Wits & Weights | Fat Loss, Nutrition, & Strength Training for Lifters

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, get healthier, increase strength or performance, or just look and feel better in your body, improving your body composition is the path to overall health.Body composition refers to the percentage of muscle versus fat in your body, which determines how “lean” you are. The lower your body fat percentage (or higher your muscle percentage) relative to your weight, the leaner you are.Someone who weighs 180 pounds at 40% body fat is not as lean as someone who weighs 180 pounds at 25% body fat. This is more about composition than scale weight.But why is “leanness” important?Yes, being leaner affects how you look and feel. Even better, improving your body composition goes way beyond aesthetics and has numerous benefits for health, performance, and longevity.Everyone can benefit from improving their body composition, and today we’re diving into the topic, including its benefits and the most important priorities for achieving a leaner, healthier physique.Then I go over three scenarios—skinny fat, somewhat overweight, and very overweight—and discuss strategies for improving body composition with each.Topics discussed in this episode:What exactly is body composition?How body composition gets worse over time (unless you do something about it)The concept of "body fat overshooting" from repeated dietingBenefits of improving compositionHow to improve body compositionApplying these strategies if you're skinny fat, somewhat overweight, or very overweightRELATED LINKSJoin our Facebook community if you'd rather watch the video and to access the nutrition blueprint PDF for this episodeMacroFactor food logging app (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)Support the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

Eric D’Agati joins me to talk about training.Eric has spent over 20 years in the fitness industry as a coach, trainer, and instructor. Each year, he travels around the world teaching and speaking to trainers, coaches, and therapists as a lead instructor for Functional Movement Systems and guest speaker for prestigious organizations including Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York University Medical, the Navy SEALS, The Mayo Clinic, and multiple major universities. Eric also appeared in the NY Times bestseller “The 4-Hour Body” by Tim Ferriss.His list of training clients includes an Olympic Gold Medalist, All-Americans, National Champions, World Series Champions, and Pro-Bowl athletes. He also works with many high-level sports teams from high school to professionals.Eric’s latest projects include “Diamond Revolution Training,” an online training platform for baseball and softball athletes, and the “Principles of Program Design”, an educational workshop series and coaching service for trainers and clinicians on the art and science of designing training programs.Topics discussed in this episode:The top priorities someone should focus on to improve their health, fitness, and performanceThe difference between a workout and a programCompetence, awareness, and application as success factors for improved healthAssessing your history, current state, and goals when working with a coach, trainer, or starting a new programInjury, mobility, and recoveryLearning how to develop movement and increase physical capacityImproving your body compositionObstacles that stop someone from performing their bestDeveloping athletic skill, capability, and capacityManaging volume and recoveryExercise selection, unilateral movements, and Eric’s favorite lift/exerciseRELATED LINKSEric's website at ericdagati.comEric on InstagramWatch the episode on video hereSupport the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

Today I am joined by Louise Valentine to talk about how to achieve sustainable fitness goals by doing less rather than more, how to work WITH our physiology and not against it, how to optimize health for women 35 and older, and actionable tips you can start applying right away to unlock your best health despite age, a busy life, or obstacles.Louise is a Physiologist, best-selling author, avid runner, and military spouse. She was named #1 Health Specialist in the U.S., has worked for the NFL, and published research on how to solve the root cause of health and fitness problems.She is now CEO of BreakingThroughWellness.com, where she offers one-on-one coaching, courses, and the groundbreaking Badass Breakthrough Academy for women runners and fitness lovers age 35 and beyond.Just some of the topics discussed in this episode:Overcoming health diagnoses at any ageThe root cause of health and fitness problemsDoing less, not more, for sustainable successStrategies for sleep, working from home, carbs, and moreWorking with our physiologyPitfalls to avoid when improving health and fitnessConsiderations for women over 35 when it comes to health and fitnessRunning for sport and for health: myth vs. reality when it comes to fat loss and body compositionRELATED LINKSBreakingThroughWellness.com - Louise offers 1:1 coaching, courses, and the groundbreaking Badass Breakthrough Academy for women runners and fitness lovers age 35 and beyond Breaking Through Wellness on FacebookLouise (breakingthroughwellness) on InstagramLouise on LinkedInWatch the episode on video hereSupport the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

What if you have significant weight to lose—around 30 pounds or more?Most people have no problem losing weight . . . in the short term. What usually follows is a rebound, usually because calories or the diet itself were so restrictive that they were impossible to maintain for more than a few months.In this episode, we discuss a completely different approach. Instead of “weight loss,” we want to achieve FAT LOSS. We want to improve our body composition over time and actually become leaner.Our topic is how to lose 30 pounds or more the right way…and keep it off.Not how to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, or how to lose weight now and then…good luck!Those approaches to dieting are completely myopic. They’re short-term. Just cut calories and lose weight. Then you’ll be lean.The problem is, every time you lose weight this way, usually without enough protein or resistance training, you lose some muscle and then regain mostly fat. This bodyfat overshooting phenomenon causes your body fat percentage to rise over time, even if your weight stays in the same range, but most likely you gain even more weight each time you rebound.Does this sound familiar?Here’s the reality. Losing weight is the “easy” part. The challenge is the 95% of skills, behaviors, and metabolic recovery we need to address BEFORE losing weight.In this episode, we cover how to lose mostly fat, do it sustainably, and have the knowledge to do it whenever you want for the rest of your life. We’ll discuss what happens when you lose weight through chronic dieting, what I would do with a client who needs to lose significant weight, and step through the entire process to get successful, long-term results.RELATED LINKSJoin our Facebook community if you'd rather watch the video and to access the nutrition blueprint PDF for this episodeMacroFactor food logging app (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)Support the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

This is our first "Science Says" episode, where we break down a single recent article relevant to the fitness (lifting, nutrition, health) industry and strategies you can apply right away based on what the science says.Today's article is "Evenly distributed protein intake over 3 meals augments resistance exercise–induced muscle hypertrophy in healthy young men" by Yasuda, et al. (2020).The main question is, can we build more muscle mass by evenly distributing protein throughout the day (primarily by increasing protein at breakfast if it is low to begin with)? RELATED LINKSYasuda, J., Tomita, T., Arimitsu, T., & Fujita, S. (2020). Evenly distributed protein intake over 3 meals augments resistance exercise–induced muscle hypertrophy in healthy young men. The Journal of Nutrition, 150(7), 1845-1851.Body by Science (Bill Campbell, PhD)Support the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

If you could be in a calorie surplus for three-quarters of the year and constantly get leaner, would that appeal to you?Today’s topic is something that ended my many, repeated unproductive cycles of crash dieting and changed my mindset to one of abundance, performance, improved body composition, a better relationship with food, and sustainable results.You’re going to learn how to periodize your nutrition with cut and bulk cycles to get leaner and leaner by minimizing fat gain while maximizing muscle gain.Why do we periodize our nutrition anyway? Why use so-called cut and bulk cyclesWhy not just lose a bunch of weight and then maintain? Or gain a bunch of muscle and maintain? Or gain muscle and lose fat at the same time (the holy grail known as body recomposition)?Because our biology has thrown us a curveball. When you lose weight, you DO lose fat but you ALSO lose some muscle. Conversely, when you gain weight, you do gain muscle but also gain some fat.Therefore, why don’t we focus intelligently on ONE GOAL AT A TIME and MAXIMIZE our results for that goal?That’s exactly what today’s discussion is about!Topics discussed in this episode:What happens when we lose and gain weightWhat is body fat overshooting?Using cuts and bulks for body compositionEating in a surplus while training to gain muscleNot spending long enough in a bulkIdentifying your start and end pointsIdentifying your goal weightand more!RELATED LINKSJoin our Facebook community if you'd rather watch the videoMacroFactor diet sidekick (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)Support the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

This episode is all about achieving LASTING results: finding that place where you no longer have to yo-yo diet, jump from one program to another, or feel like the only way to success is severe calorie restriction, excessive cardio, or short-term transformations.If what you’ve tried before just has NOT worked, maybe it’s time to engage the help of another person.Someone who can hold you accountable, give you some extrinsic motivation to help you build momentum and develop new, sustainable habits, so you can finally achieve the weight loss, muscle building, and body recomposition goals you desire and MAINTAIN them for the long term.Yes, I’m talking about working with a coach, especially one who understands nutrition.We are going to make the distinction between effective and not-so-effective coaching and why you might (or might NOT) actually need a coach for your particular situation.RELATED LINKSMacroFactor diet sidekick (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)Support the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

How do you know when you’ve reached your goal?If you’re trying to lose 20 pounds, do you just instinctively change your eating behaviors and eventually magically arrive at your target weight? If you’re trying to build muscle, do you go to the gym without a program and randomly hit up different weights and machines, rep ranges, rest periods, and muscle groups?Chances are, when you’re committed to a goal, you come up with a plan and then measure progress along the way. Otherwise, how do you “close the loop” between desire and outcome?In this episode, we dive into 21 specific ways to measure progress toward your health and fitness goals, categorized into six areas: biometrics, biofeedback, nutrition, physical activity, behaviors, and self-awareness. We want to select the right measures for the job so we have clear, objective feedback that tells us whether we’re on track.With these tools at your disposal, and strategies to use them that I’ll talk about, you can crush any fitness goal with the certainty that you know how and when to adjust course. TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro03:09 - Biometrics11:32 - Biofeedback22:23 - Nutrition29:18 - Physical activity34:37 - Behaviors37:19 - Self-awarenessRELATED LINKSMacroFactor diet sidekick (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)Support the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

In this episode, we’re talking about what to do with your carefully-honed, consistent, so-far-successful training and nutrition plans when you go on vacation!Summer’s here, and despite exorbitant gas prices and airfare, we can’t help but get away from it all, even for just a week or even a long weekend. Vacations are the perfect time to shut off those devices, relax with a drink in your hand, and enjoy that well-deserved leisure.But that raises the question, should I continue my current health and fitness behaviors when I’m off jetting about in faraway lands (or even a road trip to the next state over)? If so, to what extent?What do I do on vacation?!TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro04:13 - Establishing a routine and planning ahead05:25 - Nutrition while on vacation09:09 - Tracking macros while on vacation15:28 - Activity and training while on vacation19:32 - What I did on my recent vacationRELATED LINKSMacroFactor diet sidekick (use discount code WITSANDWEIGHTS)Support the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)

Today we have another special interview guest!Ken Caputo is a lifelong athlete who eventually found his way to strength training in his late 30s—something he and I have in common!From an early age, he competed in swimming, track, cross country, and even pole vaulting and spring board diving at the University of Connecticut, eventually becoming an expert in martial arts.I invited Ken on today because of his passion for lifting and nutrition, and how they can keep someone healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally, as well as recover from injury.RELATED LINKSKen Caputo at ken@questersway.comKen Caputo's LinktreeSupport the show🎓 Join Physique University for just $27/mo + get a FREE custom nutrition plan with this special link: bit.ly/wwpu-free-plan 👥 Join our Facebook community for Q&As & support👋 Ask a question or find me on Instagram📱 Try MacroFactor 2 weeks free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS (my favorite nutrition app)