This is an excerpt from our latest Lifetime Athlete Program in the App. It was created based on popular demand in our client community.
The Dad Bod. It can sneak up on any man in this modern world. This Lifetime Athlete Program helps you to get rid of your Dad Bod, once and for all. Dad Bod Be Gone (DBBG) is a comprehensive program for dudes who are noticing their physique – and overall energy, health, and fitness – isn’t quite what it once was. Acquiring a Dad Bod was not your intention. Not in the least. But if it’s happened, you most certainly can do something about it. Here’s how.
THE SITUATION
First of all, this is a program with no judgment. Morphing into a Dad Bod can happen to any of us. It’s not totally your fault either. I’m not saying we are helpless victims but there are a lot of sociocultural factors which can impact a man’s physiology and psychology. They can detract from your natural, youthful, masculine appearance and negatively affect your self esteem.
A lot of these issues will sound familiar. You invest in a full life. You get busy trying to fulfill your commitments and obligations as a husband, father, co-worker, boss, community member, etc. Time is often crunched and there is usually a crapload of stress that goes along with this scene. Your food choices aren’t always the best. You don’t get the sleep you need. It’s hard to find the time to work out like you used to and sometimes you really don’t even feel like it. You’re doing the best you can in the situation but you’re not thrilled with what you’re seeing in the mirror. The wardrobe ain’t fitting the same. You’re kinda feeling like you might not quite be the guy you used to be, or want to be, in the boardroom, or the bedroom.
DBBG makes every day Father’s Day. It’s time to celebrate dads and men who are strong, confident, masculine, and kind leaders. We want to do good in the world and our bodies need to be optimally prepared for that role. You are a man who isn’t afraid to step forward and face a challenge, take on leadership positions, share your wisdom, and protect others. The biology of the dating and mating game, as well as your success in most areas of life, is positively affected by your masculinity. Regardless of how it happened, the Dad Bod can pose a challenge to reaching your full potential in all these conditions. DBBG is going to restore your masculinity and the physique that goes along with it.
THE PROBLEM
The Dad Bod shows up and wreaks havoc on your health and self image. You don’t feel great and you don’t perform at the high level you’re used to. This sucks. But it can be changed.
The main cause of the Dad Bod is hormonal imbalance. And while this dysregulation can span almost every hormone and neurotransmitter to some degree, we’re going to focus on two key relationships: cortisol/melatonin, and estradiol/testosterone. We’ll go over each of these relationships independently.
Before we describe the function and roles of these hormonal relationships in male physiology, it’s important to recognize that none of those hormones are necessarily bad. They are all naturally present in your body and necessary for optimal health. It’s the total amounts and ratios between these molecules which affects male physiology. This has the effect of either turning up or dialing down the Dad Bod response. So it’s not like we’re saying that as a man you should have no cortisol or estradiol. This is very contextual and our goal in describing this problem is to identify a few major but relatively simple points. You don’t need an advanced biology course. Just a few big rocks.
Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands and it’s considered to be our primary stress hormone. For this reason it often gets an undesirable reputation. But when you think about it, we actually need a little stress to get going. And (in the right amounts), cortisol helps us to respond to stressful situations, and to manage metabolism, blood glucose levels, and inflammation. But when cortisol gets excessive, it keeps us in a prolonged fight or flight state. In this situation, high cortisol levels can lead to elevated blood pressure, resting pulse, blood glucose levels, and fat storage. It keeps our minds and bodies activated and works against relaxation and sleep. This is a perfect example of the old term “the dose makes the poison.”
Melatonin is known as our “get sleepy” hormone. Research indicates that melatonin is tied to our circadian rhythm and also functions harmoniously with cortisol. When our cortisol levels naturally rise upon awakening in the morning, this resets our internal clock and sets us up to produce the appropriate amount of melatonin in the evening, thus ensuring our diurnal mammalian wake and sleep cycles. Melatonin is actually converted from serotonin but I said we’re only going to focus on those Big 4 hormones, so I don’t need to mention anything else. Melatonin production is highly dependent on light and darkness exposure and we’ll talk more about that later.
When we’re in a high cortisol state, it creates a suppressive or inhibitory effect on melatonin. We are “tired and wired” simultaneously. We need sleep but we don’t sleep well or long enough. This stresses us out, and that same stress further restricts sleep. It’s a vicious cycle. This sleep/stress conundrum is one of our major problems.
Estradiol is a form of estrogen which is necessary for a number of functions in the male body. It is produced in small amounts by the testes and adrenal glands, and it assists with reproductive and prostate health. In addition to this, estradiol supports bone, metabolic, cardiac, and brain health. Consequently, every man requires a certain amount (although individually dynamic and hard to nail down exactly) of estradiol for ideal health. But when it gets too high (the primary culprit being excessive stress levels) it can cause men to experience gynecomastia (breast enlargement), erectile dysfunction, and impotency. Definitely not what a stallion needs.
Testosterone. The Big T. It’s been a hot topic for a while and it’s definitely the elephant in this room. We’re gonna say what we need to say about testosterone in just a couple paragraphs. Testosterone is produced in the testes and it is responsible for much of our quintessentially male traits. This includes the primary reproductive functions as well as secondary (androgenic) characteristics such as muscle and beard growth, voice deepening, etc. Testosterone also works as a powerful driver of male anabolic effects like muscle size and strength, bodyfat levels, and bone density. And it profoundly affects mood, libido, confidence, and self-image.
When T gets low (expert opinion on the ideal range is variable), much of what we define as male characteristics, or manliness, is challenged. And this situation is compounded when estradiol is (relatively) high. Research suggests that men need anywhere from between 10-30 times as much testosterone as estradiol to keep things in a normal balance and not provoke the dreaded DadBod triggers.
There’s a reason why the side view of a DadBod looks similar to that of a pregnant woman. Hormones are out of whack. Now, sometimes this presentation is not too severe, but it’s there nonetheless. The old DB has hit me a couple times in my life when I wasn’t doing so well with stress, nutrition, and sleep, and I was honestly a little surprised when I turned sideways and glanced at my reflection in the mirror. I was training regularly and I was actually quite fit, but I learned that you can’t override hormonal issues with more workouts and sheer determination. You have to fix the lifestyle factors and rebalance the hormones.
You should always work with your healthcare provider (HCP), but the medical approach won’t fix your lifestyle. Only you can do this. If testing reveals your T level to be low, you may be diagnosed with primary hypogonadism. But keep in mind, this isn’t the cause of the DadBod, it’s one of the major symptoms. DBBG helps your spherical friends south of the belt border to do their thing, naturally.
Low T, in and of itself, isn’t always the only problem. Thus, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may not always be the answer, nor is it the only thing necessary for eradicating the DadBod condition. I’m not here to suggest whether TRT is right for you or not. That’s up to you and your HCP. But I can tell you that even if you did TRT, that alone might not be enough to fully solve the DadBod problem. Fixing your lifestyle is the key to long term results, whether you’re on TRT or not.
The most recent data suggests that TRT is safe, and you may not need to do it indefinitely. However, any type of hormone replacement therapy can permanently suppress your endogenous production and leave you dependent upon it for life. Using this program can actually help restore your natural endogenous testosterone production while you are simultaneously addressing some of the other lifestyle and hormonal issues. So, the message here is let’s respect Big T, but even if you’re thinking of going on TRT, try this program for 3 months first. Test your levels before and after. You might be surprised at your results and having less pills and injections in your life is generally a good thing.
In summing up the DadBod problem, it’s more than just potentially low T. It’s too much stress and not enough sleep. Suboptimal nutrition, ineffective training, and out-of-balance hormones. And the impacts are not just cosmetic. This condition can lead to higher levels of visceral fat, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and significant negative health consequences. But if all that stuff led to this swirling mess, you can also get out of it by addressing these issues scientifically. That’s what we’re going to talk about next.
THE SOLUTION
Solving the Dad Bod problem is actually simpler than you might think. Creating a physiologic milieu (big term to describe your biologic state) that allows your body to naturally restore hormonal balance is not that difficult. We’re going to go over some very simple yet incredibly effective steps. The combined effect of how you train, eat, sleep, and live your life is a powerful stimulus that governs the way you look and feel.
DBBG is not wizardry…it’s orchestration. You become the conductor and you manage the major lifestyle factors so they can work in concert. You train intelligently for specific outcomes. You eat for improved health and metabolic regulation. You sleep for ideal recovery and rejuvenation. You increase your awareness of your relationships and environmental factors and how they impact your health. All these things work together harmoniously to rebalance your hormones and make the DadBod a thing of the past…
THE PLAN
Hope is not a plan. Doesn’t matter who claims to have said that first. The Dad Bod tends to not want to go away on its own and wishful thinking is inadequate in accomplishing that objective.
DBBG is a 12-week system and it relies on the concept of reasonable consistency. We need to do some things long enough, and regularly enough, to achieve positive outcomes. 12 weeks is a sweet spot for any lifestyle adjustment or training program. This time period is long enough to obtain measurable results. And it’s brief enough that it’s very sustainable. Practically anyone can stick with this program.
Reasonable consistency means that most of the time, you do most of the “stuff.” It’s difficult to be completely “perfect” in the application of any system. Striving for perfection can actually be a stressor in and of itself. And hell, there may be no such thing as perfect anyway, at least in the context of the dynamic existence of modern men. Close enough is good enough. Don’t beat yourself up if you occasionally need to flex and adapt to life’s circumstances. That’s what Dads do. You should be shooting for 85% or better (when possible) of program adherence. That’s a passing grade at any institution, and is considered good in almost every sense. This is how we rebuild an organism, or a man in this case. Don’t be deterred by a few blips here and there and think you have to throw in the proverbial towel. Just keep showing up – for yourself – and everyone else.
DBBG allows you to establish a rhythm and make some changes. You’ll feel better within a few weeks and by the end of 3 months you’ll be feeling fantastic. At that point, you can consider some advancements, depending on the direction in which you want to head…
THE WORKOUT SYSTEM
There is a very specific manner in which to perform exercise such that it concentrates on hormonal balance. While we train for general health and fitness in this program, we specifically focus on two objectives.
- Upregulation of testosterone, growth hormone, muscle protein synthesis, and physique enhancements.
- Avoidance of beatdown and breakdown approaches which work against our goals and that actually further exacerbate the DadBod.
Each of those points deserves a little explaining. It’s not only important that you know what to do and how to do it…having an understanding of why (this stuff matters) is essential…
THE NUTRITIONAL REGIMEN
You can use the word “diet” any way you like. As a noun, it describes your nutritional intake. But as a verb, it is suggestive of restriction and sacrifice. Josey Wales said “Dying Ain’t Much of a Livin’, Boy” and the same is true if dieting is taken too far. We don’t need to do that. We just need to follow a sensible, evidence-based system…
THE SLEEP CONSIDERATIONS
Let’s begin with a 1-paragraph crash course on sleep. It’s all about the “R” words. Recovery, restoration, replenishment, rejuvenation, refreshment, etc. This is the critical role of sleep for the modern man. Humans sleep in recurring cycles through the night. Each of these lasts approximately 90-120 minutes. Each cycle contains Non Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep which is also known as Stage 1, 2, 3 (deepest) sleep and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. NREM or deep sleep is when we do most of our tissue repair and associated processes. REM sleep emphasizes memory consolidation, learning and processing, and mental/emotional health enhancement. Most people require 4-6 sleep cycles per night, which equates to 7-9 hours of total sleep (not just time in bed). The early cycles are weighted to have more deep sleep and the later ones contain greater amounts of REM sleep…
THE LIFESTYLE HABITS
While there are many more tips and tricks (I’ve come to despise the word “hack”) you could use than the ones which follow, these really give you a bang for your buck…
THE LONG TERM
Putting DBBG all together is not rocket science. But it is a scientific approach. Ultimately, though, any health and fitness plan works best when it feels natural, comfortable, and instinctive. Not overly contrived or constraining. This allows you to remain consistent…
This incredible Lifetime Athlete Program is great for any guy who needs a tune-up, whether you’re a father or not!