Exercise Essential #2 revolves around answering this question. It's not a trick either! Of course you like when things are easy and your body does too. The problem? Building muscle and developing your dream physique is hard. If it wasn't you wouldn't be listening to this podcast, right? Essential #2 is "initiate with the working muscle" and this will help you make things harder in the gym, which will make it easier to build muscle.

Today's episode is going to lay the foundation for Pillar number 4 of Mind for Muscle and that is Lifestyle Design, which sounds big and fancy and over-the-top, but it really comes down to a few simple things. We KNOW how important sleep and stress management are for our overall success and happiness and that is especially true when it comes to our fitness goals. Instead of giving you a few "sleep hacks" or talking about some meditation techniques, which don't get me wrong we will eventually, I think it's best to start with a broader approach. We can significantly improve sleep and lower stress with proper lifestyle design, which I lay out for you in this episode.

Pillar number 3 in the Mind for Muscle program is mindset training and while this is pillar number 3, this is probably the most important of the 4 and what really separates my coaching from most others. This is the one that really changes your life and causes the biggest breakthroughs in your fitness journey and outside of it as well. Mindset all starts with a fundamental understanding of WHY you're going about this transformation, what your current pains and problems are, and the prices you're paying for these problems.

Pillar number 2 of the Mind for Muscle program is nutrition - the fuel for performance during training and the building blocks for recovery after. The foundation of proper nutrition is something you probably don't want to hear, but I'm going to give it to you straight in today's episode. Along with the diet tips, I share a brief story of my own to drive the point home that nothing else matters above THIS core principle.

The first of the 4 pillars of the Mind for Muscle program is, of course, training - the stimulus for all results you want in your fitness transformation. The foundation of training within this program are the 5 Essentials of Exercise, which are meant to provide the framework for you to maximize your workouts. This episode will also introduce the first essential and arguably the most important one!

The Mind for Muscle podcast is BACK with a renewed purpose and landscape. Episodes will be more frequent, but shorter with quick actionable steps each day. They will build on each other based on the pillars of the Mind for Muscle program. Those 4 pillars are: training, nutrition, mindset, and lifestyle design. Tune in every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 6AM!

As I discussed in the recent episode about developing a growth mindset, nothing in life will come to you until you invite it in. But maybe you're having a hard time convincing yourself of why you want muscle. There are lots of reasons! In this episode, I'll tell you guys about my painful, embarrassing story about how I got started on my muscle-building journey, and then talk about some different reasons for wanting to build muscle including improved quality of life, enhanced confidence, and better sex! Connect with me on Instagram (@nick_boleto) or Facebook (Nick Boleto).

Today's episode features my (painful and somewhat pathetic) story of getting scammed by supplement companies - a story that I think many of us can relate to. Supplements are the sexy thing in the industry and the marketing and advertising can be a little too convincing of their "efficacy", but the fact is that supplements are just that. Supplemental. They supply what your diet lacks and therefore should be minimum at most, and none in a lot of cases.

Nonetheless, supplements are what I get the most questions about and I want to make sure you guys are getting the RIGHT, unbiased information instead of what the industry will tell you. So this episode will tell you what supplements to take and in what quantities, what ingredients to look for in a pre-workout, and my 3-step process to buying high quality supplements because if you're going to spend money on them, you might as well get ones that will actually work.

Have supplement questions for me? Connect on Facebook (Nick Boleto) or Instagram (@nick_boleto) and shoot me a message!

My good friend and fellow online strength and nutrition coach Colin DeWaay joins me for an extremely insightful conversation about:

-Overcoming pain physically and psychologically

-How bodybuilding training is different from powerlifting from a programming and mindset standpoint

-What Colin learned from his training partners over the years (Paul Revelia, Layne Norton, and more!)

-Accepting reality because you'll lose to reality 100% of the time if you fight it

-Why Colin has a fitness coach as a fitness coach and what to look for if you're shopping for one

And so much more! Connect with Colin further on Facebook (Colin DeWaay Training), Instagram or YouTube (Colin DeWaay), or at his website: http://colindewaaytraining.com/

I've suffered from a lack of confidence and self-efficacy for most of my life, but all of my career and fitness gains have come from developing a growth mindset.

I'm a strong believer that what you believe you manifest, so in this episode I'll explain the Law of Attraction and how you can use it (and how people misuse it).

I also do a deep dive into the importance of getting yourself into alignment; it sounds woo-hooey, but it's something you need to hear. Your thoughts become feelings; feelings become actions; actions become habits; habits become results. So if your actions aren't driving the results you want, it's probably because you're out of alignment.

Like this episode? Leave a review and 5-star rating! Connect with me on Facebook (Nick Boleto) and Instagram (@nick_boleto).