I ate whatever I wanted for 60 days here’s what happened…

For 60 days, I embarked on a radical experiment: I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

The result?

I lost nine pounds, my testosterone levels soared, and my cholesterol dropped.

This happened while indulging on ice cream, marshmallows, bread, pasta, butter, and soda—every single day. My breakfast? Often nearly a loaf of bread smothered in butter, topped with steak and cheese, and washed down with cream soda.

Sound crazy?

I thought so too. But in actual fact, I had more energy for workouts, got stronger, and handled increased stress better than ever before.

And before you jump to conclusions, no, I didn’t run 70 miles a week or resort to performance-enhancing drugs. My secret weapon?

The “Single Ingredient Diet.”

The Problem with Ultra-Processed Foods

I believe ultra-processed foods harm us more than we realize. My experiment aimed to test this theory by eliminating them entirely. Now, I wasn’t starting from scratch—I already maintained a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and a high-protein diet. So I wasn’t a complete slob.

But here’s the thing about processed foods: those nutrition labels can be deceivingly inaccurate. Did you know they’re allowed to have a 20% margin of error? That seemingly innocent 1,000-calorie meal could actually contain 1,200 calories. This discrepancy can sabotage your weight loss goals without you even realizing it.

Beyond misleading labels, processed foods are often packed with unpronounceable ingredients. While not necessarily harmful, these additives and preservatives can have unintended consequences for our health.

The Single Ingredient Solution

My solution was simple: consume only foods with a single ingredient. Think whole foods like fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy. This meant ditching fortified flour, refined sugar, and anything with a laundry list of additives.

Initially, it was a struggle. But I quickly adapted and actually ended up saving a ton of money by cooking at home and buying in bulk.

I even started making my own bread, pasta, and cream soda!

The Results

After 60 days, the results were undeniable:

Weight: Down 9 pounds
Total Cholesterol: Decreased
Testosterone: Significantly increased to its highest level yet
Energy Levels: Through the roof

I felt incredible.

A Word of Caution

This isn’t a magic bullet, and individual results may vary. But my experience highlights the potential benefits of prioritizing whole, unprocessed foods. It’s a call to question our current nutritional landscape and the often-confusing world of dieting.

If you’re intrigued by the single-ingredient diet, I encourage you to give it a try. You might be surprised by the positive impact it has on your health and well-being.

While you’re here, if you’re a busy north NJ adult looking to look, move and feel better, come join us for a FREE session at Freak Strength: https://freakstrengthgym.com/free-class-form

5 Hacks to Fix Your Back Pain

We all know that getting in shape and losing weight is simple.

You gotta eat better.
You need to move more.
You need to do both consistently.

But all too often, you start to move more and then are crippled with back pain. It’s a common story. Just as you are making headway, you’re lying on the lounge floor with back spasms and pain you just can’t escape.

You are not alone.

I’ve helped countless people, from Super Bowl champs to everyday folks, overcome pain and lose weight consistently.

But here’s the truth: Ignoring your back pain won’t make it go away. It’ll just lead to frustration, hinder your weight loss, and you’ll enter an endless cycle of setbacks and pain.

Firstly, you need to understand why you are in pain.

The Real Cause of Your Back Pain

Many people mistakenly focus on treating the pain itself with ice, heat, or massage. But often, the pain is just a symptom of a deeper issue originating elsewhere. Over my career, I’ve regularly seen that this issue lies in the hips.

Think of your body as a kinetic chain. Tight hip muscles, like the psoas and glute medius, can pull on your lower back, leading to overworked muscles, spasms, and chronic pain.

But what’s the fix?

A Simple Solution You Can Do Anywhere

Forget expensive treatments and complicated therapies. While these might get you out of pain in the short term, they don’t solve the issue. Instead, you end up relying on these strategies and spending a ton of money.

As a lot of my professional athletes are all around the world competing, I needed to come up with strategies that were foolproof (pro athletes aren’t always the sharpest) but would provide the same results as if I were hands-on with them.

I designed a simple protocol that they, and now you, can use. It consists of three simple stretches and two self-massage techniques that have helped 95% of our clients find relief:

Banded Groin Stretch: This targets the psoas and adductors, releasing tension in the hips and groin.
Quad and Hip Flexor Stretch: Loosens tight quads and hip flexors, including the rectus femoris, which can contribute to back pain.
Glute Stretch: Stretches the glutes and hamstrings while creating traction to release the glute medius.
Glute Rollout: Use a lacrosse ball, foam roller, or vibrating foam roller to release tension in the glutes.
Psoas Rollout: Apply pressure to the psoas muscle with a ball, either on the ground or on a vibrating foam roller.

Remember: Consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program. Listen to your body and stop if you experience any sharp pain. These exercises are designed to help, not push you into a deeper pain cave.

Ready to break the cycle of back pain and achieve your fitness goals? Give these techniques a try!

If you need further assistance, or want to take your weight loss journey seriously, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Freak Strength. While you’re here, if you’re a busy north NJ adult looking to look, move and feel better, come join us for a FREE session at Freak Strength: https://freakstrengthgym.com/free-class-form

Microdosing Eccentric, Isometric & Max Strength

At CVASPS @Guadango you presented on using isometric and eccentric contractions each set (a friend was there and told me so don’t hold me to it). In other words set 1 iso, set 2 eccentric, etc. Any influences from these pages or studies on that? (pictures from Special Strength Training Manual for coaches) Group using various tempo did best

Combining them in one session rather than Cal’s block segregated approach was more of a concept influence from Pfaff. He once said, “if the program works on the macro, then it should work on the micro.” meaning if you do 4 weeks of each, then you can shrink it down and do 1 week of each. And then I thought, what if i microdose each component within each workout? Could it make sense to perform one set of each within each workout?

I didn’t see how it couldn’t help. Something is typically better than nothing. On top of that, it’s just extra volume. Prioritize what’s the most impactful method and put the most stress/intensity on that one and make the other variations supplemental.

Research suggests that if you have a short timeline (6 weeks or less) training to failure is superior. If you have a longer timeline, submaximal is the way. When I have guys for only 4-6 weeks, which isn’t uncommon, I will utilize this microdosing method where I’ll do one set isometric, one set eccentric and one set where they perform max reps to failure/near failure. If max strength is the main issue, then we put the focus on max reps, if work capacity is the issue, we usually focus on eccentric and if under-recruitment of motor units is the issue, we will focus on isometric.

Typical example of submax method

Eccentric Block 1-6 weeks

Isometric Block 1-6 weeks

Rep Max Block 1-6 weeks (Linear rep regression 6,5,4,3,2,1reps) – for strength realization/development

Example Microdosing block 2-6weeks

Set 1: Eccentric (pick weight)

Set 2: Isometric (10% drop)

Set 3: Max reps (10-25reps 10% increase from eccentric)

I hope this helps.

Mental Clarity & Brain Fog

Hi Mike, what diet would you recommend or what diet have you found to give the best mental clarity? I have been diagnosed with adhd and bipolar disorder, I’m looking to improve my focus/prevent brain fog and to be more stable? I do take medication too.

————-

Though I’ve struggled with some anxiety/depression and have been able to help myself, this is absolutely is not my forte. But here’s how I looked at it when I was trying to figure things out.

**This is not my recommendation, just how I looked at it when I was struggling with my issues.**

Stability is my friend. During the time when my mental state was consistently inconsistent, I decided to control the things I could control. My job was to create stability in the things that I felt I had control over. I worked out the same time every day, I had the same meals at the same times every day, I woke up and went to sleep at the same time every day, & I cut out all alcohol & caffeine. I made sure that while my brain was all over the place, that my body & nutrition were not.

I also looked at my blood sugar/insulin levels the same way as well. I didn’t want them jumping all over the place, so I made sure to eat carbohydrates that would not cause huge spikes in blood sugar. I also made sure that I didn’t go inconsistently long periods without food causing my blood sugar to drop, which causes a spike in glucagon which then causes a release of glycogen from the muscle/liver into the blood which causes the bounce back. This was before all the easy commercial blood glucose monitors we have now, so I had to prick my finger every hour or so and draw blood to see how my body responded to what foods/fast periods. It was a long, painful, arduous process, but I valued my mental health over everything at that time so I did everything I possibly could to improve it. Now, you can just get one of those stick on monitors that hooks up to your phone. Makes it real easy. I don’t have a specific product that I recommend though, i’ve never personally used one.

I also did 24 hour fasts every Wednesday. It was a consistent way to challenge myself and control my thoughts.

Over time, coupled with talk therapy, i was able to figure some stuff out and get past the rough spots.

What I do now for brain fog, here are my go tos:

8hours sleep
- I usually don’t get that, but that’s the goal I get to if I want proper cognitive function
20-30min walking, preferably outdoors
1 cup blueberries daily
Daily multivitamin
Fish oils daily
Don’t eat past 5pm
Drink 80+oz water daily

Morning Shakes & Supplements for Cognition

1tbs psyillium husk, 1tsp magnesium + 16oz Water
Morning Shake
Prestige Labs multivitamin, 4g fish oils, 5000iu vitamin D

Morning Shake ingredients

Item	protein (g)	calories
Blueberries 1 cup	1	70
whey 1scoop	20	130
0% fat Greek yogurt 1/2 cup	15	75
skim milk 1 cup	8	85

Total	44	360

I saw a post that 1 cup of blueberries instantly improved cognition so i gave it a shot. I really noticed a difference and I love it. So, now I do it daily.