The Consistency Report – Volume 25

Your Monday dose of fitness, mindset, and lifestyle takeaways to keep you dialed in.

Author

Kyle Hunt
December 08, 2025

Every once in a while, you hit a moment where you realize you’re actually in the arena.

Not coasting. Not watching from the sidelines.

You’re pushing against something just a little heavier, running a little farther than you wanted to, or stretching your mind around a problem you could’ve avoided.

And strangely…that’s when life feels the most alive.

It’s rarely the comfortable days we remember. It’s the days when we leaned in, reached a limit, and discovered there was a little more in us than we assumed.

That’s what I’ve been chasing lately and looking forward to continuing in 2026.

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week.

Fitness

Is high-intensity training the secret?

Training goes through trends just like fashion. Baggy jeans. Skinny jeans. Baggy jeans again. Fitness is exactly the same. Everything eventually cycles back.

High-intensity training is in one of those “back again” cycles. Over the past few years, it resurged, went quiet, and now it’s suddenly cool again.

Now, the funny part? It’s popular right now because it’s what Jeff Nippard is promoting. However, there isn’t a ton of research backing this style as the superior way to train. That doesn’t mean it’s useless. There is a lot I like about it. High-intensity training forces focus, intention, and effort. It tightens up your session. And many people make great gains by going all-in on a low-volume, high-effort approach.

That said, training like Mike Mentzer is not the secret.

But, if you want the spark notes of what Mentzer did, here’s the essence of his Heavy Duty framework:

  • Very low volume. Think one or two true working sets per exercise.

  • Very high effort. Those sets go right up to (or slightly past) failure.

  • Slow, controlled reps. No sloppy momentum, deliberate tension, and full range of motion.

  • More rest days. He only trained ~3 days/week.

  • Short workouts. No marathon pump sessions. Get in, hit it hard, get out.

It’s not magic, but it will absolutely teach you how to try hard again, which most people haven’t done in a while.

Mindset

It’s never as bad as you think — but it’s never as good as you think, either.

When things feel awful, our brain tends to zoom all the way out and forecast catastrophe. When things feel amazing, that same brain likes to assume this is the new baseline forever.

Neither is real.

Life usually sits somewhere in the middle, and honestly, that’s a relief. It means the hard moments aren’t permanent, and the great moments aren’t proof that you’ve “made it” and can shut your brain off. It’s all just part of the process.

And that ties into the idea that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Not because life is bleak, but because shortcuts rarely hold up under pressure. When someone sells you instant fitness, instant wealth, instant confidence, they’re selling the fantasy of results, not the actual road.

Real progress tends to look like small wins stacked quietly until one day it all adds up.

What I’m Into

Setting goals for 2026

December always gets me into reflection and planning mode. I’ve already started looking at what I want next year to be about, and it feels good to think ahead with intention instead of waiting for January 1 like it has some kind of magic attached to it.

These aren’t resolutions.

They’re targets, things I want to pursue, prioritize, or improve. Some fitness. Some business. Some personal. All tied to building a life I actually want to live.

More on this soon.

Party Tricks on Instagram

Can you do this? It’s harder than it looks.

This Week’s Podcast

Rep Ranges, Smart Programming, and the Truth About Weight Loss Drugs | EP 538

I sat down with my buddy Nick Smoot, and we covered a mix of old topics we’ve touched before and some new ones we’ve been wrestling with lately. We get into rep ranges, what “smart programming” really looks like in the real world, the weight-loss drug craze, and a bunch of other stuff that’s been floating around the industry. It’s a relaxed conversation with plenty of practical takeaways.

Final Thought

The funny thing about consistency is that it rarely feels exciting in the moment. Most days it’s just you, doing the same unglamorous reps. But then you look back and realize those boring little efforts quietly dragged you somewhere better. Kinda makes you wonder what would happen if you started now and kept going.

See you next week.

– Kyle

PS – Ready to take the guesswork out of your training and nutrition?
Whether your goal is fat loss, muscle building, or getting strong without wrecking your joints, I’ll build you a plan that fits your life and keeps you consistent enough to see real results.