StoneAgeFit · 12 weeks to the strongest, leanest version of you

01 / The origin

How the idea for StoneAgeFit started

We're not so different from the gorillas.

I was hired to film gorillas at the zoo who were dying of heart disease. The cure turned out to be a return to things they did in the wild. For me it was a realization about us.

3 minutes · the zoo, a wild plant, my book

Actual footage · NC Zoo

Filming the gorillas for my documentary that started all of this Asheboro, North Carolina

Rob and Haley Nelson in North Carolina Zoo staff shirts outside the gorilla habitat — Rob & Haley on assignment
North Carolina Zoo

01 · The observation

The gorillas, dying young

Gorillas in zoos across the country were dying of heart disease decades before they should have. Not from neglect or nutrition, as they were fed a well-balanced primate food that was supposed to give them everything they needed.

The social groups didn't seem to be a problem, and the family groups were pretty good. The food was labeled nutritionally complete. And still, they had heart disease.

02 · The discovery

A plant nobody had counted

Researchers went back to Africa and did the unglamorous thing: they watched wild gorillas eat, all day, for a long time.

The wild diet was full of a plant the zoos had never thought to provide: a wild ginger, eaten in enormous quantities. Once the NC Zoo mixed it into their diet, the heart disease all but vanished.

03 · The diagnosis

We're in an enclosure too

Standing there with a camera, the thought wouldn't leave me: humans are great apes. Put us in cubicles, cars and screens. Feed us engineered food. Take away the walking, carrying and squatting our bodies expect.

We get sick in exactly the same predictable ways, not because we're weak, but because the habitat is wrong.

We're not so different from the gorillas. But, nobody is responsible for us but us.

That question became my obsession and a book. The Ancient Blueprint lays out six principles our human biology needs if we're going to live the best life: diet, movement, nature, community, purpose and awe. I walk through what the science says happens when you choose to add them to your life.

StoneAgeFit is the first two (diet and movement) done properly, with a coach watching you for twelve weeks. It's not a move back to the Stone Age, but it's a start to choose the right conditions for your best life.

— Rob Nelson, biologist · author, The Ancient Blueprint

The Prologue · free PDF

04 / The method

The two oldest levers

Diet and movement.
Everything else gets easier after.

There are six principles in the Ancient Blueprint. This program goes deep on the first two, because when they're strong, self-control stops feeling heroic and starts feeling automatic. You'll get the other four in the weekly sessions.

Rob fishing in the surf at sunset — Eat via mother nature

Eat like a human

Not carnivore. Not modern paleo. Not ideology. A whole-foods framework anchored in what our bodies actually recognize, tuned to your goals, your kitchen and your schedule by a coach who reads your log every week.

What that looks like day to day

Protein Roughly 1 g per pound of bodyweight, built around real food: fish, eggs, game, yogurt.
Plate Protein + healthy fat + fiber at every meal. Color, tubers, legumes, intact grains. Sugar from fruit, not from packages.
Remove Ultra-processed food, refined grains, added sugar, the mindless snack. We replace, we don't just restrict.
Habits Slow meals. Stop at 80%. A 10-minute walk after eating. Alcohol rarely, and never within four hours of sleep.
Metrics Waistline, energy, cravings, consistency above 80%. No gadgets required.

The science: refined carbs spike and crash blood sugar, and engineered flavor hijacks dopamine. The brain reads the crash as danger and demands more. Willpower was never built to fight that all day. Fix the fuel and the fight goes away.

Muscular back of a man drawing a traditional bow — Strength with a purpose

Move like a human

Our ancestors didn't exercise. They walked, carried, squatted, climbed and lifted because life demanded it. We rebuild that demand deliberately, then progressively overload it so you get strong, not just busy.

What that looks like week to week

Walk 7,000–10,000 steps a day, on uneven ground whenever you can get it.
Strength Full-body functional training at least twice a week: squat, push, pull, hinge, carry heavy things across a room.
Cardio 150–300 minutes a week with your heart rate up for 20–40 minutes at a time.
Intensity One short high-intensity session weekly. 30 seconds hard, 90 easy, done in 15 minutes.
Outside Move outdoors as often as possible. Sunlight, cold, terrain. It counts double.
Sleep 7–9 hours, treated as training. Because it is.

The science: contracting muscle pulls glucose out of the blood with almost no insulin. Movement pumps the lymphatic system, raises immune cell counts for hours, drops stress hormones below baseline afterward, and grows the proteins that protect the brain from decline. Hippocrates called walking man's best medicine. He was right.

05 / The twelve weeks

The arc

Twelve notches.
Three phases.

Our ancestors kept count by cutting notches in bone. You'll keep count the same way: one week, one mark, no skipping.

Weeks 1–2

Baseline

Onboarding call, movement screen, photos and measurements. You start tracking food and training honestly. Your individualized plan lands in the first week.

Weeks 3–10

Build

Progressive strength and conditioning. Outdoor targets. Nutrition tuned week by week from your own data, not a generic template. This is where the body changes.

Weeks 11–12

Transition

Re-test everything. See the numbers move. Learn to coach yourself so the results outlast the program, or stay on with us.

Every week looks like this

Weekly

The group call

60 minutes on Zoom. Rob opens with one principle from the Ancient Blueprint and the science behind it: nature, community, purpose, awe. Then Jordan takes the room through the training focus for the week.

Wednesday

Your check-in

A short form: weight, waist, adherence, sleep, hours outside, wins, what got in the way. Five minutes. It's the data everything else runs on.

By Saturday

Your coach's reply

A personal video breakdown from Jordan reviewing your week and adjusting the plan. Not a template. Your numbers, your life.

Every day

Coach in your pocket

Log workouts and meals in the app. Message Jordan any day of the week and hear back within 24 hours. Stuck on a Tuesday? That's what this is for.

06 / The coaches

Who you're working with

A biologist and
a head coach.

Rob Nelson

Founder, StoneAgeMan · Author, The Ancient Blueprint

Biologist and science educator since 2001. Rob has led people into the wild for two decades, from Hawaiian rainforests to the Arctic, and spent years as a university biology instructor. He wrote the Ancient Blueprint for his own family first. He brings the science and the "why" to every weekly call.

Jordan Moyer

Head Coach · Ten years coaching

Jordan has coached for ten years and transformed thousands of people, starting with himself. His coaching reaches past diet and movement into purpose, community and spiritual growth, which is why it fits the Ancient Blueprint. He builds your plan, reads your weekly log, and is the voice in your pocket every day.

07 / What you get

Everything in the program

Individualized nutrition plan, built for your goals and your kitchen Week 1
Individualized training plan (home, gym or outdoors) Week 1
Weekly check-in review from Jordan 12×
Daily messaging access to your head coach, 24-hour response 7 days/wk
Weekly group call with Rob and Jordan, recorded for replay 12×
1:1 onboarding call and mid-point review 2×
Private cohort group. Men doing the same hard thing at the same time Ongoing
Founding-member pricing on future cohorts, snowcamp and continued coaching programs Founding cohort

Founding cohort bonuses

Early access to The Ancient Blueprint

Read Rob's new book before it's published, chapter by chapter as the weekly sessions unpack it. Six principles, the science behind each, and the checklists that turn them into routine.

The other four pillars, taught live

Nature connection, community, purpose and awe. What the research actually shows, and how to build each one into a normal week. This is the part no training program gives you.

An invitation to next year's expedition

Rob smiling from an ice bath cut into a frozen lake

Graduates get first access to SnowCamp (Arctic Sweden, Feb 1–5 2027: winter survival, polar plunge, northern lights) or HawaiiCamp (five days on the Big Island: earth, fire, water, sky · June 2027). Put the fitness to use somewhere that demands it.

09 / The offer

Founding cohort

Why this costs so little

This is the first cohort, and we're building it with you. So we took the price apart. There's still a small investment, but nothing like what twelve weeks with two coaches normally runs.

My part is free.

And Jordan is at half his normal coaching rate

My coaching, the weekly sessions and the course library: no charge, because this is the beta
All you cover is half of Jordan's usual rate for his coaching programs
In exchange: your honest feedback and, if you're happy, a testimonial
Payment plan available, ask on the call
Capped at 20 men so coaching stays personal

Apply for a founding spot

Already sure? Say so in your application and we'll take you straight to enrollment.

Apply

About a minute, right on this page. Your name, number, email, and one honest answer about what you want to change.

Book your call

Pick a time with Jordan, our head coach, right after you apply. A straight conversation about whether this is the right fit for you and for the group. No pressure, no script. If it's not right we'll say so.

Onboard

Enroll, get the app, meet Jordan, and start your baseline in your first week.

10 / Apply

Founding cohort · 20 spots · open enrollment

Throw your hat in.

Enrollment is openWe’re taking applications on a rolling basis. Apply whenever you’re ready and we’ll start you with the next group.

One minute. This isn't a commitment. It's the start of a conversation with Rob and Jordan about whether the next twelve weeks should look different from the last twelve.

Your name, number, email, and one honest answer. Then pick a time for your call with Jordan right here on the page. If it's not the right fit, we'll tell you straight and point you somewhere better.

20Founding spots

1-on-1Call with Jordan

Beta rateRob free · Jordan at half

No card required to apply. Enroll only if you turn out to be a fit.

Open enrollment≈ 1 minute

Last step: pick a time with Jordan.

Your application is in. Choose a time that suits you, and Jordan will come ready to talk about your plan.

Jordan MoyerHead Coach · Ten years coaching

Calendar not loading? Open Jordan's calendar in a new tab.

11 / Questions

Straight answers

What does "until you reach your goal" actually mean?

In week one you and Jordan agree on a specific number or benchmark and write it down. If you've held up your end (check-ins in, calls attended, food and training logged) and you haven't hit it by week twelve, your coaching continues at no cost until you do. We'd rather carry a few people longer than sell something that doesn't work.

What does it cost?

There's a small investment, but far less than twelve weeks of individual coaching normally runs. This is the beta cohort, so my part is free, and Jordan is charging half his normal coaching rate to help us build it. That's the whole cost. No upsells, and a payment plan is available. Jordan will give you the exact figure on your call. Applying costs nothing.

I'm 55 and haven't trained in years. Is this for me?

Yes, if you're cleared to exercise. The plan is built to your starting point, not to a 25-year-old's. Most of the men who get the most out of this are exactly where you are. We'll ask you to complete a short health screening before enrolling.

Do I need a gym?

No. Jordan builds the plan around what you have: a gym, a garage with a kettlebell, or a park and your own bodyweight. Outdoor sessions are encouraged wherever you live.

Is this a diet? Do I have to give up carbs / beer / coffee?

It's a whole-foods framework, not a diet with a name. Carbs from tubers, fruit and intact grains stay. Ultra-processed food and added sugar go. Alcohol gets rare. Coffee is fine. The point is alignment, not restriction.

How much time does it take each week?

Plan on 4–6 hours of training, a five-minute check-in, and the 60-minute weekly call. Daily walking is on top of that and is the easiest part to stack into a normal day.

What if I travel or miss a week?

You tell Jordan, and the plan flexes. Calls are recorded. Consistency above 80% is the target, and life takes the other 20%.

Why only men for this cohort?

We want the first group to be tight and the coaching to be specific. A women's cohort runs next; join the waitlist and you'll get the founding rate too.

Are the expeditions included?

No. Graduates get first access and a founding-member discount on SnowCamp or HawaiiCamp. They're separate trips with their own cost.

Free / No catch

Can't do this cohort? Start anyway.

Take the macro guide.
It's free.

Twelve weeks of coaching isn't for everyone right now. The math behind it is. Rob wrote it down so you can start tonight.

Macro Guide

The StoneAgeFit Macro Counting Guide

PDF · the nutrition math the whole program runs on

How much protein, carbohydrate and fat your body actually needs, how to count them without gimmicks or guilt, and how to build plates from real food. It's the first lesson we cover and yours for an email and one honest answer.

It's yours. Download the guide below, and when the next cohort opens, you'll be the first to know.

Download the PDF

Live like we once did.
Start when you’re ready.

Twelve weeks. One coach. One biologist. A group of men doing the same hard thing at the same time. Enrollment is open. Apply whenever you’re ready.

Apply for a founding spot

Northern lights over SnowCamp, Arctic Sweden, where the founding cohort is invited next.

See what doing hard things looks like

SnowCamp, Arctic Sweden · Feb 2026

Doing "Hard Things"

Last February we cut a hole in a frozen lake above the Arctic Circle and got in, one after another. Ordinary men. Extraordinary morning. The program trains you for a life where you say yes to this.

A smiling man chest-deep in an ice bath cut into a frozen lake — The yes moment66°N

A man with closed eyes sitting calmly in a frost-rimmed plunge tub — Two minutes of calm−28°C air

A man steadying his breath in the ice water at dusk — Breath is the skillDusk

Jonas resting his chin on his hands at the edge of the ice bath — Jonas, mid soakStill calm

A man in the ice water under a violet Arctic sky — Violet hourPolar night