ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR BEST SELF.

(That won't break your bank account.)

"You are the most complex machine in the known universe. Why not give it the care it deserves?"

Philip Levi

About The Author

My name is Philip and I solve problems for a living. For the past 15 years I’ve been helping people map strategies to create the very best versions of themselves. I’ve been an internationally ranked top 100 obstacle course racer, top 10 Personal Trainer at the largest corporate fitness chain and helped to lead that team to Personal Training club of the year 2 years in a row

.Entering the private sector I founded, Burlingame Fitness where our passion is building a community of resilient individuals. We help people develop their full potential.

In my years of experience I have found that creating the very best version of yourself begins with the small decisions put in front of us each day.

In this guide I will teach you to identify these decisions. Specifically the training and the gear that I find to be most helpful.

If you’re reading this then something in your gut is telling you that there is a better way. If you’re feeling like something could be a little better, more streamlined, or that there is more just a round the corner then you’ve got the right guide in front of you.

If you’re looking for the secret to becoming lean, strong machine then keep reading my friend.

Philip Levi

Why I'm an expert.

Hey I'm Philip, it's nice to meet you. Here is a little bit about me. Feel free to skip ahead to the suggestions but the video above explains why I know what I'm talking about.

Either way I hope that you find some use for this and that it helps your pursuit, your athletic goals or just your lifestyle.

Enjoy!

What does FITNESS mean to you?

Strength & Power

For most people the buck stops here. Stronger is better right? Sure there is more to the picture and as our vintage matures the other stuff weighs heavier on the scale.

Endurance & Flexibility

Some find fulfillment in the fact that the human body can move and flex in amazing positions or perform for hours at a time.

Nutrition

Often overlooked as part of any lifestyle pursuit. We are what we eat and we can never out exercise our diet.

Recovery

This is one of the most important aspects of any fitness tool box. We can only train as hard as we recover.

Discipline & Commitment

You cannot buy it. You have to build it. Brick by brick the person you want to be is slowly constructed through discipline and commitment to ones self.

Lifestyle

This word has a broad application but it's important to note because it highlights behind the scenes. Social support, emotion, resources, sleep and habits are just a few that fall under the term lifestyle.

I submit to you that all of these things comprise Fitness and thus expand and grow to define themselves as
Health & Wellness.

How healthy are you?

How healthy could you be?

-Philip Levi

GETTING STARTED

You don't need much to get started. It's so simple it is often overlooked. Here are my recommendations for starting your own home health space for crafting your best self.

I'm diving this guide into 3 parts:

Fuel, Gear and Regeneration ('Regen' for short). Each area depends on the other to maintain balance and avoid injury as well as frustration. Athletic ability relies on recovery. Recovery depends on nutrition. Nutrition ties into both and around we go.

FUEL

You are what you eat and what you put into your body does matter. You wouldn't put garbage into your gas tank and expect your car to perform and your body is no different.

Well, that's not entirely true. Your body is infinitely more complex than your truck but I will save the nutrition speech for another time. The bottom line is this, if you want to perform well and feel good then you need to put quality ingredients into the machine that is you. This can be accomplished with whole foods but here are a few hacks to get you where you're trying to go.

Protein is what we are made of and after the long list of vital organs the soft tissues are last in line for repair. It is literally the building blocks of our body right down to our DNA.

Something to mix it quickly is a good idea to keep handy. This'll increase the chances of you making this happen for yourself.

It doesn't need to taste amazing or be a fancy production. Think of this as medicine and get the nutrients in.

Hydration and recovery are the masterminds behind feeling amazing before, during and after any endeavor. Here are some simple suggestions to add to your water whether it's a long run, weight lifting or work on the yoga mat.

Beet Elite for long endeavors and vaso-dilation which assists in nutrient delivery. NUUN for hydration so the tissues can operate smoothly.

GEAR

When it comes to gear I am a minimalist. I think that the whole point of being in great shape is to be able to handle whatever life throws a you. Buying a bunch of stuff to make training easier makes no sense. Too much ease is a disease.

If the whole point is to create controlled discomfort to better yourself then spending your hard earned money on a bunch of gear that makes things easier seems silly and counterintuitive. Because of that, this list is a short one.

Keeping your feet protected is crucial but you don't want to strap up too heavy. Your feet need to be able to move and flex in order to communicate with the ground. Something light and flexible is recommended.

Outfit yourself with a set of Super bands so that you can create resistance beyond bodyweight. They're also a great way to add pulling into any bodyweight program.

Yoga Blocks are great because they add in elevation to any groundwork that you're doing. They also have a vast application in the realm of regeneration.

REGEN

The all important recovery time, or regeneration. Unless you have a devoted yoga practice (which I highly advise) you are most likely skipping this crucial part of the cycle. Regen is where the growth happens. Think tissue repair and ability to perform in the next bout. Will you be wrecked or will you be ready?

This short list of Regen items pertain only to helping to reset the soft tissue. The Fuel section with nutrition all weigh heavily here as well.

This could be a PVC pipe or Mom's rolling pin. Doesn't matter to me as long as you get yourself something cylindrical that you can use wring those large tissues out.

* both of those suggestions will be very intense so a roller is recommended.

A softball is not only cheap but it's portable. When you're done playing catch with your kids or fetch with your dog then take this tool and apply to your hips, lats, pecs etc. This large sphere is a gentle and effective tool to soften up and reorganize any stubborn tissues.

Even cheaper and portable than the softball is the lacrosse ball. It's smaller and denser so you can expect a more acute application and response from the tissues. Use this little guy to get into those deep crevices or tightly packed areas like the shoulders, hips and feet.

Your best self is waiting.

Click below to access your free program and start your year off right.

Free Stuff!

If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done.

Bruce Lee

GO BE AWESOME

CONTACT.

That's it! That should get you started and well on the path to creating the best version of yourself.

If you've got any questions just reach out to any of the links below. Get busy living.