So last week wasn’t easy. I’m a stress eater and have been my whole life … and to say I was stressed last week is an understatement. Having to deal with the death of my Gran was harder on me than I realized it would be so my week was spent thinking about sodas and cookies and not sleeping well and not working out hardly at all. I got a couple of runs in and hit up Winter Weightlifting … and ate a lot of pizza and an enormous fried fish sandwich (in honor of my sweet Gran) … a

It’s bi-weekly weigh-in time and I’m happy to report that I’m still down overall but I’ve put some of my water weight back on and I’m feeling great — thank the gods! I was able to (mostly) get through all of last week’s workouts with no interruptions save for some of the running, which is a shame because I’m still big-time in the mood to run. I’m in a bit of a bind this week but we’ll talk about that a little later … … for now, the weigh-in: Weekly Weigh-In: 223.7 Pounds (3.3

Holy crap, y’all. What a week. It appears I’m well on my way to hitting my weight-loss goal in a hurry. Not because this program is really that good but mostly because of that damned sickness last week. I’ve dropped a lot of weight this week but make no mistake — it wasn’t quality poundage. So many times I’ve heard from people who start a new program who have gotten so HYPED after the first week or two because they experience a great amount of weight loss. I don’t want to be

I was hesitant to do the 10-year challenge thing at first because it’s usually just not something I’d normally do anyway but I also figured I’d have a hard time finding a photo that’s 10 years old. When I realized I could just look on Facebook I was then struck with the alarming realization that we live in a time where a full decade of our lives has been put on Facebook. Hell, to go even further, I joined back in 2006! I can’t say I’ve learned much from it but what I HAVE lea

Shew. At the first of December I announced Who Wants To Be King? — a new program intended to let me get back on track to hitting my fitness goals before the New Year, New Me people hit the scene. And I hit it HARD … And then I got sick. Twice. Cool. Anyway, we’re starting over but the meal plan is better and the workout plan is way more intense! If you want to see all the basic information, reference the above-linked post. Otherwise, here’s what it’s looking like as we begin:

Hey! Anybody remember Mount Crushmore? If you’re late to this party, Mount Crushmore was a program I made back in March where I brought my readers through 12 weeks of workouts and meal plans. I lost 3.4% body fat, gained 6.6 pounds of muscle and lost 7.3 pounds of fat. That was a win for me but it was also a win for my readers as everyone ended up with a free workout plan and a free meal plan to go along with it! So what if we did it again? Since Mount Crushmore’s conclusion

Whaddup, y’all. While I’ve shared a free workout, it’s been about two months since I’ve given any proper updates. And let me just say, there’s a lot going on! I won’t waste your time with anything boring. So let’s catch up, shall we? Since Mount Crushmore ended I’ve had a lot on my plate. Let’s start with … My Current Program I got great results from Mount Crushmore and I intended to begin a followup called Terror-torial after taking a couple of weeks off but what ended up ha

Knoxville is changed. You can feel it in the water; in the earth; in the air. While the Elves, Dwarf-Lords and Men of Middle Earth were each gifted a certain number of rings forged with the strength and will to govern each race … another ring exists deep in the land of TITLE Boxing Club in the form of a themed workout — a master ring forged by the local Thunder God and personal trainer JTF into which he’s poured his motivation and his desire to see others succeed in all aspec

It’s the penultimate week of the program so I’m buckled in to shoot for a big finish! With that said, the measurements included this week and next will be the bare minimum so I can make one last post after the program’s completion that will hopefully shed some light on how good the program actually was (with final numbers). Speaking of bare minimum — let’s do it. Weekly Weigh-in: 221.1 (0.8 Pounds Lost) I’ll be completely honest — I’m surprised by this. Over the weekend I wen

I’m taking a brief break from Mount Crushmore to talk about something that I hope you all find inspirational / motivational. I’ve been listening to Rob Dial’s Mindset and Motivation Podcast for a few weeks now and have been enjoying it big time. Sometimes if something from it hits me just right, I share it with my own commentary on my Instagram Story and that’s how this was intended to go but then I got a little long winded. You know how I can be when I’m passionate about som

Most people who know me would probably scoff at the thought of me writing a post about resting. I proudly work around 70 hours a week between my jobs at Discovery and TITLE Boxing Club. Additionally, I’m putting in personal time at the gym just pumping iron or otherwise getting my sweat on. There have been many times when I’ve been exhausted and have gone into over-training mode that has, admittedly, left me in tears before. My mom is always worrying about me; my grandmother

I had a supplement post planned for last week but never made it. I don’t know why. With that said, I’m going to shake up my planned blog posting for the remainder of this program (yes, I do have a calendar for it). Over the course of the next few weeks, I intend to highlight recovery days, supplements, meal planning, meal prepping and treating one’s self! I also took yesterday off (mostly) so while I got a lot accomplished at home, I didn’t touch this blog (obviously) hence w

Tired. Sore. Sunburned. That’s been the response in my head for the last two days when people ask how I’m doing. Friday’s workout did a number on me, I halfway messed up my shoulder in MMA last week. Some freak in Brazil compromised my bank card and spent $3,200 I didn’t have, leaving me with no money for three days; no bank card for six. I got a pretty good sunburn on Saturday and while it’s not incredibly painful, it’s for sure there. Also pretty sure my aching back is a re

Last week we covered Part 1. Catch up if you need to. One of my favorite clients is a young lady that works at a dentist’s office. She’s a hard worker, she’s hungry for progress and she isn’t afraid to sweat to reach her goals. In the short time that we’ve worked together, I’ve noticed a definite change in her confidence, her appearance and in her actual strength. It’s an amazing thing to get to witness! While I brag on her every chance I get, I often use her as an example to

We’re on the downhill, guys! Ultimately last week was a good week. I started with a new client, had a spa day, cooked an unreal dinner on Saturday night, had another extremely challenging MMA class on Sunday and spent some quality family time with Cara’s folks to celebrate Mother’s Day. On the downside, however, I had a short bout with a bug of some kind. I spent nearly half the week stopped up, sore throat, no energy, etc. I missed a workout and my energy is still recovering

As we established a long time ago, the goal of JTF’s Mount Crushmore was to reduce my body fat percentage. We do that by losing body fat while simultaneously increasing muscle mass. The entire program has two main components: eating and moving my ass. I’ve detailed my meal plan several times over the last several weeks so I won’t spend much time on that today. I’ll just say that if you want to build muscle, you have to be eating enough. If your caloric intake is too low, your

New thing! I’m going to start delivering select “center-post” announcements via my social and blog on Wednesdays! This week we’re talking about BOOT CAMP at TITLE Boxing Club Knoxville! It starts Saturday, June 1 and runs for eight weeks every Saturday at 8:00am! This is our fourth year doing summer boot camp and we’re excited to be doing it again! We’ll be sweating it out as the sun rises behind the club every week and we’d love to see you guys there. If you’re interested, c

So at week five that means JTF’s Mount Crushmore is starting its second month — a third of the program is behind us! There’s a lot to get through so let’s get through it. As always, this week’s weigh-in is brought to you by InBody and Nutrishop Knoxville. Weekly Weigh-In: 222.2 Pounds (Goal: 210 Pounds; 0.3 Pounds Gained) Bi-Weekly Measurements Body Fat Percentage: 19.2 (Goal: 15%; 2.5% Lost) Skeletal Muscle Mass: 102.5 Pounds (3.7 Pounds Gained) Body Fat Mass: 42.6 Pounds (5

In my last post I mentioned that we’d be discussing “fat” in the next post. Looks like it didn’t work out that way and I honestly feel bad about it. HOWEVER. I’m going to do you one better. How about instead of just talking about fat, we put fitness and nutrition into practice and actually burn some? Well, I’m going to burn it and you’re going to follow the process. Maybe you’ll learn something. Maybe you’ll get inspired. Maybe you’ll set my townhouse on fire. Who knows. Eith

You guys know by now that I love cooking. It should be no surprise to anyone that I’m also way into meal prepping. It’s vital to your wellness if you’re looking to lose, gain or maintain weight while eating clean and saving time (and money!) But what happens on weeks when you legit don’t have time to do the prep? In my case, that usually results in a week of eating junk, going out for lunch and spending too much money at the grocery on “dinner for tonight.” It doesn’t take lo