| Think about the best athlete you’ve ever known of. For me, it’ll always be Michael Jordan. He is defined by consistency. The little things. Showing up. Recovering well. Eating with intention. Getting enough sleep. Doing the work when no one was watching. Those habits don’t make headlines, but they make champions (6-times in 6 tries for all the Lebron-is-better people). We’re not hitting the court anytime soon, but it’s easy to celebrate the hour we spend training. And it is absolutely great! But, it’s harder, and far more valuable, to win the other 23 hours. That’s the mindset we’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Over the past few months, we’ve been asking ourselves a lot of questions as we’re taking this to the next level, one of which is: What if 18STRONG focused less on the workout itself and more on everything that makes the workout actually matter? The more conversations we have with athletes and everyday people alike, the more convinced we become that lasting fitness isn’t just built by another exercise library or another training plan. It’s built by helping people make better decisions and build habits every single day. That’s one of the directions that’s inspiring us right now. We’re not quite ready to share everything we’re working on, but we wanted to bring you along as our thinking evolves. Thanks for being part of the journey. I know our best days at 18STRONG are going to be in the very near future, so please stay tuned. STAY STRONG, Jeff PS – Tomorrow, I’m going to share the concept we’ve been keeping to ourselves, but are ready to unleash it to our golfers. |
Exercise.
Eat better.
Sleep more.
Drink more water.
The problem has never been information.
ChatGPT will answer any question about anything at anytime.
Yet people still struggle.
For years, I’ve seen the same guys come into our gym and workout religiously.
But, most of them are not exactly poster children for looking fit.
Why?
Life gets in the way.
Stress piles up.
Schedules change.
Even for the guys who don’t miss many workouts.
Because the truth is that real progress isn’t built on perfect programs.
It’s built on consistent habits ALL DAY.
Those habits don’t just happen inside the gym.
They also happen during the other 23 hours.
The more we explore that idea, the more we believe it’s where our biggest opportunity is.
Not just to become fitter, but to become the best version of ourselves.
STAY STRONG,
Jeff
]]>I learned two things from my soon-to-be college freshman:
First, his old man can still outdrive him off the tee.
Two, he won an uncomfortable number of holes, so my reign is in jeopardy:)
So, what do I mean when I say, “the gym isn’t the hard part”?
That may sound strange coming from a golf trainer who spends a lot of time in the gym, but hear me out.
For most people, the workout lasts an hour…if that.
The other 23 hours are where progress is made or lost.
It’s choosing to go to bed instead of scrolling for another hour.
It’s grabbing a meal with enough protein instead of whatever’s easiest.
It’s drinking water, taking a walk, managing stress, and making dozens of small decisions that no one else ever sees.
The workout is important, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us don’t struggle because we don’t know how to exercise.
We struggle because life gets busy, priorities shift, and those small daily habits start to slip.
When we take a step back, the more we see that fitness isn’t really about the hour you spend training.
It’s about everything that surrounds it.
That’s been on our minds a lot lately, and it’s shaping how we’re thinking about the future of 18STRONG.
More on that this week.
STAY STRONG,
Jeff
PS – Go Spain!
]]>| All week, we’ve been talking about this inner dialogue: “I used to be able to do that.” Then we talked about the possibility that maybe age isn’t the real issue. Today, I want to leave you with one final thought as we head into the weekend. Five years from now is coming whether you’re ready for it or not. The question isn’t whether you’ll be five years older. The question is who you’ll be when you get there. Just like Big Tom Callahan said in the movie Tommy Boy: “In auto parts, you’re either growing or you’re dying. There ain’t no third direction.” Five years from now, you’ll either be stronger or weaker. More mobile or less mobile. More energetic or more tired. More confident in your body or more frustrated by it. The choice isn’t made five years from now. It’s being made today. Most men dramatically overestimate what they can accomplish in a month and underestimate what they can accomplish in five years. They think getting stronger requires some massive transformation. It doesn’t. Strength is built one workout at a time. Mobility is built one session at a time. Energy is built one decision at a time. The problem is that most men wait until they have a reason. A doctor’s warning. A bad season of golf. A back injury. A photo they don’t like. A moment that forces them to pay attention. But what if you didn’t wait for that moment? What if you decided now that the next five years are going to look different from the last five? Not because you’re trying to look like you did at 25. Not because you’re chasing some unrealistic fitness goal. But because you want to be capable. Strong. Athletic. Healthy. The kind of man who can do the things he enjoys without his body getting in the way. That’s what fitness should really be about. Not turning back the clock. Not becoming someone else. Becoming the best version of yourself for the years ahead. Five years from now, you’ll wish you had started sooner. The good news? Sooner can still be today. STAY STRONG, Jeff If you’re ready to start building the next/best version of yourself, we’d love to help. You can join the 18STRONG Membership here. |
“I used to be able to do that.”
By the way, that phrase is like describing your fantasy football draft…nobody wants to hear about it:)
Today, I want to piggyback about why that phrase is so dangerous.
Because at first, it’s harmless.
You pull a muscle playing basketball.
You get winded climbing a hill on the golf course.
Your back gets tight after a long day.
And you laugh it off.
“Man, I used to be able to do that.”
No big deal.
Now, be prepared because I’m about to get a little deep with you this morning…
Except it can become a big deal.
And here’s why: eventually that phrase becomes your identity.
You stop seeing yourself as an athlete.
You stop seeing yourself as someone who trains.
You stop seeing yourself as someone who can improve.
You begin accepting decline as if it’s mandatory.
That’s where most men get stuck.
Not because they’re incapable.
Because they’ve convinced themselves that the version of themselves they actually want to be no longer exists.
But think about this:
The competitive part of you is still there.
The part that wants to feel strong is still there.
The part that wants to walk onto the first tee with confidence, keep up with the younger guys, and feel good when he catches his reflection in a mirror…
That guy never left.
He’s just been ignored for too long.
And the longer you wait, the easier it becomes to believe the lie that it’s too late.
It’s not.
The best time to start was years ago.
The second-best time is today.
You don’t need to train like a college athlete.
You don’t need six days a week in the gym.
You don’t need perfection.
You simply need a plan and the willingness to start.
That’s exactly why we built the 18STRONG Membership.
To help golfers and everyday athletes reclaim strength, mobility, energy, and confidence without wasting time on things that don’t move your needle.
Your future self doesn’t care what you used to be able to do.
He cares what you’re willing to do next.
STAY STRONG,
Jeff
]]>Part of it is about a buddy who can’t get over his athleticism (baseball, specifically) peaked in high school.
Well, you’re not gonna like what I’m about to tell you, but…
We ALL have some version hiding in our brains somewhere.
And here is how it reveals itself:
“I used to be able to do that.”
There’s a phrase I hear all the time.
Maybe you’ve said it yourself – I know I have.
“I used to be able to do that.”
I used to play 36 holes and feel fine the next day.
I used to run a 7-minute mile.
I used to drink 15 Natural Lights and feel great the next day.
I used to fit into those pants.
I used to…
And every time we say it, we tell ourselves the same story:
“I’m just getting older.”
Now, let’s be clear.
Aging is real.
But that’s not what we’re talking about.
Most of the things we blame on age are actually the result of years of slowly drifting away from the habits that made us athletic in the first place.
The problem isn’t that you’re 45 or 65.
The problem is that you’ve spent the last 15 years sitting more, moving less, recovering poorly, and convincing yourself that it’s normal.
Because here’s the truth:
The guy who could do those things wasn’t special.
He was simply training, moving, competing, and taking care of himself.
That version of you didn’t disappear.
You just stopped practicing being him.
And that’s good news.
Because if you built it once, you can build it again.
Maybe not exactly the same.
Maybe you’re not chasing a high school highlight reel.
But you can absolutely become stronger, leaner, more mobile, and more capable than you are today.
The goal isn’t to be 18 again.
That’s a fool’s errand.
The goal is to stop acting like your best physical years are automatically behind you.
Because they’re not.
Not if you’re willing to do something about it.
STAY STRONG,
Jeff
If you’re ready to stop talking about what you used to be able to do and start building back the athletic version of yourself, we’d love to help.
Join us in the 18STRONG Membership and start training for the next chapter, not reminiscing about the last one.
]]>I’ll already be looking forward to next year at Pebble as soon as the winners walk off the final green on Sunday.
Now, down to business…
I know a lot of golfers who are “in shape.”
They go to the gym three or four days a week.
They walk on the treadmill.
They lift weights.
And yet they still struggle to rotate.
Their backs get tight after a round.
They lose distance every year.
They have no feel for their swing.
Why?
Because being in shape and being athletic are not the same thing.
You can have strong muscles and still move poorly.
You can have great endurance and still lack power.
You can spend hours in the gym and never improve the way your body actually performs on the course.
Athleticism is different.
Athleticism is the ability to move efficiently and produce force when you need it.
It’s mobility.
Balance.
Stability.
Coordination.
Strength.
Power.
All working together.
That’s why the goal at 18STRONG is not to simply help golfers exercise more.
The goal is to help golfers move like athletes again.
Because golf isn’t a game of isolated muscles.
It’s a full-body, violent, athletic movement repeated time and again over the course of a round.
And the better your body moves, the easier the game becomes.
You may not be trying to win the club championship.
But I bet you’d like to hit it farther.
Play more rounds.
And finish 18 holes feeling strong.
That’s athleticism.
And the good news is, athleticism can be recaptured at any age.
STAY STRONG,
Jeff
PS – The best place I know to start recapturing the athleticism you had when you were younger is the 18STRONG Membership.
No, it’s not the fountain of youth.
But, you will start moving like you know you should. rnal
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]]>| Do you remember when your body wasn’t something you had to think about? You could get out of bed without making blue whale mating sounds. You could play all day, wake up the next morning, and do it again. You could make an athletic move without wondering whether your back, knee, shoulder, or hip was going to remind you about it later. Most people look back on those years and think: “Yeah, we were just younger.” But I don’t think that’s the whole story. What you’re really remembering is athleticism. Athleticism is what allowed you to move freely. To react quickly. To generate power. To trust your body without constantly negotiating with it. And here’s the good news: Athleticism isn’t reserved for twenty-year-olds. Sure, we all age. None of us are getting younger. But I’ve worked with enough golfers over the years to know that many of the things people blame on age are actually the result of losing mobility, strength, balance, coordination, and movement quality. In other words, they aren’t (just) getting old. They’re getting deconditioned. That’s an important distinction because one of those things is inevitable. The other is trainable. The goal for us who are a little longer in the tooth isn’t to feel 18 again – that’s like striving for perfection…it ain’t gonna happen. The goal is to feel capable again. To walk 18 holes without feeling beat up. To swing freely without worrying about your back. To have enough energy left after the round to enjoy the rest of your day. To trust your body again. That’s what we’re building here at 18STRONG. Not a younger version of you. That is a fool’s errand. We want a stronger, more capable version of the golfer you are today. One who keeps showing up. Who keeps stacking small wins. Your body is paying attention, even when progress feels slow. And one day you’ll realize something interesting: Your body works a lot better than it did six months ago. STAY STRONG, Jeff PS – If you’re ready get started restoring your athleticism, then we can help you in the 18STRONG Membership. Let’s go! |
I put on my best Clark Griswold hat and drove the five of us the 850 miles from St. Louis to Denver.
That gives a fella a lot of time to think.
Here are a few thoughts I had somewhere in the middle of Kansas…
A lot of golfers look in the mirror and think aging is the problem.
They remember when they could play 36 holes without thinking twice.
When they could get out of the car without creaking.
When they could bend down, rotate, sprint, jump, or throw without their body talking back.
So, they assume that’s just what happens when you get older.
But what if that’s not entirely true?
What if the athlete didn’t disappear?
What if he’s just been buried under years of desk work, long commutes, stress, responsibilities, and a body that hasn’t been challenged the way it used to be?
Think back to your younger years…
You played sports.
Maybe you lifted weights.
Maybe you were the guy everyone wanted on their team.
You didn’t spend much time thinking about movement because movement was just…well, moving.
Then life happened.
Careers.
Kids.
Mortgages.
Responsibilities.
Somewhere along the way, being an athlete stopped being part of your identity and became something you used to be.
That’s the lie I want to challenge this week.
Because our goal at 18STRONG isn’t to turn you into a bodybuilder.
It’s not to help you look good in swim trunks.
And it’s not even primarily about lowering your handicap.
It’s about helping you reclaim the athleticism that made you feel capable, confident, and powerful in the first place.
The athlete is still in there.
He may be a little rusty.
He may move a little slower than he used to.
But he’s still there.
And every workout, every mobility session, every intentional choice is another step toward uncovering him again.
This week’s gameplan is designed to help you do exactly that.
Let’s get to work.
Jeff
PS – The best place I know to get the party started is the 18STRONG Membership.
You’ll find the Daily Motion routine already installed on your calendar.
One week of 7 minutes per day, and you will already notice a difference.
]]>Your body remembers (like riding a bike).
A lot of former athletes think the feeling is gone forever.
For the record, when I say “athletes”, I don’t mean professional or high-level.
If you played sports growing up, and were one of the best kids on the team, you’re athletic.
Or, if you can pick up any sport or even parlor game easily, you’re athletic.
But, here’s the current state of your athletic affiars: almost always, your athleticism is there, it’s just underneath years of stiffness, inconsistency, desk work, stress, and moving less.
That athletic version of you didn’t disappear overnight.
It slowly got buried.
And the cool part is it can come back faster than most people expect.
Not because you suddenly become 22 again.
But because your body starts remembering how to:
That’s why the goal isn’t perfection.
It’s reconnecting with the version of yourself that still wants to move, compete, and feel capable.
That’s what we’re building inside 18STRONG.
Not bodybuilders.
Not fitness fanatics.
Athletic golfers.
Guys who want to feel like themselves again.
If you’re ready for that, check out the 18STRONG Membership and come train with us.
STAY STRONG,
Jeff
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