When to get fancy vs double down on the basics to get leaner


Happy Wed! It is a beautiful and hot day here in Minn-a-snow-da. Surprise, it does get quite warm here in the summer. I was sweating doing my cardio this AM already and then jumped into the freezer filled with 44 F water.

Which begs the question, when should you bother with other stressors -like cold and heat?

Cold water immersion is all the rage now, but are the IG influencers all picking up pennies and leaving dollars on the table?

As you know, I think both temperature stressors have their place. Heck, I created an entire certifications based on them - the Physiologic Flexibility Cert; however, the basics will never go out of style. I cover the basics (and some advanced work too) for nutrition and recovery in the Flex Diet Cert which opens again on June 5, 2023.

This brings us to the main topic of today where my buddies Jeb and Dean interview me about when to get fancy and when to just double down on crushing the boring basics.

We also ramble about my Ph.D. process, understanding stats and variability analysis in research, and condensing information for clients.

We then talk about the Physiologic Flexibility Certification I created, as well as some analysis of the calories in/calories out model to get leaner.

>> Listen to it here <<

We discuss:

  • My education and background
  • How I got into personal training and transitioned to online training only
  • My unique Ph.D. process
  • How I started my online business
  • Fine-scale variability and the principles that govern physiology
  • How I narrow down studies and choose the research I share with clients
  • Creating easy-to-implement action items
  • My thought process on building my business up
  • Why I set up my certification the way I did
  • Training the lizard brain
  • Leverage points and setting clients up to win
  • The benefits of becoming more physiologically flexible
    >> Listen to it here <<

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Dr Mike


_____________________

Mike T Nelson CISSN, CSCS, MSME, PhD
Associate Professor, Carrick Institute
Owner, Extreme Human Performance, LLC
Editorial Board Member, STRONG Fitness Mag

Dr Mike T Nelson

Creator of the Flex Diet Cert & Phys Flex Cert, CSCS, CISSN, Assoc Professor, kiteboarder, lifter of odd objects, metal music lover. >>>>Sign up to my daily FREE Fitness Insider newsletter below

Read more from Dr Mike T Nelson

In this episode of the Flex Diet Podcast, I sit down with Sam Brown, Cognitive Performance Specialist for the U.S. Air Force, to talk about what he's learned coaching pilots and aircrew who run on nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol -- and almost never turn their nervous system off. Sam shares why the toughest operators need recovery just as much as intensity, how he sneaks down-regulation into workouts disguised as hard training, and what years of coaching in Altus, Oklahoma, taught him about...

Most training programs answer this question with the cold confidence of a Soviet parking meter: Rest 3.5 minutes. Fine. But why? Why three minutes? Why not two minutes and 17 seconds? Are you actually recovered, or did the stopwatch simply finish counting while your lungs were still trying to chew through the front of your face? Why would someone program the same rest period for all 4 sets as we know fatigue accumulates, thus you will need more rest before your last set than your first set....

Today I had a photo pop up from the last time I was at a Mentorship Mastermind in VA. It reminded me that while I was there my buddy Dr. Lars dropped a truth bomb: the simple framework I taught him—coaching leverage—changed the way he works with clients.That’s when I knew: this needs to hit your eyeballs, too. So here it is. The dirty little formula that runs my Flex Diet Cert, my Phys Flex Cert, and basically every coaching decision I make: Coaching leverage = Physiologic Effect ✕ Client...