From Dan’s Bench

Most people don’t stall in their training because they’re unmotivated.
It’s not because they don’t have time.
And it’s not because exercise is boring.
They stall because the plan they’re following was never built to last.

Whether it’s a hand-me-down from high school soccer preseason, a random influencer’s “shred guide,” or even a 5-day/week group fitness class—it’s the same story.

None of it accounts for:

• How your body has changed

• How your life and goals have evolved

• What kind of structure actually supports both performance and longevity

If you’re a former athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone who’s trained long enough to know when something feels off—you’ve felt this.

You’re not alone.

🧠 The Problem

Most programs are built for extremes.
A half-marathon. A fat loss cut. A grip strength challenge.
They’re myopic. They may even work. Until they don’t.
Then you’re stuck guessing.
The scales tip. The pendulum swings.

And suddenly, you’re ping-ponging between:

• Overtraining and undertraining

• Under-recovering and over-resting

• Pushing through pain or stalling out in plateaus

Eventually, something gives. Or you do.
That’s not resilience.
That’s fragility in a fancy package.

🔍 The Process

I’ve seen the pendulum swing in friends. In patients.
I’ve felt it myself.

That’s why I built Arc Fit.

Not as another program—
But as a system for former athletes and high-performers who want to train with purpose and keep moving for life.

We start with your current goals.
And often uncover new ones along the way.

It’s personal. It’s professional. It’s individualized.
And yes—it works.

Here’s how we do things differently:

• Build strength that lasts. Not just PRs that peak and fade.

• Train with movement intelligence. Evolve from injury-avoidant to injury-resistant.

• Condition with purpose. Energy system development that fuels your life rather than draining it.

• Adapt on demand. Your plan grows with you—no more falling off the wagon when life shifts.

• Cultivate confidence. Built through consistency, not punishment.

We anchor everything in long-term resilience. Then we dial in the short-term wins.

Want to run a speedy 5K? Done.
Pack on muscle? Absolutely.
Crush a long alpine climb? Let’s go.

Burpees? Still optional.
But knowing your training truth—that’s non-negotiable.

This isn’t just a system you follow.
It’s one you’ll learn, adapt, and own as you progress.

One that delivers the same results the fitness fads promise—
but in a way that’s sustainable, flexible, and real.

One that helps you stay grounded, even when life tries to throw you off balance.

You already know what you want.
Now we do too.

Let’s go get it.

Workout of the Moment: USSS PFA

At the end of a long training block last year, I ran the Upper Body Round Robin (UBRR) as a benchmark—to mark progress and set a new bar for future cycles. I’ll be doing something similar before starting my next block, using it as both a gut check and a guide.

This time, I’m highlighting the U.S. Secret Service Physical Fitness Assessment. It’s clean, efficient, and a solid measure of strength-endurance and conditioning. The best part is it requires next-to-no equipment.

The Test:

• Push-Ups: Max reps in 1 minute

• Sit-Ups: Max reps in 1 minute

• Chin-Ups: Max reps (no time limit)

• 1.5-Mile Run: For time

Start to finish, it takes ~25–30 minutes.
Once done, plug your results into the scoring chart to get a total point value—and track how you evolve over time.

Simple. Brutal. Benchmarkable.
Go get gritty.

Streaming

This issue’s soundscape:
Panda Bear – Sinister Grift

This record is minimalist, textured, and quietly brilliant. Best served with headphones and a side of introspection.

Two standouts:

• Ends Meet – It rides a loping groove that feels both meditative and mildly paranoid, but you’re nodding along anyway.

• Defense – Strong early candidate for my track of the year. Off-kilter percussion. Ghostly vocal layers. Meandering solos. It’s the kind of track that makes you question whether you’re winding down… or gearing up for something you didn’t plan.

File under: Tracks for your next Zone 2 Existential Crisis.

Spotlight

Stress-Test Your System

Fitness testing gets a bad rap. Either it’s used as a glorified pissing contest, or it’s entirely ignored in favor of vibes-based progress tracking.

Now, there’s a time and place for each, but when done right, a well-placed benchmark does more than measure output.

It stress-tests the system.

Not just your aerobic base or strength endurance, but your recovery habits, pacing strategies, and headspace under pressure. It shows you what your current routine is actually supporting, not to mention what it might be quietly eroding.

That nagging shoulder?
The sleep debt you’ve been hand-waving?
The over-reliance on caffeine and willpower?

It all shows up here.

That’s the value of scheduled discomfort: it strips away the noise and shows you if the system is truly holding up.

But don’t overlook the fact that stress testing is not the same as studying for the test.

Training only to nail a specific benchmark can give the illusion of progress while masking real deficiencies. It’s easy to game a test, but harder to build a system that performs consistently under varied demands.

The goal isn’t just to pass.
It’s to reveal. To refine.

To make sure the whole system is sound—not just the parts you prepped for.