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5 Tips For Muscle Growth (GAINS 101!)

5 Tips For Muscle Growth (GAINS 101!)

by | Apr 6, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

So you want to build muscle…

Put down your cardio crown and get ready to eat more.

In this video I’ll cover muscle building 101, or bulking, and it’s going to require you to go against many of the dieting and training practices you’re used to, especially if you’ve found yourself constantly on that yo-yo dieting cycle over the years.

Now if you’re wondering, “Should I do a bulk?” here are some things to consider…

Are you thin and wanting to see more muscle definition?

Have you dieted down but aren’t as defined as you’d like?

Are you going through menopause and seeing weight creep on around your middle?

Are you feeling like your metabolism is broken?

Have you plateaued in your weight loss journey after being in a deficit for 6 months or more?

If you said yes to any of these, it may be time to focus on a muscle building phase.

Building muscle can improve our body composition if we’re already pretty lean, making us look leaner and more defined…

It can also improve our insulin sensitivity and metabolic health to avoid gaining unwanted fat as we get older…

And a bulking phase can even help us ultimately bust a weight loss plateau through a period of time focused on performance, metabolic health and hormonal balance while gaining muscle so we look leaner as we lose.

But I’ll tell you the thing that most often holds us back from seeing the amazing muscle gains that are possible…

And it isn’t even a nutritional mistake or workout one….although there are a few common ones I’ll go over to help you avoid them…

It’s the fear of gaining weight on the scale!

Many of us have worked hard to achieve our weight loss or fat loss goals. Often a number on the scale is tied to that.

Especially if you’ve lost weight more recently, the idea of seeing that number go up can freak you out.

But honestly, it might and you may look even leaner as it does.

If you’re serious about putting on muscle, consider ditching the scale and instead focus on body measurements and progress pictures for a bit.

If you do use the scale, be ready to see even an initial jump as you move to eating more, focusing on more carbs and even see more muscle tissue damage and inflammation from pushing hard in your workouts.

This isn’t fat nor muscle being gained. Sorry doesn’t happen that fast.

We have to remember that simply by no longer being in a deficit we won’t be depleted and our body is going to store the extra we’re giving it.

This means full energy stores. And as you build more muscle, the more you can store. But these stores are needed to see those gains.

And then as you build muscle, the scale may go up. Because if you gain 1lbs of muscle and don’t gain any fat, the scale is going to go up 1lbs.

Not to mention, more muscle means more storage capacity.

With pushing your lifting hard as well to promote those muscle gains, you’re also going to see jumps on the scale due to bodily process to recovery.

So to summarize, the scale will go up and may show big swings daily.

On top of this, as you see the scale go up, especially over time as you build muscle, you may even then need to embrace eating more to retain the lean muscle and increase in metabolic processes!

This is why measurements and photos can be key. Too often the scale jumps and we instantly cut back when we need to do the opposite.

It’s why we never truly make progress.

Gaining muscle is hard, especially the longer we’ve been training for. And a big part of what can sabotage us is the scale mind games.

Measure areas you want to build muscle in and those that you want to avoid gaining fat in, like your waist.

Watching trends in each can help you see where those gains are happening and how your body composition is truly changing.

Now, the how-to of bulking.

And I don’t know about you, but I want to build muscle efficiently while also not having then to backtrack a ton to lose fat.

I want to do things in a sustainable way that leads to optimized long-term results.

So I say this with still wanting you to see those pure muscle gains without gaining a ton of fat….

Ditch the steady state cardio other than walking. Stop the long HIIT sessions. Focus on lifting.

While both may have helped you lean down, they both work against those pure muscle gains.

We have to remember that what got us to one goal often works against us getting to the next level.

Cardio, especially the long run and endurance rides, is catabolic to muscle mass and depletes our glycogen stores. It can hinder us from lifting heavier and optimally recovering and rebuilding from our strength work.

It can raise cortisol levels and put our body under chronic stress.

If you want to gain muscle faster and have even been frustrated by a lack of results, ditch the cardio for a time.

This also means not turning your strength workouts into cardio sessions.

Too often to feel more worked from our workouts, because we equate feeling tired with a workout being “good enough,” we cut back on rest.

This can make us get more out of breath or feel shakier.

But it also doesn’t allow our muscles to truly recover to lift as heavy the next round. And if we can’t truly push the weights and exercise variations we’re using to work closer to true muscular failure, we aren’t going to create the same stimulus for muscle growth.

Don’t avoid longer rest periods the heavier you lift. If you’re using a big compound lift like a deadlift or bench and really trying to work to fatigue at 5 reps, you may need 2-3 minutes of rest.

You actually want to feel like you earned that and don’t fully want to get back to the weight even with that much rest!

Too often we lift submaximal loads, just stop at the top of the rep range and cut our rest to make it feel harder. But this won’t lead to the same muscle growth.

And on top of dropping the cardio, and not just focusing on our workouts making us feel tired and out of breath, you probably need to eat more.

Now if you’re thinking, “I need to burn fewer calories AND eat more?! Won’t I just gain a ton of fat?!”

The answer is, NO, especially if you are strategic in how you increase your calories and dial in your macros.

You may see an initial jump on the scale as you eat more and even potentially bump carbs, but this increase is glycogen storage and water weight retention.

Both of these things are needed to help your muscles repair and rebuild, not to mention provide you the energy in the first place to train hard and actually create progression to drive growth.

But just creating a huge surplus isn’t the answer. You want to increase your calories over what you’re consuming to maintain your weight by 100-300. The bigger the deficit, the more you may see fat being gained.

And while you may not care about gaining some fat in the process to ultimately gain more muscle, there is a point of diminishing returns where gaining fat can ultimately hinder your performance and, especially if you aren’t focusing on quality fueling, lead to slower recovery.

You also then will have to do more of a cut after if you want to lean back down and risk losing some of the muscle you worked hard to gain.

The more we end up in this bulking, cutting cycle, the more we can find ourselves gaining and losing the same few pounds over truly just slowing down to focus on recomp happening.

So a small, sustainable surplus you can increase as you make progress can help you build while staying leaner to ultimately retain more of your muscle long term.

And then focus on QUALITY – both in your workouts and your diet.

While it may be tempting to not care how you’re hitting your calories and macros, and you SHOULD work in foods you love, you do want to focus on nutrient dense foods to help your body recover optimally, and help you feel your best in your training sessions.

Eating crap, well, it makes you feel crappy and often even sluggish in your training.

Proper fueling and hydration can also help you avoid being as sore and fatigued. And the better you recover, the harder you can train and the better your gains!

The quality of your workouts is also key. Too often we go through the motions with our training. Stopping when the weight feels kind of hard and we hit the number of reps we were supposed to do.

We aren’t super intentional and focused to maximize each and every rep and push as hard as possible.

We aren’t focused on what we feel working to maximize muscle engagement.

We even rush through over paying attention to tempos and ranges of motion.

A lack of attention and focus doesn’t allow us to optimize our training sessions. The more experienced a lifter you are, the more this lack of attention and focus will hold you back.

Don’t ignore the importance of really focusing on quality not just quantity in everything you do. It isn’t just about more moves.

It’s about having a purpose for everything you include.

It’s not just about more calories or carbs, it’s about quality and even playing around with timing.

Don’t overwhelm yourself with the details, especially to start, but be conscious of all that you’re including and track and record how you feel.

The more you understand all the habits you’re implementing, the more you can tweak as you go to truly see results build!

Want a custom plan and guidance to build your leanest, strongest body no matter your age?

–> Learn more about my 1:1 Coaching and schedule a consultation

How to Actually Get Abs (10 Annoying Tips That Work!)

How to Actually Get Abs (10 Annoying Tips That Work!)

by | Mar 30, 2025 | Blog, Diet

So you want to see more ab definition…

You want to achieve that elusive “six pack”…

Well, here are 10 annoying nutrition tips to help you get there!

But a word of warning to get abs, you can’t be concerned with sustainability.

That comes later.

This isn’t the time to focus on how you can work in your cocktails or your favorite desserts as much as I’m all about balance long-term.

Because what we do to achieve a goal, is NOT what we do to maintain it.

But to reach a level of leanness you’ve never achieved, or haven’t seen in awhile, you’ve got to be willing to sacrifice and push hard, especially when you’d rather sit on the coach and binge watch chick flicks while eating ice cream…

Maybe that’s just me…

But achieving abs is about pushing your body’s set point, and that does mean being more precise with your diet and workouts.

Those 1% matter.

That’s why these 10 tips are key.

And note, simple doesn’t mean easy.

Actually often the simpler something is, the harder it is long term and the more tempted we are to try to do more or chase a new fad diet or shiny object…

Don’t.

The biggest thing is CONSISTENCY with all of this past the point you want to quit…PERIOD.

Which is why Tip #1 is – Be boring.

Yup. Boring.

I love trying new restaurants, and have more favorite restaurants on doordash than I should probably admit while always looking for what’s new…

But if you’re focused on getting abs, especially for the first time, diversity is your enemy.

It can trigger cravings.

Make hitting your macros harder.

And it can make it tougher to know if something is or isn’t working.

The more you keep things basic, the easier the process will be.

Tip #2: Cut back on protein bars.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like feeling hungry.

And you are going to be a bit hungry when first pushing to a new level of leanness.

That’s why cutting back on processed snacks like protein bars can be key. They are very calorically dense often for very few bites.

They often are not satisfying in the slightest and leave you feeling still hungry right after due to the lack of food volume.

So be conscious of how you use them and even try to include them with other high volume foods or only when on the go!

Tip #3: Stop the daily fluctuations.

If you want results to snowball faster, you’ve got to be willing to be more precise. That means hitting your macros within 2% and 50 calories plus or minus daily.

Not just in weekly averages where things fluctuate greatly day to day.

Not excusing a day “off plan”, which can often impact our macros more than we realize.

But every single day hitting those numbers consistently and precisely, even using the same meals and foods as I mentioned with tip 1.

That’s what adds up and allows us to know what is and isn’t working.

And if you’re thinking, “That isn’t sustainable.”

It’s not meant to be. What we do to reach a goal isn’t what we do to maintain it. And during maintenance a new balance has to evolve.

But to first get there, you’ve got to embrace the grind!

Tip #4: Focus on fiber.

Very rarely is gut health and fiber the first thing that comes to mind when you think about getting lean and losing fat.

But focusing on getting about 25-30 grams of fiber per day can really improve your fat loss results.

A healthy gut, and consuming enough fiber, reduces inflammation and cravings and improves insulin sensitivity and satiety.

It keeps your metabolic rate higher and even reduces the rate of protein breakdown to help you preserve your muscle mass as you lean down.

So take care of your gut with fiber to balance your appetite and make the fat loss process easier!

Tip #5: Get 30-40 grams of protein per meal.

Yup. The tip all too many of us know and resist…increasing our protein!

But not just increasing our overall daily totals, specifically focusing on that 30-40 gram range for a meal or more.

While many have heard the myth you won’t utilize more in one sitting, studies have shown you will utilize up to 100 grams efficiently.

And that 30-40 gram range is a great way to create an anabolic response even as we get older and we aren’t able to utilize protein as efficiently.

That amount helps make sure you’re fueling your lean muscle while also accounting for the fact that protein is used for so much else in our body.

Being in a deficit, you are deficient and depleted. Getting enough protein ensures you aren’t catabolizing your muscle mass to get the amino acids you need for repair or other bodily processes.

Not to mention, you burn more calories even at rest to digest protein making it something you can eat more of without as much risk of gaining unwanted fat.

Tips #6: Prioritize carbs around your workout.

Carbs are immediate fuel.

To push hard in our workouts to get the biggest benefit, we need that energy source especially while in a deficit.

Timing more carbs pre-workout can help you have that readily available fuel while creating that anabolic environment to build muscle.

So no matter exactly your carb ratio, focus on getting some carbs for full glycogen stores prior to your training and then even refueling with carbs post workout to help you repair and rebuild.

Carbs are also protein sparing so help you really protect that lean muscle mass and use that protein more efficiently!

And do not fear if you train at night eating more carbs later in the day!

Tip #7: Take breaks.

While you may think, “It’s only a couple of pounds.” Those last few pounds are often the slowest to lose and the ones you have to be most strategic in losing.

Push too great a deficit and you risk losing even more muscle in the process.

But our body adapts to what we do.

It’s why the process isn’t linear and at times you have to step back from your cut and push to get lean and take that diet break.

This ultimately allows you to be consistent for longer and not burn out, not only mentally but physically.

It allows you to even add a bit of muscle and avoid metabolic adaptations along the way.

So if you’ve been pushing hard toward your goals for a few months, consider a 1-2 week phase of eating at maintenance as you push your training to build muscle and get that mental break from more intensive dieting.

Tip #8: Be careful of pre-workout or fat burners.

I know it’s tempting to want a quick fix or a boost, but these supplements can be dangerous and also have a further reaching impact on our recovery than we realize.

And our sleep is so essential to balancing our appetite and hormone levels for fat loss not to mention recovery from our workouts to maintain muscle.

While they may feel good to boost our energy and provide a temporary metabolic boost, they can impact our sleep and recovery in a negative way.

And unless we keep consuming more and more, we won’t keep seeing the same boost from them.

So if you’re finding you want to jump to using these things, assess your meal timing and first consider just something simple like a cup of tea or coffee before you train if you need. But less is more and you can’t out supplement your workouts or macros!

Tip #9: Don’t set it and forget it!

Your body is adapting and changing through your journey to get abs. Your lifestyle and stress and priorities are also shifting.

That means you can’t just set your macros or diet habits and then go on autopilot.

While we don’t want to be changing things up every other second, we do need to watch progress and adjust as we go.

That may mean a diet break. It may mean a change in types of foods. It may even mean shifting macro breakdowns, cycling up and down in protein or even changing carbs and fat levels based on shifts in our activity.

But track and monitor your progress to adjust as you go and not feel like something should work forever in one form. Because it won’t!

Tip #10: Suck It Up Buttercup.

To reach any big, lofty goal, you’re going to have times you don’t want to do what you should.

Times things stink.

They don’t feel sustainable.

You don’t enjoy them.

At these times, you need to tell yourself to suck it up and keep going. That’s the only way for you to push through.

And when it feels like nothing is happening, that’s often where we usually quit and where we need to keep going instead. Because often that is right before we break through and really see results begin to pop.

So if you’ve even felt like you’ve looked worse recently while pushing hard, KEEP GOING! Realize the areas that have improved and celebrate your consistency and realize it is part of the process!

But focus on consistent changes that build past the point you want to quit.

And realize that precision is so important when we want to push boundaries. Embrace the hard and keep going!

Dial in your diet to match your workouts and build your leanest, strongest body ever with my Metabolic Shred…

–> LEARN MORE

How To Build Muscle (Using Double Progression)

How To Build Muscle (Using Double Progression)

by | Mar 23, 2025 | Blog, Exercises, Workouts

Gaining muscle is a slow process.

While you’d think being a more experienced exerciser would have its advantages, gaining muscle faster isn’t one of them. It actually gets harder the longer we’ve been training.

That’s why it is key, no matter our fitness level, that we focus on the double progression technique to maximize our efficiency and see better muscle and strength gains faster.

Before I go over what double progression is and how to use it in your routine, I want to shed some light on how quickly we can actually expect to see muscle gains, especially based on how long we’ve been training.

And I will tell you, one of the BIGGEST things holding many back from truly seeing their hard work pay off in the gym IS the nutritional component which I’ll touch on a tip at the end.

But in terms of how fast you can see results…

Lyle McDonald’s research shows us that a more newbie lifter can gain up to 1lbs per month as a woman and up to 2lbs as a male.

With each year of training that goes down.

At just even 4 years of training experience, which many of us have been training for decades even, muscle gains are just even a few pounds per YEAR. Yes, not per month, per year! Women can see .1lbs per month and men .25lbs per month.

And this is often when our training is even more optimized for results. Which honestly…most of our training routines aren’t.

Not in a bad way, we just don’t push the progression as much as we could because we’re worn out from life.

We include too much cardio.

We miss days.

We get bored and want to try something new over staying consistent.

Heck we even try to do too much to try to rush results.

Or we simply don’t really fuel to promote our hard work in the gym.

But we’re human! This is going to happen!

That’s why I think it’s key we not only A. Remember to be patient but B. Also take ourselves back to basics and refocus on quality and intentionality with those basic systems over just trying to work harder and do more.

And that’s why I want to remind you of this key training technique – double progression.

So what is double progression and how can you use it?

Have you ever in your workouts had a rep range of 6-12 reps and picked a weight, gotten 12 reps and just stayed there for all the sets?

It felt “hard enough?”

You could have pushed harder.

Or have you ever just done the bare minimum in reps with weights and then tried to go up in weight the next week only to find you can’t keep going heavier week after week in your progression and are maxed out?

You’ve wasted another way to progress!

Trust me, I’ve been guilty of these both at times. Trying to push too hard with only changing loads. Or just going to the top of the rep range and stopping there.

I’ve even had times where I’m constantly changing weights and reps all at the same time.

But this all holds us back even when we FEEL like we’re working hard.

It’s also not a strategic, intentional build that allows us to truly push and optimize.

And this is where Double Progression can help.

Double progression helps you progress the same move in two different ways – by adjusting reps and by adjusting weight, but with one driving the other.

This method regulates how you increase both volume but also intensity of your training.

So…How it works….

It can be used with any rep range you have assigned (let’s say you’re doing 6-12 reps).

Once you hit the top of that range for a certain number of sets (usually 1-3), you’ll increase weight (generally not more than 5-10 pounds).

You want this increase to force you back down toward the bottom of that rep range (so more like 6-8 reps).

You’ll then keep this weight until you can again hit 12 reps for 1-3 rounds. At that time, you’ll move back to increasing weight.

With this double progression, you’re first working to increase reps, which is volume, before then progressing by increasing weight, or the intensity.

This is that double progression.

An example of this may be if you’re doing Goblet Squats for 6-12 reps and you decide if you can do one set of 12 you’ll increase. You have 3 working sets.

You do 12 reps with your weight for your first round. So you go up.

The next round, you can only do 8 reps with the heavier weight. So you stay there for the final round, performing another 8 reps.

Next week you start with that same weight but do 10 reps. You can stay there for all 3 rounds.

The following week you again are able to do 12 reps so you go up.

This push to get out more reps with a weight before increasing is what helps you optimally drive muscle growth, maintaining proper form while constantly pushing that progression.

But there may be some times we misjudge weights, going too light or too heavy.

There may be times that you find you go up in weight and can again hit the top end of that range. Don’t be afraid to go up again.

There may also be times that you miss the bottom of the rep range when increasing weights.

If this happens, you may find you drop down to a weight between what you had used and the weight you’re now using.

If you don’t have a weight between or feel like you can maintain proper form with just a quick pause between a few reps, you may pause for 15-20 seconds to complete the reps.

Just then stay at this weight for longer to progress that volume.

If you are doing 3 rounds and find you miss the rep range on the first round, you can then either use the short pause to keep the weight over the rounds or even lower weights for the final rounds, knowing the lighter weight will be harder simply because of going heavier to start.

The key is to focus on increasing the number of reps you can do first with a weight before you then add weight over always just trying to go heavier.

But part of what also pushes you with double progression is not just stopping at a rep number because it’s the top one listed. This pushes you to truly test out your limits, even working down in reps as you add weight!

Don’t be afraid to use this technique with any lift you include in your workout routine where you really want to make sure you’re maximizing your efforts, especially if you’ve felt stuck in your progression!

Now, the one very side note I wanted to mention with nutrition to optimize your muscle gains…

Eat to fuel that growth!

If you’re putting in this work to build muscle in the gym, you need to make sure your diet is working with you, not against you.

Too often I see clients, especially after a weight loss phase, not eating enough. Partly because they’ve trained their body to function in a deficit and the hunger cues even aren’t there.

Partly because they are afraid of gaining fat, which I totally get.

But building muscle requires us to have adequate fuel to not only truly be able to train hard but also to build more muscle, which requires more energy to be maintained.

This doesn’t mean go crazy with the surplus, but if you’ve been struggling to build, you need to assess whether your diet is truly in line with your goals.

Be conscious that with building muscle, especially the more advanced you are, the more precise you sometimes need to be in optimizing your diet to complement.

But if you want to build more strength and muscle, make sure you’re using this double progression technique in your training while fueling those gains!

Dial in your workouts to build muscle and strength and see that amazing definition…

–> Learn more about Dynamic Strength

I SHOULD be in better shape

I SHOULD be in better shape

by | Mar 16, 2025 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Mindset

SHOULD.

That one word often sabotages the mindset changes we need to make and habit actions we need to take.

“I “should” be further along.”

Only makes us frustrated and feel broken and like a failure. It doesn’t help us learn or want to make more changes.

“I “should” workout 6 days a week.” “I “should” track my macros.”

Ideals are fabulous. But if you can’t do them?

We often do NOTHING.

We need to, as one of my fabulous coaches says “Stop SHOULDING all over ourselves.”

Because when we say all the things that SHOULD be happening, we don’t focus on what we actually CAN do.

SHOULD prevents us from making a change.

I’d encourage you right now to even ask, “Why SHOULD you do this? Why SHOULD you be further along?”

Because so often we never really ask this important question.

And when we do, we pause to assess what we are actually doing and what we need to move forward. The mindsets we CAN shift and the actions we CAN take.

That’s why in this video I want to share 3 steps you can take TODAY to honestly create an action plan to move forward toward your goals.

Starting with Step #1 asking yourself this important question…

“What does my CURRENT lifestyle and results actually look like?”

Where you are right now is a result of your past hustle and current habit practices.

The dieting practices you’ve done, starving yourself, cutting out whole food groups.

Overeating in self sabotage when you can’t stand the restriction any longer.

The skipped warm ups that lead to overuse and injury.

The rushed workouts where you didn’t fully push that progression or challenge yourself – you just got through them.

The haphazard programming and randomly strung together “best moves,” “best foods,” “best macros,” hoping something works….

This lack of planning and lack of focusing on owning our CURRENT lifestyle and priorities when we seek to make a change and instead just trying to work HARDER or do MORE based on a certain ideal…

This is what leads to the SHOULDING and stops us from making changes.

So step 1, before you go in search of a “perfect plan,” which doesn’t exist and I’ll get into more shortly, is to OWN YOUR LIFESTYLE AND PRIORITIES FIRST.

When you step back and truly assess what your lifestyle is and where your priorities lie, you can plan around them as you make changes and meet yourself where you are at.

What habits are truly beneficial that you’re doing?

What habits are holding you back?

What excuses do you always seem to make that lead to you falling off your plan?

When we ask these questions and assess, we can find little changes that meet us where we are at to move us forward.

We can start to build a plan that is actually sustainable.

Because if you don’t know where you’re starting from, you can’t outline a route forward.

And if we don’t own our priorities, they become our excuses every single time.

Family pressures and events? Long hours at work?

Not enough time always your excuse?

Stop then trying to force some ideal training schedule of 6 days a week and 1 hour in the gym.

Instead, especially if you’re barely making 3 sessions of 30 minutes now, why not start with that?

There is no perfect plan. But there is progress. And small changes to build lead to consistency which yields results!

Step #2, write out where you’re going.

And I don’t just mean write out your goals here. I want you to consider what the lifestyle at your goals will actually LOOK like.

Because it won’t look the same as what you’re doing now.

Change requires change.

If what you’re doing now worked to see results, you wouldn’t be looking for another program, another thing you SHOULD be doing.

You’d just keep doing the habits you’re already repeating.

But in order to make changes, we have to understand what changes are actually needed.

And while we may not have the full picture, we can often highlight a few things we know we will either need to do MORE of or LESS of to be at our goals.

As you list out the lifestyle your goals would require, don’t think right now about if it is doable. Don’t let the changes overwhelm you.

Just consider what you may need to do and even think about WHY.

The WHY part of that is key. Because often we don’t understand why we make certain changes or believe certain things are “best.”

This assessment of why we believe we need certain habits can help us already start to see things that may not fit or that may not be needed to then find other habits that are more in line.

Especially since you know where you are right NOW! You can start to see how many ideals you have that aren’t anywhere close to what you’re doing.

It may be eye opening to realize how far off you are from the habits you need, or believe you need. It can make us think…

“Well no wonder I’ve struggled to make some of these changes in the past! They’re a complete 180 from where I am!”

But don’t let this overwhelm you. Just write everything down. No judgement. No stress as to what you can or can’t do.

We will get there.

And I say write it down because writing it down makes it more real and tangible. It gives you a set destination to map out a route toward, breaking down those habit changes.

It reminds you of what you may need and even WHY you may need it when there are lows in the journey.

And it also then allows you to find one habit change to start with that may then impact other areas.

Often there is one thing that can really get the momentum going…

Which brings me to Step #3, set one small change you can make even right now!

Sometimes we make changes like we’re covering our eyes and simply pointing at a city on a map to drive to. Or like we’re just picking a place to go we’ve heard is “best.”

Then we expect ourselves to just know how to get there. And for everything to go smoothly and be amazing.

The thing is…

Without directions, we have no idea how to get there and half the time we won’t even make an attempt to travel.

How do we know that is even a place we WANT or need to go?!

We don’t always know what is required to shift in our lifestyle to replicate the habit or change we’ve selected.

We don’t know even if that change is something doable with our current routines and habits and how those will have to morph.

Instead, we want to base all changes off of where we are starting from.

We want to treat it like we’re mapping out that first turn out of our driveway to get to our destination. Not just pointing to some random turn somewhere along the route!

Because starting your journey by turning the wrong way right out of your driveway? That journey is not going to go well.

Instead, meet yourself where you are at and make sure you’re heading in the right direction with a doable step immediately.

This allows you to not only make a change that feels doable to build momentum and motivation through action, but it allows you to start the course toward a bigger habit change.

And it allows you to make changes in a way that can allow for easier course corrections.

We do have to start trying to find what may be “best” for a specific goal without fully knowing if it is best for us.

But by breaking down that habit based on where we are starting from and ultimately where we want to go, we can attempt to move forward to build up.

In the process, if we find that the habit doesn’t fully align, we can then always take another turn, knowing we’re still heading the right way.

That’s the key.

Changes that meet us where we are at to move forward but that build off each other so we can adjust as we go and find things that do or do not ultimately match our specific journey.

So based on your current lifestyle and routines you’ve just assessed, what is one small change you can make today that is a component of what you feel you need MORE of to reach your destination.

I say to focus on the MORE of instead of LESS of because often mentally these changes are easier to make. We mind adding more than we like subtracting, especially if what we think we need less of is something we enjoy.

But find that habit change that is, as weird as this expression is, the first bite to eat that elephant.

And write that change out to start today.

This isn’t sexy. Doesn’t lead to overnight results. But this momentum shift is what will carry you through and make you want to do more.

Because getting started with all the things we feel we SHOULD be doing is the hardest part.

This helps us take action and makes something we SHOULD do something we not only CAN do but even WANT and GET to do.

Write out that change and put it someplace you can see daily for the next week. Even give yourself a chance to check it off when it is done.

Then set a time a week from now to add on another change.

Stop SHOULDING all over yourself and ultimately never taking action. Start with action today and do these 3 steps and share in the comments the first small change you’re making!

If you want a completely CUSTOM PROGRAM with accountability and guidance to help you build your leanest, strongest body no matter your age (it is NEVER too late to make a change), check out my Coaching.

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The One Small Change That Will Transform Your Lower Ab Workout

The One Small Change That Will Transform Your Lower Ab Workout

by | Mar 9, 2025 | Blog, Core, Exercises

One small tweak to a move can be exactly what we need to create progression and take our results to the next level.

That’s why I want to show you how just this small change in your bench positioning can progress the basic lower body crunch to challenge those lower abs even more.

If you haven’t yet tried Incline Abs, you’re going to want to.

In this video I want to break down how to do this move to get the most benefit as well as why it is so amazing.

Because this exercise is deceptively challenging and must be earned, I’ll also share ways to modify it and build up!

But first, why should you use this move?

Incline Abs are a move I’ve fallen in love with because they are a great way to create progression through the same but different from hanging abs, but also take the basic lower body crunch up a notch without adding weight.

And lower body crunch movements are a great way to target that lower portion of our rectus abdominis, or our lower abs, to a great extent.

This move reduces some of the strain on the upper body that comes with doing the hanging knees to elbows, while still giving you the benefit of engaging your upper body to pull down on the bench as you curl your knees up.

So you get the upper body bonus but with less upper body strain.

That upper body hold can be helpful to engage the lats and even your serratus to better help you active your abs and protect your lower back.

And because of the bench behind your back, you won’t be able to swing or use momentum as easily as you can with hanging knees to elbows.

The bench variation can help you really practice that spinal flexion to learn to control that knee tuck, even making it a great option if you’re working to build up to hanging core moves.

But don’t think that this move is easy just because it may be a way to build up.

It isn’t. And the harder you pull down on the bench and more you focus on that controlled roll up and down being powered by your abs over just flexing at the hips, the harder this move gets!

Now, breaking down how to do this move to maximize it before I share some modifications and variations…

When you set up for this move, you’ll want your bench on about the second notch for a 45 degree angle.

Sit back against the bench and grab the top of the bench in both hands so you can really pull down hard on it and feel the sides of your back engage.

With your knees bent and toes touching the ground, push your back into the bench and slowly curl up one vertebrae at a time.

Feel yourself rolling your knees up toward your elbows pulling with your abs.

It will be tempting to just sort of bend your knees to tuck but this not only won’t get you far, it will just lead to you overusing your hip flexors.

You want that curl to be powered by your abs which means rounding through your spine.

Once you curl your knees up to your elbows, focus on that slow lower down one vertebrae at a time.

At the bottom, do not release tension on the top of the bench or bounce off pushing off with your feet.

You may feel your hips just slightly working at this initial point so can keep your knees tucked up and not fully touch down if you’re struggling with that initial ab engagement to start.

The key here is that hard pull down on the bench and curl!

This is deceptively hard when done intentionally and with control. And starting with a flat bench may be key.

However, if you feel really stuck building up to this move, even try a slow eccentric “only” variation.

To do this, you can slightly use that push off or momentum to set up at the top then control the lower down for a 5 count.

Because we are often strongest in the eccentric portion, this may help you take on your weight to work through the movement with control but while using momentum strategically.

But if you can’t control that lower down, the flat bench or even the ground with an overhead hold can be key to start.

You’ll still get that upper body engagement and you can learn to control that spinal flexion.

If you kick out straight with the moves it will take things up a notch from keeping the knees bent to touch the toes down as you lower back down from the curl.

Make sure to keep your abs engaged as you extend your legs out straight if you do, tilting your pelvis toward your ribs for that posterior pelvic tilt. That will engage your abs with your legs out straight and even engage your glutes.

You can kick your legs out a bit higher if needed as well to modify just slightly.

With this flat variation still stay focused on that curl of the spine to bring the knees in and pull down hard on the bench or pole you’re holding on to overhead.

But this flat variation is a great way to get started on that curl without the added resistance that gravity applies with the incline.

Regress to progress but focus on that curl and use that overhead hold to help you really work those abs.

And then use that change in posture on that bench to progress the lower body crunch to challenge your lower abs.

From there, don’t be afraid to change up tempo or even add loads as you use that Incline Ab variation. But don’t just jump to adding loads. Focus on that control and slow roll powered by your abs!

For more moves to challenge your entire core, check out these 7 Intense Ab Moves.

Transform Your ARMS (10 Tips For Toned Arms That Work)

Transform Your ARMS (10 Tips For Toned Arms That Work)

by | Mar 2, 2025 | Blog, Exercises

I’m flattered that I tend to get a ton of compliments on my arms and shoulders. And because people seem to like them, I want to share the10 tips I think have helped me see fabulous arm definition.

And I’ll tell you tip number one is not to include more arm isolation exercises in your routine…Although I will get to 9 of those “fun” workout tweaks after this cold hard most important fact…

Focus on your macros.

Yup. Not what you wanted to hear.

Not fun or sexy. But straight facts.

My arms were never lean and defined no matter how I trained until I adjusted my diet.

Because while our training is key to building muscle, our diet is key for losing fat too.

And muscle showing through isn’t just about having more muscle. It’s about lowering our body fat percentage.

It wasn’t that I started eating super clean either when I adjusted my diet.

Honestly I focused less on forcing clean eating standards on myself and more on balance while hitting my protein.

This allowed me to get consistent, train hard and finally lose the fat covering my hard earned muscles.

So if you’ve been training hard and feel like you have a bit of fluff that’s hiding your hard work, start tracking and focus on hitting a protein minimum.

For fat loss and better results faster, shoot for 40% of your calories coming from protein.

And then don’t fear carbs!

Carbs create that anabolic environment for muscle growth and help you truly push your workouts to create the challenge needed to force muscles to adapt and grow stronger.

Low carb may lead to fast drops on the scale, but long-term it will not help you look more defined and may even lead to you losing muscle as you keep trying to train harder and harder!

Carbs are protein sparring and protect that lean muscle as you lose fat.

The next thing I found took my arm definition to the next level was combining multiple rep ranges in a workout session.

Low rep and heavy weights or high rep and lighter weights?

The answer is both.

Although I will say no weights should ever feel light. Even when you go higher rep, you want to feel “maxed out” with hitting that rep range.

Heck you want even 5lbs to feel like 100 because you truly did a rep amount that challenged you if that’s the weight you’re using.

But by combining rep ranges for different movements for your arms, you can move more quality loads over the course of your workout and recruit more muscle fibers to drive muscle and strength gains faster.

You may even use different rep ranges based on the type of move you’re performing for your arms and upper body in general.

This is why, even though you want to transform your arms, you don’t just want to do arm isolation moves.

That’s why tip number 3 is to combine compound and isolation moves using that diversity of rep ranges.

Compound Burner Sets and 6-12-25 technique are two of my favorite workout designs to see better muscle hypertrophy and definition especially for those stubborn areas.

These two workout designs combine tips 2 and 3, using not only 2-3 rep ranges in a workout but also both compound and isolation moves combined in a series.

With compound burner sets, you’ll do a compound move like a back row for 6-12 reps with heavy loads, then work your biceps to full fatigue after with higher reps of 15-20 with a bicep curl.

With 6-12-25, you may do a bench press for 6 reps, an overhead press for 12 reps then tricep push downs for 25 reps going from more compound to more isolated as the reps go up.

These designs allow you to use heavier loads, a diversity of movements and rep ranges and even work a muscle closer to failure to see better muscle gains.

And with both tip 2 and 3, don’t be afraid to also change up the type of resistance you use and even the ranges of motions and tempos!

Weights are an easy way to create progression and great for muscle growth. BUT especially the more advanced and experienced an exerciser we are, the more we can’t just rely on weights for progression.

It’s why using different rep ranges and different types of movements, including both compound and isolation is so key.

But it’s also why we need to use different types of resistance and ranges of motion to create that challenge and progression.

Bands can be a great way to help improve our muscle gains by creating often more metabolic stress.

They also apply often more resistance in the move when the muscle is strongest and can help you be forced to control that eccentric portion of the lifting, slowing it down.

They can even be combined with dumbbells for a new challenge and progression.

Loading muscles under greater stretch can also help you see better results faster. It’s why at times increasing the range of motion of a move can be key.

Performing your tricep move overhead with a bit of extra stretch at the end can not only help you hit all 3 heads, but it can help you see better gains!

This brings me to tip number 6…Use different postures and positions to hit every aspect of a muscle group.

Varying the types of bicep curls and shoulder presses and tricep exercises, can help you not only progress moves through the same but different, but help you truly see that even development.

Different aspects of muscles are worked by different movements to different extents.

Like if you do want to hit the front of your shoulder, a front raise may be beneficial. While to hit your middle delt, a lateral raise may be better.

And instead of doing 8-12 reps of each at times, you may even combine a front to lateral raise for higher reps in one workout.

Diversity done with strategy can be key!

But mix up even unilateral versus bilateral moves, single arm vs two arm, to help you also address imbalances and make sure you’re developing things evenly.

Then don’t just get caught up in trying to do MORE each and every session. More isn’t better and doing too much becomes wasted effort and volume.

We fatigue over the course of our workouts and the work becomes less quality.

Instead of doing a ton of arm movements in a single session, spread out your volume of exercises over the week.

Instead of one arm day, and 3 bicep curls in that session, hit your arms 2-3 times a week, spreading those moves out.

While it isn’t bad to create a bit more training density on a given day, that frequency for those stubborn areas can really add up!

Increasing training frequency while reducing volume per workout can help you make sure you’re working more often at that true 100% intensity to see results!

To also help you create that quality of work, move more weight over your workouts, create that training density and work a muscle closer to fatigue, all key things for better muscle gains, consider including some rest-pause technique especially in those higher rep ranges with isolation moves.

Rest-pause technique is a great way to make sure you don’t just stop when a move feels hard enough. It forces you to do those few extra reps past failure you didn’t really want to do.

But it also allows you to keep your reps quality reps.

If you’re working in that 15-20 rep range, pick a weight you max out at 15 reps with. Pause for 15-20 seconds when you get to even 13-14 reps then finish all 20. This push is going to take your gains to the next level.

This technique though is also going to cause you to feel very sore often the first few times you use it which is why fewer moves per workout and spreading those moves out to train more frequently can be key!

But use this technique to truly make yourself push past where you’re comfortable.

Too often we think we’ve pushed hard enough and stop when discomfort just starts to happen.

To break down our muscles so they have to rebuild back stronger and grow, especially the more advanced we are though requires us to push that bit extra.

That’s where this technique can come in super handy!

Now, while I’ve focused a ton on the muscle building side of transforming your arms, which is key, definition is about body fat levels as well.

This does come back to your diet. If your nutrition is on point, fluff may hide your hard work in the gym.

However, with dialing in your macros to match the recomp you want to see, focusing on protein and not fearing carbs, you may also want to consider including a bit of cardio post arm workouts if you tend to feel like you’re storing fat there.

This doesn’t mean go run for hours or do intensive HIIT that leaves you slaughtered.

But on workouts where you’ve worked your arms, you’ve mobilized more fatty acids from the surrounding tissues. You then want to make sure these mobilized fatty acids are used.

Doing some compound moves combined like in 6-12-25 and compound burner sets is one way to help yourself do this.

But so is walking or even a more upper body focused form of cardio like battle ropes.

It can be a quick light session of 10-15 minutes even once a week after your arm workouts, but this little bit of cardio right after, especially when you have only those last few percents to shave off, can be that little boost.

And while your workouts are mainly focused on building muscle for metabolic health and to have the muscle you can reveal through your nutrition, that little bit of strategic cardio can help with the fat loss side of recomp!

Because definition is about having muscle but also about losing fat!

And last but not least, be strategic in your training and make sure your arm training isn’t an afterthought!

So often we want to transform an area and do 100 moves for it on like one day with no real strategy or purpose or progression.

This ends up in us working hard without results to show for it.

Design a clear weekly schedule, track your numbers and repeat your workouts for 3 weeks minimum.

Use these tips to include diversity over that week that you repeat to see yourself add reps or weights or even advanced movements over that time.

That progression and build off of the week before is what transforms those arms!

And then over time, adjust the moves or techniques you use to keep honing in on stubborn areas to create that balance!

But failing to plan is planning to fail! We need to track and monitor progress to adjust and adapt over time!

Dial in your diet and your workouts to build your leanest, strongest body ever with my 1:1 Coaching…

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