The Perfect Mobility Routine (FULL BODY FIX)

by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 11, 2021 | Blog, Foam Rolling, Pain Relief, Stretches

What are the most common aches and pains we complain about?

Neck pain? Elbow pain? Shoulder pain? Lower back pain? Hip pain? Knee pain? Ankle pain?

Basically our entire body?!

Because of previous injuries and our very sedentary, repetitive movement lifestyle, all too many of us end up with a whole host of issues.

It can make you feel like you have to spend hours a day addressing every single area that hurts. Like you have to warm up just getting out of bed.

It can make you want to give up on mobility work because you just have to keep adding more and more things in!

That’s why I wanted to show you some short cuts to improving your mobility.

Often there are a few key culprits that, if we address immobility or weakness in those places, can really help alleviate aches and pain in other areas.

We have to remember that everything is connected and that often where the pain is, isn’t where the initial problem started!

So what are 3 key areas we need to target if we want to improve our full body mobility?

Before I dive into the key areas we want to work on, I do just want to highlight the importance of doing MORE than stretching when it comes to improving your mobility.

Part of becoming more mobile isn’t simply improving the flexibility of the muscles that act on a joint. It’s also about improving the stability of that joint.

Often if muscles are underactive or weak, they will not support the joint properly and that may then lead to overload of other muscles. This can then create mobility restrictions because the joint isn’t stable and muscles aren’t able to work together properly.

This overload can lead to tightness and a lack of mobility as the body tries to protect itself from further issues and injury.

This is also why your elbow can end up injured because of a lack of proper shoulder mobility or stability. We compensate and seek out mobility and stability from other areas.

It’s why, when addressing these 3 key areas of immobility and instability, we want to take a 3-step prehab approach of foam rolling, stretching and activation.

This way we can relax overactive and shortened muscles, mobilize joints and improve the stability of these areas so the correct muscles are pulling their weight!

For each of these 3 areas, I want to share a key foam rolling, stretching and activation move to help you start working on your mobility and stability!

3 Key Areas Of Immobility And Instability:

#1: Scapular Mobility And Stability

Elbow, neck, shoulder or even upper back aches and pains? You need to make sure you have proper scapular control and mobility!

So often we get focused on only improving our shoulder mobility and we forget how much the shoulders and shoulder blades really work together to power movements. We ignore our shoulder blades and the impact their proper movement can have on protecting and stabilizing our shoulders.

From moves like pull ups to push ups, we need to have proper scapular control if we want to use the correct muscles to power the movements and prevent overload of smaller muscles like our rotator cuff.

To improve your scapular mobility and control, try including these 3 moves before your upper body workouts. It will help improve your pressing as well as your pulling!

The first move you want to include in that prehab or warm up process is Levator Scapulae Foam Rolling.

The levator scapulae contributes to a few different scapular movements from elevating your shoulder blade to downwardly rotating the scapula to even performing anterior tipping.

This muscle becoming tight can be a key culprit of neck and shoulder aches and pains!

A great way to start relaxing it to alleviate aches and pains and start to restore proper scapular functioning is by using a ball to relax and release the muscle.

Find that top middle point of your shoulder blade by your spine and either lie on a ball with it right above that edge of the shoulder blade or stand pressing back into a ball against the wall there.

Hold on the spot even slightly looking away as you press into the ball. Breathe and relax as you hold.

The second move you want to include is a stretch to open up your chest as well as even mobilize your shoulders and shoulder blades.

The Suspension Trainer Snow Angel is a great move to include especially before your workout.

While we often feel like our upper back becomes tight from sitting hunched over, we can’t ignore that this posture puts our pec muscles in a perpetually shortened state. A tight pec minor can contribute to anterior tipping of the shoulder blade while a tight pec major can contribute to that internal shoulder rotation.

This can lead to neck, upper back, shoulder and even elbow aches and pains.

Especially if you want to improve your overhead press, this is a great move to include.

When you do the Suspension Trainer Snow Angels, you want to make sure you’re engaging your upper back to open your chest up as you raise your arms up overhead.

You want to extend your thoracic spine too.

By focusing on engaging your back to drive your chest open, you make sure you actually stretch your pecs instead of just seeking out more range of motion from your shoulders.

Feel your shoulder blades move as you raise your arms overhead and then lower them back down to your sides.

The third move you will want to include is an activation exercise – the Serratus Anterior Press.

Serratus anterior weakness has been linked to neck, shoulder and even upper back aches and pains as it is a primary scapular stabilizer. (STUDY: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21889362/ )

If you’re experiencing scapular winging or upper body dysfunction, strengthening the serratus anterior is key as it will help posteriorly tip the shoulder blade as well as help you perform proper upward rotation of the shoulder blade.

Both of these movements are key to keeping your neck and shoulders healthy during overhead pressing (not to mention this may even help prevent overload at your elbows and even lumbar spine!)

With the Serratus Anterior Press, it is key you feel yourself pulling your shoulder blade forward around your ribs as you reach out. You aren’t just doing a unilateral chest press. You want to focus on the movement being felt around your ribs as you protract your shoulder blade or pull it away from your spine.

You want to also punch slightly up at an incline as you feel like you’re almost reaching out at the end. Focus on what you feel working over trying to simply go heavier.

#2: Hip Mobility And Stability

Lower back, hip or knee pain? Groin strains? Hamstring pulls? You need to work on your hip mobility and stability.

We’ve all been told we are spending too much time seated.

But this constant hip flexion is creating mobility restrictions at our lumbo-pelvic-hip complex that has far reaching effects. It’s not only why we can feel our lower back taking over during deadlifts by also even why we can fear knee pain from lunging!

That’s why it’s key we start by relaxing those overactive and shortened hip flexor muscles.

The first move you want to include is Rectus Femoris Foam Rolling.

This quad muscle is so key to release and lengthen because it not only flexes the hip but also extends the knee.

The direct impact it has on both joints can contribute to hip and knee pain not to mention even perpetuate quad dominance and anterior pelvic tilt, leading to lower back issues and even hamstring strains. This muscle may even impact your SI joint health and functioning because it can contribute to rotation of the pelvis.

To roll this muscle, you can use a roller or ball. The smaller and harder the trigger point tool, the more it will dig in.

Find the middle of your thigh about half way down and lie over the foam roller or ball. You can even flex and relax your quad to help the muscle relax and release.

The second move you want to include is the Side Lunge to Crescent.

Your adductors, or inner thighs, not only adduct or bring your legs together, they’re also hip flexors and hip internal rotators.

The only exception to this is the posterior fibers of the adductor magnus, which can contribute to hip external rotation and hip extension. This muscle can become overworked especially if our glutes are weak!

And all too often the adductors become tight and overworked just like your other hip flexor muscles.

Your adductors becoming overworked can potentially contribute to anterior pelvic tilt and lower back aches and pains not to mention groin strains, hip pain and even knee pain.

Specifically the gracilis can have an impact on your knee and even your lower leg!

That’s why this dynamic stretch is the perfect way to warm up your legs while working to improve your hip mobility.

Make sure that as you do the side lunge portion you aren’t turning your toes in or out. You want them to be parallel to really stretch out your adductors. Keep one leg straight as you hinge at the hips to load that other glute. Watch that your knee, ankle and hip are all in line. Also make sure your heels are down.

When you shift to the other side, pause before turning into the crescent lunge. When you come up in the crescent, focus on that front knee being in line with your hip and ankle and your back glute engaging to extend that back hip.

You want to be conscious to use your glutes to drive that hip extension and not just arch your back as you come up in the lunge.

The third move you want to include to activate your glutes and improve your hip stability is Side Shift Skaters.

All too often our glutes are underactive and not properly stabilizing our pelvis or hips. This can lead to lower back, hip, knee and even ankle and foot aches and pain. It can even create dysfunction up your trunk that can impact your shoulders.

It’s why it’s key we include glute activation moves in our routines to improve that hip stability. And it’s even better when we can include unilateral moves to correct imbalances while also working on our balance.

With Side Shift Skaters, you’re going to work on activating not only your glute max to improve hip extension, but also your glute medius to improve your hip stability and prevent unwanted movement in that frontal plane (or your pelvis shifting out to the side as you balance).

Strengthening your glute medius can not only improve glute max functioning but it can also help you improve your running gait and help you avoid knee injuries and issues from improper lunging or squatting patterns.

With this move, focus on crossing the leg behind as you hinge at the hips to push your butt back.

You want to pop the hip to the side so that as you stand up you not only extend your hip using your glute, but also then push the pelvis level using that glute medius.

While you want to be focused on working your glutes in this move, don’t ignore your foot’s connection to the ground. Think about driving the ground away as you come to balance on one leg to even create better activation up your entire leg!

#3: Ankle Mobility And Stability

Plantar Fasciitis. Ankle sprains. These issues are all too common.

Yet all too often we simply rest these injuries then jump back into what we were doing.

We never address WHY we had the problems in the first place OR even work to prevent future problems from the injuries themselves.

Injuries interrupt our natural recruitment patterns and can create mobility restrictions. We can’t ignore them!

It’s why prehab work to work on ankle mobility and stability is so key. Your feet are your foundation. Issues there can lead to compensations up your entire kinetic chain!

If you want to squat lower and have a more efficient running gait? You need to pay attention to your feet and ankles!

The first move you want to include is Peroneal Foam Rolling.

Tightness of this muscle can lead to what looks like a leg length discrepancy or even a weight shift during squatting, which can result in not only ankle issues but also knee, hip and lower back pain.

That’s why it’s key you start your mobility routine by relaxing this often shortened and overactive muscle, even focusing potentially on just one side.

A ball works best for this move although you can use a roller. You will want to press the outside of your lower leg down into the ball and hold as you even circle your foot. Don’t roll quickly but move the ball down the outside of your lower leg to target different trigger points, holding when you find one.

The second move to include is a great stretch to improve both the mobility of your feet but also your ankles – the Bear Squat to Foot Stretch.

Improving your dorsiflexion and big toe extension is more important than you think. It’s not only key to your foot and ankle health, but it can impact your gait and full hip and knee range of motion.

So often when our prehab work isn’t adding up for other areas, it’s because the culprit is actually at our foundation.

That’s why the Bear Squat to Foot Stretch is such a key move to include in your warm up routine. When you sit back on your feet, you want to extend your toes. Only sit back as far as you can while relaxing into the stretch. You can rock slightly side to side before putting your hands down on the ground to drive your heels down.

This isn’t about creating a pretty downward dog as you lift your butt up to drive your heels down.

Your hands will be in closer so you can focus on that ankle mobility. When you drive your heels down you’re working on your ankle dorsiflexion or the ability to bring your foot closer to your shin. You can pedal your feet then sit back and repeat the foot stretch.

The third move to include is a move to activate your calf but by working it through an increased range of motion.

If we don’t strengthen through the range of motion we are trying to create, we won’t maintain that new found ROM.

That’s why Plate Weight Eccentric Calf Raises are a great move to include.

Eccentric focused calf raises have been shown to be great for helping with achilles tendon issues not to mention heel pain and plantar fasciitis. And this can have a far reaching impact because studies have shown that Achilles tedinopathy may impact glute activation. (STUDY: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/24121244)

And by performing this move through a bigger range of motion than off the ground, you’ll help to really strengthen and maintain that mobility you’ve worked hard to build with the rolling and stretching. You’ll be strong through that full range of dorsiflexion to plantar flexion.

With this move make sure you don’t rock in or out on your feet.

Pause at the bottom as well to release tension and not use momentum. And make sure to very slowly lower down to spend more time under tension.

If you don’t have a plate weight, you can do it off a step or box even. If you even have an imbalance, you can do this as a unilateral variation instead too.

SUMMARY:

Whether you need to address mobility and stability issues in all 3 areas, or even simply one, you can combine the foam rolling, stretching and activation moves into a quick prehab or warm up routine.

Spending just 30-45 seconds per move, or per side, you can use all of these to get in an amazing head to toe mobility routine that’s under 11 minutes!

Want help improving your posture, getting rid of aches and pains and dialing in your overall routine to achieve freaking amazing and sustainable results?!

Uhm heck yes! OF COURSE!

I mean? Honestly? WHO DOESN’T!?

If you need help dialing in your prehab, workouts and nutrition so they all work together in one comprehensive plan?

Check out my online one on one coaching program!

I’m a corrective exercise NERD and I want to help you move and feel your best!

(I’m also a control freak so I love getting to tweak things and hold you accountability daily while actually TEACHING you what you need to attain LASTING results.)

–> Online One On One Coaching

How to FIX Low Back Pain – Do These 4 Moves

by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 4, 2021 | Blog, Butt, Core, Exercises, Pain Relief, Stretches

If you’ve ever suffered from lower back aches and pains?

You aren’t alone.

Lower back pain is one of the most common injuries, with at least 80% of Americans suffering from lower back pain at some point in their life.

And the worst part? All too often it becomes a continual annoyance.

However, too often in our attempt to prevent future issues, we do exactly the WRONG thing,

So what do you need to STOP doing if you want to truly keep your lower back from continually aching?

And what should you be doing instead?

First let me go over what is often actually occurring leading to nagging lower back aches and pains.

While there can be many different causes, and you always want to get checked out whenever possible to determine what is causing your pain, often our issues stem from our lower back becoming overworked and overloaded.

This occurs because of postural distortions from our modern lifestyles and even compensations and imbalances caused by previous injuries.

That ankle or knee injury you had years ago?

That can create a sequence of events that finally led to overload and your lower back suffering the effects of the build up.

But instead of addressing these others areas of immobility or weakness?

We instead only focus on the point of pain – our lower back.

And often we assume our lower back hurts because it is weak.

We believe that weakness is why it fatigues during moves and why we often feel it during core work.

So what do we do?

We find moves to strengthen it – like Supermans.

But this is often exactly what we should NOT be doing!

While supermans have their place in a proper core strengthening routine, too often we turn to moves like this when we have lower back aches and pains.

And all these moves do is further overload and overwork our already tired back.

They perpetuate the overuse instead of addressing what is actually weak and the areas that actually lack immobility.

So what moves should you be doing instead?

4 Key Moves To Fix Lower Back Pain:

When you’re suffering from lower back pain there are 4 key things you need to address, thoracic mobility, hip mobility, ab activation and glute activation.

You need to make sure you aren’t seeking out extra mobility from your lumbar spine that should be coming from your thoracic spine or hips.

You also want to make sure that your abs and glutes are strong to protect your lower back and prevent it from becoming overworked.

Here are 4 great moves to help you address these 4 keys and avoid lower back aches and pains in the future!

#1: Kneeling Thoracic Extension Stretch

Ever realize you’re constantly hunching over? Whether it’s over your computer, in a car or even just while sitting watching TV?

This constant flexion can lead to limited thoracic extension and thoracic mobility in general. And when our thoracic spine doesn’t extend properly, we may then seek out mobility from other areas to help us mimic proper movement during an exercise.

So if you’ve ever noticed you arch your lower back to keep your chest up as you squat or you arch your lower back to press better overhead, you may need to work on that thoracic extension!

A perfect move to do just that is the Kneeling Thoracic Extension and lat stretch.

To do the Kneeling Thoracic Extension Stretch, kneel on the ground and place your elbows up on a box or bench in front of you. Set up far enough back that you can drop your chest toward the ground, extending your shoulders, as you sit your butt back toward your heels.

Pull a towel tight between your hands to help you avoid your shoulders rotating open as you lower your chest toward the ground.

Then drop your chest toward the ground, focusing on extending your upper back. Brace your abs and make sure you aren’t just arching your lower back as you press your chest down.

You may feel a stretch down the backs of your arms and the sides of your back. Pause for a second then relax out and repeat.

If you can’t get down on the ground, you can also do this as a half wall hang, placing your hands up on a wall in front of you.

#2: Lying Bench Hip Stretch

Stretch out your hip flexors as you activate your glutes to improve your hip extension with the Lying Bench Hip Stretch.

The psoas, a hip flexor muscle, plays a key role in our posture and pelvic positioning. When this muscle becomes tight it can limit hip mobility, which can lead to underactive glutes and your lower back becoming overworked.

Often to compensate for the lack of proper hip mobility, you’ll arch your back during moves. And because your glutes are weak? You’ll try to compensate by using your lower back to lift.

That’s why this a great hip stretch to include. It can really help you relax the psoas as you activate your glutes to control that hip extension.

To do the Lying Bench Hip Stretch, lie back on a bench with your butt right at the edge of the bench. Let one leg hang down toward the ground with your knee bent around 90 degrees as you hug the other knee in toward your chest. Wrap your hands around your shin, right below your knee to hug it in.

As you hug that knee in, squeeze the glute of the leg hanging down to really drive your hip into extension almost as if you’re pressing the heel of that foot through the ground.

Pause then tuck that knee up toward your chest before extending the foot back down toward the ground.

As you extend your hip, squeeze your glute and pause before repeating.

#3: Lying Jacks

If your glutes are underactive and weak, your lower back and hamstrings will try to pick up the slack and work when they shouldn’t.

And either of those muscle groups becoming overworked can perpetuate your lower back aches and pains.

That’s why it is key you activate your glutes so they engage correctly during compound lifts and when you run.

With the Lying, you’ll target not only your glute max, but also your glute medius. This will be key to improving your hip stability.

And you learn how to engage those glutes to even control hip hyperextension. Too often we allow our lower back to become the prime mover in this movement, when really our glutes should be in control.

To do this move, place a mini band around your legs above your knees. Lie on the bench and press your hips down into the bench.

Engage your glutes to lift your legs to about parallel to the ground. Make sure you’re pressing down into the bench and using your glutes over arching your back.

Holding at the top press your legs out and open against the band. Control the press open then bring your legs back together and repeat.

To modify you can do this off the ground. Just make sure you are truly lifting using those glutes and not arching your lower back just to get up higher!

#4: Anti-Rotational Dead Bugs

Being able to avoid unwanted rotation and correctly brace your abs is also key to protecting your lower back. If our abs are weak, our lower back may engage to help us perform the movement.

Anti-Rotational Dead Bugs is a key move to include to help you activate not only your abs but also your obliques to fight rotation and protect your lower back.

To do Anti-Rotational Dead Bugs, anchor a band down low and hold one handle in both hands so your side is to the anchor point. Lie flat on your back with your hands gripping the handle extended straight up toward the ceiling.

Make sure not to shrug.

Engage your abs with a posterior pelvic tilt, tucking your hips slightly up toward your ribs as you lift your feet up off the ground.

Fighting the urge to rotate toward the anchor point, keep your hands pressed out directly above the center of your chest. As you hold, extend one leg out as you keep the other knee tucked in. Slowly bicycle your legs, extending the other out as you tuck your other knee in.

Move slowly. This move is best done for time on each side!

SUMMARY:

If you’re sick of lower back aches and pains, STOP allowing it to become overworked. Improve your thoracic and hip mobility while learning how to correctly engage and recruit your abs and glutes to protect your lower back!

Ready to eliminate aches and pains?! Check out my Injury Prevention Pack.

Foam Roll + Stretch + Activate!

The Best Meal Plan To Lose Fat Faster (TRY THIS!)

by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 30, 2021 | Blog, Diet

No matter how much we may try, we can’t out exercise our diet. Trust me, I’ve tried.

If we want the best, and fastest fat loss results possible, we need to dial in our diet to complement our workouts.

That’s why today I want to take you through a typical day of eating that helped me transform from this to this, but before I do, let’s take a look at what truly makes a diet effective for fat loss….

Now the question is, what diet is the BEST when it comes to fat loss?

Daily it seems a new diet arises claiming to be the secret to all of our struggles. They promise us fast fixes. Instant results.

But if it sounds too good to be true?

Guess what, it is!

No matter what dietary preference you choose, from Paleo to Vegetarian to Low Fat to Keto, macronutrients and how you create your calorie deficit through your macro breakdown, is what makes the diet truly work.

There are no magic fat loss foods.

And cutting out whole foods groups just because someone said to isn’t a sustainable plan, especially if you happen to love the food you have to cut out!

If you want lasting fat loss results, you’ve got to dial in your macros to create a calorie deficit that keeps you feeling fueled while still allowing you to enjoy the foods you love.

Because if your diet feels like a horrible chore and if it doesn’t fit your lifestyle?

No matter how healthy it is? You aren’t going to be able to stick with it.

And fat loss requires consistency with your plan!

The key is finding something that doesn’t cause you to feel super restricted so that you want to rebel.

As you create the perfect plan for you, consider these 4 key things…

KEY FACTORS FOR CREATING YOUR MEAL PLAN:

#1: Create a smaller calorie deficit.

While it’s so tempting to try to do more to speed up results, like working out harder while eating less, this aggressive calorie deficit will ultimately backfire, especially the closer you are to your goal.

Not only can it lead to us feeling hungry and moody, or as I like to say HANGRY, but it can also cause us to catabolize more muscle tissue and actually lose fat slower.

It can lead to hormonal issues and quicker metabolic adaptations.

And often, simply the fact that we always feel hungry, can cause us to give up on the plan.

So if you want to maximize your fat loss while minimizing muscle loss, don’t go too aggressive with the calorie deficit.

While conventional wisdom says to cut your maintenance calories by up to 500 per day to lose 1lbs per week (which is safe and sustainable weight loss), you may start with a more moderate deficit especially to start of only 250 calories.

Even consider adjusting your macro ratio BEFORE you really start slashing calories lower because as much as we are told they are, calories are NOT all created equal.

#2: Focus on protein first.

While yes, weight loss in its simplest form is about calories in vs calories out, only focusing on a calorie deficit, can often lead to lackluster results.

Studies have shown that not only can increasing protein lead to better fat loss results, even while in a calorie surplus, but increasing protein can also help you retain and even GAIN muscle while in a deficit.

By focusing on getting more protein with each meal, you can help yourself achieve better body composition while feeling full and fueled in part due to the higher thermic effect of protein, which helps increase energy expenditure and create that calorie deficit.

So don’t fear getting “bulky” by adding in more protein. It may be what you need to actually look leaner!

#3: Adjust carbs and fat based on your workout routine and what you enjoy.

While so many popular diet emphasize adjust carbs or fat, studies have shown that, when protein is kept constant, neither a lower fat diet or a lower carb diet is really superior. That actually what impacts the results seen in the studies is the amount of protein, with the higher protein ratio almost always coming out superior.

How you adjust your carbs and fats may be dependent on the type of training you do, your overall activity level and simply the types of foods you enjoy. Specific medical conditions may even make one optimal for you and your health.

The key is making sure you feel fueled and that you can SUSTAIN the plan you choose. Choosing to go no carb if you love carbs will ultimately backfire.

And you’re an endurance athlete, for instance, you won’t want to cut your carbs super low. Whereas if you aren’t really training intensely, or even at all right now, you may want to decrease carbs and instead go slightly higher fat.

#4: Plan in foods you love.

When most of us start making diet changes, often the first thing to go is the food we love the most – our salty snack or sweet treat.

We cut this food out because we know it isn’t good for us.

However, this often backfires as it’s also the thing we want the most and we therefore miss having it in our diet.

So when we do indulge because we can’t take the restriction any longer? We often overeat.

That’s why it is key we find either healthy alternatives that satisfy us OR even start by planning in that food we love first.

The diet that will be most sustainable, and ultimately help us achieve the best results, is the one that helps us lead a healthier version of OUR lifestyle – not one that tries to live up to someone else’s standard of “clean.”

Because I’m a dessert person, I will often plan in the dessert I’m craving FIRST and work backward from that meal. That way I can hit my ratios, make tweaks to other meals but also not feel restricted.

So when first starting out, strike that balance and don’t feel you have to cut out things you enjoy. Work around them while maybe adjusting things you aren’t as attached to.

So what does a typical day of eating look like for me?

(Ready to create a sustainable plan based on YOUR needs and goals? Book a strategy call with Redefining Strength TODAY! –> Book Now)

A Typical Day Of Eating:

When cutting I like to cycle ratios every one to two weeks. Often I will repeat 40/30/30 or 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat a few times throughout my fat loss phase. I like to set a calorie range from 1600-1700.

This means I consume between 160-170g of protein, 120-128 g of carbs, 53-57 g of fat per day.

I like to keep meal prep simple, repeating a handful of meals over the week. This keeps grocery shopping and even planning ahead quick and easy.

Studies have even shown that potentially more variety in your diet is associated with overeating and weight gain.

Plus, when you repeat the same meals and can even prep ahead of time, you have quick and easy options on hand when you’re stressed or busy and often tempted to reach for something not as healthy or inline with your goals..

I will even include a few restaurant meals in my planning so that I can have quick and healthy swaps when on the go.

One other quick side note about MEAL TIMING I’d like to mention…

You have traditional bodybuilding on one side that swears by 6 small meals a day. On the other side you have Intermittent Fasting and diets that often will even promote 1-2 meals a day to help you create that calorie deficit.

Both claim that their specific meal timings is key for fat loss.

My personal stance is to focus on fueling based on YOUR schedule. If you workout first thing in the morning at 5 am, fasting till 1 pm may be a horrible idea.

While forcing yourself to eat breakfast if you like sleeping late and skipping it, may also just lead to you overeating.

For me, I often like to fast till after my workout and then consume 2 smaller and 2 larger meals during the day. However, I never force myself to skip a meal if I’m hungry.

Pre-Workout:

My day of eating starts with just a black cup of coffee.

I’ll usually drink a cup or two an hour or so before I workout as caffeine has been shown to enhance training performance both for cardio and strength workouts.

It’s the only energy “supplement” I will personally ever take or ever even promote to clients if they ask about a pre-workout.
Coffee not only can give me that boost for my workout, but it has also been shown to aid in fat loss, increasing your metabolic rate. Studies have shown that consuming caffeine can promote better weight loss through thermogenesis and fat oxidation.

After my workout, I’ll eat my first meal. I usually try to eat this within an hour of finishing my training to make the most of that post-workout anabolic window.

Meal #1 (Post workout):

Because this is a post workout meal, I focus on a quick digesting protein as well as a great carb source to replenish muscle glycogen and promote better muscle protein synthesis.

While your overall macros for the day are the most important, this is a great way to optimize your recovery while maintaining muscle in a calorie deficit.

My go-to is Oatmeal, a scoop of whey protein and berries. This meal is filling while getting my muscles what they need. And it’s an easy one to take on the go as well.

Meal #2 (Lunch):

For lunch I like to have something prepped ahead of time so I don’t have to cook midday.

One of the best tools out there for meal prep, is the slow cooker. Set it and let it do the cooking for you for the week.

You can prep a ton of meat ahead of time to use in different things.

I love to prep a 5 ingredient Slow Cooked Chicken Fajitas from my Lazy Kitchen cookbook. I can then use the meat for tacos, in a burrito bowl with rice on a salad or even on a baked potato depending on what other meals that day I’m pairing it with.

For 40/30/30 I really love the baked potato because it is also super filling. I’ll top that mixture with 2 tbsp of guacamole for some added healthy fats.

Meal #3 (Dinner):

For dinner, I’ll often focus more on just a simple protein and veggie based meal.

Each week I try to include a couple of meals with fish or fresh seafood for not only the healthy fats, but also micronutrient benefits, including Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Iodine, and Selenium.

While we can see amazing results hitting our macros even if we include some…well…not as quality fuel, we promote optimal functioning of our body and therefore the best possible results when we focus on not only our macros but also our micronutrient intake.

Salmon is one of my favorite fish to include. I like to blacken it in the airfryer with even some basic garlic steamed broccoli.

Steaming vegetables is a great way to help them maintain as much of their nutritional value as possible.

Because I don’t like cooking fish often, I may even go out to one of my favorite local spots, Bear Flag to get this meal done for me. Having those quick go-to meals out is a great way to stay on track while still getting to relax and not have to worry about meal prep!

Meal #4 (Dessert):

I grew up having dessert every night. And in the past when I would go on a diet, this would be the first thing to go. But that’s why nothing was ever sustainable.

Now I always include dessert to strike that balance right for me.

To start I would even work backward, planning in dessert first to make sure I could hit my macros with my other meals.

Right now I’m loving vanilla greek yogurt with granola and peanuts. I don’t worry about when I eat this at night. I know there’s a popular meal timing myth saying you’ll gain fat if you eat late at night, but that simply isn’t true.

If you hit your calories and macros for the day, it doesn’t matter if you eat them later at night!

I find this last meal of the day helps me avoid getting hungry and allows me to fast till my workout the next day.

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

Remember the key to losing fat is creating a diet plan you can be consistent with.

Don’t slash your calories so low you become hungry.

And make sure to focus on hitting your macros while including foods you enjoy.

For quick and easy recipes, that all scan into my fitness pal, check out my cookbook collection at RSChef.com!

STUDIES:

– https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/103/3/738/4564609
– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22150425/

– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4022420/

– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4617900/

– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC524030/

– https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/87/5/1558S/4650426

– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29466592/

– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22935440/

– https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul1273325.pdf

– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28409508/

– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28537195/

– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30629046

– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30335479/

– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7369170/

– https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16076989/

– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6142015/

– https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-015-0109-4

– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6642616/

Can’t Do Pull Ups? Just Do This!

by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 28, 2021 | Blog, Pull Ups

The pull up is an amazing, and challenging, bodyweight back exercise.

And too often we simply throw up our hands and say “I can’t do a pull up” then completely avoid the movement.

Or we say we’re too old, too heavy, our arms are too long…pick an excuse….we make it!

But there is an amazing way to modify this move to practice that vertical pull and build up your grip, arm and back strength while working on your scapular mobility.

And NO it’s not the band pull up.

So what variation of the pull up do I love to use and why do I avoid the band pull up if possible?

And what are three key moves to help you build up to that first full one?

Avoiding the Band Pull Up:

So often we turn to bands for assistance. But band assisted pull ups have one major drawback…

They give you assistance in a way that you don’t have to learn that initial scapular movement and engagement of your back.

They put you ABOVE that dead hang so that you don’t learn how to initiate scapular depression to go from that dead hang to engaged.

It can also be hard to really adjust the tension fully to exactly what you need, especially as you fatigue.

That’s why I prefer the Foot Assisted variation.

Why I Love The Foot Assisted Pull Up:

Using just your feet, you can provide only as much assistance as you need to feel your back working. And as you fatigue, you can adjust.

While you don’t want to turn this into a lower body move, using your toes to assist can allow you to reduce the resistance on your upper body to focus on your back pulling.

AND you can work through that full range of motion, applying more or less resistance at stick points in the exercise.

It can also allow you to slow down the tempo or use just the foot assistance on the way up before performing a slow eccentric lower, even without using your feet!

Focusing on the eccentric can allow you to use a more advanced variation to build up than you may be able to control for the full movement because we are generally stronger during the eccentric portion of a lift!

And when you slow down the tempo, you can spend more time under tension to improve your strength and control!

Three Key Accessory Moves:

As you work on your pull ups, these are 3 key accessory moves that can help you target imbalances, improve your scapular control and strengthen your grip and abs! They are perfect moves to include in your circuits or sets after your intial pull up skill work.

1: Mini Pull Ups

If you’ve ever thought, “If I could just jump over that initial part, I could do one.” You need to include mini pull ups in your routine.

This is the perfect way to learn how to depress your shoulder blades and engage your back so you power the pull with your back.

Do not rush this move and really focus on leading with your chest.

Do not bend your arms to try to make the movement bigger. Often we want to use our biceps to power the pull, but this move helps us avoid doing that.

Focus on engaging your back and drawing your shoulder blades down toward your back pockets. Think about slightly opening your chest up toward the bar as you think about unshrugging your shoulders.

And if you need to modify to control the move, try a foot-assisted variation!

2: Single Arm Lat Pulldown

Strengthen your back and improve your scapular control with this unilateral move that will also help you correct any imbalances.

Especially if you’ve ever had a shoulder injury, this is a key move to help you avoid injury as you work on your pull ups.

I love using a band for this move as it will apply more resistance where your lats are strongest. It applies more resistance at the end range of motion.

Just make sure you don’t push down on the band as you perform the move and turn this into a tricep exercise. Think about driving your elbows back and toward your hip. Feel your shoulder blade move down as you pull.

Then fully extend out as you reach back overhead to take your shoulder blade through a full range of motion.

You want to make sure too that you’re mimicking a vertical pull. Don’t turn this into a row. Focus on that hinge and thoracic extension so your arm moves in line with your spine.

3: Hanging Abs

Often we don’t recognize how core intensive the pull up is.

But if we want to improve our pull ups, we need to build up our core strength.

Hanging abs are a great way to do just that. They can improve your grip and core strength at the same time. They even can help you work on that initial back engagement.

Make sure to engage your back as you perform these hanging ab exercises. It will also help you prevent yourself from swinging a ton.

If you need to start by modifying because you can’t control the move, you can do a variation lying on the ground, holding on to a pole behind you. This will allow you to still engage your back and better activate your abs as you raise your legs or tuck your knees in.

Using these three moves, and the foot assisted pull up variation, you can improve your pull ups and start working toward that first full one!

Ready to rock those pull ups? Take my 30-Day Pull Up Challenge!

How To Awaken Your Glutes – 3 Keys

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 14, 2020 | Blog, Butt, Pain Relief

You may be thinking, “Awaken my glutes?!” But if they weren’t awake, how could I stand up!?

While our glutes are working, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to stand up, that doesn’t mean they’re functioning well let alone optimally.

And the fact that you aren’t able to utilize that oh so powerful muscle group efficiently or effectively may be why you have lower back, hip, knee, groin, hamstring…even ankle aches and pains.

It’s also why terms like “dead butt,” “sleepy butt” and “gluteal amnesia” have become more and more popular.

So then why may we be struggling to awaken our glutes?

Unfortunately, our daily desk job, or work posture, may be partly to blame.

We often spend far too much time seated, which keeps our hips in constant flexion. This consistent hip flexion leads to overactive and tight hip flexors and underactive glutes.

You may be thinking, “Well I squat and deadlift if my workouts so shouldn’t that then activate my glutes?”

The simple answer is…

No.

And the whole “squat for a better butt thing” may actually be why you AREN’T seeing the glute results you want!

While squats and deadlifts are AMAZING and ESSENTIAL compound moves, we can often use improper recruitment patterns to try and mimic proper movement patterns when performing these moves.

Say whaaat?!

Basically, we’re using the wrong muscles to try and make the move look correct.

It’s why you may feel your lower back during deadlifts over your glutes. Or feel only your quads during squats. Or maybe even your hamstrings during glute bridges.

All of these muscles are becoming overworked trying to take on extra because your glutes aren’t pulling their weight.

And this compensation is what leads to overload of muscles that shouldn’t be made to carry the load of work they’re being asked to perform.

And that overload is what leads to injury.

That’s why I wanted to share 3 key tips to help you awaken your glutes BEFORE you lift, run or ride!

How To AWAKEN YOUR GLUTES – 3 Keys:

These 3 key tips will help you establish a more efficient mind-body connection to engage those glutes properly during exercises.

They focus on a key, but often missing component. of our warm up and prehab process – ACTIVATION EXERCISES.

Whether due to our modern desk job posture or even previous injury, all too often we have imbalances and compensations we need to correct.

These tips will help you do that to get those glutes firing!

1. Isolate To Activate

So you may be thinking, “What even are activation exercises?”

Activation exercises are very isolated movements that help you focus on only the muscle you actually want to work working.

These very isolated movements are the perfect way to make sure you’re actually engaging, or activating, the muscle you want to work.

In this case, your GLUTES!

Activation moves are isolation exercises done with bodyweight or very light loads. They aren’t the moves you focus on adding heavy loads to.

They generally have smaller ranges of motion and create peak tension on the glutes when the muscles are shortened.

These activation moves are often the “silly-looking” moves we dismiss because we think only women wearing leg warmers do them to get a bigger butt.

But these very targeted moves help us focus on what we feel working.

You want to think about these moves as a chance to use your MIND to engage the muscles harder not on trying to progress the weight you can lift.

You want to be thinking, “What do I actually feel working?” And actually KNOW what you feel working.

When you use these moves in your warm up, you’ll perform higher reps for fewer sets.

You want to create a “burn” or “pump” with these moves. This pump makes it easier for you to then know your glutes are working when you go into compound lifts or hit the trails.

But you don’t want to go to fatigue with these moves. You just want to feel your glutes working, feel that burn build, then stop and move into your training!

You also need to remember, you are NEVER above these basics. And the better your mind-body connection?

The easier it should be to feel those glutes working even with a very basic, simple moves such as the bodyweight glute bridge!

2. Activate And Stretch

Often when our hips feel tight, or we know we’ve spent far too much time seated, we turn to stretching.

But so often when we stretch, we’re only focused on relaxing the overactive muscle. We aren’t focused on then getting the correct muscles working.

It’s why it can feel like we spend all of this time stretching to just constantly end up tight again!

So while stretching is an important component of your mobility routine, it’s key we realize that by focusing on activation exercises we are also stretching out those tight and shortened hip flexors.

Through a process called reciprocal inhibition you are stretching out your hips by activating your glutes.

Reciprocal inhibition is a neurologic process where muscles on one side of a joint relax to accommodate the contraction of muscles on the other side of that joint.

Your glutes contract, which means your hip flexors then have to relax to allow the extension.

It’s why it’s so key we include those isolation activation exercises.

They allow us to focus on actually engaging our glutes to correctly perform hip extension and therefore relax and stretch those tight hip flexors.

Too often when we ask our body to perform hip extension if we haven’t first “awakened” our glutes, we end up arching our lower back to compensate or even end up creating other pelvic alignment issues in an attempt to mimic the movement pattern we can’t correctly control.

That’s why we want to include these activation moves to not only stretch but also engage those underactive muscles!

These activation moves allow us to improve our hip mobility AND our hip stability to prevent aches and pains so we can run faster, cycle further and lift more.

3. Use Different Postures And MultiPlanar Movements

When we think about our glutes, we have to consider all of the joint actions this muscle group performs – hip extension, hyperextension, abduction, external rotation.

That’s why it is key we address all 3 glute muscles and include activation moves that move our hips through multiple planes of motion.

You want to include things like lateral raises but also bridges and reverse hypers. You want to think about moves that are straight lateral raises to the side but that also include rotation.

And then you also want to consider different POSTURES.

While it may seem like a small tweak to a move, slightly different body positions can impact how easily we are able to establish that mind-body connection to engage those glutes. And different postures can even impact what aspect of each glute muscle we activate.

Based on our builds, and even previous injuries and mobility restrictions, we may find some positions harder than others to properly activate our glutes in.

This doesn’t mean we avoid these movements. It just means we need to build up to them or even include other moves FIRST to help establish that mind-body connection BEFORE we implement those moves we struggle with.

It’s why doing a seated clam type movement may be easier for you than a side lying variation.

While both are needed, as you want to be able to engage your glute medius through different degrees of hip flexion and hip extension, you also want to make sure to start with the move you can control and build up to the movement you struggle with.

If you just implement the other movement while NOT feeling the correct muscles working? You may end up making your aches and pains worse by PERPETUATING those improper recruitment patterns.

Basically, you’ll keep overloading the muscles that are overworked even while doing the supposedly “right” moves.

Being able to engage the correct muscles is key if we want to avoid injury and truly build functional strength.

It’s why we want to include a diversity of activation moves that work our glutes in multiple planes of motion using different postures!

READY TO AWAKEN YOUR GLUTES?

If you want results, you can’t just randomly string moves together “hoping” they’ll work.

You need to create a clear plan and progression.

And it’s not just enough to find the supposedly “best” activation moves and then just use those.

You need to actually be conscious of what you FEEL working during those exercise.

The “right” moves don’t get results if the correct muscles aren’t working.

Sometimes slight tweaks to form make all the difference…like turning down your toe and internally rotating that lower leg on lateral raises so your TFL doesn’t compensate for your glute medius!

Or like driving your knees toward your toes when you bridge up so you don’t feel your hamstrings or lower back taking over for your glutes.

That’s why I created my Booty Burner program.

I wanted to help clients activate their glutes with quick series they could even ultimately use as part of their warm up routine before their lifting sessions, runs or rides.

I wanted to help them establish that mind-body connection to improve their hip stability and mobility to avoid lower back, hip and even knee pain.

I wanted to show them how they could isolate to activate, activation and stretch and use different postures and multiplanar movements to get the amazing results they wanted.

I wanted to take all of the guesswork out of awakening those glutes to create those more efficient and effective recruitment patterns.

So if you’re ready to have a clear plan laid out for you with FOLLOW ALONG WORKOUT VIDEOS so I can coach you through the moves and help you modify as you need to actually get your glutes working?

Then it’s time to start my Booty Burner series!

These series, ranging from 3 minutes to 15 minutes are a great way to establish that mind-body connection and truly build strong glutes with a clear plan laid out for you!

Get the workouts and awaken those glutes TODAY!

–> The Booty Burner Workouts

Lower Ab Exercises (YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG)

by Cori Lefkowith | Jun 14, 2020 | Blog, Uncategorized

Too often I see people doing lower ab exercises that end up simply over working their lower back.

Things like leg lowers, lower ab planks, flutter kicks and knees to elbows.

And I know right now some of you are about to click back and thinking, “Well this is silly. You don’t have lower abs…”

That is true to an extent.

While we don’t have lower abs, we can target that lower region of our abdominal muscles more with certain movements.

And one of those movements is the posterior pelvic tilt.

However, this is also the exercise that we of advance before we are ready and instead end up feeling our lower back during the movement.

That’s why I want to talk about how to EARN those advanced leg lower movements so you are properly working your abs to protect your lower back.

But before I go into the posterior pelvic tilt progression to build up, I want to remind you NOT to put your hands behind your lower back.

This is a bandaid. It doesn’t teach you to actually engage your abs correctly.

And while I understand why someone may use it in a class to keep up, if we truly want to build up stronger and become more efficient in our movements we have to take ego out of it and REGRESS TO PROGRESS.

This means we have to modify the movement so we can feel our abs engaging properly.

Before you use any leg lower movement, you want to focus on pressing that lower back down into the ground.

This will engage your abs to protect your lower back.

The posterior pelvic tilt also engages your glute max.

And yes, you will be working your hip flexors and quads. There is hip flexion involved in this movement but you do want your abs working to STABILIZE everything.

It’s the same thing when you do hanging abs.

HANGING ABS:

All too often you see people simply flexing at their hips to tuck their knees, instead of tucking their pelvic and rounding through their back.

And when they don’t actually do the pelvic tilt and spinal flexion, they don’t benefit from this other amazing lower ab movement!

If you struggle to truly use your abs during the hanging leg raises or knees to elbows, first regress this move to the hanging pelvic tilt and learn to correctly control that tilting of your pelvis or rounding of your lower back.

From here you can actually set in that prior to doing single knee tucks or knees to elbows or eventually even leg raises and toes to bar.

You may even find starting out for knees to elbows, thinking of tilting then almost more of a horizontal pull in helps you really engage your abs.

But the key is building up so you can really engage your abs for the movement.

Same thing goes for leg raises off the ground.

PELVIC TILT PROGRESSION:

For the floor pelvic tilt progression, you then want to focus on bracing those abs as you lift and lower your legs. Only lower down as far as you can control.

If you can’t control the full range of motion, REGRESS.

Start with just working to set up in the pelvic tilt. Then holding longer.

Then start to march one knee in at a time.

Then advance to both and do a double knee tuck. Even add in a little curl at the top you control with your abs and don’t use momentum during.

Then go to a single straight leg lower and finally the double leg lowers.

Once you’ve earned those, try those other fun variations.

But stop trying to push through the pain or your lower back taking over.

If you want your lower abs to actually benefit, you’ve got to FEEL them actually working!

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