Jose Montanez

Marine, 20+ yrs active duty. I write simple systems for busy men: fitness, productivity, discipline. Author of The 20-30-40 Method. Stimulate, don't annihilate.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

I served 20+ years in the Marines. Long workouts never fit my life. So I built a plan that takes about 20–40 minutes. Here's how it works 🧵

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Heading home today.

Travel days usually mean no gym for me. I may take a walk in the afternoon or evening. Something is better than nothing.

What do you do to move on a travel day?

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

At home, my day centers on a 12:30 lunch workout. On the road, I don't get that.

So I plan it hotel by hotel. A room workout one day. The hotel gym when there is one. Golf when I can.

How do you keep moving when you travel?

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Today is Veterans Day.

Thank you to everyone who served, and to the families who waited at home.

I'm grateful to serve next to some of the best people I know.

Who is a veteran you're thinking about today?

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

I'm trying something old school this week.

Vince Gironda's Hawaiian Diet. Meat, chicken or fish with papaya or pineapple, 2-3 times a day. I'm doing it for 4 days, just to see how it goes. Even on the road.

Have you ever tried an old bodybuilding diet?

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

@Getting2BT You're absolutely right! Let's get after it!

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

On the road for work again starting today.

No gym planned today. So I'm planning a bodyweight workout in my hotel room. Squats, push-ups, a little floor space. That's enough.

What's your go-to workout when there's no gym?

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Happy 251st Birthday, Marine Corps.

I've served on active duty since 2003. Today I think about the Marines I served with, and the ones who came before us.

Semper Fi.

Marines, where were you for your first Birthday Ball?

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Hotel room workout, the plan: no weights, just me.

My upper body gets a pump fast. My legs lag, even with weights. Bodyweight work shows me that even more.

Does one part of your body always lag behind the rest?

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Discipline isn't about feeling ready. In the Corps, you did the job whether you felt like it or not. Same with training. Start the timer.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Sunday is my planning day. Meals, workouts, and the week's calendar. 30 minutes today saves me a lot of stress later.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Track one thing this week. Your workouts, your water, or your bedtime. Just one. You can't fix what you don't see.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

New article: how I keep training when life gets busy. Short version ready, time protected, no "make-up" days. Link in reply.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

"I'll start Monday" is a trap. Start with the next small thing you can do today. A walk. A set of pushups. Anything.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Your calendar shows what you value. Put your training time on it, just like a meeting.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Don't try to make up a missed workout by doubling the next one. Just do the next planned day. That's it.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Hurt your back? You may not need to stop training. You may need to change the moves. I dropped heavy back squats and deadlifts. I still train hard.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

@AppliedFitness Move better is the one I'd put first after 40. When I move well, the look and the feel tend to follow.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

@Nicolascole77 Going back to old posts is underrated. Some of my best ideas were sitting in pieces I'd already written. A new angle beats a new topic most days.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

Long rest breaks kill lunch workouts. Use a timer. When it beeps, you go. No phone breaks.

[Jose Montanez @MontanezWrites]

@Tim_Denning Still serving, so I have a boss for now. But the writing I do on my own time is the part that feels like mine. Freedom over flash.