Matt Reitman, CPT

DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR. NARCISSISM IS RAMPANT IN THE FITNESS INDUSTRY.

PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM DYSMORPHIA WILL LIE ABOUT ALL KINDS OF THINGS TO MAKE THEMSELVES FEEL BETTER.

- Dysmorphia is rampant in the fitness community. Even the best of the best (I’m talking legit world champions) suffer from the impostor syndrome and persistent feelings of not being strong enough, big enough, or successful enough in their fitness journey.

- This self-inflicted damage to the ego can result in a deep need for external validation, which many fitness influencers access by stretching the truth to their following... adding a few pounds to their claimed maximum lifts, being dishonest about performance-enhancing drug use, or preaching diets/habits they aren’t disciplined enough to follow themselves.

- Since brand = business, fitness influencers will continue to embellish upon their accomplishments or lifestyles just to stay relevant. After all, if Johnny Stronglegs apparently squats 495 and you only squat 315 at the same bodyweight, why would someone pay you for strength programming instead of him?

- We just saw Liver King () go down for spinning a web full of lies; trust me when I say he’s not the only one. The power of photoshop (or even basic Instagram filters nowadays) is incredible, and few people in the spotlight actually look like that in their day-to-day.

- Be wary of these things as you go through your fitness journey. A healthy measure of scrutiny will curb your jealousy, help you stay focused on your own path, and lead you to develop an educated intuition for what’s real and what’s not.

- This confidence in your intuition — that gut feeling about what’s deal and right and what’s not — will make it easier to trust yourself when you make big decisions like switching up your routine or diet, hiring a personal trainer (like me) or investing into a customized workout program (like mine).

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- Matt

I wish somebody would have told me earlier that:

- Anybody can start lifting at any time. You don't need prior experience or any baseline level of strength.

- With consistent effort it will take less than a year for people to notice that you lift, and one can easily escape "skinnyfat" mode in less than six months.

- Programming as a beginner is easy because pretty much everything is going to work.

- Diet is just as easy; don't drink your calories, try to eat more protein, cut down on sugar, and avoid fast/processed food, candy, and soda.

- You don't need a gym subscription to achieve a decent physique. Bodyweight workouts at home can be equally effective if you're just getting started.

- It's way easier to keep going than to start going.
The initial effort of installing new habits into your consciousness in a way that sticks is far greater than the effort of maintaining your new lifestyle.

- Consistency is the master key to a good physique, and once you establish a baseline all you have to do is maintain it on cruise control for the rest of your life.

- If you eventually meet popular goal of 1/2/3/4
(1 plate overhead press, 2 plate bench, 3 plate squat, 4 plate deadlift) you will be stronger than pretty much anybody you'll ever come across in your daily life.

- Like it or not, a good physique has a halo effect that impacts how the world perceives everything you do.

- Being motivated by positive emotions (hope, love) will take you much farther in the long run than being motivated by negative emotions (anger, jealousy).

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Thanks for helping me grow my audience and make a bigger impact on the world!
- Matt

Not bad, . Not bad at all.

Tired of feeling tired? 😴
Here’s what you can do TODAY to reclaim your natural energy. Send this to somebody who needs it.

In the last 6 months, I went from 178 pounds (80kg) to 159 pounds (73kg) at while still maintaining about 95% of my strength (calculated by my 3 rep max).

For years I bought into the idea that “heavier is better” but lately I’ve been enjoying the shift to “power per pound” — and it shows up on the mats.

Plus, looking at myself in the mirror now (after waking up and eating breakfast on my rest day without any pump) I gotta say I’m really digging the way my physique reflects my shift in focus.

If you’re curious about how you can do the same, shoot me a message! I read all of my DMs ☀️🌱🙏