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The Best Workout (You Aren’t Doing)

The Best Workout (You Aren’t Doing)

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

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

We want to LOOK like we workout, right?!

But there are so many options out there…

How do you know which is best?

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

“How many reps and sets?”

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

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

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

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

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

Compound Burner Sets!

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

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

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

So, What Are Compound Burner Sets?

They are:

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

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

What does this mean?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But make sure a weight never feels light!

Record what you do to try to beat next time.

Bonus Benefits….

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

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

Warning…

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

And do NOT cut out rest periods!

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

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

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

Now how to use this design….

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

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

For each workout, create 2-4 compound sets.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SUMMARY:

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

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

You want to be intentional with moves.

And as I mentioned earlier, fueling correctly is key.

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

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

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

–> 5 Habit Changes To Build Muscle WITHOUT Gaining Fat

Eat MORE And LOSE Fat?! Here’s How

Eat MORE And LOSE Fat?! Here’s How

by | Apr 24, 2022 | Blog, Diet, fat loss-featured

I know we’ve always heard calories in vs calories out is all that matters. And that you need to eat less and create that calorie deficit if you want to lose weight.

However, more is not better when it comes to a deficit, and trying to eat less and create a bigger deficit may backfire if we want to achieve sustainable fat loss results and our ideal lean aesthetic.

Because as much as your goal may be weight loss, you want fat loss. And fat loss can’t be rushed by eating less.

Actually forcing an extreme deficit may be why we’re even GAINING weight while under eating not to mention losing muscle instead of just focusing on fat loss.

I’m going to break down what happens when we undereat and why cycling ratios over cutting calories is key! And then I’m going to go into how to create the appropriate deficit for your needs and goals and why we may have to RE-TRAIN your body to eat more before we can focus on cutting!

Our Body Fights Weight Loss

The reason we need a deficit to lose weight is because we need to force our body to use its own energy stores to fuel. When we have less energy coming in than we need to fuel our activity and survival, we utilize stored energy. This is how we lose weight by using stored glycogen and mobilizing fat stores to fuel!

However, our body wants to maintain balance, even if the balance isn’t necessarily healthy or ideal. And the longer we’ve been at a certain weight, or above our ideal, the more our body doesn’t want to change from that point.

Our body wants to resist change and protect its fuel stores and avoid “starving” which is what it is so to speak “scared of” when you go into a deficit and start consuming less. It’s why our body resists losing weight.

And this is even when we do it in a HEALTHY way with a small deficit, nutrient dense foods and macro ratios matched to our needs and goals.

 Now…What Happens In An Extreme Deficit? Why Can It Backfire?

When you try to create a more extreme deficit and slash your calories extra low, you may see results faster to start initially. Your body immediately is depleted and needs to tap into stored energy.

However, your body adapts as quickly as it can to avoid this extreme deprivation impacting overall survival. While annoying for our weight loss efforts, this is a natural protection response.

When our body is continually under fed, ghrelin increases, which is the hormone that triggers hunger, particularly for sweet and fatty foods while leptin decreases, which is the hormone that regulates energy intake by telling the brain to stop eating. 

We also start to expend less energy to conserve our stores. So even if you’re trying to train harder to lose weight, you may find your workouts suffer and your output decreases.

Even if you do manage to train hard and push through, our bodies compensate by actually starting to burn fewer calories at rest.

Not to mention, underfueling especially if you aren’t conscious at all of macros, very quickly will lead to muscle loss. 

And losing muscle only further slows our resting metabolic rate.

If we’re under fueling and over training, our basal metabolic rate drops and non-exercise thermogenesis, or the calories burned from things like fidgeting decreases. 

Basically, we suffer from metabolic adaptations that allow us to function on the reduced calories. Which ultimately means that us starving ourselves with 900 calories a day becomes all our body thinks it needs to survive as it regulates all other functioning to match the intake you’re giving it. 

It leads to us NOT losing weight while under eating and feeling the need to slash our calories lower to get results. It also leads to us feeling extra hungry.

And when we then do overeat, we ultimately store this energy as fat because our body doesn’t “need” it to fuel. It’s adapted to the lower calories despite the hunger signals!

Have You Destroyed Your Metabolism?

The short answer is…not permanently. Yes you’ve created metabolic adaptations, BUT these can be reversed.

Will it take time and be uncomfortable and require you to sometimes go backward with your results before you move forward? 

Unfortunately, yes.

But if you don’t take time to reverse these adaptations, you’re going to keep undereating and still gaining. Your going to keep perpetuating the same cycle and not be moving forward anyway. 

While it’s hard to go against things we’ve been taught, like eat less to weigh less, you’ve got to step back and EAT MORE to reverse the metabolic “damage”

It’s the only way. 

And yes, it may lead to you gaining weight to start.

But A. This can be muscle you actually are starting to gain, which will ultimately HELP your metabolic rate and lead to better results faster.

And B. You’ve got to allow your body time to return to hormonal balance to then move forward if you ever want to see progress, and maintain those results long term.

So as sucky as it is to honestly take actions you know may move you further away from your goal to start, it’s the only way ultimately to truly move forward and see results.

So how do you get yourself out of this cycle of starvation and re-train your body to eat more?

Step Back – Re-Train Your Body To Eat More!

Variations of this retraining process are called Reverse Dieting.

Depending on your mindset with it all and how many big changes you feel you can handle at once, you may start by adjusting your macros before changing and increasing your calories.

First track what you’re currently doing no matter what. This allows you to make accurate adjustments based on your needs.

One way to approach first making changes is to adjust macros at your current calories, increasing protein, and then, as you dial in that ratio, start to slowly increase calories, 100 calories at a time.

A lucky few actually see weight loss during this, especially with the ratio change. But most, will see weight steadily creep on, even multiple pounds in the first few days, with the calorie bumps.

This will slow. 

Most of the time you should seek to increase by at least 500 calories from your starting point, maintain that for a week or two before considering re-creating a deficit. 

Adjusting your macros, and using specific higher protien ratios as you increase calories, helps use this extra fuel to build muscle and balance out your hormones. With the higher protein ratios, you will benefit from the thermic effect of that macro as much as possible to avoid you gaining any more fat than necessary.

Once you’ve gone through this process to train your body to use more calories, you will start to do small deficit adjustments, often only 100 calories lower than where you’ve built to. You will also adjust macros to more weight loss focused ratios to help kickstart those results.

Now occasionally if you’re super ready to just embrace the gain and risk more coming on quickly to help be able to jump back into losing faster, you can do a fast bump up right away. This also works out better if you’ve tracked in the past and are willing to potentially go higher protein or make a more dramatic macro change as well.

The downside, is your body doesn’t like change and this can lead to bloating or energy shifts and such. These can go away quickly BUT it’s something to be aware of.

This will often also lead to massive jumps on the scale to start but also a quicker leveling off. 

Neither one is really wrong, part of it is mentally what makes us feel best with the process, how far we have to go to really re-train our body and also appetite and activity level. 

The more active and hungrier we feel, the easier it is often to increase calories quickly.

If you have less of an appetite and are less active, it can be harder to increase calories dramatically all at once, making the slower increases more beneficial.

You need to be aware that it WILL feel like taking a step back at first and that often you feel like you’re losing ground, even having to start over so that you can ultimately progress forward.

Now Don’t Say You’re Too Old…

Often this whole process actually becomes more important to do the older we get, and especially during menopause.

As much as re-training our bodies is hard and uncomfortable and will especially lead to weight gain to start during menopause, we need to do it NOW to set ourselves up for long term success.

During menopause our apettite may also already increase as our metabolic rate slows. Throw in under fueling and overtraining in our attempt to reverse the menopausal weight gain and we have a recipe for disaster.

So as hard as it can be when you already see the scale increasing, it’s increasingly important you embrace learning to eat more!

Eating more and dialing in those macros will preserve your lean muscle mass and even help you build muscle. This is essential as we get older as it becomes harder to build and retain lean muscle, which is part of why our metabolism slows with age.

If you under fuel, you put yourself at great risk for muscle mass loss which can not only impact your quality of life and lead to a whole host of other issues including great risk for fracture, but it can make the weight loss process more and more of a struggle as you get older.

So do what you can as soon as you can. And realize that with getting older, learning to fuel correctly and eat more is even more key!

If you want help with this process to create a sustainable plan, click the link below to learn more about my 3-Step Recipe For Results!

–> The Simple Recipe For Results (note I didn’t say “easy”)

15 FAT LOSS TIPS That Changed My Life

15 FAT LOSS TIPS That Changed My Life

by | Apr 17, 2022 | Blog, Diet, fat loss-featured

Struggling to lose weight? Need that little tip to kickstart your results?

Well let me save you a lot of wasted time and effort experimenting to find what works and share 15 tips I’ve found to make all the difference in my results.

CHECK OUT THE FULL VIDDEO BLOG BELOW:

1: Working In Foods You Love First

For me this is dessert.

Often the thing we love most is the least healthy for us so we cut it out first. But we need to do the opposite and actually PLAN IT IN FIRST to work everything else around it and create a lifestyle balance.

When we cut out the foods we love, we sabotage ourselves. Restricting them just leads to us wanting them more and ultimately binging on them and falling off our plan.

Work in the foods you love so you want to stay consistent with the healthy lifestyle you are building!

2: Quality Does, And Doesn’t, Matter

Obviously whole natural foods are best for our health.

But you can STILL overeat healthy foods.

If you’ve been frustrated not seeing weight loss results while thinking “My diet is healthy and clean,” realize that your portions could still be off.

And we also need to stop making ourselves feel guilty for enjoying some not so quality foods as we strike the balance right for us.

Follow the 80/20 rule, consuming whole, natural, nutrient dense foods 80% of the time while still enjoying the not as quality foods you love.

And remember, portions still really matter!

3: It’s Not Forever

Nothing works forever.

While we want to make true habit and lifestyle changes, we need to realize that our needs and goals will change with time and our diet and exercise routines will need to adjust and adapt as well.

You’re building a foundation with the changes you’re making but you can’t get so tied to something you aren’t willing to adjust with time.

Focus on truly LEARNING the fundamentals and basics so you understand how things work for you so you can adjust as you need when your lifestyle and goals change.

4: Keep It Simple, Butthead

It’s so easy to get caught up in all of the options out there. And it isn’t stupid to want to overcomplicate things.

But we do need to keep it SIMPLE if we want the best results. As the more details we add all at once, the more our attention gets divided and the harder we make it on ourselves to dial in the big picture plan, which matters most.

We’re being a butthead, and I mean that as a slight term of endearment, if we start worrying about details like meal timing and supplements and best foods for fat loss before we first simply get consistent with our workout routine while dialing in our overall macros and calories for the day.

So set a few big picture things to start with and get consistent with before you worry about anything else!

5: Stop Overcorrecting

We’re human.

There will be days that don’t go as planned, days we just aren’t motivated, days that we just “mess up.”

But instead of feeling guilty, instead of trying to do more the next day to make up for it, we just need to get right back to those habits.

We need to do what we can as soon as we can to just MOVE FORWARD.

It’s like if we get a flat tire, we don’t slash the other three! Nope. We fix the flat or call a tow truck so we can get moving forward as fast as possible. Don’t make the situation worse.

Don’t try to do more to correct it as that will also often backfire.

Just move forward.

6: Focus On Strength Training Over Cardio

Our workouts should be about more than just burning calories. So while we may burn more calories in a single cardio session over a strength session, this shouldn’t really be our focus.

Training is about becoming functional stronger and moving our best.

And if we want to really improve our weight loss efforts, we need to focus less on how many calories we burn in a single session and more on how we can increase our lean muscle mass to raise our metabolic rate and burn more calories even at rest.

So focus on strength training to actually see better results faster, especially as we get older. Since it becomes harder to build and retain lean muscle, we want to do everything we can to promote better muscle hypertrophy!

7: You Can’t Just Listen To Your Body

We wouldn’t be struggling to lose weight if we could just eat intuitively. Intuitive eating needs to be learned.

So if you’re trying to achieve body recomposition, you won’t be able to just listen to your body and eat according to its cues.

Our body don’t like change and they believe the state they’ve been in, the weight you’ve been at, is normal. So your body will resist any weight loss efforts.

You’ll feel hungry.

There will be mental struggles as you make changes to habits you’ve always done.

But change requires change.

8: There’s No Quick Fix

Plain and simple, change doesn’t happen overnight. And even expecting to reverse 10 years of weight gain in a single year, is truly overnight results.

The longer we’ve had the weight on, the longer we’ve been repeating habits that don’t work, the longer it will take to see changes.

And often the closer we get to our goal, the slower the progress will be especially if we are trying to see true fat loss and not just quickly lose weight on the scale through glycogen depletion and water weight being lost!

So get ready to focus on consistency over doing more to get results faster. We can’t out exercise or out diet time!

9: Recovery Is Key

Often we try to do more by training longer and harder and cutting out more from our diet.

But often the MORE we really need is more rest and recovery.

Those “easy” recovery sessions, when we relax and sleep and de-stress, that is when we are actually repairing and seeing the benefits of our hard training sessions and changes in macro ratios.

Without recovery time, you are just going to keep beating yourself down instead of ever allowing your results to build up!

So prioritize sleep. Plan in rest days. Do that rehab work! It may not “feel” beneficial but it is truly what makes your hard work add up!

10: Avoid Restriction

Often we cut out more in an attempt to get results faster. But all this does is make our habits unsustainable.

It’s what makes us feel like we just don’t have the discipline, self control or willpower to see the results we want.

When really we just aren’t being realistic. We aren’t basing things off of our needs and goals.

Don’t focus on cutting out. First focus on small swaps that feel like the smallest changes and realize there can be a balance.

Even start by doing the MINIMUM, knowing results will snowball.

11: Be Active

The more you do, the more you do. And when we stay active, we often want to do more things that keep us moving in a positive direction.

It’s much easier to get lazy and eat extra crap when you’re just lazing around.

So get moving.

Go out for walks. They’re a great way to burn more fat and get in more movement without stressing your body.

But get active and stay.

Especially the leaner you get and closer to your goal you get, as you’ve been in a deficit for longer, the more your body may actually move less to conserve energy.

Be conscious of this and make sure to make an effort to stay active throughout the day!

12: Macros Over Calories

Macros matter most for sustainable results. The ratio you use may impact the calories right for you and impact how full you feel.

And higher protein ratios can help prevent unwanted fat gain if you are in a surplus while helping aid in muscle mass retention during a deficit.

Actually high protein ratios are the only ones shown to even help you build muscle while in a deficit.

So let your macros then dictate how you dial in your calories. Don’t just focus on calories in vs. calories out!

13: You’re Not An All Or Nothing Person

Often we think if we can’t do everything at once, there is no point in doing anything.

This not only gives us an excuse not to start but it makes us feel like we’ve failed if one thing doesn’t go as planned.

But results don’t happen because of what we do when we are perfect. From doing more for a week.

They happen because we stick with the minimum consistently day after day.

Remember that small changes build. And that the more we can ingrain one habit, the easier it becomes to replicate even on days we don’t feel like it.

So focus on those small changes and set some minimums you know you can hit so results can snowball.

14: Stop Doing More

The simple fact of the matter is, you can’t out exercise or out diet time.

And often the more we try to rush results, the more we simple deplete our self control and willpower so we can’t stay consistent long term.

Many of us have repeated this restriction, binge, guilt cycle.

We do so much, burn ourselves out with the restriction, end up binging, feel guilty, fall off, then can’t get back on track for a bit and even dig ourselves more of a hole to crawl out of.

Focus on small sustainable changes. Realize results simply take time and get ready for the long haul celebrating those daily habits as wins themselves.

And I saved the best for last…

15: Tracking

I know people hate on tracking for being restrictive, tedious, boring, annoying, time consuming, frustrating.

But what we measure, we can manage.

Tracking gives you an accurate picture of what you’re doing both diet-wise and in your workouts so you can make accurate adjustments.

If you want to create the right portion sizes for you without having to cut out the foods you love, you need to track.

If you want to make sure you’re getting stronger and progressing in your workouts, you need to track.

So as unsexy and annoying as it is to start, it truly is the best way to avoid wasting time and know what is and isn’t working!

SUMMARY:

So if you’ve been struggling to see results, start with even just one of these tips as your focus and BUILD. Because the hardest part is getting started and the more you do, the more you’ll want to do.

We just often need to get that ball rolling!

Ready to create your own recipe for results?

–> The 3-Step Recipe For Fabulous Fat Loss Results