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How to Lose Fat AND Gain Muscle At The Same Time (Step By Step)

How to Lose Fat AND Gain Muscle At The Same Time (Step By Step)

by | Jan 2, 2024 | Blog, Diet, Workouts

What should I do first…I want to build muscle and lose fat?

The great thing is…

You CAN do both at the same time!

But how you do that may depend on where you are currently in your fitness and body composition journey.

While you can achieve both goals, you do need to set a primary focus as that will impact how you adjust your diet to start.

That’s why in this video I want to break down two different nutritional approaches to body recomp whether you want to lose fat as you retain and gain lean muscle or you want to gain muscle as you maintain your level of leanness while potentially getting even leaner!

And then I want to share a bonus workout tip to help you make sure your diet and workouts are working together.

Now if you’re thinking, “But I heard this wasn’t possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.”

I’m going to let you in on a little secret…

It is possible.

It just takes embracing something that so many of us want to run from…

A habit so many of us have labeled boring and tedious and hard…

Tracking macros! 

Now before you just write this off and click back saying tracking macros isn’t for you, I want to explain why it is so key and a SIMPLIFIED approach that can yield amazing results…

So that person that has said to you…“You can’t lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?”

It’s probably because they’ve always dieted by just cutting their calories super low. 

They lost weight, but probably often have also lost muscle in the process.

They may have even gotten skinny without really looking more toned. 

So they decide they want to build muscle to get more defined, so they eat in a surplus. 

They end up, yes, putting on muscle. But also gaining fat. 

So they then go back in a calorie deficit, repeating the same rollercoaster over and over again. 

They may try a bigger deficit to lose faster or a bigger surplus to gain.

More is better right?

WRONG.

These bigger extremes may actually lead to their body composition becoming WORSE.

It is because while we can lose or gain weight simply by creating a calorie deficit or surplus, we aren’t controlling for what we are losing or gaining. 

We aren’t controlling for fat loss or muscle mass retention.

This is something we CAN control by adjusting our macros.

And one macro in particular – our protein intake. 

Increasing our protein intake is key.

High protein diets have been the only diets shown to not only help us retain lean muscle but even GAIN lean muscle mass while in a deficit. 

And increasing your protein intake while in a surplus, due to the thermic effect of this macro, can help you avoid gaining unwanted fat while making it easier to build muscle due to the extra energy consumption.

So if you’ve struggled to embrace tracking macros in the past but really want to see those defined abs and arms…

It’s time to start tracking…at least your protein intake!

While in a calorie surplus, you may get away with slightly lower protein intakes than in a deficit as long as you are consuming enough carbs as well as instant fuel, going even higher while in a deficit due to the fact that you’re not really consuming enough of anything is key. 

While you may consume about 30-35% of your calories from protein in a surplus, you will want to bump that to more like 40% of your calories from protein while in a deficit. 

Starting out don’t worry where your carbs or fat fall.

Just first only focus on that protein intake.

Doing this alone will lead to amazing results and you’ll be surprised by how much you see those inches being lost and the definition popping through in your progress photos.

But that high protein really is what yields that body recomp magic. 

So even if you’ve been resisting tracking macros, set that percentage to hit of your calories from protein and adjust the current foods you eat through small tweaks to see results.

Here’s a video that has 7 tips to help you easily bump protein!

But before you decide on exactly what protein percentage to use, you have to determine your calories.

Which should you be in – a calorie deficit or a surplus? 

And that depends on your main focus.

While the goal is to lose fat as you gain muscle or gain muscle as you lose fat, you have to have a primary target.

What is your main focus?

This will be based on your current leanness level. 

Are you currently basically as lean as you’d like and would like to add more muscle while just staying lean? 

Or do you have more weight to lose but really want that muscle definition especially to stay strong as you get older?

If you’re already lean, consider a calorie surplus to focus a bit more on gaining muscle without any fluff. 

If you’re not yet at your weight loss goal, consider a calorie deficit to start to help you lose fat without losing muscle. 

Exactly how great a calorie surplus or deficit you create can also impact the results you get and be based on where you are in your fitness journey. 

If you have more weight to lose, 500 calories is the most extreme you want to go with a deficit below your maintenance. But this is really aggressive and best only done if you have more than 50lbs to lose and aren’t as active.

Otherwise to help focus on losing fat without also costing you muscle, consider a deficit of only 100-300 calories at max. Think closer to 300 if you have over 15 pounds to lose and more like 100-200 if you have less than 15 pounds are are super active!

If you are already basically as lean as you’d like or even as thin as you’d like although you wouldn’t mind more definition, you will want to consider a small surplus. 

Since you don’t really have energy stores to tap into, and you want to be able to push hard in your training to create that progression and stimulus for muscle growth, the extra calories will help you make sure you’re retaining that lean muscle. 

Think 100-200 calories above maintenance unless you’re truly as lean as you’d like and really increasing your activity level – then go 300-400 calories.

Especially if you are just coming out of a deficit, slowly increase those calories only 100 at a time! 

As essential as your diet is to losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, the best results happen when our diet and workouts work together. 

And without that stimulus for muscle growth in our training, we won’t see our nutritional changes fully pay off. 

That’s why I wanted to share a bonus tip with you about what workouts are best to see body recomp.

Bonus Tip: 

Now you may be thinking, do I need workouts for fat loss or for gaining muscle.

And I had a client even email me recently, “How do I know if a workout is for fat loss or building muscle?”

My email back said, “A good fat loss workout should be focused on building muscle.”

Muscle is metabolism magic. 

Our training shouldn’t be about burning calories in our sessions and feeling destroyed.

It should be focused on building lean muscle. 

We need that training stimulus for growth if our diet is going to have an impact. 

And the more muscle we have, the more calories we will burn during the day, making it easier to lose fat.

Muscle stokes our metabolic fire and helps us avoid metabolic adaptations as we lean down. 

So your training should be focused on building lean muscle no matter your aesthetic goal focus.

Sure if you love endurance sports, you don’t have to ditch them. 

But even then strength training will only help you get stronger at what you love.

So focus on building strength in your training no matter what.

And for a great workout design to help you see those strength gains, check out my 6-12-25 protocol.

–> 6-12-25 Workout Technique 

This is an amazing way to build muscle and strength no matter you age!

Using these tips you can build muscle and lose fat…or lose fat as you gain muscle. 

You can see the body recomp you deserve but you need to TRACK.

What gets measured gets managed so we can adjust and see better results faster!

Ready to achieve amazing body recomp, losing that stubborn fat?

Join my Metabolic Shred!

18 Underrated Core Exercises

18 Underrated Core Exercises

by | Dec 25, 2023 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises

Often we fall back into using the same old moves, forgetting all of the options and variations out there. But having different variations of exercises to target the same area can help us create progression through the same but different.

It can help us even activate different muscles to different extents!

That’s why I want to throw back to the origins of my YouTube channel and share a Core Exercise Variations video with all of you.

These exercises work your entire core, frontside and backside.

Because sometimes we just need that library of move options to help remind us of all of the tools out there we have to meet our needs and goals and design the workouts that help us rock those results!

18 Underrated Core Moves

Balance Toe Touches 00:37
Cross Body Knees 00:54
Twist And Pivot 01:13
Wall Push 01:26
Side Balance Oblique Twists 01:35
Side Plank Clams 01:56
Plank with Reach Back and Out 02:12
Bulldog Reaches 02:34
Plank Snow Angels 02:55
Sit Thrus 03:39
3-Way Sit Up And Reach 03:59
Seated Hinges 04:24
C-Sit With Knees 04:42
Bridge to Boat 04:57
Banana Rolls 05:17
Butterfly Crunches 05:41
Frog Kickouts 05:57
Leg Wipers 06:12

BONUS!

15-Minute Core Burner

Complete 2-3 rounds through each circuit without resting. Rest no more than 30 seconds between circuits if possible. 

CIRCUIT #1:
30 seconds Twist And Pivot
30 seconds per side Plank With Reach Back And Out
30 seconds C-Sit With Knees
30 seconds Frog Kickouts

CIRCUIT #2:
30 seconds per side Cross Body Knees
30 seconds Plank Snow Angels
30 seconds 3-Way Sit Up And Reach
30 seconds Bridge To Boat

For more amazing workouts to match your needs, goals and schedule, check out Dynamic Strength!

–> LEARN MORE

The Limits of Age and Exercise (Control What You Can Control)

The Limits of Age and Exercise (Control What You Can Control)

by | Dec 18, 2023 | Blog, Diet, Exercises, Pain Relief

“I feel like I’m moving better than I did in my 20s and 30s!”

Want to know what led to my client saying this?

In this video I’ll go over not only the workout adjustments but also nutritional changes we made to help her feel her most fabulous.

Because we need to stop just blaming our age and ACCEPTING pain!

The simple fact is…you can’t change your age. You can’t stop getting older.

And yes, there are changes to our body as we get older.

But so often we just write off those changes as out of our control when so often there are lifestyle factors we can CHANGE that do have an impact.

Yes, as we get older, our recovery times change.

Aches and pains have had more time to accumulate…especially as often we haven’t truly taken care to rebuild from previous injuries.

Even the hormonal changes of perimenopause and menopause can lead to increased inflammation making our joints achier.

But through adjustments to our training and nutrition, we can reduce the aches and pains and even feel like we move better than ever!

That’s why in this video I want to go over controlling what you can control and adjusting your lifestyle to move your best at any age!

Let’s start with adjusting our workout routines. 

I wanted to outline the 2 key things I implement with clients in their workouts that have led to many saying…

“I feel better than I did in my 20s and 30s!”

First, We Include That Prehab Process Every Warm Up

Injuries…Daily postures… Daily posture

They can change our mobility and flexibility. They can change our recruitment patterns or how we use muscles to perform movements.

And so often, even when we’ve done rehab for previous problems, we STOP doing what made us better. 

This leads to us defaulting back into incorrect movement and recruitment patterns and can lead to aches and pains again adding up.

And while we may have “gotten away with this” when we were younger, it is also why aches and pains are adding up more now!

We start overusing muscles and joints not meant to carry the load. It’s why we may feel like lunges or squats only constantly hurt our knees!

That’s why that full 3-part prehab process of foam rolling, stretching and activation in every warm up is so key. 

It addresses any mobility, flexibility or stability issues we have, and preps our body to work that day.

And it’s key we use the system as a whole. Too often we pull out parts of things we “like,” and then are surprised when the benefits aren’t there.

But this process works because of all 3 components together and in that order!

Before you workout, foam roll tight and overactive muscles that may impact your workout or hinder you from performing moves fully. 

This then will help you better mobilize your joints with the stretches.

So if you’ve had hip pain and struggle to engage your glutes or squat deeply, you may roll out a hip flexor and quad muscle that is tight like the rectus femoris. 

Then include dynamic stretches to warm up your body and mobilize your joints. 

As you do these stretches, focus on the opposing muscle group engaging to drive the stretch.

To stretch out your chest in suspension trainer snow angels, focus on engaging your back to feel that stretch more.

Finally include activation moves that isolate muscles that are weaker or that you struggle to use correctly.

If you’ve had hip issues or lower back pain, you may focus on things like single leg reverse hypers or lying lateral raises to really target those glutes and engage them. 

But this prep work in your warm up, and even the rolling and stretching in your cool down, will help you not only move better in your workouts to get more out of those sessions but also recover better for the next workout!

However, we can’t just do our mobility work then rush through our workouts if we want to avoid aches and pains.

That’s why the second thing I focus on with clients is…

Seeing Every Movement As An Assessment! 

Every rep of an exercise is you practicing that movement.

If those reps are rushed and we aren’t focus on the quality of our movement, we aren’t going to get the full benefit of those exercises and may even end up injuring ourselves.

And if you’re thinking, “My form is great! I’m experienced with these moves.”

“Good form” doesn’t mean you aren’t cheating.

Often the more advanced an exerciser we are, the more we can cheat and overuse muscles or seek out mobility from other joints to mimic a movement.

We know what it SHOULD look like and our body is good at replicating what we want even if it means overloading muscles that shouldn’t be carrying the load.

It’s why you may be able to do that deadlift or pull up, BUT you’re also ending up constantly with lower back or neck and shoulder pain. 

That’s why I have every client see every movement as an assessment and always ask themselves…

“What do I feel working?”

Because the muscles we feel DURING the exercise, are what are powering the movement.

If the correct muscles are working, we’re going to see those results build.

However, if we are feeling muscles taking over that shouldn’t be the prime movers, we are going to end up with injury.

When we are able to feel this happening, we can regress to progress, adjust our form or cueing and even modify the movements to get the correct muscles working.

Even if we can do a squat with one weight, we may find increasing to a point then changes what we feel working. 

It’s why you want to be intentional in your training over just zoning out or rushing through.

Even changes in the TYPE of exercise, say a back squat vs a front squat, could impact how the move feels. 

The more we are conscious of what is working, the more we can make sure we are truly maximizing each movement and even working through the fullest range of motion possible.

Because we can’t out mobility work the movements we are doing in our workouts.

If you want to keep that flexibility you are working so hard on, you need to strength through that range of motion.

You can’t hope to improve your hip mobility while doing a two inch squat because you’re trying to go heavy! 

So be intentional with your training and you’ll see those movements improve and those aches and pains go away.

Not to mention you’ll even see improvements to your strength and muscle gains faster!

Next let’s talk about our nutrition and how we can adjust that as well to reduce those aches and pains. 

And I’m going to start by telling you something you don’t want to hear…

But that has been eye opening for my clients…

First and foremost…Track your food. 

So often we only think about tracking what we’re eating when we want to reach an aesthetic goal.

But tracking can help us truly understand the impact our diet is having on our health and even those aches and pains.

By tracking you may realize you aren’t eating enough protein to support optimal recovery or getting in the antioxidants or omega-3s you need to reduce inflammation and support optimal joint and muscle functioning. 

Protein is key. 

As we get older we are less able to utilize it as efficiently which means we need MORE of it to get the same muscle building response.

And protein isn’t just used to build muscle, it makes up all of the tissues of our body and even helps promote healthy bones and hormonal balance.

Without enough protein to properly repair, we are going to see more aches and pains add up!

Not to mention put ourselves at greater risk for other injuries such as falls and fractures.

And it isn’t just our macros we want to track but those micros and the types of each macro we consume.

Antioxidants like vitamins C and E, as well as beta-carotene, can help protect joint tissues from oxidative stress and inflammation.

This is why we want to track to make sure we’re consuming plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, such as berries, citrus fruits, and leafy greens.

And then we don’t want to fear FATS in our diet either. Especially Omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce joint pain and stiffness. 

Tracking to make sure we’re including fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines as well as plant-based sources such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts is key! 

And then second, we focus on hydration and even tracking that water intake. 

Many of us have even set the goal to drink more water…and it’s a surprisingly hard habit to change!

It’s why I love to add this in as something clients also track in their daily logs for accountability.

What gets measured gets managed.

But increasing your water intake as you get older keeps those joints, as well as our other body tissues, healthy and happy.

It also helps us recover faster!

And it’s key we actually shoot for MORE water as we get older, especially if you’re increasing your protein intake to assist in better recovery and muscle gains!

When you increase your protein intake, you want to increase your water intake to help with absorption and digestion of the protein.

We also have to recognize that, as we get older and go through menopause, we simply need more water too to stay hydrated.

With decreasing estrogen levels, we often need to increase our water intake.

Not to mention during menopause you may find you do better on lower carb ratios.

Carbs help us retain the water we need.

So fewer carbs in our system may mean increasing our water intake and even being conscious or our electrolyte balance.

This is why shooting for 70% of your bodyweight (in pounds) in ounces is key.

And you want to track to get this over the day.

You’re not seeking to have your pee be clear either with this. You want that light lemonade color.

But this focus on proper hydration helps keep cartilage, the cushioning material for your joints, lubricated and functioning optimally.

You can move and feel your best at any age. But it does mean addressing what your body needs right now instead of focusing just on what used to work.

But stop blaming your age.

Control what you can control and make these changes to your workouts and your diet to feel amazing at every age!

Learn more about how to create the perfect plan for YOU and see the results you deserve…

–> Schedule A Coaching Consultation

 

How Strong Is Your Mind Muscle Connection? (Take This Test)

How Strong Is Your Mind Muscle Connection? (Take This Test)

by | Dec 10, 2023 | Blog, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Pain Relief

How aware of your body are you?

Do you think you have an amazing mind-body connection?

Well…here’s a test to find out!

I mention this because too often we’re doing the right moves yet not seeing the results we want.

And it’s because we’re going through the motions with our training, mimicking proper form.

But proper form doesn’t guarantee proper recruitment patterns.

Aka just because a move looks pretty doesn’t mean we’re using the right muscles or seeking out mobility from the correct joints.

And the more advanced an exerciser you are, the more you can easily cheat and compensate.

But this can lead to overload and injury and you not seeing the results of your training you want.

That’s why in this video, I want to take you through a quick test to assess your mind-body connection.

And I want to do this test for an area many of us actually struggle to activate correctly…

OUR GLUTES!

To do this test, you’ll just be performing what seems like an oh so simple move and is an essential basic…

The Bodyweight Glute Bridge.

To do this glute bridge assessment…

I recommend setting up your phone camera to film yourself from the side and even from the knees up on a second round through. 

This external feedback can then help you adjust form if you need to tweak things to get the correct muscles working.

As you perform this move, you are going to ask yourself 4 key questions at different points of the move to assess different muscles and even imbalances between both sides. 

If you have the camera running, you can verbally answer.

Otherwise you may want a piece of paper next to you to make notes on! 

Then set up as you normally would for the glute bridge.

I like to have clients place their feet flat on the ground at a comfortable distance from their glutes and bend their elbows to drive their upper arms down into the ground. 

Then you want to bridge up.

Pausing at the top of the bridge, ask yourself…What do I feel working the most? 

Lower Back – Yes or No?

Glutes – Yes or No?

Hamstrings – Yes or No?

Quads – Yes or No?

Relax back down.

Repeat the move a couple more times pausing to assess. Then record what you felt.

Then next, AS you bridge up, ask yourself…

What do I feel working FIRST?

Is it your hamstrings, glutes, quads or lower back? 

Write down which muscle you feel engage FIRST.

Next, as you repeat the bridge, assess both on the way up AND as you pause for a second or two at the top, to ask yourself…

Do I feel one side working more?

Yes or No?

And if yes, which side?

Even make note of whether or not you just feel one side MORE or if you ONLY feel one side truly engaging.

The final assessment you want to do, is focusing on WHERE you truly feel your lower back, glutes or hamstrings working especially.

Do you feel the top of your butt under your SI joint working?

Yes or No?

Do you feel in the meat of your glute working?

Yes or No?

Do you feel right under your butt working?

Yes or No?

Or do you feel the middle of your hamstring working?

Yes or No?

Make a note, yes or no for each.

Now let’s break down what this information helps you understand about your glute engagement…

This may come as no surprise, but what you should have felt driving this movement is your GLUTES.

However, many of us do feel our lower back or hamstrings working and even taking over for our glutes during this move. 

We even sometimes feel our quads trying to engage although we can also feel them stretching as the glute bridge IS a hip flexor stretch. 

But often we don’t fully realize what is driving the movement when we get caught up only trying to focus on form.

We even simply think, “Oh my lower back is just weak and needs to get stronger.”

But really this shows that other moves are taking over when our glutes should be engaging.

This means we need to address our mind-body connection.

So if you found your lower back, quads or hamstrings compensating, I want to share some tweaks to your glute bridge form you may want to consider. 

Especially if you felt under your butt or your hamstrings working, this can mean your hamstrings are synergistically dominant.

Yes…under your butt is often that hamstring origin area becoming overworked.

And sometimes it is us not realizing that it is NOT our glutes but actually our hamstrings working right there that can lead to hamstring tendinopathy or tendinitis. 

Not to mention our hamstrings constantly being overworked is why they perpetually feeling tight no matter how much we stretch.

And when they are constantly overworked this can lead to knee pain, hamstrings strains and pulls and even perpetuate your lower back issues. 

So making sure the correct muscles are working during a fundamental more focused movement is key so we can lift more and run faster and avoid injuries with more complex movement patterns.

I will also share some tips as well if you found that you had an imbalance between both sides. Sometimes this can mean we feel only one side working or that we feel our glute on one side but actually our hamstring on the other!

But first, how can you adjust your form if you don’t feel your glutes working like they should?

Here are 5 quick tips…

#1: Focus on maintaining that posterior pelvic tilt from the start and don’t get caught up in bridging higher.

This can help you make sure you’re using your abs to protect your lower back AND the posterior pelvic tilt engages the glute max.

Also, often in an attempt to bridge up higher, we arch our back at the top over extending our hips further, which overloads our lower back and can engage our hamstrings.

#2: Drive your knees toward your toes.

Focus on pressing through your entire foot and as you bridge up driving your upper arms into the ground, don’t push yourself backward.

Focus on driving those knees forward to help you avoid overusing your hamstrings.

This can even help if you tend to feel your quads working too.

#3: Focus on STOPPING the lift with your glutes.

So often in trying to work through a full range of motion, we stop engaging muscles to power the move.

Instead of trying to get a bigger movement, try and really squeeze your glutes hard to prevent yourself from being able to lift any higher. This focus on that activation of the glutes will make sure you’re driving true hip extension while avoiding anything else compensating!

#4: Pause and adjust.

At the top of the bridge, pause and then try little adjustments. If you move your feet in closer to your butt does that help? Or does moving them further away help you engage your glutes better? 

While technically moving our heels further away toward a straight leg glute bridge engages more hamstrings, you may find, due to hip tightness that having your heels in too close to your butt engages the hamstrings more or makes you arch your back or even feel your quads.

So as you hold at the top, assess what you feel working and play around with even your posterior pelvic tilt or trying to engage each side. 

Even put a hand on your glutes to try and give that tactile cue to feel them working to make that mind-body connection! 

That can allow us to get the positioning we need!

#5: Try other bridge variations.

Sometimes we need to first adjust the variation we use to recruit the correct muscles. Slight changes to our posture and positioning can really impact things and even tools can provide an extra stimulus to improve our mind-body connection.

Even doing a move we feel working our glutes correctly prior to the one we struggle with can help us established the mind-body connection in that second move.

Two great variations to try if you’re struggling to engage your glutes can be the frog bridge as the external hip rotation can often help. 

Or the mini band glute bridge. Pushing out on the band can help engage our glute medius which can help us better engage our glute max. 

The band can also sometimes help if you struggle to get both sides working together!

Now To Address An Imbalance Between Sides… 

I do want to note we will NEVER be perfectly evenly BUT we do want to note when one side isn’t pulling it’s weight.

When we have an imbalance this can lead to our stronger side taking over during other moves. This can lead to injury on that dominant side.

It can also mean that we risk injury on our weaker side if it is fighting to keep up. 

So we want to address imbalances as much as possible and be conscious of them.

This is where unilateral glute activation may be key. 

You may consider extra work for that weaker side, even swapping in something like the single leg reverse hyper to get that glute working. 

Or you may use something like the 80/20 glute bridge to help you focus on each side more independently. 

We have to recognize how challenging the full unilateral or single leg glute bridge is, which is why I recommend the 80/20 version instead.

If you can’t control the two-leg bodyweight bridge, there is a good chance your weaker side will continue to struggle with a full single leg variation.

But modify the move or even add in unilateral work to make sure you aren’t feeling other muscles take over for that weaker glute!

Bonus Tip:

And a final bonus tip, which can be helpful whether you’re addressing an imbalance or even just your hamstrings, lower back or quads engaging when they shouldn’t…

Foam Roll those overactive muscles PRIOR! 

The impact of foam rolling is short-lived, but by rolling that muscle that wants to compensate before you then do the exercise, you can help interrupt that mind-body connection so you can better engage the proper muscles.

Especially if you feel only the hamstring on one side, trying rolling that muscle prior to the glute bridge to relax it to make it easier to establish that mind-body connection to your glutes!

Just remember, changes to our mind-body connection and recruitment patterns won’t happen overnight.

Our mind and body will want to default back into patterns we’ve created over time that now feel natural.

But if we don’t work to address them in fundamental moves like this, we put ourselves at greater risk for injury when we lift heavy, run or cycle.

Not to mention we may not be seeing the improvements in our other training that we want because we aren’t using muscles as efficiently to power our training!

–> Download The Workbook Sheet

The Most UNDERRATED Lower Ab Exercise

The Most UNDERRATED Lower Ab Exercise

by | Dec 3, 2023 | Blog, Core, Exercises

No you don’t have a lower ab muscle.

But you CAN target the lower portion of your rectus abdominis or your LOWER ABS to a greater extent based on the moves you include in your workout routine.

And one great way to target that area is with lower body crunches.

They’re simple and effective…if done correctly.

There are also a variety of ways you can regress and progress this move to match your needs and goals.

However, how you do this amazing move can really impact where you actually feel working and the benefits you get from it.

That’s why in this video I want to go over how to properly do this movement and some amazing ways to really feel those lower abs working.

But first I wanted to discuss two areas we often feel compensating during this exercise that can end up overworked and injured, leading to this fabulous move being hated on…

And they are our hip flexors and lower back!

Do you ever feel your lower back or hip flexors taking over when you do a lower body crunch? 

This is because you aren’t properly bracing your abs!

While yes, any exercise that involves hip flexion (that bending at the hip) WILL work your hip flexors… 

So often we rely on our hips over bracing our abs which ultimately ends up with us only feeling our hip flexors or lower back during this ab exercise! 

To prevent this from happening, there are a few things you want to focus on….

Focus On These Tips:

#1: Set up bracing your abs, tucking your hips slightly up toward your ribs. 

This posterior pelvic tilt will help you feel those abs engage and even engage your glute max a bit.

This glute max engagement inhibits your hip flexors from taking over as much.

#2: Initiate the crunch of your lower body through spinal flexion. 

Too often this move will be cued just as tucking your knees in which leads to us only bending and extending at the hip to raise our feet up off the floor and lower them back down.

But really we want to curl in from our SPINE. This spinal flexion is what engages our abs to power the knee tuck up.

#3: DO NOT SWING OR USE MOMENTUM. 

Slowly roll to tuck in and then, one vertebrae at a time, lower back down.

Do not release that ab brace at the bottom.

Keep your abs engaged as you touch your feet down! 

By focusing on this ab engagement and spinal flexion you not only protect your lower back, preventing it from arching up, but you disengage your hip flexors through that glute max engagement and use of the abs to curl in over just bending at the hip.

Building off of this focus on engaging your abs even before you start the movement…

I wanted to go over some tips to implement this basic lower body crunch properly before I then dive into some fun modifications and variations to match your needs and goals.

How To Do The Lower Body Crunch:

To do the lower body crunch, you want to set up lying on your back with your hands down on the ground beside you or behind your head.

To help you brace with the posterior pelvic tilt, pushing your palms and arms straight down beside you into the ground can help.

Bend your knees and curls your heels in toward your butt. This active curl in as you flex your feet should even help you feel your hamstrings engage to further prevent your hips from compensating.

Tilt your pelvis, drawing your hip bones up toward your ribs. Press your arms down into the ground.

Then think about curling your ribs up toward your hips as your knees curl in toward your chest.

Do not let yourself just flex at the hip. Really focus on curling your spine to lift your butt up.

Move at a controlled pace, then roll back down to tap your heels down.

Do not fully release engagement of the abs at the bottom.

Then curl back in.

Focus on that exhale as you curl in to help you engage your abs!

Then repeat the move, again focus on that curl starting from your spine over just your hips bending!

Keep that heel pulled in tension to help you avoid only bending at your hips!

Struggling? Try These Modifications!

If you’re focusing on these cues and struggling with getting your abs to engage there are two things I like to do with clients that can help…

#1: Hold on to something overhead. 

#2: Use a roller squeezed between your calves and hamstrings. 

I’ve even combined these two things as a variation to really isolate those abs. 

By holding on overhead as you perform the lower body crunch, you can help engage your lats, which can lead to better glute engagement as well.

This can help you create tension through your backside that protects your lower back during the move.

This pull down can also help you crunch your ribs slightly down toward your hips to better brace your abs.

It can also give you more control as you curl your knees in toward your chest.

And the roller can help you maintain that hamstring engagement to prevent your hip flexors from taking over.

By having to squeeze that roller into your legs, you prevent yourself from extra movement at the hips as well.

Combining both of these techniques may prove a killer combo even to really target those lower abs with a slow curl in and lower back down!

And the great part about this basic movement is there are so many ways you can change it up to match your needs and goals!

If you’re feeling really in control of this lower body crunch, you may still find the modifications provide progression through the same but different.

They can even help you isolate those lower abs in new ways.

Try These Progressions:

But you may also find you want to progress to a double leg lower with your legs straight or even a leg lower plus. 

That bonus spinal flexion at the top of the basic double leg lower is a great way to work those abs extra as they are worked by that flexion of the spine!

You can even just simply add weight to the basic lower body crunch. 

The benefit of adding weight is not only that the resistance makes it harder but also that, by holding a weight between your legs, you engage your adductors.

Because of the connection of your hip flexors to your pelvic floor, and your adductors are also a hip flexor, you may find that by squeezing a medicine ball between your legs you even feel your core working more with very light weight!

And if don’t have weight and want to work your upper body more, you can even take this lower body crunch up off the ground with hanging leg raise variations or even dip hold leg raises. 

But with all of these variations, you want to make sure you target your lower abs by bracing those abs with the posterior pelvic tilt and actually flexing at the spine as you lift.

It is tempting to just let the movement only occur at the hip when you fatigue without your abs engaged.

Remember this will just lead to your hip flexors working, not your abs getting the benefits you want!

So regress if you feel yourself starting to cheat!

Using these tips you can really target your lower abs with the amazing and oh so simple lower body crunch.

Perfecting basic moves like this can help us see better results faster and really target those stubborn areas we want to work!

Try This Ab Burner:

And for a quick and killer burner using this move, try this 100 Rep Ab Burner…

This is great to use once a week in your workout progression.

Completing 1 round through the circuit.

CIRCUIT:
20 Heel Raised upper Body Crunches
20 Lower Body Crunches
20 per side Oblique Crunches
20 Full Body Crunches

For more killer workouts, and even ab burners, join my Dynamic Strength App!

–> LEARN MORE

5 Tweaks To improve Your Push Up Form

5 Tweaks To improve Your Push Up Form

by | Nov 27, 2023 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises

Want to improve your push ups?

Then start focusing on what muscles you actually feel working during the movement.

When we get the correct muscles truly powering an exercise efficiently, we can see improvements almost instantly.

It’s not that we all of the sudden POOF got stronger…

It’s often just that we are using the correct muscles to the correct extents at the right times.

That’s why I wanted to share 5 quick tweaks to your push up form that can help you improve your push ups immediately.

These are mental cues and areas to focus on as you not only set up in the push up, but even perform the movement.

These changes help you load more efficiently and better engage those bigger muscle groups to support each other.

Not to mention these tweaks will help you avoid those common aches and pains that happen with push ups from adding up!

At the end I’ll also share a bonus tip to help you learn to make these adjustments and truly focus on what you feel working.

So let’s first start with our connection to the ground. As we need to create tension through the ground to properly activate everything.

#1: Spread Your Fingers And Grip The Ground With Your Entire Hand.

If you want to engage your chest, shoulders and triceps properly, you need to focus on your hand placement.

Too often we just set up with no thought as to the pressure we are really applying through our hands.

This not only leads to a less powerful press as we don’t fully activate our chest, but it can also lead to overload of our wrist and elbows.

So spread your fingers wide and focus on gripping the ground with every finger tip as well as your thumbs.

You want your middle fingers pointing straight ahead as well. This helps keep your shoulders in a good position.

Often we may find our hands want to turn in as our elbows flare out, and not only does this overload our wrist and elbows but it internally rotates our shoulders and can lead to us shrugging and ending up with neck or rotator cuff issues.

It also prevents us from having as strong a press because our chest can’t engage correctly and neither can our back.

So don’t just rush the set up. Focus on your hands outside your chest and that tension into the ground through your entire hand.

This intentionality in your set up and tension down into the ground will not only help you better activate your pecs and protect your upper body, but it will also set you up for success with tweak number 5 to improve the push back up to the top of the push up.

But you don’t want to only focus on your hands connection to the ground. You also want to pay attention to your feet.

Because efficiency in the tension you create from your head to your heels can help you more easily bust out those push ups.

That’s why #2 is to Drive Back Into Your Heels. 

When you set up and place your hands outside your chest, you want to focus on pushing backward through your heels off the balls of your feet.

This helps you flex your quads and better creates that tension all the way up your body so you aren’t overloading your chest, shoulders and triceps.

Too often we end up pushing forward off our toes, which creates more strain and resistance on our upper body, making our press less efficient.

By driving back through your heels, you don’t add more load to your upper body and you even help yourself avoid the hip sag we often see with push ups because our core isn’t braced properly.

So push down into the ground as if pushing it away with the balls of your feet as you drive back through your heels.

And be conscious as you push back up to keep pushing back through those heels.

But it’s not just our lower body we want to be focused on with what we consider to often be a chest, shoulders and triceps move…

Which brings me to the 3rd area you want to focus on…

Your back!

#3: Focus On Your Back. 

Often when we do push ups, our hands start to drift out in front of us instead of staying by our chest.

We also tend to shrug.

Daily postures can lead to this feeling more natural and “easier” with our push ups.

But this puts more strain on our shoulders and triceps and doesn’t allow us to use the strength of our chest optimally.

While it can “feel” easier it actually makes push ups harder.

It’s why we can struggle to have that power in our push ups.

To avoid this happening and protect even our neck, shoulders and elbows, we want to focus on engaging our back and even the movement of our shoulder blades as we press.

As you set up for the push up, shrug your shoulders and then pull them down hard as you set up with your hands outside your chest.

Pulling those shoulders down and locking them into place should make you feel along the sides of your back under your armpits engage.

This back engagement is key.

Even think wide chest as you set up.

Then as you lower down, you want to feel your back pull your shoulder blades toward your spine.

This engages your back and stretches your pecs to load them.

As you then push back up in the push up, you will feel your shoulder blades move apart.

But also as you press back up, you want to feel your back stay engaged to keep your shoulders from shrugging up by your ears.

All of this allows you to better optimize how you’re using your upper body to push.

And while it can feel harder to start as it is breaking what feels natural, it ultimately will allow you to use the power and strength of those bigger muscles more!

It is all about using what is meant to power the movement and using those muscles efficiently.

That’s why you also want to focus on tension in different muscles as different points.

What you focus on in your setup may change as you lower down and then especially as you move to push back up!

Ever notice you can lower back down but if you lower just a bit too far, you can’t push back up?

Finding this is holding you back from that full range of motion in your push up?

This transition and push back up, means changing what you’re focusing on to keep that clear tension throughout your body.

It’s why adjustment #4 is to Exhale And Squeeze Your Butt As You Push Back Up.

We are stronger in the eccentric portion of the push up, which is the lower down.

That’s why we can find the push back up is where we lose tension and struggle.

Often we may find our chin tucks or our hips sag and then our elbows want to really flare out.

By exhaling on that exertion to push back up, we can help yourselves create better core tension and avoid the sag to push back up as one unit.

And by squeezing our glutes we can avoid our butt wanting to push up first as well.

So when you hit what may feel like a stick point, exhale hard and squeeze your butt to control your form as you push back up.

And while the exhale and butt squeeze can help with maintaining that nice plank position, tweak number 5 can help you keep that nice upper body position and even help you continue to drive back into your heels to further reinforce that plank position.

Tweak #5 is to Push The Ground Away As You Drive Up. 

Too often we just think about trying to get back up to the top of the push up which is why our butt can go back first or we find our shoulders lift as we arch our back.

We lift up in pieces.

By creating that good core tension with the exhale and butt squeeze we can then drive back up with our body moving together by focusing on pushing the ground away with our hands.

It’s why setting up with that tension to start is so key.
When you push the ground away, focus on gripping it with every part of your hand. And even think about almost trying to pull your hands together to keep those thumbs down.

The push up involves horizontal adduction of your shoulders, which engages your chest more.

So almost pretending you would fly your arms together if the ground wasn’t in the way, can help you get more chest involvement to press up.

And often as we go to push up, we come forward on our toes, losing tension.

But by focusing on pushing the ground away, we can help ourselves push back into our heels.

This reinforces that core tension and helps us keep our back engaged to further promote us using the muscles of our upper body efficiently for a powerful push back up!

Bonus Tip:

And while all of these form adjustments are amazing, it can be hard to focus on doing them when we are using a push up variation we can’t yet control.

Especially the longer we’ve been compensating and our form has been off, the harder it can be to change what has become “natural.”

So as much as we want to do a harder variation of the push up, sometimes we do have to regress to progress to start and train these changes first.

While they will help you quickly improve your push ups, do not hesitate to even modify off an incline, or higher incline, to start to build up with proper engagement.

That little step back can launch you forward faster!

Improving your movements and even feeling stronger, is partly about that efficiency of movement.

Use these cues and form tweaks to help yourself rock those push ups by getting the correct muscles working together more efficiently!

Want to improve your push ups? Here’s an amazing 30 day workout plan to help!

–> 30-Day Push Up Challenge