Blog Archives Page 12 of 80 | Redefining Strength

I’m Losing Inches But I’m NOT LOSING WEIGHT! (Body Recomposition?)

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 30, 2023 | Blog, Diet, Exercises

“I’m losing inches but not losing weight 😭”

I couldn’t believe the first time I had a client send me that with a crying face emoji.

I was like…

What in the actual F$#@!

I didn’t send that back, but I’m pretty sure my face went into spasm because of the numerous conflicting emotions that ran across it.

When I finally responded…and I’m pretty sure she saw text bubbles pop up and disappear for at least 5 minutes…

I said, “Out of curiosity, why do you say that as if it’s a bad thing?”

“Because I need to lose 50lbs and the scale isn’t budging!”

Over the years, my replies to this conversation have evolved.

And yes…I’ve had this conversation often…so if, right now, you’ve basically sent yourself that mental text…

LISTEN UP….

Because I’m going to explain why you’re losing inches while the scale isn’t changing and how this is actually a GOOD thing!

Don’t sabotage yourself by getting discouraged!

I’ll then share 3 essential steps to achieve amazing body recomp and build your leanest strongest body no matter your age.

So why are you losing inches while the scale isn’t budging?

Because your previous dieting practices have sabotaged your body composition and metabolism.

The reason so many of us struggle to achieve our ideal weight and body composition is because we’ve lost muscle over the years and never put an emphasis on building it.

And all those weight loss fad diets only make our body composition worse.

They keep us stuck in that yo-yo dieting cycle…

We starve ourselves, slashing our calories lower to lose faster on the scale as we increase our cardio, turning even our strength workouts into destructive sessions of cardio death.

And while this may have yielded weight loss at one point, and “worked” to see fast results that fade quickly…it killed our muscle and our metabolism.

It’s 100% why we feel like it gets harder as we get older and especially during perimenopause and menopause.

Our body is already changing and on top of that we have to fight our previous diet and exercise practices…

Sorry don’t waste your breath defending them.

I say this after having been guilty of them too. But I’ve now sucked it up and owned it to move forward.

And this is why you’re now seeing inches being lost without the scale changing.

So…Why is this a good thing?

Your body is screaming at you…

“FINALLY! I CAN BUILD MUSCLE!”

And it is doing just that.

It is healing your metabolism.

It is building the lean muscle you need to be fitter and stronger and healthier.

And those inches you are losing is actually fat being lost.

Not just water weight. Not just glycogen depletion.

Not as much muscle as fat disappearing.

But because you’ve put yourself on this horrible yo-yo dieting roller coaster in the past, your body first wants to build this metabolically amazing muscle…

And that is why the scale isn’t changing.

You’re doing things the right way this time.

You’re setting yourself up to be lean and freaking fabulous at every age moving forward.

So don’t sabotage yourself.

Realize your body is thanking you for giving it the ability to gain muscle.

And weight loss will follow if you trust the process.

But don’t let the scale not changing as you LOSE INCHES make you sad in the slightest.

Now the 3 Essential Steps To Keep This Amazing Body Recomp Happening…

You want to do everything you can to promote muscle growth which will help you lose fat and ultimately achieve your weight loss goals….and keep the weight off.

However, this process isn’t fast AND can be frustrating because we aren’t getting the satisfaction of the scale changing.

A huge part of the battle over even what macros to use or what workouts we should be doing is getting ourselves to stick with the habits we need when we aren’t fully seeing results in the way we want….

Often we don’t need more “tactics”…we need more TIME for results to build.

More time creating new systems that lead to results and break those bad habits that are keeping us stuck.

Which is why Step #1 is to Fight The Urge To Do What You’ve Always Done.

It’s going to be hard to change your mindset and approach to weight loss.

You’re going to have to keep reminding yourself not to default back into old habits and patterns.

To not want to cut your calories lower.

To not want to train longer or add in more sessions.

The hardest part often of making changes is often UNLEARNING or breaking those old habits.

Especially when the old habits are comfortable and we “feel” like they used to work to some extent.

This is why it can be helpful to write out the habits we often WANT to fall back into to make them conscious while listing out what we want to do instead.

This can remind us to stay focused on the new habits we want to build while catching us if we do track back toward what we used to do.

We want those conscious reminders.

We also want to set out other ways to celebrate wins with the new habits and remind ourselves they are paying off even while the scale may not be changing.

The more ways we measure progress, the more ways we can see our success.

Take those body measurements. Track those strength gains in the gym.

Heck set a performance goal for yourself to help you have other reasons to want to keep doing the habits you need.

Show yourself how this is paying off in so many other ways so you can get yourself buying into the process to keep doing what you need!

And even list out all of the reasons why what used to “work” didn’t really work!

Too often we just want to do what we’ve always done because it is comfortable.

But if it worked so well, we wouldn’t be trying to reach the same goal again.

Remind yourself of the pattern those old habits lead to.

Remind yourself of the negative outcomes.

Help yourself see why you deserve this change and why it is worth it!

Step #2: Focus On Nutrition By Addition.

Part of what also sabotages our success in reaching our body recomp and weight loss goals is the mindset of restriction.

We always turn to cutting things out.

And cutting things out can not only backfire because we aren’t eating enough to support building lean muscle, but also from a long-term ADHERENCE standpoint.

When we feel like we are deprived or restricted and working SUPER HARD toward a goal, we feel we DESERVE better results faster.

We want the outcome to match the effort.

So the more we feel like we are having to do so much to not see the results we want, the more likely we are to give up when things are working.

This is why you need to approach nutritional changes with the mindset of what you can ADD IN first over what you need to cut out.

This can also help us focus on FUELING our body to feel more energized, train harder and support lean muscle growth.

Instead of focusing on what you need to cut out to make changes, focus on what you can add in that will help things shift.

Even consider how you can still work in things you love by ADDING other things around them that balance out.

Love dessert, but need to increase protein?

Don’t cut out your dessert!

Put that in first then find other ways to add in protein to other meals to still find a balance.

Focus on things you can add to make healthy changes and better fuel your body.

By focusing even on how we can drink more water, add in more fruits, consume more vegetables, we often will make changes that pay off without getting ourselves into a restriction focused cycle!

Step #3: Train To Build.

Stop seeing your workouts as a chance to burn more calories.

This creates that cycle of doing more in our training that ultimately not only leads to injury, but a lot of wasted effort.

Doing more reps, training for longer, can end up in a lot of wasted time and volume just for us to try to burn a few more calories in a day.

The simple fact is, you can’t out exercise your diet.

And the more you try to, the more you don’t truly get the benefits of your training you should.

If you want amazing body recomp, muscle is magic.

While your diet matters to building muscle, your training matters most.

If you don’t train to build, creating progressive overload, you won’t create the stimulus for growth.

And building muscle will not only help you look leaner and lose fat, but it ultimately will help you feel younger and move better.

If you love long bike rides or running marathons, you can still do the training you love.

But by focusing more on strength work as well, you’re ultimately going to be able to do more of what you enjoy AND even achieve new personal records.

So as much as you may not “enjoy” the strength work, you need to remind yourself of the value for both your performance, aesthetic and even LIFE goals.

When you design your workout routine, your goal should be on building muscle.

Especially for amazing body recomp, focus on full body workouts or hemisphere over body part splits to be efficient in your training and work more large muscle groups per session.

This also allows you to hit areas more frequently.

And design for the time you have so you can get consistent with that schedule!

Then make sure to push yourself to maximize the reps you do while not just eliminating rest!

Think quality not quantity when you train!

As much as your goal may be to ultimately lose weight on the scale, if you’re losing inches and not yet seeing the scale budge, do NOT give up.

Remember this is a GOOD thing.

Stop the extreme deficits.

Stop the fanatic cardio sessions done purely to burn more calories.

Start focusing on muscle.

Use these 3 steps to help you dial in your lifestyle to achieve amazing body recomp!

If you’re looking to have all 3 steps combined into a personalized plan, check out my 1:1 Online Coaching!

5 Mistakes That Got Me INJURED (Avoid These!)

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 22, 2023 | Blog, Exercises, Foam Rolling, Functional Fitness, Pain Relief

Injuries suck.

No one likes them. No one wants them.

And they only seem to add up more and more the older we get.

I’ve personally suffered from far too many of them because of ego and stupid mistakes.

Mistakes I want to help you avoid.

That’s why in this video I’m going to go over 5 training mistakes I made that lead to injury to help you avoid making the same mistakes and even come back stronger than ever no matter your age!

By learning from my own mistakes, I now feel stronger and move better than ever before and have helped many of my clients overcome chronic aches and pains to move and feel their best as well!

So let’s jump right in with mistake #1….

Mistake #1: Just resting an injury.

Rest can be a key component of recovery.

But far too often we just rest it then go right back to what we were doing that lead to the injury in the first place.

We never actually correct the underlying cause or problem.

We never address the movement compensation causing overload.

And then we wonder why a few months later we are sidelined with the same issue or another injury even on that same side of our body.

Resting it doesn’t fix the problem!

If you have an injury, you need to assess what lead to the overload of that area in the first place.

Because often the point of pain, the place that got injured, isn’t even where the problem started.

Even previous injuries may have resulted in changes to our movement patterns leading to the issues we now have.

Like that ankle sprain you got years ago you never rehabbed may be why you have hip or lower back aches and pains now.

So instead of just resting an area, or even if you do need to rest to recover to start, focus on taking things back to basics and doing that rehab work to improve your mind-body connection and make sure you are performing exercises correctly.

You want to come back to training and work on improving and retraining proper movements over just going back to what you were doing.

And regress to progress. Start back slowly to make sure you’re building up using the correct muscles to power moves!

Which brings me to Mistake #2: Focusing only on proper form.

The more advanced an exerciser you are, the more you know what proper form should be…

And the more you can also CHEAT and compensate.

So picture perfect form doesn’t always mean we’re using the correct muscles.

And this ability to mimic proper form is also why you can get injured while saying, “I have great form with moves! I know what I’m doing!”

Too often we force a movement pattern we can’t fully control, which leads to us overusing muscles not meant to handle the load or seeking out mobility from joints that aren’t meant to help us get that range of motion and movement.

It’s why we may feel our lower backs as we try to extend our spine to perform the bent over row with a straight back.

If we have limited thoracic mobility, due to hunching over a computer, we may end up overarching our lower back to compensate.

This can then lead to us overusing our lower back and ending up with back pain while our row form looks good.

We also have to remember that proper form isn’t a one size fits all thing. There are variations to what is perfect.

Like with the squat….

Social media may show you this one version of a picture perfect squat with super upright torso, feet hip width and completely straight ahead as the person squats ass to grass…

But if you have a shorter torso and longer femurs or a different hip socket shape and depth, you may need a different stance or have more of a forward lean.

We don’t want to just ignore the importance of form, but we do want to recognize that there are acceptable variations we may each need based on build or even previous injuries or even mobility restrictions.

If we try to force our body into a form mold that doesn’t fit, if we try to do a move we can’t control using the correct muscles, we are going to end up injured.

So focus not only on the movement pattern itself, but what you actually feel working to power the move.

And don’t be afraid to use variations or tweaks to movements to fit what you need!

Next Mistake #3: Not keeping in rehab as prehab.

You can NEVER stop doing what makes you better.

And so often future injuries are a result of PREVIOUS aches and pains we didn’t fully address or keep addressing.

How many of us have had an injury, done some rehab, had it go away, stopped the rehab then been frustrated when it seems like the injury keeps flaring back up?

It’s because we stopped doing the rehab that improved our mobility and built up strength in underactive and weak muscles!

And the second we stop doing what made us better, we start to fall back into old postures, movements and recruitment patterns, overusing muscles not meant to carry the load.

Often we want to default back into movement patterns we did for a long time that have become natural.

Movement patterns and postures we constantly have to fight against to ingrain new ones that will become natural only with time.

Time we don’t often truly dedicate to the changes!

So once you finish up rehab and start feeling good, you need to turn that rehab into prehab.

You can’t just stop it at the first sign of feeling better and go back to what you were doing!

Include that prehab as part of your warm up or on recovery days BEFORE anything adds up!

This helps ensure you’re using the correct muscles in movements and have mobilized joints to work through a full range of motion.

And if you do feel any aches starting to slightly reappear, whether you’ve spent longer hours at your desk or have been traveling and got a bit lax on your prehab, step up that mobility and stability work and assess what other moves in your workouts you may need to modify to address what is going on!

But don’t think just because you did some physio or rehab for a bit the issue is magically solved forever!

We get good at what we consistently do and we need to keep doing those boring basics to maintain the foundation we built!

And while prehab and mobility work is key…

We can’t out rehab our daily movements and the way we then train in our workouts…

This is why you have to be conscious of Mistake #4: Not checking your ego at the gym door.

Trust me…I want to push hard in my training sessions.

And I know ego can push me to want to eek out an extra rep or use a heavier weight even as my form breaks down.

There are definitely those workouts where I finish a set and know I wasn’t engaging the correct muscles as I got tired…yet I pushed through anyway.

This happens because we want to see results and we want to see them now.

But there is a fine line we have to tread when it comes to pushing hard and pushing to a point where we are ultimately creating overload and pain.

We need to focus on being intentional with our workouts and making each rep quality.

We need to realize when our ego needs to be put in check.

We also need to embrace MODIFYING at times to get more out of moves.

Sometimes we advance to a movement we haven’t earned, thinking if the exercise is technically harder it will help us see better results faster.

But since we haven’t earned the move, we compensate. We don’t actually work the muscles fully that we want to target.

Not only does this not get us the full benefit of the move, so we’re wasting effort and time, but it can lead to injury.

If we instead had modified and regressed to progress, we could have made the move harder for ourselves because we were actually able to use the correct muscles.

So as much as you may want to do that push up from your toes, check your ego.

If your hips are sagging, your head is jutting forward or your form is just fugly, modify it to make it picture perfect.

That tweak can actually make the move HARDER because you’re able to use the correct muscles. And you’ll see better results because of it.

Modifying doesn’t mean making a move easier. It means making a move match what you need.

And this can help you train harder without creating aches and pains!

And this final mistake is one we so often make and think we could “get away with” when we were younger…Only to now realize “getting away with it” may be why we have more aches and pains…

Mistake #5: Not doing a proper warm up.

Ever go into a workout without doing a warm up because you’re short on time and feel like it takes multiple rounds of your training session or even half your workout before you’re feeling warm and squatting as low as you’d like?

Well not only did you end up wasting half your workout time by not “wasting time” warming up, but you also put yourself at greater risk for overload and injury.

We have to recognize that our bodies aren’t primed for the movements we are about to do because we’ve spent our day driving in a car or hunched over a computer or doing other repetitive movements and suboptimal postures.

So that heavy overhead press you want to perform that keeps hurting your shoulder or neck or back, may be because you aren’t addressing your hunched over desk posture and first working on your thoracic extension.

You aren’t doing the mobility work to properly press overhead and engage your upper back while having proper scapular control.

But all you need to do to fix this is include foam rolling, stretching and activation in your warm up prior! And do so CONSISTENTLY!

Your warm up is the time you address daily postures and ready your body for the movements you are going to do.

It is the time you can address past aches and pains to make sure you’re not creating the same overload that can lead to injury.

This prehab work done just even for 5-10 minutes in your warm up CONSISTENTLY can add up more than a once a week recovery session.

So in your warm up…

Foam roll to relax tight and overactive muscles…

Perform dynamic stretches to warm up your body and mobilize your joints…

Then include activation moves to engage those underactive muscles while improving your mobility and stability.

Through this 3-part prehab process, you can ready your body to put in some quality work during your workout.

You can help prevent your desk job posture and lack of activity during the day from impacting how you train!

If you want to avoid aches and pains from getting worse and adding up more and more over the decades, focus on truly addressing what caused the pain in the first place.

Don’t push through it. Don’t skip your prehab.

Focus on what you feel working in movements and never stop doing what made you feel better!

For more injury resources, CLICK HERE.

The Best Way to Use Protein To Build Muscle or Lose Fat (7 Tips)

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 15, 2023 | Blog, Diet

“I just can’t eat more protein!”

“It’s impossible to hit my recommended protein intake!”

If you’re starting to adjust your diet to lose fat and build muscle, often your first focus should be on increasing your protein intake.

But it’s a hard thing to do.

It can feel impossible to get more protein and be a struggle because we are used to eating the portions we’ve ALWAYS eaten.

We’ve created meals the same way probably for a long time.

So we default into doing the same things.

And usually those meals are lower in protein than we now need!

That’s why I wanted to share 7 tips to help you boost your protein intake so you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time!

The first and most important piece of advice I always give to any client starting out is…

Tip #1: Don’t freak. Tweak.

It can feel like we have to completely overhaul our diet when we’re starting out.

Like it is impossible to add another 20 grams to the day.

But often little adjustments to what we’re currently doing really pays off.

So before you start searching for supplements or some crazy meal plan or cut out all of the foods you love, go back to a previous day you’ve logged and see where you can make little adjustments.

And if you haven’t yet logged, logged a day you may do or what you usually eat and then TWEAK IT!

Is there a meal without protein you could add protein to?

Your normal snack of crackers could you swap in jerky instead for that salty treat?

Or is there a meal with protein where you could bump the serving by an ounce?

Adding ounces to our current protein sources can add up and not require us to really change what we’re doing!

Even look for swaps to meals you love that could bump protein, like using lentils over rice in dishes.

Or greek yogurt over sour cream in a dip.

Consider even different cuts of the same type of protein to adjust your macros, swapping in chicken breast for chicken thigh.

But the more you can just make small adjustments, the easier those changes will be.

Don’t first jump to completely changing up the meals you love to eat.

Think small swaps and adjustments.

Tip #2: Use those plant-based sources.

I’m a meat eater personally but I also believe in getting the amino acids you need from a diversity of sources.

This diversity also improves our micronutrient intake.

And not only do I love my plant-based clients, but I also know that some of us don’t just want to be chowing down on a bazillion ounces of chicken or whatever at every meal.

So consider ways you can bump your protein intake through non-animal sources.

Consider adding tofu or tempeh or seitan into any dish even alongside your animal product.

Sprinkle hemp hearts on top of your salads.

Add chia seeds to your smoothies.

Try out buckwheat noodles in your pasta dish.

Pack in more broccoli and peas to your stir fry.

But realize the value of a diversity of vegetables and plant-based sources that can help you make meals tasty while boosting your protein intake!

Tip #3: Swap protein for creamer.

Supplements should always be supplemental.

But they can also be a quick and easy way to help us stay consistent, create a sustainable lifestyle and build meals we enjoy, especially when on the go.

One way I like to use protein powders is even as a replacement for coffee creamer.

Coffee creamers can pack a calorie punch.

And by swapping in protein powder for your creamer, not only can you boost your protein intake easily, you can keep in that delicious morning drink you enjoy.

Plus, you aren’t feeling like you’re just having to power through more protein at another meal.

I love adding in protein powder with coffee as a pre-workout snack.

Get in those amino acids your body will need to repair and even a little caffeine boost to power your workout!

Just be careful if you decide to mix hot coffee and protein powder as it can clump. It works better with ice or combining the protein powder first with a cool liquid you then mix in.

Tip #4: Add egg whites.

Ok I’ll know you didn’t watch a second further if you comment, “EAT THE WHOLE EGG.”

I’m not demonizing yolks here. They are delicious and can be beneficial.

Love whole eggs.

BUT if you are adjusting your macros and even trying to cut calories for body recomp while finding a balance, you may benefit from swapping in some egg whites at times for whole eggs.

In your morning omelet, you may use an egg plus egg whites instead of two full eggs to bump protein without adding as much fat or calories.

You may also add in egg whites to other dishes to easily increase your protein intake.

You can bake egg whites into oatmeal or add them to a fried rice.

Egg white muffins can be great on the go and you can easily make a microwave mug variation adding in any veggies or even other proteins you want!

And if you want a fast snack salty snack, a roasted nut mix is a great option.

Bake nuts that have been tossed in frothed egg whites and seasoning for a protein boost!

Tip #5: Hide It!

If you’re thinking, “These are great BUT I don’t want to have to eat another ounce of chicken.

I don’t want to even have to add another ounce of plant-based protein to have to chew!

I’m sick of protein!”

Then boost your protein intake to start by HIDING IT!

Making a soup?

Try using bone broth instead of your usual vegetable or chicken broth.

Bone broth contains on average 10 grams of protein per serving.

This is about 5 times more than chicken broth and 10 times more than vegetable broth.

Those small changes add up!

Making your morning smoothie?

Half your usual milk or liquid and add in some greek yogurt. Or even consider blending in tofu.

This can be a great way to bump protein and make your smoothie delicious and creamy but without making you feel like you’re having to eat more protein!

Even add in chia seeds or flax seeds or greek yogurt to your normal oatmeal to boost protein and add flavor.

But find little things you can hide in meals you already love that don’t feel like you’re just having to force feed yourself bland chicken!

Tip #6: Don’t forget dairy!

If you can’t consume dairy due to an intolerance or health concern, I’d hope it would be obvious this tip isn’t something you’ll personally want to include.

You may instead focus on the other 6 I’ve shared.

But if you don’t have any issues with dairy and even enjoy it, including things like greek yogurt, cottage cheese and even other cheeses can be a delicious way to bump protein, both in your savory meals and even your desserts!

Greek yogurt can easily be frozen with fruit or chocolate into a bark for a great dessert. Or even made into a parfait.

Cottage cheese can be made into a dip or even added to enchilada bakes or pasta dishes to make them cheesier.

Milk can be added to shakes and smoothies even to bump your protein as well.

So if you enjoy dairy, it can be a great way to diversify how you get in your protein daily!

Actually even parmesan cheese, or what I call protein salt can be a great flavor add and a few extra grams of protein to help you out!

Which brings me to my final protein boosting tip….

Tip #7: Count the grams.

Every gram counts and can slowly chip away at the increase we need.

So often we try to force big changes over looking for the little things that can add up but make the adjustments not feel as overwhelming.

But that’s why reviewing previous food logs and even taking time to learn about the foods we consume is so key.

Because adding something even as simple as parmesan cheese to a dish can not only make the meal more enjoyable and flavorful but also add a protein boost.

While only 2 grams in 2 tsp, that serving of cheese adds a TON of flavor to a dish. And meals we enjoy, we’re going to eat again.

That could also help us slowly increase our protein in a sustainable way.

At 3 grams per tablespoon, nutritional yeast is another great way to add flavor and seasoning while increasing your protein.

It can be sprinkled on your salad, mixed into cottage cheese as a dip or even added to a trail mix or popcorn for extra flavor!

And if you’re plant-based it is a great bonus protein source you could even season your tofu with, adding 3 more grams of protein without having to increase your tofu portion even!

But don’t ignore those little changes that add up!

It is easy to get overwhelmed when we feel like we have to make massive changes to reach our goals.

But don’t freak out! Focus first on those tweaks and then start implementing a few of these tips based on what feels most sustainable to you and your lifestyle.

Small changes meeting ourselves where we are at add up!

And for a great Protein Power Guide, CLICK HERE for a packet with cheat sheets and even a few bonus recipes!

7 Big LIES About Exercise and Aging

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 9, 2023 | Blog, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Mindset, Workouts

The best way to feel and look old really quickly is to stop doing all the things that kept you healthy.

Too often we hit an age that we deem “old” and stop pushing ourselves the way we used to in our training.

Heck I even found an article on WebMD about exercises to avoid after 50 and it said…

“Lifting weights is a great way to build muscle strength, but when you’re over 50 there is no reason to push yourself too hard.”

I’m sorry….NO.

While we can’t change our age, at any time we can make changes to move and feel our best.

And the best way NOT to see results is NOT to challenge yourself.

Use it or lose it.

Getting older doesn’t mean you now should stop pushing yourself to conquer new challenges or step outside your comfort zone.

Getting older actually makes it even more important that you do so that you stay healthy and strong till your final day on this planet!

That’s why in this video I want to refute 7 reasons I often hear people use as excuses not to push themselves outside their comfort zones when it comes to their strength training once they hit whatever age they believe to be “old.”

Myth #1: I shouldn’t push myself too hard.

I can’t even describe the spasms my face wants to go into stating that myth even for the 100th time.

No wonder we’re seeing more injuries, more cognitive decline…

No wonder we think aging just means gaining weight and getting out of shape?!

We’re promoting attitudes that perpetuate that!

I don’t care if you’re 20 or 90, you need to CHALLENGE yourself with your training to keep pushing your body to adapt and grow stronger and MAINTAIN your strength.

Sarcopenia, or muscle loss, is so prevalent because we’ve too easily adopted the belief that we don’t need to push ourselves with our training. That with age we deserve to be lazy.

But if you want to stay strong and fit and even mentally with it till your final day on this planet, you NEED to push yourself to feel worked in your workouts.

This doesn’t mean every session should slaughter you. But it shouldn’t be that way at any age.

But every single workout you do want to create that progressive overload and do something hard.

We build and retain lean muscle through pushing our bodies to do more than they could the previous session!

Myth #2: X Move Is Bad And Dangerous.

You can get hurt training at any age.

And as someone who has learned a lot since their early meathead days, I would say we actually end up being smarter in our training as we get older as we often appreciate the value of just moving well over letting ego dictate what we do.

BUT no matter our age we have to stop just demonizing exercises. Or blaming exercises for aches and pains.

Squats don’t hurt your knees.

Bad squats or recruitment patterns with loads you haven’t earned do.

And unless you don’t ever plan to sit down to a toilet again, it would be in your best interest to learn to really control and retrain that squat movement pattern as much as you can!

If you want to be able to do a movement or maintain your mobility, you need to train that movement pattern in the gym!

Regress to progress.

Training only leads to injury when we haven’t earned a move or misuse a move.

By doing a move that doesn’t match your needs and goals, you can get injured at ANY age.

Often the fact that we even did moves with ego when we were younger, is what has now led to the aches and pains we even have.

But training isn’t dangerous.

We need to even see the gym as an opportunity to PRACTICE proper movements so that we are at less risk for injury in everyday life.

The gym is a perfect place to learn to move well.

Just don’t be afraid to regress to progress and focus on intentionality with your movement to earn those advancements!

Because if you train smarter and not just harder, you put yourself at less risk for injury getting up and down of the ground or lifting that box!

Myth #3: I shouldn’t lift too heavy.

First off, what is too heavy?

A weight you can’t lift?

Something you can’t lift with proper form?

If that’s the case, you shouldn’t EVER lift too heavy.

But if you don’t challenge your muscles, you won’t create that stimulus for muscle growth.

And we want to do everything we can to promote that environment for growth as we will find it gets harder and harder to build muscle the older we get!

But especially as we get older we need to focus on maintaining maximal strength.

That means NOT shying away from lower rep, heavy weight work in our training.

Maximal strength work means we are better able to prevent falls and fractures and are not only stronger, but have more lean muscle mass which keeps our bones healthy and helps us look leaner.

So lift heavy for strong bones and a lean physique!

Stop defaulting to only doing 15-20 rep work with lighter loads.

Push those heavy weights as you earn them and build up to keep yourself strong and your metabolic rate higher!

Myth #4: I have (insert health concerns here).

We always want to address injuries and health concerns with our training routines.

But this should be the case at any age.

However, too often, as we get older and more health concerns may pop up, we see this as a reason to stop pushing hard in our workouts or train at all.

When often training will help us improve our health and can even combat many of our symptoms!

Strength work can help reduce chronic inflammation. It can reduce our risk for osteoporosis. It can improve our cognitive functioning.

It can help us sleep better to recover from illness faster.

It can help us maintain our bone health.

It can even help us retrain movements and strengthen muscles to overcome injuries.

It can help us move and feel a whole heck of a lot younger.

Overall, strength training is linked with a 10%–17% lower risk of heart disease, total cancer, diabetes, lung cancer and death from any cause. (According to a review study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (2022; 56 [13]))

Yet so often we let health concerns stop us instead of finding a way to strengthen around them. And THAT is what makes us feel older so much faster!

Find ways to regress moves and address what you need to focus on feeling the correct muscles work.

Design workouts around your schedule based on the intensity you need. And start back slow.

But the key is to START and to focus on building, meeting yourself where you are at!

Myth #5: I shouldn’t do awkward moves.

As we get older, we are less willing to make ourselves feel uncomfortable or awkward or even bad at something.

When we’re young, we embrace it more as we encounter new things on almost a daily basis even.

But as we get older, we don’t like to push to do new things that feel awkward and uncomfortable.

The thing is…we need to.

Those awkward moves improve our mental health.

They also keep our mind-body connection strong which allows us to react more quickly in everyday life.

Many even improve our balance and core strength, especially if they are single sided moves!

And these moves help us even build muscle, creating progression in different ways, changing the range of motion, stability and even tempos.

They challenge not only our body but even our mind to keep us younger and healthy!

And ladies, studies have shown even greater benefits from physical activity in terms of our thinking speed as we get older!

Myth #6: I can’t build muscle.

Yup. It does get harder to build and retain lean muscle as we get older.

But trying to use this as an excuse to not even try?

NOPE!

It is even more reason to push hard and lift heavier!

It’s also a reason to cut back on the chronic cardio, which can not only cause more inflammation and joint issues, but lead to us struggling even more to build and retain lean muscle.

Instead we need to do everything we can to combat the fact that we don’t have the optimal hormone levels for muscle growth Any exercise we once did and we don’t utilize protein as efficiently.

We need to do everything we can to focus on lifting heavy, challenging ourselves and pushing hard in our training while including adequate recovery.

This is the only way we can build muscle and at least make sure we maintain what we already have as the more we lose through inactivity, the more we will struggle to get it back the older we get!

Myth #7: I can’t recover as quickly so I shouldn’t do as much.

We may find that our recovery does change as we get older, especially even during menopause when our sleep may be impacted more.

But this is all the more reason to train with purpose and design intentional workouts that we can be CONSISTENT with.

Because the more inconsistent we are, the harder we make it on ourselves to recover.

We don’t often realize that, as we’ve gotten older, we actually are less consistent in having that set gym training routine.

And that inconsistency can make every workout feel new to our body, so we are constantly getting sore.

Make sure to set a schedule you can be consistent with.

Then don’t randomly string together moves or workouts without a plan.

Create a set schedule you repeat for a few weeks so you can slowly progress and build each week.

This will help improve your recovery over always feeling beat down.

Plus, including mobility work and not feeling pressure to do wasted volume may not only help you recover faster but even build strength more efficiently from your training.

Often less is more and too often, when we’re younger, we do more just because we can or because we’re trying to out exercise our diet.

So see this as an opportunity to make some changes that lead to even better gains!

Define aging on your own terms.

Stay strong till your final day on this planet by never stopping to push yourself and challenge yourself.

Include those strength workouts that make you uncomfortable but that meet you where you are at to see fabulous muscle and strength gains at any and every age!

For an amazing community of women building their leanest, strongest bodies at any and EVERY age, join my Free Facebook Group!

How To Increase Metabolism At Any Age (7 Workout Tips)

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 1, 2023 | Blog, Exercises, Workouts

The number one thing impacting your metabolic health isn’t your age…

It’s your muscle mass.

And so often as we get older, we DO lose muscle.

Not to mention previous dieting and workout practices for weight loss often cause us to lose muscle as we strive for faster results on the scale.

And this muscle loss is often why we see more metabolic decline and adaptations over time.

The great thing is…

We can REVERSE these things and improve our metabolic health at ANY age.

But boosting our metabolism isn’t just about our diet, it’s also about how we train.

We need to focus on training practices that create that stimulus for muscle growth while also helping us to burn more calories throughout the day.

More muscle requires more calories consumed to be maintained and more calories burned even at rest!

That’s why in this video I wanted to share 7 tips you can use to improve your training schedule and boost your metabolism

Tip #1: Work legs AND upper body in a workout.

Working two large muscle groups in a single session helps you burn more calories DURING the workout and build muscle faster.

This creates a greater calorie burn during the day for better fat loss results, but also raises your resting metabolic rate because of the added muscle.

More muscle means more calories burned even at rest to build and maintain it. Your energy demands go up!

By not only working two large muscle groups in general but specifically pairing LEGS and UPPER body in a session, you can promote an even more optimal hormonal environment for growth.

By doing legs BEFORE upper body in a session, studies have shown you release more testosterone and growth hormone, which can lead to faster muscle gains.

So whether you do butt and hamstrings with back exercises or quads and chest, consider pairing lower body with upper body in a workout.

This can help you get in more quality work for muscle groups not only in a single workout but over the week.

This is also a great way to pack in more to shorter training sessions, which can also lead to a better hormonal environment for growth.

Too often we make our sessions longer, leading to not only wasted volume but a rise in cortisol levels which can fight against our gains.

So alternate areas worked in your sessions so that one muscle group gets to rest as you work the other. This will keep your sessions shorter!

And make sure you’re focusing on big heavy compound lifts for each area for the bulk of your workout!

Tip #2: Use cluster sets to lift more.

We need to lift more weight to build muscle.

The more you can progress and lift, the faster you can build.

But this isn’t just about what you can lift for a single rep.

It’s about the total loads lifted overall for an area in individual workouts and even over weeks and months.

The more weight you move overall, the more you’ll see that growth.

But this weight lifted needs to also be quality work.

This is where cluster sets, especially for a compound exercise to start your workout can be an amazing tool to increase your training density and actually lift more weight overall for an area.

With cluster sets, you are breaking up your traditional set of 8 reps, into fewer reps, say just 2 or 3 in a row, with just 10-30 seconds of rest between those mini sets, before you rest longer and do another round.

Because you are only performing 2 or 3 reps before the short rest, you will find you can use more weight for the full 8 reps than you would have been able to if you had tried to just do 8 in a row.

You may also find you avoid that last kind of half done rep because of fatigue for quality reps all the way through.

More weight lifted in a set amount of time for quality reps leads to faster muscle growth and ultimately helps boost that metabolism!

Tip #3: Design shorter and harder workouts.

So often we focus on doing more, making our workouts longer and harder to try to make ourselves more sore, thinking that will lead to better results faster.

Instead we need to focus less on time and volume and more on quality, intensity and intentionality with everything we do.

Less is more when what we do is done well.

While we may feel like we are giving 100% as our workout gets longer and we do more reps and sets, that 100% intensity isn’t a true 100%.

If instead we focus on giving that full true 100% effort for less, we will see that quality pay off.

Not to mention hormone levels start to fight against us the longer those sessions get, especially if we aren’t including enough rest but instead just trying to do more reps and exercises for the same muscle.

While we don’t want to just demonize a hormone like cortisol because it does help promote fat metabolism, exercising for too long can elevate levels of cortisol to catabolize muscle protein for fuel instead of conserving it to be used to repair damaged tissues.

So we want to be conscious that we are including everything in our sessions with purpose and not just making them longer and longer to feel harder thinking that will lead to better gains!

Focus on quality and what you truly feel working with each rep. Be present in your workouts to push the effort and maximize everything you include!

Tip #4: Use interval finishers.

Keeping our heart healthy is key and strength training can be metabolic and improve our conditioning and cardiovascular healthy.

But it can also be key to include some cardio to help us recover faster so we can lift more.

Not to mention interval training can lead to more calories being burned even at rest while, if done strategically, not leading to muscle catabolism or impaired recovery.

Interval training can increase our EPOC or excess post exercise oxygen consumption…often called the afterburn.

And while no magic pill, this increase in energy expenditure to help us recover, repair and rebuild can lead to better fat loss results and offset some of the metabolic changes we’ve experienced as we build lean muscle.

Consider including short interval sessions as the end of your workouts, varying work to rest intervals.

Don’t add 20 minutes on to your workout, but consider interval work for about 5 minutes – whether you include longer work than rest like 20 on, 10 off or longer rest to work 10 on 30 off!

That variety can help you work different energy systems and even improve your recovery time to be able to lift more in your strength workouts!

Tip #5: REST REST AND…oh yea…REST

This is the least sexy of all 7 tips but the most important.

Your muscles only grow if they have time to repair and rebuild.

This doesn’t mean you have to wait a whole week before working an area again or that you won’t see gains if you do work a muscle on back to back days at times, but you want to be conscious that areas have time to recover.

And the more frequently you work an area in a week, the more you need to lower the number of reps and sets and work you do per session.

Focusing on rest also doesn’t just mean recovery between sessions but DURING your workout.

If you rush through sets without allowing yourself enough rest, you’re going to see your work output and intensity drop quickly.

This can lead to you feeling tired and challenged while not actually challenging yourself to the fullest extent possible.

It may be why you aren’t building muscle as fast as you’d like or really creating that anabolic hormonal environment for growth.

So don’t skip on the recovery!

It is truly the part so often overlooked that can fight against our muscle gains and perpetuate those metabolic adaptations.

Tip #6: Don’t forget your power work!

Explosive power work is not only key if you want to stay functional stronger and better able to avoid injury as you get older, but it can also help build muscle.

It helps us improve our mind-body connection and recruit muscles faster in the correct order, which also results in us being able to lift more.

Yet often we avoid it because we only think of it as jumping.

And while we shouldn’t avoid jumping as we get older, I also understand that injuries may not allow us to do that jump training as part of our explosive work, which can lead to us not doing any at all.

Not to mention, too often we lump in explosive power work to interval work when it needs to be its own set thing.

When doing power work, short explosive max effort intervals with longer rest periods are essential. Otherwise you end up fatiguing and training slowness.

You want to move quickly, go at 100% intensity then rest fully.And you want to do this when you are fresh.

Consider including power work before your first heavy lift after your warm up routine.

Including things like sprints, even on a bike if you want to reduce impact, or weighted exercises like med ball work, kettlebell swings or even Olympic lifts if you’re experienced, can lead to amazing muscle gains.

They can also promote optimal hormone levels, increasing growth hormone production, for our strength workouts!

Tip #7: Walk for recovery!

Our body was meant to move. Moving more is key to our health and even our fat loss results.

But we don’t want to just include workouts that beat us down.

That’s why walking is so key to include.

The extra movement can help us burn more calories while not being catabolic to our muscle mass.

It can help increase our metabolic rate while being a great restorative activity.

And if you can get outside to even get Vitamin D, it is a win win for your health and body recomp!

So if you’re someone that struggles to take time off, or you’re working to lose weight and want to fight those metabolic adaptations, include more walking in your routine, especially on “rest days.”

You can even add in some bonus mobility work before your walk to help your body recover for your next training sessions so you can push hard!

Metabolic changes happen but there is so much we can do to reverse them and see better fat loss results no matter our age.

However, we need to make sure we’re focusing on doing everything we can in our workouts to build that lean muscle if we want to increase our metabolic rate.

Use these 7 tips to boost your metabolism and see your hard work in the gym pay off!

Ready to accelerate your results with metabolism boosting workouts?

–> Join Dynamic Strength

Are These 5 foods REALLY Unhealthy?

by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 26, 2023 | Blog, Diet

STOP labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”

First off, foods do not have any moral value and assigning them one onlyends up making us feel guilty for eating specific things.

And that guilt is often what truly sabotages our results and prevents us from creating sustainable habits and lifestyle changes.

Because foods are NOT just healthy or unhealthy….as much as we want to put whole, natural foods on a pedestal and demonized processed foods.

And what foods are right for you may be different than what foods are right for someone else.

Every food has upsides and downsides to it – both benefits and risks.

That’s why I wanted to share the UPSIDES to 5 foods we often don’t see as healthy and that we should cut out from our diet if we want to lose fat!

(Want to learn more about the foods you need to reach your goals? The Dynamic DNA Nutrition Test)

The first food I often hear people say they need to cut out, yet crave sooooo much, is…

CHOCOLATE!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something like…

“I struggle to lose weight because of those chocolate cravings, especially at night…they get me!”

Well I’m here to tell you something amazing…

You don’t need to cut out chocolate to see amazing results and if you’re going through menopause or perimenopause, a little chocolate in your diet as your dessert may even have a beneficial impact!

I know we often feel like we need to cut out things like chocolate because it is potentially sugar and fat, but chocolate does contain micronutrients that may improve our health.

And often us trying to restrict things we enjoy instead of striking a balance sabotages our long-term consistency and results.

So instead of cutting out chocolate, add your dessert in first if you’re tracking macros.

Of course, the devil’s in the details and the TYPE of chocolate you consume does have an impact on the benefit.

You do want to include chocolate that is 70% or darker to truly get the benefits.

But by consuming 70-80% dark chocolate as part of your dessert, you are going to add a variety of micronutrients and antioxidants and even some additional fiber into your diet.

For example, the flavanols in dark chocolate can help improve your heart heath and lower blood pressure.

Flavanols have even been shown to reduce insulin resistance, which can be helpful for women during menopause, especially where we can tend to become a bit more insulin resistant, leading to weight gain around our middle.

Dark chocolate also has magnesium, which can help improve the quality of our sleep.

This can make it a great dessert during perimenopause and menopause when we may suffer from more sleep disturbances and struggle to get those quality z’s.

Dark chocolate is also a good source of phosphorus, which can improve our bone and teeth health.

As we get older, we want to do everything we can to keep our bones healthy to avoid falls and fractures!

So if you love chocolate, try including bars that are 70% or darker into your dessert.

Even breaking it up into greek yogurt with some fruit for a filling protein dessert with great health benefits!

The second food that is so often villainized is Red Meat.

But this is where we have to look at the nuance to each food as all red meat isn’t created equal!

There is a very big difference between processed and unprocessed red meat and even a huge variation in the exact nutritional breakdown of different cuts of meat from the same animal!

So often though all red meat just gets lumped together.

But there are leaner and fattier cuts of red meat that we can include to not only hit our macros to lose weight but promote optimal health for us personally.

And red meat is a great source of creatine, heme iron, zinc and vitamin B12.

If you’re working hard to build muscle, even as you lose fat, you may find that adding red meat into your diet is key because it can help you increase your creatine intake naturally.

Especially as we get older, it becomes harder to build lean muscle.

So increasing our intake of creatine can help us promote more optimal muscle growth.

Not to mention the micronutrients found in red meat are beneficial as well.

The form of iron, heme iron found in red meat, is a more bioavailable form, which means it can be better absorbed by the body.

Iron contributes to proper brain function, energy metabolism and the formation of red blood cells.

Getting enough iron is especially key as we get older to help us prevent osteoporosis.

And during menopause if you’re not getting enough iron, you may experience greater levels of fatigue.

Zinc and B12 are also essential for us as we get older improving our bone, eye and even heart health.

B12 may also play a role in slowing the aging process and keeping our tissues healthy.

And during perimenopause and menopause, when the hormonal changes can impact our mood and energy, getting enough Vitamin B12 and zinc are even more key!

If you’re going to include red meat, consider grass-fed options and even look at different cuts to adjust your fat intake based on what you need!

The third food that is often written off, but I think can actually be a weight loss super food is…

POPCORN.

People often see popcorn only as something devoid of nutritional benefit loaded down with movie theater butter.

But not only does popcorn have nutritional benefits, containing fiber, antioxidants and a range of micronutrients, it also is a great way to help yourself maintain your calorie deficit and stay consistent.

If you’re hit with a craving for a salty snack, popcorn is a great high volume, low calorie option to keep you feeling full and satisfied.

The number of handfuls and bites you get with popcorn can be super satisfying and help you stay consistent.

It can also make for a fun treat on the weekends when watching TV or a movie with the family. It can help you not feel like that person on a diet while everyone else indulges!

And popcorn contains a whole range of B vitamins as well as Vitamin A, E and K.

It also contains polyphenols, which are antioxidants that have been linked to better blood circulation and digestive health, as well as a potentially lower risk of certain cancers.

Keeping our digestive system and gut healthy can even lead to better weight loss results!

Just make sure if you include popcorn, you’re making it at home or aware of the additives that can come with buying it premade.

And if you are really focusing on portion control, single serving packs to make are a great option!

The 4th food I wanted to discuss because it is so often demonized yet not consuming enough can have a negative impact is…

SALT.

Salt has gotten a bad rap as being responsible for blood pressure issues.

But including enough salt is key to proper hydration and a balance of electrolytes to support a healthy nervous system. It’s not just about increasing our water intake.

Salt is also needed to form stomach acid, digest food, and absorb nutrients properly.

However, not all forms of salt are not created equal.

Often when we’re getting too much salt, we’re getting it from processed foods and not quality salt sources.

And this is part of the problem.

Instead we want to focus on things like sea salt or pink himalayan salt that can both have a beneficial impact, improving the quality of our sleep because they contain many helpful electrolytes and trace minerals for regulating hormone levels.

We also need to stop demonizing something just because it is bad for a specific population and health concern.

Too often this leads to healthy individuals restricting something they should be including in their diet.

I mention this because recent research has even shown that low-salt diets have been linked to promoting insulin resistance in healthy individuals.

And that people who consume a moderate amount of salt were in the lowest risk category for heart problems and death, even lower than people who ate less salt.

The “moderate” sodium intake used in this study was about 4,000 – 6,000 milligrams per day.

So realize that the quality and source of the food you’re including can have an impact and just because it isn’t right for one person doesn’t make it not right for someone else!

The 5th and final food I wanted to discuss is…Bread.

Often when people want to lose weight, they think they need to cut out all carbs, and bread is among the first they list to go.

Bread has also gotten more hate as going gluten-free has become more and more popular even though many of us will have no issues consuming gluten and bread could be an enjoyable way to increase our carbs to create that anabolic environment for growth.

And not only can bread be included in our diet, but there is so much variation in the health benefits different types of bread may provide.

Not only are there more whole-grain variations of bread that contain more fiber, but even sourdough bread can provide more health benefits than we realize.

While it isn’t gluten-free, sourdough bread may even be tolerated better by those with IBS or a gluten intolerance or sensitivity.

And because of the unique fermentation process for sourdough bread, it can help improve our gut health and unlock more of the B vitamins in the bread.

Sourdough is also usually made with fortified flour, which can bump our iron and folate intake!

So just because there are some very processed breads out there that may not provide as much nutritional benefit, we shouldn’t just demonize all breads but find the ones that help us enjoy our meals and create a sustainable and healthy lifestyle!

While not all of these foods may be right for you and your dietary preference, we want to recognize the benefits of including a diversity of foods in our diet to create a healthy, sustainable lifestyle balance.

There are always downsides and upsides to everything we include and the more we understand the nuance to everything, the more we can find what we need to reach our goals and feel, look and move our best!

Want to learn more about the foods you need to reach your goals?

–> The Dynamic DNA Nutrition Test

STUDIES:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30061161/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5539137/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22301923/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2017.00036/full
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22110105/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21036373/

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Next Entries »

I’m Losing Inches But I’m NOT LOSING WEIGHT! (Body Recomposition?)

5 Mistakes That Got Me INJURED (Avoid These!)

The Best Way to Use Protein To Build Muscle or Lose Fat (7 Tips)

7 Big LIES About Exercise and Aging

How To Increase Metabolism At Any Age (7 Workout Tips)

Are These 5 foods REALLY Unhealthy?

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