“The next level of growth is going to come from letting go and taking more risks. You’re trying to control things and you’re good at that, but the next level isn’t going to arrive with that mentality.”

This is what James FitzGerald told Marcus Filly before Regionals in 2017. Marcus ended up qualifying for his first CrossFit Games as an individual that year after “letting his hair down” so to speak and pushing the pace harder than he was comfortable with in the final workout.

Since then, Marcus has popularized the concept of Functional Bodybuilding and a more measured approach to intensity in fitness training – especially for people whose goal is to look good, feel good and move well.

Marcus owns multiple businesses including an online coaching company, a brick and mortar gym facility in San Rafael, and a supplement company called Revive-Rx.

Check out the full conversation with Marcus to learn:

  • How Marcus thinks about content creation – and how to approach writing to have a record of what you’ve done, writing to self-reflect, and writing to solve a problem for an audience
  • The difference between systemizing and going with the flow – and how to decide when a system is helpful and valuable, and when it should be ditched for being overly restrictive
  • How being overly analytical can cause roadblocks – and why the behavior that got you to where you are now won’t always get you to the next level

Check out the episode at the links below. If you enjoyed the episode, the best way to support the show is to share with your friends, so send them a link.

Listen Here

Check out more from Marcus, Revival Strength & Functional Bodybuilding here:

Show Notes

  • [01:51] The differences between posting training on a WordPress blog and posting training on social media – and the differences between posting to have a record of what you’ve done, posting to self-reflect, and posting to share for an audience.
  • [11:17] What was the tipping point to move from the personal fitness blog to social media?
  • [15:20] The difference between systemizing and going with the flow – and how to decide when a system is helpful and valuable, and when it’s overly restrictive.
  • [20:04] “Letting your hair down” – how being overly analytical can cause roadblocks, and why what got you here won’t always get you there
  • [31:53] Training with Danny Nichols – and strapping him to the pull-up bar with lifting straps to teach him kipping. And tales of folly and intensity from the Grid League including a broken hand from touch-and-go power snatches.
  • [42:59] Tying multiple different businesses together – and the challenges of running an in-person gym when you’re running a successful online business.
  • [52:38] How to create content for a large audience – and how to think about people misunderstanding the message
  • [01:03:25] How to handle and react to negativity on the internet – and how handle the opportunity cost of helping everyone who reaches out for advice while still being grateful for the fact that people are paying attention.

Links and Resources Mentioned