If you’re stuck in the frustrating middle ground of not being lean but also not muscular — commonly known as skinny-fat — it’s easy to feel like nothing’s working. You lift weights, maybe you dabble in some cardio, you “try” to eat better… and yet, the mirror just keeps showing the same soft outline you’ve been trying to get rid of for months — or years.
Trust me, I’ve been there….
The solution? It’s not a magic supplement. It’s not a 6-week shred plan. It’s consistency — and more specifically, it’s the power of “tiny gains” and the art of course correction. Let me show you what I mean.
1% Better Every Day: The Compound Effect That Changed My Life
This idea comes from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, and it completely transformed the way I approached both my fitness and my business.
“If you get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the end.” – James Clear
Here’s the visual that sums it up:
Image credit: JamesClear.com
Just a 1% improvement per day sounds almost laughably small — but the maths doesn’t lie.
Over time, those improvements compound. Likewise, if you slip by 1% each day? You end up almost nowhere.
This is how I coach guys and girls like you — not with unsustainable extremes, but by stacking small wins. A slightly better meal. One more rep. One more protein shake. Over weeks and months, the change becomes undeniable.
The Aviation Analogy: The 1 in 60 Rule
Jan 2025, flying across the Victorian countryside
Here’s where my aviation background kicks in. When flying a plane, we use something called the 1 in 60 rule. It goes like this:
If you’re just 1° off your planned heading, you’ll be 1 nautical mile off course after flying 60 miles.
Image credit: flight-club.com.au
It sounds minor, but over time, it’s a big deal. A small deviation left unchecked can mean you’ll completely miss the destination aerodrome. But here’s the important part — we don’t throw the flight plan out the window. We make small course corrections along the way to ensure we arrive overhead the aerodrome.
The same applies to your fitness journey.
Eating slightly too little protein every day? Training with low intensity? Not sleeping enough? You might not notice it this week — but give it a few months, and you’ll be wondering why your body still looks the same.
The solution? Don’t beat yourself up! Just adjust. Course correction is part of the journey.
How to Use These Concepts in Your Skinny-Fat Transformation
Here’s how I recommend applying these two powerful principles:
✅ Start with tiny wins
Don’t overhaul your entire lifestyle in one go. Focus on improving just one thing: maybe it’s your training frequency, your protein intake, or logging your meals. Master that before layering in the next thing.
✅ Track your habits
Use my free TrackStack Habit Tracker to log your training, food, and mindset wins. It helps you stay on track and spot when you’re starting to drift.
✅ Adjust with intention
If something’s not working — you’re not gaining muscle, your energy sucks, or you’re stuck in a plateau — that’s not failure. That’s a signal to make a small correction, just like adjusting your heading mid-flight.
✅ Trust the lag time
The body doesn’t change overnight. Just like a plane doesn’t instantly arrive at its destination, your results lag behind your efforts. Keep putting in the reps — the changes will show.
Final Words: You’re the Pilot of Your Transformation
You don’t need to train for 2 hours a day or live on chicken and broccoli. What you need is consistency, data, and small, smart adjustments — all guided by the 1% mindset and the 1 in 60 rule.
Remember: one bad day doesn’t derail your journey. But 60 days without course correction might. Start small. Adjust as needed. And never forget — you’re the pilot of your transformation.
→ Ready to take the controls?
Download my free habit tracker, and start mapping out your transformation, 1% at a time. Your future physique depends on the tiny wins you stack today.
🔥 Skinny Fat? Let’s Change That—For Good.
Tired of spinning your wheels with random workouts and confusing diets? My proven coaching system was built specifically for skinny-fat guys who want to build lean muscle, drop stubborn fat, and finally look like they lift.
✅ Step-by-step hypertrophy training (no guesswork)
✅ High-protein meal structure—no boring diets, no starvation
✅ 100% online with real support from me every step of the way
No spam, junk, or useless email filler.
