Diet Archives Page 4 of 21 | Redefining Strength

10 Unique Healthy Habits I Wish I Knew Sooner

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 20, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Mindset

I’m not even going to waste your time with an intro…Here are 10 Unique Healthy Habits I Wish I’d Started Earlier….

Habit #1: Stop labeling foods as good and bad.

I pressured myself to eat clean…in a whole host of different variations for the longest time and sabotaged my own success.

And every time I went on another diet that cut out some “bad” food, I would ultimately be consistent for 30 days or 6 weeks, see some results, then feel so deprived and restricted I would ultimately fall off.

And then I’d feel guilty.

So of course, since I’d already ruined the day or week, I’d eat everything bad for me possible to only have to “start over Monday.”

Then Monday would come and I’d restrict again.

But this labeling of foods as good or bad stopped me from finding balance. And it ultimately led to me eating more foods not as nutrient dense over the long term.

Not to mention it stopped me from seeing results.

Now instead, I focus on an 80/20 balance. I work in foods I love 20% of the time and fully enjoy them. Then focus on whole natural foods 80% of the time.

I never now feel guilty and realize if I don’t include something it is my CHOICE, not something I have to do to hit someone else’s arbitrary standards of clean eating!

Habit #2: Reflection breaks.

I’m a do’er. I get something I want accomplished and I just want to get to taking action.

But this approach leads to a lot of wasted time and energy and often a lot of frustration as we work harder without moving forward.

It’s why I think it is so key we realize the importance of reflection breaks.

Times we step back and actually look at our habits, how we’re truly implementing them and then assess our progress.

Because often we are doing a lot of things we don’t need to be doing and not paying attention enough to the habits we do need to be focusing on.

We’re letting little deviations in our nutrition creep in. Ignoring missed workouts. While putting a lot and time and energy into other things that aren’t as essential.

But honest reflection can help us notice a gap between what we say we want and what we’re doing.

And even help us assess what we’re actually optimizing our habits and lifestyle for.

Because we won’t stumble our way into results. We have to be clear on where and what we’re spending our time on and why!

Habit #3: Set end dates.

Any time I create a plan, I set an end date. This also helps me take time to reflect, making that second habit easier.

And not only do end dates give us that time to reassess and adjust but they help us embrace and trust the process when trying new things.

We know there is a point we can make a change if things aren’t working.

End dates also give us motivation to start now. It’s easy to say, “I’ll start tomorrow.” when there is no deadline.

It’s also easy to feel overwhelmed by the idea of FOREVER.

We honestly get BORED with that idea.

We want to test out new workouts. We want to try new foods. We like searching for some improvement.

Instead of shying away from that, set those end dates to give yourself the opportunity to make tweaks and still have fun testing out new things while keeping yourself focused.

Habit #4: Cycling macros every few WEEKS.

I tried carb cycling, variations of daily cycling of macros and calories.

I tried sticking to one thing for months upon months.

The first led to my energy being all over the place and frustration trying to hit different numbers while prepping different foods daily.

It was too much work. Made me feel sluggish.

And it made it so hard to know what was and wasn’t working.

When I switched to sticking with one thing for extended periods, I found I got bored. Results weren’t as fast.

And if my workouts or activity level shifted, I found myself either starving at times or even gaining fat because my fueling didn’t match.

That’s why I began cycling every 2-3 weeks most consistently with small changes over cycles.

It allowed me to simplify meal prep. Keep my energy consistent. Adjust with changes in my workouts. Use different macro ratios to work toward different goals.

And I could even use the ratios to build better off of each other to take advantage of the different impact going lower carb after higher carb or higher carb after lower carb could have on body recomp goals!

It was my balance of diversity with consistency.

And without being too complicated or requiring the extreme precision cycling daily, like carb cycling, required!

Finding my balance of diversity with consistency was key for me not only with my diet but also with my workouts.

Habit #5: Repeating a weekly workout progression.

It’s easy to want to jump around. Or even want to repeat things because they are comfortable.

But you need a balance of both and repeating workouts is key to creating progression.

It’s hard to track progress when there is no clear build and every workout, every day of every week is a bit different.

If you do pull ups one week on Tuesday when your back hasn’t been worked that week you may get out 10 pull ups in a row versus if you did them on Friday of the next week after doing rows on Wednesday, you may find you struggle to get 6.

You didn’t get weaker. The muscles were just fatigued from previous work.

You’d be able to track progress better if you repeated the same schedule and workouts weekly for a few weeks in a row.

And to keep this from becoming boring, implement diversity in your workouts over the week. Don’t just do pull ups multiple times or the same workouts multiple days in a week.

Use different types of moves and even different training techniques and workout designs and tools to create unique and fun sessions.

This combination of even different forms of progression will help you see faster results while helping you not get bored!

Habit #6: Do that prehab!

I wasn’t always the prehab or foam rolling, stretching and activation obsessed person I am today.

But injuries made me face the facts and I’m so glad I did.

Not only am I moving better with fewer aches and pains, but honestly my fat loss, muscle grains and lifting performance all improved by just committing to this system every single warm up.

And it doesn’t have to be a lot. Some days it’s barely just 5 minutes, but the consistency with that flexibility, mobility, and stability work pays off.

We get good at what we consistently do. And the more we stay consistent with this prehab work the less we have to do extra to address movement compensations and imbalance that build up.

That feeling that we used to get away with something just means we shouldn’t be trying to get away with it.

And the longer we try to avoid the prehab work, the more we’re just creating bigger issues that will sabotage us later.

So focus on that prehab work and be intentional with your training. Don’t just rush through. Don’t just think of your workouts as a chance to burn more calories.

Focus on moving well in your sessions and you’ll not only feel and move better but you will see the payoff in those aesthetic goals too!

Habit #7: Prioritize protein.

This habit was something I resisted just like prehab. But when I started prioritizing protein, I finally got to the leanness level I wanted while also FEELING my best.

I saw my workouts and strength improve as well as my recovery.

And this prioritization of protein, I know will serve me well in years to come so I can look, move and feel my best!

I think this focus on protein is essential as we don’t just want to train to look and feel good for a day…we want to feel our best till our final day on this planet!

To help myself focus more on increasing my protein, I began to log it first and build meals around the portions I needed.

I even researched different protein types to find opportunity in the options out there.

I also at first didn’t worry about my ratio of carbs to fats. I just focused on calories and protein.

This allowed me to start to learn how to increase my protein while also making meals I enjoyed.

And I stopped even just focusing on ONE protein source at a meal.

By seeing how I could use two different types of protein in a meal to hit my needs, I found I enjoyed my meals more and didn’t get that protein fatigue!

Habit #8: Embrace my laziness.

This sounds weird to say as a habit but I think it’s a key thing to point out.

Because too often with habit changes, we try to focus on hitting an “ideal.”

We don’t think about how the habits can be adjusted to realistically fit our lifestyle. And that’s often what makes habit change so hard.

We’re trying to force a habit mold.

Instead we need to think, “How can this adjustment work for me and what is one small step toward bigger changes that I can make even on my worst days?”

This focus on embracing what I call my “laziness” with things, allowed me to build healthier habits that have evolved more and more over time.

Like I buy tons of frozen veggies and fruits. I know they won’t go bad and they are easy to prep.

I’ll buy pre-cooked chicken breast. I’ll get frozen meal prep from places.

I’ll plan in restaurant meals out so I don’t have to cook.

I get canned goods.

I have 5 minute workout options or even home workout options when I just know I won’t be motivated or have the time to get to the gym.

The more we can embrace our own “laziness” or desire to not give MORE or prioritize something more, even if just not right now, the more we can actually make healthy habit swaps that add up!

Habit #9: Brain dump before bed.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

The night before I make sure I have everything laid out for the next day.

This pre-planning, or last minute opportunity to adjust my plans, helps me make sure I have my to-do list set for the next day in a way I can accomplish the main things I need to do.

It helps me so that I’m organized in a way I’ll put first in my day the things that will get skipped if not done immediately.

It also helps me clear my mind before bed of anything that may keep me awake at night.

I don’t know about you, but if I’m not conscious to do a little brain dump of thoughts or tasks before going to bed, they’ll be spinning around my mind all night, making it hard to not only fall asleep but stay asleep.

So I use this brain dump into a list to close loops from the day to relax before bed while setting the next day up for success!

Habit #10: Take breaks.

I struggle HARD to not be doing something…like all the time.

So I honestly steered into that even with how I take breaks.

Because breaks don’t mean you aren’t doing something. They are really just a break from what we WERE doing.

So on weeks my body needs to back off the workout intensity, aka needs a break from the heavy lifting or killer cardio, I plan in things to do that are recovery.

I plan in a ton of mobility work and restorative movement. That way I don’t feel like a couch potato.

I use that time if I do shorten my workouts as an opportunity to even make other changes or habits shifts I haven’t had as much time to focus on.

I give myself a new focus while taking the break.

Because our body and mind can’t just go at 100% in the same way forever. And our priorities at times do need to shift.

And if we don’t own this, we never end up actually giving our all to anything.

We can also see our motivation completely fade and burnout hit.

It’s why sometimes even proactively scaling things back when you know priorities have shifted can be key.

So give yourself the break at times and shift your focus. It can help you feel like you’re still getting to take action but in a way that helps you stay motivated while giving your all to what you truly can!

Build your leanest, strongest body no matter your age while creating SUSTAINABLE habit changes and a true lifestyle balance with my Private 1:1 Online Coaching.

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FIX 93% Of Your Problems With 4 Diet Changes

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 13, 2024 | Blog, Diet

The changes we least want to make are the ones we need the most.

And often we already know the answer to the question of “What diet changes do I need to make to see results?”…we just need to be REMINDED of what to do.

We need to be reminded to take our ego out of the equation and go back to basics.

We need to be reminded to Suck It Up Buttercup and do the hard habits that lead to results.

That’s why I’m going to start by telling you the change you need to make the most but will most want to avoid, and probably have even listed out tons reasons not to do like…

It’s restrictive
I don’t want to be obsessive
It’s too time consuming
It’s too hard
I can’t because I cook fresh
I can’t because I eat out and travel
I can’t because I have a family
I can’t because…

You can probably come up with 100s of reasons why you don’t need to do this and shouldn’t have to…

But guess what?

All of those reasons haven’t moved you forward toward your goals.

They’ve held you back from making the change you need the most to see your hard work in the gym and your “healthy” diet paying off in the fat loss and muscle gains you want…

And that change is…

Tracking what you’re eating.

Tracking gets a bad rap for being restrictive and obsessive.

But guess what?

It’s not.

We may have a restrictive or obsessive mindset when tracking, but we can have that mindset without doing either.

Eliminating whole food goods while not tracking is restriction.

Fearing foods and believing you can’t eat “unclean” foods or that foods are bad for you can become an obsession.

Neither of these revolves around tracking and can happen even if you aren’t.

And the more we recognize that it is our mindset and how we’ve used the TOOL of tracking in the past, like to cut out foods and make ourselves feel guilty, not tracking itself that is restrictive, the more we can take back control and use this tool to our advantage.

That being said, one form of tracking isn’t right for everyone, BUT we’ve got to see the opportunity in the options.

Because what gets measured gets managed.

If you don’t accurately know what you are consuming and the portions you’re consuming those foods in, you can’t make an accurate change.

And this is where we can get frustrated FEELING like we’re doing everything right when actually our calories and macros aren’t in line with what our body needs right now.

This can be over eating or even undereating.

But we don’t know unless we track.

And while yes, measuring out everything and recording it isn’t fun, it truly helps us create a repeatable recipe for results and ultimately NOT over restrict.

So if you’ve been frustrated by your lack of results while trying to eat clean, while trying to increase protein or lower your calories…

Stop wondering what is and isn’t working.

Record your food and see the opportunity in small changes you can make off of what you’re currently doing.

It can often help us actually stop cutting out foods we love as much and even see small portion size changes or swaps that can pay off so we can build a lifestyle we enjoy!

It can even help us fuel to feel more energized and address food intolerances we may have, leading to other symptoms such as bloating or hormonal imbalances!

Which brings me to the second change we often need to make…

And that’s to stop demonizing foods and whole macronutrients.

Too often when we think about making changes to our diet to “fix” problems, we think there are magic foods to include and magic foods to cut out.

We start to DEMONIZE foods even, which ultimately just leads to a whole bunch of food guilt and self sabotage.

Are there foods that are healthier and less healthy?

Are there macro ratios, such as lower carb or lower fat, that work better or worse for certain people?

Are there foods that people can have intolerances to so we need to eliminate them?

Yes and yes and yes.

But one size doesn’t fit all.

And even what may be bad for someone else may be GOOD for you.

No, I’m not arguing that doritos chips are healthy for anyone…

BUT they may be part of your 80/20 balance so that you are actually consuming more nutrient rich food overall.

Having a little of something less nutrient dense actually allows you to stay more consistent overall and WANT to eat more fruits and veggies.

It helps you avoid feeling guilty for foods because they are “bad,” which only leads to one off plan indulgence completely derailing your healthy changes.

That guilt we create for eating specific foods or macros that have been demonized is what keeps us stuck in this horrible yo-yo dieting cycle where we feel we just don’t have the willpower to maintain the habits we “should.”

But a lifestyle balance looks unique to each person.

And our activity level, previous dieting history, age, goal and genetics, among so many other factors, can have a huge impact on what is right for us and right for us even just RIGHT NOW.

For example, low carb may be better for someone, especially if they are less active or going through menopause, while holding you back if you are super active and working on building more muscle as you lean down.

Going low carb may sabotage your body recomp efforts and even lead to thyroid issues and hormonal imbalances because your body isn’t getting the fuel it needs.

Yet carbs are so often demonized.

They are just simply labeled as evil and blamed for belly fat especially.

But that simply isn’t the case.

Macros must match our needs even as our needs shift.

We need to stop this all or nothing attitude toward foods and instead learn the upsides and downsides to things to strike our own balance.

Because even healthy foods can be “bad” for some with food intolerances too them.

Need a low FODMAP diet? You may find there are lots of supposed “healthy” fruits and veggies you even can not eat!

Another change most of us avoid that everyone needs to make, even though one size doesn’t fit all…

Is to focus on PROTEIN.

Many of us know this. But we still fight against it.

And while increasing and focusing on protein will look different for each person, this focus on quality protein is key.

That’s why I’m giving you this reminder…

Because often we need to be reminded more than we need to be taught.

The more we know the basics, the more we get distracted from them thinking we are above them and need some other 1% improvement.

When really, we just need to make small adjustments to those basics as our body, needs and goals change.

Especially as we get older, a focus on protein becomes even more key.

And if you aren’t focusing on protein and finding your healthy diet isn’t yielding the recomp you want?

Time to start tracking your protein.

Honestly, if you just track your protein and your calories, letting carbs and fats fall where they will, you’re probably going to see steady and sustainable results.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the changes you COULD make, start by just focusing on tracking protein.

You’re already hitting all three things on this list…

Tracking.

Not demonizing foods as anything can fit and your carbs and fat can fall where is enjoyable.

And focusing on protein.

And when I say, focus on protein, make it the star of every meal.

Map in that portion of protein first and diversify what you’re eating. Check out different cuts of chicken to see the fat to protein content.

Embrace learning about plant-based options for seitan to tofu to tempeh.

Look at the diversity of seafood, and dairy and cuts of beef and pork and even vegetable amino acid profiles out there.

Have some fun finding new recipes and tweaking them to add just an ounce more protein when you make them.

But realize that your body is LITERALLY made up of proteins and increasing protein, especially as we get older and are less able to utilize it as efficiently, is not only key to amazing body recomp results but even more important for our brain, bone, immune and even cardiovascular health!

Now, how you go about increasing protein, how you go about finding your balance, how you go about tracking…
That will all depend.

Yet all too often we don’t consider what we need to reach our goal and where we are at currently.

We just search for a perfect macro ratio. A perfect workout. A perfect plan to get us there.

We force a mold.

And this prevents us from ever creating LASTING changes.

Because we can’t just constantly willpower our way through changes that really don’t meet us where we are at.

Think about the things you are most likely to push through the hard with?

They are things that are either somewhat enjoyable? That you truly see the value in to prioritize…

Things that somehow FIT the pain you are willing to embrace.

They are changes that you are comfortable being uncomfortable with.

Which is why, as weird as this sounds, change number 4 I recommend is a mindset one in how you approach dietary adjustments…

I call it Grit is Fit.

We are more willing to embrace the hard of something that somehow “fits” us and our lifestyle.

Want to increase protein as a vegetarian? You’ll never make that change if I tell you that you have to eat meat.

But to have you add nutritional yeast to things? Increase your portion of tofu or tempeh?

Those changes you may be more willing to embrace even if you find it uncomfortable to adjust your portions overall and would rather eat more fruit or rice or potatoes.

Same thing goes for tracking.

Full tracking and measuring and weighing may be something you just can’t sustain…that doesn’t feel doable.

But maybe it is the way you are tracking.
Instead of just writing off the tool and principle, what’s a way you could embrace and use tracking that you’d be willing to do even if not your favorite thing?

Could you write down what you’re eating on a piece of paper and use a visual portion guide such as sections on your plate?

Could you take pictures of everything you eat for the record to give you perspective and accountability?

What is something you can embrace the discomfort of to push your comfort zone and start making changes that add up?

But we need to be open to exploring the versions of habits that are the best fit for us.

Because when we find habits that “fit” we often have the ability to have more “grit” and push through with them to make changes that snowball.

We need to realize the power our diet has in building our leanest, strongest body at any and every age.

Because we can’t out exercise our diet and as our body changes, needs and goals change, our diet needs to adjust as well.

What you do to reach one goal, isn’t what you’ll do to reach another or maintain your results.

So be open to constant evolution and realize the power these 4 diet changes have to make sure you’re meeting yourself where you are at no matter what!

Ready to build your leanest, strongest body and create your lifestyle balance?

—> Learn more about my Metabolic Shred

15 Years Of NO BS Fitness Advice (In Under 15 Minutes)

by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 22, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Pain Relief, Workouts

I’m going to give it to you straight. 15 tips from about 15 years in the industry in under 15 minutes. Good thing I talk fast.

Tips that not only worked for me but I’ve seen work for people around the world to help YOU rock those results no matter your age.

So to not waste any time, Tip #1 and one of the most important keys to results…

Don’t Quit.

We most often don’t see results build because we never stick with anything long enough.

We give up at the first FEELING that something isn’t working…

That results aren’t happening fast enough.

And we jump to something new.

This constant jumping from thing to thing never lets us get GOOD at anything or be consistent enough with it for true changes to snowball.

Results are built off of those basic, boring habits repeated daily over not only weeks, but months and years.

But not quitting and trusting the process is hard, which is why Tip #2 is…

What gets measured gets managed.

If you want to bake a cookie and make sure it turns out, you follow a recipe.

This clear plan with everything tracked and measured, helps you guarantee a result.

If you randomly just throw things in a bowl, you won’t know why the cookies didn’t turn out or why they were the best gooey deliciousness ever.

Same principle applies to our health and fitness goals.

If we have that clear recipe and measure out everything, we can help ourselves make sure we’re working toward a focused outcome and more easily ADJUST if something goes wrong.

When we have that clear picture of what we’re doing, we don’t have to feel frustrated or like we are guessing at what works.

We also give ourselves true DATA off of which to make changes so we can trust the process more and not let feelings that sabotage us make us want to quit.

But even embracing tracking, whether it is your food or workouts or ideally both, is a hard thing at times for us to accept.

Which is why Tip #3 isn’t just to track but to jump into the changes you least want to make as soon as you can!

Yup. The changes you least want to make are the ones you probably need to make the most.

One of the most important things I harp on is increasing protein.

Guess what change most of us don’t want to make, researching even reasons why we shouldn’t increase it?

But also guess what changewe most often INSTANTLY see progress from and wonder why we didn’t make it sooner?

You guessed it…increasing protein.

Change requires change.

And the changes we least want to make are the ones that are often the hardest, most uncomfortable or furthest from our comfort zone.

But they are also often what is needed to reach a goal we haven’t achieved before and bust us out of the yo-yo dieting cycle.

So if you’ve been fighting a change, pause, ask yourself why, and then embrace an experiment where you track and see the true outcome!

It may surprise you!

And while embracing discomfort is part of achieving results, we can also sabotage ourselves with the “No pain, no gain” mindset!

Which is why Tip #4 is to ditch the all or nothing, work harder, no pain, no gain attitude.

This attitude keeps us stuck expecting perfection of ourselves, doing more and more until…well…

We ultimately run out of willpower, get injured and fall back into old habits.

We’re human and flawesome.

And when we make changes too hard on ourselves, we’re often just making our excuses grow too.

It’s Newton’s Third Law of Motion that says, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Keep trying to do more, and you’re going to get a push back against the changes equally as strong.

And the harder we work, the more we do, the more we EXPECT an outcome…when in reality we can’t out exercise or out diet time.

So ultimately we just make ourselves give up in frustration.

Instead we need to focus on small changes that build and that make change seem DOABLE.

Which is actually why Tip #5 is to stop the eat clean pressure.

There is no official definition of clean eating and trust me, no one agrees.

Vegans and Carnivores have vastly different opinions.

And trying to hit someone else’s arbitrary standards of clean can make you feel like you can’t even eat air.

It can make us feel guilty for enjoying food and even make us feel like it’s impossible to even make a change that will pay off.

But we can and should include foods we simply LOVE.

We just need to strike an 80/20 balance.

80% of the time focus on those whole natural foods. 20% include just foods you love with NO guilt.

This will allow you to create a sustainable lifestyle and truly build consistent habit changes that do snowball over leaving you feeling restricted and deprived so you ultimately fall off any plan you start.

And with embracing your balance, don’t just include foods you love, truly PLAN around them, even planning them in first.

Tip #6 is the secret that led to me ultimately finally achieving the body recomp I wanted.

Planning in the foods I wanted first and focusing on nutrition by addition.

Often the things we love most are the things we cut out first. They are the things that don’t make that “eat clean” list.

They are also the things we add back in as soon as we can, which lead to us ending up back where we started.

Basically we’re repeating a cycle of restriction we can never maintain.

And you can’t do one thing to reach your goal then go back to what you were doing before and expect to maintain your results.

Plus the second you tell yourself you can’t have something, you want it even more!

Instead, plan in the dessert you want, that snack you love, FIRST to your day and work your other meals around it.

Start by making small changes to your diet, adding in more veggies or protein or something you know is beneficial.

This focus on small changes that feel easy often is just what we need to lower our defenses against more changes and see the momentum build.

However, in including foods you love, this doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want in any quantity you want.

Which is why Tip #7 is to recognize your trigger foods.

No foods have to be off limits. But there are foods we will CHOOSE to include or not include.

We need to recognize those foods we can’t consume in moderation that only lead to us falling back into old patterns.

I know I can have just one peanut butter protein ball, but I know I can’t have just one Reese’s peanut butter cup.

I own this fact and include the protein ball on a regular basis but the peanut butter cup only when I’m ok with having more than 1..or like 10.

And if I do have peanut butter cups around and don’t want to eat them, I put them in the freezer.

For me, this shifts my mindset to be ok with waiting to have more.

While this is odd because technically they taste even more delicious frozen, this freezing of them helps me feel like they’ll be there when I want them in the future.

It’s the shift in environment and mindset.

For you this shift may come from not having the food in the house, or putting it into single serving bags so you can only easily eat one serving or even hiding it on a higher shelf.

The key is I recognize the foods I can work in and those I can’t to then determine a balance and even environment right for me and my goals at this time.

So CHOOSE to include foods you love but also understand the foods that may not fit your goals right now and find ways to address that!

The more we own who we are and what has and hasn’t worked for us in the past with our diet and workouts, the more we can meet ourselves where we are at and create the perfect plan for ourselves right now to rock those results.

That’s why Tip #8 is to assess and address your schedule shifts.

I most often talk about assessing your schedule when it comes to designing your workout, but you want to also assess your schedule to make dietary changes as well.

Not only in terms of determining how you meal prep and the meal timing best for you but also in how you handle WEEKEND EATING!

Too often we don’t see results and think, “But I was good all week!”

It’s that weekend eating that gets us. It changes our macros for the week and can easily throw us out of our deficit.

Some of us even recognize how hard it is to eat well over the weekend, but then we never really address that fact.

We force weekday habits on weekends that just aren’t the same.

Instead we need to own that often habits and schedules DO change over Friday, Saturday and Sunday and we need to PLAN for that.

That we do enjoy happy hour or are at home more lazing on the couch!

So instead of a strict macro ratio, maybe we just set a calorie cap and protein minimum.

Maybe we plan in restaurant dishes or cocktails to hold ourselves accountable but have a bit more food freedom on the weekend with boundaries.

The key is assessing why the same habits don’t work over the weekend and finding ways to address the changes in schedule and even routines to work with them instead of trying to willpower your way against them!

So many of these tips are about shifting the mindsets controlling our actions.

And Tip #9 addresses a hard mindset to often change but one that is so key for us seeing better results from our training….

We need to stop seeking to be sore.

Soreness is not an indicator you worked hard enough or you’re going to see better muscle gains.

I know it can feel satisfying and some of us sickly like it….

But honestly, it is really often a sign we don’t have a clear program in place that we’re strategically progressing or that our recovery and fueling isn’t ideal.

And constantly seeking to be sore may be why we feel like we’re working really hard yet not seeing progress.

Instead everything we include in our workouts should be designed with a purpose and repeated to progress.

But just because a clear progression or weekly schedule we repeat is key, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t include diversity.

Actually diversity of movement is ESSENTIAL and that’s why it is Tip #10….

Exercise diversity helps us see better results faster.

Diversity of movements done over the weekly schedule can help us create progression through the same but different and target different aspects of muscles to different extents.

We can diversify the moves we use through different types of resistances…

Through adding instability, whether an unstable surface or even by making a move more unilateral, such as an 80/20 deadlift or single leg deadlift over a bilateral one.

Or even through slightly different postures, positions or ranges of motion.

We also have to remember that different muscles in a muscle group may have different joints they impact and control movement of and therefore will be worked by different joint actions.

For example, if you want to make sure you hit your entire hamstring muscle group, you can’t just include a deadlift, which is a hip hinge.

You also need to include a knee flexion movement like a lying leg curl.

So over the weekly schedule you create, don’t just reuse the same moves. Think about including a diversity to target the same muscles in different ways!

And guess what? Some of these moves you may not like and they may feel awkward. GOOD!

Tip #11 is to do awkward moves you don’t like.

Those moves we don’t like, that feel awkward, are often also moves that address our weak links.

They often improve our balance, stability and our mind-body connection so we ultimately get stronger, can run faster and see better muscle gains.

They are the moves that test our coordination. That make us check our egos with loads.

They keep us young and able to react quickly in every day life while recruiting the correct muscles efficiently in the right order to perform those lifts we may want to beast mode out.

So stop skipping them! They truly are the key to being functionally stronger and often even lifting more with our big heavy lifts.

And not only should you stop skipping these awkward moves, you need to stop skipping your warm up.

Yup Tip #12 is the oh so unsexy tip of – Don’t skip your warm up.

Feel like you’re getting older and just have to accept aches and pains?

You don’t. You just have to stop trying to get away with skipping your prehab work and warm up.

Honestly, this is something we shouldn’t have tried to get away with skipping in the first place and the fact that we did is why more aches and pains add up as we get older.

But we can change that by including a proper warm up now.

A proper warm up makes sure our muscles and joints are ready to work through a full range of motion from the first rep we do with weights.

Our warm up isn’t us wasting time before we get to the good stuff. It is what helps us get results from all the hard work we put in.

If you want to lift more, run faster, cycle further, a proper warm up with foam rolling, stretching and activation is what will help you do just that.

And I know this sucks to hear…I know a lot of what I’ve mentioned goes against some of what you’ve done in the past, but…

You can’t expect to see a new and better result doing what you’ve always done.

That’s why Tip #13 is to embrace being uncomfortable.

Stop fearing something different.

That different thing you’re resisting is probably what you need to get to a new goal.

Because if what you’ve always done worked, you’d have achieved results already.

But we have to step outside our comfort zone and risk being bad at something to learn and grow.

Don’t hold yourself back sticking with what you just feel comfortable with. Build off of that.

Now that being said, you also have to recognize that the more changes you make at once, the more of a cost you’ll feel before the reward.

That’s why I like clients to embrace being uncomfortable but also avoid the all or nothing attitude.

It’s why Tip #14 is to evolve YOUR lifestyle.

Meet yourself where you’re at to build small changes off of that and slowly push your comfort zone.

Because one size doesn’t fit all and there is no perfect plan.

Even what used to work for us will change as WE are constantly changing.

Your lifestyle, body and needs are not the same now as they were years ago.

Not to mention even our schedule shifts over the year as well as our priorities, impacting the habits that are actually realistic for us now.

That’s why we always need to assess where we are currently first to move forward.

When you set that GPS to get you to a new location, you don’t just enter your destination…

You enter your current location. We need that same starting point to map out our roadmap to results.

Which brings me to the boring but essential 15th tip…Plan ahead.

We wouldn’t just get in a car and drive around aimlessly hoping to get to our destination, yet that’s what we so often do with our fitness goals.

We say what we want then just start doing random moves and diets.

Without a plan, we have no direction.

We have no process we can trust.

And we don’t know what is and isn’t working.

So ultimately we get no where.

Failing to plan is planning to fail…cliche and oh so true.

Don’t repeat the same mistakes. Use these tips and plan our your program to achieve your goals. Which 1 tip will you focus on first?

Ready to build your leanest, strongest body EVER no matter your age?

Learn more about my 1:1 Online Coaching!

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Exercise and Fat Loss (5 Things You Need To Know)

by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 2, 2024 | Blog, Diet

You can’t out-exercise your diet.

Boom. Mic drop. That’s it.

And yet we’ve all thought…

“I’m training so hard, why can’t I lose weight?!”

The simple fact is…our diet needs to be dialed in to match our training if we want body recomp to happen.

Now…you may be thinking, “But I HAVE lost weight before by just adding on to my training.”

But this attempt to out exercise our diet ultimately SABOTAGES our long-term success.

And it can be why we start even blaming our AGE for our lack of results.

I want to break down why you aren’t losing weight despite exercising longer and harder

and then how you can adjust your diet to lose fat while gaining muscle even if it has felt impossible in the past!

These 5 tips I’ll go over to adjust your diet are what helped me personally because honestly

…I tried to out exercise my diet for the longest time

I literally felt like I could do anything I needed in the gym to see results, but adjusting my diet felt impossible.

I even told myself I simply couldn’t adjust my diet because I liked food too much.

But I realized that was just an excuse.

That I was simply more comfortable being uncomfortable in the gym than I was with adjusting my diet.

However, once I got out of my own way and started adjusting my portions of protein, carbs and fats,

not only did I lose weight but I gained muscle and felt more energized in my training sessions and all around every day life!

But first…why trying to out exercise your diet fails.

And this all comes back to why it works initially…

We’re creating that calorie deficit by adding in more movement.

If you don’t eat more to compensate, by simply adding in extra movement, you’re going to burn more calories and create that calorie deficit.

But the exact same reason we can lift more, run or cycle further faster, is the reason why we ultimately DON’T keep burning more calories over time.

We grow stronger and our body becomes more efficient.

This means that unless we keep doing more, adding on more to our training, we won’t keep burning more.

And we will even start needing LESS energy to repeat the same activities.

Again this is a GOOD thing as it is why we get fitter.

But it is also why our weight loss will often plateau over time.

If we try to keep adding in more to our workouts, making them longer even, we often may see another little drop in weight but then can even see weight start to creep back on.

Not to mention suffer from burnout and injury, which can completely throw us out of any healthy habits we’ve built and lead to us not being able to train at all.

But we may see our weight go up despite trying to increase our activity level to burn more calories because our body will start to find ways to conserve energy.

The more extreme the calorie deficit we try to create through our training, the more our body will rebel.

Our body wants to maintain essential bodily functions which take energy.

And the more you push that calorie deficit to extremes through exercising more, the more our body finds ways to fidget and move less as well as down regulate other energy usage through the day.

It’s why we can even see muscle loss, or our muscle building efforts be sabotaged while working harder in the gym.

This is why if you really want all of your hard work in the gym to pay off, and to create a calorie deficit that leads to fat loss as you even build lean muscle, while keeping you feeling fueled and energized, you can’t avoid the hard of adjusting your diet!

And it isn’t just about cutting calories through how you adjust your nutrition.

While calories in vs. calories out matter for weight loss, macros matter most for body recomp.

The types of foods you consume can not only have an impact on your body recomp results but even how FUELED you feel and the energy you have to be active and alert throughout the day.

Your macros can even impact your recovery and sleep.

And the exact portions of proteins, carbs and fats may vary based on your activity level, needs and goals.

But for most of us, even knowing this…the process of adjusting our diet can feel impossible.

That’s why I want to go over 5 key things to help you embrace adjusting your nutrition to help you lose weight and keep it off!

Number 1 being something that truly was the biggest game changer for me…

Don’t cut out the foods you love first.

I love dessert. And every time I would try to adjust my diet to lose weight, I would cut out dessert.

I knew it wasn’t “healthy” and very calorie dense.

So it seemed like the “easiest” thing to remove.

The thing was…it was also the thing I loved the most and the hardest change MENTALLY to make.

Ultimately I always would have willpower run out at some point and end up overindulging in all of the foods I’d tried to restrict and resist.

Once I started planning in a dessert FIRST and working my other meals around it, I finally created something more sustainable.

Because often it is just the fact we’ve told ourselves we “can’t” have something that makes us want it even more.

There are even nights now where I don’t have dessert and I don’t feel deprived because I know that A. I can work it in if I want and B. I’ve recognized what I include or don’t include is my CHOICE.

But to start, making sure I wasn’t feeling like I couldn’t have things I loved helped make the changes easier and built that momentum to achieve results!

Which brings me to the next tip I feel is so essential to creating true nutritional changes…

Keep those adjustments SMALL.

Too often with our diet, we also make these sweeping changes that make us miserable and often leave us very hungry.

Our body doesn’t like change. So dramatic calorie adjustments or changes in our macros, going from high carb to low carb, can make us feel low energy, hungry, deprived and just off.

It makes us not want to stick with the changes for long.

So instead, we want to make small changes, meeting our body where it is at.

The more we focus on just one small tweak, the more we allow our body to quickly adjust so we want to add on more.

This process of small swaps and changes is less mentally uncomfortable and overwhelming, which can lead to us feeling more motivated to keep building!

It can be exactly what we need to ease into being more comfortable being uncomfortable with dietary changes and stop us from feeling like we just can’t adjust our diet.

Because one size doesn’t fit all. Just because a fitness competitor is eating only chicken and broccoli doesn’t mean you need to, especially to start!

Now…I mentioned earlier…macros really matter.

And specifically protein is key. But it is also something many of us struggle to increase, which is why tip #3 is to map in protein first to every meal.

I started to realize that protein was an afterthought in many of my meals instead of something I mapped in first and worked other foods around to create delicious dishes.

I also realized how many meals barely had any protein in them.

I’ve seen this same trend with clients.

We think we’re eating a lot of protein. But when we actually look at our meals, we realize how many don’t really have a main protein source.

So instead of focusing on cutting anything out, work to first add protein in!

Make sure every meal has a protein source and even add just one ounce of protein to meals that do contain a protein already.

This addition of protein can create satiety, and while you’re technically adding in more calories, often it leads to us eating less of other things, including snacking less,

and it can even help us burn more calories at rest because protein requires more energy to be used by our body to digest it.

And as odd as it sounds to add in something that could make you consume more calories, studies have actually shown that a high protein diet is the only diet to not cause unwanted fat gain while in a slight calorie surplus.

Not to mention, often in eating more protein, we will make it easier on ourselves to create a small calorie deficit without feeling super hungry and lower energy.

Which brings me to the 4th key tip…

Stop slashing your calories super low!

Often we feel we can’t stick with dietary changes because the first change we make is to cut our calories down and create as big a calorie deficit as we can.

If weight loss is about eating less than you burn, eating as little as possible should be better, right?

WRONG!

Not only does this lead to us losing muscle, creating metabolic adaptations and hormonal imbalances that fight against our weight loss goals, but we also feel miserable and often run out of willpower to keep restricting as intensely.

And when our willpower runs out, we can end up overeating which can lead to us regaining not only any weight we lost but even more.

In this process of regaining the weight, we also aren’t regaining any muscle we lost. Just fat. And this ultimately will only make any future dieting attempts even harder.

So instead of slashing your calories super low, focus on adjusting your macros, increasing that protein first.

Just by adjusting your macros, you may see body recomp start to happen.

From here, you may find that even just cutting 100 calories from your maintenance level can lead to amazing results where you still feel energized.

We just have to remember that super big calorie deficits mentally derail us and also don’t lead to true fat loss any faster!

The final tip I’ve found to be so key in helping clients make dietary changes is to stop saying that any change we make is a lifestyle.

While we want things to be sustainable so we embrace change, the simply fact is not everything we do that is new will feel comfortable.

And what you do to reach a goal is NOT what you will do to maintain it.

We don’t do ANYTHING in one form exactly for the rest of our life.

There are constantly changes and tweaks and adjustments we are making.

And we need to embrace that.

The more we recognize that evolution will happen over time, the more we also make it easier to embrace some short term sacrifices knowing things will evolve as we go.

We may choose to cut out cocktails for a bit to see better results,

while adding them back in as we reach our goals and transition to maintenance.

While we can’t go back to simply what we did prior to losing the weight, there is constant evolution in our diet to match our body where it is at.

And there will be a different balance we strike over time as we create that new weight set point.

Remind yourself that not everything will feel fully sustainable to start, like a “lifestyle,” but that over you can tweak and adjust to create your balance!

If we want to reach our goals, our diet and our workouts need to evolve to work together and we need to find a balance!

We can’t out exercise our nutrition and our nutrition can really help us feel, move and look our best!

If you’re ready to dial in your diet and your workouts to see fabulous results at any and EVERY age, check out my Private Online Coaching.

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How to Build Muscle and Lose Fat At Any Age (7 TIPS!)

by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 11, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

Age is a number. Strength is a choice.

Plain and simple.

You can’t change your age. You can’t reverse that number.

But at ANY time, you can change your lifestyle habits to feel and move your best.

Whether we want to admit and OWN this responsibility…well that’s another question.

Sorry some tough love but it is true even if I ruffled your feathers.

I can tell you that this isn’t personal opinion either or based on a single “elite” individual.
I’ve seen clients starting their fitness journeys at 50, 63, 74 and older….more times than I can count.

It’s NEVER too late to start.

But the longer you wait to move forward, the more you put off even ONE. SMALL. CHANGE…

The harder you make it on yourself.

And the more you’re going to feel your age working against you.

Because how old we feel has very little to do with that actual number.
It has more to do with our lifestyle CHOICES.

Ignore aches and pains?

They’ll add up.

Ignore poopy dieting practices?

They’ll add up.

Control what you can control…and you’ll be amazed at how confident, strong and FABULOUS you feel till your final day on this planet.

Getting older doesn’t have to mean feeling old.

And while I believe that, yes, our body does change with age as do our needs and potentially goals, we can feel freaking FANTABULOUS at any and every age if we choose to put in the WORK.

Here are 7 tips to help you lose fat as you build muscle so you can feel strong at ANY and EVERY age…

#1: Stop saying “some day.”

Honestly the most common reason we don’t see results is we fail to take action.

We don’t ever actually start making changes.

How many of us are guilty of getting super excited, buying another program…then never actually using the program?!

Far too many of us!

But if nothing changes nothing changes.

And the longer we wait, often the further we slide from our goals and the more bad habits we have to undo.

So if “some day” is going to be the right day…why not make “some day” TODAY?!

#2: Stop restricting. Focus on nutrition by addition!

Eat less. Cut out the foods you love.

This is how many of us have dieted in the past for fat loss.

No wonder we hate making changes to our nutrition.

No wonder we lose weight to only regain it when we run out of willpower!

This approach to dietary changes is miserable!

It’s also why we feel like getting older means metabolic slow down and gaining weight if we even look at a cookie.

So we need to change our approach and focus on eating more to fuel our activity level and support our lean amazing muscle mass.

Even if we want to lose fat, we can’t cut our calories super low.

Often as we get older, we need to focus on eating more.

If you’re thinking, “But I’m not hungry!”

If you want to lose fat and gain muscle, you may have to embrace the process of retraining your body to eat more.

Because often we’ve trained our body to function off of less through previous dieting practices while also seeing a natural decline in our appetite with age.

But if we don’t eat to fuel, we risk losing more muscle, which is already harder to build and retain as we get older,

not to mention we may see fat creep on as we try to starve ourselves to lose!

That’s why we want to focus on nutrition by addition for body recomp over cutting things out.

Focus on adding in more nutrient dense foods, like fruits and vegetables.

Focus on increasing your protein to support the strength gains you’re working hard to achieve in the gym.

But focus on what you can first ADD IN to make changes.

#3: Embrace the 80/20 rule.

We sabotage our own success by forcing some “ideal” on ourselves that isn’t realistic for our lifestyle or needs.

We force clean eating standards that make us feel guilty for including a slice of pizza.

Or a handful of candy.

We force restrictions on ourselves that just simply aren’t sustainable.

And while not every habit change we make will feel easy, we can’t just be relying on willpower.

We don’t have to be perfect to see progress.

By embracing giving ourselves a bit more grace we can actually create consistency so results can build.

Instead of shooting for 100% perfection, and making ourselves feel guilty for being human, we should focus on the 80/20 rule.

Own that 20% of the time, life is going to get in the way and that isn’t a bad thing!

By giving ourselves that little bit of grace, we ultimately create better consistency not only over the weeks, but months and years.

And that is what adds up.

Because losing fat as you build lean muscle is a slow process. You can’t out diet or out exercise time.

And too often we strive for this perfection we can’t maintain only to find ourselves implementing…well…not even 10% of what we should for more than a few weeks.

When, if we had expected less, we probably would have seen far more habits built and results begin to snowball.

So while not plan for some deviation to start?

Focus on those whole natural foods 80% of the time with working in the things you love.

Focus on pushing in your workouts and creating a schedule that fits your lifestyle while accepting the occasional missed session or session where you’re just not feeling it that day and need to modify.

Create that 80/20 balance so you aren’t constantly starting over and blaming your age for things getting harder and harder!

#4: Let go of what used to work.

What worked for you a decade ago, may not work for you now.

Your body, your lifestyle, your needs are all different.

And your workout routine and diet need to evolve.

So the more you constantly compare to what used to work… To what you used to be able to do…The less you’re meeting your body where it is at now.

So stop saying, “I used to get away with..” because that may be part of why you’re even struggling now!

And ultimately, results happen by us meeting ourselves where we are at NOW to create a clear path forward.

Don’t search for some ideal. Don’t cling to dieting and training practices from your past.

Track what you’re CURRENTLY DOING and what you CURRENTLY NEED and build off of that.

If you’re just starting back to training, modify so you’re craving more over feeling so sore you can’t get consistent.

If you’re eating a ton of carbs, don’t tell yourself to cut out all carbs.

Maybe just tweak the types of carbs your consuming at one meal.

Our body and mind don’t like change and the more habits are STACKED and built off of what we are currently doing, the easier the changes are and the more results snowball.

So focus on where you are now. Not where you used to be or what used to work.

#5: Train that mind-body connection.

You know those complicated coordination or agility moves you want to avoid?

The awkward unilateral or balance moves you want to skip?

Don’t.

Those moves are so key to staying functional fit and strong till your final day on this planet.

And many of those moves that test our mind-body connection are also essential for us seeing better body recomp faster.

Because the longer we’ve trained for, and often the older we get the longer we’ve been working out, the more we’ve adapted to be able to handle in our training.

It’s why we’ve gotten stronger and can run further and cycle faster.

That means we need to find new ways to challenge ourselves.

While adding more weights or heavier loads is a key component, it’s not the only way to create progression.

We also need to focus on what we feel working and include those awkward, unstable, even complicated moves.

By focusing on what we feel working with moves that make us feel awkward, we improve our ability to recruit muscles quickly to the correct extents in the correct order.

And this is what helps us get stronger and move more efficiently. It’s what helps us even keep our reaction times quicker for every day life.

So don’t shy away from those forms of training that make you uncomfortable! They may just be the key to seeing better body recomp as you get older!

#6: Own the changes.

Your body doesn’t have the same hormonal environment that it once did.

Your lifestyle and time and energy commitments may not be the same as they once were.

So?

Stop using these changes as an excuse.

Instead address them.

Our hormonal environment isn’t as optimal for fat loss or muscle growth.

And often those quick fix previous dieting and training practices we used to see results in the past have now created issues and adaptations we have to address.

Own what’s going on now and account for it.

You can do this by increasing your protein intake since you are less able to utilize protein as efficiently and we are also at greater risk for losing muscle as we get older.

But not only do you want to increase your daily protein intake, you may want to increase portions at each meal as more protein in one sitting can be key to creating that same muscle building response.

And you may also find that with getting older, your recovery has slowed.

Instead of letting this sabotage how hard you can train,

change up your workout split to allow you to keep training hard but give areas the rest they need.

Stop skipping your warm up routine to get in that prehab work which pays off for recovery.

Or adjust your nutrition and focus on increasing your water intake while addressing nutrient gaps, like not getting enough magnesium.

Control what we can control and address the changes over just writing yourself off because of them!

#7: Take things back to basics.

It’s easy when it feels like nothing is working to seek out MORE to add onto what we’re doing.

Doing more makes us feel in control.

The idea of something new that is magical excites us.

But no matter our age, we are NEVER beyond those basics.

And so often in adding in more when nothing is working, we’ve overcomplicated things and made a mess of the basic systems we need.

So if you’re struggling to see results, go back to basics.

Strip back all the fluff and return to just those fundamentals.

Focus on a simple lifting routine.

Focus on tracking your macros and focusing on protein.

Then off of these basics, tweak and adjust.

But sometimes we need to strip everything away and simplify to get rid of the extra work we’re putting in that is actually just making us spin our wheels.

Step back to move forward.

Just remember, you have so much within your power to adjust and control to feel your most fabulous at any and every age.

Don’t let that number define you!

Build your leanest, strongest body at any and every age…And if you’re looking for that personalized program to help, check out my 1:1 Coaching!

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15 Tips to Build Muscle

by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 4, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

Struggling to see the muscle gains you want?

Stop blaming your age.

Stop blaming your genetics.

While these things impact how we may design our workouts and diet to help us achieve results, they are within our power to address.

Because the real reason we aren’t seeing the results we want is because a system is off.

There isn’t one magic move or food that will make everything work.

It’s all the components of your plan that work together.

An amazing move or workout routine done with improper fueling will lead to lackluster results.

A perfect diet can’t create progression in your training.

So if you aren’t seeing results, stop blaming things outside your control and instead take a step back to look at your lifestyle and make small adjustments to meet yourself where you are at so your lifestyle is moving you forward.

Here are 15 reasons why I often see clients not achieving the muscle gains they want.

And I will tell you…some of these you are mentally going to resist because they are things that “worked” in the past.

They may have been key to us achieving our weight loss or fat loss goals even.

But what works to get us to one goal may not only not work to get us to the next…

It may even hold us back!

Not to mention, our body and needs change over time.

And this actually brings me to the very unsexy first reason we don’t see the muscle gains we want…

We think it should be easier to see results because we’re an experienced exercise.

While you may feel it should be “easier” to see results because you’re an advanced worker-outer, this will actually make your progress SLOWER.

So recognize that change takes time and the more you have a foundation already built, the more small tweaks can have an impact.

You’ve adapted to more. It’s why you’ve gotten stronger and fitter.

But this also means that details matter more!

Get ready to embrace changes if you want to focus on those muscle gains…

And one of the surprisingly most common reasons I see clients not achieving the muscle gains they want is…

They’re not eating enough.

There can be a slight fear about eating more when you’ve just lost weight.

This is why increasing your calories after a weight loss phase has to be a slow process of even just 100 calories added to your daily intake and maintained for weeks before further increases.

You need to retrain your body to eat more.

But in this process of eating more, you are supplying your body with the extra energy it needs to not only train hard to build muscle but also support that muscle growth.

Not only does increasing muscle mean you need to eat more to maintain that newly added muscle, but there are other changes with increasing calories that actually mean your body uses more calories even at rest.

If you are struggling to build muscle, it may be time to increase your calories even if you aren’t feeling hungry.

We have to remember that hunger cues are partly TRAINED from even previous dieting practices.

So to build muscle, track and increase those calories slowly.

You can’t stay in a calorie deficit and efficiently build muscle especially if you’re at your desired leanness level. And even as you then see the scale creep up with muscle being gained, you may need to increase your calories further.

You may also have to let go of specific meal timings – such as fasted training.

The more advanced a trainee you are, the harder it gets to build muscle.

And as we get older, we are less able to build and retain lean muscle as well.

These aren’t excuses, they’re just facts that can and need to be addressed.

And besides making sure you’re eating enough, this may mean adjusting your meal timing.

The fasted training that used to work, may not be giving you the immediate fuel your body needs nor helping you create that anabolic environment for muscle growth.

And I say this as a person who really loves to train fasted at times. BUT…what works for one goal or stage of life doesn’t always work for another.

To be able to train harder and help your muscles recover better, you may need that pre-workout snack with especially some carbs. Having full energy stores can be key.

So consider even just breaking your fast with a small snack prior to your training session if you really want to see those muscle gains.

Now you may be thinking, “No! I’m low carb! I’m not giving up fasting and adding more carbs!”

But this carbphobia may be holding you back.

While low carb can be helpful for some during a weight loss phase, especially during menopause, carbs really do help create that hormonal balance and anabolic environment for muscle growth.

They give you the immediate fuel your body otherwise has to work hard to get from fats or protein so you can truly push hard and work at the intensity you need to create progression in your training.

Because we NEED to feel energized if we want to train hard to build muscle. Working at a zapped 100% intensity just isn’t going to drive growth efficiently especially if we’ve trained for decades and have adapted to a great training stimulus.

Before I move into some workout mistakes often holding clients back, I wanted to highlight one more nutritional piece which is so key…

PROTEIN.

Our body is made up of protein and the protein we consume isn’t just used for building muscle.

If we don’t prioritize getting enough, not only will our muscles not have the fuel they need to rebuild and grow, but our hard training sessions may actually be leading to muscle loss, especially the more cardio they are (which I’ll touch on next).

Because our muscles are also our biggest reserve of amino acids. So if your body feels it needs amino acids for other functions or to recover from your training sessions, you may actually be turning to your muscle…

Which completely defeats the purpose of your training sessions in the gym.

So make protein at each meal you eat a priority. And don’t fear increasing protein portions per meal to even up to 40 grams.

This can be key as we are less able to utilize protein as efficiently as we get older so getting MORE is needed to create the same stimulus for muscle growth.

Now going back to why cardio may be hindering your muscle gains…

There are two issues I see popping up with clients and how they include cardio in their workouts…

One they’re putting cardio first in the session.

And two, they’re simply doing too much steady state cardio.

If you love your cardio workouts, your long bike rides or runs, I’m not telling you not to do them. But you also need to know the COST of these sessions if you’re frustrated by not building muscle.

Because that steady state cardio at that intensity greater than walking is more catabolic to muscle mass and will often leave you depleted for your strength sessions.

It’s kind of like taking one step back for every two steps forward.

You can still move forward, you’re just making it harder and really have to tweak your fueling and other strength workouts to account for that.

So if you want the fastest results, cut back on your steady state cardio workouts and mileage for a bit, don’t turn your strength workouts into cardio by cutting out rest and time any cardio you do on days between that won’t fatigue you for future workouts or AFTER your strength session.

While you may put cardio first in your day if you’re training for a race, what you put first gets you when you’re freshest.

You want to be freshest for your lifts!

And being fresh and energized for each session is key because you need to create true progression in your strength workouts to see results.

Driving muscle growth means you’re going to feel uncomfortable, both mentally and physically.

You need to push hard and even at times push to a true failure. You need to keep progressing moves whether through loads, tempos, variations, perfection in form, volume…week over week.

This is incredibly taxing at times and may lead to you needing a deload week at points because you’re even just mentally feeling burned out from the strain.

But too often I see clients just pushing till it feels “hard” but never really pushing their comfort zone.

They stop at 12 reps not because they had to, but because it felt hard enough and that was the top end of the reps given.

NOPE! You’ve got to at points fail with a weight or variation to truly test those limits if you want to build muscle faster and know your pushing!

So get ready to feel uncomfortable.

But just note…uncomfortable doesn’t just mean feeling destroyed or sore from every workout.

Actually constantly feeling beat down or constantly seeking to be sore may be why you aren’t seeing the muscle gains you want.

Because soreness isn’t an indicator that a workout was hard enough or that we’re going to see better muscle gains.

While muscle tissue damage is one driver of muscle growth and can lead to muscle soreness, it isn’t the only driver of muscle growth.

And if you’re following a clear workout plan and progressing week over week, you shouldn’t always be sore from the calculated progress.

Honestly often we are so sore because something isn’t CORRECT in our plan.

We’re…

Not fueling well so we’re not truly rebuilding from our training.
We’re not including proper recovery work so that our muscles have that time to repair and rebuild stronger.
We’re not creating a clear progression that we repeat week over week but just randomly stringing together new things. And new alone will make you sore while actually not driving that progressive overload to see results.

So stop just seeking to be sore and instead follow a clear plan where week over week you can make incremental changes.

And jumping around too much is a very common mistake I see clients making.

It’s easy to want to chase something better, especially when we see all these new and exciting things on social media promising faster results.

But we get good at what we consistently do.

We need to have a weekly schedule we repeat week over week so we can truly track progress.

Don’t allow yourself to get distracted. Create that clear plan and repeat it, working in new things over time.

But constantly jumping around keeps you stuck starting over again and again never achieving the build needed for results.

Now here’s the important flip side to that…you also can’t get so married to one type of training, one type of move that you don’t at points change things up.

At some point, you can’t just keep adding weight.

At some point you do need a new training technique or exercise to create progression through the same but different.

So set those end dates where you adjust your training progression over just continuing to cling to what used to work.

Just because supersets worked in the past doesn’t mean 6-12-25 may not now be better since you’ve adapted to that other training stimulus.

So often we don’t see the opportunity in little tweaks like that, especially as we are more advanced and we can’t just keep adding loads to certain moves or training more frequently or for longer!

And one of those tweaks I see too often ignored for muscle building, and too often overused for fat loss, is isolation moves.

If you have a specifically stubborn area, you need to hone in on it.

While compound moves are amazing to help you burn more calories and be efficient in your training sessions while lifting more weight to drive muscle growth, areas that you struggle to gain in need the extra attention.

Isolation moves can help you really hone in and work an area to fatigue, recruiting more muscle fibers to help create that stimulus for muscle growth.

Isolation moves can be included in so many different ways whether you want to pre-fatigue a muscle, tiring out a harder to fatigue muscle slightly before a compound lift to be able to use lighter loads while working to failure…

Or use them to end your workout and fully fatigue one of the muscles worked during compound exercises earlier on.

But don’t ignore the importance of isolating stubborn muscles if you want to build muscle.

(If you’re looking for amazing workouts to help you build muscle and lose fat, check out my Dynamic Strength program…sorry shameless plug for these fun workouts you can do anywhere!)

Now the final reason I see clients not achieve the muscle gains they want is not valuing quality over quantity with everything they do.

So often we just seek to do MORE, use more supplements, implement more techniques, add on more we have to do or manage into our diet and workout plans.

Instead we need to get good at those basics.

We need to have that solid plan we follow and set end dates so we can assess and tweak.

And we need to focus on really perfecting the habits that we do.

Focus on the quality of your reps and what you feel working in your workouts.

Focus on hitting your macros consistently.

Don’t get distracted by supposedly magic pills or fancy tools that only add complexity.

Stay focused on your plan and get really good at doing it, improving week after week.

And while I know I gave you 15 reasons why you may not be seeing results…Don’t feel like you need to address all of them, especially all at once.

Find just ONE that you can adjust and dial that in first. Focus on getting really consistent with the change and then build off of that.

It will amazing you how simplifying and dialing in even just one of these habit changes with a focus on quality leads to faster muscle building results than you thought possible no matter your age!

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