If your goal is only to grow your arms, PR your back squat, or run your fastest mile time, your program should be pretty specific.
There’s nothing wrong with any of these things, as long as you’re getting healthier and not hurting yourself.

But what if you want a little bit of all those things (and more)?

If you want a step by step breakdown of a well rounded fitness program, we’ll walk you through it today.

We’ve put an incredible amount of effort into building an actual system, one that’s repeatable, that we believe to be the most well rounded fitness program out there.

Because our athletes don’t want to have to choose between performance or aesthetics.
Between strength or conditioning.
Between being hard to kill and ready for anything right now or in 30 years.

This is probably just review for all of our athletes.
They just keep showing up, logging the workouts, and seeing progress in all these areas month after month and year after year.

Here is a high level overview to our programming, and what separates it from all the influencer noise and random programs out there.

Our Hard to Kill system at Garage Gym Athlete

Our programming is science based, but it’s not something you’ll see in any textbook.
This is tested and has evolved coaching over 20,000 athletes…and is certainly not random WODs pulled from chatgpt.

Big picture: we do concurrent training...which basically means blending strength and conditioning simultaneously.

The problem is, concurrent training, or more commonly known as hybrid training these days, is incredibly vague.

Running in the morning and lifting in the afternoon is concurrent training.
A bodybuilder doing fasted cardio is concurrent training.
CrossFit, Hyrox, and most athletic training programs are concurrent training in nature.

But not all of these programs are created equally, and not all will prepare you for life (or even keep you well rounded).

When done right, you should be incredibly more healthy and fit…but as you’ll see this is much more than bigger arms and more miles logged.

Here is how we systematically create incredibly well rounded athletes:

• major/minor: every cycle has a focus. This can change, but too little focus = too little results. We include 2 domains to focus on each training block, and we rotate them every 3 weeks. This is where most programs stop. They have one, maybe two things to focus on and they never change them (ex: running and hypertrophy, and that’s it). That’s not enough to be effective long-term.

• strength continuum: we program strength, strength speed, speed strength, and speed every 3 weeks.

• endurance: muscle endurance, strength endurance, power endurance, aerobic endurance also included every 3 weeks.

• gain/pain/sustain: this is energy systems training, incredibly important for overall health and athletic performance. You’ll see the following energy systems…alactic, glycolytic, oxidative…which rely heavily on work to rest ratios and RPE in our programming (most programs only focus on one or two).

• mixed modal aerobic/anaerobic work: this is what comes to mind when you think of CrossFit (ex: barbell, bodyweight, and conditioning mixed together). We lay out work to rest ratios and are very intentional with how these fit into our programs, and are far less random than CrossFit.

• z-lift: this is stabilization work, incredibly helpful for improving performance and resiliency (ex: carries, lunges, unilateral, odd objects or loads).

• daily essentials: core, low back, isometrics…the basics to keep you healthy long-term.

We program in 12 week cycles, and 4 week waves.
Every 3 weeks hits all of those things listed above (without needing to workout for more than an hour)

Every 4th week we build resiliency with our body geometry principles

• these are our ‘deload’ weeks, but they are far from easy or active recovery.

• we balance planes of movements, muscle contractions, and variety of movements. This avoids being one dimensional and reduces likelihood of imbalances or overuse injuries.

• you’ll also see more zone 2 work here, the HR specific zone to improve overall health and fat oxidation.

If it sounds like a lot…it is.
And at the same time it isn’t.

Because we have this down to a system.
A system designed to make you well rounded and incredibly fit, both now and for years to come.
We’ve got several tracks, all with one goal.

Endure will bias more conditioning.
​Strength will bias more heavy lifting.
​Shred will bias hypertrophy and body composition.
​Hard To Kill will balance all of these.

All will make you more stronger, more conditioned, and more balanced.
Both now and for years to come.

None are easy, but our athletes don’t sign up for easy.

If you want to build a well rounded fitness program on your own, make sure to include everything listed above.

If you check all those boxes (or even most of them), you’ll have a very well rounded program.

But that’s not really helpful.
Most people struggle with discipline AND motivation.
They have no idea it is something that can be harnessed.

We’ve been working on this concept for over a decade.
It’s become our “lifeOS”, or life operating system.

It’s how we manage to...
show up for our families.
train 5 or 6 times per week.
run multiple businesses.
and do it all without breaking.

it’s called “daily over decades”
and it’s a system. not a thesis statement.

let me introduce you to Daily Over Decades.

How Daily Over Decades Started

I’ve been a strength and conditioning coach since 2011.
Back then, I was naive.
I thought people just needed a good plan.
I give you the plan, you do the work. That’s it.

But many struggled.
Consistency breaks for most people.
Maybe they string together a week or even a few months.
The people with the weakest foundation always broke.

This sent me down a new path that wasn’t meal plans and program design.
I started to heavily study psychology.
I landed on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT).

From the self-determination theory site:

“Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a psychological framework exploring human motivation and personality.”

I won’t bore you with all the details, but this was a major unlock for me as a coach.
In 2012, I launched courses to go along with the training.
I framed “Self-Determination Theory” solely as mental toughness.

We called it the mental toughness militia back in 2012.
And it evolved slowly.

The Mental Toughness Militia shifted to a phrase we used called, “Killing Comfort.”
Which then became a book I published in 2020.

A few ideas turned into a framework.
The framework turned into a system.

That system we now call, “Daily Over Decades.”

But you’re probably wondering... does it work?
Short answer: yes.

We don’t dabble in theory.
Only reality.

This system has been implemented in my coaching for over a decade.
Over 20,000 athletes have experienced it.
I’ve taught and certified over 100 coaches in the methods.
They’ve used it with their clients and athletes.

And here’s what we see when implemented properly.
Higher stick rates.
In fact, our online coaching has 2x the normal stick rate compared to similar programs.

Longer stick rates.
We measure our most successful athletes in years of training with us, not months.

More autonomy.
People understand the ‘why’ and they choose to keep going.
They don’t feel forced.

More competence.
The nature of our training and methods cannot be mastered in a few weeks.
People experience mastery, growth, and the sense that they can meet challenges.

So let me introduce the system to you.
You can implement some or all of it today.
I’ll even give you access to our app where we put the ideas into practice (for free).

First, your goals

This part gets a little in the weeds.
It’s a critical first step.
But if you feel you are good on your goals, you have purpose, etc.
You can skip to the KC3.

The AMP Process: Aim, Motivation, Purpose

Most people set goals backwards.
They pick something to chase before they’ve ever stopped to look at where they actually are. The AMP process fixes that.
It stands for Aim, Motivation, and Purpose...
but before any of it, it starts with one honest question.
Are you content or complacent?

Start Here: Content or Complacent?

Go through the big areas of your life... finances, spiritual life, health and fitness, relationships, business, and your personal life, and ask: am I content, or am I complacent?

Content means you’re happy with where things are.
Could you earn more or be a little more dialed in?
Sure. Everything can be improved.
But if you look at an area and think, “I’m good here right now,” that’s content.

Complacent is when you’ve gotten comfortable.
You’re not putting any real attention into an area, you’ve let it ride, and deep down you know it’s something you want to work on.
That’s the stuff worth circling.

This isn’t about beating yourself up.
The goal isn’t to decide you suck at everything.
You can want to grow without tearing yourself down.
It’s just an honest snapshot, because you can’t set a good goal until you know where you stand. The areas where you’re complacent are the obvious place to aim.

Once complete, you move to the AMP process.

A - Aim

Aim is where that honesty turns into goals.
Pick an area and set your sights way out:
Where do you want to be in ten years? Dream a little.

Personal and professional.
Three goals each.
Keep it focused; don’t chase a dozen things at once.

Then work backwards.
If that’s the ten-year goal, where do you need to be in five years to be on track?
And one year from today?
That’s your mile-marker system.
Once it’s set, you can almost forget the sheet.
Because now everything you do day-to-day is already pointed the right direction.

M - Motivation

A goal without a reason behind it won’t survive a hard day.
Pick one of your ten-year goals and ask why five times.
Each answer feeding the next question.

Say the goal is to be competitive in an Ironman.
Why? It keeps me healthy.

Why does that matter? So I’m around for my kids a long time.
And so on.

Nobody actually wants to “lose ten pounds” just to be lighter...
push past the surface answer and you’ll find the real fuel.
Don’t skip it.

P - Purpose

This is the piece that pulls you through.
Your aim tells you what to do next.
Your motivation keeps you fired up.
But your purpose is the recurring theme of your life.
The thing you’re always drawn to, no matter what you’re working on.

Mine is to help build better humans.

There’s no clean step-by-step to find it.
You have to do the mental work yourself.
Take your best stab, write something down, and revise it over the years.

When you tie your purpose into everything you do, goals get easier to reach.
And the hard days don’t hit as hard.

Going through the AMP process is simply setting the sail.
Next, we get to the daily work.

Second, the KC3 (the foundational habit)

The KC3, or, the three pillar habits of Killing Comfort.

The KC3 are:

• Hard Thing

• One Thing

• Hormesis

You do each one of these every day.
Further explanation of each:

Hard Thing:

In my book, Killing Comfort, I wrote “the hard things equation.”
Which is, pushing forward against your own desire + daily over decades = a hard thing.

A hard thing is something you do, that goes against the grain.
If your desire is to sit, then you walk.
If your desire is to eat pizza, you have a vegetable.

But you don’t perform a random hard thing each day.
A hard thing needs a time frame.
That’s where “daily over decades” comes in.
You commit to the hard thing until it is no longer hard, or it becomes a habit.
Automatic.

For some this can take a month. Others a year, or years.
Once it’s automatic, you’re not done.
You pick a new hard thing.
Practice putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and doing the thing anyway.
In a decade, you will have stacked enough hard things to change your life for the better.

One Thing:

A commitment to doing ONE THING today that connects to the future version of you.
Some call it goal setting.
But this is goal achievement.

Anyone can set goals.
This is the daily discipline of doing.
One thing every single day that drives you towards your goals.
No matter how small the thing may be.

Hormesis:

By definition, Hormesis is a biological phenomenon where mild or moderate exposure to a stressor triggers an adaptive response, ultimately making the organism more resilient.

Short version: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

If a human being were to come with an operating manual, hormesis would be chapter 1.
But people treat it as optional.

Want to increase your fitness? Hormesis required.
Want to lose weight? Hormesis required.
Want to build a business? Hormesis required.

Anything worth doing will run you through a hormetic cycle.
You should do one thing each day that counts as hormesis.
For me, that’s often fitness, but it comes in many forms.

If you did ONLY one thing from the DOD system, I would recommend the KC3.
It is a foundational habit set that can transform your life.

Third, the elements + grid + training

This is where the “daily doing” gets spicy.
Simple, not easy.

For most, I say master doing the KC3 before you attempt to add the elements, grid and daily training.

But once you are there, this is the next level.

First, the Elements.
Nine daily habits for a better life:

1. Sleep: 7+ hours a night.

2. Hydration: half your bodyweight in ounces of water.

3. Nutrition: meat and veggies in at least two meals.

4. Blood flow: 10,000+ steps or light activity.

5. Sun: 10+ minutes of exposure, even if it is cloudy.

6. Digestion: chew your food, slow down, limit liquids at meals.

7. Meal timing: 12+ hours fasting to give digestion a break.

8. Warm-up and cool-down: five minutes of each.

9. Downregulation: meditate, breathe, journal, kill the screens at night.

These are incredibly simple. They are not easy.
You can ignore them for a few weeks.
Maybe a few months. But it catches up to you.
It has to me. It has to most of our athletes.

Check off as many as you can each day.
The goal is not to go 9 for 9.
Think of it more like collecting.
Collect as many elements as you can each day.
They compound on their own over time.

Start small.
Pick one element.
Do it until it is easy.
Then add another.

The Grid

The grid is simple.
It is extra movement during the day.
Drop and do some pushups. Some squats. Some situps.
Do it when you wake up. Do it before work. Do it on a bathroom break.
You do not have to fill the whole grid.
A few spots are fine.
At the end of the day, add up your reps.
I did 168 pushups today.
It counts toward your blood flow element above.
And it gets you moving when you cannot train.

Training

Lastly, track your training too.
Write down how many minutes you trained.
Then mark your completion.
Red dot if you did not train.
Orange for a partial workout.
Green for a full one.

Simple.
Honest.
Every day.

Our goal is typically 300 minutes per week.
200 minutes is also a perfectly acceptable goal.

30-day challenge + putting it all together
(in an app, for free)

Does this all seem like a lot?
It can be.
Until you see how easily it can be put into action.

Here is my challenge to you.
Use our app for 30 days.
Every habit.
Every check mark.
Every single day.

YOU GET ACCESS TO THE APP WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THIS SUBSTACK.
IT’S IN THE WELCOME EMAIL

If I had to guess, most people will not finish.
They quit at day 5, day 10, day 14.
They find a reason.
They make an excuse.

Do not give me that half-ass effort.
Even if you think this is the dumbest app in the world...
Can you do it for 30 days without missing a day?
That is the point.
Do something hard.
Do something against your desire.

I am throwing down the gauntlet.
30 days. Get after it.
Let me know if you actually finish.
Most will not.

-JM