Why so Many Men Need Help
I met Bruce during a course in Texas a few years ago. Bruce, and many others, are the reason I’m doing what I’m doing. When I met him, he was in his early fifties. Because his professional life was giving him more free time, we ended up attending the same survival course. Bruce looked like many men of his age do in the Western world: not in particularly great shape, with a distinctive belly and posture that could definitely be improved upon, wearing the kind of casual clothes you would expect from someone ready to spend the weekend in nature, along with the omnipresent baseball cap and sunglasses. He looked the like the maturing ‘everyman’ with nothing special that would make him stand out, apart from a nice smile and very blue eyes behind the shades.
Because Bruce arrived in one of my favorite cars, a Toyota FJ-40 in perfect condition, we started to talk and connected quickly. We continued chatting while both desperately trying to master a hand drill in order to start a fire. There is nothing like sharing the frustration of an elusive skill to make men open up and share their personal problems with someone who was a perfect stranger a few hours before.
Bruce’s problems were similar to those of many men of his age: the realization that they were no longer in their prime, that they had neglected their body during the many years they spent building their professional career, their wealth, and their family. The problem would not be extremely difficult to solve if it was just a problem of fat tissue stored in inappropriate places, but the other issues that Bruce was experiencing were not so simple: a lack of energy, nagging pains in different places, a clearly decreasing sexual drive, and a general dissatisfaction with his life, regardless of the impression of success he could give to the outside world.
He shared how he tried different approaches to his problems over the last couple of years, all with next to no significant results. His first obvious move was to get a gym membership. He discovered soon enough that the training plans he found on the internet did not work well for him. A biceps injury came along with a long period of inability to move his arm, and a nagging pain started in his other elbow. A personal trainer that he hired afterward put him on an arduous cardio protocol combined with a diet that left him hungry and exhausted. Even if he lost a few pounds in the process, they came back really quickly, making him feel like a pretty miserable failure. Thinking that there was something wrong with his manhood, Bruce even bought access to a private forum for men, a “10-step gorilla style Alpha male” type of program, the kind usually geared for insecure young men looking for self-identity. It wasn’t a good fit.
The reality is that a man in his 40s and 50s is very different from what he was in his 20s. We all know someone who used to play football in college, looking like a Greek god regardless of a diet mostly based on pizza and a lifestyle that would have made Hugh Hefner blush. But hormone changes are a natural part of aging. Unlike the more dramatic reproductive hormone boomerang and plunge that occurs in women during menopause, sex hormone changes in men occur gradually. In men, production of testosterone and other hormones declines over a period of many years and the consequences aren’t necessarily clear. This gradual decline of testosterone levels is called late-onset hypogonadism or age-related low testosterone. Signs and symptoms of low testosterone include reduced sexual desire and activity, height loss, low trauma fracture or low bone mineral density, decreased energy, motivation and confidence, depressed mood, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, mild unexplained anemia, reduced muscle bulk, reduced strength, and increased body fat.
In other words, a lot of things can go wrong with the male ageing process, and if the only thing going on is the gym 3-times a week while following a low-fat diet, those signs and symptoms will most likely not be effected in any real way. A more fundamental and holistic approach is necessary for success.
I became interested in this topic when I myself started to feel the first signs of the ageing process. I was in Thailand doing some very deep cave diving when I noticed that I was having a hard time reading the data on the dive computer attached to my wrist. I had never worn glasses in my life, and for the first time, I realized that reading small numbers at close distance was becoming difficult. Other men my age were complaining about not “being in shape” anymore, and many had begun asking me for advice on how to gain muscle without going the Hormone Replacement Therapy route. I dove in headfirst, and spent some serious time learning about hypogonadism, how the pituitary gland slows down the production of Human Growth Hormone, and why the rise in Estrogen and Sex Hormone Binding Globulins in middle-age men affects their level of free testosterone and creates a hormonal cascade that sets in motion all those negative physical and psychological consequences.
I wanted to find natural ways to delay this process, not only for myself, but also to help the many men I came in contact with in the workshops I was teaching or in the courses I was attending. I am now 57 years old, but for the last 10 years I have implemented the solutions I uncovered, and have organized the details of what works into a comprehensive program. The results that I’ve enjoyed with consistent use of this plan have shown me that aging is not a curse, it really is possible for a man to stay active, attractive, pain-free, level-minded, and to have a vibrant and enjoyable life way past his middle-age.
My coaching program is based on a five-prong approach:
- STAY STRONG: This is the physical aspect of this program. Based on 35 years of experience in fitness and movement, the program alternates between resistance training, natural movement, physical skills and stamina.
- STAY HEALTHY: A proven approach that defies the aging process while keeping men pain- and injury-free. It’s a comprehensive and customized system based on lifestyle choices about their sleep, their diet, their stress management, and on techniques to help them boost their immune system.
- STAY SHARP: Our brain needs stimulation to keep functioning at its peak performance. Not only does our vision, but also our cognitive processes and our reaction times tend to slow down with age. This program includes cutting edge visual and cognitive drills to improve mental speed, clarity and memory, and teaches men the skills that allow them to expand their comfort zone and resilience.
- STAY SAFE: A man is a protector by definition. He is able to protect himself and those who are dear to his heart. Protecting against dangers and human predators has nothing to do with sport or martial arts, and everything to do with hard-style combatives and reality-based scenarios that prepare men for what can happen in real life.
- STAY MANLY: What differentiates a man from a boy? From attractiveness, charisma, sexual drive and style, this is final step of this program, heavily relying on hormonal optimization and life coaching. A man not only needs to have a strong physical presence but must also exudes the confidence that comes with a combination of health, courage, calm, vitality and mastery.
It is not surprising to me that so many middle-age men need guidance. What constantly surprises me, is that so often these men are offered only a partial solution to the problem. It took me many years of trial and error to fine-tune all the components of my program. I learned how to customize it to the individual needs and objectives of each of my clients, integrating it with their strengths, but also with their physical limitations, mental blocks, and all the items each of us brings to the table. Over the years I have taught parts of this program in different shapes and forms, but it has been only recently that I have managed to combine all the components into a comprehensive holistic program with which I am very confident. Being an instructor for more than 35 years and teaching a wide array of skills has allowed me to help many people efficiently and safely learn new techniques, but never before have I felt that I can have such an important and powerful effect on someone’s life, well-being and general happiness.
Many men hesitate to seek guidance when it comes to the effects of age. Please don’t. To see if this program is the right fit for you, send me a message and I will send you some more details. It is time to get better at living your life in the ways you want.