Fitness Basics 101: Foundations You Need To Know Before You Start

Let me start with the foundations of fitness you need before you can achieve any fitness & wellness goals, before I go into details on losing weight and burning fat fast and effectively, and gaining muscle and weight. I get at least 25 DM's a day about those topics, so let's start diving into it.

Why should you listen to me?

I started playing professional sports at the age of 5. When I was 14, I read nutrition and biochemistry books because I was obsessed with getting in shape and being the best version of myself, doing it healthily and as effectively as possible, using all the knowledge accessible to me.

I went from fat to fit at least 18 times in the last 20 years. From looking obese to 6% body fat in a matter of 3 months, which is exactly the first photo of this article.

So here are my golden rules for the foundations of your fitness journey:

IT IS A LONG-TERM GAME

Before starting this journey, you must know it is not a temporary thing, and it will take time; it is a change in your lifestyle. There is no start or end period. Please do it for your health and longevity. It will take time to see results, but you must keep going, even after a week or two when you don't see progress. Ask yourself how long you have been eating unhealthily? You won't get in shape in a couple of weeks if you have been eating badly for years and not working out. Be patient, work hard & smart, and the results will come. Guaranteed.

NUTRITION IS INDEED AT LEAST 80% OF EVERYTHING

You already know, you are what you eat. Nutrition is essential for all aspects of life. You are either fighting or creating disease in your body with every meal. I am a strong believer in the role of food in longevity and cancer prevention. It goes very far. So, in this case, you are one meal closer or further to your dream body. It is your choice.

SLEEP MATTERS

Sleep is critically important, not just for fitness & wellness, but for the entire life. I believe it is one of the essential things in life that you need to pay close attention to. When you sleep, your body recovers. Not only that, your body builds muscle with the right fuel you intake, but you also become more beautiful. Yes, beauty sleep. It is a major key to burning fat! How? Well, if you are sleep-deprived, your appetite goes up, and you intake unnecessary excess calories. Your mentality is weaker, and you will make poor decisions and poor food choices. Sleep is so important on numerous levels. I am a hustler, and I work long, late hours, but I never settle for less than 7 hours of sleep a day. I think that 8 hours is gold, but I try to go for a full 9 hours of sleep. Invest a lot of time, money, and effort here, it is literally a place and time where you spend a third of your life.

WATER MATTERS

A gallon a day is an excellent target. I overdid it by drinking 1.5-2.5 gallons a day, where drinking and peeing took half of my day away, and I just lost electrolytes. Water intake is extremely important not only for your fitness journey but also for your body to work optimally. Your water intake will depend on your size and weight, environmental factors such as where you live, and how much you sweat, whether you're working out or not. I mean, your body is 60% water, which tells you everything! However, it is key to maintain electrolyte balance.

STRESS LEVELS & ANXIETY MATTERS

Not to be too scientific or bore you with some terms, but there is a hormone called cortisol. Your body releases it when you are stressed or in an alarming situation. It is good to wake you up in the morning, but it can cause you muscle breakdown/loss and increase your appetite, leading to weight gain. It has many different functions, both good and bad, but please keep your stress and anxiety levels to a minimum, as this does affect your results in a big way. Mine is almost always high due to my horrible sleeping patterns, over-consumption of caffeine (I try to stay under 300mg), and my past eating habits right before sleeping.

DON'T DO EXTREME THINGS

Do not jump into the latest miracle diets or supplements that promisea wonderland. Fast results with little to no work and effort needed. Or even products that claim you can gain 15lbs of pure muscle or burn fat overnight, or in 15 days. Just like in life, you have to work for it for an extended period. There are no shortcuts or hacks for long-term success. Also, be aware of those fitness trainers who put you on a crazy caloric deficit and low-calorie diets, because you will yo-yo straight back to being fat again.

CONSISTENCY

You can skip a workout or two. You might have an extra cheat meal, but being consistent with your nutrition, sleep, low-stress levels, and workouts is what will bring you results. Make it a habit and then a lifestyle.

STRENGTH TRAINING / GYM

Here also I tried almost all: 6 times a week, 90 minutes per session, all the way to now 1-2 max-strength trainings, 45 minutes max, a slight Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones workout philosophy, which I am a strong believer in, maximizing results and saving you time, so definitely look into it. I do not have to tell you how doing strength training, the heaviest weights with proper form, will not only grow your muscles, but also improve your hormones, health, longevity, mood, and tons of other stuff, so it is not just for looks.

METABOLISM

Everybody has a different one. It is a lottery, just like life. You don't pick your parents or where you were born – you just get it. Someone has a super-fast metabolism but still has difficulty gaining weight/muscle. Someone with a slow metabolism will have to work harder and smarter to achieve excellent definition. And someone won the metabolism/genetics lottery and can get away with many things, and have both things at the same time, and achieve it with not too much effort. The moral of the story, you can be born very poor, but that doesn't mean you can't get rich, right? You will have to outwork and outsmart the lucky ones, and I don't see that as a disadvantage. I see it as a blessing because you will appreciate it much more and learn a great deal.

WHAT ABOUT CARDIO?

I tried it all: 3 hours of slow-paced cardio, 20-minute HIITs, 1-hour steady cardio, no cardio at all, 5-hour bike rides, and the list goes on. Cardio is good in moderation, no matter what. That will depend heavily on your goals, which I'll elaborate on in another post. I walk every day for 45-90 minutes, the duration will depend on whether I went to the gym, and 1-2 times a week I walk with a 30-40lbs weighted vest, and I try to do HIIT once a week on the air bike to keep that HR up, and that's it.

IT IS ALL A MATH GAME

Calories in - calories out. It is all a math game. Plain simple. Simple economics. That's it. You have to be strategic about it.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT

If you are trying to get shredded and lose weight, you will have to consume fewer calories than your body needs (called Basal Metabolic Rate).

HOW TO GAIN WEIGHT & MUSCLES

If you want to gain weight/muscle, you will have to eat more than your body needs. In other words, more than your BMR.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT & BURN FAT

At the same time? That is impossible! The only scenario is when you start working out for the first time and get your nutrition in check. Or when you haven't exercised for a long time, ignored your diet, and then decide to start again. Otherwise, forget about it.

HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH CALORIES I TAKE?

You weigh your food with a food scale and use an app like MyFitnessPal to track everything.

I did it for 7 years, and now I can eyeball everything.

Or just have a meal prep company list that for you, which I am currently doing, so it makes everything much easier.

CONCLUSION

These are some necessary pieces of information you need to know before you set a goal and clear any misconceptions or false hopes. There is so much horrible advice out there, and people are doing it, even in 2026. The consequences can be detrimental. From losing your life to abusing steroids (that your trainer recommended you to get fast results) or even supplements that are not regulated and safe, to messing up your joints, spine, disks, and bones, and working hard but in the wrong direction because someone told you the wrong way to do it, which leads to wasted time and effort.

Know your foundations, know your goals, plan, strategize, and go out and get it. Be willing to learn, listen to your body, listen to people who've done it correctly, and never back down.

There are so many variations and strategies I do, some of them I will share with you, like:

• Intermittent Fasting

• Low Carb / Keto Diet

• Mimicking Fasting Diet

• Heavy Duty Training Program

I will go into detail for all those scenarios, so stay tuned and make sure to turn on those post notifications, subscribe to my email newsletter, and follow me on all social media.