Category Archives: Fitness and Health

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Natural Strength Training: Three Days, One More Set

Fitness and Health, Strength & Challenges, , , , , , , ,

I had already finished my entire chest workout.
I could have called it a day, but I was thinking
about yesterday’s workout. I had done some
bent-over lateral raises for my shoulders,
but that was about it.

So I decided to sit down at the Smith machine,
put a 45-pound plate on each side, and get
one more shoulder set in.

Nothing planned. Nothing complicated.
Just a little extra work to supplement
yesterday’s shoulder training.

That final set was the only video I recorded
during three days of natural strength training.
And looking back, those three workouts were
all pretty different.

One More Set After Chest Day

Here’s the actual shoulder-press set from
November 8, 2026.

One 45-pound plate on each side, after
completing my chest workout.


Watch the Short on YouTube

Day One: Heavy Legs and High Repetitions

I started with trap-bar Romanian deadlifts
and leg presses, alternating between the
two exercises.

Once the leg presses got heavy, I stopped
supersetting and concentrated on the heavier
sets.

Leg workout highlights

  • Trap-bar Romanian deadlifts
  • Leg press: 7 plates per side × 10 reps
  • Leg press: 8 plates per side × 7 reps
  • Back-off set: 5 plates per side × 30 reps

I enjoy lifting heavy, but I also enjoy
higher repetitions. That 30-rep set with
five plates on each side was a different
kind of challenge.

That’s something I like about training.
There isn’t just one way to challenge yourself.

Day Two: Dumbbells, Arms, Shoulders and Abs

The following day was completely different.
I used 25-pound dumbbells for a circuit,
moving between exercises and finishing
each round with sit-ups.

Three rounds of:

  • Bent-over dumbbell lateral raises — 25 lbs
  • Alternating dumbbell curls — 25 lbs
  • Lying dumbbell triceps extensions — 25 lbs
  • 20 sit-ups each round

Total: 60 sit-ups.

It was a good workout, but the only direct
shoulder exercise I did was the bent-over
lateral raise, which focuses primarily on
the rear deltoids.

I didn’t do shoulder presses or much other
direct shoulder work. That’s what I was
thinking about the next day.

Day Three: Chest, Heavy Presses and High Reps

Today’s workout was chest. The gym I used
only had dumbbells up to 50 pounds, so
I started with the Smith machine for my
heavier incline presses.

Low-incline Smith machine chest press

  • Two 45-pound plates per side
  • 180 pounds in plates
  • 3 sets × 6 repetitions

Flat dumbbell chest press

  • 50 pounds per hand × 20 reps
  • 50 pounds per hand × 22 reps

Flat dumbbell flyes

  • 30 pounds per hand × 15 reps
  • 30 pounds per hand × 20 reps

Something I found interesting was that I
actually increased my repetitions on the
second set of both dumbbell exercises.

I wasn’t taking every set to absolute
failure. I was paying attention to how
I felt and how many repetitions I thought
I still had available.

Between the incline presses, flat presses
and flyes, I completed seven chest
working sets and 95 repetitions.

Why I Added the Shoulder Press

After finishing all that chest work,
I remembered yesterday’s circuit.

I had trained my rear shoulders with
bent-over lateral raises, but hadn’t
done much else specifically for them.

So I adjusted the bench to a steeper
angle under the Smith machine and
loaded one 45-pound plate on each side.

That’s 90 pounds in plates, plus the
machine’s effective bar weight.
Smith machine bars vary, so I’m not
claiming a particular total resistance.

I wasn’t trying to set a personal
record. I wasn’t starting another
full shoulder workout.

I just wanted one pressing set
to supplement yesterday’s shoulder
work and rep it out a little.

And since I had already completed a
full chest workout, my shoulders
weren’t exactly fresh.

I recorded the set, something I
probably should do more often.
Watching myself afterward gives me
a different perspective on my form,
range of motion and positioning.

Even after years of lifting, there’s
always something to learn.

Three Different Workouts, One Approach

These three days are a good example of
how I enjoy training.

Some days I go heavy. Other days
I use supersets, circuits or higher
repetitions.

I don’t believe every workout has
to look exactly the same.

I want to continue building muscle,
maintaining strength, paying attention
to recovery and enjoying the process.

I wrote previously about

getting back on track after missing gym days
.
This feels like a natural continuation
of that story.

I’m back into a consistent rhythm,
experimenting with different workouts
and enjoying being in the gym.

Still training. Still experimenting.
Still learning.

And sometimes one extra set is exactly
what I feel like doing.

Getting Back on Track After Missing Gym Days

Curtis Matthews, Fitness and Health, food, Pictures, Strength & Challenges, ,

Updated July 13, 2026

Getting back on track does not always look pretty.

Sometimes it looks like missing too many gym days, eating out more than planned, taking a trip, enjoying the holiday, then coming home and deciding the routine starts again now.

I am not writing this like some fitness expert who never misses a workout.

I am writing it as me.

I had a stretch where I missed too many gym days. Part of it was the Fourth of July trip. Part of it was food, family, people, places, and just being out of the normal routine. That happens. The mistake is not missing a few days. The mistake is letting a few missed days turn into a whole new bad habit.

That is what I am trying not to do.

The Fourth of July Trip Threw Off the Routine

We had a good Fourth of July weekend. We went places, ate good food, spent time with people, and enjoyed life. I am not going to pretend I was walking around with a food scale and a perfect fitness plan in my pocket.

That is not real life for me.

I like training. I like eating better. I like feeling strong. But I also go out to eat. I eat burgers. I eat wings. I eat restaurant food. I enjoy the people around me. I enjoy the places we go.

The key is not pretending that none of that happened. The key is getting back to the routine after it happens.

Fourth of July Trip Photos

These are photos from the Fourth of July trip: food we ate, people we were with, and places we went. This is part of the story because fitness is not happening in a perfect little box. It is happening inside real life.

Missing Gym Days Can Mess With Your Head

When I miss too many gym days, I feel it.

Not just physically. Mentally too.

I start thinking I lost momentum. I start thinking I am falling behind. I start thinking I need some perfect plan to get back on track.

But the truth is simple: I do not need a perfect plan. I need to start again.

That means walking again. Training again. Eating better again. Sleeping better again. Taking the basic things seriously again.

The reset is not complicated: stop dragging yesterday into today. Do the next right thing and rebuild the rhythm.

Walking Is Still the Anchor

One thing that helps me get back on track is walking.

Walking does not beat me up. It does not require a big setup. It does not need a perfect gym day. It just requires getting outside and moving.

For the past month, we have been walking almost every day. Usually it is at least a mile and a half a day, and many days it is more like two miles or more. Not always all at once. Sometimes we walk a mile, then walk again later.

That matters because when the gym schedule gets messy, walking keeps the body moving and keeps the mind from sliding too far off track.

Back to the Weights

After missing days, I do not need to punish myself in the gym.

That is where people mess up. They miss workouts, then they try to make up for everything in one brutal session. Then they get sore, tired, and discouraged.

For me, the smarter move is to get back into training without turning it into a punishment.

Sometimes that means going back to my normal split:

  • Chest, shoulders, and triceps
  • Back and biceps
  • Legs

Other times, it means doing a full-body workout. That can be at home with dumbbells or at the gym with machines, free weights, or a mix of both.

The full-body workouts have been feeling good because they make my whole body feel worked. I feel pumped up everywhere. I feel like I am burning more body fat. And I do not feel like I destroyed one body part so badly that I need days to recover.

The Home Dumbbell Workouts Count

I have dumbbells at home. That means I do not always have an excuse.

If I cannot make it to the gym, I can still train. It may not be perfect. It may not be the heaviest workout. But it counts.

A full-body dumbbell workout can be enough to get the blood moving, hit the muscles, and remind myself that I am still doing this.

That is the mindset I need more of: do what I can do today, then build from there.

Food Is Part of the Story Too

I am not trying to act like I eat perfectly.

We go out to eat. We went out during the Fourth of July trip. We eat burgers, wings, Chipotle, Thai food, homemade food, and bread my wife makes. We try to choose better quality food when we can, but I am not pretending every meal is some perfect fitness meal.

That is why I like showing the food too.

It is real. It shows the balance. It shows that I am trying to get leaner and healthier without acting like I live in a fitness magazine.

The goal is better choices most of the time, not fake perfection.

The Creatine Is Part of Tightening Things Up

I also bought a better creatine from Costco. I had been using a cheaper version from Amazon, and now I am stepping it up with a better-quality one.

I am not saying creatine is magic. It is not.

The basics matter more: walking, lifting, eating real food, sleeping better, and staying consistent. But if I am already doing the basics, then taking creatine consistently is one more piece of the routine.

Orgain creatine supplement from Costco used as part of Curtis Matthews' fitness routine.
New creatine from Costco. Not magic. Just one more part of tightening up the basics and staying consistent.

Supplements do not replace discipline. They only support the work if the work is actually getting done.

What Getting Back on Track Means for Me

Getting back on track does not mean I need to become a different person overnight.

It means I need to tighten up the basics.

  • Walk almost every day
  • Get back to the gym
  • Use full-body workouts when needed
  • Stop eating too late when I can
  • Sleep better
  • Take creatine consistently
  • Eat more real food
  • Stop letting missed days become an excuse

That is the reset.

I Am Not Starting Over

This is the part I have to remember.

When I miss too many gym days, I am not starting over from zero. I am just restarting the routine.

There is a big difference.

I still have the years of training. I still have the strength base. I still know what to do. I just have to do it again, without making the story bigger than it needs to be.

That is where I am right now.

Back to walking. Back to lifting. Back to real food. Back to the routine.

Not perfect. Just back on track.

Curtis Matthews smiling at the gym after a workout, wearing a blue tank top and flexing his arms.

What I’ve Been Doing This Month: Walking, Training, and Eating Real Food

Curtis Matthews, Fitness and Health, food, Pictures, Strength & Challenges, ,

Updated June 28, 2026

I’m not writing this as a fitness expert or somebody claiming to have it all figured out.

I’m writing this because I like being honest about what I’m actually doing.

For the past month, I’ve been making a real effort to improve my health, drop body fat, and keep muscle. I’m not trying to be extreme. I’m not trying to live like a bodybuilder 24/7. I’m just trying to be more consistent, make better choices, and keep moving in the right direction.

Curtis Matthews smiling at the gym after a workout, wearing a blue tank top and flexing his arms.
Me at the gym this month. Not perfect. Not finished. Just staying consistent.

Walking Almost Every Day

For the last 30 days, we’ve been walking almost every day.

I would say we average at least a mile and a half a day, and usually more like two miles or more. It’s not always all at once. Sometimes we do a mile, then later we walk again.

That has been one of the biggest consistent habits this month. Nothing fancy. Just walking more, every day, and staying active.

The simple goal: move more every day. Not just when I feel motivated. Not just when everything is perfect. Just get the steps in and keep going.

Intermittent Fasting Without Being Extreme

Another thing we’ve been doing is trying to stop eating by 8:00 PM and then not eat again until noon the next day.

We’re not obsessive about it. We’re not so strict that life revolves around the clock. But in general, that’s the pattern we’ve been following, and it has helped keep things more controlled.

It’s a simple routine:

  • Stop eating around 8 PM
  • Start eating again around noon
  • Stay consistent most days

That’s been one of the easiest ways for us to create structure without making life miserable.

Going to the Gym at Least Five Days a Week

We’ve also been going to the gym at least five times a week.

Most of the time, I do a basic split:

  • Chest, shoulders, and triceps
  • Back and biceps
  • Legs

That’s usually my foundation.

But I don’t force the same exact workout no matter how I feel. If I feel like a total-body workout makes more sense that day, I’ll do that instead.

Sometimes I do a total-body workout at home with dumbbells. Other times, if I do total body at the gym, it might be all machines or a mix of machines and free weights. On those days, I’m not trying to destroy one body part. I spread the work out more evenly across my whole body.

Honestly, those total-body workouts often make me feel like I’m burning more body fat. My whole body feels pumped, and I leave feeling worked without feeling beat up.

So for me, it’s not about blindly following one system. It’s about training consistently and adjusting based on how I feel.

Full-Body Dumbbell Workout

This is one of my full-body dumbbell workouts. I use workouts like this when I want to hit the whole body, keep the pace moving, and feel like I’m training for strength, conditioning, and fat loss at the same time.

A full-body dumbbell workout. This is the kind of training I mix in when I want to work the whole body without beating up one body part too much.

Sleep Has Been Better

Sleep has also improved.

We’ve been getting at least around six hours of sleep a night, and one thing that seems to be helping me is taking magnesium at night.

For me personally, that has helped cut down on waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom over and over. Without it, I might wake up several times. With magnesium, it may only happen once or twice, if that.

That alone makes a big difference in how I feel the next day.

Creatine and Supplements

I’ve also been taking creatine.

Up until now, I’ve been using a cheaper version from Amazon. But we just bought a better-quality creatine from Costco, one that Bobby Parrish recommended. I’ll probably start using that next week.

It’s a small change, but I do think product quality matters, especially if it’s something you’re taking regularly.

We Go Out to Eat — But We Still Try to Eat Real Food

One thing I want to be honest about is this: we go out to eat a lot.

But even when we do, we still try to make better choices and focus on real food over heavily processed food.

For example, this month alone I think we’ve been to Steak ’n Shake about five times. The reason is simple: they started using 100% grass-fed beef in their burgers, and that definitely made us more interested in going there. We also like that their fries are cooked in beef tallow.

We also eat at places like Chipotle, Thai restaurants, and other spots where we can still get meals that feel more like real food.

And at home, we’re not eating some fake “diet food” version of life either. We eat real food there too.

That includes things like:

  • Chicken wings
  • Burgers
  • Chipotle bowls
  • Thai food
  • Home-cooked meals
  • Bread my wife makes
  • Ezekiel bread and other healthier breads when we can get them
  • 100% grass-fed milk
  • Pasture-raised eggs
  • Halal chicken

We try to pay attention to the quality of what we’re eating without turning every meal into a science project.

Food Photos From This Month

These are some of the meals from the past month. Burgers, wings, Chipotle, Thai food, homemade food, bread, and other real food we’ve been eating while still walking, training, and working on dropping body fat.

Food photo album: View some of what we ate this month

This Isn’t About Being Perfect

That’s probably the main point of this post.

I’m not trying to act like I eat perfectly. I’m not trying to act like I’m shredded. I’m not pretending I never eat burgers or fries.

What I am doing is this:

  • Walking almost every day
  • Training about five days a week
  • Using intermittent fasting as a structure
  • Trying to sleep better
  • Taking a few helpful supplements
  • Eating real food as much as possible
  • Staying consistent

That’s the real picture.

Health and fitness don’t have to look fake to work. Sometimes it’s just doing a lot of basic things well, over and over again.

And that’s what I’ve been doing this month.

Graphic for Curtis Matthews showing gym equipment with the words Still Strong at 59, Natural Strength, Business Discipline.

Still Strong at 59: Natural Fitness, Business Discipline, and the Mobile Wiseguy Mindset

Curtis Matthews, Fitness and Health, Strength & Challenges, Wireless Career & Milestones, ,

I am 59 years old. I have trained naturally my whole life.

No shortcuts. No fake image.

Just years of showing up, pushing through hard days, and refusing to quit halfway.

Still Strong at 59

I am not posting this just to brag about fitness. Strength matters, but the deeper story is discipline.

For most of my life, training has been part of who I am. Not because it was easy. Not because I always felt like doing it. Because I learned a long time ago that results come from consistency.

That lesson has carried into every part of my life, including business.

1,000 nonstop air squats A test of endurance, focus, and refusing to stop when it gets uncomfortable.
100 nonstop leg press reps Four plates per side for 100 reps. No drama. Just work.
1,000-pound leg press 32 reps years ago, built from decades of natural training.
20+ pull-ups at 59 Still training. Still improving. Still not making excuses.

I also completed the St. Jude push-up challenge with 6,100 push-ups. That kind of challenge is not just physical. It is mental. You either keep showing up or you do not.

1,000 Nonstop Air Squats

This is one of the best examples of what I mean by discipline. Air squats sound simple until you keep going long after your body wants you to stop.

100 Reps on the Leg Press

This video shows me doing 100 nonstop reps on the leg press with four plates per side. At this stage of life, I am not trying to prove I can lift the heaviest weight in the room. I am proving that discipline still works.

1,000-Pound Leg Press for 32 Reps

This was years ago, but it is still part of my story. I built that strength naturally over time. No shortcuts. No magic formula. Just training, patience, and consistency.

What Fitness Taught Me About Business

Fitness taught me patience. It taught me pain tolerance. It taught me follow-through. Most of all, it taught me accountability.

You do not get stronger by talking about training. You get stronger by doing the work.

Business is the same way.

Customers do not need excuses. They need someone who follows through. Someone who stays with the issue. Someone who does not disappear when the process gets frustrating.

When a company needs help with wireless upgrades, new lines, account cleanup, device ordering, or business wireless support, the work is not always simple. There are details. There are delays. There are moving parts.

That is where discipline matters.

I understand the value of staying with a problem until it is handled. I learned that in the gym long before I applied it in business.

The Mobile Wiseguy Mindset

Mobile Wiseguy is not just a name. It is how I operate.

Direct. Experienced. No fluff. No quitting halfway.

I have spent decades in wireless. I have seen how confusing business accounts, upgrades, promotions, billing issues, and device orders can become when nobody takes ownership.

That is why I try to be the person who stays with the problem until there is a result.

The same discipline that built my strength is the same discipline I bring into my work.

Natural strength. Business discipline. Still building.

Need Business Wireless Help?

If your business needs help with wireless upgrades, new lines, device ordering, or business account support, contact me through WirelessConsultant.net.

I bring the same mindset to business that I bring to training: stay with it until the job gets done.

Contact Curtis Matthews