There is a hierarchy of needs in training, nutrition, and physique change. Focusing on one at the cost of the other violates the hierarchy and leads to poor outcomes.

Consider nutrition within the goal of fat loss. The most important principle is caloric constraint (I know you know this by now). Then it’s macronutrients, then its meal timing, meal structure, and lastly hydration and supplementation.

If you were to focus on meal timing (say intermittent fasting) at the cost of abiding by the caloric constraint principle, then you would still eat too many calories than you need to lose body fat.

If you were to focus on eating 4 meals per day with your macronutrient needs being met by eating only whole food sources, but you still ate more calories than your body needed to create a deficit, then again, you’d be violating the #1 priority of your goal.

The 5 priorities can live in unison, but some are more important than others.

I was talking with a friend recently who was trying to get pregnant, manage a new job, and lose body fat all at the same time. We discussed the idea that her 3 priorities were competing for her resources, and that there was a clear hierarchy for her to abide by.

Her primary goal was to get pregnant, secondary was to get up to speed at her new job, and lastly was her fat loss goal.

She knew that if she wanted to lose body fat, it would take time and effort that would take away from her job while creating a more difficult physical scenario for her to get pregnant. The fat loss goal violated the first 2 priorities. She also knew that if she didn’t create boundaries around her new job and take some time to recover, manage and mitigate her stress, then she would again be violating her first priority.

Russian Dolls

Like a set of Russian Dolls, the largest doll is the primary goal and every other sub-goal needs to fit within it, lest they violate the space requirements set by the largest doll.

For many guys, their health, fitness, and physique goals are at either extreme. They are either too big, and violate the space available for it (won’t fit within the Russian doll set as is) or they’re too small, with less important priorities burying it deep inside, reducing its impact.

Health | Family | Career

Health, fitness, and physique efforts for most guys are likely best placed in the biggest 3 layers of the Russian doll stack and tend to be flanked by family and career. In these positions, your health, fitness, and confidence in your physique support your key priorities accurately.

If you’re training, nutrition, and self confidence are buried deep within your sea of competing priorities, then we can help. At builtXyou we work exclusively with busy guys to help them build a custom blend of training, nutrition, and lifestyle adjustments into a clear, specific, and accurate plan for their unique needs and goals.

Don’t keep violating your priorities, spinning your wheels, and getting stuck trying to figure it all out. Let’s work together to build a custom plan so that you can live the life you want in a body you’re confident in and proud of.