Blog Archives Page 19 of 80 | Redefining Strength

How to Force Muscle Growth (4 Tips)

by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 8, 2023 | Blog, Exercises, muscle-featured

Are you ready to improve your workouts and dial in your muscle gains?

Then you’ll love these 4 tips to help you design your workouts to build muscle faster.

In this video I’m going to share 4 training tips to help you design more efficient workouts for better muscle gains. Be open to the opportunity in these options over writing off what doesn’t fit what you’ve always done.

Change requires change.

And because many of us realize that the best results happen when our diet and workouts work together, I’m going to share a bonus nutritional tip that will make some of you very mad…

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

Gaining muscle can be a slow process. And the more advanced a trainee you are, the slower the process will be.

That’s why it is key we dial in our training, progressing it with these 4 key training tips. And not only do we need to adjust our diet, but making sure to fuel to create that anabolic environment is key.

Tip #1: Use Two Types Of Resistances.

Which are better….bands, dumbbells, cables, barbells or kettlebells?

The answer is all of them. And it depends.

But so often we get caught up in finding a single BEST tool over realizing that we can create progression by even combining them.

Each of these types of resistances have different benefits. And when we combine them, we can utilize their unique benefits to our advantage.

Especially because we need to really push that progression each workout to build muscle and get better results faster. BUT it can be mentally taxing to constantly be pushing.

And ego can start to get in the way, pushing us to do more weight than maybe we can truly control optimal just to do “more” this week and progress.

That’s why varying up how you apply resistance can help from not only a physical standpoint, but also a mental one.

Consider combining tools like the barbell and bands.

When you combine these two tools, you can not only more easily add loads with the barbell, but you can also benefit from the different resistance arc of the bands.

Bands can help apply more tension where the muscle is strongest and can help you apply more resistance not just dependent on the pull of gravity like free weights.

And the two tools combined can allow you to use lighter barbell loads while making the move more challenging in a new way.

A great example of a way to combine two types of resistances is the Landmine Band Deadlift.

You can not only get the benefit of the loaded barbell in the landmine, but the band will also apply more resistance as you lift and really make you fight to control the eccentric or lower down.

This is a great way to focus even more on that eccentric portion of the lift, or when those hamstrings are stretched, to create better muscle hypertrophy. Studies have shown that by emphasizing the eccentric portion of a move, you may be able to get more efficient muscle gains.

Tip #2: Use Training Density To Move More Weight.

What leads to more strength and muscle growth? Lifting heavier weight more times.

But the heavier the weight, the fewer the reps you can do in a row.

The lighter the weight, the more reps in a row you can complete.

You need to find that sweet spot to move more weight over the course of your individual sessions but also over time.

That is why advanced training techniques like density sets can be so key to include, especially if you are a hard gainer, have been training for longer or even just want to build muscle while being really conscious to avoid gaining unwanted fat.

A great density training design is 3 10 minute supersets, using heavy compound lifts, especially in the first two series.

To use this design, you’ll pick two moves working different areas and repeat them for 10 minutes, pausing only briefly to rest as needed.

You will use one move as a chance to rest the muscles worked in the other exercise.

You will also pick a load you can do about 8-10 reps with at max and then perform about 5-6 reps per set on it.

This allows you to actually use heavier loads and build up volume over the time through completing multiple rounds.

It also often allows for higher quality reps with heavier weights.

You’ll be amazed at how much more weight you can actually move over the course of each workout with this design!

It is killer though so be prepared to cycle out of this design every 3-4 weeks.

Tip #3: Use Partial Reps.

Now before you get mad about this tip, let me break down the opportunity in changing up the range of motion at times, specifically for movements meant to isolate those stubborn areas.

I’m all for strengthening through the fullest range of motion possible as often as possible. This helps us maintain amazing mobility and stability even as we get older and see great muscle growth.

BUT more time under tension for a muscle has also been shown to truly lead to better results faster.

This is why including some partial reps for those stubborn areas, reducing the range of motion can be helpful.

And it can help in 2 ways….

1. It can allow more time under tension to emphasize the eccentric, like on Pulse RDLs where you are spending more time under tension when the muscle is stretched.

2. It can allow you to create more metabolic stress to also drive muscle growth by keeping the muscle in a consistently shortened state and apply more resistance at the end range of motion when the muscle is contracted. With this you’ll often feel that pump or burn building up, like top range of motion bicep curls.

Another benefit is that it can help you overcome stick points in lifts, which can ultimately help you lift more weight, leading to better muscle gains as well.

Tip #4: Putting it all together. Create your progression.

I’ve heard people say they get “bored” by repeating workouts.

But your desire to be “entertained” and constantly do something new may be holding you back from seeing the results you want.

If you want to build muscle, you need clear progression and the ability to recover between sessions.

Randomly stringing workouts and new moves together all of the time may make you super sore, feel hard and ultimately get you nowhere.

Create that clear progression based on those “boring” fundamentals.

And realize that by creating this clear progression, implementing the 3 prior training techniques here, you’re going to see better muscle gains faster.

This allows you to move, feel and look your best…which isn’t boring at all.

Sometimes we have to remember that we are training to do more of what we love even outside the gym.

Plus, find ways to enjoy the challenge of small weekly progressions and include a diversity of movements over the weeks to keep things interesting.

Then every 3-4 weeks assess where you’re at to then make some swaps and keep things from getting too stale!

Now…DUN DUN DUN…the tip some of you will hate….

Don’t Fear Carbs!

What you did to lose weight is NOT what you’ll need to do to build muscle.

If you loved low carb to trim down, you need to let go of any “carbphobia” if you want the best muscle building results.

Carbs create that anabolic environment optimal for muscle growth, not only helping create the hormonal environment for growth but also by being that readily available energy to help muscles rebuild and grow.

If you don’t have enough fuel to allow your muscles to grow, you’re going to spend a lot of hard work and time lifting to not see the results you want.

The more advanced and experienced an exerciser you are, the more you can’t ignore your diet and the importance of not only protein but CARBS.

Muscles need extra energy to grow!

If you are just starting out with your muscle gaining journey, consider even just bumping up your carb intake right post workout to refuel and replenish those depleted glycogen stores.

And if you’re looking for even more nutrition and workout tips to help you build muscle faster, check out my 9 Tips For Faster Muscle Growth video to help you continue making those gains…

–> Watch The Video

And if you’re looking for someone to put together the full system you need to see results, adjusting your diet and your workouts to work together, click HERE to learn more about my fabulous 1:1 Online Coaching!

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Cardio

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

How does cardio actually impact your fat loss or muscle gains?

In this video I’ll go over 5 things no one tells you about cardio and the impact it has on your results.

Because cardio can sabotage your results based on how you include it!

And, at the end of the video, I’ll not only share the most underutilized but essential form of cardio to include to achieve body recomp results but show you how to adjust your workouts to see better results faster!

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

If you’re working to lose fat, or even gain muscle, there are 5 key things you need to know about cardio so you don’t end up working super hard to not achieve the results you deserve.

And while yes, diet is of course essential, especially if you want to lose fat, at the end of the video.

I’ll go over how to adjust your workouts to see better results FASTER as well as share the most underrated and underutilized form of cardio to see amazing body recomp results!

But also I do want to note, this isn’t telling you to avoid steady-state cardio especially if you love your endurance sport.

However, it is key we do understand the ups and downs of including specific workouts in our routines especially when we have other goals we want to achieve!

Often, when we want to lose weight, we turn to cardio to burn more calories. And while often those cardio sessions do burn more calories in the single session than strength workouts do, what you don’t know is that….

#1: Cardio can actually cause you to burn FEWER calories over the course of the day.

We have to remember that our workouts are only a small portion of the calories we actually burn over the course of the day.

And while, if you’re just starting out with training after not training at all, working out can help create a calorie deficit through extra movement without even changing your diet, your body adjusts over time.

It’s why you get stronger or faster and can run further without feeling tired.

But it also means you’re burning fewer calories with each session.

It’s why dietary adjustments are key, but I’ll go over more on this later.

If you keep pushing the intensity of your cardio training, and are in a calorie deficit, you may find you become so fatigued you move less during the rest of the day.

This lack of non-exercise energy expenditure can actually really DECREASE the overall calories you burn each and every day even while continuing to try to push your training sessions.

Basically our body can try to “compensate” for the extra calories burned by conserving energy as much as possible at other points in the day.

Not to mention, steady-state cardio can be catabolic to muscle mass.

More muscle means more calories burned at rest.

By performing steady-state cardio while in a calorie deficit to lose weight, we can end up losing more muscle which means, again, fewer calories burned at rest.

So just note, that while you may think you need more cardio to burn more calories, this attitude toward training may actually slow your weight loss results.

Not to mention negatively impact your attempts to gain muscle and build strength!

While it is possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, you do want a primary focus.

And if your main focus is to achieve body recomposition by gaining muscle while staying lean, trying to include more cardio may be negatively impacting your results.

Simply put – #2: Cardio can impact your strength gains.

What we prioritize in our workout routine, gets the best of our focus and our intensity.

If you put cardio first in your training, you are going to go into your strength work more depleted. You won’t be able to push as hard as you’ll be tired. And you won’t recover as well between sets.

Our ability to push hard with those lifting sessions to create progressive overload is key if we want the best muscle hypertrophy results.

Put strength work first, when you are freshest, and you’ll see the best muscle building results.

And then as I mentioned earlier, dietary adjustments are key.

Studies have actually shown that #3: Cardio doesn’t actually improve weight loss over dietary changes alone.

While training in general can help with long-term maintenance, you don’t need to train at all to lose weight.

We need to stop trying to out exercise our diet – We need to stop seeing our workouts as a chance to burn calories.

Instead we need to be strategic in how we fuel, while being conscious of our daily energy expenditure.

If we actually want to burn more calories each and every day, we should shift our focus to building muscle.

This means we’re burning more calories during training, and building the lean muscle mass.

More muscle means a higher resting metabolic rate and more calories burned at rest

So if you want better, lasting weight loss results, you want to focus even more on strength work.

And then don’t ignore this often overlooked form of cardio….WALKING!

I’ve mentioned you need to include more strength work and that cardio can fight against your muscle and strength gains.

However not all forms of cardio are created equal and by including more WALKING, you can avoid detracting from your other training sessions while increasing your daily energy expenditure to aid in better fat loss results!

Because walking doesn’t make us feel destroyed or worn out, we often overlook the value of this extra NONSTRESSFUL activity in our day.

But it can actually help us recover faster from hard training sessions and give our body, and mind, a chance to rest and rebuild as we are staying even more active during the day.

So consider even just a 15 minute extra walk in your day.

And if you are super close to your desired leanness level, even consider including the walk right after the strength session that targeted those stubborn areas you’re struggling to lose from!

We also have to remember that, not only are there different forms of cardio, but our #5: workouts don’t have to be just cardio or strength!

Ever get out of breath doing heavy lunges or higher rep squats?

Workouts don’t have to be just cardio OR strength.

There truly is a spectrum we can build our training sessions off of with steady state long distance endurance cardio workout on one side and 1 rep max lifting on the other.

All of these workout designs along this spectrum are working our cardiovascular system in different ways!

And, in that middle, there are so many different workouts designs we can use that are both cardio and strength.

Workouts that improve our conditioning while also helping us build lean muscle.

Try including a single heavy lift first to start your workout with longer rest periods to focus on those strength gains followed by a circuit with accessory lifts and shorter rest periods to elevate your heart rate more!

Doing things like this can improve your conditioning and even your recovery.

You will also find that workouts that are more metabolic strength focused may really benefit you if you are an endurance athlete!

Cori Hack:

There are so many ways to design those strength workouts to match your specific needs and goals. And you can design for the time you REALISTICALLY have over just trying to find some ideal training schedule.

3 days a week? You can make that work!

Just focus more on full-body workouts over body part splits!

And because there are really 5 key things you can do to adjust your strength workouts for better fat loss results, I want you to check out my Weight Training For Fat Loss video next. I’ve linked to the video below:

–> Weight Training For Fat Loss

Just remember, everything you include in your workout routine should be used strategically based on your needs and goals, not just to try to burn more calories or make you more fatigued.

Whether your goal is weight loss or building muscle, make sure you’re dialing in your workouts and your diet to work together!

STUDIES:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982221011209
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34453886/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34816627/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34334719/

Beneficial videos to watch next…

Weight Training For Fat Loss (5 Tips)
Benefits Of Walking
Meal Plan To Lose Fat Faster

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

The Best Workout (You Aren’t Doing)

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 11, 2022 | Blog, Diet, fat loss-featured, Workouts

It can be simply overwhelming trying to figure out how to design the best workout to tone up and see those muscle gains as you lose fat.

We want to LOOK like we workout, right?!

But there are so many options out there…

How do you know which is best?

I get asked all of the time when I share a move even…

“How many reps and sets?”

And while I know this is an annoying answer, the one I always have to give is…

“Well it depends. What are your needs, goals, current training routine, other moves you’re planning to include, equipment, schedule, previous training history….”

There are lots of variables you need to consider to get the best results possible.

And while overwhelming at times, they are also all opportunity!

But because I know it can be especially frustrating to train super hard, dial in your diet and still not see those stubborn areas change, I wanted to share one of my favorite training techniques to help…

Compound Burner Sets!

I want to take you through what these amazing sets are and how to use them as well as a few examples of them so you can get started implementing them today.

And while I know it’s tempting to just jump to what to do, because many of us just want to get started, it’s key we learn the WHY behind the techniques.

This can help us always make sure we’re tweaking things to match our specific needs and goals.

So, What Are Compound Burner Sets?

They are:

Two moves done back to back for the same area without resting
NOT a superset
One is a compound move the other a more isolation based exercise to hone in on stubborn areas
One move is done more in that hypertrophy rep range with heavy loads (6-12 reps) while the other is done for higher reps in that strength endurance range with loads that still challenge you (15-25 reps)
Rest is about 90 seconds to 2 minutes in length between rounds
2-4 rounds through each series

The theory behind them is using the post exhaust training technique.

What does this mean?

You are using that second move to fully exhaust a muscle group worked in that initial compound movement, which can lead to better muscle growth
You’re getting the benefits of using multiple rep ranges and both compound and isolation moves

This will help you build muscle and ultimately lose fat from helping increase your metabolic rate. More muscle means more calories burned at rest.

BUT to see the full benefit…You can’t ignore the importance of your diet and I’ll share something to help later on!

Tips to help you get the most out of this workout design….

This is a more advanced training technique even though it seems simple. It truly is HARDER than it looks if YOU push yourself.

You are basically trying to take a muscle close to failure and then PUSH THROUGH failure with the isolation move.

This requires you to truly try to max out with reps and not just stop at a set number because that is what was listed.

If you can easily do the top number or reps listed, add weight. If you hit the bottom of the rep range, maintain that weight until you get toward the top.

Even use rest-pause technique for the isolation move to push through and really take that muscle even “past” fatigue!

But make sure a weight never feels light!

Record what you do to try to beat next time.

Bonus Benefits….

Not only is this an amazing training design for body recomp, but you will also see strength increases because of the compound movement and lifting heavier loads.

You’ll also see your muscular conditioning, or strength endurance, improve because of pushing past failure with the isolation move!

Warning…

To really get the full benefit of this design, be conscious you are truly pushing to failure!

And do NOT cut out rest periods!

If you haven’t earned the rest and feel like you need it, you need to advance the exercise, add heavier loads, slow down the tempo and focus more on the eccentric or add a few more reps, but don’t go above 15 for that first move!

And then realize this is an advanced technique and can lead to a point of diminishing returns if done for too long when you’re really pushing for progression.

So track those numbers to be able to switch designs after 3-6 weeks or add in a de-load or recovery week!

Now how to use this design….

These sets are often best implemented in a 4-6 days a week split, using a hemisphere or upper/lower breakdown.

HOWEVER, if you make each workout full body, you can make 3 days a week work.

For each workout, create 2-4 compound sets.

If you’re doing upper and lower splits, 3 is more than enough.

For the full body set up, you may want 4 with one being even for core specific work.

For an example, if you were to design a leg workout it may look like…

#1:
6-12 reps Barbell Back Squat To Box
15-25 reps Lean Backs

#2:
6-12 reps SLDL
15-25 reps Hamstring Seated Curls

#4:
6-12 reps Band Hip Thruster
15-25 reps Band Y Reverse Hyper

Think about your heaviest biggest lift first for that first compound move of the first set. You want the lifts you can go heaviest on first before you fatigue.

Then over the sets try to vary what is worked enough that you don’t hit a point of diminishing returns.

But you want to consider the OTHER workouts as well for that week to make sure areas are getting rest and also being worked in other days.

But especially with 4 days a week, that 2 times hitting an area is a great training frequency!

You may then include a recovery day or interval cardio session on two other days if you are training 6 days a week.

(Want more amazing workouts like this one? Check out my DYNAMIC STRENGTH program!)

SUMMARY:

If you’ve been struggling to see the body recomp results you want, give this training technique a try.

Make sure to track your results and focus on small progression each week, listening to your body and not just pushing through pain.

You want to be intentional with moves.

And as I mentioned earlier, fueling correctly is key.

But it can be hard to make certain habit changes to build muscle, especially when we fear gaining weight.

That’s why I want to share the next video you should check out if you’re looking to take your results to the next level…

Check out the link for 5 habit changes to improve your results!

–> 5 Habit Changes To Build Muscle WITHOUT Gaining Fat

Is An Injury Why You Can’t Lose Fat?

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 4, 2022 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, injury-featured, Pain Relief

Let’s face it. Injuries suck but so often they aren’t what’s truly holding us back from losing weight.

Often it’s a case of the more you do, the more you do…and our diet starts to slide as we’re thrown out of our normal routine.

However, ultimately we can’t always change our situation…we can only control our perspective.

We can see it as an obstacle or as an opportunity.

How can you see this as an opportunity to actually get better fat loss results over feeling like injuries keep sabotaging your progress?

What are some new things you can EXPLORE?

– New recipes
– New hobbies
– Dialing in your rest and recovery
– Learning about rebuilding from injury – looking for perspectives on your issues and even why they occurred to ask better questions of your health care professionals.

See this as an opportunity to come back STRONGER even with so many habits dialed in to build off of!

But we’ve got to focus on controlling what we can control.

And you 100% can control how you’re fueling.

While you definitely need to train to build muscle, because you need that challenge to adapt and grow stronger. And while training can really help make the fat loss process easier and your results easier to maintain, you can honestly lose fat without doing any activity at all.

Aka being injured really isn’t an excuse!

Sure you may not be able to train exactly how you’d like, but you can see that as giving you more time to try new ratios or learn to track your diet.

Tracking your diet can also make you feel a bit more secure you’re doing what you need and have the power to adjust as you’re lifestyle evolves.

And being out with injury doesn’t mean slashing your calories lower.

While I know we often go straight to this because we feel our activity level has decreased so we’re burning fewer calories, this can also lead to more muscle mass being lost!

It can lead to impaired recovery as healing takes energy!

EAT ENOUGH!

And honestly, if you want a magic pill, protein is it!

It is the building block of all of your tissues aka all of the things that need to repair from injury.

So while you want to avoid an extreme deficit, your energy intake will decrease. And you don’t want your protein levels dropping too much during this time.

Protein can aid in your recovery and help you retain lean muscle mass, which can also help you keep lean while not training the way you’d like.

Studies have shown that “insufficient protein intake will impede wound healing and increase inflammation to possibly deleterious levels.”

It’s honestly why I even have clients take BCAAs when out with injury as they can help improve muscle mass retention and are no calories to avoid consuming too much.

And, partly due to the fact that BCAAs can help us build and retain lean muscle, but also due to the fact that isoleucine and leucine help improve glucose tolerance and increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation, they may also help you increase fat burning and fat loss. Especially when insulin sensitivity has been decreased due to a reduction in exercise.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4672013/

It’s also why I promote Collagen use during recovery periods especially as well.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and is used to make connective tissues.

Type 1 and 3 collagen are for skin health and help with sagginess, wrinkles and wound healing. Type 2 collagen is for joint health and may help relieve joint pain, swelling and stiffness.

Even take collagen with Vitamin C as vitamin c boosts natural production of collagen as well.

Plus vitamin c itself helps with tissue repair and growth

Even jut 5-15 grams of collagen with 50mg of Vitamin C can be a great bonus!

Drink enough water! Hydration is key to you healing quickly, not eating out of boredom and sleeping well!

NOW BEFORE YOU NOD YOUR HEAD AND START TRACKING WHILE HEADING BACK TO THE COUCH….

Realize you CAN truly do so much to keep training!

And this doesn’t mean pushing through the pain!!

We have to stop thinking that because we can’t train how we normally would that we can’t do anything at all.

Even just some form of training can go a long way in maintaining the muscle mass and strength we’ve built. Even if we aren’t training those same areas in the exact way we would like.

It’s sometimes about doing the minimum you can to keep that muscle memory, put the breaks on muscle mass loss and create that anabolic environment to avoid muscle catabolism.

Because even if we can’t do enough to BUILD, often we can do enough to MAINTAIN!

And there are so many ways to modify around injuries.

Ankle injury?

Try kneeling squats.

Shoulder injury, try lower body workouts.

Knee pain and want to do cardio? Try even battle ropes seated.

See this as an opportunity to have fun training around.

Even depending on the ache or pain, you can sometimes modify the exact movement to engage the correct muscles.

And then focus on this as a chance to rebuild your foundation stronger!

Do that prehab. Focus on the mind-body connection.

Learn about and address what lead to the overload.

Even find other weaknesses to work on!

Maybe this is the chance to do a deload and address other mobility restrictions or areas that have been achy in the past.

Studies have even shown that training one limb can improve strength gains in the untrained limb. So while we don’t want to go crazy, it does show that doing SOMETHING can even pay off.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31136543/

And then rebuild slowly.

Don’t just do less, truly meet yourself where you’re at so you even crave more.

And during this time as I mentioned to start, see this as an opportunity.

Dial in other areas of your healthy habits, even including your sleep.

For more on even mobility work and that full 3-part rehab process, check out the links below…

For two essential fat loss tips: https://youtu.be/hFk0UylZYX8

For more injury prevention, or prehab exercises:

Hip Mobility: https://youtu.be/W54KmnlTJwo

Knee Issues: https://youtu.be/OqzEsAnTsbY

Shoulder Mobility: https://youtu.be/elmpc3U3xHU