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

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

by | Oct 16, 2022 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Functional Fitness, menopause-featured, Pain Relief

“I’m too old to gain muscle.”

Stop lying to yourself. Stop giving yourself an excuse to not work hard and move forward.

Because while our body, needs and goals do change as we get older, and yes it 100% becomes harder to build and retain lean muscle, we can achieve fabulous results and build muscle at any and every age.

And honestly, often the reason we don’t see the results we want as we get older is because we cling to improper dieting and workout practices that we may have “gotten away with” when we were younger.

But at every stage of life, we need to be adjusting our training and fueling. Nothing works forever.

Our body and lifestyle are constantly evolving and so should our diet and training habits to meet us where we are at currently so we can always move forward and be functional strong till our final day on this planet!

That’s why I want to share 7 tips to help you not only maintain your muscle mass but gain muscle as you get older.

Tip #1: Use It Or Lose It.

So often the reason we see more dramatic shifts in body composition and lose more muscle mass as we get older is because we’ve STOPPED doing what makes us fitter and stronger.

We accept decline and use age as an excuse instead of finding ways to really challenge ourselves.

Things do get harder. We may feel more awkward with balance moves. We may feel like we recover slower.

We may even dislike coordination moves because they are uncomfortable.

Even mainstream media tells people to stop doing what once kept them strong.

But if you don’t use it, you lose it.

If you want to maintain your muscle, you’ve got to challenge your body.

If you want to keep your mind-body connection strong, which can lead to better muscle hypertrophy as well, you’ve got to do moves that challenge your coordination.

And if you not only want to gain muscle but stay functionally strong and avoid falls, you’ve got to do those awkward balance moves.

Use it or lose it. Keep challenging yourself and training those movement patterns in the gym so you move better in every day life!

Tip #2: Stop Dieting.

Muscle helps keep our metabolic rate higher. It helps us burn more calories at rest and stay leaner.

And we get older we become less able to utilize protein as efficiently making it even harder to build and retain lean muscle mass.

But this is why it is even more key we stop the dieting and extreme deficits.

While it can feel harder and harder to lose any weight we’ve gained so we feel we need to turn to larger and larger calorie deficits, this ultimately sabotages our results.

It leads to more muscle being lost in the process of us trying to lose weight which only leads to metabolic adaptations and worse body composition.

It leads to us actually making it harder on ourselves to lose the weight and keep it off. Plus the metabolic adaptations mean we burn fewer calories at rest.

This leads to us then slashing our calories lower and lower to try to keep losing, perpetuating the horrible weight gaining cycle as we get older.

Instead we need to FUEL that lean muscle.

We need to focus on macros first and a very slight calorie deficit so we can help ourselves retain that lean muscle even as we want to lose fat.

Or we maybe even need to first retrain our body to eat more so we can build lean muscle with a small calorie surplus before we consider a slight deficit to lose!

Tip #3: Do Moves That Challenge You.

Many of us have heard that strength training is key to gaining muscle especially as we get older.

And it is.

By challenging our muscles, we force them to rebuild and grow stronger.

It’s why we don’t want to fear lifting heavy as we get older.

The key is recognizing what lifting heavy is for us.

It may mean bodyweight training starting out, especially if you haven’t trained before or trained consistently in awhile.

Or it may be using resistance bands or dumbbells over barbells.

The key is not fearing loads and truly challenging yourself instead of going lighter just because you’ve hit a certain age.

Fitness is about ability PERIOD.

We always have to meet ourselves where we are at.

This also means we can’t avoid awkward and uncomfortable moves that challenge our mind-body connection.

Neuromuscular efficiency, or the ability to recruit muscles quickly and in the right sequences to perform movements properly, is key to us moving well and even improving our reaction times and coordination in every day life.

Not to mention that ability to recruit muscles quickly, that muscle activation, will also IMPROVE our muscle hypertrophy.

So if you want to be able to gain more muscle, you want to improve that mind-body connection with moves that challenge your balance and your coordination while also challenging yourself with loads!

Tip #4: Increase Protein Portions Per Meal.

As we get older we can develop anabolic resistance and we are less able to utilize protein as efficiently.

This means we actually need to increase our protein intake, especially when we’re training hard and lifting to build muscle.

Because our muscles don’t respond by increasing muscle protein synthesis in the same way as when we were younger, increasing a portion of 20 grams of protein to 30 may be super key.

And if we’re training harder, you may see an even better benefit from 40 grams, especially after a hard training session.

However, the reason I don’t just say increase protein intake overall is because, as we get older, we can also often see a decline in our appetite.

This decline can be purely age related but also based on how we’ve trained our body to fuel when trying to lose weight in a more extreme deficit, which can make it hard to eat a ton of protein in one sitting, especially because it is so satiating and can make us feel fuller.

By increasing each meal over trying to get in a ton extra at one meal, and even adding in a pre and post workout snack that is protein-centric, we can break up our protein intake to see results.

You may even find that you can see added benefits from a BCAA supplement consumed DURING your workout as Leucine especially is so critical to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

There can also be some benefits of breaking up your protein to keep a positive protein balance at multiple times a day to promote better muscle growth!

Tip #5: Do Your Mobility Work.

We can see changes in our recovery and aches and pains can feel like they’re adding up as we get older.

Too often we simply blame our age over recognizing the movement compensations, imbalances, overuse and overload that have been occurring for years that we haven’t addressed.

But whatever the reason, we can’t ignore these issues if we want to be able to train hard consistently to see results.

It’s why mobility work is so key.

It can help us move better and recover faster, even helping us better manage chronic inflammatory conditions that could fight our muscle gains, so we can train consistently and challenge ourselves to build that lean muscle.

Without proper recovery, we end up training to a point of diminishing returns where we are just constantly beating our body down over allowing for proper recovery and growth.

When we rest, we rebuild!

Here is a full body mobility routine with the complete 3-step prehab process to address common aches and pains.

But it is key we do this mobility work in every warm up so we can train to build that lean muscle more efficiently!

You’ll be surprised by how much even just 5-10 minutes of mobility work a day helps you train harder without needing extra days off to recover!

Tip #6: Be Strategic In Your Meal Timing.

I say this as a person who personally loves intermittent fasting as a meal timing…

Fasting can backfire when gaining muscle is your goal – especially if you are a hardgainer.

And as we get older, we have to realize that fasting and fasted training may hinder us from gaining muscle, as in a fasted state, your muscle protein balance is negative.

Basically you break down more muscle than you build.

So we put ourselves at greater risk for losing muscle the more we put ourselves in this negative protein balance.

Not to mention, when you train fasted, you don’t necessarily have the readily available stored fuel you need to truly push through a hard session or rebuild from the damage you’ve created.

So consider including a pre-workout meal with protein to have amino acids readily available in your system and even a carb source for immediate fuel to allow you to push harder in your session without fatigue.

This meal will help create a positive protein balance even before your session.

Then post workout, consider consuming another 40grams even of protein.

Studies have found that resistance exercise combined with amino acid ingestion elicits the greatest anabolic response and may assist the “elderly” in producing a ‘youthful’ muscle protein synthetic response provided sufficient protein is ingested following exercise.

This post workout protein consumption can also even help you improve your recovery so you can include more hard training sessions over the week.

Tip #7: Stay Active On Days Off.

Recovery and rest days don’t have to be “do nothing days.”

And the more we can actually use these days to prep our body to move better during our training sessions, the better off we will be.

Include 5-10 minute mobility routines.

Go for a long walk.

Honestly, walking is one of the most underutilized tools we have to stay functionally stronger and improve our body composition even as we get older.

Walking can help us avoid unwanted fat gain, keep our aerobic base strong and even recover from previous training sessions without being catabolic to our muscle mass unlike more intense forms of steady state cardio.

Walking can also be a great way to destress and help our body, and mind, rest!

So as much as it can be hard to take a day off, your body needs it. Your muscles repair and rebuild when you give them time to recover.

But to stay active, don’t be afraid to include light movement and mobility work on those days off!

You may be surprised by how much even this light activity helps you sleep better!

SUMMARY:

We can, and should, focus on building muscle at any and every age.

We are NEVER too old to see results.

And our workout routine and diet should always be based on our needs and goals, meeting us where we are at. But our age, that simple number, should never determine what we can or can’t do.

We have to remember that if we want to stay strong, it really is a case of use it or lose it.

So use these 7 tips to help you feel lean, strong and fabulous till your final day on this planet!

And for even more motivation to never say you’re too old, check out the Fitness Hacks Podcasts I’ve linked to below.

FHP S2:E7 – Can You Gain Muscle As You Get Older? If So, How!?

FHP S2: E46 – I’m too OLD!

MORE STUDIES:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22313809/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6582369/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15438627.2020.1770251
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.2000.88.2.386
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.00488.2005

10 Kettlebell Exercises For A Total Body Workout

10 Kettlebell Exercises For A Total Body Workout

by | Sep 25, 2022 | Blog, Exercises, Kettlebells

There are so many ways to create progression in our workouts that aren’t just about increasing loads.

One simple way to create a new challenge may be by mixing up the tools you use for the same basic moves.

Another could be by making slight changes to the postures and loading placements during those basic movements like rows or squats or presses.

So if you’ve been looking to vary those basics exercises to keep challenging yourself, try using kettlebells with these amazing moves!

Exercise #1: Push Up To Dip

This is a super challenging push up variation that really targets those triceps as well as your abs.

And if you do struggle with wrist pain during push ups, you may find the neutral wrist positioning of these push ups off the kettlebells helpful.

Just be conscious of the dip if you do have previous shoulder injuries and make sure you can truly control the range of motion before progressing.

To do this move, you’ll perform two push ups off the kettlebells, dropping your chest to the handles. Focus on driving back through your heels while making sure your hands are just outside your chest.

After two push ups, push up to the top and press down into the kettlebells to lift your legs and swing them through and forward.

With your legs straight in front of you and your butt back right in front or between the kettlebells, perform two full dips. Drop your butt straight down toward the ground. Just make sure you don’t swing too far forward or you’ll put more strain on your shoulder.

Do two dips then swing back through and repeat.

To modify, you can go down to your knees for the push ups and bend your knees on the dips. You still want that full range of motion though on the push up, dropping your chest to the kettlebells and bending your elbows to 90 degrees on the dips.

You can also modify by walking through and starting with even 1 of each over two of both.

Exercise #2: Figure 8s

This rotational move is a great way to challenge your core and strengthen those glutes while getting your blood pumping.

It can be great to include in more of a metabolic conditioning workout and used during interval circuits.

It is also a variation on that basic kettlebell swing.

To do this move, you will hold a kettlebell handle in one hand and swing the kb across your chest so that the bottom of the kb is resting on your other hand up at your opposite shoulder.

The weight should be right in against your body.

You will then hinge over, slightly squatting as you do, to be able to swing the weight down in front and under your thigh to grab it with your other hand behind your leg.

You will rotate your torso as you do. You’ll switch hands, grabbing the kettlebell with the other hand behind your leg to then bring it up and around and across your body toward your other shoulder.

Make sure to squeeze your glutes at the top.

You will feel even your biceps working as you perform that curl across your chest, but you don’t want it to just be an arm move. Focus on those glutes propelling the weight weight up and across.

Start light and make sure you are truly controlling the rotation of your torso to reach under your leg so you don’t overload your lower back or start to round.

Exercise #3: Bottoms Up Carry

Carries are a great way to build functional full body strength whether you do farmers carries, racked carries or overhead carries.

You can do them as bilateral movements, carrying a weight on both sides, or as unilateral carries to work each side independently and even strengthen your core to fight rotation.

And a great way to vary your carries and improve your grip strength and shoulder stability, using the slightly awkward weight of the kettlebell, is by including a bottoms up variation.

You can perform the bottoms up carry as a unilateral or bilateral movement.

And you can start with the carry at your shoulder or even progress overhead as you feel ready and want to increase the instability.

This move though is deceptively hard.

Make sure you start light and really focus on all of your fingers gripping the kettlebell handle hard!

If you haven’t done a bottoms up carry before, definitely start with the weight at your shoulder and really engage your upper back, unshrugging that shoulder so it feels locked into place and stabilized.

If you move to the overhead variation, walk slowly to start and make sure to brace your abs!

Exercise #4: Lunge with Pass Under

While adding loads to lunges can for sure progress the movement, also having to hold and stabilize as you change your loading placement can provide a new stability challenge and force you to spend more time under tension. And that’s why the Lunge with Pass Under can be a great option. Not only does this move challenge your legs, but it also is a great way to improve that core stability.

To do this move you will start by holding a kettlebell in one hand. I usually like to start with it on the side I plan to lunge forward on.

Sink into that front lunge and holding with your knee hovering about an inch off the ground, pass the kettlebell under that front leg into your other hand.

Then drive back up to standing in one solid push back.

Lunge forward on the other side to then pass the kettlebell back under.

This move is a great way to really help you focus on keeping your weight centered even as you lunge forward.

Too often all of our weight ends up going forward in front lunges which prevents us from using that front glute as efficiently as possible and can also be why we end up with knee aches and pains.

To vary this move, you can also perform reverse lunges instead of front lunges.

And to modify, you can always perform a split squat with pass under or even start by not sinking as low in the lunge.

Exercise #5: Renegade Rows

If you’re looking to work your entire core and your back and really build your anti-rotational core strength and shoulder stability, Renegade Rows are a must-do move.

By staying focused on preventing rotation, you’ll even really feel your glutes working which will only also improve your hip stability.

With the Renegade Rows, just note the kettlebells do create a bit more instability than dumbbells so make sure to move slowly as you perform this exercise.

You don’t want to rush if you feel yourself losing balance. And you want to make sure you aren’t rushing and rotating.

Really fight to keep everything square to the ground as you alternate rows from that plank position.

Think about engaging your upper back to unshrug your shoulders and press hard down into the kettlebell to stabilize as you row the weight up.

Focus on your back powering that row.

And don’t forget to drive back through your heels so your weight isn’t all shifted forward as you squeeze your glutes.

Spreading your feet wider apart will help you stabilize to fight that rotation.

To modify, you can even perform an incline variation, rowing just on one side so you don’t have the added challenge as you stabilize while alternating rows.

Exercise #6: KB Swings

I honestly feel no kettlebell exercise list is complete without the swing as it is such a staple movement.

I think this explosive hip hinge movement is so key I even push clients who don’t have kettlebells to do it with a dumbbell or pair of dumbbells as the skier swing.

When I use the swing with clients the focus is on the hinge hinge and not performing an overhead swing as I want to train that quick hip hinge movement pattern and proper loading.

Being able to hip hinge correctly is key to help us avoid lower back injuries especially.

When you do the kettlebell swing, focus on pushing your butt back as if trying to touch a wall behind you. You aren’t squatting with this movement although your knees will soften so you can hinge correctly.

And then really push the ground away as you use those glutes to propel the kettlebell up to come up to standing.

Squeeze your glutes hard as you stand tall and don’t lean back, arching your lower back.

Do not worry or focus on how high the kettlebell goes. Too often this focus on the height of the swing leads to us pulling with our arms.

And then do not hinge back over until the kettlebell descends and your forearms connect with your hips. You don’t want to hinge before “catching” the weight to push your hips back. Hinging over while the weight is still far away from you can cause your weight to shift forward and lead to you overloading your lower back.

Almost think of it as you waiting for the kettlebell to open the “door” and your hinge as the door opening.

To vary this move, you may perform a single arm swing or even skier swing with the weights outside.

If you’re struggling with the hip hinge movement, consider a band hinge to help you learn to properly load those glutes and not just lean or round forward.

Exercise #7: Unilateral Chest Press

When we think about the bench press, we think most often about using dumbbells and barbells.

But the kettlebell can actually be a great way to work our chest, shoulders and triceps while adding a level of instability.

And I love even using the kettlebell during a unilateral chest press to even challenge your core more.

To do this move, you’ll have the kettlebell resting on your forearm and hand at your chest. Make sure your feet are firmly planted on the ground and you’re bracing your abs to fight the rotation.

Press the kettlebell up and toward the ceiling even coming slightly toward the center of your chest as you press to get a little extra pec focused work.

The lower back down. Move slowly because the kettlebell adds more instability than you realize.

And if you don’t have a bench, you can always do this move as a floor press. You’ll be surprised by how unstable just using the kettlebell can make you feel with such a traditional movement.

Exercise #8: Squat, Catch And Press

If you’re looking for a great variation of the squat to press, try the Squat, Catch and Press.

This is a great full-body exercise to include even during your conditioning work as it will really get your blood pumping.

You may even see different versions of this movement done based on whether you want it to be a bit more leg intensive or cardio.

Start with the weight held in both hands hanging toward the ground.

Squat down sinking the weight to touch the ground. Then quickly drive up to standing and, as you do, pull the weight up toward your chest, allowing your hands to slide down the horns of the kettlebell toward where the handle connects to the base.

From here press the weight overhead.

Do this all quickly without really pausing in any position.

Then lower the weight to your chest before allowing your hands to slide to the top of the handle as you sink back into that squat.

You may also find you like to perform this move with more a squat or leg emphasis, sinking into a deeper squat while holding the kettlebell in that goblet position at your chest before coming out of that deeper squat to press overhead.

Exercise #9: Rotational Row

You really can work your entire body using kettlebells. And if you want to vary up your back rows, you can always include a rotational kettlebell row.

This is not only a great unilateral back exercise to work each side independently but also a great core move, working those obliques as well.

This rotational row works your back through protraction to full retraction. Just make sure you can actually control the row with your back and don’t end up shrugging as you go from the shoulder blade being pulled forward to pulled toward your spine.

Start in a staggered stance with the weight in the opposite hand from the foot that is forward. Hold the weight in that opposite hand hanging down toward your heel of your front foot.

While you want to allow your shoulder blade to protract or come forward around your ribs as you allow the weight to hang, almost as if you are slightly reaching for the ground, you don’t want to lose tension on your core or round over.

Then drive the elbow back toward the ceiling as you slightly rotate open, pulling the handle up toward your chest.

Do not shrug your shoulder or let your shoulder round forward to make the movement bigger. Focus on a slight rotation through your torso as you pull your shoulder blade toward your spine.

If you struggle with bracing your core as you focus on the row, consider trying a variation off a bench so your hand and knee are on the bench to help you stabilize and brace.

Exercise #10: Halos

Halos are another must do move to improve your shoulder mobility and stability.

And while they can be done with a plate weight or dumbbell, the instability of the kettlebell is a great way to really progress this exercise, especially when the focus is on improve your stability and range of motion.

You can do this movement from a variety of postures as well.

I love the kneeling or even seated variation of this exercise to not only really focus on that shoulder mobility but take out the capacity to really cheat and seek out mobility from other areas. These variations are also more core intensive which can help prevent you from getting ego in adding weight.

It is key with halos, no matter which posture you select, that you focus on not moving your head but instead circling the weight around your head through the fullest range of motion you can. You want to keep the weight in tight though and not just make a circle over your head.

As you pull the weight around each time and back forward, focus on even feeling the side of your back powering that pull forward.

If you do this move kneeling, focus on really squeezing your glutes. You can also vary your stance with, bringing your knees together to make it harder to stabilize.

SUMMARY:

You can combine these moves to match your needs and goals, whether you want an upper body, lower body or full body routine. You may find you use multiple in the same workout or just even use one, swapping it in for a current move in your routine.

Just remember to pick moves based on your needs and goals! We want to include exercises with a purpose!

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How To Build Muscle ( 5 HABIT CHANGES)

How To Build Muscle ( 5 HABIT CHANGES)

by | Sep 18, 2022 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

Often when we want to achieve a new goal, a new result, we look for a new program, a new set of routines or habits to implement.

But too often we don’t assess habits we may currently have that we actually need to STOP doing.

And many of these old habits even sneak into our new programming ultimately holding us back from our new goal.

Many of these habits we hold on to because they worked for our previous goals – say for weight loss or fat loss.

But when our focus changes, our habits need to shift as well.

And to gain muscle we can’t repeat the same habits that worked for weight loss. Gaining muscle means embracing habit changes.

We have to remember that what worked for one goal may not work for another and could even hinder us from seeing results.

That’s why I wanted to share 5 habits many of us excuse that we actually need to STOP doing if we want to gain more muscle.

 

5 Habits To Stop Doing If You Want To Gain More Muscle FASTER:

It’s hard at times to let go of habits that “worked” or that we enjoyed even when we logically know they no longer fit our goals.

But it’s key we do make sure our lifestyle is evolving to match our changing needs and goals.

Habit #1: Working Out Every Day

“But I love working out!”

“I feel guilty if I don’t do something every day.”

Many of us have said these statements as an excuse to train every day.

And while we may “get away with it” more in a fat loss phase, even then this mindset backfires.

Our body rebuilds and functions optimally when it has time to rest and rebuild.

You need quality recovery. You need proper fueling. You need quality sleep.

You need days where your body and mind can relax and repair so you are prepped to push hard in the following training sessions.

Make sure that you are designing your workouts progressions to give areas rest over the course of the week and even cycling your training intensity.

Getting results doesn’t have to mean, and shouldn’t mean, destroying ourselves every session.

Especially as we get older, our recovery times can increase. This means designing programs strategically to account for this. While it doesn’t mean we can’t still train 5-6 days a week, the way we break up our sessions and the volume we create may vary!

And remember it isn’t just your body but also your MIND that actually needs the recovery time.

It is fatiguing really trying to mentally push yourself every workout to create that progression you need to see results.

You want to be focused and intentional every training session – not just go through the motions.

So we have to recognize how taxing mentally that is, especially combined with a stressful day.

Give yourself time to rest and recover so every session is quality!

We rebuild when we rest and that’s how we see those muscle gains!

Habit #2: Changing your workouts up constantly

While it can be fun to do different things often, we need to design a clear progression to follow if we want to see results.

Changing up our workouts doesn’t allow us to strategically push and get the full benefit of each move.

It can also make us constantly sore, which can negatively impact muscle activation and subsequent training sessions.

Include a variety of movements to work muscles in different ways over the course of the week, but clearly lay out a progression you repeat for a few weeks.

How long you repeat a progression may depend on:

  • How much room for growth you have with moves
  • How much you find ego starts to get in the way when you are hitting your upper limit with an exercise (encouraging you to lift more than you probably should with form that isn’t ideal)
  • How much you do even find your mental focus drifting as you get “bored”

Progressions don’t have to be done for months upon months.

Just remember too that being able to push and see how far you can go with an exercise can be exciting!

Over time you can test out different workout designs and movements. But without repeating a set progression for a bit, you can’t know what does and doesn’t work. It allows you to actually see yourself progressing with one extra rep, 5lbs more or even that full pull up when you couldn’t do one prior!

But that progression is needed if you want to dial in those muscle gains efficiently so you actually are truly progressing moves and not just making yourself sore with different and new!

Because soreness really isn’t an indicator that you’re building more muscle, especially not more muscle faster!

Habit #3: Staying in your comfort zone

It can honestly be hard to push every training session.

While fun in a torturous way, it is at times mentally and physical hard and uncomfortable to push for another rep. Use a bit more weight we aren’t sure will go up for that final rep.

Do that new variation that really challenges us.

It is easy to keep repeating the same exercise variations, with the same loads for the same reps or sets at times.

But muscle growth is the result of challenging our body to have to adapt and repair to become stronger.

That means we need to focus on that progression in our loads, tempos, variations, training density…

Sometimes it may be one more rep in one set.

Sometimes it may be just 5lbs more.

Sometimes it may be moving on to a different tempo or posture or position for a move to use progression through the same but different.

This though is also why a clear workout progression and schedule is key.

It allows us to make those incremental adjustments to push ourselves outside our comfort zone each week.

And over those progressions, we also can’t fear testing out new workout designs and training methods.

Especially the more advanced a trainee we are, the slower our results will be so the more some advanced strategies, training techniques and workout designs may need to be used at times. Not only to challenge our body but also keep us wanting to push mentally with something new in our workouts.

You may experiment with things like rest-pause technique, drop sets, density training…It isn’t just loads we can use to challenge our body and push ourselves outside what is comfortable to create that muscle growth and change!

Habit #4: Going Low Carb

So I’ve talked a ton about training so far, and it’s because you can’t build muscle without a proper training routine and resistance to create growth.

While weight loss and fat loss are so much about diet, building muscle requires you to train in a way that forces your body to adapt and build back stronger.

However, our diet can’t be ignored if we want the best results from those intensive training sessions! We don’t want our hard work in the gym to be wasted!

That’s why it is key we give our body the fuel it needs to rebuild and repair and have the energy to train hard.

And carbs are truly a key part of having that readily available energy to not only push hard during our sessions but rebuild post workout.

They create that anabolic environment optimal for muscle growth.

Carbs are not only that immediate energy to be able to push at our full intensity during training and create that progressive overload but they are also protein sparring.

They protect your lean muscle from being catabolized or used as fuel and they can help make sure that the protein you consume is used to actually rebuild.

This is extra key if you are an endurance athlete or enjoy steady state cardio and refuse to fully cut back on mileage. Cardio already makes it harder to build and retain lean muscle, so carbs are even more key to serve as that immediate energy source and aid in our recovery.

So while you may have dropped your carbs during your weight loss cycle, you may now find boosting them to be extremely key.

Too often we keep ourselves in that energy deficit and then wonder why we aren’t gaining muscle. But growth can’t truly happen when we don’t have the fuel to repair or even optimize hormone levels.

So increase those carbs.

Even if you start by just timing more carbs around your training sessions, you can’t fear carbs if you want the most efficient muscle gains.

Habit #5: Staying In A Deficit

Just like we may have cut carbs during a fat loss phase, we often focus on that calorie deficit to see results. You do need to consume less than you expend to see that fat loss because you need to tap into that stored energy.

But to gain muscle as efficiently as possible, you now need to make sure your body always has the fuel it needs. So you can’t fear eating more.

Eating too little will keep you training hard and not seeing any gains. It can also lead to burn out, constant fatigue, constant soreness and an inability to recover.

Basically you could feel like you’re working so hard to literally not see any gains.

If you are transitioning out of a fat loss phase, you may simply start by increasing your calories to more of a maintenance level while increasing carbs. From there you may enter a small surplus.

Eating more doesn’t give you the excuse to go crazy. If you do a dirty bulk and skyrocket your calories, you’re going to gain fat and ultimately not really see better results.

A surplus as little as 100 calories may be enough although you may find you need to increase up to 400 above maintenance, which is why it may be helpful to do a maintenance phase prior to learn what you need to maintain your current body comp.

By focusing on protein and not ignoring this essential macro, you can even gain muscle while in a deficit so a slower transition, increasing calories can help you avoid gaining fat.

But we have to remember that the leaner we get, and the more we aren’t eating sufficiently to fuel our training, the more we put ourselves at risk for losing muscle even with higher protein ratios.

You need that fuel to grow those muscles!

And making sure that you’re eating enough is essential even as we enter menopause!

Often under fueling and extreme dieting habits can create metabolic adaptations which hold us back from not only losing fat, but gaining muscle as we enter menopause.

So focusing on increasing your calorie intake and building muscle is KEY as we get older to keep our metabolic rate higher!

Just remember because you can “get away with” something when you’re younger doesn’t mean that dieting practice won’t catch up with you later!

If you are peri-menopausal or nearing that age, really focus on making sure you’re building that lean muscle and not under eating or you could be setting yourself up for unwanted fat gain and muscle loss as you get older!

SUMMARY:

So if you’re looking to build muscle as quickly as possible it is key you change your habits, especially from the habits you used to lose weight or fat.

Focus on challenging yourself with your training and eating enough to support that muscle growth.

For accountability and support to see better results FASTER, apply to my 1:1 Coaching.

–> 1:1 Online Coaching

Why Can’t I lose Weight? 8 Common Weight Loss Mistakes To Avoid

Why Can’t I lose Weight? 8 Common Weight Loss Mistakes To Avoid

by | Sep 11, 2022 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

We can be our own worst enemies when it comes to achieving the weight loss results we want.

Often we keep ourselves stuck. We end up working super hard to ultimately derail our own consistency.

We think, “Do more,” and often overhaul our entire lifestyle for some new popular program. When really we should be focusing on small, realistic changes to create the healthiest version of our personal lifestyle.

Too often we don’t actually recognize our priorities in life and then they become the excuses that derail us.

I don’t have time to train because of my job.

I can’t track macros because of family meals.

When really we should shape our new routines and habits AROUND what truly matters most to us.

But we don’t do this because we fall prey to the fad diet out there promising overnight results.

Because of these fad diet, overnight transformations we see online, most of us do tend to overestimate what we can accomplish short term while even underestimating what we can accomplish with long-term consistency which allows those results to snowball.

But I want to save you the heart ache of starting another program, working super hard, to only ultimately end up worse off than where you started.

That’s why I wanted to share 8 common weight loss mistakes I see people making and how to avoid them.

#1: Setting unrealistic short-term goals and expectations that cause us to give up in frustration.

Think about the last time you were actually at your goal weight. Was it 10 years ago? Or 6 weeks ago?

Or was it maybe NEVER?!

Because this timeframe WILL impact how fast you see results.

If you just gained the weight, your body will be more responsive and be more comfortable getting back to what it still may see as normal.

If you just gained the weight, your body will fight the loss of it less.

Whereas if you haven’t been at your goal for years, or maybe even EVER, your body won’t want to change from where it is now – what it sees as a normal balance.

It’s why we can’t just expect to even reverse years of damage in months – despite those months feeling long and like we’ve really been working hard.

We need to realize that progress is never linear and there will be periods where we even feel like we’re taking a step backward before we move forward.

It’s why it is key we find multiple ways to measure progress, celebrate the daily habits and the repetition of them consistently as wins themselves AND take time to step back and watch overall trends.

Remember that results take time to snowball!

#2: Eating too little.

You need a calorie deficit to lose weight.

Whether you create this through eating less or working out more or maybe a little bit of both, you need to eat less then you expend to lose.

However, this doesn’t mean a great deficit will mean better and faster results.

Often eating too little, or even training too much, will sabotage our results, especially long term.

And eating too little in the past may actually be making your current attempts at weight loss even harder.

Our body puts survival as its top priority. And when we eat too little, our body fears for our survival and will regulate what it can to conserve energy.

This is why our metabolic rate can drop and we can even lose muscle mass over controlling as much as possible for fat loss when we drop our calories too low.

This is why we need to focus first on macros and second on that smaller calorie deficit when trying to lose weight.

It may even be why we need to NOT focus on weight loss for a period even if that is our ultimate goal.

Sometimes we first need to do a period where we’re rebuilding our maintenance calories, retraining our body to eat more and properly fuel before we can even consider then creating a small deficit to lose weight.

Otherwise we may find ourselves in the situation of eating 800 calories but still not losing while training for hours each and every day!

#3: You fear heavy weights.

Let’s get one things straight…lifting heavy will NOT make you bulky. It isn’t easy to gain muscle, especially the more advanced a trainee you are.

And especially when you’re trying to lose weight because you’re eating in a deficit NOT the surplus often required to build more muscle.

We need that surplus often to build lean muscle because muscle is metabolically costly. More muscle means more calories burned at rest which means more calories needed to KEEP that lean muscle.

This is why we want to be conscious not to cut our calories too low and also focus on protein in our diet. This helps us retain our lean muscle mass. And the higher protein macro ratios can even help us potentially gain muscle while in a deficit.

But to gain muscle and keep our metabolic rate higher, we need to lift heavy. To build muscle, we must force our muscles to be challenged so they have to rebuild stronger!

As you train to lose weight, do not skip those weight training sessions. Do not cut our rest. Focus on heavy weights that really challenge you to get close to failure and eek out those last couple of reps.

Don’t just use a weight you kind of “feel” or could easily do more reps with or don’t really need rest to recover between rounds to maintain the loads.

Challenge yourself. It should feel heavy no matter the rep range you use so you don’t want to have to do all the reps you’re going to perform.

If the range says 6-12, you don’t want to be able to do 15 reps. 12 should be a struggle and you may find as you increase loads, you even hit a weight where you just barely hit 6. Then maybe you stay there for a few weeks as you build up to being able to do 12 reps with that load before increasing.

But you don’t want to just stop with a weight because you hit the top of a rep range or like the number you’ve performed.

#4: You cut out foods you love.

Here’s a question we all need to ask ourselves – Will I be able to cut this out long term?

Now, achieving a new and better results always means sacrifice. And the faster we want the results, the more we may be willing to sacrifice at least to start.

But we can’t do this at the expensive of creating something sustainable. We can’t do this with no plan as to how to add in the things we love when we are ready.

Because the simple fact is, you can’t do one set of habits to lose the weight then simply go back to what you were doing prior.

Your habits have to have changed even though you won’t be doing exactly the same weight loss habits as you maintain your results.

It’s why it’s key we learn how to balance in the foods we love and maybe even start by tweaking AROUND those foods.

I’m 100% pro macros and tracking. This is truly the best way to see what you’re currently eating and learn how to adjust YOUR lifestyle.

You can also plan in the thing you want first and adjust your other meals around that snack or dessert or meal to then hit your overall macros for the day.

And you can even learn how to eventually make swaps to strike your balance.

But too often we simply cut out the things we enjoy even though we will eat them long term and never learn to strike that balance.

A healthy diet has to be one you’re going to stick with if you want to lose weight and KEEP it off.

#5: You estimate portions. You eat intuitively.

If you’re looking to lose weight, I’m sorry but you don’t yet intuitively know what you need. You can’t just fully listen to your body and fuel.

You don’t truly know the portions you need to see results.

You need to LEARN what your proper portions are and truly relearn how to listen to those natural hunger cues.

We have to remember that there are so many things that fight against us actually being able to tell what our body needs – from hyper palatable foods that don’t cause us to feel full when we should, to stress and lack of sleep making us feel hungry when we aren’t to even distorted portions we are just used to eating and consuming that now feel normal!

Learning what you need to reach the weight you want, means tracking and measuring. It means giving yourself an accurate picture of what you’re consuming to adjust.

We are really bad at estimating our portions until we’ve truly seen what the correct portion sizes are.

So while your ultimate goal should be to learn what you need to do, you first need to start by tracking and measuring everything.

That is the only way to have that objective outside look at what you’re doing.

What we measure gets managed!

Don’t deceive yourself by not giving yourself that clear picture. Don’t let yourself feel frustrated that nothing is working when you can’t truly know what you’re doing.

Track and measure to learn what your body needs and be able to adjust even as your needs and goals change over time!

#6: You don’t focus on sleep.

We often focus on our workout and diet routine when we want to lose weight. And part of that is because it truly is easier to “control.”

It’s hard to be like I need sleep and then get more sleep!

But we can’t ignore the importance of getting adequate rest.

Not only is sleep key to recovering and rebuilding from our workout session, and even making us want to push hard during our training because we are energized, but getting enough sleep is also key to helping us avoid overeating!

A lack of sleep can basically make you feel hungrier!

This isn’t your imagination.

It is due to the fact that a lack of sleep can raise ghrelin levels while lowering leptin levels. Ghrelin increases your appetite while leptin surpresses your appetite.

So you can see how increasing ghrelin and decreasing leptin can literally cause you to feel hungrier during the day so you feel like you need to eat more. This is also why tracking and not just eating intuitively to start can be so key!

The hard part is…how can you focus on getting more sleep?

Creating a pre-bed routine to help you wind-down can be key. And even getting in the habit of going to sleep and waking up at the same time can help you build that pattern to get better quality of sleep.

And as weird as it sounds, you may even want to adjust your workout design and schedule so you aren’t always sacrificing sleep for training if you do train early in the morning.

While working out is essential to our overall health, we can design for the time we have while caring about the quality of our sleep to get more out of every training session!

#7: You don’t focus on a proper warm up.

Ever notice if you don’t do a warm up that you feel like you’re not as able to squat as deep or perform that bench press as well for the first few rounds?

Like it takes you time to WARM UP and fully get the most out of moves?

It’s because you’re basically wasting rounds of your workout warming up and you’re potentially putting yourself at greater risk for injury with improper recruitment patterns, which could lead to you actually having to take time off of training.

Time off from working out won’t make losing weight easier.

And by not warming up and not necessarily using the correct muscles as efficiently, you may not really be getting the full benefit of moves.

This can mean subpar muscle growth and even fewer calories burned simply because you aren’t getting the most out of moves.

Your warm up doesn’t have to be long, but with a combination of foam rolling, stretching and activation for 5-10 minutes you can help yourself get so much more out of each second of your workout.

You may be surprised by how much more efficiently you are able to run or lift and how much more you feel the correct muscles working to truly benefit!

Because if the correct muscles aren’t working, we aren’t only putting ourselves at risk for injury but potentially not even building the muscle we want to build to improve our resting metabolic rate and make losing weight even easier!

#8: You force yourself to skip meals or to eat 6 small meals a day.

Starving yourself with Intermittent Fasting only to find yourself so hungry you overeat later?

Forcing in 6 small meals a day so that you never really feel satisfied or full but instead constantly feel hungry and overwhelmed by the meal prep?

There is no one magic meal timing that is guaranteed to work.

You need to adjust your fueling to match your schedule and lifestyle. And no matter how you feel best breaking up your meals, you need to track your macros.

If you hit those macros, you will see results.

So don’t try to force a meal timing that leaves you stuffed or starving or overwhelmed with the meal prep.

Find a sustainable schedule for you even experimenting to see what makes you feel best.

But eating before a certain time of day or after a certain time of night isn’t going to magically make you gain fat.

If you need the calories, you need the calories. If you overeat, you’ll store the excess energy.

SUMMARY:

If you’re looking to lose weight, avoid these 8 common mistakes.

And focus on meeting yourself where you are at.

Ultimately small changes based on YOUR needs and lifestyle will be best. Don’t just get caught up in doing more.

Stay focused on doing these basics to see amazing results!

Ready to map out what YOU need to succeed? Ready to get your leanest, strongest body at any and EVERY age?

–> Book Your Coaching Consultation Today!

 

The Best Dumbbell Tricep Exercise (TO HIT ALL 3 HEADS)

The Best Dumbbell Tricep Exercise (TO HIT ALL 3 HEADS)

by | Sep 4, 2022 | Blog, Exercises

Postures and specific positions of joints during exercises can have more of an impact in what is working than we realize.

It can help us target different aspects or heads of a muscle to get the best muscle hypertrophy results while achieving aesthetic balance.

It can also help us be functional stronger and prevent imbalances, improving our joint stability and ability to recruit muscles more efficiently and effectively.

That’s why I wanted to discuss one of my favorite moves to work those triceps and target all three heads.

But first I do just want to discuss what the triceps do to highlight while including a variety of different moves for muscle groups can be key!

The 3 Tricep Heads:

The tricep muscle group is comprised of 3 heads:

– The Long Head
– The Lateral Head
– The Medial Head

All three heads work together to power elbow extension.

However, the long head of the tricep also impacts our shoulder stability and function because it crosses over the shoulder joint and attaches to the scapula.

It also can then assist in shoulder extension which is why you may have felt your triceps some during moves like lat push downs!

But because the tricep muscle group does contribute to actions at both of these joints, you want to account for this when selecting moves – whether you want to try to target one head more than the other or work all at the same time!

Because I think it is key we’re able to train efficiently, even when we are short on time, I wanted to share a great move to target all 3 heads of the tricep in one exercise.

This amazing move to hit all three heads is the Narrow Grip Press To Overhead Tricep Extension.

Why You Should Use The Narrow Grip Press To Overhead Tricep Extension:

The Narrow Grip Press To Overhead Tricep Extension is a great hybrid exercise that combines that close grip bench press with an overhead tricep extension.

The chest press involves the triceps in elbow extension.

But it doesn’t activate the long head as much as overhead tricep exercises do.

That’s why combining the chest press with the overhead tricep extension can be so key.

That shoulder flexion puts the long head under more of a stretch to work it and you’ll even feel it as you pull back forward from that shoulder flexed state to perform the chest press.

And while you can of course do overhead tricep work standing, many of us tend to compensate due to a lack of thoracic mobility, arching and overloading our lower backs or really feeling our necks.

By performing this overhead extension lying down, it can be a bit easier on our shoulders and even prevent us from engaging our lower back to seek out mobility we don’t have in our thoracic spine.

You can use the bench as support and a guide for that overhead extension.

But the combination of these two movements is a great way to efficiently hit all three heads while even working your chest and shoulders.

So…How Do You Do The Narrow Grip Press To Overhead Tricep Extension:

To do this exercise, lie on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and a neutral grip or palms facing in toward your body.

Firmly plant your feet and brace your abs.

Keeping your elbows in by your body to target your triceps more, press the weights straight up from your chest.

Fully extend your elbows to press the weights up and even focus on that extra tricep squeeze at the top.

Then as you begin to lower the weights overhead, soften your elbows to lower the weights in an arch.

While you’re flexing at your shoulders to reach overhead you want to soften your elbows to just lower the weights beyond your head off the bench.

You don’t want this to turn into a skull crusher or you won’t get the extra stretch on the long head of your tricep.

But you also don’t want to turn this into a pull over where your arms are straight. You what that elbow flexion to reach just overhead.

Lower the weights toward the ground with that slight elbow flexion then focus on your triceps working to pull the weights back over your chest.

Pause as you fully straighten your elbows and flex your triceps before lowering the weights toward your chest.

Move at a controlled pace and really focus on feeling those triceps work.

Make sure you aren’t shrugging your shoulders as you go through the movement or allowing your arms to flare way out from your sides on the press.

Modifications and Variations:

If you don’t have a bench, this move can easily be done as a floor press while still reaching overhead.

You can also modify using a single dumbbell or kettlebell if you don’t have an appropriate set of weights. This can also help you focus on that narrower grip if you find you struggle with controlling the two weights.

An EZ bar is also an option to add loads as you feel ready, using the overhand grip, palms facing away and about shoulder-width apart. You still want that narrow grip to better activate the triceps, especially the long head.

But just be conscious of engaging your back to support your shoulders.

SUMMARY:

Remember, when selecting moves to include in our routines, we want to stay focused on our needs and goals. Every move we include should have a purpose.

It’s why sometimes doing the same but different, choosing moves that work muscles from different postures and positions can be key for progression. It isn’t just about add loads but about addressing every aspect of a muscle.

So if you want an efficient exercise to work all 3 heads of the tricep, this move is an amazing option whether you include it in a compound set after a heavier compound chest, shoulders and tricep movement, use it in a supplemental circuit or even include it as an arm finisher at the end of your workout!

Want workouts to match your needs and goals? Ready to see the muscle tone you want?

Learn more about my coaching:

–> 1:1 Online Coaching

How To Lose STUBBORN Fat (3 TIPS)

How To Lose STUBBORN Fat (3 TIPS)

by | Aug 28, 2022 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

Have you felt like you are just DOOMED to always have those stubborn areas of fat that will never go away?

The simple answer is YOU AREN’T!

But by no means is the fat loss process easy.

However, I’m going to share with you 3 tweaks you can make to your workouts and diet to finally lose that last frustrating bit of fat from YOUR abs and hips.

But first I want to discuss why certain areas are harder to lose from and how our body fight against the fat loss process so you fully know why the struggle is real and you aren’t alone!
 

Why Are Certain Areas Just More Stubborn?

It isn’t your imagination, there are areas that are harder to lose from.

And these areas are often the ones we want to change first that end up being the LAST to go!

Fat loss from these areas, like specifically our love handles, belly and hips, thighs and butt, can be harder partly due to our genetic predisposition, so where we genetically tend to store more fat, but also because there is generally less blood flow to these specific regions.

Less blood flow makes it harder to mobilize and utilize fatty acids from these areas.

And not only that, but there are different types of fat cells in our body – alpha and beta – and both respond differently to the fat loss process.

Alpha cells respond better to lipolysis, or fat loss, and accelerate the process while beta cells don’t respond as well and make it harder to lose the fat.

And guess what areas generally have greater numbers of those beta cells?

Those stubborn areas like our belly, hips and thighs!

A greater concentration of beta fat cells in these areas is why they are so hard to lose fat from!

So not only do the different types of fat cells make it easier or harder to lose from certain areas BUT especially as we get leaner and leaner our body is going to fight back against the weight loss process more and more.

Why Does Our Body Fight Back?

Simply put, our body fights weight loss in general out of our survival instinct.

Our body perceives a calorie deficit as a threat to survival. We have less energy coming in than we are expending and our body doesn’t know when our next meal is coming.

Of course we have our fat stores our body can tap into for energy, but, even when we have more than enough fat for survival, our body doesn’t want to do this. It wants to store that energy as much as possible for later.

So our body does things to try to conserve energy and even get us to eat!

And as we get leaner and leaner, and have less and less stored energy to draw from, not to mention we may have been in a deficit for longer and longer, our body is going to resist losing more and more – triggering us to crave salty and sweet foods even more.

When our body is continually under fed, ghrelin (grel-lin) increases, which is the hormone that triggers hunger, particularly for sweet and fatty foods while leptin decreases, which is the hormone that regulates energy intake by telling the brain to stop eating.

Basically, your cravings are going to increase and try to fight against you staying in that consistent deficit.

And not only are your cravings increasing, BUT your daily energy expenditure often decreases.

Because you have less energy coming in, and your body isn’t sure of when it will get more fuel, it will find ways to expend less of your stored energy.

This may be why you see a decrease in your workout performance or you even find you’re less motivated to move and fidget throughout the day.

It’s also why metabolic adaptations occur. Your body is finding ways to maintain energy for survival over everything else.

It is why it is so key we are conscious of not just trying to do MORE and out exercise or out diet time.

When we turn to more cardio, a bigger calorie deficit, we can actually make these metabolic adaptations WORSE and further slow down our fat loss process from these stubborn areas.

This happens because it causes our body to try to conserve energy even more or find energy from other sources, like our muscle mass.

Muscle is metabolically costly, making it super valuable if we want to get lean.

More muscle means more calories burned at rest.

But because muscle requires more energy to maintain, it is something our body will catabolize when low on fuel.

It’s why we want to avoid doing more activities that put us at risk for losing muscle.

It’s also why we need to avoid creating too big a calorie deficit and focus on our macros to try to prevent as much muscle loss as possible as we seek to lose that last bit of stubborn fat!

Now what are the three key tips to help us lose that stubborn fat?

3 Key Tips To Finally Lose That Stubborn Fat:

I’ll tell you first what is NOT a tip to get better results faster…and it’s often the thing we WANT to do most…

We want to do this because it makes us feel more in control…

We want to do MORE.

We cut out more types of foods. We cut our calories way lower. We train longer and add in more reps, sets and rounds…heck even a second or third session in a day.

But all of this so often is what truly backfires.

The annoying answer is you can’t out exercise or out diet time.

It’s why these 3 tips are so key to help you build something that you can do to allow TIME to actually create the results you want!

Tip #1: Track Macros NOT Just Calories. And Track PRECISELY.

I’m all for a focus on what is sustainable. I’m all for finding a balance and focusing on progress over perfection.

I think we need to remember that one size doesn’t fit all and to build off of our currently lifestyle to create a balance.

BUT I also don’t want to lie to you.

To lose from stubborn areas, to get that last little bit off and reach a level of leanness you’ve never achieved before, you have to get ready to embrace being SUPER precise in your tracking.

And often you do need to implement more aggressive tactics in your macros and calories.

You also can’t be lax in your tracking.

Precision is truly key.

No bites, licks or nibbles can not be logged.

Everything must be tracked so you can truly move forward.

And focusing on that protein will be key.

High protein ratios have been shown to help us build and retain lean muscle while in a deficit and even help us avoid unwanted fat gain while in a surplus.

So increasing your protein gives you a bit more wiggle room in your calorie intake while helping you prevent and avoid metabolic adaptations.

We want to do everything we can to keep burning more calories even at rest.

Think ratios where you’re even keeping protein over 40%, playing around with carbs and fats based on your activity level and even what you function best off of.

And avoid those extreme calorie deficits. Start with even just a small deficit of 200 calories.

If you do hit a plateau, instead of just dropping your calories more too, switch macro breakdowns! Sometimes a slight switch in your source of energy can get things moving!

The more we can use those macros to adjust, the more we can not only allow a greater diversity of foods to prevent ourselves from feeling restricted and avoid more cravings, but we can also mentally help ourselves not just feel more and more deprived from having to drop calories lower and lower!

Tip #2: Stop Doing Too Much In Your Training!

Too often we just view our training as a chance to burn more calories.

And I know it’s tempting to try to burn more calories to create that greater deficit through your training, but ultimately all that does is cause us to be hungrier and lose muscle mass.

It can actually even lead to greater metabolic adaptations as our body finds ways to conserve energy over the course of the rest of the day DUE to the fact that we trained extra.

Not to mention it can just make us hungrier, which mentally only makes repeating our healthy habits and eating the way we need harder!

So ultimately that extra hard work may simply be backfiring and causing us to exert a lot more effort that is sort of just wasted.

It can ultimately make us feel like we’re doing so much work to only GAIN weight while even being in a calorie deficit.

It’s why, if fat loss is our goal, we need to focus on doing what we can to build muscle over just burn calories in our training.

By focusing on strength work, we can create the stimulus to even BUILD muscle while in that calorie deficit, especially if we’re focusing on higher protein macro ratios.

And more muscle means a higher resting metabolic rate and more calories burned even at rest!

One key thing to note though too is, we don’t just want to turn our strength workouts into cardio so that we feel more worked in our sessions.

Don’t cut out rest. Don’t add in a ton of wasted volume.

Focus on lifting heavy weights or doing movement variations that challenge you.

Think about quality over quantity.

And then add in small tweaks to use every tool in your tool box.

No we can’t spot reduce an area by doing 1000 crunches to lose fat from our abs.

But as we get leaner, and once we have our diet and strength work dialed in, we can focus on ways to utilize more of the mobilized fatty acids from those stubborn areas.

Because areas like our belly, hips and thighs have less blood flow, we can help mobilize more fatty acids from those areas by working the muscles near the fat tissue.

So by including isolation exercises to target those areas in our strength work, even say as a finisher at the end, followed by some low intensity steady state cardio like walking, we can help improve the fat loss from those regions.

We used the isolation moves to mobilize more fatty acids and then utilized those mobilized fatty acids with that low intensity cardio.

And that low intensity cardio is helpful because it burns a higher portion of calories from fat while also not really fatiguing us further!

More movement but in a way that doesn’t detract from future training sessions or put us at risk of losing more muscle!

Tip #3: Embrace The Suck.

Mindset matters most when it comes to achieving any goal we have.

And while it is way more “fun” trying to search for another action or habit to do, ultimately our mindset is what dictates our success.

To give ourselves the best chance of succeeding, I think it is key we go into any goal knowing the positives and negatives.

And the more we even OVERSELL the negative and recognize the challenges we’ll encounter, the more we set ourselves up to succeed.

Because then when we do encounter something hard, we are mentally, and physically prepared over being caught off guard and feeling like we’re the only one that struggles.

So I just want to remind you to embrace the suck.

It isn’t easy reaching a level of leanness you’ve never achieved before.

It will take you embracing being hungry at times. Embracing not necessarily indulging when you’ve had a stressful day or are out with friends.

It may take you training on a day when all you want to do is curl up with the pups on the couch.

The key is reminding yourself of why this goal truly matters to you and even having enough of an incentive to keep going at that time instead of just pushing things off!

So get ready to embrace the challenges and be willing to push through.

Set a strong why, or WHYS, and set a firm end date that really keeps you invested in the process so that you can’t just say “I’ll start tomorrow.” Or “One this one bite, skipped workout, won’t hurt.”

SUMMARY:

So if you want to lose that stubborn fat and achieve your leanest physique, remember you can’t out exercise or out diet time.

You’ve got to embrace the process and realize your body will fight against you at points.

Be ready to embrace the suck as you dial in those macros and calories with precision while focusing on that strength work!

Ready to create the right “recipe” for results so you can achieve your leanest, strongest body WITHOUT creating metabolic adaptations that sabotage you long term?

–> Learn More