Tonal Debuts a Revamped Homescreen plus our interview with Mike Palm!

Tonal revamps the homescreen and navigation on the trainer.

The Tonal blog answers the question “Will Tonal Be Strong Enough For Me?”

More from the Tonal blog – Differences between dynamic, chains, and E-centric modes.

Tons of new content including Layers Of Strength, Beach Shredder, Level Up Bootcamp and more.

Upcoming Tonal Talk – Standing Up To Stigma.

The June Challenge is here – Basic Body Split with Coach Pablo.

There’s a new virtual workout – Coach Jared’s Super Sweat.

Tonal Book Club – Lifespan.

All this plus our interview with Mike Palm!

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Watch the episode here:

Listen to the podcast here:

Tonal Debuts a Revamped Homescreen plus our interview with Mike Palm!

How’s it going?

I’m fine.

Do you feel stronger?

I opened a jar of tomato sauce. Does that count?

Did you open it easier than you usually do?

They make them pretty easy I think. I’ve never really struggled.

You should feel stronger because you lifted a million pounds on that Tonal.

Anybody who does that long enough can hit a million.

I haven’t hit a million.

That’s because you do other things.

Stop downplaying your accomplishment. You hit a million pounds. You’d be proud of it because we’re all proud of you.

I had a million.

That’s how you get him, guys. I’m proud of you, honey.

When I tell you I don’t enjoy that stuff, that’s for real.

I’m still proud of you. I don’t care.

Speaking of what we have coming up on the show, that’s me changing topics, what’s coming up on the show?

We’re going to talk about all the new things with Tonal. We’re going to talk about new content. We’re going to talk about new features. We also have blog posts. We got to hit on some interesting stuff. We’re also going to talk about some upcoming Tonal Talks and things going on.

Before we get to all that, shameless plugs, don’t forget or available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Tune-In. Wherever you find a podcast, you can find us. While you’re there be sure to rate, review and follow us so you never miss an episode. You can also find us on Facebook, Facebook.com/supersetpodcast. You can see all these episodes at our YouTube channel, YouTube.com/theclipout. It’s called that because of our other podcasts. Everything lives under that umbrella. If you go over there, you can watch all of these episodes in their entirety in video and that will be a day brightener for you. There’s all that. Let’s dig in. Shall we?

We shall.

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They have made all sorts of tweaks to the interface on your Tonal.

You’ve got a whole streamlined experience that happens. They rolled out a refreshed navigation experience on your trainer. You get a snapshot of your current program and it has little checkmarks to show where you are in your progress. You can see your recommended workouts and workout stats all on the updated home screen. You can also find your next workout on the new Explorer screen that has workout recommendations based on muscles that are rested.

This is my favorite aspect because with the MetPro thing that we’re doing, a lot of times they want you to do certain things. Sometimes they will add a thing. If I already did a Tonal thing, I’m scared to do another program. I don’t want to just go grab another ancillary program or one-off class because I don’t know what I’m doing and I’ll end up hurting myself.

You could ask a personal trainer but that’s okay.

I don’t have one. I can’t afford you. They’re going to be like, “If you take this one, you’ll be okay. This won’t be too much.” I’m also curious, if you did enough, would it completely stop recommending things to you?

You should just try it out day after day. I know what you’re saying.

If you did four things, would it be like, “No, that’s enough now?”

That’s a great question. I think it won’t do that because it assumes that if you’re back, you’re well enough to be on the machine in general. I’m curious. Now, I want to know, but this all-new custom screen that they have also made it easier if you have custom workouts that you’ve made or they make it super easy to start a free lift workout. Going back to that rested muscle thing, they also have a way for you to filter by which muscles are rested. You can be like, “Let me filter guided and custom workouts that I already have to see which of my muscles are ready for a workout.” Isn’t that cool? I think all of these things are fun. There are lots of new features. I love how thoughtful Tonal is about the stuff. They’re always like thinking and adding.

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There are a couple of interesting posts on the Tonal blog. The first one is Will Tonal Be Strong Enough For Me?

I love this one because it talks about how Paul Sklar tested out the Tonal to see if it’s worth the hype and whether 200 pounds of digital weight offers enough resistance. You and I have talked to enough people at this point. We know that it is but I love that Tonal is focusing on this and showing that even people at the highest level of fitness find that the Tonal is enough weight.

This guy looks like he could hold the Tonal while someone else uses it.

He reminds me of Coach Jackson. They have the same built physique going on. This whole video shows him using it. It has a blog post working through all those different points. Well done, Tonal.

While we’re talking about the blog, they also had a post about Transform Your Strength Training Routine With Dynamic Weight Mode.

I would consider this for people who are fairly new to Tonal. They haven’t gotten a chance to dig in, “What does all this mean? What is Chains? What is E-centric?” This goes through spotter, burnout, smart flex and it tells you how to use each one. It tells you when to use each one and your benefits of every single thing. They all are amazing. You can’t go wrong using any of them. It tells you how to tweak it so you’re maximizing each workout that you do.

I get that because if you’re new to it, sometimes there’s so much stuff, you’re just like, “Should I be doing this thing instead of this other thing?” It’s then what behavioral economics columnists would refer to as the paradox of choice. You just get paralyzed because there are so many options and then you do nothing, so do something.

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As always, there is just a plethora or a veritable potpourri of content.

All kinds of new stuff. I’m going to try to go through this fast. There’s some new high intensity. There’s a cardio challenge with Coach Jackson, full-body, 24 minutes, Pure Body Weight Workout. This one would be a great one for you, Tom. I mean that sincerely because you’re always talking about you need cardio, you’re looking for a full body. This is exactly what you’re looking for. This is your hit style. This is what you want. There’s a barre. It’s Confidence Boosting Barre with Coach Gabby. We’ve got full-body, 20 minutes. I don’t think that you would enjoy the barre as much, Tom, but I know that lots of other people do.

It’s about balance, right?

No, it’s not at all about balance.

It’s like the ballerina stuff. They’re always balancing on stuff.

Dancers do it because they’re working on their strength. It’s a different way to work on strengths. It’s using bodyweight to do strengths. There’s the new yoga, Lower Body Stretch with Coach Francis, new mobility, which is Upper Body Mobility with Coach Nicolette, and a new meditation, Full Body Calm with Coach Liz. That was all in one week, and then the following week, we have new live beta classes, Layers of Strength with Coach Paul. This is an advanced full body, 22 minutes. This is a nice, slow burn. This would be a good one. It got an intense focus on the mechanics of every single rep you do. You’re focusing on that mind-body connection.

You have the Beach Shredder with Coach Paul, intermediate, full-body, 34 minutes. This is all about getting that summer burn on. That’s a good one. A new bootcamp, Level Up Bootcamp with Coach Natalie. This is good for beginners. You got a full-body, 19 minutes, all levels, quick workout off the floor exercises. That’s great for people who don’t feel comfortable or don’t have the mobility to get on the floor. This is for you. You have the new Shoulder Mobility with Coach Jared. This is going to take you through a progressive mobility routine for your shoulders to open those up, and a new warm-up with Coach Liz, full body.

That’s a lot.

I know. Tons and tons of new content. They always get to come out. I love it.

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There was a Tonal Talk that came out with Coach Venus and Coach Nikki all about how to stand up to stigma.

I haven’t gotten to listen to this one. Hopefully, I will get a chance to listen to this one very soon. I hope all of you do too. I love the title. I love that we got to interview Coach Venus. She was fun to talk to. We’re looking forward to that.

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The June community challenge has been announced.

This time, it’s going to be Coach Pablo. He’s going to be leading the whole community through the Basic Body Split Program. You can join each month. Every time there’s a separate challenge group that you can join and you can follow along. There’s going to be a calendar. It’s going to have a workout for every single day. it’s his program on the basic four days, but then it’s also got your mobility worked in, your rest days worked in, yoga worked in, all these kinds of things. There’s a virtual group workout every week and then at the end of the month, there’s a virtual happy hour. You got to love that because you’re going to celebrate all that hard work.

Coach Pablo is currently my least favorite coach.

What? Why is that?

Because I’m doing one of his programs. Whenever I’m doing someone’s program, they’re my least favorite.

What program are you doing these days, Shred and Sweats?

No, it’s full-body something. I don’t know.

Is this the live beta one?

Yeah. I like the fact that they do it with you. I do like that.

Have you noticed a fun, little trick on the live beta? You may not think it’s fun, but you can keep making Coach Pablo’s workout. If you keep doing the move, it will keep going.

Sometimes when you’re in a weird position, they know you’re not looking at the screen, they stop working out. They’re tricky.

Coach Pablo is being lazy on the job.

They talk to you while they’re doing it. All of a sudden you look up and they’re sitting there and you’re like, “You son of a bitch.” This one has some sort of boxing element. I didn’t know that before I had started it. I feel like an idiot standing there shadowboxing.

Luckily, no one is watching you.

I know but I still feel like an idiot.

Your muscles are popping out.

I don’t know if I go that far but I do feel like an idiot standing there pretending.

Do you want me to come down and pretend to box you back? Would that be better?

That would not be pretending. I would lose. I will get my ass kicked. I don’t know if I like the optics of pretending to box with my wife. I don’t like the boxing aspect. This is not me.

I get it. You’ve just never done anything like this and you don’t like to be in those new things. They just take some getting used to you. I’m very proud of you for going outside of your comfort zone. You are too, I know. Deep in your heart.

I don’t know about that, but I’m just teasing Coach Pablo. Beforehand, Coach Jackson was my least favorite, and then I switched to this one so now it’s him. If you’re my least favorite, it means that I’m taking your class. That’s how that works.

That means they’re technically your favorite right now.

Moving right along. There’s also a community virtual group workout coming up.

This time, the workout is going to be Coach Jared’s Super Sweat. This is fun to be able to do these together with other people. Maybe I’ll put you on the trainer, Tom.

What does that mean?

That means you can join everybody virtually, Saturday at noon.

I’m working. I was going to do it. I was like, “This sounds like a lot of fun. I think I’ll do it,” but unfortunately I have to work on Saturday. Sadly my one and only chance to do this is gone.

Don’t worry, there will be another one next month.

I have to work then too.

We’ll get him, guys. Don’t worry. It’s a lot of fun. I just can’t lift weights right now because I’m on my cut. It’s frustrating.

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Finally, the June book club has been selected and it is Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To.

I love that. I need some help in not aging. I would like to know all of the things.

Let me know how not to age. First off, I want to see a picture of David Sinclair because if he looks old, I’m not buying this book.

Maybe he didn’t start this de-aging process until he was already old.

Okay, then. If he looks 80, he needs to be 100. I’ll be like, “He looks good for 100.” That’s how that works.

Fair enough, Tom.

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Joining us is Mike Palm. Mike, how’s it going?

How are you? Good to see you.

Good to see you, too. I’d like to start these conversations by going back to the time machine and understanding how you first became aware of Tonal. When was that in your timeline? How does that fit into everything?

Before COVID, I was going to the gym on a pretty daily basis. I figured about it and got on the elliptical a little bit more. I lose a little bit more weight. That never happened. I lost the same and gained the same 5 or 10 pounds for probably a good six months. I used to watch all these people use the machines and they would never wipe them down. I was always grossed out by that. When COVID happened, I was like, “I’m never going back to the gym.” My wife and I started eating Double Stuf OREOs during the beginning of quarantine like they were going out of style and like I’ve never eaten one before in my life, bags upon bags. As I started to gain all that pounds back, I needed to do something. I said, “I’m going to find an elliptical for the house so I can lose and gain the same 5 and 10 pounds again.”

In the comfort of your own home.

I ran into Tonal. I started watching the videos with Coach Paul. I was like, “This is the coolest machine I have ever seen. I have to know more.” What would concern me was every time I would read a review, everything that it said was great. I was like, “Someone has to hate this thing. Someone somewhere must not like it.” I still haven’t found that person.

You’re like me. When I read too many good reviews, I’m like, “They’re seeing this.” I get skeptical.

What’s funny about that is right before I purchased, I called Tonal and asked for discounts. They told me I was crazy, “It’s COVID. There’s no way you’re getting a discount.” I said, “I don’t like the reviews because everything’s too good. Put me somewhere where I can find out.” They put me in the Facebook community. I am thankful that I went in there because listening to the owners and people talk about it made me feel that this is a great machine. I instantly went back and bought it. They told me, “It’ll be there in 4 to 7 weeks.” It turned into 10 to 12 weeks. It turned into nobody talking to me and turned into frustration. However, the delivery day came and it’s been a blessing in my life ever since.

Delivery has been every exercise manufacturers’ thorn in their side during COVID.

I bought an exercise bike shortly after that. It was the same problem. They don’t have any community or anything like that. It’s all about the Tonal. Tonal was a wonderful thing.

I’m curious, what kind of exercise bike you got?

I got an S22i NordicTrack. Tonal was the best decision I ever made and the worst.

I might have to ask you some more questions for my Peloton podcast because I’m curious about what you didn’t like about that. We might do that at a different time. You have piqued my curiosity. When you were going to the gym all the time prior to COVID, were you only using the elliptical? Were you lifting weights?

When I was in high school, I was a swimmer. I played water polo. I was in the gym constantly. I had a stomach that went in and not out. In my first two years in college, I still lifted and then I stopped. I had enough. I have not picked up a weight. You do the one workout and your buddy’s working out, so you do. The next day you’re sore. You’re like, “I’m not doing that again.” When I started going back to the elliptical, I was doing this debate with myself. “When I lose 10 more pounds, then I’m going to get on a machine.” I was nervous about how people would see me in the gym. “I can only lift so much weight. Are they going to make fun of me?” All that stuff is going through my head. I never got on the machine. COVID hit and then the Tonal and now I don’t ever stop working out.

That is how I always felt at the gym. I never went over to the weights or the machines. There have been brief periods where I’ve tried out the machines. I felt safer on those. By safe, I mean I couldn’t make too much of a fool out of myself. Going near where they had the barbells and free weights, that terrified me. I wouldn’t go anywhere near that. It’s like, “Don’t even look over there. It doesn’t exist. Walk quickly.”

Who even knows which weight to pick up?

You feel dumb picking it up to test it out. Probably no one is but you feel like people are standing there judging you like, “Only a 5-pound weight? What are you going to do with that?”

“Are you swatting flies over there?”

You got the Tonal and you crushed it. You’re doing all the workouts all the time.

When I got the Tonal, the first day I got it, within the first hour I was doing the workouts. I held back. I was like, “I don’t know what this is all about. No one’s looking at me. I’m going to hold back and see where it takes me.” I don’t know if it was a mistake or not but it took me probably two weeks to get the weights right after that. Maybe I shouldn’t have but I jumped right into an advanced program. I jumped into four weeks for a fat loss program. I was like, “I’m going to do it.” It was amazing. Coach Jackson kicked my butt. I struggled through it. I wasn’t even worried about getting to 100% or how much weight. It was getting the moves down and starting to feel like I’m moving again. I went back to all my monthly reviews and I watched my weights go from 75,000 to 80,000 pounds to now, I’m pushing 250,000 to 275,000 pounds a month. It’s like, “What a transformation in a year.”

Do you know what percentage of an increase that is? How much strength you’ve gained? That sounds like a whole bunch.

I don’t know on the weight side is but my strength score went up by 258%. In the beginning, I held back. My first one was 190, then I went up to 250. I recalibrated somewhere around May 2020. I jumped from 250 to 400 and then I’ve been on a steady increase ever since.

I know that’s a good feeling to see that progress go in a direction. It’s shooting up. It’s not a tiny one.

I’ll tell you what I find the most interesting about that is that in the beginning, the strength score mattered. That number mattered to me. Now, I could care less. Some days it goes up, some days it goes down. I feel good. I like working out. I like grabbing the machine. I like doing hour workouts every day. It lands where it lands.

Tom doesn’t look at his strength score either. He’s like, “I don’t think it’s moved.”

It went up like three points. Beyond that, I’ve been right at the same place. I joke about it. I’m like, “Whatever. I’m doing what the machine tells me to do.” That’s the most I want to get in my head.

That’s a good approach too, especially for somebody like Tom who’s new to exercising. This was a whole thing on our other podcast. It’s about Peloton because Tom refused to exercise. He had never touched any of the equipment I own. I have a Peloton bike. I have a Peloton tread. I have a fight camp boxing bag. I got the Tonal. He had never touched any of it. One day, he starts working out on the Tonal. I was like, “This is going to be a thing.” He secretly did it for a year and didn’t tell anybody. He came out of the Tonal closet. It’s great that he didn’t focus on that because it can get to in your head. It can be a demotivator if you worry about that.

I hit a point one day and I don’t know what happened and what would change. At first, it was like, “I better do this rep or Jackson is going to get mad at me. I better do it.” All of a sudden it was, “I’m not here for Jackson. I’m here for me.” That’s when everything changed for me. When it became about me and when I’m going to do for me and not anyone else, that was the change for me.

What do you mean by that? Does that make you do more? Does that make you at that moment feel like, “If I’m done, it’s okay that I’m spent?”

I do the programs. My goal is 100%. Get every move. Get every rep. Whether I’m fatigued and the spotter has to kick in or even if I have to put the weight down and then pick it back up again, whatever it takes to get to 100%, it’s for me and not for anyone else. When this started, it was about losing weight. It was about getting my physique going. Now, it’s about being healthy, feeling better, keeping my joints fluid and keeping my muscles going. It’s a whole different mindset.

Why do you think that switched? What do you think was the thing that flipped it for you to be about you?

I hit a point where I asked myself, “Why am I doing this? What motivates me every day?” I realized that it was about health. It wasn’t about being a muscle guy. I’m married with two kids. I’m not in the dating world. I’m not going out to the beach every day. For me, it’s about health. It’s about being there for my young daughters and being healthy. I listened to Jackson constantly in my head saying, “The pain and the work you put in today will pay off ten years from now.”

It’s funny because we were having a conversation with somebody else. We talked about the fact that those cues and hearing the things that the instructors are saying can be life-changing. It’s the chatter in your head and having somebody else give you better thoughts to think. I’m comparing to myself, better thoughts that I think about myself. It’s nice to have something in there that’s more positive than you’ve latched on to. What is your favorite thing about the Tonal, one feature?

It’s not even about the weights or all the cool things that it does. It’s a machine that fits in my office. It hangs on my wall like a TV. It puts away nicely and it’s cool to see if I have to come up with a feature of Tonal itself. The advanced weights and the fact that I never have to program a weight. I pick it up, it switches into the next set, weights are all ready to go and I lift again.

It is hard to pick one thing. It’s an amazing machine. It does so much. What’s your favorite advanced weight mode?

I don’t have one. It’s all different. It depends on what you’re doing. I like to change for deadlifting. I like eccentric mode for bicep curls. On my way down, I can feel that. On the chains, you can feel it when you’re lifting back up. It doesn’t even matter what it is. It’s the fact that I know I’m doing more than I could ever do in the gym or anywhere else. It does it for me and I don’t have to think about it. I don’t have to think about what weight is right for me. If it’s a little high or a little low, I can always dial it in to make it better for me or do an extra set at the end of the reps or right at the end of the set. The AI is amazing.

I’m on record for how much I love that I don’t have to think about it. It does the thinking. I go down in the basement and I do what it tells me to do. I don’t get to worry about it.

What does your workout schedule look like? Are you doing the Tonal five days a week? Do you have other workouts that you throw in there? Is that bike getting any use? What’s happening?

I’ve been working for myself for quite a while now. I have a free schedule. I work out pretty much every morning. I work out according to whatever Tonal tells me to do. I used to not take the days off for four weeks for fat loss. I do four days straight, a day off and then four straight. That’s hard. I enjoy the days off. I do two days on, a day off and two days on. Between programs, I’ll take two days or maybe a little longer. In the beginning, I lost a tremendous amount of weight. I would ride the bike for 30 to 40 minutes and then do a workout. That was pretty good. The bike started breaking down. It was always broken and never worked. It was always a hassle. I got the bike to supplement the Tonal. I realized that I don’t need anything to supplement the Tonal.

Have you had to change your diet to get the results that you’re looking for?

Completely. When I first started, I was like, “I’ve worked out five days a week. I can eat whatever I want. I want some pizza.” In the first three months, I saw some body transformation. I saw some muscles coming in. I felt stronger. I felt a little healthier but I wasn’t losing weight. I was like, “What is going on?” I started listening to people in the community. Everyone’s saying, “You got to run a core deficit.” I was like, “That was a core deficit.” I found some protein shakes that worked for me. I’m a big food guy. I love food. That’s my biggest problem in all of this. I was talking to someone on a thread. She had mentioned my Double Stuf Oreo diet and she said she was on a Mini Cadbury egg diet. I said, “Why can’t these things be good, Brussel sprouts and broccoli be bad?” I love food. Breakfast and lunch were never huge things for me. I do a shake instead. I don’t have to think about it. Ever since then, the weight has come off. In eight months, I’ve lost 50 pounds on the Tonal.

Congratulations. You’re killing it.

My kid, at the time, was 2.5. She asked me if I had a baby in my belly. I knew it was time to do something different.

Do you ever throw in the other workouts? You said you just do the program. Are you not ever doing a one-off? You pick a program and go with it.

Sometimes I’ll do a one-off. Mostly, I’m doing a program and roll with the programs. I love the programs. When I did the challenge with Go Big or Go Home 2 and Jackson put in all the different breaks, the different coaches, the stretching and yoga. I was happy that I got up to eighteen on the leaderboard. I realized, “I don’t care about this.” I did 30 days straight. I like the programs. I like coming in and doing my hour in the morning and then I’m done with Tonal until tomorrow.

That’s great. That’s what you’re enjoying. There’s nothing wrong with that. If that motivates you and keeps you coming back, great. Keep doing that. That’s awesome.

I feel like, “I could do a little cardio, a little extra.” I’ll throw in a core. I’ll throw in the legs. I’ll do a metabolic thing with Jared. I have fifteen coaches at my disposal. I can do whatever I want at any time. If I want to work out, lift or do stretching, it’s there. That’s what I love about Tonal. Right there, that’s it.

What it won’t be is a NordicTrack bike.

When it comes to picking your program, I’m curious. Tom and I talk about this all the time. Do you pick a new program as soon as you’re done with the other program? Do you wait until you’re ready to work out again to pick the program? Are you browsing on your phone for a week? Tell us the process.

By the time I’m in my last week of whatever program I’m in, I’m already trying to figure out what’s next. The biggest problem I’ve had is every time I pick a program there’s new content. I’m like, “I want to do that one instead.”

Program envy.

Right before Go Big or Go Home 2 came out, which I was waiting for so long for that one to come out, I had done raising The Barbell 2. I was going to go back to four weeks of fat loss because I was like, “I don’t want to do another hypertrophy program. I want to do something a little leaner.” Go Big or Go Home came out and that was a good time that I’m doing that. When that one ended, I was like, “We’ll do some more strength.” Four weeks to fat loss, two came out and I was doing that instead. I tend to pick my programs before the next one ends, so I’m ready to go. My goal is to get lean, get strong and build muscle. That was my routine. That’s what I want to do. It doesn’t always work out that way. That’s my process.

That’s a good process. You got a plan. You have a direction. Tom and I were talking about that because he was saying that if he doesn’t choose at the end of a program that the next time he comes down, it’s too late.

It’s too much work. I don’t enjoy working out at all. I get no pleasure from it. If I come down and I’m going to spend 5, 6, 7 minutes trying to pick the next thing, I’ll be like, “Screw it.” I’ll turn and walk away. As I’m finishing the last one, I’ll pick it. That way when I come in next time, it’s waiting for me. The decision has been made.

I was joking with Kate, from the Community Manager. I was telling her that she should mess with him because he always picks from his recommended list.

I’m like, “What’s the next thing they recommended?” They know more than I do. Why would I listen to me?

He needs to do some prenatal yoga.

It’s like yoga for the elderly, which isn’t that far off.

Speaking of the elderly, I noticed that there was a woman who said she was 70 years old on the Tonal. I’m impressed with people like that. Impressed that Tonal can work for people like that. I don’t mean any ageism. At 70 years old, you’re not going to the gym much anymore, most likely. To have something like this in your house that does that for you and it gives you that support and the weights and everything is amazing.

We were talking to somebody before this. She’s in her 60s using the Tonal. We were talking about the fact that so much of that comes from starting now. If you have that baseline that it’s not awful to imagine that you could be going to the gym or working out on your own at home in your 60s or 70s. If you were to decide at age 72, “I’m going to start lifting weights.” That would be super overwhelming.

There’s only so much you can get back. When you get it and maintain it, you hold it longer.

She was telling us that between the ages of 50 and 70, you lose 30% of your strength.

If you’re inactive.

I can see that if you’re inactive at any time. You wouldn’t have the same strength.

It’s life goals. I’m hoping that I can be active in my 60s, 70s and do fun things. I don’t want to be sitting at home unable to do anything. Let’s cross our fingers.

My mother came to visit before COVID. We took my daughter to a museum. My mother is not a big worker out-er or she’s more of a sit on the couch-er. I can see it in her. She knows. When we went to a museum, she couldn’t walk around. She’s slow, dragging around and falling asleep on the benches. I said, “I never want that in my life. I want to be as strong as I could be.”

That’s part of what got me to pull the trigger finally. “I want to go to Disney World. I don’t want to be on a Rascal. Who are we kidding? I want to be on a Rascal.”

You don’t have to be on a Rascal.

It will be a ride in between the rides.

Because you want it not because you have to ride.

I want to be able to go and continue to do those things as I get older, especially since my wife is younger.

I’m a little bit younger.

My mother-in-law is here. I explained to my five-year-old, who asked my mother-in-law how old she is. I was like, “We don’t ask women that question.” Tell them how beautiful they are.

That’s always the safe answer.

I thought you were going to reveal how much younger you are.

Tom is eight years older than I am. It’s not crazy.

The age difference isn’t creepy. It would be if I was twenty.

That is true. It would be.

In case the glare coming off my head isn’t tipping off, I’m not.

I didn’t notice it.

That falls under don’t ask a woman about her age. I’m seeing through you.

At least we know Mike has good manners.

Not convincing but good.

Tonal is continuing to shape my manners as well.

You’ve had quite a year. Where do you feel you’re taking your Tonal in the future? Do you have plans for using all of this newfound fitness? Are you going to continue on and enjoy your movement?

I never thought I would see this. I don’t see this ever-changing in my life. I don’t see it as a thing that I do. I see it as part of my life. I tend to work out fasted, I prefer that. I drink my supplement in the morning with my hydration drink. I get on the machine, do it for an hour, and then start my day. Every day that I’m working out and take a day off when I take a day off. I don’t see that changing. I said in a thread that I used to love to vacation and travel. My wife and I, now that we are vaccinated, were talking about, “Where are we going to go on your next trip?” The Tonal hotel list came out and I was like, “These are the only places we’re allowed to go.” I couldn’t go without Tonal for a week.

I’m glad that you’re able to do that. We don’t usually find hotels that have the gyms that I am looking for. We stay at nice hotels. I don’t mean to say that we’re staying in crappy hotels. They don’t usually have these varieties. I’m glad that Tonal has workouts you can do on the app, so at least you don’t lose your streak. At least you can do that.

I have a 53-week streak. I can’t imagine losing that.

That would be upsetting.

I did listen to Nicolette talk. She was saying that when she goes away for a couple of weeks if she gets off the machine, when she gets back on, she feels that much stronger and she could do that much more work because she’s recovered for two weeks. I was like, “I can’t imagine two weeks without working out.”

That’s good that you enjoy it that much. That says a lot.

That’s a good attitude to have about it. What she was describing was a pause and I’m extra recovered.

Do you have any advice for people who are getting a Tonal?

Don’t be frustrated with the wait time. When you get it, it’s worth it. Enjoy that three-month wait time because once the coaches get a hold of you, you’re not going to put it down.

That wait time is coming down.

In reality, the advice that I would have is don’t be scared, especially at the beginner, intermediate, advanced, just jump in. If you start a program that you don’t like, the beauty is no one’s paying any attention. Stop it and start something more comfortable for you. Have an open mind and go into it with the right attitude that it’s not about your physique only or it’s not about one thing. It’s about a holistic approach to exercise and being healthy. Find a coach. Each one will bring something different to the table and relates well to other people. Find the coaches that’ll do well to you and that will push you to your limits. You’ll find success that way.

Before we let you go, where can people find you on social media if you would like to be found?

Facebook is the best place for me. I’m active in the Tonal community. Part of what makes Tonal special is the group that they’ve created. The coaches being involved in that group. The people and the community are supportive and kind. I got off Facebook because of all the politics and all the aggravation. I found myself arguing with people over whether it’s a stick or a branch. I had no interest in that anymore. What I find in the Tonal group is there’s never any of that. There’s never, “Who’d you vote for? Who do you like?” There’s none of that. It’s about working out. It’s about supporting each other and being kind to each other. If people want to find me, that’s where I’m at. I’m always active in there and pretty much the only place on social media that you can find these days.

—

I guess that brings this episode to a close. What pray tell do you have in store for people next time?

Next time we’re going to talk to Travis Gaertner who is a two-time Paralympian. He’s headed for his third trip to the Olympics.

Until then, where can people find you?

People can find me on Facebook at Facebook.com/crystaldokeefe. They can find me on Instagram or Twitter at @ClipOutCrystal.

You can find me on Twitter @RogerQBert or Facebook at Facebook.com/tomokeefe. You can find the show online at Facebook.com/supersetpodcast. While you’re there, like the page and join the group. Be sure o subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts from. That’s it for this one. Thanks for tuning in. Until next time, keep lifting.

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• https://www.Tonal.com/blog/transform-your-strength-training-routine-with-dynamic-weight-modes/?fbclid=IwAR37Rc-9il4WiK6zExVXN3TnevbEWchd9osM-eQPlFhkoHfJDNo-U9MZIiI
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