Functional Fitness Archives Page 4 of 11

How To Build Strength At Any Age (4 TIPS!)

by Cori Lefkowith | Mar 6, 2023 | Blog, Exercises, Functional Fitness

Being strong can mean so many different things. And our strength goals change as we get older. Our priorities can shift.

But if you’re looking for the best way to build strength as you get older so you can move, feel and look your best then this video and the 3 tips I’ll go over are key.

At the end of the video, I’ll also share one of my favorite ways of loading down moves to improve your stability, balance and core strength!

Hey guys it’s Cori from Redefining Strength where we help you feel, look and move your best at any and every age.

While we may want to increase our deadlift weights, learn to rep out those pull ups or master specific movements, building strength as we get older is also about maintaining our mobility and being able to conquer any challenges life throws at us.

We want to be able to vacation and hike, kayak, paddle board or enjoy the activities we love.

We want to avoid aches and pains and feel and move our best while also looking fabulous.

That’s why I wanted to share the best way to build strength at any age and 3 tips to help you improve your workouts.

At the end of the video I’ll also talk about an underutilized way of increasing the resistance you use on moves to improve your stability, balance and core strength!

When we’re working to build strength, often we get focused on lifting heavier. Or doing a harder variation.

But we have to remember that strength comes from the ability to recruit the correct muscles at the correct times in the correct order to the correct extent.

You can lift more because you’re able to recruit muscles faster and more efficiently.

It’s why if you want to build strength at any age, you can’t ignore the importance of improving your mind-body connection.

And especially as we get older, often we see our balance decline and reactions slow because our mind-body connection isn’t as strong.

It’s why we need to be intentional with our training and focus on what we feel working.

It’s why it is key, during our workouts, we constantly ask ourselves, “What do I feel working?”

Because what we feel involved in the movement is what is benefiting from the exercise.

If you perform a deadlift and only feel your lower back, you won’t see the results from that hip hinge movement that you want.

You may even end up with lower back aches and pains.

It’s why you need to constantly assess what muscles are powering the movements to modify the exercises, change your cues and form or even try a different variation until you can make sure you’re recruiting the correct muscles.

Because no matter how amazing the move supposedly is, you won’t get the benefits and strengthen the muscles you want to strengthen if you don’t feel them working.

Strength isn’t built by performing an exercise while mimicking proper form – it’s built by using the correct muscles to do the movement.

If you focus on improving your mind-body connection so you can feel the correct muscles working, you’ll ultimately get stronger and be able to lift more and tackle those harder exercise variations while putting yourself at less risk for injury!

As you focus on what you feel working during exercises, earning those harder variations as you go, you want to dial in your training implementing these tips….

Tip #1: Focus on unilateral moves.

Unilateral or one sided moves can be awkward.

They can be uncomfortable.

They can make us feel off balance and force us to use lighter weights than we could lift with a bilateral or two-sided variation.

But they truly are essential if we want to stay functionally strong as we get older.

They help improve our balance, stability and core strength.

Unilateral moves also isolate each side to help us correct imbalances to be able to lift more while avoiding future injury.

While ideally we’d never be injured the simple fact is that often, as we get older, injuries and aches and pains tend to add up.

Because of these previous injuries, and just the fact that in everyday life we tend to have a dominant side we favor, we often have strength imbalances between both sides.

Including unilateral moves can not only help us correct these imbalances, but they can prevent our stronger side from taking over and working harder.

This can lead to us ultimately seeing gains even in those bilateral lifts because each side is pulling its weight!

So include variations like the single arm bench press or a single leg squat to bench even.

They will challenge your body in new ways to improve your mind-body connection and help you build that functional strength you need to take on any challenge that comes your way as you get older!

They can even help you improve your mobility by allowing you to truly strengthen through a full range of motion!

Tip #2: Move in every direction.

Staying functionally strong and mobile means moving in every direction. We need to learn how to control all of the joint actions our body can perform.

That’s why it is key we include anti-rotational but also rotational moves.

It’s also why it is key we include pushing, pulling, hinging and squatting movements that address the different planes of motion.

For example, consider the lunge.

So often we just lunge forward or backward.

We progress the move by adding loads or by increasing the range of motion.

But there are so many other angles we can lunge in to improve our hip and knee stability, not to mention target different muscles to different extents.

The side lunge is a great way to target your glutes and adductors more.

The curtsy lunge can be a great lunge variation to work your glutes more.

While the front angled lunge can be a great way to target your quads and adductors to a greater extent.

And lunging in all of these different directions can help you keep your legs strong and knees and hips healthy.

If you do have previous knee issues, you can do many of these lunges still by lunging shorter or by reducing active knee flexion as you do the other mobility work you need.

But moving in every direction to strengthen muscles using all of the joint actions they control is so key to staying strong as we get older!

Tip #3: Focus on compound movements, especially ones that challenge your coordination.

As we get older we tend to want to shy away from uncomfortable and more complicated movements.

But challenging our coordination keeps not only our body but also our mind strong.

So including compound and hybrid movements that challenge our coordination improves our mind-body connection to help us build strength.

I’ve had many clients get frustrated by the bodyweight sit thru. It’s an awkward movement pattern many of us haven’t done before.

But by learning to control this rotational move, they improve their rotational core strength as well as their shoulder and hip stability.

And by learning to perform this new movement pattern, they improve their ability to recruit muscles quickly in a new way.

The more we are able to call on whatever muscles we need whenever we need them the stronger we will be. And the more able to tackle new challenges and avoid falls and injury.

So that climber push up or deadlift to row exercise you’ve been avoiding, stop avoiding it.

You may have to modify. You may have to reset or correct yourself. But by conquering this new challenge you’ll ultimately build strength.

Progression doesn’t just come through adding loads.

The challenge of new movement patterns and combinations pays off!

The final tip, and a great way to add loads and build functional strength while creating instability and an anti-rotational core challenge is with offset weights or offset loading.

With offset loading you will use a weight that has a heavier load on one side.

This may mean using two dumbbells of different weights or even a barbell loaded unevenly.

You will want to start light with this as it is deceptively hard.

But you will use the uneven load to challenge your body to fight against wanting to rotate or lean because of the difference in loads.

This is super key as often, in every day life, we are carrying awkward objects or things that are a different weight on each side.

And with this offset loading, remember you can even change the loading placement.

Often we get very used to just loading in one way, like with dumbbells held down by our sides.

But you can also hold dumbbells up at your shoulders or even front load with kettlebells.

So include not only uneven loads to challenge your stability and strength but also vary up your loading placement to target and include even different muscles in your basic exercises.

Building strength, especially as we get older, is about focusing on that mind-body connection, addressing imbalances to improve our balance and stability while challenging our body to not only lift heavier but move in every direction.

Using these 3 tips you can improve your strength gains from your workouts at any age.

And if you’re looking to not only increase your strength but also build muscle as you get older, check out my How to Build Muscle At Any Age (7 TIPS!) next!

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

8 Best Exercises For Stronger Legs (You’re Not Doing)

by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 27, 2023 | Blog, Butt, Exercises, Functional Fitness

Looking for some amazing leg exercises to take your training to the next level?

Then you’ll love these 8 lower body exercises I’ll share in this video!

These moves take those fundamental movements and add a little twist to the basics to help you progress through not just adding loads but also different types of tension, different loading placements, different bases of support and even different ranges of motion.

There are so many ways to vary moves to match our specific needs and goals. With these tweaks you can even impact how much you are using specific muscles involved.

And it’s key we find different ways to progress, especially the longer we’ve been training!

Hey guys, it’s Cori from Redefining Strength where we help you feel, look and move your best at any and every age.

While we are never above the basics, and should always return to them, we can make little tweaks to movements to keep our training fresh and interesting while creating progression in new and different ways.

Especially the longer we’ve been training, the more we have to explore different options to create that progression and drive muscle growth.

These movement variations can also be fun as we get older to not just beat our bodies up by trying to force heavier loads or even to help us when we’ve hit a stickpoint with the weights we can move during a specific movement.

That’s why I wanted to share 8 amazing lower body exercises that create progression in different ways!

Move #1: Cable Step Up

Step ups are a great unilateral leg exercise to help you strengthen each side independently to correct imbalances.

And while they work your entire leg, you can make them more glute intensive by changing how you load them down.

By using a cable anchored down low to apply resistance to the movement, you can emphasize the resistance on the drive up, helping you to even better activate that glute on your working side.

Hold a cable in one hand on the same side as the foot you’ve put on the bench. Focus on that push through that foot on the bench to drive up to standing as if a string was pulling you up by your head.

That focus on the drive with the resistance of the cable will make you feel that glute working even more!

To modify this move, lower the bench or box.

To make it even more glute intensive, use a higher box and even start on top only lowering down till your toe grazes the ground!

Move #2: Staggered Stance Squat

Squats are an important movement pattern to train. The more you learn to control that squatting movement, the more you can keep your knees and hips healthy and happy!

The Staggered Stance Squat variation puts an emphasis on each side independently without creating as much instability as a full single leg or pistol squat.

Because your feet are staggered with your back foot back at the instep of your front foot and the heel raised, you are making one side work harder while also reducing the impact that your ankle mobility can have on your squat depth.

Limited ankle dorsiflexion, or the ability to draw our toes up toward our shins, can lead to us not being able to squat as deep AND even putting more stress and strain on our knees as all of our weight shifts forward during a squat.

So this variation may be the tweak you need!

Just make sure you are lifting the heel of the foot staggered back and focusing your weight on that fully planted leg.

Do not stagger the foot too far back though and turn this into more of a lunge.

You can progress this move by adding weights, even making it more core intensive by holding a dumbbell or kettlebell for a goblet squat, or you can modify this move by limiting the range of motion and sitting down to a bench or box.

Move #3: Double Banded Hip Thrusters

Hip Thrusters are a must-do move if you want to build strong glutes.

But the barbell can be difficult to work with at times.

And sometimes you want a variation more meant to be that accessory exercises after your lift to create that pump and burn while targeting your glute medius more.

That’s the beauty of the double banded hip thrusters.

Not only will this move work your glute max, but the mini band around your legs will also really target your glute medius to improve your hip stability.

The band over your hips, which is easiest to anchor off of j-hooks in a rig or squat rack, applies even more resistance as well at the top of the movement when your glutes are the strongest.

Just make sure you really drive out against the mini band as you drive up against the resistance band. You want to fully extend your hips, while maintaining a posterior pelvic tilt to better engage your glutes and prevent yourself from arching your lower back and compensating.

Move #4: Deficit Split Squat

Changing up the range of motion of a movement can impact the benefit we get from it.

We can limit the range of motion to spend more time under tension or we can increase the range of motion to increase the challenge while also helping to improve our mobility and stability.

With the Deficit Split Squat, you are increasing the range of motion to help you strengthen your quads, hamstrings and glutes, but also improve your hip flexibility and mobility.

This is also a great way to vary up the Bulgarian Split Squat or Balance Lunge we often turn to, putting the emphasis on lifting up that front foot to increase the range of motion we move through.

Just make sure you actually lower all the way down using that full range of motion.

If you lift your front foot up but do not lunge any deeper, you aren’t getting the extra benefit of the range of motion.

To advance this move, you can not only increase the height of what you’re standing on but also add loads.

And if you are just starting out, you can actually LIMIT the range of motion of the split squat as well to learn to control it by placing a block under your knee to help you learn to control the range of motion you have currently.

Move #5: Landmine Band Deadlift

Deadlifts, or a hip hinge of some form, should be included in almost everyone’s workout routine at some point.

While deadlifts so often get demonized for causing lower back pain, learning to control the hip hinge properly can actually help you AVOID lower back issues as you get older.

They are an amazing exercise to build that posterior chain and strengthen your glutes and hamstrings.

You can further target these muscles, and even force yourself to slow down the movement, while progressing it, by using two types of resistance – both bands and a barbell – like in the Landmine Band Deadlift.

The fixed anchor of the barbell can also be helpful as it prevents the weights from drifting forward and away from your body like they can in a traditional deadlift which is also what can lead to lower back overload.

The band applies more tension at the top of the deadlift to work the glutes even more and forces you to slow down the eccentric portion of the movement, or the lowering down of the deadlift to really work those hamstrings.

This is a great variation to improve your muscle hypertrophy without you trying to force a heavier load you aren’t yet ready to include.

And if you don’t have a landmine, you implement two types of resistances using dumbbells instead!

Move #6: Bench Supported Single Leg Deadlift

While many of us don’t like the awkwardness of balance moves, like the single leg deadlift, especially because we can’t use as heavy a weight, they are key to include.

Working on that mind-body connection to improve our balance is key to help us avoid injury as we get older. And unilateral moves also help us correct imbalances and improve our core stability.

However, if you are finding you’re not yet ready for the full balance challenge of the single leg deadlift, or you want to mix up your unilateral deadlift work while using heavier loads, you can do a bench supported variation.

This variation takes out some of the stability demands which may allow you to even better activate the hamstring of the standing leg.

With this move, you will put your knee of your lifted leg back on a bench. You can then press down into this knee slightly as you hinge over, pushing your butt back. But you want to focus on really creating that tension through that standing leg.

Press that standing foot down firmly into the ground and push the ground away as you drive back up to standing. If you add weights, lower the weights back toward your instep to protect your lower back and really help yourself sit your butt back as you hinge over.

Move #7: Band Lean Backs

While this move may not be right for you if you have knee issues limiting your ability to knee or control knee flexion, this move is often demonized by those with knee pain when it can actually be a key component of rehab for some.

Because you’re also working your quads while in hip extension, this is also a great way to target the rectus femoris more than during a normal leg extension movement.

And the band creates a great way to progress the basic bodyweight lean back and applies resistance in a different way than just holding a dumbbell up at your chest does.

The band forces you to really control the eccentric portion of the move, or the lean back, and then applies more resistance on your quads as you drive back up to kneeling tall as the band stretches.

It makes your quads really work through the full range of motion!

The band can also be used to modify the movement if you face the anchor point as it will add assistance to help you control the lean back.

Just really make sure you are moving at your knees to lean back and not just arching your lower back.

Even focus on that glute engagement through the movement to keep your hips extended.

And if you really can’t kneel, you can still do quad flexes lying on a bench to get the benefits of a hip extended position to target that rectus femoris.

Move #8: Airborne Lunge

Even without weights or equipment we can create workouts that challenge us.

One great way to do this is by creating less of a base of support and more instability in a movement.

With the Airborne Lunge you are creating that instability by using only a single leg for support to balance and even making the basic lunge more challenging because of the range of motion you can perform with this movement.

This lunge can be a great way to build up toward that full pistol squat while targeting your glutes a bit more because it is more of a hip hinge movement.

When you do this exercise, you will hinge at the hips as you bend your knees to drop that back knee to touch the ground. You do not want to touch that back foot down. Just lightly touch your knee. Make sure your front heel stays down as you touch the ground.

You can then make this move even more challenging by changing up the tempo and including a slower lower down or even a pause at the bottom.

To modify it, you can hold onto something in front of you or even place a block beneath your back knee to limit the range of motion you have to control to start!

Every move we include should have a purpose and be based on our needs and goals. There is no one right exercise. No one best move.

There are so many ways to create variations that fit our needs and goals!

And if you are focusing on building muscle, without gaining fat, check out…

–> Can You Lose Fat AND Build Muscle At The SAME Time?

7 Secrets Of A 92 year Old Fitness Trainer (Be Strong at ANY Age)

by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 12, 2023 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Functional Fitness

Blaming your age for not being able to lose weight, gain muscle or simply move better?

It’s not your age holding you back – it’s your belief in your own abilities.

Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right.

At any age, we can make a change and see better results.

Don’t believe me?

In this video I’m going to share 7 secrets to feeling, looking and moving your best based on this 92 year old fitness trainer – Takishima Mika.

Hey guys it’s Cori from Redefining Strength where we help you feel, look and move your best at any and every age.

I already know what some of you are thinking, “Well she was always in shape,”

“She doesn’t have the health issues I have.”

“She doesn’t have the stress I have.”

And there is always someone who has it easier out there. But we need to focus on controlling what we can control.

That’s why I want to share these 7 secrets that trainer Takishima used to go from overweight and out of shape at 65, never having joined a gym before, to becoming a certified trainer for the first time EVER at the age of 87.

Because if you don’t CHOOSE to make a change, no matter what life has thrown your way, you will never see the results you want!

Secret #1: Believe at any age you can make a change.

Takishima was 65 and overweight when she decided it was time to make a change.

She wasn’t a former gym rat or athlete.

She just realized that if she wanted to feel and move better, she had to embrace doing the uncomfortable and make those habit changes.

She could easily have found reasons not to make changes, blaming her age for her weight gain.

But instead she realized that only she had the power to make a change for herself.

At any age, we can choose to start something new.

Will it be uncomfortable?

100% yes.

But it will also be EMPOWERING.There is no better feeling than overcoming obstacles and showing ourselves what we can do!

Secret #2: Move every day – Use it or lose it!

Often as we get older, we start avoiding moves.

We feel more out of shape. Aches and pains start adding up.

So we end up moving less and cutting out so many of the movements that we actually NEED to be doing if we want to move better – even BLAMING them for causing our pain.

But our body was meant to move.

And if we don’t use that full range of motion, we lose it.

It’s why Takishima moves every single day.

And not only does she work out, she finds ways to stay active around those sessions, even doing little things as she watches TV.

She includes not only strength and cardio but also that mobility work.

Seeing the gym as that time to learn to control movement patterns we need to move well in every day life is key!

It’s that perfect time to work on our balance, stability and mobility so we can take on any challenges we want and move well till our final day on this earth!

Secret #3: Focus on intentionality with your training.

Do not write a movement off. Squats aren’t bad for your knees.

Deadlifts aren’t bad for your back.

Moves aren’t evil or bad.

They just need to be implemented correctly based on our needs and goals!

Not every move is right for every person in the same variation.

You need to be intentional with your training, which is why Takishima focus on those basics consistently.

Always work on that foundation.

Address those aches and pains and be conscious of what you feel working. Don’t just go through the motions or rush through your workouts.

Our workouts are “practice” for moving better in every day life.

And we have to remember, practice doesn’t make perfect if your practice isn’t perfect.

Focus on correcting compensations and imbalances in the gym so you can move well in every day life.

Regress to progress to build up stronger so you are practicing those proper movement patterns to move well during daily life!

Secret #4: Embrace the 80/20 rule.

We get good at what we consistently do.

Yet so often we sabotage our own consistency because we try to hit some “ideal” or perfection with our diet that truly isn’t sustainable or enjoyable for US.

We try to force ourselves to do 100% instead of realizing that 80% is good enough to see results and maintain the habits LONG TERM.

Stop white knuckling your way through changes only to default back into old habits because you can’t keep suffering through restricting the foods you love.

Embrace the 80/20 rule focusing on whole natural foods 80% of the time while including those foods you simply enjoy 20% of the time.

Because, let’s face it, the more we feel we can’t have something, often the more we want it.

Restriction can create that obsession.

It’s why realizing you should be able to include things you want if you want them is key.

This CHOICE makes it so much easier to create true changes.

While Takishima follows a diet rich in protein and whole natural foods with lots of fruits and veggies, she enjoys her wine and cake.

It’s all about realizing our unique balance to build a lifestyle we can truly maintain over time.

Secret #5: Meet yourself where you are at.

You may not be where you want to be, but taking ownership of where you are currently is the key to moving forward.

The best results happen by meeting ourselves where we are at to make changes.

So stop saying you can’t because of your injuries or hormones or age.

These are merely factors we need to account for when designing the best plan for US.

Because there is always a way to move forward from where you are at.

Don’t try to force some ideal workout routine on yourself training 6 days a week if you aren’t even doing 1.

Don’t try to force some restrictive clean eating plan on yourself where you have to cook elaborate recipes if you’re eating out for every meal.

Don’t try to do burpees if you can’t walk 10 steps without getting out of breath or hurting something.

Design based on YOUR current needs and goals.

Stop saying you’re doomed because you’re not.

One size doesn’t fit all.

What Takishima started doing isn’t the same training she is doing now. Over time she’s progressed moves and earned those harder variations while adjusting her nutrition based on what makes her feel best!

Secret #6: Never stop learning.

Life is truly one continual learning lesson.

And the more we embrace that there is always more to learn and improve, the more we can keep growing and the better the results we will see.

When we just say we can’t do something because of age, we’ve stopped learning and that is a surefire way to become a heck of a lot older way faster.

We keep our brain and body young by constantly testing our limits and learning new things.

Question even the beliefs you hold about yourself.

Seek to even prove yourself WRONG.

Because when we are wrong, that means there is room for growth and improvement.

If Takishima didn’t seek to keep learning and challenging herself, she wouldn’t be a trainer at 92.

She even seeks to continue her education daily through exploration of new topics.

Seek to learn new moves. Test your boundaries. Challenge yourself.

This is what creates growth and keeps us younger!

Secret #7: Implement a pre-bed routine.

Most of us know how important sleep really is to our recovery and health, but it is a hard thing to change or control.

So often we slightly overlook it as we make other lifestyle changes.

But one way to help you get more sleep and more importantly even improve the QUALITY of your sleep is to implement a pre-bed routine.

This consistent routine is a signal that you’re getting ready for bed and can help you relax to improve the quality of your sleep.

Consider doing a short mobility routine before bed.

The deep breathing and relaxation of the routine can help you mental and physically unwind so you aren’t stressed after a long day.

Takishima does a few stretches to help her loosen up after the day and prepare for bed.

This habit improves the quality of her sleep and even can be great preparation for movement the next day!

A little extra mobility work before bed not only can help you relax but it can help you recover better between sessions, which is key as we get older!

Remember that everything seems impossible until we prove it possible. Don’t doom yourself with doubt before you’ve even tried!

Test your limits.

Embrace being comfortable being uncomfortable.

Challenge yourself to really see just how much more you can achieve!

For more tips to help you move, look and feel your best, check out my 5 best Exercises for LONGEVITY (And Overall Health!) video next.

–> CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT

Can’t Lose Fat? Try These 7 Tips

by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 29, 2023 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Functional Fitness

Struggling to see the weight loss results you want and feel like your only option is to overhaul your entire lifestyle?

Well you don’t have to!

In this video I’m going to share the 7 common lifestyle habits we think we need to implement to lose weight that actually hold us back and then explain the secret to increasing your metabolic rate to becoming a fat burning machine!

Hey guys it’s Cori from Redefining Strength where we help you create the healthiest version of your PERSONAL lifestyle to see results. Because one size doesn’t fit all!

Losing weight means making a change to our daily habits.

But sometimes we make changes that actually hold us back.

That’s why, in this video, I want to highlight the 7 habit changes to AVOID and what to do instead to see results while improving your metabolic health!

Mistake #1: Cutting out the foods you love.

What’s the first thing we think we need to do to lose weight?

RESTRICT.

For many of us, dieting means cutting things out.

Often the first foods we eliminate are the ones we love most, but also know aren’t the healthiest for us.

Our dessert. Or salty snack.

But by cutting these things out, we create a feeling of restriction that is also what derails us.

At some point we feel like our willpower runs out.

Because we aren’t meeting ourselves where we are at to make sustainable changes based on our personal lifestyle balance.

So instead of cutting out your favorite food first, make an ingredient swap or portion adjustment first so you can work AROUND the foods you love.

Even focus on what you can add in over cutting out.

Shrink your portion of rice at dinner from 1 cup to ¾.

Do half a sandwich with a side salad to adjust your portion, lower your carbs and add in vegetables.

Sprinkle nutritional yeast on your popcorn to bump your protein and add a cheesy flavor!

Help yourself create lasting changes by avoiding the restriction mindset!

Mistake #2 : Making yourself eat specific things.

Do NOT force yourself to consume foods you dislike just because someone mentioned a potential health or fat burning benefit.

That is a surefire recipe for disaster because you’ll run out of self control eventually and default back to old habits sabotaging any results you’ve built.

We can’t do one thing to achieve results then go back to old habits and expect to maintain those results.

The changes have to stick.

So, if for instance, you don’t like coffee, don’t force yourself to drink it just because someone else says it can help you lose fat faster!

Any fat burning benefits of coffee are small and you adjust to the caffeine intake over time which means that the benefits become less with time unless you keep consuming more.

Caffeine can have a negative impact on mood and sleep.

This is a 1% change that will make no difference if your overall nutrition and workout routine aren’t dialed in BUT may have a huge impact on whether or not you stick with your plan long term!

Just like forcing yourself to eat a ton of vegetables or bland boring dishes because you feel guilty and want to meet someone else’s arbitrary standard of “clean eating,” will ultimately prevent you from making lasting changes.

We get good at what we consistently do and we do more of the habits we ENJOY.

So if you don’t like broccoli, don’t force it. Try other vegetables to find something you enjoy!

Mistake #3: Design hour long workouts or 2 a day sessions.

How many times have you thought… I just don’t have time to workout?

You aren’t alone.

It’s because we see all these people losing weight training for hours a day or doing 2 a day sessions.

But this focus on doing more often leads to a lot of wasted time and effort but holds us back from building a consistent routine and habit.

Quality not quantity.

The best results come from designing for the time you have because then you can be consistent with them.

If you have 3 days a week and 30 minutes, design full body workouts to get in everything you need with those sessions.

That will be far better than ending up missing body part split workouts because you just don’t have the time to stay consistent!

And as you get consistent with that routine, you may find you can work in more workouts later OR that you can maintain these habits even when life does its best to sabotage you and throw you out of your groove!

Mistake #4: Try to burn as many calories or get as many MEPs as possible in your training sessions.

When many of us start training harder to lose weight, we get a calorie tracker or start focusing on those heart rate monitors that measure things like MEPs.

We feel this need to hit a certain calorie intake, get a certain number of meps or have our heart rate hit a certain level for our workout to be “good enough.”

But your workouts shouldn’t be about calories burned.

Workouts can help us create that calorie deficit, especially to start, but over time our body adapts.

And there also is no magic fat burning zone where we need to keep our heart rate only at this level to magically burn a ton more fat.

If our diet isn’t dialed in, we won’t be able to out exercise our nutrition for long.

Trying to out exercise your diet, may be why your metabolism has slowed and you’re now blaming your age for your weight gain.

Stop focusing on burning more calories in your workouts.

Instead turn your focus to building muscle, whether you challenge yourself with bodyweight moves or weights.

This will improve your metabolic rate to burn more calories at rest, but more on this after habit number 7.

Here’s a LINK with training tips to design workouts to help you lose fat faster!

Mistake #5: Forcing a meal frequency.

Eat 6 small meals a day! No!

Do Intermittent Fasting, it’s the secret!

No!

There are so many different meal timings and frequencies out there that people tout as the best.

But one size doesn’t fit all.

How you schedule your meals may depend on your schedule, when you train, and even whether you prefer big meals or more snacking throughout the day.

Many different schedules can work!

While you can for sure adjust meal timing strategically based on your progress toward your goals, and tweaks may pay off the longer you’ve had everything dialed in

don’t stress meal timing or freak out if you didn’t have your post workout protein shake within 30 minutes of training.

Your muscles won’t just melt off.

The key is dialing in our daily portions and routines.

And then we can experiment with meal timings to see what makes us feel most energized while helping us make dietary changes sustainable.

You may find you enjoy less frequent and bigger meals to feel fuller after eating and have to prep fewer dishes.

Or you may enjoy more frequent snacks as you are a grazer and on the go it is easier than stopping for a meal.

The key is designing for YOUR lifestyle!

Mistake #6: Focus on being “good all week.”

Consistency is key.

And while it can feel like you’re being consistent by being “good” all week, that weekend eating or drinking can add up more than we realize.

While it may seem like you’re being consistent for 5 or 6 days and only off on 1 or 2, we can really throw off our weekly averages just because of those couple of days.

Especially eating out, those foods can be more calorically dense, not to mention fancy lattes and cocktails can really add up!

We can often end up even drinking more calories than we realize!

If you’re just starting to make changes, be conscious of how much more you’re eating on weekends as those calories could be throwing you out of the small deficit you’ve created during the week.

Even tracking what you’re currently doing when eating out or over the weekly can really show you how even just one meal can impact your weekly averages.

While focusing on consistent during each day is key, we need that consistency over weeks and even months to add up!

If you do find that being “good all week,” leads to overeating on the weekend, consider whether you’re trying to restrict too much during the week and creating unsustainable habits.

Also take a look at what leads to the change in habits over the weekends to start making some small adjustments or plan ahead.

Maybe you try some new restaurants with healthier options for a Friday night date night or adjust your earlier meals that day to account for a dinner out and strike a balance!

Mistake #7: We do all the habits we “should” be doing.

Honestly, often we try to do MORE. We go 0-60 and search out all of the things we “should” be doing.

Then we implement them all at once because we want results yesterday.

But we never consider if they are realistic for us or if they truly match our lifestyle, needs and goals.

In this effort to get results as fast as possible we do all of these new things, we overwhelm ourselves with change, and then we wonder why we don’t have the willpower or self control to keep going when things come up in our life.

We need to realize that each of us will have a different lifestyle balance. And trying to force someone else’s version of healthy will sabotage us.

So focus on small changes meeting yourself where you are at.

Before even making changes, consider tracking what you’re currently doing, from your diet to your sleep to your workouts, to make small changes that will add up!

Now what’s the secret to increasing your metabolic rate to burn more calories even at rest?

Focus less on losing weight and more on building muscle.

Muscle is the secret to losing fat faster. And no, I’m not telling you that you have to bulk up.

But by emphasizing gaining and retaining lean muscle in your workouts, you will actually slim down faster and get the lean, toned look you want.

Because muscles is key to a healthy metabolism and gaining muscle can even increase your metabolic rate if you’ve dieted in the past causing metabolic adaptations.

Muscle means you burn more calories.

And you can build muscle at ANY age.

So don’t slash your calories super low or turn all your workouts into cardio sessions.

Focus on building muscle and you’ll see that fat loss start to happen!

For more tips to help you boost your metabolism if you’re struggling to lose weight, check out my Can’t Lose Fat? 4 Tips To Boost Your METABOLISM video next.

–> WATCH NOW

Exercises For Longevity

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 25, 2022 | Blog, Exercises, Functional Fitness, menopause-featured

If you’re looking for exercises to not only help you live a longer life but a healthier one, then this video is exactly what you need.

In this video I am going to share with you why explosive exercises are key to include, 5 moves to improve your functional strength and mobility and tell you how you can strengthen this key predictor of longevity!

If we want to live longer, we need to be strong, mobile and able to react quickly.

That means including not only the 5 strength moves I’ll share but also explosive exercises.

They help improve your functional full body strength and coordination.

And the 5th move in this video will help you strengthen these key muscles to improve this commonly ignored “secret” to living longer!

So let’s talk about being a freaking lean and strong rockstar till your final day on this planet.

Part of how we need to train and the moves we need to include come back to one basic principle…

Use it or lose it.

We need to train the movement patterns we want to maintain until the end.

But not every move has to be an exact replica of an everyday activity.

Being functionally strong means being able to control our joints through a full range of motion and react quickly, recruiting the correct muscles at the correct times.

That’s why we need to include a diversity of moves, tempos and even types of resistances while focusing on strengthening through the fullest range of motion we can.

It’s why it is key we not only slow down the tempo of some movements but actually even SPEED UP the tempo at times!

So…Why Explosive Moves Are Key:

As we get older, our risk for falls and factures increases.

And part of this is due to our inability to react quickly when we trip or stumble.

We need to maintain our mind-body connection so we can recruit the correct muscles quickly to respond and help us avoid injury.

This is why including some explosive and even jumping movements is so key.

By performing these moves that require speed, power and coordination, we can keep that mind-body connection strong so we can react quickly in everyday life!

These moves that are fast-paced and require more muscles to work together at once quickly, are a great way to improve our coordination in a controlled environment.

While I know explosive, jumping and coordination intensive moves can feel awkward and frustrating even at times, they are essential to include.

If you can’t do super high impact exercises due to injury, consider things like the agility ladder, med ball slams and throws, kettlebell swings or even other movements where you move quickly as if you were going to leave the ground like bodyweight squats coming up onto your toes!

But don’t avoid the moves that challenge your MIND and not just your body to respond.

This ability to recruit muscles quickly builds strength as well!

We have to remember that the more we use muscles, go through that full range of motion and really challenge ourselves, the more strength, mobility and power we will maintain!

Now what are 5 strength moves you should include along with that explosive power and coordination work?

Move #1: Step Ups

Step ups are not only a movement pattern many of us use every day, stepping up onto a curb or going up stairs, but they are a key compound move to include for functional leg strength and to keep our hips and knees healthy.

They are also a unilateral or one sided exercise, which makes them extra valuable as they can make sure we don’t perpetuate imbalances or overuse one side due to weakness or previous injury.

Now if you’re thinking, “Great….Step ups hurt my knees.”

Don’t stress.

While they can be blamed for knee pain, learning to control this movement pattern can actually help us AVOID knee pain as we get older…

Because if we can’t control knee flexion, we’re going to struggle sitting down to the toilet or going up stairs!

We need to learn how to correctly load our glutes and prevent our knees from caving in as we step up.

When you do the step up, think about your foot as a tripod, two points in the ball of the foot, one in the heel. Firmly press through all three points to move to standing on the box.

Focus on feeling that glute as you drive up to keep the knee in line and avoid it collapsing in.

If you find you struggle due to even previous injury, not only can you start with a lower box, but I’m going to share a video in the description that teaches you to do a top down version of this movement called the step down.

This variation is a bit more of a hip hinge to make it glute dominant, which may help you to start!

Move #2: Single Arm Anti-Rotational Row

The Single Arm Anti-Rotational Row is another great compound unilateral movement to include to target your back.

And it’s key we include lots of back exercises in our routines as we get older to not only avoid neck, shoulder and upper back aches and pains but also avoid that “old age” posture we can see developing.

Most of us spend far too much time hunched over our technology. And the longer we’ve spent at a desk job, the more this posture adds up with age.

So we want to include back exercises to help reverse this posture.

This row not only addresses that back strength but, because it works one side at a time, will help you correct any imbalances between sides to avoid injury.

And the anti-rotational aspect of this movement, you fighting the urge to let your body rotate open as you row, is also a great way to improve your core strength and stability.

Anti-rotational moves are essential for us as we get older as they help us avoid lower back and hip pain by improving our core stability!

So as you do this move, really make sure to keep your shoulders un-shrugged to engage your back, focusing on your shoulder blade moving toward your spine and then pretend as if you’re rowing up with both arms to get that core to work to avoid rotation!

You’ll feel your core working to avoid your hip on the side not rowing from dropping open toward the ground.

While I love doing this move from a suspension trainer, you can do it off a bar as well!

Move #3: Single Leg Deadlift

Lower back aches and pains can seemingly add up more and more as we get older. Picking something up off the ground can feel like a risky activity.

But that’s because we stop training this essential movement pattern – the hip hinge.

Deadlifts are so often demonized as we get older, but it is key we learn how to hinge correctly to use our glutes and hamstrings so we don’t overload our back when picking up boxes or lifting things off the ground!

Just like it is key we train that knee flexion during moves like step ups to keep our knees healthy.

That’s why I love the single leg deadlift.

This variation of the hip hinge not only helps you strengthen those glutes and hamstrings to protect your lower back, but also works to improve your balance and core stability.

And better balanced has been linked with longevity!

When you do this move, make sure to truly sit back as you hinge over. You aren’t just leaning forward. You’re thinking about pushing your butt back to touch the wall behind you as you then bow over.

Do not just round and reach forward or try to squat and bend your knee to sink lower!

If you struggle though with the full single leg variation and balance as it is a tough unilateral move, start with a slider or even an 80/20 variation.

And in the video description I’ll share a video with an in depth tutorial on form and modifications.

Move #4: Rotational Chest Press

You want to include pulling, pushing, squatting and hinging over the course of your workout routines.

And you want to include anti-rotational moves, like the row variation I mentioned, as well as rotational exercises to strengthen your core.

While anti-rotational moves help you avoid unwanted rotation of your spine to protect it, rotational moves help you learn to power rotation properly so you don’t overload your lower back.

And with this press variation, you’ll not only strengthen your core but also your chest, shoulders and triceps.

It’s also a unilateral move to help you stay mobile and strong while avoiding and correcting imbalances.

To do this move, you will want to use a staggered stance, with the foot back on the side that is pressing.

And while you are rotating open and then away, do not make this a bigger move than you need, letting your hand drift back and away from your chest as you rotate toward the anchor point of the band or cable.

You also don’t want to end up just rotating through your lower back.

Make sure you feel your obliques really working as you twist.

And don’t shrug your shoulder.

While you can reach out a bit at the end to work that serratus anterior, which is key to keeping your shoulders healthy, you don’t want to round forward.

Focus on that press coming off of the rotation!

This can even be a great accessory move if you are working to improve your push ups!

Move #5: Unilateral Farmer’s Carry

Now this move is one of the most essential and functional movements everyone should be doing at every age to live a long, healthy life.

Carries are such a key move to include as they work our grip strength and even our entire body.

And being able to carry heavy things is truly key if we want to be fully independent as we age!

With carries, you can include so many different variations to target a variety of muscles based on your needs and goals.

You can do bilateral carries, carrying weights on both sides to use heavier loads and challenge your legs even more.

Or you can do an overhead carry for more shoulder work.

You can even do a unilateral variation of any carry to work on that anti-rotational core strength.

When you do the unilateral carry, walk as if you are carrying a weight on both sides and avoid leaning! This is what gets you that anti-rotational or anti-flexion benefit and works those obliques to stabilize.

No matter which carry you include though, a carry variation is key to include not only because of the full body benefits and because we carry things in every day life but because of how important GRIP STRENGTH is to longevity.

Cori Hack: Grip Strength

Grip strength is a key indicator of life span and is believed to be an indispensable biomarker for older adults.

A stronger grip has been linked with better health!

Studies have shown that “grip strength is largely consistent as an explanation of concurrent overall strength, upper limb function, bone mineral density, fractures, falls, malnutrition, cognitive impairment, depression, sleep problems, diabetes, multimorbidity, and quality of life.

There is also evidence linking grip strength and all-cause and disease-specific mortality, future function, bone mineral density, fractures, cognition and depression, and problems associated with hospitalization.”

So do not ignore the importance of strengthening your grip if you want to live a long and healthy life!

Now that doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a ton of fancy specialized tools to strengthen your grip.

Moves like carries are essential to include, but even the other moves listed here will all promote muscle growth and even grip strength.

The rows will challenge your grip as will the deadlifts and step ups, especially as you add loads.

So don’t stress grip isolation moves but exercises that force you to carry loads while also helping you build functional full body strength!

Use these 5 moves to build lean muscle and improve your grip strength so you can live a long, healthy and independent life!

And don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with moves that test your coordination and work not only your body but brain as well! Being able to react quickly is key.

For more tips to use these moves, don’t forget to check the video description.

And remember, mobility work is also key as we get older. Check out my Flexibility Secrets To Make You Feel Younger next!

STUDIES:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6778477/

https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.17626

The Most UNDERRATED Bodyweight Core Exercise

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 18, 2022 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises, Functional Fitness

If you are looking for an amazing core exercise to work your abs, obliques, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, adductors, serratus anterior and back, that requires no equipment so you can do it anywhere, then you’re going to love this video!

In this video I’ll show you one of my favorite bodyweight rotational core exercises and how to modify it based on your fitness level. And at the end of the video, I’ll even share a great quick bodyweight core burner to do using it!

Hey guys it’s Cori from redefining strength where we help you feel, look and move your best at any and every age.

And building a strong core is essential to not only help us look amazing but also avoid common aches and pains especially as we get older.

Of course diet is also key if you are trying to lose that stubborn fat around your middle, which I’ll touch on later.

But when we talk about building a strong core, we’re talking about strengthening everything between your shoulders and your knees, down your front side and your back side.

Which is why I love this amazing bodyweight plank variation which will help improve your shoulder and hip stability while strengthening your abs and obliques to control rotation!

And at the end I’ll share a great 5 minute burner using this move you can add on to the end of your lifting or cardio session!

It’s the perfect finisher to your lifting session or cardio workout.

So what is this fabulous move you can do anywhere?

It’s the Mountain Climber Turkish Bridge!

This move is deceptively hard, and can help you improve your shoulder, scapular, spinal and hip mobility. It truly works your entire core through rotation.

It’s a great move to improve your stability as you transition from both hands to a single arm.

Just remember every move is earned.

If you find that, even with these cues, you’re struggling to maintain proper form and feel the correct muscles working,

You don’t want to feel or you start to feel your lower back, neck or shoulder aching in a bad way, you check out the modifications I’ll discuss next.

To do this move you’ll want to set up in that high plank position with your feet about hip-width apart and your hands under your shoulders.

As you even set up, you want to be conscious of the muscles you’re engaging. Feel the sides of your back engage to support your shoulder.

Feel your quads flex as you drive back through your heels slightly in that plank position.

Focus on engaging your abs to brace.

Draw one knee up and across toward the opposite elbow. When you pull that knee across, focus on your abs even flexing to tuck. Don’t just tuck your knee in repeating the movement.

Even focus on engaging your back so you don’t shift forward.

Then kick the leg slightly back out, so your knee is about back in line with your planted leg, although you’ll keep that knee bent.

From here, twist that leg back and over toward the ground behind you as you lift the arm on the same side as that leg up toward the ceiling.

You’ll feel your obliques working as you twist.

And you want to feel the muscles around your rib cage working and the side of your back engaged to stabilize that standing shoulder.

Pivot onto the heel of that planted leg, feeling the hamstring and glute work. You’ll also really feel the glute of the bent leg.

Do not let your hips drop as you move into this single arm posterior plank, which also looks similar to a step in the Turkish Get Up.

Reach your top hand up toward the ceiling and pause to assess what you feel working.

Then lift that bent leg and lower that raised hand down, rotating back to face the ground. Make sure your standing hand is still under your shoulder and that your shoulders aren’t shrugged.

Do not put that raised leg down if you can avoid it.

Keeping it lifted as your rotate closed and move straight to pulling the knee in across your body will engage your adductor or inner thigh on your planted leg even more.

Repeat the move, moving at a controlled pace while assessing what you feel working!

This move, while it will improve your core stability, is challenging, partly because you are supporting your weight on one arm.

That’s why it is key we know how to modify to build up and recruit the correct muscles.

My favorite way to modify this move is off a bench because it allows you to do the exact same complete movement without variation to more easily build up.

The incline reduces the resistance on your upper body, which can allow you to engage everything correctly while maintaining proper form.

As you progress with the movement, you can slowly lower the incline working from a bench down to maybe a step or block before the ground. Just make sure each progression is earned.

If you have wrist issues, you may also find using an incline helpful as you can then perform this move off of your forearm.

Another option off the ground is to keep your wrist in a neutral position by gripping a dumbbell.

Just make sure that dumbbell will not move.

And because it’s key we’re creative to make sure we’re always meeting ourselves where we are at, if you don’t have an incline, you can also modify this move and reduce the strain on both your upper body, abs and hamstrings by performing the move from a bent knee position.

With this modification, you’ll start in a bulldog position with your knees under your hips. You’ll perform the same knee tuck and rotation open, BUT your knees will stay bent and you’ll be in more of a tabletop position.

Make sure that, while your hips may slightly drop in the rotation, you pause to really engage those glutes and extend your hips in the bridge for a second before rotating back closed!

Remember that at times we need to regress to progress to get the most benefit from a move.

Now how can you include this in a quick burner workout?

I love doing intervals over reps for moves like this because it allows us to focus on what we feel working and not rush to complete the reps.

A quick interval circuit with 30 seconds of work per move or side and 2 rounds through can be a great way to end a workout.

Use an anti-rotational move, a more glute-focused move and even an ab intensive move to complement this amazing rotational exercise.

WORKOUT:
30 seconds Bird Dog Plank
30 seconds per side Mountain Climber Turkish Bridge
30 seconds Reverse Crunch
30 seconds Frog Bridge

BONUS: Stubborn Belly Fat Tips

Adding in this amazing burner once or twice a week for a progression may be a great way to improve your core strength and stability. But you can’t ignore the importance of your diet if you want to reveal those lean, defined abs.

Next check out my Meal Plan To Lose Stubborn Belly Fat video with a full day of eating!

–> Check Out The Video Here