The Basics Work, Even When No One Is Listening

Cut through the noise. Real world advice for Health, Vitality & Strength!

I’ll admit, listening to Joe Rogan’s JRE #2210 was a bit of an eye-opener, but maybe not in the way most people think. It’s full of great advice, no doubt worth hearing. The thing is, not much of it was new to me. I’ve been teaching the same things for decades—literally shouting from the rooftops. But for whatever reason, people often wait until Rogan, or maybe Huberman, says it before they take notice.

I get it—that frustration comes from my ego, and I’m working on it. But after almost 40 years in the trenches, helping people get healthy, strong, and resilient, it does sting a bit when you see the basics being overlooked for some disingenuous marketing campaign. And let’s be real, I’m not a “fitness influencer”. I’m not decked out in Lululemon or chasing likes with flashy Instagram posts. And I don’t wear a white coat. I’m just me—“a little, scruffy, smartarse from The North of England, who has a good face for radio,” but someone who’s deeply committed to helping people live with health, vitality, strength, and PASSION.

And passion is what gets me up every morning.

Even when it feels like no one’s listening, I’ve always believed the mission is bigger than whether or not I’m in the spotlight. I studied biochemistry back in the day and could’ve gone down the academic path. But I chose a different route, one focused on making health and strength accessible to the everyday guy. Because here’s the truth: most people don’t need a deep dive into protein synthesis or cellular biology to get healthy. They need simple, actionable advice—stuff that works without needing a PhD to understand it.

That’s where I come in. I’m not here to dazzle anyone with science; my job is to help people thrive in the real world.

Keeping It Real, Even When It’s Not Trendy

Back when I ran RESULTS Gym, people knew what they were signing up for. Sure, I’d go on about nutrition and physical culture, but it was always grounded in experience. I wasn’t just jumping on the latest trend or parroting what some new “expert” was saying. For years, I’ve stuck to the same principle: KISS—Keep It Simple, Stupid.

That comes from my roots. My Dad was a hard-working, working-class man who didn’t track macros or measure every meal. He just ate simple, wholesome food—what we now call “real food.” He didn’t need a nutritionist to tell him that home-cooked meals made from fresh, local ingredients like potatoes, carrots, leeks, onions, barley, and the cheapest cuts of meat were good enough. And guess what? He lived to 94, trained six days a week, and was full of vitality. No fancy diets or complex programs—just hard work, good food, and consistency.

The fundamentals work. They always have. But nowadays, it seems like everyone’s complicating things. If the message isn’t dressed up as something trendy or new, it’s easy to overlook.

The Pandemic and the Cost of Speaking Out

I learned that lesson the hard way during the pandemic. I lost my gym, and my social media accounts were censored for promoting basic, time-tested principles like exercise, fresh air, deep breathing, sunlight, and real food. Just common sense about how to stay healthy. But that wasn’t the message that was “appropriate” at the time of an intense, coordinated, fear-driven “sales-pitch”!

At 55, I’m rebuilding from scratch, competing with a new generation of influencers who might have the marketing tricks down, but often lack real-world experience and a broad ranging skills set . But that’s life. I’m not going to change my message or principles to fit the latest trends. I believe in what I do because it works. And the people who’ve been with me for over a decade know the value of that consistency, especially when it’s not easy.

Why Simplicity Wins Every Time

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that while I can talk about biochemistry and nutrition at a “high” level, it’s not what the average guy needs. It’s easy to drown people in jargon and minutiae, but the real magic happens when we get back to basics; Real food. Consistent training with basic exercises / movements. Good sleep. The simple, controllable things that keep us healthy without turning our lives into a science experiment.

The simpler we keep it, the more sustainable it becomes. That’s what I’m about—helping people, especially men, thrive in a way that’s grounded, practical, and real.

The message might not be flashy, but it works. And I’ll keep doing what I do best: teaching people how to live strong, healthy lives, no matter how much noise is around us.

Let’s thrive until the day we die.

HEALTH - VITALITY - STRENGTH

H 💣💥 👊😎❤️