Fitness math is simple subtraction

Ah, the fitness industry... selling you more, more, MORE!

More supplements. More equipment. More complicated workout routines with names that sound like rejected military operations.

But here's the dirty little secret nobody wants you to know (because it doesn't sell overpriced powder in shiny containers):

The path to better fitness isn't about addition – it's about SUBTRACTION.

Think about it.

The Most Important Improvement in Fitness Might Be What You Take Away

When it comes to improving health and fitness, the modern landscape is saturated with choices. New training methodologies, supplement stacks, wearable tech, and nutritional systems all claim to be the key that unlocks performance, aesthetics, or longevity. And in fairness, some of these tools are useful — in the right context, for the right person.

But when facing a nearly infinite menu of options, it becomes necessary to filter them through a more fundamental question:

Is this the most important improvement I can make right now?

Most people skip this question. The allure of adding something novel — a technique, a gadget, a plan — is strong. It feels proactive. But in many cases, what creates the biggest shift in progress isn't addition at all. It's subtraction. Specifically, removing the limitations that are actively suppressing your ability to train effectively, recover properly, or nourish your body with consistency.

Removing Limitations Before Adding Layers

In both training and nutrition, the default tendency is to layer more on top of dysfunction. If strength plateaus, add a new accessory lift. If fatigue builds up, add more supplements. If fat loss stalls, add more cardio. While none of these are inherently wrong, they can become counterproductive if they’re added on top of unresolved limitations.

Consider mobility. For many individuals — particularly those in sedentary jobs — hip and shoulder mobility is poor. Rather than confronting this directly, training is often adapted around it. Squats are replaced with machines. Overhead pressing is avoided altogether. Instead of addressing the root problem, the approach becomes a patchwork of workarounds.

This might feel like progress, but it rarely leads to long-term improvement. If an individual can’t hinge or squat properly, they are fundamentally limited in their ability to perform two of the most essential human movement patterns. Likewise, if shoulder mechanics are compromised, most forms of upper-body training will be reduced to partial ranges, suboptimal loading, or pain avoidance strategies.

The solution isn’t to chase more novelty. It’s to restore the capacity to move well. A person who regains clean hip mechanics unlocks deadlifts, squats, lunges, and carries — all foundational movements with broad transfer to performance and health. No specialized tool or boutique training system can offer the same leverage.

The Same Applies to Nutrition

Supplements can help. But for most people, they are premature. Protein powders, pre-workouts, green drinks, and nootropics are often used in an attempt to accelerate results. Yet these same individuals may be skipping breakfast, eating inconsistently, relying on ultra-processed foods, or under-consuming protein by hundreds of grams per week.

In this context, the most important nutritional improvement isn’t to add more — it’s to fix the foundation. Can the person prepare real meals? Are they hitting basic macronutrient and fiber targets? Are they eating with regularity and mindfulness? These questions matter more than what brand of creatine they take.

In other words, supplements should be just that — supplemental. They augment an already solid routine. They do not substitute for one.

Basic Doesn’t Mean Easy

The reason people often avoid foundational improvements is not because they’re unaware of them — it’s because they require more effort and less novelty. Improving mobility takes consistency. Learning how to prep and plan meals requires engagement. There's no dopamine hit from rolling your IT band three times a week, and no one congratulates you for drinking water before coffee.

But these are the kinds of inputs that compound.

In coaching practice, it’s often clear that the client doesn't need the latest program overhaul — they need to stop skipping recovery days. Or stop sacrificing sleep to train fasted. Or finally address the nagging knee pain instead of working around it with new machines. These issues are rarely flashy, but resolving them often leads to more sustained progress than any new protocol.

Identify the Bottleneck, Then Remove It

Improvement in fitness is not about doing more — it’s about doing better. And that starts by identifying what’s in the way.

To do this effectively requires two things: assessment and honesty.

An assessment gives you the data — whether that’s a movement screen, a food journal, or a lifestyle audit. But honesty is what allows you to act on that data without distraction. If a movement limitation is holding back your performance, prioritize fixing it. If your eating is erratic and emotionally driven, solve that before optimizing supplements. If sleep is consistently under six hours, no amount of training intensity will override its effects.

This is where working with a qualified coach can accelerate the process. A trained eye can spot compensations and blind spots you may have normalized. They can also provide direction, remove guesswork, and ensure that the most important problem is being addressed — not just the most urgent or interesting.

Reframing What Counts as Progress

When you stop measuring improvement by what’s added, and instead look at what’s been resolved or restored, the framework for progress shifts.

You’re no longer chasing complexity, but building competence. You’re not stacking tools — you’re stripping noise. The question is no longer “what else can I do?” but rather, “what am I doing that’s preventing progress — and how do I eliminate it?”

This is a quieter kind of progress. It doesn’t always look like more reps, more sweat, or more discipline. Sometimes, it looks like better alignment. Smoother movement. More consistent meals. Less friction.

But in the long run, these changes scale far better than most people realize.

The math is beautifully simple: Fitness = Current You - The Stuff Holding You Back

Your body already knows how to be healthy. It's literally designed for movement and processing real food. You don't need to "hack" it with the latest miracle supplement or torture device disguised as exercise equipment.

The most successful fitness transformations happen when people subtract the unnecessary complications and focus on fundamentals: quality sleep, whole foods, consistent movement, and specially stress reduction.

Which brings me to why I created the A.S.S.E.T Fitness Blueprint. It's not another program adding 17 new things to your to-do list. Instead, it helps you identify and eliminate the specific barriers keeping YOU from reaching your fitness goals.

No gimmicks. No unnecessary complexity. Just a straightforward system for removing what doesn't work so you can focus on what does.

Ready to start subtracting your way to better fitness? Check out the Muscle Mastery Score assessment