The Consistency Report – Volume 12

I’m trying to write this newsletter with my Labradoodle on my lap, so this should be fun...

I want to start with stress. I don’t have specific research to cite here, but I’ve said for years that stress impacts performance in the gym—and therefore results—more than we realize.

In 15 years of coaching and 20 years of training, I’ve seen the pattern repeat. The best progress I’ve made in strength, muscle, or conditioning has always coincided with periods of lower stress in my life. On the other hand, high stress undermines motivation, hinders performance, and makes progress feel like pushing a boulder uphill.

It’s easy to underestimate how much outside stress bleeds into training. Poor sleep, money problems, relationship struggles, too much on your plate at work—it all shows up under the barbell. You can’t always separate “life” and “training” as neatly as you’d like.

So what do we do?

The solution isn’t to try to eliminate stress altogether—that’s impossible. Instead, it’s to manage the load. Think of stress like total training volume. If your life volume is high, you may need to adjust your training volume accordingly. The key is to keep showing up without digging yourself deeper into fatigue.

And most importantly, take recovery seriously. Sleep, walking, eating enough protein, and doing something each day that lowers your mental RPMs go a long way.

Consistency isn’t just about grinding; it’s about adjusting when life demands it.

Here is what I have for you this week.

Fitness: Build a Stronger Bench

I’ve been focusing on rebuilding my bench press for the past six weeks or so. I’d like to get back to consistently pressing over 400 pounds.

Here’s my best bench press technique tip—and it’s not what you’d expect.

Start with your feet.

The key to bench press strength is generating lower-body tension.

Now, foot placement is individual. It depends on your limb lengths, height, and even bodyweight. You’ll see lifters tuck their feet way back, keep them straight down, or push them out in front. All of those can work.

For most people, though, straight down or slightly forward works best for generating leg tension. You can go narrow, almost hugging the bench with your legs, or wider like a squat stance. Experiment until you find what lets you lock in the most tension.

Here’s the important part: leg drive isn’t about pushing the bar up. It’s about stability. Think of it less like a leg press. and more like doing a leg extension. Your foot pressure should push your toes into the front of your shoes, almost like you’re trying to slide yourself up the bench. Done right, you’ll feel like you’re on the edge of pushing yourself right off the pad.

That’s why high-quality equipment helps so much. A grippy bench pad locks you in place so that all the force you’re generating transfers into stability instead of slipping around. If you train at a commercial gym with slick benches, wrap a resistance band around the pad to create some traction.

Dial in your feet, create full-body tension, and you’ll unlock strength you didn’t know you had.

Mindset: Chase What Makes You Feel Alive

Search for moments that make you feel alive.

For me, competition does it. I love the butterflies, the nerves, and the sharpness that come with stepping onto a platform or into a challenge. But I’ve also found it outside of competition—usually in things that are really hard.

That’s the trick. If you don’t know what makes you feel alive, start with something difficult. Preferably something you’re not sure you can do. That’s where growth happens, and it’s often where those “alive” moments live.

What I’m Into

Quotes: I’ve always been a quote guy—whether it’s from books, movies, or music. This week, one that’s been stuck in my head comes from one of my favorite books, Fight Club:

“Why can’t you wake up as a different person?”

On the surface, it’s wild. But the deeper meaning is about transformation. You don’t have to be the same person tomorrow that you are today. You can choose to change. That’s both liberating and terrifying. Most of us carry the weight of our old habits and identities. But the truth is, every day you wake up is a chance to write a new page.

Unique Experiences: This is an area I need to improve on. It’s easy to get stuck in routine—gym, work, family, repeat. But life gets richer when you create unique experiences. They don’t have to be crazy or expensive. It could be trying a new sport, taking a spontaneous trip, or even just breaking your own habits. The moments you remember years later are rarely the ones where everything was perfectly normal. They’re the ones where you did something different.

This Week’s Podcast Episode

Only one episode this week:

🎙 Science Based Training is Broken | EP 520

In this one, Derek and I dig into the issues with the modern science-based lifting community. Has it gone too far?

Final Thought

We started by talking about stress, and here’s the thing—it’s never going away. But you get to choose how you respond to it. Training has always been my anchor. No matter what’s going on in life, an hour in the gym resets me.

Your anchor might be different—lifting, running, walking the dog, or even just sitting down with a book. All of those things help me too. The point is to have something that grounds you when life feels chaotic. Build that into your routine, protect it, and lean on it when stress starts to pile up.

That’s how you stay consistent—not by avoiding hard times, but by creating habits that carry you through them.

-Kyle

PS – Ready to dial it in?
Let’s work together → Hunt Fitness Coaching