will not be able to accept it," most people are amazing.

Don't be afraid to say a polite "no."

Loving Me Some Uncials

My morning devotional comes from Mark 1:12 and following. 

I find that writing out the text in all caps and without spacing helps me read the text more slowly and deliberately. 

Honestly. Uncial script deserves more love than it's gotten. Texts written in scriptio continua are crunchy and delicious. 

The Risky World of Online Education

Online education is a tricky subject. I'm not against online learning per se. Good grief, I learned Greek via correspondence with Moody Bible Institute. My concern is this: more and more, face-to-face options are rapidly disappearing. Again, not saying that online classes can't be meaningful. I'm sure they can be. But they can never be substituted for a teacher's physical presence. They will never replace a professor patting you on the back after an exam, sharing life with you over a cup of coffee, or chatting with you during classroom breaks. People have always craved community. This is no less true of students. 

Let's not overcomplicate this. Online education is fine. For many, it's the only option. But they will often leave you hungry for something else, something deeper, something truer, something you can't get on a screen. So take an in-person class if you can. Remember the theology: Christian education is likeness education. Jesus said so (Luke 6:40).

Howdy Y'all!

I just realized that I've now lived in the rural South longer than I lived in Hawaii (19 years) and Southern California (27 years). Which made me scratch my head when I stumbled upon this map the other day. 

Apparently I live in the "Could be Deep South" part of Virginia. Okaaaaay. Tell that to the people you meet at Bojangles. But what really piqued my interest was the fact that Hawaii is designated as "Not Southern." Say what? Even a brief glance at a world map will show that I was born and raised in the southernmost state in the union, meaning that I am from the DEEP DEEP SOUTH. 

Man. Can't trust anything on the internet these days. 

Practice Makes Progress Not Perfection

Every Sunday I like to take a few progress pictures, including these photos I took this evening. 

I've been consistently doing this for well over a year now. I take these pictures to remind myself that no matter where you start, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. 

I hope these pictures will resonate with hundreds of men who are trying to start their own fitness journey, regardless of their age. 

For a year straight I didn't miss a single week of workouts. Day in, day out, no matter what, I did what I had to do and stuck with my vision. 

I hope my journey is not only a reminder to myself but to every single one of you to take action and move past the dissatisfied version of yourself. More than anything else, strength training is about tenacity, durability, and trying daily to get the best out of yourself. As with life, weight lifting can involve great sacrifice and effort, but it can also bring rewards of exhilaration and achievement for persevering, which are all gifts from God. Celebrate your accomplishments but don't rest on your laurels. Use the momentum from one goal achieved to work toward others.

Love,

Dave 

A Mindset for Winning

It was a great week of running/walking to get in my daily steps. 

75 miles is the distance from Raleigh to Greensboro. Thank you, Lord, for the strength! Legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said, "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable." I carry that mindset into every week of activity. It's been the key to many accomplishments and it's helped me through some very rough times. I hope that this blog inspires you to "run to win" on your terms, in running and in life.

Have a wonderful week! 

A Most Lovely Day!

... and perfect for an early morning drive to the cemetery. 

As per usual, everything was perfectly manicured. 

Of course, Becky's not here. She's in the presence of the Lord. And one day I will join her. Amen!!

A Celebration of Married Life

Becky and I said goodbye to each other in person 12 years ago this morning. The Lord gave me 37 wonderful years with this amazing daughter of God. I wouldn't have traded it for the world. This beautiful Southern belle made me the happiest man in history. 

Through these years, God made Becky and me more like his Son, writing a lovely story with our life together. I hold myself supremely blessed -- blessed beyond words -- that the Lord saw fit to allow us to grow together, learn together, and serve him together. The latter is the most eternal part of our union. Serving together revolutionized our relationship. 

I could not imagine living my adult life without Becky. We learned a lot of things, mostly the hard way. I married a woman who had strong convictions about everything. (As if I don't have any.) Through give and take we figured out how to handle that. Eventually we became whole, with just the right blend of work and fun. She was good at her half and I tried to be good at mine. (She benefited from my youngest-of-4 "hang loose" Hawaiian chillaxed attitude, while I benefited from her eldest-of-6 get-right-at-it personality.) In every difficult place we leaned hard on the Lord our God. His word kept us grounded and connected like nothing else. Apologies? Aplenty. Ugly words? Not often but they were there. Exactly-wrong gifts to each other? Yes, but we meant well. Eventually we stopped trying to change each other. (Every marriage has to do this at some point.) We learned to accept each other -- the great parts, the mediocre parts, and the "that's-so-weird" quirks too. Who really cares if you have to pull the toilet paper from the bottom? 

I'm amazed at how quickly those 37 years flew by. No one enters marriage with a guarantee of success. The best we can do is to look to Jesus, trusting him even if we don't see results for years. He is the only constant in marriage as well as in life. Nothing can happen -- no loss, no tragedy -- that cannot be survived through his love. Isn't that the loveliest truth you've ever heard? Marriage is sacred work. Little in life is more important. We can learn to love each other and grow in healthy ways but only if we cling to the Savior.

Married friends: Please be tender with yourself and your spouse. Give shocking grace to others, and they will give it back. Be humble under God, and your marriage can be that safe place God dreamed up. It really can.

My Message to Men over 40

Today's nugget: 

Your grandpa was probably stronger than you are. 

And he never stepped foot in a gym.

Something's not adding up here.

I know it's hard to exercise when you've got jobs and kids. 

I get it.

But remember: Later = Never.

Your family deserves the leaner, healthier version of you.

Right now choose one thing in your life you can change.

Take a daily walk.

Cut down on soda by 50 percent.

Hydrate more. 

Get better sleep.

Eat cleaner.

Start TODAY.

Fix it before it's too late.

This is me tonight.

73 years old.

Planning on a 50K race in December.

Looking forward to surfing in Hawaii next summer.

Hoping to teach Greek until I'm 80. 

I remember when I thought this wasn't even possible. 

But with God all things are possible. 

Appreciate you, brother. 

When You Face the Silent Scream of Pain

Hey folks. If you're ever in Switzerland, be sure to visit Geneva, that beautiful city on the lake. When you're there, you'll be greeted by none other than the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. He's waiting there for you silently, not far from John Calvin's church. 

Swiss sculptor Auguste de Niederhäusern completed the statue in 1913, just prior to his death. The figure of the prophet embodied sorrow. Hunched over, the "weeping prophet" mourns the fate of his people. 

Every time I see the statue of Jeremiah I give thanks to God. The words of the great prophet (found in Jeremiah and Lamentations) came from a pain-filled past. And as his gaze looks down on you, you easily think back on your own heartache and grief. 

Tomorrow will mark the 12th anniversary of my wife's death from cancer. Her passing reminds me that the Christian life isn't just about the Scriptures or the church or missions. It's also about a Person, a Safe Place to be sequestered, a Soul-Lover who understands the journey I'm on because he completed it himself. Corrie ten Boom, one of my favorite theologians of all time, put it this way:

Look inside and be depressed.

Look outside and be distressed.

Look to Him and be at rest. 

If you, dear friend, are facing the silent scream of pain today, or if you're just tired of running your race, please remember that though terrors in this life surely await us, life is still worth living -- celebrating even -- if we keep our focus on Jesus. 

In essence, that's the message God told the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. That same God today promises us adequate strength through all of the hardships of life. 

Getting the Big Picture

Today my focus was on delts/shoulders. 

Plus getting in my steps.

Training can get mundane, boring even. But not if you keep in mind the big picture. Imagine running your next ultra. Imagine the condition you need to be in for the race. Then imagine crossing the finish line. Knowing that each step of your "mundane" workout is getting you closer to that big goal will keep you moving forward. 

The same holds true, by the way, for the study of Greek! 

Giving the Creator a Standing Ovation

Loved my 10 mile run in Farmville today. 

The drive there was absolutely gorgeous. 

And the High Bridge Trail was as lovely as ever. 

"The proper response to the world," wrote William Carlos Williams, "is applause." As I ran, the whole creation broke out in thunderous clapping. Emerson once spoke of the "magical benefits of air, landscape, and exercise on the mind." Running develops our physique and creates a harmony between body and spirit. On the trails, I give the Creator a standing ovation. The place you do this may vary from mine. But find that place, and you will discover the peace that passes all understanding.

After being gone from 7:30 to 3:00 today, it felt good to arrive back home. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like the farm.

It's Doable, Folks. I'm Proof

A year ago, I set for myself the goal of reducing my body fat by 50 percent. Cutting your body fat in half sounds unrealistic, but it's doable. I'm proof. I lost 40 pounds in 10 months. That's an average of 1 pound per week. It all began with a starting point. You say, "Okay, this is where I am now."

 "And this is where I want to be." 

Once you have that information, you can start your journey. All this takes is 3 full body workouts per week, plus maintaining at least 10,000 steps per day. And that's it. It's really that simple. 

Once you've seen even the minutest bit of success, you'll be motivated to push even more. One of the keys is to push yourself in the gym as hard as you can. 

If you never train to failure, you'll never end up training hard enough for optimal muscle growth. 

As I've said a thousand times, most average lifters in the gym don't train hard enough when it comes down to it. You don't need to train to failure on every set, but you do need to train to failure occasionally to get an idea of where that point is. High intensity training provides benefits you simply can't always gain from leaving a number of reps in reserve. When it comes to volume versus intensity, many lifters place the emphasis on volume, thinking that it's all about how many sets they perform. They hugely ignore the intensity side of the equation. Effective hypertrophy training is actually pretty straightforward. If you're working out 3 days a week for an hour or so and doing a handful of sets per muscle group, you can easily get the job done. Building serious muscle takes months of consistent training and proper nutrition. Plus you'll want to get in at least 10,000 steps per day. Today I did only 18,500 steps because this was my day for weight training. 

But I always aim for at least 12,000 daily steps. 

The bottom line? Fat loss can happen relatively quickly when everything is dialed in -- nutrition, diet, sleep, training, and steps. 

It just requires patience and consistency.  

The Pull Up Is Where It Is At!

Guys, seriously. The pull up is the BEST exercise for back and arm strength period. Your back will look jacked! 

Amen!!

Saw this on my drive into town this morning. 

This truck is owned by one of our local farming families. Their Scripture verse is right on!