By Eric Bach

Matt Brenner, the owner of a Martial Arts studio in Pennsylvania, has always been athletic and muscular. He’s a disciplined lifelong athlete. So you may be wondering what prompted Matt to join the Bach Performance Physique Coaching Program.

Despite his experience and fitness, Matt was stuck on a plateau, unable to climb higher. Sure, Matt was was in good shape. After all, he lifted. But he wanted to look like he lifted.

Despite training multiple times per week, Matt had never achieved the elite-level physique that looked as great as it performed. The problem was Matt’s hectic schedule as a business owner left little time to cobble together the perfect plan for himself, let alone stick to it.

Matt Brenner needed physique coaching.

After dabbling in CrossFit for the past few years and being left with a pair of beat up knees, Matt was ready to get in the best shape of his life. But he didn’t know exactly what to do.

More importantly, Matt wanted to set a better example for his Martial Arts students, his friends, and his family.

Matt was referred by another Bach Physique Coaching client, Steve Current. Matt was looking for accountability and truly custom plan that took into account his banged-up knees.

“I first got started because I was frustrated with my current physical condition. I had worked out for many years at the gym, but never got the abs I wanted, no matter how much ab work I did.  That was my struggle, thus my number 1 goal,” says Matt.

You’ve probably been in Matt’s shoes. You gasp for air between sets, grind through reps, and are committed to training. But despite your efforts, you’re still not making the progress you want. There are normally three culprits.

Culprit One: Your Training and Goals are Misaligned

Matt had great conditioning and relative strength, or strength for his size. With his background in martial arts and CrossFit, Matt was used to pushing his body with demanding cardiovascular activity as well as activities that require relative strength, like push ups, pull ups and martial arts exercises.

The missing components in his training program? First, improving maximum strength. Then, classic bodybuilding/physique enhancing methods to help Matt transform his body. Here’s what we did:

• We combined joint-friendly training that worked around his knee issues. We made subtle tweaks, like widening his stance on squats to make them more hip dominant and reduce knee stress.
• Lower body training was focused more on his posterior chain. Matt built his glutes and hamstrings to better support his knees and build strength without adding undue stress.
• We mixed in higher rep, classic bodybuilding style methods to build lean muscle.

Training heavy for strength is all well and good. But there’s a reason bodybuilders and muscle building programs focus on higher volume and sets in the 6-12+ rep range–they create the metabolic stress and tension needed to grow.

Culprit Two: Your Diet Doesn’t Support Your Goals

Matt wanted to see his abs and reveal a more defined, chiseled physique. Like most men and women who want to get in the best shape of their lives, the biggest problem was diet.  

As an active, athletic guy, Matt had more or less been able to “get away” with splurging on junk food and a night out without gaining a big gut.

But that became less true as the years rolled on. There was less room for error.

To get him back on track, we did three main things:

First, we implemented an intermittent fasting protocol. Intermittent fasting allowed Matt to have bigger, more satisfying meals at night while staying in a slight calorie deficit to lose fat.

Second, Matt tracked his nutrition with MyfitnessPal. Now, I will say, not all  Bach Performance Physique Coaching Members track their food. Still, in Matt’s case, it provided an essential key to looking great naked without living in the gym. Plain and simple, what gets measured gets managed. In the case of losing body fat, far too often we think we’re doing what we need, yet not seeing the progress we want. We “forget” about the handful of M&M’s we grab from the desk, the mid-afternoon snack, or how much dressing we’re putting on a salad.

When Matt started tracking his calories he learned what most do with nutrition tracking: he was eating way more than he thought.

Third, to coincide with his tracking, we provided sample meal plans and recipes for Matt. As a business owner, Matt’s time is premium. He didn’t have the headspace to create the perfect plan for himself.  We took away the guesswork and gave him a simple, straight-forward, and devastatingly effective plan to follow.

Culprit Three: Accountability

The most important component to transforming your body and looking great naked is accountability. You can have the perfect plan, but without the support of a coach and the occasional swift kick in the ass if you’re not getting the job done, you won’t succeed.

Matt says:  “Knowing that someone else was closely monitoring my metrics and going to see me in shirtless pics, really helped me make better decisions.”

Ahh, how true it is. I’ll be honest, as a coach, I’ve hired other coaches for the same reason. A goal without a deadline is a pipedream. A deadline without accountability leaves no motivation to push yourself.

Here’s a quick snapshot of Matt’s schedule with training and diet included. Between regular check-ins and calls, Matt stayed on track throughout the process and built the habits he’s needed to get and stay in great shape.

Matt’s Journey In His Own Words

Eric: “What were the biggest changes in your body?”

Matt: “Frankly, I would lose weight before, feel ‘small,’  then start eating more. I’d yo-yo back and forth but never make meaningful progress,  despite working my butt off. With your help, I developed a six pack that I always wanted and look much leaner than ever before.”

Eric: “Awesome, man. It’s always great to improve performance. But few things are as gratifying is seeing your hard work pay off when you look in the mirror. Now, how has your life improved as a result?”

Matt: “Personally, I have much better control with my nutrition. A ton of students and family members reach out to me for advice and suggestions, so I’m better equipped to help them. I’m a much better role model for my 13- year- old brother. Heck, I might even get my Precision Nutrition certification to keep the ball rolling.”

Eric: “Matt, you bring up an important point here. When you start to understand what works best for you, you become empowered. In many cases, others will reach out to you for help. Granted you can provide the right information, transforming your body can inspire and allow you to help those around you. “

Matt: “One of the best tools for me was ‘dieting’ during the week, and being more flexible during the weekends. It’s somewhat easy for me to be disciplined M-F,  but it’s hard on the weekends when social gatherings make counting my macros difficult. If I’m super strict during the week, I can have lots of wiggle room on the weekend without seeing negative results and feeling like crap on Monday morning. “

At Bach Performance, we like to say fitness should improve your life, not consume it.

While this isn’t a pass to act like a frat boy on the weekends and plow through vodka red bull like you’re auditioning for Hangover 4, it does mean you can kick back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

The foundational key to losing fat and looking your best, like Matt did after spinning his wheels for years, isn’t chasing perfection. It’s about adopting new habits and making consistent progress. To see real results you need a plan and someone to hold you accountable.

If you’re sick of spinning your wheels with the same old routine or struggling to get results, join the Bach Performance Physique Coaching Program.

But don’t just take my word for it. Matt says he thought he was doing fine but “the truth is, I wasn’t making meaningful progress. Once I worked with Eric, I went to the next level. More importantly, I learned through the process and will be able to continue improving long term.”

THE SIMPLE WAY TO LOOK GREAT NAKED WITHOUT LIVING IN THE GYM

At Bach Performance, we help busy people like you look great naked without living in the gym. In Matt’s case, it came down to creating a practical approach for his busy schedule and the accountability to stick with it despite a hectic professional career.

Altogether, Matt:

• Set a better example for his friends, family, and students
• Saw his abs for the first time
• Became self-sufficient and confident in his ability to get and stay in great shape for life.

Would you like the same? If so, head to Bach Performance Physique Coaching and apply now.