TPL#25: Avoid "The Optimal Trap" At All Costs

Health and fitness is 97% more confusing than it needs to be.

Why?

Because everyone is trying to find their “blue ocean.”

Blue ocean is a marketing term for a niche part of the market with little competition.

Red oceans are common niches that have a ton of competition.

This presents a small problem for fitness brands and creators:

The truth is a red ocean.

The tried and true principles about how to lose fat, get stronger, get bigger, and get faster haven’t changed.

But there's a risk of getting lost in a red ocean if you stick to encouraging the basics.

Many health and fitness creators handle this situation by preaching bizarre regimens, supplements, exercises, and workout programs.

They focus on the niche biohacking habits required to go from 97% to 99%.

All this hyper-specific and over-optimized advice gets lumped into general fitness advice, making it seem infinitely more complex than it needs to be for 99% of the population.

The result is the Optimal Trap.

There is such a deluge of information on optimal protocols that most people become overwhelmed and experience paralysis from analysis.

They don’t know what things they should prioritize.

They don’t know where to start with all the “optimal” routines to follow.

So they end up doing nothing.

Some say “fuck it, I don’t have time for this shit. I’m going to live my life.”

And for others, it’s not a conscious decision.

The other day I chatted with someone who wants to lose about 50 pounds.

He’s currently not going to the gym regularly, getting very many steps, or eating enough protein.

Despite that, his questions were about “the best” time to go the gym and “the best” time to eat.

The focus on “optimal” and all the nuanced information makes people feel like if they don’t understand “the best” approach, they don’t know enough to get started.

My mission is to simplify health and fitness and break things down into obvious, actionable steps.

To separate the foundational habits from the niche optimization protocols.

Let’s go over a few spots I’ve noticed people tend to get caught up.

Timing

Meal timing is overrated.

For the general population, it simply doesn't matter enough to worry about.

Leave meal timing to the athletes looking to get from 97 to 98%.

As long as you can eat in a calorie range that aligns with your metabolism, hit your protein requirements, and get some fiber and nutrient-dense foods, you’re doing well.

• You don’t need to eat 6 small meals per day.

• You don’t need to do intermittent fasting — you can have breakfast.

Most people will enjoy their training more with a moderate serving of carbs and protein 60-90 minutes before, but you don’t have to.

Work out timing is also overrated.

The best time to train is when you can fit it into your schedule.

For those with the luxury of choice, most people find they’re stronger in the mid-afternoon.

But there are also people who love the energy boost they get from training first thing in the morning.

If you can, try to avoid training too close to bedtime, but still — the most important thing to focus on is that you get it in.

The Best Diet

If you’re not tracking protein and calories, start here.

Do a little bit of food tracking to see approximately how many calories you’re consuming and track your protein intake.

Most people who do this for the first time will find they are overconsuming calories and under consuming protein.

If you can adjust that, you’ll beat eating healthier than 95% of the population.

Start with the basics, and then seek to gradually improve:

Can you add more fiber to your diet through leafy greens, sweet potatoes, and veggies?

Can you limit/cut out highly processed junk food that is low in nutrients?

Can you add more nutrients and prebiotics through colorful veggies?

More fermented food like kimchi, kefir, miso, and sauerkraut?

Don’t worry about the best diet; start with small improvements (calories and protein) and go from there.

The Best Program

The best program is something that gets you doing some resistance training and that you enjoy.

Adherence is the crucial principle for progress - the inferior program that you can stick to is better than the perfect program that you can’t.

You can train with resistance bands and body weight.

You can train with a set of dumbbells.

You can do Crossfit, powerlifting, olympic lifting, bodybuilding — it doesn’t matter as long as you focus on good technique and apply progressive overload to whatever you choose.

If you’re not doing much, creating a habit around any of these will make you far better off.

Don’t worry about which one is best.

They can all work.

Think about which one entices you — which one do you think you could stick to?

If you’re stuck, just get moving.

Start with some small habits and go from there.

Adjust your calories if you’re overeating.

Make sure you get enough protein.

Get 8k steps per day.

Pick a resistance training variation that you see yourself sticking to.

You earn the ability to optimize once you’ve mastered the basics. Until then, don’t get caught up in the optimal trap.

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Hope you have an amazing week and accomplish all your goals, see you next time!

-Colin “Screw optimal” Matson