If you have golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow, the pain is in the elbow… But the problem usually starts at the shoulder. Here’s why. Your elbow is a hinge joint. It doesn’t rotate well. It doesn’t absorb force well. So when the shoulder blade isn’t stable or the rotator cuff isn’t doing its job that force travels downstream. And the elbow pays the price. Over time: • Forearm tendons get overloaded • Grip tension increases • Inflammation builds • Pain shows up Most people treat the symptom. Ice. Brace. Rest. Maybe a cortisone shot. But if the shoulder mechanics don’t improve, the pain comes back. What Actually Causes It Here are the usual upstream issues: • Weak lower traps • Poor scapular control • Limited thoracic rotation • Tight lats • Over-dominant forearms • Loss of shoulder external rotation Especially in: Golfers Tennis players Pickleball players People who lift People who sit at desks Sound familiar? What I Fix First When I work with someone dealing with elbow pain, we don’t start with curls or wrist work. We start with: 1. Scapular retraction control 2. Rotator cuff strength (external rotation) 3. Thoracic spine mobility 4. Lat length 5. Controlled grip training When the shoulder stabilizes, the elbow finally gets relief. If you’re dealing with elbow pain: Stop chasing the elbow. Fix the shoulder. Restore rotation. Strengthen the scapula. Your body works in chains, not parts.

Protein timing matters more than most people realize. If you miss protein early in the day, you spend the rest of the day trying to catch up. Dinner rarely fixes it. Use this simple rule: By mid morning, you should already have one solid protein anchor. Not a snack. A real serving. When protein shows up early, appetite stabilizes. Energy is more consistent. Training and recovery improve. When it does not, hunger increases later in the day and decision quality drops. Protein early sets the tone for the entire day.

If you are over 40 and your weight has stayed relatively stable, it is easy to assume things are fine. What you do not see is what happens underneath. When protein intake stays low, your body does not wait for permission. It pulls from muscle. Quietly. Daily. Without obvious symptoms at first. Over time, less muscle leads to Lower metabolism Worse blood sugar control Weaker bones Slower recovery Higher injury and fall risk That is not aging. That is erosion. The issue is not knowing protein matters. The issue is not having a system that actually delivers it. Here is a simple reference you can use immediately. Roughly 30 to 40 grams of protein looks like Five to six ounces of grilled chicken Five to six ounces of fish Five to six ounces of steak Six to eight ounces of ground turkey Six to eight ounces of grass fed beef Four whole eggs plus one or two egg whites Cheese on a salad does not get you there. It adds calories and salt long before it delivers enough protein. What works in real life is not perfection. It is structure. Anchor protein early in the day. Build meals around it instead of adding it as an afterthought. Use shakes strategically when whole food falls short. Create defaults so decision fatigue does not win. For many adults over 40, somewhere around 0.7 to 1.0 grams per pound of goal body weight is a useful reference. Not a rule. A reality check. You do not feel under eating protein today. You feel it years later when strength, resilience, and confidence quietly slip. That is the trade.

You might assume that if you eat well, exercise, and keep your weight down, your cardiovascular risk is handled. Often that’s true. But not always. One marker that deserves more attention is lipoprotein(a). It’s largely genetic, and lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and weight loss usually have very little impact on lowering it. If elevated, it independently increases risk for heart attack, stroke, and aortic valve disease, even in people who appear otherwise healthy. The most important step isn’t fixing it. It’s knowing it. Lipoprotein(a) is not included on standard lipid panels. You have to ask for it specifically, and for most people, it only needs to be checked once. When you know your risk, you can manage everything else more intelligently. That’s where good decisions start.

Most people I work with don’t need more workouts. They need better decisions around effort, recovery, and consistency. After 40, the game changes. What worked in your 20s and 30s often starts working against you. More volume. More intensity. Less margin for error. Real progress now comes from training with intention, managing stress, and respecting recovery without becoming fragile. This community exists to explore that middle ground. Strong, capable, resilient bodies that support full lives. No extremes. No gimmicks. Just practical thinking around strength, energy, and longevity. If you’re here, you’re probably thinking long-term too. Welcome. — Josh