Chapter 8

THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT

Where we're headed

In our story, where you are the hero, imagine you and Master Yoda sitting on a rock, shooting the breeze about this and other issues. This part of the story was a conversation, a classroom, and now Yoda gets up, dusts his cloak off, and tells you that it's time to start your training in earnest. You've understood the whys... and now, you're going to get the HOW TO’S. You want your story to be great, and so do I. Watch any movie, and the ones that you remember are the ones where the hero manages to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, and when the final bell rings... he is still standing, arms raised triumphantly. 

Before we launch into the mechanics of your hormone re-set, I want you to understand that a hero does not just happen. He or she does not just appear out of thin air. The things that we do well are an accumulation of the many many times that we have done them and made habits out of. The gunslinger from The Spaghetti Western, who finds his mark every time, does not achieve the best in the West status overnight. He has put in his 10,000 hours (Thank you Malcolm Gladwell) and has accumulated the experience to lay claim to the title. If he thought he would fall onto that title, he might have found himself coming up short when the tumbleweeds were rolling at high noon. 

You have a great story to tell too. You're standing on your porch, and now you have a roadmap that will show you the way to find your hero's life. I would encourage you to stay humble and accept the lessons in this course as gospel for now. Be the underdog, the one who has lessons to learn, and I can assure you that you will arrive at your goals a whole lot sooner. There is work to be done. You won't suddenly drop the pounds and turn into a rockstar overnight. We have planned each month so that it equips you to take on an ever-increasing workload. Having a hero body again is no small feat. You will have to pass some tests here, but has anything significant ever been accomplished without paying some price for it? 

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE JOURNEY

If you've been diligently working on your waist or ass for years and now carry a big one, - fear not! It may have taken years for you to lose your mojo in the cracks of your couch cushions; believe me, you'll be seeing results so quickly that you'll be left wondering why in God's cotton-picking world, you had not started any sooner. The reason is that you've never had a program that would ask you to make such small changes in different areas of your life that you hardly even feel put out.

Phase 1 - Setting the foundation

Flow 

When we get older, the weight of the world seems to find us in bed and then begins to weigh heavily, leaving us sleep-deprived. 

I'm going to show you how to fix this without needing medication, weed, or other forms of sedatives. We're going to talk about meditation, gratitude, and binaural beats, and even explore some of the more esoteric approaches to getting your Sleepy Panda to the fore. An hour more of quality sleep at night will turn your muscle hypertrophy into believing it's inside Arnold's body. It will make you think more clearly, and since your body has a chance to remove all the accumulated dead cell garbage in your body, you're gonna live longer for sure. - Stick with me on this, have total faith, and you're going to live long enough for me to make you famous. (Oooh, but I don't wanna be famous - said nobody - ever - mostly) 

Fasting

During the early part of the journey, I'm going to help you to get your head right. Since time immemorial, religious propagators have fasted to gain control of their animal brains and free themselves from the slavery of their habitual knee-jerk behavior. (Jingle starts on the TV, and inexplicably you see your feet shuffling to the fridge and without even thinking about it, you wake up on the couch with a half-eaten bag of Dorito's resting on your belly) 

The benefits of fasting are huge for your brain as well as the body. We're going to ease you into this form of discipline, and before you know it, you will be doing this without an internal struggle. 

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Feasting

Yes, we ARE what we eat and or drink. Let's face it… - we all have to shove something into our gaping mouths, chew as many times as mom told us to, and then swallow and repeat. They say that weight loss transformations are won or lost in the kitchen and not in the gym. Someone who eats right and "trains" by playing Bingo with mates will be way more successful than the person who eats poorly but rolls into the gym with his mate "Arnold," killing heavy set after heavy set. Your food choices develop your brain muscle, while your training develops well, - your muscles. Learn to control what and when you put stuff in your mouth, and you become good at other things.

During phase 1, we reset your insulin levels. By ignoring simple sugars and carbs for 2 weeks, we take you from a state of insulin resistance (brought about through habitual sugar binges, etc.) to a state where you are insulin sensitive. Once in this state, the food you consume changes from "Regular unleaded" to the cleanest, meanest high-performance octane your body can consume.

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During this phase, you'll be eating slightly below what is known as your maintenance calories. Don't worry, once you see the menu of steaks and eggs etc., you'll be more than satisfied. The reason we drop your calories is to burn off the fat. 

I will teach you how to gauge how "expensive" food is that you put into your mouth. After a while, you will develop an intuition for which foods, how much, and when to eat. We will look into Carb cycling, Calories in vs. Calories out, create a negative caloric balance, and melt that flab away. Your results during this phase can be dramatic, and after the month is over, you will ask yourself why you did not start this any sooner. 

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Fighting / Training 

In the sequence of things, and having explained how vital the food aspect is, we may be tempted to scoff at the training, and I urge you NOT to. Have you ever woken up in a bad mood? - Someone tells you to snap out of the mood, and pretty soon, you're in a worse mood. In my own experience, I am only now beginning to learn that we are, in fact, quite capable of controlling our thoughts. It's an ongoing struggle, and I wish my brain muscles were at least as developed as my under-developed calf muscles. - but … I'm not done. You see, the fighting part is like a pair of jumper cables to a better mood. When you get sweating, your head moves out of your head, and you begin to focus on the here and now, i.e., the task at hand. You forget about being pissy and get on with things. Pretty soon, your endorphins are cranking, you carry a smile on your dial, and the colors look brighter from underneath your previously furrowed brow. Psychology follows physiology. 

Your first month of training is designed to improve your insulin sensitivity and start increasing the production of Testosterone and GH. While the workouts are metabolic and will crank up the rate at which you burn calories, both inside and out of the gym, they are designed to reinforce movement patterns that you need to master. 

During phase 1, we focus on the basics first. We don't do millions of exercises. We get a handful of them perfectly right so that you create maximum damage every time you go to the gym. Some exercises will do you good, but since we're into making the ex vomit when she or he sees you on the beach, I'd suggest we have some fun getting strong in the gym. Ladies are welcome too.

Phase 2 - Cranking the intensity

Flow

During the 2nd month, we focus on habit formation. This is a crucial part of ensuring that you achieve your goals, not only on this path you’re on but also in your future ventures. We will talk about the importance of spaced repetition, of your stated goals. I will be asking you to take a good look at your life and write down what you want out of the program and out of your life. Sound lofty? - It is, but it’s also super powerful, so bear with me. 

Fasting

Reformulating your fitness

This phase lets you break out from the priming phase and cuts you loose from the shackles of the insulin reset. The progress is not only confined to dieting but also training. You will now begin to operate like a well-oiled machine in the gym. You will now be versed in intensity and proper form. You will see how your body begins to respond, and this will give you confidence and momentum, and you will be hungry to apply your new training principles in the gym. 

Feasting 

After your strike abstinence from and strategic timing of carbs, your body is not only primed to accept carbs, but it's ready to put them to good use when strategically applied to larger quantities. We introduce a cheat day, during which you'll eat whatever you want….- anything. I have been berated for calling this a cheat day since nobody likes a cheat… - To the Puritans who are easily offended, let’s just call it a day of “Eatwhatthefuckyouwant - kind of day” It’s a way of tricking your system out of feeling that it’s in a metabolic starvation mode, into believing in days of plenty… - One step back to take 2 steps forward if you like. 

Fighting

We employ the concept of density training to enhance work capacity to enhance strength and endurance. For men, this will improve their testosterone levels. 

During phase 2, you will experience the greatest gain in confidence. Even your brain function will increase, although you may not notice this immediately. The bottom line here is that your entire confidence will receive a makeover. With results comes confidence that you're actually on track to achieving your goals, and this filters into other areas of your life.

Phase 3 - When it all comes together 

The old way of packing on some quality muscle was to put your body into a calorie surplus, grow muscles, and then lean down. In this program, we shy away from fat unless it's on the side of our steak and tastes amazing. We just like adding muscle and eliminating fat. The key to this is Growth Hormone, which is triggered by high rep, high-intensity weight training. That's the key to phase 3. Your muscle gain will continue, and you stay lean. 

While lactic acid training (density training) will boost GH levels, those alone would not allow you to stay lean and grow. During phase 3, we strategically eat on training days. You will now eat significantly more than on non-training days. You'll lift hard and heavy, and then eat hard and heavy (er). These calories will be utilized for growth. On a non-training day, you will eat a whole lot less. This form of carb cycling is the key to sustained progress, even in month 3. You build muscle and don't gain fat. 

Fighting

This is either the most fun part or could intimidate you to the point of excitement. To promote your GH, you'll be pushing your body hard. Each workout will utilize a total body approach but will have an upper and lower body focus. For instance, you might start with multi-muscle lower body movement and then follow with an entire upper body workout of lactic acid style training. (a training progression that increases the amount of time that your body remains under tension. This is one of the most overlooked components of muscle growth. Essentially we're combining the increased Testosterone from phase 1 and the GH from phase 2 to now work together and amplify your results for phase 3. This creates a synergistic effect. Don't worry about the details. These will be presented to you over the next few months.

My invitation to you

I want us to be friends. - This does not mean that I am busting to pitch at your house on the weekend. Instead, I want to earn the right for us to be friends, by sharing information with you that can make your life better. 

I speak about living long and living strong, and that’s exactly what I wish to accomplish in this proposed friendship. Few things give me a greater kick in life than helping someone find their Mojo again. When someone realizes that they have the tools to transform their lives for the better, then they have assumed the power of the Alchemist… and isn't that a magical all-be-itself-given gift? We all have that power luring within ourselves and it comes down to education and skill-sets. 

Listen, the learning never ends. Medicine and science are progressing at such an incredible rate, that it’s virtually impossible to know all there is to know at any given time. - The joy of staying informed though is that we’re able to pick the nuggets and perhaps, by working together, we can pick the nuggets which suit our goals… and turn stone into..gold. 

There are indeed many ways to summit the mountain, but I invite you to do this in the Thorfit way. It’s a way that was discovered by a layman. - I ain't no Doctor, nor am I a psychologist or a personal trainer. I’m just a guy who chose a path, decided to document it, and would wager a whole bunch of gold nuggets on the fact that it’s probably the most effective way you’re going to come across to give your 40-plus-year-old self a new lease on life. I say this because that’s what it did for me. - and now I want you to have that benefit too. 

We live in crazy times, and Thorfit can be your insulation against what life decides to throw at you. They were a strong bunch, those Vikings. - And you can be that too… - only, you’ll live a whole lot longer…. 

What you’ll learn in the course

The course begins with an enrollment form, by which you fill in some of your stats. This allows me to gain insight into your needs. We’re all made up of similar stuff, but the sequence of how we came together makes you different to me and this must be taken into account

After your assessment, I send you the link to an App that has been pre-programmed for you.

You will find your calories, your macro, and other components of the course as it tracks. 

Daily, I send you a little information bite, which serves like a brick in building your understanding of the healthy house that is your body. We work at it every day and as the days pass, you develop an understanding of the temple which is your body. 

When the program moves through the phases, I re-calibrate your macros and training as well as food prescriptions. 

So you may be asking yourself why I have not revealed all in a single book, and I would suggest that perhaps it’s better to show a bit of leg before stripping down immediately. Of course, we’ll get to the good stuff, but let’s take advantage of technology too. We have some multimedia coming our way. There will be music, there will be video. You get an App to use and if you want me on the phone, then we can do that too. 

One of 2 worlds awaits you

If you’ve made it past the first chapter and not dedicated this booklet entirely to becoming a sleep aide, then you’d have made some strides towards the things that will get you in shape and keep you fresher for longer. I’m thrilled about that. So like it or not, now it’s decision time. 

You can make a choice to continue improving your lot, and get into the nitty gritty execution of all these principles, or you can throw this manual in the trash and decide to do something another day. Either way, something is going to happen. If you choose to execute, then the small changes that you make to your current trajectory will change your path for sure. 5 years from now, you will look back and thank your lucky stars that you read this and decided to take action. Not taking action is also taking action, but in a negative way, and 5 years from now, you will find yourself on a trajectory that was predicated upon inaction. Father time may be pulling at you a little harder than he would, had you decided to re-write your hero life. What do you have to lose? - Hmm, probably nothing but a little time, or probably everything… 

What’s next? 

So, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you want to live long and live strong… 

Click the first tile, which reads FREE ASSESSMENT. This will give me enough information about yourself, that I can send you the App link. 

Please note that I will do my best to respond as soon as possible. 

If I happen to be traveling and out of Wifi range, my response will take a day or two. Don’t worry. It has taken years to get you to this point, - a day won’t make the whole difference. 

You may be saying… Whoa, big guy… Hold your horses. What am I going to pay for this fun? 

I have a few options and will send you these. It depends on what you expect from me as a Coach. The more time I invest, the more it costs, but I can guarantee you that it won’t be more than a bad meal in a good restaurant. - lol 

Finally, if you do decide that we should hang out over the course of 3 months, I would look forward to getting to know you better. 

Remember to Live Long and Live Strong. 

Feel free to circulate this book far and wide. It can only do its recipients well. 

Sincerely

Thorsten Eggert

(Thorfit)