The more social media gets ingrained in our day-to-day lives, and the more people live through their screens, the more superficial and out of touch they become with reality.

It’s no secret that the newer generations are growing up with phones in their hands before they can even walk. And with that, social media is in the picture by default, because that’s what most people use their phones for—social media consumption.

And what kind of content dominates social media? Stuff that triggers emotion. Because that’s what gets views, goes viral, and spreads like wildfire. You know what I mean—fancy cars, luxury vacations, money, muscles, women, status, celebrity drama. All the things that, in the real world, don’t actually provide real happiness.

You’ve heard the saying, right? “You become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Well, in this era, you become the average of the content you consume online. And most content revolves around superficial things—looks, money, fame, status.

As a result, people put these things on a pedestal. And honestly, I don’t blame them. These are the things that grab attention, so by default, that’s what gets pushed in front of us. Meanwhile, the things that truly matter—the things that will improve your life the most—are often intangible.

Confidence, charisma, mindfulness, happiness—none of these are visible to the eye, yet they’re far more valuable than any materialistic thing combined.

Don’t get me wrong, money is essential. Without it, you can’t survive. But the luxury, the flashy stuff—it doesn’t actually bring happiness. It’s just social media brainwashing.

Take, for example, the popular trend right now: Looks, Money, Status. Social media pushes this idea that you need all three to attract beautiful women.

Yeah, I know—stupid, right?

A lot of people fall into this trap, thinking they need a significant amount of money, status, or model-tier looks. While there may be some truth to it, there’s something far more powerful than all of that combined.

Charisma.

Let me illustrate this with a personal story.

Storytime

Recently, I signed up for a part-time job as a developer (yep, I needed some stability while building out my business). The first thing I noticed was that part-time web developer jobs are almost nonexistent, but that’s beside the point.

After some searching, I found a few companies offering 24-hour contracts. One of them reached out to me pretty fast, so I jumped on the opportunity and scheduled a meeting right away. These opportunities don’t come often.

To my surprise, they invited me out for a coffee.

Long story short, I met with the CEO, and we went to a coffee shop (not the kind where they smoke weed, just a regular café). What instantly shocked me and left me in awe was his level of charisma.

Every single person he spoke to left with a smile. Even the café workers, who initially seemed grumpy, lit up as soon as he started talking to them. The way he spoke, the appreciation he had for others, and the humor he effortlessly injected into his conversations—it was unreal.

This, in my opinion, is power.

It’s something you can’t capture on camera. It has to be felt. It’s not something you can buy—it’s something you have to cultivate and develop from within.

The Lost Art of Charisma

I’ve always believed that charisma and social skills are keys to a happy and fulfilling life. And this experience reignited my passion for sharing and caring about others through charisma.

I also believe this is a skill everyone should invest in if they want to live an amazing life.

Especially in this current era.

We live in a time where people lack charisma. A time where materialism and superficiality are worshiped, and real, meaningful human interactions are neglected.

Yes, I preach fitness, and I will always prioritize my physique—but even I know that focusing only on the external is a fool’s game.

Not only are people valuing the wrong things, but they’re also neglecting the things that actually matter, like charisma.

Even worse—people are actively getting worse at socializing.

We’re so used to communicating through screens that we’re forgetting how to communicate in real life.

“The more we elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” – J.B. Priestley

Not only are we prioritizing the wrong things in life, but we’re also letting our most valuable traits deteriorate by not working on them.

And that’s how we’ve ended up with an era of empty people—people obsessed with money but lacking personality and charisma.

Why Charisma is Power

No matter how you look at it, we are social creatures. Meaning, our happiness is rooted in our interactions with others.

Not through a screen—but in actual, real life.

Love starts with meaningful conversations. Friendships begin with lighthearted small talk. People get hired because of the right connections made through conversation. And the foundation of all of that is charisma.

Charisma is power. Just look at history’s greatest leaders—they all had this one trait in common: the ability to make people like them. In other words, charisma.

People do things for people they like.
People respect the people they like.
People trust the people they like.
People love the people they like.

All of that is built through charisma. That is what power is.

And if you really think about it, people who chase superficial things like money, looks, or status subconsciously want the same things. They just go after hollow, temporary substitutes that ultimately destroy their charisma.

In today’s world, where people are becoming less and less charismatic, mastering this skill will set you apart.

Not only that, but it’s also more powerful—because it’s something that can’t be lost. It’s more pure because you’re giving something that’s a part of yourself.

The art of charm, the art of giving.

If you attract people with your money, status, or looks, those same people will leave you if you lose all of that.

But if you attract people with your charm, they will never leave—because it’s something that comes from within you. It’s something you’re giving to others.

It is the truest expression of yourself. It is who you are as a person.

But let me backtrack a little. Some people think charisma is about memorizing lines or putting on an act to appear more charismatic.
That’s not what charisma is in my eyes.

Charisma, to me, is the art of being yourself to the fullest—of giving your love, your energy, and your gifts to the best of your ability.
It might sound a little abstract or even spiritual, but allow me to expand on it.

In society, people tend to hold their true personalities back. When we talk to others, it’s like we have a mask in front of our faces. We speak and act through that mask. We hesitate to give genuine compliments from the heart. We’re afraid to express our deepest emotions.

At the core of all this hesitation is the fear of not being accepted. Society has conditioned us to play it safe, to avoid rejection at all costs. That’s why so many people fear talking to strangers—because they’re afraid of being rejected.

Now, this fear made sense millions of years ago. Back then, rejection could mean death—if you were cast out from the tribe, you couldn’t survive on your own. But in today’s world, that’s no longer true.

Yet, this fear still lingers. And it’s not just stopping us from approaching strangers—it’s stopping us from expressing our truest selves.

But if you can break free from that fear… if you can fully express your most authentic self… you’ll be able to make people like you in an instant. No need for looks, money, or status.

And the best part? You’re giving something pure. Something 100% you.

Something that can’t be taken away or bought.

That is what charisma is.

That is what truly matters in life and what you should prioritize. (And fitness—I’m still a gym dude.)

So… how do you develop this free-flowing charisma?

The 6 step Charisma Commands.

Step 1: Just Talk More

Charisma is built by exchanging words and energy. And both are only possible if you actually talk to more people. But charisma isn’t just about having random conversations—it’s also about body language, eye contact, composure, kindness, and overall presence.

Sounds like a lot? Well, if you know me even a little, you know I’ll always simplify things so that the only thing left to do is execute.

So here it is: Talk to more people. That’s it.

If you go to the store, ask the cashier how their day is going. If you’re at the gym, ask someone about their routine. Don’t stress too much about how you come across yet—your energy is probably trash in the beginning, but that doesn’t matter. Just improve with every interaction.

The core of this whole thing is to talk to more people. The more you talk, the more data you collect.

And with more data, you can actually do something with it—which brings us to the next step.

 

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Step 2: Analyze & Identify

Now that you’re talking to more people, it’s time to analyze your interactions and identify weak points. Everyone has their own weaknesses when it comes to charisma. Some people barely make eye contact. Others talk way too fast.

Your job? Figure out your biggest weak spot.

Once you’ve identified it, work on it. Groundbreaking, right? Haha.

It’s really not rocket science. If you talk too fast, slow down. If you have weak eye contact, start making more eye contact.

To give you a starting point, here’s one of my biggest weaknesses and something I see a lot of people struggle with:

👉 Talking too much about yourself.

You want to avoid this at all costs. At the end of the day, people care about themselves—not you. They want to talk about their lives. It’s always better to be a good listener than a good talker.

That’s actually a golden charisma tip—people literally pay therapists just to listen to their lives and problems. That’s how powerful listening is.

But again, analyze your own weaknesses and work on them. If you don’t know where to start, become a better listener.

 

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Step 3: Reduce Toxic Social Media

Once you’ve identified your weak points and started working on them, the next step is to cut down on toxic social media.

You might be thinking, What does social media have to do with charisma?

Everything.

The kind of content you consume matters. And if you’ve spent any time online, you’ve probably noticed how a lot of popular content is negative.

One trend I keep seeing? Those stupid videos where guys ask random women, “How much should a man make?”—and of course, they respond with some outrageous number.

So what does this do to the average guy’s mind? It warps his perception of reality, making him think that money is everything and that the world is against him.

And that’s just one example. The truth is, most social media content is negative, and that negativity rewires your subconscious.

This programming won’t just make you a miserable person—it’ll make you uncharismatic too.

So do yourself a favor: Reduce your social media consumption.

 

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Step 4: Reduce Mobile Usage in Public

A lot of people say they don’t have many opportunities to talk to strangers.

Unless you live in the middle of the Sahara, that’s complete bullshit.

The real reason you think this way? Because you bury your head in your phone like an ostrich.

If you actually looked around while walking, you’d realize you pass by at least 50-100 people every single day.

Even more if you live in a city.

I even tested this myself—I work out at 6:30 AM in a small village gym, and I still talk to 8-10 people every morning.

So stop making excuses. Put your phone away, look up, and start acting like a human being before the smartphone era.

Bonus Benefit:
When you reduce mobile usage in public, you’ll be forced to be present in the moment. Using your phone all the time literally trains your brain to be distracted.

Less screen time = more presence = more charisma.

But you know what else massively boosts charisma?

 

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Step 5: Give Compliments

“I love the color of your eyes, baby girl.”

No.

Do not give stupid compliments like that. Superficial, genetics-based compliments don’t work on girls—or anyone, really.

But when done right, compliments can supercharge your charisma. If done wrong, they’ll destroy it.

The key? No fake compliments. People can smell BS from a mile away.

So how do you make sure your compliments don’t feel fake? Here are a few rules:

👉 Avoid body-related compliments.
Don’t compliment someone’s eyes or any other genetic trait. Even if they’ve worked hard for their body, it’s better to compliment their discipline and fitness rather than their looks.

👉 Compliment achievements.
Instead of pointing out something anyone can notice, recognize their efforts and accomplishments. People love being acknowledged for their hard work. Be that person who gives them that recognition.

Train yourself to see the good in people. Complimenting others isn’t just about making them feel good—it actually trains you to be a more positive, charismatic person.

So in a sense you need to rewire your brain…

Step 6: Rewiring Your Brain

This is the stage I’m currently at in leveling up my charisma, and what I’m about to share is something that only a tiny percentage of people even know about—let alone have.

Like I mentioned earlier, due to social conditioning, most people aren’t being their true selves. They filter their words, suppress their authenticity, and adjust their personality just to avoid rejection.

This deep-rooted issue is only getting worse with the rise of social media, where toxic and negative content is constantly being pushed. People are becoming more pessimistic, more insecure, and more inauthentic.

This negativity programs your subconscious into a downward spiral.

So, what you need to do is unwire yourself and unf*ck your mind from all the mental and spiritual damage you’ve inflicted on yourself over the years. This takes real effort, but it’s critical if you want to take control of your own brain.

 

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How to Rewire Your Brain

We all have negative thoughts, and those thoughts tend to multiply if left unchecked.

The key is to catch yourself when a negative thought appears and immediately counteract it with three positive thoughts.

For example:

❌ "I’m a broke loser."
✅ "Money doesn’t define me as a person."
✅ "Yeah, I’m broke, but I’m a broke winner."
✅ "Being broke right now is just part of my journey—it’s making me more resilient for my future rich self."

Sounds kinda woo-woo, right? But trust me—this sh*t works.

I’ve done this myself, and after a few months, my mindset completely flipped. You start noticing how many of your negative thoughts actually stem from the garbage you consume—which is exactly why I told you to cut out toxic social media in Step 3.

 

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Last Words

Charisma is insanely powerful. I cannot emphasize enough how much of a game-changer it will be in your life.

In a world where people are becoming increasingly superficial, anxious, and uncharismatic, you will be an anomaly if you truly develop this trait.

It’s not just fulfilling for you—it will also impact everyone around you. People will gravitate toward you.

And the best part? It’s something you can never lose. Once you build real charisma, it stays with you for life.

Thanks for reading this, and I hope you take this seriously and cultivate this trait—because it will make your life f*cking amazing.

In today's day and age, the glorification of good-looking people and toned bodies is at an all-time high.

Because social media keeps shoving amazing-looking people in your face, the overwhelming majority are programmed to value beauty and muscular, toned physiques.

You can try to hide the fact that this is happening, but let’s be honest here—people with good-looking bodies are everywhere on social media.

And it's shaping how we view the world and what we value. Back in the day, bodybuilding and building muscle weren’t mainstream or even that popular.

But in the social media age, that’s what most people seem to glorify. Like everything in the world, though, you've got one extreme, and then you've got the other extreme—the people who absolutely dislike this.

You probably know where I stand on that spectrum (if you forgot who I am, I’m that dude posting physique pics online and giving you the tips).

Well, I stand smack in the middle. HAH, gotcha right there.

No, but in all honesty, I stand right in the middle of it.

I absolutely love working out and building a body that’s admirable—by myself or by others. Of course I do, I’m not going to sugarcoat that. But I also preach having other good qualities, like social skills or other passions.

So, I absolutely dislike people whose entire personality revolves around how big their muscles are. Just posting about muscles and flexing online—that’s their whole shtick.

Don’t get me wrong, when you start working out, you’ll probably begin with the mindset of wanting a good-looking physique. That is 100% fine. I did it too. But this mindset will 99.69% change in the future.

The benefits and reasons why you work out will evolve over time. In the beginning, most of the reasons fall into a simple platitude of muscles, baby. But as you go further in your journey, your reasons will shift.

And these reasons are often hidden—not noticeable with the naked eye.

So, without further ado, let’s hop into the reasons.

1. Growth Mindset

Most people have the limiting belief that they’re stuck at a certain level for the rest of their lives. This is especially true with fitness. They assume they’ve already hit their genetic potential—without ever touching a weight in their life.

If I had that mindset, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

I always wanted to start working out and build muscle, but people around me didn’t believe in me. I kept hearing the same thing over and over—"No matter what you do, you won’t build muscle. You’re just a naturally skinny dude."

Well, I proved them wrong. Haha.

Out of every skill you can master, fitness is the one that truly builds a growth mindset—the belief that you can improve anything if you put in the work.

And here’s why fitness is the most powerful example of that:

Unlike other skills, where progress can feel abstract (like coding or learning a language), fitness is tangible. You’re literally growing your muscles by putting in the work. Every rep, every workout—it all adds up. You don’t have to "trust the process" blindly because you can see the results happening on your own body.

That’s why fitness builds a growth mindset. You develop undeniable proof that effort = results. And that mindset transfers to every other area of life.

Oh, and let’s not forget—the confidence boost that comes with it. When you see the results, you believe in them. And when you believe in them, you believe in yourself.

It is undeniable proof of work.

2. Undeniable Proof of Work

Every time you look in the mirror, every time you walk around in a fitted shirt (or pants if you’re a woman), you’re showing yourself—and the world—the undeniable proof of work you’ve put in.

No matter how you slice it, building muscle and sculpting the body you want takes hard work. And that effort? It builds your inner confidence like nothing else.

But when I say undeniable proof of work, what I really mean is indestructible inner self-confidence.

In Dutch, confidence is called "zelfvertrouwen", which literally means "self-trust." That’s exactly what confidence is—the trust you have in yourself to do the things you want and go after what you desire.

And this level of confidence? It’s forged in the gym.

To build the body you want, you have to push through discomfort—lifting heavy weights, grinding through days when you don’t feel like working out, saying no to foods you crave. Every time you do this, you’re proving to yourself that you have control, that you’re capable, that you can get results through effort.

This process builds your inner confidence like nothing else. And as a bonus? You get to see that undeniable proof of work in the mirror every single day. And yeah—others see it too.

But like I said in the intro—don’t let this be everything.

Use this self-trust and inner confidence to level up other areas of life. Don’t just be a meathead—be unstoppable.

I’ve seen this transfer into other areas of my life—whether it’s business, relationships, or just handling setbacks. Once you prove to yourself that effort = results, you start trusting yourself in everything you do.

3. Attraction. Yep, It Is What It Is.

Attraction. It’s not that complicated. But for some reason, people love to act like muscles don’t play a role. Let’s cut the BS for a second.

I don’t get why people act like this isn’t the case. Somehow, a lot of people refuse to believe that muscles create initial attraction.

Yes, don’t get me wrong—personality is super important. In fact, it’s even more important than physical looks and muscles in the long run.

But let’s be real for a second.

When you meet someone for the first time, the first thing they see is your body. Not your personality, not your values—just how you physically present yourself. There’s no way around that (unless we develop some kind of technology to instantly read someone’s personality on sight, which we don’t. Yet.).

And honestly? Having muscles is one of the most natural attraction triggers you can have. It’s way more primal than most things people chase in order to be attractive.

Strength = Attraction. It’s Science.

Think about it for a second.

Muscles represent strength and power—two things that, biologically speaking, have always been attractive to women. It’s literally wired into human nature.

You know what else is attractive? Money.

But here’s the difference:

1. Money is something you can lose overnight. One bad investment, one business failure, one market crash—gone.

2. Money is a man-made construct. Society decided it has value, but it’s not a natural, primal sign of strength or survival ability.

Muscles? That’s different.

They’re built through effort. They can’t be faked. They don’t depend on a bank balance. And they send a raw, instinctive signal that you’re strong, disciplined, and capable.

That’s why muscles are one of the strongest attraction triggers out there.

And just to be clear—I’m talking about attracting women because, well, I’m a heterosexual dude. I have no clue how to attract men, lol.

4. Mental Clarity of Water.

There are studies and scientists who have proven that working out improves cognitive capabilities. But who cares about studies and all that nerd sh*t? (Lol, just kidding.) Instead, let me share some actual anecdotal experiences.

As some of you may know, I used to work as a software developer. Even more so, I was a lead software developer at my previous job. So, it’s no secret that I had to use my brain at full capacity every day.

I remember one time when I was just sick enough to skip the gym for a few weeks, but not sick enough to take time off work. The first few days were fine, but after that, my brain got foggy, and focusing became ridiculously hard.

And it’s not just me—numerous clients of mine have noticed a significant boost in mental clarity once they started working out regularly.

If you really think about it, human beings were never designed to sit around all day with minimal movement.

5. Toughness of a Rock or the Rock.

Fitness is the one thing in your life that you do purely for yourself—something that is truly yours. You don’t do it for your spouse or your kids, and your body isn’t owned by anyone else (at least, I hope that’s the case for you).

Because it belongs to you, it’s also your responsibility to take care of it. Nobody is going to motivate you to hit the gym. Nobody is going to force you to eat healthy. In fact, some people might even push you toward habits that ruin your health.

At the end of the day, you have to do everything yourself. You have to push the weight yourself. You have to challenge yourself to lift heavier. You have to be the one to get out of bed in the morning and show up at the gym.

And that’s just the fitness part—then there’s your diet, too.

All of this, and there’s no one telling you that you have to do it. It’s all on you.

6. Energy of Thor the Thunder Hugger.

You lose what you don't use.

Humans are built to move and lift heavy things—basically, manual hard labor. And to do that, you need energy. If you consistently push yourself to lift heavier weights, your body adapts by increasing its energy reserves to match that demand.

The reverse is also true. If you don’t lift heavy things and don’t work out, the opposite happens. Your body notices the lack of movement and compensates by cutting down the amount of energy you have.

This is why you feel sluggish when you don’t work out. And I’m not even counting the trash diet most people have, which leads to packing on a shit ton of weight.

So, imagine the average person—someone who doesn’t work out and eats like garbage. Their energy levels? Absolute dog sht*.

(Sorry for cursing, but hey, that’s just who I am. Lol.)

And don’t underestimate the importance of energy. I swear, people forget how crucial it is.

Energy allows you to actually function—crushing it at work, playing with your kids, and, let’s be real, it even helps you fuck better (which is also important, haha).

Without energy, you can’t do anything. A perfect example? Someone so sick they’re bedridden all day. That’s what low energy looks like.

But if you work out, your energy reserves grow, giving you the fuel to do all the things that make life worthwhile and amazing. Unless, of course, you’d rather just lie in bed all day.

Last words.

Yeah, having a Greek god-like physique looks great and definitely feels nice, but the biggest benefits of fitness aren’t the ones you can see with the naked eye.

Sure, you might start working out because you want to look better. But after a while, you’ll keep doing it because of all the unseen benefits that come with being fit.

Being fit shouldn’t be a luxury—it should be a necessity. It makes life so much more enjoyable.

Thanks for reading this article and we will see each other next time!

On September 23, 2010, the famous DVD rental company Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy. The main reason? They refused to adapt and stuck to their outdated way of doing business.

The TL;DR of this whole story: movie streaming was the future, and the DVD industry was dying—fast. But despite that, Blockbuster refused to change its strategy and ended up disappearing from the face of the earth.

Why am I telling you this, and why should you care?

Well…

The same thing is happening to a massive majority of personal brands. (And yes, personal brands are basically small businesses.) Everyone is flocking to social media, trying to build a presence and make money from their brand.

Doesn’t matter if it’s fitness, makeup, fashion, or any other niche—they all suffer from the same problem that keeps their brand from making real money. Oh, and this also applies to brick-and-mortar businesses.

So what’s the issue?

They’re making the same mistake Blockbuster did—
Not making full use of the digital ecosystem.

Lack of Digital Real Estate

You might think that having a strong social media presence is enough. That once you build it, the cash will start rolling in, and you can live doing what you love.

Nope.

Unless you have 100,000+ followers, making a full-time income from social media alone is tough. Even if you do have that many followers, you could be making way more if you expanded your digital real estate. (I’ll explain how in a bit.)

Why is this?

Think about it—most people who start a personal brand begin with Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or Threads. What do all these platforms have in common?

They’re short-form content platforms.

Sure, short-form content is great for getting quick views and attention, but with every upside, there’s a massive downside. And in this case, it’s this:

Short-form content has an extremely short shelf life.

After a few weeks (at best), your content stops getting views. To stay relevant, you either have to remake the same content or constantly create new content, which—let’s be real—can be a massive pain in the ass.

In other words, short-form content is NOT evergreen.

But that’s not even the worst part…

No Trust & No Connection = No Sales

The nature of short-form content makes it hard to build real trust with your audience. And guess what? People buy from brands they trust.

Nike and Adidas? You trust them to deliver quality shoes and clothing.

With personal brands, trust and connection are what drive sales. And ain’t nobody gonna trust your ass and buy your products if all you do is post David Goggins-style motivational platitudes (and trust me, there are tons of those people on Twitter and other short-form platforms).

So, even if you have a big account on short-form platforms, chances are you still won’t make enough money to live off of it.

Why?

• Lack of trust and connection

• No evergreen content

The Solution?

You probably guessed it—you need a blog website for your personal brand.

I mean, the title of this post kinda gave it away, but it’s still important to understand why you need it.

And you might be thinking, “Why not just start a YouTube channel?”

You’re 100% right—YouTube is a great option. But here’s the thing:

• You need to pay for editing software and learn how to use it.

• You need to understand camera work and lighting.

• You need to learn how to use a mic properly.

• You need to write scripts and be charismatic on camera.

With a blog website, on the other hand, all you have to do is write your content, and that’s it. Simple

It’s also way easier to persuade people to buy your products through a blog.

Why?

Because you can seamlessly insert links within your blog text that naturally plug your products. On YouTube, people have to open the description and manually click the link just to get to your product page. That’s an extra step that many people won’t take.

See the power of having a blog?

But here’s the thing—there’s A LOT more you can do with a blog to make your brand profitable and stand out.

If you want to learn more, check out the 4-day Personal Brand Blog Tips series—you can sign up here.

By now, you should see the game-changing potential of having a blog for your personal brand or small business.

Now, let’s dive into the step-by-step process of creating a blog from scratch.

Step 1: Pick a Platform

Before doing anything, you need to decide which platform you want to use to host your website.

Unfortunately, this usually requires a lot of experience and knowledge of what’s out there and what works best for different needs.

But lucky for you, I’ll make it super easy: Just go with WordPress.

Why WordPress?

• It’s already well-optimized for SEO, which is crucial for ranking on Google.

• It’s built specifically for blogging, making it the perfect choice for personal brands.

• Tons of freelance developers specialize in WordPress, so if you ever need help, finding someone is super easy. (You can also hire me—just click on the WhatsApp button at the top if you want to connect! 😉)

Now that you know WordPress is the way to go, the next step is choosing a hosting platform to run WordPress on.

Best Hosting Platform for WordPress?

There are a ton of hosting options out there. But if you know me even a little, you know I like to keep things stupid simple so you can just execute without overthinking.

So here’s what you do:

👉 Go with GoDaddy’s WordPress hosting.

That’s it. No need to overcomplicate things.

Just go to GoDaddy, buy the domain name you want, and choose the WordPress installation included option.

GoDaddy will handle the hosting for you and automatically connect WordPress to your domain—so you don’t have to stress about any technical setup.

Step 2: Choose a High-Converting Blog Theme

Once you have GoDaddy set up with WordPress, the first thing you need to do is pick a high-converting blog theme.

I highly recommend NOT using the default theme—because you want to stand out, right? But at the same time, don’t waste hours overthinking your choice.

So let me make it super easy for you:

👉 Just download the Astra theme.

But if you want to pick something else, keep these things in mind:
✅ Does it look professional and clean?
✅ Does it load fast? (Site speed affects SEO and conversions.)
✅ Is it mobile-friendly? (Most traffic today comes from mobile—especially for personal brands.)

 

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Step 3: Install These Plugins

One of the most powerful things about WordPress is its huge library of plugins. But let’s be real—there are so many that it gets overwhelming.

Lucky for you, I’ll cut through the noise and give you ONLY the essential plugins you actually need:

✅ Yoast SEO – Helps your blog rank higher on Google.
✅ WP Rocket – Boosts site speed and performance.
✅ UpdraftPlus – Automatically backs up your site (because shit happens).
✅ ConvertKit or Mailchimp – Essential for collecting emails and building your newsletter.
✅ Google Kit (GKit) – Tracks your blog’s traffic and performance.
✅ WP Forms – Lets people contact you directly through your site.

That’s literally all you need for plugins. No fluff. Just install these and move on.

 

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Step 4: Set Up Your Pages

Before diving into writing blogs, you need to set up the core pages on your WordPress site. Here’s what you need:

✅ Homepage – A clear, straightforward intro to your brand. Make it super obvious what your brand is about and showcase your best content or products.

✅ About Page – Who are you? Tell a short, engaging story about yourself. This helps build trust and connection with your audience.

✅ Blog Page – This is where all your blog articles live.

✅ Contact Page – Place your WP Forms here so people can reach out to you easily.

That’s it! Don’t overcomplicate it—just get these pages up and tweak them later if needed.

How to add pages in WordPress:
Go to Pages → Add New Page, and boom—you can create them right there.

 

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Step 5: Just Write F*cking Blogs

Now that everything is set up, you have zero excuses not to execute.

Just start writing about your topic of interest right away. If you come from social media (which I assume you do), you already know how to write engaging content.

But to make things even easier, here’s a killer blog structure to follow:

🔹 Headline – Think of this as your hook (just like on social media). Keep it short, attention-grabbing, and use powerful words.

🔹 Problem – Jump straight into the problem. What’s the issue? Make it big and painful so the reader HAS to keep reading.

🔹 Personal Experience – Since this is a personal brand, add some personality. Share your own experience related to the problem.

🔹 Steps to Solve It – Give clear, actionable steps to solve the problem. Lists and step-by-step guides work wonders for engagement.

🔹 Call to Action (CTA) – If you have a product or service, ask the reader to take action. Tell them exactly what to do next—subscribe, buy, download, etc.

🔹 SEO Optimization – Once your blog is written, go back and sprinkle in some keywords in the title, headings, and URL. (Not a must-have, but definitely helps!)

👉 Pro Tip: Write 3-4 blogs ahead of time so new visitors have more content to browse.

And for the finishing touch on your blog, you’ll need to add an eye-catching thumbnail image.

Here’s how to do it:

1️⃣ Go to your blog post editor inside WordPress.
2️⃣ Scroll down to the "Post Featured Image" section.
3️⃣ Click Upload Image and choose a relevant, high-quality image for your blog.
4️⃣ Once uploaded, set it as the featured image—this will be the thumbnail displayed on your blog page.

A good thumbnail grabs attention, makes your blog look more professional, and increases clicks—so don’t skip this step! 

Step 6: Market & Re-Use Your Blogs

Now for the final step—but trust me, this one is a game-changer.

The info in this step alone is worth at least $30, but I got you—so it’s free.

Why This Matters

Here’s a fact: People buy when they’re invested.

If someone spends 10 minutes reading your blog, they’re way more likely to buy from you than if they just see a half-second glance at a tweet.

That’s why, if you’ve followed my advice, you already have a call-to-action (CTA) at the bottom of your blog. This makes it so much easier for readers to click and buy something from you.

But here’s the thing—you have to market your blog.

 

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How to Market Your Blog (The Smart Way)

You don’t need to constantly come up with new content—you can just re-use what you already wrote.

Here’s how:

✅ Repurpose Blog Content into Short-Form Content

• Re-read your blog and pull out small snippets of valuable information.

• These snippets can be used for your tweets, Instagram posts, TikToks, etc.

• The goal? Plug your blog link as the second tweet in a thread (or second slide in a post).

🚀 Why second tweet? It flows better, and people are more likely to click it when they already got some value from the first one. But hey—experiment and see what works for you.

 

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Bonus Strategy: Turn Your Blog into a Twitter/X Thread

Another powerful way to market your blog is by turning your blog steps into a Twitter thread.

Why?

• Threads get more reach than single tweets.

• They hold attention longer, meaning higher conversion rates.

And just like before, plug your product or blog link at the end of the thread. Win-win.

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Final Thoughts

Marketing your blog doesn’t have to be complicated—you just need to re-use what you already have in smart ways.

Do this consistently, and you’ll not only increase sales but also boost your SEO ranking (because more clicks = more authority).

And that’s how you build a high-converting personal brand blog.

 

Social media has completely warped our perception of reality. Thanks to social media, a lot of people think half the population is walking around with chiseled abs.

Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point. But do you know what’s not an exaggeration? Only about 1 in 18,000 people actually have visible abs with a decent amount of muscle mass. At least, that’s something I read in a study somewhere.

Doesn’t sound that believable, right? But hear me out.

Out of the entire population, how many people do you think actually work out consistently? I’m talking about lifting weights, training seriously—not just going for a casual jog once a week.

Maybe 2 or 3 out of 100 people actually lift weights regularly? Go walk around your office and ask how many people are training consistently. Not a lot.

Now, let’s switch gears and look at 20 people in the gym—these are already the outliers, the ones who actually work out, let’s say, two or three times a week. From those 20, how many actually know what they’re doing?

Maybe 2 people.

And that’s a hard maybe.

The gym is practically my second home—I train a lot, and I pay attention. From what I’ve seen, most people are just doing random exercises without a structured plan.

So you see how small the percentage already is?

Now, let’s go deeper. From the people who actually know what they’re doing, how many stick with it for 3-4 years and actually push themselves consistently?

Not many.

Out of the hundreds or even thousands of people I’ve seen at my gym, only a handful—well, half a handful—have stayed consistent without taking long breaks (unless they got injured, of course).

I personally know exactly 2 people who have maintained that level of consistency.

So why am I telling you all this? What does being consistent in the gym have to do with having chiseled abs?

Well, if you want abs that actually look impressive, you need muscle mass.

Everyone who’s lean enough will have abs, but do they actually have muscular abs?

You know the saying, right?

"Skinny with abs is like a fat chick with big boobs—it doesn’t count."

In my eyes, having real abs means your overall muscle mass is above average, and your abs are developed. That means you need to be one of the few people consistently training and training correctly for a good amount of time.

If you’re that person, you’re already in the minority. But now you also have to dial in your diet to reduce body fat so your abs are actually visible.

So, it’s really not hard to believe that only a tiny fraction of the population has conventionally good-looking abs.

I’m one of those people—sorry for bragging—and it took me years to dial in the process to maintain abs year-round while also having decent muscle mass, so I don’t look malnourished.

And lucky for you, I’m about to share my exact 5-step process to achieve that.

Doesn’t matter if you’re overweight or don’t have much muscle—I’m going to break down everything you need to know. The same rules apply to everyone.

1. Workout.

Didn’t see that coming, did you? Haha.

Yeah, you have to work out, my friend. And no, you don’t have to train for years before starting the process of having abs year-round.

I know I mentioned 3-4 years in the intro, but that doesn’t mean you need to train for that long before you’re ready to have chiseled abs year-round.

You can start now.

Some might wonder:
"Don’t you need to bulk up and cut a few times before you can have abs year-round? That’s why it takes 3-4 years, right?"

Not really.

For those who don’t know, bulking and cutting is a process used to build muscle and then shed fat. During a bulk, you eat a lot to gain muscle mass, and during a cut, you reduce body fat to reveal the muscle underneath.

Some people believe you need to repeat this cycle 3-4 times (which takes 3-4 years) to achieve a physique where you can maintain abs year-round.

I get why people think that—but there’s a much better way to do it. I’ll explain that in the next point.

But for now, just focus on working out consistently. Pick a solid workout plan that includes the basic exercises (read this if you want to know more about those) and stick with it.

The key to working out is perfecting your form and being consistent. But if you want abs, there’s one more vital piece of the puzzle—and that’s diet.

2. Diet.

In the previous section, I mentioned bulking and cutting. These are forms of seasonal dieting—a period of eating more food (bulking) followed by a period of reducing calorie intake (cutting).

That’s the typical bodybuilding approach you see online.

Is it effective? Maybe.
Is it sustainable? Not for most people.

So, my advice? Follow a diet you can sustain for the rest of your life.

This part depends heavily on your current situation. Someone who is overweight shouldn’t follow the same diet as someone who is severely underweight or naturally skinny.

For this article, I’ll mainly focus on people who are overweight, because I assume most people reading this have some belly fat they want to get rid of. Most skinny people already have abs year-round, so I doubt many of them will be reading this.

But if you’re skinny—my bad! Feel free to send me a message, and I’ll help you out.

If you’re overweight, here’s what you need to do:

1. Start meal prepping ASAP.
   Go on Google and search for low-calorie, high-protein meal prep ideas that you can prepare over the weekend.
   I can’t create a meal plan for you because everyone has different tastes, but the fundamentals are the same for anyone trying to lose weight:

• Low in calories

• High in protein

• High in fiber (lots of veggies)

• Optional: Carbs (I personally don’t add carbs, but you can if you want.)

2. Reduce snacking and cut out sugary drinks.
   To make this dead simple, here’s what to do:

• Snack on fruit instead of junk food like chips and cookies (you already know which snacks are bad).

• Drink water instead of sugary sodas.

• If you can’t quit soda, switch to diet soda. (And no, diet soda is NOT bad for your health—don’t believe the mainstream fear-mongering.)

3. Intermittent Fasting.

Alright, now that your diet is mostly in check, this alone will help you lose a ton of fat and weight if you’re overweight.

But knowing you, you’re going for gold—you want the best results.

That’s why we’re going to implement intermittent fasting.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is simply having a set eating window and a set fasting window.

Most people already have some form of fasting window—it’s called sleeping. Haha.

But with intentional intermittent fasting, you make your fasting window bigger and your eating window smaller to maximize fat loss and other health benefits.

The most popular method is the 16/8 rule—16 hours of fasting, 8 hours of eating.

Sure, there are other variations, but if you know me even a little, you know I like to keep things stupidly simple so you can execute right away.

So we’re sticking with 16/8.

How to start intermittent fasting (16/8 rule)

Let’s say your current eating schedule looks like this:

• First meal at 8 AM

• Last meal/snack at 9 PM

That means you’re eating for 13 hours and fasting for only 9 hours.
If that’s you—boy (or girl)—you’ve got some work to do.

What you need to do is push your first meal later in the day.

Instead of eating at 8 AM, go for 12 PM.

Yeah, it might be hard at first, but here’s how to combat hunger:
✅ Drink water
✅ Drink black coffee

You don’t have to be super strict with it, either. Personally, I don’t count creamers or fruit during fasting. Yes, fruit is technically eating, but the calories are low, and it helps take the edge off hunger.

Your last meal should be around 8 PM—that’s it.

Now, the first meal you eat around 12 PM should be the low-calorie meal prep you made over the weekend.

This combination is powerful because:
✅ You create a massive calorie deficit for the rest of the day.
✅ You feel full and satisfied since your meal is high in fiber and protein.

Bonus Benefits of Fasting

Another huge benefit of fasting? Your focus skyrockets.

During your fasting window, you’ll likely notice better mental clarity and concentration. Take full advantage of this—use your fasting hours to crush your most important work.

This is honestly a productivity hack that most people have no idea about. 

4. Walk.

The final step—increase your steps. Haha.

No, but seriously, most people aren’t moving at all throughout the day. Modern culture has made it stupidly easy for people to barely move.

The average person’s day looks like this:

• Wakes up

• Drives to work

• Sits at a desk all day

• Co-worker brings coffee (they don’t even walk to get it)

• Drives back home

• Sits again to watch TV

• Sleeps

And that’s it.

Now, if this person actually works out, they’re already in the top percentile—which is why I didn’t even include working out in the list. But let’s be honest—even if they go to the gym, they’re driving there.

So, their step count is still terrible, even with a consistent gym routine.

Humans aren’t built to sit all day.

Back in the day, it was normal to walk 15,000-20,000 steps a day.

Nowadays, if someone hits 2,000-3,000 steps, it’s considered a good day of walking.

I genuinely believe everyone needs to walk more, whether you’re skinny or overweight. Walking has way more benefits than just burning extra calories.

Walking = Mental Clarity + Happiness

Yeah, I recommend walking to burn extra calories, but the real magic of walking is what it does for your brain.

Studies show that simply adding daily walks can change brain activity, improve mental clarity, and boost happiness.

So, get your step count up—not just for your body, but for your mind too.

In my honest opinion you should aim for 8000 to 10000 steps each day.

5. Two Ab exercises.

You only need TWO ab exercises:
✅ Cable Crunches
✅ Hanging Leg Raises

The Biggest Scam in Fitness: Ab Routine Videos.

Let me tell you straight up—ab workout videos are absolute garbage. I hate them with a passion.

These videos exist only to farm views and make people believe that doing them will build ab muscles.

Let me make this crystal clear:

THE ONLY THING AB ROUTINE VIDEOS ARE GOOD FOR IS CARDIO.
And even then, that’s a hard maybe.

And don’t even get me started on plank routines.

Look—if you’re doing planks or ab workout videos for stability or core endurance, fine. Do your thing. Maybe you have a specific reason I’m unaware of, so I won’t argue with you.

BUT—if you’re following these routines specifically to build your ab muscles, you are completely and utterly wasting your time.

Abs Are Just Like Any Other Muscle.

(I should win a Nobel Prize for that realization. 😂)

But seriously—your abs are muscles just like your chest, back, and legs.

So what does that mean?

It means you need to progressively overload them just like you do with any other muscle to make them grow.

That’s why Cable Crunches are the main driver for building my abs.

I spam these like a madman twice, sometimes three or four times a week.

Then I add Hanging Leg Raises.

And yeah, this exercise doesn’t let you add weight easily—but that’s because it targets the lower abs, and those are small muscles that don’t need heavy resistance to grow.

If you really want to add resistance, you can grab a dumbbell between your feet while doing Hanging Leg Raises.

But trust me—Hanging Leg Raises alone are already brutal.

Last Words

The information I just shared with you took me 15 years to get right.

Yeah, it may seem basic and common sense, but trust me—common sense isn’t so common nowadays.

I say this in almost every article I write, but because of the internet, people waste years trying all kinds of random fitness trends, never seeing results, and eventually giving up because they think nothing works.

I’m here to cut through the noise and give you the information that actually works.

And trust me—what I just told you WORKS.

This exact process is what allows me to maintain six-pack abs year-round.

Now, here’s the deal:

You just have to stick with this 5-step process for at least 6 months to a year.

If you do that—
✅ You’ll see results.
✅ You’ll build real muscle.
✅ You’ll finally get the abs you want.

And when that happens? You can come back and thank me then.

But until then—trust the process, stay consistent, and most importantly...

Believe in yourself, my friend.

No. AI Will Not Replace Developers.

This is a common myth floating around the internet, and it’s all the hype nowadays. A lot of people are scared to start learning to code because they feel like it’ll be a waste of time.

Now, this article isn’t about why AI won’t replace developers, but I think it’s important to touch on it. Why? Because I’m about to break down the steps to learning to code, and if you’re skeptical right from the start, that wouldn’t be a great mindset to have.

Let me put it simply: Who’s going to operate the AI? Who’s going to check the code AI generates?
Exactly. You need a solid understanding of coding to properly use the code AI spits out. And you need to know what kind of questions to ask AI in the first place.

I’d even argue that people who know how to code properly will make even more money because of AI. Not only can you code way faster, but AI also enables you to build applications that were straight-up impossible to create before.

Take my AI diet calculator as an example. Before AI, you’d need a super complex algorithm to generate recipes that fit your macros. But with AI? I built that entire app in just a few days.

So yeah, learning to code is absolutely worth it—especially right now. Throughout history, whenever a groundbreaking technology emerges, the people who fully take advantage of it are the ones who make the most money.

Look at the crypto boom a few years ago. That wasn’t even that groundbreaking. But AI? That’s a whole different beast.

But Why Should You Listen to Me?

Well…

My Story

At first glance, I might just look like your average gym bro (which, yeah, I kinda am), but I’m also a massive nerd. I’ve always been super into computers and coding, but I never actually learned it properly until about 8 years ago.

Back then, I was in college studying web design, which didn’t involve much coding. So I decided to teach myself.

Now, when most people say they’ve been coding for 8 years, they’re not counting the weeks or months they took off. Not me. Douche alert incoming: I have been coding daily for 8 years straight. No breaks. No excuses.

So yeah, despite looking like an absolute meathead, I do know how to code.

During these 8 years of daily coding, I’ve made a ton of mistakes. Learned a lot. Worked in the industry for 3-4 years. Took on a bunch of freelance gigs. And, yeah, made even more mistakes along the way.

Lucky for you, I’m about to teach you the 7 steps to learning how to code in 2025—without making the same mistakes I did. That way, you’ll get results way faster.

Let’s get into it.

The 4-Step System

It’s crucial that you follow the 7-step system in order. Especially nowadays, with the rise of AI, information is more accessible than ever—even faster than when the internet first came out. But along with that speed comes a massive downside:

Overthinking.

And trust me, I get it. You want to go fast. You want to learn to code as quickly as possible. But if you try to rush the process, you’re going to overload your brain, get overwhelmed, and eventually burn out. Then, before you know it, you’ve dropped coding altogether because it felt like too much.

You want to avoid that at all costs.

If you think learning fitness and nutrition can be overwhelming, wait until you get into coding. It’s a thousand times more information, and it’s way more mentally taxing. So do yourself a favor: follow the steps, go at a steady pace, and don’t fry your brain.

That being said, let’s get into Step 1:

Step 1: Pick Your Field

In coding, there are multiple fields you can dive into. You’ve got:

• AI algorithm development

• Game development

• Backend development

• Web development

• Data science

See the problem already? Step 1 alone can cause you to overthink like crazy.

Let me make it simple for you.

Begin With the End in Mind

Ask yourself: Why do you want to code?

• Is it for money?

• Is it for freedom of location?

If you answered yes to either, then the best field for you is web development.

Why Web Development?

1. It’s the easiest to get into – Compared to AI, data science, or backend development, web development has a lower barrier to entry.

2. It’s the most versatile – You can build websites, web apps, and even transition into other fields later.

3. Freelance opportunities are everywhere – Small businesses need websites, which means there’s constant demand for web developers.

With other fields:

• It’s harder to break into.

• It’s harder to find freelance gigs.

That’s why I 100% recommend starting with web development—unless you have an undying passion for game development, in which case, go for it.

The rest of the steps will focus on web development, but honestly? The same principles apply to any field.

Step 2: Start with the Fundamentals

In web development (and other fields), there’s a ridiculous number of fancy frameworks you can use. Web development, in particular, is notorious for having way more frameworks than necessary.

You’ve got React, Vue, Next.js, Svelte, and a whole bunch more.

And once again, here’s where you can overthink yourself into oblivion.

My recommendation?

Skip them all at first. Start with the basics of web development:

1. HTML

2. CSS

3. JavaScript

In that exact order.

Why Start with the Fundamentals?

Sure, frameworks make development faster and more efficient, but if you skip the fundamentals, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Here’s the problem:

If an error pops up that has nothing to do with the framework itself but is a JavaScript issue, you’ll have no clue how to fix it—because you skipped learning vanilla JavaScript in the first place.

🚨 That’s a disaster waiting to happen.

And trust me, this happens a lot. People jump straight into a framework like Next.js without knowing basic JavaScript. Maybe they manage to build an app that somewhat works, but the moment they hit an error (which WILL happen, don’t worry), they’re completely lost.

So What’s the Right Approach?

Take a little extra time now to master the fundamentals, and you’ll set yourself up for long-term success.

So again: Start with HTML, move to CSS, and then dive into JavaScript.

Step 3: Follow 1-2 Tutorials

For each language—HTML, CSS, and JavaScript—what you want to do is follow one or two tutorials at maximum.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of consuming tutorial after tutorial. There are just so many of them out there, and if you’re anything like me, you want to know everything about a language before you even start coding.

DON’T DO THAT.

You should stick to 1 or 2 tutorials max. Choose one with decent views on YouTube, a blog post, or even a Udemy course. Then, code along with the person teaching it.

At first, you’ll have no clue what you’re doing. But the worst thing you can do is just sit there, staring at the screen without actually typing along or making an effort to understand.

If you type along, the knowledge will stick with you a lot longer.

And here’s a really important sidenote—one that you should not ignore:

DO NOT TRY TO MEMORIZE EVERY FREAKING SYNTAX.

Seriously, don’t do that.

Instead, focus on understanding the bigger picture—why something is used, rather than every single syntax detail. Especially nowadays, with AI around, you don’t want to overload your brain with stuff that isn’t necessary.

Back in the day, I fell into the trap of trying to memorize every syntax I came across. I even wrote them down in a little notebook, thinking that would help.

Well… let me tell you—that was a massive waste of time.

Especially with AI around.

Step 4: Build Your Own Projects

Now that you’ve watched a couple of tutorials, you need to prevent falling into tutorial hell. That’s why I specifically told you to stop after 2 tutorials.

So, what is tutorial hell?

It’s a super common trap for self-taught developers—watching tutorial after tutorial, thinking you’ll feel “ready” someday.

But guess what?

You’ll never feel ready.

So, what happens? People keep watching more tutorials just to reduce their feeling of inadequacy.

Let me be blunt:

That feeling never goes away. So you might as well get used to it.

The solution is simple:

👉 Build your own projects based on what you learned from the tutorials.

This forces you to apply your knowledge immediately. And honestly, this is the opposite of what the school system has taught us.

In school, we’re trained to learn everything before applying it. We study for a test, and only after we know “enough” do we take it.

But in the real world?

You have to apply what you’ve learned right away, fail, and learn from that failure.

In a way, the school system has screwed us when it comes to real-world problem-solving. But that’s a topic for another day.

For example:

• If you just learned CSS, build your portfolio website.

• If you just learned JavaScript, add some browser functionality to that portfolio.

Apply your knowledge immediately—that’s the best way to learn to code.

 

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Final Words

These are the four steps I would take to learn to code.

You probably noticed I haven’t mentioned AI at all.

And that’s on purpose.

I honestly believe that you need to learn coding on your own first before asking AI for help.

If you bring AI into the process too early, you won’t actually learn how to code properly. You’ll rely too much on AI to teach you instead of using it to assist you.

This is a real problem for new developers. I’m genuinely worried that the next generation of coders will be the worst coders on the planet if they lean on AI too soon.

Don’t let that be you.

After you’ve followed these four steps for about six months, you can slowly introduce AI into your workflow.

By then, you’ll understand the bigger picture.

And if you’re really stubborn about using AI earlier, I’d only recommend using it to explain concepts—and even then, always cross-check what it tells you by searching online yourself.

That’s it for this article. Hopefully, it was useful.

Now get out there and start coding! 🚀

Tim Ferris quote: 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts. Focus on the 20% that gets you the most results.

I could remember it like it was two decades ago—because it was two decades ago. Haha.

I was just a young buck walking through the library, searching. Searching for what? I had no idea. I didn’t even know what topic I was looking for, but I wandered around, just seeing what was available.

Once I found a topic that piqued my interest, I’d pick out a book from the few that were available. Most of the time, those books had something to do with self-improvement—the kind of books I could actually apply to my life.

So that’s what I did.

I borrowed the book, and whenever I read something useful, I applied it right away. Was it always life-changing? Sometimes it was. Sometimes it wasn’t. But either way, I walked away with some kind of wisdom.

Now, contrast that with today’s world.

Libraries? Barely getting any visitors. Why? The internet. The information you need is now within reach in seconds. Before, you had to physically go to a library and spend forever searching for the right book—if you even knew what you were looking for in the first place.

So yeah, the internet sounds like a godsend. And in many ways, it is. Getting information is ridiculously easy now. But with every great benefit comes massive downsides.

Because of the internet, information is widely available. But the real problem?

1. There’s too much information (which brings a whole mess of other problems).

2. Figuring out what’s actually true is a mystery.

And this is especially true for fitness.

The sheer amount of fitness content out there is insane, and it keeps expanding exponentially. People nowadays binge-watch fitness videos before they even take action—getting mentally obese before starting their fitness journey.

They overload their brains with every exercise under the sun before they’ve even touched their first weight. They want to know the best exercise for every muscle group. The result? They get overwhelmed and quit after a few months at best.

I see it all the time in the gym. And to be honest? I was the same.

I used to search endlessly for the "best" exercise for a specific muscle, hoping that one perfect movement would be the magic pill to build the most muscle.

Well... after 15 years of training, I’ve come to one big conclusion:

👉 You can just stick with the basics and build any physique you want.

Mind-blowing, right? I should get a damn award for my groundbreaking research.

But seriously—this rule applies to any skill, not just fitness.

As some of you know, I’m also a big-ass nerd and super passionate about coding. And while fitness and coding are complete opposites, the same principle applies:

Master the basics, and you’ll excel.

Back to fitness—too many people constantly jump from exercise to exercise, hoping to find the magic one. They won’t. And in the process, they make fewer gains and overthink the hell out of their workouts.

The trick with fitness (or any skill, really) is to master the basics to such a level that you can do them flawlessly with your eyes closed.

You know that Bruce Lee quote, right?

"I do not fear the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once. I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."

Now that we’ve gotten that long-ass introduction out of the way, here’s THE only list of exercises you’ll ever need in your entire life.

You got my word for it. These are the exact same exercises I’ve been doing for the past five years.

 

Before we get into the exercises:

For those who don’t know, in fitness, it’s crucial to understand which muscles you’re targeting with each exercise. Why?

1. So you actually know what you're working on—makes sense, right?

2. To prevent overtraining a specific muscle—because hammering the same muscle unknowingly can lead to burnout, imbalances, or even injury.

That’s why it’s always vital to be aware of what muscle group each exercise is hitting.

Chest:

• Bench Press

• Incline Dumbbell Press

• Cable Flys

• Cable Flys High Low

• Machine Press

Back:

• Lat Pulldown

• Lat Pulldown Close Grip

• Bent Over Barbell Row

• One Arm Dumbbell Row

• Seated Cable Row

Legs

• Barbell Back Squat

• Leg Extension

• Stiff Leg Deadlift

• Lunges

• Calf Raises

• Hip Thrust

Shoulders

• Overhead Dumbbell Press

• Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise

• Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

• Dumbbell Shrugs

Arms

• Dumbbell Bicep Curl

• Dumbbell Hammer Curl

• Dumbbell Skull Crushers

• Cable Tricep Pushdown

Abs

• Cable Rope Crunch

• Hanging Leg Raises

That’s it. Those are all the exercises you’ll ever need.

So now you’re probably wondering… “Okay, but how many sets, reps, and exercises should I do?”

Well, that depends on your fitness level. Are you a beginner, intermediate, or expert?

But to make it extremely simple, just stick with:
✅ 4 sets of 12 reps for each exercise
✅ At least 3 exercises for bigger muscle groups (back, chest, legs)
✅ 1 or 2 exercises for smaller muscle groups (arms, abs)

At the end of the day, the most important thing is staying consistent. And the simpler you make things, the easier it is to stay consistent. If you’ve got that part locked in, you’re already ahead of the game.

The next step? Perfecting your form.

No matter how you slice it, it takes time to get your form right. You can do this by:
📌 Watching yourself in the mirror while performing exercises
📌 Recording yourself and reviewing your technique
📌 Hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions to fine-tune your form

Both consistency and proper form are key—but one doesn’t exist without the other. If you’re not consistent, you won’t have enough chances to perfect your form. But at the same time, if you’re constantly yo-yo-ing between random exercises, you’ll never build a solid foundation.

So just stick with the basics.

If you want a structured workout plan that covers all the fundamentals, I’ve got you covered. You can download my free PDF by signing up for my newsletter—it includes three different workout plans tailored for different fitness levels.

Master the basics, stay consistent, and you’ll see results that far surpasses your imagination.

Now let’s handle some objections or questions you might have.

Because let’s be real—some people still believe you need to be a walking encyclopedia of exercises to make gains.

“Won’t my muscles get used to the same movement and stop growing?”

Well, you’re partially right here. Yeah, if you do the exact same thing for months on end without any progression, muscle growth will slow down. But here’s the thing—there are tons of ways to keep progressing without changing exercises.

You can:
✅ Increase the weight (obviously, right? Haha)
✅ Lower the weight & do more reps
✅ Superset with lighter weights
✅ Superset with a complementary exercise
✅ Do drop sets
✅ Do slow, paused reps

Doing any of these will shock the muscle and keep it growing—without needing to hop from exercise to exercise.

 

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“Doesn’t knowing more exercises mean more gains?”

No.

Perfection beats variation every single time.

The guy who does four different bicep exercises half-assed will get no results. Meanwhile, the guy who perfects just one bicep curl? He’ll blow past the first guy without question.

It’s all about mastering the movement and feeling the muscle work. And that’s hard to do if you’re constantly jumping between different exercises.

I’ll use myself as an example—I can grow muscle doing a simple 5 lb bicep curl just because I know the movement inside and out.

And if you need more proof, just look at all the top bodybuilders. What do they focus on? The technique and form of basic compound lifts. They aren’t out here doing fancy, Instagram-worthy exercises—they’re dialed in on the fundamentals.

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Final Thoughts

That’s it for this article. I hope I’ve given you enough reasons to focus on the basics—and of course, I’ve given you the exact list of exercises you need.

Especially nowadays, when information is so readily available, it’s way too easy to get caught up in hoarding knowledge instead of taking action.

So stop overcomplicating it. Master the basics. Stay consistent. And watch the results come in.

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." – Albert Einstein

Most people in the gym are barely making any progress. Even though it has been months, or even worse, years, they still haven’t changed. They're doing the same workouts, the same routines, and expecting something magical to happen.

In life, you need to see progress to stay motivated. Doesn't matter if it's coding, fitness, or business—if you don’t see results, you’ll eventually lose interest. That’s just how we’re wired.

So, I have mad respect for the people who keep showing up at the gym, even if they’re stuck. At my gym, there are a lot of these people. But the only ones actually making progress, the ones who have legit muscle mass, are—coincidentally—also my friends. And no, I’m not biased. This is just an objective observation.

I talk to almost everyone at the gym (I’m infamous for training my social muscles more than my actual ones, but that’s a story for another day). Because of that, I have a bigger and clearer picture of why some people are making gains while others look the same year after year.

If you're someone who isn’t seeing progress, follow these tips, and I promise you’ll supercharge your fitness results.

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Your Form Is Whack

The biggest mistake A LOT of people make is having terrible form. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been working out for years or just started—bad form kills progress.

In fact, people who’ve been working out for years with bad form are in the worst position because they’ve ingrained those bad habits, making them harder to fix.

So, it’s vital to get a grip on proper form as early as possible.

How do you know your form is whack?

If you’re not feeling the correct muscle working during an exercise, your form is off.

People at my gym often ask me for help (probably because I talk to literally everyone), and the first thing they notice after I correct them is that they actually feel the muscle they’re supposed to be training.

How do you fix this?

• Watch YouTube videos of professionals demonstrating the correct form.
• Use gym mirrors to self-correct.
• Hire a personal trainer for a few months to dial in your form.

Fixing your form will make a HUGE difference in your gains.

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Hoarding Exercises

Some people think there's a magic exercise—or a secret set of exercises—that will get them jacked fast.

Well, bad news: There isn’t.

If anything, constantly switching to “new” exercises will slow you down. You’ll build no muscle at all because you never master the basics.

Thanks to the internet, people are drowning in information. They consume content from fitness influencers like Jeff Nippard and Mike from Renaissance Periodization, who—while they give great advice—often lead beginners to overthink and second-guess themselves.

I know an older guy at my gym who is a huge Jeff Nippard fan. He follows every piece of advice he gives, making him a walking fitness encyclopedia. But here’s the harsh truth: He’s still weak and looks the same as he did years ago. He never mastered the basics.

My advice?

Stick with the basics for YEARS. I’ve been lifting for over a decade, and I still rely on fundamental exercises. Master those, and you’ll see insane progress.

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Your Diet Is Trash

Your diet is arguably the most important part of building muscle. You can train as hard as you want, but if your nutrition is garbage, you won’t see results.

Let’s be real—most people eat like shit. Processed foods are packed with chemicals, calorie labels are often inaccurate, and food companies make sure their products are as calorie-dense (and addictive) as possible.

Social media and mainstream culture glorify gluttony, making it normal to indulge in trash food and acceptable to be out of shape.

High-calorie foods are also the most delicious—because of dopamine. The more calories something has, the more dopamine it releases. That’s why people feel euphoric after eating a big-ass donut.

I could go on a rant for weeks about diet and its effects on health, mental clarity, and even spirituality, but I’ll keep it simple:

How do you fix your diet?

• Eat whole, unprocessed foods.
• Prioritize protein and fiber-rich foods (chicken, broccoli, red meat, tuna, salmon, etc.).
• If you like carbs, eat them—but don’t overdo it.

Personally, I limit carbs despite my Asian roots. They make me bloated and cause unnecessary weight gain. But if they work for you, go for it.

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No Plan, No Gains

Let’s say you want to drive to Rome. You hop in your car and just drive in a random direction.

You won’t get there.

That’s how a lot of people approach the gym. They show up, hop from one machine to another, and just guess what they should do.

My advice?

Pick a structured workout plan.

If you need a starting point, go with Push/Pull/Legs (PPL). It’s simple and effective.

Don’t overcomplicate things. Just follow a structured plan that ensures you're hitting each muscle group with enough volume every week.

A structured plan also prevents overthinking and keeps you consistent.

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Nothing Matters If You Quit (Or Stay Inconsistent)

Let’s say your form is perfect, and you have the most optimized plan.

But you only stick with fitness for a month, then quit.

Some guy with a subpar plan and bad technique will surpass you in six months—because he’s consistent. And if he improves along the way, he’ll blow past you even faster.

This applies to everything in life: coding, business, relationships, social skills. The biggest rewards come from long-term consistency.

The strongest people in the gym are the ones who have conditioned their muscles over a long period of time.

You have to make fitness non-negotiable.

If you can show up to work every day, you can find time to work out three times a week.

I could go on a full rant about why you should prioritize fitness above all else, but I’ll leave you with this:

You only get one body. One life. And no one is going to take care of it but you.

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Final Thoughts

If you follow these tips, you’ll build a physique that surpasses 99% of people.

TL;DR:

• Fix your form—Make sure you're actually training the right muscles.
• Stick to the basics—Stop chasing magic exercises.
• Clean up your diet—You can't out-train a bad diet.
• Follow a structured plan—No more guessing at the gym.
• Be consistent—Results come to those who show up, week after week, year after year.

Fitness isn’t complicated. Stay consistent, improve your form over time, stick to the basics, and fix your diet. That’s it.

Thanks for reading—follow or subscribe for more!