I’ve known Steve Kamb, the founder of Nerd Fitness, for about 15 years.
We’ve shared countless meals in Portland and NYC. We celebrated New Year’s Eve in Dublin. And we’ve taken half a dozen trips to Vegas together – one of which may have even resulted in a pair of stolen pants. But I’ll save that story for another time.
And during all of those adventures together, there was one thing that always impressed me most about Steve: his ability to keep balance.
Sure, he can eat and drink with the best of them, but his ability to maintain some sense of discipline while he’s doing it is admirable. Up until my most recent trip this summer, the only time I’d ever visited a gym in Vegas was with Steve.
He travels the world, runs a huge business, yet he has built a series of habits and systems that allow him to have fun, be social, enjoy life – while also taking care of his body.
Last April, we were catching up shortly after my 40th birthday, and I decided it was time: I wanted to find even a little bit of that discipline and balance in my own life.
And the best part? He could actually help through his business.
Note: I Know This Isn’t Our Regular Type of Review
Obviously, this is a little bit different than our typical review here at Breaking Eighty. But I know there are a lot of people in this community who are in a similar place as me.
Somewhere in your 30s-50s, generally successful in most aspects of life, but need help with the fitness and health side of things.
This fitness coaching program has been a big part of my life for the last 8 months. It’s helped me a lot, and I think it can legitimately help other people like me as well.
Obviously, Steve is also a good friend of mine, but this post is not sponsored in any way. I told him when I joined that if it went well, I was interested in writing about it on Breaking Eighty – but that if I did so, I’d be 100% honest about my experience. Both the good and the bad.
He agreed. So here we are.
What is Nerd Fitness Coaching?
Steve built an empire around one of the most well-branded blogs I’ve ever seen: fitness for video game nerds. While it’s expanded well beyond that initial audience, the core philosophy remains the same – making fitness accessible, sustainable, and dare I say it, fun.
After becoming a published author and building a massive fan base, Steve wanted to find a better way to actually facilitate real change. That’s when Nerd Fitness Coaching was born.
The service pairs you with a dedicated 1-on-1 coach who creates customized workout plans, provides nutrition guidance, and, perhaps most importantly, holds you accountable. It’s not just about what exercises to do or what foods to eat. It’s about building systems and habits that actually stick, even when life gets chaotic.
The program operates through a mobile app where you communicate with your coach via text and video messages, track your workouts, log your progress, and receive your customized programming. Your coach checks in 2-3 times per week minimum, responds within one business day, and continuously adjusts your plan based on what’s working (and what isn’t).
Half strategy, half accountability – this was the coaching service I’d been looking for.
Getting Started with My Coach
For the past 9 months, I’ve been working with Coach Matt Myers.
After an initial intro call and intake form, it took about a week to get started (could have been sooner, but I wanted to start on a Monday). Matt was assigned to me based on my golf background and goals – he’s TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) certified, which means he understands golf-specific movement patterns and training.
The team of coaches over there have worked with hundreds of golfers throughout the past few years, so despite not being marketed specifically as a “golf fitness” program, they’ll have you covered.
Matt started by really taking the time to get to know my unique situation. One of my biggest struggles has always been breaking routine when I travel. I’m on the road every few weeks, often on golf trips to resorts where there’s lots of food, drinks, and not a ton of free time for structured exercise.
We established early on that this aspect of my life wasn’t likely to change anytime soon, so we had to find a way to adapt and maintain some semblance of a routine while I’m on the road. Even if it goes more into maintenance mode than significant progress, the goal was to not have to backtrack every time I traveled.
Matt put together multiple workout options, and we decided on a schedule:
- Two primary cardio sessions
- Two primary strength sessions
- Two bodyweight workouts designed for travel that could be done anywhere
The strength programming started with a workout Matt calls “One Workout to Rule Them All”—a simple full-body routine that serves as our baseline. When I fall out of my schedule (which has happened), we circle back to this as a reliable way to re-engage. Once I’m locked in, we scale up to more specific and frequent workouts.
For cardio, Matt programmed a mix of endurance and VO2 max training, but he’s also given me freedom to incorporate things I enjoy, like Peloton rides.
What’s Actually Happened Over 8 Months?
I wish I could say my progress was a straight line. It wasn’t.
I started strong, and the first two weeks were great. I logged my food and started making tweaks to my diet. But as soon as the first trip showed up, things slowly flew off the rails.
The difference this time? While I was disappointed in myself on those early trips, Matt never gave up on me. We’d check in when I got back, and he helped me quickly get back into my routine.
As the months went on, I learned to proactively reach out to him before trips to create a plan. I’d check in more when I was on the road. We worked on the mantra: You can adjust the effort, but not the routine. So even if I didn’t get a full 60-minute strength workout in a gym, if I could squeeze in 10 minutes of bodyweight exercises in a hotel room? That’s a win.
The biggest changes I’ve seen have come down to consistency and mindset.
I certainly haven’t been perfect, but I’ve bounced back faster than I had previously after holidays or extended travel. I’ve also had more dedicated exercise on my trips than I’ve ever had. I’m actually using hotel gyms. I’m running around cities when I travel. In fact, this year, some of my most memorable travel moments were early morning runs in Vietnam and Florence, Italy.
Another big improvement has been a focus on flexibility and stretching. Historically, I very rarely stretched. But I’m 40 now. It’s never going to get easier to build the habit, and my flexibility is only going to continue to deteriorate. Having easy, repeatable, scalable warm-up and cool-down stretches programmed into my routine has been hugely helpful.
It’s been cool to see tangible progress as I increase both reps and weights. I can feel myself legitimately getting stronger. On the golf course, I’ve noticed increased flexibility, less soreness after rounds, and yes – I’ve seen increased distance on my drives (though that’s most likely due to a swing change and a new Callaway driver).
My ultimate goal is to get down to under 200 pounds for the first time in years. We’re slowly making progress, but I’ll be honest – while I’ve had the fitness side pretty dialed, it’s the diet that needs work to hit that goal.
The Nutrition Challenge
This is honestly the area where I’ve struggled most. Especially on the road.
Matt has helped with full meal plans in the past, but I found that for me, doing too much all at once led to things falling apart. So we’ve focused on getting the fitness routine and habit built first, then we can layer on more of the diet work.
He’s been great at giving me simple, actionable rules I can actually follow. For example: When out to eat, you get alcohol, bread, OR dessert – pick one of the three. Or for every drink, I have to have 16 oz of water in between.
It’s not a perfect science, and I have a long way to go. But just having a few easy-to-follow guidelines has helped keep me from completely going off the rails during trips where there are a bunch of very nice meals.
The hardest part has been being honest with myself about how little self-control I have. Matt has been a great sounding board for this. He doesn’t judge, and he’s quick to help me pivot to something else if one strategy doesn’t work.
How the Coaching Actually Works
Matt sends me texts or messages through the coaching app a few times a week. He’ll also send 2-3 minute video messages to comment on weekly performance and give me things to think about or work on.
The app works pretty well and allows me to track all of my workouts, build streaks, and communicate with my coach. Matt is always quick to respond on weekdays, and having someone a text away for support has been awesome.
He’s been great at helping me scale things back when it felt like too much and caused the routine to break. But he also knows when to ramp things up, adjust the routine to be more difficult, or – when necessary – be more of a hardass and stop me from being lazy.
About 2 months ago, I told Matt to ramp up the discipline. He enthusiastically obliged. Now I’m getting less grace, he’s not letting my excuses fly as much, and as a result? The results have been coming.
A note on the app: It does the job, but it’s not the best I’ve used. Creating or logging workouts that aren’t already set up is a little cumbersome. But Matt has been great at helping with that.
For instance, I have a HIIT routine I like (40 jumping jacks, 20 pushups, 30 sit-ups, 2 laps around an indoor track, 500m row – 5 rounds). He went in and created that workout in the system, which made it really easy on my end. I still track all my workouts in Garmin Connect as well, but I primarily use the NF app so Matt can track my progress and for communication.
The Honest Truth: What Works and What Doesn’t
What’s been great:
- The personalized attention and adaptability to my crazy travel schedule
- Having someone who genuinely cares about my progress and checks in consistently
- The focus on building sustainable habits rather than quick fixes
- Matt’s patience and non-judgmental approach
- The flexibility to adjust intensity based on life circumstances
- Feeling like I have a partner in this, not just a program
What’s been challenging:
- The app isn’t as polished as some other fitness apps I’ve used
- I do sometimes wish I had an in-person coach. The video overviews for exercises are great, but sometimes I still wonder if I’m doing everything correctly. I can video and send clips to Matt for review, which is helpful, but that isn’t quite the same as having someone there in person.
- Sometimes you just want that extra push that an in-person trainer can provide during a tough set
- The nutrition side requires more self-discipline than I’ve been able to consistently muster
The real talk on results: So while I can’t say the changes have been dramatic so far, that’s been on me. Lack of commitment to diet has been the big Achilles heel, and still is. I’ve been traveling essentially every other week for basically the last year.
When I’m in town, I’m great and we see progress. The travel side still needs some work.
But I’m stronger than I’ve been in years, slowly losing weight, and most importantly, my diet and fitness are now at the forefront of my mind rather than an afterthought.
Is It Worth $297/Month?
Yes. Absolutely.
Look, these days you can get workout routines and diet plans from ChatGPT that are actually pretty good. But the real value lies in having a partner. The accountability. The encouragement. The adaptability. The help and feeling of knowing you don’t have to do it all on your own.
Matt has been the best partner I’ve ever had at THAT side of it.
You could probably get some similar benefits with something like Golf Forever, but it’s the tailored coaching and genuine accountability that really make Nerd Fitness compelling.
For context, in-person trainers typically cost $60-$150+ per hour. Training just twice per week means you’re spending $500-$1,200+ per month. And many of those sessions don’t address nutrition or the mindset challenges that come with long-term change.
With Nerd Fitness, you get unlimited communication, 2-3 check-ins per week minimum, customized programming that evolves with you, nutrition guidance, and someone who actually knows your story and goals – all for $297/month with no contract.
Why This Works for Golfers
While this program isn’t golf-specific, I think if you’re someone who needs direction, accountability, and the ability to have a golf-focused routine and regimen, I can’t recommend Nerd Fitness highly enough.
Matt’s TPI certification and understanding of golf is great, but honestly, his knowledge base, patience, and willingness to help me adapt have been even more valuable. More than a coach, he’s become a friend.
That said, with over a dozen coaches on the NF team, Matt likely won’t be YOUR coach if you sign up. But they do their best to match you with someone who fits your goals, background, and personality. Whether you want someone who specializes in injury rehab, follows a specific dietary approach (vegan, keto, etc.), or understands the demands of your sport, they have coaches with different areas of expertise.
And like I said, they’ve worked with hundreds of golfers through other golf communities they’re a part of, so if you want to train for golf, this is a great way to do it.
While I’ve deliberately been focusing less specifically on golf, some things I have noticed through my own training:
- Increased flexibility on the course
- Less soreness after rounds
- Better endurance during multi-day golf trips
- A body that feels better equipped to play golf for decades to come
Who Is This For?
Nerd Fitness Coaching is ideal for:
- Golfers (or anyone) in their 30s-50s who want to feel better, move better, and play better
- People with unpredictable schedules who need flexibility and adaptability
- Those who’ve tried other programs and fallen off the wagon
- Anyone who knows WHAT to do but struggles with actually doing it consistently
- People who respond better to encouragement and understanding than drill-sergeant-style motivation
This probably isn’t for you if:
- You want someone to just tell you exactly what to do without any input
- You’re looking for a quick fix or dramatic transformation in 30 days
- You prefer the energy and immediate feedback of in-person training
- You’re not willing to communicate honestly about your struggles
My Plans Moving Forward
I’m continuing with my coaching, and as I gear up for 3 months of heavy travel, I think it’s more crucial than ever right now. Last year, I went in fits and spurts with how seriously I took it. Now I’m all in.
Is Nerd Fitness Coaching a silver bullet to six-pack abs and a totally chiseled body? No. You have to be willing to sacrifice, do the work, and commit.
But if you’re ready to do that, it will provide all the tools and support you need to make big changes to your health and fitness.
For me, the journey continues. The scale is moving in the right direction. My workouts are more consistent than they’ve ever been. And most importantly, I’ve built a foundation of habits and systems that I know will serve me for years to come – on and off the golf course.
Breaking Eighty readers can get $50 off their first month of Nerd Fitness Coaching. Schedule a free consultation call to see if it’s the right fit for you: nerdfitness.com/coaching-booking
