How Protein Estimations Can Be off And What To Do About It

Welcome to the Garage Gym Athlete Podcast! In this episode, Jerred Moon, Joe Courtney, and Dave Paczkowski break down a deceptively simple topic: how much protein are you really getting from your food? Spoiler: not nearly as much as the label says.

They review the article “Toward Harmonizing Protein Data in Food Composition Databases”—and explain what it means for your tracking, your goals, and your gains.

The Problem: Food Labels Aren’t Built for Accuracy

The FDA allows nutrition labels to be off by as much as 20% in either direction. That means your 200-calorie snack could actually be 240 calories—or only 160. And when it comes to protein, it’s even murkier. Labels typically estimate protein by multiplying the nitrogen content by 6.25, assuming all nitrogen comes from protein (it doesn’t).

As Jerred puts it: “You've been given an impossible task.”

So What Does That Mean for You?

If you’re casually tracking:
This is your permission to relax. Exact tracking is an illusion—especially when you're relying on food labels. Don’t stress about hitting a “perfect” macro breakdown. Instead, focus on getting adequate daily protein from high-quality sources.

If you’re strict tracking:
Even obsessively counting every gram doesn’t guarantee precision. You could be over- or under-eating protein by 10–20% every day. That’s why Jerred, Joe, and Dave all suggest using a flexible approach—and checking your results against what really matters:

• Are you losing or gaining weight as planned?

• Are your workouts improving?

• Do you feel and recover well?

If yes, the numbers don’t need to be perfect.

Protein Sources Matter More Than Labels

Here’s the real key: not all protein is created equal.

The team discusses protein digestibility and bioavailability using systems like:

• PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score)

• DIAAS (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score)

In plain terms: your body absorbs more protein from eggs, whey, and meat than from packaged snacks or plant-based fillers. Jerred’s rule? If it’s in a muffin or rice cake and says it has 6g of protein, he ignores it.

“I’m not even factoring that in—I don’t trust it.”

What You Should Actually Do

💥 Build your meals around quality protein. Think eggs, meat, fish, and dairy (if you tolerate it).
📊 Track loosely but consistently. Shoot for 3 meals a day, 50g of protein each. Jerred’s “3–50–Micro” rule covers most of it.
🧠 Focus on results, not data. Are you performing well, looking how you want, and recovering properly? If so, don’t sweat the small stuff.

Bonus Topic: First Steps into Resistance Training

At the end of the episode, Joe surprises the group with a question: What’s your advice to someone brand new to resistance training?

Here’s the quick summary:

• Start with dumbbells, not barbells, to build foundational unilateral strength

• Use full-body movements like dumbbell squats, presses, and rows

• Focus on form, not load

• Prioritize consistency over intensity—build the habit before worrying about complexity

Final Thoughts: Don’t Be Fooled by Healthy Labels

Whether it’s “healthy” ice cream or high-protein chips, most food companies use the 20% rule to make their labels look better. Don’t fall for it. Focus on real food, solid training, and long-term consistency—not the numbers on the back of a box.

Garage Gym Athlete Workout of the Week

Podcast Transcript

Jerred: [00:00:00] Jumping right into things. We're gonna be going over an article [00:00:05] today, and I'm not by myself. I have Dave and Joe here. Uh, [00:00:10] but we are going over an article talking about protein. So the actual article is called Toward [00:00:15] Harmonizing Protein Data in Food Composition Databases, evaluating Perspectives, methods, [00:00:20] and Impli Implications.

Uh, so what's really interesting, the reason I wanted to cover this study, [00:00:25] or it's not really a study, it's an article. Um, more like a systematic review, but not technically. Uh, [00:00:30] they're just looking at a lot of different information, but they were looking at how inaccurate [00:00:35] food labels are specifically protein in this case.

And I think this is really important for people to know. [00:00:40] I feel like a lot of people were unaware of this fact, and that's why I wanted to [00:00:45] cover it. Uh, so what we have. Big picture [00:00:50] is how grossly different it can be, uh, amongst [00:00:55] different types of protein. And so if you didn't know what they do, it says protein [00:01:00] content in foods has historically been estimated by multiplying measured nitrogen content with a [00:01:05] universal nitrogen to protein conversion factor NCF of [00:01:10] 6.25.

I didn't know any of this to be honest. I knew that, uh, nope. I [00:01:15] knew that, uh, food labels were inaccurate. Um, like if you were reading through some of [00:01:20] the other information, it says that in the US uh, food labels [00:01:25] can be up to 20% off in either direction. Like that is the [00:01:30] allowable limit for food companies.

And if you think about it, if you are a, uh. [00:01:35] Let's say a diet brand or like you're trying to be a healthier brand, [00:01:40] and it's, you put it, it's you find out it's 200 calories, you know, why wouldn't you [00:01:45] go 20% less and put that on, on the label? Uh, so anyway, very [00:01:50] interesting, very interesting information here. Um, but let's, let's go around real [00:01:55] quick.

Uh, Joe, what'd you find interesting when you were reading through this?

Joe: Well, how they calculated it for one, [00:02:00] um, as I was going through, I was trying to think of how this could apply to [00:02:05] people, and I think for the most part, casually people that are, that are counting, I don't think it'll be that [00:02:10] much of a, of a detriment.

But I do think that it's good to know [00:02:15] because it's, um. For those who like want to get the exact [00:02:20] protein number or obsess over numbers and quantities, you know, that you're estimating anyway. And [00:02:25] if food labels are off and your estimations are off anyway, and even when you're calculating [00:02:30] your macro exact number can, can fluctuate.

There's a lot of fluctuation there. So [00:02:35] to me, like the, the, the main takeaway would, would've been like, not. [00:02:40] Um, worrying about set on a, an exact number of protein, but more of like a, a, [00:02:45] a line. Like as long as you cross this line for the day or whatever, then then that, that's [00:02:50] all you need to need to worry about.

Even though, like, you read this, this paper, and it seems like it was, I was, I was [00:02:55] a little bit confused for a while reading it. Like, why, why, what, what is all that going on right here? [00:03:00] But then. I thought, okay, this, you know, if, unless you're like super, super counting, [00:03:05] like, like going into bodybuilding shows, then mostly you just gotta know that [00:03:10] there's a lot of variance and just worry about a bottom line of what you need to hit.[00:03:15]

And this also made me think about, um. Calorie counters and all of the wearables that [00:03:20] we've gone over too, and how wildly inaccurate those are, and how you don't need to worry about, you know, [00:03:25] the calorie counter on the thing, because that's always gonna be, uh, pretty much off. But just, you know, [00:03:30] you know, gives you a, a roundabout number.

But yeah, as far as this, you know, there, [00:03:35] that, that, that's kind of just it with, uh, with my, you know, protein [00:03:40] thoughts of not exactly harping on the exact number because a lot of these things are gonna be inaccurate [00:03:45] anyway.

Jerred: And I think it should ease the mind of people who, [00:03:50] uh, you know, are diving into macro counting or tracking in general.

And I've always made this argument [00:03:55] too, and 'cause I know some people who are not a little bit psycho, [00:04:00] like crazy psycho about tracking every single thing that goes in their mouth. And [00:04:05] that's fine if you have like a body composition goal or like whatever, and that's something that you wanna do. But I think [00:04:10] it's funny because it's like.

You're not even truly accurate. And I'll talk about like what [00:04:15] my biggest takeaway from that is. But like I've always talked about, if I make a protein shake and a [00:04:20] blender and I pour that, um, protein shake into a cup, I am losing a little bit of the [00:04:25] shake inside the blender and I'm losing a little bit of shake inside the cup.

But I'm gonna say [00:04:30] I got my. 50 grams of protein out of that. Right? And it's like, well, you probably [00:04:35] washed at least 10 grams of that down the sink. Or maybe five, something like that. And does it matter [00:04:40] to me? I don't think it matters all that much, but it's just kind of pointing out to like, it, it [00:04:45] doesn't, it doesn't matter that much.

Um, and you're [00:04:50] not as accurate as you think you are when you're tracking because you've been given an an impossible task. You know, you've been given [00:04:55] a task that's like up to companies whether or not they wanna report 20. 20% up or down. [00:05:00] Um, and then protein, apparently they can't even track it all that well.

Like it's, it's just a hard thing to do. [00:05:05] What'd you think, Dave?

Dave: Yeah, similar things to, to Joe and what you're saying with tracking too. [00:05:10] Um, and I've, I've tracked strictly in the past. I've, I've tracked loosely and what I find though [00:05:15] is like it all evens out in the long run anyways. If you're eating relatively clean in those things.

I don't think [00:05:20] this should be a concern to anyone like Joe saying for people that are. Like we talked about the EL three [00:05:25] elements, people that are eating meat and vegetables and multiple meals. Like you're touch, you're, you're hitting your [00:05:30] bases probably if you're having protein throughout the day. Um, but if people are strictly [00:05:35] tracking, there's so much variance in that anyways.

Even if you take a, a whole food, which is gonna be better [00:05:40] than anything. Like, does this piece of steak have the exact same? Fat as the [00:05:45] next steak next to it. That's even the same weight and everything. And that's where you can get totally neurotic over it [00:05:50] and it just doesn't seem to make a difference for most people.

Um, and then you start putting in [00:05:55] mixed foods and those things like. Trail mix sandwiches. Some of the things I mentioned in the article, it's like, it can, [00:06:00] it can get wildly, uh, less accurate in a hurry. You think you have this, this tight control over [00:06:05] it, and that's where tracking though the, the metrics that are most important to you are you, if you're trying to lose weight, [00:06:10] is the scale moving that way?

If yes, then don't worry about exactly how much protein you're [00:06:15] having. If you're getting stronger, if you feel good, if you're recovering well, um, if you're checking those boxes, then [00:06:20] um, you don't need to get so caught up in, in that, 'cause the recommendations already bake in a [00:06:25] level of air too. They're off of.

You know, they already factor in some of that, that error that's out there [00:06:30] if you're aiming for a specific amount of protein. I do think people that are on the low end, uh, should be aware of [00:06:35] this though. If someone's like really struggling to get even the low end of protein, like Joe's saying, [00:06:40] then maybe you want to air set that number a little bit higher just to make sure if you're, uh, if you're [00:06:45] on the low end.

But for most people that are eating generally healthy, I, I don't think it's, uh, something you need to get [00:06:50] too. Uh, too worked up over.

Jerred: Yeah. That's a big thing I want people to, [00:06:55] to take away is like, not to freak out about all, all of the tracking and [00:07:00] wearables and nutrition stuff that we can do these days, uh, because [00:07:05] it's not, none of it's gonna be all that accurate anyway.

Like if you're stressing out about not getting enough deep sleep [00:07:10] the previous night, it's like, well, how accurate was the deep sleep tracking? [00:07:15] And I talked a little bit about that, the last podcast. Like, I, I trust it to a certain degree, but I, I assess how I [00:07:20] feel first, you know, if I'm looking at a sleep tracker.

Same with nutrition, and I think you nailed it on the head, [00:07:25] head, Dave. It's like if you're trying to lose weight or gain muscle, the only [00:07:30] real thing that matters is going to be the scale, like the, your body weight, right? And so if [00:07:35] you are following some sort of nutrition plan and the body [00:07:40] and the scale is not moving, it could be these other things, um, that.

Just [00:07:45] you're, you're on the low end of where you should be and you need to bump it up higher because of all of these margins that have [00:07:50] been put into food. But a co couple other points I had on this were, was the, [00:07:55] my personal opinion. Like I, I read the article and there's like some things on like, there's even [00:08:00] variants within meat and everything, but I just feel like if you're eating chicken breast.[00:08:05]

You're, you're pretty safe there. You know, like you're getting a, a large amount of protein. [00:08:10] There's not much else in it. Um, I do think steak can vary [00:08:15] wildly. Um, so I think if you're getting a lot of your protein from meats, I'm gonna say that you're [00:08:20] fine because I, I, in all honesty, you're probably getting more protein than you need if you're eating meat.

[00:08:25] But if you are, I don't even, not even like vegan or vegetarian, just if you're [00:08:30] getting most of your proteins from like packaged things, if you're like. [00:08:35] You're really like, oh yeah, I want that seven grams of protein in this packaged muffin that I had. You [00:08:40] know, and, and on repeat you're like, oh, here's this pack of goldfish.

It has four grams of protein. [00:08:45] And, and I, and I don't actually know any of the nutritional data onto these things, but if you're like factoring those things [00:08:50] in as like pushing you over, let's say you needed 150 grams of protein in a day, and you're like, yeah, two [00:08:55] packs of goldfish and a muffin. I'm over at 20 grams of protein.

It's like. I'm gonna say that [00:09:00] that's not true and that protein's probably not all that much usable. And that's the second point I [00:09:05] wanted to make. And they mentioned that. Is there is like a, a protein [00:09:10] digestibility scale that I think is really important that people should pay attention to. It's [00:09:15] actually got like a crazy acronym.

Um, and we've talked about on the [00:09:20] podcast, like over the years, if I can see it, it's like, uh, [00:09:25] P-D-C-A-A-S or the D-I-A-A-S systems. Uh, you can look those up on [00:09:30] your own, but ultimately it's just giving you, um. A digestibility rating, like how much [00:09:35] can your body actually use from different forms of protein?

And I think that this is where it's really important to [00:09:40] pay attention to when you are consuming protein. And eggs is, [00:09:45] eggs are the standard. Like they are the benchmark for everything else. And so if you're eating an [00:09:50] egg, you're basically getting a hundred percent of the protein. But then we go back to, what was it, a big egg or was it a [00:09:55] small egg?

You know, um, was it five grams or was it seven grams? Yeah. Like what is the egg? But [00:10:00] to be honest, I don't think it matters at all, all that much because. You're able to utilize, your [00:10:05] body's able to utilize so much of the egg and then stepping down from there, you have whey protein, [00:10:10] milk proteins, then you have meats, and then you get into plant proteins.

And the highest on the plant [00:10:15] side is pea protein. Um, it's has a very like high digestibility rating. [00:10:20] Um, but I would. I would say get it from all those other sources if you [00:10:25] can. Uh, I've talked about over the years, my body doesn't do great with dairy, so I [00:10:30] unfortunately can't get a lot of protein from that source, but I do rely heavily on eggs and meat [00:10:35] because that's where I think I can get a lot, but I'm not.

I think anything [00:10:40] packaged, like I'm not, I almost don't even pay attention to the protein in my mind. Like if I'm keeping like just like a back of [00:10:45] my head, like running tally of my protein in the day, I will just kind of assess like, okay, how many eggs did you eat today? What kind [00:10:50] of meat did you have today?

And then I'm never looking at, yeah, if I had some sort of package, [00:10:55] whatever, or say I ate rice, say, it's not even like a bad thing. Maybe I had rice with dinner. [00:11:00] I'm not real concerned about the, the five to 10 grams of protein that might be in the rice [00:11:05] serving, just because I don't think it's the best source of protein anyway.

So I, I think there's a lot of things that you can [00:11:10] look into and then it's just, how do I look? How do I feel? And what does the scale say when you're trying to make [00:11:15] these body composition changes through nutrition?

Dave: Yeah. Thinking about the, the timing [00:11:20] of it too. 'cause that's, you know, we talk about eating, you know, digestion is such a big piece of it and getting [00:11:25] enough meaningful protein.

A single feeding is important too. If your goals are to put on as much [00:11:30] muscle as possible, so if you're trying to nickel and dime protein throughout the day and you feel like you're barely getting there, [00:11:35] you're probably better off getting a bigger, you know, at least a meaningful amount in a single meal.

And that's [00:11:40] why, you know, we recommend, you know, spacing meals out and giving your digestion a break. There's, there's benefits to that, but instead of [00:11:45] the, the downsides that can come with like snacking and trying to hit these frequent small. Protein [00:11:50] hits throughout the day, making sure you're getting a, at least a couple, you know, meaningful, solid meals there where you're [00:11:55] getting a, a good enough substantial amount of protein.

Joe: Yeah. And, uh, amino [00:12:00] acids, like the best ones you're gonna get are usually from meat anyway. I don't know what the, the profile is on pea, but I know we've gone [00:12:05] over, uh, some amino acids in the past and. BCAAs are pretty much [00:12:10] BS unless you really struggle on some of those amino acids. Like if you're on [00:12:15] purely plant protein, um, or plant diet.

But leucine we've talked about in the past that how [00:12:20] important leucine is and eggs, once again, eggs win are one of the biggest, uh, have, [00:12:25] have a lot of that. And then, you know, anytime I buy protein now, then the first thing I check is the leucine [00:12:30] count. How it should be what, like two grams? Um,

Jerred: yeah, two grams to stimulate, [00:12:35] uh, muscle protein synthesis.

Yeah, eggs, whey, and pea protein actually has the [00:12:40] highest amount of leucine. But I'll be honest, I, I've talked a lot about pea protein because I can't have whey, [00:12:45] uh, but I'm, I'm getting away from it altogether. I've gone back to, honestly, what I've [00:12:50] taken a lot over the years, which is, uh, beef protein isolate, um, specifically from the [00:12:55] brand equip.

It doesn't have as much leucine, but I'll just, I'd rather double up a serving [00:13:00] from. Them then continue to take pea protein for the rest of my life. 'cause I just [00:13:05] don't think it's the healthiest option, you know? But it, it's good in like a pinch, like I always have some pea [00:13:10] protein on standby for like a shake or whatever.

Yeah, [00:13:15] so

Joe: those, those were all kind of interesting and the, uh, the estimates were kind of crazy [00:13:20] and like you get some more into variables of the more ingredients that are in the food [00:13:25] that, um, like trail mixes and stuff that they were talking about and other things. And, uh, the more [00:13:30] variants that, that it'll be.

Dave: On the hierarchy of for where most people listen if their [00:13:35] goal is performance and the goal is weight loss or weight gain, like we were talking earlier, calories are [00:13:40] still above protein. Even in that, and they talked on some of the calorie inaccuracies of some of these places too. So [00:13:45] that's knowing that, especially if you're eating out a lot, or if you're eating some of these packaged foods or trying to have [00:13:50] a.

Healthy ice cream or something. Just know that there's variants in it and the calories are gonna be a bigger [00:13:55] driver for that. Make sure you're hitting that first. And the protein's gonna be a close second though, in terms of [00:14:00] recovery and performance and all those things, but, um, it's why the calorie inaccuracies they [00:14:05] reported were even, even crazier at some of these restaurants and everything.

Jerred: Oh yeah. Restaurants are probably [00:14:10] the worst because they might, they might not even factor in how much oil they slather [00:14:15] on the, uh, you know. The cooking surface that they're using, they're like, no, this doesn't count. It's like, [00:14:20] well, that's 400 calories of oil. You know, fat. It's a good estimate. I

Joe: know some of [00:14:25] the places have, have a good calculator, like, uh, subway and Chipotle also have like, I, I Yeah.

[00:14:30] Sandwich places. Yeah. Yeah. Like Chipotle will, will have a good counter, but like, you don't know how heavy [00:14:35] handed that person is. You know, sometimes you get s stubbed when you get to your double steak, but then there's other times where this guy's like, I'm gonna hook you [00:14:40] up with a ton of steak. And you're like, yeah, my man.

But that's probably an extra 200 calories right there. [00:14:45] So. It's, it's a decent estimate, and that's why like when I count nowadays, [00:14:50] um, there's, there's an app I use. It's like, it's mostly ai. I, I have it. All it does is protein and [00:14:55] calories and protein. I make sure to get at or above my baseline, which I mentioned before.

And then [00:15:00] calories. I just try and get. Close to whatever the number is. I, I go a little bit under [00:15:05] on the, on the counter, but I, I try and get, you know, stay within a, like 50 grams or 50 Yeah. [00:15:10] Of my calories and like, that's pretty close enough. It's not gonna be exact, I know it's not gonna be exact, but [00:15:15] it's, if I go over on protein, I don't really care and like.

Some of the frustrations with, [00:15:20] uh, counting in the past is as well, like with the ai it does pretty good about finding stuff for you. But I know in the [00:15:25] past with counters, and you've mentioned it before, with like beef variants, I'm like, okay, I'm, I'm gonna do this [00:15:30] beef. Alright, now I gotta look it up. All right.

Is it Chuck Roast or is it Rump Roast. All right. Well, this Chuck Roast has this [00:15:35] amount of fat and this Chuck Roast has this amount of fat. And then, wait, is it weighed? Cooked or, or, or [00:15:40] raw or cooked, like all of these variance is like, you know, all these things I hate. There's just so much. [00:15:45] Yeah. Yeah. So I hate tracking so much.

Yeah. So that's why, like the AI one that I use I think is [00:15:50] just, it gets you 90% of the way there. That's sort of the whole thing you don't like, unless you're really, really [00:15:55] high level, which most people aren't, that, that approximation. Just to know how those [00:16:00] things work and just work around the limitations and, and set your goals accordingly.[00:16:05]

Jerred: Yeah, I, I mean, I have such a, I know what [00:16:10] the, the research says, but like my minimum on protein is probably much lower [00:16:15] than what the research would say. Like, I'm pretty happy if I get like, [00:16:20] let's say a hundred to 120 grams, like I'm still calling it good that day, and I have [00:16:25] no issues with body comp or how I look.

I'm like, I'm happy in all those areas. So it's like, oh no, you, you need to [00:16:30] be getting 180. I'm like, nah. Sounds like a lot, you know, that's, that's a lot of work. [00:16:35] Um, and I'm not shooting for a hundred grams a day. I'm just saying if I finish a day and I'm like, ah, I [00:16:40] only probably got a hundred grams of protein today, but it was all meat and eggs, I'm like, [00:16:45] that's better than 150 grams of all this other crap.

Like, I'm, I'm trying to [00:16:50] factor in and, and that's, that's all on in a day. And it's not really with [00:16:55] targets, it's just what'd you have for breakfast, lunch, all. And I'm just kind of like tallying [00:17:00] up the protein and making sure. Like I said, 3, 3 50 micro that I talked [00:17:05] about. It's like I'm trying to make sure are there around 50 grams of protein in this meal?

[00:17:10] Cool. Then I'm good. I'm good for the day, you know? And if I only ended up getting two of those meals as [00:17:15] good as they should be, I'm still happy and, and things are typically fine. I haven't seen some detriment. Who knows? Maybe [00:17:20] I'd look like a liver king if I had focused on getting 180 to 200 grams of protein every single [00:17:25] meal.

You never know. Eat some. I think all you have to do is eat some bull [00:17:30] testicle and that's, you'll look like that. That's how it works. Yeah. Uh, Joe, when, when are you coming to Dallas again? [00:17:35] Because you mentioned Chipotle. We have a Bowls place [00:17:40] that, so

Joe: I love, love, love, uh, Chipotle. I, I, I go back [00:17:45] quarterly for, for military stuff and I always eat it like two or three times.

I confidently say whenever I'm in [00:17:50] Dallas, I never eat Chipotle because I'm either going to free Birds or something similar because [00:17:55] Texas has their own like, level up of

Jerred: Chipotle. That's what I'm saying, man. We, [00:18:00] I don't need a Chipotle ever because guess who opened up a bowl's place in my town? [00:18:05] Uh, Marty.

It was just, man, that guy,

Joe: that guy's just the king of everything,

Jerred: dude. He, [00:18:10] he opened up a bowl place and it is 10 times better [00:18:15] than Chipotle. And he, um, he made a decision to not [00:18:20] use, uh, seed oils and so they only cook stuff in, um, [00:18:25] avocado, like fat, like, uh, what's it called? Oh,

Joe: tallow.

Jerred: Yeah, yeah, [00:18:30] yeah. Beef tallow or something like that.

That, um. So it's, it's just, it's [00:18:35] amazing. Like my, we, we used to go to Chipotle frequently, then we took my kids to [00:18:40] this place a few times, and now they're like, Chipotle sucks. I'm like, Chipotle does suck, like Chipotle. [00:18:45] I mean, it doesn't actually suck, but it tastes like fast food. In comparison to this place, this would be more like [00:18:50] what you cook yourself at home, so next time you're in town we're gonna go and then six months, I think, [00:18:55] yeah, well just count down the days because now you can't even hit up all his [00:19:00] restaurants in one day.

You, you have to like. Challenge accepted[00:19:05]

because he is got a, he is got a Mexican place now. He's [00:19:10] got the, the breakfast place, the main place, the bowls place, like [00:19:15] that's at least four or five restaurants in a day. I don't even know how you do it.

Dave: It's a 10 [00:19:20] 50 micro day.

Jerred: Yeah. We'll have to, well, we'll spread it out over two days. How about that?

We'll, [00:19:25] uh, that's fine. We'll, that's fine. Um, cool. Well, hopefully people, um, got something [00:19:30] out of this. I mean, ultimately. Pay attention to how you feel, how you look, what the scale [00:19:35] says, and at the end of the day, know, um, that these companies don't have your best interest in mind at [00:19:40] all. Um, because if you look at Dave, you mentioned ice cream, like I guarantee [00:19:45] a healthy ice cream company within that, that 20% rule, [00:19:50] if they're like, they're gonna go 20% on the low end every time, every, like, you can [00:19:55] just go ahead and guarantee.

That's what's happening with any healthy ice cream that you're selecting is [00:20:00] that if it says 200 calories, you can, you can bet that it's [00:20:05] 20% higher than that. Right? And, and so, uh, you just have to keep all these things in mind. Like, [00:20:10] what is the, what's the goal of the company? The, the goal of the company is they don't [00:20:15] actually care about your health.

The goal of the company is to sell ice cream. That to people who think it's [00:20:20] healthy,

Joe: you know? Yeah. That was like halos. Whole marketing plan is like they sold [00:20:25] pints of ice cream so that you could not, you, you could eat the entire pint, like mm-hmm. They [00:20:30] sold it. So like, here, eat this whole pint because it's only X amount of calories.

Because I mean, they're estimating low, but [00:20:35] also they spin it up so much that it's actually aerated. So if you actually weigh it, it [00:20:40] weighs less than other pints of ice cream. 'cause just air inside. But that's the whole marketing thing is that they just want you to [00:20:45] buy and eat the entire pint so that you can go back and buy and eat and, and another, another whole pint.[00:20:50]

Jerred: Oh, that's where it gets even worse. If you're like, this is healthy. I'll eat two of them. [00:20:55] Look

Joe: at the protein in this, you know, full cream. [00:21:00]

Jerred: So much protein. Um, all right, Joe, you said you had a question. Is there, uh, [00:21:05] yeah.

Joe: Question for me today. So, um. What would [00:21:10] be your guys' first step? Advice, overall advice, [00:21:15] whatever, however you wanna take it of.

Okay. You have somebody that is absolutely brand [00:21:20] new and wants to get into, um, resistance training. They haven't [00:21:25] done any sort of working out before. They haven't done any sort of lifting. What should be their first steps, [00:21:30] whether it's a, uh, something they buy somewhere, they go, something they get, [00:21:35] something they subscribe to, whatever you, our initial thoughts on like, you know, whatever the, [00:21:40] the couch to 5K is, but for, you know, resistance training overall, you know, that kind of [00:21:45] fitness.

What would you say would be your initial thought process and advice [00:21:50] to that person?

Jerred: And just so everybody knows, Joe actually surprised us with this question. [00:21:55] Uh, didn't tell us beforehand. So our real off the cuff thoughts, um, I'll start [00:22:00] and funny enough, I've been thinking about this a lot because my boys are starting to lift, specifically my [00:22:05] oldest, uh, William, he is 13 years old.

He's starting to lift a little bit more, you [00:22:10] know, into football and everything else. Um, so I've been thinking like, how do I want him to start? Uh, [00:22:15] 'cause I started with. Basic bodybuilding programs and a lot of barbell stuff. [00:22:20] Um, but how I'm wanting him to start is with dumbbells. And [00:22:25] so that would be my recomme recommendation to anyone is I would do [00:22:30] full body splits.

I would not do singular, uh, muscle groups. Like I had an [00:22:35] arm day for years and what a waste of time. [00:22:40] You know what I mean? Like, uh, it, it was fine because I consistently trained [00:22:45] like. Two hours a day, six days a week. Never missed when I was younger. [00:22:50] Um. And so it, it ended up being fine, but if you're like pressed for time in any [00:22:55] capacity, I think that trying to focus on the bicep or the tricep or upper back, [00:23:00] that's a waste of time.

So anyway, I would do full body splits and I would use dumbbells, you know, getting into it [00:23:05] any further. You might have to find a program that can do something like that, but that's what I would do. And so when I say full [00:23:10] body split, something that has a little bit of push, a little bit of pull and lower body, um, all with [00:23:15] dumbbells.

So if you did. Uh, you know, dumbbell bench press, dumbbell rows, [00:23:20] and, you know, got or front squats, like dumbbells on the shoulders, right? [00:23:25] Even if you just did those three exercises, uh, whatever, four sets of 10 each one, [00:23:30] three sets of 10 each one 15, depending on the dumbbells that you have, uh, that, that's where I would [00:23:35] start.

I'd start with dumbbells, and the main reason I say dumbbells is because of the unilateral. [00:23:40] Um, strength that it requires, right? Like we're working one arm at a time, one leg at a time. [00:23:45] Uh, we're not using a barbell where one side can actually get out of balance or compensate [00:23:50] for a weaker side. So I prefer dumbbells at the start, especially when we're, we're building a foundation [00:23:55] and that's why I'm doing it with my boys is 'cause I want 'em to a really strong foundation.

I don't want throw a barbell on their back. And I'm not saying that [00:24:00] we won't. I just want a really strong foundation with dumbbells being kind of like. Dumbbells [00:24:05] being the foundation, and then barbell being more the accessory when it's typically seen in reverse, where it's like, no [00:24:10] barbells, the foundation and dumbbells are the accessory.

So anyway, that's my 2 cents on that. How about you, Dave? [00:24:15]

Dave: Yeah, I think, I mean, I think movement proficiency above all. So making sure, um, [00:24:20] before. Trying to load things, and I think kettlebells and dumbbells are definitely more forgiving to, to teach [00:24:25] some of that. But making sure you know how to do a full range motion squat.

You can do a pushup, you can [00:24:30] do some of those things before trying to jump into to all the equipment. Um, obviously if you [00:24:35] have resources to work with someone who knows what they're doing and can help teach you through that, that's [00:24:40] gonna accelerate that learning curve quite a bit. If you don't, there's so many good resources out there now to, [00:24:45] uh, to kind of learn.

What those things are on your own. But if you are adding load [00:24:50] or speed or anything too quick before you even can create proper tension through your [00:24:55] system and know how to connect your core to your, uh, to your legs, into your arms, and [00:25:00] it's needed like a pushup and a squat and a lunge and all those things, then you could do more harm [00:25:05] than than good by going, uh, by going too quick.

And the second thing, along with the actual program and [00:25:10] logistics, I think. Program is so forgiving. The thing to be encouraged with if you're just starting [00:25:15] out is that, uh, I agree. I wouldn't do, like, you don't need to do body part splits full body. Uh, [00:25:20] you don't need as much frequency or volume, uh, volume, especially as someone [00:25:25] who's, you know, been training for 20 years.

Uh, there's a lot of, uh, very forgiving range in those first [00:25:30] couple years as you're getting into it. So finding a program that you do enjoy, not having to, don't just [00:25:35] follow something 'cause. If you feel like you have to, I think if you can find something that, uh, you enjoy and gets [00:25:40] results, it's gonna be, uh, it's gonna be really helpful too.

Joe: Yeah. My, so my initial thought [00:25:45] when I was thinking of this was, you know, if they're, especially if they're an adult, 30, 40, 50 years old and they've [00:25:50] never done had a, a fitness routine or anything like that before. My number one thing [00:25:55] was establish the routine. Do whatever you can to establish the routine.

So pick something that you're going to [00:26:00] do that you think you can do. It doesn't matter what it is. And I feel like to do that. [00:26:05] I would have to join. I, I think they would have to join a gym. And go to a class or [00:26:10] physically go to a place class for me? No. Well, I know, right? But I mean, you have said it in the [00:26:15] past that like, in order to build a habit, just, just go to the gym.

Don't, you don't even need to work out. Like if you're gonna build a [00:26:20] habit, just go to the gym, walk in, have a drink of water, go to the bathroom and leave. And then the next day maybe you'll actually do [00:26:25] something. And then if you do that every single day for five days a week. You start attending classes [00:26:30] and then a month, a month's gone by and you've gone to gym five days a week for an entire month, and now [00:26:35] you're starting to, to make that a normal thing.

And then after the, the habit is established, then [00:26:40] you can think about, okay, after I've tried these classes, then you pick, you know, the, the [00:26:45] body weight or the dumbbell thing and then start from there. Start, start from whatever you're gonna [00:26:50] do to start the habit and then build your base with those, uh, type of movements [00:26:55] is probably what I would say.

Uh, first step.

Jerred: You have [00:27:00] to, and I mean, I always say if anybody's just trying to get into something, just do something. It doesn't really matter what [00:27:05] it is. Set of pushups today, whatever you can, just to, to get the [00:27:10] ball rolling, I think is the most important thing. And then if, if you are older getting [00:27:15] started, I think everything else applies.

I, the only caveat I, I would say is if you are. [00:27:20] Looking for any kind of athletic development, I would definitely get a kettlebell [00:27:25] involved. Probably a kettlebell swing. I worked all summer with my boys and their friends [00:27:30] on hips. Just how to use your hips and [00:27:35] without, I mean the kettlebell is such an amazing, the kettlebell swing specifically, and we don't even have to like get into like [00:27:40] a kettlebell as like this.

You know, weird quasi like, [00:27:45] uh, spiritual, you know, thing that a lot of people treat the kettlebell as, it's just the kettlebell [00:27:50] swing. You don't have to worry about arm, like elbows and wrists, um, [00:27:55] if you're doing barbell cleans and everything. 'cause that's what a lot of football teams wanna do is like a lot of cleans.

And, and there's nothing wrong [00:28:00] with those. But for people getting started a kettlebell swing, there's no better way [00:28:05] to teach someone how to get their hips involved. 'cause everyone, when they start to do kettlebells, and you'll see this if you go to global gyms, is they're [00:28:10] just gonna be using their arms and they're gonna be using their arms maybe 80% hips, 20%, or arms a hundred [00:28:15] percent.

Um, they haven't really used. Learned how to explode with the [00:28:20] hips to make that kettlebell go up. Like when I'm doing a kettlebell swing, my arms are just there to hold [00:28:25] it in place. You know that that's, that's all it does. My arms aren't lifting at all when I'm doing a [00:28:30] kettlebell swing. You have to be able to explode to the hips.

So if you are looking for any athletic development, that's [00:28:35] the only thing I would add there, because I'm doing that with my boys quite a bit. They understand how to use their hips. 'cause [00:28:40] if you can use your hip, you can throw a ball faster, you can move faster, you can cut faster. [00:28:45] Like, and so any kind of athletic development, you're gonna have to learn how to get your hips involved.

But I'd say people like [00:28:50] in their forties and fifties aren't really looking to increase their athletic development. But you should be, [00:28:55] you should be. You know, just say,

Joe: uh, quick kettlebell tip hack [00:29:00] for if you don't know if you're using your hips enough or if you want to, two ways to do it. One use, two [00:29:05] kettlebells instead of just one.

'cause you're not gonna be able to. Do your arm lift. If you have two kettlebells in two [00:29:10] different hands, um, I guess you can also do a super heavy rushing swing if you don't wanna do that. The best way I, [00:29:15] I've found is to strap a band to, to a rack or something stable, like that's [00:29:20] not gonna move. And then step over it with the band pulling you from behind, from between your legs and [00:29:25] then reenact a swing that way.

'cause you're not gonna be able to pull anything with your hands, you're gonna have to completely focus on your [00:29:30] glutes and your hips and just do those for 10, 15. As explosively as you can. [00:29:35] 'cause it's all it's doing is pulling from behind your hips and you're not gonna be able to pull with your arms. [00:29:40] I can, I can, uh, share a video on, or a, a photo that I made a long time ago on, on our [00:29:45] Instagram.

Uh, we can reshare that one.

Jerred: Cool. Good tips overall. [00:29:50] All right. I think we're gonna round this one out. We'll have some, uh, I'm actually really [00:29:55] looking forward to some of the future podcasts we have planned. We're getting a little bit into some of the [00:30:00] things we were talking about here at the end. Like what, what keeps someone motivated?

What keeps someone sticking around in their [00:30:05] training, um, and some other great stuff. So make sure you're tuning in [00:30:10] in future weeks for all of our Garage gym athletes out there. We do appreciate you doing the [00:30:15] workouts, sticking around, being part of the community. Thank you so much. If anyone is listening [00:30:20] and you want to join our community, you can go to garage gym athlete.com and sign up.[00:30:25]

Do a free trial and join us on the back end and try some of our training. [00:30:30] But that's it for this one. Remember, if you don't kill comfort, comfort will kill you.