Unlocking Hidden Strength: Defy Age and Transform Your Body with Mitch Calvert

In this episode of The Revolutionary Man Podcast, host Alain dives deep into weight loss and fitness for men over 40 with guest Mitch Calvert, a Winnipeg-based fat loss coach and creator of the Man's Formation Method. Topics include why traditional weight loss teachings may be flawed, the importance of mindset and prioritisation, Mitch's personal transformation journey, and practical advice for sustainable fitness. Alain and Mitch also discuss the significance of community support, the art of progress over perfection, and actionable steps for men looking to reclaim their health and vitality.

 Key Moments in this Episode:

00:00 Introduction: Challenging Weight Loss Myths

00:54 The Sleepwalking Man: Aligning for Greatness

01:26 Welcome Back: Addressing the Stuck Mindset

02:15 Meet Mitch Calvert: From 260 Pounds to Fitness Coach

02:54 Mitch's Transformation Journey: High School to Fitness

05:16 The Turning Point: Embracing Fitness

08:12 The Man's Formation Method: Sustainable Fitness

10:25 Mindset Over Age: Breaking Barriers

18:15 Daily Discipline: Mitch's Routine

23:24 Final Thoughts: Just Start

How to Reach Mitch

Web: https://mitchcalvert.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/mitch.calvert

IG: https://www.instagram.com/mitchcalvertfitness/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@MitchCalvert

In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitch-calvert-online-fat-loss-coach/

Chapters

• 0:00 Challenging Weight Loss Misconceptions
• 2:59 Mitch Calvert's Transformation Story
• 7:13 The Danger of Extreme Programs
• 8:21 Man's Formation Method Approach
• 11:25 Progress Over Perfection Mindset
• 15:35 Surprising Benefits Beyond Weight Loss
• 18:27 Maintaining Discipline as a Busy Man
• 23:39 Taking Action and Final Thoughts

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:03

You know what if everything you've been taught about weight loss is the very thing that's keeping you stuck? That might be the reason why you've convinced yourself that getting fit is really a young man's game. Or are you ready to prove to yourself that your best body is still ahead of you? So listen, if you're a man in your 40s or beyond and you've ever felt like the best version of you is in the rearview mirror, then this episode I think is going to challenge that what you think you really can get out of value from here. And so I want you to take a moment before you decide to walk away, is maybe hit like, subscribe, and let's share this episode because there's someone like you or someone else that's gonna need to hear this, and we want to make sure that they get that opportunity to do that before it's too late for them. Because really, no matter what age you're at, it's just getting it's just the beginning for us to get into shape. And so with that, let's get on with today's episode.

SPEAKER_00: 0:57

The average man today is sleepwalking through life, many never reaching their true potential, let alone ever crossing the finished line to living a purposeful life. Yet the hunger still exists, albeit buried amidst his cluttered mind, misguided beliefs, and values that no longer serve him. It's time to align yourself for greatness. It's time to become a revolutionary man. Stay strong, my brother.

SPEAKER_01: 1:26

Welcome back, everyone, to the Revolutionary Man podcast. And before the break, I asked you a couple questions, but what's keeping you stuck? And the possibility is that your approach might be part of the problem. And so, with that, as we get ready to get set in today's episode, the truth is that most of us were probably never really taught how to train or how to eat, even lead ourselves as men over 40. And so we're gonna look at having some solid, quick fixes and brutal programs that maybe aren't the things that are what we've been used to, accustomed to doing, and that's what's truly burning us out. So, what if we could figure out a way to move forward that wasn't about truly pushing harder, but how about being smarter at what we're doing? And so if this is about getting structure and simplicity and consistency, I think you're gonna get a lot out of today's episode. And so today, my guest knows this journey all too well. And he's Mitch Calvert. He's a Winnipeg-based fat loss coach and a creator of the man's formation method. And he was once 260 pounds and addicted to junk food and gaming. And Mitch turned his life around, losing those 60 pounds and building a system that now helps hundreds of men, especially busy fathers like us who are in our 40s or more, reclaim our energy, drop stubborn weight, and lead with confidence again. And so let's welcome Mitch to the show. How are things, my friend?

SPEAKER_02: 2:47

Uh Lane, nice to be here. I'm a big fan of yours as well. So this is uh full circle moment for me. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01: 2:52

Yeah. Right on. Welcome to today's episode. And here at the Revolutionary Man, we talk about everyone being on their own hero's journey. And I gave a little idea of what your journey was like, but tell us about your transformational story, all that powerful story, and what was the actual breaking point for you? And how did it lead you into your mission today?

SPEAKER_02: 3:12

Yeah, certainly if you told my 20-year-old self that I was going to become a fitness coach for a living, he would probably laugh in your face. Like it was the furthest thing from a fitness guy at that time in my life. But I'd have to say the breaking point was early in life and high school gym class, senior year at Shaftesbury High School. And they had those new body fat handheld devices, the Omrons. We now know they're not that accurate, but this was a new shiny toy for my raw gym teacher with the mustache. And so we had all this, at least all the guys in the class, grip it, get their scores, and then he started writing them down on the whiteboard from like best or lowest to worst. I wasn't seeing my name, and I knew what my score was, and I knew it was going to come in pretty ugly. And sure enough, like the worst score among all the guys in the class. So at that point, I certainly wanted to find a hole and bury myself in that gym because it's not like people were laughing in my face, but it was clear as day that I needed to make some changes. And unfortunately, didn't make changes right away, even though I had the desire, I procrastinated and did that whole song and dance where I wait for Monday to get started and then the next Monday and the next month and the next year, as that all goes.

SPEAKER_01: 4:24

That is so true. I just think about how back in school I remember I'm in my 59, and so we had these little crests you would these challenges how many chin-ups could you do, how long could you hold a chin-up, how many push-ups did you do, all within this. I think Canada had this fitness challenge that was going across. And I can remember saying similar story to yours about just being nervous. I don't think I I can't, I think I might have got one bronze patch, but I just was look and marvel at some of these guys and how strong they were. It's not that I wasn't an athlete, I was, but the challenge is that we tend to not we grade ourselves against other people, and when we do that, then we tend to fall short. And so, as you were thinking about your transformational journey, what was the next step? Because you said, as I said in the intro, you're about 260 at one point in time. What was that point there that you finally said that's enough?

SPEAKER_02: 5:15

Yeah, that's a good way to start the conversation because I was out of high school now, trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a living. I was pretty sure I wanted to go into communications, get into sports, reporting or writing. But I had that kind of gap year before starting university. I'm like, what am I going to do with my time here? I'm working a job at Grapes restaurant, eating all the extra chicken fingers at the end of the night, and then going to game until 2 a.m. Rinse and repeat, I was falling into a pretty bad routine. So what I first did was I was thankful my brother brought home Arnold Schwarzenegger's pumping iron on DVD, and he had some big bag of that growth weight or something, some garbage product, and he was gung-ho to hit the gym and make some changes. He was two years younger than me. So I felt, okay, if he's making some changes, I better at least ride those coattails. And he had moved on to new pastures within two weeks. But I for something got triggered inside of me watching that documentary and getting the itch to exercise and move my body. And so that was really the leaping pad. I made a lot of mistakes after that, of course, like going down the rabbit holes of fad diets and extreme methods and ordering random supplements over the internet and all these things that didn't really move the needle too much. But that was the initial trigger point that okay, now's the time.

SPEAKER_01: 6:34

Yeah, it's amazing how it didn't take something as simple as just a movie or DVD or whatever it is that we're watching, but something just clicks for us and we go, and I'm glad that you brought up this idea of these fad diets and these pills, online pills. Seems like everybody and their dog is flogging something. They found some sort of thing. Oh, don't take lectin, it'll it'll ruin your weight. And I just think of all these guys that are these gurus that are pushing things for men like myself who want to get into better shape or working towards that. What do you think about this idea of these extreme programs where it's you got to lose weight, so you got to cut all the carbs, you got to be real fast, you got to train like a super athlete. Why do you think those types of things are really truly in the end dangerous for us?

SPEAKER_02: 7:16

Yeah, the question I would propose to anyone that wants to go down a path like that is can you sustain this forever? If not, don't do it for a day. Because any results you get from something that you can't stick to will not stick. It's obvious on paper, but many times we get caught up in the crazy promises of these things. And so our brains are wired to seek out the smoothest path or fastest path with the least friction. And we think these paths are that when really the slow and sustainable way is the quickest because we get there and we stay there versus kind of this dabble of losing and gaining the same 20 pounds over and over again.

SPEAKER_01: 7:54

Absolutely. And unfortunately, it's not normally just the 20 pounds, it's 20 pounds plus. Um that's been my experience, anyways. I'm sure folks listening have had similar experiences. And you've been going through your program and developing stuff. And as you said, you've made some mistakes, but you're also able to create this man's formation method. And so, what makes your coaching system, this man's formation method, different than what most guys might be inclined to try out there?

SPEAKER_02: 8:21

Yeah, the information is helpful. I certainly think that's a big piece of the puzzle, but it's the implementation, like the accountability and adjustments along the way, and having a real human in your back pocket throughout the process to steer you back on the straight and narrow when you inevitably hit those roadblocks. So I can talk about my big five framework and how that looks and how we try to boil it down to simple daily action steps. But really, if I had to boil it down to one piece, it was having someone in your corner that's going to keep you honest, nudge you. And our whole system is designed so that very few slip through the cracks. I can see when someone's completing a workout, even if they're doing it from afar, how long it took them, any feedback they have. And we've really optimized and used what the technology affords us now. AI and apps. They have their role. Alone, they don't do much because people can download these things all the time and they're fun for a week or two, and then they never open it again. So we're trying to bridge that gap between the human and tech. And I think that's really where the secret sauce is.

SPEAKER_01: 9:22

Yeah, I would agree. And full disclosure to our listeners here, I'm a recent signe with uh trainee there with Mitch and his work and his man's formation method. Because as I said, at 59, at some point in our lives, we have to make a decision. And if we truly want to walk our talk, then we need to look at getting help. And as I coach the men around me, please find that guy, that person, that individual that helps you get to that next step. And whether that's working with us or working with Mitch, it's really important to find the right people. And Mitch, you've done a great job with your program. I'm loving it so far. Can't wait to see what the first 90 days ends like to get ready for the second big push. And so when I think about the journey and I think about the work that you're doing, one of the things that we should that we work with men a lot is really about helping them adjust their mindset. And so, as someone who's been coaching so many individuals, hundreds, probably thou into the out close into the thousands now over the years, what are the mindsets you're finding now, especially for older gentlemen and getting us to get over that hump and to continue on with our program?

SPEAKER_02: 10:25

Yeah, I think the first big one is that age word, right? Anytime someone starts to bring up my age, my metabolism, those are ringing alarm bells that okay, we got some rewiring to do here. Because the good news is, yes, things change, but according to research, metabolism is fairly fixed until we get into our 60s. So you're still good for a little bit, and it's a marginal drop from there, anyway. What really drives the change in a negative way is our lifestyles, right? We get busy with our careers and kids, and everything else comes first, and we're too sedentary, and we're drinking more beer than water, and our food and choices have gone downhill, and we just aren't in the sports we used to be in our 20s. So, all those compounding factors is why the weight accumulates and why it starts to come around the middle, and we feel older and achy, and all these things, and a lot of that is reversible. So that's the first roadblock to get past is the fact that age is a reality, but not a major roadblock unless you let it happen.

SPEAKER_01: 11:25

Yeah, I completely agree with that. I think for many of us, we tend to use that as a crutch in order to what in order to pursue anything. I I got my MBA at 50 when I thought when I was getting ready to do this, to do that work. I thought, wow, is how challenging it's been several decades since I've been in any type of formal schooling setting. And when you realize if you take the practice, the skill set that we have in other aspects of our life, we can truly apply it anywhere. And so I like this work, the way you framed the your man's formation method, especially in how the app and the personal coaching aspect of it and through the app is an excellent piece. The community building, I think, is important as well. And so love how you put that. But you always talk about in your work a lot about progress over perfection. And boy, is some guy who I think speaking to myself who is wants to be perfect. How do I how do you help me overcome and explain what that really looks like for someone like me who thinks that it's got to be perfect?

SPEAKER_02: 12:23

Yeah, you're setting yourself up for failure if you think you have to be perfect with anything really, but fitness, especially. You're gonna have days where things happen in your life and you can't be totally on point with your fitness. But those are the times you take your meds, like your minimum effective dose of okay, I can't get a 30-minute walk-in, but I can do 10. I can't plan my meals perfectly, but at the restaurant, I can still choose the protein heavy dish, maybe box up half the meal, conserve some calories that way. Like there's always a decision we can make to still move ourselves forward, but oftentimes people get in the headspace of all or nothing. And one, and just to give you the analogy of a flat tire, you don't slash the other three and just stay stuck on the road, right? You replace that one and get back moving forward. And I think that needs to be the mindset for everybody because failing forward is how things are accomplished in life. The only way you lose is if you quit entirely, throw in the towel, go back to your old ways and that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01: 13:20

Yeah, absolutely, for sure. Great example on the menu. I was out with a friend last night and we were going to attend this event, and then the event got was canceled at the last minute for from uh for some reasons. And so we thought, why don't we go out for a bite to eat? And so we went to a local restaurant here and I sat down. And typically I would have had probably a high carb meal of some form, whether it be pasta or a sandwich or what have you, and but I caught myself making better decisions. So it's a salad with a nice grilled steak on top of it, and it's so your what you just said is so true. It's all about these small choices. It wasn't a perfect meal by any stretch of the imagination. There was one alcoholic beverage, but there wasn't four. Yeah, and there wasn't, and it was a the sides and the decision on what happens on the plate was changed as well. And I think for those of us that strive to for this perfection or wanting to just do it right, it maybe is another way to look at it. Just doing it right is just making better choices. So thanks for bringing that up because I think it's so true that we just need to look at these small incremental changes over the long core, long corridor, will really reap the most benefit for us.

SPEAKER_02: 14:29

I speak to forcing it versus just being in flow, and you've got to adapt this identity of this new person who does all these things on autopilot eventually. And if you're like white knuckling it, just forcing these behaviors and you hate every minute of it, you're never gonna stick that out. But if you're trying to embody this better version of you, whatever that looks like, weight loss scenario, I guess you'd have a visual of losing 20 pounds and feeling healthier and all these things. But just day to day, it has to start today with oh, my new future version would probably opt for the water here instead of the second beer or the side salad instead of fries. And you don't always make the right choice, no one does, but it's just a little more often making the better choice adds up compounds and then you start to knock over these dominoes towards your goals.

SPEAKER_01: 15:14

Yeah, I completely agree. I'm sure in this progress that you've seen, obviously, as being a fitness coach and helping guys get into get rid of our dad bots and getting it into better shape beyond just seeing the wins that you would get from guys actually losing weight. What are some other surprising wins you've seen from your clients through working with you in your program?

SPEAKER_02: 15:35

Yeah, well, I understand this is a family program, but certainly more sideways glances from the spouse. And sometimes things pick up there in that department. Never a bad thing. All of us guys would could use more of that action, I think. And we there's never enough, oftentimes. So there's that often in blood work, they see immediate change almost within the first three months. If they go get a checkup, oh, blood sugar's down, liver enzymes are in a better spot, everything improves by default just by picking up a routine, losing some weight. And then just day-to-day, the most immediate is like waking up in a better state of mind, and the mood that you carry forward throughout the day is a little more stabilized, you're more adaptive to stress, you just have more productivity in your day-to-day work. And that's where they're like, oh wow, I didn't really factor this in. It wasn't a motivating reason for why I did it. But now I realize how much I was running on fumes before brain fog, and I was just forcing it with caffeine, and now I can have this more natural energy and show up as my best self.

SPEAKER_01: 16:36

Yeah, absolutely. What a great point about that, too, because it does show up in all these other aspects of life, right? We do have more motivation. I find that even working with the men in our group, that being able to make slight shifts also really changes that self-talk aspect. And I'm totally expecting similar results with this as well. And I think it's if you just can have that stick to itiveness long enough that you can break through a lot of these barriers and community. The idea of you adding a community into the program has really makes a lot of sense to me and seeing some great action in there as well.

SPEAKER_02: 17:11

Yeah, I find peer-to-peer support is just that extra layer of accountability that most of us are missing. Like having a coach is one thing that you know that they're gonna call you out if they need it and they're gonna keep you honest, and big brothers watching. But seeing your peers who are in the same or similar position as you and they're winning, or they're facing challenges and they're trying to help navigate through the group, that can be a really powerful force for good, too. So, yeah, we definitely were deliberate in our approach with that because I just found those most engaged in the community, most engaged in our quarterly challenges, did the best, got the best results. So there must be a connection to that piece for sure.

SPEAKER_01: 17:48

Yeah, listen, in the end, we're men and we are driven by competition at some level. Some of us really thrive deep within that, and others just like the idea of competing and being part of a group. And so, regardless of how you want to show up, being part of a community and having comrades in arms to help us move forward, I think is really powerful now. As I think about everything that's going on in your in in in your life, Mitch, I you're a busy dad, you've got a fantastic business going on. I know you blog, you write lots of articles. How do you personally maintain discipline? Because you're not the only guy that has lots of balls in the air, but give us an insight of what a day in the life of Mitch looks like.

SPEAKER_02: 18:27

Yeah, that took some trial and error to get to a place where things were more balanced, right? There's been phases where I was burning the candle at both ends, still working a job, trying to build this side hustle, we'll call it. And sometimes my family's family got the scraps in those scenarios. So I haven't been perfect. That was years ago now. But it was just like figuring out, okay, what does my perfect day look like? I want most of my days to feel like I'm excited for what's to come. And I had to position my business in a way that allowed me to have that structure and flexibility while still giving people the outcomes they come to me for. So each day is pretty well, there's no fancy accountability systems or apps. It's just like 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m. Dash. What am I doing then? And I obviously use a Google Calendar to support me in that endeavor. But we have time blocks for responding to messages and emails, time blocks for our intake calls, time blocks for professional development, because I feel like that's a critical piece to continue to evolve as a person so that I can be the best coach, best husband, best father, etc. So yeah, never no day is perfect, but I'm in a pretty good place now after a lot of trial and error where every day I'm excited and not that pit in my stomach. Oh, God, I've got 10 Zoom calls. I can't function, I need to go run and hide and burn this all down.

SPEAKER_01: 19:43

Yeah, exactly. And I like how you put lots of structure and in into your day now, and you have an idea, you always have a clear idea what the day looks like, what the week looks like. And I think for many of us, as we look at incorporating it and adding a physical proponent component to our lives, and we just need to look at we can find that time. And there's not there's no such thing as I don't have any time. It's just about what's my highest priority. And at some point in our lives, either it's going to be through a medical emergency or something's gonna happen. And it's hope that it never gets to that stage where you finally choose to take care of yourself. And so for the man that's listening today, feel maybe he feels like he's just gone a too far. What would you say be the very first thing he can do today is to start taking his power back?

SPEAKER_02: 20:29

Yeah, like you nailed it with if it's not a priority, you won't make the time. But if it is a priority, you'll find the time. And that's one of the things I didn't mention, but I always put my personal stuff in the calendar first, like reoccurring, non-negotiable appointment with myself. This block around the lunch hour is when I either work out or walk. I've got that 30-ish minutes to really dedicate to the fitness side of things because I know in the afternoon I'll be more productive. So for the guy that's doesn't know where to start, is just look at your calendar in advance. Try to pick out a couple spots that you can commit some time to yourself. And that could just be some quick walk around the neighborhood, a brisk walk, but any pace is going to be fine. Or mobility, stretching, meal prep, something you think is going to get you some momentum in this regard, and just have that in the calendar and it pops up and it reminds you, okay, this is for me, this is a priority. And once you make things a priority, we tend to find the time, they tend to fall into place.

SPEAKER_01: 21:28

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And love that you put family first, an opportunity for us to take care of the most important things in our lives. And I think that is so true. Over the years, you've really you've been mentoring so many of us and so many people, and hundreds of people have been thrilled and grateful for everything you've done. But there must have been a mentor, maybe two, maybe it was an individual, a book, something that really has stuck with you all over the years. And so, what would you say would be the best or most profound piece of advice that you've received and how is it still serving you today?

SPEAKER_02: 21:59

Yeah, I think I'm a real byproduct of mentorship because I would still be 260 pounds, maybe a trainer at some point, training time for money and overwhelmed and overstressed. And people along the way helped me kind of learn the mindset and the skills to develop a business that was one of my dreams, right? So for me, it was about surrounding yourself with the right people, putting yourself in the right rooms. And if you have to pay a little bit to do that, it's always the best return on investment. Like I made an email today about selling my Mercedes Benz a few years back and basically committing that payment that was collecting dust in the garage to personal professional development. And I've tried to vow to maintain that rate of spend since. And I can say with certainty that's the best money spent is on your brain, body, your mindset, your personal development. So if you're not doing that and you feel stuck, that's probably the first step getting out of that is to get yourself around people that have already done what you want to do because they're gonna help you like fast track. You're in a paddle boat by yourself, trudging across to the dream, the island dream. You could get into a speedboat with someone who knows how to navigate and it was just time collapse. And that's what I've really realized made such a difference in my life. So that's the best I've gotten.

SPEAKER_01: 23:18

Yeah, absolutely. Love that, love that.

SPEAKER_02: 23:30

Just start. I know I might have told you something differently in the preamble, but now that's come up as like the most critical piece for someone to listen to these podcasts and start to develop an understanding of what they need to do. That's only one part, right? The implementation, the action steps need to follow, or else you just become this information junkie and you don't end up seeing any return on that investment of time into your life. So think of one takeaway from this episode and try to action it today. If not today, tomorrow on your calendar, because that's what's going to move this into momentum and really help you instill what you learned into actions, which leads to outcomes, right? At the end of the day.

SPEAKER_01: 24:14

Right on. Love that. Just want to say thanks so much, Mitch, for reminding us that age isn't a barrier to transformation, it's a starting line. And you've given us lots of truth here today and about what really what it really takes for us to lose weight and build confidence and show really show up as the men that we were created to be. So if men are wanting to get in touch with you, participate in your man's formation method, what would be the best way for them to do that?

SPEAKER_02: 24:39

Yeah, go to MitchCalvert.com, C-A-L-B-E-R-T, as you guys probably see in the notes. And there's a free download on there for what I call a metabolism jump start. It's gonna help you reframe metabolism being a buzzword anyway, but it gives you five action steps to really start to move in that forward direction. And if you're an Instagram guy, forward slash MitchCalibert Fitness, we can see and connect there as well.

SPEAKER_01: 25:03

I'm gonna make sure all that information is in today's episode so people can get an opportunity to get out there and reach out and participate in your program. I just want to say once again, thank you so much for being on the show today. I really enjoyed today's conversation.

SPEAKER_02: 25:15

Thank you too. I look forward to our episode with your updated fitness transformation on my podcast next.

SPEAKER_01: 25:22

Sounds great.

SPEAKER_00: 25:33

Thank you for listening to the Revolutionary Man podcast. Are you ready to own your destiny to become more the man you're destined to be? Join the Brotherhood that is The Awakened of Man at theawakendoman.net and start forging a new destiny today.