Welcome To Argent Alpha’s newsletter for Men Over 50 who want to become Harder To Kill.

Behind every successful method, program, protocol or plan is a framework.

Frameworks are structures that serve as guides to achieve an intended result.

Today I’m going to share the framework we use to help Men over 50 become Harder To Kill.

Full disclosure: many of my friends think I’m crazy for sharing this. They fear I’ll be giving away the “secret sauce.”

I disagree for two reasons.

First, my goal is to help 10,000 Men over 50 Become Harder To Kill. A small percentage will actually join Argent Alpha. In order to achieve my goal, I need to share “insider” information.

Second, members of Argent Alpha have access to:

• exclusive content

• coaching

• community

• training & nutrition programs designed for Men over 50

• events

• education

• subject matter experts

• guest speakers

• built-in accountability measures

By sharing our framework I accomplish my goal of helping more Men over 50 while also maintaining the integrity of our membership.

I realize that 99% of Men over 50 aren’t going to join Argent Alpha for one reason or another.

I want to help them too.

So with that in mind, here are the basic components of the proven framework that is making Men over 50 Harder To Kill.

Definition

Let’s start with our definition of Harder to Kill: 

Our definition is a combination of quantitative and qualitative items. We regularly measure body composition, biological age and fitness.

Begin With The End In Mind

Every trip starts with a destination. When you decide you want to become Harder To Kill, you need a destination that is unique to you. We start by defining our Future Self. We use Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s framework described in his book “Be Your Future Self Now”.

You can buy the book (recommended) and/or use this free course Dr. Hardy created.

When you start this process view it as version 1.0 that you will update in the near future. Set a deadline to complete version 1.0. Do not overthink this, just do the work to produce version 1.0 knowing that you will revise and upgrade later.

Read this article for more information on the process and how you can get started today.

Set Non-Negotiable Standards

We all have standards in all areas of our life.

However, the vast majority of standards are default standards.

Default standards tend to be the same as no standards. And without a clear standard to follow, we tend to get worse not better.

We believe that when you design non-negotiable standards in key areas of your life, the transformation process begins.

The next step in the Harder To Kill Framework is designing standards in 5 key areas. We call these the Alpha 5.

The areas we set standards in are connected so that as you create and raise standards in each area, you create synergies between the standards and get “more bang for the buck.” More on this below.

We score our performance each day on how we perform relative to our standard. We use a simple binary approach.

1 = Met your standard

0 = Did not meet your standard

Below are the Alpha 5 along with some guidance on setting standards.

Mindset - Start each day with a morning routine that includes reviewing your Future Self, your Alpha 5 standards and your plan for the day. The underlying premise for mindset starts with using intention to guide your actions and align them with your standards.

When you design your day with intention you are more likely to live the day you designed on paper.

Sleep - Create a simple sleep strategy and follow it everyday. Our recommended standards include following the 10-3-2-1 rule and sleeping in a cool dark room.

The 10-3-2-1 rule is a simple one to follow:

• 10 hours before bed stop all caffeine.

• 3 hour before bed stop eating all food.

• 2 hours before bed stop drinking all liquids.

• 1 hour before bed stop all screen time (tv, phone, ipads)

Nutrition - With nearly 80% of Men over 50 overweight or obese, we recommend you start by using the Precision Nutrition calculator to determine your daily caloric intake and macros (protein, carbs and fat).

Our overall guidance for Men is to increase protein intake, decrease carbs and let fat be the “plug” to get to your total daily calories. Replacing processed foods with whole foods is another standard you can set to start making changes in your nutrition.

Many Men start with a simple standard: eat your ideal bodyweight in grams of protein everyday.

Example: a 225 lb man whose ideal weight is 200 lbs targets 200 grams of protein. Assuming 4 meals, he would eat 50 grams of protein at each meal. Always make your meals protein-centric.

Fitness - We believe that strength training needs to be the primary focus for Men over 50. The main reason: Men who maintain their muscle mass live longer.

We love biking, hiking, running and other forms of cardio but they are prioritized after strength training.

Minimum standard: 2 strength straining sessions per week and over time work towards 4 sessions. The duration and intensity should be based on your current fitness level and familiarity with strength training.

Hiring a qualified trainer is a great idea. Look for a trainer who understands the importance of range of motion (mobility) and has worked with Men over 50.

Hydration - the majority of Americans are dehydrated. Being dehydrated undermines every aspect of health. The standard we set is simple:

Drink ½ your bodyweight in ounces of water everyday.

Increase your intake based on physical activity.

Example: a 230 lbs man would drink 115 ounces of water everyday.

Bonus: adding electrolytes to your water can improve performance and hydration depending on your activity level and diet.

Testing

We do regular testing to give us feedback on our work and help us course correct where necessary.

Each month we test:

Body composition - the target is 15% body fat. We want to burn fat and preserve (and over time add) muscle.

We approach the overall goal of 15% by breaking it down to short term achievable goals. No one goes from 30% body fat to 15% body fat in 2 months. Taking the long approach (6-12 months for most Men) is safe and realistic.

We recommend the InBody scan for its availability, ease of use, and low cost. You can find one near you here.

Fitness - we test 6 movements correlated to longevity and track our progress. You can get a copy of our fitness standards by visiting our website (go to the site and scroll down).

Every 6 months we test:

Biological Age - biological age is how old your cells are. Chronological age is how old you are based on your birth certificate. If your biological age is higher than your chronological age, you are aging at an accelerated rate.

Most men over 50 are aging at an accelerated rate. Our process is designed to help slow down the aging process and make you younger on a cellular level.

Synergies

As mentioned above, the Alpha 5 are all connected and as you implement standards you create a synergistic effect. Here’s an example from one of our members:

John started by increasing his protein consumption and went from eating 100 grams of protein per day to 180 grams of protein. This kept John feeling full and crowded out processed foods; he simply wasn’t as hungry. He also increased his water intake which helped keep hunger pangs at bay.

John switch his fitness program to the Argent Alpha Athlete (A3) training program. Our program is based on Dr. Peter Attia’s Four Pillars of Fitness for Longevity. We took Attia’s framework and customized it for Men over 50, adding mobility to address the range of motion issues Men have. We also view ourselves as athletes…read more about it here.

Over this same period of time, these three changes had a positive effect on John’s mindset and sleep. He started a morning routine and planned out his day with more intention. He felt the wind at his back from the progress he was enjoying. Sleep improved due to following the 10-3-2-1 rule.

Increased recovery from sleep and more energy from improvements in his diet led to steady progress in the gym. Regular testing showing the plan was working increased his confidence and motivation. Synergy mode activated!

At the 7 month mark, John has dropped 32 lbs of fat, added 6 lbs of muscle (net weight loss of 26 lbs) and went from 30% body fat to 18% body fat. His target is 15%.

John is a walking billboard of what Harder To Kill means.

Warning

There are some challenges that you will face as you begin your journey to become Harder To Kill. Knowing these challenges are coming allows you to prepare for them. Read this article for guidance on how to navigate them and keep going.

Summary

To summarize, here is our framework for becoming Harder To Kill:

• Design your Future Self

• Set standards in 5 key areas that are aligned with your Future Self.

• Follow your standards, score your performance and raise standards over time.

• Test regularly to measure progress and make adjustments

There are two kinds of Men:
1) The kind who are DIYers…they will try and self-implement. If you have the time, skills and discipline to remodel your house, change your oil and do your own legal work, this option is for you.

Most will fail, some will succeed. This is not a criticism of them, it is simply a reality. But you never know until you try so give it a shot. Start today with the Future Self section.

2) The kind who recognize they need expert guidance. This group is interested in results and are willing to invest resources to achieve results. They know themselves well enough that without accountability, guidance and expectations, they will drift back to old habits. They need a forcing function.

If you are in the second group, Argent Alpha might be a fit for you. If you follow the program, you will become Harder To Kill. And achieving results like John is not only possible, it is probable.

Our process is designed to get Men results in the appropriate amount of time.

There are no shortcuts or hacks. If you buy into the program, do the work, follow your standards, engage with the community, do regular testing and adjust your plan based on testing you will get results. We have dozens of examples to support this.

You can read testimonials from our members in my LinkedIn profile (scroll down to the recommendations section).

To take next steps apply now. I’ll get back to you within 48 hours.