This week's topic: The key to losing fat around your midsection and your love handles is simple but requires patience: eat in a caloric deficit, and build the muscles of your core as you would any other muscle.

The Friday Reflex is a roughly 10- to 15-minute episode each Friday of my thoughts on a particular idea or issue that's been on my mind lately. It's short but — I hope — powerful.

If you want to follow along with my daily workouts, check out The Daily Fit Dad, my membership site where you can get access to all of my own personal daily workouts for just $5 a month. Go to https://www.fitdadfitness.com/dailyfitdad to learn more and sign up!

If you want to catch the live or recorded video, check it out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fitdadfitnesspage or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/fitdadfitness.

In this solo episode, I offer up my own fitness-minded spin on Don Miguel Ruiz's book, "The Four Agreements," and how they closely tie into my 16 Goals of Fitness.

The four agreements of fitness I cover are: 

• Make peace with the end game
• Be open to new ideas
• Don't let comparison rob you of your victories
• Do what you say you will do

To read my 16 Goals of Fitness that I reference in this episode, go to https://fitdadfitness.com/about.

Check out barbellapparel.com/fitdadfitness and use the code MASH15 at checkout for 15% off your order.

Thank you for listening to the show. Please subscribe and share with a friend or family member that might enjoy this podcast. And as always, if you feel up for it, I'd greatly appreciate it if you left a rating and review. Thanks again!

The Fit Dad Q&A is back with a brand new edition, where I answer questions from my clients, from social media, and from email submissions!

Questions answered this episode:
- If you have never done a portion of your workout, how do you determine what weight to start with?
- What are some good ways to get in some extra protein on the days where I come up short without simply eating more meat and eggs?
- My knee crackles when I squat...should I be concerned?

If you like this episode, please share it on social media and tag me. Let me know what you thought of the message and the idea. And don't forget to leave those ratings and reviews on Apple Podcasts!

Join the Fit Dad Forum on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitdadforum/

Check out barbellapparel.com/fitdadfitness and use the code MASH15 at checkout for 15% off your order.

Be sure to check out The Daily Fit Dad, my membership site where you can get access to all of my own personal daily workouts for just $5 a month. Go to https://www.fitdadfitness.com/dailyfitdad to learn more and sign up!

This week's topic: The frequency with which you work your muscle groups is more important than working your muscles to the point of debilitating soreness.

You can order your copy of The Involved Man at TheInvolvedMan.com.

The Friday Reflex is a roughly 10- to 15-minute episode each Friday of my thoughts on a particular idea or issue that's been on my mind lately. It's short but — I hope — powerful.

If you want to follow along with my daily workouts, check out The Daily Fit Dad, my membership site where you can get access to all of my own personal daily workouts for just $5 a month. Go to https://www.fitdadfitness.com/dailyfitdad to learn more and sign up!

If you want to catch the live or recorded video, check it out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fitdadfitnesspage or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/fitdadfitness.

This week’s guest is Michael Maisey. 

Michael (https://www.michaelmaisey.com/) is the Founder of the Change is Possible Project. The CIP Project (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-c-i-p-podcast/id1477062448) is a collection of self development workshops, retreats, and other avenues for Michael, as its founder, to encourage others who found themselves going down a bad path to bring about change in their lives.

In the weeks since I recorded this interview with Michael, I read his book, Young Offender, and I am struck by the fact that I was so lucky to have had the chance to talk to Michael and hear his story directly from him, because honestly, its amazing he’s not spending his life behind bars, or worse.

Michael’s formative and adolescent years were riddled with family struggles and abuse, that eventually gave way to alcohol and drugs, that eventually devolved into crimes of various degrees. As I read his book, I just found myself becoming overwhelmed with pain at the many, many times Michael was failed, and how many missteps he took.

Now 12-plus years sober, which is an incredible story in itself how he actually got to the point of actually trying to get sober, Michael is using his story to reach out to others to let them know that no matter how far gone you might think or feel you are...change is possible.

Early in this interview, Michael and I discuss something that I found deeply inspiring and moving when he talks about not wanting to do the things he knows will make him happy. It’s incredible to hear his perspective.

I can’t wait for you guys to listen.

This episode is sponsored by Tonal (https://www.tonal.com/), a smart at-home gym that essentially replaces all of the machines that you would find in a big box gym with its digital weight system capable of up to 200 pounds of resistance. Right now, new customers can get a 90-day home trial of the Tonal system risk free when they use the promo code 90DAY at www.tonal.com/, PLUS, Fit Dad Fitness Podcast listeners also get $100 off when they use the code FITDAD.

Visit www.theinvolvedman.com to order your copy of my new book! Also available on Barnes & Noble.

Thank you for listening to the show. Please subscribe and share with a friend or family member that might enjoy this podcast. And as always, if you feel up for it, I'd greatly appreciate it if you left a rating and review. Thanks again!

This bonus episode is from my appearance on The Awesome Dad Show with Mark Savant of Actidad. Enjoy!

Check out Mark's work at Actidad.com.

Enjoy this bonus content? Please let me know what you thought by leaving a rating and a review of the show on Apple Podcasts, and as always, feel free to send feedback to [email protected].

This week's topic: Why introducing your kids to weight training at a young age might be beneficial for their development.

You can order your copy of The Involved Man at TheInvolvedMan.com.

The Friday Reflex is a roughly 10- to 15-minute episode each Friday of my thoughts on a particular idea or issue that's been on my mind lately. It's short but — I hope — powerful.

If you want to follow along with my daily workouts, check out The Daily Fit Dad, my membership site where you can get access to all of my own personal daily workouts for just $5 a month. Go to https://www.fitdadfitness.com/dailyfitdad to learn more and sign up!

If you want to catch the live or recorded video, check it out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fitdadfitnesspage or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/fitdadfitness.

This week's guest, Marcus Filly, and I share a very common storyline from our youth.

Marcus grew up with, as he puts it, a pressure to meet other people's expectations of him — expectations often rooted in accomplishments. As I detail in my recently released book, The Involved Man, I struggled with the same issues as well.

In his early 20s, Marcus experienced an "awakening" that shifted the trajectory of his life. He'd been an athlete and a gym-goer for many years before that, but things really took off for him at about that time once he got closer to who he really was.

Now, as a husband to his wife, Megan; a father to his two daughters, the owner of Revival Strength (https://revival-strength.com/), and the creator of his functional bodybuilding programming, Marcus is providing so much value to the fitness community as he tries to get others to enjoy training and exercise as he helps others move better.

Check out Marcus's "Look Good. Move Well." podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/look-good-move-well/id1360675823. 

This episode is sponsored by Tonal (https://www.tonal.com/), a smart at-home gym that essentially replaces all of the machines that you would find in a big box gym with its digital weight system capable of up to 200 pounds of resistance. Right now, new customers can get a 90-day home trial of the Tonal system risk free when they use the promo code 90DAY at www.tonal.com/, PLUS, Fit Dad Fitness Podcast listeners also get $100 off when they use the code FITDAD.

Visit www.theinvolvedman.com to order your copy of my new book! Also available on Barnes & Noble.

Thank you for listening to the show. Please subscribe and share with a friend or family member that might enjoy this podcast. And as always, if you feel up for it, I'd greatly appreciate it if you left a rating and review. Thanks again!

This week's topic: How my wife and I approach tough or uncomfortable conversations with our children by giving them credit for understanding complex situations and giving them the full picture.

You can order your copy of The Involved Man at TheInvolvedMan.com.

The Friday Reflex is a roughly 10- to 15-minute episode each Friday of my thoughts on a particular idea or issue that's been on my mind lately. It's short but — I hope — powerful.

If you want to follow along with my daily workouts, check out The Daily Fit Dad, my membership site where you can get access to all of my own personal daily workouts for just $5 a month. Go to https://www.fitdadfitness.com/dailyfitdad to learn more and sign up!

If you want to catch the live or recorded video, check it out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fitdadfitnesspage or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/fitdadfitness.

Mike Hildebrandt was the first guest I ever welcomed onto the Fit Dad Fitness Podcast. I recorded his interview by holding my phone up to another phone on speaker and using the record app to capture the conversation. And boy does it sound like it!

A lot has changed in the 2+ years since Mike joined the show, both for me and this show, and for Mike, his family, and his fitness career.

In this newest Fit Dad Chat, Mike and I catch up on his latest bodybuilding shows, his work with Bodybuilding.com, his growing family, and oh yeah, the fact that he and his wife, Terrica, started a podcast together call "The Fit Couples Perspective."

It was great reconnecting with Mike. Like the first time he was on the show, Mike brings some great wisdom and advice for us fathers looking to live that Fit Dad life. Enjoy!

Check out Mike and Terrica's podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-couples-perspective/id1436177477. 

This episode is sponsored by Tonal (https://www.tonal.com/), a smart at-home gym that essentially replaces all of the machines that you would find in a big box gym with its digital weight system capable of up to 200 pounds of resistance. Right now, new customers can get a 90-day home trial of the Tonal system risk free when they use the promo code 90DAY at www.tonal.com/, PLUS, Fit Dad Fitness Podcast listeners also get $100 off when they use the code FITDAD.

Visit www.theinvolvedman.com to order your copy of my new book! Also available on Barnes & Noble.

Thank you for listening to the show. Please subscribe and share with a friend or family member that might enjoy this podcast. And as always, if you feel up for it, I'd greatly appreciate it if you left a rating and review. Thanks again!