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Exercises For Longevity

Exercises For Longevity

by | 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

OTHER LINKS:

More on Step Downs: https://redefiningstrength.com/hate-step-ups-try-this-move-instead/

Deadlift tips: https://redefiningstrength.com/the-best-deadlift-exercise-you-arent-doing/ 

The Most UNDERRATED Bodyweight Core Exercise

The Most UNDERRATED Bodyweight Core Exercise

by | 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)

The Best Workout (You Aren’t Doing)

by | 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?

Is An Injury Why You Can’t Lose Fat?

by | 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:

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

5 Tips To Lose Stubborn Fat Faster

5 Tips To Lose Stubborn Fat Faster

by | Nov 27, 2022 | Blog, Diet, Workouts

There is nothing worse than grabbing those cute pants out of the closet to put them on…and…

AH! Not have them button!

You so desperately wanted to wear them for your holiday party. Your reunion. That big birthday.

Lucky for you, you have a bit of time to trim down and tone up…

What do you do?

How can you avoid gaining more weight and even lose the weight you’ve already gained?

If you’re thinking, “I’m doomed.

I’m too old…

I’m going through menopause…

I’m too busy…

Heck, maybe you even want to blame the pants not fitting on the dryer or dry cleaner… 

Stop blaming and start controlling what you can control!

Because there are 5 strategies you can use today to help you feel and look fabulous in those pants.

Right now, as you’re watching this, take a piece of paper or open your phone notepad write down what you’ve eaten or plan to eat today.

Write down the workouts you’re going to be using this week.

Write out your current lifestyle!

Because the best changes to see the weight loss we want are based off of what we are doing currently.

Too often we search for a perfect plan. A perfect time to start.

But there is no perfect time.

The key is taking action NOW.

That doesn’t mean though cutting out the foods you love, starving yourself or starting to train for hours a day.

I know most of us want to go all or nothing. This is what dooms us to not only fall off our plan or even worse…gain more weight!

To fit into those pants we need to make a change that is sustainable.

It might be cutting out a snack.

Walking 15 minutes extra

Drinking more water.

Far too many of us think we’re doomed to fail because we don’t have the time, energy or willpower that someone else has.

When in reality we’re trying to do too much too fast

The first key to avoiding that weight gain is to understand where you are actually starting from to make small adjustments that add up!

Then own your priorities!

If we don’t take ownership of our priorities they will become our excuses.

“I don’t have time because of my job to workout 6 days a week.”

“I can’t eat healthy because of my family.”

“I can’t lose the weight because I travel”

There are certain things in our lives we value most – like our family or our job.

And we should care about those things.

But instead of letting these things in our lives become our excuses, we need to own our priorities, recognize them and then PLAN AROUND THEM!

Design for the time you have!

If 6 days a week isn’t realistic to train don’t plan for that.

Plan for 3 days if that fits your schedule.

Maybe that means you use metabolic strength workouts over separate cardio and strength sessions. Or even full body workouts.

By designing for the time you have you’ll stay consistent and see results build.

Same goes for your nutrition.

I get not wanting to have to prep a separate meal for yourself and then one for your family.

Don’t do it!

Instead plan that meal in first to work around it.

Do you travel a ton?

Set “minimums” to keep you consistent even if they aren’t what you’d do at home.

Maybe it’s a 5 minute hotel room bodyweight workout.

Or maybe it’s trying to finding a local restaurant with healthy options

You can even avoid buying the bulk snacks so you aren’t tempted to eat extra while sitting around!

But realize that there are certain priorities in your life that won’t change and find ways to work around them instead of letting them sabotage your weight loss!

And then…STOP trying to out exercise your diet!

This saves you time and effort and you’ll see results faster.

I know it’s a mental challenge to embrace this/

You can feel so GUILTY for missing a workout or not moving every day.

I know there’s temptation to do DO MORE to lose more weight because training more can create that deficit…

But all this extra working out kept us stuck just having to do more and more to even see near the same result.

It’s even why those skinny jeans we’ve got stuffed in our closet have stayed there for..well…a bit longer than we’d like to admit.

We can’t bear to throw them out, but we feel like no amount of training is going to get us back into them. And it seems to get harder and harder to see the weight budge at all with each year.

It’s because while training burns calories our nutrition alone can make the difference

But most of us don’t want to give up our cake…or chips…

We’re comfortable being uncomfortable when it comes to training but not with our diet

That’s why it’s key we focus on using our workouts to build muscle to keep our metabolism healthy but not to burn calories.

Focus on ADDING IN more whole, natural foods. Focus on ADDING IN more protein.

Sure we know the pizza night with family or cocktail night with friends isn’t the “healthiest,” but it is also something we enjoy the most

The more we restrict those things first, the more unsustainable the changes will be.

We get good at what we do consistently so we need to find ways to create the healthiest version of our personal lifestyle.

That’s why taking the mindset of adding in to start can be so key.

When you have that pizza night, Eat one slice and ADD IN a side salad.

The nutrient dense foods can help you feel fuller while you’re enjoying your pizza.

This can help you adjust your calorie intake to create that deficit without feeling restricted.

And it can help you feel fuller while improving your vitamin and mineral intake.

Then focus on increasing your protein portions at meals.

Especially as we get older we are less able to utilize protein as efficiently to recover from our training and build lean muscle, making it even more key we increase our protein intake.

If you want to look more toned and even keep your skin, and even hair, looking healthy and young, protein is essential as it is the building blocks of all of our tissues!

Consider adding protein powder to your morning fruit smoothie or iced coffee.

Add one more ounce of chicken or steak or tofu or tempeh to your burrito bowl or pasta dish.

If you enjoy dessert, a meal traditional very low in protein, consider a tofu chocolate mousse or protein mug cake.

But focus on small changes based on your current lifestyle rather than elimination.

And while I know it is tempting to feel like these changes are too small to see results, we have to remember that we can’t out exercise or out diet time.

So often we just want to do MORE to feel more in control.

But less is truly so often more.

Losing weight isn’t just about our diet or our workout routine.

It boils down to STRESSORS.

Too much stress on our bodies and we won’t see the weight loss we want.

And I don’t just mean like stress hitting a deadline at work or stress trying to run for your flight or stress trying to make a holiday meal for 12 people coming over that night…

Our workouts and even a calorie deficit are stressors on our body. While they can be good stressors, they’re still stressors.

And trying to do too much – train longer, cut our calories lower – will ultimately backfire and those stressors will become a negative.

They can lead to hormonal imbalances, metabolic adaptations and poor sleep…all things that hold you back from losing weight while you’re working super hard to do just that.

Same thing goes for trying to cut out even “unhealthy” foods to hit some arbitrary standard of clean.

Sure we know that chocolate chip cookies aren’t rich in vitamins and minerals, but often the stress of restriction can be just as bad if it leads to overeating.

The more you can’t have something the more you want it.

Stress sabotages our consistency more than planning in a cookie to our day would have.

We have to realize that healthy habits and doing more can’t come at a cost to our balance or the stressors scale will tip the wrong way.

So, now I want you to go to your closet, pull out those pants, dress, swim suit….you know the clothing I’m talking about…that one you’re worried won’t fit…YET…

And try it on.

If the button doesn’t close, if there’s just that one spot you don’t like how it fits, don’t worry.

Because you’re going to start today, implementing these tips and see those changes adding up so you can rock this outfit!

Ready to take action?

Book a 15-Minute Action Call so we can help!

–> Book Your Call

 

Can’t Do Push ups? Try These 2 Tips

Can’t Do Push ups? Try These 2 Tips

by | Nov 20, 2022 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises

Often when we can’t do a move like push ups, we think that there is just muscle weakness we need to address.

So we start doing more strength work for those muscles like our chest or maybe shoulders or triceps.

But even doing this strength work, we can feel like we’re getting no where.

It’s because bodyweight exercises like the push ups are about muscular coordination not just strength. It’s about that mind-body connection.

The correct muscles, recruited in the correct order, to the correct extents.

It’s like an orchestra playing together…you don’t want one instrument playing too fast or too loud. Everything has to work together to make the song sound fabulous.

This is why improving your push ups is about more than just strength. You need not only your chest, shoulders and triceps working together but also your abs engaged correctly so you move efficiently as one unit and even your quads and glutes engaged to create that tension through your body.

It’s full body control and coordination.

Which is why I mentioned the importance of your BACK when it comes to push ups.

I’ve had clients with killer bench presses that can’t bust out 5 push ups in a row.

And I found out this “secret” when actually retraining myself to do push ups properly years ago.

I thought I rocked at push ups. I could bust out 20 easily from my toes.

And then…I saw a video of myself actually doing them.

I realized my push ups were FUUUUGLY.

So I put my ego away and regressed them till I could perform them with perfect form.

I had to modify off an incline to start to feel the correct muscles working, otherwise other areas would compensate.

No wonder I’d had some shoulder and neck aches over the last few months! I was overusing muscles not meant to carry the load.

And what hurt my ego even worse than modifying was the fact that push ups now felt HARDER! I couldn’t do near as many in a row!

It’s because the correct muscles were actually working.

When we first get everything engaged and working correctly, moves can actually feel HARDER as we retrain those movement and recruitment patterns.

As I built back I then realized the missing piece to a powerful press up was my upper back and scapular control.

Yes.

Core strength is key – the push up is a moving plank.

But the often overlooked area of our body that is so essential to that powerful push is our upper back and the ability for our shoulder blades to move correctly.

When you set up for a push up, you should be engaging your back to unshrug your shoulders with your hands outside your chest. You will even feel your shoulder blades slightly pulled forward as you press the ground away.

Then as you lower down in the push up, your shoulder blades should draw together toward your spine, engaging your upper back. This allows you to efficiently load your chest and support your shoulders to then power the press back up while maintaining that perfectly straight line with your body.

As you press back up, your shoulder blades should move away from your spine.

This movement of those shoulder blades is key to help you achieve that full push up from your toes while also helping you avoid neck, upper back and shoulder aches and pains.

Here are the two moves I’ve found so essential to activate your upper back to improve your muscle coordination and movement efficiency so you CAN do push ups.

First is the Scapular Wall Hold.

Honestly, this move is a must do whether you want to improve your push ups or simply your posture.

This isometric is a great way to learn how to engage your upper back to support and stabilize your shoulders while even stretching out your chest.

It’s key to include simply because you’re doing a ton of pressing work even as you’re building up those push ups.

With this move you’re using the resistance of leaning back into the wall to challenge you to engage your upper back.

But you want to think about keeping your shoulders locked down with the sides of your back as you draw your shoulder blades toward your spine to open up your chest.

Don’t arch your lower back or try to walk out further from the wall to try to advance it.

Really just focus on the engagement of your upper back coming from you mentally trying to engage those muscles harder as you draw your shoulder blades together.

Just be conscious your shoulders don’t elevate as you do.

But this stabilized position is a great way to learn how to engage that upper back to power your press.

It will even help you learn how to get that proper engagement to start the push up at the top so your shoulders aren’t shrugged and your elbows don’t want to flare out into that T position during the press back up. 

Second is the Scapular Push Up To Dolphin.

By doing this scapular stability work from a plank position, you get the added benefit of core work, which is so key for the push up from your toes as well.

This is the perfect time to train that set up in the plank, driving back through your heels to create the tension up your legs.

Like you would for the push up, you want to unshrug your shoulders when you set up from the plank off your forearms, pressing to even almost drive the ground away with your elbows.

Holding that straight line with your body, you’ll pinch your shoulder blades together without shrugging.

This is the same movement of those shoulder blades as when you lower down in the push up. You’ll then press the ground away to separate your shoulders kind of like they would separate as you push back up in the push up.

Then at the top, lift your butt up and extend your shoulders to push back into almost a downward dog position from your forearms. This is a great spinal mobility drill, but the real bonus is learning how to re-engage your upper back when moving back into plank for the scapular push up.

This engagement helps you learn to really support your shoulders with your back to power your push ups!

If you find you struggle with this move to start as it is easy to try and cheat and drop your hips to think you’re making the scapular movement bigger than it is, you may want to modify off an incline.

Like I had to, you sometimes need to regress to progress and take ego out of it.

If you’re still finding yourself not able to engage things optimally from an incline, you may even want to perform a single arm scapular push up off the wall to start.

This does take some of the core work out of it, but it can be key if you do have any imbalances or a previous injury on one side. It makes sure both sides are working correctly without one taking over.

It can even be a great variation to mix things up in your activation work!

I recommend including both of these moves as part of your activation series in your warm up before any push up work or even your upper body workouts that include pressing.

Include them for 1-2 rounds of 10-15 reps each.

They help you make sure you’re able to engage your chest, shoulders and triceps efficiently.

And for not only form cues, but how I modified the push up to rebuild for picture perfect push ups, check out my Can’t Do Push Ups, Just Do This video.