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FHP 426 – Do You Value Yourself?

FHP 426 – Do You Value Yourself?

by | Jun 28, 2022 | podcast

Body acceptance…Loving your body…

I’m going to be brutally honest, I don’t think we’ll ever be 100% happy with ourselves or content.

I think it is the human condition to always want more.

BUT I also think we need to find a balance where we appreciate who and what we are flaws and all.

We need to love ourselves despite the struggles and even value ourselves potentially more because of what we’ve gone through.

Struggles do not diminish our value.

Personally I believe those life experiences enhance our worth.

But I thought this was also an interesting way of thinking about value…

If I offered you a crisp and new $20 bill right now, you’d want it.

If I crumpled that, you’d still want.

If I rubbed some dirt on it and stepped on it, you’d still want the $20.

Because the value of that bill hasn’t changed despite the dirt.

Honestly the wear and tear on the bill really doesn’t matter, it’s still $20.

We’ve got to value ourselves in the same way – we need to value ourselves despite painful conditions and failures.

We can’t degrade ourselves just because of temporary setbacks and struggles.

We need to realize all the worth we truly have.

I think when we can see our value and realize it is unchanging despite our current circumstance we can start to better achieve acceptance.

We can work to improve without being unhappy.

So how can you help yourself see your own worth?

#1: Recognize you’ll always want to improve something, but flaws don’t make you less worthy.

No matter what we achieve, we will always find something that can be better. And I think it’s key we realize this instead of feeling like we will be fulfilled, we will be valuable if we achieve something specific.

Because so often we achieve a goal to then not feel satisfied and feel even more broken because we aren’t happy having achieved what we thought would make us feel fulfilled.

So by recognizing that there will always be more we want, we can start to value the journey better.

We can start to appreciate our growth.

I think it can also help us take pressure off of achieving something specific too, ultimately making it easier to reach the goal we wanted in the first place.

To be flawed is truly human. And we will always want more growth.

Life is about the journey. We need to recognize this over putting so much value just in a destination.

Your worth isn’t about a specific outcome. It’s about how you choose to constantly learn and grow and appreciate the ride.

#2: Take time to recognize your value.

So often we deem things we don’t have as valuable over recognizing what we have.

There is that line – you never know who you’re inspiring.

But we need to take time to see what we have! To appreciate how we can inspire others and even share of ourselves to recognize what we have.

I think when we start to consider how we can help others, we can better see our worth.

So what do you have to share? What can you teach? Recognize those things to give yourself credit for all you’ve accomplished!

#3: Remember that your current situation is always temporary.

We are always able to move forward from where we are at. Even if we’ve suffered a setback and may not get back to “where we were,” we can always move forward.

Our situation is only as permanent as we allow it to be.

If you want more, choose to make changes to work toward it.

Any setback or slip up is temporary. It doesn’t impact our worth or our value.

We can always move forward and grow.

For me it’s even defining value in something I can control – aka am I letting myself stay stuck. If I’m choosing to stay stuck then there is the problem.

But my value isn’t lessened from struggle.

If anything it grows.

Diamonds become diamonds because of pressure!

Realize you can let those struggles even increase your worth!

SUMMARY:

Realize that seeing our own value is never easy. Accepting our flaws is hard.

But little setbacks and struggles don’t take away from our worth.

There is also always a way to move forward. But we’ve got to enjoy the journey knowing it will never really be done!

The Best Chest Exercise (You’re Not Doing)

The Best Chest Exercise (You’re Not Doing)

by | Jun 27, 2022 | Blog, Exercises

If it challenges you, it will change you.

Progression can be created in so many different ways, from increasing loads to changing tempos, postures of movements, ranges of motion and even by changing the types of tools we use.

For example the basic dumbbell chest fly is a staple of many chest or pec building hypertrophy workout routines.

But I find often people, in an attempt to keep progressing the move, start to compensate in terms of their form.

They end up turning the move into a straight press over a true fly as they try to increase weights past a point they can truly control.

Or if they realize they can’t control the heavier weight they start to add reps instead to progress the movement. This isn’t a bad way to create progression when you’re stuck not able to truly move to the next weight.

But what if you’re finding your ego is getting in the way and you’ve hit a point there isn’t really a clear progression?

What can you do?

This is where you can implement different techniques, including simply adding in another training tool to the equation.

You could simply swap to a banded chest fly to progress through the same but different because bands apply tension in a different way to the same movement pattern OR you could actually combine both tools.

And combining both tools is a great way to progress that standard dumbbell chest fly and even create resistance throughout the movement in a new way.

It’s why I love the Banded Dumbbell Chest Fly!

The band makes it deceptively hard, forcing you to really slow down the movement and control it.

It creates resistance in a new way while still allowing you to get the benefits of the basic dumbbell fly.

It may be that little tweak you need when you can’t just keep adding reps and aren’t truly able to move up yet with dumbbells.

It may even simply be a great way to challenge your body in a new way and bust through that strength plateau and even mix up your training just to keep things interesting!

So How Do You Do The Banded Dumbbell Chest Fly?

To do the Banded Dumbbell Chest Fly, you will need a larger loop band to hold with your dumbbells. Start light as this move is deceptively challenging.

You will want to go lighter with the dumbbells than what you use for just the dumbbell chest fly especially to start!

Hold the band in one hand and pull it across your back as you grab it in the other hand. I recommend having your weights propped up on the bench in front of you or on a rack where you can easily grab them.

Grab a weight then in each hand and lie back on the bench with the band across your upper back and weights in at your chest.

Then press the band and weights straight up from your chest toward the ceiling with the weights together.

Moving slowly fly your arms out and open at about chest height, keeping your elbows soft. However, do not turn this into a bench press. You aren’t bending and extending at the elbows but allowing yourself to move from your shoulder as you lower your arms to about parallel to the ground.

Make sure you do not shrug as you fly your arms open.

Open up your chest so your upper arms are about parallel to the ground. Move slowly to really control the band, then feel your chest muscles work to pull your hands back up and overhead toward the ceiling.

Focus on contract the pecs to really pull the weights back over the center of your chest.

Feel the band working against you as you fly your arms back together.

Then repeat the move. You want to feel a slight pec stretch as you open up your arms, while not locking out the elbows. And then you want to feel your chest really working to bring your hands back together.

Really start light to focus on a slow tempo and that control. You’ll be surprised by how much the band makes this more challenging.

Make sure as you do this move as well that you’re even aware of engaging your back to support your shoulders.

To modify you can always use just one tool instead of both combined or even do a standing chest band fly to really work on that scapular control if you struggle with engaging your back to support your shoulders!

SUMMARY:

Just remember weights and going heavier with loads is not the only way to progress a move! And sometimes small changes like using two types of resistance can be the variation we need to keep seeing results from our programming!

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FHP 425 – Can you Gain Muscle As You Get Older? (THROWBACK)

FHP 425 – Can you Gain Muscle As You Get Older? (THROWBACK)

by | Jun 23, 2022 | podcast

It’s undeniable our body changes as we get older. But so much of what we attribute to age is actually other lifestyle factors adding up.

Not to mention there is so much within our power to change and control.
For example, we CAN gain muscle as we get older. We can be a lean, mean, fighting machine at EVERY and ANY age.
Here are 3 tips to help you build that amazing lean muscle to be functionally strong and look amazing.
And if you’re ready to dial in your diet and workouts to feel, look and move your best, check out my free training 

The Most Underrated Conditioning Tool (Add This To Your Workouts)

The Most Underrated Conditioning Tool (Add This To Your Workouts)

by | Jun 19, 2022 | Battling Ropes, Blog, Core, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Workouts

When you think about doing cardio, you think about endless rows of cardio equipment. Or you think about going outside for a run or ride.

But what if you find these workouts, well, boring?

Ok maybe you turn to some bodyweight interval sessions.

However, even many of these are very lower body focused.

Or they include a ton of jumping.

And it can be hard if you have a lower body injury to find options to work around!

So how can you get in a killer cardio workout that even targets your UPPER body more while allowing you to work on everything from building power to your aerobic capacity and conditioning?

The answer?

With BATTLE ROPES!

Battle ropes are the perfect way to work your entire body with lower impact moves or even take your cardio training up a notch.

You can use them for longer intervals of work to improve your aerobic base or you can use them to build explosive power.

They can be great to target literally every muscle of your body, whether you choose a basic wave to just work your upper body, a plank variation to target your core or even a full body movement including shuffling, lunging or squatting.

Learning To Use Battle Ropes:

So how do you do the basic battle ropes alternating arm wave?

A fundamental wave to learn on the battle ropes is the basic alternating arm wave. To do this movement, hold a handle in each hand and walk back so there is some slack in the rope but they are pulled out straight. You do not want them stretched tight.

Holding a handle in each hand, pull one hand down toward your hip as you raise the other hand up. Then quickly alternating, swinging the other arm back as you raise the other arm up.

You can play around with a straighter arm movement or slightly more of a bicep curl.

There are also multiple ways to create this basic wave based on how you want to isolate and work areas. You can make it super arm intensive, holding a very still body and doing more of that curl.

You can also use rotation a bit more swinging from your hip. This is more of the “gunslinger” wave allowing you to use rotation to power the movement more.

You can also do more of a Frankenstein movement, slightly marching in place as you create the wave with straighter arms.

All of these can be used based on how you want to target areas so even play around with them!

But make sure you aren’t just shrugging as you create the waves, feeling your upper traps really becoming overworked.

Think quick fluid movements allowing the waves to push each other down over trying to lift the entire rope up and down each and every time. It’s why you want a bit of slack in the rope.

Make sure too you’re standing tall with your chest pressed out and focused on moving as quickly as possible.

Once you’ start using the basic alternating arm wave…How can you spice things up a bit?

Battle Ropes Modifications And Progressions:

Not only are there different waves you can create, from the double wave to sidewinders to rainbows, but you can even vary up that basic alternating arm wave exercise by the posture you perform the movement in and the involvement of your lower body.

You could add in a side shuffle as you perform the alternating arm wave, side to side lunges or even a reverse lunge.

If you need to modify around a lower body injury, you could even do the movement seated on a bench or on the ground.

With any of the waves you can really implement different postures and movements to work your entire body and work around lower body aches and pains.

You can do a single arm wave from a plank position if you wanted to work your core more and get in an anti-rotational movement during your conditioning workout.

Or even the rainbows balanced on your butt to work your obliques more.

If you want to add in impact and work on explosive power, you could combine a double arm wave even with a squat jump.

Battle ropes are simply a great way to target not only your upper body but adjust to meet your conditioning needs for that day and work a variety of muscle groups!

But now that you have all of these options, how can you create a workout?

Battle ropes are a great tool to use whatever energy system you want to target.

You can include them in an interval workout, whether you want a quick high intensity interval session for something quick, like 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off or you want to work on your aerobic conditioning and perform longer intervals of work on the ropes, even up to 10 minutes straight.

You can honestly even include them in a lifting session if you wanted the workout to be more metabolically focused. You could include even something to work on your strength and power by doing reps of the Snake wave or outward circles during your chest, shoulders and tricep session.

Just remember, you want to include tools in a way that matches your needs and goals. We don’t just want to put things in to feel more worked and train harder!

But if you’re looking for a way to improve your conditioning and create a new progression, give battle ropes a try!

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FHP 424 – Stop Overcomplicating Simple

FHP 424 – Stop Overcomplicating Simple

by | Jun 15, 2022 | podcast

I got an email saying “What about the stubborn belly fat? Yeah I know macros, but what else can I do?”

My reply – “Why add complication to something that should be simple?”

Too often we want to do more. We want to do things that maybe make that 1% difference over staying focused on the thing we just simply need to do consistently.

Because it makes us feel more in control…or often we even hope we can AVOID doing the hard but key thing to get results.

I know this is not “sexy.”

But truly results are built off of those boring basics.

It’s not the supplements. The fancy equipment. The crazy moves that make the difference.

It boils down to clear workout progressions repeated weekly with a focused goal for their design and macros.

Yup macros. No matter your goals.

If you use those two fundamental things and seek to always learn and track (what I believe is self-empowerment), you will be able to adjust your lifestyle as your needs and goals change – whether those changes are due to shifting priorities, simply something new you’d like to work toward or changes with age and hormones.

Now I get that neither of these things are the fast fixes and that they take learning and consistency when we sometimes want something shiny and new, but they are key.

Why Macros Matter…

Macros are what every diet dials in even if it doesn’t tell you that. Some diets may tell you to avoid specific foods or food groups. But this is to eliminate or reduce a macro.

The issue with this is…What if you plan to include this food long term?

You don’t know the balance.

Not to mention the second we restrict something, the more we want to rebel even if we didn’t eat that food often.

And so often in this restriction of specific foods, we don’t account for changes in our lifestyle. It’s why something may work for a bit only to not work later. It leads often to frustration when we’re doing all of the “right things.”

It’s why you need to seek to really understand the foods you’re consuming and how they impact you.

That way, if you start training more, you can adjust your fueling to match.

If you find you have cravings around your period, you can actually steer into the skid and adjust because your metabolic rate has changed.

If you are busy at work and training less, you can adjust your macros.

Want to build muscle, you can adjust.

You are in control AND you don’t have to restrict anything specifically.

You can find YOUR balance.

Why Progressions Matter…

Too often we see training as calories burned. Working harder over working smarter.

But this is often why we end up like that hamster on the wheel, running really fast to not get anywhere.

Like everything in life, we have to have a clear destination and map out a course to get there.

You don’t just get in your car and drive to a location you’ve never been. You map out the route so you can track your progress toward your destination and be able to correct any wrong turns.

Same thing goes for your workouts.

You need to map out a weekly schedule based on YOUR schedule, needs and goals, and then track your progress toward it.

I know people want to claim it is boring, but this is an excuse not to dial things in more and be intentional.

You don’t have to repeat the same workouts forever. But giving yourself time to truly maximize and build is key. Even 3-4 weeks is enough.

And then you can change things up a bit, even progressing moves through the same but different. This helps you truly create the progression you need to build back stronger. And it helps you avoid overtraining and wasting a ton of time and effort.

More is not better. And more is often why we don’t see progress and end up standing still.