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How To Increase Metabolism At Any Age (7 Tips)

How To Increase Metabolism At Any Age (7 Tips)

by | Jul 20, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

Your metabolism does slow down as you get older.

But age is NOT an excuse to just accept metabolic decline and weight gain.

Because your metabolism adapts – it doesn’t just break.

And you can increase your metabolic rate and improve your metabolic health at any and every age.

However, too often our lifestyles, training and dieting practices do the opposite.

To try to see better weight loss and fat loss results faster, we implement training and dieting practices that actually sabotage our metabolic health and backfire.

That’s why I wanted to share 7 tips to help you increase your metabolic rate and fuel and train to become leaner and stronger as you get older!

Because we can feel our most fabulous till our final day on this planet and that starts with us focusing on strength training!

Yup, tip number one is to focus on lifting or strength building in some form – even with your own bodyweight.

We want to put our focus on building muscle with our workouts.

This is a tip you’ve heard before but something we so often still don’t prioritize enough. And if you’re wondering where cardio fits in, don’t worry, I’ll touch on that too.

But muscle increases our metabolic rate as it requires more calories to be maintained.

It also often upregulates other bodily processes which require more energy to be used as well.

This means our body burns more calories at rest, which is an increase in our metabolism.

Not to mention muscle allows us to be more active overall while improving our overall health.

The better our body functions, the better our body functions!

So focus your workouts not just on getting out of breath and being cardio or even on how many calories you can burn in a single hour…

Focus on pushing that progression in movements to challenge your muscles to grow!

This will not only increase your metabolism but help you PREVENT adaptations in the fat loss process to make maintaining your results easier too!

Tip #2: Prioritize gut health.

Just like you want to give a car quality and take care of the engine so it runs well, you want to give your gut the fuel it needs to be healthy.

This helps your metabolism function optimally and can improve your body composition.

So take care of your gut by focusing not only on fiber but also prebiotics and probiotics.

Probiotics and prebiotics help improve lipid metabolism and studies have shown that people with a greater variety of gut bacteria have a lower risk of belly fat as well!

And while I mentioned strength work being key, we can’t ignore the importance of cardio.

But we do have to recognize which forms of cardio are right for our needs and goals.

When it comes to metabolic health we want to go fast AND slow!

That’s why tip #3: is to Walk AND Sprint.

So often I get asked, what’s the best cardio for fat loss and metabolic health. And honestly, it’s using both ends of that cardio continuum to some extent.

Walking is probably hands down the most underutilized tool for overall health and fat loss. It truly helps us maintain hormonal balance, keeps your metabolism healthy and is a great fat burning activity.

And on the other side of the cardio continuum, sprinting, or SIT protocols, has been shown to decrease fat mass, increase muscle mass, and even aerobic capacity. Sprints have been shown to help with a reduction specifically in abdominal/visceral fat.

So shoot for 8,000-10,000 steps a day and include sprints 2-3 times a week. Even just 5 minutes of sprint work can have a huge impact!

To complement your training and to make sure your hard work in the gym does pay off with fat loss without sacrificing your muscle, you also want to focus on the dietary change most of us struggle to make to start…

Increasing protein. Yes tip #4: is Protein. Protein and oh yea…protein.

Protein, those amino acids, are the building blocks of muscle.

And as we get older, we struggle more to build and retain lean muscle, which is why we can see our metabolism slow down.

We also don’t utilize protein as efficiently, with some research showing nearly a 40% reduction in the efficiency of muscle protein synthesis with age-related anabolic resistance.

This is why increasing our protein, especially as we get older is key.

Not to mention, protein can help us feel fuller in a calorie deficit to lose fat while protecting our muscle and even helps us burn more calories at rest because it uses more energy to be digested.

This higher thermic effect, the increased energy expenditure to digest protein, naturally raises our metabolism.

So really it’s a win win and also why a high protein diet has been shown to be so great for losing fat while even GAINING muscle in the process.

As much as we often focus most on our diet and workouts for fat loss and metabolic health, we can’t ignore all of the other lifestyle factors that contribute – like sleep.

Tip #5: Is focus on sleep QUALITY.

Notice I said QUALITY not just QUANTITY.

Because so often we aren’t optimizing the sleep we’re already getting to be as restorative as possible and instead try to pressure ourselves to try to get more which can feel impossible when we’re busy.

And when we aren’t getting quality sleep, we can see hormonal shifts that negatively impact our metabolism not to mention end up craving foods we shouldn’t.

Those cravings can lead to us overeating and sabotaging your fat loss goals.

So first, focus on getting quality sleep from the second your head hits the pillow till you wake up.

Now you may be thinking, great but HOW?

And while strength work and building muscle can actually improve our sleep quality, our diet plays a huge part.

When we are trying to see better fat loss results faster, we often create big calorie deficits and even opt for low carb as it can lead to quick drops on the scale.

But too big a deficit and dropping carbs too low when we are active may be exactly why you’re not sleeping well and even why you’re constantly waking up at 3-4 am.

So if you note those issues, tweaking your macros may be key!

Increasing protein may help as you will also get more tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid that can improve sleep quality.

Also, pay attention to those micros like magnesium.

Taking it 30 minutes before bed can help calm your nervous system, relax muscles, and regulate melatonin and cortisol levels to improve your sleep quality.

Micros in general can be key to track and adjust for overall metabolic health outside of just improving our sleep, which is why tip #6: is to Optimize those micros.

It isn’t always just about “getting enough” or “eating clean” either.

Sometimes we have little nutritional gaps or imbalances that mean getting MORE of a specific micro, especially based on our activity level and age.

And if you are in a calorie deficit for fat loss, this can make it even more key to not ignore your micronutrient balance.

To improve your metabolic health, prioritizing and optimizing our intake of specific vitamins and minerals like Vitamin B complex or Zinc may be helpful.

B vitamins play a crucial role in energy metabolism by helping convert food into energy, including those involved in the metabolism of glucose.

A deficiency in B vitamins can lead to fatigue and a decrease in overall metabolic efficiency.

Zinc has been suggested to play a role in insulin signaling and insulin sensitivity and is a powerful antioxidant which can help reduce levels of inflammation and protect metabolic processes.

Improved insulin sensitivity can contribute to better glucose utilization and overall metabolic health.

Vitamin D is a 3rd micro to pay attention to as well.

People with high levels of vitamin D have been shown to have a lower risk of developing belly fat.

Vitamin D may prevent new fat cells from forming and increase levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that’s associated with regulating appetite.

Higher levels of vitamin D also help maintain and increase testosterone in the body which promotes muscle mass growth and retention.

Testosterone speeds up the rate of metabolism in muscle cells, which is what can also improve our metabolic health so we burn fat as we build muscle.

With all of this though, there is no magic pill. No fat burning metabolism magic supplement you can take that will fix everything.

It’s all about creating those healthy lifestyle habits and addressing your nutritional needs.

That’s why my final tip is to Stop searching for a quick fix.

Fat burners. More cardio. Caffeine to keep us going. Bigger calorie deficits.

These things can seem like a good idea at the time and yield some short term results. But they are also what ultimately backfire and sabotage us.

We end up seeing our metabolism slow down more and more over the years as those quick fix practices add up.

Break the cycle.

Focus on these first 6 tips to make true and lasting changes that will help your body function optimally. They’re not sexy. Some are super basic.

But they’re key.

When we give our body what it needs, it will heal and adapt to the amazing new training and fueling practices and we’ll see our body composition improve!

Ready to kickstart your results with a custom plan and guidance?

Learn more about my 1:1 Coaching.

Why You Gain Muscle Before Losing Fat (And Why It Works!)

Why You Gain Muscle Before Losing Fat (And Why It Works!)

by | Jul 17, 2025 | podcast

Listen:

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast. Everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don’t want to hear. Have you ever thought, I’m gaining muscle, but it feels like my muscle is covered by just that little bit of fluff that won’t seem to budge. I want to explain why we can actually gain muscle before losing fat, even if we’re starting on a weight loss or fat loss journey. And this all comes back to previous poopy dieting practices. Sorry to put it that way, but it’s true. Things that we even thought worked to help us lose the weight in the past might be now why we’re struggling. What do we blame instead? Our age, our lifestyle, our willpower. But often it is the previous dieting practices that have created metabolic adaptations, which are now being, yes, potentially made worse by an unideal hormone environment due to perimenopause or menopause or getting older and seeing more insulin resistance or even less ability to use protein as efficiently or even other lifestyle factors like we’re not as active.

(01:04):
So yes, all these things can compound those metabolic adaptations, but a lot of them have been created by how we’ve dieted in the past and then the way we maintain our weight. And because of this, we can sometimes see when we start to feel properly and implement these proper training and guiding practices, not to say that your things were bad, so to speak, but just potentially misguided or out of alignment with what you needed. This is why we can see ourselves gaining muscle before we actually lose weight, even when we feel like we have 50, 60, 70 plus pounds to lose. And especially with that last little bit, we might find that by gaining muscle, we look leaner. So all this can be incredibly frustrating because a lot of us come in saying, I want the scale to budge and I want it to budge down. And it’s not only not budging at all, but it’s potentially going up.

(01:53):
It’s where you can even see inches being lost, clothing fitting looser in specific areas, a little bit of tone in specific areas, but then other areas not changing at all. And often the areas we want to change the most will be the last to go. So why are we gaining muscle before we’re losing fat? It’s often because when we come in and we’re doing the proper diet practices, the fueling with macros, eating enough, yes, not under fueling and then strength training. We are giving our body all the stimulus that needs to really create that muscle growth. And through that muscle growth, we will build our metabolic grade back up. But so what’s happening is you eating potentially, let’s say 900 a thousand calories before and not losing with increasing calories, you are technically putting your body into a calorie surplus to start because your body has downregulated, other processes, it’s turned off light switches, so to speak, to save energy, and now you’re starting to turn those things back on.

(02:47):
That’s why you’re seeing that muscle come back on. But it’s also why you might see the scale go up a little bit. Things might feel a little bit tighter to start because you’re also going to be storing glycogen and water weight in the muscle tissue that you’re now building. The more muscle you have, the more storage capacity you have. So as you’re increasing your calories, which is why we like to do it slowly, because if you increase it really quickly, you put yourself into a greater calorie surplus from what your body’s functioning off of. But your body will slowly start to rebuild all those processes, turn those light switches back on, use the energy efficiently, and that’s where you might see if your hair hasn’t been growing, your hair start to grow, your nails start to grow, you might start to feel more energized, not that afternoon lull.

(03:23):
You might not wake up at three or 4:00 AM in the morning when you usually find that you do wake up, you might see your stress levels even decrease. All these things can start to change as these processes reregulate, and you start to use the calories as efficiently. And then you might even start to become hungrier as your metabolic rate increases, which might mean that you have to still boost calories. All of this allows you to then build muscle so you can see that muscle coming on while you haven’t yet lost fat because your body doesn’t yet trust that it’s getting the energy and getting it consistently, and it’s still, again, learning to use that calorie surplus. At some point though, you’ll find that you balance out, you start to see those inches really going down. And if you’re lucky, and if your body hasn’t been too adapted for too long because the length of time we’ve spent undereating under fueling, doing the improper practices potentially at our set point, the longer it’s going to take to break that.

(04:12):
But you might find that all of a sudden you are starting to now see that fat loss or the scale go down. So if you’re lucky, that’s great, but if you’ve seen the scale go up or stay still and you’re building muscle vanes and fat, this is why. Okay, so from here, once you’ve rebuilt your calories to a certain point and you’ve been doing the strength training, really pushing that progression, whether adding weights, advancing movements, trying to do a few more reps, even changing up workout designs and different tools and techniques, and you’ve been pushing that muscle growth, you’ve seen those muscle gains, this is where you can then potentially use a small calorie deficit or even adjust your macros further. So in that rebuilding process, high protein is incredibly important. Over 30% I would say is the minimum, but you might even find that in that rebuilding phase, as you’re increasing your calories, your protein is at 40 or 45%.

(04:56):
And part of that is to help avoid gaining fat in the process as much as possible as you’re increasing or putting your body into a calorie surplus before it adapts. But then that will also help you as you start to shift and even see that calorie surplus or once was that surplus become a deficit because as you build lean muscle, as your metabolic processes increase, as you’re turning on more of those light switches using more energy, that once what was a surplus becomes that deficit. So that high protein will then help you preserve that lean muscle mass. And so you want to think about really focusing on protein as you’re increasing the calories before. Then, once you hit sort of that maintenance level calories, you’ve increased ’em at least hopefully 500 from where you were. That’s where you can start to use little mini cuts where you may go into a deficit of even just a hundred to 200, which is a little less than I would usually put someone in for a big mini cut if they’d been eating at maintenance or even in a true surplus for muscle building for a while, and they’ve been at their goal weight.

(05:49):
But you might do a very small surplus for only one to two weeks, which is where the mini cut component comes in with higher protein. But that’s where you can start to use some of the fat loss once you’ve rebuilt, but you’ve got to rebuild, and this is why we can see that muscle coming on. It can be a frustrating process because we’re reversing a lot of what has happened to our body to get our body to function optimally. Okay? So if you’re seeing yourself gain lean muscle, but not yet losing the fat, I know it’s frustrating, and I know you wanted to fall back into all those practices, but that’s only going to make matters worse and worse, and your body composition become worse and worse over the years. You’ve got to embrace building that muscle first to then lose the fat, and you’ve got to embrace increasing calories to then be able to create that deficit.

(06:30):
Otherwise, you’re going to end up eating 600. You body’s going to function off of it. You’re going to have a whole host of things that you see going on that are not good. You’re not going to feel energized. You’ve got to learn to fuel. So if you’ve been gaining muscle and not losing fat, embrace that reverse dieting process, increasing those calories over time, even 50 to a hundred per week for a few weeks. And even then using that higher protein. And you can cycle macros as you stay at different calorie levels to help your body adjust. But it is a slow process. But take those progress pictures, take those measurements, celebrate success in all the other ways so that you can see success leaving clues so that you can then help yourself at the right time, go back into that fat loss phase, but not rush the process.

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.

MINI CUTS – The Smartest Way To Lose Fat Quickly

MINI CUTS – The Smartest Way To Lose Fat Quickly

by | Jul 13, 2025 | Blog, Diet

Want to look leaner and always feel fabulous for that big event or vacation?

Well I’m going to share how you can actually accomplish this and stay leaner all year around.

And it’s not a cleanse or detox. It’s not a magic pill…

The secret is MINI CUTS.

In this video I’m going to explain what mini cuts are, why and when to use them and how to design your own.

Because they are the perfect way to kickstart your fat loss progress when you’ve hit a plateau or even when you want your muscle definition extra on point to feel your most fabulous.

Now a word of warning…

Mini cuts are NOT sustainable.

They’re not easy or fun.

They’re not the time you include the foods you love or strike a lifestyle balance.

They’re intensive and restrictive with a purpose.

You’re going to feel hungry. You’re going to feel a bit fatigued.

They aren’t meant to be done long term but as that quick fat loss phase that really pushes you to that next level of body recomp.

And they’re done for 1-2 weeks, 3-4 max.

While they can be amazing for that fast progress, doing them longer than a month will sabotage your success and backfire.

Their magic is in their short duration.

But if you need to see that quick progress on the scale for motivation…

Want to strike a balance around vacation and even to feel extra fabulous in your swim suit…

Or want to lose a bit of fluff you’ve put on after focusing on a muscle building phase for a bit…

Mini cuts are the perfect way to strike a balance.

And before I go into how to do one I want to touch on WHEN to use them.

I do NOT recommend using a mini cut if you’ve already been in a calorie deficit especially for an extended period of time.

Slashing your calories lower when you’ve already been in a deficit can lead to metabolic adaptations.

If you’ve been in a calorie deficit for a few months, consider a diet break BEFORE using a mini cut.

This is also why mini cuts can be great even after a vacation when you may have been eating more at maintenance and with more relaxed macros.

This is also why mini cuts are great during a maintenance or muscle building phase for that little extra shred to stay leaner overall.

But ideally you are using a mini cut after eating at maintenance at least for 1-2 weeks.

And you will even want to build BACK to maintenance after a mini cut for a couple of weeks before returning to your regular calorie deficit.

Now how do you determine what calories and macros to use for a mini cut?

You are going to use an “extreme” deficit and intensive, high protein macro ratios for 7-14 days ideally, but you can use them 21-30 days max. Just note that longer isn’t always better.

For this short timeframe, you want to push your calorie deficit without going past the point of diminishing returns.

That means you want to consider cutting 300-500 off your maintenance calorie level.

If you aren’t fully sure where maintenance is for you and you have more weight to lose, multiply your goal bodyweight by 10.

If you are leaner already and extremely active, this may be more like 11-12 x current bodyweight.

You will then want to cycle macros every week, using 2 ratios over your 2 weeks.

While these ratios may vary slightly based on your activity level and needs, you want to use ratios that are about 45-50% protein.

Two common ones I use are:
45% protein, 25% carbs, 30% fat
50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fat

This keeps protein extremely high but helps avoid any hormonal issues during this quick sprint by cycling fat and carbs slightly up and down.

These ratios are extreme. It’s part of why you are NOT using this long term.

Carbs and fat are not evil but for fast body recomp, keeping protein this high while pushing the calorie deficit works magic.

Preserve lean muscle as you lose fat.

It’s a huge win but NOT a fun diet to do.

So pick one ratio after setting your calories to start with and use that for 7 days. Then switch to the other for the second week.

You may notice a huge drop not until the end of the mini cut or even once you actually finish it and start bumping calories back up.

To return to higher calories, add 100 calories to your daily total and increase each week as you cycle your protein down to 30-40%.

Now a few more tips to make this work so you go in 100% prepared for the challenges and see the results you want from this quick fat loss protocol…

#1: You have to be precise.

You can’t allow for 1% deviations. You can’t excuse fluctuations day to day.

You want to be within 5 grams of your macro numbers DAILY and no more than 50 calories plus or minus.

This precision is key.

It may be a good time to really meal prep, keep prep simple and NOT plan in meals out.

Precision really is key.

Again, this is NOT a time to focus on sustainability or balance. It is a time to go all in so you can then go back to more of a fat loss lifestyle balance after or even return to maintenance.

#2: Plan ahead.

These ratios aren’t easy. Precision is key. And you’re going to be hungry.

So you need to plan ahead to help yourself navigate the challenges.

Plan more carbs around your workouts and even if you usually train fasted, consider a small snack prior so you aren’t starving after.

This also helps you protect your lean muscle during this quick protocol.

But plan ahead to make sure you’re getting a balance and not getting to the point of being so hungry you cave and overeat.

#3: Be boring and focus on high volume meals.

While you may love diversity in your meals, now is probably not the time to make meal prep more complicated. It only makes things more challenging.

And studies have even shown that reducing food diversity during a fat loss phase can help cut back on cravings.

You don’t necessarily want more of the boring foods you have to eat. While adding in more diversity can make you want more of…well different things.

So consider simplifying meal prep and really focus on those low calorie foods that fill your plate and make you feel fuller.

Lots of veggies, low carb fruits like berries, lean proteins and such are key. The more bites you get, the more you’ll find you stay satisfied while in this intensive deficit!

#4: Don’t do this if you aren’t ready to track macros meticulously.

If you’re not a macros math person already, don’t force yourself to start with one of the hardest macro protocols out there.

This mini cut works best if you are super comfortable adjusting and hitting macros meticulously and not going to be frustrated figuring out what fits.

These ratios are HARD. They don’t allow for a ton of fun foods or flexibility.

And precision is key.

So if you aren’t an advanced macro tracker, this may not be the place you start.

Don’t set yourself up for failure trying to force something not realistic for your lifestyle…yet.

If you’re looking to take your results to that next level, or simply want to feel extra fabulous for a big event, consider implementing this advanced macros technique.

It’s a great way to strike balance over your year especially around times you may be more lax to avoid falling back into the yo-yo dieting cycle!

Not everything we do is meant to be a lifestyle but through adjusting as we go we can overall create an amazing balance!

Want a plan to help you rock a 14-Day Mini Cut? Check out this amazing special on my Mini Cut Challenge!

–> LEARN MORE

Consistency Is Key (Even With Minimum Effort)

Consistency Is Key (Even With Minimum Effort)

by | Jul 10, 2025 | podcast

Listen:

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Change Requires CHANGE

If you’re feeling stuck and know deep down that you could be doing better, don’t wait any longer. Your life is not going to change until you take action and make a bold move towards your goals. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start moving towards the results you want let us help you achieve your goals. ⬇️

APPLY NOW

Transcript:

Open Transcript:

Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast, everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don’t want to hear. I am very lazy and I own this fact, embrace this fact, and I would actually say this is what leads to my success, but part of when I say I’m lazy, what I’m really doing is recognizing that sometimes it is not only okay, but good to do the minimum. And doing the minimum doesn’t mean you’re just sort of passing the buck or you’re not trying to optimize your results. It’s not mediocre as Michelle put it, which I’m super excited to be joined by Michelle. So we can really dive into this, but Michelle, let’s talk about why doing the minimum is sometimes the best way to see the best results and it’s okay to own our lazy, so to speak.

Michelle (00:50):
Yeah, thanks for having me. I think when we talk about the minimums, we often think partly because we were in a society where we kind of value people that are constantly going, constantly pushing, constantly doing it all. That’s what people post about on social media. People tend not to post when they’re doing the minimum. They tend to share when they’re going all out, but it’s in these moments of doing the minimum where we’re actually staying consistent and consistency leads to results. Being able to make sure even in those moments that you have a lot going on, your schedule’s changing, things are just kind of pulling you in different directions. You have these habits that you continue with and those habits are going to what keeps you to have success. So it’s really about keeping you moving forward and really making sure that you’re not getting to that point where it’s all or nothing. So often, Corey, you talk about if you get a flat tire, you don’t slash the other three. Doing the minimum is making sure that we’re not slashing the other tires.

Cori (01:53):
It’s actually funny to think about, but I would say a lot of us have a comfort zone on pushing harder, all or nothing. It is comfortable to be in control in that way and the discomfort comes by loosening the reins a little bit. And what we don’t realize though is that this inability to loosen the rain strategically, proactively is what leads to the restriction and then the completely self-sabotaging falling off summer party mode goes into holiday season goes into starting over January mode. And so if we can really embrace that, we’re stepping outside our comfort zone to do the harder thing by doing less instead of just taking pride in it, as you mentioned, the better off we’re going to be and it’s not an easy thing to do. How can we approach doing the minimum and help ourself embrace the discomfort of that?

Michelle (02:48):
Yeah, I love that you’re saying that because it is hard. It is because we tend not to trust ourselves. We tend not to trust ourselves. And this is where that all or nothing kind of comes into play. And I’m going to steal this because we actually had our fabulous coach, Liz and Coach Christie also speak on this and they touched on anchor habits and I loved that comment so much because instead of talking about minimums, these minimums are your anchor habits. It’s the ones that you are going to make sure that you can do even on your toughest day. They’re going to align with what you’re valuing at the time. And I think it’s important to recognize that those values can kind of shift during seasons and not pay. Your approach should also be able to shift and that allows you some of that flexibility.

(03:35):
And it’s really about making sure that we have these anchor habits so that we can build momentum. So when you do have the time where you can maybe be a little bit more aggressive in your approach, you are not starting completely over from ground zero. You’re actually getting ahead. That is something that we do with minimums is you are actually able to be further ahead because it’s a pattern disruption in the past, if you’re all or nothing, this is a way to disrupt that pattern that you often repeat where you’re still staying consistent. So not all of a sudden this is where we kind of get into that habit of I gain and lose the same 10 pounds over and over again. This is breaking that.

Cori (04:22):
And when we’re thinking about the anchors, what we’re really thinking about is what do I ultimately need to be better than I was at the same time of year? Instead of saying, Hey, how can I maintain the exact same habits I had from January to maybe single to mile or the summer? What can I do compared to last summer to create those fundamental foundational habits that move me forward, those 1% improvements. And so I think when we’re thinking about it, we think like, oh, well I need to track, okay, well why do you need to track? How is tracking helpful at this time of year? What would be the easiest way to track and think about the effort? Because a lot of times we think about how many changes we’re making more or less, but not the effort of the changes we’re making. And I brought this up in the past and I think it’s such a key thing, but what might not have felt like a lot of effort from January till now might have started to feel like a little bit more effort because we get bored so to speak.

(05:13):
We start to feel a little down in the things we’re repeating. We do want something shiny or new faster or we don’t always want to do what we should. So what didn’t feel like a lot of effort in terms of hitting a macro ratio might all of a sudden feel like a lot more effort just because you’re even tracking. And so you might notice that you’re not hitting your macros and then you’re seeing the scale go up and you’re feeling like you’re still giving the same amount of effort and you don’t realize those 1% deviations because of that effort. So it’s really key as you think about those anchor habits, it’s like what do you ultimately need to be a little bit better than you were last year? But also recognizing that the effort involved in some of the habits that didn’t feel as much effort was needed before might now feel like a lot more intensity is going into them. So it’s like how do we sort of navigate that to find what the anchor habits really can be, even knowing that we’re going to have to evolve.

Michelle (06:03):
I love that because it is that perceived level of effort that you’re putting in. And one of the things that I do see is March was a great time. I was able to hit that heart ratio. Well now we’re hitting summer, and yeah, you were able to hit that hard ratio, but now you have those backyard barbecues, more opportunities where alcohol is kind of being presented to you more foods that may be you are being, sorry, more events you’re being invited to where food may not be a hundred percent in your control. So yeah, that perceived, it’s going to feel like a higher level of effort because it’s not the same environment

Cori (06:41):
And we don’t even recognize sometimes the way that all or nothing attitude is impacting us hormonally, emotionally. We just all of a sudden hit the, I got a flat tire, I’m slashing the other 3M light the car on fire by the side of the road and I’m walking away. We get to that extreme sort of giving up point because we don’t realize the accumulation of things or the pattern we repeated. We honestly even sort of look back with rose colored glasses at the habits we’ve done right? We’ve gained weight and we’re looking to lose weight and we go, well, this worked in the past. No it didn’t because you’re back where you started. So yes, that might be your strategy, but you didn’t have an exit strategy. So part of it might’ve worked, but it’s really assessing the impact of the all or nothing attitude on so many different components, not just even the habits themselves. I mean, what do we see when we get that all or nothing attitude and how it really sabotages our mindsets, our body, all the different things so that we can’t create those lasting changes.

Michelle (07:38):
When you are kind of doing those things where all those things are kind of changing and these are things that are outside of your control, you can’t control that. The season changes, you can’t control that everyone else’s schedules around you is going to change, which is going to force your schedule to change. And if you, there’s always that saying, if you don’t have a plan, you plan to fill, and this is really where we see spike and cortisol. We see stall like being kind of flatlined and fat loss. We see energy somewhat draining. We see those sleep disruptions. You are more often, I mean the sun’s up longer, you’re more likely to be staying up late sleeping a little bit less. And this is really where we even see it can lead to even injury or inflammation. If you’re not planning that this is a season that’s going to shift and change and is outside of your control, you aren’t actually preparing yourself for the best things, which is how can you actually protect yourself in the season to make sure your cortisol isn’t getting spiked.

(08:44):
The other thing I often see is sometimes I’ll have women that will be like, oh, summer’s easy for me because I eat less. So it’s easy to stay in a deficit. And that may sound like a good thing because honestly heat does actually disrupt your appetite. It can actually lead to you eating less. And that again, for some that may sound like sweet, that’s a great deal, but if you are not eating enough calories and you are slowly disrupting your metabolism, you may see maybe even be one of those that you’re like, oh, I’m fine in the summer, I actually lose weight in the summer. But it’s actually that level of decreased appetite and decreased caloric intake that actually is leading you to fail in the fall because you’re not consuming enough so you’re actually causing harm to your metabolism. So instead of eating enough and making it so you can build in the fall, you’re hitting a wall in the fall,

Cori (09:42):
You’re also potentially not recognizing changes in activity level, which then impact how you’re fueling in the fall as well. Where if you are eating more with the summer but your activity level increased and you don’t own that, if you keep eating the same amount in the fall, that can also sabotage you. So it’s really recognizing all those changes to meet yourself where you’re at. But it’s as you said, recognizing all the other shifts going on outside of your control to control what you can control. But recognizing almost the mantras we need for different times of year, like January till the spring or even early summer, you might have sacrifices for success might be your mantra because you are willing to do more to really see that result. You don’t have as many things come up. Your schedule is optimized for specific things, but maybe during the summer and into the holiday season it is a slow down to speed up.

(10:27):
Maybe in the middle of the fall you have a little phase where you can make some more sacrifices, but it’s not bad to own those things because what ultimately builds results and what we don’t recognize is the importance of maintaining previous progress because the more we can maintain previous progress, the more we create that set point off of which to build. And that’s incredibly valuable because our body fights the weight loss process. If you’re trying to lose weight and you’ve lost the weight rate, your body’s trying to return to what it thought was balanced, even just during the summer, you can maintain all the progress you made during that January till the summer season, you’re going to go into the holiday season way better off. Maybe you have that six week stretch in the fall before the holiday start where you’re like, yes, I can do a little bit more. And so then you make a little bit more progress, your body’s not going to want to rebound and all of a sudden what you felt like would be fluctuations up after one vacation, one day off, they’re not happening. That’s like the importance of maintenance and slowing down to speed up. So we’re constantly progressing even if the scale isn’t necessarily decreasing and weight loss is our goal and we have to recognize that not to mention when we’re doing the minimum, we’re creating some pretty killer habits that we can stack off of.

Michelle (11:37):
Yeah, I love that because it really, I always say if you are staying consistent, that is what affords you the flexibility later and you’re a hundred percent so many people it’s like, oh, I got to my goal, this is it. But your body does fight. It can take up to six months. That’s what research shows is six months to actually reset your weight point of where you’re going to bounce back to. So that means six months of still making sure that you’re staying in and things aren’t bad, habits aren’t creeping back in. And that’s where these minimums and those anchor habits really are important. And that leads to the big thing, which is if we kind of said like, oh, you may be eating too less or maybe you’re eating more and it’s leading to this, you have to compare your summers. So this is a moment really that I encourage everyone to reflect what did they do last summer?

(12:32):
What did they see last summer? Because that’s also going to help them in choosing what those minimum habits that they’re actually going to employ is as far as what do they actually want to see. So if you’re someone that was like, Hey, yeah, I lost weight in the summer and then I really struggled in the fall may have been because yeah, your activity was up, your calorie intake was down, but you were in too big of a deficit, so you were actually harming your metabolism. So come fall you struggled. So this summer it may be just making sure you are eating enough as you go throughout your activities or if you’re on the opposite side of that where you were eating quite a bit and overindulged, more often than not, it’s looking at those habits and making sure that you have those anchor habits that’s also keeping you in check. So you’re not all of a sudden going into the fall with having rebounded that weight.

Cori (13:24):
It’s comparing seasons to seasons to see 1% improvements over what you did at the other season that really yields the best results. And it’s thinking about those fundamental habits that do build and going off of the anchor habits, I think this is where it’s super important. We recognize these are the fundamentals that allow us to reach a goal and maintain the goal with evolution. So I mean you might’ve heard all of us say this, you might’ve read this, but you don’t do the same thing to maintain a result that you do to get down. So what you do to lose the weight is not what you do to maintain your weight. And underneath that though, there are some fundamental habits that you’re creating. And while the exact implementation of these habits will evolve, the key is that you’re recognizing where they’re stemming from. When we’re thinking about doing these anchor habits, these minimums during the summer, we have to go to what is the foundation of what I need to be successful, which is why often we do recommend tracking. Now when you think about the habit of tracking, it can be done in so many different ways, but the fundamental anchor there is that what gets measured gets managed. So how can we implement some of these anchors in different ways to meet the minimums that we might need, Michelle?

Michelle (14:36):
Yeah, and I think it’s important to note that these habits still keep that the needle moving, right? We’re still seeing that progress. So I love that we’re talking about tracking. There are so many ways to track. My challenge is that you find what aligns best you in this phase and you track in some way. For some this is simply just tracking protein. For others, this is maybe they are sticking with the macros, but maybe it’s a little bit easier of a macro ratio than what they’ve typically employed. So oftentimes we’re looking at a 30% protein or a 35% protein kind of an even split between carbs and fat just during the summer months to allow for a little bit more flexibility when it comes to those social events that are going to have a little bit more food available to you. This is really also where even using things like plate method, and I always replace, this isn’t just the plate method.

(15:31):
I usually do a macro plate method, so you’re putting a little bit more emphasis on your protein. You’re actually putting also more emphasis on those non-starchy carbs or even using hand portions, just something that is going to keep you tethered in some way. So you do know, and this isn’t just to, as I mentioned before, this isn’t just to make sure you’re not over consuming. This is also to make sure that you are consuming enough because we so often we are like, yeah, honor those hunger cues. Summer’s a hard time to honor those hunger cues because with heat, if you’re in an area that has higher temperatures or even if you’re traveling to higher temperatures, oftentimes your appetite does naturally decrease because of heat itself. And

Cori (16:22):
I think with all of this too, it’s understanding that we’re trying to get data on what we need to make the best adjustments for us. And I bring that up because owning who we are and what we want to do is super key. And you might have those barbecues, those parties, those vacations you go on that you’ve always felt in the past had a lot of impact. What don’t we want to do on those days, if myself included, is track. We don’t really want to see those days, but guess what? It happened anyway. And I would urge you as you go into the summer months to do the opposite and track some of those days, it might not be perfectly accurate, but it can be eyeopening in the impact it actually has on the rest of your week. And while I do like macrocyclic and keeping the same ratio and keeping consistency and a daily consistency because that actually shows you if a ratio works.

(17:11):
If you’re going into the summer and you’ve been tracking and you know what ratios sort of work for you and you know that you need a certain amount of protein track those days that now might be creeping in, that might be throwing off your weekly averages, it becomes the, I’ve been good all week, right? Where all of a sudden the weekend’s adding up and you’re like, well, five and two, it should be okay. But you don’t realize how much you’re really changing those averages over the weekend. And the more you start to recognize those through a little bit of tracking, the more maybe you do adjust your habits during the summer to account for that in the ratio you use during the week versus what you do on the weekend. Or maybe you start to say, Hey, I need to evolve my weekend habits. But I think so often we just try and force the same habits at all times of week, even not only through the seasons and then by not owning what we actually want, the changes in those routines and habits we sabotage ourselves.

(17:56):
So it’s really using this to collect data and information to be a little bit better then. So yeah, you might’ve been logging a full ratio and even going 50% protein doing mini cuts all January, don’t do too long. But using those different strategies and then get into the summer, I need to go to a 30% protein minimum and find that’s the max you can do, or you just are taking pictures of food and that’s holding you accountable enough. It’s really knowing what’s going to help you be better then because that leads to the success mindset, which helps you build even further. So off of that, what are some other minimum habits you might recommend for somebody looking to meet themselves where they’re at that seem a little silly, simple, I’ll even say, but really create that success mindset of wanting to do more over feeling not successful. So we kind of didn’t do anything.

Michelle (18:42):
So I know we kind of touched on this before. So one, obviously track two don’t go empty for too long. This is really what I see with upcoming travels with just, again, I know I’ve hit on this already, but with the summer heat improving is we just go too long without eating. And this can cause an issue for a couple of reasons. One, obviously it can make it so your overall kelp caloric intake goes down and we can actually harm your metabolism, but we can also create a restrict binge cycle by making those eating windows too long. So if you have a travel day, you’re going somewhere and you’re kind of going crazy, plan, plan, plan, at least a snack, something in your bag, something you can eat, Vista, I always say we’re going to take the infant line, but Fed is best. So making sure that we’re getting some type of caloric intake in is also going to help you not get into that habit where I haven’t ate all day and you get home and what most likely are you going to grab?

(19:47):
You’re going to grab what’s fast and easy and that’s not a bad thing, but if your options are chips and ice cream in the freezer, that may be what you’re heading to. And pretty soon you may be like, oh, I’m going to, as you mentioned, stay in that caloric deficit because I kind of didn’t eat all this steak, but you can so quickly blow out a caloric deficit when you have not been eating enough to kind of just having these high calorie foods available to you. So it’s really making sure that we’re not getting into that. And truthfully, that can also have a negative impact on your mindset as well when we just wait too long so that we get into that restrict binge cycle.

Cori (20:24):
It can create a little over-correcting attitude of, oh, I’ll save all my calories for these different things. And don’t get me wrong, I think there’s something to working in the foods you love if you know have a little less flexibility at dinner and you’re going out saving calories to those things. But we also don’t want that mindset. They’ll see people not eat all day to overeat, but also not fuel their workouts to be able to perform well, their energy levels to feel good during the day. So it is very key. We recognize that plus there are so many foods during the summer that we can really use to be refreshing even and be more fun and create that new reinvigorated sense of eating well, I would say. And also your favorite thing, hydrate, but smoothies, you can make popsicles. There’s so many different options. I’m going to use the ninja Creamy every single day, not that I don’t already, but I’m planning to use it every single day during the summer and even make Ryan have some, which I don’t think he’ll complain about. But there’s just so many options and different ways you can tweak to really even have fun during the summer and explore new opportunities in how you’re fueling.

Michelle (21:25):
I love that. Lean into the summer flavors. This is the time where we can be creative with some of those smoothies. We can be creative with our hydration, which you know me well, that actually is on my list. My next thing is one of those anchor habits should be hydration. So even if you’re looking at creating a lemonade mint thing to kind of make sure that you are enjoying those summer flavors, but also leaning into those habits of hydration. So it really is about hydrating with intention. So you guys know I always talk about water at some point and that really is, is my goal for everyone is truly to try and get about that 70% of body weight in ounces that really is going to help reduce fatigue. If you are traveling, you’re going to have more energy, it’s going to support that digestion, which oftentimes, again, depending on what you’re doing, can often be disrupted because we are also introducing new foods, new flavors during the summer.

(22:19):
Can summer sometimes take a little bit of a toll on our digestion itself? This is also going to help support both muscle building and fat loss. So it’s really a good time to make sure that we’re leaning in to this habit and hopefully making it so it carries on into the fall and into the winter. So if that’s something that you’ve struggled in the past, sometimes summer can be a little bit easier to remind yourself to drink those fluids, but this is really that time to build that momentum so you can carry that in through the rest of the year.

Cori (22:52):
I love that. Thinking of the things that you can do that will change habits for the future as well. Because I do think we just often talk about, or even think about the summer as being the time where some healthy habits we try to implement go to die a little bit. Not to be negative, but I think owning the benefits of this time of year two and how it does change your routine, being more active. I know I want to go out for more walks, be outside a little bit more. So I know my activity level does increase in cold Southern California, but it does increase. And so I might even find different ways during the January, February, March, April to do a little bit more muscle building, not include as much cardio, and then in the summer steer into that cardio even in how I design my strength workouts.

(23:35):
But then again, also recognizing how we fuel. We talk about the summer as more party time. So yes, there can be that tendency to overeat or macros be really off due to those days, but there can also be a tendency, as you mentioned to under fuel, but because we might’ve been demonizing carbs for other reasons or use lower carb ratios in the past to lose weight, we can fear increasing carbs, which ultimately then holds us back if we are more active. So it’s not only the under fueling that can have an impact, but potentially macro ratios that need to adjust that we need to embrace things that we were potentially uncomfortable embracing before.

Michelle (24:11):
So often it’ll be like, oh, this ratio worked for me before. Well, did you consider what activity you’re doing? Did you consider what your day to day is right now? Because oftentimes it is going to change. There is a little bit more walking, and this really goes to show, my saying is life’s never stagnant. Your diet can’t be, and this is a prime example of that. You cannot have a stagnant diet. You have to make sure that you are truly evaluating yourself as far as what you’re actually facing, what goals you have, what sacrifices are you actually willing to make during this particular moment

Cori (24:49):
And off of that. So we can’t get married to just one macro ratio. We might have to embrace having more carbs if we are being more active doing more cardio, maybe we’re doing a lot more racing even. How can we think about building a plate that hits our macros so that we can see effective results but maybe track in a different way than we have in the past?

Michelle (25:09):
Yeah. Okay. So I’ll start with the plate method, right? So when you’re building your plate, if you were to look up the USDA recommended plate method, it’s going to split the plate into half fruits and vegetables, a quarter protein, a quarter carbs. I like to actually change that a little bit. So we would actually be looking at potentially thirds. That’s kind of a quick dirty way to kind of think about this. So really more of a third of a protein and we’re kind of keeping that third of the plate being those non-starchy fruits and vegetables. Ideally more vegetables than fruit. I like to keep fruit in the summer, don’t get me wrong, I’m going to be eating loads of watermelon, but when I’m actually building that first plate or that main plate fruit kind of tends to stay as a snack. I’m looking at those non-starchy vegetables that are going to be higher in fiber.

(26:04):
And then that way when we’re looking at those carbs, we are looking at those high fibrous carbs as well. This is the time where we’re looking at adding in that the spaghetti squash, we’re adding in those fibrous vegetables. So sweet potatoes an excellent one to make sure that you’re adding into your plate, but this doesn’t need to be a huge massive amount. It really is making sure we’re having a little bit more protein, a little bit more of the non-starchy vegetables, and then whatever is left, we’re filling with those carbs because you’re going to be getting those carbs more through in your snacks as well,

Cori (26:43):
But it’s not demonizing the carbs if your activity level has gone up, even if lower carb worked for you at another point. And I’m not saying that everybody now just needs to go out and eat all the carbs every single day all day, but it’s being open to the opportunity evolution in so many different ways. Even if you are keeping in some of the habits you already had, nothing as you said is standing still. So we need to evolve off of this closing thoughts on being realistic for our lifestyle as we do the minimum and we’re entering summer or even just dealing with changes at another time of year.

Michelle (27:17):
Yeah, I think it’s just being honest. Some days you’re going to have energy for the structure, for tracking, for creating recipes, and I always say, if you have the time, do something your future self is going to thank you for. So if you have the time, do a little extra meal prepping. Make sure your freezer is full of something that you can grab that’s fast later on. Don’t get in the habit of not, or get at the mindset of you don’t have to do all the things. We just want to make sure we’re doing the right things, the foundational things consistently, and even those things in the mountains and how intense we’re doing that can shift and that they should shift. And really make sure that what you’re doing is fitting into your life. And we always said it should be a slight challenge. I’m not saying like, oh, if it’s easy, great.

(28:05):
If it’s easy, you probably aren’t pushing yourself just enough, but you should make it so it fits without friction. And so really making sure that you’re finding things that you value. I’m going back up to what we kind of talked about before with the anchor habits. This should be something that you align with, that you’re valuing, that you know can do even on your toughest of days to make sure that you are hitting that consistency. So anything is going to, there’s always going to be things in life that are going to get in the way, whether it’s the season, whether it’s a holiday, whether it’s travel, things are going to come up. And if you develop these skills now you’re going to make sure even later on, and I kind of look at this, this is practice for when you do have a trip coming up. When you do have that week of work that was a little extra stressful, or maybe you have a family event that added a little extra stress to your life or perhaps made it so food wasn’t entirely in your control, you were at kind of the mercy of others catering to you. So that is when we want to make sure we’re asking these questions so you can pick and choose what those minimums are that are going to still help you moving forward.

Cori (29:17):
It’s planning ahead now to back off because when we do, it doesn’t feel like we’re giving up or we’re going easy. What really ends up happening is so often in the moment in a response to something, we then feel like we can do less. And that’s where that guilt has almost been created over slowing down to speed up. But when you’re proactively planning in that deload, it’s not because you need it, it’s because you need it, right? There is a difference in how we’re choosing to perceive it and how our body responds to it because it doesn’t feel like we’re having to give up or give in or weak or can’t handle it or whatever else. It’s not a negative, right? It’s not in response. So the more you can plan ahead right now to be like, Hey, these are the minimums I’m going to go to, especially if I feel my effort levels creeping up or these are just things I’m going to do proactively, and if I want to do more, I can always do more. But the more you plan ahead, the more you’re going to feel like this is just the plan, this is just the balance. And I can always do more over feeling like you’re somehow giving and giving up too weak to do the other, because that’s not the case. There’s simply evolution in life and the more we own it, the more we can keep moving forward. Michelle, any other final closing thoughts? Now that I went on that tangent?

Michelle (30:26):
I’m just going to end with this. I think it’s always important to keep in mind we aren’t chasing trends. I know everything we just went over, it’s not sexy, but it’s the daily actions that no one sees that really everyone actually ends up noticing because it’s going to be what keeps you moving forward and actually getting those results at the end of the day. So this is the time that’s really about building that resilience and playing belonging.

Cori (30:55):
Love it. Couldn’t have said it better. Perfect ending. Won’t say anymore. Thanks guys for joining us. Hope all those tips helped. Would love to hear how you are doing the minimum to keep moving forward.

 

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.

The Perfect Mobility Routine (FULL BODY FIX!)

The Perfect Mobility Routine (FULL BODY FIX!)

by | Jul 6, 2025 | Blog, Exercises, Foam Rolling, Functional Fitness, Pain Relief, Stretches, Workouts

Feel like it would take you hours to address ALL of the little aches and pains you have?

Like your age is just making you creakier and creakier?

This doesn’t have to be the case!

I want to share how you can use the 3-step prehab process to address aches and pains up and down your body and improve your mobility by targeting just 3 main key areas with 9 exercises.

These 9 moves include all 3 parts of the prehab process – foam rolling, stretching and activation – to have you feel like a well oiled machine.

And the best part?

They can be combined into a routine you use almost daily that takes just about 10 minutes!

Before I dive into the moves, I want to explain why the full prehab process is so key so you understand the benefits of combining these 9 moves in this specific order – foam rolling, stretching then activation.

And because this makes for even a perfect full body warm up, I’ve focused the stretches on dynamic stretches (ones with movement) over static stretches (where you just hold) to help make sure you improve your flexibility without any impact to your performance.

But you first want to foam roll to relax overactive or tight muscles. Foam rolling is like a massage and helps release knots and relax muscles so you can better engage weak or under active muscles and properly mobilize joints while stretching muscles.

This first part is key to getting everything to work better together.

Then you stretch to improve muscle flexibility but also joint mobility.

With stretching, you want to focus on the muscle driving the stretch, not just what is stretching. This helps you not only better stretch the muscle but begins the activation process – engaging muscles that are weak or often don’t want to work when they should.

Then with activation, you are continuing to mobilize but also stabilize joints. You’re strengthening weak muscles and almost “waking them up” to help them be primed to work during your workouts and more compound exercises and heavier lifts.

This process addresses all key components to injury prevention – mobility, flexibility AND stability.

And bonus, it not only helps you avoid injury, but helps you see better strength and muscle gains for improved body recomp from your workouts!

So now, let’s dive into the 3 areas you’ll want to target, including your:

  • Shoulder blades
  • Hips
  • Feet and ankles

I focus on these 3 areas because if we address immobility or weakness in those places, you’ll be amazed at how even that knee or elbow pain lessens.

Everything is connected and that often where the pain is, isn’t where the initial problem started!

So let’s start with foam rolling, stretching and activation for your shoulder blades to improve scapular mobility and stability.

#1: Scapular Mobility And Stability

Have you ever had neck, shoulder or upper back aches and pains? Even elbow pain?

Addressing the movement of your shoulder blades may be the key to alleviating these aches and pains.

Too often we only focus on our shoulder mobility and forget how much the shoulders and shoulder blades really work together to power movements.

From pulling exercises to even pressing movements, we need to have proper scapular control if we want to use the correct muscles to power the exercises and prevent overload of smaller muscles like our rotator cuff.

To improve your scapular mobility and control, try including these 3 moves before your upper body workouts. It will help improve your pressing as well as your pulling!

The first move you want to include in that prehab or warm up process is Lat Foam Rolling.

While the lat more indirectly impacts your scapular movement, it can really contribute to that rounded shoulder posture, causing aches and pains.

Not so fun fun fact it can even create issues into your lower body because of its connection to your glutes through the thoracolumbar fascia.

And this muscle can often become tight, leading to us not efficiently engaging our backs.

To roll out your lats, a roller works best. Lie on your side with the roller at the side of your back behind your armpit. Reach your hand overhead with your palm facing up to stretch your lat as you roll.

Hold on any tight spots as you work your way down the side of your back, rocking back more as you go lower on your ribs.

Reach your arm overhead then lower it down in front of your chest as you hold on any tight spots you find.

The second move you want to include is a stretch to open up your chest as well as even mobilize your shoulders and shoulder blades – the Suspension Trainer Snow Angels.

Find yourself hunching forward a ton when sitting?

A tight pec minor contributes to anterior tipping of the shoulder blade while a tight pec major can contribute to that internal shoulder rotation – exactly that bad posture we want to reverse.

That’s why this stretch, especially before any overhead pressing, is key.

To do the snow angels, hold a handle in each hand, facing away from the anchor point and walk out so the suspension trainer is pulling back slightly on your arms as they are straight down by your sides.

Engage your upper back and feel your chest open up and stretch as you swing your arms out straight and open overhead from your sides.

By focusing on engaging your back to drive your chest open, you make sure you actually stretch your pecs instead of just seeking out more range of motion from your shoulders.

Feel your shoulder blades move as you raise your arms overhead and then lower them back down to your sides.

The third move you will want to include is an activation exercise – the Roller Serratus Anterior Extensions.

The serratus anterior is a muscle too often ignored and overlooked but it’s been linked to neck, shoulder and even upper back aches and pains as it is a primary scapular stabilizer.

So this activation move is key to create that strength and stability.

To do the serratus anterior extensions, place a roller under your wrists with your palms facing in toward each other at about eye height against a wall.
Walk your feet back so you’re angled into the wall and resting a bit of your weight against the roller just to be able to push into it as you extend up.

Brace your abs and roll your arms up, thinking about pulling your shoulder blades “out and around” forward on your rib cage as you slide up.

Then slide back down, pulling with your back. You want to focus on feeling around your rib cage as you reach out and your back as you pull back down.

Because everything is connected, you may be surprised by how using these 3 moves can even improve your spinal health and have an impact at your hips and pelvis.

But if you do have lower back, hip or knee pain, or have struggles with tight hips in general and hamstring strains, you’ll also want to address these 3 prehab moves to improve your hip mobility and stability next.

#2: Hip Mobility And Stability

Many of us have heard we’re spending too much time seated leading to hip flexor tightness. And this hip flexor tightness can create compensations and imbalances that lead to our lower back hurting during deadlifts or our knees hurting during lunging.

It’s why we want to use these 3 moves to relax those hip flexors, mobilize our hips and spine and even activate our glutes so they’re working properly when they should be.

This starts with relaxing a hip flexor and quad muscle, the rectus femoris, that can perpetuate lower back, hip and knee pain.

It is the only quad muscle that impacts joint movement at both the knee and the hip.

To roll out your Rectus Femoris, you can use a roller or ball. The smaller and harder the trigger point tool, the more it will dig in.

Find the middle of your thigh about half way down and lie over the foam roller or ball. As you hold, flex and relax your thigh to help the muscle relax and release.

You can move up higher or lower on the front middle of your thigh to find any tight spots and hold.

The second move to include is one that addresses not only your hips but also your spine. It’s a stretch that really has that far reaching impact and great when your short on time – the World’s Greatest Stretch.

This dynamic stretch will warm your body up and prepare everything to work, working on thoracic rotation while stretching your glutes, hip flexors, adductors and hamstrings.

To do this stretch, start in a high plank position with your hands then step one foot up and outside the hand on the same side. Squeeze your back glute to stretch that hip flexor.

Drop your elbow on that side down to the ground near the instep of your foot. Do not worry if you can’t touch the ground. Focus on not rocking out on your foot just to touch to make sure you’re really stretching your glute and adductor.

Reach that arm up toward the ceiling, opening your chest up toward that front leg and the ceiling. Focus on your back opening your chest up as you rotate.

Place your hand back down then drop your back knee to the ground to sit back on your heel, straightening your front leg out. Feel a stretch down your hamstring as you hinge, leaning over that front leg while pushing your butt back.

Then repeat the movement.

With this stretch, and all of the others I mention, focus on what is driving the stretch, not just on the muscle stretching.

This focus on what you feel working is also key as you do glute activation moves like exercise number 3 – the Side Lying Wall Lateral Raise.

You can do this move with bodyweight or progress it with a band.

Lie on your side a few inches from the wall with your back to the wall.

Lift your top leg up a few inches off your bottom leg and turn that top toe slightly down toward the ground. Drive your heel back into the wall behind you.

Slide your heel up the wall lifting your leg, feeling your glute working to push back and lift.

And last but not least, you want to address your feet and ankles. They are your foundation. Instability or immobility there can lead to changes in your movements up your entire body.

#3: Feet And Ankle Mobility And Stability

Far too many of us have also had ankle or foot aches and pains that we simply rested then went right back to what we were doing, never addressing the underlying culprit. This may be why we now have knee, hip or even lower back problems.

So taking care of our foundation is key with these prehab moves.

And one often overlooked muscle group of our lower leg are the peroneals, which is why peroneal foam rolling is so key!

Peroneal tightness can lead to what looks like a leg length discrepancy or even a weight shift during squatting. This muscle has a far reaching impact so it can’t be ignored in our prehab.

To roll it, place a ball on the ground and relax your lower leg onto the ball, pressing the outside of your lower leg down into the ball and hold as you even circle your foot.

You want to focus on the side of the meaty part of your calf, holding as you push down and tense and relax the muscle with the foot movement.

The second move to include, the Ankle Mobility And Groin Stretch, improves both the mobility of your ankles but also your hips, activating your glutes and stretching your adductors.

It is a great stretch if you’re struggling with knee pain or find you can’t squat down low.

To do this stretch, set up half kneeling and open your front knee out to the side so your foot and leg is perpendicular to your back kneeling leg.

Bring that front foot back so it is turned out but in line with your back knee and move that foot out so your knee is behind your ankle. Engage your glute then shift your weight, rocking that knee forward over the ball of your foot without your heel coming up.

Don’t lean forward as you rock forward or back. Adjust how far out that foot is from your back knee, shifting it closer for more of a focus on ankle mobility or further out to stretch your groin more.

Then the third activation move will help you strengthen through the range of motion while addressing the too often ignored soleus calf muscle.

By using a plate weight for the Seated Plate Weight Calf Raises, you are working this muscle through an extended range of motion.

The seated position helps you target the soleus over the gastrocnemius which we so often focus on with our calf raises.

Strengthening this muscle improves our gait mechanics which can help us walk and run more efficiently without pain!

To do Seated Plate Weight Calf Raises, sit on a bench with the plate weight on the ground in front of you and the balls of your feet on the edge of it.
Your heels should be on the ground aligned about under your knees so you feel a slight stretch in your calves.

Drive through the balls of your feet and toes to lift your heels up off the ground.

Pause at the top to feel your calves then make sure to lower all the way back down to use the increased range of motion.

Combine all 9 of these moves for a quick full body prehab routine.

Setting a timer for 30 seconds per move or per side and completing all foam rolling then stretching then activation can make for an amazing mobility series or warm up.

For this quick prehab routine written out, check the video descriptions.

But a little goes a long way when done consistently! Consider using this routine even 3-4 times a week! It takes under 10 minutes!
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Prehab Routine:

FOAM ROLLING:
30 seconds per side Lat Foam Rolling
30 seconds per side Rectus Femoris Foam Rolling
30 seconds per side Peroneal Foam Rolling

STRETCHING:
30 seconds Suspension Trainer Snow Angels
30 seconds per side Ankle Mobility And Groin Stretch
30 seconds per side World’s Greatest Stretch

ACTIVATION:
30 seconds Roller Serratus Anterior Extensions
30 seconds Seated Plate Weight Calf Raises
30 seconds per side Side Lying Wall Lateral Raise

For mobility work included with EVERY workout, check out my Dynamic Strength program:

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