When we perform bent over rows or flyes, we want to create a neutral spine, a flat back, a long spine, an extended spine. I’ve heard it cued all of those ways (and they can all be great cues!).
But often because we lack thoracic extension and even our pecs and lats are tight, we end up arching our lower back in our attempt to extend and create a “flat back.”
We end up compensating to try and replicate a movement. We seek out mobility from other areas, which ends up creating overload.
So if you feel your lower back during those bent over rows and flyes, even though your form “looks” pretty good overall, it may be time to try some tweaks as you also work on your thoracic mobility!
If you find this happens, it may be helpful to start with a single arm row, where you can have a hand and knee on a bench. This can take some of the load off of your core.
Or you can even place your other hand on your leg to help brace while in a staggered stance. This can help you elongate without arching. The staggered stance alone can also sometimes help.
Of course you do want to be working to learn how to extend your thoracic spine without hyperextending or overloading your lower back, but as you work on that mobility and core bracing, you can tweak your positioning during rows and flyes to avoid pain!
You can also modify the bent over dumbbell fly, or even the bent over row, by doing them while prone.
Lie face down on a bench or incline bench so your chest and torso is supported. This can help you brace against the bench and use that to help you extend without arching.
To make the most out of these tweaks, you need to be conscious of what muscles you truly feel working!
You can’t just rush through moves or go through the motions!
Love these tips and tweaks? Want some killer upper body and arm workouts?!
In my Arm Burner program, I share tweaks and modifications for moves so you can avoid injury and build the lean, strong back and arms you’ve always wanted!
Yea yea yea…we’ve all heard we can’t spot reduce an area.
And while this is true to some extent, doing workouts focused on the areas we would like to “improve” while dialing in our diet is ESSENTIAL if we want results.
We build the lean muscle that looks amazing with our workouts and then REVEAL that muscle with our diet.
By working specific areas with more focused movements, we can mobilize the fatty acids in the surrounding tissues.
So if you do moves focused on your triceps, you can mobilize more fatty acids in the tissues around your triceps.
But you can’t just then do a bazillion tricep extensions and expect results. You’ve got to put those mobilized fatty acids to work to burn them off!
That’s why you want to include moves to target your trouble zones while also burning off those mobilized fatty acids with compound moves and cardio!
You can do all of these things in a single workout even. Even if you only have your own bodyweight and 10 minutes!
So if you need a killer, quick workout to target some of those common “trouble zones,” like your abs, glutes, inner thighs and triceps, you’ll love this Burner workout from my 28-Day Core Burner program! (And if you need help with the diet side of this things, this program does have that option!)
The 10-Minute Trouble Zones Burner
Set a timer for 20 second intervals of work and move quickly from one move to the next. Try not to rest during the 20 seconds of work, but modify as needed. Complete 3 rounds then perform the active rest for about 20 seconds and move on to 3 rounds of the second circuit. Beginners may rest fully instead of doing the Wacky Jacks.
CIRCUIT #1: 20 seconds Mountain Climber Burpee 20 seconds per side Curtsy Lunge to Leg Lift 20 seconds Alternating Leg V-Ups
20 seconds Wacky Jacks
CIRCUIT #2: 20 seconds Alternating side Lunges with Hops 20 seconds per side Tricep Push Ups 20 seconds Spiderman Mountain Climbers
If you love this workout, check out the entire 28-Day Core Burner program…there are even follow along workouts if you enjoy doing a video workout with me!
The Deadlift is a technical movement and one that can be…well…scary!
But there are ways to break down the exercise and perfect that hip hinge movement even if you, or your client, is just starting out!
So what does the Deadlift work?
The Deadlift will work your entire backside – your upper back, lats, hamstrings and glutes. It will also work your abs.
But too often people ONLY feel their lower back working, which can lead to overload and injury. It’s why sometimes the Deadlift can be considered a “dangerous” move.
And that’s why it is key we first really learn how to perform the Deadlift hip hinge movement pattern correctly.
The hip hinge is a movement where you hinge or bend at the hips to push your butt back toward the wall behind you.
The key is really pushing your butt back so you can balance and load your glutes.
Your knees will be soft, but unlike a squat, you will not try to sink or lower your butt toward the ground. Bending your knees should NOT be your focus. The exact amount of knee bend you include will even vary based on the Deadlift variation you use.
While most often we see this exercise done with a barbell, that variation is more advanced than we give it credit for.
So if you, or your client, is just starting out and trying to learn how to properly hinge at the hips to load the glutes, you may not want to jump right into using the barbell.
Instead using a tool like a kettlebell (dumbbells work too) or band can be a good place to start.
The kettlebell or dumbbells make it easier to focus on loading your glutes while still working your upper back, lats, abs and hamstrings without your weight shifting forward.
While the band allows you to break down the movement a bit and really focus on working your glutes using the hip hinge movement. This move is actually a great accessory exercise as well to include even as you advance (aka I use this even with many of my advanced lifters to strengthen their glutes!).
And if you’ve wanted to use the Single Leg Deadlift (either yourself or with your clients) to improve your balance and prevent injuries, but your balance is…well…not so good, the slider and 80/20 variations are great option.
Both of these give you a balance “assist” while still forcing each side to work independently.
But even though these may take out some of the balance challenge, they aren’t easy moves by any means and even advanced exercisers should include them as accessory exercises because they do allow you to potentially use heavier loads than the full unilateral or single leg variation.
So if you are just starting out, or training a client new to exercise, and want to use that amazing Deadlift movement, try these variations to start!
Make sure to watch the full video for more tips and coaching cues!
BUT for the quickest and best fat loss results possible?
Both diet AND exercise must work together.
You don’t get that lean strong look WITHOUT dialing in your training.
As I like to say, abs aren’t made in the kitchen…they’re REVEALED in the kitchen.
And that is why pairing a healthy diet with a proper workout routine is key.
(If you need help with the diet side of things, CLICK HERE…otherwise let’s have some workout fun!)
The 30/10 Bodyweight Fat Torcher
Set a timer for 30 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest to transition to the next exercise in the circuit. Do not rest during the 30 seconds of work. It is better to modify the move so that you can keep moving!
Complete 4-6 rounds through the circuit. If needed, you may add in an extra 40-90 seconds of rest between rounds. Otherwise only rest the 10 seconds between moves!
CIRCUIT: 30 seconds Skier Hop Burpee 10 seconds Rest 30 seconds Double Pulse Squat Jumps 10 seconds Rest 30 seconds Half Burpee with Push Up 10 seconds Rest 30 seconds Squat Jump Bulldogs 10 seconds Rest 30 seconds Crawl with Sit Thru 10 seconds Rest
Remember, the key is to keep moving the entire 30 seconds while performing QUALITY reps. If you feel your form faltering or you have to rest, try regressing the movements.
Now…Let the sweat fly with this fun 30/10 workout!
MODIFICATION SUGGESTIONS:
If you are struggling with a move, these quick tips will help. I have a whole section on modifying moves to fit your needs in the Cardio Burner program too!
Skier Hop Burpee: To modify, step back on the burpee instead of jumping or even put your hands on a bench instead of going all the way down to the ground.
Double Pulse Squat Jumps: Take out the jump and just do a squat to calf raise instead of leaving the ground. You can even squat to a bench if you need to protect your knees.
Half Burpee with Push Up: Take out the push up or go down to your knees to do the push up. You can even do this off a bench instead of off the ground.
Squat Jump Bulldogs: Instead of doing the jump knee tuck, do a basic bodyweight squat. You can also also walk back instead of a single push back from the squat position.
Crawl with Sit Thru: To modify, keep both hands on the ground for the sit thru and even keep more of a plank position. You can also do the crawl on your knees if needed.
Love my workouts, exercises and tips? Join my daily newsletter!
Grab a booty band and get those glutes, and even your abs, firing with this activation series!
Really focus on what you feel working as you go through this 5-minute burner.
Because this burner isn’t about adding more resistance or heavy weights – it’s about creating that pump or “burn.”
You want to use it to improve your mind-body connection before your run, ride or lift so you can quickly and efficiently recruit the right muscles to work when you need!
Because if we aren’t recruiting the correct muscles, we can end up compensating and overloading muscles not meant to carry the full load. And this is what leads to injury.
So if you want to prevent low back, hip, knee and even ankle pain, include a quick glute activation series before your workout!
Just remember…don’t just rush through the movements! Feel those glutes and abs working and focus on feeling that BURN!
The 5-Minute Booty Band Activation Series
Complete 2 rounds through the series, working for 30 seconds on each move. Do not rest between moves or rounds.
SERIES: 30 seconds Booty Band Wall Sit 30 seconds Booty Band Skater Walks Forward/Backward 30 seconds Glute Bridges 30 seconds Plank Lateral Taps 30 seconds Abduction Toe Touches
We need to stop saying that losing weight or gaining muscle is simply about calories in vs calories out.
Because that deficit or surplus we create, and the results we get from it, can be DRAMATICALLY impacted by the make up of our foods – by the macros.
Before you start arguing against this, take a second to be open and read the argument.
Also, start to think about it this way…
Yes, do you need to eat less than you expend to lose weight?
Yup.
Do you need to eat more than you expend to gain?
Yup.
But saying that calories should be the focus over macros is like saying, “SURE! You have no idea what you are doing, but you can go deadlift heavy weight. I mean if you can pick it up, it must be fine, right? Who cares about form!”
You would NEVER say that!
Because you know that while you may be able to lift it, it’s a sure-fired way to end up injured and NOT getting the results you want, even if you might see immediate benefits just from doing some sort of work out.
Saying that someone only needs to pay attention to calories is the same thing!
Maybe you’ll see some immediate results, but you’re basically setting yourself up for failure.
That’s why MACROS should be your primary focus.
And through focusing on macros, you’ll find so many other pieces of the puzzle, including your caloric intake, fall into place.
There are 3 reasons I think macros matter more than focusing on only the calories in vs. calories out…
And all 3 reasons relate back to the fact that a calorie isn’t really simply just a calorie…from how our body uses it to how we feel eating it.
A calorie isn’t simply a calorie because…
Consuming the “right” foods requires more energy.
A calorie deficit leads to weight loss, macros lead to lasting body recomposition.
Macros can help you avoid weight loss plateaus and help you avoid dramatic weight rebounding after dieting.
Now let me break down why these 3 things matter and just all of the reasons why you should make your primary focus on macros over just your calorie intake.
#1: Foods have different thermic effectsand require different amounts of energy to be used by the body.
Have you ever heard that celery is “negative” calories?
It’s because celery requires more energy to break down and use than it contains.
Now I’m not telling you to just go eat a ton of celery, but the point is…
Different foods require different amounts of energy to be processed and used by our body!
The more energy that is required to break down and use the foods we eat, the fewer net calories you are really going to end up truly consuming from those foods.
On average people use about 10% of their daily energy expenditure processing food BUT this number can dramatically differ based on the ratio of each macronutrient you consume.
Because each macro has a different thermic effect! (1)
Protein actually has the highest thermic effect at about 20-30% (meaning about 20-30% of the calories are used to digest the food).
While carbs have a thermic effect of about 5-10% and fats 0-3%.
You can see why adjusting the macronutrient breakdown you consume could now dramatically impact how many calories you should be consuming overall.
Researchers have even proposed we change protein from 4 calories per gram to 3.2 calories per gram because the thermic effect is so great. (Carbs are 4 calories per gram and fats 9 calories per gram.) (2)
Not to mention, studies of higher protein diets have even shown that when people consumed a hypercaloric diet, aka not only did they NOT eat in a deficit but they actually ate in a SURPLUS, they did not gain body fat.
So eating higher protein kept them from gaining weight even when eating 800 calories more than the lower protein group! (3)
Still think a calorie is just a calorie!?
This could mean if you ate higher protein, you may need to create what seems to be a “smaller” deficit and get better results than if you cut calories lower!
Plus, when you adjust our macro break downs, we also often dial in the QUALITY of our foods.
I know it’s become popular to see meals that “fit your macros” that aren’t so healthy, BUT what you often aren’t seeing is the veggie and protein meals being eaten to allow those people to then fit those treat meals in.
There is a balance going on there (that social media doesn’t always show). And this balance is key to getting lasting results with something that can become a lifestyle.
So by focusing on macros, often the quality of the foods you consume, in order to hit those ratios, also changes.
(Again why I think macros should be the first thing you focus on as other things will fall in line with them.)
The point is…the quality of your food ALSO matters!
Because whole, natural foods have a higher thermic effect than processed foods! (4)
Even something as simple as a more natural bread and a more natural cheese over more processed bread and cheese can make a difference (as shown by the study linked out in the (4) reference).
So even just based on this little bit…You can see that a calorie is NOT simply a calorie!
#2: Calorie deficits can lead to weight loss, but macros lead to lasting and SUSTAINABLE body recomposition.
I managed to maintain a healthy weight by counting calories. But macros changed my physique!
Most of us may say we want to “lose weight” but we don’t just want to lose weight truly…we want to lose FAT.
If you simply cut calories, you may lose weight. But that weight lost on the scale is more than likely not just going to be fat – it’s going to be muscle as well.
And while some muscle loss is to be expected when you lose weight, especially when if you have 50+ pounds to lose, or you cutting for a shoot or competition, you can minimize the amount of lean body mass lost by dialing in your macro ratios (specifically increasing your protein)! (5)
By focusing on protein, you can not only minimize muscle loss, BUT even GAIN muscle while in a deficit.
No way, right!?
Most of us have been told it isn’t possible to lose fat and gain muscle at once.
We’ve been told we need to pick one or the other.
And it’s because most of us have been told weight loss is simply about calories in vs. calories out.
Sure if you just count calories, it will be near impossible to do both.
But that’s why focusing on macros FIRST is key because then you CAN lose fat and gain muscle by including higher protein macro break downs! (6)
And not only can a diet higher in protein help you retain, and even gain, lean muscle while losing fat, but it can help increase adherence and even potentially improve your diet’s effectiveness.
Most of us want to lose weight and KEEP the weight off.
And part of doing that is finding something that doesn’t make us feel like we are starving all of the time.
A diet that keeps us feeling full and satisfied is going to be easier to stick with long term. And a diet higher in protein does just that!
(And I’m not just talking animal protein here…even vegans and vegetarians can increase their protein intake to improve their results!)
Not to mention, by focusing on macros in general, you’ll also often dial in the quality of your foods as I mentioned before.
Those more whole, natural foods will also help you fuel your body better to stay fuller feeling for longer!
If we give our body the nutrition it needs, guess what will happen?
It’s going to run better and function more optimally, which will only help us reach our goals more easily!
Also, by focusing on macros, you can make sure you get the carbs and fat you need to keep your hormones at optimal levels.
And by focusing on protein you can also keep yourself feeling fuller for longer while keeping your metabolism “healthy.” (7)
Many of us have heard that crash dieting can “hurt” our metabolism.
And while yes, extreme calorie deprivation will slow our metabolic rate, along with weight loss in general, this isn’t a permanent thing necessarily.
If you weigh less, and have less muscle, your body needs to use less energy.
Plus, when your body thinks it is “starving” it’s going to do all it can to conserve energy.
Both things result in a slowed metabolic rate.
And this is why balancing those macros can be so important over just counting calories.
When you focus on protein, you can prevent muscle mass loss to keep your metabolic rate higher AS you lose weight.
The higher protein, and macro focus, not only helps make the weight loss process easier, BUT it will also help you KEEP the weight off.
Because then as you start to adjust your calories to more of a maintenance mode range, you have the lean muscle mass on to keep you burning more calories even at rest.
You’ve set yourself up for long term success.
If you’d just focused on calories instead of macros to lose weight, when you actually hit your goal weight, you may find it is much more difficult to MAINTAIN your weight loss results!
It isn’t as simple as now just eating more because you want to MAINTAIN.
The idea that calories matter most may help us lose weight or gain it…BUT it most leads to a cycle where we are constantly yo-yoing between those two things over maintaining the results we’ve gotten.
Because it doesn’t truly teach us how to find that balance nor set us up with an ideal body composition to maintain progress!
#3: Macros can help you avoid weight loss plateaus and help you avoid dramatic weight rebounding after dieting.
Your weight loss has slowed.
So what do you do?
Either A. You give up. Or B. You try cutting calories even lower.
However, simply creating a bigger calorie deficit doesn’t always work.
And it can actually even BACKFIRE.
Ever feel like you’re barely eating anything, and are in a huge calorie deficit only to have the scale actually GO UP?
YUP…It can happen.
And this is due to many of the factors I’ve mentioned earlier.
But basically…
Your body simply is no longer burning as many calories at rest because not only have you lost muscle mass, which burns more calories at rest, but your body even “gears down” in response to the decrease in energy coming in.
You will tend not to fidget as much. Or be as active. Your workouts may even suffer.
Basically, you’re expending less so even as you increase your calorie deficit, aka cut your calories lower, that deficit may not be as big as you actually think and your body may be rebelling against further restriction.
So what happens?
The scale goes up?
And with more and more restriction often we mess with our hormone levels more and more.
This then makes our bodies scream at us to eat more, which often leads to the horrible yo-yo dieting cycle.
So how can you avoid all of this?
Guess what I’m going to say you should focus on instead?
MACROS!
If instead of cutting your calories LOWER when you hit that plateau, you simply adjusted your macro ratios, you may “kickstart” your progress again.
Our bodies adapt to what we give them.
So if we slightly adjust our energy sources, we can often avoid that adaptation and keep our results progressing.
And we don’t need to cut calories lower to do this, which can help us preserve that lean muscle mass and keep our hormones at optimal levels.
Even if you’re focusing on protein, you may adjust carbs or fats up or down to help ensure your body is functioning optimally.
Simply adding 5% to one macro, without any calorie change, can kickstart your progress, help you avoid weight loss plateaus, AND keep your metabolism “healthy” while preserving your lean muscle mass.
And you can include these variations in ratios each week or even over the course of weeks, depending on how complicated you want to make things or even on how experienced you are with macronutrients and tracking.
With Macro Cycling, I have clients adjust every 2 weeks to not only keep things “fresh” mentally, but also help them avoid plateaus and keep their bodies functioning optimally (while also not overcomplicating things with multiple ratios in a single week).
They point is, by focusing on macros over simply counting calories, you can see better and faster results and even more easily avoid those weight loss plateaus.
Now…let’s just say, you did hit that plateau and did instead decide to cut calories further instead of focusing on your macros.
Let’s even say you saw some progress on the scale after you cut calories lower.
The question is…what will end up being the cost of this even more extreme deficit?
The cost of this deficit may be more lean muscle mass lost as your body uses anything it can to fuel your activity.
So while you may see the scale continue to go down, it won’t be only body fat you’re losing.
And this reduction in lean muscle mass can result in an even lowered metabolic rate as well as hormone levels that are all out of “whack.”
Our body can begin to believe it is “starving” and it will scream at us to eat…and even actually OVEReat.
So then what happens?
We gain back all of the weight we lost and, unfortunately, often even more.
And not only do we regain the weight, but our body composition may even end up worse off than where it started!
Yup…we may end up with even more fat mass and even less muscle mass than BEFORE we dieted.
How is that possible?
Well, when we lost weight, especially because we didn’t focus on macros to maximize lean muscle mass retention, we also lost muscle.
We catabolized our muscle tissue potentially even more by eating too little.
So then when we overeat and the scale goes back up, it isn’t going up because we’re gaining muscle….
Nope…We’re just regain fat.
That muscle mass we lost during the diet is gone.
So our body composition may end up worse than where we started.
This yo-yo dieting cycle is what also leads to us feeling like our metabolism is “damaged.”
Because we have less lean muscle mass, we’re going to burn fewer calories at rest.
And it does take some time for hormone levels to normalize and our body to realize it no longer has to try to conserve energy.
All of this can make the process of trying to lose weight again even more difficult!
It can be why it seems like each time you start a new diet the process of losing gets more and more difficult!
It’s again why you can’t just focus on calories in vs. calories out!
So…to sum things up….
A calorie isn’t simply a calorie. And the calorie intake you need can be DRAMATICALLY impacted by the macro ratio you use.
It’s why if you focus on macros first, the calorie deficit or surplus you need will be created in a way that will lead to not only BETTER, but LASTING RESULTS!
Whatever your goals…whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, get lean, fuel your training OR even avoid the dreaded weight gain often associated with menopause, MACROS MATTER!
